The Oct. 6 meeting of the General Student Senate began with roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance given by Vice President Zachary Wyles.
General Good and Welfare:
The minutes of the Sept. 29 meeting were approved by the senate. Vice President Wyles gave his Roberts Rule item of the week, which was “moving the previous.” This means that the senators would move straight into voting. If the senators would want to have a debate on the topic, they would have to immediately say so after requesting to move the previous.
New Senators, Officer Appointments and Resignations:
Alexis Plater and Kaylie Hogg were sworn in as senators. Sen. Bray was elected as the Student Mental Health Committee chair, and Sen. Chaplin was elected as a new member of the Executive Budgetary Committee.
Executive Reports:
President Ransley spoke on renovations to happen in the Wade Center. He also spoke on written agreements to be made for the use of office spaces on campus. Currently, there aren’t any formal agreements in place, all permissions given are verbal, but making an official agreement could make getting office spaces easier in the future. The senate is also looking at reinstating the board of trustees representative position, which was terminated a couple of years ago, but Ransley thinks it could be useful to have once again. The senate is also looking at creating a director of technology position as well. With the uncertainty of Zoom calls during meetings, it would be helpful to have a designated person to handle the calls. Wyles commented on the technical difficulties that have been happening on Zoom. Going forward, senators will not be recognized to speak unless they speak at the podium. Committee sign up sheets have been sent out to all senators and should be completed as soon as possible. Vice President of Financial Affairs Jacob Tauke spoke on unallocated funds, as well as donating supplies to the Black Bear Exchange, which is still looking for volunteers. Vice President of Student Organizations Emmeline Willey said that student organization update forms will still be due Oct. 16, and there will be club advisory sessions later in the week. All club forms are available online. Vice President of Student Entertainment Chase Flaherty spoke on the Maine Event tour, a virtual tour music event happening over the rest of the fall semester. Cheat Codes will be the first group performing, and Rico Nasty will follow in the coming week. Anyone with an active maine.edu account can watch the events. They are currently working on social media promotions in order to get more people involved. There will also be the opportunity for a few students to meet the artists during sound checks and after performances virtually. College nights at the Bangor Drive-In have continued to be a success as well. Homecoming is approaching, and a lot of events will be coming through the alumni association.
Periodic Reports:
Faculty Student Senate Representative Kylie Trawick attended an Undergraduate Committee meeting last week, which spoke on the topic of general education credits. The university is looking to change the school’s attitude toward these credits, as not something to rush and “get through,” but as something to learn from and enjoy. Director of Communications Danielle Jarosz has been working closely with the Maine Event tour this week and is going to continue working to spread the word about the event. They also encouraged other senators to spread the word on the leadership scholarship.
Reports on Standing Committees:
The committee on policy and procedure worked on a resolution this week to amend the job description for certain University of Maine Student Government positions to allow for virtual meeting hours. The committee on political activism will be holding bi-weekly meetings from now on. Early voting will take place later this month for those who want to cast their ballot before Election Day.
Reports on Special Committees:
The Student Conduct Code and Oversight Committee is looking for two people to make a new committee to address general review later in the year.
Representative Board Reports:
The Board of Commuter and Non-Traditional Students have officially put up their Discord. They also advertised the need for Black Bear Exchange volunteers. The Honors College Student Advisory Board is holding setup meetings for new committees. They are also working closely with the Honors College to schedule pumpkin carving and painting events for the fall. The next Forum Friday will include Professor Mark Brewer to speak on the topic of elections. The Interfraternity Council announced that the all-Greek meeting is happening this week over Zoom, as well as several philanthropic events. The Panhellenic Council announced that election forms were sent out, and hoping to get those back next week. The sustainability and environmental action division is continuing to collaborate with transportation for all on campus.
Community Association Reports:
The Feminist Collective is running a purple ribbon campaign for domestic violence awareness month. The International Student Association will likely have coffee hour indoors next week to prepare for bad weather.
Consent Agenda:
The Black Student Union requested a sum of $200 for an office budget, and the Black Bear Exchange requested a sum of $6000 to help with overlay from last semester. Both of these requests were approved by the senate.
After these items were approved, the senate moved into executive session, and shortly after, the senate adjourned.
