The General Student Senate of the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its fourth meeting of the semester on Feb. 10, led by President Keegan Tripp and chaired by Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. At this meeting, senators passed six resolutions dealing chiefly with internal Senate policies, including one which extends UMSG representation to the Machias satellite campus.
Appointments
Two new senators were inaugurated: Joseph Levesque, from the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, and Amelia Donovan, who will fill an at-large seat.
Club Maintenance and Presentations
The Strength Training Club, which is an organization devoted to fostering a community for those interested in athletic activities such as powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting and bodybuilding, was approved for preliminary recognition.
Black Bear Nordic and the United Federation of Frazzlerham were both granted full recognition as student organizations.
Following student organization approval, Jacob Levesque presented on behalf of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. He detailed to senators the club’s recent UMSG-funded trip to Mexico, where members of the group learned about the practice of their trade in the country while being immersed in local culture.
Funding Requests
UMSG approved two funding requests at this meeting. The campus chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics was approved for $5,300 for the purpose of their participation in the 2026 Design/Build/Fly Competition, which will be held in Wichita, Kansas, from April 16 to April 19. The School of Forest Resources was allocated $1,365 for replenishing the tools and hardware of its Woodsmen team, who compete in competitions modeled on the skills of traditional lumbering practices.
Executive Reports
In his report, President Tripp said that a person had been selected by UMSG as their nominee for the soon to be vacant seat of the student voting member on the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, and that their name had been sent up through the relevant channels. He also reported that, in his meeting with university president Joan Ferrini-Mundy, UMSG was told that the Morse Arena construction timeline was proceeding as planned and that the second phase would commence over spring break.
Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine reported in her address that she was hoping to once again focus on infrastructural issues on the campus, noting that deferred maintenance was now valued at $1.1 billion and that the steam plant was no longer considered to be meeting the standards of production. She stated that the university hoped to eventually increase the number of available beds by 500 based on recent surveys of the residential population, which would mean the construction of several new dormitories and at least one additional dining hall. Importantly, costs for students would also increase markedly if these improvements were implemented.
Vice President of Financial Affairs (VPFA) Joshua Bohm reported that the unallocated budget of the Senate stood at $114,722.72.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Dillon Leeman said that an announcement regarding the headliner and opener for the April 17 spring concert would be imminent. Leeman also suggested students attend the Winter Carnival event being held on Feb. 20.
New Business
The Senate heard and approved six resolutions, most of them relating to the internal functioning of the Senate. Several of the resolutions had fully deliberative purposes: establishing a formal right of the author of a resolution to speak on their behalf (as opposed to solely the sponsor, as had been previously established), a clarified standard resolution writing process and a restructured meeting agenda placing the VPFA’s traditional report prior to the presentation of the Consent Agenda.
Senators also adopted revised hiring and employment policies, and voted to enable the seating of a member from UMSG to regularly meet with a senator from UMaine Machias. Senators then formally reestablished the extant standing committees for the duration of the 2026 academic year. All resolutions brought before the Senate passed, some with minor amendments.
