Aside from a new dean, students have another voice in the administration and on the Board of Trustees -- the voice of one of their own.
Danielle Frazier, a junior elementary education major, was named by Gov. Mitch Daniels as the new student trustee at the end of July.
Frazier will take the place of Kyle Mitchell, who graduated in May of 2005, and will be the student trustee for two years.
Frazier took the time to explain what she will do in her role as the new student trustee and what she hopes she will be able to do for students in the next two years.
What is your role as student trustee and what are some of your responsibilities?
As of right now, I'm still sort of learning, but I do know that a big part of my role is to represent the students' perspective, and I am the students' voice to the Board of Trustees -- but that's not just my only job. But I do know that I'm supposed to be equally knowledgeable on every topic as the rest of the trustees. I'm considered an equal but, as of right now, I'm still learning what that role is.
Do you have any plans set up as to how students can bring concerns to you that you can then present to the board?
I think right now what the best thing I can do is to be present at as many student activities as my schedule will allow, and I think just getting to know who I am and know my face and that I am very approachable. If anybody ever had a concern, they could bring it to me. That's an important part of my role, but it's not the only role, but I want to make sure people know they can come to me if they feel something needs to be addressed and that they're confident that I will make sure it is brought to the forefront.
Being the voice of students is only one of your roles, what are some others?
I'm representing the citizens of Indiana. I represent tax payers; I represent students here at Ball State or just students of Indiana. I am the student voice, but it's more that I'm the student perspective. Rather than just saying, 'This is what the students want,' I'm supposed to say, 'Here's what I perceive.' That's what I know so far. I don't want to say that it's set in stone, but that's what I've come to understand.
Do you plan to do anything differently than your predecessor?
I don't know a whole lot about Kyle Mitchell. I'm still learning as much as I can right now. I do plan on, not that he didn't, but I do plan on being very open-minded, very respectable, and I want to be a quick learner. My goal is by the end of this semester [to have] made my fit on the board. I don't want to be one of those people who takes an entire first year to even understand what's going on. As both years go by, I'll learn something new every meeting as the two years go by, but I'd like to feel comfortable on the board with the members.
Have you had any other experience that you feel has prepared you for this?
I was an ambassador for the 2016 Conference and basically what that conference was about was students getting together and sharing their opinions on why Indiana is so largely involved in what they call the brain drain. Why so many students come to Indiana, or students from around Indiana go to school here, and then they leave. The week after they graduate, they move out of state, so it seems like all that great education they're getting, because Indiana schools are great schools, and they're getting all that wonderful education and taking it away.
I've learned a lot about how to listen and how to quickly understand the concepts people are trying to bring to you. I did also serve on two search committees this summer -- one for the director of leadership and service learning and one for the Dean of the Division of Student Affairs. In both those committees, it was mostly faculty and staff of Ball State, and it helped me learn how to speak, when to speak, what's important to say, what's something you might want to think about and how to go about asking questions. Never be afraid to ask questions.
Did you have any thoughts about the board of trustees and how it works or might not work?
From what I know, I think Ball State's doing a good job from the past two years I've been here. That's not just something I'm saying; it's something I feel as a student here. I think it's a great university, and the board has a lot to do with that. I don't know a whole lot about them yet. I know they're pretty much the same people year after year, but from what I can tell, the board is doing a good job, and I'm looking forward to meeting and working with everyone on it.
How can you ensure students that you're not going to be there just to be seen and not heard and that you will do things in their best interests, even if it's not popular with the board?
Something that I've always been proud of is that I'm never afraid to speak up, even if it's not the popular vote. Not to say that I'm disrespectful. I mean, there's ways of going about saying things, but I think students can trust me in knowing that I fully plan on fulfilling all the duties that are required of me in this role and not to think that I just want to be seen; I definitely want to be heard on the board, and I think that's a very important factor of the student because the student keeps the board current. Like I said, many of the members stay the same, and I think they've done a great job, but I think having a new person come in every two years helps them realize what the students want or how the university is changing as a whole.
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