Come tomorrow, the Duke Student Government Senate is going to look a little different.
Thirty-nine students are vying for DSG Senate spots in the election today. There are currently 30 seats to fill in the Senate—six spots for each of the five committees—but because DSG reserves two spots each for sophomores, juniors and seniors on each committee and not all the races are contested, some of the positions will be filled with at-large senators.
The Duke student body will also elect a class president and vice president for the classes of 2012 and 2014. No one chose to run for class president or vice president for the Class of 2013.
“I think it’s great and a pretty diverse set of people,” said sophomore Gurdane Bhutani, vice president for student affairs and executive vice president-elect. He added that this group of candidates is large compared to recent years.
Bhutani attributed an increased interest in running for the Senate—especially among freshmen—to an increase in student understanding about the significance of DSG’s work and its relationship with key administrators. He added that students realize they can make a tangible difference with issues that matter to them as a part of DSG, including the future of cable television service in dorm rooms.
Senate races this year are more competitive than in previous years, said junior Pete Schork, executive vice president and president-elect.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved in the University because of things like the house model,” Schork said. “People are excited that DSG is a good avenue for change, and that’s reflecting in this year’s campaigns.”
Schork added that he was impressed with this year’s crop of freshmen candidates, which includes both newcomers and those already involved in DSG.
Of the five committees, the Student Life committee—formerly the Student Affairs committee—garnered the most competitors for the available positions. Junior Ebonie Simpson, a student affairs senator and vice president-elect for student life, said the committee is likely the most popular because of its applicability to every student.
The new Residential Life and Dining committee attracted the fewest number of potential senators. The candidates include three freshmen and three sophomores, though the committee was expected to attract more interest, as it was a result of the DSG-Campus Council merger. No one from the Class of 2012 is running for a senatorship on this committee and only two of the six candidates were involved in Campus Council.
Schork attributed the minimal carryover from Campus Council to the differing cultures between the council and DSG. He added that some former Campus Council members may be apprehensive to run for a position because of the differences between the Campus Council and DSG processes.
Schork said, however, he expects more students to apply to be at-large residential life and dining senators because of how integral the committee’s subject matter is to campus life.
Voter turnout hit record heights this year, with the Young Trustee election attracting 49.9 percent of the student body and the DSG executive elections drawing a voter yield of 49.2 percent. Schork said he expects that trend to continue with today’s Senate and Class Council elections.
Classes will elect two senators for each committee as well as their class president and vice president. Students can vote anytime between 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. today.
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