Brian Greene isn’t like most students at USM. For one thing, he’s a 55-year-old sophomore.
But Greene also breaks the mold by being heavily involved in student activities. As the vice president of the Board of Student Organizations, Greene helps students set up groups. In a university where most students commute and not many get involved in extra-curricular activities, Greene is an exception. And he said that’s made all the difference.
Greene worked for 17 years as a lab technician and operator at the wastewater treatment facility in Saco after getting a certificate in the field at Southern Maine Technical College.
“I got tired of the job and I wanted a change in my life,” he said last Thursday in the student government office.
He decided to enroll at USM to become a teacher, something he had wanted to do since high school but could never afford. He got a partial scholarship to UMaine to run track after high school, but his parents couldn’t afford to send him. He managed to save enough money over the years to pay for tuition and living expenses giving him the free time to get involved at USM.
It was hard getting used to being older than everyone else. But that all changed,” he said.
He credits the staff in the former advising department with helping him apply and enroll at USM.
“When I came back I had no idea what I was going to do,” he said. “How to go about applying and everything. I made an appointment with Louise Nisbet.” Nisbet is one of six former employees who have alleged age discrimination after being laid off during last summer’s restructuring of student services. The Human Rights Commission is currently investigating the claim.
While Greene said he loves USM, he’s also concerned about the direction of the university. “I’m not sure if I agree with the administration,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t feel that you’re being heard.
Student leaders lobbied for seats on a committee in charge of designing a restructuring plan for the university, but were denied by administrators. Chief Operating Officer Jim Shaffer said recently that students would not be involved in the drafting of the plan because the student body is always changing; students are normally only here for a few years.
“They assume we want instant gratification but I don’t think that’s true,” he said. “I think that the students who are here now are trying to make it better for the students after us.”