March 11, 2013
State Representative Gregory Haddad is pleased to announce that HB 5617, a bill he has proposed to the Higher Education Committee, will be getting a public hearing on March 14 at 1 p.m. in the Legislative Office Building. The hearing will take place in room 1E.
“This change is necessary to ensure the Board of Trustees has a representative from the undergraduate student body, at a time that it is being asked to make decisions that are critical to students,” said Representative Haddad.
HB 5617, AN ACT CONCERNING STUDENT MEMBERSHIP ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, alters the qualifications of the student trustees to sit on the University of Connecticut’s Board of Trustees. The change would ensure that a student was allowed to serve on the Board of Trustees until the student is no longer a full-time enrolled undergraduate or graduate student. The current statute allows students to continue serving after they graduate, therefore leaving the enrolled student population without representation on the Board.
“I applaud Representative Haddad's efforts to strengthen the student voice at UConn by requiring undergraduate student trustees to be undergraduate students. It is impossible to faithfully represent the undergraduate constituency at UConn without interacting with undergraduates and living the undergraduate life on a day-to-day basis,” UConn Undergraduate Student Government President, Stephen Petkis, said. “This change will empower students at UConn by ensuring that their voice on the board of trustees has their finger on the pulse of student concerns. I fully support this legislation, and urge the General Assembly to approve it as presented.”
Representative Haddad represents Mansfield’s 54th Assembly district and is Vice Chair of the Higher Education Committee.