On Tuesday, Feb. 10, members of the UNC-Chapel Hill student body will elect a new trustee.
While the title of the office is officially student body president, the winner of the 2003 student election will assume a seat at the table with the other 12 members of the UNC-CH Board of Trustees.
Student body president candidate Matt Compton is the best suited of the crowded field to sit at that table.
A leader, above all else
The Daily Tar Heel editorial board, with a decisive majority, endorses Matt Compton for the office of student body president. Compton's background, determination and guiding philosophy are indicative of his readiness to take on that office.
In the wake of a lopsided tuition vote that resembled a blitzkrieg far more than a battle, it is of the utmost importance for UNC-CH students to have their voices represented eloquently and convincingly before University trustees.
While Student Body President Matt Tepper has done an excellent job of fighting for students, his stature among BOT members was diminished by his weakness as an orator.
While Tepper is a lot of things, including one of the best student body presidents UNC-CH has had in years, he is not a commanding speaker.
UNC-CH students need a student body president who not only will present sound, well-researched arguments, but who has the passion and charisma to win them as well. Compton, without equal among the field of candidates, possesses these qualities.
Compton's platform, while not as detailed as those of some of the other candidates, shows that he will represent students -- and just as importantly, the University -- honorably at every level.
The depth of knowledge Compton brings to the table is impressive. In every political arena in which a student body president must succeed -- whether it be the N.C. General Assembly, the UNC-system Board of Governors, the UNC-CH BOT or the Chapel Hill Town Council -- Compton alone is more than sufficiently prepared.
Compton is also uniquely fit to represent students while interacting with legislators and trustees. As the son of an Orange County farmer, Compton's story is one that embodies the importance of affordability and access to higher education. He has had to work two jobs to afford college -- in effect, Matt Compton is best suited to represent students like Matt Compton.
That quality is among those that will make Compton the superior choice to represent the University to the state. One of the finest planks on his platform is the creation of the Students' Speaker Bureau, a group that would send UNC-CH students to talk to community groups across North Carolina.
While spending missteps, summer reading controversies and out-of-state enrollment cap discussions have risked alienating the University from North Carolinians, Compton's speaker bureau would go a long way to repairing fragile relationships statewide.
Perhaps the most admirable aspect of Compton's plan is the emphasis he places on service. University administrators and trustees occasionally seem to have lost sight of that mission, choosing rather to focus on becoming the No. 1 public university. Compton's commitment to public service represents a different vision of UNC-CH as a leading institution and is a breath of fresh air.
Compton's vision for the University brings to mind the work of late UNC-CH President Edward Kidder Graham, who told North Carolinians to "write the University when you need help."
Leaders such as Graham and UNC-system President Emeritus William Friday, who told students that they were indebted to the North Carolinians who pay for their education, would be proud of Compton's commitment to public service.
Compton intends to help students repay that debt with his N.C. Service Corps and a platform wholeheartedly dedicated to reinforcing the University's commitment to serving the state of North Carolina.
To be fair, his platform falls short on several issues. Compton does not devote enough time to minority affairs, for example. To be a successful student body president Compton must, if elected, pick up ideas from the platforms of candidates Matt Calabria and Lily West, who have developed very strong agendas that pick up important details that slipped through the cracks of Compton's own platform.
Rest assured that Compton will surround himself with skilled, passionate students who will match his dedication and help him succeed.
His ability to attract support and cooperation cannot be denied, either. Several of the student body president candidates in the race professed to the editorial board their admiration for Compton's ability and dedication.
The best of the competition
While Matt Calabria and Lily West both have served the University since they first set foot on campus, they each lack some of the qualities that make Compton the most well-rounded candidate.
Calabria is arguably one of the most knowledgeable of the eight candidates. He and his campaign workers obviously have spent a significant amount of time researching his platform points.
But a student body president is more than the sum of his platform points. Calabria has one of the best minds in the race, but the question is whether he has the best voice to represent students.
Like Calabria, West has an extensive platform. In some ways, hers is even more ambitious: Her plan to establish a Center for Creative Student Leadership is one of the best ideas coming out of the race.
She also has a very confident demeanor, yet not one that would threaten members of the BOT.
But West displayed a disturbing lack of knowledge and understanding when it came to town government and the legislature and a similarly lacking drive to become more informed. A student body president will find it difficult to inspire students to vote or become involved if he or she is equally uninspired.
On the one hand, Ashley Castevens' aggressive, take-charge attitude would be conducive to getting things done. She would push herself and those around her to work toward fulfilling her platform, and her past involvement in student affairs indicates that her propensity for hard work is almost unmatched.
However, this headstrong approach would not serve her well as a BOT member. Her brash style is just the thing to inspire other students, but it likely would not appeal to trustees, many of whom have shown recently that they don't see eye to eye with the majority of the student body.
Matt Liles has a strong presence, and his apparent leadership skills would impress students, administrators and trustees alike if he were to be elected.
But his isn't the most thorough platform of this year's presidential hopefuls. It lacks the intricacies and specifics that strengthens other candidates' ideas.
While some other candidates seem to be better suited for the position of student body president, the University would benefit if Castevens and Liles remained highly active in student affairs.
A dearth of experience, depth
Candidate Laura Thomas undeniably brings an agenda to the table. Elements of Thomas' platform reveal an ideological motivation inappropriate to a nonpartisan student body president race.
While several of the candidates are conservative, a quality with which the editorial board is unconcerned, the Thomas platform reflects a disdain for the interests of the University and reads like a page out of the Committee for a Better Carolina playbook.
Faudlin Pierre and John Walker demonstrated a limited understanding of the political sphere in which a student body president must operate.
While both have the best of intentions and show a great deal of creativity, neither is prepared to assume the student body presidency -- and neither should be considered a serious candidate.
