Presidential platforms

The Chronicle asked the candidates for Duke Student Government President the following question:

Given the University's decentralized structure, administrators tend to rely heavily on DSG to provide student input. To what extent is the DSG president bound by the will of the larger student body, and to what extent is he or she free to pursue an independent agenda?

Daveen Chopra: "The DSG president is a lobbyist for the students and should do his best to fulfill this role," Chopra said. He noted, however, that, "the president should have an extensive list of his own project initiatives that he should attempt to accomplish for the betterment of the student body."

Christopher Brandt: "The DSG president is obligated to put his or her will behind that of the student body," said Brandt. He added that the election process helps find the person who best reflects the goals of the student body. The president must also garner the support of other campus leaders for lobbying, he said.

John Grant: Grant believes the fundamental problem with DSG is its lack of responsiveness to the student body. As DSG president, he said he would form a coalition of elected officials and various groups to help him present students' various opinions to administrators. "I don't believe DSG should have a singular coherent voice, since Duke is a diverse place with a variety of opinions," he said.

Ben Kennedy: Kennedy said the DSG president must be first and foremost responsive to all student opinions. "The president has the difficult task of finding common ground in differing student opinions," he explained. "A president should not have an independent agenda, but rather should be able to justify any initiatives by presenting evidence that the will of the students supports such efforts."

Amir Rashid-Farokhi: Rashid-Farokhi separated the actual and theoretical role of the DSG president. "In the purest sense, the DSG President should be the voice of the student body, an extension of the student body....Yet, by electing a President, the student body is trusting the President's experience and judgement," he said.

Lisa Zeidner: Zeidner noted that it is crucial for the DSG president to remain in touch with students so that their concerns can be addressed. "Because the DSG president has their own perspective on student life, it's important that they can be trusted to balance representing the larger will with pursuing an independent agenda," she said.