Center of campus life. Host of events. Heart of the campus. Mister of warm bodies. Much has been made of the West Campus Plaza. For the hefty price tag and year of discomfort, we shouldn't be all too surprised at the pomp and circumstance associated with the unveiling.
But something about the Plaza just rubs me the wrong way: It's the new kid on the block, flashy, big-for-its-britches-created to solve all of our problems seemingly in one fell swoop.
As I sit on the plaza, I can't help but look to my right and notice the tower of Duke Chapel over the trees. Now there's a heart everyone can be proud of.
History teaches us so. In medieval times, the cathedral was the literal and figurative center of town.
It was a life marker: Baptisms, marriages and funerals took place within its walls. The community met there, and the market was located there. During times of uncertainty-say, a plague or famine-people took comfort together at the cathedral.
Carolingian cathedral architecture even boasts a common Western façade called a "Westwork" which was modeled like a militarily defensible wall to ward off invaders. The cathedral was where the community united in joy and in struggle.
The Duke Chapel is a centerpiece that we depend on without ever fully realizing it. How many times have you given directions with reference to the Chapel? When you notice the architecture in the sunshine on your way to class, don't you feel a twinge of pride that you go to Duke University? On pleasant days, you study in its shade. You meet your friends on its steps when you can't decide where to eat.
The bells at 5 p.m. are a daily reminder that the Chapel still stands. It is easily the most identifiable building on campus, built at the highest point on University property, and, by decree, no building at Duke will ever surpass its height.
It serves as our Duke life marker. As freshmen, we are formally invited to join the University community at Convocation. Our academic ceremonies take place there-we celebrate the joys of our world within its walls.
On weekends all year long, the Chapel hosts weddings, and on occasion, funerals and memorial services.
In perhaps the greatest testimony to its role: It houses a crypt that is a final resting place for members of the Duke family.
A few weeks ago, the flags in memory of Sept. 11 were placed on the Chapel quad. Vigils are held at the Chapel for wars, deaths and social issues.
During Vietnam, at a fractured time for the country and the community, the Chapel helped us heal. Students gathered on the quad to protest, and President Terry Sanford invited students inside the Chapel to talk.
Little has changed: In the wake of the lacrosse incident, vigils and an open town hall meeting were held inside the Chapel for both the Duke and Durham communities. It is our meeting place during turbulent times, and we seek solace in its walls, resolute and unmoving.
The stewardship of the Chapel has rested with the Deans, and they have balanced well their roles as men of God and as spiritual ombudsmen of University life. They too offer comfort in times of trial and appeal to our better angels.
In the early 1990s, Dean William Willimon took it upon himself to fully understand undergraduate life. He attended parties, spoke to students one on one, and shared in the sweat and agony and joy of being a Duke student.
Current Dean, Sam Wells, has already offered wisdom, with his weekly sermons challenging and engaging us all to think differently about God and our roles in the world.
Just as the cathedral was the center of life in the medieval town, so the Duke Chapel is both physically and figuratively the center of Duke University. Its blend of spirit, history and tradition cements its place at the heart of Duke student life. Let us not forget the real heart of the university, even as we enjoy the newness of the Plaza.
Besides, I'd take the cool stone of the Chapel over those misters any day-wouldn't you?
Emily Thomey is a Trinity junior. Her column normally runs every other Thursday.
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