The student senate saw a changing of the guard last Friday, as the 38th senate adjourned for the last time, and a crop of newly elected senators held their first meeting and voted for new leadership.
Senators voted Alie Parker as chairwoman. The senior international studies major, who served as senate treasurer in the 38th senate, was voted over the only other nominee, Sarah Bujno.
T.J. Williams, a sophomore information and communications technology major, was elected vice-chair; Sarah Bujno, a junior economics major, was elected parliamentarian; Mako Bates, a senior sociology major and former senate secretary, was elected Treasurer; and John Finison, a junior English major, was elected secretary.
The senate will likely approve the plan to consolidate USM’s eight colleges into five at their meeting on May 7, according to Parker.
The 38th Senate has had an active role in the restructuring process over the past year, despite being occasionally at odds with the administration, who balked at attempts to get a student on the committee in charge of drafting the restructuring plan.
“I tried really hard to be on the reorganization design team,” said Student Body President Maggie Guzman. “I was turned down several times and was kind of upset about it.”
Parker said she intends to continue to advocate for students as the restructuring plan is carried out.
“It might not be in the same way, but we definitely want to be sure that students’ voices are included,” she said.
Former Senate Chairwoman Molly Dolby, who struck her last gavel at 3:38 p.m. on Friday, said the senate’s validity in the eyes of the administration has been advanced under her leadership.
“We started down the road of legitimacy in the administration,” she said Friday.
“I got into the senate because I was frustrated with what was going on,” she added. “I wasn’t afraid to make people upset. Activism has been part of my education.”
Relations between the senate and administration have at times been tense.
Last December, the senate hired Howard Bunsis, an accountant at Eastern Michigan University, to examine the University of Maine System and USM’s budgets. Senators were concerned about the administration’s claims that the university required massive restructuring to remain financially viable after an analysis paid for by AFUM, the University of Maine System’s faculty union, showed that the university was in good financial health. Bunsis confirmed the AFUM report, and said any claim that the university is in bad financial shape was “preposterous.”
The Senate released Bunsis’ analysis to the media, and asked USM President Selma Botman to respond to his allegations. Th e administration brushed off the report, but senators say the fact they got the administration to react was a victory in of itself.
“The 38th Student Senate shattered all expectations,” said Finison.
Parker said that while she intends to advocate for students, she also doesn’t want to alienate the administration.
“Especially when we want to be taken seriously, we need to be sure we’re respected by the administration,” said Parker.
In the last year, the senate tried to lobby the legislature to change the funding formula that dictates how much each college in the University of Maine System gets. USM currently receives roughly half what UMaine gets despite comparable enrollment. But administrators, wary of starting a fight in the middle of a restructuring process, told them to cool their heels.
“We got in trouble,” said Parker, which led her to the conclusion “you can’t always be throwing stones.”
Outgoing Student Body President Maggie Guzman said the new senate – as well as incoming Student Body President Ashley Willems-Phaneuf – will have “a leg up” as they commence the new senate. While there are many new faces, some senators have served for two to three years.
“It’s always hard in the beginning to figure out how personalities work together,” she said.
While last year’s Senate began the academic year knowing USM would like roll out a restructuring plan, they had no idea what it would look like. But incoming senators “already have an understanding of what’s going to happen this year,” said Guzman.