October 21, 2010

The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 39

www.dukechronicle.com

IOM to review Potti research, clinical trials

Hello, beautiful

by Sonia Havele THE CHRONICLE

Shea founded Comprehensive Disaster Response Services and serves as chief operations officer of Sustainable Healthcare Initiatives Now Empowering Humanity, non-governmental organizations that specialize in emergency medical relief and rehabilitation. The organizations emphasize sustainability and training children in the wake of disasters. Taking an infrastructure- and community-based approach prevents dependency while educating the future leaders of the country, he said.

Shea said he has gained 50 pounds due to the Pakistani custom of giving food as a token of appreciation, jokingly

The Institute of Medicine will conduct a study of the “scientific underpinnings” of three clinical trials that were based on the work of Duke cancer researcher Dr. Anil Potti, the organization announced Wednesday.

However, the scope of the 18-month study, which is anticipated to produce a report by 2012, will extend beyond the evaluation of Potti’s research, said Christine Stencel, media relations officer for the IOM. The study, led by Sharyl Nass, director of the National Cancer Policy Forum at the IOM, will establish criteria for evaluating research on “omics”, such as genomics and proteomics, the study of proteins. Those guidelines will then be used to evaluate the trials based on Potti’s work.

“To be helpful to the research community, it made sense for the study to look into the broader issue [of using genomic predictors in clinical trials],” Stencel said. “[The investigation] is not going to be focused solely on the clinical studies undertaken at Duke.”

Committee formation is currently underway so the number of members is still unknown, Stencel said, adding that those selected will all be volunteers who are experts in their fields.

After reviewing and discussing the published literature, the IOM committee will recommend an evaluation process for determining when predictive tests based on “omics” technologies are suitable for use in clinical trials,

See shea on page 6

See iom on page 5

nate glencer/The Chronicle

Theater students perform at a dress rehearsal Wednesday for “The Beatification of Area Boy,” written by nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.

Shea details experiences in disaster relief

by Matt Barnett THE CHRONICLE

Relief efforts for the recent floods in Pakistan were hindered by cultural barriers, according to a disaster response specialist.

Addressing a group of approximately 20 people Wednesday, Todd Shea, a humanitarian who lives and works in Pakistan, emphasized the necessity of infrastructure building, taking responsibility and embracing cultural differences.

“There’s always something that somebody that wants to do something can do,” he said.

Referendum approval would improve Durham streets

by Samantha Brooks THE CHRONICLE

Drivers throughout the Bull City may notice much smoother rides if a street bond referendum is passed by voters Nov. 2.

The referendum, titled Operation Green Light, is a proposed $20 million bond to be used for paving more than 150 miles of city streets. Currently, there are 680 miles of streets in Durham, one-fifth of which are considered to be in “poor” or “very poor” conditions, City Manager Tom Bonfield said in a video promoting the referendum.

“It’s an important decision that will have a long-term impact on street maintenance in Durham for years to come,” he said in the video. “We’ve come a long way in catching up on our street maintenance, but we still have a ways to go.”

Durham was granted similar bonds totaling $20 million in 2005 and 2007, but city officials said the loan only funded approximately half of the road reconstruction needed throughout Durham.

“We didn’t predict that we would have to

Duke researchers will study pediatric drugs, Page 4

do another bond referendum in 2010,” said Beverly Thompson, Durham public affairs director. “We wanted to make as much progress as we could [with the bond money from 2007], and we thought we could get more done than we actually ended up getting done.”

Despite the fact that the bond will come paired with a tax increase, Thompson said officials have received a positive response from the community, adding that the required tax increases will be minimal.

According to Bonfield, the new annual tax increase will cost the average homeowner—an individual who owns a house valued at $150,000—about $11.40 a year.

If the project is not approved, Thompson said the city will have to find alternative methods to fund the repairs, which may include further tax increases or service and program cuts. If the referendum is approved, road construction will begin in 2011 as soon as the winter months have passed, she added, in which case the project See referendum on page 6

courtney douglas/The Chronicle

If approved by voters, a new referendum would allocate funds to pave Durham roads. The referendum would mean a tax increase of about $11.40 per year for the average homeowner.

ONTHERECORD

“A lot of students ask if there’s a place for them... to talk about ideas while everyone goes to Tailgate.”

­—VP for Academic Affairs Kaveh Danesh at DSG. See story page 4

Watergate reporter Woodward to visit campus, Page 3

2 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle

worldandnation onschedule...

Bending the Rules West Duke 101, 3-4:30p.m.

Are the pressures on players and coaches to succeed in modern high-stakes sports leading to more cheating than in the past?

on the

WISER Banner Painting Bryan Center Plaza, 4-6:00p.m.

Come join WISER as they decorate a banner to send to the girls in Kenya. Feel free to stop by and leave an inspiring message.

7943

FRIDAY:

7040

HouseQuake Sanford 05, 6-8p.m.

Watch this documentary by Karen Price on the 2006 midterm elections. After the screening Price will talk about making the film.

web

“When head coach David Cutcliffe was asked about the recent hitting controversy in the NFL, he had a variety of thoughts on the topic, some from a historical perspective and others looking into the future. ‘The field is the same size it was in 1950. And I promise you, no insult to the players of the era of mine or anyone else’s, they’re bigger, they’re faster, the field is smaller. ’” — From The Chronicle Sports Blog sports.chronicleblogs.com

Nadja Brandt/ Bloomberg news

A guest at Miraval Resort & Spa enjoys one of the getaway’s many attractions. The recession has hurt luxury resorts who rely on corporate customers. In response resorts like Miraval have unveiled new features such as obstacle courses and carpentry classes. Their goal is to attract businesses who will use these new features for teambuilding activities.

“

TODAY:

He who excuses himself accuses himself.

— Gabriel Meurier

”

TODAY IN HISTORY

1950: Chinese forces occupy Tibet.

Bank of China may be sued Afghan election suffers after fatal terrorist attack widespread voter fraud WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Bank of China may be found liable for supporting terrorism in a case brought by the family of a U.S. citizen killed in a 2006 suicide bombing in Israel.

The unusual 118-page ruling came as Chief Judge Royce Lamberth, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, denied a request by lawyers for the statecontrolled bank, one of China’s largest, to have it dropped from the case.

Victims of overseas terrorist attacks are increasingly turning to U.S. courts for restitution. Many are pursuing claims not only against shadowy groups or rogue nations, but also financial institutions with substantial economic interests to defend.

The case in the D.C. court was brought by the parents of Daniel Wultz, a 16-yearold from South Florida.

off the

wire...

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KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s election commission threw out 1.3 million fraudulent votes from last month’s parliamentary elections, about a quarter of all ballots cast and roughly the same amount as invalidated in last year’s presidential election, election officials said Wednesday.

In announcing the preliminary election results, the chairman of the Independent Election Commission said that 5.6 million votes were cast but only 4.3 million were deemed valid after about a month of investigating the results with audits and recounts. Commission chairman Fazil Ahmad Manawi said 224 parliamentary candidates, as well as an unspecified number of election officials, have been accused of fraud; their cases will be investigated by a separate complaints commission.

Despite the widespread irregularities, Manawi and other Afghan election officials described the election as a success.

Britain fights debt with austerity measures

the chronicle

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 | 3

Woodward to speak in Sanford next week

by Julia Love THE CHRONICLE

Bob Woodward, the legendary journalist whose reporting on the Watergate scandal won him a Pulitzer Prize and ended a presidency, will speak at Duke next week.

Just one year into his career with The Washington Post, Woodward and his colleague Carl Bernstein were assigned what appeared to be a straightforward story about a break-in at the Democratic Party’s national offices. The pair pursued the story relentlessly with the aid of an anonymous Bob Woodward source known as “Deep Throat,” eventually revealing that the Nixon White House was guilty of burglary, money laundering and wiretapping, among other offenses. Robert Redford, who visited Duke in Spring 2009, immortalized Woodward as a rumpled young reporter in the Oscar-winning film “All the President’s Men.” “No one has had a longer career of impact on Washington journalism than Bob. His career has tracked the rise of the modern investigative reporter, and he’s remained at the front of the development over a nearly 40-year span,” said Philip Bennett, the Eugene C. Patterson professor of the practice of journalism, who has worked alongside Woodward as managing editor of The Washington Post. “I actually think that since 2001 he’s done something really remarkable, in some ways as remarkable as the Watergate reporting. He’s produced what’s standing up so far as the definitive account of the key debates about the nation’s wars and counterterrorism efforts.”

Although Woodward remains best known for the series of stories referred to simply as Watergate, the longtime reporter and editor has written more than a dozen bestselling books that provide an inside look at Washington, including four on former President George W. Bush. Speaking at the Sanford School of Public Policy Oct. 27, Woodward will discuss his latest work, “Obama’s Wars,” which sheds light on the administration’s closed-door conflicts over the war in Afghanistan. The event is open to the public.

Peter Feaver, Alexander F. Hehmeyer professor of political science, hailed Woodward’s accomplishments.

“He is the best-sourced writer in this area today,” said Feaver, who is also co-director of the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy, which is co-sponsoring the event. “He’s writing what is often called the first draft of history for presidential-level decision-making.”

Bennett went one step further.

“He’s even producing the second draft,” he said. “These books are holding up and they’re going to hold up. That’s because Woodward’s method is exhaustive, it is comprehensive, and he has a relentless style of reporting that produces these seamless accounts.”

