Question #1:
Student Activity Fee increase
On April 9 and 10 USM students on the Portland and Gorham campuses will be asked to vote on three referendum questions during the annual Student Senate elections.
In addition to questions about smoking on campus and the removal of the Student Communication Board, students will have to decide whether or not they support an increase in their student activity fee by approximately 50 percent.
The referendum is non-binding, and would still have to be approved by the Board of Trustees to be implemented next year.
The Student Activity Fee helps support special events, student groups, the Student Senate, WMPG and The Free Press. Senate officials say the proposed activity fee increase would offset rising employee costs such as raises, healthcare and retirement.
The proposed activity fee structure is as follows: students taking less than six credits would pay $20, up from $13; students taking between six and 11 1/2 credits would pay $40, up from $27; and students taking 12 credits or more would pay $60, up from $39.
The Student Senate unanimously passed the motion to put the question on the ballot.
“In addition to adjusting the fee for inflation, the finance committee is responding to a very loud voice it hears on campus, as students complain that there are not enough special events on campus,” wrote Senate Treasurer Justin LaBerge in his proposal. “Students point to UMaine, or UNH, and ask why we can’t have big name shows come to our campus. But the simple economic reality is that big-time shows cost big-time money. If the students want that caliber of event at USM, it is going to have to come in the form of a larger Student Activity Fee.”
LaBerge said roughly $150,000 in new annual income would be generated.
The Senate Finance Committee envisions setting aside $100,000 to start a separate fund for sponsoring two major concerts per year. This money would act as seed money, and as events become more successful and financially self-supporting, the fund would rely less on activity fee, and more on revenues generated from previous concerts.
When asked what he thought of the proposed increase, Arne Nilsen, undeclared sophomore said, “I would support the proposed activity fee increase only if the Bee Gees reunite for one final tour de force and Andy Gibb rises from the dead to play the opening leg of their tour at the Albert Brooks Campus Center.”
Sonia Acevedo, undeclared major, responded to the proposed activity increase by saying, “I don’t think they should raise fees to get big name acts here. I think that they should raise fees for things students actually need. The college should be more into supporting local acts and the community.”
Others disagree.
“If we were going to get something for the increase it might be worth it. If a couple of decent bands that people wanted to listen to came, I might support the increase,” said accounting major Jennifer Devoe.
Senate officials hope more students will take part in this year’s elections. Last year 436 students voted, 5 percent of the students on the Portland and Gorham campuses.
To help boost voter turnout, the Portland Events Board is sponsoring an event labeled “Beach Bash 2002.” The event will take place in the Woodbury Campus Center on the Portland campus. Aramark will host a free barbeque.
The names of students who vote will be put into a raffle for prizes like sky diving tickets, Fun Town tickets and more.
Stuart Koretsky can be contacted at: [email protected]
Question#2:
No more smoking at USM?
A highly publicized issue regarding banning smoking from all USM property will be brought to students in this week’s election.
The referendum has no actual binding power, as USM President Richard Pattenaude will make the final decision at the end of this semester.
The University administration has already decided to ban smoking from all buildings, but a task force introduced a proposal to extend the ban to all property, including parking lots, walkways and athletic fields.
The Senate expects the majority of students to oppose the proposal and wants to “send a message” to the administration, according to Student Senate Treasurer Justin LaBerge.
University officials will meet with members of the USM community this week to get feedback (see “Briefs,” page 20).
– from staff reports
Want to join the Student Senate? All it may take is three write-in votes this year as just one of the three races has any competition.
The Student Senate controls a large portion of the Student Activity Fee, which was estimated at $429,000 this year.
There are four uncontested commuter seats and one uncontested resident seat. That means there’s no competition at all in these categories, and all nominated candidates who receive three votes or more will be elected.
If you don’t like your choices for next year’s Student Senate, you can write yourself in. All it takes is a minimum of three votes or more in an uncontested race.
In the At-Large race, one seat is contested.
The following students will be on the ballot and running for Student Senate seats:
Resident candidates: Andrew Goodman (incumbent), Trisha LaBay (incumbent), Ben Strout (new), Bridget Ring (new), and Gretchen Chesley (incumbent), leaving one uncontested seat.
Commuter candidates: Mike Norton (incumbent), Anthony Pergola (incumbent), Alison Jacobs (new), Sarah Hines (incumbent) and Ben Hoffman (incumbent), leaving four commuter seats.
At-Large candidates: Leah Wentworth (incumbent), Kevin Chabot (new), Dorn McMahon (new), Tyler Stanley (incumbent), Timothy Dineen (new), Jessica Roy (incumbent) and Brittany Esposito (incumbent). There is one contested seat.
– from staff reports
Voting in Portland:
Tuesday, April 9 in Portland at Luther Bonney Hall from 9 to 11 a.m., the Woodbury Campus Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Luther Bonney Hall again from 2 to 4 p.m. and the Woodbury Campus Center again from 4 to 6 p.m.
Voting in Gorham:
Wednesday, April 10 at Bailey Hall from 9 to 11 a.m., the Brooks Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bailey Hall again from 2 to 4 p.m. and the Brooks Student Center again from 4 to 6 p.m.
Referendum questions:
Question #1: “Do you favor an increase in the Student Activity Fee unanimously approved by the Student Senate intended to keep pace with inflation and allow the Student Senate to expand its current programs to include activities such as nationally recognized concerts?”
Question #2: “Do you favor a proposal to ban smoking on all campus property?”
Question #3: “Are you in favor of ratifying the decision of the 30th Student Senate to discharge the Student Communications Board (the governing body of The Free Press and WMPG) of its duties, thereby returning control of all Student Activity Fee monies to the Student Senate.”