The Board of Trustees Governance Ad Hoc Committee approved Student Association President Nathan Lupstein’s recommendation to allow the SA president to appoint a student trustee Thursday.

The Board of Trustees is composed of seven governor-appointed members and a student trustee who is voted in by students and serves a one-year term. The Board of Trustees have enacted campus-wide policies including the Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act and the Alcoholic Beverage Policy, according to the Board of Trustees website.

Law student Raquel Chavez resigned from the student trustee position at the beginning of the semester, according to a Jan. 22 Northern Star article.

The proposed amendment will now move to the full board for consideration on March 17. Until then, a student trustee will not be present to represent the student body for at least five committee meetings on Feb. 18, including the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee.

Meetings are open to the public.

According to Article I, Section II of the NIU Board of Trustees bylaws, “significant student participation in decision-making processes within the limits of attainable effectiveness” is encouraged.

“… We’ve got quite a responsibility that is before us which is to deal with the vacancy of the student trustee position,” said Board Vice Chair John Butler at the Governance Ad Hoc Committee meeting Thursday.

Lupstein said SA presidents have filled student trustee vacancies before, including twice in 1999.

In 2001, the student trustee appointment shifted to a campus-wide popular vote, Lupstein said. Chavez is the first student trustee to resign after being elected by popular vote.

The student trustee appointee is given the same rights and power as an elected student trustee, Lupstein said.

“The Student Member shall have all of the privileges of membership, including the right to make and second motions, to attend executive sessions and to vote on all Board matters except those involving faculty tenure, faculty promotion or on any issue on which the Student Member has a direct conflict of interest,” according to the Board of Trustees bylaws.