Student council kicks off meetings

The Top of Lenoir was a virtual who's who of campus leaders Monday night.

More than 20 student leaders came together to hold the first meeting of the Student Organization Council - an umbrella group for campus leaders to discuss University issues.

The group is a collaboration between Don Luse, director of the Student Union, Virginia Carson, director of the Campus Y and Ryan Tuck, editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel.

"I think it's a great opportunity to press pause and ask, 'What can we do?'" Tuck said.

Student leaders stressed the need to coordinate communications between organizations, highlighting the fragmented Hurricane Katrina relief effort as an example of the missing link between campus groups.

"All major organizations were trying to do a Katrina relief effort," said Bobby Whisnant, senior class president. "But there was no organization like this to go to."

Students also emphasized the need to coordinate events with other groups and to try to avoid conflicts of events.

"It's not that campus groups aren't doing things," said KaDarra Lowe, chairwoman of the UNC chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. "We're all doing the same things, we just don't know about them."

This communication problem soon will be addressed by a new aggregate campus calendar.

Using new software called Mambo, each student organization's calendar will be able to feed directly into SLICE - the Student Life Integrated Calendar of Events.

"It's your slice of life at UNC," said Mark Laabs, Student Body President Seth Dearmin's chief of staff.

Laabs said that the programming is being finalized and that everything is almost in place for student organizations to use the technology.

"Literally, in the next couple of days, I should have confirmation of that status," Laabs said.

After confirmation, he said it should be about one week until organizations are able to use the Web site.

Laabs said he would help members ease into the transition at the council's next monthly meeting.

Members also said they hoped the next meeting will include representatives from more groups.

"By virtue of representing the largest student organizations on campus, we aren't representing all the 500 student organizations," Laabs said.

But Tuck said many organizations who were invited did not attend, including the Young Democrats, College Republicans, Sangam, CHispA and Campus Crusade.

The council also will accept applications for five general member spots for students who are involved on campus but not necessarily a major leader in one group.

"I think it would be good for up-and-coming students and would give us an outside perspective," Dearmin said.

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.