In the 1970s, the revelations Woodward made in the pages of The Washington Post devastated the American public, sinking trust in government to a new low.

“Our belief in our leaders is kind of like our belief in our parents.... It was devastating. It was as if you had discovered that your parent was a burglar,” said Priscilla Wald, associate professor of English.

At a time when America most needed a hero, Woodward was there to fill the void, she added.

“While our faith in politics was waning, we believed there were heroic journalists that were on the job,” Wald said. “It restored our faith in democracy.”

A generation of young people, energized

by Woodward’s example, was inspired to go into journalism and replicate the feat.

“That was what I was going to do—I was going to break stories like Watergate,” Wald said. “Graduate school tempted me away.”

Today, the state of journalism could not be more different, Wald noted, with some readers vesting more trust in upstart blogs than traditional news outlets.

Yet Bennett said Woodward’s work attests to the power old-fashioned reporting can still have in a changing landscape.

“I drew a lot of inspiration from Bob even when I was managing editor [at The Washington Post] 30 years after Watergate because he established a really high standard of holding government officials accountable,” he said. “What he’s doing has such a high degree of difficulty, and his ability to pull it off time after time is a really important, substantial public service.... In the end, he shows what a reporter applying some time-honored tools of journalism can accomplish.”

Crossin’ along

rahiel alemu/The Chronicle

Jonathan Khumbulani performs the one-man play “The Crossing” Wednesday in the Coffeehouse on East Campus. The show detailed a true story of a man’s journey from Zimbabwe to South Africa.

W.S. MERWIN 2010 Blackburn Visiting Poet

Thursday, Oct. 28 7:30 pm Gothic Reading Room Perkins Library

Sponsored by: William Blackburn Fund Duke University Department of English Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts Gothic Bookshop Duke University Libraries Blackburn Visiting Writers The William Blackburn Series of Visiting Poets and Fiction Writers honors the memory of a great teacher of the writing of fiction and poetry at Duke for some forty-three years (1926-43), whose former students include Willliam Styron, Guy Davenport, Fred Chappell, Reynolds Price, James Applewhite, and Anne Tyler, Angela Davis-Gardner, and Josephine Humphreys. The Blackburn Series, now some two decades old, reads like a roster of the most distinguished poets and fiction writers from the U. S. and abroad. Blackburn writers’ visits, anywhere from a few days to a semester, include intensive interaction with writing students and socialization with the wider Duke community, and culminate in a free public reading.

MARK HANAUER

Free and open to the public.

Limited seating. Tickets (required) available through the English Dept., english.duke.edu, or at the door.

W. S. Merwin, poet and activist, has worked for the past thirty years to transform a onetime pineapple plantation in Hawaii into a refuge for native plants.

Two recent books of poems were honored with major awards: Migration (2005) won the National Book Award, and e Shadow of Sirius (2008) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Merwin is the 2010 Poet Laureate of the United States.

Welcome Parents Distinctive. Classic. Lasting.

Jostens Ring Days Thursday, October 21: 10am - 4pm Friday, October 22 & Saturday, October 23: 10am - 5:30pm Sunday, October 24: 10am - 4pm The University Store, Bryan Center, West Campus

Sponsored by Duke University Stores®

OPERATION: University Store PUBLICATION: Chronicle

4 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle

Study to determine accurate New committees to look drug dosages for children at intellectual climate duke student government

by Julia Ni

THE CHRONICLE

The effects on children of pediatric drugs approved before 1998 were largely un-researched. However, that could change with a Duke-led study on drug doses for children, funded by $95 million from the National Institutes of Health.

In 1998, Congress passed laws authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to require prescription drugs used on children to be studied before they arrive on the market.

As for drugs approved prior to then, there was no way to adequately study them and their effects on children. However, this seven-year initiative will attempt to answer questions on correct dosages and product safety and compare products to each other. Prior to 1998, doctors relied primarily on the educated guesses of experts to determine the correct dosages for their youngest patients.

But even those weren’t accurate enough, research has shown.

“Sometimes the [differences in dosages] are not too big, but sometimes they are tenfold wrong or a twenty-fold dosing difference,” said Dr. Daniel Benjamin, a professor of pediatrics at Duke and faculty associate director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, who will be leading the new project.

Additionally, Benjamin said the experts were wrong one-third of the time.

“In children, they have different ages at when they develop different enzymes in their liver that break down drugs,” Benjamin explained. “Their kidney function is different from adults in how fast they clear

C o r p o r a t e

things. In some years they are more efficient; in some years, they are less efficient.”

As a result, the amount of a drug a child needs will vary. In addition, drugs can be shunted down various metabolic pathways in children, leading to extremely unpredictable outcomes, Benjamin said. Because of this, children cannot be treated as miniature adults and have their dosages scaled down accordingly.

Throughout the next seven years, the goal of the study will be to develop 14 different trials, said Katherine Berezny, Duke’s project leader for the trials.

Each trial will enroll between 100 and 200 children of both sexes and of varying ethnicities and ages. The studies will primarily focus on drugs for serious health problems and life-threatening conditions, where it would be critical to have the appropriate dose. Other selection factors include the extent to which the drug has been studied before and the feasibility of a study with a certain drug, Benjamin said.

It costs roughly $10,000 to $20,000 for every patient enrolled in these trials, he added. These thousands of children will need nurses to help facilitate data collection, including blood samples and vital signs. The blood samples nurses collect will be sent to a central lab and analyzed. The researchers need to validate the results and prove to the FDA that the same results are obtained every time. This validation process is complex and expensive. To account for all these costs,

See pediatric drugs on page 5

C o n n e C t i o n s

L e C t u r e

s e r i e s

The Nicholas School of the Environment and the Business & Environment Club present

Sustainability Leadership at InterfaceFLOR Fri., Oct. 22, 10 -11:30 a.m.

A158 Levine Science Research Center, Duke University Free and open to the Duke community

As Director for Sustainable Strategy at InterfaceFLOR, the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet and a global sustainability leader, Melissa Vernon supports sales efforts and researches trends and opportunities in the green product market. She will talk about her company’s move towards sustainability over the past 16 years – its great success in developing more sustainable products, the impact on sales and cost and increasing employee engagement.

Melissa Vernon T’95

Conversation Hour: Later at 2 p.m., Vernon will hold

InterfaceFLOR , Director for Sustainable Strategy

a discussion with Nicholas School students in A312 LSRC. Space limited, RSVP to connections@ nicholas.duke.edu

nicholas.duke.edu/news/melissavernon

by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE

In an attempt to redefine the University’s academic environment, Duke Student Government established two student-led committees to examine Duke’s intellectual climate and curriculum.

Junior Kaveh Danesh, vice president for academic affairs, proposed the committees because the academic curriculum and climate are the biggest prob-

Tracy Huang/The Chronicle

DSG members voted to establish two new committees that will work to reevaluate and improve the University’s curriculum and intellectual climate.

lems that administrators and students have cited at Duke.

“They are untouchable and there [are] huge systemic issues Duke has always had,” Danesh said.

He added that the intellectual climate has received significant criticism in the past.

“A lot of students ask if there’s a place for them... to talk about ideas while everyone goes to Tailgate,” Danesh said. “We need to assess if there is a deficit perceived, and if this issue is unique to Duke.”

Danesh added that there has been similar criticism of Curriculum 2000, the current academic curriculum. He noted, though, that administrators will not craft a new curriculum based on student proposals only but a student committee would “get the ball rolling.”

The student-led committees, Danesh said, would help facilitate student-faculty conversations about Duke’s intellectual environment.

“Talking to faculty would help us ground our ideas,” Danesh said. “Administrators would not just be able to say, ‘We won’t look at the results because it would be a slap in the face to both faculty and students.”

Danesh also noted that members would research the current state of Duke’s curriculum, the intellectual climate and See dsg on page 5

the chronicle

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 | 5

iom from page 1

dsg from page 4

pediatric drugs from page 4

according to the study’s web page. In addition, criteria will be established in order to assess predictive tests. These criteria will then be used to assess the predictive models used in the three trials conducted by Duke that were based on Potti’s research. Enrollment in the trials was suspended when concerns about Potti’s work emerged in July.

“The committee may assess the analytical methods used to generate and validate the predictive models, examine how the source data that were used to develop and test the predictive models were generated or acquired, assess the quality of the source data, and evaluate the appropriateness of the use of the predictive models in clinical trials,” the web page states.

Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and CEO of the Duke University Health System, said he could not say how the IOM study might affect Potti’s status at the University until the study concludes.

The IOM study is one of two ongoing investigations related to Potti’s research. The other is a Duke research misconduct investigation that began after questions were raised regarding Potti’s research and credentials this summer. A separate University investigation which concluded in late August found “issues of substantial concern” in Potti’s resume.

In 2006, Potti and a team of researchers introduced a new gene-based method of predicting how individual patients would respond to certain chemotherapy drugs. The approach stirred debate and excitement in the scientific community because it offered a potential solution to doctors’ inability to predict which drugs patients would respond to best.

However, concerns regarding Potti’s science have contributed to the discussion of the need for standards in genomics.

“Nationally or scientifically, there are no current guidelines or specific steps to my knowledge that exist everywhere that [explain] how one should evaluate these predictors,” Dzau said. “This is not a Duke issue—this is a much broader issue.”

