Students to Voice Concerns at Capitol

UNC Association of Student Governments officials say Student Day at the Capitol aims to build cooperation with legislators while also lobbying for more need-based financial aid funding and a 6 percent faculty salary increase.

ASG President Andrew Payne said the event would allow students and legislators to discuss issues and voice their opinions.

"Our main goal is to highlight concerns students have when it comes to education, and the (N.C.) General Assembly's role in that," he said.

Charles Lawley, who is helping to organize the event, said the BOG vote would provide students with better representation.

"We need to have students on the board because they also pay for (the costs of) school," Lawley said.

He said interested students should gather at 11 a.m. on N.C. State University's Centennial Campus. Shuttles will then transport students to the General Assembly.

At 12:30 p.m., a rally will kick off at Halifax Mall. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, UNC-system President Molly Broad and BOG Chairman Ben Ruffin are expected to give speeches, Lawley said.

Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford, and Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, who are both sponsoring bills for a student vote on the BOG, also will speak.

During the afternoon, students will meet with members of the General Assembly and observe a legislative session.

An ice cream social will wrap up the day's events at 3 p.m.

Payne said response to the event has been positive.

He said N.C. State student government officials were reaching out to students in service and activist groups.

"It's not just about ASG's concerns," he said. "It's about students and their concerns."

Payne said 1,000 students are expected to attend the day's events.

But the event has not been widely publicized on the UNC-CH campus.

UNC-Chapel Hill Student Body President Brad Matthews said the lack of advertising for the event around campus can be attributed to other activities on campus such as the student body president election runoffs and Sen. John Edwards' visit today.

Matthews said interested students should meet at 11 a.m. in the ATM parking lot on Raleigh Road to carpool. Those interested in attending can e-mail Chris McClure at cmcclure@email.unc.edu.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.