Members of the Duke community visited students’ off-campus homes as part of the Knock and Talks program this fall instead of Durham police.
Representatives from Duke Student Government, Student Affairs and Duke University Police Department served as the official visitors from the University sent to provide students with tips and resources for off-campus living. Junior Derek Rhodes, DSG vice president for Durham and regional affairs, submitted the proposal to revise the program last September because having Durham police approach students could seem intimidating and intrusive.
Created in the 1980s, the Knock and Talks program is intended to help students acclimate to their new off-campus homes.
“When DSG proposed there be more students involved all of us welcomed that—we saw that as a partnership that would only be beneficial,” said Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
This year, five students, which include DSG representatives and senior Jack Riker, president of the Interfraternity Council, accompanied four Duke University Police Department officers and nine members from Student Affairs on the visits to addresses where students have historically lived. The police officers were on hand to answer questions informally.
In the past, only representatives from the Office of Student Conduct and Durham police officers conducted the visits. The addresses are still acquired from the Office of Student Conduct, as they have been in the past.
“Part of the visit is sharing information about the law and local ordinances… in a non-accusatory way,” Wasiolek said.
In addition to increased student involvement, the visits were more casual and informative and the dates were announced to the students in advance, Rhodes said. Over 20 homes were visited, he added.
In the past, Duke Police only visited 12 to 15 off-campus student residences.
“This year, the group found more students at home than they ever have in the past,” Wasiolek said. “That alone made this year a much more successful one.”
Riker said the program is not only intended to help Duke students but the larger Durham community as well.
“It’s a nice way for neighbors to know that Duke is concerned….that Duke is aware that students do live off campus and that we care about them being good neighbors,” Rhodes said.
Andrew de Donato, a senior living off-campus, said that since many students live in apartment buildings with other students, programs to encourage integration with Durham neighborhoods may be ineffective.
“I don’t think it addresses much of the larger issues between Duke and Durham—our general lack of connectedness,” said de Donato, who was not visited as part of the Knock and Talks program.
Wasiolek said she hopes to expand the reach of the program.
“We want to continue to identify students off campus that we can visit, and make certain that they are home as we come by,” she said.
A potential future change to the program involves getting addresses from students living off-campus themselves instead of from Student Conduct, but acknowledged this presents its own difficulties. When students apply for housing with the University in early Spring, they don’t always know their address for the following semester yet.
The revision process now is about “fine-tuning” rather than “restructuring,” Wasiolek said.
“It’s important for students to know that we hear their concerns, and it is a long process but a worthwhile one,” Rhodes said.
Correction: A previous version of this article said DSG representatives, Jack Riker and a single DUPD officers participated in the visits. However, officials from Student Affairs took part in the program this year as well. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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