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The Chronicle

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MEET THE 2022-23 CHRON15

This past year, Duke has experienced what seems like change after change. The implementation of a new housing system. A new football program. The launch of a new University-wide commitment to tackling climate change. Long-standing, beloved dining locations shutting down.

From our office in Flowers, we’ve covered these changes over the past year, and this year’s Chron15 hopes to celebrate the icons, leaders and pioneers that have been so instrumental in making the University a place we’ll be proud of in the future, but also those who have made Duke the place we know and love today.

From faculty who find innovative ways to help us learn to those who have made the University feel like home for years, this year’s Chron15 list seeks to highlight the contributions of members of the Duke community who make us all proud to call ourselves Blue Devils.

Nominated by readers of The Chronicle and chosen by a special committee of staff, the members of this year’s Chron15 list are individuals and organizations that have worked tirelessly to improve the University’s academic programs. They are people who have played and coached their hearts out in athletic competitions. They are people who lend a listening ear when you need it most. They are people who, simply put, make our campus a better place to live.

The members of this year’s Chron15 are what makes Duke, Duke. But more importantly, they are the people who teach your T-req classes, keep you fed even when you’re in a rush or stand next to you in Cameron Indoor Stadium. They are Blue Devils just like you and me, and a reminder of the potential of what passion with a purpose can accomplish.

As you read the profiles of these fifteen outstanding people and organizations, we hope that you will take the time to think about not only their achievements and contributions but also those of the many people that didn’t make the list. The Chronicle names 15 winners each year, but our readers can thank countless more community members for all they do.

Adway Wadekar and Kathryn Thomas chaired this year’s Chron15 committee. Wadekar is a Trinity junior and the Vol. 119 news editor. Thomas is a Trinity senior and the Vol. 118 news editor.

ICONS Il Forno’s

‘Speedy’

For Il Forno’s Joquann Jones, more commonly known by students as “Speedy,” his time at Duke can be characterized by a singular phrase — interactions with guests.

Speedy has been an icon in the Brodhead Center since 2018 and has created countless memories with students and faculty members who stop by the Italian dining hall staple. His heart, passion and infectious personality are the secret ingredient in every Il Forno pasta bowl that he makes, not the breadsticks.

Flanagan, a Montclair, N.J., native, recently graduated with a major in statistical science and a minor in economics. He translated his passion for bettering the student experience into action by devoting his time to strategic and community-focused work.

In his senior year, Flanagan served as an undergraduate representative for the Racial Equity Advisory Council and the Board of Trustees External Engagement Standing Committee. Through these roles, Flanagan collaborated with administration to help Duke live out its commitments to anti-racism and to building long-lasting relationships with alumni and donors.

Flanagan also served as senior class president and chaired the Student Organization Finance Committee for two years. He worked with cultural and identity leaders to make SOFC more transparent and to increase diversity-related programming and was awarded the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award for Demonstration of Integrity for this work.

As student director of belonging for Duke Student Affairs, Flanagan facilitated the building of community on campus by spearheading the Fun @ Duke initiative. He was awarded the Forever Duke Student Leadership Award and the Cornerstone Award at the end of his senior year, fitting accolades for a Duke student who tirelessly dedicated himself to the betterment of the University over his undergraduate career.

Holly Keegan, Vol. 119 university news editor

Chloe Beck

Speedy was originally drawn to Duke Dining because of its open kitchen layout and opportunities to connect with students, a stark contrast to his previous position at a barbecue kitchen with a closed kitchen format. He stayed with Duke for 2.5 years before leaving to work as a sous chef, where he made his way up the chain only to realize that Duke was the place for him.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, it was the students, faculty members, the professors and the interactions,” he said.

“Students come by, they ask how your day is, you have a quick four- or fiveminute conversation, you find out what they’re doing in class, little talks about music or anime — it really got in touch with my soul,” he added.

Speedy strongly hopes students understand the impact they have on his experience, as much as he has on theirs, from checking up on him daily to writing appreciation letters. Seeing the Duke community supporting and valuing the work he does pushes him to “keep going no matter what.”

“Personally, there will be no Speedy without you guys,” he said. “You guys make me whole.”

Andrew Bae, Vol. 119 associate news editor

Drew Flanagan

Over his four years at Duke, Drew Flanagan, Trinity ‘23, embodied a selfless commitment to improving the lives of undergraduate students and to making the University a more equitable and representative institution.

Incoming graduate student Chloe Beck has been a crucial part of the Duke women’s tennis team for four years.

The Watkinsville, Ga., native represents Duke’s cross-section of academics and athletics. While also qualifying for

fellow teammates Ellie Coleman and Brianna Shvets, allowing her to be placed on the All-American ballot later this summer and was an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2022, 2021 and 2020.

