Oral history interview with Joseph Graham, 2016

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. Today is Monday, December 5, 2016, and my name is Scott Hinshaw. I am in the UNCG Alumni House, with the current SGA president, Joseph Graham, to conduct an oral history interview for the UNCG Institutional Memory Collection. Good morning.

Joseph Graham: Good morning.

Scott Hinshaw: So, let's start off with just some early life biographical information. Tell us about your background. Tell me when and where you were born.

Joseph Graham: Okay, so my birthday is August 26, 1995, and I was born in Charlotte. All my family's always lived in Charlotte, and my parents divorced around eight or so, and I moved to Raleigh, and since then I've called Raleigh home, so when I'm not in Greensboro, studying here, doing everything throughout the year, I'm in Greensboro. Or I'm in Raleigh, rather.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, and tell me about your family and your home life. If you have brothers and sisters, tell me about that, and tell me what your parents do or did, if they're retired.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, so my dad's a pastor, actually, in Charlotte, and my mom is a lawyer. She works for the City of Fayetteville now, doing municipal law. I have a brother, who's actually a graduate of UNCG, and he just graduated from here in 2014. He's now at Wake Forest Law School, and so... Yeah, that's my family. That's my immediately family, rather.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, and can you tell me what schools you attended before you got to UNCG?

Joseph Graham: Yeah, so... Don't know how far back you want me to go?

Scott Hinshaw: We're usually talking about high schools.

Joseph Graham: Okay, great. Okay.

Scott Hinshaw: But if there's something you want to talk about further back, that's fine.

Joseph Graham: No, no, no. No, I really only went to elementary school half the way through Charlotte, and the rest of the schools were in Raleigh. But I went to high school at Garner High. It's just down the road from downtown Raleigh, sort of like the more country part of Raleigh, like headed towards the east. But 00:02:00yeah, so Garner High School is my alma mater.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, and did you have a favorite subject or subjects while you were in high school?

Joseph Graham: Yeah. I mean, so I study English now, here at UNCG, but I have always liked writing. I've always liked my English classes. I took AP English courses, so advanced placement, and never liked math. Still don't like math. Never liked science. And so, I've always gravitated toward writing, and toward narrative, and reading. I'm an English major, not because I like to read so much, but because I like to write. So in high school I've always enjoyed my English classes. Always done well in them, over every other subject. Even history, really.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. You like history as well, though?

Joseph Graham: I do. I prefer history over math and science, but... I mean yeah, it's a toss up, but usually us English majors are known for not being good at math, and so math and science are a separate branch, and then history and English are pretty much in the same sort of field. Same sort of area.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, so can you tell me about how you found out about UNCG?

Joseph Graham: Yeah, so I'm a third generation UNCG legacy, and UNC... I knew my mom went to UNCG, and I knew my grandmother got her master's from this institution, but it wasn't in the conversation too many times as I was growing up. I mean, I knew about UNCG, but until my brother came to UNCG as a freshman, I didn't think of it as much as a competing institution, or a place where I 00:04:00would end up being. I didn't think about it that much.

Joseph Graham: But I'd always known about it. My dad went to A&T, and that's how he met my mom here in the early 80's, and so yeah, I've always known about it. But until my... Once my brother came here, and I got the chance to visit him during his freshman year, and it was my first time on campus, really. I had been in the area, but I had never really ... I never got to see the campus until my brother was here, and then I want to say that I fell in love with it at that moment when I came for that Halloween weekend, but I had the chance to come back, and I came back more often as he moved toward graduation. But yeah, it grew on me. It really did. And now I see why UNCG has this effect that makes so 00:05:00many legacy families come back every generation.

Scott Hinshaw: That's awesome. So, your mom graduated in the 80's, early 80's?

Joseph Graham: Yes. Yeah, she graduated in '82.

Scott Hinshaw: And what was her degree?

Joseph Graham: She graduated with a communications degree, and then went on to law school at North Carolina Central University.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay.

Joseph Graham: And my grandmother graduated with a Master's in Education, and she went on to be an African American studies and English professor at UNC Charlotte.

Scott Hinshaw: Awesome. Do you remember when she graduated? Your grandmother? About?

Joseph Graham: I can't say. I want to say it was just... Right at the end of WC, or right at the beginning of UNCG.

Scott Hinshaw: So that would be about '64. '64, fall '64 was UNCG.

Joseph Graham: In that... Yeah, I believe so. I believe so. So, I'm pretty sure that's around the time.

Scott Hinshaw: And so, you said that your family that went here were not, maybe not such a big factor in coming here, at least in the beginning. Did they tell you any stories about when they were here, or did they talk about it at all?

Joseph Graham: Yeah, so it wasn't much of a factor, but when it came to stories, though, my aunt also studied here, as well, and she graduated in ... I want to say ... Well, she didn't graduate from this institution, but she was here for some time, for like-

Scott Hinshaw: She transferred. Yeah.

Joseph Graham: She transferred, and so I think about '86, '87. So yeah, besides the stories from... I think my mom, she stayed in Mary Foust at some time, and she stayed in Moore Strong, and so I stayed in Moore Strong my freshman year, and so she'd sometimes talk about her experiences there, and my godmothers were her line sisters in the sorority, and so she talks about that, too, and she met them here, obviously. Besides that, not so many, not many more stories.

Joseph Graham: She was at A&T a lot, and my dad was at UNCG a lot, but besides those, not too many more stories, but those were enough, I think.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. That's cool. So, has she been to campus recently?

Joseph Graham: Yeah, she has. She has. She has.

Scott Hinshaw: And I bet that's quite an experience, because it's changed a lot in the last five or 10 years, let alone-

Joseph Graham: Yeah, and even with my grandmother, too, and they'll talk about all the things that weren't here, and things like that, but all the things that were even, too. And I think that's an important to know, as well, that while so much has changed, some things haven't. And one example is like Yum Yums, for example, has been there for so long. And College Ave, regardless of whether it was a road before, or what it is now, has been here. And so, Foust.

Joseph Graham: So yeah, so I think since there's such a long history of UNCG 00:08:00graduates, or UNCG affiliated family members, I think there was sort of an unspoken, "You should try to go to UNCG. They offer a lot, and I think you'd enjoy it," sort of conversation.

Scott Hinshaw: So it's safe to say they had good experiences.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, they did. They did. They really did.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay, so what were your expectations before you got here? I know you did visit with your brother, as you said, and then what was your first impressions when you did get here?

Joseph Graham: Well, I applied to a lot of schools, and I really don't know, in hindsight, why I applied to so many schools, but I really wanted to ... UNCG wasn't my first choice, but for ... Unfortunately, for a good number of students, it's not their first choice unless they're choosing a major like business, or education, or nursing, or music. But for the rest of us, sometimes 00:09:00it isn't the first choice, but I really thought I was going to get into UNCG. I don't know if I put in so much effort into the application, as much as the others, because I was just like, "Yeah, they'll choose me," and everything.

