‘What did it threaten?’ WVU board removes faculty, student voting rights due to new GOP law

West Virginia University’s Board of Governors formally removed voting rights from faculty, staff and student representatives on the board, carrying out a Republican-backed bill that mandated the change.

“The board must amend its bylaws to reflect the new legislative requirements,” Board of Governors Vice-Chair Dr. Patrice Harris said at board meeting June 13 in Morgantown.

Incoming WVU Student Body President Colin Street, whose voting power on the board is now void, said student input should be considered on a board that last year voted to cut 28 majors during a financial crunch.

“Student input needs to be heard at every step in every decision,” said Street, 20. “I think it’s really concerning that the vote is taken away.”

House Bill 3279 made several changes to boards at state universities, including a requirement that one member be appointed by the governor to represent agriculture or forestry at WVU and West Virginia State University. It gives the governor the authority to appoint 15 members instead of 12 at WVU.

In support of removing the faculty, staff and student board vote, Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, said in April that only two Big 12 university boards have voting faculty members, six have voting student members and none have voting staff.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed the legislation into law in April.

WVU’s Board of Governors have now amended their by-laws to reflect the legislation’s requirements.

Ahead of the vote, faculty members raised concerns about removing their voices along with questions about the origin of the bill in the House of Delegates.

“Why was this done? Why did it threaten or what did it threaten?” asked Lesley Cottrell, a professor at WVU who serves as the BOG representative. “I would argue this was a short-sighted strategy because, while faculty, students and staff may disagree with some board members today, they may be the fiercest proponents of your ideas tomorrow. … Trying to strip them of their voice by limiting voting rights or consolidating power only weakens that engine. It’s an old tactic because it works very well.”

The bill was sponsored by Del. Vernon Criss, R-Wood, chairman of the House Finance Committee. During bill debate in April, Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, also questioned the motive behind the legislation, saying that the origin of the bill was tied to House Speaker Roger Hanshaw’s unsuccessful attempt to be the next WVU president.

University president E. Gordon Gee will retire this summer. Michael T. Benson, current president of Coastal Carolina University, will replace him. WVU’s BOG voted to approve Gee’s successor. 

Hanshaw didn’t provide a response for this story. He didn’t respond to Woelfel’s comments during the legislative session. 

“ … [Hanshaw] voted in favor of it both times it came in front of the full House for a vote, so that would indicate his belief that it would benefit the boards of governors at both WVU and WVSU,” Ann Ali, communicators director for the House, said in an email.

Frankie Tack, outgoing faculty representative on the BOG, said the legislation “is now history.”

“I do remain curious as to who the original author was and who delivered the bill initially to Speaker Hanshaw. I certainly hope the rumor is not true that it was one of the people around this table,” she said at the board meeting, referring to recent discord among board members tied to the university president search. 

“Prior to the stripping of our voting rights, faculty had served as voting members of the West Virginia [University] Board of Trustees and subsequently the West Virginia University Board of Governors since 1989, and despite recent assertions to the contrary, we have served honorably with loyalty, without conflicts of interest, and without complaints from anyone, ever, including no record or complaint of any faculty member ever breaking the confidentiality of the board,” Tack said.

Street said that while university officials have continued listening to students, it was disappointing that he wouldn’t have a chance to represent students through voting power on the Board of Governors.

“I ran for this position in the first place to be that advocate for students,” he said. “So it was less a personal disappointment and more a disappointment that … my ability to effectively do my job and represent students is going to be hampered or more challenging in some way.”

The Board of Governors also voted 9-6 to select Robert “Rusty” Hutson Jr. as the body’s next chairman, effective July 1. Hutson is chief executive of Diversified Energy.