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TI’KSDAY. APRIL 1. 2008
FINAL EVALUATIONS
Campus leaders today have finally reached the conclusion of their year in office. During the course of their terms, lead
ers are charged with representing student interests and accomplishing the goals they set for themselves before tak
ing office. The final evaluations on these two pages reflect The Daily Tar Heel editorial boards review of the overall
performance of each leader during their terms.
In order to arrive at these assessments, the editorial board met with leaders and discussed their tenures. Leaders were
given the opportunity to address their administrations successes and failures, and the editorial board followed with
questions concerning specific issues that arose during the past year. After the meetings, the editorial board discussed
the tenure of each administration.
Junior Year Scholarship
One of Carson's “Big 3" platform planks, the Junior
Year Scholarship is one of the biggest successes of the
administration. The scholarship has secured funding,
and the basic structure is in place to begin award
ing it to a rising junior next year. It is a merit-based
award for the students last two years at UNC.
The original plans for the scholarship called for
an endowment to be created in order to sustain it
in future years, but more funding is still needed
before an endowment can be created.
We hope that Raynor and her team continue to
work toward finding enough funding to create the
endowment and ensure this scholarship continues
for years to come.
Research Scholars
The Carolina Research Scholars program was a
new initiative by the Carson administration to help
put a greater emphasis on undergraduate research.
The program will allow students who participate in
undergraduate research to take a couple of classes,
in addition to their research, and graduate with the
designation of research scholar on their diplomas.
The idea behind the program is to recognize under
graduates who devote their time toward invaluable
research projects for professors.
The organization and implementation of the pro
gram is done and should be available for students
to begin working toward starting next year.
Town Relations
After being unable to name even one town coun
cil member while running for student body presi
dent, Carson and her administration made great
strides in working with the tow n.
The town relations committee organized a forum
on Carolina North so that students had a chance
to have some of their questions answered in addi
tion to a forum that brought in Chapel Hill and
Carrboro election candidates in preparation for the
local elections in the fall.
Additionally, a community dinner was organized
that brought together students and the town in
order to foster town-gown relations.
Carson also worked closely with the town in
determining the location of the early voting site.
Advising
Most UNC undergraduates have had at least one
bad experience with advising, which explains its
perennial spot in student body president platforms.
The Carson administration worked to aid the cre
ation of a peer advising program to have students
help students wade through the University’ red
tape. This program, which was originally under the
umbrella of advising, was successfully transferred
to student government control.
Getting student input was another hallmark of the
administrations approach to improving advising.
This included setting up blogs for people to com
ment on, talking with students in the Pit and imple
menting follow-up evaluations of advisers.
Eve Carson
With the tragic events of last month, we felt
it would be inappropriate to give Eve Carsons
administration a grade for its tenure this year.
Instead, we have elected to provide a rundown
of the major accomplishments of the adminis
tration, as well as a couple of projects for which
the administration laid the groundwork and
Work with the BOT
As an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.
Carson was responsible for representing student
interests to the board. That duty was borne out in
large part during tuition talks in November.
Carson called for an expense report from the trust
ees that would outline the expenditures that each
tuition increase would go toward. Her efforts did
not go to waste, as trustees agreed that such a report
would be beneficial.
The actual tuition talks were less successful, despite
Carsons efforts, with large increases levied against
out-of-state and graduate students and little attention
paid to an executive branch proposal that would have
helped increase tuition predictability.
Speaker Series
The speaker series ended up being one of the less
successful efforts that the Carson administration
w orked on, though not for lack of trying.
A speaker had been selected and had agreed to
come, but the devil was in the details. Because
the speaker was unwilling to acquiesce to the
stipulations that the organization responsible for
the funding placed on its donation, the plans fell
through at the last minute.
However, the executive branch did secure Chelsea
Clintons speaking engagement Monday.
This is certainly something we would like to see
picked up and brought to fruition by Raynor.
Technology
Technology also saw’ success for the Carson
administration. Printers were placed in almost
every residence hall, and color printing and pass
word protection for print jobs were both products
of executive branch ideas.
Carson also partnered with the Carolina Computing
Initiative to test out the new tablet laptops to see if
students found them helpful. Weekly surveys were
collected from all participants, and a focus group met
with Lenovo engineers to discuss problems.
A wireless satisfaction survey w’as conducted
to find out where greater wireless accessibility
was needed. We urge Raynor to continue to try’ to
expand wireless service so that it covers the entire
ty of campus.
Environmental Affairs
Environmental affairs this year have been an
exercise in bringing together environmental groups
on campus for weekly meetings to help coordinate
their efforts.
The Carson administration succeeded in getting
large recycling bins put in Fraternity Court, so
that there is an easily accessible place for them to
discard their recydables without throwing them
in the garbage.
The water competition with N.C. State was also
an executive branch effort, in conjunction with the
Residence Hall Association. The contest resulted in
the reduction of water consumption on campus by
a full 25 percent.
Opinion Final Evaluations
that we hope will be picked up by incoming
Student Body President J.J. Raynor.
These are just some of the many things accom
plished by the Carson administration this year
and reflect Carsons nontraditional approach
and the inclusive and far-reaching vision she
brought to the office of student body president.
Nonplatform Points
Carson had an expansive and impressive plat
form, but it might be the things her administration
accomplished outside of what it originally set out to
do that is the most impressive part of her tenure.
When the early voting site was kicked out of the
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Carson
led the effort that resulted in the site moving a mere
block away, to the Franklin Street post office.
When Chancellor James Moeser announced his
retirement, Carson set up a student advisory' com
mittee to the chancellor search committee and
stayed involved in the process from the start.
The executive branch opposed the Academic Index,
which the Faculty Council eventually voted down.
Music Festival
The music festival was another of Carsons “Big 3”
ideas, and while the end result didn’t match up com
pletely with the original vision that was expressed in
her platform, it was still a resounding success.
Instead of a brand new’ music festival, the idea
was folded into Spring Fest, which has brought
together all five elected offices by pooling resources
and cooperating to increase the scope of what any
individual branch could have done.
Boyz II Men will headline Spring Fest, and local
bands will play in the S-ll parking lot beforehand,
which should give the event a true music festival
feel.
University Services
One of the Carson administrations better ideas
that went largely unappreciated by students,
Sophomore Reorientation gave sophomores a cen
tralized location to come see what programs and
services the University offers.
We hope that Raynor continues and improves the
event, but regardless, the Dean of Students office
has said it will pick up the program.
Additionally, the Carson administration was able
to get a construction map of campus put on the
UNC homepage, which gives an updated look at
where construction is ongoing.
The issue of late textbook requests was also
addressed with a new’ incentive plan to encourage
timeliness. We hope it works.
Minority Affairs
Programs were what defined the minority affairs
and womens affairs committees.
Mix-It-Up Day’, where students were encouraged
to sit with people of other races at the dining hall,
and Lets Lace It: Race in America, an interactive
discussion on race, were put on by the minority
affairs committee.
Womens affairs increased the number of HAVEN
trainings, which supports victims of sexual assault,
and organized a Professional Womens Dinner as a
way for female students to network.
Both committees also saw’ an explosion in size
and scope under Carson, resulting in more events
being put on this year than in years past.
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT
ahr Daily (Tar Rrrl