Winston Crisp, SBP will work together

Two new administrators will take office this spring, and the relationship forged between them could influence how successful each will be.

The student body president and the vice chancellor for student affairs serve as the primary liaisons between students and administrators, and their positions have benefitted in the past from a close relationship with each other.

This year, the student body president will work with a new vice chancellor. Winston Crisp will assume the role in May.

The candidates on relationships with administrators:

Monique Hardin:*

“I’ve been in the door, and I do have a good relationship with a number of UNC administrators.”

Nash Keune:*

“We will definitely entertain the idea of disbanding the administration if they get in the way of our ideas.”

Joe Levin-Manning:

I “will also work to develop strong positive relationships with the new administrators to ensure to that the two administrations are working together.”

Hogan Medlin:

“Student government will work hard under a Medlin administration to connect and engage students and administrators alike in accomplishing the goals established.”

Shruti Shah:

We “must continue the work that they do with administrators, while also continuing to do a better job of gauging student opinion and gaining student feedback.”

Greg Strompolos:*

“Even though I’m working with the administration, I’m not working for them. I’m working for the students. In the end, it’s about what the students want.”
*Candidates who did not mention the issue in their platforms were given a chance to elaborate on their plans.

Crisp has demonstrated a hands-on leadership approach that might allow the new president even greater opportunities to forge a relationship that could bring student interests closer to top administrators, past presidents said.

The student body president and vice chancellor for student affairs work together on a wide variety of issues covering all aspects of student life, including housing, diversity, orientation and campus recreation.

Previous student body presidents met regularly with the current vice chancellor, Margaret Jablonski, who has held the role since 2004.

Former Student Body President James Allred worked with Jablonski on projects including expanding field space availability and creating a fund for bringing in speakers during his 2006-07 term.

Crisp said he and the new president will need to have frequent and open communication to be successful in their respective roles.

“I’ll need to understand their platform and what issues they view as important, and they’ll need to understand what’s important to me,” he said.

“I’ll rely on the student body president to give me advice and perspective on student viewpoints, to educate me and to be an advocate for student issues.”

Former student body president J.J. Raynor, who built a relationship with Crisp while he was the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, said the next student body president will benefit from Crisp’s leadership style.

“I am a huge, huge fan of Winston Crisp. He is a champion, hands down,” she wrote in an e-mail.

“He has always been a huge mentor and advocate for student government. Honestly, the new SBP will probably already have met and have a strong relationship with Crisp. He’s that type of guy — he’s always been out there meeting people.”

“Student affairs affects everything outside of the classroom, which is everything in student government,” Student Body President Jasmin Jones said. “Everything we do funnels into that.”

Crisp, the current assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, was selected for his new job by a 16-member committee of administrators and students — one of whom was Jones.

Several former presidents have served on administrative search committees, helping influence the direction of UNC’s leadership.

Joe Templeton, former Faculty Council chairman who also served on several searches, said the student body president serves an important purpose on these committees.

“Jasmin Jones and James Allred always brought energy, enthusiasm, and intelligence to the search committee,” he said.

“Administrators look to the student representatives for a connection to the way students live in the world today.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.