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Senators at the Feb. 22 meeting of the University of Maine Student Government reprimanded President Nelson Carson for his admitted failure to finish the organization’s new website by deadline.
Though Carson acknowledged senators could remove him from office, they eventually agreed to an extension allowing the website to be finished by March 15.
Senators’ criticisms came after Carson explained he had not delivered informational content to website designer Ryan Gavin, leaving Gavin incapable of launching the site. Carson made it clear Gavin had “done his job” and miscommunication had left him culpable.
“Focus all your comments, all your problems with the website towards me. Ultimately it is my fault and ultimately I’m here to accept the responsibility,” Carson said.
Carson explained he intended Gavin to produce a website that could be easily updated with content and uploaded online. As Gavin explained, however, the software required initial content to start it up — something Carson admitted he had not known.
“It bothers me that this had to happen this way, but at the same time we can use this aggression for progression. Let’s turn this all into progress and forward focus,” Carson said. “The project hasn’t failed — we can still move on.”
Sen. Mark Brunton was concerned there were no checks in place to ensure the website would reach completion. Carson said the senate always has options dealing with the executive — including impeaching him.
“You guys have your options. I am president, I am going to work as such and that everything that I do reflects great upon you. If you guys feel that I’m doing the job poorly or wrongly, that’s where you need to step in,” Carson said. “There’s no excuse to not getting the work done. Period.”
“It’s essential for this business to get this website done and that’s why I can sit up here with a smile on my face because I know it’s going to get done and all this we’re talking about right now is ensuring it gets done because you guys are angry it’s not done, I’m angry it’s not done, the Maine Campus is angry — everyone’s angry. Let’s get it done,” he said.
“If you want me to say that I will resign on March 15 to ensure that this gets done, that’s fine. I’ll say that. But I don’t feel like I need to say that we all want it done as soon as possible,” he continued.
Sen. Alex Ortiz, however, remained unconvinced. He said he calculated that Carson had six weeks and roughly 60 office hours to work on the website.
“He’s receiving your money right now for doing nothing. He’s getting thousands of your dollars, a pay check every two weeks, and he’s not getting anything done,” Ortiz said.
This led an unnamed student to ask, “Is this usually how you represent the student body — by squabbling over a website?”
The senate then suspended their standing rules to allow allocations to student organizations.
After allocations, Ortiz reiterated that he stood by his words.
“Our entire organization looks like a joke to people on the outside. My professor was the advisor for the plane people [the Black Bearons] who came last week and he e-mailed me after, ‘I had high hopes for SG; is it always a bunch of self-serving crybabies?’” Ortiz said. “That is what we are perceived as by somebody who had high hopes for us — and we looked like a bunch of buffoons.”
William Dairyko, a prospective senator in attendance, said he felt Ortiz’s comments were too personal.
“If someone would have tested my manhood like that — that’s not business anymore, that’s personal,” he said. “I might have said, ‘Hey, listen, we can take this to the parking lot if it’s that personal.’”
“What more do you want out of him? It is what it is right now, help him fix it,” he said.
The senate also approved legislation officially opposing two bills regarding voter registration being considered in the Maine House of Representatives and gave $10,241 in seven allocations to various student groups.
Engineers Without Borders was allocated $2,400 for their spring service trip to Honduras. The funds will cover airfare ($1,000), transportation ($700) and housing ($700) for five members to attend the two-week trip. The group will be building and educating villagers in the upkeep of a sewage piping system.
The Orono Student Nurses Association was allocated $2,000 to attend the 2011 National Student Nurses Association Annual Convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 5-10. The funding will cover airfare for eight of their members.
The American Society for Civil Engineers was allocated $1,700 for their New England Regional Concrete Canoe Competition being held at the University of Rhode Island from April 15-17. The allocation will be used for motor pool ($400) and lodging ($1,300).
Women’s Lacrosse was allocated $1,200 for referee fees at upcoming home and away tournaments.
UMaine’s Woodsmen’s Team was allocated $1,075 for their home meet to be held on campus March 26. The funding will be used for competition wood ($1,000) and Porta-Johns ($75).
Students of the University of Maine In Technical Theater was allocated $1,280 after its initial allocation of $1,525 was rescinded. The new allocation was updated to reflect a change in attendance from five of its members attending a convention in Charlotte, N.C., to three.
The Nordic Ski Club was allocated $586 for student Marybeth Kelson to attend the Nordic Skiing Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Club Canada was denied an allocation for $764.34 to send 14 of their members to Montreal, Canada, from March 25-27. Club representative Stefanie Veneziano said the group discovered only recently that the university’s motor pool resources were booked for their trip, requiring them to seek transportation from an outside source.
Without the money, students would be forced to spend $211 instead of $100 for the trip. Senators Ortiz and Peter Christopher said they would support the legislation — but only if the Executive Budgetary Committee approved the allocation first. After the meeting, Veneziano said she planned to bring the proposal to EBC.
Students Thomas Conley, Kelly Smith and Randi Mosley were introduced as the newest senators. Also, students Britney McIntyre and Derek Jones were elected to the Fair Election Practices Committee as non-senator members.
Preliminary recognition was granted to the UMaine Figure Skating Club and UMaine For the Cure, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for women’s breast cancer.
Paul Paradis announced the UMaine Police Department will be undergoing accreditation to become a fully certified law enforcement agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement from Feb. 26-27. Interested persons can contact UMPD to express whether accreditation is warranted.
Bangor Daily News