Blog

Don't forget to take a break from studying for finals! Here is your one-stop guide to study breaks around campus.

Midterms are alive and well. As students, we’ve all realized that the hard way, unfortunately. In an act of solidarity, I’m gonna share some wisdom from Jean Hanson and Jo Supernaw at the Wellness center. With these myths busted you’ll, in my opinion, be able to kick midterm’s a** better. (Hint: It involves more sleep.)

Myth #1: The effects of my all-nighter only impacts me.

You may be the only one who gets to sport the Dukie-meets-phantom-menace look, but your worsened mood? Lack of focus? Degree of inefficiency?  You can’t be as productive a teammate, as present a friend, nor as pleasant an acquaintance.

All-nighters don’t make you cool or more impressive. They make you tired. 

Myth #2: Staying up those extra few hours to cram will help my GPA.

1.  Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. As creatures of habit, people have a hard time adjusting to changes in sleep patterns. Sleeping later on weekends won’t fully make up for a lack of sleep during the week and will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. 

Beginning next Monday, February 16th, Nutrition Services is partnering with many offices across campus to host a positive body image week.  In the past, we’ve celebrated National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, but found that students are already aware of eating disorders.  Renaming the week and focusing on learning to embrace our bodies can help students to move away from some of the behaviors that might increase risk of developing disordered eating and exercise patterns.

Here’s a breakdown of the events we have going on next week, all of which are free and do not require tickets.

Monday, February 16th:

Collaboration & Change for a Common Good
A Reflection on Collaboration in Campus Life
India Pierce and Sean Novak

One way that we can work effectively to create change for a common good is to work collaboratively across communities. With this in mind, India Pierce from the Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity (CSGD) came together with Sean Novak from the Center for Multicultural Affairs (CMA) to create a program that explored the intersections of race and sexual orientation. As part of the CMA’s En/Countering Racism series (E/C), they created a program for students to gather and explore intersectionality. This was done in order to deepen participants’ understanding of themselves and others as a means to building stronger coalitions for social justice.

Dear PNMs,

What is college life? What is it really that defines the ground floor of the quintessential American college experience? After two years at Duke University, I’m only just beginning to understand the answer to that question. Here’s a head start: The answer is you. You are the one and only factor that will define what college life is to each and every person you tell about ‘the good old days’ when you attended one of the most prestigious institutions in the United States.

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Duke Class of 2017! How are you feeling—nervous, hopeful, invigorated? Breathe it all in! Let me introduce myself:

My name is Nancy Su, and I will be a junior this coming fall. I am pursuing a major in psychology, minor in biology, with an interest in health care.

Hello! My name is Grace Befort and I am sophomore, tentatively majoring in Public Policy with an Education minor and Children in Contemporary Society certificate. This summer I was lucky enough to participate in a domestic DukeEngage program in Charlotte, North Carolina, where I worked as a Freedom Schools Intern, teaching a group of ten 5-9 year-olds literacy. I loved my time in the program, but I cannot wait to return to Duke for another year.

As I just finished my freshman year, the wide array of feelings about starting college are still fresh in my mind. I was definitely excited to get to Duke, but also overwhelmed, nervous, lonely, and confused. We at True Blue want to help make your transition to Duke as easy as possible, and help you find balance during your first year.

"Keeping It Real"
Hailing from the streets of Compton, California, I realized early in life that I did not fit the preconceived, stereotypical image of the kid from the so-called “ghetto”.  Although I was surrounded by a world of drugs and violence, I was not going to try to become something I was not. I would not let those disparities phase me…ever. I went with my own flow.