The win is the third in a row in America East Conference play for the Black Bears, bringing them to 11-6 overall, their best start since coach Ted Woodward took the reins in 2004. UMaine sits at 3-1 in the conference after opening the conference slate with a home loss to the University of Vermont.

UMaine seemed to have learned a lesson from their previous game against Stony Brook University in which junior forward Troy Barnies said they came out of the gates with “no energy.”

The lackluster Black Bears allowed themselves to fall behind by 10 at the half before rallying back late in the second to secure the win.

Against UNH (6-10, 1-4 AE), however, the Black Bears emerged like a team possessed on the defensive end, holding the Wildcats’ top three scorers to just one point, and the team to only 13 for the half.

Woodward credits his team’s depth for their defensive performance.

“We played great team defense and our depth feeds into that,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of interchangeable parts and guys have accepted that. Our depth is a strength of our basketball team.”

Unfortunately, UMaine was not able to get much going on the offensive end as they were bothered by the equally physical UNH squad.

Still, the Black Bears entered the half with a 23-13 lead and the opportunity to show they could keep a lead just as well as they could come back from a deficit.

To try to swing the momentum in their favor, the Wildcats instituted a smaller lineup with an active trapping press defense in the second half. It appeared to be working to their advantage when a disheveled-looking UMaine offense allowed a 9-2 run that culminated in a steal and a foul by junior guard Malachi Peay. The play sent UNH guard Chandler Rhoads to the line to bring the Wildcats within one point at 33-32 and put the pressure on the Black Bears.

But if UMaine were sweating, they didn’t show it. UNH’s scrappy press defense quickly put them in foul trouble and allowed UMaine to use their size to go to work in the post. Unconventionally, forward Sean McNally, who has been the target of double teams all season, stepped outside to feed the ball into UMaine’s guards on the block. McNally led the team with 13 points (9-for-10 at the foul line) and four assists, many of which went to guards Junior Bernal (9 points) and Terrence Mitchell (10 points) as they exploited mismatches against the Wildcats smaller backcourt.

“We play team offense,” said McNally. “When Terrence or [freshman guard] Murphy [Burnatowski] or Junior have a guy on the low block I’d rather give it to them and have an assist than try to force up a bad shot myself.”

Eventually UMaine’s size and relentless assault on the basket wore down the Wildcats physical defense, and they pulled away to a 10-point lead with 3:36 remaining.

UNH coach Bill Herrion was very impressed with the Black Bears’ aggressive play.

“We got physically manhandled out there. They are a very physical team that is much improved from last year,” he said. “They physically determined the tempo of the game.”

He added that through their first five games of conference play, which include matchups against conference powerhouses Vermont (5-0) and Boston University (5-2), UMaine was as good as any team they had played.

The Black Bears hit the road for matchups against conference opponents Albany University on Thursday night at 7 and then at the University of Hartford on Saturday at 1 p.m.

If you don’t have time for an animal, don’t get one. I recently heard a story about a dog that fell into the hands of an ignorant pet owner. The overzealous owner had decided on a whim to take home the dog which was listed as free.

There is nothing free about a pet. The initial cost should be the least of your financial concerns. For some reason, people seem to understand this when it comes to automobiles, but not living creatures.

The owner took this large, working-breed dog to his small apartment. Since the owner is busy with his job, the dog is confined to a crate for roughly 18 hours a day, with the exception of brief intervals where it is rushed outside to relieve itself. Crate training can be wonderful for dogs if it’s done correctly. Crates simulate the natural den habitat of wild dogs, which gives domesticated dogs a sense of security. Like many training aids, they are unfortunately used as a substitute for proper training. Leaving any sized dog cooped up in a crate all day is abuse, bottom line.

Whether it’s money, space or anything in between, if you don’t have what your animal needs to be happy and able to exhibit its natural behaviors, you have no business owning it. A past housemate of mine demonstrated this wonderfully.

