The University of Maine Student Government’s General Student Senate announced the new vice president and vice president for Financial Affairs of UMSG Inc., allocated $1,000 to Mainely Voices and saw presentations from 10 different groups during the 20th meeting of the 35th session on April 15 inside the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room.

Stewart, Le tapped to fill exec seats

Through a rather untraditional process due to graduating seniors, members from a previously assembled executive task force announced two candidates who will fill the soon-to-be vacant offices of vice president and vice president for Financial Affairs.

Senate pro tempore and Executive Budgetary Committee member Sen. Harold Stewart, a native of Presque Isle, Maine, will replace Vice President Hall as the GSS’ presiding officer following UMaine’s 2014 commencement ceremony in May.

Non-GSS member Hoang Anh “Christine” Le, a first-year student from Saco, Maine, will replace Vice President for Financial Affairs Conant when he transitions into the presidency of UMSG Inc.

Le is pursuing a degree in accounting and marketing and is a member of UMaine’s Honors College.

Conant and Sens. Corey Morton and Derek Vigue led the executive task force formed a couple weeks ago to find viable candidates for the two positions.

“We wanted to be very transparent,” Morton said. “Our objective was to provide the student body with the most effective executives who will successfully uphold our constitution.”

Mainely Voices funded $1,000

The GSS allocated $1,000 to UMaine’s mixed a cappella group Mainely Voices during the April 15 meeting to be used for “venue costs and transportation” toward the organization’s upcoming spring tour. Club Vice President Nate Williams explained:

“We’re doing our first spring tour in program history … this is a big success for us,” he said. “We need help with vans, which we’ve already registered.”

With 10 to 12 shows planned, Williams said the group is prepared to be doing “a lot of singing.”

Sixteen members are expected to travel. Other sources of funding toward the trip include: $800 from the organization bank account and $100 from paid night shows.

The resolution received a unanimous ought to pass vote during committee.

10 clubs present

Ten different clubs presented to the GSS on various conferences and events during the April 15 meeting.

UMaine American Marketing Association, represented by club treasurer Dan Kaepplinger, presented on its recent trip to New Orleans, La. where they participated in the 36th Annual AMA International Collegiate Conference from April 10-12 at the Sheraton New Orleans.

Kaepplinger, a fifth-year business administration and marketing student, said the conference was full of workshops to help professional development.

Animation Club, represented by club librarian Cody Emerson, presented on its recent trip to Boston to participate in the 2014 Anime Boston Convention from March 21-23 at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston.

Emerson, a third-year pre-med and biology student, said it was a learning experience.

“It was great to be given the opportunity to talk with people within the industry,” he said.

Field Hockey Club, represented by club President Elena Barnes, presented on its spring 2014 season. Barnes, a third-year engineering technology student, said that despite one of the team’s players getting seriously hurt during one of the games, the season went well.

“Your funding was very beneficial to our team this whole season,” she said. “We were able to increase our roster size too, which was huge.”

The UMaine Equestrian Team, represented by club President Megan Story, presented on its recent regional and zone horse shows. Story, a third-year business administration and accounting student, said this year’s postseason was one of the best in the club’s history.

“We sent a rider to ‘zones’ for the first time in our program’s history, so that’s pretty exciting,” she said. “The rider placed fifth out of 12 riders.”

UMaine Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), represented by club Vice President Ben Moore, presented on its recent trip to Detroit to compete at the SAE 2014 World Congress & Exhibition from April 8-10 at the Cobo Center.

“[The competition] was great exposure for our team and the university,” Moore said. “Obviously for Detroit, the hotel was pretty inexpensive, but we thank you for your contributions.”

Women’s Lacrosse Club, represented by Vice President Emily Vannozzi, presented on its most recent lacrosse season. Vannozzi said the team played all over New England and posted a 2-6 record.

“It was a really good opportunity and we’ve been growing our team,” she said. “We’re really excited about next year.”

The Orono Student Nurses’ Association, represented by two of its club members, presented on its trip to Nashville, Tenn. to participate in the 62nd Annual National Student Nurses’ Association Convention from April 9-13 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

According to the members, 10 students attended and OSNA was the only student group from the state of Maine.

Phi Sigma Pi, represented by Sen. Zachary White, presented on its trip to Amherst, Mass. to participate in the Phi Sigma Pi Northeast Regional Conference from April 11-13 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Student Women’s Association, represented by co-chair Casey Weed, presented on its trip to Amherst, Mass. to participate in the 2014 Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference from April 11-13 at Hampshire College.

Women’s Rugby Club, represented by club President Caitlin Morgan, presented on its recent spring season. Morgan said the club now has the largest program on the entire east coast.

Exec, other reports

In his report, President Aaron Ortiz said he’s been continuing his work with soon-to-be-president Conant to provide a clean transition for new executives coming in.

In his report, Hall congratulated his future successor, Sen. Harold Stewart, and said he’s still in the process of writing down precedents to help next year’s executive board.

In his report, Conant listed all allocations under $1,000: $945 to the Asian Student Association toward their annual Taste of Asia event on April 28 in honor of Asian Heritage Month; $600 to the International Student Association toward a graduation banquet event; and $280 to the UMaine Scuba Club toward a diving trip.

In his report, Vice President for Student Organizations Andrew Prusaitis said he would be continuing his work on a Student Organizations newsletter for the next two weeks to better promote what’s going on.

In his report, Vice President for Student Entertainment Patrick Fortier-Brown congratulated the newly appointed executives and said he is “looking forward to a good thing in the future.” Also, he said he had just recently drafted up his first security contract for a future concert.

“What happened last semester [at Pretty Lights] won’t happen again,” he said. “People will be held liable this time.”

In her report, Panhellenic President Jamie Steven announced UMaine Greek Life would be bringing a new honors society to campus next year called Gamma Sigma Alpha. According to the society’s website, it was founded 25 years ago in 1989 and exists to “recognize and advance academic excellence as a core value of fraternities and sororities.”

Gate 33 granted prelim recognition, Standing Rules amended

Student group Gate 33 was granted preliminary recognition during the April 15 meeting. Club member Marcella Chevoit, a second-year journalism student, spoke on behalf of the group, thanking the GSS after recognition was given.

According to Chevoit, Gate 33 meets on Wednesday nights and is looking for group mentoring. They have already hosted a couple of foosball tournaments.

The GSS also approved a resolution sponsored by Sen. Bradley Gannon and co-sponsored by Policy and Procedure Chair Sen. Sean Foley to change Rule III, Section 1, Paragraph B of the GSS Standing Rules to eradicate an obsolete committee.

