In a bill attempting to encourage more students to partake in the governing processes of their universities, SB325 will provide California State University system student trustees a tuition waver.
Introduced by Senator Marty Block, the bill additionally alters the level at which a student can become a trustee–currently limited to third- and fourth-year students–by opening up the position to second-years.
Student trustees are, according to Block, a “valuable and necessary” asset to the Board of Trustees, who almost single-handedly oversee the CSU system in tandem with Chancellor Timothy White.
“[Students provide] in-the-trenches perspective to the deliberations of the trustees and their decision making,” Block said in a statement. “This bill will encourage more students to serve in their two-year terms as trustees by easing concerns about their financial means and by adding sophomores to those eligible to serve.”
{loadposition latestnews}Student trustee responsibilities include attending Board meetings, traveling to CSU campuses, participating in system workgroups and advisory committees, and attending state student association meetings–which for many students, especially those not receiving some sort of financial benefit, find stressful.
“These common sense reforms are vital to ensuring that more students have the opportunity to seek appointment to the CSU Board of Trustees and, more importantly, that the opportunity to serve will not be impacted by a student’s means or their need to work a second job while fulfilling this important role,” said Pedro Ramirez, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for teh California State Student Association. “We should be supporting students who choose to fulfill the significant role of being the sole representative of students on the Board. Fortunately, SB325 will do just that.”