Students will continue to push for increased input in university decision-making this afternoon when the Northwestern Open Campus Coalition rallies support for its student-input campaign and Associated Student Government leaders meet with a Board of Trustees committee.
Since administrators announced plans two weeks ago to fill in four acres of the Lagoon, both ASG and the newly formed coalition have advocated greater student involvement in issues affecting campus. But while ASG continues to work hand-in-hand with administrators, the coalition has taken a more hard-line approach in protesting decisions.
“ASG is limited because of the situation it’s in,” said Matt McCormick, Students for Ecological and Environmental Development Senator and NOCC member. “ASG runs a far higher risk of setting back other projects by forcing the Lagoon issue. The administration really doesn’t hold such sway over NOCC.”
The coalition’s rally will start with speakers at the University Library Plaza and then move to the Rebecca Crown Center, which houses many administrative offices.
“We’re hoping to show the administration, by approaching them where they live, that this is important to us,” said Neil Helbraun, a group member and Weinberg senior. “I’m hoping that anyone who wants to make their feelings known can make them known (at the rally).”
When ASG leaders meet with members of the Board of Trustees’ Student Affairs Committee today, they will discuss adding a student representative to the board, ASG President Jordan Heinz said.
“We’re going to start to put together a proposal for (Board of Trustees) Chairman (Patrick) Ryan to get student representation on the board in some way or another, whether that be an actual student member or (a non-voting) student member or a voting or non-voting member on some of the committees,” said Heinz, an Education senior.
Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis and other administrators also will attend the meeting.
Although students have called for representation on the Board of Trustees, University President Henry Bienen told The Daily last week that student input would have little impact because all board members are held to confidentiality standards.
Even without a student representative, Trustees have sought student input on projects including the construction of Kemper Hall in 1999 and the ongoing building of Slivka Hall, he said.
“When you’re building a building for students, you want that consultation and that existed,” Bienen said Wednesday. “(Former Vice President for Student Affairs) Peggy Barr consulted up the ying-yang on Kemper.”
Bienen said students generally complain only when administrators introduce unpopular ideas.
“There was no consultation on tennis facilities, but people liked the idea,” Bienen said. “It’s when people don’t like the idea (that they protest).”
The coalition and ASG will try their luck again today in communicating their messages after previous meetings proved unsatisfactory, student leaders said. Administrators met separately with Heinz and NOCC members Friday afternoon.
“Both of us came out of there with nothing concrete, which was a little upsetting,” Heinz said.
After last week’s ASG forum with top administrators, Heinz met with coalition members to discuss negotiating tactics. But Off-Campus senator and NOCC member Rachel Lopez said both groups have different approaches to effecting change.
“ASG cannot risk having a contentious relationship with administrators,” said Lopez, a Weinberg junior. “NOCC can.”
Although ASG leaders have frequent contact with top-level administrators, NOCC members said they can accomplish their goals by being more confrontational.
“ASG is kind of a liaison to the administration,” Lopez said. “NOCC is a student protest group for campus democracy.”
The working relationship between administrators and ASG has prevented senators and executive members from directly opposing past administrative decisions, said McCormick, a Weinberg sophomore.
“It’s the role of ASG to represent the student body in a formal manner within a traditional framework that’s been created by the administration,” McCormick said. “NOCC is not inhibited by the same (formal structure).”
The Daily’s Becky Bowman and Marisa Maldonado contributed to this report.
