On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the General Student Senate (GSS) held a meeting where they voted for multiple acts and discussed the upcoming faculty senate meeting regarding Maine Day.
The meeting began with the appointment of Dylan Leeman as a new student senator.
Next, fourth-year GSS President Alyssa Ciasullo gave her executive report detailing the various meetings and issues that she attended.
“We will be producing a resolution with policy and procedure to support the betterment of Lengyel Field for recreational sports and use, and you will be seeing that in the near future. I have been spending most of my office hours recently looking into the Maine Day situation, and producing a written statement with our lawyer Sean O’Mara for News Center Maine. I am also producing a speech for the faculty senate meeting tomorrow… so that I can really represent you all,” Ciasullo said.
Next, Vice President of Student Leadership Michael Delorge reported the winners of the student leadership scholarship: Jessica Cleary-Reuning, Steffi Victoria, Grace Fuller, Hunter Lizzotte and Tamra Benson.
Delorge also met with the MaineCard office this week and has started the process of adding emergency numbers for the suicide hotline, St. Joseph Hospital and UMaine Police Department to the back of MaineCards starting in the fall 2023 semester.
Faculty senate student representative Jacob Chaplin spoke of the Maine Day discussion taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the faculty senate meeting. In this meeting the faculty senate will be voting on whether or not to recommend to the administration that classes should be canceled on April 26, 2023.
The Commuter and Non-Traditional Students representative reported that they will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. in the Commuter Lounge.
Honors College representative Kate Kemper reported the success of the fall formal, as well as the start of donations for their “It’s Personal” campaign. They are looking for personal care products such as soap, shampoo, razors and menstrual products. Products must be sealed and preferably individually wrapped.
Sustainability and Environment Action Division representative Nara Narith reported that they are currently looking to implement a new design on recycling bins outside of residence halls and other areas on campus. If anyone has ideas or questions about this process please contact Narith at nara.narith@maine.edu.
Feminist Collective representative Megan Keast reported that next week is Maine Recycles Week, and there will be a sustainable menstrual products presentation in the FFA room Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m.
The Wilde Stein representative reported that Gay Thanksgiving is taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 4-6 p.m. in the North Pod in the Memorial Union. On Sunday, Nov. 20, there will be a candle lit vigil taking place outside Fogler Library to remember the many transgender people who were killed in the past year.
The senate unanimously passed an act to allocate $1,638 to the Black Student Union to visit the Black History Museum in Boston. The funds will help with the trip’s housing, train tickets and bus tickets.
Another act to urge the University of Maine to formally recognize Election Day as an academic holiday was brought before the senate for a roll call vote. This act was passed through the senate last week, but the cabinet vetoed it. In order to override the cabinet veto, it must pass the senate with a two-thirds vote in the majority, which ultimately passed.
The final order of the senate was to spend 10 minutes discussing a Maine Day rebrand and potential service ideas. Issues of transparency were brought up on accounts of both the Faculty Senate and the Student Senate.
