The California State Student Association is searching for students interested in serving a two-year term as a student trustee on the Cal State University Board of Trustees.
While the student association — an umbrella organization for all of the Associated Students groups in the CSU — narrows down the group of interested students each year, California’s current governor appoints the position.
As the highest student position in the CSU system, the trustee is responsible for representing more than 400,000 CSU students. Student trustees are liaisons between students and the board, which decides on regulations and policies enforced by all CSU campuses.
Executive director of the CSSA Miles Nevin said the student possesses “all rights and privileges of all other [voting] trustees.”
Two students are included in the 25-member board, which meets bimonthly. Both students serve a two-year term but only one has voting power. The terms are staggered so that the second-year trustee has voting rights while the first-year trustee is only a sit-in.
Student trustees attend meetings with top political leaders from Sacramento, including the governor, lieutenant governor, chancellor and speaker of the assembly, Nevin said.
The board of trustees governs spending, use of property and facility development, among many other responsibilities, according to the CSSA website. Its members vote on issues directly impacting students, like tuition, remedial curriculum, admissions, fees and housing.
As the largest university system in the country, it is important to have student representation on the board, Nevin said.
Voting could be problematic for the student trustee, though. In the fall of 2010, the board approved a student tuition increase, including another increase scheduled for fall 2011, Nevin said.
Nicole Anderson, the current student trustee, voted against both increases.
The California State Student Association secured a spot for a student on the board of trustees in the 1970s. This was huge victory because it allowed students to take part in CSU governance, Nevin said.
Only a handful of students apply for the trustee position but the ideal goal would be to have one student apply from each CSU campus, said Christopher Chavez, current CSSA president and former Cal State Long Beach ASI president.
“Students need to be committed in representing the student voice,” Chavez said. “[Students] need to use that power with as much responsibility as possible.”
All application packets are due Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2011 by 5 p.m. Minimum requirements and more information can be found on CSUstudents.org.
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