Duke University Union representatives solidified plans for upcoming events and considered proposals for the future at an administrative meeting Tuesday night.
Of immediate concern was Devil's Eve, the University's annual Halloween festival on Main West Quadrangle.
Preparations for the event, which include providing buses for student transport to Chapel Hill's Franklin Street, are nearly complete, Vice President of Programming Adam Nathan, a sophomore, said. He added, however, that the organization is struggling to find a disc jockey for the celebration due to high demand on the popular holiday.
The Union then considered ideas for upcoming events from representatives of various student groups.
Members of Mi Gente, Duke's Latino student organization, proposed cosponsoring a visit by comedian Pablo Francisco after Thanksgiving Break. Union members voiced concerns that the proximity of the event to final exams might deter students from buying tickets but eventually agreed to market Francisco's performance.
Mayuresh Tapale, cochair of DukeOUT--a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organization for graduate and professional students-proposed bringing Faisal Alam, a leader of the gay Islamic community, to speak at the Fuqua School of Business.
Union members were concerned, however, that Fuqua is too far removed from the undergraduate body to serve as an attractive venue.
Leaders of the Persian Students Association proposed sponsoring a joint speech in the spring by Christiane Amanpour, CNN chief international correspondent, and James Rubin, assistant secretary of state under President Bill Clinton.
The Union turned to plans for the end of the year when representatives from the Last Day of Classes Committee requested an increased budget in order to attract more prominent artists, but President Katelyn Donnelly, a senior, said this could strain DUU's budget in future years.
"Each year we need to bring in someone bigger," she said. "I'm not sure that's sustainable."
In other business:
Chief Financial Officer Catalina Blanco, a sophomore, delivered an analysis of a survey conducted last spring that measured student perception of the Union's advertising and programming. Freewater Presentations and Major Attractions are the most well-known appendages of the Union, and students were only aware, on average, of half of the total programs offered, she said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.