Stencel also noted that there are bigger questions about the issue of using “omic” predictors to personalize medicine. It has been difficult for scientists to find a consistent way of determining whether laboratory discoveries will be useful in a clinical setting, she said.

She added that the IOM study will be useful in determining the best way to handle this kind of data in the future.

Dzau noted that although Duke will give the IOM “everything [it] has” for the investigation, the University will not otherwise be involved. Stencel said Duke will be required to provide all records related to the three clinical trials.

Following the evaluation of the three Duke trials, the committee will issue a report of its findings. The committee will also provide recommendations of criteria for using genomic models in clinical trials, as well as guidelines for ensuring that the scientific community adheres to the proposed process.

Stencel declined to say how the study might affect “omics” fields or Potti.

“We don’t want to speculate on what exactly will come out of this,” Stencel said. “Ultimately, our committees will go where the science and evidence commit them to go.”

student-faculty opinions to devise possible solutions.

“Year after year, academic affairs tries to address issues like these and ends up creating programs like [the School of Law’s Duke in D.C. program],” Danesh said. “These issues breach the top [of the problems] and nothing significant comes out of them.”

After some debate about the size, DSG members decided each committee will be composed of 10 students. Freshman Daniel Pellegrino, an academic affairs senator, said ten students would be an optimal number because more research could be conducted.

Senators also asked about possible overlap between the two student-led committees and the DSG committee for academic affairs. Danesh said though there will be many academic affairs senators running for positions on the new committees, there will be a clear distinction between the two.

The committee was both approved and assembled at the meeting.

when the money comes to Duke, the researchers will need to ensure the funds get distributed evenly.

Berezny emphasized the importance of this project and noted that the money for the project represents “one of the largest amounts of money set aside for pediatric drug research.”

In an e-mail, Dr. Robert Harrington, director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, expressed enthusiasm for the project as well, calling these studies “long overdue.”

“It’s astonishing that clinicians have been forced to try and prescribe therapies in children for which basic information regarding the relationship between dose and outcome, safety and efficacy, is so unclear,” he wrote. “Understanding the basic tenets of drug therapy is critically needed.”

Benjamin said these studies will have tangible results, noting the lack of formulations for medicines taken by two of his sons.

“When you think about formulations and pediatric drug developments, it hits a little closer to home than you might initially anticipate,” he said.

6 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle

referendum from page 1 is expected to be completed by 2012.

Operation Green Light has already been endorsed by numerous organizations, including the Durham Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Friends of Durham, Downtown Durham, Inc., Citizens Capital Improvement Panel, Durham People’s Alliance and Independent Weekly, Thompson noted. The City Council has also noted concerns from the public about current street conditions, she said, with two out of three residents stating in a 2009 survey that street maintenance should be one of the city’s top priorities.

Bonfield explained in the video that because Durham maintains a AAA bond rating, the City can borrow the necessary money with the lowest interest rates available.

That, along with lower contracting prices and oil prices that are 30 percent lower than they were in 2007, make this paving season the best time to begin, he added.

City Council Member Eugene Brown said that given the current poor economic conditions and Durham’s unemployment rate—which reached 7.3 percent in August according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—the referendum will allow the city to provide its citizens with much-needed jobs. Brown also noted that by repaving roads this year, the city will save money on road repairs in the future.

“Now is the time to build and make infrastructure repairs because the cost is astronomically low and it employs people,” Brown said. “When you’re in a recession, it’s good to use public funds to employ people to do the work that needs to be done. The longer you wait, the more it’s going to cost you.”

 

shea from page 1 describing the custom as “emotional blackmail.” He took a more serious tone on the cross-cultural boundaries that hinder relief efforts, however.

A major point of Shea’s speech was that the United States needs to take partial responsibility for the current state of affairs in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Shea criticized modern American perceptions of the region, indicating that Americans typically generalize Pakistanis or Muslims as terrorists and implying that these generalizations hinder response.

“About 2 percent of the people in Pakistan are involved in [terrorism],” he said.

“The rest don’t want anything to do with it.”

Shea, who takes no salary for himself, pointed out that his organizations spend no money on security, viewing it as an unnecessary expense that detracts from actual relief efforts.

“A little bit of money goes a long way if you don’t waste money on security, ” he said. “I don’t need protection from people who love me.”

In addition to treating patients, Shea described the most important role of disaster response as preventing second-wave deaths from infections. This can be easily accomplished with sanitation, hygiene education and clean water, but these objectives can be difficult to meet in disaster zones.

Together, the NGOs operate 12 free hospitals in remote areas of Pakistan.

Shea, a former musician with no college degree, realized his ability for disaster response logistics in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. While the government and other organizations fumbled the response, Shea quickly turned his efforts to connecting supplies to those who needed them most, he said.

“I realized I was good at getting supplies together in chaotic environments,” he added. “There is a role for someone who is not necessarily trained.”

For some students in attendance, the presentation helped them realize that effective charity isn’t limited to large corporation and governments.

“It showed us that small organizations can make a big difference. For service, it’s not just about big organizations,” said Diana Xie, a student who attended the lecture.

Acknowledging that most Duke students have a limited ability to aid overseas disaster efforts, he urged students to educate themselves and others to fight prejudice.

Although the Honor Council sponsored the event, the Pakistani Student Association was influential in bringing Shea to Duke. The PSA is spearheading Duke’s relief efforts and suggests that any students or organizations interested contact it.

Audrey Adu-Appiah/The Chronicle

Todd Shea spoke at Duke Wednesday about his experiences in disaster relief after the recent Pakistani flood crisis.

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volume 9 issue 13 october 21, 2010

BEWARE

LAST YEAR’S MEN

With debut album, garage-rockers stand out in Triangle

PAGE 3

PHOTO & PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MAYA ROBINSON & nate glencer/The chronicle

area boy

Nobel Laureate Soyinka’s play coming to Duke

page 5

lil wayne

releasing new album from prison, is weezy still sharp?

page 6

red

Willis, Malkovitch, Mirren and Freeman—as spies

page 7

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theSANDBOX. I am not ashamed to admit it: Toy Story 3 made me cry. For all of you robots out there, the end of the movie meant more to me than (spoiler alert!) Andy giving up Woody for frat parties and free beer; the end of the movie felt like the end of my childhood.

As the credits rolled in the dark theater, I dabbed my eyes, trying to keep my friend from seeing the tears roll down my face in a room full of six-yearolds. Yes, its true that I haven’t played with my Barbies in about six months (only half kidding), and the only time that it’s acceptable to watch Blue’s Clues is with my four-year-old cousin, but my childhood was there—until Pixar took it away.

I’ve cried during more movies than I can count, but I got the most flack for Toy Story 3. What was so wrong about mourning my childhood? As registration for spring semester looms, we are all reminded that final papers and ex-

ams are coming like winter weather.

For seniors, the job search is underway, and for everyone else the time to be a child is over (that means you, freshmen). The five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) sound suspiciously like a pre-med’s psychological state in Perkins during reading week.

In the grand scheme of things, Toy Story 3 reminded me that we aren’t adults just yet and that we should take time to enjoy those little things. I like to jump into the big puddles with my yellow rain boots and sing Dora the Explorer at the top of my lungs with my trusty sidekick Boots (also known as my roommate).

I give you permission to watch Doug on YouTube because you never forgot the theme song. Better yet, go rent Toy Story 3 from Lilly and tell me how it is.

The box of tissues will be on me.

— Ariel Smallwood

[recesseditors] bands we were in Kevin Lincoln..................................................................................the Philip Roth$ Lisa Du.....................................................................................................(To) Boston Jessie Tang......................................................................................................BlacRoc Andrew O’Rourke..........................................................................................Blondie Sanette Tanaka...............................................................................the Cough Drops Nate Glencer................................................................................................Lil Rustic Christina Pena............................................................................Twelve Angry Blogs Lindsey Rupp..................................................................................2 Dope Rupp Set

October 21, 2010

[DUKE HORIZONTAL]

Page 2

Inevitably, people always wonder what my parents think of “Duke, Horizontal.” In light of the salacious and very public nature of this biweekly column, this inquiry is probably reasonable. When it comes to sex and parental authority, most of us try to minimize the amount of details and maximize the level of denial. Some time during childhood, we linked the lyrics of rap songs with the miracle of procreation and realized that our very existence depended on Mom and Dad’s active sex life. After this scarring conclusion, we attempted to eradicate this reality from our mind and assumed our parents had retreated to a life of celibacy and 9:00 pm bedtimes upon the birth of their youngest child.

On the flipside, when it comes to recognizing sex’s role in the lives of their progeny, most of our parents seem to operate within a seemingly contradictory system of acceptance and rejection. As students playing make-believe adulthood in our college-size playpens, we amuse ourselves without curfews, chaperones or even the constraints of social normalcy. College functions as a real world dress rehearsal, and most parents seem comfortable letting the practice continue out of sight and out of mind, hoping that by opening night we’ll have smoothed over some of the sloppier scenes.

At the same time, attempting to introduce collegiate realities into the parental fiction of denial can paint a much messier picture.

In this case, one of the more delicate maneuvers is the bedroom assignment for your significant other’s upcoming holiday visit. In my experience, it is almost universally unthinkable to even humor the idea of sharing

sleeping space with the opposite sex under your parents’ roof. Some parents even seem to welcome and take pride in their defiance of fact, as in the case of one friend who still manages to convince her mother she sleeps on the couch when visiting her long-distance boyfriend (it should be noted that this same mother believed her daughter got wasted from “unwittingly” drinking spiked punch at a high school party; it seems some parents are more comfortable with reality than others).

