OPINION
Inspiration for Vigil from Frederick Douglass
By Huck Gutman | April 13, 2018The search for that, and to make it ongoing in life, is a residue, for me, of that time in our lives.
The search for that, and to make it ongoing in life, is a residue, for me, of that time in our lives.
Working on this campaign, I’ve witnessed much more of the human experience than I think I ever had in life before. I’ve met people at unbelievably diverse stages in their lives—from the tragic, to the happy, to the simply bizarre—and for a brief moment, engaged with them at those distinct and meaningful points.
I would now like to pay it forward with a list of things I wish I’d known on that first, ominous day. P-Froshes, pay attention.
“Sometimes people’s dreams compel them to act in ways they would usually call irrational, and they decide they must wrench themselves and others from complacency.”
Unlike many of my classmates who seemed to have had superior educations in northeastern suburbs or at east coast prep schools, I arrived at all-male Trinity College from a quintessential southern town, small and more than a little provincial. Our worldview was largely untested.
Little did I know then, as the events of 1968 played out around the world, that the Vigil would prove to be unique in its combination of scale (perhaps 2,000 students at the peak), self-organization, and peacefulness. It was also more successful than many others.
Changing our campus culture will take every single one of us—we can no longer just stand there and refuse to engage with the work that is already being done, wishing for uncomfortable things to go away.
Behind their navy blazers and power pantsuits, our representatives are (for the most part) working their a**es off to push for you, the student.
I think a lot of other people are stuck in a cycle of avoiding things that make them uncomfortable.
As opinion journalists dedicated to commenting on the state of the University, we condemn the actions of those like Freeman who seek to destroy—whether intentionally or unintentionally—local journalism through self-serving capitalistic purposes.
No generation—certainly not mine—has a monopoly on righteousness or sparking social change. You can be more than we were. You can have a greater impact on this nation.
Oliver Harvey, invisible according to the customary credentials at Duke, was my civics teacher in public work.
All in all, President Price expressed a great sense of enthusiasm in his work, which many Board members felt was akin to seeing a first-year student come alive at Duke with fresh, optimistic eyes.
Recent conversations on campus, such as the Provost’s Symposium on American Universities, Monuments, and Legacies of Slavery last weekend, acknowledge Duke’s flawed and forgotten histories.
Addressing the issue of rising tuition costs, President Price described the precarious financial balancing act the University currently faces related to cost and revenue considerations.
I pretended to be straight for 19 years, repressing my feelings so far back that I actually convinced myself that sexuality was a choice.
The 5 Bs were the 5 topics of conversation off-limits for recruitment: Bibles, bucks, Bush, beer and boys.
When you reach the level of comedic genius that I have, it can be challenging to organize all of your thoughts. To remedy that problem I began compiling a list where I sorted through everything at Duke. Today I share that list with the world; you’re welcome.
Without Durham residents who hold a worldview informed by lived experience within the community, the Board of Trustees cannot begin to understand the complexity of Durham and the ramifications of their decisions for that city.
I know that my pickiness makes me a frustrating person to have around sometimes. I’ll only accept invitations to eat at Thrive on Central Campus after 5 p.m., when they ditch their healthy, salad-infested lunch menu and offer their more edible dinner selections, like pizza and chicken nuggets.