The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Student Body President hopefuls to announce candidacy

Tonight, the curtains will part.

After months of behind-the-scenes campaigning and planning, the students who aspire to office — most notably student body president — will reveal themselves to the student body.

Only after weeks of petitioning and debate will the character of the student body president candidates’ interactions show, though potential candidates said they are committed to operate on friendly terms despite tension that emerged between two hopefuls in the fall.

Rick Ingram, who is widely rumored to be running for student body president, filed a complaint against Student Body Secretary Ian Lee in November for pursuing candidacy, claiming that the Student Code prohibited the secretary from doing so.

But the Board of Elections ruled that Lee can run as long as he does not abuse or neglect the duties of his position.

“I was concerned initially with Lee’s ability to run as student body secretary,” Ingram said. “They decided to interpret the Code a little differently than I had. That’s their prerogative.”

Andrew Phillips, chairman of the Board of Elections, said he was concerned about the complaint, but has also observed positive interactions between potential candidates.

“One thing I’ve been very impressed about with all the candidates is the amount that they talk to each other, and the amount that those relationships seem to be pretty open,” he said. “They tend to respect each other.”

Ingram said the fact that he filed a complaint so early is not representative of what his attitude will be during the campaign.

“There are bigger issues at hand,” he said. “I don’t want to get caught up in the pettiness that surrounds the student government all the time.

“I’m not on a witch hunt at all,” he added.

Lee said he was never offended by the complaint, and that he was willing to put the matter behind him.

“Me and Rick have worked together in the past,” Lee said. “I’ve known him for a long time and haven’t had any trouble working with him in the past. I’m hopeful that we’ll have a clear election cycle.”

The spring elections include races for student body president, Graduate and Professional Student Federation president, Carolina Athletic Association president, Residence Hall Association president, representatives of Student Congress and senior class officers.

Before candidates are allowed to campaign publicly, they must collect 1,250 student signatures. The Board of Elections will release the final list of certified candidates on Jan. 29, giving candidates 10 days to fulfill the requirement.

The election will be held Feb. 8. If a candidate does not win a majority of the votes, a runoff election will be held a week later, pitting the two top vote-getters against each other.

There might be several additional petitions to add respective referendums to the ballot. If Student Congress does not approve the proposed UCommons renovations to the Student Union at its meeting tonight, students and Student Union officials will likely attempt to pass it by petition, Phillips said.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition