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.?