USNH Trustee Resigns, Creating a Void in Senate

Plymouth State University's Student Senate is down a crucial member after the resignation of USNH trustee Nicholas Casali on Thurs., Nov. 10.

Casali, who had been an active member of Student Senate for three years, resigned in an email to his fellow Senate members, stating his reason for resignation as needing "to strongly concentrate on my academics for my direct future."

The USNH trustee position is a very large and prominent student role. The trustee is responsible for meeting with trustees from our fellow state schools, the University of New Hampshire, Keene State College, and Granite State College, and has a considerable voice in discussing and approving academic fees. 

The USNH trustee holds one of two votes that PSU has on the Board of Trustees in approving fees for students. President Steen holds the second vote. Without a student trustee, all fees approved lack direct student representation.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Dec. 12, when representatives from PSU, UNH, Keene State College, and Granite State College will present their fees to the Board for approval. Although Senate Speaker Luke Breidt and other Senate members will be attending and presenting the fee proposals, only President Steen will have a vote.

But the job of trustee is much more involved than just voting on fees. "The time commitment is huge," said Breidt. "There's lots of traveling between the four institutions, a lot of networking and communication with the other trustees, and you're really the one person that the other schools know."

The Student Senate is currently working closely with the President's Office trying to fill Casali's old position. "We are in the process [of filling the position] and the students will be involved in the selection of a new trustee in upcoming weeks," said President Steen.

The Student Senate must wait for a minimum of two weeks before filling the position, which is the standard advertising period for filling a Senate position. But, according to Breidt, Senate is not in a great rush to find a replacement.

"The people running need to know what they're getting themselves into," said Breidt, emphasizing the weight of the role and the need for a serious and capable candidate, "but you can have no Senate experience whatsoever and make a great candidate for trustee."

"There's a lot of external pressure that comes with the job," said Breidt, alluding to the trustee's role and voice at the Board of Trustees meetings. "What you say there represents 7,500 kids."

The Student Senate will continue to advertise the position and keep an eye out for candidates, but are not urgently trying to induct a new trustee without having confidence in their abilities and stamina. "We don't anticipate having a new trustee by the end of the semester," said Breidt.

For more information about the USNH Trustee position, contact Luke Breidt at ljbreidt@plymouth.edu.