Tent policy takes away fans' autonomy

I can't believe this. In the three years I've been at the University, I've come to realize that it's a school of whiners, but all of their (your) complaining to affect Duke Hoops is beyond belief.

This tent policy sucks. I don't know if the inner-working of Duke Student Government (if there are any) and Engineering junior Al Prescott are to blame or if it's the Cameron Crybabies, but for all of the Cameron Crazies, this is a sad day. This is ridiculous! I can't decide when I want to camp out? I am totally sick of people camping out for the UNC game just because they feel like they should because they go to Duke. If you want to get drunk and party in K-ville, then come on down and join the party, but don't camp out and ruin it for the rest of us. Just because you go to Duke doesn't make you some kind of die-hard Cameron Crazy, but if you love the basketball team, then camp out for five or six weeks.

If Duke basketball is really something special to you, then that time is a small price to pay to see an amazing coach and team in the best NCAA venue in the country. But the people who go to one ACC game a year (Carolina) and maybe a few exhibition games are ruining it for the real fans because their grades went down a little and they have to tell the whole world about it. Because of their whining, and Duke students' lack of integrity, now we're stuck with a lame-ass tenting policy. I'd rather a middle-of-the-pack conference team play in Cameron than a nationally ranked behemoth that I can't support the way I want to. Being such a basketball powerhouse, I would think Duke would be immune to this bandwagoning, but now fan dedication is going to be over-regulated and unmeasurable.

Tenting does have its advantages you know. Now instead of two weeks of moderate tenting shifts and getting up at noon for a bracelet on game day, I'll have to be in line at 6:00 a.m. to get a half-decent seat. It's gonna be another fun time Jan. 27 with half a crowd of hung-over bookworms who miss the frat parties because rush is underway and barely know the cheers when the game starts. If you care to preserve Duke's home-court advantage and the mystique of Cameron Indoor Stadium, you'd better scream your whiny lungs out.

Erik Meadows

Trinity '99