The General Student Senate of the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its seventh meeting of the semester on Oct. 21, led by President Keegan Tripp and chaired by Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. In this meeting, UMSG heard from several speakers, including local student-oriented community groups and the first undergraduate student to be seated on the University of Maine Board of Trustees (BoT).
Club Maintenance
The Senate approved the Pre-Physician Assistant Club, a professional club promoting career development and opportunities for those hoping to pursue careers as physician assistants, for preliminary recognition.
The UMaine College Democrats were approved to change their name to the University of Maine Progressives, a move spurred by the campaign of Graham Platner and what club members cited as “longstanding dissatisfaction” with the mainstream Democratic Party.
Guest Speakers
The Senate heard from three guest speakers. The first was Will Kemler, a UMaine Machias student currently serving as the undergraduate student trustee on the UMaine BoT and the first full-voting member of the board following a year-long campaign to seat a student. Kemler affirmed the importance of a student voice on the board and encouraged students to contact him if they had questions or concerns about the process or priorities of trustee meetings.
The second group of speakers were representatives of the Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund (BBMAF), which operates as a local mutual aid organization seeking to “alleviate economic hardships for UMaine students, faculty and staff.” The speakers noted that the BBMAF had redistributed over $20,000 in donations to UMaine students and Orono-area residents in need and asked senators to get involved and collaborate with the group in the future.
The third and final guest speaker was Derek DeMello, representing the Graduate Student Senate (GSG). DeMello and two others from the GSG promoted the efforts of the UMaine Graduate Workers Union in their prolonged drive to negotiate a new contract with university administration, stating that their current salaries were not enough to sustain them and that administration had “stonewalled” their attempts to reach a permanent settlement. The GSG speakers asked senators and undergraduates to lend their support to their campaign for a more equitable contract.
Executive Reports
Vice President of Financial Affairs Joshua Bohm said that UMSG’s remaining budget for the academic year stood at $180,903.31.
Representative and Community Reports
Briar Chapin, the Faculty Senate representative, said that the university was considering moving its employees off of United Health insurance coverage and onto Anthem plans. Chapin raised concerns that transitioning towards Anthem would cause those on university health plans to be excluded from using the Cutler Health Center, whose Northern Light administrators have been involved with what he described as “spats” with Anthem providers in the past.
The Faculty Senate also discussed ways to improve pedestrian safety after several vehicle-involved accidents on campus grounds in the past year and potential security shortcomings with the Glean transcription app used by Student Accessibility Services.
New Business
UMSG was presented with a funding request worth $2,313.09 from the Men’s Club Ice Hockey team for travel expenses, which was unanimously approved by the Senate.
Senators were then addressed by Alex Emery, who is a senator himself and a concerned student appearing on behalf of the Franco-American Resource Opportunity Group (FAROG) seeking to spread awareness about the planned demolition of Crossland Hall — which is the oldest building on campus and the home of the Franco-American Centre — in order to clear space for additional sports facility parking.
Emery said that, despite having promised a new space for the Franco-American Centre, the university was exaggerating the cost of renovations to Crossland Hall and undercounting the funds necessary for renovations on both spaces the Centre will soon occupy. FAROG’s visit to UMSG is part of a broader campaign to prevent the demolition of Crossland Hall, an effort that hopes to involve Maine political figures and community groups in the Greater Bangor area.
The Senate voted to pass a resolution that modified internal documents guiding the election process, hoping to bring the administrative regulations more in line with actual current practices. The Senate also approved a related resolution that laid out the timeline for these elections. The electoral process is slated to open on Oct. 23 and results will be unsealed, announced and certified on Nov. 20.
