UNC Student Body President Race: Meet the Candidates
Pictured Clockwise from Upper-Left Corner, Student Body Candidates Sage Staley, Taliajah “Teddy” Vann, Ethan Phillips, and Sam Robinson Take Place in the First Formal SBP Debate at the Campus Y on February 6, 2022. Source: DTH/Gillian Faski
Four candidates will compete to become UNC’s next Student Body President on Election Day this Tuesday, February 8th. In order by last name, Ethan Phillips, Sam Robinson, Taliajah “Teddy” Vann, and Sage Staley have all crossed the 1,000 signature threshold to appear on the ballot officially as Student Body President (SBP) candidates. Due to the fact that UNC’s Board of Elections utilizes a ranked choice voting system for SBP elections, it is important to get to know all of the candidates. Get acquainted with the current Student Body President candidates by reading their responses to four questions from the CPR —listed in rotating alphabetical order below:
1. Why are you running to become UNC’s next Student Body President?
Phillips: “I am running for Student Body President because I believe that a better Carolina is possible and I believe that I have the skillset to bring our community together around working towards that vision. Our campus is experiencing the convergence of multiple pandemics: COVID-19, mental health, sexual and gender based violence, burnout, political influence in university governance, resource disparities, and unmet accessibility needs. These pervasive issues require that we build new structures for collaboration and shared decision making and advocate for policy reform which will result in more equitable, transparent, and student-responsive services. I think that student government has untapped potential to make lasting positive change at Carolina and that student government’s true power lies not in its leaders but in the student body. I have been consistent throughout this election season in saying that this campaign is not about me, it is about UNC’s student body and their needs. I truly love Carolina and its students and see this role as a way to further serve this community. Through focusing on issues like mental health, social connectedness, equity, financial support and basic needs, campus accessibility, academic flexibility, and student government reform, I am confident that we can create a Carolina that serves every student better.”
Robinson: “For me, it really is about the people. I chose to attend Carolina because of the sense of community I felt my first time on campus. But I think one thing we lost in the pandemic is that unified Carolina experience that I’d really hoped for. We identify with the groups and organizations we’re a part of, and I think student government can help bring those pockets of the UNC community into a broader experience. Since joining the Senate, I’ve been regularly asked what student government even does. People feel left behind, they feel like student government doesn’t do anything for them, and that’s a failure of our leadership that I hope to turn around.”
Vann: “Altruistic service is at the core of my value system, and I’m running to be our next Student Body President because our students need so much support. Without a passionate and experienced leader, they won’t receive it. The last two years, and even our last two semesters, have left many students in pain and feeling disregarded by our administrators. Students’ frustrations are boiling over, and my close proximity to leadership this past semester showed me that Carolina does not have things under control. There is no strong authority in the room where it happens that makes choices on behalf of students for our betterment, and I fully believe that I have the skill and track record of achieving the goals I set as a student leader to change this system for the student body.”
Staley: “Growing up in rural North Carolina, I was constantly the lone Black student in my classes, and in leadership roles throughout my community. To some, this might seem discouraging but for me, I treated it as yet another opportunity to assert my self-confidence and overcome the barriers levied against me by a society that has historically silenced its Black women. I am thrilled that my campaign has already demonstrated our dedication to advocating on behalf of Carolina’s students, faculty, staff, and the Chapel Hill community alike. I am confident that now more than ever, UNC’s jewels—its people—are what allow each Tar Heel to learn safely and provide the solutions for the problems of the now and later. I truly hope my approach to this campaign will spark someone else’s motivation to positively impact those around them, and that my dedication to this office will generate waves of needed change across Carolina’s campus and beyond.”
2. If you could snap your fingers and enact one piece of policy change at the University, what would it be?
Robinson: “The Board of Trustees needs to represent the interests and beliefs of the student body. We’ve seen all too often that their role as political appointees can outweigh their duty to the students of the University. The Board of Trustees should reflect the diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints that exists at Carolina, not impose its own. If I could snap my fingers and change one thing at Carolina, I’d make the Board of Trustees a diverse, lively body with representation for graduate students, faculty, staff, and the community. If elected, I will push to grant the GPSG president a voting seat on the Board to broaden representation, but making the Board truly representative would ultimately require political change at the UNC System and State level.”
Vann: “If I had the Infinity Gauntlet and could change one policy with the snap of my fingers, I would implement every portion of my Campus-Wide Mental Health Reform policy. The core of this policy is establishing and institutionalizing cooperation between CAPS, ARS (Accessibility Resource Services), and Dean of Students so that when students in need of mental health resources seek them out, they’re guaranteed to get all of the help available through the university. If one resource doesn’t have the right answers for a specific situation, it must be well informed about and well connected to the resources offered in the two other mental health spheres so that our students effectively move through every channel of support we’ve created for them. A key element of this policy is also the implementation of HGAPS, an incredible free mental health resource and assessment center that will provide for our students' needs in tandem with CAPS as our administration builds the infrastructure to connect CAPS, ARS, and the Dean of Students Office. This policy aim & all others ultimately contribute to our administration’s desire to legitimize and institutionalize student agency and student decision-making power on this campus. This idea is at the core of our mental health reform policy, our Campus Emergency Management Agency policy, and more.”
