JSU endorses Tara Bansal for DSG president, Ilana Weisman for EVP

The Jewish Student Union is excited to endorse Tara Bansal for President and Ilana Weisman for Executive Vice President of Duke Student Government.

Of the three candidates for President, Tara demonstrated the most intimate knowledge of the Duke administration and a desire to see the students on campus connect with each other on an institutional and individual level. While Annie Adair and John Guarco have great track records in DSG, Tara demonstrated the most efficacious leadership through her work in the organization. As a cultural group, we appreciated Tara’s call for inclusivity and diversity training for future Duke students via the Duke 101 program. We also applaud her efforts to increase funding for and awareness of cultural events around campus, especially those funded by SOFC as open events, in order to augment involvement in those groups. This extends to the current surplus in DSG funding, which Tara explained, and we agreed, should be put to long-term use for the university and not for “fads” that only offer short-term good. Finally, we valued Tara’s vision for residential life on campus to make housing requirements agreeable for both students and administrators.

Though John Turanchik showed enthusiasm for the position and displayed a track record of success as a former senator, Ilana Weisman demonstrated a more nuanced understanding of the requirements of the position of Executive Vice President. Her extensive knowledge of parliamentary procedure and efficiency in conducting her own Senate committee meetings will help in streamlining the bureaucracy already present in the organization. She is also a committed supporter of diversity within the Senate and hopes to open positions to students outside the DSG “bubble” in order to build a more inclusive and transparent organization.

We are proud to support Tara and Ilana, two exemplary candidates for Duke Student Government.

Danielle Lefland, Trinity ‘16

President, Jewish Student Union