The Daily Tarheel ran a pretty good article on Wednesday about student involvement (or lack thereof) in town issues. In 1991, I got appointed to the Chapel Hill Transportation Board and I helped get a fellow undergrad, Mark Chilton, get elected to the Town Council. Ever since, I have been advocating for a greater student voice in local politics. There can be no doubt that students are impacted by town policies (transit, sidewalks, housing, downtown businesses, University development, just to start.).
But many people forget how very much students have to offer the rest of the town. Students created what would later become the municipal bus system in in the 1970's. Students have brought many important social causes to the community's attention, from apartheid and sweatshops far way, to housekeepers and cafeteria workers and the civil rights movement here at home.
All of this points to the value of student leadership in our community, and I believe strongly that students have a lot to contribute to the town, BUT... what do we have to do to actually get you involved? Why do we keep hearing from the Daily Tarheel and and student government that the town needs to make more room for them, when students rarely even apply for advisory boards or even come to Town Council meetings?
I think just a little effort on the part of students could yield some fabulous results. If I may, let me offer up myself as an example. When I was a sophomore at UNC and an environmental activist, I applied to be a member of the Chapel Hill Transportation Board. Much to my surprise, I was appointed. (The sitting Student Body President had been on the board but was rotating off, so there was some interest in maintaining a student voice there.)
Although I came there to be a rabble rouser and get people out of their cars, I ended up spending the entire first year on the board just listening and learning about how things were done. Two years later, I was elected vice-chair of the board, and then I was twice elected as chair of the board (as its youngest member) before I reached my term-limited six years on the board. I learned a lot in those six years including how to work with the town staff, how to run an effective meeting, how to lobby for policy changes, and how things get done around here.
Being on the "T-board" also taught me the importance of land-use planning to transportation decisions and led me to apply to the Planning Board where I am now in my second term. It also prepared me to run (unsuccessfully) for Town Council in 1999 and to start Orange Politics in 2003. Why do you think anyone cared what I had to say here? Because I had established myself as a person who had learned and lot about and contributed a lot to the community. Students need to be seen this way to play a productive part in local politics.
Now I know a lot of students won't want to put down long-term roots before they're even out of college, but you have to get involved early - especially if you're only going to be here for 4 years. (But if you treat the town like a temporary blip on the way to something better, don't be surprised if it treats you similarly.) Chapel Hill advisory board terms are 3 years, so apply while you're a sophomore and you can be done by the time you graduate. You will learn more than most classes can teach you and you will have made the world around you a better place.
Issues:
Comments
Joan, I started attending
Joan, I started attending the Town's Tech Board meetings January a year ago. I was made an official member (after some inter-governmental) tussling a couple months ago.
Even though I wasn't 'officially' on the Board for over a year, I feel I did have a direct impact on their discussions. I imagine some Boards would be less accommodating, but it wouldn't hutt to try to insinuate yourself into the process. Why don't you pick a Board that interests you and start attending their meetings?
I would note that as a 2nd
I would note that as a 2nd year graduate student I applied for a transportation board opening in Carrboro. I don't recall who got the seat, but I wanted to make it clear that it doesn't follow that the slots are being passed by by students just because they are not serving. [I'll leave it to others that know me to decide if I would have been a good choice for the committee.]
Even as a graduate student who planned on being here 5-6 years I thought a three year term was a long commitment. I can't imagine doing it as an undergraduate. Maybe the terms should be shorter with the presumption that people get two terms and then have it politely suggested that they rotate to some other means of city service. (I think I remember that the board was mostly people that had served for over 7 years at the time, but I can't swear to it and don't feel like digging through reports to find out.) Stability might be a good thing but inbreeding (the committees have a large say in new appointees) and staleness have a cost.
Another issue is that many of the boards choose people mostly from a certain group. I seem to remember a high proportion of architects and other people related to the construction trade on the appearance committee. (Once again I haven't double checked my spotty memory)
A small clarification - the
A small clarification - the OWASA opening is actually for a Carrboro appoinment. The 5 Chapel Hill appointees are all on the Board for at least another year.
Hi Ruby, I'll second what
Hi Ruby, I'll second what Josh has said here. I applied to be on a county board as an undergrad and wasn't chosen. Last fall, I applied to be on a Carrboro board--after desperate please for citizen involvement on the town website and in local papers--and never heard back from anyone. Maybe it's me, but maybe some folks aren't as welcoming of students as you are.
Perhaps the vacancies were filled on the boards I expressed interest in, but certainly if the town is concerned about filling vacancies, a call with a suggestion for another board would have worked for me.
At this point, I'm disinclined to put my name out there again. Maybe the lecture needs to be directed towards the local governments (is Carrboro worse than other local governments about this? I have no idea).
I will add that I've been personally involved with the positive results of having students on town boards. A former library science grad student classmate of mine recently served on the town library board, and because of this, was able to work with folks at the University Library (where she worked and where I now work) to forge a direct program connection between UNC University Libraries and the Chapel Hill Public Library, a program expanding to include Carrboro Branch and the Cybrary this summer. http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/chpl_unc/
So it's a good thing. Maybe you need to tell us what we're supposed to say to get on these town boards, eh?
Ruby, the current
Ruby, the current Transportation Board has felt that the continuing vacancy on their committee has impeded
their effective performance. Their chair presented a request
to Council April 11th, 2005 to
The Town recognizes the need and will be making a pitch during National Volunteers Week to encourage further participation in local governmental affairs. Further, on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 5:30 p.m,. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, there will be an informal discussion of how to get started:
Finally, the Town post a list of current vacancies on their site.
