The University of Maine Student Government’s General Student Senate (GSS) held its first meeting of the 2013-14 academic year on Sept. 3 in the Memorial Union’s Bangor Room.

Ortiz, Smith and Ferguson sworn-in

The Sept. 3 meeting began with President Kim Dao swearing in Vice President Aaron Ortiz, who took over for former Vice President Sam Helmke last spring. Ortiz is technically the interim vice president until this year’s UMSG fall election, whereupon Ortiz may run for the position again.

President Dao also swore in vice president for Student Organizations William “Nick” Smith. Like Ortiz, Smith is serving an interim position in place of former VPSO Sarah Porter and will get a chance to re-claim the position for next year in the upcoming election.

Both Helmke and Porter graduated last spring, resulting in their roles becoming vacant and in need of replacements.

EBC, SOC and Pres. Pro Temp selected

Three separate elections took place during the Sept. 3 meeting. Several senators were nominated and then elected to both the Executive Budgetary Committee (EBC) — a group that works closely with Vice President of Financial Affairs Updyke to approve or disapprove funding requests and other finance-related issues — and the Student Organizations Committee (SOC) — a group that works closely with Smith to advise and facilitate all organizations underneath the umbrella of UMSG.

Sens. Jake Dumas, Morgan Kinney and Ryan Hall were elected to the EBC. Sens. Ferguson and Tanner Adams also received nominations.

Sens. Zachary White and Jennifer Karod were elected to the SOC. Because they were the only two senators to be nominated, White and Karod were unanimously chosen for the positions without an official election.

Sen. Lee Jackson was elected to be the new president pro tempore in a one-on-one race against Dumas.

Three clubs present

Partners for World Health, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry/Paper Industry Management Association (TAPPI/PIMA) and The Wildlife Society presented to the GSS on their most recent UMSG-funded activities.

Partners for World Help, a non-profit and all-volunteer organization that collects unused, sterile medical supplies and sends them to developing nations in need, traveled to Guatemala last May as part of a service trip. While abroad, the group delivered 400 pounds of medical supplies to a small Red Cross clinic, shadowed employees at several hospitals, worked with Profamilia, built recreational supplies and fed children.

Club vice president Ellie D’Urso and treasurer Emily Lovejoy spoke on behalf of Partners for World Help.

“[Delivering medical supplies] was great,” Lovejoy said. “[The patients] were so grateful … there were tears.”

“My favorite part was playing football with the kids,” D’Urso said. “We played girls versus boys.”

TAPPI/PIMA, a joint, technical association for the pulp, paper and converting industry, made their annual educational “Trip Trip” to Finland last May. Starting from the country’s capital of Helsinki, a group of 11 students visited several pulp and paper industry configurations, including operations of Sappi, a South African based pulp and paper company with branches in Westbrook and Skowhegan.

Club vice president Emily Vannozzi spoke on behalf of TAPPI/PIMA: “We went at a great time of the year, had an incredible experience and it was cool to see the connections between Maine and Finland [in terms of pulp and paper production].”

TAPPI/PIMA documented their 2013 trip online through Blogger at umainetreetrip.blogspot.com.

The Wildlife Society, a 76-year-old organization that serves the wildlife ecology environment through management, awareness and maintenance, attended The Wildlife Society’s Northeast Student Conclave last April, which was hosted by the University of Connecticut at the J.N. Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford, Conn.

D’Urso, who also serves as the club president of The Wildlife Society, spoke on behalf of the group.

“It was a great networking opportunity,” said D’Urso. “The best part, by far, were the quiz bowl sessions.”

Exec reports

In her executive report, Dao said she’s continuing her work on getting out the word on the benefits of raising the student activity fee — a question that’s expected to appear on this fall’s election ballot — as well kickstarting the newly assembled Ad-Hoc special committee on community association and representative boards.

In his executive report, Ortiz said Jackson’s going through the UMSG constitution to search for loopholes to “make sure the standing rules are actually the standing rules.”

Also, Ortiz announced he had appointed Jackson to head the Committee of Policy & Procedure.

In his executive report, Updyke said the total amount of unallocated funds is just under $36,000. Also, Updyke mentioned that UMSG would be increasing unallocated by $4,000 for this fall — from $351,000 to $359,955 — because of a larger expected enrollment. Next spring, the funds will be raised $7,000 in order to continue to match the enrollment rates.

In her executive report, Goode talked about UMSE’s upcoming electronic dance concert at Alfond Arena on Sept. 20, which was officially announced over the summer. The show is expected to feature Pretty Lights, 3LAU and KapSlap.

Election timetables released

Fair Election Practices Commission (FEPC) chair Bartley Kelliher announced the official timetable for this year’s upcoming fall elections for both UMSG executive and UMSG GSS positions.

Nomination forms will become available for all positions in the UMSG offices on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. At this time, campaigning and the ability to file complaints will also begin. Nominations will be due one week later.

Candidate meetings will be held on Oct. 17 for both the GSS and executive elections in the Wade Center at 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

The last day to withdraw from any election race will be Oct. 24, while mandatory typed expense reports will be due to Kelliher by Oct. 25 at noon.

Absentee polls will open on Oct. 29 at 9 a.m., and Election Day will be held on Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on FirstClass, with any complaints due by Nov. 4 at noon.

Miscellaneous

Over the summer, the Faculty Senate approved UMSG’s recommendation, approved last year, to recognize Veterans Day with no classes. Implementation of the new holiday will commence during the 2015-16 academic year.

Kaiya Hansen, President of Wilde Stein Alliance for Sexual Diversity, announced during her community association report that the organization would be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

In their closing statements, Dao and Ortiz had comments for the upcoming year. Dao said she is “excited for the new year” and “can’t wait to get things accomplished.” Ortiz said, because of his current term only going until December, he will be “thinking about this semester only.”

It was a quiet opening weekend for The Grove Orono despite what many thought would be a repeat of last year’s chaotic, near-riot party that saw students skateboarding and back-flipping off roofs, police intervention from six different units and media attention from Barstool Sports.

This September marks the beginning to The Grove Orono’s second year operating as a leading apartment complex provider for several hundred students at the University of Maine. Last year, the complex struggled to contain multiple instances of reckless revelry and mass gatherings.

