TO THE EDITOR:
On March 31, there will be a campuswide vote on proposed changes to the student government constitution. A committee of student leaders from the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, Executive Branch, Student Congress and the Honor Court met over the course of six weeks to update this document.
The main focus of GPSF in these meetings was to institutionalize the position of graduate and professional students within student government. When the current constitution was written, graduate and professional students made up a small percentage of UNC’s campus. Graduate and professional students make up more than one-third of the total student body. Despite its size, this student group still struggles to fully participate in UNC student government.
The main reason for this is a difference in lifestyle; many graduate students focus on teaching, research and professional development. Although graduate students can spend nearly a decade at UNC earning their degrees, many never step foot in places like the Student Union or the Pit.
Despite such a disparity among the issues that impact UNC’s different populations, the undergraduate initiatives within student government take first priority and largely ignore the issues relevant to graduate and professional students. For example, only two of 12 seats on the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor are for graduate and professional students, and only five of their districts in student congress are typically active.
This Tuesday, you will be asked to vote on this new constitution. The most substantive changes include official recognition of GPSF as a branch of SG, merging the duties of the supreme court and board of elections into a newly designed district court system, and updating wording to be in line with University policy.
We would like to encourage all students to vote “yes” on the constitutional referendum this Tuesday, March 31. If approved, the changes to the constitution would more proportionally represent graduate and professional students without diminishing the undergraduate voice. We hope you will support the graduate and professional students who mentor, educate and inspire you here at UNC.
Shelby Dawkins-Law
