Ulffp Daily uar HM
Kitchen's
Advice: Do
Homework
University administrators often
view themselves as mentors to
aspiring student leaders, even
though throughout much of their rela
tionship an administrator and a stu
dent might be on opposite sides of
every issue.
Susan Kitchen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, regularly deals with stu
dents who want changes in everything
from campus dining to parking. In a
recent interview with The Daily Tar
Heel, she shared her thoughts on effec
tive student leadership:
DTH: What makes an effective stu
dent leader?
Kitchen: I appreciate somebody
who has done their homework and
who attempts to collaborate. You’ve
got to do both.
Once you’ve done your homework
it has to be a conversation about how
to improve.
DTH: Do you ever lose respect for
student leaders?
Kitchen: I don’t lose respect
because I think you have to leam how
to do this ... It’s OK to ask questions.
DTH: Do you ever feel like admin
istrators can be a bit paternalistic?
Kitchen: I say to new student lead
ers, particularly to new student body
presidents, ‘Here’s how I operate, and
you’re going to have to trust me.’ And
usually things work out... If we
agreed on everything, one of us isn’t
doing our job. The worst thing that
happens is that students will make the
administration an adversary, and the
administration will wait students out.
I think you have to understand how
decisions are made and the difference
between decision-making and input...
For every new thing that you want,
you have to give up something else.
Even within administrations there’s
competition for dollars.
DTH: Low student voter turnout is
nothing new. Do administrators use
the number of votes a student body
leader gets as leverage?
Kitchen:
What I like to do
is remind elected
student leaders
just how many
people did elect
them. It’s kind of
a humbling expe
rience. It’s up to
them to gain
more support.
There is not a
student voice, and
ml
Susan Kitchen
it’s the same thing with administrators.
There are diverse groups, backgrounds
and opinions. It’s not like we’re cook
ie-cutters and we all think the same.
DTH: What about student leaders
who take strong activist stances versus
just collaborating and cooperating?
Kitchen: I guess that’s where doing
your homework is helpful. I think that
one of the things that I didn’t under
stand as a student leader and it even
took me some time as a staffer, is that
administrators don’t have as much
power as I thought they did.
Persuasion and influence lead to more
long-term results. That’s true for any
members of an organization.
DTH: Do you think administrators
would prefer to have no student input?
Kitchen: It would make my job a
lot harder ... (but) I don’t think you
should make decisions based purely
on polls. (I could be really popular if I
said) ‘Let’s have kegs!’... I’m not here
for popularity. I’m an educator ...
Student government leaders, at
their best, wrestle with that as well.
DTH: Do administrators try to
dupe students?
Kitchen: It’s foolish. It only works
in the short term ... Duping students
leads to a bad reputation.
DTH: What are three things every
student leader should know about
dealing well with administrators?
Kitchen: Do your homework. Go
to the closest point that a decision gets
made. Maximize the things where you
agree and find another ally on places
where you don’t agree.
How Can Student Government Be More Effective?
-
“If (student
government) is gonna
be the voice of the
students (it) ought to
have regular meetings
within campus
districts. At least
that would provide a more open
opportunity for students to get out
there and get things done. ”
Kevin Nolte
Senior, History, Winston-Salem
Hoops and Hurdles:
Can Student Leaders
Make Things Happen?
With student elections on the horizon, you can
bet you’ll hear student body president candi
dates talk ceaselessly about the impact stu
dent government has on University policy.
Granted, student leaders have an impact. Students should
definitely care enough to vote for the next student body pres
ident. But student leaders are limited in what they accom
plish directly because the real power on campus lies with
administrators.
So before selecting the student, and in effect his or her staff,
who will represent your voice on committees across campus,
investigate what methods the student must use to succeed
and what hurdles he or she faces in getting things done.
And when you cast your ballot on Feb. 9, know what, not
just whom, you’re voting for.
'Student Government' a Misnomer
ac tudent self-governance” has always been
touted as a venerable and historically
k_/ strong tradition at the University.
Students supposedly have the autonomy within
legal limits to organize and do what they want
without fear of interference from administrators,
trustees, faculty or staff members.
This idea of student self-govemance holds true
for some organizations. The Asian Students
Association and the Outing Club run themselves.
