On Wednesday evenings in a rounded lecture hall reminiscent of a congressional chamber, a crowd of Duke students — many with an eye for decorum and ambitions in the public sector — raise motions and cast votes on behalf of the student body.
These weekly senate meetings offer just a glimpse into Duke Student Government, a body of civic-minded undergraduates whose policy initiatives and funding decisions help shape campus life.
The governing body is independent of the University — meaning its actions are not determined or sanctioned by Duke — though its committees frequently team up with administration to pursue larger projects. It manages a $1 million programming budget, has found itself in the national spotlight for its decisions and administers many services students have come to depend on.
The Chronicle combed through DSG’s founding documents and bylaws to gather everything you need to know about the students wielding the power of the purse on campus.
Executive branch
In many ways, DSG takes inspiration from the U.S. government: It begins with a constitution.
The 16-page document, complete with eight articles and a bill of rights, grants authorities to DSG bodies and enumerates the student rights they must uphold — such as equal protection, due process and freedom of ideology and expression.
The constitution lays out DSG’s top leadership positions. There’s an executive board — featuring the president, executive vice president, chief of staff, speaker of the senate and committee vice presidents — which, among its responsibilities, develops the body’s advocacy agenda and issues executive orders.
DSG also has an organizational leadership team, which includes all members of the executive board except committee vice presidents, also adding the chief financial officer, chief operations officer and chief justice. This team keeps the DSG machine well-oiled, leading strategic planning, managing the budget and evaluating the performance of its projects.
The president is often well known within the student body, making a name for themselves through a University-wide campaign and election in the spring. Once elected, they become the student government’s official representative, tasked with implementing senate policies and student body referenda, supervising committees and administering all DSG business.
If a student wishes to run for president, they must first collect at least 100 undergraduate signatures roughly three weeks prior to the DSG spring election to register their candidacy.
Then, about one week before the election, candidates begin campaigning. The process is governed by strict rules: passing out hot chocolate in Krzyzewskiville is a no-go, as is handing someone an iPad and asking for a vote. Candidates also cannot threaten each other.
The fast-paced campaigns usually entail a flurry of flyers, Instagram posts and tabling on the Bryan Center Plaza and outside of Marketplace. Meanwhile, undergraduate student organizations can endorse a candidate of their choosing.
The presidential hopefuls also participate in a debate. During the discussion, moderated by the DSG attorney general, the candidates take turns answering questions on “topical issues” relevant to Duke undergraduates, which are both submitted by students and crafted with assistance from DSG’s adviser.
The election takes place through an online ranked-choice vote on DukeGroups. The process is enforced by the attorney general and regulated by a board of elections.
DSG’s current president is senior Heather Raslan, a neuroscience major from Burr Ridge, Illinois, who previously led the Blue Devil Buddies program and co-founded the Blue Devil Bridges program. Raslan won a 2,482 ballot ranked-choice election in March 2024, campaigning on a platform that emphasized building collaborative community partnerships, improving DSG’s internal structure and uplifting student voices.
While the DSG president lacks an Oval Office, she does boast a cabinet of advisers. The members of the presidential cabinet are selected by the president and require majority approval in the senate.
Also appearing on the ballot are candidates for executive vice president, the second-highest ranking member in DSG with a policy agenda of their own. This year, it’s senior and North Carolina native Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan, who campaigned with the goal of making DSG more accessible to both students and community partners in Durham.
DSG’s leadership is aided by a University adviser. Currently, that’s Juwan Jacobs, assistant director for student involvement and leadership in Student Affairs.
Senate and committees
Once a week, tucked away in the engineering quad’s Fitzpatrick Building, Schiciano Auditorium buzzes with the chatter of over 50 undergraduate senators. This year, a friendly, resonating voice calls them to order.
It’s Speaker of the Senate Dylan Cawley, a junior. With a casual tone but careful eye for procedure, he walks the senate through the day’s agenda.
The session typically begins with attendance: an occasional obstacle for the senate, which must reach a quorum — a majority of senators — in order to conduct business, such as passing legislation.
Then, a representative from each of five senate committees — typically, the committee’s vice president — delivers updates from the senate floor. They’ll often promise progress on their slate of initiatives or recount conversations they had in a recent meeting with Duke administrators.
There’s the campus life committee, with projects like the new airport transportation initiative or its efforts to improve $5 dining deals and bus schedules. The equity and outreach committee seeks to level the playing field for students, such as by enabling laundry fees to be covered by financial aid or working to support undocumented and low-income students.
The academic affairs committee has organized hurricane relief book drives and created deep connections through the Blue Devil Buddies and Blue Devil Bridges programs. With its gaze on new napping and study spaces on campus, the services and sustainability committee has also planned a new house course on navigating life at Duke.
Finally, the Durham and community affairs committee has partnered with local Durham leaders to host fireside chats and helped organize Democracy Day this fall shortly before Duke set an early voting record.
