ASG Picks Payne for 2nd Term

Payne's running mate, and the new vice president of the ASG, is Sonia Blanks, who served as student body president at Fayetteville State University. "Thank you for your support," N.C. State University student Payne said after being elected. "I appreciate the opportunity to represent the association and the students."

David Chesley, a student at Western Carolina University and Veronica Hatton, UNC-Pembroke student body president ran against Payne and Blanks.

Payne said the ASG would be his main priority because he will be taking one class in the fall 2001 semester.

"The ASG will be my job working with the General Assembly, the Board of Governors and the students."

Before the voting started, members stood up to probe the candidates about what changes they would make to the organization. The focus of the association for the next school year will be implementing a heavy reliance on the Internet, Payne said.

He said he hopes the ASG Web site will attract the interest of students and legislators to the association.

But Payne said he was concerned about the current image the ASG projects, and said he would continue to re-establish the association's creditability.

"Many think the state student association is not doing its job," Payne said. "The ASG is almost like a glorified social club, and that concerns me."

Payne also said he wanted to serve a second term because he felt that he did not get a full opportunity to serve the ASG during his first term. Payne replaced then-ASG President Cliff Webster last September, who resigned after being charged with larceny.

Chesley agreed the ASG is not currently producing desired results.

"We need to take the current (ASG) constitution and throw it in the trash," Chesley said. "It's useless. We need to come up with a new one."

Talk soon turned to the internal direction the association will take for the new school year. Payne said he is aiming to establish an optional $1 student fee to increase funding for the association.

"We have to get our name out," he said. "We have to get to a level where (the ASG) does the job for the students of North Carolina."

Payne added if ASG cannot convince students of the association's relevance, then "maybe there shouldn't be an ASG."

Payne went on to say he will try to re-organize the ASG similar to the UNC-system Board of Governors, in an attempt to gain more credibility with UNC-system officials.

Recurrent themes in both platforms stressed the importance of a stronger ASG and greater student involvement in the organization.

And the Payne/Blanks motto mirrored their long-term goals of the association -- to make the "UNC ASG a powerful force for Higher Education in North Carolina."

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