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UMSG returns from winter break, providing updates on spring projects

On Jan. 21, the University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) held its first meeting of the semester. The meeting began with the swearing in of new and returning senators, as is custom at the start of a new semester. UMSG Vice President Memphis Peterson, who also serves through this role as president of the Senate, administered the oath of office. 

The Birding Club submitted a request for final approval as a student organization, having previously earned preliminary recognition from UMSG. Their officers reported several birdwatching outings during the past semester, and hope to host events during the upcoming semester after their final recognition. The club was recognized unanimously and without debate.

During the report of UMSG President Keegan Tripp, he noted that a report was finalized on the ongoing project in collaboration with the office of the Associate Provost to collect all course syllabi into a widely-accessible bank for students. They aim to have this “syllabus bank” project completed by the end of the year.

Additionally, he is in the process of collaborating with the Dean’s Office on holding town hall-style meetings, with the intention of improving transparency and access to the administration for students. Tripp also reported that he had been appointed to the Provost Committee by President of the University of Maine Joan Ferrini-Mundy. 

In his report, Peterson relayed that he has taken the executive evaluations filled out by each senator at the end of the last semester seriously and will be working towards mitigating concerns and complaints from the Senate. These include improvements in meeting efficiency, attempting to shorten the duration per meeting and promoting a stricter enforcement of the dress code. While Peterson had attempted to find a larger space in which UMSG could meet, he was unable to find a suitable replacement for this session.

As a general project for the entire semester, Peterson is hoping to sort through the Fogler Library Special Collections archives and potentially establish a small library specific to UMSG that would be held within their chambers in the Wade Center. He also noted that UMSG is taking suggestions for guest speakers in upcoming meetings. 

Finally, Peterson has continued working on the development of a new, UMSG-specific land acknowledgement to replace the current generic UMaine land acknowledgement read aloud at the start of each meeting.

On a general note, Executive Administrative Assistant Jeffrey Dyer is leaving in May, and UMSG will soon commence a hiring process for his successor. 

Oliver Bois, vice president of financial affairs, stated that he will arrive with a financial timeline upon the next meeting of UMSG, and that he hoped to get a financial model from Chief Business Officer Kelly Sparks. The remaining unallocated budget of UMSG stood at over $63,000, to use for the remainder of the year.

Amanda Levesque took office as Vice President of Student Organizations, replacing former incumbent Neil Rockey who departed for an internship in Washington, D.C. Levesque is hoping to begin working on club visits, contacting organizations and representative boards, and meeting with the relevant administrative staff.

Vice President of Student Entertainment Dillon Leeman reported that a contract has been drafted for the artist headlining the UMSG spring concert, the identity of whom cannot be reported until a contract is finalized. They are also beginning to plan for a local band festival to be held later in the semester. The Student Entertainment Committee is open to the public and meets Mondays 1 to 2 p.m. in the UMSG office.

Elizabeth Oldfield, the vice president of student leadership, mentioned her intention to check in on new and less-experienced senators during the new session. She is organizing an appearance from winners of the Student Leadership Scholarship at a meeting later in this semester, so that they can be formally provided with their certificate and financial award. Oldfield briefly discussed a proposal by Senator Nate Feng which may be implemented upon the expiry of the terms for incumbent senators. This proposal would see new senators (a “little”) associated with an experienced member of the Senate (a “big”), similar to the process in fraternities and sororities.

Representative for the Board of Trustees (BoT) Olivia Britton reported on developments at the latest monthly meeting of the BOT. She shared that the UMS BoT spent a substantial amount of time facing the contentious issue of its hypothetical divestment from Israel, which had been pressed extensively by Maine-based activist groups. Ultimately, the BoT opted not to move forward with an investigation into potential divestment, as they believed it was beyond their purview as a nonpartisan organization. 

The BoT discussed other relevant matters during their meeting, including a collective bargaining agreement, the acceptance of a private land donation in Old Town that was made to the University and the potential establishment of a baccalaureate program in criminal justice. 

Zoe Stankevitz, the chair of the Fair Election Practices Committee, announced that preparations for the next round of executive elections and their eventual inauguration are underway. Students interested in receiving a nominative petition should ask Dyer. 

Director of Communications Abbi Downer is developing plans to increase engagement with senators on social media. She will later be reporting on developments with the free movie ticket program in collaboration with Black Bear Cinemas and is currently working on the designs for a UMSG t-shirt passed out ahead of the men’s hockey game to be played against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats on February 14 to15.

Dylan DeMerchant, the representative for the Commuter and Nontraditional Students Committee, reported that the board has nearly finished their constitution and that they have a thorough schedule planned for the coming semester. They are still looking for volunteers to serve on their leadership team and help plan events. 

Levesque, who had previously served as representative of the Honors College Student Activities Board, explained that the board is trying to find both a meeting and a representative to the UMSG. They are still taking applications. Interested students should ask Levesque for information. 

The Panhellenic Council met on Jan. 22, for an emergency session to pass a new set of bylaws. The all-executive meeting for Greek life organizations will be held on Monday, Jan. 27.

Over winter break, Student Heritage Alliance Council (SHAC) President and UMSG Representative Jon Guzman had multiple meetings with Maine Business School, intending to solidify a schedule for major events planned ahead of this semester. He reported that SHAC is looking for new members to serve on their leadership team, as most of the current executive group is graduating in May, and that identifying successors will be a major goal of his time heading SHAC. 

DeMerchant, who also serves as representative of the International Students Association, reported that their first event back will be a pizza-centric meeting on Friday. He also noted that the International Dance Festival, which will be held on Feb. 22, currently has about 14 performances planned. 

The latter half of the meeting was dominated by nominations for each position in the UMSG ecosystem. Each elected position or committee must be reappointed at the start of each semester, which is done through nomination by an eligible peer (another senator). Nomination requirements vary by position, and a second round will be held at the next UMSG meeting. Each position was open for nomination, and each received a number of valid nominations. The full list of those who are elected by the Student Senate will be published in full upon the completion of the process. 

During special orders and announcements, Senator Joshua Bohm, the UMSG liaison with the Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR), reported that CUGR is currently developing a rubric for this year’s symposium and that they are searching for a keynote speaker prior to Jan. 31. 

Tripp announced that a series of posts would soon go out to the general student body regarding the finalization of the club storage program, which was finally completed after an extensive process of development and documentation. 

Levesque shared the news that the Honors College’s Maine Day Meal Packout program had already almost hit the 50,000 meal fundraising milestone, well earlier than their progress this time last year.


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