Allie Dyer
Year: Freshman
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Kettering, OH
Activities: Student Senate Women’s Affairs Intern, Campus Involvement Center’s Community Service Intern, Research Assistant
What do you think is the most important role of the student trustee?
The main job is to sort of be the liaison between the board and the student population. You’re supposed to be an informational resource for both groups. By relaying what the board is thinking and the decisions they’re making to the students, and also relaying the student perspective back to the board.
What do you think is going to be the big issue for the next two years?
Obviously the budget, we’re experiencing a lot of financial trouble right now and that’s going to be a huge area of interest.
Another area I’m personally concerned about is promoting a greater amount of safety on campus; that would be one of my main concerns as a student trustee. Representing that issue and making sure it gets attention because that’s obviously a huge problem on our campus.
What do you think you would do well in office?
I am a very good communicator, in my opinion. I am involved on the OU speech team and I did debate throughout high school so I’m very comfortable with expressing myself and I think I do a good job of that.
I’ve had past experience with a similar sort of job where I interned with my city government and I basically sat in on city council. I did not have a vote, but I did get to offer a youth perspective on issues in my town.
What is your position on student trustee voting rights?
I don’t think student trustees should have a vote because our appointments are by the governor, and I think it sets a precedent. If the student trustees get a vote, then all of the governor’s appointees should get a vote and I think that may be allowing too much power for the governor to have over our board of trustees.
Additionally I don’t think two years is really enough time to gain long-term perspective that some of the other voting members have. While I think I could probably do a good job and be trusted with it I just don’t think it’s overall good policy.
Should the Budget Planning Council meetings be open to the public?
I think that information should be accessible to the public. I understand former trustee Triplett’s stance on it that students may not have the full perspective on it, but I always think its important to air on the side of giving students too much information rather than close them out of those meetings.
