Serving as the student regent on the UH System Board of Regents, Kristen Lindley makes sure students’ voices are heard.
Lindley was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2009 and will serve on the board until May 31.
“I’m basically just like any of the other regents, except that my term is only one year and I do not vote,” Lindley said. “Most importantly, I represent the student voice. When they call on me, I need to be able to say how the students from all four (UH) campuses feel on the topic.”
Even though Lindley did not vote on the recent tuition increase for graduate and undergraduate students, she views it as a positive change to the UH system. She said the increase is suitable for what the campuses are trying to accomplish.
“I hate to spend more money and hate to see the increases move the way they have, but I see it as, ‘I’m making a great investment and I’m willing to make that financial sacrifice to receive my degree from a University of Houston system school,’” Lindley said. “I think that the student population as a whole can see the reasons why the board felt that the tuition increase needed to happen.”
Lindley serves as a member of the Academic and Student Success Committee and the Facilities, Construction and Master Planning Committee. She takes part in approving degree programs, which opens doors to new students and provides current students with more options.
Lindley said the Facilities Committee is discussing projects to renovate Robertson Stadium or build a new stadium, but this item has yet to land on the agenda.
Lindley graduated magna cum laude from UH-Victoria’s School of Business Administration. She will continue her pursuit of her Master’s of Business Administration by finishing courses for the Certified Public Accountant Exam and studying abroad in London this summer.
Prior to becoming a regent, Lindley was involved in other leadership positions. She was UH-Victoria’s Student Senate president for 2008-2009, president of the Climate Control Committee and a volunteer math tutor for middle school students with the Help One Student to Succeed program.
Lindley became a member of the board by filling out an application through her UH campus. The president of each campus reviews the applicants and sends his or her recommendations to the UH System chancellor. Once the chancellor makes a recommendation, it is sent to the governor’s office for appointment.
“I encourage any student to apply for this position. It is a great opportunity to get into a very adult situation, and you get to experience many things that you would not experience as just a student or in any other leadership program,” Lindley said. “It has been the best year of my college life. It is time consuming, but definitely worth it.”
I find it patently ridiculous that we even have a student regent under these restrictions. If she cannot vote, what’s the sense in her even being there? We’ve complained for years about the rising cost of tuition, especially when compared to the services we students receive in return. If the reagents chose to ignore the cries of hundreds of thousands of students over the years, why should we expect them to listen to one, no matter what her title is? Perhaps the first initiative of the incoming student government administrations across the system should be able to give the student reagent voting powers. It may not make a difference in many votes (the tuition increase was opposed by only one regent), but I have no doubt that it would be an excellent first step toward directing this system back into a customer service model – one where a rise in cost corresponds directly with a rise in benefits.