Junior Ilana Weisman plans to make Duke Student Government more efficient, equitable and in touch with the student body if elected executive vice president.
Weisman, a native of South Florida, currently serves as vice president of the equity and outreach committee. Her platform revolves around four concepts—providing structural and logistical support for DSG, enforcing bylaws and procedures, encouraging mentorship and leadership and pushing DSG in an advocacy and policy direction.
“The platform I’m running on is one that’s going to streamline DSG into an organization that works for the students,” Weisman said. “The four categories represent the four roles of the EVP, whose job is to coordinate DSG and make sure everything is running smoothly and that we’re actually effective.”
Weisman plans to train student leaders to lead inclusive groups as well as to simplify DSG house rules and bylaws while focusing on cross-committee collaboration. Regarding mentorship and leadership, she said she wants to enforce transparency with online tracking of senators, where viewers would be able to see checkboxes and track progress made in projects. She also stated that DSG needs to prioritize the diverse needs of Duke students, whether it be through long-term policy plans or listening tours.
She also stated that most of the changes she would make to DSG would be internal.
“EVP isn’t really an external role, so my goals are really focused on internal DSG,” Weisman said.
She said her goals include making the Senate more diverse without "tokenizing
" members, improving students’ understanding of DSG processes and making DSG meetings more productive and discussion-based.
She added that the fact that she is the only EVP candidate who has previously run a committee for DSG helps her stand out as a candidate.
“I’ve seen an extensive and wide range of policy initiatives,” Weisman said. “I can teach and guide people on how to make stuff happen. I can take whatever crazy idea they have and help make it into reality. I think I’m the best candidate to see that process through.”
Weisman also cited her involvement as one of five undergraduates on the task force on bias and hate issues and participation on Duke's sexual misconduct task force as large contributing factors to her experience.
Li-Chen Chin, director of intercultural programs for the Center for Multicultural Affairs, has worked with Weisman on the task force on bias and hate issues and in the International House since her freshman year. Chin highlighted Weisman's passion for equity and social justice.
“She has a lot of energy and creative ideas,” Chin wrote in an email. “Through her work at IHouse and with DSG, she has demonstrated the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, administrators and students to make Duke a better community for all.”
Weisman is a public policy and political science double major and women's studies minor. She is involved with several organizations on campus, including Model United Nations, the Board of Trustees' Business and Finance Committee and Duke Innovative Design Agency.
Senior Keizra Mecklai, current DSG president, serves on the DSG executive board with Weisman for the 2015-16 school year and was on the equity and outreach committee the year prior.
“She exudes passion, which incentivizes her committee to work hard,” Mecklai wrote in an email. “Since she has served on the DSG Executive Board before, she understands what the role entails and will not set aside her express role as EVP to work on pet projects. If elected EVP, Ilana's express role will become the bylaws. Since she has already shown a passion and interest in working with these documents (a task that many DSG members find mundane), I feel confident that she will take the role to the next level.”
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