Campus Social Board (CSB) was founded in September of 1997 by Brandon Busteed, Duke '99, then a Duke junior. The purpose of CSB was to "plan and organize innovative, nonalcoholic events that [were] open to and welcome[d] everyone on Duke's campus." The group was originally structured as a forum for student group representatives to plan and collaborate on social events. Communication, cooperation, idea exchange, and resource sharing were key functions and objectives of the original CSB. Although initial reponse to the CSB idea-sharing model was positive, it became increasingly evident that the group meetings were not accomplishing all that was necessary to improve campus life at Duke.

    In January of 1998, CSB moved into a new phase. Because it was clear that the original group forums were not adequate to achieve systemic change on campus, CSB adopted a new structure and redefined its mission. Thirteen full-time members were recruited, and the group embarked on an ambitious journey of "test" social events. The group decided that the only way to find out what social events were needed and wanted at Duke was to try them. A special emphasis was placed on organizing unique events and events that were either nonalcoholic or not dependent on alcohol. The events ranged from dance clubs to outdoor movies to comedy clubs, all held at different times in different places. Although some of the events were not successful, even the failures gave CSB great insight into social life at Duke and showed the members what changes needed to be made in the future.

    One of the insights that came from CSB's first semester of event-planning was the understanding that Duke's social life problems needed both short-term and long-term solutions. This realization paved the way for CSB's new identity: a group with a comprehensive approach to change on campus, with emphasis on both short-term event planning and long-term systemic solutions.

    During the summer of 1998 and the beginning of the 1998 academic year, CSB continued its event planning while at the same time initiating six long-term projects geared toward improving campus life for years to come, such as a formal investigation into the possibility of creating a new recreation facility on campus and a push to establish substance-free housing for students The overwhelming success of the Homecoming Semiformal in September of 1998 was indicative of CSB's growth as a group and of students' intense desire to attend events that attract the entire community and de-emphasize the role of alcohol. The additional successes of Beer Gardens, outdoor movies, and a comedy night proved that CSB was learning what it took to plan successful, needed events on campus. However, event-planning was by this point becoming just one of CSB's goals.

In the fall of 1998, CSB found itself at a crucial point on the higher education timeline. Colleges across the nation were facing similar problems stemming from alcohol use and lack of social interaction. Although these issues captured the attention of the nation, little was being done to combat the true problems. Reactive solutions like stricter alcohol policies became common, but little attention was being given to the true causes of the problems. New and creative social options were needed to attract the attention of students who by default had learned to rely on alcohol as the best social option on campuses that were far from vibrant. In essence, the entire country needed to focus on college life and help students redefine what college needed to be.

For this reason, CSB designed and launched a major initiative created to examine social life at Duke and beyond. First, full-page ads ran in the campus newspaper, asking students to really think about their own ideas regarding social life and respond with comments and new ideas. Next, CSB members undertook a benchmarking project of twenty-five schools similar to Duke in an attempt to learn about social life elsewhere. A social space survey that garnered 1,800 responses was used to document the need for physical social space on campus. CSB members focused on individual long-term projects that focused the discussions about campus life several years down the road. Following this exhaustive look at where Duke was and where it needed to go, CSB compiled its results in a notebook that was presented to members of the Duke community at a brainstorming session in February of 1999. It was at this session that students, administrators, and faculty discussed the future of Duke and what would be needed to reinvent campus life.

    Following the local Duke conference, three CSB seniors organized a national conference held at Duke in March and also founded a new nonprofit organization designed to take the work of CSB to the national level. The nonprofit, CIRCLe Network (College Initiatives to Reinvent Campus Life), was publicly launched at the national conference, a gathering of student leaders and administrators working to define campus problems and come up with new solutions.

After its successful examination of Duke social life last year, CSB continues its efforts to improve campus life through event-planning this year. The second annual Homecoming Semiformal was held in September and drew huge numbers of students, confirming CSB's belief in the need for campus-wide, nonalcoholic events. CSB also continues its long-range planning in an effort to make the Duke experience the best it can be for all students.

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© 1999 Gerald Chavez & Brett Pettigrew