Collegiate Times

On a campus of nearly 30,000 students, two promising young individuals are looking ahead to the future and considering the priorities of their fellow students when participating in an important role.

The Board of Visitors consists of 14 individuals appointed by the governor who meet four times a year to discuss any and all issues associated with Virginia Tech. Four constituent non-voting representatives play crucial roles in the process as well; each speaks for the opinions of the undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff.

“The Board is essentially the governing body of Virginia Tech. They help decide on everything from setting tuition to the hiring and firing of administrators,” said Kristina Hartman, who is a senior biology major. “As an Undergraduate Student Representative, I try to see what is the biggest issue across the board for undergraduate students.”

The student representatives are selected through a lengthy process and serve for a year term. Both representatives are given five minutes each during the quarterly board meetings to present constituency reports which convey what they believe are the most imperative issues to be dealt with according to students.

In Hartman’s platform for this year, she emphasizes the continuing effort for sustainability on campus and maintaining class sizes in order to make sure everyone gets a sufficient education. She also seeks to convey the idea that money is being wasted to pay people to perform tasks students themselves could do.

“People want to feel more involved in the university, so why should we spend so much money when the more affordable and rational option is to give students the opportunities to accomplish the same tasks and supplement their education while doing so?” Hartman asked. “Only 15 percent of undergraduates are truly involved with extracurricular activities.”

While undergraduates have their fair share of challenges, being a graduate student is also a difficult and expensive endeavor. Nobody knows this better than French, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in geosciences. With this in mind, there are many issues that French is advocating to alleviate the stresses and expenses of graduate life.

French is pushing to develop more opportunities so that menotring is available to every graduate student. In addition, the matter of health insurance plays a big role in her agenda. Currently, graduate students are unable to receive health insurance year-round despite the fact that they are essentially year-round students.

Several problems develop as a result of this complication, problems that greatly affect not only students’ ability to accomplish tasks but problem arise from student loan concerns as well being denied Schiffert Health Center service during the summer.

“Too often we are all seen collectively as just students,” French said. “There are big differences between the graduate and undergraduate community that should be recognized and dealt with accordingly when making decisions.”

While the effects may not be immediate, both hope that they are making waves in the Tech community that will improve it for the better.