The committee, called the Standing Committee on Administrative & Academy Policy, existed only in the Standing Rules and has since been replaced by the Policy and Procedure Committee, according to the resolution.

The resolution received a 5-0-3 recommendation from committee before being passed by the GSS.

When it comes to leadership, Maine is no stranger to producing exceptional ones, especially in U.S. politics.

Margaret Chase Smith, Ed Muskie, George Mitchell, William Cohen and Olympia Snowe are five former U.S. senators just to name a few.

It’s not only in politics: University of Maine civil engineering alum Francis Crowe was instrumental in the construction of the Hoover Dam during the 1930s as the project’s chief engineer and American Civil War major general Joshua Chamberlain’s famous command to fix bayonets was a pivotal moment in the Union’s victory over the Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The University of Maine announced a new Leadership Studies minor on March 19, which is open to all UMaine students majoring in any subject. A minimum of 18 credits is required to complete the minor along with other basic requirements found in other UMaine minor study programs.

The minor will provide students with in-depth knowledge of leadership theory, ethics, skills and context-based issues, as well as practical, experiential training applicable to nearly any area of study or social setting and prepares students for diverse, real-life experiences as citizen leaders in local, state, national and global communities, according to a poster.

Political Science professor Richard Powell, the minor’s advisor, planned and organized most of the work needed for the university to begin offering the program. Mark Brewer, also a professor of Political Science, was heavily involved in the process as well. Powell believes it will be a great fit for UMaine.

“We have a lot of courses around campus that already deal with leadership subjects so it makes sense to try and put something together for students so they can specialize in it at the minor level,” Powell said. “There are hundreds of similar programs throughout the nation at other universities so it’s something we felt was an emerging field that would be important to offer here at [UMaine].”

Powell, who also serves as advisor for UMaine’s Legal Studies minor, director of the Institute for Leadership and Democracy, director of the Peter Madigan ’81 Congressional Internship Program and Kenneth Palmar Maine State Legislative Internship Program, said inspiration for the Leadership Studies minor came from the Maine’s distinguished history of leaders.

“This wonderful list of people who’ve been very influential also tended to exercise a kind of leadership that’s different from what you find elsewhere,” Powell said. “They’re civil, thoughtful and respectful of others and are willing to sit down and talk to people that differ from them and work out agreements and compromises.”

These traits are usable and marketable, according to Powell.

“There’s a sense on campus that Maine has a model of leadership that could be a great benefit not only to students in Maine and training the next generation of leaders, but also something that would be helpful for people in other parts of the country to learn from,” Powell said.

As for current student interest, Powell said early trends look promising.

“We had student participate with us in designing the minor so we were able to get a lot of good input along the way,” Powell said. “It’s only been a week and a half since the minor was officially announced and I’ve already seen lots of expressions of interest.”

What will the Leadership Studies minor bring to campus? Well, more leadership, according to Powell.

“It has the potential to have a great impact on people in a lot of different parts of the university,” Powell said. “A lot of student groups will say, ‘Well we have these great ideas and we have a lot of people interested, but sometimes we don’t know how to lead,’ … So we’ll be able to work with student groups and hopefully get as many student leaders from different organizations involved [as possible].”

Powell believes both Army ROTC and athletics can benefit greatly from the Leadership Studies minor, especially first- and second-year students who could be future officers and captains.

Powell also emphasized the openness of the program; that any student can participate.

“You have students across campus who are learning about their own discipline, but this minor really allows them to turbo charge their major by learning how to take what they’re learning out into the real world in social situations, organizations, groups and institutions and to be able to effectively lead other people and bring those ideas into fruition,” Powell said.

The minor will not be turning into a major program any time soon, according to Powell, but there’s always a possibility down the road.

“We need to get the minor established first and see how that unfolds for few years,” Powell said. “We’re just trying to make the minor the best it can be.”

In closure, Powell debunked the myth that leaders are born.

“There’s a common misconception that great leaders are just born and they just know how to do it,” Powell said. “And yes, there are people born with certain skills and behavioral tendencies that lend themselves to being effective leaders, but leadership is really something you learn just like any other set of skills … it’s something you study, practice, develop your own capacity for and improve on.”

Core requirements for the Leadership Studies minor include four courses: LDR 100 “Foundations of Leadership,” LDR 200 “Leadership Ethics,” LDR 300 “Advanced Leadership Theory & Practice” and LDR 499 “Leadership Engagement Practicum.” LDR 100 will be offered next fall.

For more information about the Leadership Studies minor, visit umaine.edu/leadership.

The University of Maine Student Government approved its proposed FY 2014-2015 budget as a single, non-divisible resolution on April 1 inside the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room shortly after its General Student Senate (GSS) appointed a new senator and saw four clubs present during the 17th meeting of the 35th session.

New senator appointed, four clubs present

Vice President Ryan Hall appointed a new senator during the April 1 meeting. Eric Laplanc is the newest member of the GSS chamber.

Four clubs that received funding toward events or trips within the past couple of months presented to the GSS during the April 1 meeting.

Former GSS senator Daniel Norwood spoke on behalf of Circle K’s recent trip to Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine for the 54th Annual New England District Convention from March 28-30.

“We received several awards,” Norwood said. “And we learned a lot from the convention that we hope to bring back to campus.”

Representatives from the Students of the University of Maine in Technical Theater (SUMITT), an organization aimed at further educating design, technical and stage production management students outside of the classroom, spoke on the groups recent trip to Fort Worth, Texas for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) 2014 Conference & Stage Expo from March 26-29.

Treasurer Kaleigh Knights and the club’s president spoke on behalf of SUMITT, describing how the trip went.

“We went to various informative and educational sessions,” Knights said. “There was an expo floor where companies came to show off new technology inside the theatrical world and also others looking to hire students like us.”

UMaine Nursing International also presented on its trip to Belize in early March. The expedition, titled Community Health Care & Triage, included 17 nursing students and one faculty member who administered medical aid to several villages within the San Ignacio province.

Animation Club was slated to speak according to the meeting’s agenda but no representatives were present.

Exec, Services and Legal Services Liaison reports

During his report, Hall said he and President Aaron Ortiz had both been working with former GSS senator Lee Jackson to draft a couple resolutions.

Also, Hall commented on the GSS’s Skype session with North Dakota State University’s student government after the March 18 meeting.

“I think we learned a lot about what other schools do for student government … it’s a lot different,” Hall said. “I’d like to set up a weekly Skype meeting with other schools to learn more about what others do and continue to strengthen our own procedures.”

During his report, Vice President for Financial Affairs Justin Conant announced that applications had officially been released for the upcoming vacant executive positions and also read allocations under $1,000.

