Correction
Due to an editing error, Abby Youngken - the author of the Tuesday letter, "Student leaders' stipends are tokens of appreciation" - was identified incorrectly.
Youngken served in Student Congress while she was a student at UNC, but she never acted as speaker pro tempore, as was indicated.
TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to address a few points regarding the annual Student Congress stipends debate. According to the Student Code, a "salary" is restricted but a "stipend" is not.
The difference might be subtle, but it's important. If this debate is going to center on something as malleable as the intent behind an author's words, then let's take a further look.
I'm sure that it wasn't the intent of our institution's great founders to open UNC for the admittance of blacks, women and other minorities, but I'm glad it happened.
What makes Congress members different from other student leaders in the executive and judicial branches who are able to receive stipends?
Are we concerned that Congress members will usurp money from student fees and start paying themselves huge sums of money?
Annual stipends aren't the same as salaries. A Congress member who receives a stipend is not a UNC employee as he would be if he were placed on salary. He isn't beholden to University administrators for performance evaluations. He cannot be fired or persuaded with promotions.
This is about the merit of our student leaders, or whether they deserve compensation for their efforts. The sacrifice these students make on a daily basis for our University speaks for itself. For most of them, the receipt of a stipend is not any kind of incentive for them to produce good work. These students learned the benefits of selfless public service long ago.
