After meeting with the three candidates for Duke Student Government President, the Duke Muslim Students’ Association has voted to endorse Riyanka Ganguly. We were inspired by Riyanka’s commitment to inclusivity and outreach, as evidenced by her work in changing the Duke policy on undocumented students and securing free menstrual products in the Bryan Center. Even though she herself is a minority, the passion with which she strives to understand other marginalized groups is empowering. Riyanka accurately depicts DSG as a group that is not representative of the vast diversity within Duke’s student body, and her plans to address this issue are detailed and well-thought out. Lastly, we believe Riyanka’s commitment to advocacy with student groups and her promise to work with President Price on drafting new policies considering minority students shows her determination to fight for students like us.
While we admire Jackson Dellinger’s hardworking nature and appreciate his support for building strong connections with other local universities and the surrounding community, we believe that it is equally as important to focus on building the community within Duke. While we greatly admire Will Hardee’s dedication to advocate for low-income and first generation students, including initiatives such as the Career Closet and rental iPads, we had hoped that his initiatives would have encompassed other marginalized groups on campus. Ultimately, however, we truly enjoyed speaking with all of the candidates and believe all of them could make meaningful contributions as DSG President.
Good luck to all of the candidates with the election!
Signed,
Sajidur Rahman-Kader, President of Duke Muslim Students’ Association
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