Seven clubs received funding: $700 to The Wildlife Society toward the upcoming Northeast Student Conclave; $525 to Interfraternity Council’s Kappa Sigma toward its 3rd annual Frisbee tournament for the Fisher House Foundation; $390.63 to Gamma Sigma Sigma toward its leadership conference; $297.50 toward the Blade Society for equipment replacement costs; $200 to the Institute of Management Accountants toward its office budget and $120 for its Student to Faculty Connection; and $150 to the South Asian Association of Maine for its Holi Festival.

During the Services report, Sen. Caroline Harvey announced UMaine Dining’s expected dining hours for specific locations and commented housing options around the area.

According to Harvey, UMaine Dining plans to extend Wells Dining’s closing time to 8 p.m. and open York Dining at an earlier time of 9 a.m. on the weekends starting next year.

Harvey said the university does have housing plans, but because of the University of Maine System’s current financial state, they’re having trouble getting approval.

There is a new apartment complex between Orchard Trails Apartments and The Grove Orono, according to Harvey.

As for restrictions on next year’s housing agility, Harvey said the university is disallowing junior and seniors to live in normally all-student residence halls because they want higher retention rates for underclassmen.

During the Legal Services Liaison report, Sen. Devin Greenlaw read aloud more than 20 laws in Maine thought to be extraordinary including these: It’s a illegal to shoot a moose from a plane in Maine; it’s illegal to catch lobster barehanded in Maine; and it’s illegal to blow your nose in public in Waterville, Maine.

The University of Maine Student Government’s General Student Senate approved a new contract for Assistant to the Vice President for Financial Affairs Susan Poll, granted preliminary club recognition to Bridges to Prosperity and saw four clubs present during its 16th meeting of the 35th session on March 25 inside the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room.

GSS approves Poll’s last contract

The GSS approved what’s expected to be the last contract of Poll, a 26-year employee who plans to leave UMSG Inc. in 2016.

Vice President for Financial Affairs Justin Conant spoke on behalf of the resolution, a two-year contract.

“It’s essentially a copy and paste of her last contract,” Conant said. “She knows every aspect of the financial institution and the UMSG Inc. constitution, so I believe she’s pretty qualified for the job.”

For a position so vital to UMSG Inc. due to high student turnover, the training process is expected to take some time. Poll’s successor will shadow her during the two transition years.

“It would be impossible for me to do my job without [Poll’s] help,” Conant said.

Bridges to Prosperity granted prelim recognition

The GSS granted preliminary club recognition to the UMaine chapter of Bridges to Prosperity, a non-profit that provides isolated communities with access to essential health care, education and economic opportunities by building footbridges over impassable rivers, according to the organization’s website.

Club President Jessica Murphy and Vice President Brad Randall spoke on behalf of the group explaining the various types of work carried out by Bridges to Prosperity.

According to Murphy, the club is required to have at least three civil engineering students on board during trips to help specifically with bridge designing, but all majors are welcome.

Murphy said Bridges to Prosperity’s first couple of years will mostly “be laying down foundation.” Then, they’ll try building at least one bridge per year.

The club has membership dues and the national organization helps student groups find funding through grants.

Buttarazzi report

During his report, University of Maine System board of trustees Representative Colin Buttarazzi touched upon recent news surrounding the UMS’ structural gap, especially concerning the University of Southern Maine’s faculty cuts and ensuing protests.

Buttarazzi said USM has an $11 million budget shortfall compared to UMaine’s $4.8 million.

“It could be a lot worse for us, but we won’t see these types of cuts because of certain things [UMaine] President Ferguson has done,” Buttarazzi said. “He’s taken a $25 million shortfall down to $11 million.”

Buttarazzi said he doesn’t anticipate seeing cuts like USM’s.

“It’s a rough system right now, but don’t be scared about us,” Buttarazzi said. “I don’t foresee anything like what’s happening at USM right now for us.”

In commemoration of his 21st birthday, the chamber sang Buttarazzi “Happy Birthday to You.”

Exec reports

In his report, President Aaron Ortiz said he has continued working with the UMaine Bookstore on the implementation of a book swap program, trying to find “a middle ground.”

Ortiz also said he talked to representatives of the newspaper program that provides daily issues of national and local papers around campus. Because of a three-year contract signed by a previous UMSG Inc. president, Ortiz said there’s not much he can do to alter the program’s current state.

Ortiz announced that Resident Hall Association, formerly Residents on Campus, would be formally cutting ties with UMSG Inc. and moving under the university’s umbrella. However, Ortiz and RHA President Emily Farel said they plan on continuing communication between the two organizations.

In closure, Ortiz said he would be publicly announcing his resignation fairly soon, along with Vice President Ryan Hall due to graduation this spring. According to UMSG Inc.’s constitution, Conant is next in line to become president if the two executives leave.

Ortiz said he would be assigning a task force “to make sure students’ voice are heard” during the process of electing new replacement executives.

“We’re confident this will work out well for UMSG Inc.,” Ortiz said.

During his report, Hall appointed Sen. Corey Morton to spearhead the task force Ortiz announced to help Conant to select qualified executive candidates.

During his report, Conant announced allocations under $1,000: $942 to Women’s Rugby; $720 to Maine Society for Microbiology; $600 to the UMaine Equestrian Team; $450 to the Health Professions Club; $180 to Student Women’s Association; and $100 to The Wildlife Society.

AB, REACH, Women’s, Men’s Ultimate Frisbee present

Four groups presented to the GSS on recent trips partially funded by UMSG Inc. during the March 25 meeting.

Alternative Breaks co-coordinators Morgan Kinney and Kelly Covey used a slideshow to show the eight different service trips they achieved over the past month.

REACH presented on its volunteer trip to India where group members spent most of their time helping build toilets.

Women’s Ultimate Frisbee presented on its trip to Disc-iple Sports’ annual High Tide Tournament in Brunswick, Ga. According to the representative, it was the first time the club was able to play outside all year. Ultimate Frisbee’s next competition will be in Rhode Island.

Just like the women’s team, Men’s Ultimate Frisbee thanked the GSS for partially funding its trip to the High Tide Tournament. Club President Pat McGrath and Vice President Pat Saucier spoke on behalf of the group, saying the team lost in the quarterfinals.

“We’ve grown tremendously since last year,” McGrath said.

The gender gap in politics is undeniable, although it’s certainly improved since the days of George Washington. Yet still, men greatly outnumber women — but why? Several studies suggest it’s not that women aren’t qualified to do the job, but an “ambition gap,” or lack of encouragement, has created a lop-sided field of play where men are basically the only ones trying.

With universities across the country offering Student Government and other political-style councils that represent constituents comprising of fellow students, women could potentially get involved and participate in a welcoming environment, thus boosting their confidence to consider candidacy for elected positions later in life.

