The University of Maine System Board of Trustees (UMS BoT) met on Jan. 26 to hold a public commentary hearing. The meeting was held via Zoom due to the major snowstorm and ongoing frigid conditions. The BoT is a 16-member board, 15 of which are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine State Legislature. The board oversees academic programs, tuition, faculty tenure and system-wide budgets. The meeting started at around 8:30 a.m. with an opening statement from BoT Chair Trish Riley and concluded several hours later.
“The issue of the Crossland Center will be before us today as an action item. Given the number of people that have raised concerns and will be before us today, I just want to frame the discussion and reiterate that this board very strongly supports the Franco Centre at the University of Maine,” said Riley.
In a Jan. 26 Bangor Daily News article it was reported that the BoT actually approved the demolition of Crossland Hall, home of the Franco American Centre, following the commentary presented at this meeting despite months of objections from students, faculty and alumni. The demolition was proposed originally to create 200 more parking spots included in the new construction of Morse Arena.
The first speaker of the morning was Maine Senator Troy Jackson, who is a resident of Allagash, Maine. Jackson expressed his strong opposition to removing Crossland Hall. Jackson stated that he has attended many protests across the state recently, and has firsthand seen people be targeted for their skin color and their nationality. Specifically, Jackson mentions the Somali community in Lewiston and Portland, Maine, who are being targeted by the federal administration. He suggests this demolition is in effect doing the opposite of standing up for these locals.
Jackson also expressed his frustration with the misrepresentation of Franco-Americans, being Franco himself.
“I believe now is the time for that history to be taught more than ever before in Maine,” said Jackson. “I can’t stress enough that in my time as a legislator, [the Franco Centre] has been on the chopping block year after year.”
Jackson’s concern about the Franco Centre being moved out of Crossland Hall and “letting it die on the vine” was a concern shared by many individuals at the meeting. Speaker Tony Brinkley read former Governor Paul LePage’s statement on his opposition to the demolition of Crossland Hall. Brinkley expressed before he read the statement that his two friends, LePage and Jackson, are typically not in agreement with one another, bringing light to the severity of the situation, as they happen to agree on this topic.
Brinkley began reading LePage’s statement.
“The decision is about more than a building; it’s about history, culture and respect for a community that has shaped the state of Maine for generations. Crossland Hall stands as a visible and accessible symbol to Maine’s deeply rooted Franco-American culture,” read Brinkley.
Several other speakers and individuals who identify as Franco-American shared their opinions surrounding the demolition of Crossland Hall. The majority of the opinions seemed to express frustration and concern with the demolition, as the Franco-American Centre has been an important part of the university’s history for over 30 years.
To view the meeting, the UMS BoT live streams their meetings and posts them at a later date for all to view on their YouTube Channel. Those interested in watching public commentary and meeting proceedings can view board meetings on their channel here.
