Duke won’t let anything rain on its parade on the Last Day of Classes.
The LDOC committee worked with University administrators to prepare for possible rain. In the case of inclement weather, the concert will be divided into two separate shows—one featuring Ludacris and Rudy Currence and the other featuring Dev and Hyper Crush—held in Page Auditorium, the LDOC committee wrote in an April 25 email to the student body. Students can only attend one of the two shows due to limited seating in Page Auditorium.
Continuing the policy instated last year, Duke will close off its campus to those not affiliated with the University. Students will be required to carry their DukeCards with them at all times and wear their wristbands in order to attend the events, said LDOC Committee co-Chair Lindsay Tomson, a junior. She added that the Duke University Police Department will assist in enforcing these policies and promoting safety.
DUPD Chief John Dailey wrote in an email that security officers will check DukeCards on buses and in the entrances of certain West Campus buildings. All roads to West Campus will be blocked to those without IDs. Students should report suspicious behavior to officers standing by and look out for one another, he said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said these measures were put into place and will continue to be used this year because of the dangerous binge drinking and property destruction in previous years.
“I have about 10 years of experience, and I remember how LDOC used to be a blowout,” Moneta said. “It was an event for alcohol, not friends and music.”
The LDOC Administrative Advisory Committee collaborated with student leaders to establish rules that would prevent unruly and unsafe behavior at the event. According to the LDOC website, beverage containers must be under 24 ounces and glass containers are not permitted. Students can carry a maximum of six 12-ounce cans at any given time and alcoholic drinks other than beer are not permitted. Drinking games will also not be tolerated.
“We acknowledge that students drink, but we worked to make this an event for every Duke student including those who don’t engage in drinking,” Moneta said. “[These policies] have recalibrated the event, and while there are bound to be pockets of problems in celebrations like this one, they are no longer the core issues.”
Another tactic the University has taken to discourage excessive alcohol consumption is the implementation of daytime events, Tomson explained.
“The idea is to have something for the people who don’t drink to do and also to keep the ones who are drinking busy in activities so that they don’t drink too much, too fast, or be bored enough to do something stupid or dangerous,” she said. “We are really pushing for this by entering those who have six stamps on their passports from separate LDOC activities in a raffle for an iPad.”
She said this year’s schedule is based on the successful events of last year’s celebration—the barbeque, sing-along and the Chapel climb. Some new additions to this year’s events will be Bocce ball on the quad, yoga and massages, karaoke, chariot races, inflatable jousting and tie-dye activities.
The concert is one of the most highly anticipated aspects of LDOC, Tomson said. After taking student opinion into account, the committee decided to present one big headliner and a few smaller opening acts.
“The student body overwhelmingly asked for a big name hip-hop or rap artist and when picking one, we based our decision on a four-year cycle,” Tomson said. “We wanted to give the seniors... something they haven’t seen in their time at Duke.”
Given Duke’s rich history of campus celebrations such as Krzyzewskiville and Tailgate, the University has a lot of experience creating these kinds of policy changes to reflect new circumstances, as well as organizational changes to fix past mistakes.
“There was never a question of whether we [would] have an end-of-the-year event because students definitely deserve to celebrate, and Duke in particular is a school known for its campus-wide throwdowns,” Moneta said. “With our Cameron Crazies and Tailgaters, we are all about fostering community, and we have learned how to do it right.”
Moneta said he believes that it is this atmosphere of congeniality that sets LDOC apart from Tailgate. LDOC caters toward the student body to give them an environment to make memories, say their goodbyes and end the year feeling like a “real part of Duke,” he said.
Junior Alex Keller has experienced multiple LDOCs and firmly believes they are an integral part of the school’s tradition.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the survival of a year of tough classes, enjoy the Spring sun if the weather’s nice, and spend time with friends to relax a bit before buckling down for finals,” Keller said. “It’s definitely the best party of the year, and as long as everyone celebrates reasonably responsibly, should be a good time had by all.”
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