Carolina Hispanic Association, Black Student Movement won’t endorse an SBP

Minority communities are still on the fence about which candidate for student body president has their best interests in mind.

“Our student body presidents tend to follow the same trend. They tend to tell the same narrative. It’s almost always a white person, more often than not, a white male,” said Cecilia Polanco, president of the Carolina Hispanic Association.

This year’s candidates — Houston Summers, David Marsh and Kathryn Walker — are all white.

Trey Mangum, president of the Black Student Movement, acknowledged that none of the candidates come from diverse backgrounds, but he said he hopes they’ll be able to listen to the needs of those who do.

So far, though, Mangum said he is not impressed with the candidates. Neither BSM nor CHispA will endorse a candidate.

“I felt like Kathryn was the only one who knew remotely about what minority students are facing. Some of the comments the other candidates said were off-putting,” said Mangum, referring to the debate BSM and CHispA co-hosted at the Campus Y.

With racially charged talking points like the Silent Sam monument and the movement to rename Saunders Hall causing tension and unrest on campus, candidates are facing a lot of questions about race.

Summers attended the Saunders Hall rally on Jan. 30, and Marsh and Walker said they attended the Feb. 2 rally.

“It was really powerful to me,” Summers said.

Polanco and Mangum said they feel like it’s time for student government to speak up.

“We want to see our student body president make a statement,” Polanco said. “I think our current representatives are a little apprehensive, I don’t want to say scared, but a little apprehensive to speak out about matters.”

Polanco said she is not surprised that those in power aren’t speaking up about the protests on campus, considering the controversy surrounding Tom Ross’ departure.

“It scares the people who have a little more political power from speaking out,” Polanco said.

Polanco said she wants to trust that the next student body president can make a change, but she still has her doubts.

“I do want to believe that whoever is our student body president is going to care, but then again I want to challenge them all to do it, to follow through, to not be that person who says I’m going to do ‘XYZ’ and not do it,” Polanco said.

While diversity is needed in student government, Polanco referenced senior Emilio Vicente’s 2014 campaign for student body president as she explained how students of color haven’t always felt welcomed. Vicente is an undocumented student.

“It would be nice to see someone who looks like us in power,” Polanco said. “When we think about what went down with Emilio’s campaign, it’s scary. It very much dissuades people from trying.”

Polanco said Summers seems to have a genuine interest in learning the needs of minority communities, since he reached out to her about the Hispanic population’s issues.

“He’s not claiming to know everything,” Polanco said. “But he’s asking and that’s a start. I appreciate the effort.”

Summers is the only candidate who supports the installation of plots for the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s organizations in his platform. Summers has spoken to both former and current NPHC presidents Alyssa Townsend and Michael Morrison about the project.

“To this day, we don’t have any space on this campus we can call our own. We don’t have a room, we don’t have a house, we don’t have any space period,” Townsend said.

The plots would be placed in SASB plaza according to Summers’ plan.

“SASB has been an area on campus that African-Americans have historically identified with,” said Summers, referencing stories he heard from the 1970s, when Chase Dining Hall sat on what is now SASB plaza.

From the remaining three, Mangum said he believes Marsh is just echoing what he has heard.

“Out of all the candidates, I feel like he brought up the Saunders Hall thing the most but it didn’t drive anything,” Mangum said. “It didn’t appear that he was more concerned about the issues — he was just reiterating other candidates.”

Either way, Polanco and Mangum said the new student body president will have a lot of work to do when it comes to creating a place for minorities in student government.

“Students of color are not represented in student government,” Mangum said.

No matter what candidate is elected, both minority groups are ready for a change.

“We’re tired of being let down,” Polanco said. “We’re tired of people who are supposed to be representing us and don’t.”

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