And that’s exactly what non-profits American Association of University Women and Running Start, in association with She Should Run, were thinking when they jointly launched Elect Her in 2010, an initiative to inspire young women to run for office during college.

Elect Her is a one-day, 4.5 hour intensive training session that includes workshops run by an Elect Her facilitator, panels of speakers and networking opportunities. The program is obviously targeted toward women, but men are also welcome to participate.

Last fall, UMaine Elect Her campus administrator Kathleen McIntyre, student liaison Julianna Ennamorati and AAUW liaison Mary Cathcart came together to apply to host Elect Her’s program for this fall. Their application was accepted first try.

Cathcart, a Senior Policy Associate for the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, hopes this program will spike an interest in politics.

“We are hoping this will get college women students more interested in running for Student Government and give them some of the practical tools and skills they’ll need to run a campaign,” Cathcart said. “Research shows that if [women] get involved with leadership roles on their campuses, they’re more likely to run for office or be involved in public service when they get older.”

According to Elect Her, results show that after a training session, approximately 20 percent more students consider running for student government and political office than before the training.

American University’s School of Public Affairs propose five factors that hinder young women’s political ambition inside their 2013 ‘Girls Just Wanna Not Run’ report, supporting Elect Her’s efforts:

Young men are more likely than young women to be socialized by their parents to think about politics as a career path; young women tend to be exposed to less political information and discussion than do young men; young men are more likely than young women to have played organized sports and care about winning; young men are less likely than young men to receive encouragement to run for office; and young women are less likely than young men to think they will be qualified to run for office, even once they are established in their careers.

Fifty schools from around the country will host Elect Her programs this year, and UMaine is one of them.

“Not only will this be a great opportunity for UMaine,” Cathcart said. “But also for the surrounding AAUW college partners who will be invited to send their own students to the event.”

McIntyre, the Special Asst. to Sr. VP for Administration & Finance Janet Waldron, is excited to help improve female leadership on campus.

“I’m really excited that we were awarded the opportunity, because I think it’s really important for young women to learn how to run for office early,” Waldron said. “It will help them in their futures, no matter what they choose to do.”

Ennamorati, a second-year economics and political science student, believes Elect Her will assist UMaine women to find their voices.

“[Elect Her] is a tool that woman students can utilize to strengthen their voice on campus,” Ennamorati said in an email on Sunday. “I think it will have a profound impact on anyone who participates.”

According to fourth-year biology student Kimberly Dao, 50 participants are expected to attend the Elect Her program, and she’s hoping for even more.

“This training has a very specific goal targeting women and we’re looking for particularly underclassmen to encourage them to get involved with leadership and politics early,” Dao said. “I think the very precise schedule and narrow target group that we have will make it successful.”

Casey Weed, a fourth-year journalism student and Co-Chair of Student Women’s Association, considers the timing of Elect Her’s arrival great.

“As Co-Chair of SWA, I report to Student Government meetings on a weekly basis, and the current executive board is noticeably all-male,” Weed said. “They’re doing a great job, and their work is great, but it’s concerning to think about all the women who didn’t even bother to apply and realize their potential.”

Dao, who served as UMaine Student Government’s first elected female president since the 1980s last year, agrees with Weed.

“For my constituents, just seeing a non-Greek woman run for a position and win is helpful … it tells them they have a chance,” Dao said. “At a micro-scale university level, seeing a fellow student woman run can be inspiring, and being on the winning side has definitely been an eye-opening experience for myself … hopefully more of my peers can experience this too.”

Dao points out that fourth-year students Mattie Paradise and Corey Morton, two highly ranked Student Government Senators, are graduating this spring, which means the General Student Senate will have no women in leadership roles.

“It’s time for some young senators to step up to the plate,” Dao said.

But Student Government isn’t the only opportunity women have to be leaders on campus. Weed says her position with SWA has helped her immensely.

“It’s helped with my communication skills and leadership skills, and it’s also guided me toward what I ultimately want to do with the rest of my life,” Weed said. “I found something that I’m really passionate about, and it’s definitely helped open a lot of doors for me … that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t join my sophomore year.”

According to a 2013 study by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Maine has the highest percentage of female representation at the mayoral level, and its also seen a 10-percent increase in state-level representation for women since 1979 with 28.5 percent.

However, the study notes that Maine is the only state in the nation that hasn’t seen a female win a statewide election. In Maine, that’s the gubernatorial race.

The Maine State Legislature is comprised of 28.5 percent females — 18.8 percent of which is in the Senate and 81.2 percent of which is in the House.

Out of Maine’s four elected officials who call Washington, D.C. home, half are female — Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Chellie Pingree. The percentage used to be two-thirds before Sen. Olympia Snowe decided against seeking re-election in 2012.

As a former four-term Senator and three-term Representative of the Maine State Legislature, Cathcart knows what it’s like to serve. She thinks women bring something special to politics.

“Many people think — and there’s some evidence seen in Washington[, D.C.] these days — that women work together more cooperatively to really get something done for the people of the state or nation better than men do,” Cathcart said. “We saw Sen. Collins and other women senators really working hard to compromise and get the government going during the recent shutdown.”

McIntyre says the two genders bring up unique opinions that are equally necessary.

“Women have different perspectives on things than men, and I think the idea would be to have men and women serving together in order to bring both perspectives out,” McIntyre said. “Both need to work together, so it’s essential to have full participation from both sides.”

Several guests have already been invited to speak at the event, which is scheduled for Sept. 27. The list includes: Sen. Collins; Maine Senator and candidate for Maine’s 2nd congressional district U.S. House seat Emily Cain; candidate for Sen. Collin’s U.S. Senate seat Shenna Bellows; UMaine’s Special Asst. to the VP for Innovation and Economic Development Jennifer O’Leary; and Dao.

As for the students involved with bringing Elect Her on campus, they wouldn’t turn down the idea of running for office later in life, perhaps due to their current involvement with leadership positions right now. Even Dao and Weed, who plan on pursing other ventures not directly related to politics, said they would consider it.

“I would love to run for office later in life,” said Ennamorati in an email on Sunday. “It’s a great opportunity to make a positive impact not just in your community, but in your state and also national government.”

The old proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is something 19-year-old Old Town resident Lee Jackson uses often when describing his relationship with the 122-year-old city he’s called home since 4th grade. He hopes to soon give back to the community that educated him.

Jackson, a second-year political science student, is one of three candidates running for two seats on the Old Town School Board, a race that will be decided after the statewide municipal and special referendum elections on Nov. 5.

