Student Trustee: Board of Trustees mulls crucial decisions

You might not realize that Moraine Valley is governed by a Board of Trustees made up of people from the community.

What does this governing body do? Well, the Board of Trustees makes many decisions that affect the college.

For example, one huge decision the board recently made is increasing tuition. Due to the decrease in enrollment and the rise in inflation, it was only a matter of time before the cost per credit hour would be affected. I completely understand the anxiety and concern from students around this topic, but I can assure you that this is going to be okay. The additional money can help feed into the tutoring center, the FitRec center, and many more services that are available to students. It will allow Moraine to maintain the quality of programs for students.

Another decision the board made was to reduce the seats available for online courses to help start to open the campus for in-person classes. Many students have stated that virtual classes were a struggle for them, and the college has responded by adapting classes to smaller sizes to allow for COVID mitigation protocols, or offering classes as hybrids with both in-person and virtual sessions. As COVID continues to wane, Moraine wants to work toward a full reopening of all campuses in Palos Hills, Blue Island, and Tinley Park.

Now, what is a Student Trustee? What do they do? I’m glad you asked!

Being a Student Trustee is such an honor, and you help represent the students’ voice to the board. You might be thinking that this is such a small role, but it’s a HUGE role! You’re able to voice the students’ opinions and concerns.

One of my favorite things to do as student trustee is to give my board report! What does this involve? Giving a board report involves explaining current student activities such as clubs or events held through Student Life. The usual number of events varies, but I typically expect at least three to five events to report about.

Did I mention you get your official Instagram page? This totally helps find out what activities are occurring on campus! Furthermore, becoming a student trustee helps expand your social circle and helps you meet some of the most respected people on campus, including the president herself.

My term is coming to an end in April and a new Student Trustee will be taking over. Are you the next Moraine Student Trustee?

I hope both students and staff are having a good semester thus far, and for this positivity to continue! I also wish good luck to the candidates running for the trustee position!