While most students were finishing up with finals last semester, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a measure that granted the University of Idaho president sole control over the statement of student rights, nullifying the formerly-required student vote.
The SBOE agreed to change the voting requirements in hopes that Interim President Don Burnett would expand the jurisdiction clause to include off-campus activities. Burnett met the SBOE’s expectations on Jan. 1 when he added off-campus activities to the jurisdiction clause.
However, without this change to the voting requirements, the jurisdiction clause would have been an extended process and in the end, nearly impossible to implement.
Many students don’t use the power they have in on-campus decisions. Despite multiple opportunities for students to voice input on major university decisions and policy, few care enough to take part.
During the presidential open forums, students had the opportunity to directly ask candidates questions. However, only a handful of students were present.
Thirty-five percent of the student body would have to vote on the changes to the student statement of rights, and out of that 35 percent, two-thirds would have to vote in favor the changes. In the spring, ASUI president and senate election, only 21 percent of students cast their ballots, reflecting the probable difficulty in getting enough students to show up and vote for a change to the jurisdiction clause.
That being said, the complete removal of the student voice is unacceptable.
Even though the previous voting requirements were unattainable, the SBOE should have considered multiple other options that would have approved the jurisdiction clause but still retained the student voice, including requiring a two-thirds majority from ASUI as opposed to the entire student body.
Burnett made the right decision by signing off on the jurisdiction clause, but the SBOE has made a dire mistake in granting this massive expansion of power.
–RT