Junior Tucker Albert aims to foster a greater sense of community on campus if elected as Duke Student Government president.
Currently DSG vice president for social culture, Albert is hoping to become the next DSG president in the March 3 election. Three goals are at the core of his platform: increasing campus safety, making student government more accessible and strengthening community on campus.
His previous experience with DSG has allowed him to become involved with many different groups, enabling him to bring a broad perspective of campus to the job, he said—noting that his approachability sets him apart from the other candidates.
“I think that people feel like I’m the kind of person that they could just walk up to and ask about issues,” Albert said.
Albert hopes to increase safety on campus by installing and implementing a mobile BlueLight application that would allow students to alert the Duke University Police Department to their location in an emergency. This app would allow students to use the blue light system from anywhere on campus, regardless of whether there is an actual blue light post. This will hopefully lead to a reduction in campus crime, he said.
He added that he wants to expand PACT—or Prevent. Act. Challenge. Teach. training, an interactive learning experience that aimed to prevent gender violence—to include every student on campus by hosting training for freshmen during Orientation Week, in addition to the True Blue skits.
“This would work to make students unafraid to intervene and would instill a greater sense of responsibility in everyone,” he said.
Albert also recognized the role of Counseling and Psychological Services in promoting a safe campus environment and wants to increase its efficiency. By hiring more professionals, CAPS can better distribute the work load and allow students to receive appointments faster, he explained.
He said he envisions DSG as a more accessible resource for students and hopes to increase communication between DSG and students by allowing students to pitch project ideas. DSG could be more accountable if it were smaller—making the position of the senator more prestigious and encouraging the Senate to be more efficient in its work, he explained.
Another one of Albert's key goals is to provide more opportunities for diverse groups of students to interact.
“I want to establish a re-orientation program for juniors who are not going abroad, which would allow them to reconnect with their friends from freshman year and meet new people as well,” he explained.
Albert said he plans to unify students through modification of the independent housing model, allowing larger groups of students to brand their own house based on their collective interests.
Junior Jay Ruckelshaus, senator for equity and outreach, noted that Albert’s combination of lofty and concrete ideas makes him an excellent leader.
"Tucker combines, more effectively than anyone I know, grand ambitions for what is possible with a judicious and levelheaded personality,” he said.
Albert emphasized that his experience as VP of social culture will allow him to be successful as president.
"I asked a lot out of my senators this year, yet we worked very effectively, which I think really speaks to my leadership skills,” he said.
Associate Dean of Students Clay Adams—who worked with Albert on this year's bonfire process for the basketball game against the University of North Carolina—spoke highly of Albert’s leadership abilities.
“He’s a solid young man and brings a lot to the table for students, faculty and staff,” Adams said.
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