The Pill is another opportunity to play parental charades. If you’re hoping that your parents’ insurance will foot your birth-control bill, you need a reasonable justification for taking it. Suddenly, some time in high school or college, women are plagued with troublesome skin or bad mood swings that require hormonal regulation. Often, these explanations have taken on such a phony tone that some parents still find them indigestible and proceed to demand the truth. The stammering conversation that results is generally uncomfortable for everyone involved.

For better or worse, young adults and their parents create careful boundaries and walls, hoping that no one opens a door to a scene they’d rather scratch from their brain forever. As my mom tells me when she occasionally browses through an installment of this column, “When I read this, it makes me wish I was your best friend. Unfortunately, I’m your mother.” And in many ways, that’s how it should be. If there’s no distinction between your friendships and your relationship with your parents, something seems amiss. They’re your parents for a reason. Cut them a break and spare them the details.

Brooke Hartley is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Thursday.

STUDENTS

Build relationships with key alumni in the Arts, Media & Entertainment Fields

October 29–October 30 CAREER PANELS Learn about the diversity of careers in the arts that Duke graduates have pursued

NETWORKING DINNER

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Develop relationships with alumni mentors to help with your career development

All students are invited. All events are free.

Register @ arts.duke.edu/festival DEMAN Weekend is presented in conjunction with

October 22–November 7 Bringing the Duke Arts, Media and Entertainment Community Together

arts.duke.edu/festival

Sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, Duke Alumni Association, Duke Career Center, Duke University Union Visual Arts Committee.

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October 21, 2010

Page 3

Last Year’s Men drop blistering debut LP

by Kevin Lincoln THE CHRONICLE

Carrboro is not bright lights. Which is why Ben Carr and Geoff Schilling of Last Year’s Men, sitting on a picnic bench in the glow of a single streetlamp, look so fitting: one of the town’s most promising rock bands, lit just-enough in the suburban dusk.

Set to release their debut album Sunny Down Snuff on Durham’s Churchkey Records Nov. 9, Last Year’s Men— vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Carr, guitarist Schilling and drummer Ian Rose—will celebrate by playing the Duke Coffeehouse Saturday with Chapel Hill mainstays Spider Bags and Americans in France. The show will also commemorate Spider Bags’ second Churchkey 7-inch this year, Take It Easy Tonite.

Even though they have an album under their belt and one of the Triangle’s greatest punk bands co-headlining their release party, Last Year’s Men have only been together for a year—though all three have played in bands since their early teens. Carr formed Last Year’s Men as a twopiece with Rose last October, after his old group the BeginAgains­—of which Schilling was also a part—collapsed.

“It’s just, we were all kind of bored suburban kids. I remember when I went out to the Cat’s Cradle for my first

maya robinson/The Chronicle

Last Year’s Men—comprised of frontman Ben Carr, guitarist Geoff Schilling (pictured) and drummer Ian Rose—are set to release their debut LP, Sunny Down Snuff, on Durham’s Churchkey Records.

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punk show, I was like 12,” Carr said.

When Schilling added how the punk kids would end up finding each other, Carr gave a little summary of the coming-of-age process for a garage-rock youth, one he’s completed quicker than most.

“You make bad music together, and then you move out of your suburban home, and you become poor,” he said.

Quicker than most, because one fact about Carr— something you could never tell from listening to Sunny Down Snuff, which is so tight and propulsive and mature throughout, so unlike the traditionally slapdash, scattered work of teenage musicians—is that he’s just 18. Schilling is 22 years old, and Rose is still a student at East Chapel Hill High School. But the only significance of the young ages is to underscore how talented these guys really are. The music more than stands out on its own merit, deeply steeped in past and contemporary styles.

The Department of Theater Studies Presents

“The band started off with Ian and me playing Sam Cooke covers, and we would make them loud,” Carr said.

“When I was at [Durham Technical Community College], I’d have all this downtime. So I would go over to Chaz’s [Martenstein, of Bull City Records] and he’d just spin records for me, and one day he was spinning Reigning Sound—that’s a [Memphis musician] Greg Cartwright band—and I was like, ‘S***, this is awesome, what the f*** is this?’ He gave me a copy and said, ‘Absorb it.’ So I did, and just kind of dived into rock and roll.”

Their sound is a hybrid of punk- and garage-rock, marrying the sensibilities and techniques of each to the other.

“We kind of do the same thing the Replacements do, the same kind of method,” Schilling said. “Noisy and loud.”

Last December—two months after forming the band— Carr graduated from Durham Tech a semester early, and See lym on page 8

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October 21, 2010

At Golden Belt, Use of the Useless hinges on suspension

by Tong Xiang THE CHRONICLE

My favorite English teacher always stressed the importance of assuming the author’s intentionality when reading creative work rather than dismissing randomness or parsimony as inscrutable.

This was lucky, because Khristian Weeks’ new installation at Golden Belt is both random and parsimonious—he connects commonplace objects in ways that showcase their unexpected acoustic and kinetic qualities.

Through its name, The Use of the Useless coaxes us to find threads of intentionality and utility in a one-room gallery full of objects, light and noise. Which is, admittedly, a difficult task.

An unwinding music box produces a minute cone of tinkling within the parabola of a suspended chrome bowl, slowly rotating to conserve angular momentum.

In another piece, dangling foil and flatware short an amp’s exposed circuit board, producing feedback in scrapes, crunches and distant gunfire.

Within the room, a lot of potential energy is established through suspension, friction and gravity. So many things are on the verge of falling and destruction—saved only by counterbalancing motors, acetate or alligator clips. Children gaze, prod and mill around in fascination with Weeks’ mechanical web. Two baby monitors, linked together with a cursive strand of wire,

allow visitors to listen to whispers from across the room.

An LCD projector plays static synchronously with the tortured amp.

At the opening reception Oct. 15, Golden Belt was overrun with children fleeing their hipster parents, and nearly all of them made their way to The Use of the Useless. I asked fifth-grader Julian Berla for his interpretation of a few works, first pointing at a spinning wire weathering away a melon-sized block of sedimentary Styrofoam: “The artist’s speedwhacker,” he replied. I asked for his favorite, and he directed me to a Rube Goldberg-style drawing machine. Placed over butcher paper, a stick of graphite was cinched to a camera tripod tied to two fans, mallets and a glockenspiel over the course of several ceiling rafters. “Never hang a fan upside down,” Julian warned. “You might get this.”

As children, we fetishized some objects—collecting and pleading and crying over them—because we gave them a utility and connectedness beyond anything in the disposable adult world. And at Golden Belt, Weeks has reminded us of this thesis statement of childhood play: how the seemingly ordinary can be combined and transformed into a tool, a spaceship, a wonderful thing of a thousand uses.

Beat

The Use of the Useless runs through Nov. 15 at ROOM 100 in Building 3 of the Golden Belt complex at 807 East Main Street.

nate glencer/the Chronicle

Hoof ‘n’ Horn heads Into the Woods with new musica

by Ashley Copeland THE CHRONICLE

cassidy fleck/the Chronicle

Did you ever want to see how Price Charming really got his name? Then polish up your sword and shield and go see Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s Fall 2010 production, Into the Woods.

All of our fairy-tale favorites are featured together in the play: Cinderella, Prince Charming, Jack (from the bean-stalk), Little Red Riding Hood, as well as the Baker and his wife all venture into the woods on their own quests for “happily ever after.” Complete with song and dance, Hoof ‘n’ Horn incorporates snippets of these fairy tales into the main plot. The story line revolves around the Baker and his wife being unable to have a child. A wicked witch gives the couple a series of tasks to complete in the woods in order to have their infertility lifted. Thus, they venture into the woods in hopes of having their problems solved. They meet other popular characters along the way, often stirring up confrontation.

The music is an integral part of the production. Complete with a live orchestra, the music is the epicenter of the play. The singing is one of the strongest components of the play, and the actors don’t disappoint; everyone sang well and on-key. The music, however, sometimes stagnates the plot: Songs drag out seemingly unimportant plot points for what seems like eternity. The orchestra in particular becomes the domineering force of the play at times, with the loud music sometimes muffling key dialogue between the actors.

One actress who really stands out is junior Mona, who plays the Witch. Her singing voice key, and her acting provoked many laughs. She i effortlessly cater to the demands of the role of th Another actor who generates laughs—but wit lines—is freshman Sam Caywood, who plays the Cinderella’s drunken father. His staggering de and simple obliviousness provide comedic relief The two-act spectacle clocks in at two-and-a-ha The first act of the play leaves one exhausted ye phant; the characters take the audience on an e journey, venturing into the woods for prosperity a piness. The second act of the play, however, take ers on a different turn. In an attempt to unco happens after “happily ever after,” the plot becom and convoluted. Story lines are rushed, and the m comes even more beleaguered. During this act, takes a turn from fun family production to an horror.

If you want to see Prince Charming, Cinder her family and the Witch together in a way that book can conjure, then this play is for you. Every childhood favorite is present, and it is guarantee ending will be happier for you than it is for the ters.

Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s production of Into the Woods ru tober 21-24 and October 28-31 in the Shaefer Thea Bryan Center at Duke University.

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October 21, 2010

Page 5

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Area Boy

nate glencer/the Chronicle

nate glencer/the Chronicle

Nobel Laureate Soyinka’s play premiering at Duke

by Ashley Taylor THE CHRONICLE

This weekend marks the premiere of Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka’s The Beatification of Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope at Duke.

