Senior hopefuls eye speaker policies

It’s not often that a man who parades around in a bow tie is a trendsetter.

But Monday’s announcement that famed television personality Mo Rocca will stand as the first Senior Class Address speaker is forcing senior class president candidates to conjure up a little creativity.

Hopefuls voiced their satisfaction with Rocca’s selection and said they want to establish a tradition at UNC to bring exciting personalities to campus. But first, they said, they are looking to get as much input as possible for next year’s speaker.

Although the selection process for choosing a speaker is a difficult task, each candidate said it is important to let the senior class be a part of the decision.

“We have not decided on a speaker yet because we want it to be a decision that the class makes, and not just one that the student government makes,” said senior class vice president candidate Jenny Peddycord.

To have the senior class as involved as possible in the decision-making process, senior class vice president candidate Whit Walker said he would place a suggestion box in the Pit next year for seniors.

“Our goal is to get a larger student voice behind who we want as the speaker,” said senior class president candidate Madison Perry. “Hopefully, we will have an efficient voice for the students.”

Perry and Walker listed names of potential speakers, including Ben Carson, Tom Wolfe and Jon Stewart, but have yet to look into the feasibility of such options.

The candidates all have yet to speak with Provost Robert Shelton about a potential speaker.

“Right now, our focus is trying to create more awareness for students so we can get better speaker choices,” said Peddycord’s running mate, Bobby Whisnant Jr.

The process of choosing and approving a speaker for the Commencement ceremony also is a drawn-out, complicated task.

After reviewing student recommendations, a committee including the senior class officers and faculty combines a list of six to eight names that are submitted to Chancellor James Moeser.

Although Moeser has the ultimate authority concerning who speaks at Commencement, the candidates are intent on making it a priority to have the senior class be more involved in the decision.

“We have a good understanding of the whole process, and it is important for us to get that word out for students,” Peddycord said.

The Senior Class Address was created in an effort to solve criticism that students’ views were overlooked in the decision of this year’s Commencement speaker.

Senior class candidates said they hope that this creation will pacify the tension between students and faculty on choosing a memorable speaker.

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.