Students outnumber administrators on the Student Required Fee Committee six to four – yet only four student representatives voted Tuesday during a fee increase meeting.
With more than 25,000 students enrolled in the University, some may wonder who these six students are and whether they are fulfilling their duties as student body representatives.
One student representative has not attended any meetings since his appointment in spring 2007.
Ford Athmann was appointed by Student Senate Speaker Colorado Robertson in spring 2007. Athmann said he has not attended a meeting since his appointment and was unaware he was even a member of the committee. Athmann offered his resignation Wednesday as a student representative.
“I was under the impression that my time with that committee had passed and was only for the fall semester,” Athmann said Tuesday.
But Athmann did not attend the committee meeting this past fall semester. He said he received e-mails about committee meeting times but said he assumed it was because he was still part of a committee e-mail list. He said SRF Committee Chairwoman Cassie Alsfeld never informed him of his role as a student representative for this semester.
“To be completely honest with you, I haven’t spoken with Cassie Alsfeld in eight months,” Athmann said. “I have not received a specific e-mail from Cassie or Colorado saying I’m a member, and that I am needed at the meetings.”
Athmann said Robertson called him about a month ago, but the two never spoke, and he did not receive a voicemail.
Robertson said when he called Athmann prior to the Feb. 8 SRF Committee meeting, he left a five-minute voicemail reminding Athmann of the duties he accepted as a one-year representative on the committee.
“I left him a voicemail telling him to attend the meetings,” Robertson said. “I told him if he can’t attend the meetings to let me know so we can fill the position with a new member.”
Robertson said he hoped it was a miscommunication issue, but said it is the chairwoman’s responsibility to make sure representatives attend.
“I wouldn’t put the blame on anybody,” he said.
Alsfeld said she discussed Athmann’s participation at the meetings with Robertson but did not personally call Athmann to ask about the issue. She said she told Chief of Staff Emily LeBlanc to call him this past week because she was concerned about student representation on the committee.
“This is only the third meeting, but I started getting worried after the last one,” Alsfeld said. “I told him it wasn’t a big deal, I was just concerned about student representation.”
After the third meeting, the committee has already recommended two fee increases to the Office of the Chancellor since the first meeting in December.
Another student representative attended this past semester’s meeting but sent a substitute to the two most recent meetings.
Chris Hester was appointed by Alsfeld and is a student representative for the Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
Alsfeld said Hester attended the meeting in December but has not attended a meeting this semester. Hester has sent a proxy to serve in his absence for both meetings.
Scott Sternberg, class president of first-year law students, said he will sit in for Hester for the remaining of the semester. He said Hester does not plan to attend any meetings.
Alsfeld serves as a third voice for the student body. She abstained from voting Tuesday and abstained during the December meeting when the University Student Recreation Center fee increase passed.
As a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors, Alsfeld said she has “the official vote on these fee increases.” Because of her position on the Board, Alsfeld said her vote on the SRF Committee does not weigh as heavily as it does on the Board.
Alsfeld appointed Jeffrey Noel, mass communication freshman, as the fourth student representative. Noel strongly defended the Student Health Center fee increase proposal during the past two committee meetings.
Will Monson, president of the Resident Hall Association, is the fifth student representative on the committee. Monson voted in favor of the fee increase but had minimal participation in the discussion during Tuesday’s meeting.
Robertson serves as the final student representative on the committee. He said he tends to be very vocal during each meeting.
“I have the opinion that the students’ voice is me on this committee, and if I don’t speak up and get the issues out then I’m not doing my job,” Robertson said.
Robertson said when big issues are brought before a committee, the people on the committee should be prepared to fulfill their duties.
“My main goal is to keep fees as low as possible for students,” Robertson said.
Robertson said he is collaborating with Eric Monday, associate vice chancellor for Finance and Administrative Services, to possibly change the committee. He said he wants to see more student representation and communication with students before proposals go before the committee.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]