As graduate and professional students begin to apply for their Young Trustee position, the question again arises whether a single Graduate and Professional Student Council member is sufficient to represent all the council's constituents.
Compared to undergraduates, who have three representatives on the Board of Trustees, graduate and professional students--who comprise 45 percent of the campus and surpass undergraduates in the number of degrees awarded annually--have one Young Trustee.
"I personally feel that having a second GPSC rep on the BOT is really vital," said David Ferguson, chair of the GPSC Young Trustee Selection Committee. "By virtue of our age, most of us have seen how the world works and certainly how other colleges are managed, and practically, it's very hard for one trustee to effectively represent the vast array of interests and needs from seven different schools."
The new GPSC Young Trustee will begin his term in fall 2002 and will serve through 2004, when GPSC will select a new representative. Applications for the position, released this week, are due Nov. 26, and after a series of screenings, GPSC will select the new Trustee Jan. 28.
In a meeting last month, President Nan Keohane said the Board did not plan to add another Young Trustee.
"We are constrained by our charter in terms of the number on the Board," said President Keohane. "We'd like to stay there, at least for now."
Last spring, the Trustees granted GPSC another representative on its standing committees, which Ferguson said he considered a step toward increased representation.
"Since we have just received an extra member on the BOT standing committees, we decided that we would let that measure run its course and hopefully prove that our extra representation is merited," said Ferguson, a second-year Divinity student. "I'm sure that the additional standing committee members is a step in the right direction and an opportunity for the Board of Trustees to see the graduate and professional population as knowledgeable, contributing and essential members of the University community."
According to the GPSC website, even though the Young Trustee is selected as a member of the Graduate School or a professional school, he will represent the entire university.
"They must work to serve the interests of every member of the Duke community," said the site, which the GPSC Young Trustee Selection Committee wrote.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.