GPSG candidate Ben King advocates for public service, transparency

Ben King  grew up in up in Salisbury, N.C., with a mother who worked with the local Town Hall and a stepfather in the fire department.

This, he said, taught him what it was like to be around people who love to serve and ultimately inspired his campaign for 2024-25 graduate and professional student government president.

King is a first-year graduate student in the UNC Master of Public Administration program. He is currently a senator for the public administration program and chair of the GPSG Rules and Judiciary Committee.

Some of his biggest priorities if elected include placing free menstrual products in all of the bathrooms on campus, canceling classes on Election Day and fighting for higher stipends for graduate students with assistantships on campus. Assistantships are paid positions for graduate students that involves part-time teaching or research.

“We've got to make sure that we're putting tangible, physical things on campus for students because a lot of times student government does their own thing,” King said. “The student body population is secondary and doesn’t really know what's going on.”

King said that members of student government have a disconnect with the student body, which contributes to the low voter turnout in student elections. He said if students can see what their government is doing for them, though, they may understand why student government matters and be encouraged to vote.

He said his emphasis on public service is demonstrated throughout his life. King is a volunteer firefighter, a notary public and a previous member of the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Chris Bouzane, a first-year in the Master of Public Administration program and a manager for King’s campaign, said he believes King is a good candidate because he exemplifies the values of service and ethics that are emphasized heavily in the public administration program.

“His motivations are really grounded in the right type of philosophy,” Bouzane said. “He's coming from a place of genuine care and concern.”

Bouzane said he thinks King’s priorities are what make his campaign special. Those priorities include advocating for transparency from the University as it switches to a self-funded student health insurance model and addressing concerns surrounding the end of affirmative action.

Caitlin Lancaster, a first-year in the Master of Public Administration program and the engagement manager for King’s campaign, said she believes King is the best choice for GPSG president because of his commitment to putting ideas into action.

"I was eager to work for Ben's campaign because he also has that public service mindset," she said. 

Bouzane said one of the proposals King has is creating a new cabinet position within GPSG that's focused directly on student health insurance.

In December, the GPSG passed King’s resolution calling on the University to put free menstrual products in all bathrooms on campus, and King said he is currently working on a resolution that would ask the University to prevent professors from assigning work to be due on well-being days.

Unlike the University’s undergraduate student body president, the GPSG president is not an ex officio member of the UNC Board of Trustees. King said he plans to keep fighting for graduate students to be granted a seat, although he said the issue has been a non-starter for the board in the past.

"I'd love to work with the student body president to meet with them and tell them what our concerns are,” King said. “But at the end of the day, graduate students deserve a seat at the table, just as much as undergrads.”

Lancaster said King prioritizes feedback from students and advocating for their concerns.

"That's why I want to run," he said. "I want to use my voice and my experience to help graduate and professional students on campus achieve."

King is one of two certified candidates for the GPSG presidency. Katie Heath is the other certified candidate. 

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