The two candidates for Duke Student Government's vice president for Durham and regional affairs hope to improve the relationship between Duke and Durham through greater inter-school communication and interactions with local neighborhoods.
Freshman Stephen Farver said his term as a DSG Durham and regional affairs senator and work with the Young Trustee Nominating Committee has allowed him to understand various problems facing Duke and develop solutions. Sophomore Will Passo said his political campaigns in Durham and his work experience with the Nasher Museum of Art have helped him interact with Durham to develop an idea of its needs and its relationship with Duke.
"Through screening and reading students' applications, interviewing them and listening to the candidates, I saw a lot of problems at Duke and started thinking about innovative solutions," Farver said.
Farver said he plans to implement three programs to help the Durham community. He said he wants to create a book donation program to donate summer reading books assigned to incoming freshmen to local public high schools. He also hopes to create an inter-school blog or Web site to communicate with other student leaders about new ideas and problems and to implement a taxi meter to prevent taxi drivers from charging arbitrary fees.
Farver added that he has taken an active role in improving social life at Duke, namely through his efforts to create a more financially sound environment. Farver said he is currently working with DSG Executive Vice President Sunny Kantha, a senior, to minimize the hidden social costs of attending Duke, such as through greek life and purchasing textbooks.
Passo said his broad perspective of the University and his working relationships with a wide range of people will benefit him in the role of vice president for Durham and regional affairs. He added that his canvassing experience has allowed him to gain a better understanding of Durham.
"I had the chance to meet with the people of Durham and get a sense of Durham's diversity and what they care about as well as how they care about Duke," Passo said. "I don't think you can replace those interactions."
He said he plans to mediate the Trinity Heights tensions and prevent further escalation in the future. He said there is much to learn from universities such as Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, both of which have had historically poor relationships with their surrounding communities.
Passo also said he wants to make a larger effort to bring speakers to the Triangle area and close the gap between Duke and Durham through the thriving art community in Durham.
Passo served as DSG attorney general this academic year. He stepped down from the position last month to avoid a conflict of interest in this election process.
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