DSG reinstates discontinued housing committee for SLGs

Duke Student Government presented a new version of its previously discontinued Residential Group Assessment Committee program, responsible for overseeing selective living groups, during its meeting Wednesday.

If approved, RGAC would have the power to approve prospective groups, review existing groups, put groups on probation, revoke a section’s housing and make changes to a group’s space and housing circumstances. The committee would be composed of administrators, representatives from housing communities and a representative from DSG. The authors of the statute creating the program—junior George Mellgard, vice president for residential life, and other members of the residential life committee—explained that there were a number of complaints about the first RGAC model, introduced in 2007 and discontinued in 2009, including a lack of communication between Housing, Dining, and Residence Life and students.

Mellgard noted that there were two main improvements made to the 2016 version of RGAC.

“A problem present in 2009 but that we think we fixed at this point in time, was the lack of communication between HDRL and the student groups,” he explained. “We workshopped these rules with a lot of different student groups—we heard their voices, their complaints, their concerns, and we workshopped it based on those complaints.”

The subcommittee met with 12 different Greek and non-Greek selective living groups when drafting the by-laws, he said.

In addition, the subcommittee has decided to hold an RGAC information session so there is increased communication between HDRL, the RGAC committee and the students, Mellgard explained.

“Second, we made the bylaw very rigid and precise so there’s no room for ambiguity” he said.

RGAC would assess SLGs using a point system that would deduct points for bad conduct and give points for community programming. To increase objectivity appraisals, scoring and appeals would be based on a numerical rubric. Each group would be able to score a maximum of 100 points, with 80 points for house stewardship and 20 points for programming. Groups scoring fewer than 70 points for two semesters in a row would be put on probation.

Additionally, RGAC would host a mandatory info session for housing liaisons each semester and would be available through the semester to answer any questions groups may have pertaining to the process.

Mellgard clarified that RGAC would only monitor SLG living and not independent living, which would continue to be run by the University.

“Independent housing is a right, but it’s a privilege for SLGs to have sections,” he noted. “So independent housing is guaranteed by the administration and should not be subject to any sort of bylaws.”

If approved, the program will take effect next semester, but it will not have the power to revoke housing or put groups on probation until Fall 2016.

In other business:

Engineering Student Government President Rebecca Bauer addressed the Senate regarding the lack of adequate funding and publicity for student engineering groups and the need for increased communication between Pratt and Trinity.

Senior Jack Heller addressed the Senate regarding his role as liaison for the Sanford Innovation and Impact Fund and discussed the need for more undergraduate involvement in the program.

DSG voted to charter three new groups: Be the Match on Campus, a service organization dedicated to finding more members for bone marrow donation; Love Your Melon, a cancer awareness service organization; and the Campus Poetry Journal.