Family Table: Blue Devil Suppers

Over the course of one weekend this October, alumni opened their homes to more than 200 members of the Class of 2020 for Blue Devil Suppers. The Duke Alumni Association offered the dinners to students as a voluntary opportunity to meet both alumni and new classmates in an informal setting away from campus. At their core, Blue Devil Suppers are designed to welcome freshmen into the Duke family with one of the staples of family life --  the shared home meal. By providing this opportunity, DAA says it hopes both to help alleviate some of the homesickness common to the freshmen experience and to facilitate new relationships among students and alumni.

"I'm looking forward to a great evening," Marcy Tucker '84, an alumni host in Durham, N.C., said of the Blue Devil Suppers ahead of her meal on Oct. 16. "--answering their questions, discussing their interests and just giving them some time away from the dorms and the Marketplace to experience a meal in an ordinary, off-campus home." 

Emily Bragg ’78, the mother of Jennifer Bragg ’07 and Eliza Bragg ’17, welcomes Duke freshman Well Witoonchart '20 to her Durham, N.C., home on Sunday, Oct. 16, for one of the Duke Alumni Association's Blue Devil Suppers.

Duke students chat with an alumnus at the home of Emily Bragg '78 ahead of eating a meal together, while Bragg reviews a tip sheet from the DAA on hosting a successful Blue Devil Supper.

A tip sheet for hosting a successful Blue Devil Supper, which includes ideas for icebreakers, lays on Emily Bragg's kitchen counter. The Duke Alumni Association randomly assigned the Duke freshmen to eat dinner at alumni homes in an effort to facilitate new friendships with each other. 

Students enjoy appetizers ahead of a Blue Devil Supper in the Durham home of Emily Bragg '78.

Emily Bragg '78 leads Duke freshmen in an icebreaker called "Two Truths and a Lie," in which each student told the group two true statements about themselves and one false one. The group then tried to guess the false statement, learning something new about each student along the way. 

Dustin Zhu '20 presents his two truths and a lie: "I walked on the Duke rowing team, these glasses are not prescription and are only for fashion, and I was an academic All-American swimmer." Zhu's false statement? The one about his glasses.

Students gather for a meal in the dining room of Marcy and Gordon Tucker, both class of 1984, who live in Durham, N.C. 

The Tuckers and the students got to know one another over the course of their Blue Devil Supper. The Tuckers' dog slept by the table during the meal and welcomed the occassional greeting or rub as the students helped themselves to seconds. 

Marcy Tucker asked the students questions about what they hoped to study at Duke. 

The Tuckers son, Henry Tucker '19, a sophomore, attended his family's Blue Devil Supper. Henry invited his former roommate (not pictured) along as well to help answer questions the freshmen might have. 

Avivah Wang '20 and the other students talk about dorm life, their hopes for their time at Duke and the families they've left back at home.