After purchasing a Flemish Giant rabbit as some sort of “cutesy” joint pet with her boyfriend, she opted to house it in a cage designed for guinea pigs and kept it in the basement. Flemish Giants, being the world’s largest rabbit, can weigh more than a house cat when fully grown. Being concerned about the animal’s well-being, I approached her several times about it. She would say the rabbit was fine, and that they’d be building a hutch soon.

Apparently, building a hutch that was still dangerously small was all she felt they needed to do. They still neglected to ever take her out, clean her hutch or regularly check her food and water. The excuse this time was that she was stressed out because ironically, she had just split up with her boyfriend. Naturally, the relationship rabbit was ignored. She swore to keep a better eye on it and after witnessing that she was not doing so, I silently began to care for the rabbit myself until she decided to give her to an appropriate home.

When it comes down to it, pets are optional. You willingly choose to take over their lives, so it is your responsibility to provide them what they need. Feed your animals before you feed yourself. Clean their litter boxes before you clean your room. Walk your dog before you go to the gym. Having an animal is like having a child — if you don’t feel that sort of commitment, it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.

Growing up is boring, especially when you’ve cultivated an image as indie rock pretty-boys. They have kept the upbeat songs that put smiles on everyone’s face, with instruments ranging from xylophones to synths dotting across the soundscape. But now there are some flowing numbers where Koenig’s distinct voice is let loose over sparse progressions.

The group keeps things fresh much in the same way they did on their self-produced debut. There are quirky arrangements that vary on each track. Koenig’s lyrics are still nonsensical, if even discernible. There might not be any allusions to rapper Lil’ Jon like their last record, but catchy quips abound. Even if they might actually be about nothing — “Fake Philly cheesesteak but you use real toothpaste” — it doesn’t matter.

Everything is still drenched with reverb and echo, giving the album a homemade feel. Close your eyes and it sounds like a bunch of guys crammed in a New York apartment banging on the instruments littering their diminished living space.

The sheer joy encapsulated in the peppy “Holiday” reminds listeners why everyone flipped out about this band in the first place, but the group kept a few tricks up their sleeve.

For instance, Koenig’s vocals are clearly Auto-Tuned on “California English.” It’s no T-Pain single, instead they use the effect to create an artistic aesthetic — a possible first in the industry.

There is also an M.I.A. sample out of left field on “Diplomat’s Son.” A definite standout on the album, it’s got one of Vampire Weekend’s best melodies on the chorus, as well as breaks and pauses as awkward as a middle school slow-dance.

The singles “Horchata” and “Cousins” are textbook Vampire Weekend romps — skinny, white-boy anthems to be pumped from the iPods of a generation of college kids. It’s fitting that this is one of the first albums of the decade, not because of its artistic merit, but because it is such a period piece. Perhaps more than any other artist, this band take a snapshot of our culture and feeds it right back to the Urban Outfitter masses that adore it.

Vampire Weekend are a talented and creative band, who crafted a superb sophomore effort. Koenig and his bandmates have proved they are better than the hype, but it will be time that will tell where “Contra” will lie on this band’s journey. For 2010, it does just fine.

Grade: A-

The comments in the review reflected the issues raised during the closed-door session of General Student Senate Tuesday, which resulted in the decision not to rehire Mehdizadegan for another term as VPSE, despite an overall rating of 3.99 out of 5.

In the review, members of the GSS graded Mehdizadegan on his work, competence, attitude and professionalism.

While senators approved of Mehdizadegan’s job performance in terms of organizing and promoting shows — Senators wrote comments such as “knows what he’s doing,” and “great as VPSE ” — the review includes several notes indicating the problems senators had with his personal conduct.

One senator wrote that Mehdizadegan “takes issues very personally,” and “is not rational.” Another remarked that Mehdizadegan is “rude if someone isn’t on his side.”Another wrote that he was “just plain mean.” Under the category “Recommended ares for exploration,” one senator wrote, “Hell.”

Below is the breakdown of the role-call vote of whether to rehire Mehdizadegan, which was also disclosed to The Maine Campus on Thursday.