As the No. 1 singles player in the lineup this season for Duke, Chloe Beck collected her 100th career singles win on March 24, and was ranked No. 6 nationally in singles at the close of the season. But despite tennis being an individual sport, Beck is the ultimate team player, according to women’s tennis head coach Jamie Ashworth.

“She’s a firm believer in team first. She would set aside most individual goals for the team,” Ashworth said in 2021. “In our sport, that’s not a common thing, because at the end of the day it is an individual sport.”

Beck competed in the NCAA singles tournament, where she advanced to the Sweet 16 on May 23, continuing to embody the ideals that Duke represents.

Anna Newberry, Vol. 119 sports staff writer

The Loop

Loyally serving salads, burgers, pizzas and milkshakes to Duke students since 2000, The Loop’s long-established reign came to an end this year when it ceased operations on May 5. Next fall, a new dining venue by Thrive Kitchen and Catering will replace its spot in the Bryan Center.

Fortunately for the restaurant’s enthusiasts, The Loop is a franchise which includes restaurants across North Carolina and Florida, including another location in Durham on Broad Street.

The Loop won The Chronicle’s “Best Place To Eat On Campus” Award in 2015, highlighting the establishment’s popularity amongst Duke students across the years. Its expansive space, groovy music and chic bar setting made it the go-to spot for

To read more about Duke’s icons, see ICONS on Page 2

INSIDE

Cultural affinity spaces were moved over the summer of 2022 after the Bryan Center announced renovations.

the 2023 NCAA Singles Tournament in May, Beck finished her undergraduate career, graduating summa cum laude with a major in psychology, a minor in neuroscience and a certificate in sustainability engagement.

In addition, Beck earned All District Academic honors this spring, along with

Yalla: an interfaith food truck

Yalla serves food that is both halal and kosher, looking to use cuisine as an interfaith bridge.

Class passing times reduced

9 Duke changed class passing times from 30 minutes to 20 or 25.

11

COURTESY OF JOQUANN “SPEEDY” JONES

Drew Flanagan | SAMANTHA OWUSU

Chloe Beck | MELISSA ADAMS

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

BRIDGING FAITH & LEARNING

ICONS FROM PAGE 1

game-day watch parties or casual meetups with friends.

With its life coming to an abrupt end and its space to see renovations in the coming months, perhaps the Duke community has taken The Loop and all it has provided for granted. Having been there through all the twists and turns that the University has experienced in the 21st century, the iconic eatery will be sorely missed.

Jazper Lu, Vol. 119 managing editor

Center for Documentary Studies Staff

In April, Duke announced that it was launching a review into the Center for Documentary Studies, a nationally-recognized nonprofit affiliated with the University.

The CDS has a unique relationship with Duke. As a support corporation, the center’s director and board manages the spending from its own quasi-endowment, while the investment decisions are handled by the Duke University Management Company. A review from Duke into the CDS marks an unprecedented move by University administrators.

So why did it happen?

Over the last year and a half, most of the work at the CDS came to a stop. Staff were prohibited from doing their work. The CDS no longer offers its signature continuing education courses, exhibitions and financial awards for filmmakers. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival it ran — a qualifying event for nominations for the Academy Awards — was canceled in November for the first time since 1998.

Several staff members have been laid off, and many others voluntarily left the center this past year. Four members of the center’s board also left in response to these changes.

Some have pointed towards the leadership style of the center’s director, while others including the director, cited financial reasons for these programmatic and personnel changes.

Now, the CDS undergoing a formal shift in direction from traditional documentary work to “applicable media,” according to the center’s director Opeyemi Olukemi. Faculty and staff are unable to pinpoint exactly what that means for their future work, calling the vision that was presented vague, not reflective of true documentary work and more commercial.

LEADERS

Luke Powery

The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is the dean of Duke University Chapel and associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School.

Homiletics is the art of preaching and writing sermons, and Powery’s sermons are one of the most integral parts of attending Sunday service at the Chapel.

His sermons regularly connect Biblical verses with current affairs and interweave recent news and issues pressing to students with aspects of theology in a manner that is simultaneously educational and captivating.

Powery researches and teaches at the intersection of preaching, pneumatology, performance studies and culture, particularly expressions of the African diaspora. He is regularly involved in events with other leaders of the African American community.

Last September, Powery brought Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative to have a public conversation with him. He has spoken on the ten-year anniversary of the killing of Trayvon Martin, and after the Nashville school shooting in March.

Alumni say former theater professor behaved inappropriately with students, emails show administrators aware of allegations

BY NADIA BEY | 05/18/2023

One alumnus said O’Berski made them feel uncomfortable while directing a student production. Another told The Chronicle that she was in a relationship with O’Berski while she was his student, a violation of faculty policy.

The Chronicle’s campus demands tracker

BY STAFF REPORTS | 04/26/2023

The Chronicle’s tracker lists when demands were first issued and when they were most recently updated.

and aim to be as “trauma-informed, survivorcentric and skill-building as possible.” It covers various topics surrounding sexual violence, such as campus rape culture, the elements of consent, how to support survivors, bystander intervention and organizational accountability.

