A fresh student voice will be added to conversations on budgets, tuition structure and academics at February’s Board of Regents meeting.

Jenny Rokes, junior in history education at the University of Northern Iowa, was appointed as student regent by Gov. Tom Vilsack and will join the other eight members who make up the Board of Regents.

Rokes said her name was submitted by an official from UNI’s Department of Residence because of her work as a resident assistant. A series of interviews and conversations with everyone from UNI President Robert Koob to Vilsack landed her the job.

Rokes said Vilsack personally called her cell phone to give her the good news.

“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness!'” she said. “I made a total nerd of myself.”

Rokes, who wants to teach social studies, said experiencing government at work will be helpful to her career.

“I didn’t even know they had a student member of the Board of Regents,” said Rokes, who is originally from Dike. “I can’t get everything passed, but it will be nice to get my voice in there.”

A large topic of discussion in February will be budgets, which Rokes said can seem daunting.

“I’m kind of overwhelmed right now,” she said. “I’m going to try to approach [February’s meeting] the best I can.”

Rokes said the longest a student has served on the board was five years of the six-year term. She said her term was likely to be closer to the average two-year stay for student regents.

Rokes will replace Regent Neala Arnold, a former University of Iowa student whose resignation became effective Dec. 31, 2003.

Arnold was appointed to fill the term of a previous student regent in June 2002, then re-appointed in May of 2003, said Barb Boose, communications specialist for the Board of Regents. Arnold left the position because she graduated last May and now teaches kindergarten in Hawarden.

Boose said the duties and requirements of a student regent are no different from the other members, with the exception of being a full-time student at one of the three regent universities at the time of the appointment.

Boose said aside from being an resident assistant, Rokes also volunteers for GEAR UP, a program for minority students in Waterloo middle schools.

“She obviously has a level of maturity and leadership to be an RA and she is on an academic scholarship, so we think she’s going to be a great addition on the board,” Boose said.

Rokes, who will continue to work as an RA, said her new job as a regent will have to be balanced with her busy life through careful time management.

However, she added with the understanding of a fellow student, “Every college kid is busy.”