“Yes” vote:

• Sen. Jennifer Dana
• Sen. Derek Jones
• Sen. Charles Hastings
• Sen. Nelson Carson
• Sen. Peter Christopher
• Sen. Joseph Nabozny
• Sen. James Lyons
• Sen. Nicholas Dehaas
• Sen. Alexander Heathco
• Sen. Ian Miller
• Sen. Dayna Margarita
• Sen. Nicholas Smalley
• Sen. Anna Assenmacher
• Sen. Mary Emmi
• Sen. Spencer Rust
• Sen. Matthew Labonte
• Sen. Stephen Monaghan
• Sen. Rebecca Dyer

“No” vote:

• Sen. Alex Ortiz
• Sen. Nathaniel Wildes
• Sen. Zachary Jackman
• Sen. Richard Luc
• Sen. Ryan Gavin
• Sen. Elias Elder
• Sen. Matthew Johnson
• Sen. William Hughes
• Sen. Warren Varney
• Sen. Pardis Delijani
• Sen. Alex Price

Abstained:

• Sen. Benjamin Goodman
• Sen. Cynthia Hunter
• Sen. Nyssa Gatcombe
• Sen. Timothy Smith
• Sen. Nicholas Fournier
• Sen. Sarah Howard

All classes after 1 p.m. were cancelled Wednesday. Students shuffled through falling snow to sheltered hangouts or to brush off their cars and head home. Employees not designated as essential by their department’s Snow Day Staffing Plan were asked to leave campus. Services across campus posted their shortened hours. Perhaps most notably, almost all dining venues closed by 7 p.m., except for Hilltop Market, which closed at 9:30 p.m.

Few departments stayed open through their normal hours. Fogler Library, the Student Recreation and Fitness Center and Maine Bound remained open for business, although classes and other programs scheduled after 1 p.m. at the Rec Center were canceled.

A group of six to 10 administrators from Academic Affairs, Facilities Management, University Relations, the Hutchinson Center in Belfast and Fogler Library is in charge of recommending snow day decisions to UMaine President Robert Kennedy. According to Director of University Relations Joe Carr, who relays the recommendation to Kennedy, the president usually agrees with the group decision, although he has modified it in the past.

The group takes multiple factors into consideration when making their decision, according to Carr — primarily the university’s ability to keep campus roadways clear. If, for instance, it starts snowing at 4 a.m., Facilities Management will most likely not be able to keep up with the snow accumulation, and classes will be cancelled for the full day. It is more likely classes will be cancelled for part of the day, as they were Wednesday.

“We average two or three incidents per year where classes are cancelled for a period of time,” Carr said on the frequency of snow-related cancellations.

Finals are a major consideration when making a decision on snow days. According to Carr, although it has snowed heavily during finals before, finals have never been cancelled for snow. This is because it is impossible to reschedule finals.

“We try to weigh in on all considerations,” Carr said.

According to Steven Weinberger, assistant vice president for Human Resources, university employees — both salaried and hourly — are paid for administrative leaves, such as snow days. Employees demonstrated their willingness and ability to work but were unable to because of circumstances beyond their control, and “in recognition of that, they receive their regular pay,” Weinberger said.

While UMaine does not keep official records of past snow days, students who subscribe to umaine.txt’s RSS feed will have access to past feed announcements about snow day cancellations. According to Paul Nickerson, a senior computer science student who has subscribed to the RSS feed since August 2007, there were five days last winter when classes were cancelled due to snow.

Students can check for snow day cancellations in a variety of ways — by calling 581-SNOW; checking umaine.edu; checking UMaine news’ Twitter or Facebook pages; checking umaine.txt’s RSS feed or signing up for text alerts; or listening to local TV or radio broadcasts. Carr recommends students use university-based sources, because they are updated more frequently and are often more accurate than information provided by local media.

Mike Maberry and Mike Moody are the hosts of “Late Night with Mike and Mike,” a radio program on WMEB, UMaine’s student-operated radio station, that has been running since the spring semester of 2008. On Wednesday they will broadcast their final show in a two-hour special from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“It’s not really going to be in the style of our old shows,” Maberry said. “It will be more of ‘Here we are, we’re going out, what do you have to say?’”

