Student Government Carolina North Forum

Date: 

Monday, February 18, 2008 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Location: 

Student Union 3209, UNC Campus
Carolina North Forum: The Town Relations Committee will be hosting a Carolina North Forum on Monday, February, 18th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Student Union 3209. Jack Evans, the developer of Carolina North will be there as well as other community leaders, he will give an overview of Carolina North and will then answer questions. Students are encouraged to attend this event as well as bring pertinent questions dealing with greenspace, economic development, infrastructure challenges, and environmental sustainability. There will be free food at this event and all are welcome to attend.

Comments

Since Carolina North's "quarterback" Jack Evans is invited, will the other "team" be allowed to play? Or is this just a pep rally?
Reading the official notice, it sounds a bit like a CN boosters club meeting. But I'll try to be open minded. Unfortunately, the notice on this meeting was super-short, only about four days, so I'm not really sure who you could expect to be there. On the other hand, it might be a good meeting to attend and ask hard questions, because Evans & Co. probably won't go in with the mentality that they need to be on the defensive from the "other team" as you say. That said, hopefully it won't devolve into an us versus them event at all.

When did Jack Evans become the developer of Carolina North?

 BTW, did anyone notice that the CHH indicated this morning that the Law School will go to CN?

I did notice that Fred. While it probably makes economic sense from the University's standpoint I would think that the Law School faculty and students are going to feel a little isolated on the "North Campus." Any thoughts from those that will be located there?

BTW, if anyone thinks that the Town Council likes to stack the deck in their favor regarding issues concerning UNC and Carolina North, the Council recently appointed Michael Gerhardt (Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor in Constitutional Law & Director, Center for Law and Government, UNC-CH) to the  Chapel Hill Planning Board. Welcome aboard Michael.

I've had several conversations with Professor Michael Gerhardt, (link at left to his faculty bio) he's come by my office in Raleigh to talk about the legislative process (a shared interest of ours). His spouse is Professor Deborah Gerhardt, also of the UNC law faculty. He should be a great addition to the Planning Board.

As luck would have it, I am going to be on campus today speaking to a class that ends at 7. I'm considering popping in to this meeting, but I don't want folks to feel like they are getting ambushed. I completely agree with Jason's comment about not wanting folks to feel defensive. That just never leads to anything constructive.

If it helps you decide, I've copied and pasted the original Informational email to the campus community below:

The Town Relations Committee of the Executive Branch of Student
Government would like to take an opportunity to further educate the
University community about Carolina North, we would like all students
interested in Carolina North to please visit our website at
http://studentorgs.unc.edu/studgov/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=121to find our more information about an upcoming event that we are pleased to be a part of. For more information in general about Carolina North please visit http://cn.unc.edu. We hope that this email will spark interest in Carolina North and how the University plans to foster economic and research development with environmental sustainability through the construction of this flagship project.

Thank You,

Rea Grainger, Town Relations Committee Chair
Ashley Harrington, Vice-Chair

I'd guess that, although this meeting is under the auspices of the "Town Relations" committee, the greatest interest will come from law students wondering how quickly the move up to CN will happen and whether/how it will affect them, and second to that that, from forward-looking undergrads wanting to advocate for keeping undergraduate student life centered on the "main" campus (side issue: when CN is actually functioning, will the current main campus be called "main campus" or what?). Perceptions may have changed since the last time I talked to students about CN, but most seem concerned about certain groups being unwillingly "exiled up there."

That said, Ruby, since it is part of the "Town Relations Committee's" activities, one could hope they planned to include those who can talk about town concerns, interests, roles, re: CN. If not, without necessarily "ambushing" anything, it would still seem worth having someone there as a voice from the town. Wondering, therefore, who the "other community leaders" are to be.

I agree, Priscilla. I decided that dinner was more important than attending YACNM, but perhaps the Town Relations Committee would like to schedule another forum to talk about local issues and how students can get involved. I was an undergrad when I was first appointed to the T-Board, I'd loved to help others get hooked like I did. ;-)

I'm glad I went, but it was essentially the same presentation given at the Council Retreat a few weeks back. I think I learned a couple of new things, but I didn't feel it was the appropriate environment for me to ask certain questions which would have probably sounded a lot more like concerns than clarifications, as there wasn't much to gain in the circumstances. So I shut up and let it be what it was intended to be - an educational event for the student community.

perhaps the Town Relations Committee would like to schedule another forum to talk about local issues and how students can get involved. I was an undergrad when I was first appointed to the T-Board, I'd loved to help others get hooked like I did. ;-)

Ditto that. Actually, all of that. :)

Someone asked a question pertaining to what the student's role in development might be, and Jack pointed to three things: 1) the SBP's seat on the BOT (thankfully, J.J. was there); 2) Forums like this one (which didn't seem very input-oriented); and 3) the Building and Grounds Committee, on which there is a student representative. I've held a student government appointment to a UNC development committee before (Advisory Committee on Transportation), and I have to say, in my experience, it was almost meaningless as far as the amount that my voice (or the entire committee's voice, for that matter) seemed to play in decision making process by the UNC planning staff or the BOT. So in my opinion, a new avenue for student involvement is still much-needed.

I might do a writeup of tonight as a separate entry if I get through my real work before it gets to be too late.

Recommend checking the Daily Tar Heel's write-up of the session and also the article titled "Law School Eager for Space" for what students are saying/reading about CN.

http://www.dailytarheel.com/

 

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