One April evening this spring, nearly 150 students joined SHAPE to walk from the West Campus bus stop to East Campus as the evening light gave way to dusk. SHAPE organized this “Reclaim the Night” Walk, which marked the end of SHAPE Week, during which the group spreaded awareness, fundraised and educated the Duke community about Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Throughout the celebrations, CMA leaders emphasized the importance of love and introspection about what space and community meant for students. The CMA also held its first Multicultural Graduation Ceremony.

The CMA has been a supportive resource for so many students for the past 50 years, and is poised to do so for the next 50.

Audrey Wang, Vol. 119 editor-in-chief Hana

Hendi

In her time at Duke, Hana Hendi has been president and treasurer of the Muslim Students Association, vice president of the Services and Sustainability Committee and chief of staff for Duke Student Government, a Baldwin Scholar, a researcher and premedical student. However, these accolades and titles themselves are not what makes Hana amazing. Instead, they are a testament to her profound compassion, wisdom and love for her community.

MELISSA ADAMS

Regardless of what the changes to the CDS might look like in the future, for the past 34 years, the CDS and the people that have made it run have been a Duke icon.

They’ve impacted thousands of students, teaching them not only the practice of documentary but also its theory, including ethical considerations. They’ve tackled complex societal issues in their work, from exploring race in the United States to culture in the South. They’ve done it in all forms, from films to books to radio to photographs, pushing the boundaries of what documentary work can look like.

And it is the center’s iconic staff who have put Durham on the map as a place to be for documentarians to present and create.

Adway Wadekar, Vol. 119 news editor

He also recently wrote a book called “Becoming Human,” on the rhetoric of race and the Holy Spirit. The book refers to a section of the Pentecost, when the Spirit embraces “all bodies, all flesh, all tongues.” In that story, different kinds of materiality and embodiment are strengths to be celebrated rather than “inconvenient facts to be ignored or feared.”

For his guidance on matters of race and ethics and his constant spiritual support for the entire University, Powery embodies what it means to be a leader at Duke.

Angikar

Ghosal, Trinity ‘24

SHAPE Initiative

At a university where nearly half of its female undergraduates in 2018 said they had been sexually assaulted since enrollment, student groups like the Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention & Education Initiative and Duke Sexual Assault Prevention Team have led the charge to eradicate sexual violence on campus in recent years.

The establishment of the Center for Gender Violence Prevention and Intervention, announced by Student Affairs in April 2022, seemed to respond to students’ calls for reforms. But, SHAPE still views its responsibility on campus as “filling in the gaps in education where we feel the administration hasn’t done that,” said Amelia D’Agaro, Trinity ‘23 and SHAPE’s Greek life and SLG director.

SHAPE was founded in 2018 and provides one to two hour educational and training sessions to all student organizations on campus. These trainings are evidence-based

Through demonstrations and programs, SHAPE will continue to “be on the front line” advocating for a safer Duke, until “the day when Duke doesn’t need SHAPE,” the organization wrote in April.

Kathryn Thomas, Vol. 118 news editor

Center for Multiculutral Affairs

Now located on the first floor of the Bryan Center after its bottom floor location was replaced by the Career Center, the Center for Multicultural Affairs has been at the center of debates over the allocation of space in the Bryan Center this past year. The Career Center also replaced affinity spaces La Casa and the Asian American Pacific Islander Bridge to Action, Solidarity, and Education.

The CMA spent its 51st year on campus commemorating its 50th anniversary after celebrations were delayed last year. And despite the shift in location, the center has stayed a leader on campus as a place that supports students from diverse backgrounds.

Hana’s presence alone fills the Center for Muslim Life with an overwhelming sense of love and warmth. Her care for the underclassmen is nothing short of genuine and her commitment to the betterment of the MSA is life-long. Within DSG, Hana’s leadership is grounded in a people-centric approach. She consistently models the importance of compassionate leadership and process, teaching us that the “how” is often more important than the “what.”

Its annual Unity Through Diversity event, dubbed “We were there, and now we are here: Redefining Our Center,” was a reference to the physical move it took over the summer.

Hana

| COURTESY OF ASHLEY BAE

Hana’s empathy, her innate ability to care deeply for others and her unwavering commitment to community will undoubtedly carry over into her career as a physician. Hana’s passion for serving others is not bound by the boundaries of our campus; it is a fundamental part of who she is, and it will guide her on a path of incredible impact and fulfillment.

Ashley Bae, Trinity ‘24 and Zeinab Mukhtar, Trinity ‘25

To read more about Duke’s leaders, see LEADERS on Page 4

COURTESY OF LUKE POWERY

ABIGAIL BROMBERGER

Courtesy of Sydney Hunt

Hendi

Deondra Rose

Deondra Rose, Kevin D. Gorter associate professor of public policy, has touched what seems like every facet of the University with her leadership.

