BOG Vote Still Priority For Students

The Education Committee deliberated the bill Tuesday and approved the legislation in a voice vote. The legislation will now be sent to the House Rules Committee, which will determine when the bill is heard by the full House.

Notable absentees from yesterday's vote were Student Body President Justin Young and UNC Association of Student Governments Vice President Liz Gardner, a UNC-CH senior.

Gardner said other obligations kept her from attending the hearing.

"I had a class," said Gardner, who confirmed Tuesday that she has been linked to a controversy involving the Carolina Athletic Association presidential race. "But I think other students are just as concerned with this move as I am."

Gardner admits that the student turnout was low but that student leaders plan to take action soon. "We're already making efforts for a stronger presence (when the bill is) in the House," she said. "We expect a lot of students and leaders."

Andrew Payne, ASG president and the current student BOG member, said he is working harder to get students ready for the bill's debate in the Senate.

"I am confident that it will pass in the House," he said. "But we are trying to get more students involved when it goes to the Senate." A similar bill died in a Senate committee last session.

And UNC Student Body President, Justin Young said he will also push to integrate students in this bill's passage.

"I plan to play a role in its passage," he said. "The importance of this measure is on many levels. Though every student is not knowledgeable, they still need to have their voices heard by a representative on the board."

Payne said students might not realize the importance of a student BOG vote.

"No one understands the impact of this move," he said. "Whether we get the vote or not will change the way the (BOG votes)."

The committee approval marks a victory for student leaders who have spent years trying to get a student BOG vote. The BOG sets policies for the UNC system, including those concerning tuition.

Payne said this was a major first step for more student involvement in matters that concern them. "We have been working on this issue for some years," he said. "It took an effort to make it work."

Student body presidents from each UNC-system school have voting privileges on trustee boards at the universities. "Students fund 20 percent of the University's budget, so they should have a voice," Payne said.

Payne also said he was not disappointed by the low student turnout and said he understands that college life is getting hectic at the end of the semester. "Students are already writing to legislators, so if they are not present at the time of the bill's passage, they are still sharing the support."

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