Duke grad students hit the streets working

By John McCann

DURHAM -- Their garments stood out as they ambled down Fayetteville Street -- not so much the orange reflector vests, but the T-shirts underneath with DUKE across the front.

The situation being what it is with the Duke University lacrosse team and the rape case involving an accuser who is a student at N.C. Central University, and while olive branches have been extended, the Blue Devils shirts in Eagles territory were something unexpected.

But no worries. These Duke students in school paraphernalia weren't in the area to exacerbate things.

Each year, Duke's graduate and professional students spend a weekend camping out for entry into a lottery for Blue Devils basketball tickets. And in conjunction with that is spending a Saturday doing community service projects throughout Durham.

"What you saw is part of a tradition," said Bill LeFew, co-chairman of this outreach of the Graduate and Professional Student Council, along with co-chairwoman Lara Oliver.

The work near NCCU had nothing to do with the Duke lacrosse case, LeFew said. The service project was ongoing long before that story made headlines, he said.

Other places you may have spotted these students a couple of Saturdays ago included Bull City neighborhoods where they delivered food for Meals on Wheels, and the students provided recreational activities for the Old Farm Neighborhood Association, among other activities.

"Community service is very important," said Sharon Saunders, special assistant to the chancellor at NCCU, where the Duke students pitched in to make the nearby area along Fayetteville Street that much better. "It really helps them develop a sense of ownership in their communities."

That sentiment was echoed by LeFew, from Harvard, Ill., near Chicago, and a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics.

"For many of us, this is the first time we've lived in the community," he said.

Of some 6,000 graduate and professional students at Duke, only 200 of them (mostly international students) live on campus, LeFew said. About 2,000 students camped out this go-round, and roughly 840 participated in the community service project, he said.

There has been no shortage of community conversation about strengthening relationships between Duke students and the people of Durham, something LeFew said the graduate and professional students embraced.

"It really is special to us," he said.

In Your Neighborhood" appears every Monday. If you know of someone or something interesting in your neighborhood, call (919) 419-6630 or e-mail news@heraldsun.com.

Student council drawing results

Duke's Graduate and Professional Student Council sponsors a drawing for basketball tickets and other items during its annual campout. All proceeds benefit the Emily Krzyzewski Family LIFE Center, a community center for inner-city Durham families. Prizes are donated by the Duke University Athletics Department. Here are the winners:

-- Two tickets to men's game against UNC, Andrew Portnoy

-- Two tickets to men's game against Maryland, Brittany Magin

-- Two tickets to men's game against Indiana, Nora Worrells

-- Two tickets to women's game against UNC, Angela Homan

-- Two tickets to women's game against Maryland, Melissa Hildebrand

-- Framed piece of 2001 Championship Floor, John Emanuel

-- Coach K 2001 Championship folio, Gina Jones

-- Signed Coach Krzyzewski poster, James Harrington

-- Signed Shane Battier poster, Molly Miller

-- Poster signed by 2006-2007 men's team, Adrienne Kropa, Catherine Ham, Vito Mecca and Shane Tysinger

-- Poster signed by 2006-2007 women's team, Lucy Johnson, Kristin Scarboro, Peter Douglas and Kathy Robinson

-- Tea for two at the Washington Duke Inn, Brad Johnson

-- Gift certificate to Pop's Restaurant, Chris Martin

-- Gift certificate to The Regulator Bookshop, Anne Hogan

-- Gift certificate to Johnny Carino's, Jason Ward

-- Gift certificate to HairColorXperts, Alexandra Tollette and Leni Perkins

-- Golf lesson from Golf Galaxy, Adrienne Kropa, Mike Rudd and Peter Douglas

-- Golf Training Club from Washington Duke Pro Shop, Lawrence Raimondi

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INC MEETING

The Durham Inter-Neighborhood Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the civic room of The Herald-Sun, 2828 Pickett Road. For more information, contact INC president Mike Woodard at (919) 286-0188, e-mail mwoodard@duke.edu or visit www.durhaminc.org.

Links related to this article:
Durham Inter-Neighborhood Council: www.durhaminc.org

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