The General Student Senate of the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. (UMSG) held its seventh meeting of the semester on March 3, led by President Keegan Tripp and chaired by Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine. During this meeting, senators approved a substantial amount of new funding requests from student organizations.
New Senators and Appointments
Three new senators were inaugurated: Matthew Cummings to an at-large seat, Alexis Smith from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Abigail Bergmark for the College of Earth, Life and Health Sciences.
Club Maintenance
Five student organizations received preliminary recognition: Marine Science Club, an organization that serves to promote the study of marine science and “educate students on marine life” was approved, as was the student wellness-focused Mental Health Club. Senators also voted to recognize the Medievalist Guild, which celebrates medieval and Renaissance-era history and culture.
The Maine College of Engineering and Computing Student Advisory Board, which Vice President Shelmerdine had lobbied for the creation of and upon which she currently serves as co-chair, was approved. The Nutting Hall Community Council, which represents and organizes students in outdoor-focused disciplines such as Forestry and Wildlife Ecology, was also recognized by the Senate.
Club Presentations
Black Bear Catholics delivered an update regarding their Senate-funded trip to the annual Seek conference in Columbus, Ohio, over the winter break, which they described as the “largest national conference for Catholic university students.” The club reported a highly positive experience, with their representative saying its members were able to make many new meaningful connections with fellow Catholic students from all over the country.
Funding Requests
There were nine funding requests brought in front of the Senate. The Orono Student Nursing Association was given $4,861.70 to represent the University of Maine at the National Student Nurses’ Association in Houston, Texas, from April 8 to 11. The Interfraternity Council received $2,240 to facilitate a music and sporting event taking place during their Greek Week in April. The History Club and IGNITE will both be making trips to Boston, Massachusetts, in the coming weeks to attend the U.S. & Canada Economic Forum, for which they were granted $3,470 and $2,311, respectively. All of these requests were approved by the Senate.
The Maine Steiners asked for the allocation of $4,500 for their Spring Tour, which will depart from Maine and travel through the Canadian province of Quebec. However, some senators felt that the club requested too large an amount to arrange their lodging in Quebec, so the request was sent back to the executive budget committee for consideration at a future meeting of UMSG.
The Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club ($2,313.09), the Equestrian Team ($2,313.09) and the Men’s Soccer Club ($1,156.55) were allocated the remainder of their tier funding.
Executive Reports
Vice President of Financial Affairs Joshua Bohm reported that $78,476.22 remained unallocated in the UMSG budget for the remainder of the academic year.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Dillon Leeman said in his report that UMSG had announced the artists for its annual spring concert and that ticketing will be strictly physical for this iteration of the concert. Those who are interested in attending will have to receive their ticket either through approaching a UMSG table or the information booth at the Collins Center for the Arts.
New Business
The Senate considered two resolutions this week. One modified the hiring process so that the hiring committee for a particular role is not dissolved prior to the confirmation of a candidate, and would not need to be reconvened in the event the nominee declines the role or the Senate fails to confirm them. The other resolution added a preliminary screening phase to the hiring process in order to shorten the time spent interviewing each candidate. This resolution did not pass and was sent back to committee for further deliberation.
