Carolina Union board names new president

The Carolina Union’s board of directors recently selected a new face for the 2005-06 school year.

Jonathon Benson, who has two years of experience on the Carolina Union Activities Board and who served this year as the CUAB representative to the board of directors, was chosen Feb. 13 as the group’s president-elect.

He was the community committee chairman for CUAB in 2003-04 and the comedy committee chairman this year.

The Carolina Union president heads the Union’s board of directors and CUAB. The board manages the Union’s budget and policy and the general operations of the building, while CUAB is in charge of student programming.

“The Union president is the main representative of the students’ voice for the Union,” said Ada Wilson, CUAB’s creative outlets committee chairwoman and a member of the Union board of directors.

Although Union Director Don Luse did not vote in the board’s decision, he said Benson is well-qualified for the position.

“I think people were impressed with his skills, what he’s done, his general knowledge of how to get things done,” Luse said.

Benson’s experience and enthusiasm made him stand out to board members, Wilson said.

“Jonathon had a passion for the Union that was really inspiring,” she said. “It was only natural for him to be a great candidate for Union president.”

The process for choosing the new president consisted of a written application, followed by a two-tiered interview process: a screening interview with a small sample of board of directors’ members and a final interview with the entire board.

“I think the board looks for leadership … for people who can be creative problem solvers and have an insight into campus and are not just focused on the Union,” Luse said.

Benson said one of his main goals is to reach out to the University community.

“One goal this year was to increase visibility,” he said. “I just want to do bigger and better, really extend the reach of the Union and CUAB, and have as many people and ideas included as we can.

“The Union is a representation of all students on campus, and we want to try to make that true.”

Applications for CUAB committee chairmen will be available Wednesday at the Information Hub in the Union. The applications are due March 30.

Applicants will be interviewed April 1 and 2. The new board will be announced the following week.

Benson said he is excited about the new position and is ready to take on the association’s ultimate leadership role.

“The Union is an organization I really care about, and I wanted to be part of it as much as I could.”

Contact the A&E editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.