Student Government Association (SGA) President Rishi Shah has reportedly failed in his attempt to obtain a permanent student seat on the University Board of Regents.
Shah recently had a meeting with interim provost Karen Boroff regarding the possibility for a student seat. “The meeting went well; however, the Provost indicated that it was not feasible to have a student seat on the Board of Regents, given that the faculty does not have a seat either,” said Shah.
According to Shah, this has been a significant initiative for his term and still believes there is room to push for this student seat on the Board of Regents.
Shah previously spoke to The Setonian about his push for a student representative on board, claiming that a student body representative is imperative to making sure students have a voice in critical decisions pertaining to the university.
Students also have mixed opinions on whether they believe having a student body representative on the Board of Regents is appropriate.
Shah indicated that there would be a representation of the student body through the Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents where they were able to voice student concerns.
Jonathan Pinnock, a sophomore chemical engineering major, had the opportunity to represent his organization, Black Men of Standard, to the Board of Regents but has previously stated that he does not fully support having a singular student representative on the Board of Regents.
Santiago Cabrera, a freshman economics major in the Stillman School of Business, said that he believes that Shah, as well as student activists such as the Concerned 44, are in a good spot to continue advocating for the representative.
“This progress has to be continued to achieve the goal,” said Cabrera. “Especially since there is a new president on the way that might be more open to this.”
Shah still believes there is room to advocate for a student seat despite the setback and said that he will use the opportunity to present to Student Affairs Committee on the Board of Regents as a way to do so.
“We plan on utilizing this opportunity to demonstrate to the board that students bring valuable and unique insight to issues facing the University,” said Shah.
Shah said that he would build a stable relationship with the Board of Regents through the Student Affairs Committee to further advocate for the student seat.
Elizabeth Rodriguez can be reached at elizabeth.rodriguez@student.shu.edu.
