Welcome, Holden Thorp

Greetings, Chancellor Holden Thorp!

We're glad to have you at the helm, and we must congratulate you, as of July 1, for officially taking office. At 43, your career has been a model of upward mobility, and we're eager to see what you're capable of at this level.

And, of course, we'd like to extend a hearty "thank you" to James Moeser, who served the University for eight years and will be remembered well.

But let's get down to business.

Mr. Thorp, we're sure you understand the magnitude of the job you've taken on. What you do here has effects everywhere.

Our actions as a university reflect not only this campus and the town of Chapel Hill, but also the state's university system and the Tar Heel state itself.

Ultimately, we ask you to keep North Carolina's interests at heart.

Amid the multitude of tasks and challenges we're presented with, some stand out as the most pressing and the most crucial.

We look to you now to stand as a figure of strength and compassion as our community witnesses two suspects go through the legal process, charged with the murder of our beloved student body president, Eve Carson.

Moeser comforted us in those first days in March, and we hope you will continue his work.

We need you to strike the right balance.

With the economy struggling and the University in constant need of improvement and faculty retention, we need you to find a level ground on the issue of tuition.

With UNC growing, from increased freshman enrollment to Carolina North construction, we need you to find a balance between providing an elite educational experience and enabling as many students as possible to access it.

And we ask that you not forget that development brings benefits, but also costs - aesthetically and environmentally.

We need you to improve parking availability, so that students with cars can afford spaces nearby.

We need you to remember the little guy and the little girl.

That means the gifted student who can't afford a UNC education. That means the janitors and the bus drivers and all the workers who keep this campus functioning, as well as those in our supply chain.

They say that you can assess a society's worth by noting how it treats those who are the least well-off.

We hope you'll keep that in mind.