Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

When you arrive in the fall, hundreds of upperclassmen in neon-colored shirts are buzzing around campus, swarming the cars of eager first-years and carrying all of their belongings up to their new dorm rooms. While this is the most visible part of the FAC (First-year Advisory Council) Program, these upperclassmen are also assigned a group of six to eight first-years who they help with packing, moving-in, transitioning, registering for classes, and more. I remember arriving to campus on August 17, 2009 and thinking those FACs had the energy and spunk I hoped to find in my future friends and classmates; when I saw their fearless leaders wearing blue polo shirts, I knew that I, too, wanted to wear a blue polo one day.

Mission accomplished.

The blue polo-wearers are members of the FAC Board, the executive board responsible for training FACs, coordinating move-in and orientation week activities, and playing a large role in events like Blue Devil Days (an admitted student recruitment weekend). We call ourselves “the front-porch of the University”… so we’re modest to boot.

This weekend I had the pleasure of escaping academia for 2 days for the annual FAC Board Retreat. We “roughed it” in some cabins in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, NC to welcome our new board members, review and improve the goals and structure of the program, and remind each other of the more important things in life. In this short amount of time, I was reminded of how genuine, passionate, and absolutely hilarious these Dukies are, and how lucky I am to be associated with such an amazing group of people.

So what does all of this mean to you? Current Duke students: if you’re looking to surround yourself with some of the most authentic and fervent students on campus, call one of us up for lunch and get involved in our program. Prospective Duke students: rest assured that your move-in and transition to college are in good hands. The best.