The General Student Senate at the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its second meeting of the semester on Sept. 9, led by President Keegan Tripp and Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. Tripp and Shelmerdine were elected unopposed last year by a vote of the entire undergraduate student body, with Tripp winning a second full term as president and Shelmerdine being chosen to succeed former Vice President and recent graduate Memphis Peterson. Since this meeting occurred early in the school year, executive reports were limited in their scope and the meeting was largely devoted to assigning leadership roles for the remainder of the session.
Senator Inaugurations
Shelmerdine, who, as vice president, will be serving a dual role as president of the Senate and overseeing the proceedings of Senate meetings, inaugurated a number of new senators. Juliannah Soper, CLAS, Briar Chapin, CLAS, Hailey Inman, AT LARGE, Dennis Stewart, MCEC, Riley St. Pierre, MCEC, Joseph Elliot, MCE, all took the oath of office and were welcomed as new members of the organization.
Guest Speakers
Since no clubs or student organizations were ready to appear for purposes of maintenance or presentations, Vice President Shelmerdine moved to welcome two guest speakers, Pam Alden and BJ Finch. Alden, the assistant to Vice President of Financial Affairs Joshua Bohm, described her behind-the-scenes role, ensuring UMSG’s compliance with audits and disbursing whatever money is allocated by UMSG resolutions.
Alden indicated her willingness to serve UMSG in whatever capacity is needed and commended the senators for the role they serve as campus leaders. Finch, who once held the role of UMaine mascot “Bananas the Bear” during his time as a student, humorously introduced himself as the “new Jeff,” referring to former Executive Administrative Assistant Jeff Dyer, who retired from his role during the prior semester. As with Alden, Finch will serve a backroom role managing paperwork and the proper processing of documents relevant to UMSG.
Executive and Periodic Reports
President Tripp noted his new office hours for the semester and stated that he was working to ensure that each UMSG executive would have digital booking links available on the website to help streamline meeting times. Tripp also discussed two memorandums that are being brought by UMSG legal advisor Sean O’Mara, including one relevant to contentious new ordinances recently passed by the town of Orono.
Vice President of Financial Affairs, Joshua Bohm, reported that UMSG’s current unallocated funding stands at $418,596.05. Notably, this number stands vastly expanded from previous years following an extensive lobbying campaign by President Tripp and Senate executives in support of the passage of a referendum raising the Student Activity Fee (SAF).
Vice President of Student Organizations Jordan Thompson said that the Golf Club had voluntarily disbanded and removed itself from the list of recognized student organizations, citing persistent membership issues. Thompson also relayed his hopes to introduce a representative board on behalf of club sport and detailed the preliminary steps he had taken with Senator Hazel Sparks to make that a reality.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Dillon Leeman encouraged senators and students to attend the Student Entertainment Committee he chairs, as he believed that the increase in funding to UMSG (and therefore, expanded opportunities for concerts and events) will make this committee “one of, if not the most important committee,” during the upcoming school year.
Senator Nomination and Election Process
Most of the meeting after this point was dominated by the nomination and election of new senators for committee roles. Every year, senators must elect a considerable number of positions within UMSG; these include leadership roles on each of the Senate’s standing and special committees alongside liaisons to various organizations with an interest in student life at the University, such as UMaine Dining and the Orono Town Council. After Vice President Shelmerdine and the prior incumbents in each role explain their function and duties, the positions are opened to nomination.
The first round of nominations began last week, remaining open until this meeting to allow new senators a chance to participate. After the closure of nominations, which must be seconded by at least one other senator and accepted by the nominee themselves, senators deliver speeches pertaining to their qualifications for the role and the agenda they will implement if elected. Senators proceeded to vote on a secret ballot to choose who will serve in each role.
