I appreciate attention brought to the student trustee selection process because student trustee is an immensely important position at this university, especially in a time of budget changes. That said, I have a few points of clarification. I would like to note the composition of the selection committee is new this year. It has six positions open for those who are not a part of Student Senate - our goal was to have a broader range of input for the trustee selection process.
I can personally say most senators would enjoy holding a seat on this committee, but have not been included to eliminate bias. The deadline of the selection committee was extended because of a lack of applicants, but would still have consisted of seven people from Student Senate and Graduate Student Senate, as well as the two student trustees. Also, Ashley Lutz respectfully declined the position because she felt it would be a conflict interest.
Aside from this, I'd also like to note that Student Senate did not conduct a number of [budget] forums this quarter. Instead, Senate assisted with the Budget Cuts Happen forum, as well as the forum hosted by the provost, in addition to conducting our survey. Although we appreciate the credit, and we did do quite a bit to advertise, lead and otherwise assist with these forums, we did not solely conduct these forums.
Vice-President Emily Bacha, our public relations staff and the selection committee have put forth a great effort in recruiting applicants and that effort will continue through this process. The deadline extension is no sign of a lack of effort or interest in finding a student trustee - it is simply the committee taking advantage of an extra week to guarantee quality applications.
Patty Roberts, a member of the student trustee selection committee and Student Senate chief of staff, is a junior studying chemistry and prepharmacy. She is also a roommate of Post Associate Editor Ryan Dunn.
4 Opinion