“I’m so fortunate to have had such a great experience growing up in Old Town,” Jackson said. “I’m ready to start the conversation about education reform and help rebuild this community through the keystone of a strong school system.”

Regional School District No. 34 (RSU #34) includes Alton Elementary School (AES); Bradley’s Viola Rand Elementary School (VRE); and Old Town’s J.A. Leonard Middle School (LMS), Old Town Elementary School (OTES), Old Town High School (OTHS) and Southern Penobscot Regional Program (SPRP).

RSU #34’s school board consists of nine members, who are all elected on three-year terms. Four members are serving their term’s first year in 2013, three are serving their third years and two are up for election in November.

Jackson will face off against incumbents Donna Conary and David Wollstadt, both prominent figures within the Old Town community.

Conary is a member of Old Town High School’s Class of 1975 and a graduate of Husson College — the college wasn’t known as Husson University until 2008 — according to her Facebook.

She works as an administrative assistant at Dr. Lewis S. Libby School in Milford.

Wollstadt is the owner of Schoolnewsletters.net, a school newsletter business that publishes for 11 different school districts around the state of Maine.

According to Schoolnewsletters.net, Wollstadt and his wife have put five children through the Old Town school system.

Wollstatdt is also a committee member of Old Town’s Rotary Club, directing club service, international service and public relations.

“Everyone knows [Conary and Wollstatdt],” Jackson said. “They’re huge town leaders.”

Jackson says he first became interested in becoming more involved with the Old Town community during his senior year of high school.

“It was always something I was interested in,” Jackson said. “At the time of graduation [from high school], I was moving out of my house and starting a whole new level of education, so I thought, ‘Let’s back off a year, learn as much as I can while at [UMaine] and then reassess everything.’”

After filing information for financial aid this past summer for the upcoming year, Jackson was met with a curveball when a financial aid representative told him he would only be getting $2,000 in aid and would have to take out $15,000 to $16,000 in loans.

“I later found out it was [financial aid’s] fault, but I quickly realized it was just as much my responsibility to have double-checked documents,” Jackson said. “Thinking 10 to 15 years down the road, the easy but difficult decision I made was to become a part-time student, get a part-time job and do more things around the community and on campus.”

Jackson is an employee at McDonald’s in Old Town.

This “part-time decision” not only affected Jackson’s living arrangements, but also his plans as a senator for University of Maine Student Government, Inc. As a part-time student, Jackson is no longer able to run for UMSG, Inc. president in October.

“I was definitely upset I couldn’t run for office,” Jackson said. “Right now, the organization is a machine, but it’s not fully oiled … I had a lot of plans.”

Jackson is still a leading member of UMSG, Inc.’s General Student Senate gallery and plans on continuing to fully contribute from the position.

“I’m here to help create an environment which people inspire themselves to do great things for the student body, and I will be vocal during the [October elections],” Jackson said. “But my main focus now is the elections in November.”

Jackson says there are several aspects to his campaign that seemed liked disadvantages at first, but have now evolved into advantages.

“Age is big,” Jackson said. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘We want to see some young blood in there,’ and I say: ‘It’s my community too, and at the end of the day, it’s going to my generation eventually taking over.’”

“I’m hoping, if elected, that my work will speak for itself and not my age.”

Jackson said another was the “race card.”

“A young, black male with a single mom in Old Town going to college is one thing,” Jackson said. “But running for school and winning is another.”

Jackson says his campaign originally went into the election with the mentality that “we could at least spark a discussion about educational reform in the community,” but now, he said it looks like their goal is to take the election.

“I want to win,” Jackson said. “I think it’s possible.”

Jackson said peer reviews by department and cutting down on the time teachers spend in “red tape paperwork” are just a few things he will support and push for if elected.

“It’s the simple stuff … I realize when I’m able to remember something I learned five years ago in a freshman high school class, it’s because it was done in a creative way,” Jackson said. “Teachers need the resources to make this sort of thing possible.”

Jackson said he’s never worked with the Old Town school members on a peer-to-peer level — despite being close friends with the son of one member and also occasionally visiting Maine House Representative and school board chair James F. Dill (D-Old Town) in Augusta — but is confident they will welcome his presence.

“No one agrees with somebody else 100 percent of the time, no matter where you are, what class you’re in or what body you serve in,” Jackson said. “But I will respect everyone, no matter what.”

Jackson held a meet and greet at ACME Pizza & Wing Company on Main Street in Old Town from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 17 to welcome constituents of the Old Town School Department community to bring questions and talk.

Jackson’s current endorsements include: ACME Pizza & Wing Company, Old Town Bowling Center former OTHS Army JROTC instructor Amedeo Lauria, among others.

“Most days, kids see their teachers more than their own parents,” Jackson says. “We’ve got to realize how much of an impact the school has on the community.”

If you’ve walked around the University of Maine during the warm parts of the year — basically late April to Halloween — then you’ve probably seen numerous students on long boards or bicycles commuting to and from classes.

Lots of students ride solely for transportation, but many do it for fun.

If you were to ask these folks if constantly attempting to “have fun” on flat ground and pavement got boring, they would probably say “Yes.” This is where SQUAD comes in.

SQUAD, which stands for Student Quest for Underground Athletic Development, is a group recognized by UMSG, Inc. whose main goal is to help UMaine become the first university in the U.S. to have an unfenced, concrete-poured, on campus skatepark.

Fourth-year new media student and SQUAD President Arthur “A.J.” Olsen says the goal is to create a hub for action sports on campus so riders have a place to hang out, practice and teach each other.

Despite the fact that many of its members are skateboarders, SQUAD’s objective is to provide a place for all extreme sports to perform recreationally, such as rollerblading, BMX, snowboarding, skiing and even scooter riding.

The estimated cost of the proposed campus skatepark is $200,000, but Olsen is confident the group will be able to find the money if they put the effort and motivation in.

“[University officials] need to see fundraising,” Olsen said. “Money from the Tony Hawk Foundation is possible, as are other avenues, but what it comes down to is visibility — whether we’re getting the word out and actually doing things.”

In May, SQUAD held a deck art auction in downtown Bangor that earned $3,300. Artists from around the state were asked to design their own deck art and donate it to the auction.

“It was very successful,” Olsen said. “One hundred forty people showed up for the gallery, we got our name out there and so did all the artists who generously contributed their art.”

Paul Van Steenberghe, a mathematics and statistics professor, has been SQUAD’s faculty advisor since May. He says the best bet for SQUAD is to pursue funding from New Balance.

“The biggest possibility for sponsorship, at the moment, is New Balance,” Steenberghe said. “They’re already very involved with the university in a number of promotional ways, and this would just be icing on the cake for them.”

