System Procedure 2.3.1 Student Involvement in Decision-Making

System Procedures
Chapter 2 - Students

Part 1. Student Participation and Involvement
Minnesota State promotes student participation and involvement as integral parts of student leadership and development. Student representatives are a part of decision-making on the Board of Trustees, at the system level, and on campuses. Some issues require on-going student representation while others require student consultation or review.

Subpart A. Campus Meetings
To provide a mechanism for student discussion, consultation, and reviews, college and university administrators shall meet regularly with student representatives appointed by the campus student association(s). The president and/or designee shall:

Meet with the campus student association(s) at least twice per semester to discuss issues of mutual concern brought forward by the student association or the administration;

Inform the campus student association of the subject of scheduled consultations or reviews at least a week in advance except under very unusual circumstances as reported to the chancellor;

Structure the consultation process to provide adequate time for students to discuss and consider an issue prior to any proposed recommendation.

Subpart B. System Meetings
To provide an opportunity to exchange information, views, and discuss concerns, the chancellor and designated staff shall meet regularly with the statewide student association leadership. The meetings are scheduled by the Office of the Chancellor after consultation with each statewide student association.

Part 2. Representation
Students must be provided the opportunity and encouraged to serve as full members of appropriate college, university, or system office committees through the entire process of that committee. Examples include, but are not limited to search committees for certain positions (e.g. such as senior administrators, student affairs /student development professionals), policy development committees, strategic planning and budgeting committees, food service and other third-party vendor selection committees, student insurance vendor selection committees, etc. When possible, student schedules and obligations (academic, work, family, etc) should be accommodated when scheduling meetings.

Part 3. Review and Consultation
Review occurs when the administration shares information with the campus student association and provides an opportunity for students to ask questions about the information. Consultation occurs when the administration seeks input from the campus student association and considers that information in the decision-making process.

Subpart A. Review
The review process keeps the campus student association informed on topics that may be of interest to students. The review process includes, but is not limited to,

A meeting to inform the campus student association on topics of potential interest.

Providing the campus student association with an agenda prior to the meeting unless prevented by urgent or very unusual circumstances.

Providing the campus student association with the opportunity to ask questions about the information.

Topics that may be reviewed include, but are not limited to, statutory changes, campus budget information, campus bonding requests, remodeling and construction projects that are being formulated, fees not charged to all students, and substantial changes to academic programs or non-curricular campus proposals.

Subpart B. Consultation
The consultation process gathers input and/or recommendations from the campus student association and can provide a forum for developing agreements with the administration. Consultation includes, but is not limited to:

One or more meetings with the campus student association to discuss issues and proposals;

Providing notice of agenda items and necessary background materials in advance of the meetings unless prevented by urgent or very unusual circumstances. If the campus student association requests further information, a response must be provided within a reasonable amount of time;

Allowing a reasonable amount of time for the campus student association to discuss, gather relevant information, and provide input and/or recommendations.

Topics that require consultation include, but are not limited to,

changing tuition,

establishing or changing fees including revenue fund fees,

presidential exemption of fees,

changing student wage rates,

food service contracts,

acquisition and disposition of real estate, and

non-curricular campus proposals that have significant impact on students.

Subpart C. Campus student association letter
When a college or university proposal requires student consultation and board approval, the campus student association shall write a letter to the Board of Trustees describing the level of consultation, and stating any position(s) taken by the association. A campus student association that is neutral or does not hold a position should state that view in the letter. The campus administration shall communicate the letter’s submission deadline to the campus student association.

Topics that require a letter to the board from the campus student association include, but are not limited to:

tuition and fees,

room and board rates,

food service contracts, and

acquisition and disposition of real estate.

System Procedure History:

Date of Adoption: 11/03/99
Date of Implementation: 11/03/99
Date of Last Review: 05/03/24

Date & Subject of Amendments:

05/03/24– Full review, in Part 1 changed the title from “Policy Statement” to “Student Participation and Involvement” and replaced “chief administrative officer” with “president and/or designee”. In Part 2, added language encouraging student participation and making an effort to accommodate student schedules and obligations when scheduling committee meetings. In Part 3, reorganized the information by converting Subpart A into the Part 3 introductory paragraph and moving the Reviews subpart ahead of the Consultation subpart.

04/03/19 – Reviewed as part of the five year review cycle pursuant to Board Policy 1A.1. Technical Changes made throughout the procedure.

Additional HISTORY.

System Procedure 2.3.1 Student Involvement in Decision-Making

Related Documents:

System Procedure History: