September 7, 2011 issue

Page 1

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 10

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

Tornado Widespread obesity costs states billions Percentage of state skirts by medical expenditures attributable to campus obesity

by Julian Spector THE CHRONICLE

It’s a twister—sort of. The DukeALERT system warned the Duke community of a tornado passing through northern Durham County at roughly 2:00 p.m. Tuesday but issued an all clear about 22 minutes later. The tornado did not actually touch down, and there were no reports of damage at Duke, Vice President for Human Resources Kyle Cavanaugh said. “We’ve been very fortunate right now,” Cavanaugh said. “We’ve not seen the devastation that we saw in the spring.” Cavanaugh, who is also the emergency coordinator for the University, said Duke had been closely monitoring the storm’s trajectory since 4 a.m. Tuesday. At 2:03 p.m. DukeALERT sent out an email and text message warning students to seek shelter immediately. According to the email, the National Weather Service for Durham County had issued a tornado warning after radar spotted a tornado passing over Hillsborough at 1:30 p.m. SEE TORNADO ON PAGE 12

CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY KATIE NI

Across the nation, some states can spend up to nearly $15 billion in medical expenses as a result of obesity. by Kelly Scurry THE CHRONICLE

Packing some extra pounds comes with a hefty cost. According to a study conducted by researchers at think tank RTI International, Duke University and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, health expenses related to obesity cost the state of North Carolina nearly $5 billion in 2009. Obesity-attributable Medicaid and Medicare expenditures throughout the state were $807 million and about $1 billion, respectively. Medicaid supports those of low income and is gov-

erned by the state, and Medicare is a federal governed program for people 65 and over, or those permanently disabled. The study found that North Carolina would save 9.9 percent on overall medical costs and 13.1 percent on Medicaid costs if all obese people in the state were at a normal weight. Total expenditures in other states ranged from $203 million in Wyoming to $15.2 billion in California per year. Obesityattributable Medicaid expenditures were the highest in New York at $4 billion and obesityattributable Medicare expenditures were highest in California

at $3.4 billion. The figures confirm earlier findings that obesity accounts for a significant and preventable portion of the nation’s medical bill, according to an RTI press release Aug. 18. The study was published in the online research journal Obesity. The study updates the state-by-state estimates of obesityrelated medical expenditures originally reported in a 2004 study, but uses data from a 2006 survey of national and state medical expenditures to predict costs in 2009 dollars. STUDY STATISTICS PROVIDED BY RTI INTERNATIONAL

SEE OBESITY ON PAGE 4

Alumni work to save S. African justice NC Governor’s School promotes diversity by Alejandro Bolívar THE CHRONICLE

HONG ZHU/THE CHRONICLE

Heavy rain pelted West Campus throughout the day Tuesday.

Center back Ashley Rape suffers another injury blow, Page 7

Alumni of the North Carolina Governor’s School are refusing to let their cherished program disappear. Governor’s School—founded in 1963 by former Gov. and Duke President Terry Sanford—is a six-week summer residential program for gifted rising high school seniors in the state to study specialized subjects at either Salem College in Winston-Salem or Meredith College in Raleigh. The program suffered a near-fatal blow last June when the North Carolina General Assembly stripped Governor’s School of its $849,000 annual funding in order to allevi-

ate the state’s $2.4 billion deficit. Jim Hart, president of the Governor’s School Alumni Association, wrote in a Tuesday email that the North Carolina Board of Education was reluctant to see the program go, which has traditionally been free for students. The board met with the alumni association and the Governor’s School Foundation—a nonprofit designed to support the program— and ruled that it would give the two groups until August to raise the $100,000 needed to continue the Governor’s School in a limited capacity next summer. Even though the groups had SEE SCHOOL ON PAGE 12

by Shucao Mo THE CHRONICLE

A judge from South Africa’s highest court promoted diversity as the backbone for social and legal change. As the first public official to reveal his HIVpositive status in the country, South African Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron Edwin Cameron played a significant role in institutionalizing gay, lesbian and bisexual rights post-apartheid. Cameron spoke at Smith Warehouse Tuesday eve-

ning about his personal and legal experience as a human rights fighter, as well as the relationship between constitutionalism and diversity in South Africa. President Nelson Mandela appointed Cameron an acting judge of the High Court of South Africa in 1994, and since 2009 Cameron has served as a justice in the Constitutional Court. Cameron said his sexual orientation did not play a role in the interview for his 1994 position. “It was not because I was silent [about being gay], but because... it had become a non-issue,” Cameron said. “To me, that is the way SEE CAMERON ON PAGE 5

ONTHERECORD

“Since the start of classes, food trucks have been a rare but welcome sight on Duke’s campus.” —Columnist Rui Dai in “Eat more Chirba.” See column page 11

DUSDAC discusses possible MOP additions, Page 3


2 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

worldandnation

White House plans financial rescue for postal service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House will include a financial rescue plan for the U.S. Postal Service in a broader $1.5 trillion deficit reduction package it is due to send to Congress in the coming weeks, it said Tuesday. In advance of those recommendations, the Obama administration is asking lawmakers to give the Postal Service a 90day extension to pay billons of dollars in mandatory annual retirement payments that are due at the end of its fiscal year on Sept. 30. If approved, a delay would buy time for Congress, the White House and postal officials to draft a package of reforms for the cash-strapped delivery service, which might be broke by fall of 2012.

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onschedule at Duke... Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 1-3p.m. The class is the fall installment of the Plants of Distinction series It costs $25, or $20 for Garden members, Duke staff and students.

Latino population not NATO officials stop Afghan optimistic about elections detainee transferrals Rapid Latino population growth and a smattering of newly created Latino House districts across the country are giving the group a chance to amplify its voice in Congress. But talk to Latino leaders, and you won’t hear a whole lot of optimism about 2012.

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO officials in Afghanistan this week stopped transferring detainees to Afghan custody in several provinces in response to a United Nations probe that found evidence of systematic torture at some detention centers, the military command said.

DukeEngage Information Session Smith Warehouse Classroom B252 Bay 7, 4-4:45p.m. The session feautres a broad overview of DukeEngage and its application process, and will announce new and continuing programs for summer 2012.

Resume Writing Workshop Social Science 228, 5-6p.m. Join a Career Center counselor at this workshop to learn how to write a resume.

TODAY IN HISTORY 1813: United States nicknamed Uncle Sam.

“And for the desperate 4 A.M. coffee run when all of the buses are shut down so you can’t get to McDonald’s, Duke has one best-kept coffee secret: vending machines.” — From The Chronicle’s News Blog bigblog.dukechronicle.com

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Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it. — E.B. White

THURSDAY:

TODAY:

on the

calendar

Lusaka Agreement Day Mozambique

National Tree Planting Day Namibia MATT SCHUDEL/THE WASHINGTON POST

Betty Skelton, the nation’s first female boat jumper and once called the “fastest woman on Earth,” flies over a Dodge sedan during a 1955 publicity stunt. She passed away last week at the age of 85.

Independence Day Brazil


THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 | 3

DUSDAC

BOT vice chair’s New dining options company to go public receive mixed reviews Details have not been released about how many shares the Carlyle Group plans to sell or when it plans to go public, though it could be at least six months before the IPO proceeds. Rubenstein was elected co-vice chair of the Board in May, and serves with Jack Bovender Jr., Trinity ’67 and Graduate School ’69. Rubenstein has also made substantial donations to the University recently. The University announced in August a $13.6 million gift from Rubenstein to the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. The library will be renamed the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, pending Board of Trustees approval. In 2002, he contributed $5 million toward the completion of Sanford’s Rubenstein Hall, for which he is the namesake.

From Staff Reports

by Taylor Turkeltaub THE CHRONICLE

With two new dining options on campus at the start of this academic year, the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee is looking to further expand the dining experience for students. In its first meeting of the year Tuesday night, DUSDAC members gathered to share their views on two new on-campus venues, Pitchfork Provisions and the Food Factory at Devil’s Bistro. Committee members were joined by three faculty advisors Rick Johnson, assistant vice president for housing and dining; Franca Alphin, director of nutrition services at Student Health; and Barbara Stokes, assistant director of dining. Pitchfork Provisions, located on the basement floor of McClendon Tower, received praise from committee members for its convenient operating schedule and menu. The Food Factory, which opened on Central Campus and replaced Devil’s Bistro at the start of this year, faced some criticism, however, for its lack of variety. “I really like that [Pitchfork Provisions] is open 24 hours a day,” said DUSDAC member Anant Jha, a junior. Jha added that he also liked the price variation at the eatery, with items ranging anywhere between $3 and $15.

The Food Factory, on the other hand, did not receive as positive of feedback. Members said their main concerns included the eatery’s lack of variety and lack of versatility as a sandwich shop to fulfill any meal other than lunch. Co-Chair Beth Gordon, a junior, said she was particularly concerned about the lack of choices for vegetarians. “[I] had just gotten a complaint from a vegetarian that there were only three options or so for vegetarians [at the Food Factory,]” Gordon said. Changes to the Marketplace were also a topic of discussion for the committee, one of which is an optional meal upgrade. For $5, diners at the Marketplace can upgrade their meal to include high-quality flank steak and salmon. In total, only three salmon upgrades have been purchased and zero flank steak, Stokes said. DUSDAC member Chris Taylor, a sophomore, said he is optimistic that number will change soon, once the repetitiveness of the Marketplace starts to wear on the freshmen. “A couple weeks down the road, people would love to have that option,” Taylor said. Committee members also discussed the possible addition of several national chains to

THE CHRONICLE

A company co-founded by one of Duke’s most generous alumni is en route to becoming a publically traded company. The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm managing more than $150 billion in assets, has filed documents with the federal government in order to proceed with a public offering, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. David Rubenstein, co-vice chair of the Board of Trustees and Trinity ’70, is the co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group. According to the filing, the initial public offering could be worth up to $100 million. The Carlyle Group’s portfolio includes more than 200 portfolio companies.

GPSC

New GPSC position aids in career development continuing effort to improve GPSC’s career development sector because she believes that the Graduate School currently has fewer career services than the other professional schools. “In past years, Duke’s Graduate School was excluded from many career services [afforded to] students in [the professional schools],” Hawthorne said. Hawthorne also serves on a panel currently searching for a third associate director for the Duke Career Center that will specifically assist graduate students. Additionally, Hawthorne mentioned two challenges that graduate and professional programs continue to face—being overshadowed by undergraduate programs and relative unawareness about academic and social resources. “It is easy for us to be forgotten, even though Duke has fewer [undergraduates] than [post-graduate] students,” Hawthorne said. “But ultimately, the biggest problem is communication. I’m in my fifth year, and I am still learning about the many resources available to me.” Hawthorne hopes that through these new initiatives, GPSC can effectively spread awareness of the career resources Duke has to offer to its graduate students.

by James Heron THE CHRONICLE

SEE DUSDAC ON PAGE 5

TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE

New dining option Pitchfork Provisions received positive reviews, while the Food Factory faced some criticism.

At the year’s first Graduate and Professional Student Council meeting, members addressed a growing challenge—a bleak job market. GPSC members reflected on the past academic year and discussed this year’s goals and upcoming events for the nine graduate and professional schools Tuesday. In particular, the executive members focused on ways to prepare graduate students to enter an increasingly competitive job market. GPSC Vice President Bill Hunt, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in English, introduced a new position on the GPSC executive board—the Career Development Chair, held by Liz Bloomhardt, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering and material science. The new position was created in an attempt to expand effective practices being used in career counseling across Duke’s post-graduate programs. In an interview after the meeting, GPSC President Felicia Hawthorne, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in genetics and genomics, said the addition of a Career Development Chair to GPSC will help to unify the many strengths of the different graduate and professional schools. She said she is optimistic about this

SEE GPSC ON PAGE 4

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4 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

Obama calls on Libya’s neighbors to arrest loyalists by Karen DeYoung and Leila Fadel THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Obama administration on Tuesday urged Libya’s neighbors to arrest fleeing members of Moammar Gadhafi’s ousted government, as at least a dozen senior Libyan military officials arrived in Niger after escaping across the southern desert. U.S. overhead surveillance observed a convoy entering Niger on Tuesday morning, but U.S. and NATO officials said any attempt to stop the vehicles would have been outside their mandate. The State Department and Libyan rebel officials said there was no indication that Gadhafi was among those who fled. Conflicting reports from rebel forces placed Gadhafi in various locations throughout his tribal heartland, a triangle between his coastal home town, Sirte—the oasis town of Bani Walid to the west, where Gadhafi’s son Seif alIslam is believed to be hiding, and the city of Sabha, on the edge of the Sahara in the south. NATO aircraft continued flying strike missions over coastal areas, but officials said that a decreasing number of targets fall within the alliance’s authorized mission of protecting civilians from government forces. That mission has been broadly interpreted to include any massed group of government troops and command-and-control facilities. The current NATO mandate runs out on Sept. 27, and its renewal would

require a political decision by alliance members. Military mission commanders could also recommend an end to the bombing before then. “The actual operational plan says that the end state is whenever we decide we’ve achieved what we set out to do,” said a NATO official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue. In Sirte and Bani Walid, Gadhafi “still has organized military forces capable of inflicting damages on civilians. As long as air power is still capable of dealing with that threat, we still have a mission. We’re still destroying stuff every day.” Although U.S. “national technical means.” or satellites and high-flying reconnaissance aircraft, observed the convoy entering Niger, the area is nearly 1,000 miles south of where NATO strike aircraft are operating, the official said. Hitting such targets “would be a completely different operation. . . . We would have to refuel over Libyan territory.” In addition, he said, the alliance has “no independent means to verify” who is traveling in closed vehicles. “We have no idea where [Gadhafi] is,” the official said. “We really haven’t had a good sense for a while.” NATO spokesman Col. Roland Lavoie, in Naples, said it is not within the alliance’s mission “to track and target thousands of fleeing former regime leaders, SEE LIBYA ON PAGE 12

