Student Activities and Committees
Duke Divinity School’s community life is enriched by a variety of ongoing and special events planned and coordinated by the Office of Student Life in partnership with students, faculty, and staff. The Office of Student Life strives for the flourishing of each student and the collective community through creating space for students to be, belong, and lead. Offerings have included sports events, fellowship meals, sacred art-making, outdoor activities, games, reflective practices, retreats, emergency preparedness trainings, wellness offerings, exhibitions, and “spirit” days, along with workshops, brown-bag discussions, and opportunities for co-learning, leadership development, and service. The following list represents both long-standing and recent student initiatives.
For more information about the organizations and resources listed below, including current student leadership, contact the Office of Student Life at studentlife@div.duke.edu.
Student Life Organizations
Divinity Student Council (DSC) is made up of residential students from varying programs in Duke Divinity School. The council’s purpose is to help build and sustain Christian community among the student body by serving as a means of communication for events and activities sponsored by various official student organizations. Student organizations and committees are established to provide opportunities to express and share in personal, professional, and spiritual development. DSC serves group needs by publicizing events and activities, listening and responding to the needs of the Divinity School community, faithfully discerning how those needs may best be met, and representing the needs and concerns of the student body to the school administration.
Divinity Student Council Class Representatives are elected by each class—1st, 2nd, and 3rd year—to represent their respective classes in Divinity Student Council (DSC) General Body Meetings, offer opportunities for fellowship and community building among their colleagues, and provide support for their classmates. Class representatives also serve on Divinity Student Council Committees: Executive Committee, Fellowship Committee, Finance and Nominations Committee, and others as needed.
African Methodist Episcopal (Zion Church) AME/AMEZ Connection seeks to provide educational support, networking, spiritual well-being, and a sense of community for students who are members of the AME Church.
Asian Theology Group (ATG) engages theologically with the unique questions that arise within the Asian and Asian American expressions of the Christian tradition. ATG seeks to recognize the unique ways in which Asian students encounter Christianity, provides a space for Asian students to live those experiences out in community, and aims to facilitate the thriving of Asian and Asian-American student culture. ATG shows hospitality to international Asian students and Asian American students in their transition to a new location and culture. Activities sponsored by this group include guest lectures for school-wide events, social events, and shared meals.
Black Seminarians Union (BSU) seeks 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 Duke Divinity School community with emphasis on the members of the Black community.
Creation Justice Coalition is a Duke Divinity student group focused on cultivating love and care for creation by hosting and participating in outdoor excursions, shared meals, and educational opportunities throughout the year. Creation Justice Coalition aims to inspire students, faculty, staff, and all Christians to recognize their interdependence with all God’s creation, to support biblical and theological reflection on God’s redemptive activity in and for creation, to engage in lifestyles of service and care in response to God’s call to till and keep their “garden” homes, and to empower Christians to take practical steps to reorder and restore humanity’s disordered relationships to creation and the Creator. This vision includes stewarding the natural space on Telecom Drive on behalf of the Divinity School community.
Deacons@Duke is a group of students exploring or engaged in the United Methodist deacon ordination track. The group gathers 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 Pride (DivPride) exists for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies to meet and foster community within Duke Divinity School through lectures, dialogues, panels, social gatherings, special worship services, and more. DivPride aims to serve the Divinity School community by increasing the communal awareness of the unique and diverse experiences and the celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual people.
Divinity Spouses Group provides social, spiritual, and educational activities for married students and their spouses with the aim of helping spouses know that they are also a valuable part of the Divinity School community.
Duke Divinity Veterans Partnership cultivates conversations with students, staff, and faculty to advance the interests of prospective, current, and former service members in the church, world, and academy. Its primary aim is to develop a pastoral response to the problems of war and peace based on a fundamental conviction that God calls people toward a peaceful resolution of conflict.
Global Fellowship is a group for international students and students in international study and mission that meets for fellowship and to discuss experiences. It aims to partner with international friends in ministry and to advocate for justice issues throughout the world.
La Union Latina seeks to enhance Christian community among Hispanic and Latine identifying students, staff, and faculty in order to create a brave space for the flourishing of life at the Divinity School. The group facilitates and provides opportunities for communal ministry, conversation, celebration, creative liturgy, and collaboration between themselves, other student groups, Duke at large, and the greater Durham community. La Union Latina seeks to shed light on issues that affect not only the Latinx community but also other groups that have historically been marginalized. As such, the group prioritizes collaborations with other student groups doing similar work, opening space for imagining futures together where moments of Shalom will be realized.