At Duke, she is a member of Academic Council, the Board of Trustees Subcommittee on Undergraduate Education and the Racial Equality Advisory Council. Rose has also played a key role in the implementation of QuadEx as the Faculty Fellow for Crowell. Rose also serves as director of Polis: Center for Politics at Duke. Through her work at Polis, she has excelled in increasing student involvement and manages multiple facets of the organization, including research, events and student engagement.

School of Public Policy’s Susan Tifft Teaching and Mentoring Award for her skill and impact in mentoring, teaching and advising students. She is an incredible leader and scholar, but an even better person.

Rose is always looking for ways to make a difference, cares deeply about civic engagement and using her work to make a positive impact on the world around her. This, coupled with her ability to connect with students makes her a natural leader in such a student-facing role.

Annaleise Linkenhoker, Trinity ‘25

PIONEERS

Mike Elko

In December of 2021, Duke hired Mike Elko to take over its football program. Many would say he took a tough job considering the season before, the team had a 3-9 record and did not win a single ACC game. But Elko was certainly up to the task. In his first speech as head coach at Duke, Elko stated that the team was looking to win “now” and was not looking to rebuild.

Elko was a pioneer on the field before accepting the Duke head coaching job. The football world had come to know him as a defensive mastermind. He has been the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Texas A&M before ultimately landing the job at Duke. At Texas A&M coach Elko became the fourth coordinator in college football to make $2 million. Putting him in an elite company, with some of the best coordinators in the country at the time. In his last season as a coordinator at Texas A&M, their defense was a top 10 unit in the country.

MORGAN CHU

Elko has proven himself as a pioneer in his first season at Duke after leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record and finishing the year with a Military Bowl win.

This is all while having success off of the field in renewing the spirit and pride in Duke football all around campus — the best it’s been in years. Elko has taken it upon himself to revamp the fan experience during football games, and involve students as much as possible. He certainly is a pioneer at Duke in 2022-23 because of how much he has changed Duke football for the better in just one season at the helm.

DeWayne Carter, Trinity ‘23 and Duke football team captain

Bridgette Hard

In the last six years, Psychology 101, Introductory Psychology, has seen enrollment rise by 71%.

This growth is in large part, due to Bridgette Hard, current co-instructor of the course and professor of the practice of psychology and neuroscience.

the introductory psychology course. Hard made the course more cohesive, grew the teaching fellow program, restructured the projects, embedded data collection to illustrate concepts and adapted the course based on her psychology research.

“Their enthusiasm is so contagious, it makes me fall in love with psychology all over again,” Hard said of the students in her PSY 101 classes.

Hard studies pedagogy in the Brite Lab as the principal investigator, focusing on metaphors, technology, stress, collaboration, online learning, athletes, board care and intelligence mindsets, in the classroom. Some of this research has informed her teaching practices and policies.

Rose is an insightful, talented and engaging professor and received the Sanford

He believed in the players that were already in the locker room, and he knew that with hard work the Blue Devils would be able to put themselves back on the map.

Hard joined Duke six years ago and in adapting her award-winning Psychology One Program at Stanford, revolutionizing

Hard is an award-winning professor, having been selected for the Robert B. Cox

To read more about Duke’s Pioneers, see PIONEERS on Page 5

DEONDRA ROSE | COURTESY OF SCHOLARS@DUKE

Deondra Rose | COURTESY OF SCHOLARS@DUKE

PIONEERS

FROM

Teaching Award in 2021 and ranked in the top 5% of all undergraduate instructors in Arts & Sciences at Duke based on course evaluations in fall 2018, spring 2019, fall 2020 and fall 2022.

Since her time at Duke teaching PSY 101, a required class for majors and minors, psychology minors have increased by 73%.

Jothi Gupta, Vol. 119 university news editor

Hoof ‘n’ Horn

Hoof ‘n’ Horn, Duke’s student-run musical theatre organization and the self-described “oldest student-run musical theatre group in the South,” has had a striking year filled with new beginnings and innovation in the face of adversity. Through it, the group has shown what it means to pioneer in the arts at Duke.

the discography of Dolly Parton. The momentum continued with “Once on this Island” — a coming-of-age story intertwining Haitian history with a retelling of “The Little Mermaid,” as well as the first realization of Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s new diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which require one production per year to have a cast of mostly or entirely people of color.

In the spring, their collaboration with the Duke Theater Department to produce “RENT” meant they were unable to put on a traditional spring musical, so they decided to do something Hoof ‘n’ Horn had never done before: a 24hour play, “High School Musical.” Hoof ‘n’ Horn also engaged with the Duke community and wider Raleigh-Durham community throughout the year with a variety of cabaret events, staged readings and technical workshops.

