Student Government & Organizations

We the students of the Divinity School of Duke University covenant together to be a community of faith under the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek to be faithful to the Gospel, to live a life of grace and justice, and to make known to the world the love of God for the world (Preamble,
Constitution of the Student Association). In the absence of common living and dining accommodations, community life in the Divinity School centers around a number of organizations and activities.

The Student Association is comprised of all students in the Divinity School. The Association is served by the Divinity Student Council (DSC), an organization with a threefold purpose:

1. to express itself as a community of faith in witness and fellowship;
2. to provide student programs, activities, and services; and
3. to collect and raise money, through dues and other channels, to help accomplish these purposes.

Members of the DSC are students who are nominated and elected annually by the student body. Within the DSC, there are several ministry teams designed to provide students with opportunities to express and share personal, professional, and spiritual development with each other. These include:

The Basin and Towel Student Organization
is responsible for offering the community opportunities to participate in educational programs, spiritual/theological reflection, and outreach and service focused on the scriptural call to social justice and compassion.

The Campus Relations Committee
is responsible for facilitating interaction between the Divinity School and the greater university. Divinity School representation at the Graduate and Professional Student Council meetings will be provided by members of this team. The team helps create opportunities for fellowship with graduate students from other programs, provides interdisciplinary academic programming, and helps keep Divinity students informed of larger campus issues and activities.

The Community Care Student Organization
is responsible for hospitality and nurture within the Divinity School community. This includes maintaining the community Prayer Board, meeting regularly to pray for the Divinity School community, and working with the Office of the Divinity School chaplain to coordinate appropriate responses to students in crisis or with special needs. This team also organizes and administers the student mentor program, KOINONOI.

The Fellowship Committee
plans community-wide events for students and faculty and their families. The activities include social gatherings during orientation, meals and parties at holiday times, and fellowship times throughout the school terms. The team also sponsors “Live at the Lampstand,” a popular monthly event through which students, faculty, and staff share their various musical and artistic talents with the entire community.

The Spiritual Formation Student Organization
will assist the Divinity School chaplain with the promotion of spiritual formation within the Divinity School by helping coordinate and oversee student-led spiritual formation groups, as well as providing other appropriate programming.

The Student Publications Committee
is responsible for oversight of student publications, including the student newspaper, The Divine Nous, and the creative arts magazine, Logia. In addition, the following student organizations receive funding from and/or have representation in the DSC.

African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Connection
seeks to provide educational support, networking, spiritual well-being, and a sense of community for students who are members of the AME Church.

Black Seminarians’ Union
This organization’s purpose is to ensure the development of a theological perspective commensurate with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and relevant to the needs of black seminarians and the black church. Its goal is to improve the quality of life theologically, academically, spiritually, politically, and socially for the entire Divinity School community.

Deacons@Duke
Deacons@Duke is a group of students exploring or engaged in the United Methodist Deacon ordination track. The group meets several times each semester to discuss common concerns and issues related to becoming a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. Persons exploring deacon or diaconal ministries (youth minister, Christian educator, minister of music, pastoral counseling, camp director, etc.) in other Christian traditions are also welcome to join.

Divinity Choir
Membership is open to all qualified students. The choir rehearses once a week and sings regularly for weekday worship and at special seasonal programs and services. New members are chosen by informal auditions that are arranged for all that are interested.

Divinity Spouses
This organization provides social, spiritual, and educational activities for married students and their spouses with the aim of helping spouses know that they are also important, contributing, and welcomed members of the Divinity School community.

HOLD (Helping Others—and Ourselves—in Life and Death)
HOLD is the opportunities for discussion, education, and reflection on end of life issues. It works both within and beyond the student body to connect students with experiences for further learning and serving in end of life situations.

Internationally Minded People of Faith (IMPF)
A group for international students and students with interest in international study and mission that meets for fellowship and to discuss experiences and issues.

Order of St. Luke
Formed to recover the worship and sacramental practice that has sustained the church since its formation in apostolic times, the Order of St. Luke is a religious order within the United Methodist Church. Members seek to recover the spiritual disciplines of John and Charles Wesley as a means of perceiving and fulfilling the church’s mission. Membership in the order is open to all seminarians.

