The North
Carolina Association of Student Governments (ASG) made plans Saturday
to march on Raleigh in support of a plan for no tuition increases
this year and other student issues.
The new tuition plan, passed by the University of North Carolina
system Board of Governors (BOG), calls for no tuition increases
this year and increased student input in tuition decisions.
According to the BOG plan, universities would be required to form
a committee of faculty, administrators and students to consult on
any decision involving tuition. The new plan mandates that at least
one-third of the committee be students.
ASG had previously endorsed the BOG plan and resolved to organize
a ‘Students Day at the Capital’ march to lobby the General
Assembly in a teleconferenced meeting Saturday.
“I think it’s clear that students don’t want an increase
this year or next year,” Student Government Association President
Ryan M. Eller said Saturday. “We’ve been successful about
that this year at a campus and [BOG] level, and this is the final
step, to sell this idea to the Assembly.”
The ‘Students Day at the Capital’ march is planned for
next Tuesday. ASG has paid for buses to go to each campus in the
UNC system except for North Carolina State University.
Vice President of Legislative Affairs for ASG Victor Landry said
the rally would be in two major parts. Certain “lead team”
students from the various student governments would meet with legislators
personally, while others would attend the general assembly meeting
and a rally in the capital.
“If everything works right, we’ll have 1,000 students
in the lobby [of the Assembly], which will make an impression,”
Landry said.
“It’s going to be tough to get students out for this,”
said Chad C. Oakley, director of state and national affairs. “A
lot of students have classes on Tuesdays, so we’re trying to
convince the administration to give an excused absence to students
who attend the rally.”
While the General Assembly usually follows the recommendations of
the BOG on tuition, some student leaders are afraid that with the
state budget problems this year, the Assembly may choose to raise
tuition anyway.
“You really can’t predict what this Assembly is going
to do, and the final decision is with them,” Eller said.
The Association of Student Governments is the representative body
for all student governments in the UNC system. The president and
senior vice president are elected by ASG delegates. The president
then selects vice presidents for certain areas such as public affairs.
Each school chooses four delegates for each ASG meeting who vote
on resolutions. The process for choosing delegates varies from school
to school. At Appalachian State University they are chosen by the
director for state and national affairs.
ASG received a boost in funding last year, when the BOG added a
$1 fee for every student in the UNC system to provide a budget for
ASG. The money has gone to provide an office in Raleigh, as well
as for arranging events, such as providing busses for the rally.
“We’ve taken this approach with a look to the future,”
ASG President Jonathan L. Ducote said Saturday. “I think the
new plan will act as a limiting factor so students can afford to
go to school. It will be easier for them to know each year how much
tuition is going to go up.” |
