Pegram splinter group pushes self-rule

The flames of secession still burn strong in the Land of Dixie.

Fed up with a House Council they called "oppressive," residents of a wing of the second floor of Pegram Residence Hall are attempting to secede from the dormitory.

Selador-the name of the upstart community-has taken steps to establish itself as an independent living group by selecting a leadership team, requesting representation on East Campus Council and petitioning the East Campus Programming Committee for funding.

Members said they have been meeting with East Campus Event Coordinator Dorothy Lou Bailey and hope Selador will be recognized as an official living community.

The group will be submitting a funding request next semester to East Campus Council, Barr said.

It seems unlikely that Selador would receive program funding, however, because they are not yet an officially recognized student organization, said Campus Council Vice President Kevin Thompson, a senior.

He added that if Selador members asked Pegram House Council to address their grievances, their complaints could be corrected much more easily than attempting to establish a new living group.

"If they are really trying to improve the living situation in Pegram and went to the Pegram House Council leadership and the graduate resident that advises them, then I am sure they would be more than willing to work with them," Thompson said.

Selador soon took on a life of its own and is cultivating a unique culture, said Seladorian Government Official Lyell McMerty, who writes for The Chronicle. The community's name is loosely based on Lord of the Rings, and it even has its own language, which is similar to common English except each word is followed by a silent and invisible letter 'Q.'

"We get along with the Pegramites," McMerty said. "However, as a culture and linguistically we are a totally different people."

Campus Council has no jurisdiction on which groups are officially recognized by the University, Thompson said. The Student Organization Finance Committee, a subsidiary of Duke Student Government, determines which groups qualify for funding.

Some Pegram residents said they are receptive to the idea of Selador all the same. Others, however, said they are concerned that the community's methods are too extreme.

"I kind of agree with their fundamental ideology, but the way they are going about it is wrong," said Pegram resident Devon Townsend, who is not a member of Selador. "They have no regard for the status quo. They are completely anarchist."

Townsend, a freshman, added that many Pegram residents support the dormitory's House Council, explaining that the secession resulted because the student leaders refused to give into Selador's demand for wilder parties.

"That is the fundamental difference between Selador and Pegram-the level of control," he said. "[Ma] is a great leader who was not willing to compromise his principles, but Selador can't be stopped. The [residence assistants] keep the rules and keep things safe, but Selador cannot be contained."

Selador recently annexed new "territory," with three rooms on the third floor of Pegram now known as the "Northern Territories of Philopia," McMerty said. Students living in Randolph and Blackwell Residence Halls have also expressed interest in joining the community, he added.

Though they hope to continue expanding, Seladorian officials noted that they do not intend to force membership in the community on anyone.