After almost a month of debate, Duke Student Government senators passed a bylaw Monday night that will allow the student body to elect the Young Trustee.
According to the bill, the Young Trustee Nominating Committee will select three Young Trustee finalists and the student body will then elect a Young Trustee from among the finalists.
“I’m in favor of an election,” said Athletics and Campus Services Senator Ben Bergmann, a junior. “I think many of us feel that that is the most fair.”
The Young Trustee Nominating Committee will be composed of six DSG members elected by the Senate, six non-DSG affiliated at-large members who apply for the positions and six student group presidents selected by a council of student group presidents.
In its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday night, senators will select the six DSG members of the nominating committee and approve the timeline for the application process.
The passed Young Trustee bylaw is similar to one approved Nov. 11, which was later vetoed by DSG President Awa Nur, a senior.
Even though more than two-thirds of senators ultimately voted for the bylaw, the Senate was relatively split at the beginning of the meeting, when many senators supported the option to allow the Senate and the nominating committee to select the Young Trustee without a student body vote.
“I think a general election is the wrong way to go because if [DSG] can only get 25 percent [of the student body], or whatever the rate was, to vote for us, how can we expect it to be any different for the Young Trustee process?” Academic Affairs Senator Monique Barrios, a sophomore, said. “It’s important that the person who is chosen be chosen based off of their qualifications.”
Executive Vice President Gregory Morrison, a junior, also said he favored the selection process.
“I think that the selection process, as outlined, is a much stronger process than a general election because I believe that the folks who are good at running campaigns are not necessarily the folks who are good, or rather the best, in board rooms,” Morrison said.
Senators added that DSG members represent their constituents, and therefore are qualified to select the Young Trustee. Others, however, said it would be “condescending” to not include the student body, adding that an election would inspire students to learn more about the Young Trustee position.
Senators also considered and rejected five amendments to the Young Trustee bylaw, including a proposal to allow only seniors to run for the Young Trustee position and an amendment that would allow the DSG Election Commission to set the rules for campaigning, instead of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee.
The Senate also voted down an amendment that would eliminate the nominating committee and instead allow the student body to vote on all Young Trustee applicants. Morrison said he approved of the amendment because it would allow the students to have complete control over the Young Trustee process, which is something that senators indicated they wanted.
“They are either competent to have an election or they are not competent to have an election,” Morrison said. “I think it shows a shocking ideological inconsistency... to argue that you should have the right to make that decision and then to vote against this when this allows you all of the opportunities to be engaged. I think this is by far the best amendment that we have seen all night, and you should vote in favor of it.”
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