As students and administrators consider the potential relocation and expansion of stores in the Bryan Center and the fate of Uncle Harry's grocery store, Duke Student Government is forming a committee to ensure that student opinion on these issues is heard.
DSG hopes to form the Duke Stores Student Advisory Committee in February and will open membership to all undergraduates. Two chairs, legislators Justin Waller and Mike Lynch, are already in place.
The two sophomores said they hope the committee will serve as a liaison between the undergraduate body and the management team of the 23 Duke stores, much like the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee advises Dining Services. Likewise, a new parking committee will soon be formed to advise administrators on parking and transportation issues.
Although Waller and Lynch stressed that their committee will decide which issues to address once it is formed, they noted two issues that will likely appear on its agenda: the fate of Uncle Harry's and the relocation of four stores currently in the Bryan Center.
Administrators plan to move the bookstore, University store, computer store and Gothic Bookshop into a new building on campus and expand them, leaving more student space in the Bryan Center.
"Many students in the past were concerned about Uncle Harry's shutting down," Waller said. "We need a committee to ensure that the needs of Central Campus students are being met so that the fate of Uncle Harry's [is that it] stays intact."
Jim Wilkerson, director of Duke Stores operations, added that the committee's work could rejuvenate Uncle Harry's declining revenue. "If we work with a task force to bring more business and help the financial situation of the store, I don't see it closing," he said.
Waller also said the committee will play an important role in future plans for the relocation and expansion of the Duke stores currently in the Bryan Center.
"The committee will be instrumental in providing aid to the establishment of the new store by allowing student input to guide its development," Waller said.
Wilkerson, who said planning for the new stores is only in its beginning stages, said he felt the student advisory committee will play a vital role in the process.
He credited past financial successes of the Duke Stores to the management's adherence to its customers' needs. He said that because undergraduates are vital customers, the committee will provide a unique perspective.
Waller and Lynch encouraged all undergraduates interested in serving on the committee to fill out applications available in the DSG office by Feb. 1.
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