Last Friday, hundreds of students filled the Chapel Quad, eating, mingling and checking out crafts booths at Oktoberfest.
Later that night a film festival marked the first-ever Duke screening of The Wizard of Oz synchronized to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and students packed into Armadillo Grill to listen to the sounds of a band called The Sames.
These events marked the beginning of Union Fortnight, two weeks of fun-filled occasions during which Duke students and community members can party on the quad, relax at midnight movies, and listen to a speech by a U.S. poet laureate, all organized by the Duke University Union.
In between the events of Oktoberfest and the Broadway at Duke series debut of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Union committees have scheduled a variety of programs for the Duke community, including concerts and movies.
"I would encourage students to get out and enjoy the events we have planned the next few weeks," said Union President Jesse Panuccio, a senior.
The Union consists of an executive committee and 10 programming committees--including the University's television and radio stations--each responsible for planning various events and programs. Committee membership is open to everyone in the Duke community.
Freshman Calvin Kung called Oktoberfest a welcome change on campus.
"I had been waiting for a large, well-publicized cultural festival and I thought it was nice how many different ethnic groups were represented," said Kung, who did not know the event was organized by the Union.
One of the primary goals of Union Fortnight is to raise awareness about the Union's activities.
"A lot of students go to events on campus and don't even know the Union is behind it," said Calisa Smith, an executive board member and a senior.
Union members publicized the events through a campus-wide e-mail, flyers and posters. In addition, the campus-wide calendar of Duke events is back online at www.union.duke.edu.
Following Oktoberfest, Freewater Presentations, another Union committee, screened the movie Run Lola Run and followed the film with a midnight showing of Dark Side of Oz. Cold weather forced Union officials to move the event from Clocktower Quadrangle to Griffith Film Theater. Panuccio said over 500 people attended the movies.
The success of Dark Side of Oz prompted Freewater Presentations to plan five more midnight films this semester. During Union Fortnight, and throughout the rest of the year, Freewater Presentations will show films five nights a week. A Halloween Midnight Movie screening of Evil Dead 2 has also been scheduled.
During Parents' Weekend, Duke students and their parents may opt to hear U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky speak in Page Auditorium Saturday.
"I wanted to start off with something nonpolitical. Politics for a Parents' Weekend speaker can be tricky," said Major Speakers committee chair Charlotte Vaughn, a sophomore.
Parents and students can also check out an exhibit in the Bryan Center by artist Randy Polumbo, whose controversial work uses materials such as condoms.
"We're not only exhibiting traditional art like painting but also provocative art," said junior Justin Gilanyi, chair of the Union's Visual Arts Committee. On Oct. 28, Polumbo will visit Duke and attend a reception in the evening.
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