The University confirmed this week that the Student Affairs Leadership Assistance Program—a scholarship offered to three student leaders each year—may be on its way out the door.
Created in the 1970s so students could devote more time to their leadership positions, SALAP currently allows the Duke Student Government president, Duke University Union president and one co-director of the Community Service Center to take four courses over the summer and two courses each semester during the year.
Because the reduced course load during the school year qualifies the leaders as part-time students, they only pay half tuition. The University pays for the students’ summer tuition, room and board.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said Sunday no final decision about the program’s future has been made. He said administrators will communicate with student leaders in the coming weeks to assess the need for the program and its impact on recipients before deciding to cut it.
Moneta said SALAP promotes the idea that student leadership deserves compensation—a mode of thought he and other administrators do not agree with. SALAP also presents problems for student leaders, Moneta explained, because it encourages them to shoulder an extracurricular workload that competes with their academic careers.
“It is an objective of mine... to make sure people aren’t doing too much,” he said. “Our bigger responsibility is to ensure that there are no student leadership roles that require a level of investment that puts academic focus at risk.”
Moneta said administrators have been considering eliminating SALAP for years. DSG President Pasha Majdi, a senior, said he and other student leaders first heard rumors about the potential change about a week ago.
“Somebody said it was brought to my attention a long time ago, but I dispute that,” Majdi said, noting that he and several other student leaders met with President Richard Brodhead to discuss the issue last Wednesday. Majdi would not discuss details of their conversation.
Majdi expressed concern that cutting SALAP would cause student leaders to “break down under stress” or diminish the quality of their organizations. He said a full course load would undermine student leaders’ education.
“To be as honest and true to the position as I have, if I did that with four classes, my academics would suffer, and my senior year would not be a good educational experience,” Majdi said.
DUU President Kevin Parker, a senior, said because the SALAP recipients “serve a public good” in their roles, the general student body would also feel the negative effects of the program’s absence when the leaders could not “produce a high-quality product.”
“By giving these students more flexibility, we’re able to create a better Duke for everyone,” he said.
Senior Alice Williamson, co-director of the CSC, said she regards her position as a “full-time commitment” but would have taken the job even without SALAP—something she believes other student leaders would do if the program is cut.
“The types of people who are attracted to these positions should be so passionate and motivated that they would be willing to be filling their obligations as student leaders regardless of whether they had the SALAP or not,” Williamson said.
Nonetheless, Williamson said she was in favor of revising but not eliminating SALAP. She said the program should be extended via an open application process to all student leaders rather than attached to particular leadership positions.
“People need to reflect on why they want it and why it’s necessary for their position instead of being handed this gift,” Williamson said.
The Chronicle employs a similar scholarship system for its senior leadership. The Chronicle Leadership Assistance Program, however, is an independent program fully funded by The Chronicle. Considerations about its future would be separate from SALAP discussions.
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