The Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would potentially provide students with the addition of a second student representative to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.

Proponents of the bill hope it will move through the state Assembly and Senate quickly and land on the governor’s desk for approval. One such group, the United Council of UW Students, has been in an ongoing battle to place another student on the Board of Regents. The organization represents roughly 145,000 students on 26 campuses.

“As long as the student regent is as prepared and diligent as the last two, it will be a benefit for higher education in Wisconsin,” Regent Mark Bradley said.

Under the proposed bill, a non-traditional college student — an undergraduate 24 years or older — would be added to the Board of Regents. This would push the number of student regents up to two, and both positions would be appointed by the governor to staggered two-year terms.

Student regents are, however, hindered by the length of their two-year terms in comparison with the seven-year terms of their non-student counterparts. The student representative is thus required to participate and understand procedures immediately; otherwise valuable time is wasted, according to Beth Richlen, the current student regent.

In order for a student to become a representative for the Board of Regents, the student must be enrolled at a UW-System school through their term.

Most freshmen and sophomores are not prepared for the rigors of the job and students applying as juniors will only be applicable for one term, Richlen added.

Student members on the Board of Regents are not provided with tuition remission, nor do they receive any salary for their participation. This is a substantial time commitment, and many students cannot afford to devote the time and energy necessary because of these limitations, Richlen said.

“We take our jobs extraordinarily seriously,” Richlen said. “[Student regents] pay attention to all the departments because we have stakes in all these areas.”

Richlen said, with another student regent, there would be an opportunity for a representative on another committee, noting she takes part in the Education Committee.

“Where a regent comes from, in terms of locality, education and background, isn’t as important as having a mixture of people that are really focused on higher education and do the work,” Bradley said.

As long as diversity of background is maintained, and student regents are hardworking and intelligent, Bradley said he believes good policy will result.

“Fortunately, [regents] have significant diversity already,” Board of Regents Vice President David Walsh said.

Many of the regents in opposition to the additional student regent bill believe it is not necessary to pass legislation based on constituent groups, according to Walsh.

“In my opinion, the way it has worked in the past with one student regent, [students] have been very ably represented, and I don’t see a benefit to adding another student,” Regent Guy A. Gottschalk said.

Despite opposition, Richlen pointed to the students’ stake in the regents’ business.

“The students are the future leaders of the states,” Richlen said.