You may have thought it, and maybe even said it — the university doesn't care about the student voice.

Now is your chance to make a difference and get your voice heard.

About 15 seats are vacant on Academic Council. They're all open to students.

"It's a great way to get involved with the university community and actually be a part of the decision-making process," said Brandon Sethi, ASMSU Academic Assembly external vice chairperson. "This is a chance for students to sit on a committee with faculty and make their voice heard and represent their fellow students."

Academic Council meets once a month and is a forum in MSU's academic governance system.

Ralph Putnam, a voting member of the Executive Committee for Academic Council, said students can benefit from participating.

"It's also a good way for students to interact with faculty in a different way than they are able to in a course," he said.

On Academic Council, faculty and students have equal voices and voting rights, Sethi said. The interdisciplinary studies in social science and public policy studies senior has worked with the governance system for two years, and said he's always felt welcome.

"I've never felt put off," Sethi said. "I definitely feel that any committee I've sat on, they have been very receptive to my comments."

Plus, he enjoys being informed of university happenings and is proud to know he can defy the stereotype of this generation's "apathetic" student.

The student voice is essential to the effectiveness of academic council, Putnam said.

"It's a mixture of faculty, students and administrators, and it's extremely important that the student voice is represented in those decisions," he said. "It's essential, both for student rights and to have voices represented, but also for the health and benefit of the university community."