Presented by the Department of Theater Studies, Area Boy situates Soyinka’s personal activism in African human rights within a broader historical context, said Director Jody McAuliffe.

“This play is a unique synthesis of Soyinka’s own voice and those important writers such as [William] Shakespeare and [Bertolt] Brecht,” McAuliffe, who is also professor of the practice of Theater Studies and Slavic and Eurasian Studies, said. “It’s an experience in scale but [also] in contemporary context.”

Soyinka’s drama is based on the violent displacement of the urban poor in Nigeria after the oil boom in the ’90s. The region’s corrupt government unexpectedly burned numerous villages to the ground to make way for luxury housing.

Against this backdrop, Area Boy follows the efforts of the protagonist Sanda, a street gangster of the Lagos area. Following the age-old Robin Hood story, Sanda upsets the fraudulent government through low-level criminality to provide for his fellow citizens.

Despite the somber theme, Miriam Sauls, director of theater and communication for Theater Studies, said the play is light-hearted. “[Area Boy] contains very serious subject matter, but [Soyinka] uses comedy to address these issues,” Sauls said. “By the end, Sanda begins to transform and address the corrupt issues in a more positive way.”

Soyinka collaborated with the directors and cast members in early September and is currently in-residence at Duke for the opening week. During his residency, Soyinka will lead seminars, workshops and discussions for students and faculty.

Throughout the process, Soyinka said he typically remains detached from interpreting and directing his works.

“I just respond when the director of a play of mine approaches me about something or the other, but I don’t really cut in or intervene much,” Soyinka said. “I find it very stimulating when students tackle works of this kind.”

McAuliffe said although she did not have much face-to-face contact with Soyinka, his input on the play was helpful.

“It was great to have him here for the first several days of rehearsal to ask questions and discuss things with him and allow the actors to do the same,” she said.

Though set in Nigeria, Area Boy focuses on the theme of economic disparity, which can be found all over the world.

To highlight this intent, the production utilizes multimedia aspects, said Bill Noland, associate professor of the practice of Visual Arts and multimedia director for Area Boy. “We [at Duke] are... sealed off from the world a little bit,” Noland said. “This is a way to bring some very harsh outside realities to campus but in a very humanistic way.”

Noland designed a film that depicts the poverty of Detroit, which will be projected simultaneously with the live performance.

Noland, along with McAuliffe and Danya Tay-

mor, Trinity ’10, contemplated several cities before settling on the Michigan metropolis.

“As we considered going to Detroit, it actually made a lot of sense,” Noland said. “It’s in effect a battered city—almost a third world city inside of America—but it’s also an incredibly vibrant place that’s awakening culturally at this very moment.”

The producers were careful, however, not to let the multimedia element overshadow Soyinka’s theatrical work.

“The play depicts this very lively cultural life at street level,” Noland said. “The video in a production like this has to be somewhat muted and slowed down so as to not distract from what’s happening on stage, but [instead] somehow enriches and augments it.”

The production is part of the second annual Duke Arts Festival, which showcases the arts on campus Oct. 22 through Nov. 7. The festival features student artwork, performances and panels by alumni in arts-related fields.

“The idea is to build a Duke arts community [that is] campus-wide,” Vice Provost for the Arts Scott Lindroth said. “The Arts Festival is just a way of trying to make that community stronger and more visible.”

The Beatification of Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope will run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Oct. 21 through Oct. 31 at Reynolds Theater. Tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for students and can be purchased at the Duke University Box Office and tickets.duke.edu. There will also be a pre-show discussion with Soyinka tomorrow in the Rare Book Room at 6:30 p.m.

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October 21, 2010

Feature Review

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Seeing as Lil Wayne released I Am Not a Human Being while still in prison, you can almost forgive him for it. Almost.

Circumstances aside, the music on Wayne’s newest album just isn’t that good. There was a time when Weezy lived up to his self-proclaimed title as “the best rapper alive,” releasing a string of successful records— culminating in 2008’s landmark Tha Carter III—that exhibited his unparalleled talent and charisma. But by his eighth studio album the luster is beginning to fade, and Wayne’s trademark wordplay is, well, played out.

I Am Not a Human Being sees Wayne relying too heavily on the set-up/punch-line verse format, dropping reasonably clever insults and analogies to the point of repetitive excess. Though entertaining at first, the formula loses its appeal quickly; Wayne himself sounds uninterested, as evidenced by his consistently uninspired delivery. A few standout lines—on “Bill Gates” he boasts, “Yeah I talk s***/Got to defecate to conversate”—aren’t enough to salvage the album’s general sense of fatigue.

Though the record fails to live up to its predecessors lyrically, the production on Human Being truly heralds its artistic failure. With the exception of two or three songs, most are either throwaways or downright abysmal. Wayne’s production team, which includes Kane Beatz, Cool & Dre, the Olympicks and Boi-1da, back the rapper with some of the worst beats in recent memory. It’s a small wonder Wayne can’t muster a solid performance when he’s flowing over the likes of “I’m Single,” which sounds like a codeine overdose, and “Popular,” quite possibly the most obnoxious and hastily thrown-together song released on a major label, ever. So many of the tracks eschew any kind of consistent beat or palatable rhythm that one has to question what the producers were trying to accomplish—they certainly render the tunes undanceable, and the effects are even occasionally unlistenable.

All of these flaws, combined with merely adequate appearances by guests Drake and members of Young Money, make I Am Not a Human Being a Wayne album to pass over. For now, treat yourself to Tha Carter III one more time to remind yourself why you love Weezy, and hope that Tha Carter IV, due out later this year, is a return to form.

—Josh Stillman

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recess

October 21, 2010

red

dir. robert schwentke summit entertainment

eeeEE

It’s six a.m. Your grandfather climbs out of bed and pours himself a cup of coffee. Your grandmother, already awake, is engrossed in a cooking magazine, bifocals slightly crooked upon her nose. Now picture both of them wielding machine guns as dozens of CIA assassins converge on their house.

This is precisely the kind of imagery you will see in Red, the latest action-comedy to hit theaters. Based on the graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Red—which refers to a supposed CIA acronym meaning “Retired and Extremely Dangerous”—follows a rag-tag group of retired CIA agents who are pulled from mundane senior-citizenship and plunged into the middle of a full-on government conspiracy. Forced to run for their lives, the retirees travel across the country, dodging bullets, explosions and the obligatory “old man” jokes along the way.

Page 7

Although Red offers up plenty of James Bond-esque confrontations and some witty dialogue, the film relies more on the ability of its casting directors than of its writers. The all-star cast—including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich—is all that keeps the movie from becoming a boring burnout. Willis, as ex-CIA agent Frank Moses, is as audacious as ever, fighting off assassins with an air reminiscent of his Die Hard days. Malkovich elicits more than a few laughs with his role as an eccentric doomsayer. And what could be more entertaining than watching Mirren, dressed in a flowing white gown, take down a security guard with her handbag? Add Freeman into the mix, and you’ve got yourself an action film to please the masses.

So when you drop the cash on a ticket to Red, be prepared for the typical slow-motion fight scenes, the usual plot about some government scandal and the predictable twist at the end. At least the plot is more entertaining than a game of bingo at your local nursing home.

—Holly Hilliard

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kings of leon come around sundown rca

eeEEE

Kings of Leon’s 2008 album Only by the Night, which boasted the chart-toppers “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire,” was the band’s first true taste of widespread U.S. recognition. While selling out stadium shows and headlining major music festivals, they inevitably faced sell-out accusations. On their fifth record, Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon aim to bridge the gap between old and new fans, toeing the line between the raw southern rock of Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak and the obvious jump toward a more mainstream sound as of late. Unfortunately, their latest effort ends up alienanting both bases, producing an album that has a generally unauthentic feel.

Come Around Sundown does a better job of recalling the familiar roots of years past than Only by the Night. Bits and pieces of old detailing—layered guitar riffs and sexy vocals—are evident in almost every song, but in such a minute way that it leaves listeners wanting more. For example, the band succeeds at highlighting these elements in the intimate chorus of “The Immortals” and Caleb Followill’s gravelly voice in “Pickup Truck,” but the majority of the songs (in particular “Pyro”) are too bland to carry any genuine flavor.

Fans expecting another glossy album like Only by the Night may be turned off by the unexpected attempts (albeit poor ones) to revitalize this earlier sound. Though they will probably enjoy pop ballads like “Mary,” newcomers will be confused by throwbacks such as “Back Down South” and “The End.” “Radioactive,” the album’s first single, is the only song that successfully blends the gospel roots of the Followill brothers’ past with infectious guitar hooks sure to please both fan bases.

Despite the record’s pitfalls, Come Around Sundown is an honest view of the band’s current struggle to balance their newfound popularity. Ultimately, the album comes off as bland and mediocre, and this safe walk down the middle of the road leaves us wondering if Kings of Leon have lost their ability to rock.

—Gracie Lynne

Omara Portuondo Nov 5

Sutra–

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Sadler’s Wells London

Nov 10–11 www.carolinaperformingarts.org

Order tickets online or at the Box Office, (919) 843-3333 M–F 10am – 6pm

recess

Page 8

October 21, 2010

lym from page 3

maya robinson/The Chronicle

Though Last Year’s Men have been a band for a year, Carr and Schilling played together in an earlier pop-punk group called the Begin-Agains.

