Duke Student Government rejected a resolution for disciplinary action against Executive Vice President Tallman Trask in its meeting Wednesday night.
The resolution—introduced by senator for residential life Jacob Lettie, a junior—recommended that University administration take action against Trask, who Lettie said violated the Duke Community Standard when he hit contract parking attendant Shelvia Underwood with his car in August 2014. Trask did not stop to assist Underwood or wait for police to arrive, the resolution noted. Underwood has since filed a lawsuit against Trask.
Opposition to the resolution argued that it was not DSG’s place to issue a resolution before the University or a court has decided on the case. DSG Executive Vice President John Guarco, a junior, also asserted that Trask is vital to the day-to-day operations of the University and that many members of DSG work closely with him, especially in relation to the Board of Trustees.
Lettie explained in his presentation that the Community Standard impels community members to “act when the standard is compromised” and argued that Trask did not conduct himself honorably, particularly in regards to disorderly conduct and failure to comply.
The resolution failed after debate, with 26 senators voting against, four voting for and eight abstaining from the final vote.
“I expected it to be controversial,” Lettie said. “I can’t fault people for being cautious and it was something that had to be discussed.”
Although DSG did not choose to take a stance on the allegations against Trask, Duke Student and Workers in Solidarity have planned a walk-out, march and protest to demand the immediate termination of Trask, Vice President for Administration Kyle Cavanaugh and Carl DePinto, director of Parking and Transportation Services. The event is scheduled to take place on the Main Quadrangle at 3:30 p.m. Friday and the organizers hope to bring attention to the University’s lack of transparency, citing the Trask incident as an example.
DSG also heard the first reading of changes to Senate bylaw, which would allow senators to participate in several committee groups, rather than being forced to remain within their elected committee. The changes were introduced by juniors Ilana Weisman, vice president for equity and outreach and executive vice president-elect, and Basil Seif, ad hoc senator.
“A critique that I hear a lot is that DSG is inefficient, insular and doesn’t work on substantial things,” Weisman said. “If you have it so everyone can be a stakeholder and have multiple committees invested in things, that’s your best outcome.”
The new committee structure would allow senators to work on multiple projects from different committees at the same time and would make DSG much more flexible.
The bylaw changes will be voted on next week after a second reading.
In other business:
Senate passed two budgetary statutes: one allocated $2,995 for a Stryker stair chair for Duke Emergency Medical Services, and the other allocated $2,897 for two speakers and an inflatable projector screen for Duke Line Monitors and Gatekeepers.
Senate also passed a resolution to put a referendum on the vice presidential ballot in two weeks to determine the future of DSG’s funding of Chanticleer, the yearbook. Currently, $14 from every student’s student activities fee is allocated to Chanticleer so students receive one for free their senior year. The referendum will ask students if they prefer that the money go to other student groups and give students the opportunity to buy the yearbook at the end of the year instead. The resolution was introduced by Lettie and policy advisor Michael Pelle, a senior.
Senate also passed a resolution condemning North Carolina House Bill 2, which senators said discriminates against queer and trans people, in addition to discriminating against people with disabilities and preventing individual cities and towns from passing their own non-discrimination laws. The resolution was introduced by the following members of Senate—junior Tanner Lockhead, vice president for Durham and regional affairs; senator for equity and outreach Adam Bullock, a freshman; senator for services Will Hardee, a freshman; and ad hoc senator Alice Reed, a sophomore.
Finally, Student Organization Funding Committee allocated money for two student group events: $16,085 for the International Association’s Springternational and $1,696 for Inside Joke’s spring comedy show.
SOFC also chartered two new groups—Duke History Union and Healthy Kids, Happy Kids.
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