Senators held a brief moderated caucus to discuss their opinions on the future of selective living groups under QuadEx during their Wednesday meeting.
“Some SLGs got their funds directly from [administration], and some got it from us depending on their own definition,” said DSG Executive Vice President Ramya Ginjupalli, a junior. “They’re basically coming to us like any other club or organization.”
The goal of the conversation was to define how DSG would define and treat SLGs after they no longer have residential spaces.
“Obviously, they won’t have a living component anymore, but the question up to us is whether or not we want them to continue to be groups in some fashion and what sort of restrictions we put on these kinds of groups.” said Matthew Ralph, a senior and vice president of equity and outreach.
During the caucus, senators discussed the value of QuadEx and SLGs and how both fostered communities in differing ways.
“I am a member of Roundtable [an SLG]–and it’s provided me with a lot of value over the last year, but I’m also a big fan of QuadEx and having people stick together within their quads,” sophomore senator Zoe Tishaev said.
DSG also addressed how to begin conversations with and about SLGs. Senators proposed sending out a survey, conversing with SLG leaders about their values and speaking to students not affiliated with SLGs to better understand their views.
The senators also discussed the DSG-Durham Outing stop series, a bi-weekly project in which Duke undergraduates explore various “stops” or locations in Durham. Senators hope this project “[supports] student engagement with local community members and businesses,” the budgetary statute read.
DSG transferred $1,500 from DSG’s General fund code to DSG’s Pilot Projects fund code for the DSG-Durham Outing’s first stop at Pincho Loco Ice Cream. This would grant five dollars for the activity for up to 300 Duke undergraduates.
The funds will require registration on DukeGroups and may only be used for the activities included in the outing. Undergraduates must also show their DukeCard and Unique ID to get ice cream.
In other business
Senators approved $1,743.60 for Duke American Sign Language’s spring 2022 lessons, $5,428 for DSG’s Duke/Durham Festival, $1,637.89 for Duke University Improv’s DUI & Out of the Blue Joint Show and $5,000 for Duke Mixed Martial Arts’s spring semester practices.
DSG approved junior Hadrian Gonzalez Castellanos as SOFC executive vice-chair.
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Audrey Wang is a Trinity senior and data editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 119.