When it comes to student groups, I have no qualms about having more.
Why stymie new ideas from evolving into concrete plans? I’d be happy to chip in a bit extra on my tuition if it supports someone else’s dream. In my mind, purse string holders have a case to grumble over only when student groups fail to deliver.
Of course, if that’s the case, then quality becomes more important than ever.
Quality is hard to gauge in student groups at Duke because we don’t really have a metric of comparison, but it seems odd to me that helping student groups better achieve their goals is not a topic that is more widely discussed.
Duke student groups are, in many ways, tiny incubator organizations feeding off funds doled out by the University and falling prey to the same accountability and efficiency issues that dog their real world counterparts. Although these shortcomings are nearly universally recognized, we still seem content to chug along with a charter, listserve, funding and, sometimes, air-quoted members.
How often have I heard friends whine that very few people do the majority of their club’s work and that members skip out on events? Every day a group leader is lamenting the miraculous velocity at which an individual’s interests fizzle after losing an officer title.
There’s room for improvement, and the master key to unlocking student group efficacy must come from the leadership that sets direction and manages the club.
Such leaders, often driven by a cocktail of motivations, may be motivated by a need for self-affirmation, praise and prestige. Some jump into organizations and thrash around because that is what they did in high school. Some want to feel more involved and connected, while others are driven by certain goals and values. And many leaders push themselves to lead because leadership is what post-graduate employers want to see.
There’s nothing really wrong with these reasons, and many, if not all of these leaders are very gifted. They must be, because they were pre-selected by an admissions committee that sought students with leadership potential. A predisposition to lead, successes in high school and a threshold of intelligence are not guarantors of aptitude, nor are they excuses to cast aside the practice of learning to lead.
Too often untamed leaders are prone to charge forward only to look back and see nothing but the dust they churned while elbowing others out of the way. They throw up their hands and hang up their thinking hats convinced that this is how Duke student groups have always been and always will be.
I hope no one actually believes that. As an old senior, I’ve been a part of my share of student organizations, and have seen them evolve over the years. It makes me sad to see groups rise and fall as leaders cycle out without training underclassmen, and the painstaking process leaders take to master the tricks of the trade right before they have to go.
For aspiring Duke leaders with temperance and optimism, several strategic moves can make the next two, three or four years more successful.
First, we need to banish the notion that lack of University recognition or funding will hold us back from our plans. If you want it bad and you are resourceful, you will find money to fund it.
Second, campus leaders must contemplate how to share ownership of the idea and organization with others. For example, the leader can become creative with the organization’s positions. Impressive leadership is results-driven, not accumulated by windfalls from a flashy title, but if a title hooks a member in, use it! Titles force members to be more accountable, helps them feel validated, legitimizes their commitment and creates a marketable job description. There’s no reason why a group cannot have more than its usual cadre of officers.
Traditional top-down meetings can also be subjected to re-interpretation and replaced with experimental committees, governing boards, internal cross-check mechanisms and individual initiatives. I’ve seen such creative reconstruction revive entire organizations within a year.
Duke might also benefit from a student-run consulting service that can collect management strategies and perform year-end or project assessments for specific clubs. As a neutral body, this group can objectively consult with student organizations to review their governance structure and offer suggestions to resolve internal inefficiencies.
This service could allow members to gain experience in business consulting as well as help its clients—other Duke student groups—to realign their goals and better match them to desired outcomes.
With a willingness to experiment, emerging campus leaders can improve their respective organizations if they build, not rely, upon their natural instincts to lead.
Courtney Han is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Friday.
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