The Brighton, Mass.-based athletic apparel company first gifted the university $5 million in 2011 to rename the campus’ $25 million recreation center the New Balance Student Recreation Center, and then was awarded the renaming rights to the school’s field house.

Construction is underway on the New Balance Field House and Memorial Gym right now, and New Balance retains renaming rights on the two buildings for the next 18 years.

Just this year, New Balance has also launched a skateboarding shoe brand called “New Balance Numeric,” which will be distributed in a partnership effort through professional skateboarder Jamie Thomas’ company Black Box Distribution.

“What a perfect opportunity for [New Balance] to throw their logo on a 500-foot wall and promote their newest products,” Steenberghe said.

Steenberghe also says there’s a possibility that Cross Insurance owes the Greater Bangor Area a new skate park after removing Bangor’s in fall 2012 to make way for the company’s $65 million arena that replaced Bangor Auditorium.

According to Olsen and Steenberghe, the towns of Orono and Old Town are already willing to put money toward the building of a skate park, as long as it’s completely open to the community and usable 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

Orono has earmarked around $15,000 while Old Town has tagged $38,000.

Earlier this year, the proposed area for construction of the skate park was split into two option lots in between Mahaney Dome and Kessock Field, but now, the park’s newest proposed location is adjacent to the New Balance Student Recreation Center and alongside the Hilltop parking lot.

If constructed in that area, it would force the removal of several trails used by the university’s varsity cross country teams and also a ropes course maintained and run by Campus Recreation.

Two fourth-year civil engineering students, Matt Donovan and Mike Fagone, have jumped aboard the project to aid in the planning process. Donovan, Fagone and three of their roommates will be using the project as a way to complete their senior capstone assignments.

“I’m really excited to get things going,” Donovan said. “This is going to be fun.”

The newest proposed area for construction is about two acres of land.

Steenberghe had similar ambitions for a place to perform his own recreational activity before he was even aware SQUAD existed.

The expert in environmental mathematics can often be found riding his bike around campus, performing a discipline of mountain biking called “trials,” which has one simple rule: the rider must pass through an obstacle course without setting a foot to the ground.

Steenberghe has been riding bikes ever since he was introduced to a YouTube video of professional trial cyclists Danny MacAskill and Ryan Leech. For the past five years, he’s taught himself.

“It’s incredibly difficult, but as you learn, it becomes easier and easier,” Steenberghe says. “Then, you realize that you were working against yourself through most of the learning process.”

One night in October, Steenberghe was — in his words: “doing my usual bicycling around campus and jumping on things”  — around Hitchner Hall, when a custodian came out of the building and told him to “leave the area” because he was “not allowed to jump on the benches and steps of the building.”

He threatened to call the University of Maine Police Department, and Steenberghe welcomed the idea, hoping the officer would be able to clarify what he was legally able ride his bike on.

The officer came, Steenberghe was told where he could ride and then the officer said, according to Steenberghe: “It would be really nice if you guys had a park to work in instead of pissing off janitors and so forth.”

Steenberghe asked the officer if he had a solution in mind, and the officer said: “Well, you ought talk to the students who might be interested and tell them to write a note to [Dean of Students] Robert Dana, because he’s the guy who should respond to what students’ needs are.”

A week later, Steenberghe walked into Dana’s office, and asked whether he had heard from students about a skate park. Dana told Steenberghe he had received a number of emails, but he didn’t know how the school could afford it. He had already called the manager of the [New Balance Student Recreation Center] and asked him about the possibility of constructing one.

This isn’t the first time the construction of a skate park has been proposed to the university, according to Steenberghe, who says it’s happened about four times now. Last year, the Class of 2013 contemplated using the skate park as its class gift.

“How many times do we have to say we want to do this,” Steenberghe said. “Until the kids who originally wanted it are 50 years old?”

Olsen faces a hard decision before next semester, as he’ll have to find someone to take over the reins as president.

“I’m going to be really busy next year, so I’m going to have to hand it off … it’s going to be difficult,” Olsen said. “Coming into this year, I knew that I needed to make the group sustainable by giving it a solid base so that it can continue to grow after I leave, and I think I’ve done that effectively.”

For the typical American, Maine doesn’t exactly scream “extreme sports.”

There’s no doubt that the state provides challenging, mountainous terrain and excellent snow conditions for a well-respected ski and snowboard community, as well as a coast that delivers fairly good surfing — just as long as remember your wet suit — however, states like California, Colorado and even Rhode Island seem to offer the perfect combination of premier landscape with driven, thrill-seeking residents to serve as host to events such as the X Games every single year.

This doesn’t mean the state is without support for these sports — despite what many might think, the population of underground riders, across a wide array of recreations extreme sports encompasses, in Maine is fairly high.

Undeniably, the biggest hindrance these populations face is the ability to assemble in order to solve a problem, work matters out or try to accomplish a goal — the essence of the sports is very individualistic and self-sufficient, leaving no reason for congregation in the first place.

“The whole nature of this group is to be a disorganized group of fellow [students] … that’s the kind of people they are, so it’s really hard to get them to together to get jobs done,” Steenberghe said. “But, they all certainly have the ambition and desire.”

“What people need to realize is that it’s really not about the money aspect, like [Associate Dean of Students Kenda] Scheele said that it was, because money for this kind of thing comes from all over the place,” Olsen said. “The real difficulty is getting everyone that supports it — cause there’s a lot of them — to show up and actually commit to doing something for the group.”

“I’m just trying to make this a community effort. … I’m trying to bring in a community of people with similar interests so that we can all enjoy the things we love to do in one place, together.”

SQUAD meets weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in 227 Neville Hall.

The University of Maine General Student Senate elected a new Sergeant at Arms, Graduate Student Senate Representative and Legal Services Liaison; added one new senator; and approved five major resolutions totaling $12,339 during their 23rd meeting of the 34th session on Sept. 24 in the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room.

LaPorte joins GSS

First-year new media student Michael LaPorte was formally sworn in by Vice President Aaron Ortiz to begin the Sept. 24 meeting.

LaPorte is formerly of Connecticut and graduate of Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton where he was heavily involved with the Civil Air Patrol, as a Cadet Chief Master Sergeant, and manager of the school’s junior and prep league hockey squads.

LaPorte also participated in several side projects, helping his church with missions in Delaware and working with FEMA on Nov. 11, 2009 to run the national test of the Emergency Alert System.

GSS allocates $12,339 through five resolutions

Six resolutions were brought forth to the GSS floor; five requests totaled over $12,000.

A $6,000 funding request by the Men’s Club Ice Hockey team for “ice time practices and games, conference and referee fees and travel” was approved by the GSS.

