ASG raises executive officers’ stipends

GREENSBORO — Members of the UNC-system Association of Student Governments engaged in heated talks about dollars and cents Saturday.

Controversy arose during discussions about a bill that would compel traveling student delegations to keep their lodging commitments.

A separate proposal to raise the stipends of some executive officers also attracted opposition from the UNC-CH delegation.

The association, which is funded by an annual $1 student fee and meets monthly, represents the interests of students throughout the UNC system. Members met this month at UNC-Greensboro.

The association has faced criticism in the past for ineffective advocacy and inefficient use of funds. But the new administration has been working to change this image.

The Meetings Matter Act, which was approved unanimously after 45 minutes of heated debate, will allow the association to recoup lodging costs from student governments if their delegations agree to attend a meeting but fail to do so.

“We’ve been wasting money like this for three months now and really want to stop this,” said Kevin Kimball, the association’s chief information officer, at the meeting.

ASG President Cameron Carswell said the association has lost at least $500 from unused hotel rooms this year.

But some delegates complained that the association didn’t have the power to send bills to student governments.

Kimball said he wasn’t sure the invoice would be enforceable, but the goal was to encourage accountability and attendance at meetings.

Association delegates also voted to transfer $2,700 from the unallocated special projects fund to cover stipend increases for four officers.

Frank Byrne, chief of staff for the association, said the officers were getting paid less than others in similar positions, which violates association policy.

For example, John Secrest, ASG vice president of student affairs, was paid $1,000 while other vice presidents received a $2,200 stipend — a violation of association policy.

While nearly all delegates agreed to the changes, two members of UNC-CH’s delegation opposed them.

“We can’t go back to Chapel Hill and tell students that we raised stipends,” said Jocelyn Burney, a UNC-CH delegate and chairwoman of Student Congress’ oversight and advocacy committee.

The association also voted to approve a resolution encouraging each UNC-system school to create interpersonal violence prevention task forces. Committees continued research on several long-term advocacy projects.

Carswell said she was happy about the meeting’s productivity.

“I don’t want the apathetic passing of legislation to become a habit, so I am glad that there was a lot of discussion.”

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.