There is a long list of many major collaborations that may be topped by what is about to come to Duke: R. Kelly and Jay-Z, Aerosmith and Run-DMC, Linkin Park and Jay-Z, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanut Butter and Jay-Z (has yet to occur, but is most likely delicious).
On Sunday, Duke's sketch comedy group Inside Joke and premiere male acapella squad the Pitchforks will present College: The Musical. The show will feature separate sets by both groups in addition to combined musical-comedy performances.
This got me thinking about the recent surge of student group collaborations. In the past, cross-group interaction was mostly limited to Last Day of Classes and greek mixers, but now it is hard to find an event without multiple student group sponsors.
A large part of this new trend can be seen with Duke University Union's efforts to co-sponsor many events to meet student demands (usually in the form of monetary support). The Union has worked with Mi Gente, LBGT and Crazies who Care, to name a few.
Today, Duke Africa, WISER and Duke Global Health Week bring Joan Countryman, the headmistress of Oprah's school-a high-profile speaker that has significant insight for members of Duke's rather large, socially-conscious body. Having groups come together allows smaller groups to pool funds and administrative resources to host larger, more attractive events that wouldn't happen otherwise.
The most exciting aspect of student collaborations is the possibility of innovative, unique products new to the Duke scene. The Inside Joke-Pitchforks show is a perfect example of what student partnerships can create and is an extension of other fresh collaborations, like DefMo's work with Sabrosura and other student dance groups.
Like the children's song says: The more we get to together, the happier we'll be.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.