The Board of Governors (BoG) held elections this week for an undergraduate student representative, a democratic process for a position that has become no more than a title.
The students running for this position aren’t allowed to run on a platform. The candidates were warned they’d be disqualified if they took a stance on any matter dealt with by the board. Silencing these representatives from making promises to students creates a pointless election, as students don’t know what they’re voting for.
Electing the student representatives is meant to make the BoG democratic, so it can represent the interests of students, who make up an essential part of the university. But if students can’t vote based on what the candidates plan to do on the board, they aren’t representing students at all.
This gives the impression the BoG is only electing these representatives and keeping these seats to avoid backlash. It appears the BoG wants to resemble a democratic institution, after being criticized this year for a policy banning the board members from discussing board business with students.
The way members are elected must change if the board’s democracy is to mean anything at all.
