TO THE EDITOR:
Student representation on the Board of Trustees is of the utmost importance, especially in the current political climate. Consequently, I see the future of student representation on the Board of Trustees as the number one issue at stake in today’s referendum.
I want to address graduate students directly. I admit that I could never fully understand, never mind advocate for, all of your concerns. I admit that the historical disregard for your concerns is problematic and should have been taken more seriously long before today. I even admit that the separation plan is ambitious, well-intentioned and could solve a number of problems.
And yet I must still urge you to vote to keep our Student Government united. If the separation amendment passes, you will be left with no representation on the Board of Trustees, and no codified speaking rights, for the foreseeable future. Relying on the Board of Governors to add another student member to the Board of Trustees is a precarious gamble. A proposed alternative is rotating the seat between an undergraduate SBP and a graduate SBP. I am convinced that this would be a terrible outcome for all students — in any given year, up to 63 percent of our student body would be without any representation.
Do not throw away 110 years of united student self-governance without a guarantee that your voice would still be heard where it matters. Look before you leap.
Houston Summers
Student Body President
