Winston Crisp meets with student leaders over cookies

All it took was cookies and lemonade to bring together the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp and UNC student leaders for a discussion about campus life.

“This is the highlight of my job, being able to spend time with students,” Crisp said.

The event was called Cookies with Crisp  and was held in the Student Union Tuesday.

A variety of issues that interested attendees were brought up, such as the extension of Davis Library’s operating hours, enhancing communication among clubs and how to allocate surpluses of student funds.

The Student Leadership Advisory Committee hosted the annual session as a platform for students to raise questions for the Vice Chancellor.

Aaron Bachenheimer , director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Community Involvement, asked the audience how to best match students’ interests with organizations on campus.

“One of the greatest challenges is preparing students as best as possible to take full advantage of the Carolina experience. We hear from students that it takes time to figure out the right to left,” he said.

One issue raised was the possibility of offering student ventures surplus funds from the Student Safety and Security Committee, which funds projects on campus focused on student safety.

Tyler Jacon , chairman of the Student Safety and Security Committee, mentioned the student-run venture Buzz Rides , which provides transportation to students on campus, as a possible recipient.

“It provides door-to-door service at late night” he said.

Crisp said he would be able to help something like this happen but had concerns about the legality of it. He said he was confident he could bring the right questions to the right people.

Another student interest raised was the effectiveness of the Alert Carolina system, which was used this weekend when an armed man threatened a student near the Pit.

Students who attended the event with Crisp were generally satisfied by the effectiveness of the Alert Carolina , despite what some on social media saw as a delay Sunday in alerts to students.

Crisp said Alert Carolina didn’t give the specifics about the location of the armed man because he was moving about campus and officials wanted to make sure students stayed where they were.

“We have to wait until the witnesses have confirmed they got the right man — what if we think we got him but we really don’t?” Crisp said.

Jacon said this was a great opportunity for students to see Crisp as an approachable person.

“Interaction with the Vice Chancellor is awesome — seeing him dancing in the Dance Marathon you will find out he is very accessible.”

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