Editor’s note: This article is part of a series on the Class of 2027 based on research conducted by The Chronicle.You can read more about our methodology and limitations hereor read the full study here.
The Chronicle asked the Class of 2027 about their time at Duke University so far. From Greek life and the use of generative AI to how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the college experience, here’s what they had to say.
Greek Life, SLG, LLC
The Class of 2027 is the second graduating class to fully experience QuadEx at Duke University. University administrators say QuadEx aims to transform social life on campus from a “culture of choice” to a “culture of belonging.” The most significant changes to QuadEx include the elimination of section housing for Greek organizations and non-Greek selective living groups.
In the past few years, the majority of the current Duke University Fraternity Council and Duke Panhellenic Society fraternities and all sororities have voted to withdraw from the university and form Durham IFC and Durham Panhel, respectively. Additionally, some elective living groups are transitioning into living learning communities so that members can live together.
The survey results suggest that the Class of 2027 is equally interested in Greek life as the Class of 2026, with nearly 60% of respondents saying they are at least somewhat interested. This suggests that the popularity of Greek life will remain relatively constant even as QuadEx is implemented.
Interest in SLG membership also remained largely unchanged from last year, with just over 70% of respondents reporting at least some interest in joining SLG, compared to 71% of Class of 2026 respondents who were It was 31%. As of 2027, Duke’s gradual withdrawal from her SLG indicated that it was impacting her interest in joining the SLG.
Income and Greek and non-Greek groups
To better understand how interest in Greek life and non-Greek groups differs among the Class of 2027, we analyzed student responses based on household income.
7.14% of respondents had an income level below $40,000, and 14.29% had a family income between $40,000 and $80,000. 12.5%’s household income is between her $80,000 and her $125,000. 22.14% have household incomes between $125,000 and $250,000. 18.57% have household incomes between $250,000 and $500,000. 11.07% have household incomes between $500,000 and $750,000. 9.29% have household incomes between $750,000 and $1.5 million. 5% have household incomes above $1,500,000.
Similar to last year, results found a positive correlation between income and interest in Greek life. However, this relationship does not exist for his SLG and LLC.
Among students who said they were “very interested” in joining a Greek organization, more than 76% had household incomes of $250,000 or more. Conversely, more than 68% of respondents who said they had “no interest” in joining a Greek organization had a household income of less than $250,000.
No one in the two highest income groups is “very interested” in joining an SLG, and no one in the three highest income groups is “very interested” in joining an LLC. . In fact, not a single high-income person surveyed had even “some interest” in joining an LLC.
Legacy vs. Greek Life Interest
We also examined whether a relationship existed between legacy status and interest in LLCs, SLGs, and Greek life. The survey found that Legacy students were more likely to be interested in Greek life. 75% expressed some interest, compared to about 55% of non-legacy students. We found no similar interest in LLCs or SLGs.
Tent life and income
In December 2022, DSG launched an initiative to provide financial assistance to students pitching tents in K-Ville to ensure tents are available to everyone, regardless of income. The findings show that interest in tents is strongly associated with income.
Of the students who said they were not interested in pitching a tent, nearly 60% had incomes of less than $125,000. Meanwhile, more than 75% of those who were “very interested” had incomes of $125,000 or more.
find a sense of community
Another area of interest was where the Class of 2027 found their primary sense of community. Our results show that about a third found a sense of community directly from orientation week groups, about 21% from dorms, about 17% from clubs or other means, and about 11% from classes. It became clear.
Finding a Sense of Community with Duke vs. Income
Similar to trends in interest in pursuing Greek life and tent living, students’ perceptions of a sense of community on campus were tied to family income levels.
We asked respondents how much they agreed with the statement, “So far this semester, I have found community at Duke University.” Apart from those who “strongly disagreed” and found a sense of community at Duke, there was a generally positive relationship between family income level and sense of belonging. For people with household incomes below $250,000, there was a negative correlation between household income and the level of agreement with which they found a sense of community.
Use of generative artificial intelligence across major clusters
The use of generative AI is a hot topic among faculty. Guidelines for designing courses have been developed to address technology concerns.
To understand the use of generative AI among the Class of 2027, we grouped students into clusters based on their majors and looked at what each cluster was using AI for. Our research showed that across all major clusters, short written assignments and problem sets are the most common uses for generative AI.
Using the same grouping, we examined how often the major clusters used generative AI. Among the Class of 2027, liberal arts and humanities students use generative AI more frequently than other students, with approximately 31% of respondents saying they use it at least once a week. I answered.
Interest in pre-professional society
We also asked how the Class of 2027 fared regarding acceptance into the Preprofessional Association. Of the students who applied to one or more of these organizations, only about 40% were accepted, suggesting that these organizations remain somewhat selective.
COVID-19 pandemic
Over the past two academic years, Duke University has progressively rolled back its COVID-19 protocols. In March 2022, Duke University lifted the mask requirement in indoor facilities other than classrooms and on Duke transportation. The university will end the mask requirement in classrooms in September 2022, and in March 2023, Duke University will no longer require masks on buses and vans. By May 2023, Duke University will no longer require current students, new students, faculty and staff who do not work in a healthcare setting to receive a primary or booster vaccination against COVID-19. .
The COVID-19 pandemic had only a minimal impact on campus for the Class of 2027. At the time the survey began, only 5% of respondents had tested positive for COVID-19 on campus. Approximately 80% of respondents reported not voluntarily wearing a mask when not required, while approximately 17% reported wearing one sometimes and approximately 4% reported always wearing one .
However, immunocompromised students were more likely than non-immunocompromised students to voluntarily wear masks when not required. About 55% of immunocompromised students voluntarily wore masks all the time or sometimes, compared to less than 20% of non-immunocompromised students. Additionally, international students are more likely to wear masks than domestic students.
High-income students tend to voluntarily wear masks less often than low-income students when not required. About 23% of students with household incomes of $80,000 or less voluntarily wear masks at times. This percentage decreases as household income increases, with only 12.5% of students with household incomes above $750,000 occasionally wearing a mask.
Amy Liu contributed to data analysis.
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| campus arts editor
Zev van Zanten is a sophomore at Trinity University and campus arts editor for Volume 119 of The Chronicle.