WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Jenna Maguire, former Student Government Association president at West Liberty University, was elected by her peers in 2023 to represent them on the WLU Board of Governors. She said serving in that role and having a direct vote on issues affecting the university community was both a privilege and a responsibility.
“It’s not every day where a student is put in a position to directly vote on matters that will affect everyone at the university,” she said. “It was a privilege, … and I’m really glad that the students trusted me to represent them on their behalf in the boardroom.”
That all changed with the passage of House Bill 3279 during this year’s legislative session. The law, which took effect in April, stripped student, staff and faculty representatives of their voting power on university boards. They still hold seats but starting this academic year serve only in an advisory capacity.
Maguire says she was caught off guard by the change.
“We’ve been governing like this for so long, so I didn’t exactly understand why that House bill was introduced,” she said. “It kind of felt it blindsided almost, I didn’t really think my vote was going to be part of those conversations.”
Senator Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, questioned the bill’s intent when it was debated during the 2025 legislative session this spring, attempting to defend student voting rights.
“Are we afraid that somebody’s not going to run our bills in the House if we don’t vote for this? Because it sure seems like that,” he said, questioning the intent of the bill’s sponsors.
Supporters of the bill argued that voting power could create conflicts of interest. However, leaders at some universities feel that the perspectives of students, staff and faculty remain valuable on their boards.
Fairmont State University Board Chair Jason Pizatella said that while the law changed the titles of these members, their influence hasn’t disappeared.
“Just because the West Virginia Legislature changed their titles to non-voting advisory members doesn’t really change how they interact with the board or how I interact with them,” he said.
Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, voted against the bill and said that having those groups as advisory members is not enough.
“While they have a voice on these boards, they no longer have a vote, and that’s different,” he said. “I think anybody, even a state senator, who could remain in the Senate but not have a vote would feel the impact.”
Maguire said she still believes West Liberty’s Board of Governors has students’ best interests at heart. She hopes future student representatives continue to make their voices heard, even without a formal vote.
This article was adapted from a television news story using AI. All reporting, facts and quotes from sources are original. AI was only used to assist with formatting and style for a digital platform.