MSA student regent quest moves to Secretary of State

After months of extensive planning and meetings, the Michigan Student Assembly's fight for a student

MATT MADILL/Daily MSA President Trent Thompson and Vice President Sarah Chopp are trying to earn a student seat on the Board of Regents. They wish to start a petition drive.

regent may have a few more obstacles ahead.

In this past semester's elections, University students approved a $4 increase for MSA to begin collecting signatures for a petition to place the student regent issue on the statewide ballot.

But MSA President Trent Thompson said the University General Council has found the assembly's actions to be in violation of its campaign laws. In response, MSA has asked the Secretary of State to decide if it is legal to use student fees to collect signatures to place the issue on the statewide ballot would allow Michigan residents to determine if having a student regent on the University Board of Regents is prudent. If approved, student fees would be raised to $400,000 to hire petition gatherers.

The Secretary of State must decide that MSA is a separate entity from the University and that the organization is not a public body. This would allow the regents to vote on the fee increase at their upcoming meeting on June 18 and 19.

Since the assembly will not know the Secretary of State's decision until July, Thompson said there will be a stipulation at the June regents meeting that MSA will "not do anything until we know it is legal."

Thompson said assembly members have been meeting with various regents and executive officers "to prove how a student voice would benefit them."

MSA Treasurer Bram Elias, who co-chairs the Student Regent Task Force, said meeting with the regents allows them to brainstorm ideas about the role of a student regent.

Elias said MSA is open to having a student representative with no voting power on the board.

"The fee increase is still something we are hoping for, but we are also looking for a realistic alternative that is really helpful for students," Elias said. "We might be able to get a student regent for no costs for students."

Regent Shirley McFee (R-Battle Creek) said she met with assembly members to discuss the concept of a student representative. McFee described the idea as an "evolving process" that needs to be explored.

"In my discussion with other students, we spent a lot of time on what a student regent should be," McFee said. "I'll have to wait to see what they put together."

McFee said she did not give MSA much encouragement towards the idea to hire a firm to begin a petition drive in their quest for a student regent.

"I don't think they ought to increase the fee," McFee said.

Elias said having a student representative on the board without voting power would still be beneficial to student input.

"We are going to try to work out the best scenario for the students," Elias said. "I hope we are doing the right thing."

Andrew Wright, co-chair of the Student Regent Task Force, said the assembly hopes the regents will listen to the students and approve the fee.

"The $4 fee allows us to take the issue to the voters of the state," Wright said. "It should be up to the voters of the state whether they want a student on the Board of Regents."

06-01-98