Reducing Required Qualifications to Serve on SC State University Board

H.3214 proposes an amendment to Section 1, Article XVII of the state Constitution declaring that members serving on the governing body of South Carolina State University need not possess the minimally adequate qualifications for election into a state office. Not only would this constitutional amendment open up a pipeline that would open up state titles to underqualified individuals, but Jerry Govan Jr., the lead sponsor of this amendment, happens to be a graduate of the university, an Assistant to the Director of Personnel at the university, Director of the Small Business Development Center at the university, and an active consultant and educator in Orangeburg County. Every amendment designed to benefit a specific individual or sphere of political elites is a step in the wrong direction.