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After a heated debate, two University of Wisconsin students were named to the committee that will determine the new chancellor.
The Associated Students of Madison Shared Governance Committee announced UW senior Suchita Shah and graduate student Erik Paulson as the newest members of the search-and-screen committee appointed last week by UW System President John Reilly.
“It was really hard. … We had so many qualified candidates,” Shared Governance Committee Chair Jeff Wright said. “All of the candidates were qualified and spoke well about what they wanted to see in the next chancellor.”
The committee wanted to appoint both an undergraduate and a graduate student to have representation of all students on campus, he added.
“I am very pleased with our decision,” Wright said. “We had 15 students, all with varying viewpoints, and they all provided a different aspect of the debate. I can say that both [of the chosen students] articulated ideas very well in the interview. They had a firm understanding of issues that the university is facing right now.”
The committee chose candidates based on how well they could represent UW’s 40,000-student population. “We need students who are going to fight for students, and I think we have that in Suchita and Erik,” Wright said.
Both Shah and Paulson said they plan to be very vocal on the committee about their opinions on what is needed in the new chancellor.
“This is not something I signed up for so that I could sit and watch the process,” Paulson said. “I’m not afraid to speak up for something I believe in. If I have to go 22 to one, I’m going to do it.”
Both Paulson and Shah are part of ASM. Shah is also the vice chair of the College Democrats and an opinion columnist for The Badger Herald.
“Just because they have been on some committees doesn’t mean that they are limited to that. I think [their] activities represent a lot of what it means for someone to embrace the Wisconsin experience,” Wright said. “We didn’t let the [fact that they have been part of] ASM enter into the decision making.”
The two student members have similar ideas about what they would like to see in the new chancellor and how they will go about expressing that to the committee.
“The major things are funding to get better things, such as financial aid and retaining good faculty,” Shah said. “We need someone who will work for the short term while being able to keep a long-term vision for the university.”
Shah and Paulson have already begun planning outreach programs and trying to find ways to hear what students have to say, Shah said.
“We are thinking about the process of getting more input from others,” Paulson said. “It’s not just the two of us, we are talking about getting as many people involved, and hopefully [the students] will be hearing a lot about the search process.”
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Suchita can blog about the whole process on Muckrakers
I still like how there were more “community members” on the committee than students. WTF? Does the BH have the spine to criticize this? Will ASM challenge it? Will Suchita use her position to push for a larger student voice?
I’m guessing the answer will be: NO, NO, NO.