Tony the Taxi Driver
Sen. Dorn MacMahon announced that actor and alum Tony Shalhoub would be the 2003 commencement speaker. The crowd buzzed to figure out exactly who Shalhoub was and then erupted in jovial laughter when it was determined he was the cab driver on the NBC TV show “Wings.” Shalhoub currently stars on the TV show “Monk.”
Damned Chairs
Sen. Jessica Roy commented she didn’t like the arrangement of chairs. Other senators said they would fix the arrangement next week.
Resignations
Sen. Shaun Quinn resigned from the Finance Committee. Chair Leah Wentworth asked Sen. Joshua Dolby if that meant one more seat would be open on the Finance Committee. “Since there is one less person on the committee, then yes,” Dolby said.
Shoveling Senators
Sen. Darryl Moranzini wants to start a committee about the plowing situation around Forest Avenue. Moranzini stated many students walk in the street when coming to and from 11 Baxter Blvd. and Marginal Way. Moranzini urged people to call city hall to complain about the lack of plowing and shoveling around USM. “The University needs to play a part, he said.”
Dolby remarked that he walks to school instead of driving and noted the city doesn’t shovel sidewalks. “We should shovel ourselves,” noted Dolby.
Diversity quabbles
Mary Kay Kasper, assistant to the Vice President, brought the USM Diversity Plan to the table. Kasper described the goals of the plan and how the senators could get involved. The Diversity Plan provides services to students such as welcoming and retaining people with diverse backgrounds. Kasper noted the Senate should invite people of color to represent the student body on the Senate.
Sen. Ben Strout learned many international students had no where to go during break. Kasper replied that Residential Life allows students to stay in Gorham and Portland Hall during breaks but there are no programs. Kasper asked the Senate to sponsor a dinner to talk about the issues with members of the USM community.
MacMahon told the Senate to support the project by funding and attending events.
Dolby asked how to become more inclusive in his use of language. “I’m a typical white male. I don’t want to go up to someone just because they’re different so I can look good.”
Moranzini had some major philosophic problems with Kasper’s proposal. Moranzini said creating a new exclusivity makes more of a rift between groups. Moranzini doesn’t identify with being gay or a person of color, yet does that make him not diverse? “Am I different because I’m Italian? That is accepted now, so I’m not diverse,” Moranzini said. Moranzini’s main idea was to get everyone to accept people as human beings and not labels.
Kathleen Roberts, executive director of the Office of Campus Pluralism & Equal Opportunity, asked the Senate to sponsor a forum for people to hold conversations like these about diversity. MacMahon suggested USM offer a required class on sensitivity. Roy supports having people of color on the Senate.
Sen. Barden said the Senate sets the tone of how USM approaches diversity. Nolan Thompson, coordinator of Employee and Community Outreach, said some students feel the Senate is exclusive and closed off from the community.
Quinn, agreeing with Moranzini, said diversity should be a two-way street to create less division between the apparently diverse and the non-diverse. Quinn agreed with MacMahon and said a core course on sensitivity would help USM.
Blunder!
After open discussion about diversity and inclusiveness Roberts announced, “The MLK breakfast will be on Monday morning.” Sen. Simpson replied, “What’s MLK?” Roberts quickly replied to muffle Simpson’s blunder, “Martin Luther King.”
Treasurer Mike Norton reported there was only $1,700 in unallocated funds. The Senate is waiting until February to get an accurate number of funds for spring. Dolby said the Senate’s job of allocating money to groups must halt because of lack of funds, and the Senate might have to become proactive. “We might actually have to do something,” Dolby said.
The Senate voted on a number of items to allocate funds from last year.
The Great PEB Debate
The Senate spent most of the four hour meeting discussing how much money should be allocated to the Portland Events Board for the Sly Chi concert. Dolby remarked, “$900 for a party?” Joe Frechette, chair of the PEB, said it was not only a concert but a benefit to help the homeless. After discussion about the pros and cons of the concert and its cost, the motion was passed and the Board of Student Organizations offered an extra $100 to the concert.
Exciting Announcements
Andrew Goodman resigned from the Student Senate and the BSO. The Honors Student Association and the Sociology Studies Association were recognized as clubs.
Anthony and Gorham
Sen. Anthony Pergola asked the Senate to hold meetings on the Gorham campus. Norton did not want to meet in a classroom because it’s not professional but instead wanted to meet in the Husky Hut. The motion to have more meetings in Gorham passed, but Pergola voted against his own proposal “just to be funny.”
Where’s the Love?
Sen. Moranzini motioned for a group hug at the end of the meeting to show solidarity and love among the senators. The motion was declined, but Sen. Tyler Stanley told Moranzini he didn’t need to pass a motion to get a hug from him.