After the committees deliver their updates, the senate moves on to “old business”: they’ll often nominate candidates, pass along surveys or discuss senate logistics. Then comes “new business,” where senators hear special presentations, review rule amendment proposals or pass Student Organization Finance Committee funding legislation.
The latter can be a heavy task. Often the lion's share of senate meetings is spent deciding on funding allocation proposals for student groups, which senators must pass with a majority vote. By the time this legislation is filtered through DSG’s finance committees, however, it almost always passes.
Senators sometimes motion for a moderated debate to challenge or question the legislation. Still, the student lawmakers have pointed to high trust in the initial vetting process, as well as tight funding timelines, as bolstering an inclination to vote “yes” on funding legislation.
Before the student representatives file out of Schiciano at the end of the night, they enter a public forum and senate forum, a chance for senators to advertise events, make announcements or present awards. Then, they motion to adjourn.
Senators find themselves in Schiciano in one of two ways: They can campaign in fall or spring elections — a process similar to the presidential election but only requiring 25 signatures — or they can apply and interview to be selected as an at-large senator.
Senators may also be elected as a committee vice president, responsible for managing their committee’s agenda and serving as the point of contact with University administration. Committees may also have an associate vice president to support this role.
Unlike student government associations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Northwestern University where senators represent districts based on school, student group or program of study, all DSG senators represent the entire student body.
The weekly senate meetings, held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, can be attended by anyone in the Duke community. However, the senate occasionally enters a closed session to discuss finances or other sensitive topics.
Beyond its weekly responsibilities, the senate also wields the power to allocate all DSG funds, establish temporary committees, repeal executive orders and censure cabinet members.
Finances
Even for those students who may not feel that DSG affects their day-to-day lives, SOFC has likely had an impact on their Duke experience.
Incorporated in DSG’s executive branch, SOFC stands out for its nearly-$1 million piggy bank — the student fund, also known as the activities budget. The budget offers a primary source of funding for many student organizations, though these organizations are not required to receive DSG recognition and can pursue other sources of financial support.
When SOFC takes out its checkbook, the funding comes from one of two sources.
The first is the programming fund, which grants funding requests for events open and free to all Duke undergraduates. To be approved, these requests must adhere to precise guidelines and be explicitly outlined on the funding request form. In the spirit of checks and balances, approvals greater than $1,500 — sometimes referred to as SOFC legislation — require senate approval, which takes place on a weekly basis.
The second is the operational and capital fund, open to both selective and open-membership organizations. Granted on a semester basis, OCF can also fund long-term, reusable items such as furniture and equipment, in addition to student travel expenses and conference registration fees.
SOFC enforces strict policies regarding returning unused funds above $5 and can send auditors at random to events with over 200 guests or requiring over $2,500 in funding.
In spring 2024, when a large influx in requests caused SOFC to slash allocations, some student groups raised concerns that funding was running dry. The cuts followed a spike in closed sessions of the senate — one arising by impromptu vote after a senator questioned the available funding that remained.
Judiciary
Lastly, with the power of subpoena, investigation and discipline comes the DSG judiciary.
With seven justices — including a chief justice, associate chief justice and associate justices — a few clerks and the liaison to the Student Advocacy Office, the highest court of the DSG land is tasked with ensuring that the student government remains constitutional. “Committed to serving, protecting and defending students' rights,” the judiciary can convene trials to settle student-group disputes and address issues arising under the DSG constitution.
Historically, the judiciary has published rulings it deemed “landmark” in an opinion of the court, complete with case law and analysis of constitutional questions raised.
Namely, in a 2022 ruling, the court ordered K-Ville line monitors to reinstate the position of a tent group who missed a tent check, citing an inadequate accessibility policy. A 2020 decision found an attorney general in violation of the constitution and election bylaws for failing to notify students seven days prior to a referendum. Following a 2018 decision, the judiciary found a section of the election rules and procedures to be unconstitutional for violating the principle of freedom of expression.
The court has not released an opinion on its website since 2022.
Any undergraduate student is eligible to become a justice through an application process handled by the senate judiciary committee, which is also responsible for reappointing sitting justices.
The most recent judiciary bylaws published by DSG are from 2021.
Student governance beyond DSG
DSG is not the University’s lone governing student body.
Undergraduates in the Pratt School of Engineering are also represented by the Engineering Student Government. Unaffiliated with DSG, ESG runs community events including E-Ball and E-Picnic, organizes the Experiential Orientation group Project Edge, provides funding for engineering-focused clubs and communicates student interests to University administration.
Students in Duke’s nine graduate and professional schools are represented by Duke Graduate and Professional Student Government. Beyond offering programming, funding and advocacy for its constituent students, GPSG serves as a liaison to the University and emphasizes outreach and service through initiatives like the Community Pantry.
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Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.