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
The Chronicle
TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2011
Sanford to offer Duke in D.C. program
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 4
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Interest in Focus stays consistent
Forever young
by Melissa Dalis by Lauren Carroll
THE CHRONICLE
when I can play to some people, even if it is a couple [of] people.” Merrigan set an initial fundraising goal in late July of $1,800 in 60 days and reached his goal in three days. He has now raised more than $2,500 and plans to use the extra funds for promotional purposes, like buying bumper stickers. Merrigan left New York City in 2008 and said Durham’s calmer culture inspired his project. After playing in a two-man pop band while in New York, Merrigan switched over to more acoustical music with older roots and noted artists such as Jimmy Yancey, Fats Domino and Boogie Woogie as his musical muses. “Imagine walking through the
Despite a slight dip in the number of clusters this year, student interest in the Focus program remains steady, partly due to a revised admissions procedure, slight financial upticks and the addition of prominent faculty. Three hundred freshmen applied—and were accepted—into the Focus program this year, roughly the same number of applicants as last year, said Edna Andrews, faculty director of the Focus program and a professor of linguistics and cultural anthropology. “Focus accepts almost everyone who applies,” Andrews said. “Why would we want to accept people to Duke and not let them take Duke programs?” Most of Focus’ students took advantage of the program’s new rolling admission policy, Andrews said. Rolling admissions enabled incoming students to apply as early as February—if they were admitted under Early Decision—and until May. To ensure that all students had an equal chance of acceptance, at least 50 percent of spots were left for the students admitted during the regular decision cycle, she noted. “It just allowed people more time,” Andrews said. “You knew about it sooner, so you could apply sooner…. In the old days you’d have a month to apply, and now you have multiple months. I think it’s less stressful for everyone this way, especially the office.” Three to 4 percent of the students accepted into Focus, however, have already declined the offer, Andrews added, noting that this figure is expected to increase by approximately 10 percent during the drop/add period. Those who drop during the drop/add period usually do so, Andrews said, due to scheduling conflicts or because they did not get accepted into their first-choice cluster. And though the overall Focus program saw a similar number of applicants in 2011 as it did last year, the number of applicants to each cluster varied significantly. The Modeling in Economic and Social Sciences cluster received the most applications this year, but Exploring the Mind is usually the most popular option, Andrews said. Both of these clusters admit 36 people, making them the two largest groups. “You don’t know what’s going to make someone a success in advance of meeting them,” said David Banks, leader of the MESS cluster and professor of the practice of statistics. “We can’t accept everyone—we want to keep the class size small enough that people are close enough to talk.” The addition of Dan Ariely, James B. Duke professor of behavioral economics, to
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THE CHRONICLE
Duke’s public policy students will soon have the chance to hit Capitol Hill for a semester-long learning experience. A new program through the Sanford School of Public Policy will give students the opportunity to spend a semester studying and working in Washington, D.C. The program will combine a public policy internship with related coursework for a collaborative experience based on pressing national issues, Dean of Sanford Bruce Kuniholm said. It is expected to begin Spring 2013. Senior Lauren Hendricks, president of the public policy majors union, has been part of the program’s planning process for the past year. Hendricks said she began to think about a potential Duke in D.C. program after attending a Duke in New York Arts & Media program that also combined coursework and an internship. “As policy students, we spend most of our time discussing what goes on in D.C.,” she said. “Sanford is sort of like a think tank.... We are always looking at what you can do to change policy. The best place to see that in a practical way is Washington.” Duke in D.C.’s theme would change every year, depending on the political climate, Kuniholm said. If the program were to take place this semester, for example, students might work in a congressional office while taking courses about debt crisis management. Hendricks said the program will likely provide classes taught by Sanford professors, which will meet three days a week and an internship experience two days a week. “Combine getting grades with guidance from an internship—it makes a lot of sense,” she said. The semester would also involve a residential experience so that students could discuss public policy issues and share experiences when they return from their classes and internships in the evening, Kuniholm said. The Duke in D.C. program is building off of Sanford’s existing relationships with D.C. agencies as well as its current faculty strengths, Kuniholm said. Sanford has always had internship opportunities in D.C., though this is the first time they will be paired with coursework. He added that Kristin Goss, assistant SEE DUKE IN DC ON PAGE 12
Field hockey team looks to begin new era, Sports 6
LAUREN HENSCHEL/THE CHRONICLE
Freshmen at the Forever Duke Block Party received a free class directory, as well as free food and a chance to speak with alumni at the Forlines House. The annual event was staged by the Duke Alumni Association.
Piano man opens up shop in Durham by Caroline Fairchild THE CHRONICLE
Durham’s own piano man will soon play for residents in the mood for a melody. Calling his venture the “Durham Street Piano Project,” Durham resident Tom Merrigan is raising funds through September to purchase an old upright piano on wheels that he can play in the streets of Durham. Merrigan plans to play for residents in locations such as the American Tobacco Campus, the Durham Farmers’ Market and Five Points. “I wanted to skip all the band stuff and just park myself where people can hear my music,” Merrigan said. “I have a lot of fun playing in my dining room, but I want to play to other people. I don’t want to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. I just like it
ONTHERECORD
“Income inequality creates a class society that is hard to reverse because the bottom will be uneducated and uninformed.” —Professor Dan Ariely on national income inequality. See story page 4
DukeCard office changes lost card procedure, Page 3