Vote Swain for president

Tomorrow, students will be electing the next president of Duke Student Government. Although each of the candidates boasts an impressive resume and offers a unique perspective on how best to serve the student body, one contender stands above the rest. Junior Alex Swain, DSG vice president for Durham and regional affairs, has the experience, resolution and knowledge necessary to lead and improve DSG, and we strongly endorse her candidacy for president.

During her three years serving in DSG, Swain has demonstrated her capacity to identify the issues that resonate with students and utilize student input to craft effective policy. Her work on the house model survey reflects a commitment to expanded student engagement, and her efforts to bring an early voting site to Duke this Spring indicate an ability to translate students’ desires into action. As a Durham native and a member of numerous different campus communities, Swain will bring a wide range of perspectives to the office. She wields considerable knowledge about the new house model and has served on two committees related to its development and implementation. Her knowledge in this area will be invaluable in the house model’s inaugural year, and the targeted managerial style she has developed working on these issues will carry over well to the presidency.

Comprehensive and ambitious, Swain’s platform reveals a commitment to greater student participation in the DSG decision-making process. She promises to expand the openness of DSG proceedings and has outlined concrete steps toward that goal. Her personal qualities are also outstanding. We feel that Swain’s confidence, integrity and genuine passion will allow her to realize her objectives of greater student engagement and more effective advocacy.

Although junior Chris Brown, external chief of staff for DSG, has considerable experience in DSG, his work over the past year has produced neither the quality nor the quantity of policy outcomes achieved by Swain. It remains unclear how much influence Brown had in implementing some of the policies for which he takes credit. Based on his record and platform, we question Brown’s ability to integrate student input into DSG decisions and fear that he may privilege warm relations with the administration over expanded student engagement. His vision of the DSG president as proactive and action-oriented is certainly appealing, but it does not differ considerably from Swain’s. Indeed, Swain has proven to be a more effective and responsive leader than Brown, and she would make a better president.

Junior Strat Waldt, DSG senator for residential life and dining, is congenial and smart, but he lacks the requisite knowledge, experience and leadership skills for the office. Exhuming the long-dead debate over Tailgate, Waldt’s platform attempts to tap into waning student furor related to administrative opacity and paternalism. He substitutes rhetoric for content and lacks the background to corroborate his policy positions. Moreover, his kindness strays into the realm of timidity, and his unassuming demeanor may prevent him from garnering the respect needed to govern effectively.

Commanding a depth of knowledge and managerial skills suited for effective action, Swain promises to make a skilled and efficacious president. She can marshal her already considerable experience to improve DSG’s ability to represent undergraduates, and we encourage students to vote for her Thursday.

Rewa Choudhary, Divya Taneja and Christopher Tweed-Kent recused themselves from this editorial for personal ties.