They’ve been at work on Sunny Down Snuff since March, and it will be released Nov. 9.

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Last Year’s Men—at that point just Carr and Rose—hit the road. Upon returning, Carr toured solo with Jay Kutchma of Durham’s Red Collar, and in attendance at Last Year’s Men’s first show back was Steve Jones, co-founder of Churchkey.

Jones loved the show and asked the band to make a record for his label; Carr called up Schilling, who was at the time living in Boston, and asked him to join the band; and there they were, with a three-piece and a record contract.

“It was a nice change of pace,” Carr said. “I feel like Geoff and I, in all of our musical projects, have been screwed over way too many times. So, it’s kind of nice dealing with legitimate folk.”

Once the band started recording, Jones and Kyle Miller, Churchkey’s other co-founder, brought in Dan McGee, Spider Bags’ frontman, to serve as kind of a musician-advisor to Carr and the band. The two ended up clicking, and McGee stayed on to produce Sunny Down Snuff in its entirety.

“All good rock-and-roll stories in this town start at Chaz’s Bull City Records,” McGee said. “I was in there one day and he’s playing me these demos of Last Year’s Men and they kind of blew me away.… The first song that I heard was “Beware.” It’s just an incredible, ageless, timeless song, you know? That could be from any period in rock and roll, and it just blew my mind that a kid his age had that kind of grasp of songwriting.”

After listening to the band’s demos, McGee met Carr and Schilling at a coffeehouse, and from there he was sold.

“When you’re young and talented, there’s a lot of ways you can go with it: You can be really ego-driven, or you can be really negative and shy about it,” McGee said. “And Ben was neither of those things.”

McGee said his primary role in producing the record was helping the guys to get the sounds they wanted, but also to bring in the other individuals necessary to make the best album possible—to “get the right people together and get out of the way for [the] band.”

Talking about the considerable time spent making Sunny Down Snuff, Carr joked that they’d never be able to pay Churchkey back for the investment. But Jones felt the record was set up for success, and expectations were ultimately exceeded.

“We knew when we got Dan McGee to help out with the record [that] it was going to end up being a good record— everything the guy touches sounds great,” he said. “Having [McGee] on board with Ben’s songs, and the band and him working together—as the cuts came through… you could just tell it was going to be something special.”

With Sunny Down Snuff said and done, Last Year’s Men have a strong relationship with Spider Bags—McGee gives Carr songwriting advice, Bags member Gregg Levy plays bass on the album and the two groups have multiple shows on the horizon. Recording on Churchkey and playing with guys like Kutchma, the band’s been embraced by the Triangle. And Carr and Schilling can’t value the support enough.

“This area and the people who have made an impression in the scene—[there aren’t] that many people. Everybody plays in each other’s bands, everybody’s seen each other’s bands,” Carr said. “It’s just cool people.”

The CD release party for Last Year’s Men and Spider Bags will take place at the Duke Coffeehouse this Saturday. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and Americans in France kick off the show at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for the public and free to Duke students with I.D. For more information, visit http://www.duke.edu/web/coffeehouse.

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Sunny Down Snuff was produced by Dan McGee, the frontman of Triangle garage-rock mainstays Spider Bags. McGee also gives Carr songwriting advice, and Spider Bags will also perform at the Coffeehouse.

Sports The Chronicle

THURSDAY October 21, 2010

>> ONLINE

Kyle Singler picks up major preseason accolades at the ACC Media Poll

ONLINE

Duke Women’s Tennis opens competition today at the ITA Carolina Regionals

www.dukechroniclesports.com

men’s golf

Freshman Merkulov makes immediate impact

by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE

The reality is that most rookie golfers are not good enough to err in the way that freshman Blue Devil Yaroslav Merkulov did.

“It was kind of a brain fart,” Merkulov said.

The incident that he referred to occurred at the inaugural Rod Myers Invitational at the Duke University Golf Club Oct. 10-11. Merkulov shot a three-under 69 and a two-under 70 in the second and third rounds, and he would have won the individual tournament championship had he not mistakenly signed for a 68 after he posted a first-round 69. This error disqualified him from individual contention.

Despite this unfortunate and costly mistake, Merkulov has quickly established himself as an elite college golfer. He finished in a tie for seventh at the Fighting Illini Invitational Sept. 17-19 and came in a tie for 13th at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate Oct. 4-5. Though the transition to college is often difficult for golfers, he currently leads the team with an average score of 70.6 per round, compared to the team average of 72.2.

“Sometimes maybe high school matches are played on shorter courses, and the college courses that we’ve played on can be challenging and long,” head coach Jamie Green said. “But Yaroslav, because he’s played in some amateur tournaments, has succeeded especially because he hits the ball plenty long enough.”

For Merkulov, one of the main differences has not

Football Scouting the opponent

QB experience barometer for wins in ACC

by Laura Keeley THE CHRONICLE

Quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, who groomed both Peyton and Eli Manning, knows how important the man under center is to his team.

“I don’t think there’s any question that a quarterback is considered a leader naturally on the team,” he said. “All players realize how hard that quarterback has to work, particularly in this day and time, to prepare mentally and physically, to know everyone’s assignments, all of those things, so it puts you in a position that your team depends on him.”

This year in the ACC, teams have relied on not only a quarterback’s preparation and skills, but also his experience. According to data compiled by The Chronicle, the teams with the most experience at the quarterback position are the ones at the top of the conference standings.

Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a senior who will take on the Blue Devils this Saturday at noon at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., exemplifies the benefits reaped from substantial game experience. As a true freshman in 2007, he played in 11 games, starting five. As the primary starter during his sophomore campaign (after the coaching staff reversed its decision to redshirt him), he threw two touchdowns and seven interceptions. Despite his negative turnover margin, he led the Hokies to an Orange Bowl victory.

As an upperclassman, Taylor has minimized his turnovers, throwing 25 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions over the past two seasons. He has also rushed for eight additional touchdowns, developing into the best

been the length of the courses, but rather the length of the season.

“I’m just not used to playing this deep into the season,” Merkulov said. “I’m from New York, so the golf season is over by October and [at Duke] we’re still playing into the first week of November. I’m just curious to see how I react to that.”

Much of his success, as Green noted, comes from his driver. Yet, one of his main strengths is that his power comes without sacrificing accuracy. He is currently ranked 18th in the NCAA with 83.6% of fairways hit, slightly behind sophomore Brinson Paolini, who leads the team and is 17th in the country with a rate of 83.9%.

Merkulov’s strong play has caught the attention of his teammates.

“It’s been great in terms of the team, to have success early on in the season especially in a freshman,” senior Wes Roach said. “It motivates everybody to beat him in practice and in tournaments.”

Even though he has played the best golf out of anybody on the team so far this season, Merkulov still has significant room to improve certain facets of his game. More important, however, is his cognizance of his shortcomings.

“Definitely [I need to improve] my short game. I was looking at my stats with the coaches and whatnot, and it’s surprising,” Merkulov said. “In total short game stats I was ranked in the 600s out of 800 college golfers, so that has to See m. golf on page 8

dual-threat quarterback in the country, Cutcliffe said.

“He’s just so much more comfortable,” Cutcliffe said about Taylor as a passer. “The guy’s got tons of reps. He came out as a freshman, like a lot of young quarterbacks, and he threw some interceptions. He’s grown, he sees the field, he’s very comfortable with his receivers and his accuracy has improved. They’ve done a great job coaching him.”

Duke, along with Wake Forest, the other five-loss team in the ACC, had no starting experience at the quarterback position coming into this season. With the exception of Maryland, all ACC teams breaking in new signal callers have losing records.

Boston College has suffered from inconsistent play at the quarterback position and recently turned to true freshman Chase Rettig. And Virginia’s Marc Verica is back under center after starting nine games in 2008 and only one game last year.

Blue Devils quarterback Sean Renfree, as a redshirt sophomore, has spent three years learning the offense.

Coming into this season, his playing time had been limited to spot appearances in five games last year before an ACL tear sidelined him for spring practice and much of

chronicle graphic by laura keeley

Sophia Palenberg/The Chronicle

Freshman Yaroslav Merkulov shot three under-par rounds in the Rod Myers Invitational at the Duke University Golf Club Oct. 10-11.

the team’s summer workouts.

As the starter this year, Renfree has thrown 10 touchdowns along with 14 interceptions, more than any other quarterback in the country. He has also fumbled the ball in each of the past three games. Before last week’s matchup against Miami, in which he threw five interceptions, Renfree said that all of Duke’s young players have benefited from the added game experience, including himself.

“The more games I play, the more comfortable I feel back there,” Renfree said.

Cutcliffe said this week that Renfree’s inexperience is not a contributing factor to his performance. Rather, it’s him hurrying himself and trying to force plays.

“He doesn’t have to force and make plays. I think he’s gotten outside of himself a little,” Cutcliffe said. “I’ve got complete confidence in him as a person and his ability to handle this. We just have to do a great job to get him back on track playing quarterback. It’s not youth, it’s not anything other than doing what he does best.”

Renfree’s primary backup, Brandon Connette, will See experience on page 8

8 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle

women’s soccer

Blue Devils face must-win game

by Jay Vitha THE CHRONICLE

With the Blue Devils in pink uniforms, coaches in pink hats and fans sporting promotional pink shirts, “Think Pink” will be the theme tonight at Koskinen Stadium as Duke takes on No. 9 Boston College at 7 p.m.

