North Carolina State University - Agromeck Yearbook (Raleigh, NC)

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Mr. President TEXT BY DEVIN STEELE winstead Features 19

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President Class President Features

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Mr. President, the reporter boomed, the Speaker said you don ' t give a damn about the issues facing the country. The well-modulated voice was that of ABC News ' chief White House correspondent Sam Donaldson during a student luncheon for President Reagan on State ' s campus in early September. The president pushed aside his steak sandwich, reached for his glass of iced te a and replied, I will evoke the rule that this is a photo opportunity and will not address myself to that. Still, Donaldson continued his badgering. Would the president veto sanctions to South Africa? How can I tell you when I don ' t know Reagan answered in a subdued voice. At that moment, State Student Body President Jay Everette rose to defend his constituency. Can I make a statement here? he asked, his voice showing obvious annoyance. This lunch was designed as a photo opportunity for us to be with the president and talk about student issues. We ' re glad members of the press are here, he continued. We would really appreciate it as young people if you would respect this opportunity that has been given to us. You have it all the time. We ' re having only about 20 minutes today. The photo opportunity continued. There were no more questions. Everette is truly a defender of student rights. his peers say. Infringe upon those rights, and he will probably tell you as he did Donaldson. I felt that our rights as students had been violated, Everette said. I felt it was my duty to stand up and say something. And I don ' t regret it. As a matter of fact, I would have felt more like a coward if I hadn ' t. One of Everette ' s strongest assets is his communication skills, his friends and associates say. Jay ' s a very good communicator, said Gary Mauney, Student Senate president and Everette ' s roommate. He has a way of getting things across to people. People get the sense that he is very sincere in what he ' s saying. Knowing him as well as I do, I can say he is very sincere. Sincere politition may seem contradictory to some, but Everette is devoted to serving the interests of all people, according to Mauney. And, Mauney says, Everette uses his highly respected position for self-improvement, not self-gain. He is a political thinker; there ' s no doubt about that, Mauney said. But there ' s a difference between a politician and a politico. A politician is very concerned about what he ' s doing, like Jay. A politico, on the other hand, thinks about what it ' s going to get him. Everette is not a flashy politician, but his grace and style create a lasting impression, according to Chancellor Bruce 20 Features