The Carolina Athletic Association has kept a tight
grip on basketball ticket distribution for years.
And the bank fraud scandal surrounding the
Order of the Grail-Valkyries, a UNC honorary
society, last year was an example of student self
governance run amok.. *. ..
Yet the one organization
that derives its very title
from the concept of student
self-govemance is one of the
least likely to fit its descrip
tion. UNC’s student govern
ment has very little power
to make something signifi
cant happen on its own,
unlike a truly self-governed
institution. Almost every
thing significant has to get
approval (and funding) from
administrators. Student gov
ernment had to push admin
istrators to open the
Undergraduate Library 24
hours a day; it never
would’ve happened without
administrators’ permission.
Despite success, however,
even the most effective stu
dent government does not
“govern.” At its worst, it loi
ters for a year in its Suite C
offices. At its best, it negoti-
ates with University admin
istrators to get things done.
At the same time, admin
istrators, despite having a lot
of influence over what hap
pens on the campus and
ability to make changes, are
bound as well. Because
UNC is a public institution,
our administrators,
Chancellor Michael Hooker
included, are not responsible
only to the students on this campus. They have
other bosses, namely the state government and
N.C. taxpayers.
With all of the complex ins and outs of student
government and its relationship with the adminis
tration, it’s amazing anything ever gets done. But
it does, thanks largely to those who search for a
method to the madness.
“They should have
something like
meetings or
somewhere where
they would get a
better idea of what
the student body as a
whole wants and want issues are
important. ”
Nadu Irvine
Sophomore, Business, Baltimore, Md.
NAHAL TOOSI
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
I recently interviewed three former student
body presidents, Calvin Cunningham (1995-
1996), Aaron Nelson (1996-1997) and Mo Nathan
(1997-1998). After the initial hellos, throughout
the reminiscing of their glory days, and before the
eventual group hug (in which I took no part), I
learned a few things about what an effective stu
dent government has to do within the system to
get what it wants.
When we vote for our student body president,
we do not elect an independent leader with the
power to create University policy. Instead, we
elect a student who, through committees, conver
sations and public forums, relays concerns and
ideas to University administrators. In this setting,
he bargains, perhaps begs and sometimes threat
ens, to get anything from more bike racks to a
revamping of the advising system.
The student body president appoints negotia
tors as members of the executive branch. Some
outrank others, many don’t get along and all
claim to serve student interests. Among and with
in the branches, especially between Student
Congress and the executive branch, there is a lot
of negotiation about exactly what demand, idea
or concern to relate to the people in South
Building, the UNC system’s General
Administration or the state legislature.
“Not all students agree,” Calvin Cunningham
said. “I think you’re constantly working for points
of consensus and legitimacy.”
So levels of negotiators try to bargain for
Program A and Plan B with an administration
that itself is layered and reports to North
Carolinians and their representatives. That
administration has its own programs and plans,
too. Consider the ongoing Master Plan, which
will revamp the look and structure of the campus.
That plan will go from level to level and adminis
trator to administrator for critique, review and
implementation. Students year after year have to
keep up with this plan on a consistent basis.
Time certainly complicates the matter. A stu
dent body president and his staff have a year to
make a difference on campus. Administrators
have an undefined amount of time, and they
know they can wait students out So student gov
ernment leaders must prioritize. What first?
Finding the money for a free-standing Sonja H.
Stone Black Cultural Center or trying to get satel
Calvin
Cunningham
Aaron Nelson
Mo Nathan
“I think it'd be good
if student
organizations got
together in general.
I’m totally clueless
about what’s going
on with some of the
Op-Ed
■
organizations.”
Paul Scooters
Junior, Communications Studies, Durham
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lite television service for the Student Union?
What can be done quickly, and what can be start
ed for others to finish?
The creation of a Student Fee Audit
Committee is an example of prioritization and
continuation. Calvin Cunningham’s administra
tion wanted students to have more sustained con
trol over changes in student fees, not to mention
influence on how many services students received
for every dollar they put into the system.
Cunningham proposed the Student Fee Audit
Committee, Aaron Nelson’s administration set it
on a successftd track, and Mo Nathan’s and cur
rent Student Body President Reyna Walters’
administrations have kept it going. Since its
founding, the committee has served as an impor
tant check on student fee increases.
