Duke Student Government presidential candidate Tara Singh aims to improve on-campus quality of life for all students, develop strong connections with student organizations and increase DSG efficiency and transparency.
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Singh is a junior majoring in cultural anthropology and political science who has “always had a really strong affinity for human-centered … project work.” On campus, she serves as president of Keohane Quad Council and vice president of campus life for DSG.
Singh has been involved in DSG since her sophomore year, first holding the position of director of residential experience and policy. This experience, she said, “really taught [her] how to advocate for students.” This academic year, Singh serves as the vice president of the campus life committee, an experience which she said has taught her “how to be unafraid to hold administrators accountable.”
Her campaign is split into three pillars, which she dubbed her “ABCs”: advocacy, belonging and connection.
Singh noted that her “advocacy” pillar is grounded in “tangible” and “attainable” goals that aim to “increase equitable resources” and create “quality of life changes” for students.
She identified institutionalizing airport transportation to cover all academic breaks as one of her main goals. This year, Singh helped launch a free transit service to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which she envisioned as a means to reduce the “financial strain” and “undue burden” felt by low-income, international and visiting Duke Kunshan University students.
Additionally, Singh said she plans to “rebuild trust” with disaffiliated student groups by creating a specialized committee to oversee the integration of selective living groups within the QuadEx framework. She also seeks to revive the committee on off-campus social life to “allow students back into the space on off-campus policy.”
Beyond housing and student group relations, Singh is also committed to improving dining accessibility by expanding resident assistant food plans. Through a DSG investigation, Singh and her committee found that RAs — who are disproportionately first-generation and low-income students — were largely dissatisfied with the current meal plan, which is smaller than the lowest upperclass dining plan.
“I really want to continue that foundational work to expand the RA meal plan because, ultimately, I think food insecurity adds extra stress to already distressed populations,” Singh said. “… No Duke student should have to experience going hungry.”
Her second pillar, “belonging,” is about “encouraging Duke students to use their voices.” Singh described her platform as being “student-centered,” as “DSG is all about people, and it's about the people we represent.”
To incorporate student input in discussions about QuadEx, Singh plans to revive the QuadEx Advisory Board, noting that she thinks “QuadEx has the potential to be a cornerstone of Duke life” but that to achieve that goal, the effort must be “student-led.”
Singh has been heavily involved in the “expansion of social life,” particularly through organizing social events, such as the Central Campus tent parties. This year, she advocated for lower booking prices for student organizations and coordinated bus transportation for students.
“I do think it’s really critical to provide safe avenues to allow affiliated and disaffiliated Greek life orgs and SLGs to liaison with Duke and also host open social events on campus,” Singh said. “… I don’t think that [students] should have to choose between being a Duke student or being a member of their org.”
Singh also plans to launch “intentional collaboration and outreach” with multicultural organizations to streamline the event planning process and better fund cultural heritage programming.
Her “connection” pillar primarily focuses on encouraging transparency and efficiency within DSG. She plans to publish regular information on DSG’s new website and write “Letters from the President” to the student body.
Internally, she hopes to revive the internal DSG research unit — requiring senators to conduct a data-driven needs assessment before drafting a full-length project proposal — to ensure that such initiatives are truly centered around meeting the needs of the students.
“I don’t think that policymaking should be left to Duke Student Government,” Singh said. “I don’t want us to be this body that people think is out of touch,” noting that she hopes to return to the DSG tradition of co-authoring proposals with student organizations.
Professor of Cultural Anthropology Lee Baker has known Singh since her first semester at Duke, when she was a student in his Focus program. He has continued to work with her through his position as Faculty Fellow of Keohane Quad, where he has seen her demonstrate “radical empathy” firsthand.
“She’s been a real leader of making community out of very, very disparate groups of people that … only share real estate,” he said.
Senior Jax Nalley, DSG chief of staff, has worked alongside Singh in DSG for the past year, where they both served on the cabinet and worked together on the airport transit initiative. He described her as being a “hands-on” leader who is willing to engage personally with her projects.
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Nalley also noted that Singh’s wealth of experiences outside of DSG makes her uniquely positioned to drive change and reconsider “the way that DSG has done things.”
Drawing on her Quad Council and former DSG experience, Singh noted that she wants to “create policy that endures.”
“I think [Duke students] deserve … reliable and consistent leadership,” she said. “We deserve leadership that is visible, and we deserve leadership that won’t quit and that will advocate for students.”
Kate Haver is a Trinity sophomore and a university news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.