Does Duke lean left or right?

[gmichaelbluth]

I've lived in North Carolina for 21 years (aka, my whole life haha) and I can attest, as a self-identifying liberal, that you have nothing to worry about living in North Carolina. People here are very congenial regardless of your political beliefs (although, as with anywhere, there are some a$$holes that aren't but they're generally imports from New Jersey for example). We went blue during the last election. As far as Duke, I certainly did not get a conservative vibe from their student body when I visited for ASD. Hope this helps.

This. ESPECIALLY Durham/Chapel Hill. I wear my liberal views on my sleeve and I feel totally at home here.

[fwaam]

If it's us crazy southerners you're worried about, I can attest that over ASW most of the people I met were from up north, or California. I think it's a pretty good mix ideologically.

Also, I'm a liberal (probably not as far left as you though!) and seriously considering Duke.

[strokes788]

Having gone to ASW, I definitely didn't get a conservative vibe, and actually felt it was a mix, and would say overall moderate with a slight leaning towards the left actually rather than the right

[quetzalcoatl]

I think law faculty leans to the left everywhere, except GM and maybe some religious schools. I just read a article or speech by Northwestern law prof Ginnis who studied the political donations of law professors. They overwhelmingly donate to the Democrats. Even among Law And Economics profs, usually associated with the right, they donated 2:1 to democrats.

There will be a campus ACLU organization, a few clinics that provide legal access to poor folks and probably an ACS chapter at every school. You'll meet lots of lefties. Even Chicago has Martha Nussbaum and Brian Leiter. I am sure Duke has it's share.

Conservatives just give less because they are greedy/dont believe in hand outs haha. I went to ASW at Duke and it seemed like a fairly mixed crowd, maybe slightly to the left according to one of the professors. I think being 'far left' is really not a problem at most schools, much less of a problem than being 'far right' (but if you go to Chicago, be prepared to defend yourself intelligently. They might not accept "its just not fair" or "we should show compassion". I would memorize a strong defense of distributive justice.)

As people said before, it kinda depends on what you think is 'far left'. If you are for gay marriage, abortion and more financial regulation, no problem. If you think the inevitable proletariat overthrow of the 'Capitalist Pigs' will solve all of society's ills, you might run into some problems. NC, especially the triangle, is extremely well educated for the most part. It has more culture than you might expect in a small town (it aint Lubbock). One of the "foodiest small towns" (according to some food critic magazine) and a great selection of craft beers usually only found in larger cities. Duke, in my opinion, would be a great place to spend three years no matter what your political slant.

[Johannes de Silentio]

I can't speak to the institution itself, but Durham lies within the 4th Congressional District of NC which has been represented by David Price, a liberal by most any standard, for years. Obama garnered over 60% of the vote there as well. Sounds like you will have plenty of ideological company there.

[Jericwithers]

New topic:

If I lean far far to the right, will I survive?

[Pearalegal]

You'll be completely fine.

Go to Carrboro if you find yourself in need of more liberals at any point.

[MC Southstar]

New topic:

If I lean far far to the right, will I survive?

You might, but your party won't.

[FullThrottle]

I am very liberal, and while I am always open to different opinions, I would like to spend these next three years of my life with people who have at least some of the same ideals. (And I'm hoping there will be more than a handful of us.) ... I'm worried about life in NC in general.

Any thoughts on this? And just a note, I'm trying to decide between Duke and Georgetown (and possibly Michigan).

You will not survive. They will sniff you out the first day, drag you out onto the lawn, and show you how powerful a philosophy of force can be. If they're gentle, they'll let you stay for 3 years. You pay them money to end up realizing you have no contacts because the entire administration is coincidentally against you.










(Kidding, honestly is this a real concern for you? Visit the campus and test it out.)

[argylesocks]

thanks to those who have been helpful! (i even appreciated some of the sarcasm - that cliff joke was pretty funny. i laughed out loud.) i'm glad to hear that duke is filled with mixed ideologies.

and to be clear, i'm not worried about being dragged to the lawn or any of that nonsense. (i guess i provoked those sort of answers when i said 'will i survive.' shouldn't have tried to be funny.) i always welcome a good debate, and i certainly understand the value of working with people whose beliefs differ from my own. (i grew up in a small, conservative town.) but what's important to me right now is choosing a school where i feel i belong and where i feel supported.

my greatest relationships, both personally and professionally, are with people who are committed to the same causes, and our bond is in part rooted in this shared commitment. we understand each other because we have the same progressive ideals. i really appreciate that sense of community, and having lived in LA/worked in organizing, i am used to having that kind of support. so, i guess i'm just hoping that i'll find the same type of friendship at duke. i think it's fair to hope for that.

thanks again for your comments! i asked this question knowing little about duke's student body and nothing about north carolina (i'll be visiting soon though), so it was helpful to get some input. much appreciated.

EDIT: I changed the title of this thread, since some people seemed to assume that I was serious about 'not surviving' at Duke because its rumored conservatism. Really, I was just curious about how true that rumor is.

[bigben]

Law school in general seems to attract the conservative type. I think you will get that anywhere. I'm the token liberal at BU - theres a ton of crazy libertarians and people who think Obama is to the left. Ha!

This is the first I've ever heard this; in fact, I've always heard (and observed, judging from ASWs and such) the exact opposite.

Law school is more left than right (the profs probably more so than the students). But it's probably still accurate to say that law school attracts conservatives relative to undergrad or other non-professional grad school programs.

[AsexualChocolate]

After leaning far to the left, lean far to the right, then cha-cha real slow... this throws them off of your scent. You'll be fine!