On Jan. 20, The News reported that President Joseph Aoun appointed Ralph Martin as Northeastern University’s senior vice president and general counsel. Martin is the former District Attorney of Suffolk County and is currently the managing partner of the Boston office, Bingham McCutchen LLP. His is the more recent of two political hires that have taken place over the last year, leading to the question of whether the Northeastern administration is truly looking out for its students, or simply looking out for its label of “prestige.”

Similarly, on Aug. 6, The News reported that John M. Tobin, who was a city councilor for nine years, was appointed to the position of vice president of city and community affairs.

A Jan. 26 news@Northeastern article states Martin’s responsibilities as senior vice president and general counsel as “ … manage a broad range of legal issues that typically come before a major research university. He will also oversee additional university priorities such as community affairs, master planning, compliance and risk management, and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.”

Martin is highly qualified, and may actually end up being a great addition to the Northeastern community. He led the Safety Advisory Committee at Harvard University, which dealt with the campus police department’s treatment of black students and professors. But he doesn’t have any administrative, academic experience.

As vice president of city and community affairs, Tobin is responsible for communicating with surrounding neighborhoods regarding Northeastern University affairs. As such, students may be interested to learn that, according to the Aug. 6 News article, Tobin was on the council in 2008 when it approved the No More Than Four ordinance, which prevents five or more undergraduates from living in the same off-campus residence – something many students were unhappy about.

It is also interesting to note that Tobin was hired at a time when the university has been having trouble pleasing surrounding communities. A Jan. 27 article in the Boston Herald describes the move as, “ … a move aimed at smoothing sometimes contentious relations with city hall.” Again, hiring Tobin may have in fact improved community relations, but will it benefit students in the long run, considering Tobin’s actions in the past have made things more difficult for them?

No matter their position, the first and foremost responsibility members of the Northeastern administration have is to the students. Without the students, Northeastern University wouldn’t exist. While both of these new hires flaunt impressive resumes, neither has any real experience serving students.

Aoun should appoint talented and intelligent individuals to the Northeastern administration, but it is also important that these people are qualified for their position. The university exists solely to serve students. Aoun may be impressed by their experience, but neither of these new employees have anything impressive to show the student body.