The only slightly obnoxious call by members of Duke University’s Project Waves soon morphs into a relatively simple question for many of the other first-years.
“You participated in ‘P-What?’”
The “P” of course stands for “Project” and the word following it might include Arts, BUILD, Change, Search, Waves or WILD. Most of them (Arts, Change, Search and Waves) simply sum up the major feature of their respective program. P-WILD and P-BUILD get only slightly more elaborate and are actually acronyms for “Wilderness Initiatives for Learning at Duke” and “Building Undergraduate Involvement in the Life of Durham.”
Either way, by Orientation Week, those first-years who did not participate begin to wonder what they might have missed the week before.
Pre-orientation programs represent the beginning of many students’ four-year long journeys at Duke. These paths are made up of so many simple parts intricately woven together with the result of thousands of different possible combinations. The beginning (in this case, a pre-orientation program) is so crucial for deciding which path a student will end up taking.
In my instance, the answer to the question “P-What?” is “BUILD.” After all, in discussing the intricacies of how students perceive campus organizations, it helps to have a baseline.
For me, P-BUILD serves as a model for authenticity at Duke and captures the heart of what should make Duke great. It helps to shatter any preconceived notions about Duke. It celebrates the uniqueness of each student’s journey, while still preparing them for their future at Duke.
From its very organizational structure, P-BUILD is set up purposefully to promote diversity of opinions and reject certain assumptions. The P-BUILD Administration Team, six juniors, selects 48 crew leaders from previous participants who apply. Subsequently these 48 crew leaders are placed in trios, each trio leading a group of five first-years.
There are only two mandatory prerequisites for being a crew leader. An individual must have previously participated in P-BUILD (though this isn’t the case for all programs) and a junior individual can’t go abroad (though this also isn’t the case for all programs)or have conflicts with P-BUILD. Beyond that the P-BUILD Administration Team is able to select and pair students who come from many organizational backgrounds and represent the different paths available at Duke.
As a result, P-BUILD helps first-years enter Duke with a “tabula rasa.” Open to any and all of the possibilities Duke has to offer.
I might agree with the statement that all pre-orientation programs seek to help students enter Duke with an open mind.
In my experience, though admittedly not totally encompassing, P-BUILD especially defines itself not by what it does but by what it is.
P-BUILD not only promotes community service in Durham but also promotes individuality among its participants. Each night an individual gets the opportunity to share their “interview” or life-story, which is a common characteristic of some other pre-orientation programs as well. No participant is ever forced but each is invited to engage in this tradition.
The process of sharing one’s story, even the years before Duke, allows for the respect of an individual’s uniqueness and reminds all students that Duke is only four years out of a much larger personal journey.
P-BUILD establishes that conformity is not necessary for college. A student can in fact interact with others while still being their own person. Someone can truly be themselves and nothing more.
Moreover, this validation and reflection is shared with seven other fellow students. Through sharing and most importantly listening, students are better equipped to develop empathy, a quality that I feel is missing amongst most campus organizations.
The friendships made here are healthier because they are built on this authenticity and trust. The connections to other campus organizations become more genuine. Students enter college happier because they feel more comfortable being themselves.
I would be remiss to say that no form of conformity exists within Duke’s P-BUILD. Life does go on after P-BUILD and eager first-years will eventually begin to join different communities each with their own associations. The very inclusion of upperclassmen leaders means that, to some extent, first-years will develop certain assumptions about student life.
But, for one week, individuals from all different walks of campus life and first years still untainted by the expectations inherent at Duke get to celebrate their personal journeys.
This experience is the beauty of BUILD.
In our overall campus journey, pre-orientation programs take on a greater significance. Currently, close to 30 percent of first-years apply to pre-orientation programs and the number of people who end up participating would only continue to rise without an administrative cap. Furthermore, given the general openness and authenticity that most pre-orientations promote only one question remains.
How can other campus organizations so quickly promote conformity and alter the perceptions and paths of first-years?
George Mellgard is a Trinity senior. His column, “esse quam videri,” will run on alternate Wednesdays.
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