Student Vote Bill Will Die In Committee

As the legislative session draws to a close, the student vote on the Board of Governors has once again died at the hands of one state senator.

Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, informed Andrew Payne, UNC Association of Student Governments president, last week that a bill granting the ASG President a vote on the BOG will not pass this session.

Rand, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, has repeatedly blocked the passage of the legislation giving a vote to the sole student member of the BOG despite widespread support from legislators, student leaders and UNC-system officials. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House in April.

The bill then moved to the Senate Rules Committee, where it has been stuck ever since. As chairman of the committee, Rand has the power to determine when, if ever, bills are heard on the Senate floor.

In 1999 and in previous years, Rand has simply allowed the bill to sit idle in the committee until the end of the session -- essentially killing the legislation.

Rand said he met with Payne last Thursday to inform him of his stance on the bill and to talk about issues concerning the university. "I like talking to students as often as I can," Rand said. "I was a student once myself."

Payne said he was disappointed with the meeting and the decision to leave the bill in committee. "The Senate leadership has made it very clear that they will not allow this bill to pass," Payne said. "I've been racking my brain for months, trying to figure out how we could convince them. I don't know what else we could do to make this bill pass."

Payne added that it was unfair for a few members of the Senate to hold up legislation that passed the House overwhelmingly, had 18 co-sponsors in the Senate and had the support of the BOG.

Rand has repeatedly stated that students do not have the experience to serve on the BOG, and he said nothing that has happened during the last few months has made him think differently.

Payne said both he and former ASG President Jeff Nieman -- both of whom sat on the BOG for two consecutive years -- have shown otherwise. "I think the president of the ASG often has a better knowledge of the issue than some of the people that serve on the BOG," he said.

Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, who sponsored the Senate version of the legislation, said she is frustrated with Rand's decision. "It's very disappointing that Senator Rand has not allowed this bill to be heard fairly," Kinnaird said.

She added that future student leaders should try to put pressure on Rand through his constituents -- specifically students at Fayetteville State University, which is located in Rand's district. She said, "I think students in his district should write to him and tell him how important this bill is."

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