Tuning into Duke

The age of the iPod is upon us. A large volume of literature circulating around Duke has framed this revolutionary device as a source of educational modernization, curricular transformation, and to a lesser extent dance party politics. Another iPod-inspired trend, however, has gained little attention despite its link to more pervasive behavioral influences and ultimately more profound experiential consequences.

I am referring to the increasing number of students that are relying on their iPods to provide musical entertainment while they go about their on-campus activities. Many students, in this way, are losing touch with an important component of the Duke experience. They are making a statement of social isolation and detachment and suggesting that Duke isn't worth listening to. In order to experience Duke in the fullest sense we must use all of our senses. The iPod is a marvelous study and party aid, but it is not meant to provide the soundtrack to your Duke life. Instead, try to consider your experience at Duke as a combination of all your sensory perceptions. In this way, Duke is defined as much by the sound of an idling East-West bus as it is by the Gothic architecture or the smell of Sitar on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Granted, the sounds of Duke are not always so pleasant. The echoes of ongoing construction efforts and freshmen recounting their ridiculous black-out stories may not be as enjoyable as the 5 o'clock Chapel bells. Nevertheless, these are the sounds of Duke. They are representative of what is going on at Duke during your tenure here, and they are more deserving of your attention than your iPod is.

Put simply, I am urging you to maximize your experience at Duke by pocketing your iPod on campus and taking note of the way Duke sounds. I encourage you to enjoy your iPod while buried in Bostock or Brodie, but ask you not to mute the sounds of Duke during your campus commute. Pocket your iPod because you might hear people conversing in an unfamiliar language on your walk from the Bryan center to the LSRC this week. Pocket your iPod so that the person sitting next to you in the Loop can tell you that she likes your green hat. Pocket your iPod, most of all, because the sound of music, from Beethoven to the Beatles, can always be replayed, while the sounds of Duke cannot.

Eric Berkowitz

Trinity '06