Joseph Graham: And in hindsight, I'm glad they chose me, because I really didn't get into almost any of the other schools that I applied to. Which is sad that I think about it now, but it was a sign from the very beginning. It was the first school that I got into, and I was thinking, "Okay, great. I got into somewhere for the fall," right? But I was like, "I'm waiting for the other ones to make a final decision." But I'm glad that I got in, because if I hadn't, I mean I really could not see myself anywhere else.

Joseph Graham: As far as expectations, I set a list of goals for myself in coming to UNCG. I, for one, I expected to join SGA, because my brother was in 00:10:00SGA before, and I knew that I one day wanted to be student body president. I didn't know when, didn't know how, but that was the final goal. And so, I knew I wanted to go into SGA, but for the academic goals that I set for myself, the social goals that I set for myself, before I came to UNCG, I didn't know if UNCG was going to be the place where I could foster those, and those goals would come into fruition. I didn't know it would be a place like that.

Joseph Graham: So, I had expectations, but I didn't know how UNCG would contribute to my expectations. And so, I had them of course, but once I came, and my first impression of UNCG... I knew that I was sort of ahead of the game when it came to attacking freshman year head on. A lot of freshman usually come into the University and are sort of timid, sort of reluctant to get involved as 00:11:00early as possible, and they're just starting to get their feet on the classes, and I was in some pretty challenging class... Even upper 200 level English classes were, I found to be very difficult to take as a freshman.

Joseph Graham: But I still got involved super early. I ran for freshman class senator, and got that, I joined the club tennis team, and so what ended up happening my freshman year was that my expectations that I originally had, and that I had throughout the rest of college so far, ended up being way more than I'd originally expected. And so, I'm very lucky and thankful for that.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. That's great. So, can you tell us a little bit, you've talked a little bit about it, but can you talk about what your freshman year was like?

Joseph Graham: Yeah. Yeah, so once I got involved in SGA and club tennis, I really found a group of friends that I still speak to today. I mean, in SGA, I 00:12:00had the privilege of learning leadership under President Crystal Bane, who was president at that time, and I had ... I found my own voice in SGA. I found confidence in SGA. Things that I don't think I had beforehand.

Joseph Graham: In club tennis, I... It took a while for some of the teammates to warm up to me, because I'm the new, one of the many new guys on the team, and they had already had bonds already established and everything, but once I opened up, and came to more practices, and really made an effort to make those relationships, then things just ended up working out. And of course, not even just in the groups that I was involved in, but the friends I made in my dorm, in Moore Strong, and the friends I ended up making in classes, and wherever. 00:13:00Those... That freshman year really set the tone for the rest of college, because it showed me that if I break down any sort of walls that I might have, and getting to know people, or if I just approach any opportunity situation and I'm not speaking to people, and I'm holding myself back from meaningful relationships.

Joseph Graham: So, after I realized what relationships had the ability to do after my freshman year, the rest was history. So, freshman year was a great year, but after that, I don't think I was satisfied with where I was. I wanted to get into more leadership roles. I wanted to have a bigger platform, and little did I know that platform was right around the corner.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. So, you said your major was English, and you like to write, 00:14:00and that's the primary reason for that. Can you tell me about any favorite professors or classes?

Joseph Graham: Yes, I can. So, my first big English class, I took College Writing, but everyone takes College Writing. Major American Authors: Realist to Modern was taught by Tony Cuda in the English department, and while I haven't really maintained a relationship with him, my first semester of college was with him. And he was very tough. Wasn't mean, but tough. The class this guy says, I remember my notebook was filled with notes. I wrote down every single thing he said, because I was afraid that if I did not, I would miss out on a big theme, or I would go back to my notes later on and just say, "Wow, I'm not prepared for 00:15:00this test, this exam," but he was very tough.

Joseph Graham: The class discussion was good, but we'd have to read a lot inbetween classes, and sometimes I caught up with those readings, sometimes I didn't, and sometimes they might have been the reason why I wrote so many notes to begin with, but he really helped me out a lot, and I don't think he realized how much he helped me, but the lecture, and the challenge that he presented... He challenged everything that we read, and made us think in so many different ways, and I appreciate him for that.

Joseph Graham: Noelle Morrissette, she's another English professor. She taught African American Writers After the 1920s. I've also had her for another class, but she's a white teacher, and she teaches a lot of African American Studies 00:16:00classes, and I find her so impressive and intriguing, because she... Well, first of all, many people don't expect ... I mean, on the first day of class, you don't know who your teacher's going to be most of the time, and to see a white lady teaching African American... Whoa. How did you get into this?

Joseph Graham: And once she told us how she got into the field, and how she, why she enjoys teaching it, it's super impactful. Some people might say, "I would rather not," but no. She's fantastic, and she's very smart, and she had, and I have maintained a relationship with her throughout college, and she's written many recommendations for me. She's been such an ear when I just needed someone to listen to me, and she really helped me out in editing my papers and everything, and I really, really appreciate her. She's fantastic.

Joseph Graham: So, those two professors I could really, really talk about, and lastly, Peter Dola. He is a French teacher, and he's got to be one of the nicest professors I've ever met. I mean, he's just so nice, and the test of a great faculty member, in my opinion, is just a professor who gets down to the student level, understands what they're going through, understands that they're going to need extra help sometimes, and is willing to meet them there, and is willing to give their all. Every time, even when it's a student coming back, test after test, problem after problem, and saying, "Hey, I really am struggling with this." Every single time, they give it their all, and try their best to make sure that that student knows as much as they need to know for the next test, or understands the process, understands how to get through tests, or how to get through the quizzes, or just understand the material.

Joseph Graham: And so that seems like every faculty member should do that, every... But that's not always the case, and I'm being true, but it's not always true. But for the faculty members that do, it goes a long way for the student.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, and you appreciate those more.

Joseph Graham: I certainly do.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. Tell me about your study abroad experience.

Joseph Graham: Okay. So, after I was heavily involved in SGA, which I'm sure we'll get into.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, we'll come to that.

Joseph Graham: Sophomore year, I was really overwhelmed. Excuse me. I was really overwhelmed, and I knew that I ... If I had ... It was on my list of... I say list, but it was a mental list, really, of goals before college. I really wanted to study abroad. I didn't know how it would fit into my graduation plan, and I didn't know, especially after I got involved, very involved in school, I didn't 00:19:00know if that would be a path that I'd end up taking.

Joseph Graham: But I did, and it was the best experience of my life so far. I hope that I'll have more experiences that top it, but I went to France, Leon, France, and I didn't have so many expectations, because I was told to not have expectations, and I thought that I was sort of prepared, because I had studied French for seven semesters before I went to France, and I thought I knew a good amount. I wasn't fluent by any means, and I really wasn't even at an intermediate level, but I thought that I could carry on some conversation and get through it, but I definitely could not. It was so... You think you know a language until you go to that country.

