Junior John Turanchik seeks to connect with students about campus issues and change the culture of Duke Student Government if elected executive vice president.
Turanchik, a Tampa, Fla., native, is currently a member of DSG’s internal affairs committee and a former DSG senator. He emphasizes the need to reform DSG to better engage students and administrators and focuses on developing long-term goals in his campaign platform.
“I am running because I believe we can set up DSG for long-term success and make real impacts on campus, but in order to do that we need to dramatically change the way it works,” Turanchik said.
Turanchik said that after having served on DSG for two years, he became “disillusioned” with the organization and hopes to improve its efficiency and ability to collaborate with other groups.
“Trying to have a static DSG in Duke’s dynamic campus isn’t going to make us effectively respond to the realities of the campus,” Turanchik said. “DSG has become a very short-sighted place where everyone, although very passionate, is so spread out and ends up working on his or her own projects, and that makes it exhausting for student organizations to cooperate with us.”
Turanchik also proposed a reduction in the size of the Senate to increase members' active participation and suggested the development of a curriculum for all new senators and any students who are interested in engaging in school politics.
Creating a new curriculum and guide, Turanchik explained, would encourage new senators to more effectively execute their duties, voice their opinions and connect with administrators. His goal is to create a more inclusive DSG.
“The student body has lost the sense of ownership on campus," he said. "I want to give the agency back to them, where they can go and engage administrators on their own. I’ve talked with administrators and they were excited for this opportunity.”
Turanchik also emphasized the importance of working on long-term planning for DSG. He pointed out that due to the one-year term limit, each senator tends to advocate for short-term projects to make an impact on campus.
“We need to realize it’s more about a marathon than a sprint and be willing to look at a major goal, to create a plan that looks three to four years in the future,” he explained. “I think this will make students excited about the student government and DSG can really become a vehicle for change.”
Junior Uzoma Ayogu, who worked alongside Turanchik as a DSG senator and member of House Council freshman year, applauded Turanchik for his long-term vision.
“He is such a dedicated and competent person,“ Ayogu said. “But I think what really sets him apart from other candidates is that he doesn’t just do short-term projects and programs to boost the resume, but really cares about what’s good for Duke in the long run.”
Turanchik is a economics and public policy double major with a minor in political science. He is active in Duke Catholic Center and the founder of ENCOUNTER: Social Justice, a program in the Catholic Center that aims to raise awareness of social issues and started the J-Ville initiative.
David Banks, professor of the practice of statistics, praised Turanchik for his kind character and ability to connect with people.
“John is a strong student and unusually mature,” Banks wrote in an email. “He is good with people and clearly popular."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.