It's essential for any hard-working Duke student to find a place to study when your room becomes just a little too stifling. Maybe your roommate wants some time with their boy/girlfriend or you just can't stand the smell of your laundry anymore, but, for whatever reason, you have to find a personal safe haven.
Most students will go to Perkins, Bostock or the Bryan Center, but rarely will a student venture out to the Duke Coffeehouse to study. The Coffeehouse, located in the Crowell building on East Campus behind Wilson Dormitory, is known to students as a place where bands come and play, but as a place of study, its reputation is almost nonexistent.
In past years, the Coffeehouse was run by SHARE, a selective-living group currently located in Edens Quadrangle. In 2005 it was closed down and then reopened as a Duke University Union program. Since the reopening, the Coffeehouse, which is run and managed by students, has sought to establish itself as a popular venue, where students can study or socialize.
Joe Clark, director of the Coffeehouse and Chronicle staff member, notes the difficulty of being located on East Campus.
"It's definitely our biggest hurdle," he said. "We have to reintroduce ourselves to freshmen. We are working on that, and expanding our marketing strategy."
Still, the Coffeehouse is not without its loyal patrons.
"I'm from San Diego, and there's this one coffeehouse that I really like," said freshman Summer Puente. "When I come here, I'm reminded of that coffeehouse and of home."
DUU President Katelyn Donnelly emphasized the importance of the student-only management in creating the Coffeehouse's atmosphere.
"This place is legit student. It's the only place on campus that is completely student run," she said. "You can come here and escape from the institutions of Duke or Greek life or whatever."
One of the many features the Coffeehouse offers, besides its student-rendered murals, retro furniture, 48-inch television with DVD player and projection screen, are Open Mic Nights. The event allows students and members of the Durham community to read poetry aloud or perform short musical acts. According to Donnelly, a senior, more than 50 students appeared at the last Open Mic Night on Sept. 20.
And then, of course, there are the concerts.
"We had John Vanderslice [on Sept. 21], which was a huge show. We had maybe 200 to 210 people show up," Clark said.
Last year Jason Mraz performed on the day before his Last Day of Classes concert and Beirut visited during the fall semester.
Musical acts such as Scissors for Lefty, Pedro the Lion's Dave Bazan and the Lucksmiths will perform later this semester, as well as a number of Triangle-area bands.
In addition to booking its own schedule, the Coffeehouse will assist in hosting the Troika Music Festival, a series of concerts that run from Nov. 1-3. Students can purchase a single pass online to gain access to all the shows at any of the multiple Durham venues.
"We really try to support local bands and the local community in general," Clark said.
And the local community responds in turn by attending shows and even performing.
"On the last Open Mic Night, we had this guy from Durham come and rap about racism. It was amazing," said Donnelly.
With its high ceilings, multi-colored couches and heavily graffitied restrooms, the Coffeehouse invites one to sit back and relax before delving into to the next pressing midterm. Completely informal, far different from your average Starbucks, the Coffeehouse offers a charm that even West Campus residents might find difficult to ignore.
"People don't know the potential of this place," Donnelly said. "It's the subculture Duke didn't even know it had."
Duke Coffeehouse is open daily from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m. For upcoming shows, events and ticket prices visit www.duke.edu/web/coffeehouse.
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