Editorial:

Curators need a powerful student voice

Published Feb. 27, 2007

Next year, a student from MU will join the UM system Board of Curators. But he or she will only serve an advisory role and won't have the voting powers the position warrants.

Students deserve a vote and a voice in the board's choices. The arguments against adding a voting student curator — easily resolvable logistical concerns about the number of members on the board; and that students would be involved in making personnel decisions — are essentially non-issues when the benefits of getting a student voice on the board are taken into account.

Still, even those issues are easily solvable. In the next census, it's possible that Missouri could be split into eight districts instead of nine, making the student vote the ninth spot. Even if the districts are not redrawn, the board could simply appoint an adjunct member or a faculty curator to break ties instead of denying students a voice on the board. Or, it could have the board chairman abstain from voting.

When it comes to personnel decisions, all faculty decisions are made on the individual campuses and not by the Board of Curators. The Board of Curators can only appoint a new UM system president, a decision which students should have a voice in anyhow. In the event that the voting student member on another school's board had a conflict of interest, he or she would simply abstain from voting — a normal procedure for other board members.

Of course, with a vote comes responsibility. The new student curator needs to be a crusader for students' interests, not a yes-man or yes-woman to the other curators. We understand that the Board of Curators — a group of successful, powerful adults — has an almost infinite capacity for intimidation. But they're not students and they need a person who can keep the student viewpoint clear for them. That's where the student curator comes in.

To be effective, the student coordinator also needs to stay in touch with students. He or she should be as available to student publications, governments, organizations and other students as current student curator Maria Kerford is right now — but more vocal. Kerford has been a great communicator, but she's hardly a fiery advocate for student rights.

The student curator should take an active role in campaigning to get a vote for the position and should have enough contacts in student governments and organizations on all four campuses to be able to speak with informed authority about the most important student issues of the day. That way the new curator won't be relegated to a speak-only-when-spoken-to role. He or she should be informed enough and willing to make a dissenting vote, even if he or she is the only one. (A side benefit of having a voting student coordinator: It would be possible to numerically track how many times the Board of Curators votes against students' interests.)

The student curator shouldn't just be a university leader. He or she should attend legislative sessions and be available to testify before the General Assembly about the importance of increased state higher education funding.

The new student curator needs to be a strong, passionate leader who takes the initiative to be informed and to make students' voice heard.

Students: Whether you are running for the position or not, attend the forum to discuss the next student curator. The Missouri Students Association will play host to the forum at 5 p.m. March 16 in Memorial Union. Help find the right candidate for the position.

It's time for a strong student voice on the board.