As the Cameron Crazies gear up for Rivalry Week, the tent city in K-Ville has come down. But this year, the famous Duke tradition looked a little bit different.
Line monitors collaborated with Duke Athletics to institute a Wellness Week grace period between Feb. 11 and 17. The change came “in response to feedback from last year’s tenters who felt that tenting was too mentally and physically overwhelming.” In a Nov. 26 email to students, line monitors cited the week as an opportunity to “rest and recharge ahead of the second half of the tenting season.”
To assess the attitudes of students involved in either Black (longest period) or Blue (second-longest period) tenting, The Chronicle organized a survey asking a series of questions about Wellness Week, in addition to speaking with current K-Ville residents before and after the break.
The Black tenting season, which began Jan. 21, would have been nearly six uninterrupted weeks without the break. While many tenters embrace the challenges of the tradition, they acknowledged the commitment that living in K-Ville takes.
From the logistical burden of organizing 12 college student’s schedules to the lifestyle changes that come with having to stay within K-Ville boundaries for extended periods of time, there are many sacrifices that come with tenting.
James Gao, a senior and second-year tenter, mentioned sleep as one of the biggest challenges. K-Ville residents have many different set-ups, from sleeping bags and blankets to whole mattresses. But the tents are supported below by large wooden palettes, which can be uneven and physically uncomfortable.
“I have a pretty nice setup at my place, like mattress topper, weighted blanket, all that, sleep mask,” Gao said. “So I'm all about that quality sleep. Here, you're definitely not getting that.”
Other challenges also present themselves. Even during Wellness Week, a big storm collapsed a few of the tents, causing water damage to personal items. The insides of tents were also soaked, having been held up by tarps which can succumb to the unexpected elements of a North Carolina winter and spring.
Sophomore Christopher Kang also highlighted that K-Ville, while fun, can be a difficult environment for academics.
“It's hard to focus when you're on a shift,” Kang said. “Especially for me, I'm from a Southern state. So I get really cold easily, my hands start to freeze.”
However, for freshman Danielle Lipp, tenting has been a rewarding experience and she believes it has actually had a positive impact on her academics.
“[Sleeping in a tent is] actually surprisingly easier than I expected,” Lipp said. “It's kind of fun, like just for the vibes. I feel like when I'm in the tent by myself and I have nothing else to do, I might as well do work.”
Their experiences seem consistent with those of other tenters across the board. The Chronicle’s survey showed that tenting had the most negative impact on sleep, with students reporting roughly 2.5 less hours — 7.64 to 5.19 — of shut-eye in their tents as opposed to their dorms.
Survey participants were split on the effect of tenting on academics, as 47.5% claimed that tenting had a negative impact, while 46.5% felt no change.
Quality sleep and study time is even more compromised with nightly tent checks, accountability calls by line monitors using a bullhorn to make sure every tent has the appropriate number of members present in K-Ville. These range in frequency but often occur during normal sleeping hours and at erratic intervals.
However, 68% of respondents reported tenting to have a positive or very positive impact on their social life. Students emphasized the importance of the tradition to Duke’s culture and community, and the shared experience of tenting is a key bonding link between students.
“One of my friends met his girlfriend through our tent last year,” Gao said.
“I'd highly recommend tenting if you want to feel like you're part of the Duke community,” Lipp added. “I feel like I've made a lot of new friends tenting, just because my group isn't just people in my friend group.”
She noted that the process helps build enthusiasm and anticipation among Cameron Crazies. To earn a tent in K-Ville amidst high demand, there are tests about Duke basketball history and scavenger hunts around campus, giving successful campers even more pride.
“I'm sleeping in a tent for four weeks to go to this game,” Lipp said. “So I'm really excited. I'm pumped.”
Feelings after Wellness Week
Overall, the tenters appreciated the week of rest, as it gave them a chance to catch up on sleep, get ahead in academics and not have to think about their shifts in K-Ville.
This sentiment transcended grade and tenting-experience boundaries. Out of people who tented previously, more than 80% surveyed either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that Wellness Week was a positive addition to tenting.
Specifically, respondents reported that Wellness Week restored both hours of sleep and sleep quality to pre-tenting levels. According to the survey, 68% of tenters also reported a positive impact on academics during the week, while 73% reported a positive impact on mental health.
“I definitely feel in a much better state to restart tenting,” Kang said after Wellness Week. “I feel like if we were tenting during that week, especially during midterms, it would have been very hectic.”
He noted that a lot of his and his friends’ midterms coincided with the week off. For senior Carmel Falek, the additional sleep was helpful in catching up from weeks of subpar rest.
“The week before Wellness Week, I did not sleep well in the tent,” Falek said. “Like I could not sleep, maybe because of the noise in K-Ville or something but I just really needed solid sleep, so [Wellness Week] was nice.”
“It was definitely nice having a break, being able to sleep without like a billion checks in the middle of the night,” Falek said.
However, Falek acknowledged that tent checks feel less frequent this year as compared to years past, which has certainly helped ease the burden.
“Yeah, they have been nicer … [in the past] I feel like there's been nights where every hour there's a check, and I don't think they've done that yet,” she said.
Despite the benefits they cited on mental health, sleep and academics, these tenters felt that Wellness Week is a positive addition only for the long tenting seasons where Duke’s home game against North Carolina falls in March.
“I think it’s a good idea for a long tenting season but for a short tenting season there should not
be a grace week.” Falek said. “What's the point? You're only tenting for three weeks anyways.”
“For the away-then-home years, [tenting] is just really long,” Gao said. “If the demand isn't there, because it's too tough, you make it easier, and the demand is there.”
While Wellness Week was a big difference, perhaps an even more vital one was the temperature adjustment. Grace is now called at 32 degrees rather than 25, and many past tenters acknowledged that this change has significantly improved their experience in K-Ville.
“Nighttime weather change has taken out a lot of the suffering, which is either a good thing or a bad thing.” Gao said. “I don't actually know how I feel about it.”
For many Cameron Crazies, persevering through uncomfortable conditions is what makes the K-Ville experience so rewarding. Falek added that it’s important to remember that tenting “is entirely voluntary.” Despite this, many tenters feel that the tradition is a quintessential part of the Duke undergraduate experience. The players may form The Brotherhood, but the Cameron Crazies remain a key visual of Blue Devil spirit.
“You kind of feel like you're part of history,” Lipp said. “I like to think about all the other people that probably slept in that exact spot in a tent before I did.”
One thing is for sure: Though tenting rules may change, the Cameron Crazies’ enthusiasm will not.
“We want the [Duke vs. North Carolina] game to be something that people have to make a big deal out of,” Gao said. “I don't want it to be one of those games where you can start tenting like two days before the end … there should be some sort of ritual to it.”
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity sophomore and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.