Bill proposes Board add student vote

Another push to establish a voting student member on the University Board of Governors moved one step toward reality last week.

The House Committee on Higher Education passed a revised version of House Bill 440 on March 30. The bill, proposed by Rep. Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, would make one of the seven voting members on Truman's Board of Governors a full-time student.

"The people that know best about what exactly goes on in the University are the students," Pratt said. "I want students to have an input on University policies."

Senior Laura Keck, Student Senate president, said a vote would solidify student representation.

"The vote gives us a solid way to voice what our opinion is and allows us to fully represent all the views of students," she said.

Pratt, who has supported a voting student governor since he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, said student groups from Truman, Mizzou and Southwest Missouri State University requested him to author the bill.

"I'd be willing to offer the same rule to any school in the state," Pratt said.

Similar provisions also grant a voting student member to the Board of Curators governing the Mizzou system and the Board of Governors of soon-to-be Missouri State University, currently SMS.

The student governments of Mizzou and SMS have extended their support for the bill. Truman's Student Senate passed a similar resolution in March but stopped short of endorsing the bill.

Sarah Burkemper, Board of Governors president, said the Board has no formal position on the bill but said she has some concerns.

"One thing that we vote on is which professors get tenure," Burkemper said. "That would bring about a strange conflict of interest. The student has the professor in class, and suddenly they're up for tenure."

Senior Maria Scanga, former student senator who voted against the Senate resolution, said expressing support for the bill itself would leave Senate vulnerable if an objectionable amendment was added. Scanga said a voting student governor would create a series of conflicts.

"If you're in class with a professor, would you really feel comfortable discussing and voting on that professor's pay?" Scanga said. "And then comes the concern when professors start soliciting that student."

Scanga said although the student governor could abstain from voting on tenure, problems still could arise.

"If [faculty] know the student possesses the power, even if the student chooses not to ever actually use it, that does not prevent that solicitation," Scanga said.

Scanga said another concern is that as the student governor becomes the norm, his or her voice might be ignored. She said if the student representative was able to vote, the other governors might not be as inclined to listen.

The substitute bill now includes a sunset clause, discontinuing the student vote after Aug. 28, 2009. Pratt said he will lobby to remove the sunset clauses in a couple of years should the bill pass.

Burkemper said senior Emily Dunn, the current student representative, has effectively conveyed the student voice.

"Emily Dunn has been wonderful," Burkemper said. "She is very quick to step up in any situation. She has excellent insight into things that we haven't thought of."

The Senate resolution backing the idea of a student vote included support from Dunn, who was not available for comment.

Keck said Senate submitted its resolution to the higher education committee.

House Bill 440 will now go before the entire House. If the bill passes and is signed into law, the first voting student governor will be appointed upon the first opening on the Board after Aug. 28, 2005.

The bill has bipartisan support with 13 Democrats among the 21 cosponsors and cosigners of the bill.

"I don't know why the student representative wouldn't have a voting right to begin with," said Rep. Kate Meiners, D-Kansas City. "Who wouldn't know better what's going on on campus than the students?"

Two years ago, a similar bill co-sponsored by Truman alumnus Rep. Bob Behnen, R-Kirksville, passed committee just prior to the legislature adjourning for the year.

Because the voting student governor position only applies to three universities, the bill will not phase out the nonvoting student representative.

Dunn's term expires in July. Last month, Senate approved a slate of three candidates to submit to Gov. Matt Blunt, who will choose one during the summer. Upon the opening of a seat on the Board, however, Senate might have to submit another slate of candidates to fill the slot.

In 2003, then-Senate president Ryan Walkiewicz vetoed two resolutions supporting House Bill 280, a similar piece of legislation, citing confusion over which student representative would have voting power and who would decide.

Tony Luetkemeyer, Missouri Student Association president, said he is working with Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, to amend a similar State Senate bill that would grant the student representative the vote. Pratt said he would work with Truman, Mizzou and SMS to remedy any conflicts.

"My intention is that the [nonvoting] student representative won't be filled while a student is a voting member," Pratt said.

Keck said she will keep in contact with interns in Jefferson City to track the progress of the bill.

"They're down there every day, whereas we cannot be," Keck said.