Junior Isaac Mizrahi’s high school principal told him he would know a meeting went well if everyone in attendance left equally unhappy. This is an adage Mizrahi hopes to follow as Duke Student Government president.
If elected, Mizrahi said he will keep this advice in mind while promoting open conversation and remaining attuned to the concerns of the student body. He plans to do this by including members of different student groups in his cabinet and establishing “out-of-office hours” for DSG senators, which would require senators to visit various student forums, meetings and events to gain perspective—something Mizrahi said he possesses.
“I speak from the heart of the students,” he said. “I associate myself with a diverse collection of social groups and cultural groups and get to really understand what Duke students feel with their experience.”
Mizrahi served on DSG as a student affairs senator in 2007 and as president pro-tempore of the Senate in 2008. In Spring 2009, Mizrahi, a then-sophomore, left the University voluntarily to return home to Miami, Fla. for personal reasons. Mizrahi returned in Fall 2009.
In March, Mizrahi was confirmed as a senator on the newly formed Residence Life and Dining committee.
Despite his DSG experience, Mizrahi said he sees himself as immune to the organization’s internal politics.
“I’m a very vocal, impassioned outsider,” he said. “That kind of culture shock into student government will shake things up.”
Mizrahi is running on a platform aimed at increasing DSG outreach and transparency and effecting change in campus culture. He wants to increase DSG consideration of groups and issues, he said, the general student body currently ignores, including Duke’s gender climate, race relations, socioeconomic diversity and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community.
“If [DSG was] attuned with what was going on culturally on campus, then [students would] have a reaction,” Mizrahi said. “The facts are that we’re not. DSG is not, but I can change that.”
Senior Becki Feinglos, who has known Mizrahi since their freshman year, has also worked with him on the Greek Women’s Initiative and participated with him in Common Ground, a program that provides a forum for participants to discuss issues like gender and race.
“He [understands] that issues that affect greek women also affect all women on camps,” she said. “I think he’s very aware and very open to discuss these topics.”
Mizrahi believes DSG should take a stance on timely campus controversies like the Black Student Alliance Invitational weekend, fraternity progressives and Tailgate. In the past, Mizrahi has been active in finding pragmatic solutions to these challenges.
“I was a part of coordinating the tailgate at Shooters [II],” he said. “At that tailgate, we had incredible attendance. We had not one person underage drinking, and we had buses going to and from the game.”
That kind of success, he said, is what students could expect from him as DSG president.
Racial issues also have special significance for Mizrahi. If elected, he would be Duke’s first Latino DSG president.
“That speaks volumes to where we are,” he said. “But at the same time, race seems to be that issue that nobody wants to discuss at Duke, and it’s bothersome because it’s the one that affects us the most.”
Jordan Hale, a program coordinator in the Office of Student Activities and Facilities, was one of Mizrahi’s supervisors while he worked at the Outpost. Hale said some of the personal struggles Mizrahi has faced uniquely prepare him for the presidential position and indicate Mizrahi’s dedication to the University.
“[Taking time off] can be tough for anybody, but he decided to come back,” he said.
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