Want to Join the Arts Theme House?

Then you've come to the right place! ATH rush, like all selective living rush, takes place every spring... but we encourage you to get involved earlier to find out what we're all about! Every January we host a wide variety of events designed for you to get to know us (and vice versa!). Below you'll find links to our Rush Calendar and answers to some frequently asked questions. We hope to see you around the dorm, at events, and on campus!

Rush Calendar

Rush has been concluded for 2009, but you can click here for last year's Rush calendar!

Rush Application

Everyone applying to join the Arts Theme House must submit a Rush Application. These applications are intended to be fun and to help us get to know you and why you want to join. Last year's application from spring 2009 is available here.

Rush FAQs

• Is the Arts Theme House only for artists or musicians? Do I have to play an instrument or be in a theatre group to join?

  Absolutely not! One of the most common myths about ATH is that we're only for art majors. In fact, we have members with majors ranging from Environmental Science and Biology to English and Classics to Sociology and Art History. While many of our members are interested in the visual arts and/or music, we also have members who consider film, culinary arts, or creative writing their art. We also are made up of those who simply enjoy the arts! Everyone who likes art is welcome.

• So what is the Arts Theme House about?

  This haven for the arts was created in 1989 in Mitchell Tower, Edens 3B: the Arts Theme House. Stepping inside our building, you discover a college dormitory unlike any other. Fiddle tunes dance in the air, a Beethoven piano concerto floats to your ears; harmonizing voices sneak out from behind closed doors. In the suites, doors are covered with aesthetic decorations, and the walls with quote boards. Members are found singing together songs that pop into their heads, playing board games, reciting poetry, laughing their heads off, or discussing philosophical concepts. Everyone is welcome: artists and those who are simply art lovers; writers and dancers; musicians and actors; martial artists and culinary artists. ATH has a climate of acceptance with members of all majors and religious preferences. This house is filled with both old friends and newcomers, and often visited by alumni, forming a group that enjoys creating and appreciating art together.

• If I'm rushing ATH, can I still rush other groups?

  Yes! All selective living groups (SLGs) have their rush periods at the same time, at the beginning of the spring semester. Selective house rush is usually less formal than Greek rush, in that you're welcome to rush as many or as few SLGs as you want at the same time.

• If I join ATH, can I still live off-campus my senior year?

  Yes. All selective housing agreements, for RLHS purposes, are considered two-year contracts. Many of our members who rush as freshmen choose to continue living in the Arts Theme House their senior year because of its fun atmosphere and the friends they make, but others choose to live off-campus or on Central their senior year. A member who rushes as a sophomore must live in ATH for their remining two years. Semesters spent abroad or as an RA count as part of those two years.

• Can I rush even if I plan on being an RA next year?

  Most definitely! Your semesters as an RA count as semesters living in the Arts Theme House for RLHS purposes, and then, if you choose not to be an RA the following year, you can come back to the dorm without rushing again.

• Can I be in the Arts Theme House if I'm in a sorority or am rushing a sorority?

  Yes! Because sororities are non-residential at Duke, you can belong to both a selective living group and a sorority.

• Where can I get any other questions answered?

  E-mail our president, Paige Bartley or our Rush Chair, Tony Gouw with any questions you may have.