Staley: “Currently, I am serving on the Chief of Police Search Committee, and in this position, my goal is to recommend the selection of a new Chief that is committed to partnering with mental health specialists and decreasing the heavy police presence that occurs during a mental health crisis. In an effort to reform our mental health resources, I would immediately partner with CAPS to increase the employment of on-call mental health professionals, crisis workers, and emergency medical technicians that reflect Carolina’s diverse communities, to respond to non-violent situations, rather than police officers.”
Phillips: “The unfortunate reality is that most issues at this university can not be solved with a single policy change. Mental health, for example, requires long-term, community-based approaches. And even in a perfect system of resources, mental health will still be a concern which must be addressed continuously to properly support students. One area that I see as more “fixable” through isolated policy changes is academic flexibility. From talking with students throughout the pandemic, I have heard so much support for increased pass/fail options. If I could choose one policy to change with the snap of my fingers it would be to give students the option to take any class pass/fail and still have the credit count towards graduation requirements. This would not only relieve stress and increase student wellness, but it would also incentivize students to take classes that interest them. Too often do I hear students choosing to take easier classes that they might not be interested in in order to receive required credit without sacrificing their GPA. I would hope that this policy change would allow students to explore new academic areas more confidently and more adventurously.”
3. How do your past experiences and personal identity set your campaign apart from those of other candidates?
Vann: “I am a Black woman, a first-generation college student, and a Carolina Covenant scholar. UNC was not built for people like me, it was built by us, and what sets my campaign apart is the substantial work I’ve done to better this university despite every obstacle to achieving them that my identity presented. My work as President of the BSM has further honed my skill as a pragmatic and diplomatic leader with a track record of achieving the goals I set. I led the BSM in our fight to receive tenure for Nikole Hannah Jones and won that fight because the contributions of Black women deserve to be valued properly at UNC. I met with our BoT and the chancellor’s office many times this year to make progress on policy issues and succeeded in having the university hire trauma-informed therapists of color at CAPS, increasing CAPS funding significantly, increasing the number of women of color employed in the UNC Women’s Center, having EOC and Grade Appeal information as required syllabi content for all courses, increasing the food access on South Campus, securing and organizing the distribution of more than 5,000 N95 masks to the entire student body because the university refused to provide PPE, and so much more. There is still so much work to be done and improvements to be made in the areas where we have seen growth, but my experience as a leader who has proven that I accomplish what I set my mind to will be a great asset in the Student Body President office. Tenacity is at the core of my personal identity, and the will to better this campus coupled with my history of making positive change for the student body set my campaign apart.”
Staley: “Serving on the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor (SACC) for the past three years has provided me a doorway to be a voice for my peers here at UNC. I’m able to participate in varied substantive discussions that have a direct impact on campus operations. This experience has helped expand my analytical and leadership skills and strengthen my diverse approach to problem-solving. SACC has also taught me how to be detailed, prepared, and factual during meetings with the Chancellor and his advisors. These skills have laid a solid foundation for me to be able to build upon my already working relationships with our administration. Furthermore, they have given me an inside look at the challenges the University faces to best represent the Carolina Community. Being a Black woman advising a white man has taught me how to stand my ground and demand respect from my superior, while also providing positive and constructive feedback to the Chancellor and his constituents alike.”
Phillips: “My student government journey starts almost 9 years ago when an epidemic of teen suicide in my neighborhood led me to help create a cross-sector, community-based mental health advocacy organization which led to new mental health crisis response resources, improved counseling and screening in schools, and more focus on mental health education across our region of Northern Virginia. I continued this work in high school by helping to start mental health coalitions at my school and other schools in the area which addressed mental health issues at a school-level and impacted tens of thousands of teens. This work led to me being named a Youth Mental Health Leader by the National Center for School Mental Health in 2017 and being published by Oxford University Press in a CDC-sponsored handbook for community-based health interventions. Coming to UNC, I continued this work as a part of the Undergraduate Student Government Mental Health Committee, helping to improve the registration and appointment scheduling process at CAPS and leading a team to improve neurodiversity-inclusion in academic settings. I also served on the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor (SACC), Campus and Community Advisory Committee for COVID-19 (CCAC), provost selection committee, Campus Health Advisory Board (CHAB), the Mental Health Task Force, and the UNC Mental Health Coalition (which I helped refound and now serve as the chair for). I now serve as the Director of Student Wellness and Safety in Undergraduate Student Government, leading a department of 5 assistant directors and 20 staff on projects related to mental health, general wellness, campus safety, and sexual violence prevention. Through this position, I have helped significantly increase campus resources for CAPS, peer support, food security, violence prevention, and have formed new partnerships across campus to increase student safety.
