Student input is missing from presidential search

I wrote a column last Thursday concerning students not having a voice in the presidential search.

To my surprise, I found out that students would be represented at the presidential search finalists interviews.

Did you know the Board of Trustees was “gracious” enough to allow a five-member student advisory committee to form whose task will be to ask the final presidential candidates questions?

This is the first time I’ve heard of such a board, although the committee has been in place for several months.

The members consist of Andre Hammel, Student Government Association’s vice president; Dawn Pedigrew, Student Government Association’s attorney general; Amber Hall, president of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; Christopher Shorter, a FAMU alumnus and former president of the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Nicole Sims, Miss FAMU 2001-2002.

In addition to the student committee, the Board of Trustees should allow students the same opportunity that Tallahassee Community College offered their students.

There should be a forum in Lee Hall, Perry Paige or the gym where students can voice their concerns and ask questions.

Students who would like to submit questions to the presidential finalists are asked to e-mail them to ahammel@famusg.com.

Although I am confident that our student leaders will do a good job in addressing some students’ concerns, the committee still has discretion in choosing which questions will be asked.

Therefore, all questions submitted to the group may not be asked, and I think all students’ concerns and questions should be addressed.

Wakisha Douglas, 21, is a senior newspaper journalism student from Alaxandria, Virginia. She can be reached at wakisha@aol.com.