Duke University Union's final meeting of the academic year was brief and focused on plans for Fall 2008.
After sponsoring successful events during the 2007-2008 academic year, Union members discussed plans to start next year on a good note. They said specific events for the Class of 2012 are already in the works.
DUU's plans for orientation week focused on a Union Night, which would be part of the orientation schedule and would introduce incoming freshmen to Duke's largest student-run organization.
"I think we're going to hit the ground running, especially with orientation," said President Chamindra Goonewardene, a junior who served as the co-chair of the Major Attractions committee for the 2007-2008 school year.
Goonewardene also said he is excited about having a single orientation night devoted to the Union.
"It's a really big deal that we're going to have our own night because it really sets us apart from any other organization," he said.
Union members emphasized the importance of coordinating with the First-Year Advisory Council Board and Residence Life and Housing Services to get freshmen and their FACs involved in Union-sponsored events over the course of the week.
Sophomore Adam Barron, co-director of marketing, proposed a Harry Potter-themed weekend for next year, which would include several events.
He said he came up with the idea after watching "We Are Wizards," an award-winning documentary about the Wizard Rock scene, a small community of Harry Potter-inspired bands.
Barron said the documentary's director, Josh Koury, had expressed enthusiasm about bringing the film to the University and speaking to students about the culture of Wizard Rock.
The Harry Potter-themed weekend would also feature a Yule Ball inspired by the event by the same name that occurs in the fourth book of the seven-book series.
Performances by two Wizard Rock bands, "Harry and the Potters" and "Draco and the Malfoys," whose songs focus on events that occur in the books, were also discussed for the weekend.
Plans for next semester also included an outdoor concert in mid-fall as well as bringing two national-touring Broadway shows to campus.
But Goodenwardene noted that plans for next year were unconfirmed and that planning would continue over the summer.
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