Duke Student Government met Wednesday to discuss funding for 16 student groups, share committee updates and confirm new senate members.
The meeting included two closed executive sessions. The topic of the first session, according to one senator, was “financials.”
SOFC funding amendments
Two members of the Student Organization Finance Committee gave updates regarding approvals on eight student groups funded by the operational and capital fund, and eight through the programming fund.
Senators agreed on most allocations, especially those considered time-sensitive. Senators debated the details of funding for Duke Cyber, ultimately granting $4,075 of the requested $4,200 for a competition in Washington, D.C.
For the annual Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit, Duke East Asia Nexus requested $14,330 with $8,700 for lunch and dinner catering, $1,300 for space rental, $3,000 for speaker honorariums and $980 for event supplies. SOFC allocated $4,430, cutting the speaker fees because the speakers had not requested honorariums. SOFC reduced costs by $4,800 by applying their new policy on reduced food allocations.
One senator motioned to amend the funding for the summit to add $400 through the legislative discretionary fund and an extra $4 in food allocation per person. This amendment was later passed.
The Persian Students Association requested $15,000 for a Persian New Year celebration, with $4,100 for catering, $5,000 for a guest speaker, $5,000 for space rental, $300 for event supplies and $600 for guest speaker lodgings.
Senators approved $5,775, with most of the cuts applied to guest lodging and catering. Senators raised concerns about equity given the cultural significance of the holiday.
“This is the most significant Persian holiday of the entire year. You don't choose when the holidays land, and when it comes to equity concerns with holidays, that's a pretty significant equity concern,” said a senator who is part of PSA’s executive board and did not vote on the event's allocation.
$1,250 from legislative discretionary was added to the organization’s funding because of these equity concerns, and all other funding approvals were passed.
Committee updates
The campus life committee provided an update on feedback from Friday’s Democracy Day. Vice President of Campus Life Sophie Smith considered the event a success, stating that in addition to running out of t-shirts and food, the number of students going to the polls more than doubled Saturday.
Smith also mentioned that the committee recently met with Duke Dining about changes to equivalency and five-dollar deals, a project that they expect will soon make progress.
The equity and outreach committee announced that Duke would cover DACA renewal fees for Dreamers through financial aid, citing the success of their outreach event at Marketplace.
The services and sustainability committee discussed a new mental health campaign called “Fresh Check.” The committee also provided an update on its new house course that helps first-years become acquainted with Duke and Durham, a collaboration with Duke New Student and Family Programs and Quad-Ex.
In other business
DSG confirmed first-years Quinn Mulvey, Carina Kehoe, Carter Lambert, Sarah Wolfson and Ahilan Eraniyan as senators of academic affairs; sophomore Claire Li and first-year Theresa Kiki-Teboum as senators of Durham and community affairs; sophomore Ana Ramirez and first-years Neel Mehra, Taylor Moss and Edison Chen as senators of equity and outreach; and first-years Jojo Hong, Ameer Haidary and Mohammad Zoraiz as senators of services and sustainability.
DSG senators allocated $3,305 to Alpha Kappa Alpha for a regional conference, $8,744.51 to Duke Brazilian Student Association for a conference in Boston, $9,065.25 to the Duke International Relations Association for travel, registration and lodging costs at Model United Nations conferences in Virginia and Chicago, $4,075 to Duke Cyber for a cyber competition in Washington, D.C., $6,510.11 to Duke Mock Trial for a competition in Chicago, $2,057.09 to Duke Motorsports for a trip to the Michelin Laurens Proving Grounds and $3,031.08 to Duke Stargazing for a trip to Ohio to see a total solar eclipse.
DSG senators also approved programming funds, allocating $4,000 to Duke Applied Machine Learning Group for a hackathon hosted at Duke, $1,640 to Duke Arab Student Organization for a soccer tournament, $4,556.88 to Embodiment Contemporary Dance for a showcase on March 30 and 31, $2,100 to Hoof ‘n’ Horn for a performance of “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812” and $1,920 to Club Water Polo for practice on March 10.
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Halle Vazquez is a Trinity first-year and a staff reporter for the news department.