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The General Student Senate assembled on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and announced Sen. Owen McCarthy as the new Student Government president for the spring semester of 2009. At the meeting senators heavily debated a resolution to allocate $2,000 to an international service-trip group.
The senate gave a $2,000 allocation to R.E.A.C.H. (Relief, Education, Action, Community, Hope) for its spring break trip to South America; this was debated extensively.
Originally, the group requested $5,000, but it was altered by the Executive Budgetary Committee to $2,000, which would equal $200 to each member for transportation. Vice President of Financial Affairs Justin Labonte said this measure was taken to maintain consistency with other service trips.
Sen. Rob Goodwin argued that because this was an international service trip, more money should be allocated. He then moved to amend the resolution to $3,030, which failed.
The original resolution was debated again. Sen. Nate Wildes stressed consistency, as did Wolland who liked the $200 per-person limit imposed. Goodwin countered that not all service groups were alike and that this case warranted more funding. He was backed by Sen. Christine Soyden who spoke about her experiences and felt that $2,000 was not enough. The resolution ultimately passed and the R.E.A.C.H. organization received $2,000.
The result of the election was announced by Fair Elections Practices Commission chair Tavian MacKinnon during his weekly report. Joining McCarthy in office will be Ross Wolland, who ran unopposed for vice president. McCarthy won over Gimbala Sankare and fellow Sen. Goodwin. McCarthy seemed upbeat and enthusiastic about the opportunity.
He focused on maintaining the high level of performance and accountability that comes with being a leader. “I’m going to meet with as many people as possible. . I really want to make sure that I have a complete grasp of where everything has gone in the past so that way we don’t make mistakes in the future,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said there was little time before he was inaugurated and spoke on his plan to be prepared for leading next semester.
“I’m going to try and get things set up, meet with James [Lyons] a lot, get some advice from him,” McCarthy said. He added that he would spend ample time during his winter break on campus to help familiarize himself with the procedures of the president of Student Government.
McCarthy showed a great deal of enthusiasm about the executive leaders around him. He spoke about Vice President-elect Ross Wolland and his impact on the cabinet.
“I am really excited that Ross got the position. . I know Ross is the type of guy that takes initiative on his own to work toward a collective goal.” He touched on Wolland’s experience as a leader of Residents on Campus and his familiarity with the procedures of senate.
Labonte announced that $475 was allocated to the UMaine Green Team. In addition to the allocation to R.E.A.C.H., the senate also passed resolutions allocating $1,400 to Rotaract, $2,880 to the International Affairs Association and $2,375 to the Muslim Student Association.
Bangor Daily News