Ringing in the New Year

As leaves swirl across stone sidewalks and the wind nips at our noses, campus welcomes students back for the next chapter of their Duke experiences. Whether it is rush, tenting, coming back from abroad or the job searches and theses that plague seniors, you will further find changes all around you on campus.

We first have to admit that we continue to be very impressed with construction across campus. The Bolt and common space renovations in Edens have greatly increased the appeal of the area and provide students a great recreational space for gaming. Wrapping up Rubenstein Library not only completed the library’s improvement but also our selection of library study spaces. Marketplace’s renovations that concluded partially at the end of the summer and continued into the fall semester reached a final endpoint over winter break with the newly relocated Trinity Cafe opening up social and academic spaces on the lower level. Though construction in different areas will continue for years to come, as the number of completed projects grows, students will find themselves with a hugely improved Duke experience across campus.

Beyond physical changes, the University is transforming academically. In the second year for curriculum changes, our administrators and fellow students have been working with faculty on proposals that will redefine the academic Duke experience. It is our hope that this process will follow the core of what makes Duke unique and focus less on catching up to whatever peer institutions are doing. The Imagining the Duke Curriculum Committee should continue to guide its work towards a uniquely Duke experience that stands on its own, striving to fundamentally change how students go about filling their bookbags and how they personalize their majors. It is also imperative that focus group feedback, agenda minutes and information about proposal ideas reach students. Though current students will not be affected by the changes, they stand to gain from reflecting on what goes into an academic experience.

Not all changes will be natural or guided, however. Last semester there were whirlwinds of controversy and undeniable tension on campus. Hopefully the winter break gave students a chance to go back home to the networks of friends and family, refreshing them for a new semester in our intellectually vibrant community. As awkward and occasionally distressing as campus was at points last semester, turning inwards like so many communities nationwide did was for the better and equipped students better for future conversations. Progress has been made but the work of the Task Force on Bias and Hate Issues is ongoing and to be followed closely.

Finally, spring semester brings us the papery storm of flyers and high resolution pictures for various student elections. Turning to Duke Student Government, we hope that elections this year will feature those students who will be leaders driven by student interests and effecting changes according to those needs. We believe DSG representatives who are outspoken about being connected to students and assessing the state of DSG’s credibility with students will be the best received moving forward. Student government is a uniquely empowered actor for countless campus projects, and the principles of civic engagement and representation it embodies are rooted in having the support and approval of students.

As the next four months go by, students should make a point of recognizing and improving the New Year’s new Duke. They should come to the University with fresh faces and a renewed desire to contribute to the broader community even as they tend to their own paths forward.