Alex Swain has a vision to bring Duke and Durham together.
Swain, a sophomore, is running uncontested for Duke Student Government’s vice president for Durham and regional affairs position. She is currently finishing her first term on this committee, which aims to advocate for student interests in Durham as well as build working relationships with community leaders.
“If elected, I would [want] to make the Durham and Regional Affairs Committee of [DSG] a resource for students that are interested in engaging in the Durham community,” she wrote in her platform. “I want to also make [DSG] a strong presence in the Durham community.”
Swain said she wants DSG to forge a deeper connection between students and their community by involving them in Durham events and affairs.
Next year, she intends to work with regional businesses and the Durham Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to publicize events through social media and on-campus advertising. Additionally, to make local politics more accessible to students, Swain wants to promote participation in municipal elections with such initiatives as candidate lectures, poster campaigns and voter-registration drives.
During her first year on DSG, Swain organized an event bringing Mayor Pro Tempore Cora Cole-McFadden and State Rep. Larry Hall, D-Durham, to speak on campus. She said she is looking to further DSG’s relationship with the city’s elected officials by having Durham and regional affairs committee members attend community meetings.
Swain said she has gained valuable experience this year through working with the Duke Office of Durham and Regional Affairs.
“Alex Swain is a native of Durham with a strong commitment to improving Duke-Durham relations,” Phail Wynn, Duke’s vice president for Durham and regional affairs, wrote in an email. “During the 2010-2011 academic year, she has been involved in a number of community outreach and engagement initiatives and she has developed an understanding of how DSG can work with my office to better connect with the Durham community.”
In the coming year, Swain also wants the Durham and regional affairs committee to make it easier for students to live off campus by facilitating dialogue between student groups and relevant neighborhood leaders.
“I want to build a good working relationship with student organizations that have a stake in off-campus housing, like [the Panhellenic Association] and [the Interfraternity Council], and really make the transition to living off campus easier for student groups,” Swain said. “This means maybe having programming about what it means to be a good neighbor or just sitting down and talking.”
Junior Ubong Akpaninyie, the current vice president for Durham and regional affairs, said Swain’s familiarity with Durham makes her the strongest candidate for the position.
“She was... very helpful with my vice presidency because she’s very well-connected with city council members and the mayor, and she helped me to develop a relationship with city officials,” Akpaninyie said. “I think she has a really good vision for next year.”
Along with the support of Akpaninyie, Swain has also secured the endorsement of Mayor Bill Bell, currently serving his fifth term in office. In an open letter, Bell said Swain had expressed her goals to him, and he recommended her candidacy.
“I feel very confident in Alexandra’s abilities to lead the [Durham and regional affairs committee] to realize these goals for the benefit of Duke University and [the] City of Durham if elected to be vice president,” Bell wrote.
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