Ben King grew up in up in Salisbury, N.C., with a mother who worked with the local Town Hall and a stepfather in the fire department.
This, he said, taught him what it was like to be around people who love to serve and ultimately inspired his campaign for 2024-25 graduate and professional student government president.
King is a first-year graduate student in the UNC Master of Public Administration program. He is currently a senator for the public administration program and chair of the GPSG Rules and Judiciary Committee.
Some of his biggest priorities if elected include placing free menstrual products in all of the bathrooms on campus, canceling classes on Election Day and fighting for higher stipends for graduate students with assistantships on campus. Assistantships are paid positions for graduate students that involves part-time teaching or research.
“We've got to make sure that we're putting tangible, physical things on campus for students because a lot of times student government does their own thing,” King said. “The student body population is secondary and doesn’t really know what's going on.”
King said that members of student government have a disconnect with the student body, which contributes to the low voter turnout in student elections. He said if students can see what their government is doing for them, though, they may understand why student government matters and be encouraged to vote.
He said his emphasis on public service is demonstrated throughout his life. King is a volunteer firefighter, a notary public and a previous member of the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Chris Bouzane, a first-year in the Master of Public Administration program and a manager for King’s campaign, said he believes King is a good candidate because he exemplifies the values of service and ethics that are emphasized heavily in the public administration program.
“His motivations are really grounded in the right type of philosophy,” Bouzane said. “He's coming from a place of genuine care and concern.”
