John Cuenin is relaxing at his campaign meet-and-greet in the game room of the Honors Residence Hall the Saturday before student body elections.
Surrounded by a few close friends and campaign followers, sharing pizza with a few random passers-by and listening to some throwback American rock ‘n’ roll, Cuenin is very much in his element.
There’s no debating and no high rhetoric, just casual conversation about the trials and thrills of campaign week and about politics in general. Boxes of green T-shirts and pens embossed with his campaign slogan, “A New Direction,” are piled up in the corner.
Despite his more public, laid-back demeanor, the second-year political science student’s history reveals a highly involved achiever with a passion for politics.
An army brat who has lived in Kansas, Georgia and Germany, a card-carrying Eagle Scout and a member of the Honors Society of Boy Scouting, Cuenin found his niche in university politics.
“I was always interested in politics and wanted to make a difference at this university,” Cuenin said. “When I heard about Student Senate, I just felt like it was the place for me.”
After serving as a senator for the College of Arts and Sciences and working on the Committee for Safety and Transportation, Cuenin fell into the position of president pro tempore when fourth-year public relations student Matt Ungar stepped down in November.
As president pro tem, Cuenin worked closely with Student Body President Ebbie Yazdani and Vice President Taylor Cain on pushing legislation and acted as chairman of the Rules Committee. A self-proclaimed “behind-the-scenes politician,” Cuenin realizes his name isn’t as firmly attached to tangible initiatives as his opponent’s. However, he takes pride in his supporting roles in enacting the sustainability fund, organizing the statewide student lobby and working to improve the law school.
Second-year political science student Will Spires said he was able to get to know Cuenin on this year’s campaign trail while running for Student Senate. As president of the Carolina Debate Union, Spires was impressed with Cuenin’s rhetorical skill and aptitude for meeting people.
“John is really good at managing,” Spires said. ”He’s friendly and able to work well with the senators, he’s open to student organizations and he’s very good at addressing his audience and telling them about the issues they need to hear.”
Admittedly a management-oriented people-pleaser, Cuenin said there are only a few political areas where he takes a strong stance.
Throughout his campaign, he has emphasized the need to advocate to legislators that “an investment in higher education is an investment in the future” and that more transparency in education lottery spending is needed to regulate tuition.
Cuenin said lobbying efforts for higher education need student support “more than anything.” One of his major platform issues has been increasing student engagement in government affairs through more frequent hall meetings and an official online comment box.
“One of the biggest problems we need to solve is that of disengaged students, and I think that’s largely due to the fact that they’re not hearing about issues that interest them,” Cuenin said.
If he doesn’t win in this week’s election, Cuenin said he’ll stay involved on campus and in SG.
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