“It should be a good trip down memory lane for anyone who’s been with the program for a while,” Moody added.

Guests will include friends of the show and frequent participants. Around 10 guests have already committed. The grand finale will also include a phone interview with Prince James of Sealand, a “micronation” built on a World War II naval base in international waters off Suffolk, England.

“It’s our most exciting guest ever to grace WMEB. Certainly better than when Drive Time got Lou Bega,” Moody joked.

When Maberry e-mailed the Royal Family of Sealand to inquire about an interview, he got a response within hours. It simply read, “I will do this.”

The duo tried to get Phil Collins as a guest for their last show, but Collins was too busy.

“Late Night with Mike and Mike” is a talk show that focuses mainly on local issues. They interview Student Government presidential candidates, current presidents and other figures on campus. Although it began as a political show, the Mikes began to include opinion and current events in their show as they progressed.

When the program started nearly two years ago, it was the only talk show of its kind on the station. WMEB broadcasted several sports talk shows, but no political ones.

“Since then we have given starts to a number of other shows,” Moody said. “We’re sort of the go-to people now for when Tom [Grucza], our station manager, has somebody new who wants to do a talk show. He sends them to us for the training.”

Their standing as radio personalities even granted them the moderator position at last year’s Student Government election debates.

“It was a great honor for us,” Moody said.

“I did not expect that,” Maberry said. “Mike and I have a pretty loyal fan base and it grew more than I ever expected it to.”

The Mikes build a rapport with their listeners and student government executives through interaction on their program. Maberry was even noticed on campus and once overheard a group of friends talking about their program.

The program offers the audience feedback through calls in to the show, instant messaging and returning guests.

One caller even provided the Mikes with one of their favorite memories of the show. In a discussion about Al Gore, the name of his 2000 Presidential running mate, Joe Lieberman, slipped their minds quite embarrassingly. When a caller phoned in to remind them of the name, Moody whispered to Maberry, “It’s Lieberman,” while still on the phone. Maberry quickly became excited as he thought Lieberman himself had phoned in to the program.

“There have been bad shows. There have been good shows. There have been great shows. I can’t pick one moment that was the best,” Maberry said.

“Lieberman is definitely up there,” Moody added.

The duo has spent a lot of time together and play off each other well.

“I’m known to not really care or really put much thought into some of my comments sometimes, and then have to either take them back or apologize,” Maberry said.

“I’m pretty vigilant,” Moody said. “I’m pretty quick to call Mike out.”

“But that’s what makes the program different. It’s edgy,” Maberry added.

As veteran talk show hosts at UMaine, Mike and Mike offer this tidbit of advice to those who are interested in starting their own program: “Go for it.”

Although they were almost immediately given a spot when they applied for their program, they suggest applying at the beginning of the semester, to get an optimal time slot.

The Mikes are sad to see their show end, but the timing is inevitable. Moody is graduating this semester and Maberry wants to focus on writing his thesis next semester in preparation for graduation.

Plus, the duo just wouldn’t be the same without half the Mikes.

“I would not go on without Mike at this point. I can’t,” Maberry said. “The dynamic won’t be there.”

This committee would remain in effect for the rest of this year’s session and then be re-evaluated. It is the idea of Sen. Nelson Carson, who said he wants to “create transparency and foster a stronger relationship between Student Government and the student body.”

Carson said this committee would maintain a FirstClass folder that would appear on every student’s desktop where they could voice their opinions and suggestions. The committee would then make recommendations to General Student Senate based on those suggestions.

The ad-hoc committee for student interest would also be responsible for weekly surveys of the student body that would consist of questions about services, classes and other issues Student Government might be dealing with. Carson said the first survey would test students’ knowledge and opinions of Student Government.

Carson said he has seen student senate approve resolutions based on the senate’s impression of students’ opinions. He said Student Government could more accurately represent students if it reached out to them more.

