John Menges and Ryan Moorman are sophomores in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

We are writing in response to Jacob Garber’s column, “Fight is futile for student Board of Trustees member,“ (Nov. 11, p.4).

There has been much controversy surrounding the Student Association senate’s efforts to form an exploratory committee which will research the feasibility of a student representative on the Board of Trustees. But we see no reason to attack the committee because they have not yet conducted any research or come out with a position on the issue.

There have been many assumptions as to the effectiveness of student representation on the Board. We ask that critics keep an open mind about what representation should look like. GW is a nonprofit entity with many stakeholders including alumni, donors, faculty, staff, administrators and various community members.

But a university should primarily exist for educating its students. We would like to think that GW exists for its students.

Certainly, if multiple seats were allocated to students, we would have an elevated chance at impacting the Board’s decisions through the voting process. However, even if just a single student member is seated, his or her impact could be monumental in the decision-making process.

The members of the Board are all successful leaders, and each has specific experiences that allow him or her to understand and make decisions on behalf of the university.

Current students are no different. We can guarantee that no trustee has had an experience living as a GW student in 2013, which is why students would be a valuable addition to the board. Our point of view and membership should be viewed as a critical element, more so than simply reporting details in a speech or participating in committees.

The last time student’s rights advocates pushed for such representation was around late 2004. Eight years have passed since then. GW now has a new president, a new provost, new members of the Board of Trustees including a new chair, new goals outlined by the strategic plan and new and more diverse members of the student body.

Furthermore, GW has massively expanded its infrastructure, and tuition has also steadily increased. And in recent months, the University has been hit by a series of issues that threaten its credibility. It is extremely naive to expect that the same dismal results we saw eight years ago would come out of a new push for student representation.