Two students chosen to represent UNC in Advocacy Corps

Two students from UNC-Chapel Hill were selected to represent the school in a lobbying group sponsored by a statewide student government organization.

Cristobal Palmer and David Murray were selected by the Association of Student Governments to join its Advocacy Corps which trains students from schools in the UNC system to lobby the state legislature on students' behalf.

Palmer a graduate student in the school of information and library science is co-president of the Carolina Open Source Initiative" an organization that promotes the use of third-party computer programs to give students more options.

 He said his main focus will be expanding COSI and promoting partnerships between universities.

""I want to help identify and promote partnerships that are working for students and are forward looking" like providing open source options if I feel there is a need on campus" Palmer said.

Murray, a public policy major who works with the Coalition for College Access, said he will work to promote open access for undocumented students hoping to attend community colleges.

Right now I'm working … to research issues about undocumented students having the ability to attend community colleges with in-state tuition" and that's what I plan to lobby for on behalf of the UNC system" Murray said.

The ASG recently voted down a resolution that would have expressed support for the admission of undocumented students to the state's community colleges.

UNC senior and ASG delegate Chazz Clevinger said that he and Logan Liles, head of the UNC-CH delegation in ASG, both thought that Palmer and Murray were the best choice of the six UNC students who applied.

Logan and I were in perfect solidarity for those two" and agreed unanimously that they were our top two applicants" said Clevinger, who is also vice president of the legislative and public affairs committee.

ASG President and N.C. State University senior Greg Doucette said past attempts to lobby the legislature have been unsuccessful in part because the student lobbyists have been disrespectful or unknowledgeable, Doucette said.

Two years ago the concept was invented" but it never really got off the ground" Doucette said.

A planned student day at the capitol fell through, training for the Advocacy Corps never happened and then-ASG President Cole Jones' 2007 assault conviction damaged the group's reputation and ability to mobilize, Doucette said.

To repair credibility with the legislature" we were going to find a group of students who knew how to dress speak and were intelligent" and give them training and have them serve as advocates for the student bodies.""

This year" the legislative committee is working to assemble a group of 34 student lobbyists two from each of the system schools.

Candidates for the Advocacy Corps were encouraged to apply directly to the ASG. Limited publicity has made it hard to recruit Clevinger said.

About half of the Advocacy Corps members have been selected. To make sure enough members are appointed in time for the group's training Dec. 13" the committee instructed student body presidents to appoint members themselves.

""Just getting people appointed is our number one priority"" Clevinger said. The rest of the stuff we have mostly taken care of.""



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.