Student Affairs

On Campus

Parking

Before you can do anything else on campus, you need to know where to put your car so as to escape the wrath of the parking services meter maids. Parking tickets aren’t cheap at Duke, ranging from $30 to $200. Pay careful attention to the parking signs, because there are some spots around campus that are notorious “parking traps,” like the Service Permit spots in the middle of the Chemistry street parking.

Duke University Parking and Transportation Services website: http://parking.duke.edu

Visitor Parking
Duke University Parking and Transportation Services claims to start enforcing permits on August 16, but these initial enforcements will consist merely of warnings. So you can pretty much park wherever you want while you are getting your permit straightened out. After that, the visitor lots and spots are marked on the street and on the maps at the Parking and Transportation Services website.

Permits
You may have already had the opportunity to get your parking passes through the Bursar’s Office, but if not, you need to make a trip to the Parking and Transportation Services office located on Campus Drive or register for parking online.

Initially, you will be able to register for individual parking passes for the Green Zone (which, like all the other zones, is marked on the map on the Parking and Transportation Services website). You may also be able to register for carpool passes for the Chemistry Lot (2 person carpool) and the Law Lot (3 person carpool). A word to the wise: in order to register for a carpool permit, all persons in the carpool must have cars. If there is extra space in the Chemistry Lot or the Whitford Lot, there may be individual permits offered to 1Ls for these lots after the first few weeks of first semester. Keep in mind that the closer you park the more expensive the permits become.

Tickets
If you have the unfortunate experience of receiving a ticket, you can either mail your payment in with the envelope with which the meter maid will so kindly provide you, or you can pay on the Parking and Transportation Services website. It is also possible to appeal your ticket (Parking Services’ idea of due process) either online or by mail with a particularly lawyerly-sounding letter, or a legitimate excuse.

Financial Aid

Once you have found your way onto campus and parked your car, you might need to get some money to begin the process of giving it all to Duke for the next three years. This requires knowledge of the Financial Aid Office.

The Financial Aid Office is in room 2024 of the law school. You can also reach the office with questions or problems at (919) 613-7025 or financial_aid@law.duke.edu. While you should be receiving detailed financial aid information from the Financial Aid Office, here are a few important details.

Bursar

Once you have some money, you might find it necessary to pay that hefty tuition bill before you start class or pick up your loan refund check before your rent is due. This requires knowledge of the University Bursar’s Office.

Duke University Bursar’s Office website: http://www.bursar.duke.edu/.

Tuition
Tuition is usually paid through financial aid (in which case, you don’t have to worry about it at all) or by mail. Any questions or problems can be directed to the Bursar by email (bursar@duke.edu), phone call ((919) 648-3531), or visit (American Tobacco Campus Washington Building, Bay 10).

Refund Checks
If you are getting financial aid in excess of your tuition, you should get a refund check in the mail. This check is disbursed through the Bursar, so any questions or problems should be directed towards the Bursar in the same manner as above. This check is mailed to the address you have on record with the University, so make sure you know where your money is going.

Duke Card

Although you may have already received your Duke Card in the mail, it is important to make sure you have it with you now to do everything from getting into parking lots and buildings to checking out books and buying food.

The Duke Card website: http://dukecard.duke.edu/.

If you haven’t already received your Duke ID Card, you need to go to the Duke Card Office to get it. The Duke Card Office, 100 West Union Building, is located at the very easterly end of the Bryan Center walkway on West Campus. At the end of the walkway, face north and go through the doors; the Duke Card Office is on your left.

At the Duke Card Office you can get your first card or get a replacement if you have lost your card. You can also call (919) 684-5800 to report a lost or stolen card. You can also activate and add money to your FLEX account at the Duke Card Office, which allows you to pay for a number of things on campus, including copies and food (which saves you the 7% sales tax if you pay by Duke Card). Once you have activated your FLEX account, you can add money to it by the copy machines in the Law School Library. You can only add money to your FLEX account by cash or check.

Libraries

In order to do well in your classes, it might be necessary for you to make a trip to one of the various libraries on campus.

Law Library
You likely will be visiting the law library most frequently. The law library entrance is located on the third floor of the law school, although the library itself takes up four floors and nearly the entire northwest corner of the building. With your Duke ID you have 24-hour access to the law library. You will go on library tours that give you a basic outline of the library’s layout and where various types of books are located. There are study carrels throughout the library. The ones on the first and second floors are the quietest places to study since the third floor contains mostly large, open tables where people tend to socialize and the third floor opens to the fourth floor.

There are computers to do short tasks, such as checking email, on the third floor of the library (and throughout the school). There are also printers on every floor of the library. There are computers in some of the carrels on the various floors, and there are copy machines located on the second floor.

Perkins Library
Perkins is the main library on campus, and on some occasions it might be necessary for law students to go there to find UN documents, books, or other information. There are also study spaces in Perkins, including carrels, reading rooms (including a Gothic Reading Room), and a small café called the Perk (which has coffee and snacks), so it may be a nice change of scenery from the law school library. Perkins is located on West Campus, to the North of the Chapel and next to the divinity school.

Lilly Library
Lilly is located on East Campus (on the west side of the main quad) and contains many books on art-related matters in addition to other materials. Lilly has some beautiful study areas (including an Asian Reading Room), and it can serve as an alternative to Blockbuster, carrying a large selection of movies that you can borrow for free. Just ask for the movie binder at the front desk.

