Most of the roughly 40 students in attendance were in some way officially involved in student government. Tony Larson, speaker of Student Congress, said he thought the attendance was acceptable considering this was the first address of its kind.
Three years ago, then-Student Body President Nic Heinke gave a Student State of the University Address, but this is the first time all of the branches have cooperated on one presentation.
"(Students) were curious about what would be said," Larson said. "We presented a vision the students can buy into."
Student Attorney General Amanda Spillman stressed in her speech the importance of embracing the tradition of honor and integrity as the core values at UNC-Chapel Hill. "The intense pressure to succeed inundates us," she said, adding that students must keep in mind future consequences when faced with the temptation of compromising their integrity.
Spillman also addressed the review and reform of the Honor Code. She said issues such as the proposed addition of the "XF" grade and the review of the burden of proof will directly affect students.
She challenged the student body to become engaged. "We must maintain a perpetual dialogue pertaining to honor," she said. "Let your own personal greatness reflect the University's greatness."
Larson began his speech by reviewing the accomplishments of the 84th Congress, mentioning the success of the new committee on textbook pricing and the proposed re-evaluation of the Carolina Computing Initiative.
Larson proposed an agenda including congressional redistricting and Honor Code changes. He also proposed firm campaign spending limits, noting that the last three student body presidents came from wealthy families.
He ended by defending criticism that Congress doesn't rally protests. "The measures taken by your student leaders are more effective than any protests," he said.