New Creation Arts exists to foster creative, theological, and liturgical engagement with the arts at Duke Divinity School and the surrounding and global community. It does this through regular art exhibits in the school, including an annual, themed juried arts exhibit; a regular concert series showcasing local singer-songwriters; fellowship activities; and lending support to other groups hosting arts-related events.
Presbyterian/Reformed Student Group seeks to provide support and opportunities for students in the Reformed tradition in the Divinity School. The group plans meetings, seminars, and faculty discussions for all who are interested in a deeper understanding of this tradition and its various related denominations.
Prison and Justice Action Committee (PJAC) exists to increase education and offer volunteer opportunities that intersect the carceral system in an interdisciplinary manner, doing both in partnership with the local Durham community. PJAC seeks to bridge the theological education of seminary with the reality of those who are affected by incarceration. As future pastors, church leaders, and educators, group members understand that there is a need for education and training for how the church might participate in matters that involve social justice, equity, reentry, and education. Scripture highlights the voices of those who are incarcerated and oppressed, and so group members seek to learn from and with those who are currently experiencing incarceration, those suffering from stigmas and consequences of being formerly incarcerated, and from family members who are affected by the criminal justice system on a daily basis. It is through active participation in this community of formation that individuals can better identify and minister to those whose lives have been touched by the scars of incarceration. PJAC seeks to identify, expose, and connect passionate people to excellent resources and models of ministry in the community, inviting them to get involved in working toward resistance, justice, and reconciliation. The group points to the following scripture in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation from Matthew 25:36b: “…I was in prison, and you came to me.”
Sacred Dance Group is composed of students who participate in the leadership of community worship through the expression of dance.
Student Life Leadership and Committees
Community Life and Fellowship Committee plans community-wide events for students, staff, faculty, and their families. The activities include social gatherings, shared meals, and creative engagements.
Divinity School Council Committees: The student body is also represented on various Divinity School Council committees. Students serve with faculty and administration on the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, Curriculum Committee, Field Education/Spiritual Formation, Divinity Judicial Board, and other committees and task forces.
Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) is the umbrella student government organization for Duke’s nine graduate and professional schools. GPSG serves as a liaison to the Duke administration and hosts a variety of social networking events open to all graduate and professional students. Every residential divinity student is automatically a member of the GPSG. Duke Divinity also has student representatives serving on GPSG.
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 students with a faculty advisor, is a resource center for the whole community, in addition to a support and action center for women in particular.
Duke University hosts a myriad of additional student groups that engage the intellectual, human, spiritual, social, and vocational dimensions of the student experience.
Student Life Activities
Music and Dance Ensembles: Divinity School worship includes diverse expressions of Christian worship, including the Goodson organ, Gospel Choir, or Chapel Band. Participation in these ensembles is open to singers, musicians, and dancers of all abilities. Students share leadership for the Chapel Band, Gospel Choir, and Sacred Dance. Contact the Office of the Chaplain at (919) 660-3459 for current student leadership.
Live! at the Lampstand has taken 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 lunch event showcases the wealth of gifts and talents of the entire Duke 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. Lampstand has been a popular and inspiring event that helps strengthen relationships and spreads joy and appreciation among all members of the community.
Community Games: Each semester students, staff, and faculty gather for social formation and relationship building through play. A team of faculty, students, and staff organize games and tournaments such as kickball, "Password," and "Family Feud."
Student Life Formational Offerings
Project BRI(DDD)GE (Building Relationships in Durham through Duke Divinity Graduate Education) is a pre-orientation pilgrimage for entering students that seeks to nurture a deep sense of place and cultivate lasting relationships within and beyond Duke Divinity School.
Incoming residential and hybrid students are invited to pilgrimage together through a multi-day embodied, theological, and transformative encounter with the Divinity School, Duke University, and the broader Durham community. Anchored in the Divinity School, the journey begins with prayer and theological reflection as students connect with their new neighbors as they seek an encounter with Jesus.
The pilgrimage includes prayer and worship, sacred reflective practices, shared meals, visits to historic sites, service with several local ministries, learning and fellowship with Reality Ministries, Open Table, and DurhamCares, and conversations with faculty, community, and church leaders.
The pilgrimage combines practical ministry through encounters with local churches, ministries, and nonprofits, followed by theological reflection with the hope of increased awareness of the Divinity School’s neighbors and their experiences. Participants seek to follow in Trevor Hudson’s footsteps of encounter, reflection, and transformation as revealed in his seminal book, "A Mile in My Shoes."
The time together, like ministry, is relational, rigorous, and challenging. It focuses on meeting people and hearing stories that are essential steps to realizing what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as the “beloved community.” The community of pilgrims, “BRI(DDD)GERs,” forge a special bond that helps sustain them through seminary and, in many cases, lasts a lifetime.