Senior Sunny Kantha was elected the newest Undergraduate Young Trustee by members of Duke Student Government and the Intercommunity Council at DSG's weekly meeting Wednesday night.
"This is the greatest honor of my Duke career," Kantha told The Chronicle. "I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to represent undergraduates and to fulfill my role to the University [by serving] on Duke's Board of Trustees."
During his speech to DSG and ICC members, Kantha, who is DSG's executive vice president, said one of his most defining characteristics was a "true love of Duke." He also emphasized his willingness to speak up for change, which he hopes shows how much he cares about the University-something he cited as one of his strengths.
"In the three years, I hope to... convey the unique sentiments of our rapidly changing undergraduate population [to the Board]," he said.
Kantha highlighted his four years of DSG experience and service on the Facilities and Environment Committee on the Board of Trustees-where he lobbied for new field space on Central Campus-as some of his relevant experiences at Duke. He said this background has given him a more extensive knowledge of the University, which will help him in his role as Young Trustee.
The Undergraduate Young Trustee sits on the Board of Trustees as a non-voting member for one year and then as a voting member for the remaining two years of the three-year term. Eight semi-finalists for the Young Trustee position were chosen by the Young Trustee Nominating Committee Jan. 21 from a pool of 14 applicants, and narrowed down to three finalists-Kantha and seniors Jane Chong and Jordan Giordano-a week later.
Kantha said that although he was vying for the position against Giordano, DSG's president, it did not affect their relationship significantly.
"There wasn't explicit tension.... [But] anyone you're in direct competition with, the relationship dynamic changes," Kantha said. "But it wasn't a big deal."
The candidates were each allotted 15 minutes on the floor during the meeting-two minutes for a short speech and 13 minutes to answer questions from voting members.
Kantha faced several questions regarding his weaknesses. He acknowledged that he lacked a solid understanding of academic policy, but said he planned to address the issue by meeting with academic departments, relevant administrators, student academic groups and majors unions in order to better understand the topic.
"I admitted that there's no way to know everything, but I also admitted that I was willing to learn," he said.
Kantha added that he feels taking steps to better understand Duke will also help him in his remaining time with DSG.
The votes from ICC and DSG members are weighted to give equal power to each body. Because there were 39 voting DSG members present and only 15 ICC members present, each ICC member's vote was worth more proportionally. One ICC's member's vote counted as 2.6 votes to each DSG member's one, so as not to favor DSG.
Senior Amanda Tong, chair of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee and DSG's vice president for the ICC, said after the meeting that the vote for Kantha was definitive.
In his interview after the selection, Kantha also noted that his love of Duke stems from the fulfilling experiences and opportunities Duke has allowed him.
"Regardless of where you start, this university presents so many opportunities that we are fundamentally on an equal playing field," he said. "I can't even express my happiness at the opportunities Duke has given me. These are experiences I only would've dreamed of five or six years ago."
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