The Student Trustee Position
Before the 2012-2013 academic year, Colorado College had no student representation on the Board of Trustees. At the time, CCSGA President Ben Quam remarked, "Students perceive the Board-if they even hear about it-as being a very closed-door group." The Board of Trustees and the student body, siloed from one another, lacked the opportunity for meaningful dialogue.
In response to growing student interest in the Board of Trustees and in the governance of Colorado College, the student trustee position was approved by the Board of Trustees on February 25, 2012. Since then, there have been 13 student trustees:
- Samantha Barlow, 2012-2013 Student Trustee
- Joel Begay, 2013-2014 Student Trustee
- Elliot Mamet, 2014-2015 Student Trustee
- James Lonergan, 2015-2016 Student Trustee
- Mayss Al Alami, 2016-2017 Student Trustee
- Ben Kieklak, 2017-2018 Student Trustee
- Eyner Roman, 2018-2019 Student Trustee
- Lily Weissgold, 2019-2020 Student Trustee
- Elliott Williams, 2020-2021 Student Trustee
- Gaby Jadotte, 2021-2022 Student Trustee
- Vicente Blas-Taijeron, 2022-23 Student Trustee
- Chris Heckenkamp, 2023-24 Student Trustee
- Adrian Price, 2024-25 Student Trustee
The student trustee is responsible for attending all Board of Trustees meetings, serving on a Board committee, and for enhancing communication between the Board and the student body.
Importantly, the student trustee position is different from the student body president position. The student body president is elected directly by students, the student trustee is elected directly by students from a group chosen by the Board. The student body president and four vice presidents each receive a monetary stipend; the student trustee is unpaid. In addition, the student trustee is a non-voting member of student government.
Among college and universities, Colorado College is relatively unique for having a voting student trustee: Only about 8.5 percent of private colleges and universities have a voting student trustee. The student trustee position is more common in public universities.