WASHINGTON — Students should have a stronger voice in decisions that affect the colleges and universities they attend, and shared governance is one of the best ways to make that happen.
That’s the argument that Rini Sampath, policy director at the National Campus Leadership Council, a national student advocacy organization, proffered Tuesday at an annual summertime gathering of accreditors.
“It’s different to be outside the building yelling versus being inside where decisions are being made and having an active voice in order to drive change,” Sampath said.
Sampath said student perspective is crucial when it comes to issues such as sexual assault, mental health, diversity and inclusion. Such issues may often be overlooked because they are not considered critical to the academic environment but those issues and academics go hand in hand, Sampath said.
“If a student is struggling and doesn’t have the resources on campus to deal with their mental health needs, that affects performance, their ability to do well on exams,” Sampath said.
Sampath made her remarks Tuesday at the annual summer workshop of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or CHEA.
