DSG senators hear about misconduct reporting resources, student training from associate dean of students

Duke Student Government senators discussed shortcomings of training for students on misconduct reports with the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards and heard updates on divestment from fossil fuels at their Wednesday meeting. 

Associate Dean of Students Victoria Krebs presented to senators on the OSCCS. According to the Student Affairs website, OSCCS handles the “investigation and resolution of alleged violations of university policies,” like the recent hate speech incident on campus. In her role, Krebs receives reports and provides “supportive measures” to students.

Krebs talked about the overlap between the Office for Institutional Equity, OSCCS and the recently-established Center for Gender Violence Preventions and Intervention. While OIE handles investigations for the formal conduct process, GVPI provides confidential reporting and counseling, and OSCCS provides “supportive measures” and  “options for complainants,” the three offices coordinate to best help students, she explained.

When asked about resources for reporting, Krebs described the differences between Public Incident Reports, which are not anonymous, and DukeReach Care Reports, which are anonymous provided that students log out of their Duke account before accessing the form.

“You can file [an incident] report about a leaky faucet or harassment, about anything you want, and it gets sent to the right place,” she said.

According to OSCCS’s 2021-2022 Annual Report, 1,475 “actionable reports” were filed to the Office last year.

Citing concerns that residential assistants failed to cover misconduct reporting in floor meetings earlier this year, junior Shreya Joshi, DSG vice president for campus life, asked about what OSCCS is doing to provide information to first-year students. Senator Dave Surzykiewicz, a sophomore, asked a similar question in the context of first-year orientation programs.

In response, Krebs noted that the smaller meetings were more engaging than larger, lecture-style presentations that the University has implemented during orientation week in the past.

Senators Brien Brennan and Mick Tobin, both sophomores, announced that the Duke Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility will be holding an open forum on Nov. 7. The committee provides recommendations to the Duke University Management Company, the University’s endowment and investment management company.

Tobin said the president of DUMAC rejected a report crafted by the committee on divestment from fossil fuels for being too vague. The committee is working to edit the report, which was drafted in response to a student body referendum on divestment from fossil fuels.

DSG Senators allocated $15,301.37 for the Hindu Student Association’s Diwali celebration on Nov. 11. The Student Organization Finance Committee recommended funding $12,301.37 based on projected attendance, but after hearing from the organizers of the event and debating, the senators amended the allocation to increase the amount by $3,000.

DSG Chief of Staff Hana Hendi, a senior, explained that the amendment was in line with DSG’s role in “supporting [student] groups in contexts in which anecdotes and cultural significance [are] more important than just the numbers.”

“This year, we’re trying to be more stringent with allocations and doing attendance tracking and whatnot,” noted junior Aditya Raj, SOFC vice chair of auditing and policy. Raj also mentioned during the meeting that SOFC plans to implement stricter auditing at the end of the academic year.

The senators also chartered The Flow, a “student-run publication dedicated to covering advancements, stories, current events, and voices in reproductive health,” and Google Student Developers Club.

Senator Ashley Bae, a junior, said that there will be a vigil for the tragic crowd surge in South Korea that occurred on Halloween. The vigil will take place Nov. 3 from 6:30 p.m to 8:00 p.m. in front of the Duke Chapel.

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