More than 1,000 students will eagerly greet him at random hours of the early morning. They will follow him around campus, trying to figure out some sort of pattern to his daily routine.
Everything he says will be obeyed, for in one hand he holds a bullhorn and in the other, student wristbands to men's basketball games.
Pending approval by Duke Student Government next Wednesday, junior Greg Skidmore will take over as head line monitor for the 2001-02 basketball season. He will assume the reins-as well as the bullhorn and red jacket-from senior Norm Bradley, who was given full autonomy by DSG President C.J. Walsh to hand-pick his successor. Skidmore was appointed by Walsh this week.
Bradley's legacy as one of the most popular line monitors in recent memory began with his decision to set up two tenting sessions of varying difficulty, thereby satisfying the demands of both hard-core and moderate tenters. During the first session, dedicated fans could set up their tents as early as they wished, but had to fill their 12-person tents with eight people each night. This policy discouraged most groups from erecting a tent until the second registration period, when only one person had to be present at all times.
Skidmore admitted he has not given much thought to whether he will amend Bradley's policy, but the self-described "hard-core basketball fan" said he will try to keep incorporating as many people into the tenting process as possible.
"Basically, I love Duke basketball and going to games in Cameron, and I want to make sure I give every student the opportunity to experience it in the same way I have and enjoy it as much as I have," explained Skidmore, a member of tent 30 during this past season's game against North Carolina.
Previous head line monitors have been criticized for abuse of power and a lack of devotion to the needs of tenters, but Walsh was impressed by how much time Bradley and other DSG members spent in K-ville this year. That dedication did not go unnoticed by the tenters, either.
"I think the fact that Norm liked being out there more than Rob [Cuthbertson] did two years ago was definitely better because he got to see what was going on as opposed to just being an authority figure," said tent four captain Tyler Will.
Before Skidmore decides the exact details of his policy, he intends to examine the frequent abuse of the "walk-up line" for non-tenters and the outbreak of various flu-related infirmities that annually plague the tent city.
Bradley admitted that the walk-up line was a problem for the North Carolina game, when more than 600 people were denied entrance. In previous years, the line was self-regulated and students did not leave it. This year, the walk-up line formed a list that allegedly was in order of arrival, but many students challenged its authenticity.
Tent two captain sophomore Annie Way said she wished the line had been more organized. However, Bradley countered that his "hands were tied" by his statements in a letter to The Chronicle, which promised students the power of self-regulating the line.
Skidmore said that he will pay more attention to non-tenting students.
"I want to try and come up with a specific policy, even on the walk-up line, so that people don't feel they're getting cheated by the system," he said.
In order curb the high incidence of sickness, Skidmore suggested working with health services to create awareness guides for freshmen, who he said frequently showed up in shorts and T-shirts despite freezing temperatures at night.
Although most captains of the hard-core tents saw possible benefits in Skidmore's proposal, others questioned whether colds and other illnesses were limited to unsuspecting freshman.
"I would think that sickness is pretty unavoidable," said freshman Elliot Silver, who captained all-freshman tent six, which used cement blocks and wood planks to keep the bottom of their tent dry. "No matter how layered you are, sleeping in really cold conditions in a tent which is not well-insulated is not good for your health. I didn't see many kids going out there haphazardly wearing clothes that didn't fit the situation."
Skidmore also said that he will field proposals from tenters, some of whom have already indicated they would like to see an increase in entertainment options at K-ville. As opposed to 1999, when tenters watched Duke's classic victories over UNLV and Kentucky, no big screens were set up this year.
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