Club president Conor Shea, a third-year student, and club vice president Ben Gagnon, a fourth-year student, spoke on behalf of the team saying 36 to 40 came out for the team this year and 20 made it.

The team plays within the American College Hockey Association and also has membership with the New England College Health Association.

According to Shea, club dues are $800 per person, which is $200 more than it was his freshman year.

The team’s 2013-14 season is projected to cost about $31,850. Fundraising includes $16,000 from the club dues and $2,000 from a golf tournament.

Sen. Lee Jackson commented on the cost of their season: “It’s terrible that clubs have to pay the money they do to use university property, even though they spend a fortune to go here in the first place.”

Sen. LaPorte agreed with Sen. Jackson, but reminded the body that ice maintenance is “very expensive,” and that “the money to preserve the playing area has to come from somewhere.”

The Men’s Club Ice Hockey team finished 8-12-2 last year, scoring 19 points inside the ACHA’s Division II Northeast section.

The resolution received an 8-0-0 “ought to pass” recommendation from the Executive Budgetary Committee before reaching the GSS.

A $2,500 funding request by the Class Council of 2014 for “Senior Week activities” was approved by the GSS.

President Kim Dao presented the resolution to the body.

Prior to 2012, the university’s class councils were included under the umbrella of Student Entertainment, but since then, they are now recognized as organizations allowed to request funding.

Generally, class councils need funding help for Senior Week and class gifts, but representatives for the Class Council of 2014 say they will not be requesting financial assistance for a class gift.

Money from the funding request will be specifically used for the “Catalina wine mixer, food, decorations and ‘Always a Black Bear’ barbeque.” The Class Council of 2014 will be paying for “the movie on the mall, ice cream social, pizza social and all advertising.”

The resolution received a 6-0-2 “ought to pass” recommendation from EBC before reaching the GSS, with both President Dao and Vice President for Student Organizations William “Nick” Smith abstaining because of “their association with the Class of 2014.”

A $2,500 funding request for a new “athletic engagement” program was approved by the GSS.

President Dao presented the resolution to the body.

Campus Activities and Student Engagement is expected to contribute $2,500 to the project as well. Money will go toward prizes for university students that “check-in” to specific events through a new smartphone application called “Black Bear Nation.”

KARMA Progressive Interactive, a marketing and advertising company based in Louisville, Ky. developed the app on Aug. 14. It requires iOS 5.0 or later on the iPhone.

KARMA Progressive Interactive has created similar apps for the University of Michigan, the University of Louisville, Penn State University, Brigham Young University and fellow America East conference member Binghamton University.

“[CASE director] E.J. Roach approached me to help out with this project,” Dao said. “This is an effort to help popularize the new app and promote better student involvement with athletic and campus events.”

Because UMSG, Inc.’s financial policies don’t allow funds to be used for prizes, Vice President for Financial Affairs Raymond Updyke referred to the resolution as a “special resolution,” just as the Old Town Taxi voucher program was two years ago.

The goal of the program is to essentially “give back” student activity fee money to students who don’t regularly engage in clubs and other UMSG, Inc. events.

Grammar-changing amendments from Sens. Alicia Bolduc and Ariel Bothen were approved before the resolution’s final passing.

The resolution received an 8-0-0 “ought to pass” recommendation from EBC before reaching the GSS.

A $1,189 funding request from the Dressage Club for “hotels and vehicle rentals” was approved by the GSS.

The Dressage Club is about to begin their season with four shows lined up for the Fall 2013 semester — one at home, one at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. against the Wildcats and the University of Rhode Island, and two at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

Fourth-year student and club vice president Casie James spoke on behalf of the organization.

“We have shows coming up fast, so fundraising is hard to do now,” James said. “We plan on putting a lot of work in later, after our season ends … but we need the financial help now.”

The cost of the four shows with fees and travel included is expected to be over $3,600.

The club estimates it will make $2,145 from dues, fundraising and sponsorship. Dues are $50 for competing students and $10 for non-competing students.

The resolution received an 8-0-0 “ought to pass” recommendation from EBC before reaching the GSS.

Two resolutions — one to “establish employee tenure appreciation policies,” and another to allocate $150 to “Employee Tenure Appreciation” for FY 2013-14 — were approved by the GSS.

VPFA Updyke presented both resolutions to the body.

In an effort to celebrate the 25th year of employment with UMSG, Inc. for assistant VPFA Sue Poll, the GSS needed to approve both a change in policy and a movement of funds from unallocated to the new reward program proposed by the executives.

Updyke says the amount — $150 — was decided on to essentially match what employees of UMaine receive when they reach their 25th year of employment, and is comprised of two, $75 gift certificates to “a restaurant of his or her choosing” and “the University of Maine Bookstore.”

The change in financial policies provides future guidelines to the tenure appreciation program and the actual capability to award funds, but it also demands there to be a special resolution brought forth by the GSS each time instead of the funds becoming available automatically.

Both resolutions were received unanimous, 8-0-0 “ought to pass” recommendations from EBC before reaching the GSS.

Three positions filled

Three senators assumed new roles within the GSS after a series of elections and appointments. All three positions became vacant during the beginning of the semester after Sen. Caleb Shortt left the body.

During his first ever meeting as a UMSG Senator, Sen. LaPorte was appointed by VP Ortiz as the new Sergeant at Arms. Through a process unique to the position, Ortiz took a recommendation vote from the body and used the GSS’ choice to guide his appointment decision.

Sen. Anderson ran against Sen. LaPorte during the recommendation process. Sen. Locke conceded his nomination before the vote.

Sen. Alexander Collins was unanimously elected as the new Graduate Student Senate Representative, running unopposed after Sen. Prusaitis conceded his nomination due to a scheduling conflict.

Sen. Tanner Adams won the election for Legal Services Liaison, beating out Sens. Fowler, Karod and Began.

NSBE receives prelim recognition; Best Buddies presents

The National Society of Black Engineers, a group whose mission — according to NSBE.org — is to “increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community,” received preliminary recognition from the GSS.

The club’s president and vice president spoke on behalf of the organization, explaining that NSBE is trying to incorporate other cultures as well, because “we all know [Maine] isn’t the most diverse place in the world.”

The group’s bid for preliminary recognition was passed through the Student Organizations Committee with a 5-0-0 “ought to pass” recommendation before reaching the GSS.

Best Buddies, a group that “pairs people in our community with intellectual and developmental disabilities in one-to-one friendships with college students,” presented to the GSS on their trip to the 24th annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference in Bloomington, N.Y. during July.

Exec reports, miscellaneous

During his report, VP Ortiz said 13 new senators have joined the GSS body since the beginning of the year, but open seats still remain.

