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NEWS
| AUGUST 30, 2005
UT System
Student voice to join Board of Regents
The student regent will serve
a one-year term but will not have a vote.
By Megan
Magaña
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Applications for the first nonvoting student member of the UT System
Board of Regents will be available beginning Sept. 15.
Applications can be picked up at the Student Governance and Organizations
Office through Oct. 5, and the selected student will serve a one-year
term beginning in February.
During the regular legislative session in May, a decision was made
to allow each system in Texas including UTA and Texas A&M and
Texas Tech universities, to have a student representative on that
university’s board. Currently, the board consists of nine
members responsible for supervising 15 schools in the UT System.
Student Congress President Josh Sawyer said SC is working to get
the word out to students and that the only requirement is that a
student be in good academic standing with the university.
“Students will get a voice in each of the systems,”
he said.
He added that the selection committee is looking for leadership,
involvement and student success on campus.
After all UTA applications have been received, the Student Regent
Selection Committee, composed of student leaders on campus, will
narrow the applicants to 10. Then, the Student Congress Executive
Board will choose a maximum of five applicants and send their recommendations
to the UT System internal audits director.
The director will remove the student’s name and university
and send the applications to Chancellor Mark Yudof, who will then
narrow the field to two. Gov. Rick Perry will make the final decision.
After Gov. Perry’s approval, the regent will serve from February
2006 to February 2007. The process will be similar in public schools
across the state.
According to UT System memorandums, the student regent will not
have a vote but will have influence. In addition, he or she will
carry the responsibilities and power of a regent.
Kelly Earnest, EX.C.E.L. Campus Activities president, is on the
selection committee to narrow the applicants to 10 and said it’s
imperative to have a student who attends a university to make decisions
alongside the board.
“We are just looking for that one student or group of students
that represents the UT System,” she said. “Someone that
can make decisions for a large group of students.”
Biology graduate student June Chung said she thinks the change will
be positive.
“They’ll have someone with knowledge of the school and
not just the business side,” she said.
Although Sawyer said this development will be beneficial to the
university and the UT System, he added that there is still one more
task to be completed.
“Being able to vote is the next step,” he said.
CORRECTION
This story should have stated that each university
system in Texas will have one student regent.
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THE SELECTION PROCESS
1. Pick up/drop off applications
in the Student Governance and Organizations Office,
located in the lower level of the University Center.
2. The Student Regent Selection Committee,
composed of student leaders on campus, will narrow
the field of applicants to 10.
3. The Student Congress Executive
Board will choose a maximum of five to send to the
UT System internal audits director to remove the student’s
name and university.
4. The UT System chancellor will
select at least two applicants to forward to Gov.
Perry, who will make the final decision.
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