Pamela Campos-Palma, the first student trustee on Portland State’s new Board of Trustees, submitted her resignation from the Board on June 26.
Campos-Palma’s resignation came in just days before the Board of Trustees became effective on July 1.
The new Board of Trustees, confirmed by Oregon State Senate in November 2013, governs PSU as an independent public body. The board has jurisdiction to set tuition with input from Oregon legislative bodies, appoint the PSU president and other employees, establish a police department and issue bonds. This board replaces the governance previously carried out by the State Board of Higher Education, as a part of the Oregon University System.
The board is comprised of 14 voting members, including one student trustee. PSU President Wim Wiewel also resides on the board as a non-voting member.
The student trustee, appointed for a two-year term, is the bridge between students and officials that approve policies for the campus at large.
“I felt incredibly valued and heard by the other members of the Board of Trustees,” Campos-Palma said. “My voice was heard and I knew I was doing my job.”
Associate English professor and board member Maude Hines spoke fondly of working with Campos-Palma. “She’s been really conscientious, and really put a lot of time and energy into it. She considered ideas carefully and was not afraid to speak up, and I think those attributes are important,” Hines said.
Although Campos-Palma’s resignation was swift, she said that it was the right decision for her career. She enrolled at New York University as a graduate student this fall, though she will be an active member on the Board of Trustees until a successor is appointed.
“I have volunteered to continue as the student trustee until the [Associated Students of PSU] and [the] Board of Trustees can find a successor,” Campos-Palma said.
Her resignation opens a vacancy for a new student trustee during a vulnerable time, as important legislation is up for voting this fall.
“Students need to understand important issues, such as the sworn police officers,” Campos-Palma said.
She said she wants students to get involved and understand why legislation is brought to the table as well. Campos-Palma intends to fulfill her role as student trustee by opening lines of communication with students.
“I want students to talk to me,” Campos-Palma said regarding student input and the decisions made by the Board of Trustees.
To open communication with students, Campos-Palma has asked ASPSU to make her contact information (apamela@pdx.edu) available online as a method for keeping an open door between students and the inner walls of the Board of Trustees.
Campos-Palma said she can’t solve everything, but expressed a desire to help students understand the reality of governing a large university.
In regard to staying connected with students during this transition, Campos-Palma feels that ASPSU hasn’t heard her attempts to communicate about finding a replacement.
“I’ve been in hourless conversations with ASPSU and I don’t believe ASPSU has heard me. I want to be involved,” Campos-Palma said.
ASPSU President Eric Noll said that Campos-Palma’s feelings of being unheard stem from the rigid relationship between the student trustee and former ASPSU President Harris Foster, who served from June 2013 to June 2014. Noll said that Foster was not receptive, nor supportive of the inaugural student trustee.
Noll said ASPSU has faced difficulties maintaining communication with Campos-Palma due to the time zone differences and other project commitments. Noll, Campos-Palma and other ASPSU members held a Skype call over the weekend to clear the air.
“We want to address concerns the best we can,” Noll said.
He said that he wants to make communication between the student body, ASPSU and the Board of Trustees transparent. Noll intends to attend every Board of Trustees and special committee meeting henceforth to help close the gap in information relayed to the student body.
ASPSU is responsible for conducting a search for a qualified student to succeed Campos-Palma, and ASPSU has begun an application process to find candidates qualified to perform as the student trustee. An open application was emailed out on Sept. 24. Campos-Palma also informed many department heads of the opening to allow a diverse set of students to apply for the role.
When asked about what she thinks are important attributes of a student trustee, Hines said, “The ability to think holistically, interest in the long term future of the university. I think it’s important to understand what’s going on with students, but there’s not a single student opinion or agenda.”
“It’s important not to overburden the student trustee with appeals to special interests on behalf of small groups of students,” Hines added.
Applications for the student trustee position close Oct. 16. Eligible candidates will be interviewed Oct. 21, and three recommended candidates will be forwarded to Governor John Kitzhaber’s office by Nov. 1.
University General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees David Reese said ASPSU is responsible for selecting the candidates, but the governor must appoint a new student trustee to the board from those recommendations.
Noll and ASPSU Vice President Rayleen McMillan are streamlining the interview process to ensure qualified candidates are recommended to the governor’s office. Noll said that, because the Board of Trustees is new, ASPSU has no precedent to follow about recommending candidates.
Reese expects a new student trustee to be appointed by early December.
“It is important to have a student voice [on the board],” Reese said. The upcoming board meeting on Dec. 11, when the board is expected to make a decision on hiring a sworn police force on campus, contributes to urgency in securing a student to fulfill the role.
Noll predicted that a new student trustee could have been appointed in September had they been able to get in touch with the governor’s office.
“We are frustrated with the governor’s office because this whole summer we haven’t been able to connect with anybody. We could’ve had a new student trustee appointed as early as September, but here we are, rushing to fill a space before the big December meeting,” Noll said.
Campos-Palma said she has attempted to connect with ASPSU members to create a mentor program to help future student trustees acclimate to the role, but has not been satisfied with the level of communication from student government.
“To be honest, I’m disappointed in ASPSU,” Campos-Palma said. Campos-Palma felt that her insight would be useful.
Noll said the selection process will include Campos-Palma.
“We are absolutely receptive to [Campos-Palma] being a mentor,” Noll said. He explained that her experience is important to ASPSU, but the student government wants to complete the interview process first.
Campos-Palma and the Board of Trustees have designed a continuity plan to eliminate a gap in student representation. They have created a student trustee handbook and Campos-Palma has worked to make the transition smooth to avoid any issues caused by her early departure.
Campos-Palma’s time as student trustee was shorter than expected, but she said she plans to fill the role by being a strong, multidimensional voice for PSU students until a replacement can be found.
“I’ll be an intentional advocate in my role,” Campos-Palma said.
Students applying for the student trustee position must return the application no later than 12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Oct. 16 to be considered. The application requires a resume, cover letter, application and supplemental information. More information can be found at ASPSU in the Smith Memorial Student Union, room 117.