Student government's executive branch introduced its officers and committee chairmen Saturday at the Cabinet Kickoff a three-hour retreat aimed at discussing roles for the coming year.
Although the executive branch has had cabinet retreats in the past" this is the first one in at least the last three years.
""I thought it was incredibly productive"" said senior Michael Hutson, chairman of the accessible education task force.
I wasn't in the executive branch until this year"" and so it gave me a great chance to orient myself with some of the procedures. It answered a lot of my questions before I had to ask them individually.""
There were 45 people total in attendance" including the executive officers 12 committee chairmen and eight special projects chairmen.
They are responsible for enacting changes in policy made by student government.
Chief of Staff Cameron Randall a senior" emphasized the importance of cabinet members.
""They are really the workhorses of student government" he said.
We have a group this year that is very committed to listening to students and serving as a voice to students. We're very transparent this year" more than in some years past.""
Student Body President J.J. Raynor and Randall brainstormed the idea of a retreat during the summer"" Randall said.
The idea fell under his role as the chief of staff. A big part of Randall's role is to ""encourage leadership growth and reflection"" he said.
The other executive officers also liked the idea, making the event a collaborative effort.
We thought this would be a good energizer motivator and it would get people serious about doing work"" Randall said.
The meeting mostly went over details such as event planning, how to get financial approval and how to speak with the press.
Committee leaders learned how to book rooms for their events and how to use campus media to spread the word.
But there was also some time for ice breakers meant to help unify the group. One was called Train Wreck" a game similar to musical chairs.
The icebreakers were really helpful in getting to know other cabinet members" said sophomore Shruti Shah, co-chairwoman of the women's affairs committee.
Randall said feedback from the event was positive, and that he hoped the event would continue in the future.
Junior Jasmin Jones, co-chairwoman of the student life committee, has served in the executive cabinet since her first year. She said the retreat was very efficiently run.
They hit all the important points and didn't keep us there learning unnecessary information"" she said. It got people excited about the school year.""
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
