For a story on the role student trustees play in OU's governance model, click here.
The job of an Ohio University Student Senate executive is full of meetings, long hours, access and cash.
A full-tuition scholarship, valued at $8,960 this year, and the voice of students in the eyes of the administration are the chief perks for Senate President Zach George.
The president sits on numerous committees and boards. He chairs the General Fee and uFUND committees and sits on the Budget Planning Council. He is also given a free parking pass at Baker University Center and 24-hour access to the building.
However, the intangibles can be more valuable than anything else, as indicated by OU President Roderick McDavis, who views George — whom he meets with monthly — as the point man for representing student opinion.
“It’s part of the shared governance process that the leadership of the Student Senate are kept informed,” McDavis said. “We talkabout whatever issues the president of Student Senate wants to talk about.”
Though McDavis considers opinions from other students on a daily basis, he said his interaction with the elected head of the university’s student governing body is most valuable.
“We have 23,000 students on campus, but … if you’re going to go to a group that represents students, you go to the group that’s been elected by students,” McDavis said.
George said he believes OU’s current model of “shared governance” is effective.
“We have a senate that represents each of the colleges … and constituencies on campus,” George said. “I use that to make my opinion going forward, especially when I talk to people in Cutler.”
George did acknowledge that student leaders often agree with the administration but said this stems from the fact those students are in meetings with administrators and see the same data that prompt unpopular decisions such as raising tuition.
Students have only an advisory role in managing OU’s money — although their tuition contributes to more than half of OU’s budget, according to a previous Post article.
“I think (raising tuition is the lesser of two evils), because we can continue to say we’ve got to cut the fat, but at the end of the day, there’s really no fat left at the university,” George said. “Every time I go in and talk with (McDavis), he’s very concerned about what students say about him and the school they attend.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi and Interim Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones both indicated they use George and the two other senate executives — Vice President Amrit Saini and Treasurer Evan Ecos, who both receive half-tuition scholarships — to gauge student opinion.
“There’s been questions about whether that voice is fairly represented, and I think that’s a fair question and a fair story, but at the end of the day, they are the elected voice — like it or not,” Lombardi said.
Both administrators said they do consult other students as well.
“I think it is often that when we’re forming committees or want formal student feedback, we often go to senate first,” Hall-Jones said.
dd195710@ohiou.edu
