This Tuesday, you will vote on a referendum that asks if our university should remain in the UNC-system Association of Student Governments. As your student body president, I urge you to vote “Yes.” Here’s why:
- Voting “No” won’t save students money. The resolution implies that voting “No” will save students the one dollar per year we each pay to the ASG fee, but that is simply not true. The fee has already been approved for the 2012-13 school year, so the outcome of Tuesday’s vote will have no impact on whether you pay the fee next year. If we withdraw, UNC students will continue to pay the association’s fee, but we won’t have any say in how it’s spent.
- ASG is the only entity legally recognized to speak on behalf of all UNC-system students. The only student who has regular speaking privileges at Board of Governors meetings is the president of ASG so state legislators and board members look to this person for the students’ perspective when it comes to issues like tuition and financial aid.
- ASG plays a critical role in representing you. ASG is an imperfect organization, but it plays a critical role in representing you and all the 222,000 students across the UNC system. By remaining a part of the association, we can focus on uniting all 17 campuses in the UNC system, develop a more robust presence in Raleigh and more forcefully amplify student voices.
For more information, read Mary’s Daily Tar Heel column “Vote Yes to ASG on Tuesday” or the Letter to the Editor titled “Vote ‘Yes’ on referendum Tuesday to stay in ASG”. Visit the “Vote Yes to ASG” Facebook event to join the conversation.
