Senior Class Officers Select Marshals for 2002-03

On Tuesday night, Senior Class President Paymon Rouhanifard and Senior Class Vice President Rob Albright selected 40 senior marshals and four senior officers.

Rouhanifard said it is important to select the leaders early so that the process of choosing a Commencement speaker can get underway.

A committee consisting of Albright, Rouhanifard, and senior class adviser Josh Cohen-Peyrot reviewed 130 applications and interviewed 75 applicants before choosing 40 marshals, Albright said.

He said it was challenging to select the marshals from a large number of talented individuals."It's a time commitment, and everyone selected showed that they are willing to commit to that."

The 40 marshals will split up into five committees -- fund-raising, special projects, social, service and communication -- led by the officers.

Julie McManus was selected as chief marshal, Christine Benedetti as secretary, Karine Dube as treasurer and Alicia Cool as executive assistant.

The Commencement speaker committee was eliminated this year because the senior officers want to have more seniors involved in the process, Rouhanifard said.

Many issues, such as choosing a class gift and a speaker, will be tackled by the marshals and officers together.

McManus said she applied because she wanted to serve the senior class. "I hope to adapt myself and my personality to the position," she said. "I want to offer lots of different options for all the different students that make up the senior class."

This was the first year the senior marshal application was available online, and it was also the first year that more than 100 people applied, Rouhanifard said.

Senior marshal Jon Narveson said he applied because he wants to leave his mark on UNC. "I felt that Paymon and Rob are going to show exceptional leadership," he said. "I want to take a diverse senior class and unify it into one great last year."

Albright stressed the importance of all seniors getting involved in making decisions for the class. "I encourage people to get involved, even if you're not a marshal."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.