MAC MOLLISON

News

Congress limits publication funds

By MAC MOLLISON | March 21

Student Congress sharply reduced spending for campus publications Tuesday night with the passage of the third section of the Cap Act, which limits public funding of magazines to two issues per semester. Speaker Luke Farley displayed pictures of thousands of outdated magazines left at distribution centers around campus before the vote on the controversial bill, which Congress members said was motivated both by a budget crunch and a desire to reduce governmental inefficiency.

News

Congress almost lifts CAA from Code

By MAC MOLLISON | February 28

Student Congress came within a hairbreadth of ejecting the Carolina Athletic Association from the purview of student government Tuesday night. In a vote breaking an eight-to-eight tie, Speaker Luke Farley chose to kill the bill rather than accept an amendment that would have salvaged student body elections for the post of CAA president. The vote came shortly after Student Body President James Allred left the meeting in protest. Congress adviser Jon Curtis also left the meeting at the same time.

News

Supreme Court backs CAA tickets

By MAC MOLLISON | February 19

The Student Supreme Court's ruling against Student Congress last week could turn out to be a landmark case. The decision, which was released late Thursday, nullified legislation Congress passed last semester to deprive student government officials and Carolina Athletic Association members of tickets granted to them outside of the general student lottery. "I'm definitely pleased that we got a precedent set for keeping student tickets out of the Student Code," said Rachel High, president of the CAA, which brought the case against Congress.

News

Voters to set prevailing Congress ideology

By MAC MOLLISON | February 13

Student Congress races for some districts have been hotly disputed this year, and about a dozen write-in candidates have entered the fray. But for the first time in recent memory, the Congress competition has transcended old-fashioned dorm-storming and flier-posting. Two opposing rhetorics have emerged, casting the nature of Congress and the legacy of Congress' leaders in different lights - and, for some, signaling that the stakes are higher this year than in the past.

News

Congress OKs term limits for Union board

By MAC MOLLISON | January 31

A sharply divided Student Congress mandated term limits for some Carolina Union Board of Directors members Tuesday night, acting against the advice of campus administrators, Student Body President James Allred, and the board itself. In December the board voluntarily changed its bylaws to allow any student group to apply for one of four positions on the 21-member board. Terms would last one year, and could be renewed indefinitely by a subcommitte of the board.

News

Candidates keeping tabs

By MAC MOLLISON | January 29

Students running for campus offices face many hurdles, such as attending forums, publicizing their campaigns and forming knowledgeable opinions on the issues. But they also face potential pitfalls under Title VI of the Student Code, which governs campus elections and subjects candidates to financial regulations, among others. Campaigns for each office are allotted and reimbursed a specific amount of money, ranging from up to $400 for student body president campaigns to $20 for Student Congress campaigns.

News

Lyons wins Congress' favor

By MAC MOLLISON | January 17

Student Congress members, sailing through unfamiliar waters, voted unanimously to "support" Denny Lyons to fill the Residence Hall Association's top post Tuesday night. After announcing plans to study abroad this semester, outgoing RHA President William Thompson recommended Lyons, the organization's treasurer, to fill his seat. Without provisions for handling a vacancy in RHA offices provided for in the Student Code, Congress members planned to approve the recommendation - even though it bypasses Thompson's second-in-command, RHA Vice President Ryan Coffield.

News

Congress covers tickets, safety

By MAC MOLLISON | November 29

This article incorrectly infers that the Department of Public Safety is responsible for installing emergency light call boxes. Additionally, due to a reporting error, the story incorrectly states that Student Body President James Allred said DPS doesn't listen to the student government committee responsible for the boxes. The comment was made in reference to a lighting tour that DPS did not take part in. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

News

Congress backs off on ticket reform

By MAC MOLLISON | October 25

Student Congress members voted 10 to six to uphold a veto by Student Body President James Allred Tuesday night, reversing the passage of a bill the body voted unanimously in favor of only four weeks ago. The defeat of the bill, which would have ensured equal treatment of all students requesting athletic tickets by subjecting them to one ticket lottery, means ticket distribution will not change before Congress' next full meeting.

News

Congress, BOE fight heads to court

By MAC MOLLISON | October 23

A dispute between two student government bodies has led to the first Student Supreme Court case in about a year. Conflict among student leaders centers on the use of social networking site Facebook.com during student election campaigns. Student Congress' Facebook Protection Act, passed in the early hours of Oct. 11 after an extended meeting, overturned a Board of Elections decision announcing that students can't use Facebook.com, MySpace.com and AOL Instant Messenger away messages to campaign in campus elections. The legislation amends the Student Code to allow the use of these venues.