I was sitting in my dormitory room and wondering what this year will hold in store for Duke. Just three days into February, and this year, just like many other years, promises to be an unconventional year for the University. Arguably, social scandals and rankings affect Duke’s public image in one way or the other.
People have varying views about Duke. Some people love the school and others hate it. People’s sentiments are expressed as a result of several factors, including having personal connections to Duke, love for the school in general or admiration or hatred for basketball.
If you’re like me, you’re probably hoping that Duke has a smooth year. We’ve had the lacrosse case in 2006 and the Karen Owen PowerPoint in 2010. What else could possibly happen to this school socially? What other mess will Duke students be in 2012, or will this be a year in which Dukies don’t do anything scandalous?
We work hard and we play hard at Duke. For some reason, it seems that whenever we play hard, we find ourselves making national news. Most of the time, we are usually portrayed in an unfair spotlight due to the shocking and salacious things that can happen in the Gothic Wonderland. Although every university has its share of social problems, Duke tends to be an outlier in several ways. We challenge ourselves in the classroom, and when it’s time to interact with one another socially, our creativity comes in handy. Anything is possible socially—by anything, I mean whatever one desires to do in the social scene that is not harmful to others.
Duke’s problems in recent years have been quite different from those of our peers. Whatever happens to Duke in 2012, we should all remember that we are members of this community. We are family, a diverse and loving family that supports one another in both the good and the bad. We are a family made up of young, sharp minds, Cameron Crazies who bleed blue 24/7 and members of a community committed to excellence. In the end, there will be no place like Duke.
Rankings also play a role in the way an institution is perceived by the public. Although Duke is obviously a top research institution, Duke finds itself at the bottom of the leader board when compared to its peers. In the 2011 US News and World Report rankings, Duke came in 10th, meaning nine institutions in the U.S. are currently out-achieving us according to US News’ algorithm. What will happen in 2012?
Whenever I tell people in California that I go to Duke, the first thing they ask is: “the basketball school?” That is perfectly fine with me, but most regular people are not aware of my school being an academic powerhouse. A lot of factors contribute to this perception, such as Duke’s location and the age of the institution.
Being realistic, we all know university rankings play a role in the decisions of some students to matriculate to this institution. Some students are unlikely to go to a lower ranked school, even though it might be extremely prestigious, when given the opportunity to attend a higher-ranked one. Some Dukies came to Duke because their original plans faltered. Although they viewed Duke as being highly selective and prestigious, they were not admitted to a higher ranked school—or in a lot of cases, the big three.
People feed on rankings. Although you really cannot judge the quality of the student experience from those numbers, rankings serve as an important element of an institution’s public image. This was never more evident than when Claremont McKenna was found to, according to The New York Times, have “fudged its numbers in an apparent bid to climb the charts.” The school was not the first—Iona College and Baylor University have also admitted false reporting—but it was the highest ranked university to admit misreporting.
Universities are doing whatever it takes to move up in the rankings because they recognize the importance of these numbers. Short of starting a rankings revolution and eliminating prospective students’ reliance on rankings, Duke must find a way to avoid controversy while still maintaining its high ranking. At a time where competition is at its fiercest, Duke needs to hold fast and maintain its rank.
Don’t get me wrong, I am proud to be a Blue Devil. When the school I attend drops in worldwide rankings or stays in the same spot in national rankings, however, I am a little bit concerned. Duke is pursuing global and domestic initiatives, but this institution ends up being in the same spot or a position lower than the year before.
We can all agree on the fact that 2012 will be a year of memories and a continuance of University tradition. With the commencement of the Class of 2012 and the admission of the Class of 2016, Duke will play a new role in the lives of thousands of young men and women. Likewise, thousands of individuals will play a significant role in the framework of this university’s history.
Tegan Joseph Mosugu is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Friday. Follow Tegan of Twitter @tjcaliboy
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