The finalists for Miami University's student trustee position have been chosen by Associated Student Government (ASG) and forwarded to Ohio Gov. John Kasich for final selection.
Out of 15 applicants, three were chosen by ASG and sent to the governor over winter break, according to Nick Miller, ASG secretary to the executive cabinet.
Miller was in charge of the applicant search, developing the application and conducting interviews. The three candidates chosen by ASG include sophomore Molly Rzepka, sophomore Arianne Wilt and first-year Lance Sterle.
"I think all three of [the final applicants] are outstanding," Miller said. "We felt comfortable with either three of them being chosen as the next student trustee."
Now the university must wait until the governor makes his selection. During the 2010-2011 school year, ASG sent in the finalists to Kasich in December 2010 and no trustee was announced until October 2011. The long wait may have been because it was Kasich's first year in office and a budget year, Miller said.
Former Miami Student Body President and Student Trustee Heath Ingram said he was disappointed to hear Kasich's office is once again dragging its feet about making a decision. When Ingram applied to be a student trustee in fall 2007, he said he found out he got the position by the beginning of February 2008.
"It's frustrating because the trustees - the whole board - relies very heavily on the student trustee's opinion," Ingram said. "It's frustrating because the trustees will lose valuable insight into how students perceive the decisions that the administration, faculty and ultimately the board are making."
Until the governor's office selects the next student trustee, the student voice on the board of trustees is being cut in half, Ingram said.
"It just doesn't seem that Gov. Kasich or the people in his administration value the student trustees," Ingram said.
Student Body Vice President Matt Frazier agreed.
"He's a busy man to start with, but it seems it's not very high up on his priority list," Frazier said.
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Frazier also said the longer it takes the governor's office to make a decision, the less time the trustee has to get acclimated to his or her position.
"I think everyone deserves a proper transition," Frazier said.
The new student trustee will be replacing former student trustee Matthew Shroder, who joined the board in 2010 and whose term ended at the end of February. The new member will join sophomore trustee Lot Kwarteng, who will remain on the board until 2013.
Trustee Mike Armstrong said the board of trustees values student trustees.
"I value their presence," Armstrong said. "I think their involvement has been positive for the university."
Miller said he hopes this time the new student trustee will be named by the end of the school year, but pointed out sometimes the governor's office has "bigger fish to fry" than selecting a student trustee for a university.
"Optimistically, I'm hoping we hear something back soon," Miller said.
While Kasich's office has confirmed receiving ASG's candidate recommendations, there is no word when a decision will definitively be made. A representative from Kasich's office said a decision will be made soon, but offered no definite timetable for the decision.
"The governor's office has received résumés of potential appointees from Miami University's Associated Student Government, and an appointment decision will be announced sometime after Feb. 28," Connie Wehrkamp, deputy press secretary for the governor's office said at the beginning of the semester.
"The student trustee position is very unique," Kwarteng said.
According to Kwarteng, student trustees act as a liaison between students and the board of trustees. They are able to answer questions and offer perspectives to administrators based on what is going on in the student body, he said.
Student trustees should be able to articulate the wants and needs of students, as well as research and understand in-depth issues going on in the university, Kwarteng said.
Since Shroder's term ended in late February, Kwarteng will be the only student trustee until the governor's office makes a decision.
"I would like to see the next trustee appointed in a timely fashion," Kwarteng said.
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