The Grove Orono is owned by North Carolina-based Campus Crest Communities, Inc. and is located on Park Street roughly a half mile away from UMaine’s Rangeley Road entrance near the southeast side of campus.

Integrated Corporate Relations, Inc. account director Jason Chudoba spoke on behalf of The Grove Orono.

“We understand the beginning of the school year is an exciting time,” Chudoba said. “To ensure a peaceful living environment, we retained the Orono Police Department to patrol the property over the next few weeks, [including Labor Day weekend].

“We are pleased with the services the department has provided thus far.”

Orono’s Chief of Police Josh Ewing and Captain Scott Wilcox were unavailable for comment on Thursday and Friday of last week, but University of Maine Police Department Chief Roland LaCroix, not speaking on behalf of the Orono police department, says that “they issued a few summons, but had an uneventful weekend” and “did a sufficient job in controlling any problems.”

“The safety and security of our residents is our top priority,” said Chudoba.

Despite having no jurisdiction in the area of The Grove Orono, LaCroix was able to comment on the unexpectedly silent campus during Labor Day weekend.

“Campus wasn’t too busy, and I think the weather had a lot to do with it,” said LaCroix. “Summons were given, but it was fairly quiet.”

With the addition of 200 more freshmen than usual this year, LaCroix says it may have some sort of effect on the party scene, but it’s hard to tell.

“I always keep faith that the next freshman class will be better, but as time goes on, we’ll find out,” LaCroix said. “I always try to stay positive.”

During their April 16 meeting, the University of Maine General Student Senate amended an act to reduce all executive, community association and representative board student employee salaries by 10 percent beginning next year.

For the past few meetings, the GSS has been working to find areas where the budget can be cut to save money for UMSG, Inc., after realizing payroll takes up nearly a quarter of the organization’s financial plan.

Executive salaries were previously reduced by 8.54 percent for next year during the GSS’ April 2 meeting, but an act to eliminate all community association and representative board job descriptions failed that same day.

During the following week’s meeting on April 9, the GSS postponed an act that would reduce executive, community association and representative payroll by 10 percent after speculation arose when specific employment position salary figures were questioned — specifically those of the Student Women’s Association.

The resolution returned to the GSS on April 16 with one amendment, which cut SWA’s co-chair salaries by $131 each to $1,050. This figure was calculated by adding a presidential and vice presidential salary together and dividing the total in half.

Third-year journalism student Casey Weed and fourth-year communication student Dana Freshley, SWA’s two co-chairs, spoke to the GSS after Vice President for Financial Affairs Raymond Updyke presented the resolution.

“Casey and I don’t agree with the 20 percent decrease in our pay,” Freshley said. “You guys are used to a system with a president and vice president, but with co-chairs, we share responsibilities and also perform the work a treasurer would normally do.”

“We have the same office hours,” Weed said. “Each [representative] board has a different system.”

Sen. Alicia Bolduc agreed with the resolution, arguing that each board should get the same “lump sum” of payroll finances and “divide it up however they like, whether that’s equal to two co-chairs or one large amount to the president and one lesser amount to a vice president.”

Weed responded, saying: “The reduction isn’t fair if it’s a 20 percent cut for us and other groups are only getting 10 percent.”

Each year, SWA puts on events like Take Back The Night, Pro Choice Week and the Vagina Monologues.

Vice President Sam Helmke reminded the GSS, like Vice President for Student Organizations Sarah Porter did during the April 9 meeting, that SWA co-chair salaries were passed through the GSS unanimously last year.

GSS advisor Hannah Hudson described the process of co-chair leadership as “consensus based decision making.” Farley elaborated, saying the organization “use[s] no voting process” and makes “choices through agreement.”

VPSO Porter continued to strongly oppose the pay cut.

“I completely understand the pay issues, but I’m totally against [this resolution],” Porter said. “[The decision to enact SWA co-chairs] was made last year and it was made for a reason. … You’ve got to look at the big picture and not compare groups. I’m 120 percent behind not [passing this resolution].”

Sen. Bolduc suggested the GSS pass “as is” and let the newly initiated Executive Committee “work things out later,” while Dao reminded the GSS that changes to budgets would not be implemented until the 2013-14 fiscal year, leaving time for the Executive Committee to “do more work.”

“It’s not [UMSG, Inc.’s] job to tell [the community association and representative boards] what to do, but it is our job to tell them what they do for us if we’re paying them,” Dao said, describing the situation as “difficult.”

“I like to look at it as two job descriptions, because [the community association and representative boards] were doing their own things far before we started paying them.”

Porter warned the GSS of going too fast.

“Here’s some advice for the future of Student Government,” Porter said. “As much as I appreciate how great we’ve been moving forward, I think we’ve been going too fast at times and not realizing what we’re doing in the large scheme of things.”

“I understand this is not a large cut in pay, but that’s not the point — we’re singling out a specific group without fully understanding what we’re doing,” Porter said.

Shortly before debate ended, Helmke yielded the chair and offered his opinion.

“This is not fair. Right now, we’re taking SWA and isolating them,” Helmke said. “We say we don’t compare groups, but that’s exactly what we’ve done here.”

Sen. Patrick Church moved to amend the resolution so SWA’s salary cut returned to the original 10 percent, saying, “I’m in favor of cutting, but now is not the time.”

The resolution was passed, as amended, reducing salaries by 10 percent across the board.

Employment policies amended

Updyke presented two resolutions having to do with UMSG, Inc.’s employment policies and consumer price index. Both were approved.

The first resolution will amend the policies to “clearly state” that contractual employees’ salaries are adjusted by a percentage to the CPI, meaning it will reduce their merit pay raises and keep their CPI.

“In an effort to reduce inflationary payroll costs throughout UMSG, Inc.,” the second resolution amended the policies to cease CPI increases and decreases for student and constitutional employees.

“Basically we’re saying that next year, employees will be give a flat pay so that it does not fluctuate with the economy,” Updyke said. “This will force [student and constitutional employees] to ask for raises instead of getting them automatically.”

