We Tented for This?

February 14th, 2008 12:44 am by Mark Selig

DURHAM, N.C.–That was a sign one Duke fan held up at tonight’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

By now, it’s well-known that getting a ticket to a Duke basketball is no easy task for students. To score one, students must camp out in tents outside the arena for over a month.

After the game, as we were walking back to the car (in the snow), we saw students still camping out for some reason. So we asked a girl how long she was in the tents for, and she told us that since Jan. 8, her and 11 others have been rotating inside of an eight-person tent.

Let’s not forget that Duke is a pretty demanding academic institution and one of the top schools in the country. Imagine doing homework in a cold, cramped tent for over a month.

Maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe this can be a solution to Maryland’s housing crisis–just permanently house students in tents. Students did willingly camp out on McKeldin Mall last year to demonstrate their disappointment in the housing situation.

While putting my travel bag in the car I had an epiphany. Why stay in a hotel overnight, when we can just camp out in the snow for free?

So I’m writing this blog with frostbite and numb fingers. (No, not really, the others on the trip nixed my idea and instead we’re in a cozy Holiday Inn with cinnamon roll-scented shower toiletries.)

So to get back to that fan’s sign, which read “We tented for this?” I agree, tenting for a Maryland game probably isn’t worth it. And that has nothing to do with how well the Terps or Blue Devils played. Tenting for a month for any basketball game just doesn’t seem very logical. It might be a neat activity once or twice in your college career, but I would have to imagine it gets quite tiring.

Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy a nice, soft bed and cinnamon-roll toiletries.

mseligdbk@gmail.com

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