STUDENT PRIVACY AT RISK

On college campuses across the nation, student privacy is under
attack. At several schools, deans and administrators have begun to use
tactics bordering on espionage to obtain information about students
who promote the use of drugs and alcohol, and are using that
information as grounds to dismiss those students from school. But,
hey, that couldn't happen at Duke, right? Well, it hasn't yet, but the
building blocks for such a campaign against student life are certainly
in place. We have a Student Affairs division that is disdainful of the
social scene on campus, and that would like nothing more than to see
selective living and on-campus parties become a thing of the past. The
Hideaway, Duke's only on-campus bar, was recently shut down.
Fraternities have been moved off-campus. Further, Duke lacks a strong
student government organization to stand up for student concerns if
and when such action becomes necessary.

Although evidence like this is hardly indicative of an assault on
students' rights, students in coming years should be on their guard.
Who knows whether a letter like this one is currently lurking in the
filing cabinet of our dear friends at Student Affairs?:

Dear Suits in the Student Affairs Department, Nan, and the next Duke President:

Re: That pesky student behavior problem

I am writing to you in response to what I have been hearing about your
current problems with the lifestyle of the student body at your
esteemed University. I think I have a possible solution to the
problems you have been dealing with, and I am reasonably certain that
this tactic will reduce the student population to the mindless drones
we administrators want them to be. Once this plan is implemented, you
can focus on more important issues like building more museums, raising
money, and improving Duke's rankings in the be-all-end-all index of
U.S. News and World Report's best national universities.

This solution was used at another small private university in the
country recently during the past academic year. This school planted an
undercover cop in a freshman student dorm to spy on the incoming class
and discover who the major drug dealers and party-goers were. While
this may at first seem extremely unethical and a great breach of the
trust placed in you by the student body, the aforementioned operation
netted six arrests in a single dormitory alone. Yes, this will by all
estimation create a vacuum that will be filled by incoming students
who will assume the roles of the arrested students, but you can just
plant another cop in the next freshman class to catch them. Among the
useful tactics employed by the officer were becoming heavily involved
in Greek life by rushing and pledging a fraternity. This allowed him
to keep an eye on the party scene on campus and enhanced his chances
of catching violators. While the members of the fraternity were
extremely upset when they found out they were pawns in this operation,
their voices were quickly silenced by being offered a one-year
exemption from hazing restrictions.

I know you may be worried about the possible student outcry when the
news about an undercover cop breaks on campus. Yes, the students will
be mad, as they were as a result of the incident I was just speaking
about, but as long as a unified body representing the interests of the
students does not exist, you'll have no trouble getting away with it.

What's more is that these techniques have no boundaries! Imagine the
possibilities! A whole army of secret police who disguise themselves
as students enforcing order on every quad. Violators of campus rules
can be sent to the now vacant Trent dorm or to N.C. State. What a
utopia your whole University will be. For one thing, administrating
over the whole school system will be easier. The undergraduates can
just be swept under a rug while you can focus on other programs. You
can start Campaign for Duke Part 2! Picture it, Nan, you and your
successor can sit from atop your office in the top of the Chapel and
rule with an iron fist. Please feel free to write me with any
questions on how to implement this plan. I think I can be of great use
and make a great contribution to your school. Ciao!

With love,

Big Brother

The incident mentioned in this letter did actually happen at the
school in my hometown where many of my high school friends attended.
There was a great deal of outrage in the local media about the bust
and many of my friends were equally upset that a "narc" had been
living in their midst. The incident made me realize how precious
student privacy is and how we as students at Duke need to remain
always vigilant in protecting student rights. Gestapo-style tactics
cannot be used here at Duke as they are being implemented at other
schools across the nation.

When the new President is selected at the end of next year (and I mean
Duke's, not the nation's), we need to make sure that he or she will be
student friendly and not view the undergraduate student body as a
distraction from running a research-oriented university. Learning
cannot flourish at a place where students and administrators are truly
viewing one another as enemies. Hopefully, some of the leaders on
campus (be it DSG or Campus Council) can make sure that students'
rights remain a priority at Duke. Deep down, the administration wishes
us well. However, it is important to be cognizant of the actions they
take in monitoring and enforcing university policies. If they're
watching what we say and what we do and how we party, it can't hurt to
keep an eye on them, too.