FEPC Chair, Sergeant at Arms appointed

VPFA Updyke presented Bartley Kelliher, a fourth-year English and political science student, as the new Chair of Fair Elections Practices Commission, praising Kelliher on his “outstanding resume” and “excellent communication skills.”

“I will strive to do a great job in keeping all elections standard,” Kelliher said.

Sen. Caleb Shortt was also unanimously selected as the new Sergeant at Arms, running unopposed. The position opened up after Sen. William “Nick” Smith resigned earlier this month to prepare for his taking-over of the VPSO position.

Shortt is also the Graduate Student Senate Representative and Legal Services Liaison.

Five clubs present, MBS Corps receive prelim recognition

Women’s Ultimate Frisbee thanked the GSS for being awarded as Club of the Month for March and recapped their fall season.

Cheerleading Club presented on their trip to the National Cheerleaders/Dance Association Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships from April 10 to 14 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The club placed seventh in the Small Coed I section.

Dressage Club presented on its recent season. Club member Emma Oppewall said the team “had a very good year” and is currently ranked third in their conference.

Horticulture Club presented on its recent competition at the 2013 Garden Show & Spring Fling from April 5 to 7 in Bangor. The club received third place in ‘People’s Choice’ and was one of five teams to receive a Gardenscape Honorable Mention.

Shotokan Karate Club presented on its recent trip to the Saratoga Martial Arts Festival from April 5 to 7 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Maine Business School Corps, which has been active for seven years, received preliminary recognition. The group is a community outreach program and has 14 members.

Miscellaneous

An act to encourage the state of Maine to create a law providing medical amnesty for minors who seek treatment for alcohol poisoning was approved by the GSS. The encouraged law would be similar to UMaine’s Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Program. Sen. Alex Price sponsored the resolution.

Sens. Brittany Cote, Sydney Trask and Caleb Shortt will join President Dao, Vice President Helmke, Vice President of Student Organizations Porter and Vice President of Financial Affairs Updyke to form the new Executive Committee.

A new committee called the Special Committee for Student Awareness was created to help outreach efforts. It will consist of the president, vice president, vice president of student organizations, vice president of financial affairs, vice president of student entertainment, director of communications, chair of senate student service committee, one elected GSS senator and up to 10 unaffiliated UMaine undergrads.

Pres. Dao calls it a “think tank,” and says, “if it’s deemed sustainable, [the Special Committee for Student Awareness] will be turned into a real committee.”

Helmke issued an apology to the two co-chairs of SWA, saying he got “hit hard” with emails and was “grossly taken out of context in [The Maine Campus]” for what he said during the April 9 meeting.

The new president-elect for Graduate Student Government Richard Luc, a microbiology graduate student and graduate advisor of Student Heritage Alliance Council, spoke to the GSS about a more cohesive relationship between the two organizations that he intends to improve.

During her executive report, Porter spoke about a current situation on campus that began earlier in the month where a man has been “terrorizing student organizations” by showing up to student organization meetings.

Reportedly, the man — identified as Carl White by police — also physically assaulted someone. Police are on the lookout for White and intend on issuing him a criminal trespass warning. If he’s seen on campus again, he can be arrested.

Over 120 students, community members and political figures attended a teach-in focused on budget alternatives last Sunday in the University of Maine’s Bangor Room.

The event included a keynote from Washington activists Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, a five-member panel discussion of Mainers and ten workshops.

UMaine philosophy professor Douglas Allen, founding member of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine and advisor for Maine Peace Action Committee introduced Flowers and Zeese and welcomed attendees to invest in collaboration.

“So many people from around Maine often work in isolation,” Allen said. “We hope events like this can bring those together and allow them to realize they can organize for community empowerment,” Allen said.

In their presentation, titled ‘Budget for All — Why Not?’ Flowers and Zeese examined the direction of current economic and political environments using GDP, productivity and wealth imbalance data to suggest potential changes of course.

Flowers is a pediatrician in Baltimore, Md. and a prominent public policy protestor who frequently advocates in Washington, D.C. for a nationwide, single-payer health care system.

Zeese, who also lives in Baltimore, is an attorney who opposes corporatism and militarism and supports economic justice and criminal law reform, frequently voicing his opinions, as well, inside the nation’s capital.

Flowers and Zeese co-host Clearing the FOG on We Act Radio, 1480-AM and jointly founded It’s Our Economy in March 2011 — a progressive movement aimed at reducing the nation’s wealth divide through justice issues and democratization.

Panel discussion speakers included MPAC activist and UMaine graduate student Daniel White, Maine legislative member Rep. Adam Goode (D-Bangor), CODEPINK Maine local coordinator Lisa Savage, Team 350 Maine divestment coordinator Read Brugger and Community Health and Counseling Services in Ellsworth nurse Katrina Bisheimer.

Wright spoke on MPAC’s protest against ongoing, nationwide college and university student debt  — specifically here in Orono. Wright says around 75 percent of recent UMaine graduates are, on average, $29,700 in debt, which is slightly higher than the national average of $26,600.

Allen says several students who are feeling the effects from this problem, prior to graduation, have approached him.

“Students come and see me [and] they’re in crisis,” Allen said. “They don’t have health care … they don’t have the money … it’s affecting their schoolwork.”

According to Allen, it’s also been affecting students’ health.

“I ask them: ‘Isn’t [Cutler Health Center] for free?’” Allen said. “They tell me ‘No, those were the old days… now it’s privatized. So what do they have? [Sometimes these students] have been sick for the past two months.”

State Representative Adam Goode, who has represented House District 15 since 2008, talked about money and politics, advocating a need for public funding in state campaign races.

Public campaign financing once allowed candidates to apply for help from the state to prepare for upcoming elections. This resource would also match privately earned funds raised by one candidate, providing all opposing candidates with the same amount to sustain fairness.

This program came to a halt in 2011 when the U.S. Supreme Court deemed the resource of funding unconstitutional in Freedom Enterprise Club v. Bennett.

“Committing to public money creates fairness and allows for a more diverse group of candidates,” Goode said. “There are only so many hours in the day. You can spend 10 to 15 hours a week raising money, or, you can go meet constituents door-to-door.”