Joseph Graham: And so anyway, I met so many different friends from Mexico, Canada, Germany, England, Belgium, and Amsterdam, or Netherlands, sorry. And I 00:20:00just had not ... When I was there, I was always learning from their cultures, and they were always learning from mine, and I was ... Of course, I was there to study French history, and I had English classes, of course, but I learned way... It's just like college. I learned way more outside of the classroom than I did inside of the classroom. Of course, you learn, you have material that you're supposed to learn and everything, usually for the next test or exam, but I learned so much more about myself, about taking risks, and for me, studying abroad was taking a risk, because I love this university so much.

Joseph Graham: And I thought, you know, you'd be dumb to... I have the chance to make history my junior year. I could have been the first ever president to be president for two and a half years, consecutively. I really could have been, and 00:21:00I turned it down, because I knew that I wanted something bigger for myself. And for me, that was from studying abroad, and so I still talk to the friends that I studied abroad with, and that I met over there. They changed the way I think about cultures, showing me that there's way more to the world, that I never knew was out there. Not just literally, you know, and seeing things that I hadn't seen before, but understanding cultures that I thought I knew about before. French culture.

Joseph Graham: You know, when people think of France, they might just think of white French people. No. France has is so much diverse than I could have even imagined. There are places in these big cities in France that are somewhat divided, but for Arabic people, and African people. So many immigrants are going to France all the time, and so... And even my Mexican friends. Unfortunately, to my chagrin, I had never associated wealth with Mexican people before, and all of 00:22:00the Mexican friends that I had were rich. All of them.

Joseph Graham: And just these-

Scott Hinshaw: Now, are these people... I'm sorry to interrupt you. Did these students talk about, were they from UNCG, too? Or did you meet them over there?

Joseph Graham: No, they were... Yeah. These were people that I met over there. These were all from different countries that I met over in France. And they challenged what I knew about the world, and so, and they really influenced what I wanted to do after school, which is international journalism, and that there is so much more to the world that isn't being taught in schools, isn't being broadcast on the news, and people need to know about them, and it'll be beneficial to everyone in the world, and so I... That's why I want to have a more broader view in my career, and not just to be in a nine to five in Raleigh, or in Greensboro, but to really experience the world for what it is, and to show 00:23:00people what it looks like outside of this country.

Scott Hinshaw: Sounds like it was a great experience.

Joseph Graham: It was, indeed.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. Can you tell me about any social or academic events that stand out in your mind during your time at UNCG?

Joseph Graham: Academic events. When I think of academic events, I really think of the things that some faculty will say, that you know, "Extra credit if you go to this," sort of thing. And so, forums are something. The most recent forum, or academic event, that I went to, was... It was in the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and it was a... There was a law professor that came from either Elon or Emory, and he was talking about the election, and he was talking about politics, and what the election between Trump and Clinton, what sort of effect it'll have on 00:24:00the world. And it was before the election.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. That was going to be my next question, is before or after? Yeah.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, it was before election day. It was several weeks before, and he talked about the climate of the country, and what's at stake, and how different this election is, and how historical it is, too. But how different it is for youth, for older people, for all of us. And that was a really interesting forum for me, because I think it was one of the first that I had gone to, specifically about politics. Many of the people in the room were political science majors, or things of that sort, but it was enlightening for me, and this semester has been interesting.

Joseph Graham: I can't find another word. It's just been an interesting semester, with the things that have happened on campus, but the things that have happened off, and in the world. I mean, this election really impacted students here. The next Wednesday after election night, that ninth, I think, was a truly 00:25:00different day for a lot of us, and it... I don't want to spend so much time talking about it, but that forum really put things into perspective about what our job is, what our civic duty is, and how we all need to be more aware of what's happening in politics. And I think this election really showed us that from here on out, everyone needs to not take a seat on politics, but to engage in it.

Joseph Graham: Socially, though, my... An event that I'll never forget. Freshman year, it used to be called the Campus Activities Board, but now it's called Activities and Campus Events. They put on all these events, and they have these things called takeovers, and so some of them are on campus, but some of them are off campus, and one day around October, around Halloween time, they had a... 00:26:00Woods of Terror takeover, and so Woods of Terror is a scary, scary place where you go, it's like a sort of corn maze sort of thing, with a bunch of scary characters or whatever that chase you, and all these other... And it was only 100 students could go, and I remember in front of the EUC, we didn't know where the line was going to be.

Joseph Graham: And so, they came out around 7:00, the CAB people did, and they put a sign that says, "The line starts here," and everyone, before they came, was just around, roaming, trying to figure out where they thought the line was going to be, and as soon as they came out, everyone started jetting toward the sign. Because it's like 25 dollars to go to Woods of Terror, so of course we were like, "Yeah, we've got to go to that. We don't want to pay for it." So they only took the 100 people, and I got in. I was like 60 or so.

Joseph Graham: But anyways, that experience, and lining up, and going to Woods of Terror with a bunch of my friends, close friends freshman year, was one of 00:27:00the best memories, I think, of college. And unfortunately, they don't do those anymore, but for whoever might be listening to this interview years from now, decades from now-

Scott Hinshaw: Bring it back, right?

Joseph Graham: Bring it back. Bring it back. Bring the takeovers back.

Scott Hinshaw: You know, there's so many things that happen on campus, sometimes, that no matter how much advertising they do, or don't do, you don't know what turnout's going to be. So, it's great that they had something that people turned out for.

Joseph Graham: Oh, it was fantastic.

Scott Hinshaw: So that sounds like a great event. Tell me about your fellow students. What I'm asking about is what type of students attend UNCG?

Joseph Graham: That's a question that I've even been asking myself... I was asked that question earlier in the semester, and it was hard then, and it's hard now. I'd asked a student the same question, and it's difficult for me to answer, because it's a difficult community to define. UNCG should remain a place where a 00:28:00student body is undefined, because we're known for being diverse, and with so many different types of students here, there's no way to say there's one cookie cutter Spartan. Or that there's one student at UNCG who embodies the rest of them. Not even me, because there's so many people who are different from me.

Joseph Graham: But one thing that I think would set me apart from the rest of them is my love for the institution, and my willingness and ambition to work for it. But, you know the students at UNCG right now, they're creative, they're culturally conscious, they're politically aware. Unfortunately, at times, I think we can be a bit reactive, when it comes to events, or when it comes to 00:29:00social issues. I think we're moving toward... we're being more proactive. There's several groups on campus that are more proactive. But the students here are from everywhere. Around the world, around the country, all around the state, of course, but I hope that decades from now, it'll be just as hard to define a Spartan as it is today, because there's a place for you at UNCG. There's a place for everyone. You just have to find it. That's the most difficult part, though. Finding it.

