Democrat Joel Ferguson and Republican Melanie Foster won seats on the MSU Board of Trustees, with 25 percent and 24 percent of the vote respectively.

With Ferguson keeping his post on the board and Foster coming back (she served in the early 1990s), we hope the new board secures a position as a liaison between the university and students.

With so many crucial issues coming up, we can't overemphasize the importance of the communication between the two parties.

The absence of Trustee Randall Pittman could mean the loss of a major force behind the plan to relocate MSU's medical school. While this editorial board has always been skeptical of the plan, we feel it worth pointing out that its course and speed could drastically change.

To move the plan in the right direction, administrators and the board should stick to a basic principle, that is, to work with the students and reflect their voice.

The controversial discussion on the new tailgating regulation is another issue that needs a serious consideration of students' opinions.

We expect the new board to listen to what students have to say about those issues and set a good example of how the board should function between the university and the students to the best of both interests.

Before the election, The State News endorsed Ferguson and challenger Phil Thompson. We're sorry that Thompson didn't make it, but hope he will look for opportunities to benefit MSU again in the future - another run for the board in two years, perhaps.

That said, we would like to welcome Foster, who was on the MSU Board of Trustees from 1991 and 1992, back to her spot on the board. Her long involvement in higher education not only with MSU but also with Central Michigan University will make her versatile to a variety of issues that the new board would face.

To Foster, Ferguson and the rest of the board, we only ask that you listen to student voices, and let those voices show up in new decisions.