Trustee needs to be one of us

Next week, the student body presidents of all campuses and the governor will begin the process to find a new student trustee for the University. In that search, they should look for the most qualified candidate. \nAnd those qualifications must include that the student be from the Bloomington campus and that he or she have gone through the undergraduate experience here.\nDean Hertzler Jr., a student at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, will end his term as student trustee this summer. While Hertzler is well qualified for the job, he is in a Purdue University education program at IUPUI\nHertzler has never had a class in Ballantine Hall to know how dingy the building is. He has never eaten in a residence hall food court to know how expensive the food is. And he has never been awakened at 7 a.m. by construction near his residence hall room.\nThe student trustee is someone who makes decisions about IU academics and University life. How can he or she do this adequately when not enrolled in an IU program? \nIn short, many of the decisions he makes don't affect him. This tradition must not continue. The student trustee should come from the Bloomington campus. Bloomington is IU's largest campus, as well as the only campus with many students living on campus. The student trustee must have the experience of living in the residence halls, sitting in classes taught by IU professors and interacting with others on the Bloomington campus. \nThat student trustee should represent the campus with the most students. The Bloomington campus has about one-third of IU's student body.\nThe position of student trustee is an important one. It requires a two-year commitment, and the student trustee will be making decisions on issues that affect the University in all capacities. The decision to fire former coach Bob Knight was made with the support of the trustees. As the voice of the students, the student trustee's vote has the same weight as the other trustees. This position is important to the students. Therefore, it should be served by someone who has had the full IU experience. \nWhatever the qualifications, the committee that narrows down the list from the applications and Gov. Frank O'Bannon must make sure the trustee has the best interests of IU at heart. Only someone from the Bloomington campus can do that.\nStaff vote: 15 - 0 - 0