Find Your Place Assessed
“When you leave USM, which experience will you remember more?” Helen Gorgas-Goulding, assistant to the vice president for program development asked the Student Senate. Many of the Student Senate members agreed their experiences as Senators will be vivid memories of their college careers. Gorgas-Goulding wants to complement learning experiences with in class experiences. Gorgas-Goulding went to the Senate to get a student’s perspective of how the welcome back activities went. Sen. Andrew Goodman noticed each year the freshmen orientation days have condensed. He suggested a longer time frame for orientation. Sen. Dorn McMahon said the orientation should be incorporated into a credit class, where students learn time management. “Student organizations should be listed on the welcome back posters,” McMahon said. Sen. Ben Strout suggests communication from student organizations to new student programs. “I had to get up and do it myself, and find it myself. “To incorporate an entire sense of community, Sen. Darryl Morazzini suggested more focus on the Senior and Weekend College welcome back programs. Sen. Shaun Quinn would like to see all the USM community get together for the program. “Every department should hold an open house where students are able to meet with faculty members of their major.”
Senate supports The Maine Scholar
Sen. Darryl Morazzini requests the Student Senate’s support of The Maine Scholar. The Maine Scholar is a vehicle for students across the UMaine system to write academic pieces, Sen. Morazzini said. “USM is trying to weed it [the Maine Scholar] out of the system.” The Senate voted 14-0, unanimously in favor of supporting The Maine Scholar. The Senate plans to send a letter to the chancellor and University officials proclaiming their support of The Maine Scholar. “Scholars, papers and journals are what speaks loudest on campuses,” Morazzini said, “If you really want your degree to mean something, increase the academic standing in the community.” This year The Maine Scholars theme is Peace and War.
Horseshoes? Anyone?
Over the summer the Department of Facilities Management and the Student Senate created a horseshoe pit behind The Free Press and WMPG building. The Senate is planning a horseshoe tournament and barbecue within the next month.
Meeting in Gorham
The Senate voted 10-3 to confirm the first Friday of every month meeting is to be held in Gorham at the Huskey Hut.
New Senate members
Rob Barss fills the Student Senate commuter seat. “I’m hoping to get a voice out there and get things done.”
Shaun Quinn fills the Student Senate commuter seat. Quinn is the secretary of the Board of Student Organizations. He plans to be involved in the Student Communication Board and is an advocate of free speech. There is one residential seat open on the Student Senate.
Sen. Darryl Morazzini announces he respectfully has to resign from the Student Communication Board due to a conflict with a graduate class and the SCB meeting times. Sen. Shaun Quinn, student representative of the SCB, is appointed to at large Senate seat on the SCB.
Sen. Mike Norton announces his resignation of the public relations committee. Sen. Ben Strout is appointed into the public relations committee.
Chair Leah Wentworth announced to the Student Senate that she met with The Free Press advisor and executive editor because she “heard concerns from students and senators that The Free Press was planing a financial coup.” The Free Press advisory board plans to present panels with professionals from the community to the Student Senate and Board of Student Organizations.
Finances
The finance committee is waiting for the total of unallocated funds.
Absent Senators
Sen. Trisha LaBay
Sen. Bridget Ring
The next Senate meeting will be Friday Oct. 4 at the Husky Hut in the Student Center on the Gorham campus.