A letter to the Governor

An excellent letter from a student at Metropolitan State University.

29 June 2007

Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Martin Luther King Dr.
Saint Paul, MN 55155

Dear Governor Pawlenty,I am a student at Metropolitan State University, just a stone’s throw from your office at the Capitol. I am the type of non-traditional student that Metro State was designed for. I have worked full time for Hennepin County Human Services for the past nine years. I started back at Metro in the fall of 2005 declaring a major in Social Science.

I recently became aware of the candidate that your office has apparently selected for the seat on the MNSCU Board of Trustees to represent students at four-year public colleges/universities in the MNSCU system.

Including students at the Trustee level is an excellent way to provide some insight for the other board members into student thinking and a wonderful opportunity to have a student’s voice heard. However, it appears that rather than appoint a student who can represent ALL students, you have chosen a partisan, radical political kindred spirit of yours instead.

This is quite discouraging, to say the least. Though your selection may meet the basic criteria (I heard he is going to attend Mankato State via “distance learning” part-time), Mr. Hellier hardly represents the “average” student that attends a MNSCU school. That he recently graduated from a private school is even MORE troubling.

Aren’t there other opportunities to reward political loyalists? Mr. Hellier’s efforts for GOP candidates and ideologies are certainly worthy of reward, but why at the expense of the average student that attends a MNSCU school?

I served on the board of directors for the Minneapolis / Saint Paul Church of Christ for two and a half years, only recently relinquishing that position. My input on the board was appreciated since my background and experiences have been socially and economically diverse.

Not to cast aspersion upon Mr. Hellier’s character, but one who has apparently been beating the drum for politicians who prove their distaste for public education institutions like Michelle Bachmann and Mark Kennedy is hardly a suitable choice to represent students.

I ask that you please reconsider your choice and NOT appoint Mr. Hellier to the MNSCU Board of Trustees as a representative of students.

Please review the candidates that were recommended by the students who serve in MSUSA. If those recommended candidates are not satisfactory to you, then perform another search and/or work directly with those who serve in MSUSA to select a more suitable candidate.

Sincerely,
Robert W. Velez