Speaker of Student Congress Tony Larson traveled to Raleigh to deliver the resolution, passed Tuesday night, thanking legislators for keeping budget cuts to a minimum. The recently approved $14.3 billion budget includes cuts of $50 million from the UNC system, a number significantly smaller than what many University officials anticipated.
Last spring, UNC-Chapel Hill began preparing for budget cuts of up to 5 percent. The spending plan passed by the legislature last month only calls for a 2.9 percent cut, but UNC-CH officials are still awaiting word from the Office of the President for the final budget figures.
Members of Student Congress said it was necessary to pass the resolution to commend the legislature for sparing the University system.
"Given the financial state of the state, the cuts made to the University could have been a lot worse," Larson said. "So the Congress felt it was important to express thanks for what they did for the University."
During the visit, Larson stopped by the offices of 97 members of the state House and 35 state senators. He also spoke personally with 20 state representatives and 10 state senators.
"The conversations were very productive -- they were glad that somebody was acknowledging the work they had done to help the University," Larson said. "They were very receptive to being thanked."
Legislators told Larson that several N.C. State University students had lobbied aggressively during this session, even beating on windows to disrupt the meetings and prevent legislators from finishing work on the budget.
"The legislators said they were much more appreciative of the way we handled it," Larson said. "They were pleased not only the work we did to pass the resolution, but also the way in which we delivered it."
Members of Student Congress wanted to pass and deliver the resolution before the legislature's slated adjournment Thursday.