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OBESITY from page 1 Researcher Joel Cohen, a co-author of the report, said that the public and private sectors definitely have an incentive to have healthier people, as is shown by this study. “States are spending a lot [of money] in public programs in expenses for people who are obese,” Cohen said, “This certainly has an economic impact on business owners who are paying for health care of their workers.” Obesity is a matter of national concern, said Dr. Howard Eisenson, executive director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. “Obesity and inactivity are thought to be big contributors to the rising health costs in this country,” Eisenson said. “In addition to promoting better health and longevity, it’s costing more money to deal with inactivity.” Obesity is considered the second leading cause of preventable deaths after smoking and tobacco use, he added. “We usually talk about [the dangers of] obesity in conjunction with a sedentary lifestyle,” he said. “There are some experts who are expressing concern that if certain trends continue, this may be the first generation of young people with a life expectancy shorter than their parents.” Obese people are most likely to suffer from a variety of ailments, including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis, Eisenson noted. Research has also noted an association of obesity with uterine cancer in women, cancer of the esophagus and colon cancer. The number of people diagnosed with these conditions has risen and is also starting to appear among young obese patients. Eisenson added that certain cancers may also become more common with an increasing percentage of obese people. Despite wanting to fight obesity, the proper steps necessary to reverse the trend are unclear, said Frank Sloan, the J. AlexMcMahon professor in health policy at the Fuqua School of Business. “Everyone sort of knows that being obese is bad for you. It’s more of a problem [of] keeping people motivated,” Sloan said. “Some people suggest putting a tax on food, but it could be highly regressive.”

@dukechronicle

GPSC from page 3 In other business Former GPSC president Dan Griffin, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in classics, also spoke to the council about issues that will continue over from the previous year, including Duke’s financial standing. He said he believes that Duke survived the 2008 financial crisis well, but the graduate and professional schools continue to be forced to make difficult financial decisions like many of their peer institutions. “Although Duke did well comparatively, we had to roll back some [budget] cuts in addition to supporting the new Duke campus in China, so we will be facing the repercussions,” Griffin said. The GPSC executive board also discussed the upcoming annual GPSC Campout—the graduate and professional schools’ largest event of the year, scheduled to take place Sept. 16. At the Campout, graduate students vie for men’s basketball season tickets, similar to an abridged Krzyzewskiville tenting process. Basketball Committee co-chairs, Jonathan Kotula, fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in molecular genetics and microbiology, and Kristin McDonald, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in genetics and genomics, said the Campout will feature a new silent auction to raise money for the Emily K Center. Winners will have the opportunity to attend a closed men’s basketball practice and a small group dinner with men’s head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Other top prizes will include jerseys signed by Krzyzewski and men’s and women’s basketball players.


THE CHRONICLE

CAMERON from page 1 it should be [in politics.]” As a Rhodes scholar, Cameron studied human rights law in Keble College, Oxford, from 1975 to 1977, when he embarked on his career to fight for constitutional rights of South African citizens.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 | 5

Cameron called the post-apartheid period an exciting and frightening time of constitutional change, one prompting Cameron to redirect his personal life. And though Cameron is openly gay, he said this was not always the case, noting a particular incident that inspired him to make a change in his personal life. In 1996, when President Bill Clinton

IRINA DANESCU/THE CHRONICLE

South African Justice Edwin Cameron speaks before an audience in Smith Warehouse about the importance of diversity and realizing “a common humanity” among various social groups.

signed the Defense of Marriage Act— barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage and allowing states to do the same—Cameron decided to divorce his wife and change the life he said was “alien to [his] own self.” “I determined never to apologize again,” Cameron said. In an open discussion with the audience, Cameron noted the value of diversity and recognizing people’s differences as well as similarities—the balance of which leads to a common humanity, he said. “By celebrating the difference [in people], you are bringing in strength,” he noted. Cameron said one’s gender orientation, cultural heritage and racial differences can facilitate social progress. He added that it is the mission of the South African court system to protect citizens’ public expressiveness, form of group practices and access to legal rights for all people. Still, South Africa has a long way to go to achieve this end. Residents of South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as faculty members and students from the Triangle area, came to hear Cameron speak. Robin Kirk, program director of the Duke Human Rights Center, said the speech catered specifically to lawyers and scholars, whose notion of the Constitution and their way of interpreting and implementing it is being challenged. Janie Long, director of Duke’s Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life, said the speech was thoughtprovoking. In an interview after the talk, Cameron said his message extends to the Duke community, particularly the LGBT push for equality. “It’s ennobling, it’s right and we should celebrate it,” he said.

DUSDAC from page 3 the existing Merchants on Points program. One of the possible eateries is Jersey Mike’s Subs—a sub-sandwich style vendor. “Their director of dining was very interested in getting out here to know Duke students,” said co-Chair Jane Moore, a senior. Moore said she would support the addition of Jersey Mike’s, adding that she believes it is a tastier option than competitor Jimmy John’s, which is already on the MOP system. Dunkin’ Donuts is the latest addition to the MOP program. DUSDAC members, however, said they were a bit unclear as to how the delivery process would work. Moore and Gordon said the idea of Dunkin’ Donuts driving out to Duke simply to deliver a cup of coffee or a donut seemed confusing. The number of merchants participating in the MOP program will remain at 20, Johnson added. In other business: DUSDAC also considered different methods of receiving feedback from students on their dining experiences to encourage a higher volume of response. Gordon said she is concerned that there are students out there that want to voice their opinions but do not know where to direct them. Options currently being considered include a DukeMobile Dining feedback app and displaying comment cards at more venues so that students no longer have to take the time to fill out a feedback form online.


