The MSU Board of Trustees meets on June 15, 2016 in the Administration meeting. It was the board's last meeting for the academic year.
If you're a student at MSU, your vote for the MSU Board of Trustees might be the most important vote you will cast this election. These are the people who will affect your lives the most in the short term you spend as a student at MSU, and thus their decision power cannot be undervalued. Trustee members were the ones who voted to raise tuition every year for the last seven. The trustees were the ones who voted to ban smoking on campus.
The current board needs to be shaken up. The two candidates sitting on the board looking for re-election, Democrats Dianne Byrum and Diann Woodard have been woefully poor at fulfilling a duty to students. Nearly their entire terms have seen tuition raise and because of this, The State News Editorial Board does not advocate for their reelection. The State News endorses the Republican challengers William Deary and Dan Kelly.
Deary's claim to fame is his call for a tuition freeze for in-state students as well as a cap on the number of out-of-state and international students. On both of these points we agree with him. Too often the trustees casually raise tuition without bothering to justify it beyond blaming the current governor of Michigan for declining support for higher education.
In regards to an out-of-state and international student cap, we believe great students from across the country and the world do come to MSU. However, as a public university in Michigan, students from Michigan should be given priority and preference in enrollment.
Kelly, while we recognize his intense views on social issues might alienate many students, is a welcome change from the business-as-usual mentality that seems to be prevalent among the current board.
The incumbents have raised tuition for the the past seven years. It's time to change that, and Deary and Kelly will get rid of expensive complacency on the board.
The State News Editorial Board is made up of the Editor-in-chief Jake Allen, Managing Editor Cameron Macko, Campus Editor Rachel Fradette, City Editor Josh Bender, Sports Editor Casey Harrison, Features Editor Connor Clark, Copy Chief Casey Holland and Staff Representative Stephen Olschanski.
Diversity Representative AlexeaHankin did not sit in on this editorial.
