Don't you wish you had a vote on tuition increases, UNM policies and choosing the University president?
Student Regent Andrea Cook did, and time is nearing to choose her successor.
Applications for the student regent position are due Oct. 1.
"You need to have a want to do good things for UNM," Cook said.
After receiving the applications, ASUNM and GPSA review them and set a day aside for interviews. Each group selects three candidates and sends them to President Louis Caldera. He then sends his recommendation to Gov. Bill Richardson, who is responsible for all regent appointments.
Cook is a former Associated Students of UNM president.
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She said without that experience, it might have taken her longer than a couple of months to adjust to the position.
"It helped me to propel in and hit the ground running," she said.
There are six other regents on the board.
Cook said sitting on the board is extremely nerve racking and can be intimidating at times.
Most student regents have been graduate students.
Buckner Creel, GPSA president, said that's not the way it needs to be, but graduate students bring experience to the board.
He said he will be looking for maturity, someone who "looks toward the future and also how today is progressing."
The number one priority, he said, is commitment.
The two-year appointment is an unpaid position.
Every once in a while, the student regent is used to refresh other regents' memories, Cook said.
"The regents are really great and knowledgeable, but not always from a student perspective," she said.
Regent Mar°a Griego-Raby said she and other regents have been out of school so long they need a reminder of what students need.
She said although experience is good, she is looking for someone who is willing to challenge her.
"It might feel a little intimidating at first," she said. "This individual has to be the one willing to ask the questions."
The student regent heads the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, one of the regents' three standing committees.
They are responsible for keeping up to date on everything at UNM, Cook said, adding they need to know the right time to speak.
She said she was never alone with an opinion, and if she was, it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"I can always convince someone to come to my side," she said.
Cook is working toward a master's degree in business administration and is part of the Alumni Association.
"It was wonderful for me to represent UNM students and have their best interests at heart," she said.
Cook will speak about her role as a student regent Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. in the SUB in Lobo Room A. Kevin Stevenson, ASUNM president, also extended the invitation to the Board of Regents.
Applications are available online or at the ASUNM and GPSA offices.
