Last week, the Board of Trustees swore in the new Student Body President, Christopher Everett, who is replacing former president Taliajah “Teddy” Vann. During the event, Everett pledged to uplift minority voices, advocate for student safety, and always represent the students’ needs. Through what he describes as faith, discipline, and help from others, Everett will lead the student body for the academic year.
“In this new role,” Everett told the board, “I hope to keep service and leadership at the forefront of my work all while choosing the best for our students and our faculty.”
That was Christopher Everett making his first remarks to the board of trustees as the new student body president. The senior from Clayton, North Carolina will lead the UNC student body of 25,000 for the 2023-2024 year.
“I hope to and will make sure that my work and the work of this board creates space for all us at this table. Those from diverse identities, experiences, and backgrounds, and making sure that inclusion is at the forefront of our work, Everett said. ”
Everett shared some of his emotions while being sworn in as the new student body president. While he was technically sworn in a few weeks ago, the only person in attendance was one of the chancellor’s assistants. On Thursday, Everett was joined by his parents and the full board of trustees.
“So, today I was very, very nervous. Moreso for my first remarks to the board, because this is politics,” Everett said. “And you kind of just never know. [But] both of them went well.”
During his remarks, Everett focused on his aim to uplift minority voices and represent their needs at UNC.
“I was very clear with the board about my intentions for inclusion and making sure there’s space for offset and table so being clear about those goals and being proactive about them rather than reactive,” Everett said.
His main goals are to create a space for the graduate representative in the BOT space and to create an Asian American studies program.
“At the time that I met with the Asian American Studies Center back in February, they didn’t have a working bathroom,” Everett said. There are a lot of different inequalities that me and my team focused on and that’s so much of why we call the campaign calendar for everyone because it was a policy that impacted all of us and we just wanted to create space for all students in our administration.
During his campaign, the call for accessibility was a “hot topic issue” around campus. Everett wants to work with ARS (Accessibilities Resources and Services) and RHA (Resident Hall Association) to help make the campus more accessible to those with disabilities.
“In general, I think a lot of my policies focus on multiculturalism, and so wanting inclusion to really be at the forefront because I think sometimes it isn’t particularly in the Board of Governors or the BLT space,” Everett said.
When asked about how he intends to represent everyone and stay true to his promises, Everett said the following:
“I think just in general accountability and accessibility, [meaning] making sure that people can meet with me, you can find me and be very transparent about things that are going on.
“And at the end of the day,” he continued, “I don’t work for anyone other than the students.”
Everett said his faith grounds him while working this chaotic job. He grew up religious with both parents as deacons in his hometown church. He says his belief in Christianity gives him the passion to work fiercely to help the community and accomplish his goals.
“I think my faith is really, really important to me. And it’s the catalyst and the reason why I do what I do,” Everett said. “And I think it keeps me going even when I don’t want to go anymore. I’m choosing to let my leadership or the work I do just be a catalyst for protecting the love and the light and all the good things around me that inspires me just seeing all the happy moments and making sure that those stay and that my work represents it.”
Ultimately, Everett said he is eager to take on this new challenge in his life and serve as the new student body president for the academic year.
“There’s no greater honor, almost, I think that we all have our niches and our ways in which we impact the world. And this being mine was almost innate because I enjoy policy,” Everett said.
Below, you can watch the entire Board of Trustees meeting including Christopher Everett being sworn in.
Photo via UNC-Chapel Hill.
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