Term conditions for the student member of the Board of Regents were a topic of discussion during the board’s Thursday meeting.

Currently, to qualify for the position, an applicant must be a student at one of the regent universities. However, regent terms are six years, meaning a student appointed during his or her senior year could be five years out of college before his or her term was up.

A bill before the Legislature would require the student regent to resign by the end of the calendar year in which he or she is no longer a student.

UNI Student Body President Emiliano Lerda said the bill had the support of student governments. “The spirit of the bill is not to limit the number of years a student can serve, but to ensure the student is indeed a student,” he said.

Regent Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa said serving on the board requires an extensive learning curve.

“If the Legislature changed this to only part of the time someone is still a student, the effectiveness of that position could be impacted,” Becker said.

Regent Jenny Rokes, junior at the University of Northern Iowa, was appointed to the board last month. She said her first meeting showed her it will take time to learn the process of serving as a regent. She said she believes she will still be in contact with students after she graduates.

The regents declined to endorse the bill, instead opting to monitor its progress through the Legislature.

— Emily Sickelka