BSAI: More than just a party weekend

BSAI, Duke’s Black Student Alliance Invitational, has come and gone like a tornado, leaving a path of destruction. Some events from this weekend have already become common knowledge, while others remained locked in the chamber of secrets. One of the unofficial mottos for BSAI was to be as “ratchet” as possible. “Ratchet” is a term used to mean ridiculous, wild, and out of control. “Ratchet” is an adjective but it can be used as a noun (“ratchetivity,” “ratchetness”) and even has a Spanish counterpart (“ratchetamente”). The idea that we have waited all year to be “ratchet” has spawned a twitter account and a blog, both titled “Championship Week.” But, when did it become OK to be “ratchet”?

BSAI is a weekend to welcome accepted African-American students to the University. The purpose is to help students see Duke in an environment where they feel comfortable. An emphasis is placed on embracing your culture at a university where you are the minority. Though some social activities can mislead prospective freshman into believing that the social life for black students is better than it actually is, the weekend showcases life at Duke for black students in a pretty accurate way. Therefore, it diminishes the legitimacy of the weekend when so many black enrolled students (both hosts to prospective freshmen and non-hosts) use it primarily as a party weekend. I feel that it gives the invited students the idea that our unity stems from a culture of partying and drinking.

Before the weekend started, I contacted the prospective freshman that I would be hosting for the weekend. We discussed alcohol, and I told her that I didn’t feel it would be appropriate for her to drink this weekend, even if she did drink in her hometown. She understood, and we made the decision that she would not drink. Once she arrived on campus and went to her first party, she expressed that she had changed her opinion. She stated that she didn’t want to be the only sober person at a party full of people who were drunk—I saw her dilemma. I had witnessed people who were falling over drunk three nights in a row, and it was portrayed as the norm. How could I tell my p-frosh that this is not how Duke is when this is all that she sees? It saddened me that we could only connect with each other when we had all downed a fifth of vodka.

What about events outside of the parties? The cultural events and talks are enlightening, but many of these events are required so that a p-frosh can gain admission to the parties. It sends the wrong message—that we only care about jazz so that we can listen to rap later. I think that BSAI is a wonderful way for prospective students to connect with members of the Duke community of their same race. However, the unofficial emphasis placed on partying and getting wasted has hurt its reputation.

Ariel Smallwood is a Trinity sophomore. Her online column runs every Tuesday.