It's no secret that The Post's editorial board doesn't have much confidence in the Ohio University Board of Trustees. But that isn't the reason that this year's Student Senate ballot should include a vote of confidence in the trustees.
In the end, The Post's opinion matters much less than the student body's opinion. Student opinions can be difficult to gauge, but perhaps the best vehicle we have is the Student Senate election ballot. The 2007 ballot included confidence votes in the university's president. Anecdotally, student unrest has grown. But it would be much better to see if the numbers back that up.
Yes, putting the question on the ballot to begin with does imply a certain amount of distrust. But concern on campus is great enough to warrant that. Despite that, though, writers of the ballot questions should take care to make the question as fair as possible. There is no need to list common complaints, and students should be told clearly that they don't have to vote if they feel underinformed. For the vote's results to be legitimate, the question needs to be unclouded by ideology.
As critics of the initiative have mentioned, even if the student body votes no confidence, the vote will not immediately change anything. But it is a way of mobilizing students to be active in their university, and it will continue to fuel discussions about the role of student input into university decisions.
Trustees should note that they would have nothing to fear from a confidence vote if they operated in a way that inspired confidence. And student senators should note that getting this vote on the ballot is much more important than, say, gazebos.
Editorials represent the views of The Post's executive editors.
4 Opinion
Student Senate should put vote of confidence in trustees on ballot
