Faculty needs representation

Last Thursday, Senate Bill 131 failed to pass the Indiana Senate Education Committee. The bill asked for one non-voting faculty trustee position to be created on the board of trustees of Indiana\'s public universities. In not passing this bill, the students, administrators and faculty members of IU stand to lose. One non-voting faculty member would bring an informed and different perspective to the board and be beneficial to both IU and the Board of Trustees.\n Non-supporters of the bill cited issues of conflict of interest as a major downfall to the bill. The position of the faculty member as non-voting makes conflict of interest irrelevant. The member would merely be at meetings to serve as a voice for the many faculty members of the University. \n Board of trustees meetings are open to the public and faculty members can choose to attend these meetings and voice their opinions. Meetings are held at the various IU campuses across the state. This means one month the meeting will be held here in Bloomington and the next it could be at IU Northwest. It is unreasonable to expect faculty members to travel all over the state of Indiana when their voice is clearly not appreciated on the board. If it were, they would have a seat open to them. \nOnly a position on the actual board will guarantee that the faculty voice is being heard and considered. A faculty trustee will present to the board a single unified voice at every meeting. The trustee will be able to gain rapport and build relationships with the other trustees. This means that when voting on an issue the voting members will be more likely to consider and take into account the opinion of the faculty members. \nThe fact that the position is non-voting suggests that this is a superfluous position. Faculty members can already have their voice heard by the trustees by attending the open meetings. The creation of this position is important because it shows the faculty of the University that the board of trustees wants their presence continuously. It shows faculty members that their opinions are welcomed. It recognizes that they are an integral part of the success of this university and that learning and education begin in the classroom.