3 Branches Must Help Each Other

Last Tuesday's inauguration at the Friday Center marked the annual magic moment when all three branches of student government make a public appearance together -- an unfortunately rare sight.

William Long, chief justice of the Student Supreme Court, swore in Student Body President Jen Daum, Student Congress members and Attorney General Amanda Spillman, among others.

People who attended the event said the three branches of student government were a united family -- a family seemingly prepared for transitions and difficult issues.

Like all families on special occasions, our student government family spoke about its potential on inauguration day. And like all families divided by different approaches to the same purpose, student government has difficulty knowing when to help out cousins in another, troubled branch of the family.

Last week, The Daily Tar Heel reported on the downward spiral of interest in Congress in the last decade. It's not just a recessionary decline anymore -- this is a genuine depression. Sadly, on a day filled with smiles and speeches about springtime renewal of hope, student government largely kept quiet about one branch's popularity problems.

Student government, the executive branch particularly, must lasso in support for Student Congress. Inclusion of Congress within the student government family could increase the group's visibility and end the talent drought.

More communication is needed between the executive and legislative branches, as poor communication during the Justin Young administration already has postponed a special congressional election, intended to fill those empty congressional seats, to April 23.

Tony Larson, who was elected last week as Congress' new speaker, is optimistic about relations with Daum's administration and said he and Daum have had several conversations about ways Student Congress and the executive branch can unify the student voice. "We are both making a real effort," he said. "We'll work together to represent the students and share credit for making sure students are being heard."

Although Larson believes all seats will be filled by late August, he admits most students lack appreciation and knowledge of Congress' role. "We are not an executive body, so we can't focus all of our energies in one area," he said.

While in recent years the executive branch has had dramatic showdowns with administrators and frequent appearances in the DTH, most of the Student Congress workload has been less than glamorous. "Basically, you're behind doors, and no one is going to see you, and for the most part, it's not going to be very highly publicized," said former Congress Speaker Mark Townsend.

But should Student Congress speakers be more visible to increase understanding of Congress? Townsend thinks the Student Congress speaker should tag along with the student body president at UNC Board of Trustees meetings, for example, to have an additional perspective and remind the public of Congress's interests.

Meanwhile, Larson will encourage student organization leaders to have representatives from their groups to fill the remaining seats. Townsend noted that students from the College Republicans, Young Democrats, law and medical schools consistently serve and might have received more support than usual thanks to their representation.

Self interest is best served by keeping the family together after all.

Columnist Katy Nelson can be reached at knelson@email.unc.edu.