The Student Union announced last night that President Ethan Clay will be the only student to serve on the committee to examine the candidates being considered for president of Boston University. It marks the first time in the history of the university that a student will assist administrators and faculty members in searching for a replacement to take the seat on a permanent basis. Clay is to be commended for his efforts, but he should realize the importance of the immense task before him.
Clay said he was selected after writing a letter to the Board of Trustees, stating his concern that only trustees were selected for the preliminary search committee. Clay was chosen to represent the student body on the preliminary search committee, while a committee containing 17 students will make the final decision at a later date.
However, the preliminary search committee will only include between six and 12 members of the Board of Trustees and Clay, according to VP of Public Relations Frances Cosico. Therefore, Clay must assume the giant task of representing the student body, something he has experience dealing with every day as president of the Student Union. In this respect, if only one student is to be named to the committee, Clay is the ideal choice.
Clay should talk to students — at his open dinners, during his office hours or just around campus — to find out concerns they may have for the next president of BU, as he is representing all of the students. While it would be impossible to talk to all the students, Clay should encourage them to stop by his dinners, email him or visit him in the Union office. Although Clay was the only student to show initiative and send a letter to the board, all of the students have a vested interest in what type of president will be assuming power at their university.
Clay should be looking for a president who is like Chancellor John Silber, in the respect that the candidate should be outspoken, visible on campus and respond to students. The last BU president, Jon Westling, could have greatly improved in these areas. When searching for a replacement, Clay should be actively pursuing a person who would take the university in a new direction and not be as closely related to Silber as Westling was during his time in the role.
Most importantly, Clay needs to realize that while the six to 12 trustees only represent their approximately 55 members, he represents more than 14,000 undergraduates at BU. With so many constituents, Clay must make sure his voice is not lost in the shuffle and he speaks on behalf of all students. At the meetings, he must not be intimidated by the Trustees, but instead stand up for all the students he represents on a daily basis. Clay has taken the responsibility of speaking for the entire student body before, but now his actions could affect dozens of future classes at BU. He should act accordingly.
