On Tuesday, The Daily Tar Heel published an editorial questioning why few women are running for the position of student body president. As I read it on my way to class, I remembered that for one day during my first year, I considered running for SBP. I feel embarrassed to even admit that.
I was a first year, eating Cosmic Cantina with Zach Bijesse, campaign manager for Emilio Vicente’s run. He wanted to meet so he could share what he’d learned; he was using phrases like “when you run.” I thought for a moment, what if I did?
I didn’t consider it for more than a day. I thought about what people would say about me, a women’s and gender studies major, running for the chance to represent UNC’s student body. Could I still be political and appeal to wide swaths of UNC’s campus? Was student government even the most effective way to get things done on campus?
I want to question why I feel embarrassed to admit that, for one day during my first year, I thought I might one day be worthy to possibly hold the position of student body president? It feels like bragging, arrogance, to admit that I even thought about it for a moment.
For me, this comes down to the feeling that above all, women are supposed to be humble; we’re supposed to be sources of support. I’m not the only one who has thought this way.
And obviously, as a white woman, I’ve faced fewer barriers to accessing institutional power than others, but even still, these challenges are intimidating.
In putting together this column, I spoke to many of my friends who are involved in campus life about why they chose not to run. Several mentioned that they would feel more comfortable in a role like campaign manager. Others said that they never thought about it, but I want to point out that never even considering a run is in fact a choice.
One prevailing notion was that if you’re not a Morehead-Cain or Robertson scholar, if you’re not already involved with student government, then there’s no way you’d stand a chance. Whether or not this is actually true, it’s undeniable that student government does not mirror the diversity of our campus, though individual members of student government work to recruit historically underrepresented students.
Honestly, if a non-male friend of mine came to me and asked, “Would it be worth it to run for SBP?” I’m not sure I would tell them yes. Because the scrutiny is intense. And because it’s fair to argue that working with student government is not the best or only way to go about making meaningful change on our campus. Because they’d likely be forced to tone down their political beliefs.
