ASMSU is taking the first of what would be many steps in creating a voting student seat on the MSU Board of Trustees tonight with a forum discussing the possibility.

The bill was introduced during an August 8 academic assembly meeting, but was tabled until this session. The purpose of the forum is to see if there is any support to go ahead with the bill. ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

“We will discuss the bill and debate the merit of the bill to see if people do or don’t support it,” communication sophomore Monica Leslie said.

Leslie is the representative from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and proposed the bill. The bill says that it would be beneficial for students and the university to have the right to vote on issues concerning them.

Having a voting student on the Board of Trustees is common at many universities across the country. Sixty percent of the Big Ten schools have a student trustee sitting on the board.

MSU and the University of Michigan don’t have student trustees because the state constitution does not specify a seat especially for students. To change the constitution and get the student seat, a statewide referendum would have to be voted on.

ASMSU Academic Assembly chairperson Matt Clayson agreed with Leslie about seeing if there is any support, and also said this would be a great step toward getting students involved with university issues.

“This forum is just an informal discussion and hopefully we’ll have a good turnout and students will participate,” Clayson said.

MSU Trustee Dorothy Gonzales said she believes having a student on the board is a good idea,but will take a lot of work.

“Like anything, they will have to work at it and they have to be serious about it,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said students need to have responsibility in terms of talking with the trustees about issues that affect them.

The forum will be held at 8:00 p.m. in Student Services, Room 328. Everyone is welcomed to attend. ASMSU has invited administration and a representative from the Board of Trustees to attend.