Duke grapples with 'culture of excess'

A report engendered by the lacrosse affair proposes a new direction

DURHAM -- After months of turmoil surrounding the lacrosse case, Duke University will now struggle with the question of how, and whether, it can change its social climate.

A campus committee Tuesday made 28 recommendations to encourage diversity, strike a proper balance in athletics and change what some at Duke have called a "culture of excess."

The panel took a critical view of many aspects of Duke's social life. Housing policies allow fraternities and other groups to live together and occupy large chunks of space, resulting in cliquish, racially segregated dorms that unfairly favor male students. Students too often drink to get drunk, the report said, leading to bad behavior, impaired health and lost weekends.

The committee suggested ways to shift the atmosphere away from drinking and toward a more inclusive academic community.

"There's definitely a theme in this report of pushing in our students the philosophy of respect," said Robert Thompson, a dean and chairman of the committee.

But some students were skeptical. "They're trying to create broad social change, and it's just really, really hard to do," said Taylor Jacobson, a senior.

Duke officials have sounded alarms about alcohol abuse for years, going back to the early 1990s when William Willimon, the former Duke Chapel dean, wrote a scathing report. Then, in 1999, Duke student Raheem Bath died as a result of heavy drinking, prompting more talk of change.

No noticeable progress has been made, alcohol researcher Aaron White, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke, contends. "This is now 2007, and we're still dealing with the exact same issues, if not worse," he said.

Inconsistent enforcement of alcohol rules and a lack of mandatory alcohol education have hampered the university's ability to exert influence, White said. "Duke ought to be ashamed of itself for its lack of focus on this problem over the last decade," he said.

In 1995, then-Duke President Nan Keohane moved all freshmen to a "dry" East Campus. Many alumni greeted the change angrily, but it has been generally viewed as a success. Some of the new recommendations will likely be followed as the university builds a new Central Campus with apartment-style living for older students.

There is no quick way to change the campus drinking culture, but it can be done, said Henry Wechsler, a lecturer at Harvard's School of Public Health who has written extensively on the college drinking issue.

"This level of drinking is not new," Wechsler said. "It's deeply ingrained at many colleges."

Even if Duke takes a new approach to alcohol, universities alone cannot change the wider culture. In college towns such as Durham, Chapel Hill and so many others, campuses are surrounded by bars and restaurants offering cut-rate booze -- Ladies Night, Happy Hour, 2-for-1 drinks and the like. For a culture to change, the larger community has to tone down its promotion of vice, Wechsler said.

"You have to do more than lecture the students," he said. "Students come and go, but systemic changes in the community stay."

Targeting athletics

The committee's other suggestions involve admissions and athletics, providing more faculty oversight in both areas. Proposals include cutting travel and practice time for athletes, establishing a higher admissions bar for athletes and aggressively recruiting more minority and international students. That seems to suggest that Duke could actively alter the makeup of its student body.

In a prepared statement, Duke President Richard Brodhead said none of the recommendations is a done deal. "This is a time for vigorous debate, which is a healthy thing in a university," he said.

A report to Brodhead is due in the fall from Provost Peter Lange, who has the challenge of shepherding a campus conversation about whether and how to implement changes. But this is what universities do, Lange pointed out Tuesday, citing previous campus debates over curriculum overhauls, a women's initiative and strategic planning.

"These are big issues that need to engage a lot of people," he said.

The debate will no doubt be heated. Reallocating precious real estate on the Gothic quads of West Campus is sure to stir controversy. While allowing large groups of friends to live together has been popular, the practice has also proven divisive, said Thompson, the committee chairman.

"The process causes some students to feel less privileged and less empowered," he said.

Amy Feagles, a junior, said doing away with group living would merely create a whole new set of problems. "It might just push [parties] off campus in a way that would be more problematic," she said.

Campus officials say building a new bar and grill that serves alcohol would encourage civilized, responsible drinking.

"It increases the notion that drinking is an adult activity and that you do it in the context of food and friendship, and you do it as part of a broader thing," Lange said. "And not just to drink."

Some students feel the culture changing already. Last week, a party in the library featured semi-formal attire, a jazz band and catered food. Students showed up in force.

"People were just having a really good time, like hanging out in the library," said senior Priscilla Boeck.