ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

But the two students said they’d want to see more student involvement.

Matthew Caramagno, ASMSU’s external vice chairman, said he would “love it” if he sat on one or two committees because then there would be the possibility of more student voices.

“We are not taking anyone’s spot by being on them,” he said. “If we weren’t, nobody would be on it. This stuff has to get done, and we are the ones that want to do it and have the time.”

Caramagno sits on four of the committees in Academic Governmance, while Eric Hinojosa, ASMSU’s Academic Assembly chairman, sits on five.

Hinojosa and Caramagno together sit on seven of the university’s 20 committees that have student seats.

“I think that when students hear what kind of changes they can make, they tend to be interested but just don’t have the time,” Hinojosa said. “You pretty much need to have Tuesday and Thursday clear after 3 p.m. I sit on a few committees because I am in this spot, and it is expected of the (chairperson).”

Caramagno said Academic Assembly is always looking for more people to appoint as student representatives in different committees, such as Academic Council. Students make up one-third of the council or more than 30 seats, he said.

“We added 18 new students to that so it’s starting to fill up with about 22 now,” Caramagno said. “It’s more people than we’ve had in a while. Last fall, there were seven seats filled, and we didn’t get much interest from students.”

There is a possibility for extensive student representation at every level, Floyd said.

“I don’t know many universities that have such a holistic embrace of student representation and input,” she said. “I mean, there is a complete willingness to engage students, but the issue here is: How do we strengthen the faculty’s voice?”

Hinojosa said the faculty somehow got an idea that students have more of a voice than they do.

“I don’t know how they could possibly think that,” he said. “We are disadvantaged. There are current things that they are trying to do and by trying to disadvantage us, they think it will give them more voice.”

The governance system is discussing the creation of a steering committee which student members argue would limit student voice.

Other Academic Governance members said the volunteering students are representing the students well.

“They don’t have enough students on some of the committees and the more, the better,” said Jerry Punch, a communication sciences and disorders professor who sits on University Committee on Academic Policy. “But I’m impressed with the students who do volunteer and that they do speak out. They are pretty vocal.”

Staff writer Tara Thoel contributed to this report.