Reflect and Engage

Seniors prepare to bid farewell to Duke, capturing snapshots of an ever-growing university for which the only constant is continuous change. Over the past year, by shedding its antiquated edifices, both literal and not, Duke has created and expanded spaces for interfaith reflection, global engagement and intercultural discussions. The most meaningful evolutions, however, have occurred to the foundation of the university itself, driven directly by students, faculty and staff. In a year marked by protests, when even curriculum proposals highlighted a need to explore the “Duke Experience,” we turn to reflect on the essential lessons of a Duke education and its impact on the shaping of campus outside the classroom.

The physical remodeling of campus touched the heart of campus this year with the Chapel breaking free of its scaffolding and the beloved West Union emerging from the shadows of construction fixtures and cranes. The trend will only continue as the renovations to Wannamaker, Giles and other dorms and the deconstruction of Central Campus set the stage for new buildings and facilities. The magnitude of physical changes, however, pales in comparison to the scale of shifts in social awareness on campus.

Sparked by a death threat and homophobic slur in a first-year dorm and the defacement of a Black Lives Matter poster, students on campus have continuously and publicly demanded answers from the administration this year. While we have critiqued certain methods of student protesters, it is their ardent efforts that have burned salient issues into the minds of the student body.

The mantle of activism lit early in the year was carried forward by the nine students who staged a week-long protest in the Allen Building and the many more who camped outside to demand action from the administration in response to systemic discrimination in Duke Parking and Transportation Services as well as a hit-and-run committed and alleged racial slur used by Duke’s Executive Vice President. This year has been focused on pushing boundaries of student involvement, demanding administrative communication and neigh-saying in the face of injustice.

In addition to struggling to hold the administration accountable, students have also been forced to deal with a inadequate student government that represents them neither descriptively nor in action. From DSG’s latest rejection of an amendment that would allow the general student body to interface with the Board of Trustees to their misleading use of referendums, student have been given little reason to have faith in their student government. In the coming year, we hope that the inefficient communication conduit through DSG between administration and students will motivate more students to consider Dean Nowicki’s call for students to “question authority” and galvanize them to reform their student government.

Bringing our voices to the forefront of campus and translating our words to action, intentionally and persistently, will lead us beyond our insulating campus walls and toward attaining the leadership qualities we aim to cultivate at Duke. Whether through social justice advocacy or substantive volunteer work, the necessity to apply ideals beyond the classroom has remained constant. During our four years here, we see our growing city and the rest of the world through a narrow-focused lens. Of course, Duke has attempted to force us to engage with unfamiliar ideas and communities, but ultimately, the burden rests on us to continue this process after we leave our Gothic wonderland behind. The Duke experience is not limited to four years of classes, a final GPA and a paper diploma.