Representatives of student government organizations from almost all corners of the UMass colleges met in a historic summit in Amherst to discuss a wide range of issues, from student trustee votes to the budget cuts of this year.

Late last Friday, November 15, senators and various members of the student government associations from Amherst, Boston and Lowell met for the first time in the Cape Cod lounge at UMass Amherst. UMass Dartmouth and UMass Worcester did not attend.

UMass Amherst SGA President Dave Carr welcomed everybody to Amherst and opened up the floor to anything, encouraging an exchange of ideas, saying, “We’re all part of the same system.”

President Carr noted how closely his government had been watching the budget process, and especially its effects on the UMass system.

UMass Amherst Student Trustee Bill Powers expressed concern that out of the five Student Trustees on the Board of Trustees, only two could vote on an alternating basis. The Board has nineteen voting members, seventeen of which are appointed by the governor.

Senator Richard Bell of Boston suggested getting state senators and representatives to change the situation. Former UMass Boston Student Trustee Mike Murray noted that he had tried to install voting rights for trustees during his tenure. State Senator Mark Montigny had filed a vote, but it got lost in committee.

The Chair of the Board was afraid of five student members, said Murray, and the Senate President at the time was an “idiot” and had his own agenda.

UMass Boston Senate Vice President Tuan Pham echoed the general sentiment, stating, “All student trustees should have a vote.”

UMass Boston Senate President Joseph Panciotti suggested that when talking to legislators to remind them that there are 58,000 students in the UMass system, and that there are countless family members behind them.

Questions were raised by several curious representatives from Amherst about effect of UMass Boston gaining dorms. President Panciotti fielded the question, stating that UMass Boston, being an urban center campus in which all of its students commute, don’t really care about the dorms.

A representative from Amherst warned about the costs of the things to come with dorms, including, but not limited to, twenty-four hour maintenance, transportation, security, health services, and the things which come with health services. Senator Bell remarked that some students were worried about the administration catering to the dorm students, estimated to number 2000.

One student government official said, “We’ve been getting hammered in the State House all year,” and suggested trying to get UMass President William Bulger to help. President Panciotti said he had met the man several times, and felt he got a lot of unwarranted bad press. President Bulger will return your call personally, he continued, or email you. “He is accessible.”

President Panciotti also suggested contacting State Representative Christopher Fallon of Malden, the Chairman of Ways and Means, and Assistant Majority Leader in the House.

However, many there felt the best way was to go outside the current UMass system, and that President Bulger doesn’t have the same clout he used to.

“Give the dude a chance,” protested President Panciotti. “If you exclude him, you do him a great disservice.”