The Cal State Student Association, which speaks on behalf of roughly 450,000 students in the Cal State University system, has selected eight finalists for the student trustee position.
The student trustee will later be appointed by the governor to serve on the CSU board of trustees as a junior representative without voting power after being nominated by the CSSA.
During their first year, the student trustee is expected to learn the processes and procedures of the board and become more informed by the time they are senior members with voting power according to Erik Fallis, spokesman for the CSU board of trustees.
Currently, the student trustee applications are open to all students who will be of junior standing by July 1, according to CSSA’s webpage.
Senate Bill 325, new legislation proposed by Sen. Marty Block, is now being discussed that would allow sophomores to apply for the student trustee position as well as waive the tuition fees for student trustees.
“UC’s already comp tuition for student trustees and allow all students to apply for a student trustee type position, and with additional perks,” said Seetha Ream-Rao, director of legislative affairs within CSUEB’s student government. “The CSUs are now just trying to do the same, seeing as it would help streamline the process.”
Senate Bill 325, which will continue to be amended until May, was proposed to give lower division students a voice on the board as well as offer all qualifying students a part-time job opportunity according to a legislative update on CSSA’s webpage.
“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,” Block said in an interview with the CSSA.
“It’s a lot of responsibility and a huge time obligation that doesn’t leave a lot of room to have a full time job or take on a second job,” said Meredith Vivian, director of legislative affairs at the CSSA. “We want to make sure students have the time and ability to focus on the position.”
So far the CSU board’s education committee has passed Senate Bill 325. Next to make their decision on the bill will be the appropriations committee.
“It’s not a controversial bill from what we can tell,” said Vivian. “I can’t stress how important this is for student trustees. Although the changes are small, they are significant.”
If the bill passes through the CSU board at their meeting on July 23, then it will be sent to the Senate floor for deliberation and later to the Assembly floor for immediate action in mid October.
With Brown’s approval, student trustees will see tuition waivers and early application opportunities by Jan 1, 2014.
