DPU Young Trustee endorsement

In every Young Trustee election, Duke is blessed with a number of supremely qualified candidates – and that certainly held true this year. In light of her numerous achievements on Engineering Student Government and the Academic Action Committee, however, Anna Knight struck the members of Duke Political Union as particularly suited to this important role.

Key to our decision was Anna’s background in the Pratt and Panhellenic communities, unusual among Young Trustee candidates. In light of this background, we believe that Anna presents an ideal opportunity to voice fresh perspectives on the Board of Trustees, and better represent the spectrum of the Duke community. It is well past time, moreover, that Duke elect a Young Trustee who will remain on campus, and available to hear from students every day, for the entirety of his or her three-year tenure. Ultimately, sustaining this sort of ongoing engagement here at Duke is DPU’s primary objective—and one to which Anna demonstrated a heartfelt commitment.

While DPU strongly commends the different visions for Duke that David and Nikolai presented, Anna’s ideas impressed us with their breadth and practicability. This was, as we say, a very difficult choice. But we are confident that Anna will bring the same enthusiasm and competence, which she has consistently demonstrated during her time here, to the work of representing the student body on the Board of Trustees. For this reason, DPU is pleased and excited to endorse Anna Knight for Young Trustee, 2015.

Pi Praveen, President, recused herself from the endorsement process because of a conflict of interest.