“What I see and what I feel is that if a senator is presented with an opportunity to help a student, they will do that,” Carson said.

Carson hopes a committee for student interest would give senators those opportunities, but acknowledged not all students agree with him. Since posting his idea to the student forum, he has received mixed feedback. Some students posted replies to the forum, saying the committee would add another level of bureaucracy to Student Government.

“They believe, and rightly so, that senators should already be reaching out,” Carson said.

Aaron Sterling, a former president and vice president of Student Government, asked Carson on the FirstClass forum about the specifics of the committee proposal.

“First, and most simply, UMSG Inc. is funded solely by undergraduate students, and as such, only represents the undergraduate student body. In fact, graduates have their own form of Student Government. Therefore, how do you justify this new group being a mouthpiece for both undergraduates and graduates? It is inappropriate to require senators to try to represent the opinions and wishes of a group of people who aren’t in their constituency,” Sterling wrote.

Carson replied graduate students’ opinions make a difference to Student Government as well, regardless of whom General Student Senate serves.

“Everyone has an opinion on how to make this campus a better place, and it should not be limited to just the constituency we represent,” Carson wrote.

Sterling wrote that even though graduate and undergraduate students could have mutually exclusive ideas, undergraduate students’ ideas take precedence “in a situation like this.”

Daryl Martin, a fourth-year business marketing student, wrote on the forum, “We have a folder for Student Government in FirstClass right within the student resources page,” but added nothing posted in it relates to Student Government.

“If you are truly interested in making Student government more transparent, it doesn’t take a new cabinet of people to read UMaine forums from time to time,” Martin wrote.

Sen. Ryan Gavin opposes Carson’s proposed committee. He said, “Sen. Carson’s idea is a good one, but the idea of forming a committee to deal with this is not.”

Gavin said Student Government already has a paid position to deal with matters of student interest — the director of External Affairs. He said a new student interest committee would only overlap other committees already in place, creating confusion and inefficiency. Gavin proposes a change to the standing rules that enforces a senator’s responsibility to reach out to students.

Sen. Dayna Margarita said she agreed with Carson’s concerns but doesn’t think his ideas are an effective way of dealing with them. She agreed more outreach is necessary but said the director of External Affairs already has a FirstClass folder like the one Carson is proposing.

Gavin said Student Government has made strides in improving outreach and has greatly increased the number of voters in SG elections this year.

Margarita hopes the senate will wait until next semester to make a decision about Carson’s proposal because President-elect Brian Harris and Vice President-elect Nyssa Gatcombe may have their own ideas about how to reach students.

Both Margarita and Gavin believe small changes could make a big difference in how students view Student Government. They suggest visiting classes, hanging a group picture in the union and improving their Web site.

“The way to get people excited isn’t through another committee,” Gavin said.

Michael Howard addressed the audience with the question, “Who is responsible for bearing the burdens of climate change?” He answered by mentioning what he called “the first possible solution” to global climate change, stated as “the polluter-pays principle.”

“This statement includes two principles. First, the principle of responsibility, according to which those who have created the pollution should pay. Second is the principle of capacity. Those who are more able to bear the cost should pay, so it’s the ability-to-pay principle. Both of these principles support the conclusion that, quote, ‘Developed nations should take the lead in combating climate change in adverse effects thereof,’” Howard said.

Howard said increasing global temperatures and their effects could be severe if people don’t take the global climate issue seriously and find no solution for it.

“If we continue on our current path, the concentration of CO2 will exceed 1,000 parts per million by 2100. This would mean the average global temperature rise would go from 3 to 7 degrees Celsius. To get an idea of what a temperature rise would mean, note that this would be warming to a higher temperature than any in the last 10,000 years, during which the temperature varied by only about 1 degree Celsius. The change in temperature would be as great as that from the end of the last ice age, when Bangor was under a mile of ice,” Howard said.

Gary McGrane, staff associate of the Bureau of Labor Education, who attended the lecture, agreed with the polluter-pays principle, but believes it needs more work.

