Trustee rules need changing

Rep. Mark Kruzan, D-Bloomington, has proposed new legislation to amend the trustees rule that says no more than two trustees can reside in the same county. The proposed legislation would allow the governor to appoint two IU trustees who live in the same county. The legislative amendment would lift any restrictions on where trustees elected by alumni can live. \nThis idea should have been implemented long ago. \nBeing a trustee is an important job. As a representative of the University, a trustee must make decisions that affect the student, administration, faculty and alumni communities for the better. If someone is highly qualified for this job, living in the same community with two other trustees should not prevent the best possible candidate from taking the job. After all, the University does not discriminate how many students can attend the University from one county.\nTwo appointed trustees, Steve Ferguson and Fred Eichorn, now live in Bloomington. Ferguson's term expires this year, and he has said he would like for Gov. Frank O'Bannon to reappoint him. But two Bloomington residents, Sue Talbot and Jim Capshew, are among seven people challenging sitting trustee and Greenfield resident Ray Richardson's candidacy in a trustee election by the IU alumni. Votes in the election will be counted June 30. \nIf Talbot or Capshew were to win, it would raise questions about whether the governor could reappoint Ferguson -- and whether, if he did, it would bump Talbot and Capshew from the board. \nThe Bloomington campus is the largest campus in the state. If two qualified candidates happen to live in Bloomignton and both want the job, the governor and other trustees should not deny the University and Bloomington community from adequate representation.\nLifting the restriction would also increase the likelihood that IU faculty or staff from Monroe County could be elected to the board by alumni or appointed by the governor. Although IU has opposed the idea of ensuring faculty or staff representation on the board, Kruzan said he is in favor of it. \n"My vested interest is, I don't want to see the number of trustees from Monroe County limited," Kruzan told the Herald-Times. "Bloomington is the site of the main campus, and there's obviously more interest in Monroe County than in most areas in issues of higher education."\nThis legislation needs to be approved. The IU community should not discredit a qualified applicant simply because of where he or she lives. And Kruzan's bill would open the possibility for more Monroe County representation on the board. All the way around, the University, and the Bloomington campus, win. \nStaff vote: 5 - 2 - 4