Jules Kourelakos, Vol. 119 recess editor

Esther Hong

Esther Hong, Trinity ‘23, is a pioneer in the arts on Duke’s campus. Hong’s claim to fame is creating one-of-a-kind sustainable fashion through creative upcycling.

Hong founded her independent jewelry business, Petrichor, during the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020. Inspired by Y2K style, her wearable art pieces fuse avant-garde punk aesthetics with vintage charm by reusing parts from vintage jewelry and other found objects — antique timepieces, intricate plated brooches, defunct iPods in bright pastels – in surprising, innovative ways. And no two of her pieces are alike. Hong is now a staple in the arts scene at Duke.

Hong began Petrichor with simple earrings and chokers and has since expanded to an eclectic variety of necklaces, bracelets, chains, and other accessories. She has also used her artistic talents to give back to those in need by donating a portion of Petrichor Jewelry’s proceeds to Ukrainian refugee support efforts.

Jules Kourelakos, Vol. 119 recess editor

Toddi Steelman

Currently serving as the Stanback dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment, Toddi Steelman has been a driving force of progress and a true pioneer within the Duke community.

Steelman played a critical role in the planning and development of the Duke Climate Commitment, Duke’s signature initiative addressing climate change announced last September.

have Steelman overseeing the University’s Climate Commitment as its chief administrative and academic officer.

As dean, Steelman directed the launch of two new majors and a revised master’s curricula, advanced diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the School, secured philanthropic funding for the hiring of new faculty and led the Schools’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to damage incurred at Duke’s Marine Lab from Hurricane Florence in 2018.

Under the leadership of president Haley Cionfolo, Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s 2022-23 season began with a strong start with fall production “9 to 5,” a jukebox musical celebrating

Starting July 1, Steelman will conclude her service as dean and assume a new role — vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability. This newly created leadership position will

Her expertise in environmental and natural resource policy is unparalleled in the field, helping make her one of Duke’s most pivotal leaders of today and into the future.

Jazper Lu, Vol. 119 managing editor

Hoof ‘n’ Horn in 2017 | CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

COURTESY OF ESTHER HONG

Toddi Steelman | COURTESY OF SCHOLARS@DUKE

Meet Isaiah Hamilton, the next DSG president

By SENOU KOUNOUHO May 24, 2023

When senior Isaiah Hamilton joined Duke Student Government as a first-year senator, he saw DSG as a place where he could make an impact on Duke’s social life and culture.

“I noticed that, with COVID, in the way that we were isolated and everybody was insular and kept to themselves, that there was going to be a big rebounding effect [of social life].” Hamilton said. “I wanted to get involved with that.”

Almost four years later, Hamilton, now the incoming DSG president, says he hopes to use his platform to play the “connector role” between students, faculty and administrators, with the goal of making DSG a more inclusive and collaborative organization with the rest of the student body.

After two years on the Equity and Outreach Committee, Hamilton was elected as president pro tempore, a position that presides over DSG Senate meetings and manages internal affairs. He focused on making the Senate a more efficient and welcoming place, implementing changes such as introducing electronic voting devices and creating Senate procedural cheat sheets for new senators.

But DSG was only one part of Hamilton’s involvement on campus. Hamilton also served as the president of Black Student Alliance during his term as president pro tempore.

There, he implemented a new BSA family program that connects upperclassmen with first-years in the Black community, with the aim of helping new students acclimate to college life and learn from their older peers and hosted pre-professional events for Duke’s Black student community.

According to Hamilton, these relationships have been vital to his time in student government and continually motivate him in DSG. From his conversations with peers, he learned that Duke still has the potential to improve, and he learned that he wanted to be part of that change.

“I think that if you ask 10,000 different Duke alum or current students, or even prospective students, what does Duke mean to them, you will get 10,000 different answers,” he remarked.

Senior Shreya Joshi, incoming president pro tempore and Hamilton’s campaign manager, wrote that running Hamilton’s campaign was a “non-question” because of how Hamilton’s vision for an “ideal Duke” resonated with her. Senior Ashley Bae, incoming executive vice president, described Hamilton as a “grounded and confident leader.”

“His deep knowledge of the campus landscape and inclination to listen and understand from many will go far. I’m excited to see him continue to reach out to student groups, collect peer opinions, advocate [with] administration, and lead DSG with empathy,” wrote Lana Gesinsky, Trinity ‘23 and outgoing DSG president, noting that DSG would be left “in good hands.”

When asked to describe his hopes for his presidency in one word, Hamilton would pick the word “effective,” be it with regard to communication, collaboration or delegation with his team. Hamilton believes a vital part of this effectiveness will come from setting tangible goals.

For DSG, Hamilton and his executive team have identified inclusivity as a goal. With this perspective, he hopes to bring in different student organizations as “really

partners in the work that we do, rather than just kind of work-adjacent” to DSG.

