The General Student Senate of the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its fifth meeting of the semester on Sept. 30, led by President Keegan Tripp and chaired by Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. During this meeting, UMSG passed a resolution funding its entertainment division for the entirety of the 2025-26 academic year and had an unusually extensive debate about a procedural resolution.
Club Maintenance
Senators unanimously approved the final recognition of Whitewater Club, which promotes the sport of whitewater rafting in the Orono area and hopes to provide students with an opportunity to practice environmental stewardship.
Executive Reports
Vice President Shelmerdine said that she and President Tripp met with university officials to find a resolution to parking issues plaguing campus since the beginning of the year. While she reported that the university did not seem close to setting aside or building new lots for student use, she did confirm that they were extensively searching for potential solutions. Shelmerdine also held a meeting with security officials, who she stated are working on strengthening active shooter preparations and installing new security cameras. She also noted that the “blue lights” currently present around the UMaine campus will soon be phased out in favor of the Black Bear Safe app.
Vice President of Financial Affairs Joshua Bohm reported that the Senate was left with an unallocated budget of $416,760.79, notably pending a large allocation slated for discussion later in the evening.
Committee and Representative Board Reports
As announced at the previous meeting by Casper Cowan, representative of the newly renamed Holistic Health and Wellness Committee, the university has taken steps to move its supply of the emergency contraceptive Plan B off campus in response to newly adopted federal policies. At this meeting, Cowan said that the 27 remaining boxes of Plan B had been gifted to the Wilson Center. He reported that the university and relevant student organizations such as TRIOTA continue to search for ways to assist students in need of Plan B or other medications now prohibited from being distributed, including ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
Unfinished Business
In a rare instance, the Senate was faced with an “Unfinished Business” line item on its docket. President Tripp’s Cabinet had taken the uncommon step of vetoing a procedural resolution that, if signed by President Tripp, would have required the designation of a title line and an author on each new General Student Senate resolution. President Tripp had supported the passage of the bill and stated that he believed it would make Senate documents more accessible for those not entirely familiar with how the organization operates. Vice President Bohm, among others, felt that the resolution was not “fully-fledged” in its current form and opposed its passage. After roughly 30 minutes of extensive debate, senators concluded that the resolution ought to be sent back to the Policy and Procedure Committee for further adjustment before being presented again to the broader Senate.
New Business
UMSG heard two funding resolutions. The first granted $1,156.55 to the Fastpitch Softball Club for the purchase of new uniforms and passed without debate. The second was an immense spending package that allocated $259,000 to the Student Entertainment Committee (SEC) for various student oriented purposes, including movie tickets, food trucks and the eventual spring concert. This resolution was presented in order to allow the committee to take further advantage of the expanded budget granted by students in a March referendum, after President Tripp had limited its expenditure to no more than 25% of the overall budget in the previous budgetary session held under the old system. The size and scope of this funding request generated significant discussion among senators, with the amount allocated towards food trucks being a recurring point of contention. Ultimately, senators decided to pass an amended resolution, having struck $30,000 designated for food truck meals and making minor grammatical adjustments. UMSG thereby granted $229,000 to the SEC.
The Senate also passed, without significant debate, two resolutions that made agenda modifications easier in certain instances and formalized the continuous presence of a senator on the SEC.
