GSS Allocates $1,700 to Men’s Rugby Club For Tournaments
The General Student Senate (GSS) approved an allocation of $1,700 to the Men’s Rugby club to help provide funding for the club’s involvement in the Beast of the East and Maine Cup tournaments, but not without some cautionary opposition by senators Andrew Bracy and Bradley Gannon.
Men’s Rugby Club president John Golder explained that without the necessary funding, the team’s competitive capability would suffer.
“We’re not going to be able to go to ‘beast’ if we don’t get this,” Golding said.
Opposed to the allocation of funds were senators Bracy and Gannon, as they cautioned the Senate that the club had yet to repay its dues of $900 in fees from last season.
“It seems irresponsible to fund a group that doesn’t quite have things in order,” Gannon said.
Upon further explanation from Golding for the club’s financial situation and guaranteeing the money was to be paid off, the vast majority of the Student Senate was persuaded to let the allocation pass, allowing Golding and his team to attend and represent UMaine in these events.
GSS Allocates $2,200 to Formula SAE for Conference in Detroit
GSS allocated $2,200 to the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for traveling expenses to the SAE World Congress conference in Detroit, Mich. President of Formula SAE, Zack Sawyer explained that this conference is something that can make a big difference for the careers of the students involved.
“For seniors in the group, this is a really great opportunity to go out there and meet companies who are hiring,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer even went so far as to describe what his club would be bringing to the conference, by discussing an Arctic Cat Snowmobile that runs on alternative natural gas. The GSS voted in favor of the funding for Formula SAE’s trip, passing the motion by a clear majority.
GSS Allocates $1,500 to Muslim Students Association for Islamic Awareness Week
GSS allocated $1,500 to the Muslim Students Association for their upcoming Islamic Awareness Week, with most of the money being put toward an honorarium for a guest speaker traveling from South Africa. The motion passed by vast majority, with the intention to spread awareness to students on campus who might be misinformed or are interested about Islam as a religion and culture.
Removal of Senators
GSS ousted six student senators after a failure to comply with obligations as a part of Student Government. Senators Jennifer Karod, Marshall Larsen, James Lowell, Devin Greenlaw, Darin Jandreau and Derek Vigue were removed of their positions on GSS.
“Basically our policy (for attendance) is three unexcused absences per semester and they failed to meet that,” Stewart said. “We’re really trying to follow our own rules better, which starts with me, so we’re following all of the right steps and letting everyone know what’s going on.”
Due to such a substantial loss to the body of the Senate, Stewart wanted to make clear that if anyone is interested in joining the Senate, he would be available to discuss such matters via FirstClass.
Committee Reports
The Inter-Fraternity Council reported that there could be as many as three new fraternities introduced to UMaine by next year. Sororities on campus are also readying to open for expansion within the next year.