This editorial is the first in a two part series outlining the need for an additional Student Regent.

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is one of the single most influential body affecting the quality of education UW students receive during their time in college. However, there exists only a single student voice on the 17-member board, which is responsible by state law for governing the UW System by appointing all leadership (president, chancellors and deans) and making decisions concerning the university budget and admission standards. It is both illogical and unrepresentative that the composition of a group of decision-makers who remain so closely linked with the fate of UW students is so void of student representation.

To make the Board of Regents a more fair and representative body, the addition of a second student regent is needed. Since the board makes decisions that can intimately affect all students within the UW System, it seems only intuitive that another voice comes from within the student body. Although there are certain advantages to regents who are older and more experienced, a representative undergoing the struggles and experiences of a student would logically be best to advocate for student needs.

Additionally, the two student regents should be paid for their two-year tenure. Even though serving as a regent should derive more from a desire to contribute to the UW System than from the chance to earn a lucrative paycheck, student regents must be given some compensation for the sacrifices they make in service to the board. Acting as a student regent requires a substantial personal commitment; certainly if the president of the Associated Students of Madison gets paid, students serving on the Board of Regents should be compensated.

It also seems most practical that the two student regents serve two-year terms each, alternating every year with staggered terms so a senior student regent would always be available to guide the new representative. This arrangement would allow an experienced student regent to serve at the same time the new regent is adjusting to their term in office, meaning there is always a student representative serving on the board with the experience to effectively advocate for students.

The majority of the Board of Regents is all too often out of touch with the students its represents. We see the most ready way to fix this seeming disconnect as the addition of a second, paid student to the board.