"I once wondered just how apathetic I could get. Now, I just don't care."
Ironic? Yes. But even more so considering where this message is scrawled: It's one of the few locations on campus-aside from the study carrels in Perkins Library-where students, faculty and employees can write about almost any topic that tickles their fancy. It's an attempt to prove that not everyone on campus is apathetic after all. More simply, it's "Express on Duke."
Anyone who has recently visited Le Grande Cafe in the Bryan Center or the Perk in Perkins Library has certainly noticed a large display of blank paper booklets hanging from a canvas backdrop on the wall. Somewhere in the middle ground between a billboard and legal graffiti, the exhibition is a testament to the opinions of all those who happen to walk by and feel an urge to express themselves. Pencils hang from the wall next to the booklets, and budding authors can write whatever they want, whenever they want.
"Express on Duke" aims to "provide an outlet for creative expression and promote student vocalism," said Trinity sophomore Aubrey Betts, chair of the University Union's Visual Arts Committee, which is sponsoring the exhibition along with the Publications Board, the Bassett Fund and the Union Interaction and Executive Committees. The groups
call their project an "open visual forum" for opinions, and from Betts' perspective, it is serving its purpose.
"I think it's going fabulously," Betts said. "It's really allowing people to express their own ideas pretty much at their leisure instead of having to stand up in front of a group... and it's also allowing other people to come and look."
After the display folds tomorrow,
Betts
This summary publication will devote one page per topic discussed on the board. The subjects, which all bear relevance to student concerns, were selected by a panel composed of members of the Visual Arts Committee and other University students.Topics on the board range from "North vs. South" to "Duke Basketball" to "Smurfs-Are They Communist?" Many of the booklets address University issues such as parking, fraternities and housing, while some attempt to provoke discussion on larger controversies like drugs and race relations. Others are aimed at college students in general, inviting debate on alcohol and parent-child relationships. There's even a booklet in which conspiracy theorists can argue about the Bay of Pigs incident.
For the most part, the responses are just as varied as the topics. On one page, love is defined as "mutual consensual enslavement," but flip it over, and romance has turned into "the best thing around." One lonely heart pondered in red pen, "Wouldn't it be great if real relationships existed here?" Underneath, in black ink, lies the answer: "They do!"
Some contributors to the "Alcohol" booklet proposed that beverages are "best if consumed in mass quantities," but others suggested there are "too many alcoholics at this school." What can administrators do to remedy that problem? One participant suggested, "Lighten up, administration! We know you use it!"
Betts said this type of back-and-forth commentary has been common in the booklets.
"In some of the books," she said, "there have been little conversations between people, almost like a newsgroup or something."
But on some issues, the response seems relatively united. The "Housing" booklet almost universally condemns Trent Dormitory, though one student spoke up for its "great community atmosphere" and lack of "puking frat boys." Opinions on parking are even more homogeneous, with only one person, a University employee, defending Parking Services against a deluge of complaints.
Of course, many responses are downright flippant.
Under the topic of race, one comical comment reads, "I love NASCAR!" The North-South booklet is home not only to mudslinging and finger-pointing, but also to a glowing endorsement of the North-that is, North Korea. Opinions of parents? "My dad could beat up your dad." There's even a caricature of Assistant Dean of Student Development Bill Burig in the role of a game show host, handing out free trips to "beautiful, scenic Trent."
Some messages sprawl across two or three pages, telling stories about their authors. A comment made by a student identified only as "a devoted freshman" reads, "Just when I thought I was on the verge of transferring outta here, K-ville and the UNC game happened to me. Trust me, it wasn't the foam."
Betts said she has received nothing but positive feedback. Many students reported to her that they were intrigued by the idea, and judging from the responses, eager to participate. If student response continues to be so encouraging, Betts said, students may be reading the writing on the wall again next year.
"From hearing people talk about it on campus, it's been really successful, as far as I'm concerned," Betts said. "People have come up to me and said, 'Wow, there's this really visual arts thing in the Cafe. Have you seen it?"
Of course one student, Trinity senior Rishad Ahluwalia, dissented. "I've been here four years," he said, "and that's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen."
Perhaps he should have simply written his opinion on the wall.
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