The rivalry between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels is known to be one of the fiercest in the country. Organizers of a new publication hope to capitalize on this in a way that brings the two campuses closer together than ever before.
Rival Magazine, a new collaborative student publication between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, seeks to document the relationships between the two schools.
The magazine is the first student-run publication designed to illustrate and highlight the shared undergraduate experiences at Duke and UNC, organizers say.
The magazine's executives intend for it both to entertain and raise awareness about opportunities on the campuses. Rival Magazine will be a vehicle for interaction, communication and collaboration, said sophomore Brint Markle, Rival Magazine co-founder.
"Rival is more than just a magazine," he said. "Rival is a connector-a connector between Duke and UNC, a connector between commercial enterprises and students, a connector between alumni and their alma mater and a connector between Duke and UNC and their surrounding communities."
The idea for the magazine came from a class project in Public Policy Studies Professor Tony Brown's Enterprising Leadership class in Spring 2004.
"Tony's class has been a catalyst for our project," said junior Emily Znamierowski, Rival Magazine co-executive. "I think that without that structure, it would have been hard to accomplish the same things in the same amount of time."
Rival editors from Duke and UNC believe students on both campuses are interested in reading stories written from a different perspective.
"There is a genuine curiosity about what goes on at the other campus," said Susie Baker, a freshman at UNC who works for the magazine. "We have had an amazing amount of feedback from kids who would like to write for the magazine."
Rival Magazine will include a section called "History of the Rivalry," featuring interviews with former athletes, coaches and fans.
In addition, the magazine will document a "Trend of the Month" and include a "Master Calendar" of events every month at each campus.
In "Burning Issues," Duke and UNC writers will discuss various national, local, academic and social issues.
Rival will also include an "Overheard on the Bus" section in which bus drivers report humorous and interesting comments made by Duke and UNC students about the rivalry.
The magazine's organizers plan to release the first issue March 3, 2006-the day before the Duke-UNC men's basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium-and a second issue around graduation.
Next year they plan to publish issues monthly.
Eventually, executives would like to take the publication to other schools with major rivalries, including Harvard and Yale.
Executives hope Rival Magazine will become the most widely distributed publication offered at either university.
The publication has already secured funding from two national magazines-Worthwhile and Mental Floss-and plans to raise more money through advertisements bought by local businesses.
Executives are also seeking funding from the Robertson Scholars Program.
"We are going to be the most efficient avenue to reach out to both schools simultaneously," Markle said.
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