By inviting different groups to host a party at Metro 8/Club 9 Saturday, Students to Unite Duke attempted to do just that-unite Duke for a night.
At "Party Like It's Your Birthday!," STUD-the social affiliate of the Center for Race Relations-arranged for Alpha Phi sorority, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Sabrosura, Students of the Caribbean Association and Wayne Manor to host the event to bring together students of different social groups that may not otherwise interact.
"At Duke, changing campus culture has always been about breaking down barriers in an academic setting. Our job is to transfer that to the social setting," said STUD Co-director Olivia Singelmann, a senior. "Sometimes it's hard on your own to go out and interact, so we make it possible to do that."
SOCA member Nicole Feeling, a sophomore, said she enjoyed collaborating with the groups that cohosted the party Saturday.
"I think STUD is effective in bringing students together on campus, and the two STUD parties I've been to have been really fun with diverse groups of people," she said.
Wayne Manor member Kyle Gabb, a sophomore, said students at the event made for a diverse crowd and the interactions never felt forced.
"I thought it was a great time," he said. "STUD definitely brought together groups that wouldn't normally mix, but looking around, everyone seemed to be dancing and enjoying themselves. It was a fun night."
Sophomore Murillo Adrados, also a Wayne Manor member, said he thinks STUD's efforts are praiseworthy, but noted that on their own, the organizations involved would probably not associate with people outside of their own groups.
"I do think it's a good idea," he said. "A lot of different groups did show up, but you can't forcibly congregate people."
STUD Co-director Boyu Hu, a senior, said other campus groups have already adopted STUD's principles and incorporated them into their own agendas.
"A lot of groups have caught on," he said. "STUD has been instrumental in setting the example. Now, so many organizations are doing it on their own."
Although senior Daniel Fenjves, technical chair for Sabrosura, said he thinks STUD has a lot of potential, he added that not enough students know about the organization's events.
"I think some student groups are more aware of the programming than others, and Duke should be making more of an effort to help the organizers publicize their events on campus," he wrote in an e-mail.
STUD started out as a project for the class "Turning Grounds: Enterprising Leadership," but evolved into a student organization that plans large-scale events, collaborating with a wide range of groups.
"I think they do a really great job of bringing together different social scenes because it's pretty fragmented here on campus," said CRR Co-president Albert Osueke, a senior.
Hu said he is fortunate enough to interact with students from different social backgrounds--an opportunity not afforded to many students.
"I was lucky in that way, a lot of people don't have that opportunity," he said. "STUD gives everyone the opportunity to experience what I did. It's an amazing tool for bridging gaps. I joined STUD to meet people I normally would not have met. STUD allows you to meet people you don't have class with or your friends don't know. It makes your social outlet more diverse."
He noted that many students, like himself, get involved in STUD through Common Ground, a student-led diversity retreat program under the Center for Race Relations that allows students to engage in open dialogue on the issues of race, gender and sexuality.
CRR Co-president Ben Adams, a senior and Wayne Manor member, said he has high hopes for what STUD can accomplish.
"STUD works in conjunction with the four other branches [of the center] to fulfill the vision of the CRR," he wrote in an e-mail. "One day, Duke's community will be one of inclusion and respect that recognizes, embraces and values both our common humanity and differences as individuals, creating a society in which identity is neither constrained nor prescribed by group affiliation."
Hu said he is currently working on another project to unite students-a Duke version of PostSecret, an online project that allows people to mail in their secrets anonymously and have them posted on a blog.
"Many students at Duke feel isolated and alone," he said. "This project will show them that someone here at Duke has the same exact issues."
He noted that he plans to have campus groups ask their members to anonymously send in secrets, which will then be put up around campus. The project is set to take off next semester, Hu said.
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