Savage spoke on feminist values and militarism. She tabled before the event, collecting signatures for the ‘We Stand With Bradley Manning Petition’.

Brugar and Bisheimer talked about the environment and labor organization, respectively.

Maine legislative member Sen. Geoffrey Gratwick (D-Bangor/Hermon) says topics surrounding the teach-in are directly related to students at UMaine.

“This is so important for students’ futures,” Gratwick said. “Our generation is has-beens. This is about your education, your jobs, and allowing America to have a middle class … I think this is where it’s at for students.”

Gratwick called attention to Goode, referring to the 23-year-old Bangor native as a “young, exemplary creature,” who has “made a big difference.”

“If you get young people involved, it makes an enormous difference at the legislative hearings in Augusta,” Gratwick said. “And they’ll tell you they have fun … they get involved and they know they’re making a difference.”

Gratwick is fairly new to the process himself, in terms of legislative experience. He was a doctor for 40 years before defeating Republican incumbent Nichi Farnham for Maine’s 31st District Senate seat in 2012.

“All of a sudden, I’m involved in this legislative process where you get to look at the larger picture — not just individual health but public health,” Gratwick said. “Instead of dealing with individuals, case-by-case, I’m now asking: ‘How can you get all sorts of different people to be healthier?’ It’s very exciting.”

According to Allen, there is a clear and evident relevancy between the teach-in and UMaine.

“When you’re talking about jobs, the environment, education, transportation, healthcare … all these things have — or will have — a huge impact on impact on students and what their future is going to look like,” Allen said. “Every one of these issues relates [to the students].”

Allen says some students are confused.

“They know something is wrong — you don’t have to convince them that — but they don’t have much analysis or sense of what they can do about it,” Allen said. “It’s disempowering to some … they’ll say ‘it’s so big’ and ‘those people have so much power … I’m just an individual’ and continue playing video games, tweeting, drinking or whatever they do.”

Allen believes Maine, as a state, is on the forefront of progressive changes.

“Sometimes we have out-of-staters who don’t think Maine has ever come up with a good idea, yet we’ve been saying the same things they speak of for a long time,” Allen said. “We have an amazing number of resources here.”

Right now, Gratwick says, politics is a great place to be: “It’s a very exciting time … and as they often say, ‘A crisis is too good to waste.’”

The teach-in’s first round of workshops varied in topic.

Stop the East-West Corridor statewide coordinator Chris Buchanan, who is also the Maine coordinator with Defending Water for Life, joined up with Thanks But No Tank communication manager Ken Agabian for ‘Protecting Maine’s Environment’.

Philip Caper, a founding member of Maine AllCare, and Gratwick took on the issue of healthcare in “Health Care for All,” while White and Eric Collins of MPAC presented “Student Debt.”

Maine painter Rob Shetterly, founder of Americans Who Tell the Truth, displayed samples of his work and hosted the “Art Activism” workshop while political organizer Bruce Gagnon presented “Bring Our War $$ Home.”

UMaine philosophy professor Deborah Hawkins, a member of Cooperative Maine, offered a workshop on ‘Alternative Economies’ and Resources for Organizing and Social Change director Larry Dansinger presented on ‘Nonviolence’.

Alliance for Democracy national council member Bonnie Preston and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections program director BJ McCollister offered a workshop titled ‘Money out of Politics’ while social workers Mary Beth Sullivan and Chris Rusnov presented ‘Challenging Austerity.’

Finally, the UMaine Green Team and Karen Marysdaughter put on a workshop focused on ‘Fossil Fuel Divestment’.

The event was co-sponsored by 19 groups, including Maine Alliance for the Common Good and MPAC. The Student Life Program Fund and the Office of the Vice President for Student Life of the University of Maine provided funding support.

During their March 26 meeting, the University of Maine General Student Senate announced Sen. William “Nick” Smith, a third-year business management student, as the new vice president for student organizations. Smith is replacing current VPSO Sarah Porter, who is graduating this spring.

The position change will officially take place when Porter completes her undergraduate career this May. Smith also announced he would be stepping down from his position as GSS Sergeant at Arms.

Funding help for Class of 2013 gift voted down

After over 30 minutes of debate — not including the time it took to introduce the resolution — GSS rejected a request from the Class Council of 2013 for $1,500 for “Glass Supplies & Labor” to help fund the senior class gift.

The proposed gift is a stained glass window inside the Memorial Union, which is expected to cost around $5,500 in total. The proposed location is near the entrance to the bridge to the North Pod, opposite the frozen yogurt bar Going Bananas! The artwork, designed by former UMSG, Inc. president Chris Protzmann, was revealed in a PowerPoint slideshow during the March 26 meeting. The council’s goal is to have the project done by graduation in May.

Class Council of 2013 President Paige Eggleston spoke on behalf of the resolution. Eggleston stated that the council was approaching GSS for funding to get money to the project’s employed glassmaker as soon as possible. Eggleston assured senators that the request didn’t come due to lack of timing, but because some crucial information surrounding the project wasn’t known until recently.

Sen. Alicia Bolduc began the debate period by reminding GSS members of a similar situation last year, when a hot debate followed the Class Council of 2012 request for help in funding a class gift project.

“Student Government shouldn’t be funding class gifts with money given by all classes,” Bolduc said. “If you plan on giving back to the school with a gift, either raise enough money now or give back when you have enough money to do so later on down the road.”

Sen. Ryan Hall also commented, saying, “This is not our responsibility. Fulfilling our role to make the university a better place, I’m all for that, but to an extent.”

Sen. Lee Jackson moved the previous question, after an extended amount of discussion, and the vote failed.

Later, during special orders and announcements, Senior Sen. Eggleston was still disappointed with the outcome of the resolution.

“Great debate guys, but I’ve never been so immensely discouraged,” Eggleston said. “You guys passed a resolution in 2 1/2 minutes after ours that was two-thirds [the amount] of our request. I’m not comparing groups but … I am.”

The Class Council of 2012 ended up receiving $1,985 for their gift, $485 more than the requested amount from the Class Council of 2013.

Other contributions for the class gift expected by the Class Council of 2013 include $5,000 in fundraising, $1,200 from alumni mentor classes, $800 in class funds and $500 from Student Affairs.

