Where have all the on-campus parties gone?
That is the question the Programming Committee of Campus Council has been grappling with lately. To address this issue partially, the student legislators are organizing the Old Duke Party, scheduled for 3 to 10 p.m. Friday in front of House P.
The event, which council members hope will appeal to all students, will boast a number of attractions, including free kegs of beer, a junior class barbecue, live music, a DJ and a big screen television playing classic Duke men's basketball games.
The Old Duke Party pays homage to elements of Duke's past. Leaders said the most popular events at the University during the 1970s and the 1980s were the keg parties that were open to all students, because they fostered a great sense of community.
Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek, Trinity '76, appreciates Duke's parties of the past for their intrinsic qualities.
"They were by and large positive," Wasiolek said. "You could really sense this social spirit that existed. It doesn't come as a surprise to me that that kind of event, with music and beer, brought a lot of people outside, and brought a sense of community to people."
While the Old Duke Party will resemble Duke's former social scene, Campus Council Communications Coordinator Pasha Majdi insists that a recreation is not the complete aim of the function.
"There's a really significant difference between remembering the [1970s and the 1980s] and longing for it," Majdi said. "We don't miss it as if it's gone. Part of the event is affirming that we can still do that. It's not like we can't have fun anymore."
Majdi believes that the on-campus social scene has a great deal of untapped potential. "When I was a freshman, there were parties on [West Campus] every weekend, and [upperclassmen] would tell me it was even better the year before," he said.
Sarah Freeman, an at large member of Campus Council who serves on the Programming Committee, also said the intent of the party goes well beyond a commemoration of Duke's past social scene.
"Our motivation is to bring everyone together," she explained. "We want to celebrate the [basketball] traditions of our school and March Madness. There will be music and it'll be really laid back."
While the members hope to create an atmosphere inviting to all Duke students, that task could prove to be difficult. The most novel aspect to the party will be the free beer, dispensed through kegs, but due to University regulations, University bar tenders must be present to check identification. Underage students might have a different experience at the Old Duke Party than their peers who are of age to drink.
The legal drinking age went from 18 to 21 in 1986, and because of this change, the Old Duke Party should have some trouble achieving what made the Duke festivities of lore so special, Wasiolek said.
"To have experienced those expectations 20 years ago, as opposed to legal restrictions today, really points to how difficult it is to replicate the past," Wasiolek said.
Council members believe that despite this disparity in who is allowed to drink and who is not, the event should be enjoyable for everyone.
"With any party, there's people who don't drink, so there's still the social aspect," Freeman said.
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