Warding off the monster

Good news, folks. We have all escaped from the frightening and blood-sucking monster known as the economic crisis. This monster cannot even think of poking his nose in this magical place called Duke, where it is warded off by careful financial planning, budgeting and possibly even protective spells.

Of course, keeping the monster out of our grounds is no easy task. In fact, countless hours are spent poring over each and every dollar that is in the annual budget, dividing funds to cover three crucial areas of the University’s development: academic programs, renovations of infrastructure and most importantly, state-of-the art lounging materials.

So how does a top-tier institution such as ours successfully allocate funds to the most deserving sources? To start off, the University seems to be diligent about trying to remove useless expenditures. For instance, when ordering Jimmy John’s for lunch last week, I handed the delivery guy my DukeCard and, with a friendly grin, told him I’d like to pay with food points. I was met with cackles of laughter by said delivery guy, who instead took my flex points and speedily drove away. At first, I was frustrated by this new development, but soon realized it was part of a complex budgeting strategy of which I had little knowledge. Of course, other students were not particularly enthusiastic. Some protested. There may have even been a sign that read “Sigma Sigma Jimmy refuses to stand for Subway.”

And so, after much discussion, the Merchants on Points program was reinstated. But this move is OK, according to Duke, who decided the program was not really a financial burden after all, but an issue of antisocial “student culture.”

Other budgeting decisions, however, seem to have shown actual results. The other day I was walking around Wannamaker searching for a place to R&R when out of nowhere I saw gliders readily available for my sitting and sliding needs! Unlike our careful budgeters, I would have never thought of spending university funding on these wonderful things. I likely would have wasted it on unnecessary luxuries, like plumbing repairs for those residents who would rather not have their ceilings crash down on top of them during heavy thunderstorms.

But our financial initiatives are not limited to purchasing stylish outdoor furniture—Duke prides itself on helping the environment through a series of measures directed towards beautifying the campus landscape. These measures not only preserve the environment, but help boost its self-confidence a little, too. What would this campus be without the dozens of roses sitting on the entrance of Chapel Drive, or the cheerful tulips that bloom each spring, only to be trampled on by anxious students as they rush to Perkins during finals week?

Even freshman year, I noticed the signs of Duke’s careful spending on my first trip to the Link. Not only is this place the coolest basement in America, but upon entering the study area students are almost immediately greeted with—hey! What’s that? Are those fish? Hundreds of fish swimming across what appear to be dozens of computer screens! Yes, this virtual aquarium is a unique selling point on campus tours. In fact, no other university probably invests this much time and effort into providing momentary comfort and a source of distraction to frustrated students who are wandering around down there trying to find their computer science T.A.

These renovations are clear examples of the University’s improving financial state, something President Richard Brodhead himself addressed in an email he sent to Duke University employees on March 28 of this year. During what was then a reviving financial market, President Brodhead reflected on the success of the University’s reductions in spending and hailed the “self-discipline of the past two years.”

Sony Rao is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.