The Duke Student Government Senate approved funding for a revamped discount program in an effort to foster a closer relationship between students and Durham.
Established in 2005, the Duke-Durham Discount Program originally included more than 20 vendors offering a 5 to 20 percent discount for customers with their DukeCard. The program lost vendors and momentum since its establishment, but freshman Derek Rhodes, senator for Durham and regional affairs, worked to revive the program after learning about it in Duke’s archives.
“[The program] is important because it gives students incentive to go straight into the heart of Durham and to places that make Durham unique,” said Rhodes, a Durham native. “[DDDP] provid[es] students with the chance to eat at the places I love—places that I have seen from another perspective.”
Rhodes recruited venues that were close to campus and popular with students—some were involved with DDDP in 2005, and others are new to the program, such as Tyler’s Restaurant and Taproom. Students can now receive a 5 to 20 percent discount at participating venues including Cuban Revolution, Cosmic Cantina, Chopped Greens, Local Yogurt and Blue Corn Café. Rhodes said he hopes that success at these restaurants will encourage other places to participate.
“I considered a variety of restaurants and places that would fit all types of interest,” Rhodes said. “Part of being a resident of Durham is exploring all that Durham has to offer and that means going to places that you may not be comfortable with. It’s part of the college experience.”
DSG has yet to allocate funding for the project, but estimated that costs would exceed $1,000. The funds would go toward bus advertisements, flyers, Chronicle advertisements, business cards and table tents in order to increase student awareness about the opportunity to explore Durham at a discounted price.
In other business:
Sophomore Patrick Oathout, senator for athletics, services and the environment, proposed changes about the structure of the Senate and the executive board’s relationship.
“We as the Senate are supposed to be the decision-making body,” Oathout said. “Executives are the first to speak up…. It’s odd having people who sit on the executive board to sit on the Senate as senators.”
He proposed a completely separate Senate meeting, just as executive board meets independently each week. Oathout noted that vice presidents should not be allowed to speak on legislation unless they receive permission to talk. The Senate decided to table the issue for further discussion.
DSG also proposed changes to the text of the DSG Constitution in order to allow for more flexible bylaws. The Senate voted to table these changes as well.
Junior Alexandra Swain, vice president for Durham and regional affairs, presented a resolution to add an on-campus poll location that would allow students to vote in the North Carolina primaries in May and in the general elections in November. The resolution also called for an early voting site on campus. For the Durham Board of Elections to place a polling site on campus, DSG must demonstrate that students would utilize the location through a petition signed by students.
“We want an easy, accessible voting site,” Swain said. “I think it will make a strong statement.”
Senior Monique Barrios, senator for Durham and regional affairs, introduced legislation that would extend the deadline for applying to the Young Trustee position. Barrios said that students were given a limited amount of time to submit their applications. She added that seven students entered the race for the 2012 election cycle—a smaller number than last year—which would result in all of the applicants automatically becoming semi-finalists. She proposed extending the application deadline to Monday, Jan. 23, but the proposal failed nine to 20.
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