This year's candidates for Duke Student Government vice president for student affairs offer goals and experiences that touch on issues ranging from University finances to cultural expansion.
Junior Spencer Eldred said his membership in various organizations gives him an understanding of Duke's campus and students. Freshman Lauren Moxley said she wishes to address public perception of DSG, and freshman Kevin Mulhern is running on a platform that he said stems from his dissatisfaction with various aspects of DSG.
The vice president for student affairs must be familiar with how the University functions, work with students and administrators and be able to handle complex issues that involve diverse groups, said incumbent Lauren Maisel, a senior.
"Of all the positions in DSG, of all the categories of the vice presidents' positions, the set of issues that characterizes student affairs is by far the most diverse," she said. "The person who takes that position should be someone who has had a lot of diverse experiences at Duke. I have a hard time believing that a candidate who doesn't meet those qualifications can be successful."
Eldred, an environmental science and policy and political science double major from Palm Desert, Calif., touted his extensive involvement on campus as experience that will contribute positively to the office. He has served in student and academic affairs and as president pro-tempore of the Senate. He has also been in tent three in Krzyzewskiville for the past three years, which he said inspired his resolution to found a K-ville clinic to treat ill tenters.
Other aspects of his platform include proposals to create a union on political culture, increase appointment availability with Counseling and Psychological Services and provide shuttles to the Student Health Center.
"I know the University best in that I'm the only candidate that's not a freshman," Eldred said. "I've done all the major experiences that define Duke students-I've already gone through living on East and West Campuses, I've done DukeEngage and I've studied abroad."
Moxley, a public policy studies and political science double major from Tampa, Fl., said she said she thinks the main issues facing DSG are public perception and ways to increase transparency within the organization.
"What I really bring to the table is an emphasis on carrying out tangible projects," Moxley said. "I think that there are certain problems that we on student affairs tend to address in too broad of a way. I think that my biggest advantage is to focus on specific problems and carrying those through."
Like Eldred, Moxley is running on a platform that includes a resolution to offer more CAPS appointments along with proposals to continue promoting diversity, to expand on programs such as cultural crash courses and the biodegradable containers initiative and to work with Dining Services to improve options on campus.
Moxley is not the only candidate who plans to address DSG transparency issues. Mulhern said he has innovative programming ideas, noting that he is running on the resolution to increase student knowledge of DSG's budget and projects.
"I think there needs to be a serious debate about issues the campus faces," he said. "The reason it doesn't exist is because DSG is drastically over-funded. We have an incredible amount of discretionary funds at the beginning of April and there are differences between what kind of projects DSG intends to do, [what projects we] say we're doing and what we end up doing in the long run."
Mulhern, an economics major from Raleigh, N.C., includes in his platform proposals such as the implementation of an opt-out crime alert text messaging system that he said would increase students' awareness of crimes in the area.
As the incumbent, Maisel said major issues have changed in light of the economic crisis, noting that the new vice president must focus on issues surrounding the career center, funding for student organizations and the use of funding for University identity centers.
"I think money issues are pushing those to the forefront and I think those are what students will care about for next year," she said.
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