Following the inaugural semester of Duke Kunshan University, one student organization is seeking to act as ambassadors for positive change and promote the student experience.
The Kunshan Student Ambassador Council was established to act as DKU’s student representatives. The group was first established in August 2014, but their official constitution was not ratified until December. As part of the group’s work first semester, they administered two surveys to the student population of DKU and issued an action proposal to enhance the experience of studying in Kunshan.
“I would recommend DKU in a few years but I currently feel that it is not complete and, for a Duke student, does not provide a comprehensive university experience. I think that for the future DKU has a ton of potential but it currently is not up to par with the cost of tuition for students, ” reads one of the anonymous comments collected from the survey.
The commenter continued to explain that they feel DKU would have been a better experience if students were required to take a class in Chinese so they could better experience the unique culture.
DKU-KSAC is composed of both graduate and undergraduate representatives from Duke, Chinese and international universities studying at DKU. Pranav Sridhar was the founding undergraduate chair, and Hwee Min Loh was the founding graduate chair. Because the undergraduate program at DKU only lasts one semester, Sridhar has since returned to his university in India, while Min Loh remains at DKU in the year-long graduate program.
Overall, the findings of DKU-KSAC detailed that Fall 2014 had been a positive experience for DKU students, and their recommendations serve only to further elevate the experience.
“Despite its shortcomings, DKU does provide an enriching experience. Shortcomings are part and parcel of what every pioneering institution and I accept and believe that there has been so much to learn here,” another anonymous comment reads.
The executive findings of DKU-KSAC explain that during the Fall, students and administration faced challenges, some of which were to be expected with the management and opening of the new campus. Most of the issues they encountered, however, were not severe enough to render student life inadequate.
“At present, there exists a lack of effective communication between students and administration that we hope to bridge,” the DKU-KSAC executive summary reads.
The summary goes on to propose the establishment of a system for democratic student government at DKU and the adoption of an ambassador program at DKU’s partner school, Wuhan University.
“In order to evolve a conducive learning environment, providing students an effective framework to streamline their ideas, concerns, and feedback is essential,” the document explains. “Such a mechanism can be best implemented through a student elected student government.”
Because the students of DKU come from incredibly diverse backgrounds, the ambassadors found that a space for student leaders to emerge and have their voices heard would increase the cultural competency and awareness of the school.
“This University is a melting pot of highly motivated and radically diverse students from around the world,” DKU-KSAC reads.
By helping form a similar group at Wuhan University, there could be a better flow of knowledge and ideas between the student perspectives at both schools, according to the DKU-KSAC recommendation.
The proposal went on to detail the need for student employment at DKU.
“Students are the bedrock of DKU. Allowing students to engage in the building of this institution will allow for an all-round integration of the student community. Student employment opportunities would enable students to gain hands-on training and experiential learning,” the document read.
One issue faced by the student body during the first semester at DKU was finding an effective method of communication between with administration, according to DKU-KSAC.
As such, the proposal outlines the need for regular and regimented meetings to convey issues that challenge the student experience at DKU.
“As a pioneering institution, DKU is based on the solid bedrock of transparency and communication. This guiding principle needs to be incorporated in every facet of the student experience. One effective mechanism could be monthly meetings between DKSG and members from different departments of the administration,” the proposal details.
In increasing this transparency and communication, the proposal also suggests a more clear process for establishing student groups at DKU.
“Students at DKU have a wide variety of interests and talents that need to be tapped to create a truly transformational learning experience,” it reads. “Creating a well-defined procedure and protocol to register a student organization is essential to channelize student interest.”
Representatives from DKU-KSAC could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
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