Joseph Graham: And not everyone finds it, unfortunately, but for those who do, I know they'll be able to tell you that they're glad they did, they wouldn't know where they'd be if they had not found it, whatever that looks like. It doesn't have to be getting involved. I got involved, but not everyone is going to get involved. For one example of how interesting our student ... We have this thing 00:30:00called Humans Versus Zombies. I don't know if you've heard about it before.

Scott Hinshaw: Right, yeah. Yeah, it's been going on for a while, now.

Joseph Graham: And do you know how many years it's been going on?

Scott Hinshaw: It has to be at least five, I mean it's been a while.

Joseph Graham: I mean, It's been going on for a while, and I hope it'll never stop, but those people who I've just observed. I don't know anyone. Well, there's one person who's in one of my classes. I haven't really talked to him. But I don't really know anyone who's in that, who's in that group, but you'll see them around campus with their NERF guns, and they've got all this sort of armor on, and these bandanas and everything, and that is their college experience. I know of a lot of student leaders on campus, and the ones I've seen aren't in that, and that might be their only really involvement. You know, I'm generalizing here, but that may be what they're really involved in, besides class, and that is their college experience.

Joseph Graham: You know, club sports, really involved. These are really athletes 00:31:00who didn't want to go varsity or whatever, but are equally as athletic sometimes. That is their college experience. You know, everyone has a different thing on campus, and we're just so diverse, in not only the things we choose to be involved in, but by race, by perspective, and things like that. That is what makes UNCG unique, and so everyone in their own way, a lot of different departments are trying to define UNCG students, but we can't be defined.

Joseph Graham: Other institutions, they can define what sort of student goes to their school, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it's a unique thing for UNCG, that UNCG students will just hopefully not any time soon be defined by a specific type of student.

Scott Hinshaw: Right. So, tell me, do you think of UNCG as an inclusive and accepting environment?

Joseph Graham: Absolutely. You can't have so many students, from so many 00:32:00different places, and not be an inclusive ... You can't be diverse, without inclusivity, I don't think. Some may argue that you could, or that UNCG may not be as inclusive as it could be, but you have organizations like PRIDE, and the LGBTQ community here, I think is a close knit community, but it seems like they're comfortable here, that they are comfortable within themselves, and expressing themselves however they want to, and that's another thing, too. You'll see people dressed like however, during the summer, or in the fall, and there's people walking around all the time with no shoes on. There's a guy in my class who, bare feet, come to class every day. And it's a normal thing.

Joseph Graham: It looks strange at first, but everyone gets used to it. There is... There are so many different... The quirkiness of some students that go here, and then just ... People would say it's weird, but I just say it's interesting. But it's inclusive, for sure, and I think it's accepting of all types of people. Doesn't matter what your background is. Doesn't matter how much money your family has. Because honestly, those sort of barriers that I think exist, I know exist outside of college, I don't think really exist here. No one cares what kind of car you have. No one cares where your family comes from. Because when you're here, you're all here on the same level. You're all getting a very high education, with rigorous... We're all taking rigorous classes.

Joseph Graham: Doesn't matter if you're an art major or business major. You're all taking great classes, and we're all here for the same reason. And we're here 00:34:00at the same space, too. Especially for the ones who live on campus, doesn't matter how much money you have. So anyways, yes, we are accepting, and we are inclusive, and I hope we'll always be.

Scott Hinshaw: All right, great. So, let's talk a little bit about student government, and your involvement in that. You're currently the SGA president, but you also ran for and won vice president your sophomore year. You've also told me you participated in your freshman year, as well.

Joseph Graham: Yes, I was in SGA my freshman year, yeah.

Scott Hinshaw: So, can you tell me what prompted you to run for student government? I guess maybe in your freshman year, as well. You've talked about it a little bit, you wanted to be involved. Expand on that.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, of course. So, my brother was in SGA before, and I think he had wished he got... He got involved his junior year, and I think he had wished he had gotten involved before, and I took that to heart, because I was thinking, "You know, I don't want to be that guy who's in their junior or senior year, who says I wish I got involved earlier." I definitely didn't want to be that guy, so 00:35:00I wasn't, so I didn't become that person, fortunately.

Joseph Graham: So, freshman year, that's mainly the reason why I started out so early. By the end of my freshman year, I saw my brother... I went to my brother's graduation, and I saw Crystal Bane, someone that I had known throughout my freshman year. I saw her give her speech for graduation, for commencement, and I told my dad, I'll never forget this. This is a true story. I'll never forget this. I told him, I said, "I want to be doing that one day. I'm going to be student body president one day." And he said, "Yeah, you will be." And I said, "Yeah, I know."

Scott Hinshaw: Nice.

Joseph Graham: I just knew I wanted to do that. I knew I could do it. Senior year was the goal. The next year, sophomore year, at the beginning I was really a secretary, working under the president at that time, at the beginning. I interviewed for that, and the vice president position was vacant, because the 00:36:00vice president had to step down. He was elected, but had to step down because of his grades. Everyone's looking around, like, "Who's going to run for vice president?" Everyone's like, "I don't want to do it. I don't want to do it. That's too much work."

Joseph Graham: And I was like, "Oh, well I want to do it. I think I would be good at it." And everyone's like, "Joseph. What? You've been in SGA for a year. You don't have enough experience." I was 19. I had just turned 19, because my birthday is at the end of August, and people were... I mean, people in SGA were telling me not to do it, that I wasn't ready for it. And I went... I ran unopposed. No one... There were juniors and seniors in SGA at that time who didn't run. Now, I'm not saying they weren't ambitious, but they certainly did not run, and did not challenge my campaign.

Joseph Graham: So, I ran, and it was a big deal for me. A huge deal for me, because it was then, I think one of the biggest sort of accomplishments, the first biggest one of college, I think, because I knew that if I believed in myself, and this sounds cliché, but if I believe in myself, that I could do it. If I listened to them, I would not be president today, I don't think. I really don't think so, because I would have... It would have started a trend of me listening to other people, who clearly didn't have the ambition to begin with, to run for vice president.

Joseph Graham: So, that meant a lot to me, but being over a student senate of 50... We're changing it now to 35. Don't know what it's going to be decades from now, but we're cutting down the senate structure. Being in charge of the senate was important to me, because I knew that SGA had the ability to make real change on campus, and could influence a lot of the decisions that administration makes, 00:38:00and I wanted to be a part of that.

Joseph Graham: By the end of the first semester of my sophomore year, the president resigned. Over winter break. I was at home, chilling, you know, on my couch, watching TV, probably CNN. And she sends this email, basically saying, "Good luck, Joseph." And I'm like... Not that I had not anticipated it. I didn't know she was going to resign, but I just thought, "You know, no, she's not going to make a decision herself, maybe..." But she resigned, and I came back, and it was appointed to the board of trustees, but not only that. Before winter break, I had told our vice chancellor for student affairs that I wanted to be on the Chancellor's Search Committee, because Chancellor Brady had just stepped down, or she was about to, and we were looking for a new chancellor.

