Ticketed Events Policy:

No-Show: We are now implementing a no-show policy for all ticketed events. If you do not show up to a ticketed event without prior communication, you will not be able to register for any ticketed events for the remainder of the semester. 

Cancellation: We require at least 24 hours cancellation prior to ticketed events. Each cancellation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For inadequate reasons for cancellation, you will not be able to register for any ticketed events for the remainder of the semester. 

Alcohol: 

Pertaining to all Events wherein Alcohol is Present: 

1. Both ample food and non-alcoholic beverages must be provided. 

2. Attendees are not permitted to bring their own alcoholic beverages 

3. The main purpose of any event may not be the consumption of alcohol and no event may encourage or facilitate excessive drinking. 

4. No EASE events shall be advertised as BYOB. 

5. EASE may advertise that alcohol will be served at an event, but each advertisement of an event must have a clearly articulated purpose apart from the consumption of alcohol. 

6. There shall be at least one Socially Responsible Hosts for every 50 attendees at any event where alcohol is present, and at least one Socially Responsible Host at any event where alcohol is present. 

7. A Socially Responsible Host must be a member of the EASE General Body. They must not consume alcohol immediately prior to or during the event. They are responsible for overseeing and ensuring the safety of the event and adherence to the EASE alcohol policy, including but not limited to, (1) ensuring compliance with North Carolina state law; (2) ensuring that alcohol is served in a controlled manner and not freely accessible; (3) ensuring that no one under 21 or who is visibly intoxicated is served; and (4) ensuring that alcohol does not leave the area of the event.  

8. Any event that advertises that Alcohol will be served at an event must reference this alcohol policy in the announcement. In addition, the signup form must include a reference to the alcohol policy, and participants must acknowledge the policy to register.  

9. In the event that a participant does not feel comfortable driving home due to over consumption of alcohol, EASE will coordinate a ride home for the individual.  

10. EASE must contract with a third-party vendor with the appropriate liquor license to acquire and serve alcohol or follow the guidelines in the following section to acquire and serve alcohol without a third-party vendor. 

Pertaining to Events where a Third-Party Vendor is not used for Acquiring and Serving Alcohol, and EASE is Acquiring and Distributing Alcohol 

EASE may only purchase and distribute alcohol for an event if all policies herein are met including the following, designed to ensure that overconsumption of alcohol is not present at the event: 

1. For the purpose of this policy, a registered attendee shall be an ECE Graduate student who registered to attend the event or their guest. 

2. For the purpose of this policy, a drink shall be an alcoholic beverage individually packaged with a volume not to exceed the standard drink volume as defined by the NIH. 

3. There must be at least one Socially Responsible Person per 25 registered attendees 

4. No more than 50 registered attendees may be registered for the event 

5. No more than 2 drinks per registered attendees may be purchased.  

6. No more than 80 drinks in total may be purchased. 

7. No drinks in excess of 10% ABV may be present. 

8. At the end of the event, any excess drinks must be responsibly disposed of and may not be given away to event attendees (ideally dumped and recycled) 

9. The Socially Responsible Persons will be responsible for overseeing the distribution of alcohol in compliance with the following: 

1. At event check-in, a registered attendee who is at or over the age of 21 as verified by ID will be offered no more than 2 tickets to be redeemed for one drink each. No additional tickets will be given outside of check-in, an attendee will not be given tickets if they appear visibly intoxicated, an attendee may refuse to accept the tickets 

2. A ticket may be redeemed for one drink. No drinks will be distributed to anyone without a ticket. 

3. No drinks may be distributed within one hour before the end of an event. 

4. Drink tickets shall be revoked if an attendee is visibly intoxicated. 

Carpooling: A carpool will be provided for any event located more than a 30 minute commute by way of public transportation from the Duke Chapel. Volunteers may assist with the carpooling where only ECE affiliates (PhD, Master's, staff) will be reimbursed for the milage at the standard rate. In this situation, the driver is responsible for 

1. Ensuring the safety of the riders within their charge 

2. Following the itinerary provided by the carpool coordinator 

3. Communicating any relevant updates to the carpool coordinator 

In addition, the driver must: 

1. Obey all traffic laws  

2. Not operate a mobile device while driving, including for the purposes of navigation and contacting the carpool coordinator 

3. Abstain from consuming any alcohol for at least one hour before the scheduled time of the carpool, both to and from an event. 

4. Refrain from over-consumption of alcohol which would cause them to be visibly intoxicated or above the ABV threshold for legal driving at the scheduled time of the carpool, both to and from an event. 

COVID Events Policy:

We are now requiring all attendees to actively participate in surveillance testing. We ask that all event participants show an active card prior to attending EASE events. This can be done either by sending a screenshot of your Duke Card Status Check page to the Event Leads or easeatduke@gmail.com, or presenting it at the event check-in. Your Duke Card status can be accessed through the SymMon App or https://dukecard.duke.edu/. If you do not show an active status, you will not be able to participate in any event hosted by EASE.

Internal

• Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration (Annual Event)

EASE will celebrate Hispanic heritage month with an outdoor ECE social event. EASE will provide lawn games, beer and soda, and a few fan-favorite Hispanic treats for you to try! We will also have a table of resources for our Hispanic/Latinx community and invited representatives from Duke SACNAS and SHPE chapters. 

• ECE/CEE Implicit Bias Workshop (Annual Event)

EASE invited Pratt's former Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Johnna Frierson, to give a workshop on implicit biases. This was an hour-long joint event with CEE.

• Discussion to Action Forum

Every month, EASE members participate in the DTA forum held by the ECE department. The purpose is to identify actions that can be taken to address long-standing issues of racism, bias, injustice, and hate. Check your Duke inbox for future DTA events. This event is open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students in ECE. Note: these forums have been temporarily suspended. 

External

• DEI Graduate Student Application Workshop

The goal of this program is to increase the number of ECE graduate applicants from diverse backgrounds. This two-day workshop will give participants the tools they need to apply to graduate school, decide between a master's and Ph.D. program, and make valuable connections with current faculty, staff, and students.

• ECHO - ECE College High School Opportunity

This diversity outreach program was founded by EASE members. The goal of this program is to encourage historically underrepresented minorities in STEM to consider majors and careers in ECE.  This program has shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they successfully held a 1-week virtual event. There were participants from all levels within the ECE department: undergraduate, masters, Ph.D., professors, and alumni. If you are interested in being a part of the program in the future, please email echoatduke@gmail.com

• Diversity and Inclusion Lunch (during recruitment)

During ECE Ph.D. student recruitment, EASE is hosting a diversity and inclusion lunch. This is an informal diversity inclusion event where the recruits will get time to talk to current students. This event is to promote underrepresented minorities (such as women and BIPOC) in STEM. 

• Girl Scout's STEM Power Hour

All of the ECE department was invited to participate in the annual STEM Power Hour. This event was hosted by the SMIF team and Triangle women in STEM. EASE members participated in the virtual outreach event and taught young women what it means to work and study in STEM.  

• Have ideas for future diversity and inclusion events? Email easeatduke@gmail.com