“A lot of what I’m hoping to bring into the organization is not what you’ve seen from a typical president in DSG history. I’m really hoping to come at it from more of a past leader within a cultural affinity group [perspective] and bring that sense and that knowledge and that perspective to the role,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton has seen that senators often focus on passion projects that may not reflect the needs of the Duke community. He hopes to address this through more collaboration with student groups and including them earlier in the process.

“I always kind of joke around and say, I’m waiting for the day somebody gives me one reason why collaboration is bad,” Hamilton quipped.

To facilitate relationships with student groups, Hamilton and his team have created a new diversity, equity and inclusion chair position that will serve as an “internal audit” on how well DSG is working with students from underrepresented backgrounds. The DEI chair will work with both a new outreach coordinator and the existing cabinet directors for multicultural affairs.

Hamilton also shared plans to create six new cabinet directorships focused

ABIGAIL BROMBERGER

Affinity groups advocate for space in wake of Bryan Center moves

By MICHAEL RAMOS Jan. 31, 2023

La Casa, the Latinx affinity space previously located on the bottom floor of the Bryan Center, used to feel like home to junior Nicole Romero Ospina. It was spacious, with three rooms and a main space. Students came to study, play games or just relax.

But the space Romero Ospina once knew disappeared in summer 2022, as Duke moved most student affinity groups to temporary spaces on the second floor while it works on long-term plans for Bryan Center renovations.

The University’s end goal is to have designated locations for affinity spaces on the upper level, making them “more visible and accessible on the main floor of the building.”

Currently, La Casa is on the middle level of the Bryan Center, but the space is smaller. There’s only one room with a large table, two couches and some desks. Students have tried to make the space feel like it once did, hanging up flags of Latin American countries and portraits of important Latinx leaders, as well as a Día De Los Muertos altar commemorating loved ones.

Although Romero Ospina, who is vice president of Mi Gente, Duke’s Latinx student association, has noticed more foot traffic outside the new La Casa space, this increased “visibility” has also come at a cost of comfort for members — La Casa is enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows.

“It feels like we’re in a fishbowl, and people are just watching us,” she said.

Administrators also say they’re not satisfied with this short-term allocation of affinity

spaces, agreeing with students that there’s still work to be done for groups to feel at home in their campus spaces.

“The reason why we got into this point, in my eyes, is because there was a lack of addressing the main issue — that there’s just not enough space. So then, something that should have been handled five or 10 years ago is thrust upon student leaders in 2022,” said junior Isaiah Hamilton, president of the Black Student Alliance and a member of the Multicultural Caucus, where representatives from affinity groups discuss culture and identity issues with administrators.

He believes that if space issues had been addressed years ago, student groups would have had “growth and the opportunity to develop something much more large scale.”

“Now, we’re just going to try to make the best-case scenario of a bad situation,” he said.

Bryan Center office moves

For decades, students have advocated for Duke to allocate more resources to multicultural student groups. Frustrations about space allocations are the latest in a long line of tensions between these student groups and administrators, sparked after administrators announced plans to move the Career Center onto the first floor of the Bryan Center in October 2021.

Affinity group leaders responded that students were not sufficiently consulted, and plans were put on hold. Since then, student leaders and administrators have looked to work towards greater collaboration.

The Career Center ultimately moved into the bottom level of the Bryan Center, replacing La Casa, the Center for Multicultural

Affairs, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Bridge to Action, Solidarity, and Education (AAPI BASE).

La Casa and AAPI BASE are now temporarily housed in the middle level of the Bryan Center. CMA temporarily moved to the Bryan Center’s first floor, replacing the Office of Student Affairs’ space.

A look at current spaces

Thang Lian, a sophomore and a frequent visitor of AAPI BASE, envisions an ideal BASE with study spaces, a small library and possibly a kitchen, with decorations representing diverse Asian cultures dispersed throughout. The old BASE was cloase to Lian’s vision. Though it was located in the Bryan Center’s basement,

it was equipped with small study spaces, an office that functioned as a library, a large central gathering space, an outdoor patio and CMA staff offices immersed within the space.

The new BASE, however, is a small room with one large table, a bookcase and some paintings.

Lian emphasized how BASE cannot effectively foster community between students because the students don’t feel connected to the small space.

“It’s a base for building connections, for creating a family on campus … You can’t do that when students feel like they can’t come into the space because it’s not big

See BRYAN CENTER on Page 14

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Stop by our beautiful location on the lower level of the Duke Clinic in Room 0001 near the food court. Parking is available in the parking garage on Trent Drive adjacent to the Duke Clinic. The store provides instruments for students, faculty and staff of the Medical Center. The store also carries a wide selection of Duke and Duke Health clothing and gift items, office and school supplies, scrubs & lab coats, alumni chairs and childrens gift items.

IRMA LOPEZ

WELCOME (BACK) TO CAMPUS!

HOUSING & RESIDENCE LIFE

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Saturday, August 19: First-Year Move-In East Campus

Friday, August 25:** Upperclass Move-In Swift and West Campuses

**Upperclass

QUESTIONS ABOUT FALL HOUSING?