Joseph Graham: And so, of course... So, January of 2015 was a huge year. I mean, it was the start of everything. Chancellor Search Committee was way more than I had anticipated. Way more. President was way more than I'd anticipated, because for a long time, I was even being vice president and president, at the same time, really. Before that winter break. And it was just a lot for me, so ... But I got through it, and everyone who was on the search committee, like Susan Safran, from the Board of Trustees, and Brad Hayes from the Board of Trustees, and Lori Kerr from the graduate school, and Kelly Berg, and all these other... Omar Ali, everyone else.

Joseph Graham: It was a 24 member committee, and everyone will tell you that I spoke up a lot, sometimes I said stuff that I know they didn't really like. But I made change, and I made history, and that's what being a part of SGA's all about. We just chose the first African American chancellor at UNCG, but the 00:40:00first American African chancellor to be chancellor of a non-HBCU. That's huge, and I was a part of that, as the only undergraduate student voice, and today, I'm very proud of what I've accomplished, but I don't think I've really seen exactly what has... That's the whole legacy aspect of my platform this year. You don't know what sort of impact you're going to make until after you've made it. You don't know what sort of legacy you're going to leave until after you've left it, till after you've graduated.

Joseph Graham: And so, for me to have seen my legacy before I've graduated is super important, and so SGA is tremendously important to me, and I hope that in the future, there'll be so many more students at UNCG who choose to not only get involved, but to get involved in organizations like SGA.

Scott Hinshaw: So, we'll skip... Can you tell me what it's like to be SGA president? So, a lot of people don't know what the duties are, and how do you manage these responsibilities, and still get your work done for class?

Joseph Graham: Right, so the first thing that SGA presidents have to do... Every Tuesday the senate meets, so SGA meets, and the president has to report to the senate. We are a part of... We are a voting member of the Board of Trustees. That's sort of the head governing committee over the university. It's funny, I don't think many people see me as a trustee until I'm at the meeting, but I'm a trustee, as well, and that is a fantastic experience. Sort of overwhelming at times, but once you get it, you get it and it's great.

Joseph Graham: I'm also on several committees on campus. You know, I have the option to be a part of them or not. I can delegate a student from my executive cabinet, or from SGA, to be on, to sit on for me, and sort of report back to me what happened at the committee, because I can't be everywhere at once. And that was something that I learned my sophomore year, that I had to delegate. I was trying to uplift the reputation of SGA my sophomore year, and to try to work on our publicity, and get some people into SGA, because they needed to be ... people had left.

Joseph Graham: But now, I've learned from that, and I've delegated tasks and everything. I also go to the Association of Student Governments, which is... It's called ASG. We call it ASG, and basically it's delegations of about three or four, from other institutions, SGA from the UNC system, and they get together 00:43:00on these other campuses, and we talk about school issues. We talk about the Board of Governors of North Carolina, and education, what it means for all of us, and what it doesn't mean, and that's been a big part of my experience, too, in SGA. Being able to work with other SGAs from other universities, and see what they do on their campuses, how their senates are structured, and how they're working for their students on each campus.

Joseph Graham: You find the differences between... It really highlights the differences between each campus, but it really shows us how similar we are, and the events that we have, and the challenges that all of our students face. Doesn't matter what institution you go to, we're still paying a lot of money, generally, for education. Way more money than they were paying 50 years ago. Way more money than the people who are choosing how much money we have to pay, paid 00:44:00when they were in school. And so, all of that stuff contributes to my experience as president.

Joseph Graham: How do I manage it? I'm still learning. Time management is something that hopefully you'll learn sooner rather than later. I've been lucky to get time management. This semester, maybe not so much, but I'm working... I'm constantly working toward learning how to manage my time, how to be organized. It's a lot, and I don't want to lie, and say that it's an easy job, and that everyone can do it, and that everyone should do it, even. It's a tough job. It's a lot of pressure all the time. There are things that aren't in my job description, aren't in the constitution, that are constantly being expected of you, whether you know it or not.

Joseph Graham: You know, it effects your social life, what you can do outside of 00:45:00class, what you can do outside of campus, and who you are outside of campus. It effects all of that. I'm president all the time, not just when I'm in my office, not just-

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, you're representing a group of people.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, all the time. Every day. Every night. All the time, regardless of whether I'm in those formal situations or not. So, I don't want to scare anyone if they were wanting to be president, but it's a lot, and you have to understand what influence you have, what power you have, and you have to use it well.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. Can you tell me, so what's it like to serve on the Board of Trustees? Tell me what those meetings are like, what that experience is like.

Joseph Graham: So, I remember my first Board of Trustees meeting. Linda Brady was still chancellor. I think it was January or February, and at the time, UNCG 00:46:00was going through a big scandal, actually, with UNCG Three, the whole photographer thing. And I didn't know as much as I should have known before that time. I didn't know about all of those details at first, and we didn't really talk about them in open session, and we talked about a lot of that stuff in closed session. And of course that's closed information, but what I observed from some of the Board of Trustees members, and from the chancellor herself, and the way that they were treat... This is a very turbulent time.

Scott Hinshaw: It was.

Joseph Graham: My first meeting. And it didn't set the tone for the rest of the meetings, but this one meeting showed me how... What hierarchy looked like, how not everyone is going to agree with you, not everyone is going to approve of the decisions that you make for the university, and it was sort of cutthroat. This is closed door conversation that was sort of scary, because in a certain way, I 00:47:00felt out of the loop, but it's an important body. I don't think that I knew what I was capable of doing as a trustee then. Sometimes... Maybe I may not know fully now, and I don't... But I don't think students know as much as they should about the Board of Trustees, and the power of the Board of Trustees, as well. Faculty do. Staff do, I think. Administration, they do.

Joseph Graham: But it's an important job. They trust me. I love being the student that is the voice for 20,000 students, now. I hope decades from now, we're growing and everything, but maybe, I hope, that we get to a certain number and we stay this school, that you know, is like... You get this exclusive body of people that you want to be in, but the Board of Trustees is fantastic. They work very hard. I've created a lot of networking skills from being around them, 00:48:00and they have helped me with professionalism, and the importance of upholding yourself to a certain degree, and constantly remind me of who I represent, and what I represent.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. So, you mentioned the UNCG Three thing, which kind of ties into this question, here.

Joseph Graham: Okay.

Scott Hinshaw: Because I don't know how much students knew about that. I mean, obviously faculty knew a lot about it, and staff did, as well.

Joseph Graham: I don't think students knew too much.

Scott Hinshaw: Right, so how do you navigate some of these complex issues that students do have issues with, during your time as SGA president? And how do you present those viewpoints to the University? And some of these things I was thinking about that they might know more about, and are closer to them. Things like student fees.

Joseph Graham: Yeah.

