The Oakland University Board of Trustees is currently accepting applications, due March 31, for the 2014-2015 student liaison. Two liaisons will be chosen and will serve for two years, according to the Board’s website.

It is the liaisons’ jobs to attend Board meetings and “voice any students’ concerns with what the administration is doing or agree with administration,” according to Samantha Wolf, one of the current liaisons.

The Board mainly approves decisions regarding projects and budgeting, according to Wolf. At meetings the administration will present proposals and the Board will approve or dismiss those proposals.

“The Board is a very complicated kind of ordeal,” Wolf said. “They are a group of people who are in charge of making sure OU is going in the right strategic direction – they look at the big picture.”

Robert Williford, the other student liaison, said he believes he and Wolf have played a great role in communicating what students need for and from Oakland.

“I think that there are times when it’s very easy to lose track, for them (the Board), of what the students need,” Williford said. “They don’t get to see first hand, and that’s why it’s so crucial that we have great student representation.”

Issues Wolf and Williford have worked on include housing, tuition raises, parking and campus expansion.

The most recent project was the Oakland Center expansion survey that the liaisons worked on with OU Student Congress to see how students felt about the expansion.

Research and reports to the Board can be created on their own time, according to Williford and Wolf. They both said the job is extremely rewarding if you put the right kind of work into it.

“I don’t know too many universities where students sit on the board,” Williford said. “There are two students who have the opportunity to do that. So I actually like it a lot.”

If any students are thinking about becoming a liaison, both Wolf and Williford said they strongly encourage students to apply.

“Do it,” Williford said. “Have confidence in yourself. Being confident is important in any kind of leader.”

“It’s always worth trying,” Wolf said. “If you’re interested in making a bigger difference at OU and learning what happens with the administration it’s a great thing to do.”

In order to qualify, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and must have at least 56 credits, 28 of which must have been taken at Oakland. Students must have a record of campus or community service and must have no record of disciplinary action at any university. Finally, a student cannot hold any other leadership appointments during their liaison period.

Applications for the student liaison board can be found at the Center for Student Activities or at oakland.edu/bot.