Everyone seems to have something to say about Duke's social scene or lack thereof. We've all heard the lists of rants: nothing to do on campus, no campus unity, greek life dominates, nondrinkers are out of luck, there is no dating scene-the list goes on.
Here is the real problem: Rarely does someone offer any solution. When alternative social events pop up, people don't go. Either they don't know what's going on or really just want to go drink anyway, but in the end, we sound like a bunch of spoiled complainers looking for a reason to whine.
It isn't just at Duke that students complain. Campuses everywhere struggle with ways to get rid of the "work hard, play hard" maxim. Over these past few months I have watched how UNC has been working to change this. Forget about the rivalry for a few minutes-there is a lot we can learn from their model.
UNC just introduced an incredible new website called "Slice"-the Student Life Integrated Calendar of Events. Each student organization lists its group's events for the month on their own personal Slice webpage, and then the site compiles all events into a huge master calendar.
The website has been highly publicized, and six computers in its union are always open to the calendar. It is incredibly easy to figure out what is going on when and where, solving a big problem on campus: not knowing about an event until the day after it happens. Even better, everything on the site is student-generated so students can take ownership of what's going on.
We have all the groups UNC offers. There is ample funding for events and a full staff of event planners to help. The key is figuring out when each group is meeting, who to contact to get involved and how to join. A website like "Slice" could fix all that. In our upcoming DSG elections, I hope some candidate can embrace this simple idea.
The gathering at UNC isn't just online. At the center of campus is "The Pit"-a big outdoor square that serves as the central meeting point on campus, day and night. Pretty soon, our "Pit" equivalent will be even better; the new multi-million dollar plaza will be waiting when we get back next fall. There will be space for performing, promoting events, activism and perhaps most importantly, a central place to hang out. As long as groups are able take advantage of the space, its potential is enormous.
Right off of Carolina's Pit is their new student union building. The union was recently renovated, and now it is the place to study, meet friends or chill on campus. Walk into Carolina's union any night of the week and it will be packed. Perhaps if the Bryan Center was called the "Bryan Student Union" people would think of it as more of a gathering point. Just as Bostock has become "Study Central," the BC should be "Hang-out Central."
At Duke, our union has 12 subcommittees that work on a constant array of student programming. Concerts, movies, activities, budgets-students do it all, and there is plenty of room to get involved.
Twelve committees can either mean a lot of bureaucracy or many chances to get involved. We need the Union staff to take effective leadership in increasing student involvement and publicizing what they offer.
Especially for non-greeks, the Union can fill a huge hole in creating cohesive social opportunities, connecting groups with similar interests and generating publicity and support for events of all types on campus.
Two years ago Duke began the Provost's subsidy for performing arts allowing all students to get tickets to an event for just $5. By last April, ticket sales increased by 300 percent to nearly 5,000 tickets sold in that academic year.
Yet with 6,000 undergraduates able to attend music, dance and theatre performances by world-class artists, 5,000 tickets sold for the entire year seems rather pathetic. Maybe these events need to be publicized better, but the next time you need an idea for a date, think about a Broadway show, a famous politician's speech or an orchestra or ballet concert. If you don't have $5, admission to our $13-million art museum is free.
The time for change couldn't be better. It's not that Duke doesn't have the resources. We have an array of new facilities about to open and more money than some small countries. All that is missing is initiative. Shouldn't we be able to fix the problem we all whine about?
David Fiocco is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Tuesday.
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