“It is something that the senior class really wanted,” head coach Robbie Church said. “We are really excited to do it and be involved in a great cause.”

Senior Marybeth Kreger said it is going to be great to have the community come together for the event and support the team. She added that hopeNo. 9 fully the event will give Duke the confidence it needs to come out and beat BC the Eagles (10-3-1, 3-3-0 in the ACC). vs.

The Blue Devils will need the extra Duke motivation going into the home stretch of the season. With only three games left, each match is a must-win for Duke THURSDAY, 7 p.m.

(8-5-3, 2-4-1) if it hopes to make the Koskinen Stadium ACC tournament. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, all three of their remaining matches will be at home. Church said it is a huge advantage to have the last three games at home, noting the difficulty of this year’s schedule.

“Playing five of your first ACC games on the road is brutal, especially for a young team it’s really brutal,” Church said. “But we’re still in a decent situation.”

Redshirt freshman Callie Simpkins, who has four goals this season, including one Sunday in Duke’s 3-0 victory over Virginia Tech, said the team is in high spirits coming off two great performances in their last three games.

She attributed the Blue Devils’ recent success to a formation change that they made prior to their 4-1 victory over Clemson. Duke switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 to pick up the pace on offense and has scored seven goals since making the switch.

“At that point we had a decision to make: which direction we were going to go facing the second half of our ACC season,” Church said. “Were we just going to play it out or were we going to go right back to work and go right at it?

The girls obviously chose the latter.”

Church said the team’s hard work in practice has translated directly to its play on the field and also mentioned the importance of scoring first in the final three regular season games.

“Those first goals are going to be key in our next three games,” Church said. “What we need is to get some energy goals. That first goal, that goes in early, keeps you playing hard and gives you energy.”

Kreger said Duke has to put its best effort forward because nothing is definite at this point in the season. Church agreed, adding that Boston College is a huge match for Duke.

“We really need to win or else we’re done, so it’s do or die right now,” Kreger said. “We’re ready to go. We’re excited and we’re hungry to get out there and get some wins.”

m. golf from page 7 improve if I’m going to improve my scores.”

Nonetheless, what could be most critical to his success may lie outside his physical tools and have more to do with his mental ones.

“On the golf course he’s really mature,” Roach said.

“There’s not much bad you can say about the guy right now.”

Indeed, his composure both on and off the course is evidenced by not only his success, but also by the way he managed his scorecard failure, according to his coach.

“He handled it like a champion,” Green said. “He had the positive vibe of playing a terrific day of 36-hole golf.”

experience from page 7 continue to see playing time when Duke is in the red zone, and his role in the offense will increase, Cutcliffe said. The true freshman has seen action in all six games this year, completing six of 10 passes for 42 yards and rushing for 127 yards. Last weekend against Miami, when Duke started at its 8-yard line after the Hurricanes fumbled the opening kickoff, Connette earned another first, one that statistics show will help him and the Blue Devils achieve future success—his first collegiate start.

tracy huang/The Chronicle

Senior midfielder Marybeth Kreger said tonight’s first annual “Think Pink” game against Boston College will hopefully motivate Duke.

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the chronicle THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 | 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

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The Independent Daily at Duke University

The Chronicle

10 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle commentaries

“

Housing status quo must go The restructuring of West the elimination of the quad Campus housing set to oc- model. Today we will outcur in Fall 2012 will mark a line our thoughts on the return to the house model. implementation of the new Steve Nowicki, dean and vice house model. provost of undergraduate edThe house model is a ucation, has asresidential syssured students tem in which editorial that the new roughly 40 to house model will not mirror 120 students are grouped the previous house model into informal communities system, which was scrapped called houses. Once students eight years ago and replaced are assigned to a house as by the current quad model. sophomores they have the We appreciate Nowicki’s right to return to live there recognition that the previous for their junior and senior house model cannot simply years. It seems likely that be reinstated, but we hope the “right of return” will that the University will use preclude students’ ability to the shift away from the quad block together, but this and model to enact a fundamen- other significant details have tally new approach to hous- yet to be formalized. ing at Duke.

The fundamental probIn yesterday’s editorial lem with housing on West we voiced our support for is the presence of selective

onlinecomment

For the same price offered by central campus, you can live at any apartment of choice in durham with twice the amenities and housing conditions, plus easy access to work.

”

—“astudent” commenting on the story “LaSalle patrols increase after recent crimes.”

See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

Letters Policy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address.

Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns.

The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

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Direct submissions to:

E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696

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living groups, especially fraternities. These groups tend to dominate the social scene on campus and perpetuate a lack of gender and racial diversity in housing.

Ideally, the house model will create more types of communities on campus for students who are not affiliated with selective living groups.

Houses should strive to mimic the loose communal feel of an East Campus dormitory. But ultimately the successful East Campus housing model, which is largely centered on the unifying nature of the first-year experience, will be impossible to duplicate on West. Unlike freshmen, upperclassmen have established friend groups and they are less likely to engage in spontaneous social

interactions with members of their residence halls.

It is our hope that the social supremacy of selectives will be watered down by the introduction of 50 to 60 houses that are roughly the same size. But it seems more likely that loosely affiliated houses will never match the organizational strength of selectives.

We are concerned that once the house model is in place it will simply perpetuate the existing problems with Duke’s housing. For this reason, we have very little confidence in the ability of Nowicki and Donna Lisker, associate dean of undergraduate education, when it comes to the implementation phase of this initiative. A new hire must be made.

Duke should bring in an administrator with housing expertise who is prepared to work full-time on a number of complex questions.

How will students be assigned to houses, and will they will be effectively stuck in the same location for three years? Should fraternities and selectives be aggregated into a specific community or moved to a separate location off West?

Duke should hire someone who is unafraid to challenge the status quo of housing at the University when answering these questions.

The house model has the potential to solve many of Duke’s residential problems.

When it comes to housing, Duke desperately needs a fresh perspective.

Zen P.E.

f you’ve taken a physical education class at The take-away point is that universities dictate Duke, you probably remember it as a brief, bi- to us what we should take seriously—formal acaweekly break from the typical academic grind. demics. They also tell us why we should take it seA good characterization, but P.E. riously, because an education, as might be slightly more valuable than it is classically understood, is supyou think. posed to be worth having.

Of all the arguments that have ever Neither of these points is (are?) been made along the lines of “your a tautology: both are open to deuniversity is failing you,” one of the bate, and both are commonly armost interesting can be found in an gued over. For instance, the scrap obscure Chronicle of Higher Educaover the “usefulness” and “worth” tion column by Camille Paglia. Paglia connor southard of the humanities promises to is a social critic—and notable antirage on for years to come. dead poet Lady Gaga pundit—who has spent Whatever your personal posiyears teaching the humanities at art tion on academics and academic schools, and she has some unkind words for us tra- sub-fields and their solemn importance, you’d be ditional university-goers. forgiven for asking, “And what does P.E. have to do In her piece “Revalorizing the Trades,” Paglia with all of this?” Good question. After all, isn’t P.E. claims that her art-focused students, who work just a fun side benefit available to Duke students? with their hands, have “a calm, centered, Zen-like P.E. is indeed something of an academic garengagement with the physical world.” In contrast, nish, but a worthwhile one. the graduates of “elite” traditional colleges whom Since we live on a campus that tends towards she encounters are “glib, cynical, neurotic,” hav- a words-and-numbers style of education, we ofing “been ill-served by their trendy, word-centered ten end up treating our traditional classes in one educations.” of two ways: we either take them extremely seriDuke’s own visual arts program could probably ously, or we treat them as an inconvenience that do wonders for all that is glib, neurotic or even nonetheless must be taken... seriously. One of the trendy about me. And let’s not forget manual la- reasons we worry so much about “practicality” and bor. We could all learn a thing or two from a few “usefulness” in our educations is because we’ve days spent chopping firewood. been taught that traditional academics are sacred But assuming that it would do us some good to and solemn. re-visit our “connection with the physical world,” Academic study is supposed to make us better, then it seems like one of the simplest ways to do more complete people. We are also taught that that might be for all of us to spend more time play- academic success is a gateway to more lucrative ing ball, putting one another in headlocks and success of all kinds. Serious stuff. salsa dancing.

All well and good, but that indoctrination gets in Credit Duke students: We are notoriously, visibly the way of fun. It’s hard to actually enjoy your studactive. We don’t necessarily need more physical activ- ies when they are, by espoused definition, among ity, but we could all use some physical education. the most serious things you regularly deal with.

Even the healthiest life of the mind runs the risk Even if it’s not priority one, it’s not impossible of becoming numbing and repetitive. It’s hard to to enjoy your education. say whether or not we’re really being made “cyniP.E. provides a morsel of perspective. A dance cal” or “glib” by our “word-centered” educations, class probably won’t improve you morally or help but we call it a “grind” for a reason. you make money. You learn dance because you That grind is touted as a serious business. We’re want to learn dance and because it’s fun—why else supposed to have come to Duke for an expensive would you? Pure curiosity like that may not be seriacademic saturation that will make us forever intel- ous, but it is worth something. lectually richer, morally purer, etc. Serious stuff.