During his report, VPFA Updyke said unallocated is around $47,000.

Allocations under $1,000 included: $200 to Mock Trial, Yoga Club, Spanish Language Club and Pre-Vet Club for their office budgets; $175 to Field Hockey Club for their office budget; $172 to Crew Club for their Head of the Merrimack Regatta race on Sept. 28 in Massachusetts; and $155 to the Dressage Club for their office budget.

During her report, Vice President for Student Entertainment Sarah Goode said that despite “trying to tie up loose ends” with the Pretty Lights concert, everything went well. She confirmed that there were no University Volunteer Ambulance Corps transports associated with the show.

During her periodic report, Representative to the Faculty Senate Sen. Bolduc said the faculty senate is thinking about better accessibility to Fogler, and also mentioned that despite national averages of library attendance decreasing, UMaine’s is going up.

During the periodic report for Legal Service Liaison, President Dao said undergraduate student legal aid Sean O’Mara is currently working on ways to assist campus organizations, such as Student Entertainment, in terms of legal protocol when they hold events.

Also, Dao said O’Mara had five settlements with The Grove Orono last year, and he’s working on trying to question the apartment company’s late fee percentage right now — it’s currently set at 6 percent, but Maine law says it can only be 4 percent.

Fair Elections Practice Committee added its newest member with the approval of the GSS. Non-senator nominee Gwen Beacham, a third-year molecular and cellular biology student is the second member to join FEPC this year through GSS approval this year.

Sen. Logan Nee, a fourth-year financial economics and political science student, announced he would be leaving the GSS a day before the Sept. 24 meeting. Sen. Nee had been a serving senator since October 2012.

Sen. Jackson announced to the body that he would be running for the RSU #34 Old Town School Department’s school board.

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.

University of Maine associate professor of chemical and biological engineering Dr. David Neivandt has been called upon to lead the UMaine Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering by UMaine executive vice president for academic affairs and provost Jeffrey Hecker.

Neivandt replaces former GSBSE director and professor of molecular, biomedical and marine sciences Carol Kim who has recently been named UMaine’s vice president for research by President Paul Ferguson.

“[Neivandt] was the unanimous choice among the leadership team,” Hecker said.

“I am delighted to assume the role of director of the GSBSE,” Neivandt said. “These students are the future of the state of Maine, and of the nation — I am honored to serve both them and the University of Maine.”

GSBSE is a graduate program, led by the University of Maine, which grants doctorates to students here in Orono and five other academic and research institutes around the state, including: The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, the University of Southern Maine’s department of applied medical sciences in Portland and the University of New England’s college of osteopathic medicine in Biddeford.

Ph.D. degrees offered by the program include: molecular and cellular biology, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics and genomics, toxicology and neuroscience.

“[Dr. Kim]‘s left [the GSBSE] in a very strong position,” Neivandt said. “It’s a great program. It has a large number of extremely strong students, a highly dedicated and involved faculty and there are no major issues that need to be addressed.”

Neivandt said that one of the first things he will do — shortly after the program holds its annual meeting this week — is hit the road and visit each of the five other GSBSE institutes and meet separately with students, faculty and administrators.

“I want to find out what’s working, what’s not working, what could be improved and what I should not touch because it’s fine the way it is,” Neivandt said. “Until I get that feedback, I won’t be making any significant changes … There are some minor improvements I already have in mind and some administrative items that could be streamlined.”

For the past decade, Neivandt has been a principal member of UMaine’s chemical and biological engineering department, even when the two units were separate entities.

When he joined in 2001, Neivandt taught in the chemical engineering department, but within the past 12 years his department has merged with the biological resource-engineering department, started a program in biological engineering and replaced it three years ago with a brand new curriculum in bioengineering.

Neivandt is the current undergraduate coordinator for UMaine’s bioengineering program and, for the past three to four years, has devoted a bulk of his administrative work to establishing both the development and implementation of the new degree. On top of this, which he sees as his primary role in the department, Neivandt continues to teach courses in chemical engineering.

According to Neivandt, student numbers coming into the previous biological engineering program never exceeded a freshman class of about 14 students. This year, the class size is 43.

“[The program has] grown quite rapidly and I think it’s been extremely successful,” Neivandt said. “The students — at least from my perspective — really enjoy what they’re doing, and they all have great career prospects.”

With the additional duties of his new position, Neivandt said he may end up having to teach one fewer course per year in order to free up some time, but he’s confident that both roles will get adequate attention and full dedication.

“I believe I can continue doing what I do now, in terms of bioengineering, and still have a positive impact on the GSBSE,” Neivandt said. “I will do my utmost to continue to lead and further develop the bioengineering program, because I’ve invested so much into it … It’s such a successful program, and I would be doing the students and myself a disservice to step away.

“My intent is to continue, wholeheartedly, [as undergraduate coordinator] whilst taking over the leadership of the GSBSE.”

The GSBSE program, according to Neivandt, is very unique.

“One of the first things we have to do — when students enter this program — is get everyone on a level playing field,” Neivandt said. “The first year of the program is designed for all incoming students to take the same courses and get a base knowledge that covers various fields so they’re able to talk to each other and the faculty despite the diversity of their particular background.”

In order to avoid “little silos of people who don’t communicate,” Neivandt said it is important to ensure that everyone is brought to the same level.

“It’s a challenge in a very programmatically diverse system like this one,” Neivandt explained. “But, we work very hard in the 12 months so all students learn the breadth of knowledge they need to then work in an intellectual disciplinary environment.”

Because of this, Neivandt said, the program begins very modular. Three- to four-week sections are taught on specific topics so that, “if you’ve got an undergrad degree in molecular biology, you’ll have a good understanding of engineering by the end of this 12 month period to comprehend the connections between the two disciplines.”

As technology becomes more expansive, this helps both the students and the capabilities involved with research.

“It’s amazing how often you can pick out a solution to a problem from another area and re-task it to something completely different,” Neivandt said. “Having this interdisciplinary knowledge is absolutely critical.”

Neivandt is also the director of product development for UMaine’s Pulp and Paper Process Development Center.

He was an Oppenheimer Research Fellow in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry for three years before coming to UMaine, focusing on interfacial laser spectroscopy. He received a B.S. in chemistry with honors from the University of Melbourne in 1994 and continued there for his Ph.D. in the same field five years later.

Neivandt received the College of Engineering Dean’s Excellence Award in 2005 and 2010 and also the college’s Early Career Research Award in 2006.

His current research includes: “Determination of the Orientation and Conformation of Interfacial Species,” “Conformational Studies of Lipid Molecules Comprising Model Membranes” and “Polymer Templating in Surfactant Monolayers.”