Buttarazzi report from UMS Board of Trustees

According to Sen. Colin Buttarazzi’s report from the University of Maine System Board of Trustees’ most recent meeting in Augusta, the system has revamped background-screening standards for employees and wants to improve the number of students studying computer science and information technology.

Sen. Buttarazzi says the UMS recently realized they’ve been doing employment background-screening checks through different capacities at different schools. Now the system has made a standard and has also heightened extensive regulations for employers who have access to lots of power over where money is spent.

The system also said it wants to double the number of students in the computer science and information technology programs. According to the Board, it is projected that only 30 percent of jobs will be filled in that field within the next couple of years, equating to many job vacancies.

A new campaign, called Project>Login, will be used to attempt to accomplish this goal. Project>Login is a program of Educate Maine, a business-led organization created through the merger of the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education and the Maine Compact for Higher Education in 2011.

Project>Login will allow students to learn more about the field and create networks with fellow students and future employers.

Also from the report, the Board of Trustees is still working on a way to equalize courses in order to make transferring within the system much easier, capital projects increased allocated funds toward the Memorial Gym’s remodeling for interior and exterior paint, and Faculty Senate president Harlan Onsrud and Continuing and Distance Education Director Jeffrey St. John are working on a way to offer online evaluation forms at the end of the semester instead of bubble sheets.

Partners for World Health wins Club of the Month, 11 others give presentations

With the two-week-long spring break came many service trips and conference attendances for several organizations on campus. According to the meeting’s agenda, a total of 15 presentations were planned, but four clubs’ representatives were absent.

Partners for World Health was named Club of the Month for February. Co-founder and co-president Ellie D’Urso spoke on behalf of the group, extending thanks to VPSO Porter and the rest of the GSS for their generosity.

Partners for World Health recently received preliminary recognition in December. Its work includes collecting unused medical supplies — usually disposed of due to government regulations — and re-organizing them to resourcefully help third-world countries.

African Student Association presented on its trip to the Harvard Development Conference at Harvard Law School and the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. from March 8-9.

The association’s vice president spoke about the conference, titled “Visible Change in Africa: One Innovation at a Time,” saying the group of UMaine students that attended were able to ask questions and learn how the continent of Africa is developing.

The Alpine Ski Team presented on its 2012-13 ski season, which spanned from December to February. The club president said the season was cut short for two reasons: the team was short on funding, and he wanted to keep interest for next year by ending soon so the season didn’t feel “dragged out” like last year’s.

According to the club president, most of the team fell sick mid-way through the season, but skiers who made it healthy to the end had successful seasons.

Alternative Spring Break presented on its eight service trips to various regions, including Georgia, Florida and New Orleans. Sens. Paige Eggleston and Morgan Kinney spoke on behalf of the club, thanking the GSS for its generous funding.

Engineers Without Borders presented on its service trip to Dulce Vivir, a community located in the western mountainous region of Honduras. Organization treasurer and project leader Derek Rothenheber spoke on behalf of EWB, explaining what the students did and sharing a few facts about the community’s current health risks.

“This was a maintenance trip, teaching residents how to sustain a properly working septic system,” Rothenheber said. “We also collected water quality data and found they were drinking and washing with contaminated water, which is unfortunately expected, most times, in countries like this.”

According to Rothenheber, U.S. regulations deem water “contaminated” when there is any measurement coliform present in 100 milliliters of water. In Honduras, on average, there are 50 coliforms present for every 1 milliliter of water.

The group is unsure whether they will be able to continue the service trip next year because International SOS recently updated its security risks, saying Honduras is no longer safe to travel to.

The Equestrian Team presented on its three Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competitions: two were in Vermont and one was in New Hampshire.

According to club captain Megan Story, every team member ribboned at least once, and no show-team members will graduate this spring.

“Our team has definitely become a lot more serious,” Story said. “Hopefully we can continue to increase the intensity of our training and become more successful.”

The Intramural Sports Council presented on its trip to the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association in Las Vegas March 4-7.

Organization president Brandon Hall says the conference provided a lot of advice to help make UMaine’s intramural system grow.

“We got a lot out of [the trip] and we plan on bring back lots of info to help our program,” Hall said. “This includes things like making Facebook and Twitter pages, using IM League for scheduling services and also Ustream to broadcast live events.”

Hall, along with the organization’s vice president, were able to see the Hoover Dam — a structure designed by 1905 UMaine engineering alumnus Frank Crowe — while visiting the Las Vegas area.

The Nordic Ski Club presented on its 2012-13 ski season. According to the club’s speaking representative, the season was lackluster due to a late season of snow — the team was only able to attend one event.

UMaine’s R.E.A.C.H. — Respect, Education, Action, Hope Community — presented on its service trips to Nicaragua and Costa Rica from March 3 to 17. The service trips to Nicaragua were humanitarian-based while the ones in Costa Rica involved organic farming.

Club president Keegan Burdette, who attended the trip to Nicaragua, thanked the GSS and briefly described her experiences.

“We helped with a halfway house for women who were pregnant, which was fully-funded by [the United Nations Children’s Fund], not the government,” Burdette said. “One woman walked three miles to get there.”

The group also worked with Nicaragua’s Department of Health during the second week, walking door-to-door in certain communities to help victims of poor health.

Students of the University of Maine in Technical Theater presented on its trip to the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Milwaukee March 20-23.

According to club president Kaleigh Knights, who spoke alongside the club’s vice president and treasurer, seven students attended the conference, which was more than the overall total the club’s had in past years.

Men’s and women’s Ultimate Frisbee clubs presented separately on their trips to Disc-iple Sports’ 2013 High Tide Ultimate Tournament in Brunswick, Ga.

The men’s club improved their overall tournament performance record to 3-4, compared to last year’s 1-6, and also beat several teams they lost to last year.

The women’s club wasn’t expecting to do as well as they did, playing in their first-ever High Tide Ultimate Tournament. The club entered the competition seeded last, made the top level after going 3-0, and secured a spot in tournament play after going 3-0 once again. The club had an early exit after losing its first game.

