The student who filled this seat was to be the first student representative on a board committee, with full and equal membership and voting privileges. "I think, in all, we went beyond what the Student Assembly asked for," Davis told The Student. The addition reflected a significant shift from past practice, in which the Committee only asked for student input in an informational capacity.
The final decision was largely a result of student-mandated petitioning. Ever-increasing calls for more student representation in the College decision-making process, especially in regard to campus life, brought the matter to the Board's attention. A majority of students signed the petition requesting full student representation on the Select Committee on the Curriculum, the Committee of Six and the board of trustees.
In a discussion of the exact number of students to be selected to serve on the Student Life Committee, Davis suggested that four to six would be optimal and expressed hope that the appointees would be diverse in terms of gender, age and race. An overriding concern of his, however, was an acceptable work ethic. "My own concern is to get people on that committee who want to work," he said.
Davis also outlined some details that needed to be clarified, including an appropriate procedure for appointing student members. His outline followed a recommendation by the Student Assembly to combine the processes of selecting and electing students to the Committee. The specifics of the functions of these student members were another matter of principle importance. "The major concern of the Board was not to subvert the normal processes of the administration," David said.