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SG elections: the candidates’ platforms

By Philip Turmelle

Posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 2:19 am

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This year, three candidates are running for the position of University of Maine Student Government president, all who desire to improve student services or lower fees if elected.

The candidates are Student Sens. Brian A. Harris and Zachary Jackman, and Student Government Vice President Ross M. Wolland.

UMaine students will cast ballots via FirstClass on Nov. 12. The presidential term starts next semester.

While each candidate has priorities he would like to accomplish if elected, all three say they want to promote more transparency in student government. Each said that, currently, the student body doesn’t know enough about Student Government, and that needs to change.

Brian Harris

Harris, a junior from West Enfield, is majoring in psychology. He became involved in Student Government in his second year when he was elected to senate. He has chaired the Student Senate History Committee.

One of Harris’s main goals if elected president is to increase transparency in Student Government by heightening communication with the student body.

“This can be done in a number of ways: Starting from something as little as tabling, to better utilizing our director of External Affairs, to playing a larger role in freshman orientation, to actually physically being in classrooms and speaking to students about the pressing issues,” Harris said.

Harris said he’s concerned about campus dining. He said he receives a lot of complaints about dining prices and would like to find a way to decrease them. He would continue current efforts to detail the price increases to the UMaine administration by following up on the issue throughout the year. He would also look for alternatives, such as bringing a Taco Bell or other fast-food venue to campus. Harris said he hopes to find a way to make the Bear’s Den an area where students can spend more time, perhaps by replacing the sound system and exploring the possibility of getting a liquor license so something other than beer and wine can be served.

If elected, Harris said he would create a committee of students that will interact with the student body to better understand their needs. Harris said the negative comments about Student Government “only inspire [me] … to do more” for the student body.

“I’m a big advocate of leading by example,” Harris said. “That’s one reason why I’d be a good president. I want to raise awareness of student government.”

Zachary Jackman

Jackman, a political science student, is a junior from South Berwick. He began his involvement in Student Government in his second semester. He is currently a member of the Executive Budgetary Committee. Jackman characterizes himself as the “people’s representative” because he shares many of the views of the student body and “can come from both sides of the argument — the government and student.”

If elected, Jackman said his main goal would be to lower some student costs, especially the Student Activity fee, which funds Student Government. Currently, students pay $45 per semester. He would like to cut that fee in half. Jackman said he would work toward this through his veto power. Student Senate can propose asking the administration to increase or decrease the fee, and as president he would have the power to veto a proposal, which Jackman said he will do if Student Senate approves any resolution aimed at increasing student charges. Jackman also would like to push for a tuition freeze. Jackman said he wants UMaine to keep the credit hour rate paid as a first year consistent throughout a student’s college career, regardless of tuition increases.

Interactions between Student Government and the student body is also a priority for Jackman. The high student apathy toward Student Government is something he would work to change as president.

“I feel as though, if the office of Student Government [president] is executed correctly, it has a lot of potential for students,” Jackman said.

Ross Wolland

Wolland is a junior from Presque Isle who is majoring in political science and philosophy with a minor in law study. His involvement with Student Government began as soon as he came to the university. He has since made his way up the chain and, for the past year, has been vice president of Student Government.

The Bear’s Den and Campus Dining would be among Wolland’s main priorities to address as president. Wolland said he sees the Bear’s Den as a great asset for students and would like to utilize it to its full potential, envisioning refreshments other than beer and wine and optimizing it for greater student appeal. He feels dining prices are too much for students and would like to find a way to make the prices more affordable. Wolland is currently working with the UMaine administration and current president Owen McCarthy to make prices more affordable for students, and he would continue his efforts if elected.

Wolland also said he would like to create a peer advisor program. Before meeting with their academic advisors, students would be able to meet someone from the peer advisor program to get extra advice before deciding what classes to take.

Wolland said he understands there is student apathy toward Student Government and would like to change it. He and Student Government President Owen McCarthy have created a Web site that will inform students of issues student government is handling. It should be operational soon.

Wolland said he would like to leave the university “in such a way that the lives of students are a little better on a day-to-day basis, regardless of whether or not the students know I helped make it that way or not.”

CORRECTION:
An earlier version of this article stated that Brian Harris wanted to decrease transparency. Harris has stated he wants to increase transparency.

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