UMaine Nursing International presented on its service-learning trip in Belize. The club traveled down to the Central American country to deliver medicines and supplies, which were mainly given to UMaine Nursing International by February’s Club of the Month, Partners for World Health.

OrgSync representative speaks

The fast-approaching implementation of OrgSync became much more real after a representative from the campus engagement network, based in Texas, spoke to the GSS.

Suneera Kompelli, UMaine’s new OrgSync Campus Consultant, spoke briefly about the company and took questions from anyone in the room.

“[OrgSync] is an online network for the overall UMaine community,” Kompelli said. “Portals will provide tools, forms, calendar sharing and video for clubs. It also keeps things paperless.”

According to Kompelli, 400 campuses nationwide use OrgSync.

Miscellaneous news

The Wilde-Stein Alliance for Sexual Diversity’s request for $1,000 was approved by the GSS. The funds will be used for Pride Week Rainbow Rave during Wilde Stein’s annual Pride Week April 8-13, which includes DJ LGBT who has been featured at Coachella.

A resolution to update the financial policies, proposed by Vice President for Financial Affairs Raymond Updyke was approved by the GSS. Updyke condensed the policies from 19 pages to 12. The summarized changes include: aggregating policies for board, community associations and clubs into one section, defining responsibility for long-distance calling and stating that any board, community association and club may receive monies from the university.

A main motion was approved by the GSS, asking to favor a group of students traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the passing of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act. The act would essentially allow for more charitable and grant donations to help improve off-campus university housing, which would include fraternity and sorority houses, and to elevate safety checks and regulations. The fact that 73.1 percent of students at UMaine live in non-University-owned, not-for-profit housing was argued as a big reason to support the act.

According to Legal Services Liaison Sen. Caleb Shortt, Undergraduate Student Legal Aid Sean O’Mara has seen a 400 percent increase in student consulting. The most common issues have been with copyright cases, especially through the art department.

During executive reports, Vice President for Student Entertainment Sarah Goode said a second bus had been planned to bring students to the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with special guest Iggy Azalea concert at Colby College on April 12. As of March 26, only 20 spots were left.

Vice President Sam Helmke couldn’t help but make a pun after it was announced the second bus would be school bus.

“It’s much more ‘thrifty.’”

During their Feb. 19 meeting, the University of Maine General Student Senate passed a resolution to recommend the University of Maine to observe Veterans Day, approved a previously denied funding request for Alpha Omicron Pi’s annual Mr. Fraternity competition and granted $1,410 to the Equestrian Team for upcoming Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competition.

Goode: No spring concert due to financial reasons, deficit covered

Vice President for Student Entertainment Sarah Goode announced that, due to financial reasons, there would be no spring concert this year.

This confirmed assumptions made after the University of Maine Student Government, Inc. division responsible for student entertainment declared a deficit three weeks ago.

The shortfall — originally estimated to be around $13,000, but reevaluated to $10,526 — was covered after a funding request from Student Entertainment was approved by the GSS in the amount of the reevaluated total. According to Vice President for Financial Affairs Ray Updyke, the estimated figure was off, due to a reduced number of bookstore bills and not having paid for an insurance policy for a concert.

“[The Executive Budgetary Committee] debated whether to take it from unallocated now or from next year’s budget,” Updyke said. “Certainly a better choice to take from unallocated now — covering mistakes within the same fiscal year makes it a lot more sense.”

Curious as to whether Student Entertainment was planning to pay back the deficit, Sen. Ryan Hall asked Updyke if this was a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

“Yes, it is,” Updyke said. “This needs to be paid off so next year’s [budget] isn’t affected. If we didn’t [pay it off now], it wouldn’t look good for auditors.”

Near the end of the meeting, Updyke said the GSS had $22,500 total in unallocated funds for the remainder of the semester. This total is $17,500 less than what the GSS ended last year’s budget with: $40,000.

Goode, who did not fully take over the role of the executive position until after most of last semester’s concerts were planned by former VPSE Jon Allen, attempted to request $20,500 earlier last week but it was unanimously denied by the EBC before reaching the GSS floor. According to Goode, the request was an effort to put on a spring show.

Goode said she would be putting together a bus trip that will travel between UMaine and Colby College in Waterville for the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Iggy Azalea concert at Wadsworth Gymnasium on April 12. General admission for non-Colby students is currently sold out. According to Goode, the trip’s cost will be taken from her own salary.

Goode has crafted a survey that will be used to plan for this upcoming fall semester’s concert(s). The survey can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CPHH5GH.

Veterans Day recommended by GSS, Dean Dana speaks

An act, sponsored by Sens. William “Nick” Smith and Lee Jackson, to recommend that UMaine officially observe Veterans Day was approved by the GSS.

The recommendation, which must be approved by the university’s Faculty Senate, attempts to garner appreciation for all veterans and their families by cancelling classes each November 11 just like most other nationally recognized holidays.

As the flagship university of the University of Maine System, UMaine is just one of the two campuses out of the eight-campus system that holds classes on Veterans Day.

Dr. Robert Dana, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, spoke in advocacy for the recommendation for Veterans Day recognition during the meeting’s general good and welfare.

“Nationally, many people step back on this day,” Dana said. “There’s probably none of you in this room who don’t know someone that has been associated with the military … I encourage broad discussion and I certainly support the engagement of the university with recognizing the holiday.”

If approved by the Faculty Senate — who determines most things having to do with the university’s calendar — there would need to be a further suspension of rules in order to see the recognized day appear in scheduled holidays before the 2016-17 academic year. UMaine’s academic calendar was approved for the next two years during UMS’ Jan. 28 meeting.

“I believe that if we have a coherent discussion and show interest from the students, we can see change,” Dana said. “It’s a reasonable discussion to have and some would argue it’s far too late in 2013 … It’s never too late to start discussion.”

Following Dr. Dana’s statements, Christopher “Chris” Phinney, club president for the Veterans Club, announced his club’s full support for the recommendation and said most students who are veterans end up skipping the day regardless of their class schedules to attend parades, ceremonies, etc.

Smith and Lee spoke jointly before the GSS approved the Veterans Day recommendation, announcing full support from State Sen. Emily Cain, member for Maine’s 30th district and plans to meet with Maine Gov. Paul LePage. Smith and Lee said they also spoke with various members in the Orono and Old Town communities including a former brigadier general.