Scott Hinshaw: Which, always important. You know, you talked about the cost of education. Also, the Kaplan Center for Wellness-

Joseph Graham: Of course.

Scott Hinshaw: Which is kind of controversial.

Joseph Graham: Yeah.

Scott Hinshaw: Of course, Glenwood, which is where it's located, the neighborhood.

Joseph Graham: Of course.

Scott Hinshaw: And athletics. You know, there has been a large push for intercollegiate athletics to be at the forefront. So, can you tell me how you find out about those things from students-

Joseph Graham: Yes, I can.

Scott Hinshaw: How do they tell you, and then how do you present that?

Joseph Graham: Right, so as SGA president, as as being in the SGA, we're constantly in the mix, right in the middle of both sides of the arguments that come up. Both sides. One side of that argument is the student perspective, and I get the student perspective a lot of the times, fortunately, through social media. And in this age, in 2016, social media's a huge thing. Twitter, and Facebook, and Instagram, and all that stuff, GroupMe, all of those things are how I can gauge what students are feeling. You know, students are saying whatever. Issues with classes, problems with certain professors, and stuff like that, whether they know that I'm watching... You know, I'm watching. Whether 00:50:00they know that I see what they're saying or not, but I follow them and they know.

Joseph Graham: But bringing up those issues, there was a girl yesterday who was saying that the Spartan Card Center needs an app, something like that, and I was like, "What a great idea." And she was explaining that to me. That was through Twitter. Not through public forum, and all this other... You know, I'm constantly learning from students, and their challenges, and what they think.

Joseph Graham: The other side of what we're in the midst of is administration, and they are constantly, sometimes maybe they could be doing a better job of seeking the student voice on certain things, but they're constantly seeking the student voice, as well. But when it comes to these conflicts, it's usually one or the other, but they have to go through... Both sides have to go through SGA to find out what the other side is doing or thinking.

Joseph Graham: So, when it comes to the Kaplan Center, my freshman year it was a huge deal. Crystal Bane had... I applaud her, because she did a great job 00:51:00articulating to the senate every Tuesday what it meant for us, what it meant for our degree. I'll never forget, she said, "It'll add value to your degree." You know, Crystal, and the people who came before her, aren't students now. They've graduated. They paid for a rec center that they weren't going to be able to use, so that we could have something else to sell to students when they're coming to UNCG.

Joseph Graham: We've got a state of the art facility, that promotes nothing but wellness. Not just a rec center. It's not just a gym, it's wellness, and that is important to students. Now, the number they put on it, the $91 million, and you know, what's it mean for Glenwood, and things like that. That's another conversation, but a lot of students, and it's surprising to me, but not so surprising, they don't care as... They don't... A lot of students think they care so much about the number. It's not like I'm paying $91 million for the 00:52:00building every semester. I might be paying like $50.

Joseph Graham: You know, $50 every year or something, but they're paying the same, if not more, in other fees. You know, other fees, and athletics, and even when athletics... You know, it's a constant, especially at UNCG, I feel like even from faculty, who say, "Are we spending too much money on athletics? Is this going to be a school that's more geared toward athletics, or academics?" There's constantly a fight between academics or athletics. Which one is more important? Which one is at the forefront of the University mission? And it'll always be academics. It'll always be academics.

Joseph Graham: It doesn't matter how much money you spend on athletics, or how much money you spend on academics. Academia is the reason we're all here. It'll never take precedent over athletics, and everyone needs to know that. When it 00:53:00comes to UNCG athletics, I've tried to bridge the gap between the student athletes and undergraduates here at the University, but even doing so, I know that those athletes are here for athletics, or for academics just as much as they're here for athletics. They still have... They're still students.

Joseph Graham: So, when it comes to these complex issues, and tuition and fees, we can definitely do a better job of marketing the knowledge of what we're paying for, tuition and fees. Students have always, and will always have access to that themselves. Now, I will tell you that I've been to several forums on tuition and fees, my sophomore year and this year. I wasn't the co-chair of the tuition and fee committee, my vice president was. But, I can count on my fingers how many students were there. And it's tough, because when it comes to these issues, and it goes back to what I said about being a reactive body, when it comes to these issues, students care to a certain degree. Then they'll stop 00:54:00coming to stuff. Or they won't come to SGA throughout the year, and then there's on thing that they hear is going to happen, and they all come to UNCG and wonder about why this is the way it is.

Joseph Graham: When it came to the Kaplan Center, last year people were still complaining about it. The year before, they were still complaining about it, and it was already settled. They had already broken ground. You were already paying for it. So, when it comes to ... But before then, before they had broken ground, before the Board of Trustees had signed that away, saying that we were going to do it, students had so many opportunities to voice their opinions on it. Now, unfortunately for the people who disagree with it being here, they didn't have the opportunity to say, "No, we don't want it," because the people who wanted it have graduated now. And you weren't a part of that conversation because it happened before we were here.

Joseph Graham: So, there's so many intricacies to these arguments, and who's 00:55:00side are you going to be on, but our job in SGA, my job as SGA president, is to find a balance between both of them. I can't choose a side. I'm a student first, so my opinion will be student-based at all times. However, I have to articulate what the administration's mission is to students, and administration is not just the vice chancellors, or the chancellor. It's the Board of Governors, too, and the general administration, as well. But, students will only care about those things to a certain degree, but I hope, and I really pray that UNCG students will continue to challenge the existing, and to continue becoming more aware and educated on the things that they're spending their money on, and the energy 00:56:00they're putting into, whether it be into the academics, or the other things that UNCG has to offer them.

Joseph Graham: But that's sort of where we are with it, though. We are in the midst of both those arguments, and whatever comes up between now and the rest of UNCG's history, whoever the student body president is has to find that balance between both sides. That's why we're here.

Scott Hinshaw: Okay. So, did you have any interactions with Chancellor Brady? Or now Chancellor Gilliam? And tell me your impressions of them.

Joseph Graham: Yeah, so my first impression of Chancellor Brady, I met her my freshman year. She's very soft spoken. Sort of a fragile voice, and I found that to be interesting, but my first impression of a chancellor is someone who knows so much about the university, as she did, and was the chief fundraising... 00:57:00Supposed to be the chief fundraiser, and chief advocate and everything. But I didn't have so much expectation, because I really didn't have anyone to compare her to. I met her... So, the job of the president is also to meet with the chancellor. We have meetings maybe every five or six weeks or so, and I only met with her one time before she had gotten sick, and that was in January of 2015. And we talked a lot about University identity, which is my favorite subject. It's my absolute favorite subject to talk about.

