Duke Student Government senators met Wednesday to approve over $30,000 in Student Organization Funding Committee and Operational Capital Fund funding, discuss Democracy Day and consider proposed guidelines for off-campus events and gatherings.
Committee updates
Junior Mariam Gulamhusein, vice president of the services and sustainability committee, discussed continued efforts to create additional study spaces on both East and West Campus. The committee is also collaborating with the campus life committee to tackle food and food point insecurity on campus, and has also started a project regarding biking safety.
Senior Alessandro Dal Bon, vice president of the academic affairs committee, gave updates on an effort to potentially expand access to the Blue Devil Buddies and Blue Devil Bridges programs.
A representative from equity and outreach gave updates on the committee’s work with Progress Period, as talks have begun with leadership in Keohane Quad to gauge how students would feel about increased access to menstrual products.
Sophomore Angela Chen, a senator in the campus life committee, gave updates regarding the continued push to expand health care access on East Campus via health care vending machines. In addition, the campus life committee is looking for dance and art groups to perform during Democracy Day, an event which encourages students to vote.
Chen also announced that the committee is planning to transition their initiative to install more water fountains into a multi-year project, as they spoke with quad councils and “realized that a long-term solution would be better.”
In collaboration with the Durham and community affairs committee, the campus life committee has met with Elinor Landess, assistant dean of students and director of off campus and community life, to bring a new “party safe” initiative on campus. This new program, which draws inspiration from a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill program of a similar name, would set new guidance for off-campus events and gatherings with the intent of bolstering safety and reducing disruptions to Durham residents.
A survey will also be sent out regarding when students are traveling home for Thanksgiving to help prepare for plans to support transportation between Duke and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
In other business
Senators voted to approve $3,000 in funding for United in Praise’s Fall Concert on Oct. 19 to fund musician accompaniments, $2,240 for Stargazing Devils Astronomy Club’s Observatory Open House on Oct. 5 to cover catering costs and $2,305 of the requested $2,415 for the Black Student Alliance’s Breast Cancer Awareness Event on Oct. 5 to cover catering and event supply costs.
Funding for OCF was also discussed at today’s meeting. The OCF gives grants to clubs with selective membership for closed-door events. Senators were unable to discuss the full list of OCF funding during the meeting due to a large influx of requests for the semester.
Senators also voted to grant $1,665 to Ballet and Books to fund transportation costs, uniforms, equipment and books, $7,575 out of a requested $12,000 for the Duke Society of Women Engineers to cover transportation and lodging costs for 12 of their 40 members for one conference, $6,500 for Duke AERO to cover travel and equipment costs, $2,000 for Pureun for space rentals, $2,049.32 to the Duke Birding Club to travel to the Duke Marine Lab and lodging,
$5,150 out of $8,300 to Duke Cyber to cover travel and lodging costs for their cybersecurity challenge and $2,160 to Duke Robotics and Diving to fund a “Barracuda” underwater rover.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Jeremiah Fang is a Trinity junior and a staff reporter for the news department.