The Chronicle

Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: News
Last update: 2/26/07 at 5:55 AM EST

Media Credit: AILEEN LIU The Pulsar Triyo was one of a number of musical acts that entertained a huge crowd Friday night

Media Credit: AILEEN LIU Friday night in Bostock and Perkins libraries during the DukePlays party

Media Credit: AILEEN LIU Students over the age of 21 at the DukePlays party could buy beer and wine using food points or flex. Seniors were served champagne.

Forget Shooters II and G-Loft-a new hot spot emerged on campus last Friday night as students flocked to "play well" at DukePlays: The Party! in Perkins and Bostock libraries and the von der Heyden Pavilion.

Instead of cracking open textbooks and powering up laptops, students casually sipped wine and swayed to live jazz music along with faculty, alumni, administrators and several members of the Board of Trustees.

"The party was definitely one of the most enjoyable events I've been to here at Duke-I'm in awe of the energy and creativity that went into it," Cynthia Brodhead, wife of President Richard Brodhead, wrote in an e-mail. "It made me happy to see people looking so great and having so much fun, and it's a pretty cool way to use the library."

Seniors Rachel Weeks and Haley Hoffman, who created and produced the party, said the event was meant to highlight Duke's colorful social history.

"This was about much more than bringing back 'Old Duke.' We wanted to say, let's make 'Old Duke'-whatever that is-matter," they wrote in an e-mail. "Let's think about the fact that we come from a proud tradition of not only 'working,' but playing-that our social lives are as much a part of that tradition as anything else we do."

And hundreds of students took advantage of the opportunity to socialize in the library's swank setting.

"Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, noshing on the little '40s-themed desserts and drinking plenty of wine," junior Rebecca Friedman said. "It was really nice to see everyone dressed up and hanging out… in a not overly inebriated way."

Other attendees said they were surprised by the library's extensive "vintage" makeover.

"I was very impressed at how they transformed the library into an upscale cocktail lounge," senior Karen Meyerhoff said. "Both Haley and Rachel worked extremely hard to organize the party and to get the support on campus they needed to pull it off, and it worked-the party was packed."

Ilene Nelson, director of communications for Duke University Libraries, said the event was an "unparalleled success."

"I work at Perkins 10 hours a week, yet I barely recognized it when I walked in and saw waiters with dessert trays and champagne flutes-it was all very classy and everyone looked great," freshman Maja Falcon said.

Clayton Owens, Trinity '70, said he did not know of any other libraries in the country that would allow a party in their facilities.

"I've never seen anything like this at Duke," he said. "It's great to see students, faculty and alumni talking about current events at Duke."

Provost Peter Lange said the party was the perfect opportunity for the different members of the Duke community to come together in a relaxed setting.

"I thought the party was fabulous… students of all ages, interests and passions, faculty administrators and Board members all just having fun and enjoying each other," he said. "The fact that it was conceived, organized and so beautifully carried off by students-led by two women of great joy, intelligence and energy-made it all the better."

For some, the party's popularity showed that students were not afraid to socialize in a new and unfamiliar setting.

"It was a true testament to the fact that alcohol and class can occupy the same room unbegrudgingly," freshman Andrew Kindman wrote in an e-mail.

As for the future of DukePlays, Weeks and Hoffman said this event was a way to "give away" DukePlays as a set of ideas.

"We wanted to illuminate and talk about what was already here, to re-energize people and offer up a creative, faithful take on 'campus culture,'" they said. "We're not responding to anyone's argument-we're trying to think outside it. We embrace our ambiguity. We ask questions we don't have answers to."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools