Junior Strat Waldt will apply a diverse perspective to student leadership given his involvement in various campus organizations.
Waldt, Duke Student Government senator for residential life and dining, said that his biggest goal as a candidate for DSG president is to change the way students interact with the administration. He wants to facilitate a quicker administrative response to student dissent in the future.
“At least since I’ve been here, the administration has taken a much more paternalistic stance in policy,” he said. “Two examples that stick out in my mind are Tailgate and the new house model.... [The administration] did not actively seek out student input, and when that happens, it is DSG’s job to ensure that [input] is presented.”
Waldt said he wants to improve student representation in DSG by fostering more direct interaction between the more than 80 houses under the house model and DSG senators. In an effort to improve DSG’s interaction with the student body, Waldt also plans to create a forum through which all student groups can meet to hear the DSG agenda for the year.
As a Durham resident for the past seven years, Waldt added that he understands Duke as a part of the Durham community.
Waldt noted that his diverse experiences at Duke, including his involvement in Army ROTC and the entrepreneurship-focused selective living group InCube, set him apart from the other presidential candidates.
“I’ve had more hands-on involvement in different aspects of the University as opposed to just legislation and administration,” he said.
Waldt said he also wants to improve avenues for student advocacy by working with the Duke Activist Mentoring Network, which aims to share knowledge about organizing and effecting change.
“There’s a real learning curve with students getting involved on campus,” he said. “Shortening this learning curve… could be incredibly powerful.”
Senior David Piech, a fellow member of InCube, said Waldt’s ability to advocate for the interests of a wide array of student groups would enhance his capacity to lead the student body.
“The first thing that strikes me about Strat is his vision and his ability to get other people excited about that,” Piech said. “He will definitely be someone to gather all the information, come up with a decision and, more importantly, actually make things happen because he’ll inspire people.”
Waldt’s reliability distinguishes him as a leader, noted senior Yangyang Guo, president of Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity, of which Waldt is a member
“[Waldt] is always willing to step up… and volunteer to get stuff done,” Guo said. “If Strat is putting his name on it, then you don’t need to worry about it.”
Regardless of the election results, Waldt said he will go into DSG well-informed about student issues next year.
“The one thing I want to do is leave this school knowing it is better for me having been here,” he said.
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