Sports

>> INSIDE

The Chronicle

WEDNESDAY September 7, 2011

Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and the Blue Devils have a tough nonconference schedule in 2011-12, including another game against Connecticut. PAGE 7

www.dukechroniclesports.com

FOOTBALL

Academic success no longer an excuse for Duke Stanford, Northwestern prove victories on and off the football field are possible The 2011 U.S. News and World Report national university rankings indicate that Stanford is considered the fifth-best research institution in the country, while Duke comes in at ninth. A similar glance at the AP Top 25 football rankings reveals that Stanford is ranked as the sixth best team in the country, while Duke is predictably absent from the list. There is not a significant difference between being ranked fifth and ninth in academic rankings that are shaken up every year to sell a new issue. However, the fact that Stanford is a top-10 football program, yet Duke would likely not make the AP rankings if they were expanded to seventy-five teams, should be alarming to the Blue Devil faithful. For too long, the Blue Devils have allowed themselves to be trampled on by teams from the rest of the ACC and around the country. The excuse has alJason ways been that Duke is a small private school with a sterling academic reputation, so the struggles on the gridiron should be expected. No longer should this free pass be extended, thanks to programs like Stanford, Northwestern, and Wake Forest—teams that haven’t been asking for a handicap, but instead are finding a way to win despite their academic standards and smaller fan bases. These schools have been able to win, despite fielding inferior athletes, by recruiting to their unique systems—and there is no reason Duke cannot do the same. Now, having student-athletes who are serious about the former part of that hyphenated word should be a source of pride for Duke players, coaches, and administrators. And it is for a group that had a 95 percent graduation success rate in 2010. “It was one of the reasons that I decided to come here,” sophomore Ross Cockrell said. “Duke has a rep-

Palmatary On Football

utation that is second to none. Everybody wants to go to the NFL, but you have to have a backup plan, and going to Duke secures that backup plan.” Still, it is not just about the classroom. The coaching staff is confident that the quality of players they are signing is much improved, and while acknowledging the importance of academics, ability on the field seems to be emphasized above all else. In fact, several players acknowledged that they didn’t think academics were a major selling point in their recruitments. “If a guy can’t play football, I don’t care what his grades are,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We’ll hunt football players and then get into their academic commitment and their character commitment.” In terms of attracting talent, the Cardinal will come into Wallace Wade with a roster that features five preseason All Pac-12 performers, including a Heisman Trophy frontrunner and likely top pick in next year’s NFL Draft, quarterback Andrew Luck. The Stanford coaching staff has meticulously assembled a group of talented players that, more importantly, fit their system, allowing them to create a winning formula. All the while, they have maintained an impressive graduation success rate of 86 percent, best among the top-25 ranked teams in Division I. “You can build a team in several different ways,” linebacker Kelby Brown said. “Stanford has smart kids there, and they have a very successful program. You can build a team around guys that are smart, work hard, and want to do their job.” Using that template, Stanford has made bowl appearances the last two seasons, losing a tightly contested Sun Bowl to Oklahoma in 2009 and blowing out ACC champion Virginia Tech in last year’s Orange Bowl. While the Cardinal did have a few futile years in the middle of the decade, its halting of USC’s 35-game home winning SEE PALMATARY ON PAGE 8

TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE

Duke should be commended for its high graduation rate, Jason Palmatary writes, but that should not allow for lower on-field standards.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Top recruit set for official visit on Saturday Austin Rivers, one of the most-hyped freshman basketball players to set foot on Duke’s campus in recent history, was ranked third in his class in the final class of 2011 recruiting rankings from ESPN and Scout.com. This year, the Blue Devils may have their sights set one slot higher, on power forward Mitch McGary, who currently ranks second on those same lists in the class of 2012. McGary will be in Durham this weekend making his official visit to Duke, though he does not yet hold a scholarship offer from the Blue Devils. MITCH MCGARY He visited Michigan last weekend and North Carolina yesterday. He has yet to schedule planned visits to Florida, Kentucky and Maryland. ESPN’s Adam Finkelstein reported last week that McGary will have the opportunity to take as many as ten official visits—five more than usual—because of his status as a postgraduate player. The only requirement is that he only take five trips before Oct. 15, the date the NCAA begins acknowledging him as a postgrad. McGary is a high-energy power forward who possesses size, strength and a strong work ethic. He measured 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot wingspan at the LeBron James Skills Academy this past July and weighed in at 258 pounds. He is recognized as a prolific rebounder at

