Duke students cannot wait to see Goldlink perform on the LDOC this year. Wait, did we say Goldlink? We meant Cardi B.
Yes, Cardi B might be giving Duke students a free concert on LDOC. Duke is one of eight universities left in the Campus Swipe Off Contest, sponsored by Tinder. The contest divides the number of right swipes made by the students on campus by the total student population, and the schools with the highest percentages move on to the next round. The winning university receives a free concert April 25 from Cardi B, the popular rapper best known for her hit single “Bodak Yellow.”
“We’re living in an era where a reality star can be our nation’s president and an 18-time NBA All Star can win an Academy Award—anything can happen,” first-year Grace Jeffrey said. “Cardi B playing a free concert at Duke University seems to be the least strange of those three things.”
Although she said she does not condone Cardi B’s past transphobic and colorist comments, Jeffrey supports the “nonsensical” aspect of the contest. Several Duke students have posted in the Duke Memes for Gothicc Teens Facebook page, including Jeffrey—she posted April 3 to promote a Google Chrome extension that auto-swipes on Tinder.
Unfortunately, auto-swipers are banned, according to the official contest rules.
Despite the number of positive memes, there are students who oppose the contest. Senior Wesley Caretto’s opposition hinges on the rules in fine print.
“Any contest that relies on having a bigger population of users to win, and then only rewards a small group of them, seems unfair to me,” he said.
Participants must be on Duke’s physical campus in order for their right-swipes to count toward the contest. There is no scoreboard that tallies scores, just results posted on Tinder’s Instagram account at the conclusion of each round. And the concert is neither for all students nor guaranteed to be on Duke’s campus—entry is limited to 200 students and the venue is only guaranteed to be within 50 miles of the school.
Caretto also was wary of Tinder’s ability to substitute the concert with a different prize at their discretion and Tinder’s potential data-mining of new users’ personal information. He also cited concerns over the logistical issues that come with having the concert on LDOC.
LDOC co-chairs Andrew Oliver and Morgan Bird, both juniors, said in a statement that Duke University Union is aware of the contest, but they are not working with Tinder or Cardi B. They added that they are “very excited for [their] fully contracted concert line up featuring Smallpools, Quinn XCII, Seeb, and Goldlink!”
Regardless of one’s opinion of the contest, it is difficult to deny the buzz surrounding it on Duke's campus. Caretto noted that the contest has seemed to be a success so far.
“I guess people really love Cardi B, and the contest seems fair to everyone who enters,” he said. “Or maybe they just really don’t like Goldlink. In spite of how cynical I am about the contest, I think it’s really heartwarming that there’s such a unified effort among our often divided student body.”
Jeffrey added that the absurdity of the competition contributed to its popularity.
“The contest is stupid and that’s what makes it so interesting,” she said. “That being said, if we win, I hope I get to go onstage and/or take a picture with Cardi.”
The final two schools will be announced April 13, and the winner will be announced April 18, both on Tinder’s Instagram page.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Jake Satisky is a Trinity senior and the digital strategy director for Volume 116. He was the Editor-in-Chief for Volume 115 of The Chronicle.