The Student Liaison is the official representative of the entire student body of The University of Chicago on large-scale, long-term matters, representing students to the Trustees and the Officers of the Corporation. The Liaison serves the Trustees by disseminating information about Trustee initiatives to students. The Liaison submits an annual report and interim reports to the Student Association; the annual report is distributed to the Trustees and the Officers of the Corporation.
In 1998-99 I helped individual students, RSOs, and Student Government articulate concerns in ways that administrators would find most useful. I met with dozens of faculty and administrators to promote the inclusion of students in free and open rational debate about the most complex issues facing our University. I helped create institutional structures that keep communication between students and administrators working. I helped faculty in the College produce a
newsletter devoted to deepening serious discussion of the College curriculum.When a critical mass of students said we were ready for a protest, I became a main organizer of the
Fun-In. Students are in a better position than any time in the past thirty years. We articulated our concerns, documented our positions; even Trustees are paying close attention. Concrete changes have already been made, and more changes are underway. Many of the issues I outlined in my annual report have been taken up and resolved favorably since 1999. We have been successfully making the transition to a fully new administration.In 1999-2000 I became a main organizer for the preservation of the International House and secured legal counsel for the aggrieved parties (the senior administration at that time, in its waning days, acted rather unacceptably). In 2000-2001 I laid the groundwork for a major challenge of the Kalven Report, which (as of this writing in Summer 2003) is becoming more and more clearly challenged as an outdated statement of the University's true interests.
My main line of argument is generally that in relation to students it is the goal of the University to educate, and if students protest inappropriately or unthinkingly, it is the responsibility of the University to educate them to become better able to stand for what is right. But this institution takes the opposite path, and rejoices in the failed efforts of student activists, since the convenient result is that student input on important issues may be continually ignored. This line of argument basically follows that of Prof. Joseph Schwab in College Curriculum and Student Protest.
Being an adequate representative of undergraduates, graduate students, and professional school students is a monumental task. It takes months of hard work to become conversant with the large number of very complex issues we face, and several months or more to develop positive working relationships with administrators and Trustees. After my three consecutive terms, others have held this position with varying degrees of understanding of the role and importance of the office.