Student regent fight ends

A majority of Michigan Student Assembly representatives voted last night to cease funding for the quest to put a student on the University's Board of Regents.

"The fight for a student regent is officially over tonight," Communications Chair Joe Bernstein said.

A resolution presented by LSA Rep. Rory Diamond asked MSA to allocate $1,030 to David Cahill - the attorney who the assembly has been consulting regarding the student regent effort. About $430 of that allocation would have paid for time Cahill already spent working on the project and $600 would have been directed towards future student regent efforts.

Citing the fact that the assembly has been trying to get a student regent for about 30 years, said Andrew Wright, a University student who has been assisting assembly members in obtaining a student regent, urged the assembly to pass Diamond's resolution.

"Every time you stop (the quest for a student regent), you have to spend all these years retooling and rebuilding a coalition," Wright said.

After the assembly approved an amendment to the resolution by LSA Rep. Elise Erikson, it approved a motion to pay Cahill only the $430 it owes him.

Erikson, who voted to stop filtering funds for student regent efforts, said representatives had done minimal work on the issue. Erikson, who chaired the Student Regent Task Force, said there are plans in the works for a student liaison organization "unlike a voting member that would accomplish the actual concept behind a student regent, providing student input to the board of regents."

MSA also approved last night a motion by Rackham Rep. Jessica Curtin to give its Peace and Justice Committee $485 for a trip to Lansing to protest Sen. David Jaye (R-Macomb).

Worried this might implicate the assembly into taking a stance on Jaye's ballot, Erikson questioned the intent of the trip, explaining it is illegal for MSA to lobby on an initiative. But the assembly decided to allot the sum to transport interested students to Lansing.

"These are people that want to take an active stance," Vice President Sarah Chopp said. "I can't understand why we're so reticent about it."

Before the vote, LSA Rep. Kym Stewart called it "a fight against a racist."I don't think we should be thinking twice about it," Stewart said.

Chair of the Academic Affairs Commission Vikram Sarma announced last night that the group will make printed copies of online LSA course guides available on reserve at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Pierpoint Commons, Michigan Union and all residence halls five days after the course guide appears online.

"The course guide online is great, but not every student has access to the Internet," Sarma said.

03-17-99