The group was a mix of the bleary-eyed, coffee deprived and exhilarated. When a ration of fresh coffee appeared, the sleepier members of the crowd perked up. Soon, excited chatter replaced early morning yawns and grunts. The 5 a.m. bus was late, but the students remained patient and calm. They were going to witness history.

When a school bus the same color as their “one in ten” pride shirts materialized from the early morning fog, the crew ambled inside.

The riders passed around donuts and water and spent time talking about what brought them together for the trip.

Samantha Hansen, a second-year student and vice president of Wilde Stein, sat at the front of the bus. The blonde grinned broadly as she explained why she was here at 5 a.m.

“I’m testifying today – that’s why I’m wearing a shirt with buttons,” she said, gesturing to a green dress shirt partially hidden by her Pride Week T-shirt.

Hansen turned serious when she spoke about why she felt it was important to support gay marriage.

“I’m a huge supporter of this bill and this movement. I think that diversity is natural and I want to have a government that honors diversity and says ‘marriage is a union between two people,’” Hansen said. “I’m gay myself and I really, really, really want to get married and have a bunch of kids someday.”

Behind Hansen, second-year student Tanya Ubeda sat nodding.

“If marriage wasn’t a sacred thing, same-sex couples wouldn’t be fighting so hard for it,” Ubeda said.

Like Hansen and Ubeda, fellow bus-rider Ginevra Pfohl, a third-year student, has strong hopes for the event in Augusta. As a transgender Mainer who identifies as bisexual, Pfohl’s main drive to support the bill is hope for the future.

“There is a chance that [the] person I fall in love with and eventually marry will be the same sex as me and, that being the case, I’d like to be able to enter into a marriage and have all the rights that a heterosexual couple would have,” Pfohl said.

Several senators criticized Rankin’s comment of a “hostile environment.” Sen. Joseph Nabozny said it was Rankin’s opinion and that senate was not the place for it.

“Student Government is not the time or place to bring in personal ideology … it is time to put personal ideology aside,” Nabozny said.

Sen. John Pelletier took part of the blame for Wilde Stein’s delay in asking for the money.

The senate approved the allocation by 23-7, one vote away from choosing against passage.

Interfraternity Council President Tavian MacKinnon and public relations representative Brian Harris, who is also a senator, spoke on behalf of a resolution to allocate $1,000 to IFC for the Pete Kilpatrick Benefit Concert May 1. MacKinnon said ticket sales are “not going as well as planned,” which is why IFC needs the extra money.

“What are you guys going to do if you don’t break even?” Pelletier asked.

“This will come out of IFC’s pocket,” MacKinnon said. “It’s the money for the year and it will diminish all of our funds for Greeks next semester.”

“What have been your means of advertising?” Sen. Anna Briggs asked.

Harris said IFC advertises around campus with posters and chalking, along with ads on the radio, in The Maine Campus and at Orchard Trails.

MacKinnon said he asked for help from the Greeks at the University of Southern Maine but they refused to help him because their own advertising for the USM Greek Week took precedence.

The senate approved the allocation for IFC 28-1.

Vice President Ross Wolland gave a presentation about the Peer Advisor Program. The program will be designed for first- and second-year students and be open to upper classmen. Wolland described the Peer Advisor Pilot Program as a “test run” of its effectiveness. The pilot will be implemented next fall if UMaine approves it.

The pilot program will include one college and one faculty advisor overseeing three-to-five peer advisors, trained in advising students. The students and faculty advisor will evaluate the program for its strength and performance after its beginning semester.

In the club maintenance portion, the former Wildcat Student Labor Action Project changed its name to Student Labor Action Project and received final recognition. The Student Men’s Association received preliminary recognition as a community association.

Five allocations were given: $150 to Alpha Delta, $700 to Wilde Stein, $1,000 to IFC, $1,200 to the International Students Association and $3,958.15 to the Panhellenic Council.

A new senator, Richard Luc, was sworn in.