EDITORIAL: University of Michigan regents' involvement far cry from CMU trustees'
The University of Michigan Board of Regents should be lauded for its continued involvement in matters important to the school.
Most recently, the board held an emergency session to vote on whether to oppose proposed Michigan legislation that would prohibit some graduate students at state universities from unionizing. Under Senate Bill 971, proposed by State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, graduate student research assistants at Michigan public universities would not be considered public employees and, as a result, prohibited from unionizing.
The regents decided six to two to oppose the measure, but whether they voted for or against the legislation is beside the point.
Their involvement in issues which concern the university from without, in the case of the aforementioned legislation, and within, in the case of calling for external investigations of an alleged sexual predator being allowed to continue work in a U-M hospital pediatric ward, might sound unusual to a typical Central Michigan University student.
The board’s vigilance in matters important to the school and their clear willingness to question and critique internal decisions is a far cry from the attitude and actions of the CMU Board of Trustees.
While the transition to an elected board might not be what CMU needs, the U-M board's vigilance demonstrates the ways in which oversight can be used to monitor the actions of monolithic public institutions.
Our current rubber stamping committee hearkens back to a time when CMU was a relatively small school, not one of the 100 largest universities in the country or the fourth largest in the state.
The U-M regents met in an unprecedented emergency session to deal with a bill that would affect graduate students statewide, not only at their school.
But at CMU the issue, one with serious implications for students, faculty and people on all parts of the political spectrum, has been met with deafening silence. Other serious issues raised by students, faculty and this Editorial Board have been met with the same silence, or muddled non-statements at best.
There have been no emergency meetings, no badly needed investigations or even acknowledgement of issues of great importance to this university.
It's quiet enough on campus to hear a pin drop. When will we hear the other shoe?
