Public Participation
Request to Address the Board
General Procedures
The Board regards the opportunity for expression of public views on issues before the Board as an important part of its deliberations. To accommodate such expression, the Board reserves a portion of its regular meeting for individuals and groups who wish to address the Board (Board Bylaws Article 2). The Board generally hears remarks without comment and reserves responses for the Trustee Comment portion of the meeting, after they have heard from everyone. However, after a presentation to the Board, Trustees may choose to ask questions of or briefly thank the speaker. For a complete list of public participation guidelines, see Guidelines for Board Bylaws Article 2 (PDF).
All persons wishing to speak must preregister by completing a Request to Address Form and submitting it to the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees no later than 48 hours before the start of the meeting. To ensure the proper recognition of speakers, any change in the original information should be provided to the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees as soon as possible.
Individual presentations on topics that are germane to the action items on the Board’s agenda are limited to three (3) minutes. Individual presentations on topics that are not germane to the action items on the Board’s agenda are limited to three (3) minutes.
Speakers will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Speakers will be permitted to speak, by topic, in the order in which their forms are received. No waiting list will be kept from meeting to meeting.
Only individuals who have registered to speak before the deadline will be called to address the Board.
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees by 12:00 noon one week prior to the Board meeting, or the Michigan Relay Service at (800) 649-3777. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.
In the event of a disruption that prevents the Board from conducting business or members of the public from hearing or observing, the meeting will be recessed or adjourned. If the meeting is recessed, the Board will meet via zoom within 10 minutes of the recess occurring to vote on any remaining action items. If the meeting is recessed due to disruption, there would regrettably not be an opportunity for public comment at the meeting.
Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees
450 Administration Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 353-4647
Email:trustees@msu.edu