In a larger effort to shift campus culture away from consumption to cohesion, University administrators are extending a policy prohibiting section parties during orientation week to include the next two weeks of classes.
University policy states that no living groups may hold registered section parties during orientation week, though this policy has not been as strictly enforced. Housing, Dining and Residence Life sent an email Aug. 25 to student leaders of living groups that stated the policy has been extended, meaning no groups can have registered section parties until Sept. 9.
“Our policy has generally been no registered events during orientation,” Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said. “I don’t know how well-enforced that has been in the past.”
The HDRL email also stated that the decision to extend the party policy was originally communicated April 29. Prior to Sept. 9, the only events allowed in residential areas are those sponsored by quad councils, resident assistants or members-only SLG events ending before 7 p.m.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said that though University policies have long held that section parties may begin after orientation week, the extended policy is designed to promote a wide array of school-wide events planned for next weekend, formally referred to as the “1st Big Weekend.”
“It’s all about next weekend,” Moneta said. “This is the first time we’ve had a coordinated effort to begin the parties the second weekend [of the academic year], to use the first week as a campus-wide celebration.”
Moneta added that the upcoming Weekend—planned by the Office of Student Activities and Facilities, Duke University Union, Duke Student Government, Duke Athletics and Recreation and others—is intended to showcase the variety of community events that happen at Duke. Programming includes movie nights, open houses, athletic events and concerts.
Making students aware
Although these events mark a new initiative, other administrators noted continuity of orientation week policies aimed at keeping students safe.
Tom Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Duke Student Wellness Center, described how training policies for resident assistants and First-Year Advisory Counselors have been evolving over the last few years to better suit the needs of freshmen, especially in terms of substance and sexual abuse.
“The reality is everybody can say what they want about risk factors, but ultimately students have to decide for themselves what they choose to do,” Szigethy said. “The administration wants to make sure [students] are aware of all the choices out there so they can make healthy decisions.”
Szigethy added that the FAC program adapted its approach to discussions of subjects such as sexual assault.
“A couple years back the FACs got one hour [of] training and were asked to facilitate discussion [about dealing with sexual abuse],” he said. “This year we have professionals on campus to deal with those conversations. There’s no way you can train someone in an hour to lead discussions on those heavy topics.”
HDRL staff have had opportunities to break up parties during orientation week this year, Wasiolek said. She noted, however, that in these occurrences, students seemed generally cooperative with enforcement measures.
Fewer calls
Medical personnel said that they have noted a decrease in alcohol-related emergencies during this year.
Senior Ryan Lipes, director of Duke Emergency Medical Services, wrote in an email Sunday that EMS received only four alcohol-related calls during orientation week, with two requiring transportation to the emergency room. EMS received no alcohol-related calls on Saturday night.
“I do not have exact statistics for the past few years on hand, but I do know that this is significantly lower than in the past few years,” Lipes said. “While this is probably due to many factors, the more stringent policies regarding parties on West [Campus] during orientation week and increased activities for incoming students do seem to have made a difference.”
Some students, however, such as freshman Jay Kennedy, consider heightened enforcement of the party ban during these first three weeks as potentially dangerous.
“[The authorities] stepping up has become counterproductive because it’s causing people to drink faster, drink harder than they normally would out of fear,” Kennedy said. “It’s not stopping the behavior—it’s just driving it further underground and making it harder to regulate.”
Freshman Thomas Kavanagh said the presence of Alcohol Law Enforcement as well as numerous citations, weighed in freshmen’s minds when deciding on plans for a night.
“It’s definitely a rain cloud,” Kavanagh said. “Nobody wants to risk their education, especially this early. Some people are more liberal about it, but I definitely don’t want to risk my education here.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.