Among the ranks of five new trustees joining UVM’s Board of Trustees is the new student appointee, sophomore Adam Roof.Roof, of South Walpole, Mass., is currently enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, is majoring in political science and English, and said he appreciates his opportunities to get involved in the UVM campus.”I started out on the dean of students advisory board, working with the dean of students, that’s something I still do,” he said.”From that I ended up getting in contact about joining [the peer judicial board], and I still work as a peer judicial associate.”Roof was assigned to the Honorary Degrees Work group and he is also on the Educational Policy and Institutional Resources Committee.Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ian Boyce said that all of the trustees try to be placed where they fit the best.”Typically, the first step is really to try and talk with each of them … to find out where their skill sets lie,” Boyce said.Even though Roof is just a student, he has the same authority as any other member on the Board.”I was appointed as a student trustee, but ultimately, all Board members are equal in their role,” Roof said. “The Board has the full legal responsibilities and authority for the institution as a whole.”Roof has already had a chance to sit down with the Board of Trustees, when the Board discussed the baseball and softball cuts at a public meeting on March 25.”I really haven’t experienced a normal meeting atmosphere yet, and I’m excited to do that,” Roof said. “I really don’t know what it has to offer or what it’s going to bring — it should be a great experience, though.”Roof said he plans to be very accessible to students, putting his e-mail and mailing address on the Board of Trustees Web site.”I plan on taking all that perspective from the students and faculty and from pretty much anyone … and ultimately come to my own perspective and bring that and be a vocal leader on the board,” he said.According to a press release sent out by UVM, all of the new trustees are set to attend the Board meeting scheduled for May 14 through 16.
