Seven years after completing a study criticizing the nature of Duke's residential and social life, Dean of the Chapel William Willimon is at it again.
President Nan Keohane has asked Willimon to conduct a similar study to find out just how far the school has come since the keg-filled days of 1993. "Dean Willimon made several recommendations, almost all of which, it turns out, were implemented in the intervening years," Keohane wrote in an e-mail. "One thing I'd like him to do is see what difference doing that has made, and to make more recommendations for the future."
The initial report criticized Duke's greek-centric and alcohol-based social life and called upon administrators to take a more active role outside academia. Willimon, who was selected because he is outside Duke's core academic and social spheres, has already formed his first impressions of progress in these areas.
"I don't believe fraternities are the sole problem of our social issues," he said. "The bigger problem is we still have too few social alternatives at Duke. Fraternities end up with this dominating social life... but I don't know fraternities want to dominate social life at Duke."
In 1993, he wrote that allotting prime housing to fraternities gave them an administrative approval they "did not deserve."
Keohane has said the new report will play a role in future residential and social policies-issues made especially critical by a new dorm on the horizon and a search underway for a new vice president. "There are still concerns... about abusive, uncivil and unhealthy behavior on the part of some undergraduates," Keohane wrote in a Sept. 14 letter to Willimon. "Students tell us they lack attractive options for relaxation and enjoyment on campus."
Other administrators have expressed these very concerns, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sue Wasiolek said she expects the study will raise issues surrounding the alcohol debate. "I think that students have expressed their concern and at times their disgust with primarily the second-hand effects of excessive alcohol consumption," Wasiolek said. "They've expressed their concern about noise, disorderly conduct, lack of cleanliness, students getting sick, students becoming violent."
But Willimon said he thinks the alcohol scene has improved. He conducted his last study when kegs were still available and East Campus-not yet dedicated to first-year students-was not dry. "What I saw the last three Saturday nights I've been [on West Campus], was called Thursday night at Duke 10 years ago," Willimon joked. "We've decreased the availability of alcohol and the accessibility." He said that despite his impression of on-campus social life, he will still deal with the issue of parties off campus.
Although the University implemented many changes following Willimon's report-such as the alcohol policy and the creation of the all-freshman East Campus-former Vice President for Student Affairs Janet Dickerson said her division was already thinking along the same lines.
Dickerson said she feels a lot of positive change in student life has taken place over the past seven years. "[There's now] a sense of comfort for students who are there, a sense of openness, greater diversity of students.... I hope he'd report there's a more visible presence of administrators and others in the University after five o'clock," she said.
Willimon had advocated a policy of in locos amicus over in locos parentis, arguing that administrators should serve as students' friends.
"Loneliness appears built into our present system," he wrote in 1993. "What can we do to make Duke the sort of place where friendship is encouraged and explored as a normative means of education, particularly that friendship which occurs between adults and those who are becoming adults?" Today, however, he said he does not feel much has changed.
"You never run into anybody except cops [after hours]," Willimon said. "I had hoped the faculty-in-residence program, certain faculty-interaction initiatives... would improve things in that regard. I don't see that it has."
Willimon, who hopes to write the report by November, said he will conduct it much as he did before: He will interview students, go to parties, spend a few nights on campus and ride with Campus Police.
This time, however, he will take a more systematic approach: He has solicited written opinions of student affairs deans and has begun talking to alumni.
The 1993 report, called "We Work Hard, We Play Hard," gave the community insight but angered some administrators and student groups, who claimed Willimon spent too few nights on campus to make generalizations. Willimon said he is eager to solicit more feedback, however, and praised the University for its openness about student life.
"It's impressive the president is concerned about these issues, particularly as we change student [affairs] leadership...," Willimon said.
"It's also a testimonial there's an awareness that the Duke undergraduate is really the crown jewel of our university," he added.
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