For the first time in several years, two women are Ohio University's student trustees, appointed to represent the collective voice of the university's students.
Brooke Mauro and Faith Voinovich are the two student trustees for this academic year. Mauro, who is studying finance and management, is a senior who is in her second year as a student trustee.
Voinovich is a junior studying chemical engineering, and was appointed as the new student trustee in April. She is the granddaughter OU alumnus and former U.S. Sen. and Ohio Gov. George Voinovich.
“Every group and individual should be equally represented to the Board,” Mauro said in an email. “We are also tasked with representing Ohio taxpayers and to aid in forging the present path and future interests of all Ohio University constituents.”
Both Mauro and Voinovich have similar goals to strengthen the relationship between the OU Board of Trustees and Student Senate by closing the gap between the two groups. They want to be available to provide everyone an opportunity to have conversations and improve overall communication between the two bodies.
Individually, they have their own goals to strengthen the relationships between students and faculty. They also want students to be able to reach out to them with their concerns.
“My main thing is to get in contact with as many people as I possibly can,” Voinovich said. “Just having set office hours and really getting visibility out there that I want people to come in and to discuss issues with me, any problems that they’re having, or even good things that are going on.”
Mauro said she feels students sometimes feel disconnected and •unheard by the Board of Trustees.
“My own goal as a trustee fall in line with our actions to enhance the relationship between the Board of Trustees and the student body,” Mauro said in an email.
She also hopes to mentor Voinovich so she can have a successful senior year next year.
The first Board of Trustees meeting took place Aug. 22. Afterward, members of the board had a retreat with Student Senate. At the meeting, the student trustees shared their input on issues and board members answered their questions.
“It was a great testament to everyone, how much they pay attention, how much they really care about getting these answers and understanding more fully what’s going on at Ohio University,” Voinovich said.
Both of the student trustees have open office hours during the week and have invited students to talk to them. Mauro’s office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-3 p.m. and Tuesdays from 3-4 p.m. Voinovich’s office hours are every other Thursday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Their office is in Baker 306.
Correction: A previous version of the photo caption incorrectly identified the date the photo was taken. The caption has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
