Issue of Student Vote on BOG Met With Uncertainty

The student vote is one of the issues that UNC Association of Student Governments representatives plan to push for when they meet with legislators during Student Day at the Capitol on Feb. 20.

A student-led group is planning to ask state legislators to reintroduce a bill in hopes that the ASG president, the only student member on the BOG, will have the power to vote.

ASG President Andrew Payne said giving the student member a vote would bring necessary student representation to the board. "Students are a powerful force, and they need to have a voice on the Board of Governors," Payne said.

But similar bills have failed in the past, most recently in 1999, when one was introduced by Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange.

The bill was sent to a Senate committee where Kinnaird said it died because of the "political process" and various logistical reasons, such as the possibility of the student member having the tie-breaking vote.

Kinnaird said she felt the problems raised by the committee were minor and, with work, could be resolved. She added that she hopes to work with students again on the issue.

"I think if we can work out the logistics, we can convince people," she said.

Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, said it is too early to predict what kind of support or opposition such a bill would receive.

Hackney said he would favor the bill when introduced.

"I think that the student representative has been a knowledgeable representative, and a vote would be a valuable addition to the Board of Governors," he said.

But other legislators have differing opinions of the bill.

Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, said a student vote on the BOG is not the answer, even though students' voices need to be heard.

"To add another voting member would really throw off the equation," Rand said.

He said the student member of the board is at a disadvantage because he or she is not on the board long enough to learn its "ins and outs."

"It's a fairly steep learning curve," he said. "I think the student (representative) should be able to voice his opinions, but the (board's governing) equation is the way it ought to be."

Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange, who sat on the committee where last year's bill died, said he does not foresee a new bill having much success.

"Chances are, a bill wouldn't pass this year," he said.

Lee added that giving the student representative a vote could call for the expansion of the board, which many feel is already too large.

The BOG has 32 voting members, who are appointed by the state House and Senate.

Lee said the student vote could be one of the issues that might be reviewed in conjunction with a possible comprehensive restructuring of the Board of Governors.

"It is very complicated," Lee said. "It's not as simple as giving the student a vote."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.