Association of Student Governments loses rental car privileges

The transportation that UNC Association of Student Government delegates sometimes used to attend meetings is no longer an option.

ASG has to discontinue its official use of Enterprise rental cars and revert to its previous practice of reimbursing officers and delegates for mileage to and from meetings.

The association consists of representatives that meet monthly at one of the UNC-system schools to discuss matters affecting their schools.

Kenneth Craig, associate vice president for finance for the UNC system, said General Administration officials did not want ASG or students to be liable in case of an accident with the rental car.

“It has little to do with us trying to control the ASG travel, and it has all to do with controlling the risk a student is exposed to,” he said.

The General Administration cannot ensure that Enterprise will put insurance on the car once a student decides to use this resource, Craig said.

The last couple of bills the General Administration received from ASG members did not have insurance, he said.

In the past, ASG delegates and officers were able to rent cars with Enterprise and bill them to the ASG account number.

Many delegates and officers said they found the new policy of reimbursing delegates for travel to be time-consuming and unnecessary.

Mark Blackwell, student body president at UNC-Wilmington, said his school has relied on Enterprise and is unhappy about the change.

“It is now a longer process to rent a car and to receive the reimbursement,” he said.

Members will still be able to use the Enterprise cars as long as they don’t rent the car in association with ASG. Individuals traveling to meetings will be able to use a personal vehicle or a rental of their choice but will only be reimbursed for mileage.

Greg Doucette, ASG president, said discontinuing the use of enterprise vehicles has been a smart policy change, but it will provide a challenge for schools such as Elizabeth City State University, where the student government budget doesn’t fund transportation. Those students will have to pay out-of-pocket.

“The challenge is trying to provide for those students on campuses who can’t come up with the cash,” Doucette said.

At ECSU, delegates and officers have used the Enterprise vehicles multiple times in the past.

Illiana Thomas, ECSU student body president, said the policy change will affect their ability to attend meetings.

“We have a budget that doesn’t allow for transportation,” she said.

Some schools have the option of renting a car through a state-supported rental car account for the school.

Jonathan Meisner, student body president at Appalachian State University, said he feels fortunate that his delegates at ASU are allowed to do so.

The challenge for ASG is to help these schools who don’t have the funding or state-provided cars available to them, he said.



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.