From a closed campus to Flogging Molly’s musical encore, Wednesday’s festivities marked several “firsts” for Duke’s annual Last Day of Classes celebration.
Policy changes this year included requiring students to wear wristbands and limiting the amount of alcohol they could carry at a time.
These changes contributed to a healthier, safer environment with less than half as many calls to emergency medical services compared to last year, said LDOC Committee co-Chair Liz Turner, a senior.
“From what we saw, the changes were actually really helpful. [LDOC] was mostly under control,” Turner said. “Obviously there’s still trash on the quad and some people were still drinking, but I didn’t actually see any issues with it.”
Out of 15 students who received EMS attention, about four were hospitalized, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta. One student was hospitalized due to a minor injury, and two or three of the hospitalizations were alcohol-related.
“LDOC is the one day of the year that there are alcohol concerns for everybody, but compared to years past, yesterday was much much much better,” said junior Eli Freiman, internal coordinator for Duke EMS. “All the planning that went into the day that was strict and reduced dangerous drinking worked.”
According to police reports, there were three minor incidents on campus. In one case Wednesday night, a student knocked a female student to the ground. No charges were filed.
Policy changes required all students to wear wristbands during the celebration and carry their DukeCards with them at all times. Security guards were posted at each entrance to Main West Quadrangle in order to ensure that campus was closed to those not affiliated with Duke. Students were also restricted to carrying six beers on their person, six fewer than last year’s limit.
Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek called this year’s LDOC the “best effort yet,” adding that safety measures did not seem to compromise student enjoyment.
Moneta said he felt the closed campus contributed to a safer atmosphere and prevented Main West Quad from becoming too crowded. In the past, many students reported injuries due to the packed environment, Moneta said.
Several students, however, voiced complaints regarding the closed campus policy as they planned to celebrate with friends from nearby schools, Turner said. She said the LDOC Committee may consider selling tickets to people outside of Duke next year.
Both Moneta and Wasiolek were disappointed with the amount of litter on campus. Although fewer people attended LDOC compared to previous years, Wasiolek said the all-day activities may have contributed to increased amounts of trash.
“As the day progressed the trash got worse,” she said. “And that’s something I hope the students will recognize in the future as something they really need to take responsibility for.”
The most positive feedback came from students who attended the day’s concerts, Turner said. After Flogging Molly performed, students demanded an encore.
“I’m so proud of the LDOC co-Chairs and of the staff and the large teams that supported them,” Moneta said. “It felt safe, it felt Duke and it felt like a community celebration.”
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