A campaign to change the allocation of funding between schools of the University of Maine System may be gaining traction after the Faculty Senate voted unanimously on Friday to support the student-led resolution.
Dustin Ward, student representative to the Board of Trustees, presented the faculty with the proposal, which calls for a revamping of the way funds are disbursed by the Board and the state legislature among Maine’s seven public universities.
USM current receives around 24 percent of total funds, while the University of Maine in Orono gets around 49 percent. The rest of the campuses receive around 20 percent. Ward says this formula is based on antiquated enrollment figures. USM has a comparable amount of students, he says, and should receive its fair share of resources
"Our enrollments are much closer to UMaine than they were before," Ward said. "UMaine’s debate is they have more Research and Development, they need more money."
Ward said the idea came after he was approached by a student who was concerned that his major would be cut because of the current budget crisis. USM is currently reviewing majors that routinely graduate fewer than 5 students a year to combat continued cuts in state appropriation.
He decided the only solution was to change the amount of money USM has to work with.
"I created a sort of mock petition. We got 50 [student] signatures," he said. Ward took the petition to the Nov. 16 Board of Trustees meeting and asked what the next step should be.
Chancellor Richard Pattenaude told him to go to the state legislature and ask for more money.
"Although we’re in an economic shortfall, what really needs to happen is the state needs to give us the resources necessary," Ward said.
When Ward told the Faculty Senate about Pattenaude’s advice, some senators questioned whether it was the legislature or the Board of Trustees who controlled the percentages doled out to each campus.
"It’s a very gray line of who actually controls it," said Ward. "It’s part state and it’s also part board."
Friday’s vote is a small victory in a fight that has been simmering for years, according to student leaders. Administrators have been reticent to broach the topic of the funding formula for fear of inciting a political war between campuses who are vying for ever-dwindling state appropriations.
Those who have tried have been shut down, said Student Senate Chair Molly Dolby.
"The Board and the USM administration frequently take advantage of the transient nature of Student Government and student concerns. This is an issue the Student Senate was fighting for ten years ago when my older brother was on the Senate," she said.
"It’s very exciting to see this passed in the Faculty Senate-but we aren’t going to let it end there," she added. "Students need to demand this change from the System instead of patiently waiting for the Board to decide to do something different."
Dolby highlighted what she identified as a dire problem that may require a drastic solution.
"This has been an ongoing problem for decades and the cost of waiting for it to change is at the educational expense of current USM students," she said. "Either the Board starts considering changes soon, or they’re going to have a very angry community stirring at USM."