VGCC Student Government Association endorses Connect NC Bond

The Vance-Granville Community College Student Government Association is urging students and all other citizens to support the Connect NC Bond, which is on the ballot for voters in the primary on Tuesday, March 15.

Student leaders recently passed a resolution, which reads in part:

“We the students of the Student Government Association can attest to the valuable role that Vance-Granville Community College has in providing the instructional programs we need to prepare us to be gainfully employed and to hold positions of leadership in the communities where we live….Vance-Granville Community College is in need of funding to repair and renovate its facilities to meet the educational needs of students and the communities it serves, and is in need of new facilities to expand programs and services.”

The resolution goes on to state that “$7.6 million of the $2 billion Connect NC Public Improvement Bond package will pay for necessary improvements for Vance-Granville Community College facilities, providing a substantial savings to the taxpayers who live in the college service area of Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties.”

SGA leaders concluded by offering a “strong endorsement” of the Connect NC bond because “it will enable North Carolina’s community colleges and universities to educate a well-trained workforce.”

Last month, the VGCC Board of Trustees likewise adopted a resolution of support for the $2 billion bond package.

“Meeting our region’s workforce needs in emerging fields will require additional facilities that are equipped to prepare our students for the job opportunities of the future,” Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, wrote in a recent column for The Daily Dispatch. “A vote for the Connect NC Public Improvement Bond is a vote to connect the students of today and tomorrow with cutting-edge workforce training and life-changing educational opportunities.”

VGCC’s proposed allocation is the eighth largest among the state’s 58 community colleges. More than half of the total Connect NC proceeds are earmarked for higher education, including 49% for the University of North Carolina system and 17% for community colleges. The remainder is divided as follows: 16% for water/sewer projects and local parks; 9% for agriculture; 5% for state parks (including Kerr Lake) and the North Carolina Zoo; and 4% for public safety.

On the March 15 ballot, the bond will be labeled the “Connect NC Public Improvement Bond.”