The Inter-University Council of Ohio, which represents Ohio University and the state’s 13 other public universities, has expressed support of the language change in House Bill 111.
If enacted, the bill would allow each individual university’s Board of Trustees to decide whether its student trustees should be granted suffrage. The wording of the bill, as it stands, would mandate that universities give student trustees voting rights.
We believe any push for student trustee voting rights is one in the right direction, but we are also wary of the rewording of the bill.
The letter of support, written by Bruce Johnson, the president and CEO of the council, states that Ohio’s public universities value the active participation of student trustees.
“Such participation enhances communication among trustees, administrators, and students and helps trustees keep the student perspective at the forefront of deliberations,” the letter reads.
Of the 39 states with student trustees, Ohio is among only seven that do not grant student trustee voting rights.
We recognize that the bill, as currently worded, is at a standstill. The Ohio legislature cannot agree on requiring voting rights. But a bill allowing university boards of trustees to decide for themselves might be worded loosely enough to garner the requisite votes and make student trustee voting rights even a possibility.
As we have written before, we believe the best way our student trustees can participate and represent the student body is with a vote. In fact, we believe that vote is an imperative.
However, we fear that if the rewording of House Bill 111 is approved, OU’s student trustees will not be granted suffrage.
OU President Roderick McDavis voiced university support for the language change and the Inter-University Council’s stance, but he has also previously told The Post he did not think student trustees need voting rights. His chief of staff, Jennifer Kirksey, also previously stated that OU administration expressed concern with House Bill 111.
“We value their role and want to ensure that their student experience would not be negatively impacted, because with such rights, it would change their role as a student,” she wrote in an April 2013 email.
Even second-year student trustee Amanda Roden does not want a vote. She has said she believes it would be a conflict of interest for her to vote on issues that would affect her as a student.
With our officials and one of our own student trustees opposing the vote, it seems unlikely that, if the reworked bill were to pass, Ohio University’s student trustees would get the right.
House Bill 111, as currently written, would be ideal, but seems too big a leap for statehouse legislators.
But right now, we’re just tired of standing still.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
