In its meeting Tuesday night, the Duke University Union received a request for funding and advertising to support the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s Homecoming Step Show.
Junior Clarence Williams, Jr., second vice president for the National Pan-Hellenic Council, asked DUU to co-sponsor the show to publicize the event to the entire Duke community. The National Pan-Hellenic Council is an umbrella organization encompassing the eight historically black fraternities and sororities. The show will take place Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in Page Auditorium.
“It’s a very popular event and it showcases the history of stepping,” Williams said. “It’s part of the history and tradition of black fraternities and sororities.”
Williams said typically the majority of students who attend the show are black. In previous years, many students from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University attended the show. This year, however, Williams said the group is trying to get more students from Duke to attend the event.
The group also requested DUU’s support with ushering and finding a host that would reflect the desire for the show to be a “racially diverse” event that can help fight “self-segregation” on campus.
Williams said he already initiated outreach efforts to other student groups, noting that the Inter-Greek Council recently purchased 50 tickets.
In other business:
DUU again discussed the possibility of re-opening the Freshman Intern Program, which previously ran in the 2008-2009 academic year.
The program would be implemented to draw freshman into DUU and provide them with a way to develop leadership skills within the organization, said senior Will Benesh, DUU vice president of external affairs. Freshman interns could plan their own event during first semester and potentially sit on DUU’s executive board second semester, he added.
“We know that it works,” Benesh said. “We know it’s a solid way to get these leaders.”
Board members postponed the discussion regarding the Freshman Intern Program another week.
Additionally, Duke Student Broadcasting President Maddie Burke, a senior, announced that DSB will now collaborate with GoDuke.com to produce content.
“We have a bunch of members working on professional live shoots,” Burke said. “Some things still come down to licensing, but we got it. It’s done.”
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