Executive Branch Posts to Be Filled

"We want to get (the process) taken care of as quickly as possible so we can get the ball rolling," said Rebekah Burford, Student Body President Jen Daum's chief of staff.

Applications for the six vacant positions were due Wednesday, Oct. 13.

Sixty-four applications were received.

Burford said she is in the process of whittling down the number of candidates based on their applications. She said she is not sure how many applicants will remain when she begins to conduct interviews Wednesday.

Candidates are likely to be notified of their appointments Friday night or Saturday, Burford said.

Executive branch leaders are looking for candidates who display genuine passion for fulfilling the empty positions, Daum said.

"We want someone who is dedicated and motivated and committed to making the University a better place," she said.

Burford said it is important to hire students who have a variety of interests and extracurricular activities to make the Cabinet representative of the entire student body.

"We want a diverse crowd of ideas coming from a lot of different venues on campus," she said.

The six positions were vacated when students who decided to work on campaigns for next semester's student elections were forced to resign to avoid conflicts of interest.

Those who stepped down were Jordan Campbell, chairman of minority affairs; Neal Chandoke, chairman of human relations; Nathan Cherry, executive assistant to the vice president; Rebecca Frucht, chairwoman of the Student Services Committee; Brad Overcash, communications director; and Kim Turner, executive assistant to the treasurer.

Cabinet resignations are disappointing but unavoidable, Burford said.

"It is frustrating," she said. "Generally we ask people (if they intend to work on a campaign in the spring) during their interview.

"But at the same time, things come up.

"It's difficult to know in April when we interview you what you're going to do next year."

Despite the inconvenience of having to replace Cabinet members in the middle of the year, the executive branch will not be adversely affected, Burford said.

"(Remaining members) will be able to let the new people who are coming in know how things work and keep them up to speed."

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