Leaders' stipends could be nullified

Students will vote on Student Central today to put to rest a contentious and divisive issue in Student Congress over the issuance of stipends to its leaders.

This year's Homecoming election will not only determine who will be crowned Homecoming King and Queen and fill empty seats in Congress, but it also includes a referendum addressing whether Congress leaders will be compensated for leadership positions.

If at least 2.5 percent of the student body approves the referendum today by a simple majority, it will place a provision in the Student Code stating that "no Student Congress member, except the speaker and speaker pro tempore, shall be entitled to monetary compensation."

Kris Wampler, vice chairman of Congress' Finance Committee, introduced a bill to strike the allocation of stipends from the Code after noticing that it didn't comply with Title I of the Code, the Student Constitution, which states that officials are not allowed to receive salaries.

Members have since corrected the Code to bring it into compliance with the Constitution. Should the referendum pass, it would amend this part of the Constitution and allow the speaker and speaker pro tem to be paid similar to top officials in the executive and judicial branches of student government.

Speaker Charlie Anderson said the stipends would give the speaker $200 a month and the speaker pro tem $125 a month, but those amounts might be debated in full Congress.

"A lot of people in Congress feel that the two positions not only merit but need a stipend," he said.

Offering stipends entices qualified candidates who might not otherwise seek the position because they would be unable to get a part-time job and work as a leader of Congress, he said.

Neither Anderson nor Speaker Pro Tem Jen Orr accepted their stipends this year.

Some Congress officials said leaders should anticipate time constraints that come with taking on the leadership role.

"There's a lot of paranoia, like they need the stipend because they can't work otherwise, and that's just not true," Wampler said.

Luke Farley, chairman of Congress' Rules and Judiciary Committee, emphasized the weight this decision has on the student body.

"This is their money we're talking about," he said. "It's students who pay these stipends."

Farley said that Congress is based on volunteering and that allowing stipends might create a divide between members.

Walker Rutherfurd, chairman of the Board of Elections, said turnout in referendum votes should be strong because of the University's unique orientation to student self-governance.

"When something is going to affect all the students on campus ... they need to make their voices heard."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.