The Daily Tar Heel's editorial board posed these questions to each of the candidates. Here are their unedited responses:
Q: What is your philosophy regarding tuition? (out-of-state vs. in-state)
A: Carolina is a public institution – this is first and foremost. I am an advocate for keeping tuition at an affordable cost, reflecting the school’s dedication to remaining as a public university, as it was founded. That said, I also recognize the inevitable difference between in-state and out-of-state student tuition costs for attending UNC.
In-state students and their families pay North Carolina taxes; these taxes are part of the funding the university receives from the NC General Assembly. As such, in-state students receive a large reduction in tuition for a Carolina education. As a North Carolina citizen, I am proud of how UNC has such a low in-state tuition cost, and will truly dedicate myself to serving as an advocate for the in-state student population and the families of this state during my term if elected. The future growth of our university can only benefit the state and its citizens in general, so keeping the burden of cost off of NC citizens is vital.
On the other hand, our out-of-state student population pays a more expensive tuition to attend UNC. Though not as expensive as other public university options, Carolina has often placed larger tuition increases upon this diverse, essential student population to make up for deficits and cuts in funding. This is not fair. If elected, I will dedicate myself to the Jones’ administration’s work in lobbying our state legislature for the return of the $200 increase. This money would effectively help target some of the receding funds (financial aid, faculty retention, graduate student remission) and would place less of an emphasis on needing to increase tuition year to year. As the voice of the students, I will not stand for the Board of Trustees to look to the students, especially the out-of-state students, as a means of closing in on these funding gaps.
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Q: What are the biggest issues facing UNC this year? How will you address them?
*Budget cuts – this is not just affecting the larger university, but it affects student organizations and campus wide events. As a guiding principle of my administration, I will stress the importance of collaborative efforts in any and every initiative. History will tell you that in a time of economic hardship, it’s when people come together under common goals that continue progress and forward movement. Streamlining Student Government’s efforts with those that exist among our student organizations, departments, centers, etc is a big initiative that requires outreach and communication with campus at all times, yet its impact will greatly benefit Carolina and the students.
*Two new administrators (Provost, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs) – just as it was important during Chancellor Thorps first year, the relationship between students and these new administrators is largely dependent upon Student Government’s ability to establish ties and connections for years to come. We will host forums and engage students in conversations with the Provost and Vice-Chancellor Crisp early on to make sure that there is a strong connection between these offices and the student voice.
*Increases in class sizes – as Carolina looks to expand the number of students in the future, we must be looking now at ways to maintain the quality of education and services provided. Our academic advising system needs to be addressed, specifically looking at ways to work with departments in making their services more personalized (advising, orientation sessions, and more accessible websites). Housing will become an issue as we are at full capacity of on-campus housing; the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor will continue researching possible off-campus housing with the purpose of identifying potential contractual agreements with landlords to be presented to the Chancellor. We need to take advantage of the time we have now in best preparing for the issues that will be facing us in the very near future!
*The relationship between the University and the Greek system – UNC’s Greek system has undergone a huge milestone in its relationship with the University in the latter half of 2009. 2010 will be a year of reconstituting much of how the University chooses to interact, engage with, and relate to the fraternities and sororities. Focusing on clearly addressing and advocating for these students’ concerns in shaping such decisions will be a large part of my agenda. I will establish stronger connections with the Greek community by implementing a publicity subcommittee in the Greek Affairs that will work to open the lines of communication between the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, the four Greek councils, and Student Government. By focusing on Greek publicity, self-sustaining risk management, unification, green initiatives, and space/storage, I am excited to build what hopefully will be a long-standing positive relationship between Student Government and the Greek community.
?Do you see the student body president position as a representative of students or as a trustee of the long-term well-being of UNC?
Q: How will you balance these interests?
A: The Student Body President is charged with representing the students of this University. In my opinion, that is his or her most important role. I do not, however, believe that these two given roles must be mutually exclusive; I hardly doubt that there are many students at Carolina who do not wish for the well-being of the university for years to come. As the Student Body President, I believe that there are ways to incorporate the role of serving as the student voice into the role of a university Trustee by bringing the best interests of the students to the table in discussions of future growth and progress. There is never just one means to an end – being the constant student representative will allow me to bring that perspective towards making decisions that affect the future.
The Student Body President Trustee spot changes annually, while the other Board of Trustee seats are filled for many years at a time; recognizing that difference is also a large part of being an effective Student Body President and Trustee. As a model for my interaction with the Board, I appreciate the way Student Body President JJ Raynor connected with the Trustees through serving as both the student voice and by building upon the tenure and experience the Trustees have. Her ability to bring both together resulted in one of her administration’s greatest accomplishments, the Carolina: Best Place to Teach, Learn and Discover report compiled by her and Trustee John Ellison. I will actively serve as a Trustee in the same way, by connecting the issues and concerns of students to the experiences and knowledge of the Board’s members.
Q: Why is the SBP important?
A: I believe in the institution of Student Government and its ability to make a positive difference for both students and the University. The organization reaches far into the realms of student life, student self-governance and student activism on this campus. The Student Body President is important for many reasons; he or she provides the vision for the year’s work completed by their administration. After working with three previous administrations, I know how important having a vision is for a SBP – having a vision will allow him or her to continue working on their agenda. As President Jones stated, “The platform isn’t everything.” There are always new projects and initiatives that present themselves as products of the changes and unpredictable events, so having a vision gives the SBP a means of appropriately reacting and guiding the organization throughout their term.
The SBP also is important for the purpose of keeping the University’s projects and missions in line with what the students want and need. We have a fantastic administration leading this University that welcomes and desires student input on nearly every decision made. The SBP is important in leading initiatives of such input, while also recognizing that their opinion is certainly not the only one of importance.
In a very direct context, the SBP is important for his or her role on the Board of Trustees. Carolina is one of the few institutions in the nation that allows a student to sit on the Board as a voting member. Carolina’s SBP has the ability to speak on behalf of the student population as a member of one of the governing bodies of this University, and that role is one not to be taken lightly.