Baldwin Scholars endorses Bansal, Weisman

The Baldwin Scholars had the opportunity to hear from all three DSG Presidential candidates and the two DSG EVP candidates this past Thursday. After considering the platforms and experience of each candidate, the Baldwin Scholars are pleased to announce that we formally endorse Tara Bansal for DSG President and Ilana Weisman for DSG EVP.

During her time serving as Vice President of Academic Affairs, Tara went above and beyond our expectations with the contributions she made to the university. Establishing Living-Learning Communities as an alternative to Greek Life, making The New York Times subscription accessible to all students, and working to create a cultural competency course for first-years were just a few of the incredible steps Tara has taken to create a better Duke. We appreciated Tara’s “values-based vision” approach, in which she will guide DSG to examine the causes of campus issues before jumping to remediate the effects. The Baldwins truly thank candidates John Guarco and Annie Adair for their efforts to eradicate the problem of sexual assault on our campus and increase the availability of resources to women. However, we appreciated Tara’s goal to make Duke more representative of all female students, rather than focusing solely on victims of sexual assault. Tara understands essential concepts, such as intersectional feminism, that need to be incorporated into Duke’s evolving culture and policies. Tara asked the question, “Is a Duke feminism one that represents all women?” We are confident that Tara has the qualifications and the drive to be a phenomenal DSG President, and one who will continue to think critically about campus culture in order to improve the Duke student experience.

The Baldwins were also extremely impressed with Ilana Weisman’s platform for DSG Executive Vice President. Ilana has proven herself to be a strong leader both within and outside of DSG. Her vast experience with project management enables her to transform ideas into policies. Ilana values diversity, inclusivity, and dialogue – all which are reflected in the projects that she brings to life. We are excited for Weisman to take on this role as the first female EVP in 19 years.

Aarti Asrani

Trinity '16