The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee selected five new members to serve on next year’s board at its meeting Monday night.
The new members are freshmen Ari Ruffer, Beth Gordon and Amir Abdu, sophomore Helen Zhang and junior Tina Siadak.
“I was really impressed at the size of [the applicant pool] this year,” said DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor, a senior. “We had 33 people apply, and that was the most we ever received.”
The 33 students applied for five slots, which is an increase from about 18 who applied last year, Taylor said. He attributes the increase in applicants to a link to the application in the Duke Student Government blast e-mail, regular coverage of meetings and more general awareness of DUSDAC. The applicants were subjected to two rounds of interviews, first by the co-chairs and then by the entire committee.
“All the dining issues were very pervasive this year, and so people wanted to stand up and take some action,” said junior Andrew Schreiber, one of the incoming co-chairs.
DUSDAC will select at least one more member in the Fall to join the other five in replacing its six graduating seniors. Taylor said the committee searched primarily for diverse students with special dietary considerations.
“Of the five kids, four have dietary needs,” he said. “Next semester, we’ll search for more normal kids. We don’t only want vegan or diabetic [members].”
Younger members will provide a fresh perspective to focus on different issues, Taylor said.
“They all seem like really energetic, passionate and fun kids who will bring some new excitement to an increasingly older committee,” Schreiber said. “This year was fun because we all know each other, and there is a lot of continuity. But next year will be a time to redefine DUSDAC.”
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