both ends of the floor and shows excellent consistency and physicality on the offensive end. Chosen to participate in the Elite 24 showcase in Venice Beach, Calif. last week, McGary stole headlines by breaking a glass backboard with a thunderous dunk in warmups, delaying the start of one of the games. He required 37 stitches after landing in the pile of shards. After starring for three years at Chesterton High School in Chesterton, Ind., a small town in northwest Indiana, McGary decided to transfer to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in Wolfeboro, N.H., and repeat his junior year. Last year, his first at Brewster, he wasn’t even a starter for a team that won the 2010 National Prep School Championship and featured five players who went on to receive Division-I scholarships. He will play out his fifth high-school year at Brewster this season alongside heralded small forward and Durham native T.J. Warren. Though he was relegated to sixth-man duties at school, McGary’s stock exploded on the club circuit this past summer, though his AAU game is a bit difficult to evaluate since he was a 19-year-old playing for an under-17 squad. Due to his advanced age, he also could theoretically be eligible for the 2012 NBA draft without ever setting foot on a college campus. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players are draft-eligible if they are 20 years old at the time of the draft and are a year

removed from high-school graduation. McGary reclassified for the class of 2012 as a recruit, but his graduation date is still officially listed as 2011, so he will meet both requirements if the 2012 draft takes place at its usual late-June date. That CBA has expired, however, and there is uncertainty surrounding the future of draft eligibility requirements if and when a new labor agreement is reached. Although McGary’s Brewster coach Jason Smith told Rivals.com that McGary “has not even thought about or contemplated going from Brewster Academy directly to the NBA,” AAU coach Wayne Brumm said the option had not been ruled out. McGary told Detroit News columnist Sam Webb in late July that he hopes to commit before the start of his final year, and said he “would like to play right away.” Duke, whose frontcourt could take a big hit with the graduation of Miles Plumlee and the potential early departure of Mason Plumlee, could use reinforcement at the forward position. McGary would certainly be a solution to that problem, though it’s unclear how long he is planning to stay in school. If the excitement surrounding Rivers is any indication, though, McGary could bring even greater hype were he to step on campus as a freshman next season. —from staff reports


THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 | 7

fromstaffreports Rape suffers torn ACL, will miss remainder of season Defender Ashley Rape suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in Duke’s 3-1 victory over then-No. 1 Notre Dame on Aug. 28, associate sports information director Lindy Brown confirmed to The Chronicle on Tuesday. Rape, who has torn the same ligament twice before in her Duke career, will miss the rest of the 2011 season. The redshirt junior completed her first full collegiate season in 2010 and is coming off a summer in which she competed in Sweden with the United States U-23 national team. “Ashley is our heart and soul in the back,� Blue Devil head coach Robbie Church told GoDuke.com after beating the Fighting Irish. “She has put her life into our program the last four years.� Rape first tore her ACL during practice in Oct. 2008. Despite missing the last ten games of the season, she was named a Soccer Buzz first team freshman AllAmerican. She then redshirted the 2009 season after reinjuring the same knee. Women’s basketball announces nonconference slate Duke will play a tough group of teams on top of its ACC schedule in 2011-12, the program announced on Tuesday. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and the Blue Devils will face Connecticut at home on Jan. 30, the fourth meeting between the two teams in five years. Duke will play four other 2011 NCAA tournament teams—Kentucky, GardnerWebb, Purdue and Temple. The Blue Devils will travel to Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas to take part in the Junkaroo Jam against Gardner Webb and either Notre Dame or Southern California. “I really love the schedule for our team this season,� McCallie said in a press release. “I love the travel and the challenge of it. It’s an excellent opportunity to go out to BYU and open the season in a different part of the country. We will have the chance to play different teams from different conferences. Continuing right down through, I think it’s one of our better schedules.�

NATE GLENCER/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Ashley Rape tore her left ACL for the third time in her Duke career in the Blue Devils’ 3-1 win over then-No. 1 Notre Dame on Aug. 28.

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PALMATARY from page 6 streak in 2007 showed that it, even in a down season, was capable of competing with a team consistently boasting top recruiting classes. This clearly has not been the case for Duke. Northwestern and Wake Forest, the other two programs that offer the best peer comparison, have also had success earning bowl berths in the last decade. Northwestern has gone to five bowl games over that time period, including each of the last three seasons, and Wake Forest has played in four postseason contests, including the 2007 Orange Bowl after going 11-2 and winning the 2006 ACC championship. The point is not that the Blue Dev-

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ils should be competing for a national championship. Still, they should be able to qualify for bowl games in seasons where they have a more experienced roster and be competitive enough to pull off four or five victories even in rebuilding campaigns. It doesn’t seem like anyone in Durham disagrees that the work of ex-Stanford head man Jim Harbaugh serves as a how-to-kit for Duke—the Blue Devils need to start by recruiting the right players for its system. “I’d like to go beyond their model, that’s the approach to take,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m very complimentary of what they’ve done as an elite academic institution. I’m proud of what Stanford has done for college football. We’re on that path, that is where we’re headed.”

The Blue Zone has daily coverage of Duke athletics all week long, online at sports.chronicleblogs.com RESEARCH STUDIES PARTICIPANTS NEEDED!

Duke Psychology Lab needs research participants. Studies pay $12/hour and typically last 30 minutes-2 hours. Tasks may include studying words, sentences, or pictures, and taking tests. For information about specific studies, contact dukestudy@hotmail.com. Must be at least 18, a Duke Undergraduate, and a US citizen.

