Junior Chris Brown, a lifelong Blue Devil, draws on his love for Duke in his approach to student advocacy.
Brown, external chief of staff for Duke Student Government, is running for DSG president with a goal of improving communication between senators and the student body and ensuring a smooth transition to the house model.
“Now is a crucial time to be getting student input,” Brown said. “[One thing] I bring to the table is my attitude and my perspective.”
Brown said he wants to put DSG in stronger dialogue with students by creating a director of communications position within his administration. This individual would help him write memos and letters directly to students.
If elected, Brown said he will focus on the implementation of the house model and planning for renovations to the West Union Building, projected to begin summer 2013.
He noted that he wants to ensure student satisfaction in the first year of the house model by creating an easy flow of information between house members and their representatives in DSG. One of his priorities is to establish DSG as the body that students should go to with concerns about the house model, and reflexively, DSG as a body that will seek students’ input.
Student perspectives on West Union renovations, before and during construction, will also be important for facilitating smooth transitions next year, Brown said. Student interest spaces should be accessible and open to student programming, and dining options should not be limited by the construction.
“We’re at a pivotal point… in the founding of institutions and organizations that, if done right, will be in place for generations,” Brown noted.
Brown—DSG vice president for athletics and campus services as a sophomore and a senator for Durham and regional affairs as a freshman—also serves as a student representative on the Facilities and Environment Committee of the Board of Trustees. He noted that his accomplishments include lobbying for hybrid buses, making Central Campus more accessible by changing bus schedules and lobbying for renovations to bike lanes on campus, which resulted in Duke becoming nationally recognized in March as a bike-friendly university.
Brown has also increased DSG outreach to students through ad hoc committees, and he also worked on tailgate policies.
“I’ve been on the executive board of two presidents who handled administrations very differently. In both cases, I’ve understood what is effective and ineffective in different situations,” Brown said. “What’s different is my attitude—if we engage [students], anything is possible.”
Senior Jordan Stone, who has known Brown for three years as a fellow member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, said he is confident that Brown, in his consideration of the student perspective, will move the ownership of the house model into students’ hands.
“One qualification that supersedes all others, beyond the breadth and depth of experience already acquired through his three years on DSG... is Chris’ ability to listen,” Stone wrote in an email Sunday. “The political world, at the university level especially, breeds a culture of exclusivity.... Chris doesn’t ascribe to that flavor of government.”
Emma Rasiel, director of the Financial Education Partnership and associate professor of the practice in economics, who taught Brown as a student in the Fall, said his character makes him a good candidate for DSG president.
“He is sensible and mature,” Rasiel said. “He sees the big picture and knows how to get things done.... He would be a good person for people to come to and talk to.”
In his campaign, Brown is emphasizing his love for Duke, and as the son of two Duke graduates, he said the University has always been a significant part of his life.
“I bring a full plate of Duke experiences to the table,” Brown said. “With the most DSG experience and a lot of Duke experience out of that, including fanship for my whole life... I’ve bled Duke blue from day one.”
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