Student trustees for Ohio universities might soon be able to do more than just attend the meetings.
A new piece of legislation that would give student trustees the right to vote will soon be introduced to the Ohio House of Representatives by Reps. Mike Duffey, R-21, and Michael Stinziano, D-25.
The Ohio House of Representatives tried twice before to pass similar legislation in 2000 and 2006. Neither time did the proposal make it past the Ohio Senate.
Ohio University’s Board of Trustees allows for two student positions appointed by the governor. Neither of OU’s current student trustees, Allison Arnold and Danielle Parker, both juniors studying public relations, could be reached for comment.
Advocacy for giving student trustees voting rights has worked its way into several recent OU student government campaigns.
Former OU Student Senate President Robert Leary, now a house coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania, emphasized voting rights for student trustees during his campaign in Spring 2009.
“A vote in itself is symbolic of the fact students and other board members are on an even playing field,” he said.
Former OU Student Trustee Chauncey Jackson, who served from 2008-10 and is now a technology specialist at OU, said he doesn’t believe student trustee voting rights would change much on campus.
“The power of being a student trustee is the ability to build relations with other board members,” he said. “My opinion is that it has always been about influence rather than direct governance. If you were to vote down a tuition increase nine to one or nine to zero, the result is the same.”
Graduate Student Senate President Tracy Kelly, also a former OU student trustee, said she’s extremely excited about the new bill.
“I feel like your rights are extremely important, and students aren’t full members of the board without the opportunity to voice concerns and be held accountable for opinions,” Kelly said.
Student trustee voting rights were a focal point of the Occupy OhioU protests that took place on campus last month.
“I am eager to find out how administration feels about this issue, as well as Student Senate,” said Tyler Barton, a senior studying chemistry and one of the student organizers of Occupy OhioU.
Last year, current-Student Senate President Kyle Triplett, at the time finishing his term as an OU student trustee, said he did not believe student trustee voting rights were necessary. Triplett was not available to comment on the new bill.
Barton said he is starting to think about discussing the bill on campus.
“I think this would be a great change for OU,” Barton said. “I fully intend to use this opportunity to rally behind this issue and bring it to campus. There are a lot of things we can do.”
OU President Roderick McDavis declined to take a stance on the bill because the Inter-University Council, which represents Ohio’s public universities, has not yet done so, said Becky Watts, McDavis’ chief of staff.
Meanwhile, OU’s Board of Trustees have decided not to comment yet on the bill or the possibility of student trustee voting rights, Trustee David Brightbill said.
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