Endorsement Period

The Endorsement Period is a critical component of an application. In this phase, every applicant will meet with other students, share their personal stories and insights, and try to secure as many endorsements as possible. Any active DKU student may submit an endorsement for applicants. Each student may endorse up to 1 pair of Co-Chairs and 20 board members.

The number of endorsements secured is crucial for determining whether you will advance to the next phase, and for the holistic evaluation of your application.

A. Engagement Windows

Each applicant will be provided a few official engagement windows organized by the Office of Student Experience to meet with fellow students, including but not limited to: Speaking Event/Applicant Forum, Tabling Event for all applicants, and an applicant profile on the website. You are strongly encouraged to attend all official engagement windows organized by OSE.

All students will have a profile and statement listed on the Student Leaders Board website, and the Office of Student Experience will create digital signage for display on campus screens to show applicant names throughout the endorsement period.

You may also engage with fellow students on your own, including but not limited to: talking/texting with your friends/classmates, posting on your social media, making announcements in a student organization, organizing your own events, etc.

B. Guidelines

As a potential student leader on the Board, all applicants should approach this process with the highest standards of respect and professionalism toward peers, faculty and staff on our campus. Please use your best judgement in designing your messages and engagement activities.

Do:

Do seek permission. If you are making a presentation in a student organization, please seek the approval of the leader. If you are posting your content in any group chat, please seek the approval of the owner of the chat.
Do be mindful of your impact to the surrounding community, including the noise, frequency of your posting, language use.
Do be thoughtful and creative in reaching out to student peers.

Don’t:

Don’t use paid services or advertisements. The endorsement period should not involve any financial expense.
Don’t print or distribute paper advertisements.
Don’t post your content in any official chats managed by the University, including but not limited to the group chats of each class.
Don’t send unsolicited bulk email or use academic platforms for endorsement purposes.
Don’t interfere with other students’ outreach efforts.
Don’t tamper or interfere with any student’s right to make their own decisions, such as asking or requiring proof of endorsement, or coercing or using incentives to induce a student to make an endorsement.
Don’t reach out to faculty or staff for their endorsements, or use their office spaces or resources to conduct engagement activities.
Don’t be disruptive towards the academic life of the University.
Don’t leverage Board funding or resources for your own outreach efforts.
Don’t individually submit or try to post digital signage on campus screens.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list; applicants are expected to conduct themselves to the highest standards fitting of a student leader on campus.

C. Concerns

Any member of the DKU community may issue a concern form regarding an applicant for a behavior that they deem as inappropriate. Such reports must be submitted by the concern form deadline.

Any concern forms submitted by a member of the DKU community will be reviewed by the Annual Selection Committee.

The following behaviors, once confirmed, will lead to disqualification of the application: Endorsement fraud; Harassment of students in pursuit of endorsements; Bribing any student or groups of students, or members of the Selection Committee with the intent of securing endorsements or advantages; attempting to alter or access the endorsement system to manipulate results; failure to attend mandatory applicant meetings and makeup meetings.

Other disqualifications are at the discretion of the committee.