The current list:
These Boards might be of possible particular interest to most students:
Transportation Board, Technology Committee,Human Services Advisory Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
The other Boards and Committees also offer great opportunities to increase students "marketable" knowledge-base, a differentiator that might make a great difference in their eventual search for careers.
Will, (and others) If that
Will, (and others)
If that is the kind of process required to get on a board then an undergraduate (which I am not but the original post seemed to center around) would have to choose a specific board to be interested in the summer BEFORE they arrived in Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Clearly that ain't going to happen on a reliable basis. (Except for locals that attend UNC, in which case they don't count because they are not students in the traditional transient sense that we talk about here)
The 3-year length of service
The 3-year length of service is a positive benefit to the town IMHO since it gives citizens time to really understand the complexity of the issues each board must address. That doesn't mean that each appointee must stay on for 3 years.
For what it's worth, I am a member of boards in both Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but have been rejected for two county boards. I plan to try again when openings are advertised for those I am interested in.
Will's method was, at times, quite problematic for the Tech Committee, so I wouldn't recommend it as a standard strategy. I would suggest though that you contact the chair of the committee/board you want to serve on and find out what you need to do to make yourself more attractive. It could simply be a timing problem and have nothing to do with you or your qualifications. Bottom line: if you really want to do this, be persistent.
I think shorter terms were
I think shorter terms were part of a recent proposal to help students participate on Chapel Hill boards. Another suggestion was to have a permanent seat reserved for a student on each board.
I was in favor of at least some of these ideas but it was voted down by the Planning Board and I think the Council as well. Shortly after that, a qualified student applied for the Planning Board, but of 10 members, only Donna Bell and I voted to recommend his appointment.
I definitely think the towns (and county) could do more to invite and include student input. But students need to show that there will be some reward for this effort.
As far as the question of "what to say" to get appointed, I have found that a little bit of lobbying goes a long way. Call or e-mail each member of the appointing body to ask for their vote and invite them to contact you with any questions. Just showing that you are interested and articulate puts you ahead of most other applicants.
By the way, last I heard
By the way, last I heard Carrboro does not ghave any term limits on advisory board, so Josh's assessment of the board's tenure is probably correct. I assumed the lack of limits had to do with a lack of applicants, so it's pretty disappointing to hear that willing, fresh blood is being turned away.
Terri's suggestion to speak to the board chair (or other members) can't hurt, since many boards make recomendations on appointments, but it's the elected officials who ultimately decide.
Carrboro does have term
Carrboro does have term limits Ruby. I think they are the same as Chapel Hills. 3 year appointments, 2 term limit.
The way the appointment process works on the 2 boards I'm on is this:
1. Applications are sent to the board for review; the applicants who we are interested in are invited to attend a meeting as observers.
2. If they still want to join after they observe, they notify staff and then the full board votes on who we want (only once has there been competition).
3. The chair writes a letter of recommendation to the council/alderman.
4. Town Clerk notifies applicants if the Council appoints them.
I think this is pretty standard, but you can see that there are several places where the process could break down. I believe it's also pretty standard to unappoint people who miss a lot of meetings.
Most of the posts in this
Most of the posts in this thread indicate some limits to town government welcoming student input. Ruby originally put the question in terms of limited student interest. To address the latter--does the University give academic credit for participation on town advisory boards (has the town approached the University about this)? After all, as Ruby notes, the educational experience is richer than most classes. Does the town work with relevant departments to inform students how participation on these boards will improve their career prospects later? I think these are the two most important ways to get students involved in practically anything--let them know this counts for something academically, and that it has implications for their job prospects. Much more effective than imploring students to get involved just because.
Last spring there was a
Last spring there was a committee to explore student seats on CH Town Boards and Commissions. Ruby is correct, the two proposals were for one year terms and seats dedicated to students. The students agreed to attend a Commission meeting to advocate these proposals. The Parks & Rec Commission was one of the places students wanted to be involved. The item was on our agenda for 2 consecutive months, the students (who were informed of the agenda item) did not attend either meeting. Therefore the P&R Commission voted against the proposal and stated if a student applied they would be given the same consideration as any other applicant.
Ruby, I don't think the Council voted down the idea, I believe the item never went back to Council because almost all Boards and Commissions voted against it.
If students or any citizen are interested in serving I would recommend attending a meeting and lobbying for a slot by communicating with the Chair or Vice-Chair.
In 1972 when there was a
In 1972 when there was a Chapel Hill Town Council vacancy ( I was a first year grad student then just after finishing undergard at Chapel Hill, I applied for the vacancy and got no real consideration, I don't think anyone really knew me). Then I applied for Town Human Relations Commission and got appointed. A vacancy opened up as Orange County Commissioner when Ira Ward resigned in early 1973 -- the county party executive committee by law made a nomination, I was one of two people nominated to fill the vacancy (I think Henry Latane may have been the other of the two names the party sent up). The board deadlocked 2-2, Flo Garrett and Richard Whitted voted for me, the other two commissioners did not. Eventually someone else was appointed. I then ran for town council fall of 1973 as a 2nd year law student. Even though it was a 4 year term, I had no idea whether I would stay in Chapel Hill after graduation. I don't see why an undergrad should be discouraged from seeking a town asvisory board appointment just because it is a 3 year term and the student does not know whether he will be in town after graduation or not.