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General Student Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointments of next year’s Vice President of Student Organizations and Vice President of Financial Affairs.
Student Government President Brian Harris appointed Giang Vo, a junior accounting student, for VPFA and Anthony Ortiz, a junior civil and environmental engineering student, for VPSO. The appointment of both candidates passed with no dissenting votes.
Beginning next semester, Vo will be responsible for the roughly $750,000 budget of Student Government Inc. She is currently the VPFA for Residents on Campus, the organization with the second largest budget on campus, after Student Government. She has also served as the treasurer for the International Student Association.
Current VPFA Justin Labonte said Vo’s stint with ROC gave her experience in allocating money and that her experience with ISA gave her the perspective of organizations that will come to Student Government for money.
“She has a unique perspective from being on both sides of the table,” Labonte said. He also said what Vo learned from a class on governmental and nonprofit accounting would aid Vo in executing the duties of VPFA, which include not only reviewing applications for funding, but maintaining a balanced budget.
Anthony Ortiz, brother of long-standing Sen. Alex Ortiz, was praised with sparkling recommendations from both Harris and current VPSO Samantha Shulman. Aside from his work as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon and in Sophomore Owls, Anthony Ortiz has been President of the Latin American Student Organization and sat on the Council of the Class of 2012, according to a statement by Harris.
Shulman informed senate of Anthony Ortiz’s list of explicit goals for success in the position of VPSO. Anthony Ortiz said he would strive to increase student outreach; update the website to allow student organizations to fill out paperwork online; create and maintain relationships with representative boards and community organizations; increase policy understanding, including the creation of a “how-to” website with information on organize and run a student organization; reinforce the relationship between student organizations and Student Government; increase communication between Student Government and organizations; and increase membership and interest in student organizations.
• • •
In other GSS business:
• Janet Waldron, UMaine’s vice president for administration and finance, spoke to senate about current budget projections. She told senate that while fiscal year 2011 is projected to include a 5.3 percent tuition-fee increase for on-campus students and the elimination of 53 full-time equivalent positions, “We try to minimize the effect, as much as possible, on students.”
• President Harris appointed Sean Edwards as tech manager and Jamie Crawford as the director for external affairs. Jon Allen was sworn in as a new senator.
• Senate passed a resolution to allocate $1,400 to the Interfraternity Council for Maine Day events.
• Preliminary recognition was granted to the Cybersecurity Team.
• A resolution to “acknowledge the University of Maine administration’s effort to respond to student objections over the preliminary Academic Program Prioritizaion Working Group Report” was sent to the Administrative and Academic Policy Committee for review.
• Freshman political science student Ryan Gavin resigned from his seat on the General Student Senate.