P.E. courses can’t really be more than classes One of the paradoxes of the traditional univer- that are a break from the way we regularly apsity model is that it places student in the position proach classes. In that sense, they’re a small but of having to treat academics as a very serious, ur- informative taste of a less hidebound way to think gent matter at the same time as it asks us to post- of our own educations. Not a bad deal for half a pone or suspend our attentions to other arguably credit and no homework. more inherently serious, urgent matters—like making money. It might be true that we’re ultiConnor Southard is a Trinity junior. He is studymately making a pragmatic choice, but that’s an ing in New York for the semester. His column runs every issue for another column.

Thursday.

the chronicle

M

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 | 11

commentaries

Drinking in language

y friends and I were on the C-1 room. We’re intimidated by students bus a few weekends ago, leaving whose abilities seem greater than our an off-East Campus house to get own. Our teachers tell us to be fluid and to West and catch the Robopen to mistakes—pracertson bus to Chapel Hill. I ticing is important, after had just turned 21, and I was all—but their pleas aren’t looking forward to my first always convincing. night out barhopping since This, my friends, is I had come back stateside. where alcohol comes in.

Some of our fellow pasWe all know what sengers had been drinking, drinking does, whether and the heady odor of beer sandeep prasanna through observation or and rushed vodka shots overparticipation. People with powered the bus and began hooked on phonetics “liquid courage” are more to give me a healthy buzz. likely to do or say things More than the stench, though, my that they might have been reluctant to mind was on the two red-faced fresh- while sober. men next to me, who were engaged in The fear of embarrassment fades away an enthusiastic, but obviously slurred, with every ounce of rum. Inhibitory conconversation in Spanish. Their grammar trol slips out of our hands like a wet beer was poor and their pronunciation worse, can. People loosen up, and some of us but it sure looked like they were having are more sociable and talkative after a fun. If they were in the middle of an oral few. Many of the neurological processes exam, they would have scored low on at work when your roommate jumps on structure but high on confidence. top of the bar at Shooters are the same Does drinking alcohol help people as when he later whispers je t’aime in the speak other languages? ears of his dancing partner. Our uninhibEvery student knows that being em- ited behavior is mirrored in our speech. barrassed is one of the cornerstones of And maybe because some of us drink the difficult process of learning another to become someone else—a party alter language. After all, we students are visi- ego—speaking a foreign language fultors in a new world. For those who are fills some sort of urbane, globetrotting used to easy academic success, stum- identity that we aspire to embody. bling over verbs or gendered nouns can I’m not recommending downing a be stressful or disheartening. dozen steins whenever you need to pracSo in response, we inhibit. We mum- tice German. Yes, moderate amounts of ble when we’re called on in class, or alcohol might help with practicing a lanwe clamp up in conversation. We don’t guage. And associating positive memospeak the language outside of the class- ries with foreign language use can prime

you to perform better. You might even form a good friendship with a foreigner over a few bilingual drinks.

But drinking probably won’t help you learn the basics of a language, because studying demands a clear mind.

Researchers studying second-language acquisition have identified two aspects of learning another language: one that is automatic (e.g., an understanding of simple grammar based on one’s mother tongue) and another that is memorized (e.g., vocabulary). Students usually feel comfortable with the first and stumble over the second. When people drink, though, their loss of inhibition probably facilitates memorized language, even if they are making mistakes.

As with all things alcoholic, using language under the influence presents a mixed bag. The rewards are there, but they are lost when people binge.

People’s inhibition disappears with every sip in a binge, and so does their awareness. Very drunk people might believe that they are smooth or charming or balanced, but they are often none of those. Similarly, when drunken foreign language speakers believe that they are using proper grammar and pronunciation, they are often sloppy and incoherent. And practice is useless if you don’t remember it the next morning.

But maybe we don’t even have to drink to take advantage of the benefits of alcohol.

Li Yang, a Chinese entrepreneur, certainly thinks so. His “Crazy English” program centers on his conviction that or-

thodox teaching is ineffective. Instead, Li’s students jump up and shout English phrases in the classroom, on buses and from rooftops. The goal is to eliminate embarrassment, curb inhibition and facilitate a positive social environment.

Crazy English sounds a little bit like last weekend’s Crazy Party. But it ditches the spiked punch and concentrates on making language learning fun and communal. It has been astoundingly successful: over 20 million people have taken a Crazy English course in the last 15 years.

The success of this program demonstrates that a student doesn’t necessarily need to drink before her oral exam to get a good grade. Language students can be uninhibited without alcohol. Maybe a fun, worldly identity can be crafted without it, too. Whether or not you drink, your learning experience is affected by your confidence.

Maybe next time you’re studying for a language exam, you should try the Crazy method and shout for practice. Lose control. Make a fool of yourself. Climb onto a rooftop and let the quad echo with vocabulary from Haitian Creole or Arabic 125. Imagine you’re fully bilingual. Drink in the language experience.

Whether or not this study session requires alcohol is none of my business, of course. Liquid or dry, the courage is the same. I just hope I overhear you on the bus next weekend.

Sandeep Prasanna is a Trinity senior and a Program II major studying the dynamics of language. His column runs every other Thursday.

letterstotheeditor Awareness and financial aid calculators, not equations, key to transparency I enjoyed reading Antonio Segalini’s thoughtful piece on affording Duke. One of the biggest obstacles we face in financial aid is making our policies transparent enough that students will consider applying to Duke. The government also seems to feel that way; recent legislation calls for all schools to have a “Net Price Calculator” prominently displayed on their websites.

The calculator is intended to help each family understand how much an education would cost them at any one institution so that they can base their decision to apply (or not) on more than averages and generalizations. We are in the process of putting our calculator in place and should have it available this Spring.

We are not able to go one step further, as Segalini suggests, and publish the formulas. Duke uses Institutional Methodology to calculate the parent contribution for Duke families. This is a need-analysis system developed by financial aid practitioners and economists for the College Board. The formula and the tables associated with it are the intellectual property of the College Board, and all users are prohibited from making those tables public. But we do not need to publish those formulas to end much of the worrying over whether one can afford a Duke education.

I believe it is more important for families to understand how the financial aid process works than it is for them to have access to abstruse need-analysis tables.

Families feel helpless because they receive an important letter with information they don’t understand. They do not know where the numbers come from, what they mean, or how they are used. I am a firm believer that if you understand a system, any system, and how it works, you are in a much better position to ask questions and get more meaningful results. Without that understanding, you have to wait anxiously for that random number on an award letter and then make less-than-informed decisions about how to finance the year.

I am hopeful that the new financial aid advisory committee, as well as the socioeconomic diversity study being conducted by the Office of the Dean of Under-

graduate Education, will help to bring financial aid into the public conversation at Duke and encourage students and their parents to make the most of a system that is in place to benefit them. I am also hopeful that a revised financial aid website and more public conversations about aid will help educate our families and students. Our primary purpose in financial aid is to allow all of our students to participate in “the Duke experience,” not a modified version of it, and to allow all prospective students a chance at that experience.

The more our population understands financial aid, the more they can make of it. Until financial aid can translate financial aid policy into the vernacular, and until families view learning that language as vital, families will continue to exclude themselves unintentionally from opportunities. A financial aid calculator will help; more accessible information will help. An awareness that maximizing your aid depends on your understanding of the system—that’s essential. But revealing the equations behind the financial aid calculation?

Not so helpful.

Alison Rabil Assistant Vice Provost & Director of Financial Aid Protecting student privacy At the end of yesterday’s article, “Lawyer: Irons will fight rape allegations”, you state, “It is Chronicle policy not to identify the victims of sexual assault cases.” In this unfortunate circumstance, Eric Irons has not been proven guilty. Might not he potentially be a “victim,” and shouldn’t you be as concerned about protecting his privacy as you are about protecting the privacy of his accuser?

Lynn White Associate Dean, Academic Advising Center Monday, Monday comparison off-base After reading the “Monday, Monday” piece, I would like to ask the author one question: how can you be so categorically offensive, and still find it acceptable to

publish your weekly column in Duke University’s student newspaper? As the coordinator of the Center for LGBT Life’s National Coming Out Day, and an openly lesbian student at Duke, I am floored that The Chronicle’s writers thought it was okay to compare Coming Out Day to a “weird” fraternity.

There are two large issues that I think the author needs to educate himself or herself on regarding our event. The first is that it can sometimes be extremely difficult to “come out” on any college campus, and Duke University is no exception to that rule. Six LGBTQ suicides have occurred within the last month; the pressures of being LGBTQ are real. While there is a large amount of support from students, faculty, staff and numerous organizations on this campus, the social pressures that still exist for closeted students cannot be discounted. Your column in no way helped those still working on the continual, daily process of coming out at this University and beyond.

Secondly, the writer’s comparison of Coming Out Day to a fraternity grossly overlooks the women’s community involved with the Coming Out Day celebration. To begin, Coming Out Day is for the entire student body, not just those “conscious freshmen concerned about projecting masculinity.” By comparing our celebration to a male frat, you’re discounting the presence of women within our community. Also, the author might like to know that even today there is still a sexist bias within the LGBTQ community that excludes women and queer women’s issues from the forefront of the LGBTQ movement. Your article did nothing to mitigate this sexism. Lastly, Duke’s National Coming Out Day was coordinated by a woman.

What fraternity rush do you know of that is run by a Duke female?

Thanks to Jessica Kim, the Chronicle writer who covered our celebration in a positive, educated and affirmative way. Hopefully students read her informative article, and not the Monday, Monday piece.

Megan Weinand Trinity ’12

12 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 the chronicle

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