DUSDAC tours West Union
From Cornell to Duke
The committee saw the full facility as its summer opening draws nearer | Page 2
Graduate transfers Kellen Urbon and Brian McAfee have stood out on the mound | Sports Page 4
The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 111
DSG Judiciary hears suits about yearbook funding, PASH center
Kristen Shortley | The Chronicle The DSG Judiciary heard two cases Monday night, one about a presidential veto of $20,000 of student yearbook funding and one about the new PASH sexual health center that would allocate funding for sexual pleasure items.
Likhitha Butchireddygari The Chronicle After a series of vetoes and rescinded vetoes, the Duke Student Government Judiciary decided to release its decisions about two cases by noon Tuesday. Petitioners Executive Vice President John Guarco, a junior, and junior Tanner Lockhead, vice president for Durham and regional affairs, argued that DSG President Keizra Mecklai acted unconstitutionally in vetoing $20,000 of funding for the Chanticleer, Duke’s
student yearbook. The Judiciary also heard a case brought by junior Ilana Weisman, vice president for equity and outreach, and several other senators Sunday about the funding allocation for the Peer Advocacy for Sexual Health center that was modified during last week’s senate meeting. Following deliberations, the Judiciary dismissed the suit against Mecklai, a senior, as a whole because she had issued another veto earlier in the day to reject the entire annual budget, which would nullify her previous line-item veto of the Chanticleer funding, the central issue of the case.
“The Judiciary has unanimously decided to reject the case Lockhead and Guarco v. Mecklai on grounds of standing, since the most recent presidential veto overrides any previously issued vetoes,” wrote Chief Justice Dana Raphael, a junior, in an email. “Questions regarding the lineitem veto and sufficient justification then need not be answered.” After receiving the Judiciary’s decision, Mecklai rescinded her previous veto of the annual budget and requested that the Judiciary still adjudicate the case. Raphael said that a decision would be available by noon.
The case focused on Guarco’s argument that Mecklai had unconstitutionally rejected a line item of the budget providing $20,000 for the Chanticleer. Mecklai also vetoed a measure that would transfer $20,000 from the surplus fund to the Chanticleer, a veto which was not under litigation and remains in effect. Senior Brian Hopkins, senate president pro tempore, argued on Mecklai’s behalf that the annual budget was made up of budgetary statutes, not line items. Accordingly, he said that the president has See DSG LAWSUITS on Page 8
Penn Pavilion workers to shift positions after closing Neelesh Moorthy The Chronicle Penn Pavilion workers will take on new roles at the University when the revamped West Union opens later this year. The newly-renovated West Union is expected to reopen this Fall, and Penn Pavilion—which was designed as a temporary dining facility during West Union’s construction—will be transformed into a meeting and events space. To help with the transition, Duke has offered current Penn employees the opportunity to work at Marketplace, transfer to another department such as housekeeping or
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facilities management or receive an early retirement package if eligible, said William Minor, a Penn utility worker. Several workers expressed concern over their new positions, though many have chosen to continue working on campus. “They helped us find jobs outside of dining services,” Minor said. “It’s not like they said ‘go and find yourselves your own job.’” Minor explained that workers who initially moved to Penn after the West Union closed for renovations were told by the administration that they would not return to West Union after its completion because their salaries “were too high” and they “made too much money” because
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of their union membership. He said that the workers have contributed to Penn’s profitability and that they deserve to be able to work in West Union. All on-campus food vendors will pay full-time employees who work at least 30 hours a week the Duke minimum wage of $12 an hour by July, Vice President for Administration Kyle Cavanaugh wrote in an email. Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, noted in an email that the rates for those working less than 30 hours a week vary depending on the vendor. Minor explained that many Penn workers’ hours are reduced significantly See PENN on Page 8
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Special to The Chronicle Penn Pavilion will become a meeting and events space when the West Union fully opens.
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