"Let's just settle this among ourselves... "



University of Minnesota

President Bruininks to Students:

Stay away from legislature

From the Daily:

The Minnesota Student Association is making strides toward shared governance through talks with the Board of Regents, but during Tuesday’s forum, President Bob Bruininks warned them against bringing the issue to the state Legislature.

Students at the University of Wisconsin achieved shared governance by petitioning the legislature, and students obtained the right to formulate and review “policies concerning student life, services and interests,” but Bruininks told forum he would rather keep the issue internal and “work it out as members of the University [of Minnesota] community.”

[You bet he would...]

Shook said MSA will continue to ready a legislative platform if it isn’t able to accomplish anything through the Board of Regents.

However, Bruininks hinted that shared governance might not be well-received at the Capitol in the current political climate.

[And why, exactly, is that Mr. President?  My belief is that shared governance would actually lead to improvements at the U and that some of the mistakes of the past would not have happened with shared governance.]

MSA representative Paul Buchel raised concerns over whether the student role would continue to be advisory or if students would get a real vote on issues affecting them and the University.

Bruininks said it was important to work toward consensus between students, faculty and administrators and to work through issues, rather than simply vote on them.

[Mr. President - shared governance without real power is a sham... ]

He did not clearly state whether MSA would have a vote rather than just an advisory role.