Dean of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki presented the new plans for Central Campus at Wednesday night's Duke Student Government meeting in an effort to receive feedback from senators.
Nowicki said he was interested in soliciting students' opinions for the planning of what he refers to as "New Campus."
"I think that everyone understands that to do this right we need to consult the students," he said.
To ensure that student input is involved in the University's new plans, Nowicki proposed the idea of task forces comprised of groups of five to six students. He added that he hopes to assemble these task forces before the semester ends. He also sought student opinion at an open meeting Tuesday, which only five students attended.
The plans-which were unveiled March 4-are not for a separate third campus, but rather are a continuation of West Campus, Nowicki said. He added that this is not a 50-year plan as some have speculated, but instead it is approximately a five-year plan.
"When you come back for your fifth-year reunion this will all be done and in fact a little dusty," he said.
The plans will create five different neighborhoods, which will consist of a West Union District, a Gothic Neighborhood, a New Edens Neighborhood, a Garden Neighborhood and an Arts District. Although Nowicki said different neighborhoods should contribute differently to campus life, he noted that dining facilities and social spaces should exist in all neighborhoods.
He added that he anticipates students will care about this long-term project for numerous reasons.
"Duke students love Duke in general and want to make a difference," he said. "This is also a great opportunity for students to get involved and work with a famous international architectural firm. A third reason to get involved is that these plans are going to start impacting students right away."
In other business:
The Senate passed a resolution presented by Diya Co-president Shawn Kwatra, a senior and member of The Chronicle's independent editorial board, to expand South Asian Studies at Duke. The resolution, written by the Duke South Asian Studies Initiative, calls for a South Asian Studies certificate, major, minor and Focus program. The resolution also aims to establish a Center for South Asian Studies that will resemble the structure of the Freeman Center for Jewish Life.
Student Affairs Senator Will Passo, a freshman, told senators that Duke was one of the schools still in the running to host a concert to raise awareness on climate change as a part of the Live Earth campus concert series.
"This [selection] will be based on how environmentally interested the students are," he said.
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