The Duke University Union wants the role of its governing body-, the University Union Board, to be more than a matter of formality.
At the Union's weekly executive meeting Tuesday night, President Zachary Perret, a junior, told members he wanted them to rethink the way the University Union Board interacts with DUU.
"Right now, it functions as an oversight group," he said. "They approve amendments to our constitution, our budget and technically, if we have any allocations over $10,000, they have to approve that.... While that stuff is important, a board is more than that, and it can be a great resource to us."
Perret said a strengthened relationship with the University Union Board would be particularly beneficial because many individuals on the governing board have experience that DUU members lack.
"There are a lot of people on the board and around the University with great opinions and great ideas," he said. "They have a lot of institutional knowledge, so if we can talk to them, it will definitely improve our programming and help the Union grow."
George Grody, a visiting lecturer of sociology and member of the University Union Board, also attended the meeting and told members that they would ultimately determine the relationship between the board and DUU.
"[The University Union Board] can sit back, do nothing and just look at budgets, and that's fine," said Grody, who worked with the business corporation Procter & Gamble for about 26 years before coming to Duke. "But I think for you guys to fully develop in the positions you have now and to develop the skills and experiences that will help you once you graduate, that can also be a role of the board, and that's up to you."
During the meeting, DUU Chief Financial Officer Annie Kozak, a sophomore, also announced that each Union subcommittee would be asked to create a CFO position in order to increase fiscal responsibility within the Union.
"We want everybody to keep a good track of where their money is going and how it's being used," she said. "In the past, some committees have known exactly how much money they have left in their budget while others have taken educated guesses or may have not known the precise amount."
Kozak said financial transparency was especially important to the Union because students have a direct stake in its programming through their student activities fee.
"The more carefully we track our money and our spending, the more we can see where it's most effective," she said. "Now that we have access to student demographic information [for each event], we can make sure they're getting their money's worth.... Our budget comes from the students."
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