In an effort to increase the representation of graduate student interests within the University, the Graduate and Professional Student Council passed a resolution urging the Board of Trustees to increase their graduate Young Trustees from two to three.
This resolution marks the second that GPSC has passed this year, representing a notion of solidarity on the issue across each of Duke's nine graduate and professional schools. Currently, graduate Young Trustees serve the Board for two years, during the first of which they act only as an observing member. Under the terms of the resolution—which was passed at the Nov. 18 GPSC meeting—a second year of observation would be added for a total of three serving years.
The proposed model more closely aligns itself with the system employed by undergraduate Young Trustees, in which a member serves for one observing year and two voting years.
“Duke does a really great job of making sure that the Trustees and the College in general are attuned to undergraduate needs,” said Ben Shellhorn, GPSC president and third-year JD/MBA candidate. “Even though undergrads are outnumbered by graduate students, they are more of one cohesive unit.”
He explained that sometimes the graduate and professional student community feels as though the needs of undergraduates are prioritized. The population of graduate and professional students on campus makes up nearly 60 percent of the total student body, but they are dispersed through “hundreds” of different programs, making their needs seem less apparent, Shellhorn added.
By adding the voice of another graduate trustee, the needs and perspective of this large portion of the Duke community will be better represented, Shellhorn said.
“Young Trustees provide a really valuable insight into the perspective of the students that they represent,” he said. “You aren’t acting as an undergraduate or a graduate.”
This is not the first time that GPSC has discussed amending the Young Trustee process. Shellhorn said informal talks of the addition began four or five years ago but were not received well by the administration. The resolution passed last month marks the first official push for a change to the process.
Currently, the Board has 36 members, including the five total Young Trustees. The resolution proposes two possible ways in which this number could be altered to increase graduate representation—either by expanding to 37 total members or by removing one non-Young Trustee representative.
Although unsure about whether the proposed changes will come to fruition, Shellhorn said he was optimistic about the outcome. Preliminary talks with President Richard Brodhead and University Secretary Richard Riddell have indicated the administration is receptive to the idea of change, he said.
“Duke University thrives on the research, knowledge and connections of its faculty and students. With three years to serve the Duke community, Young Trustees would have more time to forge bonds with the Trustees and with the world around Duke, allowing them to represent Duke University more effectively,” said Shannon O’Connor, fifth year MD/Ph.D student in biomedical engineering, in a press release following the Nov. 18 GPSC meeting.
O’Connor was elected graduate Young Trustee in Februrary and is currently serving as an observing member. The current voting graduate Young Trustee is Katherine Duch who graduated with a Ph.D. in public policy in 2013.
Unlike the undergraduate Young Trustees—who are elected by a student-wide vote—graduate representatives are selected through a vote by GPSC.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will take place Dec. 5 and 6.
“One of the primary goals that GPSC is expressing is the desire here to be heard,” Shellhorn said in the press release following the GPSC meeting. “This compromise achieves that end on both the committee level as well as the full board.”
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