Marisa Cruz vows students will have a voice on the MSU Board of Trustees - hers.

As the at-large student liaison on the board, Cruz said she will represent the diverse interests of students across campus.

“I really contribute a student aspect that isn’t political,” the Lyman Briggs microbiology senior said. “Personally I don’t argue too much, but I vocalize about things that bother me.”

Recently, the voice of the students on the board has come into question. ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, began considering a process of adding a voting student member to the board in August.

Cruz said she hasn’t taken a strong stance on the issue.

“I am still asking a lot of questions - what are the benefits, is it practical and when will we have it?” she said.

Cruz said she was a little quiet at her first board meeting last month, but she will speak up more at this Friday’s meeting.

“I am learning as I am going along,” she said. “As the next meeting comes up, I am going to be a little more vocal and participate more in what goes on.”

Academic Assembly Chairperson, Matt Clayson, is one of two student leaders representing ASMSU on the board. He said he joins Cruz in an effort to emphasize student interests, something he said may have been lacking in the past.

“We need to show that students at Michigan State University are willing to make a difference and participate in all aspects of the university,” he said. “Having an at-large student supports that goal.”

And Clayson said Cruz is the right student for the job.

“It is nice to see someone that is such a hard worker, she has excellent ideas and she is articulate,” he said. “She doesn’t seem to be intimidated by the position.”

Clayson said he and Cruz have already discussed improving the Multicultural Center and making it a free-standing building. The center is located in the basement of the Union.

“Just trying to get (the center‘s needs) out there and trying to get more space for student groups to use is something I would like talk to the trustees about,” Cruz said.

Cruz, who works at the center, has made student diversity central to her life at MSU.

She is a minority aide complex coordinator at the Brody Complex and a member of the Asian Pacific American Student Organization and the Philippine American Student Society.

Before coming to MSU, the Troy native said she grew up in a mostly black neighborhood and attended mostly white schools.

“There were not a lot of other Asians around me,” she said.

Cruz said her involvement with the two groups helped her identify with her Filipino background and deal with the culture shock she experienced as a freshman.

“Working with a diverse group has really shaped who I am now,” she said. “I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

Lee June, vice president of student affairs and services, said he selected Cruz because she added a balance to the other student board members.

“Her involvement with a variety of organizations in the past and her grasp of very astute issues and concerns ... made her a good choice,” he said.

MSU Trustee Dee Cook said she relishes the opportunity to interact and discuss agendas with Cruz and the other student representatives.

“That is how problems are avoided,” she said. “We need to understand students better and hope they can understand us better.”