Although supporters of the South Carolina tourism boycott can now count on Duke Student Government to coordinate alternatives to the annual post-finals exodus to Myrtle Beach, they can forget about adding DSG to their growing list of endorsements.
In a meeting dominated by discussion of DSG's role in the heated Confederate flag debate, legislators passed a watered-down version of a resolution proposed by Trinity sophomore Jason Freedman. The amended resolution, which did not support the boycott but pledged that DSG would work with groups that do, passed 28 to 12.
The original proposal would have made DSG's endorsement official. Earlier in the day, Freedman withdrew a resolution that asked the legislature to affirm DSG's role in off-campus political issues.
Under the final resolution's terms, DSG will "help coordinate the process of examining possible substitutes as well as assist in voicing Duke students' resolve to protest what some feel is an exhibition of racism."
From the start, it was clear that the resolution's supporters would have to make many concessions to win over legislators who were hesitant to take a stand on a controversial political issue.
Before the resolution was even introduced, Freedman announced that he had agreed to delete the line stating DSG's support for the boycott. "The change effectively focuses the resolution to support those student groups and not to speak for the student body," said Freedman, who said he endorses the final proposal as passed.
Discussion of the issue began when several students addressed the legislative body to voice
Labeling both the boycott and the proposal "cheap political tricks," Trinity sophomore Berin Szoka told the legislators, "Nobody elected you to tell your fellow students what to think, and to do so is arrogant."
Duke National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Kameron Matthews directly countered Szoka's statement, saying that DSG had a responsibility to speak up on the issue. "Without the knowledge that our government respects us as a people, we are ultimately doomed, and that's especially true for the African-American community," the Trinity senior said.
Many legislators remained skeptical that DSG should ever have taken on this issue.
Freshman legislator Justin Ford was especially vocal in his opposition to discussing the resolution. "To be frank, it's none of our damn business," he said.
But Trinity senior Jeremy Huff, vice president for community interaction, argued that DSG would send the wrong message if it remained silent on the matter. "To not support [the resolution] is to make a decision for the students, because there's already momentum to go to Myrtle," he said.
Sensing that many legislators wanted to help the groups boycotting Myrtle without taking a stance on the issue, Trinity sophomore Katherine Frels introduced an amendment making the language of the resolution even less controversial than the one that eventually passed.
The amendment failed after Trinity senior Luis Villa pleaded with legislators to keep some strength in the resolution. "Don't water this resolution down to the point where you can sleep well tonight having voted for it," he said. "Have the guts to vote against it if you don't want to take a stand."
Although Frels preferred the wording in her proposed amendment, she said she is satisfied with DSG's decision. "I felt like the amended language [I proposed] more effectively labeled DSG as a facilitator of information concerning the boycott, rather than as a direct supporter," she said. "Essentially, however, tonight's passed resolution accomplishes the same thing."
Trinity junior Matthew Pritchard, a South Carolina native who favors the removal of the flag from the South Carolina statehouse, voted against the resolution. "I'm tired of outsiders telling us how to run our state," he said. "The NAACP should put its time to better use. There are more pressing issues facing African Americans."
Pritchard said he would not do anything to dissuade those who choose an alternate location for the May beach trip. "If they want to go to Virginia Beach and be a bunch of lunatics, let them," he said. "I don't really want a bunch of lunatics around me anyway."
One legislator, who asked to remain anonymous, took issue with the process by which the resolution was passed, complaining that only one official round of debate preceded the vote.
All in all, many DSG legislators seemed pleased with the meeting's result.
"I think the DSG legislature made a good decision tonight...," said DSG President Lisa Zeidner, a Trinity senior. "I don't think this precludes us from speaking out about this issue more directly in the future."
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