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Student Body President Priyanth Chandrasekar announced to The Maine Campus that, as of July this year, he will resign from his presidency.
Chandrasekar, who had run for president earlier this school year knowing that he would be able to graduate this May, had originally intended to complete two minors and stay at the University of Maine to fulfill his term.
This, however, will not be the case. Having been accepted to his choice school – the London School of Economics – with a scholarship, Chandrasekar had tried to defer his enrollment. The school could not guarantee his scholarship if he had decided to defer enrollment.
“I’m really disappointed,” Chandrasekar said about his decision to leave his position, although he said his term had been “very successful for the past three months.”
Chandrasekar said that he intends to bring three resolutions to senate next week in hopes that he can still make an impact in his last few weeks of presidency.
Chandrasekar’s resignation will make Vice President William Pomerleau the new student body president. Pomerleau will be required to choose a new vice president to replace him. He has stated that he has not yet made a final decision as to who may replace him, but has stated that the few he has in mind are all currently in the senate.
“I’m excited. I’ve always been partial to vice president because it involves parliamentary stuff . but I’m excited to become president,” Pomerleau said.
The new vice president will be responsible for holding the General Student Senate meetings weekly on top of other duties. “I’m looking for someone that can run a meeting well, represent people, be the vice president and the president,” Pomerleau said. “Not one or the other; it is a dual job.”
Chandrasekar is not the only executive leaving the senate this May. Vice President of Student Entertainment Amanda Brown and Vice President of Financial Affairs Benjamin Benwell will also be leaving.
“It has always been a problem, the turnover in Student Government,” Benwell said. “I’m not too worried about it from the financial affairs point of view.”
“Student Government goes through a lot of changes like that,” Brown said.
At Tuesday’s GSS meeting, a copy of a letter written to Pomerleau from Tom Allen, a congressman from the House of Representatives, was circulated. Pomerleau had written a letter about the RIAA, stating his opinion that the lawsuits being pressed onto universities were too harsh.
“I think that the case right now with the music industry is excessive,” Pomerleau said. “I think there should be punishments but I think that they’re just at a different level. I tried to address that with our congressional delegation and asked them to look into passing bills or whatnot that could in some ways protect students.”
A set of bylaws were also passed Tuesday night. Before Tuesday, the GSS did not have any bylaws. This means that the GSS both wrote and interpreted the laws. Having these bylaws will allow elected students to interpret the law as it will be enforced in the senate.
Sisters Supporting Sisters, Elements and LARPers Community clubs all received final approval. GSS allocated $1,250 to the Student Athletic Advisory Council for refreshments at an upcoming event which will welcome new student athletes.
