Duke University - Chanticleer Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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:M fl 'Z E - ':Hr'0'Y : em Qlarlticlccrz When did you first hear about Baldwin Federation and what impressions did you form at that time? Anonymous Student: Last summer I was offered a choice - freshman house, independent dormitory, or cross-sectional federation. The last one would look good on my transcript so I marked the appropriate box. Qhqticlccft You live in a fraternity section. Has this been worthwhile? Anonymous Student: Yes. lt took me a while to figure out why they weren't throwing bottles at each other, but then I realized that by inhal- ing from one end of the hall to the other I could detect which group smoked the better dope. Qliqticlccfz Did this influence your fraternity preference? Anonymous Student: Somewhat. Qbzlticlecfz How do you evaluate fraternities within a federation context? Anonymous Student: There are two possibilities. The first is that fraterni- ties and their functions may detract from the related atmosphere which the federation is trying to develop. Fraternity parties are considered more prestigious and draw people away from the less elaborate federa- tion gigs. On the other hand, the federation has thrown several widely divergent groups into close proximity of each other, and this could be a - ' g -1-ill I y f X ' 4 ,.., . .,. .vs , , 1 3 ' l 1 , ---' - Wo- ' 1 X X 1 5 . R N l . J b YW good thing. Qfitlticlccfz How so? Anonymous Student: There have been some epiphanies - nurds drink, iocks think . Things like that. Qlarlticlccfz So the federation has provided a positive living-learning experience? Anonymous Student: That's what The Bulletin calls it, I suppose. Well, it's not like the girls sit in their windows and wink at you, but it's definitely better than West. Qhqticlccf: I'm convinced. Do you miss the late hours of the Cambridge Inn? Anonymous Student: Not really. We iust get hungry an hour earlier. While the Dope Shop is open. Qfaqticlcefr What about having your classes on West? Anonymous Student: They're easier to cut, but when I do go over I have to invent reasons to stay, so l've met a lot of people iust by wandering around between classes. Qbqticlccf: Do you miss the urinals? Anonymous Student: No, toilets are easier to puke in. Qlaqticlcefz It sounds idyllic. 27

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the federation: W y? lust before freshman orientation I received an official-sounding letter from the president of my prospective dorm welcoming me to the house and extolling the illustrious history of the dorm, which included being named the outstanding Independent I-louse . When I arrived at Duke I was again welcomed by the president, resident fellow and the men of the house. During freshman orientation 1 was informed of the regu- lations on when and under what conditions female guests were al- lowed in the dorm. For the benefit of those who are unaware of the fact, men's dorms used to have open-opens. women were only allowed in the dorms for certain hours and the doors of the rooms where the female guests were had to be kept open. At the first house meeting an extensive and expensive social schedule was presented for the house's approval. The upperclassmen expressed their approval and the fresh- men followed their example. However, few of the freshmen met or got to know any girls, few got dates and went to the parties. The freshmen were not alone, though most of the upperclassmen were having the same experience. The isolation of the two campuses and formal setting around which one met girls was generally disapproved of. The dissatisfaction with the system as a whole led the house to vote to abolish its selec- tivity system. Later twenty-four hour open-opens were introduced, as they were in many other houses. These changes were minor, though, and did not attack the major problems, the physical and organizational isolation between the men and women that hindered the possibilities of them meeting and getting to know one another. The second semester of my sophomore year a new living-group organization was introduced at Duke, the federation. It was an experiment that was designed to attack the isolation between the two campuses. The federation was to be a living group composed of both men and women. However, no real group identity ever devel- oped and little significant change took place. Last year the Residential Life Committee felt that to create a true federation men must be moved to East campus and women to West. Geographical contiguity was a necessity for a federation-having to ride a bus to see the other members of your living-group was hardly condu- cive to identifying with a federation, to put it mildly. Although every- one was happy that women were coming to West, not so many were willing to move to East. Most of the house members were not very enthralled about vacating newly renovated dorms to move to the ones on East, including myself. Nevertheless, this fall found me staring out at Georgian in lieu of Gothic architecture. I found life on East campus to be considerably more pleasurable than on West. The campus was serene and had thick green grass. it was simply a prettier campus, and it provided an oppor- tunity to meet more girls. Not only that, but the first meeting of the Baldwin Federation was a great success. There were volunteers to work on all the committees, and activities such as a freshmen dance, a beach weekend, intramural sports and dorm courses were organized. Every- one was enthusiastic and it appeared that the federation was to be the panacea for all the social problems at Duke. As the semester progressed it became apparent that this was not the case. Although it' carried out its planned' activities, most people lost their original enthusiasm and participation lagged. The federation was not a real living-group. It had no real identity. Most of the decisions of what the federation was going to do were made without the knowledge of most of the members. There was little participation by the individual. But I would not say that the federation is a failure, it simply has not realized its potential. The federation has allowed people to meet and get to know each other, It has broken down the physical barriers be- tween East and West campuses, but as of this moment the individuals within the federation do not identify with it. The federation is not a panacea for the social problems at Duke. It requires work and partici- pation by the individuals within it to become a viable living-group. The federation concept is the most constructive idea in bettering the resi- dential life at Duke since I have been here, it has not been a total suc- cess'but that does not mean we should give up on it. l l l I 26 nr1i:.n-4-an 'i upr.w.-1,-.Juni v 1 ar ni. 1--up - n.i r. rii

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When we got back to school in September, we got the news. AAU has a house! lt's an ugly house, rather like a Frank Lloyd Wright nightmare, but it's big and comfort- able, and best of all, 10091: ours. It's a place to go when the grey gothic gargoyles become unbearable. It's a place with one sink, one toilet, and one bathtub in the bathroom . . . a place where people become individuals, not cubicles off a main hall. It's a place to go play bridge when you don't have a date, or make lasagna when you do. It's a place just to be friends. 28