The General Student Senate of the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its 11th meeting of the semester on April 7, led by President Keegan Tripp and chaired by Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. The first meeting following the conclusion of the budgetary process the week prior, this meeting saw UMSG’s executive team present their choice of successors to the broader Senate for approval. Candidates were selected for a clerk and 10 executive positions, though deliberations on these candidates were held during Executive Session and therefore not open to the public.
Club Maintenance and Presentations
Bedazzling Club, which seeks to provide a “stress-proof space” to enable students to bedazzle things, was unanimously approved for preliminary recognition.
The Pre Vet Club briefly presented on their recent trip to the Tufts Veterinary School in Grafton, Massachusetts and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts, where they learned about conservation and paths available to students in their field. A member of the club stated that their favorite part of the trip was being able to learn more about the process of zookeeping from the employees at the zoo.
Guest Speaker
Dan Demerritt, the chair of the Orono Town Council, addressed senators to stress his commitment to building a strong relationship between the student body and the town of Orono, inviting students to attend an upcoming meeting of the Council. When discussing the controversial town ordinance allowing for stricter enforcement of noise complaints after 10 p.m., he said the rule was “not about punitive action” but about “engagement and learning” and that those who had received fines would be eligible for a rebate after a year of good behavior.
Funding Requests
The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers was granted funding to pay for travel and lodging in order to facilitate their presence at the Formula SAE competition in Brooklyn, Michigan, which will take place from May 5 to May 18.
Black Bear Robotics received $1,079.58 for hotels in St. Louis, Missouri from April 24 to April 28, when they will be attending the VEXU World Championships.
Executive Reports
Vice President Shelmerdine announced two imminent changes coming to the university that were shared with her during a meeting with Richard Young, the executive director of auxiliary enterprises. Shelmerdine said that the room housing the Kiwibot food delivery robots will be moved from the Memorial Union to the baseball concessions area, as they contain lithium batteries. Additionally, intercity bus service FlixBus bought out competitor service Greyhound’s lines in Maine and will soon be offering a direct bus from Orono to New York City, New York.
Vice President of Financial Affairs Joshua Bohm said that the remainder of UMSG’s unallocated budget stood at $31,514.77.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Dillon Leeman said that they are still trying to disperse tickets for the annual student government concert, this year featuring pop duo The Driver Era. Leeman said that UMSG will be providing transportation to and from the event, with more information available on their Instagram.
The Director of Communications resigned and the role will not be refilled for the duration of the semester.
