The University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) held its seventh meeting of the semester on Feb. 25, led by President Keegan Tripp and Vice President Memphis Peterson. In this meeting, executives and student leaders discussed the measures being taken to comply with the recent shift in federal priorities by the White House, as well as the election referendum to decide the future of the Student Activity Fee (SAF) that funds UMSG.
Club Maintenance
Two clubs spoke at the UMSG meeting for preliminary recognition: the Waste Minimizers, who perform recycling activities and repairing workshops among other events dedicated to reducing waste on campus and Black Bear Nordic, a cross-country skiing club. Both were unanimously approved by the Senate.
Executive and Periodic Reports
Tripp’s report was dedicated to assuaging fears about the uncertain political circumstances caused by overhaul undertaken by the Trump Administration. Tripp urged those in attendance to come together, and was told by administration that campus leadership was doing what it could to ensure both compliance with new federal directives while minimizing damage to the student experience. Tripp maintained that UMSG’s mission to fight for and protect the student body will not change. He then encouraged students to lean into their communities and support networks rather than away. At the conclusion of the meeting, Tripp told senators to do what they could to see the SAF raise passed, framing the raise as the best case scenario for the continued operation of student clubs and organizations.
Vice President of Financial Affairs Oliver Bois has begun assembling a more detailed budget in preparation for the annual budget meeting, the longest meeting of the year and one held near the end of UMSG’s session. The current unallocated budget from the SAF stands at $54,250.37
FEPC Zoe Stankevitz noted that unopposed elections for the presidency and vice presidency were ongoing and would close alongside the SAF raise referendum on March 7 at 5 p.m.
Senator Casper Cowan reported that the Office of Diversity and Inclusion had been changed to the Office of Community and Connections, in the wake of an ongoing Title IX investigation into the University of Maine by the Trump Administration that has seen the federal government threaten to revoke federal funding schools with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Cowan also stated that Riley Worth, a graduate student at the University of Southern Maine, had been seated as the graduate student voter on the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, completing a years-long effort led by students at UMaine to seat students as voting members on the board.
Senator Ryan St. Lawrence had a meeting with Sodexo officials, mainly inquiring about the intent of Hilltop renovations. Sodexo representatives told St. Lawrence that they were hoping to turn the Hilltop Market into an allergen-free space and expand the size of the salad bar at Hilltop, among other improvements. They also hoped to optimize the apps that run campus delivery programs and ensure more precision with regard to student preferences.
Representative Board Reports
Representative Jon Guzman stated that he had called an emergency meeting of the Student Heritage Alliance Council (SHAC), a long-dormant collaborative board of clubs dedicated to promoting the diverse cultures present on the UMaine campus. Guzman led successful efforts to renew SHAC in 2024, but has noticed a lack of interest among students to take the helm of SHAC (the entire executive team of which is graduating) and warned that, with this potential lack of leadership, the organization will not exist after this semester. He also said that the Maine Business School DEI board was dissolved to avoid penalization by the federal government.
New Business
Senator Cynthia Shelmerdine introduced a resolution in her capacity as UMaine Security Representative that would paint reflective material on crosswalks annually to aid in pedestrian crossings. However, Advisor to UMSG Lauri Sidelko pointed out that UMaine paints these crosswalks every year already, and Senator Joshua Bohm expressed that he did not feel this aspect of campus safety was a responsibility not within the purview of UMSG. While many senators supported the resolution, such as Dylan DeMerchant, who advocated for a twice-yearly painting of the crosswalks, the resolution was sent back to the UMSG Security Committee for a reworking.
Vice President of Student Leadership Elizabeth Oldfield introduced a procedural resolution that dissolved the Membership Committee and dispersed its responsibilities to other elected UMSG positions, mainly to the Sergeant at Arms. Despite a spirited debate about how many “credits” the new responsibilities of the Sergeant at Arms role should possess within UMSG’s leadership hierarchy, the resolution ultimately passed.
