Integrity and Honor in Public Service with Mayor Steve Schewel

On Tuesday, March 27, the Duke Honor Council had the pleasure of hosting Durham Mayor Steve Schewel for our annual Integrity Week. He delivered personal remarks concerning integrity and ethics in the public service sphere and about the role of honor in both his campaigns and his work. Schewel's professional involvement includes work as the president of The Independent Weekly and as a visiting assistant professor for the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Schewel defeated Farad Ali in the general election for mayor of Durham in 2017.

The focus of his conversation dealt with the importance of individuality and purposeful involvement in groups. Relating to his personal life, Mayor Schewel emphasized to students and the Durham community at large in the audience about the value of joining organizations that tackle material change and being selective about which groups to join. While the choice may be difficult in the moment, attaining the diversity in thought through external organizations are often the most important decisions one can make over the course of a lifetime. Moreover, he led a discussion on the role of flexibility in ideology and how core values ought to influence any action one takes, whether it be academic or in the community beyond. He concluded with an open forum for questions and outsides considerations from the audience.