May the elections begin: DSG Senate approves updated president, EVP election rules

Duke Student Government senators approved updated election rules and confirmed a new gender violence prevention and intervention cabinet director at their Wednesday meeting.

DSG Attorney General Nellie Sun, a senior, presented the election rules for the upcoming DSG presidential and executive vice presidential elections. The approved rules include a revised penalty system and a restriction on “soft launching” campaigns before the campaign period officially begins.

To confirm their candidacy, candidates must complete an application on DukeGroups with 100 student signatures collected. The application opens at 12 p.m. on Feb. 2 and will close Feb. 12 at 11:59 p.m. The campaign period will stretch from Feb. 16 to March 2, with voting taking place from 12:00 p.m. on March 1 to 12:00 p.m. on March 2.

Members from the Services and Sustainability and Durham and Community Affairs Committees also shared brief project updates.

Junior Aashna Sawhney, associate vice president for services and sustainability, reported on the Wellness Transportation Project. The project seeks to provide Lyft passes for students to access health and wellness resources off-campus. DSG will be releasing a survey to gauge student need and interest in the project.

Senator Matthew Xu, a first-year, shared progress on finding a storage space for tent supplies that tenters have donated. Senator Katelyn Cai, a first-year, presented on the Durham Fund Project. She and first-year senator Aubteen Pour-Biazar are working to find funding for student groups to plan excursions into Durham.

In other business

Grace Davis, a first-year, was confirmed as the cabinet director for gender equity and violence prevention. Davis, who is replacing junior Sam Sreeram, plans to “implement an app on campus that will allow students to access resources.” 

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