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APARTMENTS FOR RENT LOVELY GARDEN APARTMENT FREE IN EXCHANGE FOR GARDEN HELP

Charming, completely furnished garden apartment is available in exchange for garden work in a lovely, extensive organic garden. Includes a queen bed, study alcove (or nursery), full bathroom (shower, not a tub), full laundry room, overflow storage, living room, and delightful front yard facing into Duke Forest. All utilities (water, gas, electric) are paid. Linens are provided. A trail to Duke Forest begins on the property, which is in a blissful rural area. We are seeking a graduate student (or couple) who has an interest in - and preferably experience with - gardening. We maintain about 5 acres of carefully tended organic garden, including perennials, annuals in pretty containers, ample evergreens (particularly in the oriental garden and around the Japanese tea house), five water features (all recycling) and a small orchard. The garden is managed by a skilled horticulturalist, under whose supervision the apartment denizen(s) would work. The exchange is 20 hours per week of garden work for the furnished apartment with all utilities paid. Applicants must be willing to submit three references, and if selected, then spend a trial week working (for at least 20 hours, paid at $10/hr) under the supervision of horticulturalist Justin Waller. Non-smokers only, please. For more information please call (919) 490-1481 or email maangle@duke.edu

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10 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Make housing model embody gender-neutrality The gender-neutral hous- itly carry sexual connotations. ing pilot program that Duke Mandatory same gender houslaunched this Fall manages to ing brands mixed gender living expand student options without as a dissolute way of life—an oprealizing true gender-neutral- tion too lawless for all but postity. In its present incarnation, collegiate adults. True genderDuke’s genderneutrality strives editorial neutral plan alto minimize lows males and distinctions befemales to share two and three- tween gender, and Duke’s polbedroom apartments on Cen- icy will miss this mark so long tral Campus or live in the same as members of the opposite hallways on West. Even for a gender cannot live together as pilot, this program comes up roommates across campus. short—the program allows for The University’s plan does only one opposite gender stu- mirror the structure set by many dent in a three-bedroom apart- of its peers in recent years. Yale ment on Central and allows no University tried their own genmixed gender roommate pairs der-neutral experiment in 2010 on West. by affording seniors an opporThe current mandatory liv- tunity to live in mixed gender ing arrangements perpetuate a suites but not mixed gender stigma where the interactions rooms. Yale was the last of the between male and female stu- Ivy League universities to instidents in residence halls implic- tute gender-neutral housing,

This is no time for a knee-jerk reaction. Duke football has done a lot to rebuild the football program over the last decade. The program has improved. Slow and steady wins the race. —“Alum ‘97” commenting on the story “How long is too long for Cut?” 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.

and the shift garnered a positive response. Yale’s scheme, like Duke’s, gives Yale room to constrain the activities of its students without completely restricting their living arrangements, and even managed to keep some students from living off campus. True enough, a more comprehensive gender-neutral plan may lure some seniors back to the Gothic Wonderland. But the plan’s ultimate goal should be to offer a complete set of housing options for all students. In particular, true gender-neutral housing should accommodate students regardless of sexual orientation. Samesex roommates confront LGBT students with precisely the tension that motivates a conservative gender-neutral policy in the first place. A systematic

gender-neutral policy stems from Duke’s obligation to give all students equal regard. The residential overhaul offered by the house model gives Duke a chance to get genderneutral housing right. Genderneutrality can only undermine stigma when it is available across campus. But a campus wide option need not turn the tables on students who prefer same-gender hallways—mixed gender rooms and same-gender hallways should both be available on an opt-in basis. To successfully integrate gender-neutrality into the house model, administrators may have to walk the line of logistical chaos. Last summer’s gender-neutral imbroglios remind us that assigning rooms is anything but simple. To avoid friction on a large-scale, the

administration needs to build a gender-neutral room assignment system now. Perhaps a flexible approach will work best; if the administration avoids classifying some houses as gender-neutral, it can give itself room to assign gender-neutral sections purely on the basis of student demand. In any case, houses should include a diverse range of same gender and mixed gender rooms. If the lion’s share of houses have gender-neutral and same gender options, student house preferences will not compromise student roommate preferences. Students are adults and they have a right to determine which living situation fits them best. This ambition can only find realization in true genderneutral housing.

