The Duke Student Government Senate swore in its new executive board and cabinet at its final meeting of the year.
At its meeting last week, the Senate failed to reach quorum until several senators arrived 20 minutes late—a concern when this meeting was scheduled.
Former Executive Vice President Ilana Weisman, a senior, said she was content with her tenure in DSG.
“At least we had quorum,” Weisman said. “Jokes aside, DSG has been a critical part of my leadership and character development. All of the ups and downs and drama that went into this position and this organization, I’m confident that I did good work and that my peers did good work and served Duke.”
As students were sworn into their new roles for the 2017-18 year, junior Riyanka Ganguly, DSG's new president, noted that she sought diversity in choosing her cabinet.
“For me, [the cabinet] is like the sounding board. When I make a decision, I want to ask them—and my executive board of course,” Ganguly said. “This is my way of making sure that I’m getting feedback from a diverse number of voices.”
Senior Michael Norwalk, former vice president for facilities and environment, said changes in the Senate structure passed during the 2016-17 session will affect how DSG functions.
“I think [the merging of the DSG committees] will be great for the synergies of the groups and lead to better projects and a better campus in the future,” Norwalk said. “I have confidence in Kristina Smith’s leadership and takeover where myself and Will Hardee, [former vice president for services], left off.”
Cabinet members for the 2017-18 school year include:
- Sophomore Yemi Kolawole, chief of staff
- Sophomore Sabriyya Pate, attorney general
- Sophomore Rachel Sereix, secretary
- First-year Nick Santangelo, treasurer
- Junior Angie Griffe, director of communications
- Sophomore Adam Bullock, director of LGBTQIA affairs and policy
- Junior Jacqueline Monetta, director of gender equity
- Sophomore Monika Dharia, policy advisor
- First-year Mycroft Zimmerman, policy advisor
- First-year Rishi Tripathy, liaison to Engineering Student Government
Executive board members for the 2017-18 school year include:
- Junior Riyanka Ganguly, president
- Sophomore Kushal Kadakia, executive vice president
- Sophomore Yemi Kolawole, chief of staff
- Sophomore Sean Bissell, vice president for academic affairs
- Sophomore Kristina Smith, vice president for services and sustainability
- Junior Liz Brown, vice president for Durham and regional affairs
- Junior Lizzie Speed, vice president for campus life
- Junior Elizabeth Barahona, vice president for equity and outreach
- Sophomore Jackson Dellinger, president pro-tempore
- Sophomore Luke Farrell, Student Organization Funding Committee chair
In other business:
The Senate passed a budgetary statute to fund a show for the Duke Dance Council.
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