A committee of students and administrators are attempting to snuff the bonfire celebrations that traditionally follow big victories by the men's basketball team and finalize plans next week that are designed to ignite a whole new tradition.
Foam generators, lights shows, big screen televisions and disc jockeys are among the celebration ideas the group is planning for the student body as an alternative to bonfires on Clocktower Quadrangle-a ceremony that typically leads to uncontrollable crowds, enforcement officials said. Celebrations after Duke defeated North Carolina last year in Cameron Indoor Stadium resulted in several injuries.
"Our primary concern with the bonfire is student safety, and yet we understand the desire and need to have or to allow for celebration," said Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president of student affairs.
The dates targeted as potential celebratory occasions are Feb. 5, when the team plays North Carolina at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill; Feb. 28, when the two play in Cameron; March 8, the Atlantic Coast Conference final game; and March 28-30, the weekend of the Final Four.
The Campus Social Board has worked with members of the administration since mid-November to devise a different type of festival for each target date. Although the current plans assume that the Blue Devils will win all four of the targeted games, programmers have not yet determined if the celebrations will continue if the team loses.
Each of the celebrations will most likely take place on the traditional Clocktower Quad, and each will be unique. Although none of the plans have been officially approved, Wasiolek projected that they should be finalized by early next week.
Plans for the Feb. 5 celebration, should the men's team defeat North Carolina, tentatively include a 20-foot television screen in the Great Hall to watch the game, a disc jockey, a fog machine and a light show on the quad.
Chair of the Campus Social Board and Trinity junior Brandon Busteed described it as "a rave party on the quad."
The student body may see Feb. 28 something it has never seen before: foam machines. Wasiolek said they are currently examining the possibility of setting up foam generators on the quad-machines that have the potential to produce enough foam to create a one-foot layer on the ground. The generators would begin pumping foam about an hour before the game ends and continue for two hours afterward.
Busteed said he would also like to invite men's head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and ESPN commentator Dick Vitale to the celebration.
The plans for the Atlantic Coast Conference celebration are similar to those for the Feb. 5 festival after the Carolina game, with the disc jockey and dancing on the quad serving as the primary forms of entertainment.
The Final Four celebration, both Wasiolek and Busteed said, will be the biggest of the four, potentially with foam generators, fog machines, a disc jockey and light shows. They are also looking into the possibility of broadcasting the game in Cameron on a large screen-an event that took place during the Final Fours in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Because details are still in the works, budgetary issues are still up in the air. As a result, Wasiolek was unable to provide figures about the cost of the celebrations or how much the University was willing to spend. She said, however, that she hopes the students will regard the new plans as a "better, safer" celebration and refrain from the traditional bonfire parties.
Nevertheless, she recognized that there may be students unwilling to redirect their energy.
"Of course there is still the concern that the fires will still happen, but our hope is that students will see that whatever is provided is a better alternative," Wasiolek explained. "That doesn't mean there won't be students who want to continue with what they view as a Duke tradition.
"The only way we may be able to prevent that from happening," she continued, "may involve some disciplinary and legal recourse, but right now we're still reviewing our options."
Programming is receiving the majority of the committee's attention at this juncture. But after finalizing those plans, safety will move up as the primary concern on its agenda. Busteed said that those working on programming and those working on policing are trying to coordinate their efforts.
"The administration is focusing on policy, and the student groups are focusing on programming," he explained. "Because the administration knows they're being strict on their policy, they're trying to work with us and give us a little leeway on the programming."
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