Court must be vetted

Due to a source error, this editorial incorrectly states that the General Alumni Association helps fund Homecoming king and queen service projects. The GAA does not contribute funds. The Daily Tar Heel regrets the error.

The Carolina Athletic Association should continue to oversee UNC’s Homecoming election process, but the guidelines for the winners’ service projects should be more clearly defined.

The funds used to complete these projects come from CAA fundraising, the General Alumni Association and any sources the king or queen might have. They may request additional funding from Student Congress.

Because the candidates are given money for their projects, it’s important for their proposals to be fully vetted before opening up the vote to the general student body.

That’s not to say that the student body does not give due diligence, but without an initial vetting process, the focus of the election could shift to the popularity of the candidate, not the merit of a candidate’s service project.

As it stands, the vetting process is not perfect and changes need to be made.

Current expectations are vague, so it’s important that the panel provide clear guidelines for ideal proposals.

First, the service projects should also have an impact on as many people as possible.

And, the projects must be feasible, so it’s important that the panel include members of the community who have extensive backgrounds in planning service projects.

Some might argue that there shouldn’t be committee vetting for the Homecoming Court, as there is no similar process for the student body president.

But the offices serve different purposes, and there should be different standards for elections regulations.

While the student body president is a significantly more powerful position, the sole purpose of the Homecoming King and Queen is to undertake a service project, so it’s important that the projects are fully scrutinized.

With these revisions, the vetting process will be more fair to all applicants and will ensure that we have the best Homecoming King and Queen possible.