INCREASING STUDENT REPRESENTATION THROUGH LEGISLATIVE PROCESSES ON THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Abstract

Fundamental to the idea of democratic governance in the United States is the idea that elected leaders, at the heart of their job, represent the interests of their constituents. Higher education is no different, as there are multiple instances of “governance” in which individuals from a broad range of constituencies at a university can take part. Boards of Trustees across the UNC System are tasked with the management of their institutions as well as serving as advisors to the Board of Governors. The UNC Board of Governors (BOG) is the policy-making body legally charged with the “general determination, control, supervision, management, and governance of all affairs of the constituent institutions.” Notably, each student Trustee is granted full voting powers; however, the student Governor is a strictly non-voting position. While representation at the Trustee level is important, the student Governor should be granted full-voting powers at the Board of Governors level where many of the decisions made impact students directly. This project seeks to explore amending North Carolina General Statutes § 116-6.1 to provide the Student Governor full-voting powers through legislative processes.