“Polluters paying is fair because they are the ones contributing to the issues confronting us today,” McGrane said. “Polluter- pays principle is not a new idea but needs more work. We need major polluters to pay, not the general public. We are already paying with higher health care costs and a lower life expectance rate in this country. What we need are politicians with the political will to do the right thing.”

Howard mapped out the correlations between the changes in the Earth’s temperature and the concentration of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere with a PowerPoint presentation.

“There’s a striking correlation over the last million years between the changes in the Earth’s temperature and the concentration of CO2 methane in the atmosphere. While these concentrations initially follow temperature increases from increases in solar radiation, as greenhouse gases, they contribute in the positive feedback group to continue warming,” Howard said.

Howard said the longer people wait to reduce carbon emissions, “the steeper the reductions will need to be.”

“If emissions were stopped in 2012, we could expect elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for a very long time. To keep the temperature at or below 2 degrees Celsius, emissions would need to cease by 2050. If emissions continue on the current path to the end of the century and then cease, we can expect a rise in the average global temperature of 4 degrees or more, with catastrophic and irreversible consequences,” Howard said.

Daniel Huy, a student who attended the lecture, said he thinks an issue like this does not really hit students until they hear about it.

“We don’t really know about it until we’re lectured about all these climate changes, like today,” Huy said. “It’s kind of uncomfortable knowing how CO2 levels can be so dangerous to our environment.”

The plan just approved by the board of trustees, which the chancellor called “bold,” cuts costs, seeks efficiency by examining academic course offerings and in general outlines how to coordinate its private agenda with the state’s needs and public good.

What it does not do, among other things, is provide a convincing rationale for the need and purpose of the system office itself, or that of the chancellor specifically. Nor does it lead by example.

In a fiscal environment in which sports teams have already been eliminated, a budget shortfall of several million dollars must be made up for and job losses are surely on their way, a pay cut across the board for system administrators — many of whom make more than $150,000 per year — would send a positive message of shared sacrifice and accountability for results.

That’s something I haven’t seen in the chancellor’s “bold” plan. It could be argued that the system office has to compete with other university systems for top talent. But I’m guessing that many top-qualified people would still seek these top jobs even at reduced — but still hefty — salaries. Gov. Baldacci only makes $70,000 per year. Although the state and country is admittedly in a tough economic climate, it’s not as if the system’s leadership, despite some accomplishments, has hit a financial home run.

As tuition continues to climb to unsustainable levels, students continue to struggle to stay in school. Some are unsuccessful. The University of Maine system office must learn to better capture the imagination of people in Maine and offer a compelling vision of the future of higher education in Maine.

Although Maine has recently been knee-deep in referendum questions, a heath care debate and other topics, the efforts of the University of Maine system office have been under the radar screen of many, if not most, Mainers.

I believe that convincing skeptical and/or fiscally burdened lawmakers to keep better pace with funding needs throughout the system campuses is dependent upon leadership more fully articulate of a seasoned vision that compellingly addresses these trying times.

I don’t know whether the typical Mainer can articulate what the vision of the system office is, but it escapes me.

At a recent listening session at UMaine to hear feedback on the chancellor’s report, Chancellor Pattenaude sat on stage surrounded by four members of the Board of Trustees. The chancellor appeared highly deferential to the chair of the board of trustees, who answered the questions posed during the session in a more primary leadership role than did Pattendaude. The chancellor appeared to be on a pretty short leash. Unless Mainers get an expanded, clear and compelling vision going forward, I’d suggest that the leash become shorter still.

Alex Hammer is a graduate of the University of Maine and an independant candidate for Governor of Maine.

Loiselle Goodwin and James Hinds, two guest speakers at the meeting, presented an audit of Student Government, required by law, which showed Student Government has $184,066 in assets, $7,799 in liabilities and total unrestricted net assets of $97,460 for fiscal year 2010. The report is from June 30. Hinds praised Student Government’s proper financial reporting practices and cited minimal deficiencies. According to Hinds, a deficiency is a lack of financial record-keeping that prevents the audit from being completed in a timely fashion.

