After a delay of several months, Ohio Governor John Kasich finally appointed a second student to Miami University's board of trustees. Miami's Associated Student Government (ASG) selected and passed along the names of three finalists to the governor's office over 10 months ago. At the end of spring semester this year, the seat opened up but the governor's office had not made a selection.
The position of the two student trustees is essential because they act as the voice for Miami students. The board of trustees is considered the highest authority at Miami, along with the president. They make crucial decisions regarding how the university runs so that it meets state requirements.
The editorial board of The Miami Student believes the seeming neglect with which the governor handled the appointment process reflects an attitude that the student voice is dispensable. We find it puzzling that the governor's office has taken more time to appoint the new trustee than it would have taken for a new trustee to be conceived and born.
The governor seems to think students' opinions don't matter in the governance of public institutions of higher education. We beg to differ.
It takes two student trustees to properly voice the student body's needs and concerns and the time it took for the governor to fill the vacant seat now makes the trustees' work harder.
With two student trustees, the older one can take the lead while the younger one is getting accustomed to their office. This teaching process is essential to developing an effective representative. Typically, the younger student trustee has about one year to learn from his or her counterpart. But the delay in approval limits the teaching process to less than a year.
This delay is negatively affecting student participation in university policy making. Now that a new student trustee is finally appointed, he will have to play catch up. Miami's president and trustees need to frequently lobby the governor to make his certain that a delay like this does not happen in the future.
The university cannot afford another incident like this because it threatens Miami's focus on outstanding undergraduate teaching. We feel the undergraduate experience is the soul of this institution. The delay in appointing a second student trustee raises questions regarding the importance of the student voice.
The adult trustees must remember that without a student body their role would cease to exist. If Miami loses the value of accessibility between the student body and the administration, the university fails to adhere to the standards it boasts.
This board would also like to congratulate Lot Kwarteng on being named student trustee. Lot, the student body is counting on you. Remember that you have a duty to listen to and voice the concerns of the most important 16,000 people at this university.
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