Starting this March, the position of NIU student trustee will be decided by the student body rather than the Student Association president.

Representing the students is a very significant part of the position, said Student Trustee James Barr, who was chosen last spring.

“The student trustee has the most influence over the Board of Trustees,” he said, referring to NIU’s internal governing board, of which the student trustee is a voting member.

Based on state law and a constitutional amendment passed Sunday by the Student Senate, this will be the first instance in NIU history that the student trustee will be elected by popular vote. The board handles many of the most important student issues, including tuition.

“About nine years ago, there was a referendum to decide that the president would appoint the student trustee,” Barr said.

The student trustee has many important, yet straight-forward, duties, Barr said.

“The trustee has to be a member of the Academic Student Affairs Committee,” he said. “He or she has to attend and vote at board meetings, as well as represent the students. He or she also has to speak with student officers about controversial student issues.”

One annual project for the student trustee is to look at the tuition packet for the upcoming school year, Barr said.

“Right now, I’m currently working on individual projects, such as the convocation center and the shared governance agreement,” he said. “The shared governance agreement guarantees that students will have long-term input into projects such as the convocation center. There are agreements like this on the Holmes Student Center and the recreation center.”

Other individual projects include reviewing fees for students and contributing to the president’s task force for undergraduate life, Barr said.

“This position is not paid, and there is not an application process,” he noted.

Anyone interested should attend an informational meeting from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Holmes Student Center’s Illinois Room. The duties of the student trustee will be explained, after which people interested in the job will have one week to get 400 signatures from students. Candidates’ names will be put on the ballot for the March 27 and 28 SA election.