Felix Li has spent his time at Duke working with students. Now, he hopes to serve them if elected to be their next Duke Student Government president.
Li, a junior who is majoring in public policy studies, was president of the Center for Race Relations from January 2005 to December 2005. He said his experiences leading the CRR have shaped him as a student leader.
"I've had the chance to work very closely with nearly every student organization on campus," Li said. "From cultural groups to religious groups to Campus Council, I've had experience interacting with a wide variety of students."
The California native said he will try to enhance social life both on and off campus if elected to the high post.
Li proposes creating an Independents Council, mirroring the Greek governing bodies, to create "political leverage for Duke's social majority."
Li himself is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
"The IFC and PanHel have a great deal of financial resources, legal protection and a way to lobby for what they want," Li said. "This is missing for independents."
Li also supports opening up late-night options for students. When students wish to leave Duke in search of things to do, Li aims to provide free transportation and a shuttle system to help students safely get to off-campus venues.
Li also hopes to improve students' accessibility to internships.
He envisions instating a cooperative education, or co-op, program where undergraduate students can work for companies and institutes in the Triangle area to gain both work experience and academic credit.
"Duke students will gain real-world experience and get to explore career options," Li said of his proposed program.
Li also sees his candidacy for DSG President as an opportunity to initiate policies aimed at breaking down what he perceives is self-segregation.
"We are doing a disservice to ourselves by self-segregation," Li said. "Some of the best things I've learned at Duke are from people with different backgrounds than me."
Li also wants to increase the accessibility of student programs, such as the Student Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services, by expanding staff and hours.
Li hopes to address this by examining the underlying factors behind high stress among Duke students.
"We have one of the largest [Counseling and Psychological departments] but yet they are still overtaxed. At some point, we must realize there are greater forces at work at Duke causing this."
Li also wants to diversify DSG by recruiting more women and minority groups, and by encouraging women to run for elected positions. This year, there are no female candidates for DSG president- something which he feels is a problem.
Over the past three years, Li developed DeltAIDS, a philanthropic organization through his fraternity. The organization, he said, "forced me to use all of the leadership skills and networking that I had acquired at Duke."
Li organized student leaders, called community leaders and developed the organization-which today has raised thousands of dollars for AIDS research and he said is among his most prized achievements.
He hopes to show the student body what else he can achieve next year as DSG president.
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