Student Congress faces a growing party divide

Student government officially is a nonpartisan organization, but that didn’t stop the largest political groups on campus from throwing their weight behind specific candidates in Tuesday’s Student Congress elections.

The next Congress will feature eight representatives backed by the College Republicans and eight supported by the Young Democrats — a move that could intensify a divide that at times has pushed the body toward a standstill.

During the past term, debate in Congress sometimes has stalled on issues with a conservative-liberal split. These include a resolution to condemn the selection of a speaker with ties to Planned Parenthood as well as another resolution against flag-burning on campus.

Congress Speaker Charlie Anderson said that though politics sometimes plays a part in discussions, he does not believe party affiliations will be a big issue in the chamber next year.

“Ninety-five percent of what we do in Congress is devoid of politics,” he said.

Of the 40 seats in Congress, 10 now belong to conservatives, said Luke Farley, an incumbent Student Congress member who was elected Tuesday to represent off-campus students.

“We were trying to add some balance to the debate in Congress next year,” he said.

College Republicans Chairman Jordan Selleck said endorsing candidates increases the organization’s influence in student government. This sway can be particularly key in the Finance Committee, which has the first say when it comes time to allot student fee money.

“Their conservative values provide another view when it comes to spending,” Selleck said.

Young Democrats based its endorsements on candidates’ responses to a written application, said Jason Baker, director of campus political affairs for the group.

“Having members in Student Congress helps our organization by giving us a voice with students,” he said. “This is something we can do locally.”

Robert Austin, Lindsay Johnson, John Linkous, Jordan Myers, Meghan Paul, Paige Shetley, Zachary Waterman and Tyler Younts won seats with the support of the College Republicans.

Young Democrats endorsed Kris Gould, Emma Hodson, Dustin Ingalls, Anisa Mohanty, James Riley, Chase Tweel, Blakely Whilden and James Williams.

Williams said he decided to run for Congress when doing research last summer. For her part, Johnson said she found out about the open seats in Congress through a message on the CR listserv.

And Shetley said a College Republicans representative approached him less than a week before the election and asked him to run.

He said he agreed so the organization could have better representation in Congress, but he stressed that he doesn’t plan on letting his politics trump his duty.

“We can’t let ideology overcome us,” Shetley said. “We’re going to have to reach across the aisle to the Young Democrats to compromise and get things done for the students.”

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.