You should boycott the upcoming Duke Student Government executive elections by staying away from the polls and not voting.
In a letter that will undoubtedly appear in The Chronicle tomorrow or Thursday, DSG executives and candidates will attempt to convince you that boycotting an election is folly. But don't give in as these individuals are not interested at all in having you exercise your right to vote. They also don't care much whether your vote is informed or if the election process actually helps decide which candidate has the most student support.
All that DSG truly cares about is that you further legitimize its existence by voting. This may sound strange, but it's true. As long as roughly 40 percent of the campus population continues to participate in the elections, DSG officials can comfortably say that they represent the student body.
But what would happen if the percentage of students who vote dipped into the low 20s? I think that such a low voter turnout would send a powerful message to the administration and the entire campus that the students are sick and tired of DSG's incompetence.
Thus, if you cast a vote this Thursday, you are legitimizing a process that only further adds to the misconception that DSG is a broadly supported representation of students' needs and wants. In reality, it isn't. And although the organization is not a complete joke it is certainly the biggest smoke-and-mirrors show on campus.
Just take a look at the way DSG candidates campaign. There is hardly any mention of platforms, future policies or personal philosophies. Articles in The Chronicle are equally devoid of hard-nosed proposals and initiatives. Most candidates trod down well-traveled roads by making promises that sound like they came from a grab-bag of clichZ
Moreover, with the notable exception of Jordan Bazinsky's stance on same-sex unions in the Chapel, when was the last time you were proud of DSG's actions? I guess it's kind of hard to be proud of ballot-stuffing, having various election frauds, supporting smoking in the dorms, fumbling the young trustee selection process and illegally obtaining endorsements from the basketball team.
And each year, the bar is set even lower. One candidate now hopes to become the first DSG president in recent memory to pass the legislative and executive elections and the young trustee process without incident. Give him a cookie folks--these are some high expectations!
But such incompetence isn't a joking matter. In addition to a prominent location in the Bryan Center and constant Chronicle coverage, DSG holds a monopoly on the young trustee nominating process, which is by far the most powerful vehicle for student advocacy on this campus. Yet despite such awesome responsibility, DSG manages to screw up a number of important matters each year--I have never seen an organization with so much potential and such inept leadership. President C.J. Walsh is only the latest of a string of "leaders" whose often-juvenile actions are an embarrassment to this campus and an excellent example of how not to run an organization.
So what is there to do?
Plenty.
You can start by making a change this coming Thursday and holding DSG accountable for its past indiscretions and incompetence. It's simple--instead of voting for a candidate whose name you've seen most often pasted all over campus, you should not vote at all. Your vote is a prized possession and the entire DSG organization does not deserve to receive your vote and participation. I can assure you that abstaining from voting will do more to cure the ills of DSG than any single candidate with a laundry bag of empty promises.
Beyond not voting, there are other novel ideas for fixing our ailing student government. One is to create an equivalent of the Annual Review Committee for student organizations. Let's have the incoming DSG president make concrete promises on what his or her organization will do in the upcoming year. One year later, a student-run committee can release a report documenting how well these goals have been fulfilled. If DSG's performance is not up to par, it can be placed on probation and its duties contracted out to more capable organizations. I'm sure Campus Council would gladly take a few.
A prominent campus leader boldly challenged DSG's legitimacy in a recent Chronicle article by calling for a referendum on the organization's dissolution. I think that would be a great idea--sometimes, the best way to fix the problem is to tear it down and rebuild from scratch.
And when it comes to DSG, I hope that is exactly what Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta does during his tenure here--scrap it and start anew.
Marko Djuranovic is a Trinity senior and a former health and science editor of The Chronicle.
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