Danesh to focus on long-term projects

This year is Kaveh Danesh’s first year as an academic affairs senator, but he doesn’t want it to be his last in DSG. 

The Academic Affairs committee oversees the planning and implementation of projects that address, among other issues, reforming courses and pre-major advising. By running for vice president, Danesh, a sophomore, said he aspires to further commit himself to the committee, primarily by focusing on long-term projects and following through with ideas.

“Duke academic reform is really something that requires long-term devotion, and I think sometimes people think they can propose an idea and immediately effect change, but it really does require a lot of time,” Danesh said. “The way I plan to address that is to have clear goals established from the start. The things that matter need to be addressed immediately. We need to work on them consistently.”

Danesh added that he believes his ideas, devotion and experience in working with administrators qualify him for the vice presidential position.

“I know what administrators want and also what students want, and I think I have the ability to implement policy that is wanted and needed by both groups,” he said.

He emphasized the issues of advising and registration, saying he was interested in reforming the pre-registration system and setting up networks for incoming freshmen to consult with current students on course registration decisions.

“It’s almost ridiculous that students that have been accepted at Duke go through the same registration process as seniors, and I don’t think that’s nearly enough [help] for freshmen who’ve never seen so many courses in their life,” he said.  

Danesh said he will continue to work toward standardizing Writing 20 courses as well as push for more interdisciplinary education and “synergy courses.”

“Basically, synergy courses are a list of courses that accompany each major that would not traditionally be seen as courses taken by students of that major,” he explained. “[This is] a big part of where education is headed.”

Junior Will Passo, DSG vice president for Durham and regional affairs, attested to Danesh’s capability, calling him “the most qualified person for the job.”

“He’s an incredible communicator,” Passo said. “He’s a really genuine person. He knows an incredible amount about academic affairs.... He has a great sense of how Duke works and how to navigate the bureaucracy.”