Amidst groans and cheers, members of selective houses glimpsed their futures Tuesday as the Housing Assignment Committee revealed the new face of residential life on West Campus.
After more than a month of meetings, the HAC's final decisions about who will live where for the next five years elicited screams of joy, high-fives and some pained expressions from more than 500 students who crammed into Griffith Film Theater.
"Sometimes in my work I hope that people care about what I do, and this is some indication that people do seem to care," said Bill Burig, assistant dean of student development and chair of the HAC.
The plan places eight independent houses and six selective houses on West's Main Quad -- a flip-flop of the quad's breakdown today. Meanwhile, six selective groups and four independent groups were given spaces in Edens Quad.
Before revealing the new map of West Campus, Burig outlined the guiding principles the HAC used in reaching its decisions: quad diversity, gender equity, a balance of independent houses, fraternities and selective houses, respect for selective groups' preferences whenever possible, and a combination of architectural constraints and selective-group size.
But such philosophies meant little to most students at Tuesday's meeting.
"We'll finally get a bench. And grass. And a real quad," said Trinity junior Amie Myers, a resident of Mirecourt, which was moved from Edens Quad to the Clocktower Quad.
Members of Pi Kappa Alpha, another group bumped up to Main West, were equally pleased to be leaving Edens.
"All I can say is, `Enjoy, Theta Chi, Kappa Sigs, Phi Delts [which were all placed in Edens],'" said Trinity junior and PiKA member Brian Kenton.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon section has been designated for independents, a move which many students said encapsulates how residential life is changing.
"The character of Duke has changed because now the fraternities don't dominate Main West," said Trinity junior Terry Dollard.
Meanwhile, those groups whose hopes and dreams were somewhat dashed Tuesday began to adjust to their impending living situations.
"As you can imagine, our reaction is not a favorable one," said Trinity senior Chris Schultz, immediate past president of Kappa Sigma, which was relocated from Crowell Quad to Edens. "but you make the best of the situation you're thrown into."
Three selective houses were not moved from their current spots. The Arts Dorm, the Language Dorm and Round Table were all allowed to remain put due to their sections' unique facilities. The Round Table section, for example, is equipped to house faculty-in-residence, an inherent component to life in Round Table.
The HAC's decisions have caused some students to call the process into question.
"I think the unveiling left a couple of skeptics wanting a full accounting of how non-random considerations came into play," said Trinity junior and Interfraternity Council President Lex Wolf.
Schultz added that "it's a dangerous precedent when you don't reward groups who are positive contributors to campus life. It leads to a more apathetic student body."
But HAC members insisted that randomness was a heavy factor in determining living arrangements, even if some living groups were upset with the outcomes.
"For the whole campus right now, we're going through some growing pains that are very tough," said Trinity senior John Tolsma, president of Duke Student Government.
Spaces earmarked for independent houses will not be determined as coed, all-male or all-female housing until after spring break, Burig said, when the HAC plans to gather student representatives from each selective and independent house for feedback.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.