The University of Maine General Student Senate convened on March 19 to discuss the annual budget for next year, election results and a motion to send 110 students to Boston for the Men’s Hockey Semi-Finals.
Club Maintenance:
Disability of Campus addressed the senate seeking preliminary recognition. The organization is advised by Director of Student Accessibility Services Sarah Henry and currently has over 16 members, with five people on the executive committee. It promotes community outreach, advocacy and inclusivity. The students involved meet regularly to discuss major issues and propose necessary actions. Preliminary recognition was granted.
Guest Speaker:
Vice President for Financial Affairs Paige Allen reviewed the UMaine Student Government (UMSG) policies. The Executive Budgetary Committee (EBC) met with all 38 representative board community associations on March 18. Next week, budgets that were not reviewed during the meeting will be examined for potential amendments and approved.
The annual budget special meeting will commence on April 2 to establish the exact funds for next year. Organizations may issue additional requests if needed. The conservative total estimate is based on decreasing enrollment projections.
The annual budget accounts for legal services by Attorney Sean O’mara, all divisions of student entertainment, various organizations, community associations, eligible committees, all eligible clubs, compensation, insurance expenses and contracted special allocations.
The allocated funds cannot exceed revenue. Organizations may present their budgets, and the Senate will vote to pass or not pass the entire budget. Members could vote to strike any individual line from the annual budget and reduce or increase the dollar amount in any category.
Special allocations account for irregular requests and are not specified for particular purposes. However, a certain amount is typically set aside for outdoor clubs for gear and storage. Last year, $5,000 was available.
Campus Recreation and UMSG collaborate to help club sports succeed. Funds are granted based on tiers of service, requiring the groups to fundraise and volunteer. The five tiers are as follows: Tier one mandates 1000 hours of community service in return for $10,000, tier two mandates 150 hours for $5,000 and tier three mandates 50 hours for $500. Campus Recreation completely supports the final two tiers. Clubs have until the last day of finals weeks to meet the tier guidelines at the risk of being bumped down.
“I play club field hockey, and we are currently tier two. What that means is we have to complete 150 hours of community service and fundraise $1,000 to be eligible to receive funding from student government,” said Allen. “We don’t determine which tiers sports clubs fall into; that is set at Campus Rec. They have their own guidelines, but we have decided, as student government, to accept the recommendations from Campus Recreation and fund based on the tiers people are sorted into.”
All budgets will be announced in public session as well as recorded and streamed. The salaries of the three full-time UMSG employees are not public information and will only be shared in executive sessions.
Executive Reports:
Student Body President Michael Delorge announced that executive position applications are due on March 21 by midnight. He is working on interview questions with some input from senators but will not disclose the final set to avoid conflicts of interest.
Student body vice president Keegan Tripp compiled the outdoor club storage survey over Spring Break. The syllabus bank website was created, and members of UMSG are building out the repository.
Tripp met with Dean Dana and Andrea Gifford to discuss improving the cleanliness of certain on-campus facilities. The dirty couches in the Wade Center will be promptly taken care of.
Vice President for Student Organizations Julian Ober announced that Chi Alpha was reactivated. She will meet with the Center for Student Involvement to discuss increasing interaction with Campus Groups.
UMSG is hosting a comedy show performed by Joe Gatto from “Impractical Jokers” on April 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are free to students and can be purchased at the Collins Center for the Arts box office. As of now, 295 people signed up.
Jacob Chaplin, vice president for student leadership, announced that the Student Speaker Showcase would occur on March 21 in room one of the Wells Conference Center at 2 p.m.
Director for Technology Riley Mills shared that the UMSG website received 789 views, including 114 new users, on March 4. The election page became the 19th most popular section, with 526 views
Nate Feng, food and dining representative, mentioned that Hilltop would host a game show event on March 20 at 4 p.m., with meal dollars as its prize. On March 21, a town hall meeting will be held at 1 p.m. The ‘Impossible Burger’ is now a daily vegetarian option at Hilltop and York. Dining services are expanding paid positions and seeking student marketing interns, influencers and ambassadors.
Election results:
Of the 7317 students invited to cast their votes for president and vice president, 824 of them filled out the survey. The response rate was 11% of the UMaine undergraduate student body.
Keegan Tripp received 654 out of 824 votes. Memphis Peterson, Tripp’s running mate, secured about 57% of the votes, with a total of 476. Kyle Ricker received 251 votes, which accounts for about 30% of participants.
Tripp and Peterson are officially the student body president-elect and vice president-elect and will take office on April 16, following their inauguration. However, they do not fully assume those positions until the fall 2024 semester.
Nominations:
Zoe Stankevitz was elected to serve on the student entertainment committee.
Main motion:
Delorge requested that UMSG appropriate $10,150 to cover transportation fees for 110 students to travel to Massachusetts and back. The Men’s Hockey Semi-Finals were held in Boston on March 21. Many UMaine students wish to attend and show their support.
Upon contacting four bus companies, Northeast Coach Lines was the only available option. It requires a payment of $5,000 per bus. The funds would cover two buses, which can each fit 56 students. The fare per student is less than $100. As of March 19, 53 people have expressed interest in securing a spot via Google Form.
A second Google Form was sent out on March 20 as an official sign-up. Those participating in the trip must purchase game tickets individually. The student section is already full. However, general admission is an option.
According to an email from Delorge, the Itinerary is as follows:
-1:45 p.m. Bus arrives to the Union Circle (near Hauck Auditorium)
-2:00 p.m. Bus Departs
-6:00 p.m. ETA TD Garden
-7:30 p.m. Hockey game begins
-11:30 p.m. Depart time TD Garden
-3:30 a.m. ETA UMO – Memorial Union Circle
Students are not required to return to the bus if they wish to stay in Boston through Saturday. There will be reminders sent out to ensure that anyone who wishes to return on March 22 can do so. UMSG is not liable if individuals miss the transportation back to Orono.
The main motion was amended to align with student interests. As it stands, 75% of each bus must be filled for UMSG to purchase both. The first 55 students to sign up secure a spot on the first bus and the potential for a second is TBD.
