When sophomore Marie Aberger applied to be on this year's Wannamaker Quadrangle Council, she wasn't exactly sure how everything worked.
"I was just curious, because I didn't know about that whole process until then," she said.
As she campaigned, Aberger, who is now the vice president of the council, said she noticed that selective living group members tended to be more involved in both campaigning and voting for quad councils.
"It definitely made me a lot more nervous-I thought I wasn't going to win," said Aberger, who is an independent. "I concentrated more on kids not in selective living groups to get them to vote."
According to data compiled by The Chronicle, for the 2007 quad council executive elections, selective living groups are overrepresented on quad councils, and independents are underrepresented.
Of the 34 executive positions on the councils, approximately 60 percent, or 20 positions, are filled by members of selective living groups. In contrast, only about 30 percent of students living on West Campus are part of selective living groups, Deb LoBiondo, assistant dean for residence life on West, wrote in an e-mail.
Data from previous elections have shown this disproportionate representation to be a trend. In 2006, about 17 out of the 34 positions were filled by selective living group members, according to data complied by The Chronicle.
"Members of [selective living groups] do make up a majority of quad council executive officer positions," LoBiondo said.
She noted that independents do have a voice on quad councils as hall representatives, who have as much voting power as executive officers. LoBiondo added, however, that sometimes hall representatives get discouraged and stop attending meetings.
The election process
Sophomore Sudha Patel called the quad council election system "flawed" and said it is unfair to independents.
"I think it turns [independents] into the silent majority, and I think it gives them a lack of organization that is vital for them to have their voice heard," said Patel, an independent. "There is obviously a flaw in the system because the majority isn't being represented. So how can you say that's a fair system?"
Independents tend to be at a disadvantage when running for quad council, said sophomore Adam Barron, president of Kilgo Quadrangle council and a Recess staff member. Selective living group members usually have the support of their group before campaigning begins, added Barron, who is unaffiliated.
"An independent like myself has to build up a social network whereas if you're part of a [selective living group] you [have] instant votes," he said.
Barron added, however, that the absence of a pre-existing support group for independent candidates should not prevent them from running.
"If you're an independent, you should recognize that [it] is a potential obstacle for you and overcome it," he said.
Sophomore Michael Freedman, vice president of Craven Quadrangle council and a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said being in a selective living group makes campaigning easier because of a "base vote." He added, however, that this by no means guarantees a position, noting that although there are 30 students in the ATO section and 50 people in Mirecourt, there are approximately 500 people in Craven Quad.
Ryan Todd, president of Campus Council and a former quad council member, said he has heard of selective living groups holding meetings prior to quad-council elections to determine who to vote for.
"When you only have 100 or 200 people come out in a quad and you get an entire fraternity of 60 guys to come vote for you, it really helps," said Todd, a senior.
Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life, said although he has heard of selective living group coalitions forming during elections, he is unsure how "strategic" these arrangements were.
Junior Michael McHugh, president of Sigma Nu fraternity, noted that being in a selective living group can hurt a candidate's chance for winning.
"I think if a guy from our fraternity runs for any quad-council position he will have the support of the people from his fraternity, but even though he may have our support, I'm sure there are a number of students who feel that being in a fraternity is reason not to vote for him," he said. "So as much as I see that working for him, it might work against him."
Members of the Kappa Alpha Order are encouraged to run for quad council and vote during the elections, KA President Neil Patel, a junior, wrote in an e-mail. He added that the fraternity wants its members on the Few Quadrangle council but noted that a diverse leadership on quad council is the most desirable outcome.
"I believe that quad-council elections are a democratic process, but it's understandable that a selective living group or fraternity would vote for one of its own members," he said. "This can extend outside of the individual group, as greeks might vote for other greeks because we might share the same goals and values."
Quad council finances
Every semester each quad council receives $19 for every resident in its respective quad to be spent on programming-quad budgets range from approximately $4,750 to $7,600 per semester, Todd said.
"It does seem that there's a lot of money in the quad council banks. [Executive] boards controlled by selective living groups could use [the money] a lot in coordination with the selective living group instead of for the entire quad," said junior Aneesh Kapur, president of Keohane Quadrangle council and a member of Maxwell House. "We're trying to keep that in mind as much as possible and to make sure events are quad events and not Maxwell."
Students said there have been incidents in the past where funding was misappropriated.
"I have heard stories of maybe a president being from a selective living group and siphoning funds to his or her personal selective living group," Barron said.
Influence of selectives on the council
Kapur said the lack of an independent voice on quad council can make organizing quad-wide programs harder.
"When the quad wants the people who are on the [executive] board to take in the consideration of other people's views, [not having independents] makes it harder because we know that Maxwell House wants to do certain events but we don't know what other people want to do," he said.
Brownstone President Laura Anzaldi, a senior, said events thrown by a council with many selective living group members tend to be attended by selective living group members, which may discourage independents from showing up.
"If more independents were on quad council, functions thrown for the [quad] would seem more accessible to all students," Sudha Patel said.
Anzaldi said quad councils need an independent voice in order to run effectively.
"[Brownstone] was just afraid that if the council is completely comprised of people from one group, then they will favor that group," she said. "What you have to worry about is to have a fair representation on the quad council."
Kapur added, however, that selective living group members help increase event turnout.
Having several members from the same selective living group on a quad council can be an advantage for the quad, Freedman said. He noted that Craven Quad council runs more efficiently because the three ATO members already know each other.
Todd said having a predominantly selective living group quad council does not really affect its operations.
"If anything, it may be a benefit... because they have experience hosting parties," Todd said. He added that most selective living group members are trained party monitors, but independents are not.
Todd said during quad events last year, fraternity members on Few Quad council enlisted their brothers to help with events.
"They were definitely an asset and I don't know if the events would have been as good without them," he said.
The impact of a quad council with mostly affiliated members depends on how the members' affiliation affects their decision making, Gonzalez said.
"If [affiliated quad-council members] approach their roles as Duke students, then I don't see a problem," he said. "If they approach it through their role as a selective living group member, then there is a chance for the voice of independents to be lost."
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