3V Satlg alar Urrl Candidates prepare service projects King: Winners have big shoes to fill BY SARAH ELLIS STAFF WRITER Whoever wins the Homecoming king and queen titles will have a tough act to follow, said Jessica King, Carolina Athletic Association Homecoming committee chair woman. Aside from the glamour that comes with being elected to the Homecoming court, another big part of winning the election is the community service project required and funded for all win ners. Bert Ellison and Angela Crocker, the 2007 Homecoming king and queen did a good job last year with their service projects, King said. Ellison volunteered at a few local churches and elementary schools to teach students about King, queen hopefuls twice as many as 2007 Queen will have to beat out 3 others BY GABBY PINTO STAFF WRITER The path to the crown is not just a walk-through this year. In 2007, Bert Ellison had no competition for Homecoming king, and Angela Crocker won the Homecoming queen crown in a two-woman race. Compared to last year’s unop posed king and two queen candi dates, this year’s two king candi dates and four queen candidates are confronted with some more competition. “It’s a little nerve wracking, of course, but I think it’s good to have competition,” said king candidate Jeremy Crouthamel. “Makes it more exciting.” Ellison said last year that he was disappointed in the lack of a race but said later that he enjoyed a relatively stress-free campaign. Not only does the larger num ber of candidates add competi tion, but it also augments the work for those who have to put on the election. “As always, when you have more candidates you would have exercise and healthy eating hab its. “I enjoy working with kids and being active, and this was a natural extension of what I did anyway,” Ellison said, who worked with kids before running for Homecoming king. Crocker held a benefit concert on UNC campus for the Amani foundation. “Angela did a fantastic job,” King said. “Her event was very well attend ed and publicized and it really counted.” Each year, the prospective kings and queens must come up with their project ideas before they run. Candidates are also interviewed about their projects and asked to demonstrate their speaking skills, King said of the more effort,” said last year’s Board of Elections chairman Mitchell Capriglione. “The board will be doing a little more work than last year.” However, this year’s BOE chair man, Ryan Morgan, does not think that the increase in the number of candidates will have any real effect on the workload. “Nothing really changes,” he said. “It’s the same amount of work for us.” The Board of Elections holds a mandatory rules meeting for the candidates and also holds the actual election. They take over the election after the candidates have been chosen through a process by the Homecoming Royalty com mittee. In that process, potential candi dates must submit an application that consists of basic info, as well as essay questions, a recommen dation, transcript and plan for a service project. The next stage is the interview ing process, which consists of a panel of a mix of about five people from around the University. After the interview stage, a Board of Homecoming 2008 process. The candidates have two weeks of campaigning, where they post signs and advertisements urging students to vote. Ellison said he used huge post ers, word of mouth and Facebook groups to help his campaign for king. Ellison’s planned service project was to address health issues and encourage healthly lifestyles for children in Orange and Durham counties. Crocker planned to raise funds to support new-born Kenyan babies and to send a UNC student to Kenya for a service-learning experiement. Crocker said after winning that the service project was something she would have done even if she had not won the Homecoming election. Though Ellison had no oppo nents, he said he still had a good Elections meeting is held where the approved candidates are final ized. Each candidate has to com plete a 400-signature petition to be considered on the ballot, and only after that they are free to campaign. Two students submitted appli cations for king and both passed through the entire process. Nine applied for queen and four were chosen to run. Homecoming royalty chair woman Courtney Knowling said she does not think that the num ber of candidates will affect the amount of work that her commit tee has to do. “From logistical standpoint, it is a Homecoming presentation and we have a certain allotment of time," Knowling said. "So if we had 11 candidates we would have to figure out a way to present them so that everyone could be recog nized.” “We are always excited to have as many candidates as possible, but this year it’s been a really ideal number and I think that cool things have been done.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008 time running for homecoming king. “I was unopposed, so my cam paign was relatively stress free and a lot of fun,” Ellison said in retro spect. Once a king and queen have been selected, they have the spring semester to implement their ser vice project The Carolina Athletic Association also gives the king and queen money for advertisements and productions to help their ser Where Families, Friends and FAN'S meet TOWN HALL GRILL CHAPEL HILL, NG Let's Meet Up At The Town Hall \\\ \' * •r ' y .50-1 1 ; ■ * m ■' ■ _ 1 l * * \ Visit Tho Town Hallti r i 11 ,<'o iu rid tuaki vour VS PRICE ‘>f)<- PITCHERS WINGS ALUiAI Monday -Thursday Monday A Tuesday Spm-Gpin o.fT<'rx<; 1 ud• s(j s Dibit luOiilv 410 Market St BBKPfItMfSIISKISn Southern Village BMStSSimMKHBBKaMUBH vice projects. Last year, only one student ran for Homecoming king and two students ran for Homecoming queen. This year, two students are run ning for king and four students are running for queen. King said this year’s candidates have Ellison’s and Crocker’s hard work to emulate. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu 15

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