Board of Trustees Will Allow Public Comment
For the first time, the Penn State Board of Trustees will allow for public comment during their scheduled meeting this weekend at the Nittany Lion Inn. The Board is scheduled to meet on Thursday for committee meetings, and Friday for their regular meeting set to convene at 1:30 p.m.
Recent amendments to Standing Order VIII now allow for up to 30 minutes of public comment, with a maximum of 10 speakers. Anyone interested in participating can apply on the BOT website by 1:30 p.m. today. The catch is that the Board of Trustees will be handpicking the 10 speakers itself.
Although the new standing orders state “When the number of requests to address the Board at a given session exceeds the time available, requests will be approved based on the date the written request was received by the Secretary of the Board,” the convenient line “preference will be given to subject matters that relate to the agenda for the current Board meeting and avoid repetition,” gives the Board some room to work with who it allows to speak.
So, basically, if you put “RESIGN NOW, IMPEACH CORBETT, FIRE ERICKSON, PATERNOVILLE,” a la PS4RS or PSU-ReBOT, there’s a good chance you’re not getting picked (yes, the all CAPS is important, as any true internet activist knows). But I’m sure if you want to discuss the “Sale of Property at 1275 Penfield Road” as stated on the agenda, the Board would be glad to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Given the polarizing nature of the last 10 months, these 30 minutes on Friday are sure to be tense. Ultimately, though, a public comment session is long overdue, even if the Board doesn’t like what will inevitably be said.
As for the actual agenda, the most noteworthy item is a proposal to rename The Gary Schultz Child Care Center to the Child Care Center at Hort Woods. Of course, it would be unlike the Board of Trustees to wait until after Schultz’s perjury trial to make such a decision, so instead it looks like they’ll just do it Friday.
Make sure to follow @OnwardState and @LC_Nichols on Twitter for live updates from the meeting this weekend.
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