Thus, effective student government measures
outlive their creators’ time in office. Good student
body presidents think beyond the fact that they
won’t have to face re-election and try to do what
they can or at least set a base for what they want
so those that follow them can work things out At
the same time, they implement the successful and
good plans of their predecessors - always in the
interest of the students.
“Give people something to believe in,” Aaron
Nelson said. “Surround yourself with good people
and trust them.”
Even with exceptional trust, everything comes
at a cost. Money is the lifeblood of our institu
tions, but information is the discriminate pump
that determines where it flows. A student govern
ment that is well-informed (and relies on more
than biased administrators to get information on
issues) is one that is well-equipped to back up its
proposals or cry out against others’ ideas.
But besides doing their homework to prepare
for numerous meetings, student leaders also face
the challenge of informing the students they rep
resent about their activities and getting informa
tion from students about what they should be
doing. Some do this well; others don’t Either
way, the student leaders often must choose a side
based on the information they have, even if it
makes them unpopular.
“Everyone has an issue, but you’re not neces
sarily responsible to a particular community," Mo
Nathan said. “The key to learning what’s going on
at this University is consistent effort. But you can
lose particular students’ viewpoints. And that’s
why you have to make every effort possible to
stay in touch with as many people as possible.”
When Calvin Cunningham supported a S4OO
tuition increase during his tenure, he faced the
wrath of many dissenters, including some mem
bers of his administration. But Cunningham says
today that information from all sides of the
debate, including reports and conversations, influ
enced his decision to support the increase.
Cunningham read about how the University
had slipped from the first tier of institutions with
"They should make
their objectives a
little mor* public.”
Lesuc Smith
Junior, History, Sanford
high faculty salaries. He saw anecdotal evidence
when prestigious UNC faculty left for better-pay
ing jobs elsewhere. Cunningham said the libraries
were canceling subscriptions to certain journals
because of low funds, and they needed new tech
nology. But before supporting higher tuition,
Cunningham pushed for and received a provision
for aid for financially needy students. “My argu
ment was that if we’re going to have a tuition
increase, let’s earmark it,” Cunningham said.
“Let’s know dollar for dollar where it’s going.”
Student governments are not totally powerless
or dependent on sympathy from administrators to
accomplish things. As Cunningham put it, student
government has a “quiver of arrows” when it
comes to strategy. Which arrow it uses depends
mi the situation. Thereby, calling out and occa
sionally embarrassing an administrator is an
option, as is compromise. Student leaders have
been known to get their share of administrators
fired as well as save a few jobs.
Student leaders who give administrators good
publicity often get what they want, as do those
who threaten to circumvent the relationship alto
gether and go to an administrators’ superior.
UNC has an interesting set-up because as a
member of the Board of Trustees, the student
body president is, in effect, the chancellor’s boss.
Student body presidents know they can always
appeal to their fellow trustees on the board to
accomplish something that the chancellor might
not appreciate.
Such strategies have been known to work at
times and fail miserably during others. It took
several years worth of continuous student effort to
start the advising system’s revamping. It took a
short discussion between Aaron Nelson and
Chancellor Hooker to get students half a day off
of class to help clean the campus after Hurricane
Fran in 1996.
Some student leaders have jumped into bed
with administrators (figuratively). Others, such as
Student Body President Bill Bates (1975-1976),
have “declared war on the University administra
tion.” The relationship fluctuates every year, but
overall, the student voice at this University has
gotten louder and more intense. A more active
and concerned student body typically gets more
accomplished. The last time students electrified
the University was earlier this decade when they
rallied for a freestanding BCC. But it is idealistic
to think that beyond the small, esoteric activities
students undertake, “student self-govemance”
means students govern themselves. The “govern
ing” role that student government plays today is
miniscule in comparison to the representative and
negotiating roles it takes on year after year.
Nahal Toosi is a senior journalism and mass
communication and political science major from
McKinney,Texas. You can reach her at
ntoosi@email.unc.edu.
“A lot of stuff goes on that’s not totally
representative of students. There’s a
little mudslinging
that goes on. The
people in (Student)
Congress should find
out what students
want. I don’t really
know what goes on
in there - you have to go out of your
way to find out.”
August Jenkins
Sophomore, Journalism, Winston-Salem
Tuesday, January 19, 1999
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