State House Approves Student BOG Vote

Proposed by Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford, the bill passed by a vote of 83-26 and was then sent to the Senate by a voice vote.

UNC Association of Student Governments President Andrew Payne, who serves as the BOG's lone student member, said he expects the bill to face a tougher battle in the Senate. "We have some work to do in the Senate," he said. "(The bill is) getting stuck and held up in a committee, which I think is unfair."

A similar bill died in a Senate committee in 1999, and Payne is working to make sure the same thing does not happen again.

"We have to convince (Senator) Tony Rand and (Senate President Pro Tem Marc) Basnight," he said.

But Payne said he remains optimistic.

"I am very, very excited. This is a long time coming for students to finally be a voice at the table," he said.

Adams said 164,000 students from across the UNC system support the bill, including the student body presidents from all 16 system schools.

But some state representatives disagreed with Adams and raised serious objections to the proposal.

Rep. Ed McMahan, R-Mecklenburg, said the student seat on the board is set up for a one-year term, and it might prove difficult for students to stay abreast of the issues the board considers.

McMahan added that it sometimes takes BOG members appointed by the legislature several years to fully understand issues.

Rep. Gene Arnold, R-Nash, said students do not get all the facts they need to place a vote. "They never visit other campuses," Nash said.

Arnold also argued against the student vote by saying that BOG Chairman Ben Ruffin was voted in by a 16-15 vote in 1998, explaining that a student vote could have been the tiebreaker at that time. "It is unfair to put that burden on a student," he said. "In my opinion, you are looking at a student who was added for advisory purposes only."

But Adams said she stands firm on the bill and believes that students stay up-to-date on important issues. "(Board members) are pleased with the service the students have given," she said.

Adams added that members of the House serve two-year terms, which seems to be adequate time for them to learn the issues and cast an intelligent vote.

In response to the objections the bill faced in the House, Payne said he knew they were coming. "I think their arguments are flawed," he said. "We come very prepared to the table."

Payne added that he has been to all 16 campuses in the UNC system. "I think (the argument that students do not visit all the schools) was an exaggeration of the truth."

Adams said she thinks the objections were made for the wrong reasons. "I think people are just reluctant to share power."

Adams said she is pushing this bill because these students will be North Carolina's future leaders. "They will have our seats."

Rep. Cary Allred, R-Alamance, who voted against the bill, said his main concern is over the balance of power.

"I think it would change the balance of power on the Board of Governors," Allred said.

He said the other members of the board work extremely hard to get elected by the legislature and a student vote would not be fair to them.

Allred added that he sees a potential conflict of interest with a student member placing a vote on issues concerning student fees, tuition, and in-state requirements.

Allred said a student would have a personal interest in keeping tuition low, causing a student to have a conflict of interest.

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