Sec. 51.355. NONVOTING STUDENT REGENT; UNIVERSITY SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS. (a) In this section, "student government" means the representative student organization directly elected by the student body of a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit.

(b) The chancellor of each university system shall develop a uniform application form to be used by each general academic teaching institution and medical and dental unit in the university system to solicit applicants for the position of student regent.

(c) Except as provided by Subsection (f), not later than November 1 of each year, the student government of each general academic teaching institution and medical and dental unit in a university system shall solicit applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position of student regent. Not later than January 1, from among the applications received by the student government, the student government shall select five applicants as the student government's recommendations for the position of student regent and send the applications of those applicants to the chancellor of the university system. From among those applicants, the chancellor shall select two or more applicants as the university system's recommendations for the position of student regent and shall send the applications of those applicants to the governor not later than February 1. The governor may request to review all applications for the position of student regent received by the student governments and may request an applicant to submit additional information to the governor. On June 1, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the governor shall appoint one of the applicants to serve as the student regent for the system for a one-year term expiring on the next May 31. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the chancellor, but may not appoint a student regent who did not submit an application to the student government of a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit in the system as described by this subsection.

(d) To be eligible for appointment as student regent, a person must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit in the university system and be in good academic standing as determined by the institution at the time of appointment. The person must remain enrolled at the institution throughout the person's term as a student regent. For purposes of this subsection, a person is considered to be enrolled in an institution or unit for a summer term if the person was enrolled in the institution or unit for the preceding semester and:

(1) is registered or preregistered at the institution or unit for the following fall semester;

(2) if the person has not completed the person's degree program, is eligible to continue the degree program at the institution or unit in the following fall semester; or

(3) if the person completed a degree program in the preceding semester, is admitted to another degree program at the institution or unit for the following fall semester.

(d-1) Throughout a student regent's term, the student regent must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale. The president of the institution in which the student regent is enrolled shall notify the governor if the student regent fails to maintain the qualifications required by this section.

(e) A student regent is not a member of the board of regents of the system for which the student regent is appointed. A student regent has the same powers and duties as the members of the board of regents of the system, including the right to attend and participate in meetings of the board of regents, except that the student regent:

(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make or second any motion before the board; and

(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of any vote of the board.

(f) The student government of the general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit at which a current student regent was enrolled at the time of the student regent's appointment may not solicit applicants for the position of student regent for the next regular term of the position.

(g) A vacancy in the position of student regent for a university system shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the governor in consultation with the chancellor of the system.

(h) On receiving notice under Subsection (d-1) from the president of the institution in which the student regent is enrolled that the student regent has failed to maintain the qualifications required by this section, the governor shall declare the position of student regent vacant and as soon as practicable fill the vacancy in the manner prescribed by Subsection (g).

(i) A student regent serves without compensation but is entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the student regent in attending the meetings of the board of regents, subject to the approval of the chairman of the board of regents.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 292 (S.B. 34), Sec. 2, eff. June 17, 2005.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1181 (S.B. 1227), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2005.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 181 (S.B. 276), Sec. 1, eff. May 23, 2007.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 107 (S.B. 42), Sec. 1, eff. May 23, 2015.