Student government will always be relevant—vote today

Today, residents of East Campus have the opportunity to elect Senators to Student Government advocating on behalf of the Class of 2018 to effectuate campus change.

Duke Student Government has already impacted campus in the first few weeks of school, rolling out DevilsGate, lobbying for LGBTQ-related changes in the undergraduate application to Duke, creating a new research unit to study campus issues and implementing a new BikeShare program on campus. However, each of these programs and policies have been discussed and enacted without representation from the Class of 2018. Today’s election provides that representation.

Yesterday, The Chronicle’s Editorial Board called into question the timeline of the first year election, arguing that candidates are “still trying to figure out what it means to be a Duke student, much less formulate a cogent platform for change and advocacy on campus issues.” While this much may be true, we in student government do not expect first year Senate candidates to be masters of campus policy or have fully developed campaign platforms.

Rather we encourage candidates to present themselves to their peers: who they are, their background and relevant leadership experiences and the requisite set of skills they can offer our campus. It is vital, however, that the Class of 2018 is well represented in decision making within Student Government as early as possible. We also expect Senators of the Class of 2018 to grow and learn about how they can best represent their peers as their Class gets accustomed to University life. As the Class of 2018 acclimates to their campus, so will their Senators.

Moreover, we reject the Edit Board’s notion that candidates are currently resume-building three weeks into their Duke experience. We believe today’s candidates are genuinely interested in leadership and engagement on campus and motivated to improve campus life.

The Chronicle Editorial Board also touched on accountability within Student Government in yesterday’s piece. Increased attendance enforcement is something we’re implementing this year, but this is only part of a larger effort to strengthen the effectiveness of Senators. We’re doing more to strengthen the agency of Senators by pushing our Senators to not just identify and discuss campus problems and potential solutions, but to engage the appropriate campus stakeholders—administrators, student groups, etc., develop proposals and finally implement proposals that impact campus in a way that improves the undergraduate experience.

Furthermore, we are unveiling a new website next week which includes blogs Senators will update weekly, working on beginning to release DSG video updates and urging senators to present their projects to Senate regardless of whether or not they require legislation to be enacted.

Ultimately, as long as students have grievances and their representatives have the agency to advocate for those grievances, Student Government will always be relevant. Student Government has been and will continue to be the student body’s means for effectuating campus change. We welcome the Class of 2018 to take their first step in this effort by voting in today’s election.