Vitarelli tackles student needs

All it took was a ping-pong table to get Campus Council President Anthony Vitarelli involved in campus leadership. Two years ago, the Vorhees, N.J., native became vice-president of Aycock dormitory with one simple mission in mind: to secure a ping-pong table for the commons room.

Vitarelli has not looked back since.

With the same determination that prompted his initial involvement, Vitarelli plans to continue to serve students' interests this year.

"Because of a Board of Trustees mandate, students have to live on campus for three years, so we want to make people excited about living on campus," he said.

To address student needs, Vitarelli's agenda for the year will focus on residential policies and activities programming.

Campus Council intends to tackle the annual review process all fraternities and selective living groups complete each year. "Our goal is to simplify and clarify the annual review, even putting it online," he said.

To make quad councils accountable, Vitarelli said, they will be required to report to the Campus Council finance committee.

Programming changes for the upcoming year include the reorganization of Devil's Eve and an expansion of the Coolest Thing Ever event. Devil's Eve, a carnival sponsored by Campus Council traditionally held the last Saturday in October, will now be moved to Halloween night for students who remain on campus for the holiday. The night will also feature an expanded array of carnival-style games and activities such as laser tag and karaoke.

Coolest Thing Ever, a student competition that debuted in the spring and featured activities such as buffalo wing eating and 3 on 3 basketball, will become an even bigger affair.

"Coolest Thing Ever is going to be an enormous, campus-wide competition of previously unknown proportions," Vitarelli said.

Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said she has been impressed by Vitarelli's drive and dedication to Duke. "It is clear that his motivation is his love of Duke," she said.

She added that on one occasion, while many students were discussing study abroad opportunities, Vitarelli remained firmly committed to Duke.

"When it was Anthony's turn to talk he said, 'I'm not studying away from Duke. I love it too much here,'" Wasiolek said.

Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Moneta said Campus Council will play a big part on campus this year. "Anthony is very focused and very clear on the sense of what role he wants to play on Campus Council and the role that Campus Council can play on this campus," he said. Co-founder of the Greening Initiative, an environmental program, participant on the Steering Committee for the revitalization of Central Campus and last year's rush chair for his selective living group, Wayne Manor, Vitarelli engages himself in life at Duke.

In a return to his roots, Vitarelli encourages freshmen to dive into campus life.

"The easiest, most fun way to get involved on East is through your house council," he said.