Cooper must keep track of student opinions. The Board needs to hear the students' perspective. While dealing with the Commonwealth government above and the administration below, the Board members can lose sight of the University's true priority - its students. Now that he is in the Law School, however, he cannot forget the concerns of undergraduate students. The student member of the Board cannot afford to be entrenched perpetually in the confines of North Grounds, unaware of events near the Rotunda.
Cooper has enough ties to leaders in the undergraduate community to prevent such a problem.
Knowing students' concerns is not enough, though. The student member must convey accurately those opinions and feelings to the Board. In previous years, the Board's actions have not reflected adequately student concerns. Sometimes, however, such concerns just may not have been passed on from the student member to the Board. A student member cannot use his position simply to gild his resume.