Student Government’s No. 1 significant deficiency was not recording the financial activity in their University Foundation account, according to Hinds.

“When the audit came around, we had to get the information elsewhere,” Hinds said.

Auditors need the figures on an annual basis to adjust their report findings concerning Student Government’s investment growth in the Foundation.

“You have less deficiencies than last year’s, so you’re on the right track, and even less than the year before that,” Hinds said.

The addition of a mission statement to the Student Government constitution passed after revision. President Owen McCarthy was pleased the senate reached a compromise and said an explanation of Student Government’s purpose and progress were the main goals of the mission statement.

Large club allocations during the meeting included $2,300 to the Nordic Ski Club for transportation and entry fees and $2,961 to the UM Flying Club for improved safety measures on the club’s second plane. Planned improvements included a new preheater, a push-to-talk switch intercom system and shoulder harnesses in the club’s more recently purchased plane.

Sen. Zachary Jackman explained that the Flying Club was requesting funding for improvements. Sen. Ben Goodman disagreed and said the club should have considered the safety issues before the plane’s purchase and included them in its cost. He said with knowledge of the plane’s history, these improvements should have been anticipated.

“Nothing they’re requesting is necessary for the plane’s flight,” Jackman said.

Sen. Ryan Gavin weighed in.

“I support it on the grounds of improvement rather than helping them out,” Gavin said in reference to specific repairs rather than fixed funding.

Fair Election Practices Commission Chair Skye Landry reported 2,435 students voted in last week’s Student Government election. The inauguration is set for Dec. 9. Landry expressed desire for better FEPC guidelines in the future, after last week’s election when six ballots under question caused unclear results. In addition, several of the FEPC guidelines are outdated and contradictory. She asked senators to assist in the improvement of new guidelines.

Jackman agreed.

“I look forward to taking a good, long, hard look … at what happened last week,” Jackman said.

Dyer reported the New Challenges, New Directions Initiative revisions from the University of Maine System board of trustees meeting Nov. 15 and 16 included the interest in a University of Maine System front-end portal that would link a customized version of each student’s organizations, services, schedules and communication.

“It will be expensive,” said Dyer, who repeated the trustee’s estimated cost of $20 per student per semester for the service. Dyer explained the board hopes the portal will increase ease of use and thereby increase retention rates in the system due to a better understanding of UMS workings. University of Maine at Farmington already has a version of the portal, as do other state universities.

In response to feedback from public sessions, the UMS Strategic Investment Fund — a pool of money proposed to be set aside for the system to strategically invest in certain areas, and part of the restructuring plan — was reduced. It was decreased from a $5.4 million disbursement to $1 million over the next year, with $500,000 coming from the campus itself and $500,000 coming from the system office.

In recognition of Associate Dean of Students Angel Loredo’s recent layoff, Wilde Steine President Zachary Knox and Sen. Alex Ortiz organized petitions in appreciation of Loredo’s influence and support in Multi-cultural Affairs and Wilde Steine. Knox and Ortiz urged senators to sign them.

Goodman motioned to allocate $120 to Sophomore Eagles Honor Society for a children’s holiday party at Acadia Hospital in Bangor. The allocation originally failed in the Executive Budgetary Committee because the party was going to be a closed event, open only to UMaine Eagles and hospital participants. Although not policy, senators in committee felt the event should be open to the UMaine community and not just the society. After confirmation that the event would be open to all interested UMaine students, senators passed the motion.

Sen. Joseph Nabozny motioned to allocate $110 to Student Labor Action Project for guest speaker costs in the upcoming film showing and discussion of “Battle in Seattle.” UMaine alumnus Sarah Bigney, an organizer at the Maine Fair Trade Campaign, will be leading discussion following the film.

$1,150 was allocated to Life Support’s office budget, screening license and speaker fees; $900 to Men’s Volleyball Club; $600 to Tappi Paper Industry Management Association Student Summit; $506 to Campus Crusade; and $200 to the UM Flying Club for its office budget.