Beer, fraternity parties, caffeine and Sunday-afternoon homework marathons comprise the weekends of many Duke students. But Mormons, who adhere to strict religious guidelines, find their lives at the University quite different.
"It makes a big difference in the social life because parties aren't nearly as interesting if you're not drinking, and drinking isn't nearly as interesting if you're not drinking," said sophomore Justin Richmond, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
According to the Word of Wisdom, a code of health established by the church in the 1800s, members are not allowed to smoke, have pre-marital sex, drink alcohol, coffee or tea or work on Sundays, their Sabbath day.
"I have not been on campus on a Friday or Saturday night except to study or for a religious meeting since I got back," said senior Sean Whiteley, a church member. "I just don't feel comfortable going to places like that."
And while many Duke students find that they need Sunday to complete academic work, Mormon students said they felt otherwise.
"I love Sundays. It's my favorite day of the week. I get up and go to a service, and I don't have to worry about homework all day long. It's really nice to be able to rest," said sophomore Angie Berg.
Although their religion does not preclude them from having an active social life, others find that it does affect those around them.
"Some of the people I hang out with tend to change their behavior around me. They tend to moderate themselves when I'm around," said senior Naceem Nixon.
For many young Mormons, especially men, their college experience is interrupted by a two-year mission at age 19. Although the church does not mandate the mission, such a journey is highly encouraged and there are strict guidelines one must follow while performing one.
"After you serve a mission, you come into perspective about what is important in life. You realize family and church are crucial. When you come back, you don't think about hooking up on the weekends. You want a solid relationship; you want something meaningful," said Richmond, who went on a mission to South Korea.
Senior Matt Christensen, who serves a clerical role in his church ward and plays on the men's basketball team, said his mission gave him perspective.
"I have lived my life in a world of basketball and players, where winning and losing is the ultimate goal. But I know that you cannot find happiness in worldly pleasures like that. My religion has taught me that the Gospel is the way to finding lasting happiness," Christensen said.
Christensen said that after his mission to Frankfurt, Germany, he was better able to deal with his life as a college athlete.
"I think Duke students and basketball players, in particular, live in this extreme world where we are the center of the universe. It's impossible to live in anonymity, but I have learned about the world on my mission and this has helped me be more humble," Christensen said.
Many Mormon men feel they are ready to marry after completing their mission, leading to a high rate of young marriage, said Berg.
Of the approximately 30 Mormon students at Duke, there are five married couples. Eric Aldrich, a senior, and his wife Katie, a graduate who finished a semester early due to pregnancy, are married and live on Central Campus with their three-month-old baby. They admit their college experience differs from that of their peers.
'Definitely, things have changed and we have missed out on the traditional college life, but that's why we got married, because we didn't want that whole party life. But we still miss being single and hanging out,' Eric Aldrich said.
Although their decision to marry was discouraged by many in the Duke community, they said they felt it was the right choice.
'Our religion is centered around the family and in that sense, it influenced us to place getting married as a high priority and made us do it a lot sooner,' Katie Aldrich said. 'But it's definitely made things more difficult for us and forced us to grow up faster.'
Although not mandated, Whiteley said it is highly encouraged to marry within the faith.
To allow students to more easily meet other single Mormons, college students in the area attend a singles ward, which encourages interaction among 18- to 30-year-old Mormons through social activities.
'The idea is to help them meet people who they can hopefully marry, and that happens really frequently,' Berg said. 'They host social events twice a week so you meet lots of people.'
Students said that spending time with other Mormons is helpful since they face a great deal of misconceptions about their religious stipulations.
'A lot of people at Duke are from the South, and it seems to be that people in the South have a negative view of Mormons, more so than in the North and the West. They tend to ask a lot of stupid questions like 'Do you practice polygamy?'' Richmond said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.