Column: Revamp C2K, ban frats and embrace freaks

Topher's Parade just recently celebrated its first birthday. In that year, I've realized that writing a column is probably the hardest thing I do at Duke. I have to scrutinize every word, phrase, and paragraph because a few thousand people will be doing exactly the same. I'm forced to take a clear stand on University issues and articulate those views in the most coherent way possible--otherwise I look like an idiot.

Most of the time it takes me three or four hours to write a column. One of the difficulties is finding a topic that warrants an entire column. So there are a number of topics that go untreated--until today. For your reading pleasure or pain, I present a short list of issues to add to the ever-growing Parade.

  1. Curriculum 2000:
You know there's a problem when people start referring to some of their classes as "C2K classes." Those are the classes that you take because they are both an NS and a STS or a CZ and a W. And more than likely you have no idea why the class with one five-page paper gets a W, while your political science course with a 20-page term paper gets only an SS.
Code designations are a significant problem in the current system. Codes often seem arbitrary, inaccurate, or unfair. Some courses don't even have codes except for an Area of Knowledge designation. Others seem to be code-happy. This situation leads to some problematic academic experiences for a lot of students, or at least they should be problematic in the eyes of administrators. Many students are forced to take a course they have no interest in only because it fulfills a desperately needed code.
Oftentimes, these courses become blow-off classes (either because the course itself is designed as a "C2K course" or because the student could care less about the course). Students inevitably waste time taking uninteresting and undemanding courses when they could be taking a course of genuine interest or an additional course in their primary areas of study. Elusive codes are ticked off on the Matrix at the expense of great academic opportunities.
The code system urgently needs to be re-evaluated if students are going to take Duke's concept of a liberal arts education seriously.

2. Freaks at Duke:
Where are the freaks? I walk down the quad and people stare at the small piercing below my lip! I am hardly freaky, but at Duke I must be a standout. Why must everyone wear Tommy Hilfiger, Polo and flip-flops? Boring! The first person I saw with blue hair (and not on game day) was two weeks ago. I've been looking for two years.
Freaks, and I use the term with the utmost respect, add a lot to college campuses. It's refreshing to see someone who has the courage not to dress, act and think the same as everyone else. Unfortunately, at Duke, those people are relegated to Central Campus or Edens because they don't want to bear the glares from frat benches.
And why glare? Who cares if someone chooses to wear second-hand clothes from a thrift store? Or to don a sarong for a party? Or even to paint their fingernails black? At a lot of schools, these people are not considered freaks, but at Duke anyone who doesn't shop exclusively at department stores must emblemize freakiness. As much as I enjoy athletic shorts, I admire students who realize they're going to have to dress "in uniform" of some sort as soon as they land a job, so they might as well express individual spirit while they still can. My labret piercing will stay right where it is. Keep the stares coming!

3. Dying frats:
The era of frat glory at Duke is over; however, the frat culture continues to die a slow and painful death. First, administrators kick a few unruly frats off-campus. They threaten others with the same fate. Then, those off-campus frats are chastised for their "out of control" behavior. The ones still on campus have recently been told to isolate themselves from the rest of the student body. And remember, no more than 60 people in the commons room! With all of these mixed messages, no one really knows what role frats are supposed to play at Duke.
The implications of this ambiguity affect the entire campus--it's difficult for the social scene to adapt to these changes. So right now, we're all experiencing unnecessary growing pains with no end in sight. Social scenes evolve over time, and Duke is not doing itself any favors by maintaining on-campus frats.
The frat scene is essentially dead, and it's clear that Duke has no plans to resurrect it. It's 2003, not 1983. Ban frats on campus. It's a quick and painless ending to a great run. How long are we going to complain about this pathetic, grueling social scene that's watching itself bleed to death?
So, fix Curriculum 2000, stop staring at freaks,and ban frats. Where's Nan's magic wand?

Christopher Scoville is a Trinity junior. His column appears every other Thursday.