Diya endorses Swain for DSG president

As Duke Diya’s Executive Board interviewed the candidates for DSG president, we found that each candidate brought a unique perspective. Chris Brown was deeply aware of the disconnect between DSG and the broader student body, and his approach was rooted in opening communication between DSG and the students. Strat Waldt stressed the importance of making the student body more aware of the multiculturalism of Duke.

Alex Swain, however, distinguished herself by describing her wide range of experiences both within DSG and outside of DSG, and by articulating concrete ways to better support student organizations like Diya. For example, she highlighted the challenges student groups face when applying for funding from SOFC, and said that she could have SOFC send more complete feedback to student groups about why they were denied funding in order to allow groups to better understand the system and guidelines. She also showed that she was attuned to the desires of student groups to have a stronger and more accessible connection to Durham—an ongoing concern for Diya, whose annual Awaaz cultural show seeks to highlight and donate proceeds to a Durham-based organization. To improve access to service sites within Durham, she suggested purchasing a bus or van that student groups could reserve to transport volunteers, an idea which we found to be innovative and helpful to many student groups. Overall, it seemed that Alex had the leadership and organizational experience to understand how to maneuver through the power structure of both DSG and the University, while implementing constructive change.

Thus, Diya is happy to announce its endorsement of Alex Swain for DSG president. We encourage all students to vote, wish all the candidates the best of luck, and look forward to the election’s results.

Tara Iyengar, Trinity ’13

Co-President of External Affairs, Duke Diya