Equestrian Team, Alpha Omicron Pi receive funding, among others

The Equestrian Team’s funding request for $1,410 was approved by the GSS. This money is expected to go toward their upcoming season within the IHSA. A total of 417 teams participate in IHSA competition, nationwide. Maine competes in Zone 1, Region 2 of the association and is coached by Melissa Spencer.

“They always come back with impressive results,” said Sen. Shortt. “I can’t wait to see what they come back with [this year].”

After initially receiving a denial for their request, UMaine sorority Alpha Omicron Pi received an amended amount of $800 from the GSS to go toward Mr. Fraternity — an event the social organization has put on for the past decade.

During time allotted to approve the consent agenda, Sen. Alicia Bolduc moved to transfer Alpha Omicron Pi’s denied resolution into new business to re-assess the funding request. All eight members of EBC unanimously voted not to pass.

The original request was for $1,600, which would cover rental charges for the Collins Center for the Arts building.

Jessica Rothenheber, an executive on UMaine’s Panhellenic Council board, spoke on behalf of the funding request. Rothenheber stressed to all in attendance that the event was not only for Greeks but the entire university. She also said $3,000 was raised during Mr. Fraternity last year, but this was later corrected by Bolduc as $1,800.

Most of the request’s debate stemmed from the decision to choose the CCA for the event’s venue, especially because of the high cost for renting it. Also, many senators were hesitant to approve something that had been completely voted down during EBC’s meeting.

For campus events, organizers generally have three choices when choosing a venue: Donald P. Corbett 100, which can seat 350 people; Hauck Auditorium, located in the Memorial Union, which can seat 500; and the CCA which caps out at 1,800.

After much discussion, Sen. Brittany Cote amended an amount of $800 to be cut, thus splitting the request in half. This was approved by the GSS.

Six other funding requests, under $1,000, were approved by the GSS for a total of $2,485. Women’s rugby received $778 for their upcoming spring season; Operation H.E.A.R.T.S. received $600 for a May service trip; Horticulture Club received $600 toward their representation at the Bangor Daily News’ 2013 Garden Show & Spring Fling in Bangor from April 5-7; Society of Women Engineers received $200 for their office budget; Student Athlete Advisory Committee received $187 for shirts; and Sophomore Eagles received $120 for a recruitment event.

Three clubs receive prelim recognition

Three clubs received preliminary recognition from the GSS: Amnesty International, The Maine Recreational Lacrosse Club and The University of Maine Surf Club.

Club president and GSS member Sen. Ariel Bothen spoke on behalf Amnesty International, a special interest organization, stating the club would mainly be raising awareness and wouldn’t require much funding because the national organization would help to provide any needed materials.

Amnesty International’s purpose is to raise awareness on campus of human rights issues nationally and abroad, according to its preliminary recognition application. The group works to educate the student community of what they can do to change these injustices by hosting events and working with other groups on campus.

Club president Levi Boudreau spoke on behalf of The Maine Recreational Lacrosse Club stating the club’s goal is to make a second club on campus that doesn’t include the high due fees with a “more chill” environment.

Boudreau says club members would use gear from high school and would play mainly pick-up games, but needs recognition from university as a club to use specific facilities.

There is already a Lacrosse Club on campus that plays competitively in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association. Club dues are among the highest of all organizations on campus.

The club’s purpose is to provide an outlet to practice and learn the sport of lacrosse at a recreational level for those without the time or money to commit to a competitive team with a full schedule.

Many senators debated the idea of acknowledging a club so closely related to another already recognized. The general consensus from all who opposed was for the club to pursue recognition from UMaine’s Campus Recreation, but because of the difference in physical contact between sports generally played inside that department, the GSS decided to honor preliminary recognition instead.

Club president Shane Carey spoke on behalf of the University of Maine Surf Club, a group that started out as a joke on Facebook — then transitioned into members buying shirts — and is now gearing toward actually planning trips. Carey, a second-year marine biology student and former UMaine swimmer, grew up surfing and wants to bring the sport he loves to the university.

The University of Maine Surf Club’s purpose is to actively bring the ideals of surfing, as well as the admiration for the ocean, to the University of Maine community by bringing together those who surf and those who are interested in surfing.

New FEPC Sen. Rep. elected, senator appointed

Sen. Sean Sibley, a third-year nursing and theater student, won a dual-candidate race against first-year political science student Sen. Zachary White to become the new FEPC Senate Representative. The previous Sen. Rep. to the FEPC was Mark Brunton who is now in Washington, D.C., for an internship.

Sibley has been a career assistant for UMaine’s Career Center since 2010 and a student ambassador for the university since March of last year.

Ronald Eastman, a first-year economics and political science student, recited an oath with Vice President Sam Helmke to join the GSS as the body’s newest member. Easton is from Lewiston and a graduate of Lewiston High School.

Miscellaneous news

The GSS passed an amendment to their standing rules, making it mandatory for senate members to participate in outreach activity to help improve UMSG, Inc. promotion. The rule states, “senator[s] must participate in a minimum of one GSS outreach effort a semester. This is equivalent to at least one volunteer hour.”

Graduate student Brandon McLaughlin spoke on behalf of The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs during time allotted for guest speakers.

McLaughlin, a graduate assistant for OMSA, talked about the organization’s help with a national awareness movement called the One Million Bones Project.

According to the project’s website, “[One Million Bones is] a collaborative art installation designed to recognize the millions of victims and survivors who have been killed and displaced by ongoing genocides and humanitarian crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Burma.

“We’re doing this to further awareness for genocide relief around the world,” McLaughlin said. “The bones represent solidarity.”

From June 8-10, nationwide project participants, including OMSA, will travel to Washington, D.C., to spread millions of bones out on the National Mall.

Upon beginning her tenure at the University of Maine just over a year ago, assistant professor for the School of Biology and Ecology and member of the Maine Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Michelle Smith, Ph.D., began receiving misconstrued emails from people looking for someone who shared her exact name. According to Smith, this sort of occurrence was to be expected, with such a generically common last name.

