As local police officers made the first arrest in Eve Carson's murder, the UNC Chancellor Search Committee welcomed incoming student body president J.J. Raynor to fill Carson's spot.
CHAPEL HILL -- As local police officers made the first arrest in Eve Carson's murder, the makeshift memorials on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill show that the former student body president made a lasting impression on the campus during her time there.
One duty bestowed upon Carson was to find a new chancellor for the school she loved. She was part of the university's Chancellor Search Committee, and even though Carson's death has been particularly hard on those she worked with, they say the search must go on.
"She was a big part of what we're doing and a big part of this campus, and she will be going forward," said Neslon Schwab, chairman of the Chancellor Search Committee.
The committee must find a replacement for outgoing Chancellor James Moeser. Carson was a member of that committee, but now incoming student body president J.J. Raynor must take her spot.
“We thought [Raynor] would be a good representative of the students and also have continuity from the search committee to the new chancellor in the next year," explained Schwab.
"It's weird because you're sitting there saying, I don't want to be here, but someone has to be here," Raynor added.
Despite the tragedy, the committee welcomed Raynor to the task at hand, an important challenge for an incoming leader. The members of the committee also said they think Carson would be proud of their progress.
"If you knew Eve, you would know how excited she would've been today, and that's a good thought and a hard thought," Raynor said.
Even with the task at hand, many said it was hard not to think of the member and friend they lost.
"It doesn't make sense on any fundamental level for anyone, and I think that as we try and work through that, there is a need for some of the more superficial answers," Raynor said.
"We'll never forget Eve, but the event needs to be concluded, and we need to find who did this, and they need to be punished for it," Schwab added.
UNC has a memorial service planned for Tuesday, March 18 at 4 p.m. to remember Carson.
Raynor will be inducted as student body president on April 1.