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BECOME A RESIDENT ASSISTANT

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Duke HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE

Passing period between classes shortened to pre-pandemic times

By ADWAY WADEKAR March 28, 2023

Beginning next semester, Duke is changing its class schedule, decreasing the passing time between some class periods to 20 or 25 minutes from its current 30.

Twenty-minute passing periods were standard before the University closed in-person operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to DukeHub. Since reopening in the fall of 2020, Duke switched to 30-minute passing periods.

“Duke reverted to pre-COVID class schedule periods now that we are ‘post-pandemic’,” wrote Frank Blalark, associate vice provost and university registrar, in an email to The Chronicle.

Some students, however, are concerned that the switch to shorter passing periods will leave them in a time crunch.

“The fact that there’s now only 20 minutes in between classes means that I won’t have time to take three classes in a row anymore because it means I don’t have time to go get lunch between those classes,” said junior Luke Lorentzatos.

Lorentzatos also said that the reduction in passing time would pose a challenge between getting to class on time, particularly when back-to-back classes are on opposite campuses.

“With 30 minutes, I can get from the Physics Building to the bus stop and then across to East Campus, but if it’s 20 minutes, that’s not enough time and I’m going to be late to classes.”

Lorentzatos also pointed out that the new class schedule will be new to nearly every undergraduate. The only class on campus currently to have experienced the previous system is the Class of 2023.

Sophomore Miles Eng agreed with Lorentzatos. He said that last semester, he took three classes back to back — two on West Campus with the third on East Campus sandwiched in between.

“I had 30 minutes in between and I was still almost late to both classes. Trying to get in between East and West Campus when the buses are already overloaded is near impossible,” Eng said. “... I think it’s going to make it a lot more difficult for [first-years] to get to classes on time.”

Blalark did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for information on whether there will be more frequent or additional bus services next semester.

By ANISHA REDDY Jan. 23, 2023

“Yalla!” reads the yellow lettering on the bright red food truck parked across from the Student Wellness Center on most weekdays.

A word derived from the phrase “ya Allah,” yalla is commonly used by both Arabic and Hebrew speakers in the Middle East to convey a sense of urgency — a shout of “let’s go!”

Daniel Alexander, one of the operators of the Yalla food truck, translated the word to “Hurry up, let’s go, let’s get moving!” which he said is perfect for the truck’s goal of getting food out to hungry customers quickly.

This bustle and vibrance is evident upon a visit to the truck. Alexander works the window and chats with students, often recognizing returning patrons by name. The smell of the fresh Mediterranean cuisine — including pita sandwiches, hummus bowls and limonana, a minty lemonade of Lebanese origin — waft out of the truck’s kitchen.

But the linguistic crossover in Yalla’s name also speaks to the truck’s larger mission: to serve as an interfaith bridge between Duke’s Muslim and Jewish communities.

‘Creative ways to respond to this constant polarization’

Yalla is the first food truck that is both kosher- and halal-certified in Durham, and the first orthodox koshercertified food truck in North Carolina.

“It is serving the Jewish and Muslim communities who are very observant when it comes to dietary restrictions,

and it’s also serving the entire Duke community, not only just Jews and Muslims,” said Imam Abdullah Antepli, associate professor of the practice of interfaith relations.

“Whenever I go, I see these pockets of really inspiring conversations as a result of this food culture.”

Antepli, a recent recipient of the AntiDefamation League’s Daniel Pearl Award for his work promoting interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance between Jews and Muslims, first came to Duke as the University’s first Muslim chaplain in 2008. He is also an associate professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy.

He is in charge of providing Yalla’s halal certification, a Muslim standard for dietary practices based on guidance in the Qur’an.

“Leaders of these communities have to find out creative ways to respond to this constant polarization, to bring together and unite our communities as meaningfully as possible,” Antepli said.

His sentiments were echoed by Rabbi Nossen Fellig, codirector of the Fleishman House, which is home to Duke’s Chabad community. Fellig provides the truck’s kosher certification to meet Jewish standards of food preparation. His role is shared by a full-time kosher supervisor on the truck.

Antepli pointed out that Israeli-Palestinian conflicts have grown, bringing ideological divisions to college campuses. Duke is no stranger to these conflicts, including See YALLA on Page 12

‘A light upon the nations’

Yalla, a kosher and halal food truck, looks to use cuisine as interfaith bridge

ABIGAIL BROMBERGER

on space advocacy, educational equity, student success, social engagement, residential life and mental health. These positions are based on feedback from the previous academic year.

Hamilton and his team also created a new body to track their effectiveness. This Reform Task Force will evaluate changes throughout the year and issue recommendations next spring.

