Blue hair and painted faces filled the Senate floor when Duke Student Government convened after the men's basketball game Wednesday night. When the gavel sounded, however, DSG was all business.
A first reading of the revised DSG election by-laws highlighted the agenda. The proposal to permit early transferral for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina and a presentation by the Athletics and Campus Services Committee topped off the meeting.
Although no major changes have been made to the election by-laws thus far, a number of important clarifications and a few "no-brain reforms" were put into place at the meeting, said Executive Vice President Brandon Goodwin, a senior.
"These were not major revisions to our policy," Goodwin said. "But I think it's important to view this gradually so things don't get neglected."
Before the end of the semester, the Senate will vote on more contentious issues such as candidate use of Internet campaigning and the possible creation of a president-executive vice president ticket, whereby a pair of students would run as a team.
During DSG presidential elections last year, misinterpretations of what some members of DSG called "archaic" and convoluted by-laws resulted in a drawn-out election process.
Goodwin and Attorney General Bryce Walker, a senior, hope the revised policies will remedy problems from past years.
"I was trying to make the laws more clear so that you can read them in a logical way," Walker said. "It's a good first step in a process of changes."
Walker plans to hold a meeting Nov. 28 to further explore issues raised at an open discussion Monday night. Use of the Internet in campaigning will be a major point of discussion, as will the concept of a president-EVP ticket.
Walker said the ticket system has received some criticism, despite its surface appeal of collaboration.
"There wasn't overwhelming support," Walker said. "There was a lot of concern over accountability."
Although he has yet to decide whether he supports the ticket system, Goodwin said the change might result in diminished EVP quality-a notable problem, he said, given the position's important institutional role.
President Pro Tempore George Fleming, a junior, took center stage at the start of the meeting to solicit Senate support for a policy that would accommodate visiting freshmen displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
The proposal calls for a revision to the current undergraduate transfer policy, whereby the 12 displaced freshmen would be able to apply for transfer. The policy, as it currently stands, mandates that students must have at least two semesters of transferrable credit before the process can take place.
Fleming said the administration has demonstrated "pretty much an unwillingness to cooperate with what students want."
"Their response was that they were very resistant to changes in the policy," Fleming added.
Fleming said he met with Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and provost of undergraduate education, and Provost Peter Lange last week. He said he made appropriate revisions to the policy and requested a second meeting as soon as possible.
"Obviously this is a time-sensitive matter," Fleming explained. "So I just want to ask you to help in advocating this to the administration."
Senior Brenda Bautsch, vice president of athletics and campus services, presented a report on her committee's current initiatives. Bautsch's committee has pushed for 24-hour access to Wilson Recreation Center during a portion of exam week this semester. Early next semester, students should see the resurrection of the meal equivalency program, she added.
In the past few weeks, Bautsch said her committee has been working to put more computers in the Bryan Center, an initiative that has been in consideration for the past few years. Supporters argue it would increase traffic to the campus hub.
The committee is also looking into the creation of new bus routes.
During the meeting, changes to the Intercommunity Council by-laws were approved by unanimous vote after their second reading. Senior Logan Leinster, vice president of community interaction, presented the final reading.
Generation HIV was allotted $1,168 by unanimous vote of the DSG voting body. The money will go to the organization's AIDS Awareness week, which will take place after Thanksgiving break.
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