Sawon, Justin

UNC Service

I have served as Director of Graduate Studies in Mathematics, 2015-2019; as faculty advisor for the Carolina Math Club, 2012-present; as chair of the UNC Goldwater Scholarship Selection Committee, 2017-2018; as a member of the UNC Marshall Scholarship Selection Committee, 2015-present; as a member of the UNC Master's Merit Assistantship Selection Committee, 2019-present; as a member of the UNC Science Study Abroad Working Group, 2013-present; as a member of the UNC Selection Committee for the Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering, 2015.

Candidate Statement

Having been a student-athlete and having taught many UNC student-athletes, I recognize the challenges of balancing the heavy course-load of a STEM major with athletic commitments. I will work to address the barriers faced by student-athletes wishing to pursue science degrees. Another pressing issue is the policy regarding student-athletes profiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), with new legislation expected to be voted on at the NCAA Convention in January 2021. It is important that UNC is involved in helping to craft a NIL policy that will benefit not only student-athletes in high revenue sports, but will improve the experiences of all student-athletes, and in particular will ensure the continued success of our women's programs (that have won 37 of our 52 National Championships).