The University of Maine Student Government’s General Student Senate held its 21st meeting of the 34th session on Sept. 10 in the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room. Her Campus was granted preliminary recognition, the GSS’ standing rules were amended, four clubs presented and representatives from dining services served as the meeting’s guest speakers.
Dining services speaks to GSS
Director of dining operations Kathy Kittridge and director of culinary services Glenn Taylor spoke to the GSS about various changes expected to take place within the next couple of months for UMaine’s only on-campus dining option.
One of the biggest changes, according to Kittridge, will be the changing in name of one of campus’ busiest dining areas: Memorial Union. Most refer to the hotspot as “The Union,” although the official name has been the “Marketplace” for the past 12 years after the area was renovated in 2001.
From now on, Kittridge says the entire area will be known as the “Bear’s Den.”
“Fifty years ago, there was the Bear’s Den … a small market,” Kittridge said. “We’re looking back at the roots and bringing back the name this area was once known as.”
Kittridge says the Bear’s Den Pub & Café’s name will remain, but there will be an increase in signage in order to rebrand the entire area to embrace its new name.
Dining Services is also planning on revamping their menus, and GSS members were some of the first ones to taste-test as Kittridge and Taylor brought with them an arsenal of new creations.
“We really worked hard at trying to make it better at night,” Taylor said. “People that eat at the Bear’s Den don’t want to eat the same thing for dinner as they had for lunch.”
Taylor says there will be specialty pizzas with whole grain crust, featured pizzas, new burgers like the “Bear’s Den Burger” and all-you-can-eat facilities that will be focusing even more on providing vegan and vegetarian options, as well as locally sourced food.
“We’re putting a lot of money back in Maine,” Taylor said.
In conclusion, Kittridge addressed the ongoing controversy between students and dining employees in terms of taking food outside the all-you-can-eat dining facilities.
“We’re having problems, and it’s become crazy to police,” Kittridge said. “But, we’re trying to soften communications.”
Formula SAE, Maine Steiner’s, Operation H.E.A.R.T.S and Women’s Rugby present
Formula SAE, an engineering group that creates open wheel racecars for competition, presented on its most recent trip to Michigan last May for Formula SAE Michigan at Michigan International Speedway. Club vice president and third-year mechanical engineering student Eric Burbank spoke on behalf of the organization.
The team finished in 64th place out of 120 competitors in just their second year competing. Burbank thanked the GSS for covering the $2,000 registration fee.
“It’s really important you keep funding us,” Burbank said. “We had 12 members graduate last year, and there was a 100-percent job placement rate.”
The Maine Steiners, UMaine’s premier all-male acapella group, presented on its 55th anniversary spring tour last May. Third-year business management student Morgan Cates spoke on behalf of the organization.
The group performed 30 shows in 13 days in Philadelphia, and worked with over 1,500 students from around the area.
“It was the biggest and most extensive tour we’ve done so far,” Cates said.
Operation H.E.A.R.T.S., a medical outreach organization that stands for “Hands on Educational Association Reaching out Through Service,” presented on its May Pinnacle service trip to Memphis, Tenn. last May. The group’s president and secretary spoke on behalf of the organization.
In Memphis, the group volunteered with Hope House, a nonprofit agency that provides care for HIV-affected children, as well as several soup kitchens.
Women’s Rugby presented on its 2012-13 rugby season. Club president and fifth-year international affairs and anthropology student Brianna Duhaime spoke on behalf of the organization.
The team’s most important competition came in April when it traveled to Newport, R.I. to compete in the “Beast of the East” collegiate rugby tournament. According to Duhaime, approximately 150 teams competed in two days.
Maine won the entire “D3″ division, which is made up of 30 teams ranging in location from northern Maine to Florida.
Standing rules amended
The only piece of new business to appear in front of the GSS during the Sept. 10 meeting was an act to change its standing rules. Sen. Lee Jackson sponsored the resolution with Vice President for Student Organizations William “Nick” Smith as co-sponsor.
During the GSS’ Sept. 3 meeting, members were elected for both the Executive Budgetary and Student Organization committees.
The process of electing members to both of these committees has become normal practice for some time now, according to the resolution’s statement of fact, but before the Sept. 10 meeting, Sen. Jackson realized the standing rules said otherwise.
According to Sen. Jackson, EBC is the only committee, under the standing rules, that is required to hold elections for members. The president of the Senate, or UMSG’s VP, can virtually build all other committees via appointment.
Despite this standing rule, SOC’s bylaws state that its members must be elected, a rule that’s been followed for several years now. Sen. Jackson’s resolution looked to match regular practice, along with these bylaws, into the GSS’ standing rules.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” VPSO Smith said. “Let’s pass it and keep this train rolling.”
The resolution was unanimously passed.
Her Campus receives prelim recognition
Her Campus, an online, female-targeted college student blog and magazine founded in 2009, received preliminary recognition. The site, coined as “a collegiette’s guide to life,” is one of over 200 campus chapters nationwide.
Club president and fourth-year journalism student Taylor Emhart spoke on behalf of the organization.
According to Emhart, Her Campus members have participated in several can drives, volunteered at homeless shelters in Bangor and put on events like the EPIC Fashion show at the Foster Center for Student Innovation for the past couple years.
Exec reports
President Kim Dao began executive reports by stating she and other executives had met with Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Robert Dana and also announced she had appointed Sen. Jenny Ferguson to her cabinet.
Vice President Aaron Ortiz announced that three senators had resigned due to scheduling conflicts. There are now six vacant GSS seats.
Vice President for Financial Affairs Raymond Updyke said unallocated is around $50,000, which is roughly $16,000 more than UMSG had around this time last year.
VPSO Smith said he talked with Dean Dana as well, specifically about OrgSync and when implementation will resume.
According to Smith, OrgSync was supposed to be implemented last January, but wasn’t until three months later in April.
Another training period will be carried out alongside the university’s Division of Student Life.
Buttarazzi’s BOT report
University of Maine System Board of Trustees representative Colin Buttarazzi presented his report of two UMS Board of Trustees meetings from over the summer, in May and July.
Buttarazzi says the biggest topic of conversation was finances.
“The biggest thing I did was try and advocate for the University of Maine,” Buttarazzi said. “There’s lots of talk about decreased statewide enrollment, which means less funding for all campuses, but [UMaine] is actually doing well.”
Also, Buttarazzi said there was a lot of talk about the strategic resource management system and about the need for increased employment engagement.
The BOT authorized UMaine $1 million from the education fund to renovate Aroostook Hall for, mainly, international students and also gave tenure to UMaine mathematics and statistics professor Nigel J. E. Pitt, an alum of the University of New Brunswick and Rutgers University and an expert in analytic number theory.
Nominations open up
Nominations for Sergeant at Arms, Graduate Student Senate Representative and Legal Services Liaison were opened up by VP Ortiz and will remain open for two weeks.
Sen. Taylor Locke accepted a nomination for Sergeant at Arms, Sen. Jennifer Karod accepted a nomination for GSSR and Sen. Megan Fowler accepted a nomination for Legal Services Liaison.