dsg endorsement policy

The Chronicle is happy to announce that starting next week, we will be running endorsement letters for the 2008 Duke Student Government elections. We will accept letters from any and all student organizations, so long as the groups adhere to the following guidelines. These guidelines are also accessible on our Web site, www.dukechronicle.com.

1. Organizations must meet with all candidates in the office(s) for which they choose to make endorsements. Organizations may not endorse without meeting with the candidates or if they only meet with some of the candidates running in a given race.

2. In the endorsement process, organizations must give equal speaking and question time to each candidate. No candidate may receive more time than another.

3. Members of organizations who decide they want to participate in endorsements must remain in the room for every candidate's appearance. Members may not leave and return, or arrive late. If they do so, they may not participate in the endorsement voting for the office of the candidate(s) they did not hear speak.

4. The Chronicle trusts that members of organizations with significant personal/professional attachments or associations with candidates will remove themselves from the endorsement process.

5. If an organization then wishes to endorse candidates in a Chronicle letter, the president of the organization must e-mail Editorial Page Editor Leslie Griffith (lag11@duke.edu). The e-mail must include an attached endorsement letter and the following statement:

"I, the president of [organization here] certify that all required endorsement guidelines were followed in the formulation of this letter. I understand that failure to adhere to the guidelines constitutes an ethical dilemma that undermines the election process, as well as the integrity of my organization and The Chronicle."

1. Letters will be published in the days leading up to the March 27 election. There is no guarantee that endorsement letters will be published, due to space and deadline constraints. The letters with the greatest likelihood of being published are those that arrive earliest and are concise. Letters may not exceed 325 words.

If you have questions regarding these guidelines, please contact Leslie Griffith via e-mail.

We look forward to receiving the endorsements!