Out of pure curiosity, Dr. Smith Googled “Michelle Smith, Maine” and found results for Maine’s 2008 pageant winner of Miss Teen International. After further investigation of her namesake, Dr. Smith realized the woman had an incredible story, one that was considerably related to genetics — Dr. Smith’s field of expertise at UMaine — and contacted her in the hope that she could serve as a guest speaker.

On Feb. 14, the potential benefits from this spontaneous connection were successfully fulfilled when Michelle Smith and her mother, Blue Smith, spoke to Dr. Smith’s BIO 350 genetics class.

Michelle Smith was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in 2003, at the age of 10. From that point, on, Smith was told she could no longer play sports. She has since developed other disabilities, including scoliosis and kyphosis, that are directly related to Marfan’s, but she has also been a strong, contributing member for the National Marfan Foundation, a primary resource for education and research surrounding Marfan syndrome.

According to NMF, Marfan syndrome is a disorder of the connective tissue, affecting various parts of the body, including the heart, blood vessels, bones, joints, eyes, lungs and skin. One in 5,000 people have Marfan syndrome. Typical signs of Marfan’s include a tall, thin stature with low muscle tone and unusually long extremity length along with spine and chest bone curvature, and flat feet.

Smith talked about her initial reaction to the diagnosis in a NMF webisode from last year:

“To actually have an answer to what was wrong with me… that was a sigh of relief,” Smith said.

“I’d go down the tunnel slide on the playground, come out and be passed out. Then wake up with all the teachers surrounding me and try to figure out what’s wrong.”

In just about 75 percent of cases, Marfan syndrome is inherited genetically through the parent via autosomal dominance. In Smith’s case, the syndrome was passed on through spontaneous mutation, which accounts for just over 1/4 of those affected — her family was not documented to have had any history with the disease prior to her birth.

Smith’s specific diagnosis cites three different parts of her connective tissue: the two majors are eyes and skeletal, and her minor is heart.

Despite many potential setbacks, Smith has been nothing less than impressive with her achievements. She was named NMF’s youngest Silver Service Award recipient in 2006 and won both Key Club International’s Distinguished Service Award and NMF’s Kid With A Heart Award in 2007.

Then in 2008, after taking a year off from beauty pageant competition, Smith beat out six other girls to win Maine’s Miss Teen International.

Smith’s compelling story led her to being interviewed on Fox News, meeting country music artist Carrie Underwood and being afforded many other extraordinary opportunities.

According to Smith, she feels like she’s been one of the lucky ones.

“I have good days and bad days, just like everyone else, but I haven’t faced the multiple surgeries that many of my friends have,” Smith said. “Some of these friends I lost to Marfan’s.

“I feel honored to be able to raise awareness. If I can make one little girl feel better about herself … if I can show them how to embrace their differences rather than be ashamed of them … that is great day … I’ve done my job.”

In a letter of recommendation written for Smith by NMF’s fundraising chair Heather Floyd, Smith’s connection with the pageant community, an audience connection precedingly untapped, is highlighted.

“Despite the sometimes difficult and painful nature of [Marfan syndrome], [Smith] is thriving and paving the way for others to follow. She is, indeed, living successfully with Marfan syndrome,” Floyd wrote.

Perhaps Smith’s greatest accomplishment in working with the NMF was her Hands Saving Heart campaign in 2008, which sought to help people recognize the common physical characteristics of those affected by the syndrome. In this campaign, Smith provided easy ways for school nurses and other public medical specialists to look for its often unnoticeable symptoms.

Smith’s message, the lack of diagnosis can be fatal. Jonathan Larson, composer and writer for “RENT” — Broadway’s ninth-longest-running show of all-time — brought lots of attention to the seriousness of the syndrome after his death, in 1996. Although undiagnosed, the Pulitzer Prize winner is believed to have suffered aortic dissection — a result of complications with Marfan syndrome the morning of his show’s opening night at Off-Broadway in New York City.

Smith says those with Marfan syndrome are at a 250 percent greater risk of suffering aortic dissection than the general population. Even today, half of all aortic dissections are discovered too late, at the autopsy table.

“I was misdiagnosed, or under diagnosed, for five years,” Smith said. “It doesn’t have to be that way. If you learn to recognize the traits and symptoms of Marfans, you can save a life: fact.”

Notwithstanding her sincere devotion to NMF and everything surrounding Marfan syndrome awareness, Smith is not hesitant to deny any inclination this syndrome defines her life.

“Marfan syndrome does not define me,” Smith says. “It is simply nothing more than a genetically influenced trait much like my brown hair or hazel eyes. I choose to live with Marfan’s, not for it.”

In her lecture to Dr. Smith’s class, Smith touched on what Marfan’s is, how to recognize it, the syndrome’s most common characteristics, and recent studies from researchers across the globe.

Dr. Smith says the best part about the lecture was the Q-and-A with students: Smith’s mom, Blue Smith, was able to add a special perspective on many questions having to do with life and family interaction.

“I am grateful to [Dr. Smith] and her genetics class for giving me the opportunity to speak with them, on Valentine’s Day during [National Marfan Awareness and Have Heart month], about the disorder I and many, many others live with,” Smith said. “They were truly interested, asked insightful questions and treated me with utmost respect.”

Smith says speaking to students her age was, in some ways, intimidating.

“I read from my notes a bit too much, in fear that I would get a fact wrong or forget something,” Smith said. “I do better when I speak extemporaneously.”

Zoe Kreitzer, a fourth-year student, said Smith’s lecture was “eye-opening.”

“I’ve looked into midwifery as a career, and to understand the ramifications that genetic variations can have on new life and families responsible for it … it’s profound,” Kreitzer said.

“[Smith]’s positivity and openness about her condition is a welcome sight. Marfan’s has a strong, well-spoken ambassador in her.”

Smith is a native of Scarborough and is expecting to earn her associate’s degree in business administration with an entrepreneurship focus this May from Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. Smith plans to pursue a career in clothing design, hoping to one day open up her very own clothing store.

To find out more about Marfan syndrome, recent research and related disorders, visit NMF’s website at Marfan.org.

To learn about more recent happenings and upcoming events within the School of Biology and Ecology, visit sbe.umaine.edu.