Just Another Night (Intro.)

Just Another Night

5:00 p.m. The Chapel bells ring.

It could be any day out of 365 and the sound of the bells would mean the same thing: night. For the most part, classes are finished. But some routines are only beginning.

On January 22 and 23, Currents sent a team of seven writers and five photographers into the darkness to document two nights in the life of Duke. We chose to carry out our search over the course of two evenings because we wanted a broader sample than one alone would provide.

We do not claim that we found the only night-life at Duke. In fact, judging from some of the reactions we received, many students were skeptical that we would find one at all. There were some unusual factors influencing each night's details because campus was in the midst of sorority and fraternity rush, a significant number of fans were staked out in Krzyzewskiville and second semester classes had just started. Despite all of this, however, we believe we got a fair taste of what happens in students' lives after hours. As we observed the scenes around us, we did so not only as ourselves, but as we imagined you might-you, the typical Duke student. For a brief time, we did our best to assume your identities.

Now we offer you a part of your lives, as well as our own. Our search reveals that the power of shared experiences lies in the trivialities: at the random a capella concert stumbled upon by two of our photographers; in the cups of steaming coffee around which we draw to talk-and in the all the places we go to to drink it; in the simple act of stopping on the Bryan Center walkway to notice the lighted Chapel tower against the dark sky, or the cartoon-like shadow cast onto the Oak Room windows by the light over the Pits' entrance, or the play of moonlight on the Gothic curves of campus buildings; in the silence of the stacks and in the din of parties and bars; in our love for all things basketball; at our religious rituals; on the commons room couches where we gather to watch the game or "ER" or a State of the Union address.

Indeed, in all of these things, we found that there is nothing more typical and nothing less unique than just another night at Duke...

Joanna Cohn-Hillel House

Ivan Snyder-The Who's "Tommy" and Krzyzewskiville

Jeca Taudte-Ninth Street, East Campus, Science Drive

and Wayne Manor

Photography courtesy of

Evan Ratliff, Tom Hogarty, David Pincus,

Alex Belskis and Katie Rose Guest.

Cover Design by Deena Rosen. Special thanks to

Bridget Booher, Chris Hildreth and Bruce Feeley.