Due to a reporting error this story misstated the number of students returning to Student Congress. Four students including graduate student John Berry were re-elected.
The newly elected Student Congress is likely to see both a physical and philosophical change when it convenes in April.
After Tuesday's election showed that only three members would return to the body the prevailing goal among representatives — both new and old — is to change the image of Congress.
New members said they want Congress to become more transparent more accountable more available to students and less partisan — goals they think this year's members strayed away from.
Student Congress is in charge of distributing more than $400000 in student funds and creating the laws by which student government functions.
Besides sophomore Joe Levin-Manning and graduate students Sara Dixon and Mark Lachiewicz" Congress will be made up of a whole new cast of mostly first-years and sophomores.
Levin-Manning has already said he plans on running for speaker — the position that oversees how Congress runs — and he hopes to be a dynamic one who will bring about change.
""I want to help restore the respect and accountability of Congress by setting an example by having sound morals and sound judgment and be efficient as well as transparent"" he said.
I want to be a speaker that is not only readily available to the members of student government but to the student body as a whole.""
He said he would like to see more accountability from the 41 incoming members — such as starting meetings on time" representing students accurately and not just making up facts and statistics.
Levin-Manning will face election for the spot when the new Congress meets in April. None of the other members has expressed interest in seeking the speaker position.
First-year Kenneth Barshop elected Tuesday from the South Campus district echoed Levin-Manning's calls for more transparency next year. He said students don't understand what Congress does and that is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Russell Martin another first-year elected Tuesday" said he met few people who knew their Congress representatives.
""Congress is there to serve the students"" said Martin, elected from Greek housing. Students should be more aware of what Congress is doing.""
In addition to trying to increase students' awareness of Congress"" new members also said they want to rid the body of what they see as a divisive attitude.
""One of the biggest things I ran for was to decrease partisanship in Congress"" said first-year Dakota Williams, who was elected Tuesday from South Campus.
Current Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Weynand, who did not seek re-election, said change"" is a vague term" and he is unsure of what incoming Congress members mean by it.
If the idea of change is to make Congress more fiscally responsible he said he hopes they are successful.
But if they are talking about a bias in Congress he said" ""I think they are sorely mistaken and misguided in their intent to be involved in student government.""
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