Apart from my student government work, I have also worked as research assistant with the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, studying food insecurity and food waste across North Carolina, and the UNC Center for Health Equity Research, addressing health disparities which disproportionately burden communities of color in the U.S. I also have been volunteering at the Community Empowerment Fund for 2 years, receiving hours of racial equity training and coaching in-need community members towards greater social and financial security.
I have dedicated a large part of my life to serving students and our broader community and have a wealth of experience in advocacy around issues like mental health, academic inclusiveness, equitable resource allocation, accessibility needs, community engagement, and violence prevention. However, the greatest piece of experience that I intend to bring to the role of Student Body President is in forming coalitions of diverse stakeholder groups which can together bring about more change than any one person or organization acting in isolation. All of my work thus far has been built around intentional collaboration and I believe that is what student government needs most right now.”
Robinson: “I come from a rural community outside Monroe, North Carolina. I learned to listen to people’s stories and work with folks from different backgrounds to come together and overcome challenges. At Carolina, my time in the Senate has given me a first-rate understanding of how the mechanisms of student government work. I used this knowledge not only to craft a broad platform, but also to publish an action plan that details exactly how I’ll achieve the changes I’m advocating for. I’m ready to go on day one.”
4. If elected, how will your presidency be felt by the average Tar Heel?
Staley: “Our slogan: Your Legacy, Our Legacy, Carolina; will truly be felt by every Tar Heel beginning this year and future years to come. Each and every student will witness an inclusive, representative, and welcoming student government that will remain committed to helping them leave their legacy here at Carolina. Our administration will strive to be a microcosm for what the broader Carolina community should be. We are fully prepared to equip our student body with essential support, full transparency, and substantive communication efforts at every level. We intend to provide a positive and professional environment to foster the best opportunities for students and allow them to play an active role in the necessary change we hope to effect.”
Phillips: “It is immensely important to me that every student at Carolina feels connected to and empowered by student government. That is not universally the case right now, but I think we can take some important steps forward over the next year to make that a reality. First, I want to start a lunches with leadership initiative where any student can come into the Student Government suite for lunch one day each week to talk with student government leaders and make their voices heard. I also would like to create new monthly town halls with administration where students can directly advocate for their needs and perspectives to members of our UNC administration on any issue they feel needs to be given greater attention. More universally, I want to continue the work that the Richard’s Administration has done to increase student government’s transparency through a more active social media presence, regularly advertised open meetings, and recurring wellness events around campus that give students an opportunity to recharge and relax. Student government relies on students, so creating more partnerships with existing student organizations and holding all meetings as open sessions for all students to attend is one of my first priorities in making sure students have more ways to get involved in advocacy or have their voices amplified.
I also promise to be an available president, holding office hours and conducting regular direct outreach to students around campus in different programs and organizations so that everyone feels I can be a resource to them. First and foremost, I am a student, and I want my peers to recognize that by seeing me at their events, in their classes, and on our campus.”
Robinson: “My team and I are ready to fundamentally change the way student government works on Day 1. Accessibility, Transparency, and Equity aren’t just words for me. By offering direct support to student organizations at a level we’ve never seen before, Student Government will be putting their resources where students are, allowing us to truly improve the quality of our Carolina experience. We’re focused on using the Executive Branch as a means to advocate with a collective voice. This is why our platform promises to fight for homelessness prevention, food security, protections for undocumented students, the elimination of barriers to utilizing CAPS, and so much more. The reason I’m so passionate about my “Path to the Chancellor’s Desk” and open-door policies is that hearing students’ experiences matters, and bringing their voices together creates a force for change. It is essential that Tar Heels feel that Student Government works with them, works for them, and is accessible to them.”
Vann: “I believe that every voice on our campus matters, even and especially those that don’t sound like mine, and my presidency will continue to center student voices just as my campaign has done. I am honored to have a genuine relationship with so much of our student body, and I have been deeply impacted by the collective grief we’ve all experienced in the last two years as we lost loved ones and watched friends lose them, seen our opportunities and plans for the future postponed, and felt detached from what many of us thought our four years of college would be. My presidency will be one that centers this reality and works diligently to meet the needs of our students to make the best of a brighter future. I want the average Tar Heel to see me as an easily accessible source of support and use my position to enhance their experience here. I’m familiar with where the experience is often lacking and where students' needs are often unmet because I am a student whose needs are routinely not met by the UNC administration. My Phase Four policies are designed to keep open channels of communication between me, my office, and every Tar Heel year-round, and this policy exists with one chief aim: ensuring that I know every Tar Heel and they know me. I put great focus into remembering the names and faces of my peers so that we feel comfortable speaking to each other whenever we cross paths, and that baseline of respect and effort put into being connected to the community is something I will always maintain.”
Polls will open at midnight on February 8th and stay open until midnight on February 9th. Readers are encouraged to learn more about the candidates and their platforms at their respective websites: