DSG committees present ongoing projects at Senate meeting

The Duke Student Government Senate heard from the DSG Research Unit and different committees about the current projects at its Wednesday meeting. 

The Senate received input from senior Katie Orlin about DSG projects’ objectives and researching methods. These projects include Food Insecurity, which focuses on the impacts of financial aid and COVID-19 on food insecurity among the Duke students, Residential Life & Housing, which addresses first-years who live on West Campus concerns about connecting with their peers, and Sustainability on Campus, which aims to raise awareness about Duke Dining’s existing sustainable practices. 

The Senate also heard project reports from multiple committees. The Durham and Community Affairs committee, led by senior Aly Diaz, vice president for Durham and Community Affairs, presented projects that connected Duke students with Durham residents. Notable initiatives include the DCA Website Project, which advocates for a website that highlights local restaurants around Durham, the Students in Durham: Mural Passports project, to encourage students who stayed at Duke over winter break to learn about Durham history, and the Duke-Durham Initiative Project, which pairs Duke students with Durham public high school to help high school students work on their college applications.

Other projects are the Durham Public Schools Bilingual Tutoring and Translation Service, Know Your Rights First-Year Orientation Addition and Alleviating Food Insecurity in Durham. 

The Senate also heard from the Equity and Outreach Committee, led by junior Christina Wang, vice president for equity and outreach. Some of the projects include increasing diversity in DSG, helping incoming students prepare for college, creating a document to include resources about diversity and activism, and creating more venues for fresh produce on campus. 

Others are the Comprehensive Sexual Health Resource Guide, a YouTube series about diversity at Duke, anti-racism first-year orientation-week sessions, online diversity engagement, a hotline to improve diversity in mental health resources, improving bus service and vans, improving professors’ awareness of mental illnesses, a gender violence awareness vigil and a Student Advocate’s Office to provide support for students who are going through institutional processes with the Duke. 

Finally, the Senate heard from the Services and Sustainability Committee, led by junior senator Vice President Zac Johnson. The projects include the Information Accessibility project, a “Being Not-Rich @ Duke” guide, improving dining sustainability, and a COVID-19 response guide for students.