COVER STORY 8
The Dawn
Qeorge Battlers Victory us SBP Mflkes Him the Fourth B
By L«« Richardson
Ink Associate Editor
Moments before the winners
of this year’s student body run
off elections were announced, the
tension and anticipation was vivid
in ihe left corner of room 100 in
Carrol Hall. Surrounded by
campaign workers and friends,
junior political science major
George E. Battle, III., sat quietly
awaiting the results.
With the clock ticking close
to midnight, the student body at
the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill had once again
made history. It elected Battle as
its student body president for the
year 1994-95, making him the
fourth black student in the
University’s 200 year history to
be elected to the post.
Althtxigh it has been a little
over a month since that day
historical day, Battle has already
made strides toward becoming
an innovative and proactive force
on campus. This week. Battle
appointed junior Teaching Fellow
Donyell Phillips as his vice
president
“She was the best candidate
for the job,” said Battle of
Donyell, a Winston-Salem native.
“She will be very instrumental in
human relations policy,
maintaining the executive office
and providing me with the support
and aid me in the execution of my
administrative duties.”
The 20-year-old Phillips, who
served as the coordinator for Race
Re lations and M inority Concerns
and on the Attorney General Staff
of the Judicial Branch of Student
Ciovemment, was very pleased
with the appointment.
“I'm excited, but I also am
very realistic,” said Phillips, who
has also been a co-chair of the
Campus Y’s Youth United
program, “I understand that I
cannot change everything, but I
can try.
A member of Delta Sigma
Tbeta Sorority Inc., Phillips said
she applied for the job because, “I
feh like student government had
photo by David Long
Battle, supporters anxiously await final election tally.
not been as responsive to minority
student needs.”
Phillips, who has worked very
effectively with Battle in the past
in student govenunent, beat out
junior Jasme Kelly and Jeff
Matkins for the job.
Battle, along with all other
newly elected student
representatives, will be sworn in at
5 p.m. April 5 in Great Hall.
Battle’s decisive run-off victwy
overopponentTommy Koonce and
his appointing of a black female to
the post of vice president, proved
to be the start of a “new era” for
the University as a whole and
the black campus community.
Battle won with approximately
60 percent of the student body’s
vote.
“The overwhelming
participation by Black students
in the elections, symbolized a
rise in political awareness and
savyy in 6m cottimimity.” ,
'....MW
Battle has become not only a
symbol of what black students
desire in a campus leader, but he
is also a substantive
representative. An estimated 70
percent of the nearly 2,000 black
students participated in the
election process this year, which
was better than in previous
electicsis with black candidates
running. Battle said that the
overwhelmingly large
participation by black students,
“symbolized a rise in political
awareness and savvy in our
conununity.”
As much as Battle understands
that the success of his election
depended heavily on the black
student populous, he also knew
other students ccmprised ahelpful
component ofhiselection strategy
team as well. Battle has promised
to construct his administrative
team so that it “looks like
Carolina,” implying that it will
be comprised of a cross-section
of students from all backgrounds.
“My campaign brought
together a diverse group of people
and united them behind the theme
of improving student
government,” Battle said. “I will
be true to that theme in my
administration. I will be a student
body president for all students.”
Battle is no stranger to student
activism and government. His
pastexperience was an invaluable
asset to his campaign. As a
freshman, B attle was elected floor
senator in Carmichael Residence
Hall and was elected one of two
representatives to Student
Congress for his residential
district
As a sqjhomore. Battle be
came a member of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and served
as chair of the Rules and J udiciary
Committee of Student Congress.
He’s also drafted and co
sponsored aresolution calling for
the establishment of a free
standing Sonja Haynes Stone
Black Cultural Center that was
approved by the Student
Congress.
At the start of his junior year,
I