It is a chance to be the voice for the student body and the communicator between the administration and students; the position for Ball State student trustee is up for grabs.
Interested students gathered for a chance to ask questions about the student position unknown to much of the Ball State student body Sunday afternoon.
"Being prepared to learn a lot is a huge part of this position," Nicole Vauter, current student trustee, said. "Also being able to communicate your thoughts and different students' thoughts to the board [is part of the job]."
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The volunteer position is held for two years but gives the student the same powers as any other trustee on the board.
Applications are being accepted for the position of a student who is timely, prepared and respectful, Anita Kelsey, senior assistant to President Jo Ann Gora, said.
"You will be serving the citizens of Indiana," Kelsey said. "You will not be serving the SGA or Ball State."
Kelsey said theposition is appointed by the governor.
Before the meetings, the student trustee should read up on the material and be prepared, Kelsey said.
"If you do that, you'll get so much more out of it," she said.
One of the responsibilities of the trustee is to attend university events throughout the year. Vauter has been invited to many campus events, including ground-breaking ceremonies for new buildings.
Besides the work that is put into the position, there is also a payoff involved.
The student will receive about $300-$400 a year for meetings and mileage, a paid parking pass, two free tickets to a Ball State event and a discount at the bookstore. Students receive another type of payoff as well— they mingle with donors and deans and meet individually with all the vice presidents of the university.
"It's not a job, it's a service," Kelsey said.
Sophomore elementary education and athletic training major Shelby Welsh is one of the students who is interested in the position.
"I'm aspiring to be a school superintendent and work with the government as well as school systems, so I figured it would be a great opportunity to learn firsthand while I'm still in college how those two correlate and work together to make sure everybody exceeds in the school system," she said.
If she would be selected for the position, Welsh said she has some goals for the university.
"Some of my specific goals would be to improve students input on the board of trustees," she said. "I was surprised that there is a student voice on there and I thought that'd be a good spot for me because I love talking to students and being involved and trying to put their voice out in the public as well."
Chris Wilkey, sophomore economics major, is also interested in the position.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to do something that was for the college, not just for me, and get some great experience," he said. "I hope to learn from all the trustees because there's a lot of people that know a lot more than I do and it's great to get people who are in the business world since I'm a business major."
For students eager to learn more, Vauter encourages them to apply.
"I always open my ears to learn all that I can," she said. "That has been the greatest part of this position."
Student Trustee applications are in the SGA office in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center room 112 and are due in the office by 5 p.m. on Feb. 25.
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