The California State Student Association, with help from San Diego Assemblywoman Susan Davis, has sponsored legislation that would increase the number of student representation on the California State University Board of Trustees.
The bill, AB 730, would add a second student representative to the Board. The student trustees would start their terms on alternating years, giving students the chance to have a representative with negotiating experience.
Currently, there is one student from a CSU system that serves on the Board of Trustees.
Christina Harper, the association's legislative director, said there are a number of purposes why another student is desired to serve on the board.
"When a student was first appointed as a student trustee in the mid-70s, the CSU system was much smaller," Harper said. "Now we're the largest system in the world, and it's become harder and harder for one student to accurately represent the constituency for 304,000 CSU students.
"Also, we believe that students are at a disadvantage on their voice on the board because the governor appointments are on the board for eight years each, and some of them are reappointed."
Harper said that while faculty and alumni trustees, who serve a two-year term as well, are reappointed, students usually are not. She believes that having two students serving on alternate years will give the board a chance of having an experienced student serving , as well as giving students more leverage on the board on how decisions are made.
Kathy Dressler, a consultant to Davis, said that Davis sponsored legislation when she heard students' complaints about such issues as increasing fees, the lack of courses available, and overcrowding.
The bill was introduced Feb. 22 and will be heard by the Assembly's Higher Education Committee after March 22, Dressler said.
Dressler said that after the bill is heard there, it will pass through the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal reasons. It will then pass through first the Assembly and then the Senate. If the Senate makes any changes in the bill, Dressler said the Assembly has the right to vote on the bill again.
Finally, the bill will get passed on to the governor's desk for approval.
She said that this will be a tough bill to pass because of the changes that it constitutes.
"Whenever you mess with the formula on any state board," Dressler said, "there is an automatic attempt on the part of everyone else to expand their representation as well, which, by definition, dilutes what we've got.
"We're trying to increase student voice. If everyone else has more voices, then we will achieve nothing."