Presbyterian Student Association
is an active group of students at Duke Divinity School that is dedicated to prayer, worship, fellowship, and study. All Reformed-minded students are invited to participate, as well as those of other Christian denominations. Biweekly PSA lunch meetings take on contemporary Christian issues regarding our faith as Christians, denominational matters, and issues in the world at large. Members of PSA seek to encourage one another in ministry and service and worship regularly at Presbyterian churches throughout the Triangle community.

The Roger Williams Fellowship
Named for the 17th century Free Church trailblazer, this is the Baptist student organization in the Divinity School. They sponsor monthly meetings on campus for conversation about contemporary issues in Baptist life and plan fellowship gatherings for students and faculty.

Sacred Dance Group
A group of students who participate in the leadership of community worship through the expression of dance.

Sacred Worth
The purpose of this group is to serve the Divinity School community by increasing awareness of lesbians and gays in the church. All members of the community are invited to participate, and the group seeks to promote understanding about homosexuality in the church through various opportunities for discussion and dialogue.

The Socratic Club
The Socratic Club is a group of students who meet weekly to facilitate dialogue between differing views for the sake of the Gospel. Members meet to talk and to organize multiple opportunities for bringing differing views into dialogue with one anoather. Occasionally professors are invited to join the dialogue. Members are a diverse group from various faith traditions and theological perspectives.

Spiritual Formation Groups
While students advance in the area of academics, they have a corresponding need to attend to their spiritual development. In addition to the required spiritual formation groups for entering M.Div. students, there are several student-initiated small groups for upperclass students. These groups meet regularly throughout the academic year to nurture spiritual growth. Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to participate.

Student Pastors’ Association
Students actively serving their denominations in an ordained or lay capacity have the opportunity to meet, to share, to plan, and to act on their common needs and concerns.

The Divine Nous
This student newspaper reports on activities, posts information on field education opportunities, and announces important events in the community. The paper also gives students a forum for voicing opinions, perspectives, and ideas.

Theological Student Fellowship
TSF is a student group formed for students who seek to understand, study, and discuss evangelical perspectives on issues in theological education and the church. Meetings are bi-weekly.

Ubuntu Group
A Spiritual formation group of 15 to 20 upperclass students which meets on a weekly basis throughout the academic year to discuss the impact of race and racism on members’ individual and communal lives with an eye toward seeking strategies for reconciliation in Christ.

Women’s Center
The Women’s Center serves the entire Divinity School community through a focus on the special needs and contributions of women in ministry in and to the church and society. The office, coordinated by two women students, is a resource center for the whole community, in addition to a support and action center for women in particular.

Faculty Committees
The student body is also represented on various faculty committees. Students serve with faculty and administration on the Admissions, Faculty Search, Worship, Fine Arts, Curriculum, International Studies, and other committees as appointed by the Dean.

Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC)
The organization which represents and advocates for the interests and needs of graduate and professional students at Duke University. Divinity students who are interested are encouraged to participate in this body. For more information, please see Duke Graduate and Professional Student Council Web site. For general information about Duke University graduate and professional student life, see the The Graduate School at Duke University Web site.

Project BRI(DDD)GE
Now in its 17th year, Project BRI(DDD)GE is a weeklong program for entering M.Div. and M.T.S students which seeks to foster Christian community, outreach, and service within the Durham community. BRI(DDD)GE is held the week before entering student orientation in August. Twenty-two entering students along with eight returning student leaders will participate with organizations such as Urban Ministries of Durham, Habitat for Humanity, the Society of St. Andrew, the Woodchucks Ministry, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Walltown Neighborhood Ministries, and the Food Bank of NC in a faithful response to the needs of God’s children in the Durham area. Theological reflection on these experiences and immersion in the history and current life of Durham are also important components of this program. Applications are automatically mailed to Duke M.Div. and M.T.S. entering students in the month of May prior to matriculation in August.

Live at the Lampstand
Taking its cue from Matthew 5:15 — “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”— this once-permonth, lunch event is designed to showcase the wealth of gifts and talents of the entire Divinity School community. Live offerings by faculty, staff, and students include vocal and instrumental pieces, original poetry and short story readings, dance, comedy, paintings, skits, etc. (On occasion, a participant will share with the audience the product of his/her talent as a baker, always with appreciative results!) Lampstand is a very popular and inspiring event which helps strengthen relationships and spread joy and appreciation among all members of the community.