- DSG approved a resolution creating an identity representative student volunteer to aid students in dorms.
- It was proposed that Young Trustee Nominating Committee members must undergo non-bias training.
- The You Don't Say Campaign received more funding in addition to what it already received from the SOFC.
Students struggling with issues of their identity may soon have a peer to turn to for support within their dormitories.
At a meeting of Duke Student Government Wednesday, the Senate passed a resolution to support the establishment of an "identity representative" within each residential house. The position defies the representative as a student volunteer who can provide peer support for students with questions regarding gender, sexuality and other identity issues. Unlike resident assistants and resources currently available to students, the identity representative would not be a mandatory reporter.
The representative will serve as a liaison between students and campus services like Counseling and Psychological Services and the Women’s Center. If the policy is implemented, each selective living group, greek house and independent house will have an identity representative.
The resolution was introduced by sophomore Zach Gorwitz, vice president for residential life; junior Keizra Mecklai, vice president for equity and outreach; sophomores Eric Musselman and Dustin Hadfield, senators for Equity and Outreach; and sophomore George Mellgard, senator for residential life.
The identity representatives will not necessarily be proactive and will instead provide an outlet for students to discuss personal issues concerning their identity, the presenters explained. They will be people to talk to rather than people who have to take action.
If a student talking to the identity representative doesn’t want to have his or her information shared beyond that representative, the identity representative would be under no obligation to report to a higher authority.
These representatives would be trained under Duke’s Prevent Act Challenge Teach training program, which works to stop gender violence; Ally Training, which supports the LGBTQ community; and cross-cultural communication training led by the International House. These programs ensure that the identity representatives will be able to have a nuanced approach to the various problems presented by students coming from different backgrounds.
The identity representative program is already close to being put in place, Gorwitz explained.
“This is a position made by students for students,” he said. “We don’t necessarily have to have administrative support. We’ve already set up a meeting this week to start reaching out to house council presidents and presidents of selective living groups to let them know that the resolution passed and start working with them to get these proposals in place.”
In other business:DSG recognized four groups—the Duke Alliance for Citizenship, which helps non-English speakers prepare for citizenship tests and standardized tests like the SAT; the American Society for Microbiology, which offers students connections and assistance with research; The Other, a blog which provides a campus-wide focus on identity; and the Duke Cooking Club.
A change to Young Trustee by-law was suggested to require all Young Trustee Nomination Committee members to undergo bias training in order to ensure fairness. The YTNC selects the finalists for the Young Trustee program.
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