EDITORIAL: Use your voice


Board of Trustees meeting is a chance to use your voice


editorial

Students will have the chance to voice their opinions openly to members of the administration before they decide on matters directly affecting the university.

The Board of Trustees will hold their next formal meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the President's Conference Room in the Bovee University Center. Individual meetings for Academic and Student Affairs, Finance and Facilities, Trustees-Student Liaison and Trustees-Faculty Liaison committees will take place from 2:10 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the same room.

Those looking to have their voices heard should consider the meetings their best opportunities. The public comment section at the end of the meeting gives them the perfect opportunity to air grievances or concerns not related to that day's agenda.

Where else will a student be able to address their university president, provost and board members all at the same time?

During Thursday's meeting, the board will discuss a major addition and renovation to Grawn Hall, a $1.7 million renovation to the campus steam generation system and granting tenure to 22 faculty members.

The decisions made in Board of Trustees meetings always have an impact on students at this university. 

The board voted to raise tuition by $11 per credit hour in May, 2014, approved the $12 million construction project for the College of Medicine's Saginaw location in September and voted to raise the president's base salary to $430,000 in a special meeting on Dec. 17.

These are decisions that affect every single student, whether it be the way their tuition dollars are being spent, the kind of courses they will be able to take or the quality of the facilities they will be using.

If students want to make their opinions known before decisions like these are made, they need to stand up and make themselves heard. At the very least, the opinion of the student body would be better represented in the meetings if students took advantage of the open comment sections.

Outside of being involved in Student Government Association, attending Board of Trustees meetings is the best way to make sure your opinion is heard by those in power. Voicing your opinion face to face with members of the board and administration leaves a more powerful impact.

If you disagree with a proposed policy change, tell them. If you feel more attention needs to be given to a certain college or building, tell them. 

If nothing else, attend to stay up to date and informed about the changes being made to our institution. 

For more topics up for discussion at Thursday's meeting, visit the full agenda.

Every student has a voice that matters. Now is you chance to use it.

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