Don't put Brown down

I recently read the Nov. 21 editorial, "Send Brown into town," expressing disappointment in Duke Student Government Vice President for Durham and regional affairs sophomore Andrew Brown and his position.

I would like to say that I was truly disheartened by this editorial because it was uninformed about the relationship between Duke and Durham and about what the position actually entails. Brown has made multiple, productive attempts to coordinate a project the Community Service Center has been spending the calendar year on: the Service Leadership Council.

We have so many groups on campus that are dedicated to service, and yet so much energy is wasted because these groups are unaware of what they need to do to be more successful in aiding others. The CSC, however, has tried to bridge these groups together, to reduce excess DSG funding and to help them be more successful in membership, transportation issues, funding and publicity in general. Brown has been an excellent advocate for all of the needs of this project within DSG, and has been an integral part of its development.

Some individuals feel that the most important aid to Duke-Durham relations is a combination of this service and seeing students do something in the surrounding area. This may not be all that the position is supposed to do, but it is certainly constructive and an activity that has taken both time and effort. In fact, we hope to change the charter of DSG service groups so that they must comply with a few simple requirements in order to make this system run more smoothly. This altered charter was entirely Brown's idea.

Above all, I cannot understand why such a harsh editorial was written about a brand new position that is still working itself out-of course it has its kinks right now in its first semester.

DSG (via Brown) helped unite the service groups to perfect the transportation voucher program for service groups and has helped work to make SLC and CSC thoroughly represented in the campus political sphere; I would have to disagree with the assertion the editorial makes that there is a lack of progress in Brown's position. I simply wish more emphasis could be placed on the importance of community service in building a meaningful relationship between Duke and its surroundings, which in some way may be the entire purpose of Brown's job.

Eden Pappo

Co-director, Community Service Center