Congress unites sides of the aisle

When Student Congress representatives emerged from their first meeting Wednesday, they left with new leadership in place — and a more politically divided body.

Congress members elected Luke Farley, an outspoken Republican, to speaker and appointed Kris Gould, co-president of the Young Democrats, to speaker pro tempore. The two will work closely to determine Congress’ agenda during the upcoming term.

Although Farley and Gould might represent two extremes of the political spectrum, both said their personal beliefs will not affect their objectivity. “No matter who you voted for in November, we want a better, stronger, more active Congress,” Farley said.

Gould also said political differences won’t create a divide between him and Farley.

“It’ll be a lot of fun this way,” he said. “If anything, it will help us look at things from different angles.”

Jennifer Orr, this year’s speaker pro tempore, said Farley and Gould won’t run into too many obstacles as long as they communicate well.

Farley said the majority of Congress’ dealings are devoid of politics and that he does not anticipate any kind of rift developing between himself and Gould.

“Ninety-five percent of what we do is apolitical,” Farley said. “That stuff doesn’t factor in to what we do.”

Orr said partisan topics do arise on occasion.

During debates last session, Congress sometimes revealed a conservative-liberal split. Two resolutions — one condemning the selection of a speaker with ties to Planned Parenthood and another resolution denouncing flag burning on campus — ignited heated debate.

Yet, politics in Congress are limited to specific instances and should not harm daily operations, Orr said.

“Politics are usually confined to a single issue, and there is no long-term harm,” she said.

While Congress officially is a nonpartisan organization, College Republicans and Young Democrats both endorsed candidates during February’s student election. Eight endorsees from each group now are congressional representatives — about 40 percent of the body.

Megan Paul, a representative endorsed by College Republicans, said some members of Congress were concerned about the possible effects of a divided leadership.

Ultimately, Congress members were swayed by the commitment of Farley and Gould, she said.

“They are the two people who love Congress the most,” she said.

“There’s always a chance that something could come up, but they are working for the same things.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.