Student voice lost on Jones: SBP Jones needs to seek more student input

The Jones administration has largely left students out of the tuition process — perennially one of the most important topics on campus.

Jones is the representative of the student body, but she is not omnipotent. To be an effective representative of students’ interests, Jones has to actively seek their input.

And that is not being done with regard to tuition. The proposed tuition hike for out-of-state undergraduate students is just more than $1,000 — a proportional increase to the $200 hike that in-state students face.

The in-state increase is mandated by the N.C. General Assembly. It is a de facto tax that will go to the state’s general fund — not to the University.

Jones was elected in large part because of her magnetic personality, and it is a shame that she is not using it more to collaborate with students on the most important issues she faces.

One of Jones’ platform planks was outreach. She proposed creating a public relations team for student government to “build communication from the student body to the student government.”

She should follow through on that campaign promise. Public forums and meetings with students could accomplish this goal. She should be more actively taking the pulse of the student body.

And she does not have to look far for inspiration.

Former Student Body President James Allred (2006-07) made challenging tuition proposals one of the hallmarks of his tenure. In Jan. 2007, he was the sole dissenting vote on a roughly $1,000 nonresident tuition hike. And he gathered 200 students to protest the measure from inside the boardroom at the Carolina Inn.

No one should be demanding protests per se. But everyone should be demanding accountability.

Jones should be a bridge between students and the tuition process, and she should be doing more to hear from and educate students about it.