What does Duke basketball have to do with the university's Katrina relief efforts? It's providing housing for students, it seems.
More than 60 students, including 48 undergraduates, from areas affected by Katrina are starting their semester at Duke this week. Nearly all of the undergraduates are living in campus residence halls for free.
Normally it wouldn't be an easy thing for a university to free up residence hall space for such a large number of unexpected students, particularly after Duke's own Class of 2009 included 63 more undergraduates than expected.
But because of a cultural quirk that makes Duke different from nearly every other American university, students here overwhelmingly go on study abroad trips in the fall rather than the spring semester.
"The continuing imbalance between semesters gave us the chance to provide this support," said Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services. "We would not be able to do it in the spring. It's strange how things play out sometimes. But the bottom line is these [Gulf Coast] students and their families have been great to work with. It's clear that Duke has made a difference in their lives -- one that really matters and is heartfelt."
More than 430 Duke undergraduates are doing study abroad programs this semester, said Amanda Kelso, associate director of Duke Study Abroad. Traditionally, four times as many students do study abroad in the fall than in the spring.
"At most other universities I know it's the reverse “ more students go abroad in the spring," Kelso said. "We're different. The easy answer is Duke basketball. Everyone wants to be here for the season. In general, it's just a cultural thing. The tradition is that you do study abroad at the start of your junior year. There are other issues as well “ rush is in the spring. But the easy answer is always Duke basketball."