DSG decreases role in selecting Young Trustee Nominating Committee

<p>Howard Kallem, director of Title IX compliance, addressed DSG at its meeting Wednesday.</p>

Howard Kallem, director of Title IX compliance, addressed DSG at its meeting Wednesday.

Duke Student Government passed changes to the Young Trustee bylaw concerning the selection of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee Selection Committee at its meeting Wednesday.

The changes are meant to decrease the role of DSG in the selection of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee. In the past, members of the nominating committee were chosen by a separate committee of DSG Senators, but now members of this committee will be chosen by the University Secretary and the DSG president after reviewing student applications. The bylaw still stipulates that at least one member of the YTNC sit on an advisory committee to the Board of Trustees.

The changes to the bylaw are intended to make the selection process less DSG-centric, said junior Tara Bansal, vice president of academic affairs, who introduced the by-law.

“After sitting on the committee last year I felt like not all the processes were as valid as they could have been,” Bansal said, speaking about conflicts of interest between YTNCSC members and applicants for the nominating committee.

Other changes to the bylaw include a requirement that the University Secretary select a mentor to advise the YTNC and a requirement that YTNC must undergo two training sessions—bias training and a briefing from the University Secretary about the role of the Young Trustee—before applications are read. Additionally, the YTNC will select between two and a maximum of four candidates for the student election, down from a previous maximum of five.

Bansal explained that the changes are experimental and the bylaw will be open to future amendments.

“If in six months we find that they’re not working out we’ll be able to go back and make modifications if necessary,” she said.

The bylaw changes were introduced by Bansal and President Keizra Mecklai, a senior, as well as Chief of Staff Annie Adair and Tanner Lockhead, vice president for Durham and regional affairs, both juniors.

In addition to the bylaw changes, Lockhead discussed a town hall meeting held by the DSG executive board for 70 to 100 house council presidents from freshman residence halls, Greek houses, selective living groups and independent houses. The meeting was held to discuss DSG projects and residential life requirements. In a survey, house council presidents were asked to rank ongoing and future DSG projects based on their importance.

According to the survey, 29 out of 37 respondents ranked on-campus voting and voter registration projects to be very important, 33 out of 47 respondents ranked sexual conduct and misconduct as very important, 36 out of 51 respondents ranked dorm energy efficiency as very important and 36 out of 46 respondents ranked Counseling and Psychological Services online registration as very important. The data will be used to inform DSG project and resource management over the course of the year.

The town hall marked the first time DSG has gotten feedback directly from a large group of student leaders at one time, Lockhead said.

“The big takeaway is that DSG is excited to have received helpful, tangible feedback from a diverse group of student leaders,” he explained.

DSG also passed a budgetary statute raising the 2016-17 Student Activities Fee by 0.2 percent, from $125.50 to $125.75. Last week’s statute was ruled unconstitutional because it did not use the Consumer Price Index to calculate inflation rates, which is required by the DSG Constitution, said Executive Vice President John Guarco, a junior.

In other business:

The DSG Judiciary was sworn in. The judiciary is composed of Chief Justice Dana Raphael, a junior, and the following justices: sophomores Barak Biblin, Dev Dabke, Andrew Distell and Dean Ischiropoulos as well as freshmen Analese Bridges and Ross Winston.

Howard Kallem, director of Title IX compliance, spoke to DSG. Kallem works across the University system to enforce Title IX and make sure that all community members have equal opportunity in everything from employment to college admissions to sexual assault policy. He thanked DSG for serving as a liaison between the administration and the student body and working to further equality around Duke.

Student Organization Funding Committee approved several group funding requests—$3,325 for the Asian American Alliance to host a Filipino-American rapper at the Duke Coffeehouse; $1,500 for the Black Student Alliance to hold a Black Lives Matter discussion with a Duke alumnus and founder of the BLM chapter in Denver; $1,970.80 to the improv comedy group Inside Joke for their fall semester show; and $5,785 to Duke Dance Marathon for its fundraising marathon event in Wilson Gym.

SOFC also approved the creation of Campus Keepers, a service group dedicated to the promotion of beautification projects on and off campus.

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