In an email to The Chronicle, Hamilton shared a few priorities for projects related to multicultural affairs on campus, which include restoring and renovating the National Panhellenic Council plots behind the Bryan Center, building alumni support for the development of a Multicultural Center in years to come, creating an ethnic studies programs, supporting diverse faculty recruitment and retention and working to implement a hate and bias policy.

With all these upcoming changes, Hamilton believes that he is ready for the presidency.

“I’m just really excited for the opportunity,” Hamilton said. “I would love to make that to make Duke a better place than when I found it, and I think we have a great opportunity to do so next year, given where we are at as a community and what we’re ready for as an institution.”

Editor’s note: This story has been edited and condensed for print.

YALLA

debates over Duke Student Government funding for pro-Palestinian speakers in March 2022 and pushback from some students during the speaker event in April.

However, the two religions share more than many people realize, Antepli said.

“We are two distinct religions with incredibly similar ethical and moral values,” Antepli said. “Our belief in the living God, that our God is involved in every aspect of our life, including our food, is so similar.”

Rather than simply following politics and asserting that Jews and Muslims are destined to hate each other, Antepli said people can look through a lens of cuisine and culinary culture to understand that the two groups are not that different.

Through Yalla, Fellig and Antepli hope to connect both religious groups via the roots of their forefathers.

“Abraham, our shared grandpa, looked at food as more than a vehicle for itself, more as a vehicle for education,” Fellig said. “The Bible talks about the tent he had in the desert, feeding the hungry, but it wasn’t just for the purpose of feeding the hungry: he was really there with the inner mission to educate, to guide and inspire.”

Fellig and Antepli work together to determine which foods the truck will serve that meet both kosher and halal requirements. For example, at one point, Fellig wanted to incorporate a chocolate ball dessert which involves cooked-out rum — acceptable under kosher standards, but as Antepli informed him, unacceptable under halal standards.

According to Antepli, kosher standards are generally more stringent than halal standards. If something is strictly kosher — excluding alcohol — it theologically and religiously translates itself well to halal.

“It’s a testimony to our friendship and to the dignity of the whole project. If the truck would have served alcohol, and cleaned up properly … [the truck] could still be halal in the basic level,” Antepli said. “But out of Rabbi Nossen and the Chabad community’s commitment to Jewish-Muslim collaboration, they wouldn’t touch [this dessert] ever.”

Keeping things affordable

Almost everything at Yalla, except their pitas and french fries, are made from scratch and served on the same day. Since nowhere in North Carolina prepares meat to the truck’s standards, meat has to be shipped in from Atlanta. All other ingredients are purchased locally, and hummus is made in-house.

Even with all of these considerations, Yalla’s menu pricing is comparable to most vendors on campus. Sometimes the truck offers deals, like pita punch cards, 25% discounts to refer a friend and the occasional free limonana.

“When I started working with [Fellig], he said, ‘You, know, it’s great if we make money, but that’s not why we’re doing this,’” Alexander recalled.

Yalla’s affordability is made possible by the community support behind it.

“[Donors] saw this vision that [Antepli] and I had of bringing the communities together … a light upon the nations and … a good role model for other schools,” Fellig said.

A group of Duke alumni ended up coming together to purchase the truck, which cost more than $200,000, Fellig said, and a donation from the University allowed the truck to open.

‘Owned by Duke’s landscape’

Yalla’s immediate goal is to get the word out about the truck. “I think we still haven’t reached a wide portion of campus,” Alexander said.

Fellig says they’ve gotten great feedback from students about “the food itself, that it’s delicious, but ... also about the general idea of it, how innovative it was.”

“[Yalla] is owned by Duke’s landscape,” Antepli said, noting that many faculty and staff members also frequent the truck.

Fellig and Antepli prioritize increasing the reach of the truck and planning more programming around Jewish and Muslim religious calendars. Antepli noted that the approaching holidays of Ramadan and Pesach would give Yalla an opportunity to build community.

In the more distant future, both are open to the idea of opening another Yalla truck elsewhere.

“We did have quite a few other campuses that reached out to me considering doing the same idea,” Fellig said.

Antepli recalled some of the project’s initial skeptics, who made comments like, “‘There’s a war in the Middle East, people are dying. There’s so much hate, and you guys are just doing this cute project. What difference is this going to make?’”

Those who saw this project as a drop in the bucket, he said, came around once they saw the relationships formed, the education provided and stereotypes and bigotry dispelled by Yalla.

“These drops are so qualitatively powerful; it may be just one drop quantitatively. But once you put a drop of light into the bucket of darkness, it really enlightens a much larger space,” Antepli said.

Nossen Fellig and Abduallah Antepli | ANISHA REDDY

GOOD PURSUITS

From Orientation Week through your final semester, the Kenan Institute for Ethics offers opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to work with faculty, fellows students and practitioners to understand and address contemporary ethical questions. Co-create your own path with experiences that help you figure out what a good life is and how to live it.

Learn more about our courses, civic engagement & fellowship opportunities at dukeethics.org.

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