The Campus Conservative

(Source: "Meeting" by TLC Johnson via Flickr) In 2016, three student government members successfully lobbied the university to adopt a “tobacco free” policy. How did they do it? Rather than work independently, they persuaded student government to take up their cause. In this respect, it was not really these three members who were successful, but student government itself, with its incredible advocacy power, who helped sway the institution to adopt the policy.  So why did it work this way instead of these three members being successful outside of student government? The answer is because of the university’s commitment to a governance system called “shared governance”. As a result, three student government members leveraged student government’s massive advocacy power for their cause. They changed university policy and UT-Tyler is still tobacco-free today. This situation illustrates that student senators who wish to advocate for their constituencies successfully must leverage t...

(Kirk A. Calhoun, UT-Tyler President. Source: UT-Tyler website) UT-Tyler President Kirk Calhoun identified public perception of higher education as a challenge for the university in an interview with KVUT on May 31.  "One of the things that I believe we ought to do better in higher education is educating the public to the benefits of higher education," Calhoun said.  Radio interviewer Mike Landess asked Calhoun if there was anything UT-Tyler could be doing better. Calhoun's comments follow reports of the public's declining perception of higher education in recent years. For example, a August 2022 NPR article reported that an annual survey by non-partisan think tank New America found the share of Americans who believe higher education has a positive impact on the country fell by 14 percentage points since 2020. "Many of the report's findings have remained stable over time," NPR's author Pooja Salhotra wrote "– for example, the general consens...

(Feature Image: Via Flickr.) In my years of watching student government's work on UT-Tyler’s campus, I have seen its participants at first become excited about joining student government, but then later not really know what to do when they arrive. Therefore, over this summer’s break, I have decided that I will try to define for student government leaders what their role is exactly. Given that clarity about each student leaders' role and responsibility could lead to greater collaboration within both the student constituency and within the university at large, then I hope my upcoming essays will encourage effective collaboration within student government and its collaboration with administration. Each player in the university's overall "shared governance" model--whether student senator, faculty member or administrator--has a role to play within the governance system. When each participant can play their specialized role effectively, then the university communi...