Duke Democrats has chosen to endorse Stefani Jones for president of Duke Student Government. She would bring extensive experience in DSG, good working relationships with administrators and experience in Duke’s activist community to the position.
Patrick Oathout is also a qualified and enthusiastic candidate. However, Stefani demonstrates deeper knowledge of current voting issues on campus, and her plan to confront voter apathy and voting challenges on campus is superior. We also prefer her strategy to foster activism at Duke by expanding the Duke Activist Mentoring Network, an initiative that stalled last year and that should be revitalized. Patrick’s claims that Stefani would have an “adversarial” relationship with the Duke administration seem to be unfounded; her numerous accomplishments include working with the administration to end the statute of limitations on sexual assault. Stefani’s leadership and enthusiasm will ensure that her presidency is a success.
Either Nikolai Doytchinov or Tre’ Scott* would make a great executive vice president. Nikolai has well developed plans for leading the DSG Senate, and he would bring great technical and organization skill to the position. Tre’ would be a charismatic face for DSG; he also advocates for connecting more students to Durham, an initiative we support. Nikolai and Tre’ bring different experiences and expertise to the table but both are competent and enthusiastic.
David Winegar, Trinity ’15
Co-president, Duke Democrats
Editor’s Note: Tre’ Scott has dropped out of the DSG executive vice president election. Endorsement letters submitted before this update have been left in their original form.
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