DSG deliberates SOFC’s function

The Student Organization Finance Committee came under scrutiny by Duke Student Government members at the DSG meeting Wednesday night.

Senators debated the role SOFC should have in determining which clubs exist on campus after SOFC Chair David Hu, a junior, made a special presentation on the SOFC selection process. The committee is trying to judge prospective clubs with a more critical eye this year by asking clubs more probing questions such as “Why do you want to be a group?” and “Do you have a newsletter, a Web site and an adviser who is willing and active?” Hu said.

A number of DSG members said many clubs applying for charter or recognition are redundant—very similar clubs already exist and there is not enough space on campus for every club.

“Issues that keep coming up are, ‘This group sounds like it should be like this group that already exists, but this one doesn’t do what we want it to,’” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Chen, a senior.

She recommended that existing groups be approached and worked with to encorporate club subsections.

Other members said they feel strongly that students have the right to form any club they wish.

 “It’s a very dicey territory when we get in the business of rejecting groups,” said Athletics and Campus Services Senator Ben Bergmann, a junior. “Space preservation is important at Duke, but it isn’t as dire as people make it out to be.”

When Bergmann asked Hu for an explanation of why the 12 SOFC members are qualified to reject clubs applying for a charter or recognition, Hu pointed out that SOFC can help prospective clubs revise their mission statement to make it more appealing to the committee.

Other senators found fault with giving charter status to a club so similar to one already active on campus.

“It’s valuable for Duke students to learn that they can still be an effective member of a club without having a fancy title,” said junior Will Passo, vice president for Durham and regional affairs.

DSG members finally decided that the Wealth and Management Club does not need charter status. Organizations that apply for charter are allowed to apply for funding on a regular basis, and this new club does not need funding, members said.

Clubs can also apply for recognition, which gives them access to the programming fund. Passo moved to amend Hu’s proposition, granting the club recognition instead of a charter. The amendment was passed.

In other business:

Undergraduate Representative for Academic Affairs Ben Getson, a junior, gave a status report on CourseRank, a Web site new to Duke that allows students to review courses before they register for them. The Web site’s goal is to allow students to “use [their] experiences to guide [other students’] own,” Getson said.

The site is almost ready for wide use and has 119 reviews, 544 ratings and 5,117 courses as of Wednesday evening. After students register on the site, they can supply information regarding courses, such as ranking the class on a scale from one to five, a review and an overview of the class. Students also have the option of providing their grade in the course so that a rough grade distribution can be graphed.

Getson said one thing he would like to see included on the site is the option to review professors. Any student can register and write a review, but if inappropriate criticisms are included, the review could be removed, Getson said.

Getson is hoping to launch CourseRank later this Fall, in time for registration for Spring semester.