SACUA discusses additional regents

The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs announced yesterday that it will explore the idea of placing both a University student and faculty member on the Board of Regents.

At yesterday's meeting of the faculty's governing board, SACUA member Bunyan Bryant introduced the possibility of getting student and faculty members.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time," said Bryant, an associate professor of natural resources. "It's something that should be looked into. Faculty and students can be involved in building a community of shared governance."

s. SACUA members said they want to discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of that situation.

Both students and faculty members said they can definitely see the advantages of having representation on the board.

"To have a student representative with a voice would be (great for) the student body," Rackham student Doug Noe said.

Matt Phillips, an Engineering junior, agreed with the idea but also offered a potential drawback.

"Obviously, the benefit is that the students' view is from the student body's perspective," but, Phillips warned that, "if you get the wrong person, it could be a wasted spot."

Bryant said that "faculty and students could be an integral part of the discussion," and could offer additional insight.

"It seems to me that student life and student culture is very different from faculty's lives and the administration's," Bryant said.

"Same with the faculty. Faculty members have certain interests, and I think we have a perspective that I think could be very helpful."

Daniel Fisher, a professor of geological sciences, also said he believed there are benefits.

"I think there's a possibilty it could provide an additional point of view," Fisher said.

However, Fisher also said he hopes that the regents are already getting that point of view through different avenues to before making their decisions.

Bryant said he believes the members could be an extremely valuable resource to the regents in making the University stronger.

"We could come together, build a community that would enhance the power of the Board of Regents," Bryant said.

Bryant also suggested that the Senate Assembly should open its committees to regents.

SACUA Chair Louis D'Alecy, a professor of physiology, said that University President Lee Bollinger has the power to let people sit at the table during regents' meetings. However, a seat on the board does not give individuals the right to vote or participate in "gentle discussion," D'Alecy said.

Bryant said he supports the idea of at least having speaking members, if not voting members, on the board.

SACUA has been trying to develop a better and more vocal relationship with the administration, members said.

"One of the real benefits is to establish a dialogue," said Loveland-Cherry, a Nursing School associate professor.

SACUA plans to discuss its ideas with Bollinger during next week's meeting.

09-16-97