Joseph Graham: University identity. Who are we as students? Who is UNCG? Where are we going? What are we known for? Who are we? Who are the students? Everything. And she said that Erskine Bowles had charged her with finding the University identity, and after the conversation that we had on it, I wasn't 00:58:00really pleased, because it showed me that... Well, I knew there was more work to be done, and that maybe she had spent a lot of time and effort on athletics, and getting us to a new place. Like for example basketball under her administration moved to the coliseum, instead of playing in Fleming. A move in the right direction? Who knows? For athletics, I think so. For recruitment, I think so. Money purposes? Maybe we're spending a bit too much. I don't know. And you know, I'm sort of tight lipped on that. But that was what we talked about, and I didn't have too many other conversations with her after that.

Joseph Graham: When it came to the Chancellor, I got to meet him on a really exclusive level, at first. Of course, on the search committee, not everyone is 00:59:00on the search committee, so it's only us meeting, and we're the ones reading their documents, their CVs, their curriculum vitae, and everything, and so when I first met him, it was at the airport, because it was a closed meeting, so it was very top secret. No one could know at that time where we were, and I went and he was our second interview, and he answered all the questions very well. And at the end of our... I think we had about 10 questions. 10 big questions. And at the end of it, it was time for the interview, we'd ask, us, the committee, what we wanted. Or ask them whatever they wanted to ask.

Joseph Graham: And the first thing he asked was what do the students want? He looked right at me.

Scott Hinshaw: Of course, yeah.

Joseph Graham: He looked at everyone, and everyone was looking at me, so he 01:00:00looked at me. 24 people around him, so he didn't know who to look at. He looked at me, and I told him. I told him that we wanted a leader. That we wanted someone who was not going to be cooped up in Mossman, and someone who was going to come down and talk to us, and to engage with us, and to set the example of how a Spartan should be. Because chancellors, administrators, faculty, staff, they sometimes forget that they're just as much as a part of this Spartan family as we are as students. And I think they forget that sometimes, but it's true. We need someone to show us.

Joseph Graham: You know, you have unfortunately, Dr. Debra Saunders-White, North Carolina Central's chancellor just died from cancer, and she was a fantastic example of how a chancellor should be. She was student oriented, she was 01:01:00enthusiastic about the campus, and I always thought ... When I met her, I was in the chancellor's committee. Chancellor search committee. I was thinking, "We need someone who is going to be enthusiastic, and bring new ideas," and that's who Chancellor Gilliam is, and when meeting him this semester, I think it's taken some time for him to warm up to me a bit, and it's taken some time for me to warm up to him, too, because if you think about it, I was in France when the school was meeting him. I was in France, so I didn't have a first hand view of really what he was doing, and how he was participating in campus.

Joseph Graham: So, when I came back from France, I still didn't know. But now I do, and now I know where he's going, and now I see his vision as clearly as hopefully he can see mine. And we want so much more for the campus, that I think a lot of people anticipate, but I think we're... I know we're going places, and it's under his administration, so I'm excited about it.

Scott Hinshaw: That's great. Yeah, it's interesting that you say that Erskine Bowles told Chancellor Brady, "What are you? What is UNCG?" Because that's something that UNCG's been dealing with for a long time, actually. For... I mean, even back in Women's College days.

Joseph Graham: Oh yeah. Well, I think when the Women's College, though, and I use them as an example all the time. They were very, very specific to their tradition. I mean, to have a school that was white, for white women, okay? It's not very diverse. For white women, to get an education, for whatever that meant to them in the 50's and 60's, before that, and they had so many... I've seen, from archives, the traditions that they had. So many traditions that everyone participated in. And that is important when it comes to knowing what a 01:03:00university looks like, finding that pride, finding a family within the university community, I mean, so they had tradition, and they did it well. It was very prestigious, very precise, very well known at the time. And with the movement to UNCG, maybe we interrupted that. You know?

Joseph Graham: We interrupted that. It was an erasure of tradition after that. So, the 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's, have had to... We've spent so much time trying to define who we are, after being known for a very specific, having a specific image, and so that sort of transition has been difficult, but at one point, there were tons of traditions, and we have to move back to that. But yeah.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, thank you. I can tell you've talked to many WC alumni.

Joseph Graham: Well, I've talked-

Scott Hinshaw: Because that's... You know, when the men came, they lost a lot of 01:04:00their traditions, which is totally true. Yeah, it's very true. I don't know that the men necessarily are the ones that are responsible for that directly, but-

Joseph Graham: The work wasn't done after that, though. The work in the 70... I mean, the work wasn't done to say, "Okay, this was us then. What are we going to be now?" And the traditions could have started then, you know? And I think it was a lot of fighting back and forth, probably, about who the University would be known for, and what they'd be known for. And so, that work wasn't done, and I don't think we're paying the price for it now, but it's just more difficult for us to define a university. Not a student body, but a university, that has been undefined for so long.

Joseph Graham: You know, I told you earlier that we can... I'm fine with having an undefined student body. What I'm not fine with is having an undefined university mission. Our motto is still service, but it has to be reflected in 01:05:00everything that we do. You know, if you're going to say, "Okay, our primary mission is to serve." Service projects, community service, all that stuff should be stitched through everything that we do, and I found that I'm constantly being the one to remind staff of this, and the people who are dictating the events that we put on, and the projects that we undertake as a University, that that's our primary motto. And under Chancellor Brady, do something bigger altogether was like a new sort of catchphrase, and now we don't have one.

Joseph Graham: And you know, with the new communications director that Chancellor Gilliam... We're getting one. We will have one, so I'm excited about that, but whatever we're known for, our motto, our purpose, our mission, has to be stitched in everything that we do, so that we have something tangible to hold 01:06:00onto, and say, "Okay, this is an example of who we are as a campus. This is who we are as a university, and this is what we contribute to the university system, and to the rest of the world."

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah, I think that's great. So, let's talk about some conclusion type questions-

Joseph Graham: Of course.

Scott Hinshaw: And you've been talking about this the whole time, but you know, if you want to bring it together or whatever, tell me how UNCG has affected your life, and what it means to you.

Joseph Graham: I didn't know when I came to UNCG that I was looking for opportunities to lead, and opportunities to make an impact, and I didn't know I was really looking for that. I knew I wanted to join SGA, of course. But I didn't know that the organization's effect, and the University ... I didn't know what sort of influence it would have over me, in my life, and the way that I 01:07:00operate, in the way that I lead, in the way that I communicate with people. UNCG, for me, has set up an atmosphere where I can succeed however I want to. There's a place for everyone, like I said, but it was up to me to determine how I was going to do the... How I was going to be involved, how I was going to make an impact.

Joseph Graham: And so, I found my voice through SGA, and I found, hopefully, what I want my career to be by studying abroad, and UNCG had just so many opportunities for that. I go on and on about my study abroad experience, and I took 800 photos, put them all on Facebook. I came back and told everyone about each photo, you know? And you know, it's... UNCG has allowed me to see so much 01:08:00more in myself than I could have ever imagined, or ever expected from a university, either. And it's not just... My experiences have not just been limited to SGA stuff, or to study abroad stuff, or to class stuff. It's been everything.

