It’s not the fact that she drives a fire-engine red 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 600 that makes her well known on campus, although it probably helps.
Marcy Muller is a senior sociology major. She is the Chair of the Student Senate, member of the Gorham Events Board, a representative to the Board of Trustees, captain of the volleyball team and has done Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field. But that’s just the beginning.
Muller was recently given the Student Leader Award for the State of Maine at the National Association of Campus Activities New England conference held in Marlborough, Mass. This is the third year in a row that a USM student has taken home the honor.
Muller got involved in the Student Senate after her freshman year. She did a new-student orientation and met the Chair at the time. She then applied for the Senate and has been a senator since her sophomore year.
Currently, as Chair of the Student Senate, she represents the Senate at any type of meeting. She’s also the spokesperson for the Senate if something happens.
“When it comes down to it, anything that happens would be my fault. If something goes wrong with an employee I have to deal with it and make sure the right people know what’s going on.”
Although she runs the meetings on Fridays and keeps the personnel files, if something went wrong with the Senate or one of its entities, it would fall back on her and her coworkers. That’s when she gets really involved.
“I’d have to take care of it or designate someone to do it.”
But leadership wasn’t always easy for Muller, who claims she didn’t learn it until she got to college.
“I was pretty quiet in high school. I was in National Honor Society, but I never ran for student government. I always played sports. I came to college saying ‘I’m going to do everything.'”
In fact, at Mt. Blue High School, where she graduated in 1998, she played field hockey, softball, and was a member of the ski team.
In addition to the Student Leader of the Year Award, Muller has won numerous other prestigious awards.
While she didn’t play volleyball until her sophomore year here at USM, she has been the player of the week. She has broken the school record for solo blocks. Her teammates also voted her onto an all-tournament team. Each team only gets to nominate one member for a position on this honorary team.
For the past three years the athletic department has granted her the William B. Wise Scholar Athlete Award. In order to be eligible for this award one must be competing in a varsity sport and hold at least a 3.0 GPA.
Muller is so involved in the University that she admitted that she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she wasn’t.
“There’s always some committee to go to. I probably couldn’t deal with life unless I was involved. I need something to do. When I have time to spare I’m unproductive.”
Even USM President Richard L. Pattenaude was impressed with Muller’s leadership qualities. In a press release earlier this month, he stated that Muller is a “quiet leader who facilitates the work of others. She is a real team player.”
Today, in what little free time she has she likes to ski. She’s been doing it since she was eight years old. Although she skis at Sunday River because it’s closer, she’s “a Sugarloafer at heart.”
And where does the Ninja fit in? Marcy started riding motorcycles three years ago when her father and brother got interested. She was 18 at the time. “I just got the bike in August. It’s my transportation. But I do have a car for when it gets snowy.”
Occasionally, she drives the motorcycle back and forth from her hometown of Farmington.
“It’s really fun to drive,” she says. Does she drive it fast?
“I try. It’s so easy to speed.”
Staff Writer Danielle Mulkern can be contacted at: [email protected]