Students note improvement in LDOC 2015

Whether they most enjoyed the men's basketball team dancing on the stage, energy at the concerts or massages on the Chapel Quadrangle, students across campus saw improvement in the Last Day of Classes.

LDOC committee co-chairs David Soled and Anton Saleh, both sophomores, were pleased with how the day went and said that they experienced no overwhelming problems. This year, the committee emphasized daytime activities, tried to choose artists whose music would appeal to a larger portion of the student body and focused on getting students to the Main West Quadrangle early for the concerts, which opened with American indie pop band MisterWives.

“It went fantastic,” Soled said. “Feedback wise, I’ve heard great things, and the [LDOC] committee did an awesome job.”

One of the committee's largest accomplishments was high student attendance for the earlier concerts, Saleh said. He noted that the committee hoped to get students out of their dorms earlier in the day to build community spirit and shift LDOC's focus away from drinking.

In order to accomplish this goal, Soled explained that the committee emphasized daytime activities—including a silent disco, massages on the Chapel Quadrangle and food trucks. These features were especially popular among students.

“The massages were my favorite activity,” sophomore Michael Wang said. “They were really well organized, and they seemed longer than last year.”

Another aspect of LDOC the committee focused on was improving the selection of artists from past years. After receiving feedback that some students were disappointed with unfamiliar performers last year, the committee tried to choose artists that more students knew, Soled said.

Several students expressed their satisfaction with this year’s artists, emphasizing the improvement from last year.

“I felt like Jeremih and T-Pain were more relevant than the artists last year,” said sophomore Rishi Simhal.

Junior Davis Treybig also said that he enjoyed this year's concert more, noting that "the vibe the artists had was more enjoyable" than in the past.

Soled said that he thought MisterWives was the most popular artist among students, adding that the committee chose the group because of their strong vocals and up-and-coming status.

“They really put on a show for the crowd,” he said. “I think their messages of equality and Earth Day were something that Duke students could really relate to.”

In addition to enjoying the scheduled performers, many students said that their favorite part of LDOC was the men’s basketball team joining Jeremih on stage.

“That was awesome,” said Treybig. "It was a huge surprise that no one saw coming.”

Members of the team had connections with Jeremih, who wanted to have them come on stage, Soled explained. He said that although the event was unplanned, it seemed well-received by the crowd.

Most people considered this year’s LDOC a success, but the committee still received some negative feedback to keep in mind for the future.

In regard the to silent disco, Soled said that returning students’ DukeCards—which they exchanged for headphones to hear the music—became chaotic at times.

Additionally, the security measures taken—students were asked to show their DukeCards as they entered the Main West Quadrangle and boarded buses—were burdensome for some students.

"I thought that the increased security was unnecessary and bothersome," said sophomore Elizabeth White. "I felt like I had to show my Duke card too often."

However, the problems were nothing the committee could not handle and did not diminish LDOC's improvement in 2015, Saleh said.

“Overall, I think it was a success,” he said. “I’m glad we were able to achieve a great LDOC that everyone was able to enjoy.”