Non-Greek selective living groups held their joint open house on Sunday as a non-recruitment event in accordance with Duke’s new policies—but some SLG leaders are still confused on what next steps look like for their organizations, while others plan to work with Duke to remain recognized.
The Cube, Round Table, Mirecourt, Maxwell, Brownstone, Illyria and LangDorm participated in the open house on Abele Quad. The event had been canceled following an Aug. 30 announcement banning SLG recruitment events. The ban on recruitment was attributed to it being the last year SLGs will have on-campus housing, a change brought on by QuadEx, Duke's living and learning initiative.
Then, a Friday email sent to SLG leaders amended the restriction, allowing them to hold the open house as long as it was not “advertised for the purposes of recruitment.” Rather, the open house should be used as an “introduction to your organizations and emphasize to students what your course of approval at Duke will be in the future.”
But as SLG members stood around posters on the quad chatting with interested sophomores and juniors, you could still hear the words “rush” and “recruitment."
In order for SLGs to maintain a presence on campus in future years or hold recruitment events, they must transition into a Living and Learning Community or become a new student group with the approval of Duke Student Government, according to Tuesday’s announcement.
Illyria President Audrey Alexander, a senior, is still not sure how garnering interest for Illyria will work because “administration has been very confusing about what is and what isn’t allowed.”
“We are thinking of just going through like we normally would and then having to deal with logistical things [later on], whether that means disaffiliating or trying to fit in with their new guidelines for SLGs,” Alexander said.
Round Table plans on transitioning into a DSG approved group by becoming recognized by SOFC, according to co-presidents Erika Berlik, a junior, and Richard Lombardo, a senior. The coming weeks would have been used for rush, but now they will be used for giving interested students “a space to get to know [Round Table’s] members.”
Mirecourt President Babu Chatterjee said that Mirecourt has no plans on becoming approved by DSG or applying to become an LLC.
“I believe that if [Mirecourt] is a real community, we will be able to function and exist without University resources,” Chatterjee said.
The Cube and LangDorm are interested in applying to become LLCs, according to Deb LoBiondo, associate dean for residence life. In an email to The Chronicle, she also wrote that SLGs cannot host recruitment events for the “living” component of their group, and they need to be a recognized student organization before they can “recruit” new members.
Currently, there is not an official process to recognize SLGs through SOFC, according to DSG President Lana Gesinsky, a senior. DSG and SOFC are adopting a short-term measure to facilitate space rentals and event planning for group leaders until the end of this academic year.
“In the long-term, we hope to engage a wide array of stakeholders in figuring out permanent status for SLGs,” Gesinsky wrote in a message to The Chronicle.
Editor’s Note: Babu Chaterjee is a member of The Chronicle’s staff as sports social media editor.
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Katie Tan is a Trinity senior and digital strategy director of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously managing editor for Volume 118.