A New Campaign Asks: ‘Does Duke Respect Durham?’

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Good morning, readers.

Duke University is a singular entity in Durham. Talk to anyone in the Bull City and you’ll find that their degree of separation from the university is negligible, and their feelings about what Duke does for the community are often complicated, to put it nicely. Just ask the fine folks on the r/bullcity Reddit forum.

Duke is the largest private employer, owns a sizable chunk of the greater downtown area for their campus and medical facilities, and attracts millions of dollars in revenue to the city and county every year. They gave us a botanical garden but helped kill the light rail. Without another major company or private institution to compete, Duke can throw its weight around.

Last week, the INDY and The Assembly published a comprehensive deep dive into the longstanding relationship between Duke University and Durham. As the university celebrates its centennial, some folks in the community under the banner of the “Duke Respect Durham” campaign want to revisit that relationship that asks for more from Duke through a PILOT agreement: payment in lieu of taxes.

Duke officials argue that the school already provides a substantial amount of money and services through its own programs, but others believe that the community should dictate where those resources go by sending them through the city and county budget process. They argue that’s a more “democratic” process.

Duke University isn’t going anywhere, so it’s incumbent upon university officials and community leaders to find middle ground. But if I’ve learned anything over a lifetime living in Durham, or from reading the aforementioned Reddit posts, Duke will never be able to satisfy everyone. So at the end of these PILOT negotiations, what will “success” look like?

The devil is in the details.

—Justin

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