Correction (April 7 12:51 a.m.): Due to a reporting error, this story ncorrectly states the date of Student Body President Hogan Medlin’s inauguration, which was Tuesday, April 6th. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
At the beginning of his first day as Student Body President-elect, Hogan Medlin was reminded of the his new and improved status at UNC.
“I woke up this morning to like, 87 e-mails,” he said.
Most were congratulatory, but several were from former UNC student body presidents with advice for the junior on how to prepare himself for next year, he said.
During this almost two-month transition until his April 13 inauguration, Medlin, who defeated fellow junior Shruti Shah in the runoff election Tuesday with 61 percent of the vote, said he will spend time with Student Body President Jasmin Jones to discuss her experience as president.
Along with talking with eliminated student body president candidates about their ideas and deciding which of Jones’ projects he will continue, Medlin said he will look for insight on what might be the University’s most pressing issue next year — tuition.
The 2010-11 school year will likely see a more intense budget process than past years, with trustees calling for larger tuition increases and a continuing state budget crunch.
As a result, Medlin’s role in the talks could take on even more prominence, as he will have to represent students’ interests through a series of potentially heated talks.
Some members of the Board of Trustees have expressed concern that UNC’s tuition increases were too low in light of budget problems.
After voting unanimously for a 5.2 percent tuition increase this past year, trustees said UNC was too resistant to higher tuition hikes. The board voted on that increase on the same day the University of California system raised tuition by an unprecedented 32 percent.
The student body president is one of two chairmen on the tuition and fee advisory task force, which sends fee proposals to the chancellor, who then makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The president is also the sole student representative on the Board of Trustees.
Medlin — who said he is interested in a transparent process and affordable tuition — said he will begin working on the issue next week because he believes it will be especially prominent next year.
Eventually, Medlin said he hopes to hold several town hall meetings to allow students to voice their concerns about tuition.
“I don’t like the idea of closed door conversations about tuition,” Medlin said.
Along with outlining his vision for next year’s tuition process, Medlin said he will spend the coming months understanding his role as leader of the student body.
Jones said the transition period is a time for the president-elect to acquaint himself with the role.
But Medlin said he will focus mostly on understanding the character of Jones’ relationships with other student leaders and administrators.
“Until she walks out of that office, I’m going to be picking her brain,” he said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
