As the student representative to VCU’s Board of Visitors, 21-year-old Juston Rose’s responsibilities include keeping the students informed about matters the Board of Visitors addresses and ensuring that the board hears the voice of the students when discussing important issues. The board, appointed by the governor, officially governs the university.
This is the third of a three-part series.
Q: What are you looking to accomplish on the board in the future?
A: Well, I think they only have one more meeting in August. The term is about three meetings. The board meets about three times. I don’t know. I think it just goes back to that – making sure we become more united as a university and making sure we provide the best possible information to the decision-makers – to the administration – because they’re concerned about what students want. And in order for us to get – in order for VCU to become a better place – we have to make sure that the voices are articulated in a responsible manner.
Q: How do you share the information you learn as a board member with the student population?
A: Generally it’s a pretty streamlined process. The information that’s on the board is also presented to the Student Government Association. And you really do have to give credit to the administration. They are very diligent in making sure that decisions aren’t just made in secret. They make sure they try to get everything out there. For instance, the Monroe Campus plans – those have been presented to the Student Government Association, Phase 3 construction, Rhoads Hall phase 2 or Rhoads Hall 2 – I think is what they’re calling it – the Shafer Court dining facility.
There’s a lot of changes going on at VCU and the administration definitely tries to make sure the students are informed, and (they are) making sure that all that information is out there. I think it’s unfortunate some students sometimes don’t know what’s going on, but I know it’s not for a lack of effort on anyone’s part because we certainly try to get everything out there.
And the Student Government Association is open. Anyone who wants to can go in. And The Commonwealth Times, I wish more students would be reading The Commonwealth Times because, you know, it’s not uncommon for there to be a decision made or something, and you pick up The Commonwealth Times in the next week and it’s in there. So if students would read The Commonwealth Times we’d be in a lot better position, because everyone would know what’s going on around here and, you know, know what a great place this is. And there are so many things to do and there are so many changes that are going on that 10 years down the road we’re going to be incredibly proud to be associated with VCU. But I’m certainly proud to be with VCU right now.
Q: With the information that you receive are you going out there to tell students or is it waiting for them to come to the SGA?
A: No. How do you answer that? Well, OK,I think in a committee you’ll try to take in information. My job there is to be able to take in student concerns and I get that through a variety of manners. We’ve done that through polls, but the best – and this is critical – the absolute best way to get student’s opinions is just to talk. To go into the (University Student) Commons and sit down for 30 minutes and I do that. I go in and say, “How do you guys feel about this?” And I take notes and I get information and I take that right back to those same kids and say, “OK, here’s what they’re doing. What do you guys think about this?” … It’s more of on an individual basis. I don’t report back to SGA or anything, but I do have a close relationship with several people in SGA.
And I try to make sure the information, … which there’s no information given to me that’s not already given to SGA, but we try to communicate with SGA and work with them in a structure to make sure everyone has the same information. But generally, I mean, it’s not like you’re getting some special thing. It’s not like they’ve leaked information to the board that nobody else has. Sometimes that’s how people think. That’s not how anything happens. Just because the people that are involved in making a decision – there’s just so many people that are typing stuff up and transmitting information that everyone gets the same information.
And my job there is just to make sure the Board of Visitors, who just comes in, I try to get student concerns to them. Because they may not be aware. It’s hard if you have 50 issues on your plate to look at them and say, “Well, what are the top five issues?” And that’s more of my job is to try to put the things into order and say, “OK, this is a big concern for the students right now,” or “This is what we feel most passionately about.” And I really do think becoming a student-centered university and making sure that everyone has a great college experience, that’s the most important issue on everyone’s plate. When I talk to students they say, “You know, I really want the college experience.” And that’s our goal is to figure out how to do that. And being a student-centered university is a good step in that right direction.