The State Senate approved a bill Tuesday giving students an extra voice on the UW System Board of Regents.

Senate Bill 85 proposed adding a second student representative to the Board and was approved with a 33-0 vote.

“Whatever the Board of Regents decides affects us and the faculty,” junior Rachel Boaz said, “so why not have more input from the students?”

Boaz is a member of United Council, a lobbying group for students in the UW System. United Council has been lobbying for the second student seat for years, she said.

The bill stipulates the person appointed to the position must be classified as a non-traditional student.

The new regent must be an, “… undergraduate student who is at least 24-years-old and represents the views of non-traditional students, such as those who are employed or are parents,” the bill stated.

The new position would join an existing traditional undergraduate student regent. Both students are allowed one two-year term. The governor appoints both positions, but the bill states student government bodies can make recommendations of appropriate candidates.

“This is definitely a pro, because student representation improves by 100 percent,” junior Saskia Harak said.

Harak serves as vice president of UC, and she said having another student on the board would give the other Regents an idea of what students want.

Student leadership at Eau Claire viewed the inclusion of a non-traditional student as a benefit because non-traditional students have had experiences that other undergraduates haven’t.

“It’d be cool if they got a mother or father,” Boaz said. “They face so many more issues than other students.”

Susan Smithee, 24, attends Eau Claire, has three children, is the chair of non-traditional student affairs for student life and diversity and is an off-campus student senator.

The challenges to a student raising a family are different, she said, such as limited mobility. With her children, she said going out-of-state or moving away from Eau Claire would be a problem.

Smithee entertained the option of being a regent, but with her responsibilities it might be tough, she said. “It would be a wonderful opportunity.”

The passage of the bill came three weeks after the Regents took flak from the press and legislators over an attempt to raise pay scales for 14 administrators during a teleconference meeting.

“They certainly had an image problem after that,” Student Senate President Adrian Klenz said.

Though Klenz said he doesn’t believe passage of the bill was a measure to repair any ill will toward the Regents, it does help the Board’s reputation.

Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-Wis., co-authored the bill, and amended it after it was discussed on the Senate floor.

Harsdorf was unavailable for comment at the time of print, but stated in a press release, “Decisions made by the Regents are key to maintaining a top-notch university system and appropriate student representation is vital.”

If the state Assembly and governor approve the bill without further amendment, the new student regent will be appointed May 1.

Student Senate will vote today on a resolution in support of Senate Bill 85 in its regular meeting.