Allison Arnold
Year: Sophomore
Major:
Public Relations, Political Science
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Activities: College Republicans
, Employee at Café Bibliotech
What do you think is the most important role of the student trustee?
I think the main job of a student trustee is to be the liaison between the students and the university and faculty, to be someone that can communicate with everyone on campus and bring the students’ issues and concerns and ideas back to the board of trustees and kind of provide a voice of someone who lives in the community of the university as a student and someone who can foster the communication and the collaboration to make sure the students are well represented in the board’s decision making that goes along with the university.
What do you think is going to be the big issue for the next two years?
The major issues I know the student trustee will be dealing with over the next few years involve the budget and the rising tuition, which plays along with some of the issues going on in the government, especially at the state level.
I know there’s been a lot of concerns with recent legislation so I know that there’s going to be a lot of discussion and decisions made that affect the budget and tuition and for students its really important because that decides if we can be here from year to year, and I know that’s a thing with the faculty. The budget will be the first major issue.
The second major issue is going to be the quarters to semesters switch. I know personally, that will be my senior year, the first year that’s going on and that’s going to be a time for the university where there are changes in procedures, schedules, faculty, class sizes and times.
So it’s going to be a really important time for the students to really be communicating with the Board of Trustees and making sure that everyone is able to make that switch in a way that works for everyone, and that everyone’s taken care of and everyone’s still on track to graduate.
What do you think you would do well in office?
I’ve worked as communications chair for the College Republicans on campus for over a year now and I bring that to the table, I’ve worked with a lot of local officials, local campaigns so I know a lot of people in the state, I’m really comfortable working with people my own age and those younger than me, and those much older than me. So, one of my qualifications would be dealing with people of all ages in my work as communications chair.
I’ve had various like jobs or experiences working with different people and also just having a wide range of people that I know on campus ranging anywhere from students, people that work for the university, and … one example is dining services. I work for the university at Café Bibliotech so I’ve met a lot of people in that way and there’s the faculty.
So, it would definitely be my ability to communicate effectively and then my diverse knowledge of people and then my diverse knowledge of people and relationships around campus and the state.
What is your position on student trustee voting rights?
I do believe the student trustee should have a voting right.
If the Ohio University community is mostly comprised of students and then also alumni play a big part in what goes on at the university, and I think that the only way that students feel accurately represented is if they have a voting member on the board of trustees to make sure that the student voice is being heard and communicated to everyone.
I understand that wouldn’t be a problem if something didn’t happen right away. I do agree it’s definitely something that should be considered because at the university, the main population is students and they deserve to be represented.
Should the Budget Planning Council meetings be open to the public?
I think that the budget committee could be opened in the future, I don’t think it’s in the best interest right now. I think there’s a lot going on at the university and they need to make a lot of decisions in the near future, and I don’t think you need the procedure right now is the best thing to do.
I think the most important things right now are the budget and making a really solid switch, a successful switch, from quarters to semesters.
So I think it’s something that could be considered, opening the budget committee in the future, but I think it’s something that needs to be talked about and implemented slowly because there are so many things going on with the management of the university, and how it’s run on a day to day basis and I don’t think that that’s an issue that needs to be addressed right now, I think things need to be getting things done and making decisions to keep the university functioning on a day to day basis.
