The 31 new at-large senators were sworn into office at the Wednesday night meeting of Duke Student Government.
The group—comprised of representatives from all grade levels—was selected through an application process to fill openings in the Senate. Chief Justice Daniel Strunk, a senior, officiated the swearing in, reading that all senators must “preserve, protect and defend” the constitution of DSG.
The executive board spent 13 hours discussing the at-large applications over the weekend, President Stefani Jones, a senior, said.
"I am really excited about having the whole Senate together," said Executive Vice President Nikolai Doytchinov, a junior.
He added that there were more than 55 applicants, and those were accepted are extremely qualified.
New members of the Student Organization Finance Committee and the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee were also accepted into their new position by unanimous consent.
Junior Derek Rhodes, vice president for Durham and regional affairs, announced that this week is “Durham Save the Arts Week.” He encouraged all students to attend the events that are going on throughout the city.
Sophomore Lavanya Sunder, vice president for services, announced that the Food Factory on Central Campus is now officially serving breakfast.
The final Game Day Event of the year is taking place this Saturday as part of Homecoming Weekend, senior Leilani Doktor, vice president of social culture, announced.
The Senate approved $3,750 from its programming fund to cover an event hosted by the Duke Culture Initiative—a speech and follow-up discussion lead by Ted Bunch.
Bunch is the co-author of “A Call to Men,” and will discuss the issues of gender violence on and beyond campus Nov. 15, said junior Joyce Lau, chair of the Student Organization Finance Committee.
Senior Jacob Tobia, vice president for equity and outreach, said that there will be a vote on the DukeOpen Campaign at the Oct. 5 Board of Trustees meeting. DukeOpen is a student coalition that aims to increase the transparency of the University's endowment.
The Senate voted to recognize the group The Black Men's Union. The group has unofficially existed for over a year, Lau said.
She added that the group discusses the specific issues of being black men on campus.
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