Other
There are a number of smaller libraries throughout the Duke campus. The Business School has its own library, as does the Engineering School, and there is a music library in the Mary Duke Biddle Music Building (located at the back, north end of East Campus) from which you can borrow CDs. There are several others that can be explored on the library website as well.

Computing Services

Computers play an important role in the life of Duke Law students. Here is some information about computing at Duke.

Duke University School of Law Computing Services website: http://www.law.duke.edu/computer/index.html.

There are computers throughout the law school, and as a Duke Law student, you are required to have your own computer. Computers and computer related materials are sold in the Duke Computer Store, which is on the bottom floor of the bookstore in the Bryan Center. You will have computer sessions during orientation during which you will set up your computers, but any further questions you have can be taken to the Computer Help Desk on the second floor of the library in room 2068. The University’s Office of Information Technology is located in the North Building off Science Drive. And for those with Dell Computers, another option is Duke Computer Repair located at 3523 Hillsborough Road.

Food on Campus

Now that you have taken care of all of your errands, you must be pretty hungry. Here is a summary of food options on campus.

Duke Dining Services website: http://auxweb.duke.edu/Dining/.

Law School
The Refectory Cafe is the law school’s sole eatery, located right outside of the Star Commons. They have a wide variety of menu items.

Sanford Institute of Public Policy
Sanford Deli is located in the Public Policy building across the street from the law school. They offer a selection of deli-style lunch food such as: wraps, sandwiches, salads, and cookies.

Fuqua School of Business
Fuqua, the building next door to the law school, has a cafeteria located on the east end of the school. There are sushi, sandwiches, and hot dishes among other things.

Levine Science Research Center
This building, located on Science Drive northwest of the Bryan Center, contains Blue Express, a restaurant serving warm lunches, among other things.

Bryan Center
There are several eateries at the Bryan Center, a building north of the law school on Science Drive, including McDonalds, a Mexican restaurant and bar called the Armadillo Grill where you can purchase margaritas and beers on your Duke Card, a cafe (The Alpine Atrium) with pre-made salads and sandwiches as well as soups, smoothies, scones and coffee called, and a small grocery provider called the Lobby Shop.

West Campus
As you leave the Bryan Center, walking east down the Bryan Center Walkway towards West Campus, you will come across the Loop, a pizza and burger place with good salads, Paulie Dogs, a hot dog vendor, Subway and Breyer’s, and the Great Hall, a cafeteria, all on your left. If you go left at the end of the walkway into the Duke Union building (where the Duke Card office is located), you will find Chick-fil-a and Alpine Bagels. You can also get coffee and snacks at the Perk on the second floor of Perkins Library on West Campus.

Other
There are other eateries on different parts of campus, including the Marketplace cafeteria and Trinity Cafe on East Campus, Grace’s Cafe Chinese restaurant on Central Campus, Rick’s Diner and the Blue Devil Beanery located in the residential part of West Campus, Quenchers juice bar located in the Wilson Gym on West Campus, and the Fairview, a formal dining restaurant at the Washington Duke Inn which is located straight south on Science Drive (that also serves tea and weekend brunch).

Gymnasiums

Now that you have eaten, it’s time to get in shape!

Duke University Health, Physical Education, and Recreation website: http://www.duke.edu/web/intramural/.

Wilson Recreation Center
Wilson is the nice, large gym at Duke University. It is located on West Campus, off of Towerview Drive. It contains basketball courts (which are also provided in the neighboring Card Gymnasium), aerobic exercise machines, a weight room, a swimming pool, and other multipurpose rooms in which various physical education classes are held (some for free). There is also a juice bar called Quenchers that has energy bars, protein shakes, and fruit. Outside Wilson there are also indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Remember to bring your Duke Card to enter Wilson.

Brodie Gymnasium
Brodie is the older, smaller gym on campus, located on East Campus. Brodie also has basketball courts, a smaller swimming pool, a weight room, and some aerobic exercise machines and multipurpose rooms in which classes are held. Several tennis courts are located outside. As always, you must have your Duke Card to enter.

Other
There are outdoor basketball courts on both East and Central Campus. There are also turf fields for soccer or other outdoor sports on East Campus and on West Campus next to the Whitford parking lots and the football and soccer stadiums. Additionally, there is a sand volleyball court near the west entrance to the law school.

Mental and Physical Health

Even though you are in great shape after your trip to the gym, you want to be sure to know what to do when you aren't feeling the best.

Student Health website: http://healthydevil.studentaffairs.duke.edu/.
Health Insurance website: http://www.hillchesson.com/du.htm.
Counseling and Psychological Services: http://caps.studentaffairs.duke.edu/.

Student Health
When you aren’t feeling the best physically, Student Health is the place to go. Student Health is located on Flowers Drive in the Duke Clinic complex, just off West Campus to the northeast. Student Health also has offices in Wilson Recreation Center for physical therapy consultation and nutrition counseling. The phone number for Student Health is (919) 681-WELL.

Health Insurance
All students must have adequate health insurance. Students can choose to purchase the Duke Student Insurance Plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina through the Student Insurance underwriter Hill, Chesson, & Woody by visiting its website or calling (919) 489-7426. For those students needing to insure more family members more economical plans may be available.

Counseling and Psychological Services
Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, provides a range of counseling and psychological services. The psychologists, clinical social workers, and psychiatrists employed by CAPS can be a comforting resource at the University. CAPS is located on West Campus, south of the Chapel, in the Flowers building right next to Page Auditorium and can be reached at (919) 660-1000.