UM, Orono and Old Town put heads together

Twitter
Facebook

 Email This Post
Reddit
Digg

Tell us what you think!
Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.

What students, faculty and staff want from the University of Maine and the surrounding area was the topic of a March 31 meeting involving the leaders of UMaine, Orono and Old Town. The meeting covered developments planned for Orono and bond initiatives proposed by Gov. John Baldacci to fund campus construction projects.

Two surveys discussed during the meeting found students, faculty and staff desire better access to healthy foods, a 24-hour convenience store, a restaurant, a cheap bookstore, a coffee shop and a clothing store. The leaders of the two towns and UMaine expressed interest in improving that access.

The surveys also asked students about the then-proposed, recently approved Orono-UMaine shuttle system and how late they wanted it to operate. The majority of respondents said midnight or later.

The university circulated the student-center survey in September 2008 and another in December 2008 directed toward faculty and staff.

The September survey, created by the UMaine Office of Institutional Studies in collaboration with Orono, Old Town and the BAT system, targeted 2,800 students.

790 students replied, a 28 percent response rate.

“Twenty-eight might sound small to some . but 28 percent is not bad,” said Theodore Coladarci, director of the Office of Institutional Studies. “People tend to be more satisfied than not with the particular businesses and services we focused on.”

UMaine President Robert Kennedy said, “We were thinking about what kinds of things should the university be doing, what kinds of retail sponsor services need to be offered and we were throwing out ideas but we didn’t have any data.” He said this was the first step.

It was suggested during the meeting that UMaine adopt a search feature on its Web site to list the location of services and businesses close to the campus. “I think it’s a great idea,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said a major theme that came up in both surveys was student desire for a 24-hour study area.

“So, we’re leaving part of the union open now.”

During the meeting, Janet Waldron, vice president for administration and finance, mentioned the university’s new partnership with Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) and its work managing the Cutler Health Center. Waldron said numerous healthcare providers and specialists have expressed interest in working at Cutler.

“It’s kind of exciting to think about it as a little magnet of interest here,” Waldron said.

Cutler’s privatization may be going unnoticed by students. Christina Soyden, the undergraduate student representative for the health services committee that wrote the request for proposals which attracted EMMC, said “there are still a large amount of students that are unaware of the change” and that those she has talked to think Cutler still doesn’t accept third-party insurance.

A 2009 bond package proposed by Baldacci, which was discussed during the meeting, includes $30 million in campus infrastructure upgrades for the University of Maine System – $13 million of which will go to UMaine if the proposal is approved by the legislature.

The money will be used for construction at UMaine, according to Elaine Clarke, executive director of facilities, real estate and planning at UMaine. The construction would include renovations for Colvin Hall, Holmes Hall and Nutting Hall. An energy audit conducted by a performance company determined the heat loss from Nutting Hall was “unfortunate,” according to Clarke. The planned renovations would reduce that loss.

Projects ongoing in Orono were also discussed during the meeting, including the soon-to-be-implemented Orono-UMaine shuttle system and the relocation of Orono’s public library.

Catherine Conlow, Orono’s town manager, said the new shuttle system will be a success even if just 50 percent of the people who completed the two surveys use it.

“We think that’s going to be a really successful project,” Conlow said.

Orono also plans to expand its housing for local workers, according to Conlow, who said an abundance of student housing has shifted the town’s focus.

“We have a lot of student housing, we want a community where people work and live,” Conlow said.

The meeting ended with praise for the level of cooperation between the Orono, Old Town and UMaine police departments.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.