Joseph Graham: You know, I'm still learning more and more about myself, and what I want from life, what I expect from other people, and I think everyone else should set high expectations for how they enter a university setting, how they attack their college experience. You know, you have to attack it. You can't just come in, and I've said this before, and I'll always... You can't just come in and observe, waste a year or two, or three sometimes, observing other people who are involved, or other people who have made their mark on the institution, or other people who are working toward their own legacy, because that's... Then why 01:09:00are you here? You know, why are you here if you're observing?

Joseph Graham: You're setting up ... You're being educated on ways to not observe, and to change, and to serve the rest of the world outside this campus. How dare you come in and observe? You can't do that. You have to come in, set expectations for yourself, and open up opportunities for you, so that after your college experience, you can go on and do whatever you want to do. It's simple as that. It's a little bit more difficult determining what you want to do, and how you want to make an impact, but it's as simple as doing that. You have to set those expectations beforehand.

Joseph Graham: And so, UNCG has just, since I did that, and since I was so focused on what I wanted to do, it was easy for me to use what UNCG had to offer for the betterment of my resume, for the betterment of my... just knowledge, on 01:10:00how the world works, how the university works, what I have to offer others, and I can't imagine in hinds... I don't know why I applied to seven schools when I was thinking about college, because I can not see myself at State, at Carolina, at ECU, at App, at Morehouse, which I got into Morehouse. You know, Martin Luther King's alma mater, and it would have been a fantastic place for ... It's a fantastic place for a black man like myself.

Joseph Graham: But, UNCG had so much to offer. In a way, I took a chance on UNCG, and UNCG took a chance on me, clearly. Because I had terrible SAT scores. I had a good 3.5, I had a good GPA, and I was involved. My SAT was terrible, though. Shit. No one should have accepted me. But they did, and they took a 01:11:00chance on me, and in a way, I feel like I'm giving back to them, and I'm trying to be the chief advocate for the University, and the student body, and I'm still learning, though.

Joseph Graham: So, UNCG has just done so much more for me than I could have ever anticipated, and it'll do so much for everyone else who wants to come.

Scott Hinshaw: Yeah. That's great. Well, final question from me. We're doing these interviews as part of the 125th anniversary of the University, which is an excellent opportunity for reflection.

Joseph Graham: Of course.

Scott Hinshaw: But also helps us to think about where we're heading for the future, so my questions to you are what is the future of UNCG, and where do you see UNCG going as an institution in the next 20 or 30 years?

Joseph Graham: I've asked other people that question, as well. That's funny. I'm so happy that we're celebrating this next year. I'm sad that I won't be here for it, but I'm very happy that we are. This is... 2016, 2017, 2018, these years are 01:12:00a real turning point, I think. I feel it. I know it is. It's a real turning point for the University. You know how we talk about WC, and we talk about '64, '65, '66, all those years, and what changed. This is that time, too. This is the new age of that. With a new chancellor, with big ideas. Big ideas. With a new administration.

Joseph Graham: UNCG is really going in a solid direction. Now, what I even asked Chancellor Gilliam in our meetings, he has a toy school bus on his desk, and you know, for his metaphor of if you're not on the bus, you've got to join. Come on, climb aboard, because we're going with or without you. We're getting on this 01:13:00school bus with or without you. We're going. And I asked him, "How can... Where are we going?" He asked us in his state of the campus, "Where are we going? I just know we're going somewhere. I know... I'm driving the bus. But you know, you got to tell me where we're going, you know?"

Joseph Graham: And I think that we are going to continue to foster an atmosphere of excellence at everything that we do. Right now, I think a lot... There are different pods on campus, and different departments, of course, that are doing so much good work within their department, but what's not happening, there's not a core, there's not a thread to all of the departments, all of the pods that are on campus. There's nothing, in my opinion, that is uniting us all as Spartans.

Joseph Graham: We're doing so much... We're doing good work. I know we are. But 01:14:00I think we'll be doing way more as a community, as a body of UNCG participants, in a way, if we band together and unify as one university. It's hard for me to define the students, it's hard for me to define the University, but it's not hard to recognize that there has to be a core. There's got to be a root. A core to everything that all of us do for the University. So, I hope that 20, 30 years from now, we're known for being a premier, excellent institution, with fantastic academic programs. I also hope that we're going to be more of a first choice school, and that people will be able to see themselves at UNCG.

Joseph Graham: That was one of the biggest things that I think was missing from what I wanted to know about UNCG before I came. I wanted to see myself here. I knew it had my major. I knew it had things that I wanted to do here, but I didn't see so many visual opportun- ... You know, visuals of who the students were, what student life looked like at UNCG, and how I would contribute to that. I didn't see it, so what I'm doing now, this year, what we've been doing, is a film, to interview students just like this, student groups, for University Archives, actually. It'll be a gift to you guys.

Scott Hinshaw: Awesome.

Joseph Graham: And I've talked to Erin Lawrimore about this.

Scott Hinshaw: Great.

Joseph Graham: And it's a gift to you guys, it's a gift to the University, because I want people who will be listening to this recording decades from now, 01:16:00hopefully, that... I want people to know who we were in 2016, and 2017. Because I'm tired, and I went to archives to find pictures of my mom, and to find pictures of her in AKA, and all... And I couldn't find so many pic ... I couldn't... Where were those year? Who were they? Who were the students in the 80's and the 90's, and how were they different? Because I know those two decades were completely different from each other.

Joseph Graham: I shouldn't have to look to a certain year to find out who the University was for 40 years. You know, I should be able to see that, and so that's what we're working on, so I hope that UNCG will be known for many things, and we won't be isolated, just saying, "Oh, if you're a business major, you're going to have a fantastic experience. If you're a nursing major, you're going to have this, and if you're a music major, you're going to have this." I want all of our programs to be equally as successful, equally as nationally known, and I 01:17:00want our students, especially, to be more culturally conscious, because what we're doing at UNCG is we're creating an atmosphere, we're creating an environment that looks like the world.

Joseph Graham: There are not so many schools where you will be able to walk past races and ethnicities of different types every time you come in and out of class. There are not other universities that have a wide ranging perspect- ... You know, a group of people from all political backgrounds, financial backgrounds. You know, there are not universities like... Not so many like UNCG. So, we have to use, now and forever, what we have, and who our students are, to make sure the experience that we're having here is going to be relevant outside 01:18:00of school, and I think it is, and I think we'll always be, because we are a diverse community, and we're inclusive, and we are setting ourselves up for a better world, to serve the world, and as long as we do that, we'll be fine.

Scott Hinshaw: All right.

Joseph Graham: We'll be perfectly fine.

Scott Hinshaw: All right. Well, that's the last of my questions. Do you have anything else that you want to say before we finish the interview?

Joseph Graham: I don't think so. No.

Scott Hinshaw: All right, Joseph. It's been great. Thank you.