Duke’s venture forward

onlinecomment

Est. 1905

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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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SANETTE TANAKA, Editor NICHOLAS SCHWARTZ, Managing Editor NICOLE KYLE, News Editor CHRIS CUSACK, Sports Editor MELISSA YEO, Photography Editor MEREDITH JEWITT, Editorial Page Editor CORY ADKINS, Editorial Board Chair MELISSA DALIS, Co-Managing Editor for Online JAMES LEE, Co-Managing Editor for Online DEAN CHEN, Director of Online Operations JONATHAN ANGIER, General Manager TOM GIERYN, Sports Managing Editor KATIE NI, Design Editor LAUREN CARROLL, University Editor ANNA KOELSCH, University Editor CAROLINE FAIRCHILD, Local & National Editor YESHWANTH KANDIMALLA, Local & National Editor MICHAEL SHAMMAS, Health & Science Editor JULIAN SPECTOR, Health & Science Editor TYLER SEUC, News Photography Editor CHRIS DALL, Sports Photography Editor ROSS GREEN, Recess Editor MAGGIE LOVE, Recess Managing Editor CHELSEA PIERONI, Recess Photography Editor SOPHIA PALENBERG, Online Photo Editor DREW STERNESKY, Editorial Page Managing Editor CHRISTINE CHEN, Wire Editor SAMANTHA BROOKS, Multimedia Editor MOLLY HIMMELSTEIN, Special Projects Editor for Video CHRISTINA PEÑA, Towerview Editor RACHNA REDDY, Towerview Editor NATHAN GLENCER, Towerview Photography Editor MADDIE LIEBERBERG, Towerview Creative Director TAYLOR DOHERTY, Special Projects Editor CHRISTINA PEÑA, Special Projects Editor for Online LINDSEY RUPP, Senior Editor TONI WEI, Senior Editor COURTNEY DOUGLAS, Recruitment Chair TONI WEI, Recruitment Chair MARY WEAVER, Operations Manager CHRISSY BECK, Advertising/Marketing Director BARBARA STARBUCK, Production Manager REBECCA DICKENSON, Chapel Hill Ad Sales Manager The Chronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 103 West Union Building, call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 101 West Union Building call 684-3811 or fax 684-8295. Visit The Chronicle Online at http://www.dukechronicle.com. © 2010 The Chronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C. 27708. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior, written permission of the Business Office. Each individual is entitled to one free copy.

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t the end of last year, I spent days talking to The current solution to this paradox is to connect the Young Trustee candidates. When I got the with students through international alumni and to inopportunity to question them, I tried to ask vite international school counselors to campus. Forming questions I thought were sensitive yet these connections will go further than a crucial, including many about Duke’s few advertisements or a presentation, plans to build a campus in Kunshan. as employing local representatives will Many of the candidates’ responses give the University a presence in far-off regarding the venture were standard. places like China or India. Again, in an They argued for the need to expand ironic twist, the fact that Duke has had without cutting jobs in Durham and such a small international presence emphasized a need to get all the facts in years past means there are very few before making a final judgment. antonio segalini alumni to form these connections for One candidate, however, took it a us. Duke has spent much of its focus in musings step further in stating that Duke’s inspecific locations—namely China and ternationalization should not be limother Asian countries—which means ited to outward expansion, but should also include the large alumni groups present there are reinforcing the recruitment of international students to diversify the Duke brand rather than expanding it. Throw in an this Gothic Wonderland. Expanding international ambitious project with our name on it and our most fafinancial aid—a burden that falls completely on the mous P.R. asset, Duke men’s basketball, touring through University—would lead to a greater influx of foreign the country and you’ve got a publicity overload. students of all financial backgrounds. As a university If Duke can’t afford (I have $17.62 in my savings that prides itself on its inclusive grant and loan system account; I can’t afford a taxi to the airport) to recruit for domestic students, it’s about time we opened up students from more untapped locations, they will conthese opportunities to all students around the world. tinue to focus on a few target markets such as China. Though it’s idealistic to believe that Duke can finan- Since the first 100 people to apply from an untapped cially support everyone, expanding Duke’s financial location such as Sweden or even parts of Canada are aid abroad would make it possible for more interna- more likely to add to Duke’s atmosphere than the tional students to matriculate. next 100 people from New Jersey, getting the word Duke’s decision 10 years ago to invest in diversify- out to new places is crucial. ing the student body has paid off. The Class of 2015 And the easiest way to do this is to employ the largfeatures one of the largest numbers of international est and most knowledgeable group Duke has, its stustudents in the school’s history, with 142 students rep- dents. Well over 500 students applied to go abroad resenting 55 countries. Dean of Undergraduate Admis- this summer and fall, with over 250 students applying sions Christoph Guttentag captured the importance of to “Duke-in” programs. These students go everywhere this effort when he said “International students add from Australia to Barcelona to South Africa. Tapping texture and talent to the class that make for a better this massive resource is as easy as hiring a few of the undergraduate experience for everyone.” Today, a sig- students to give information sessions abroad during nificant increase in international applications shows a their free time. It can be a work-study job or given to steady increase in interest from abroad, with interna- those who were tour guides when they were on camtional students having a similar matriculation rate to pus. Either way, the only cost would be a stipend to those accepted from the States. Duke will most likely the students that would be weighted based on cost of never have completely need-blind admissions for in- living. Since the number of applications is increasing, ternational students—something which would be an it’s safe to assume that Duke will continue sending irresponsible promise and significant commitment of students to these places and therefore will have a confunds that Duke doesn’t have—but increased availabil- stant presence if it so chooses. ity of aid will make it a more need-opaque process. According to The Chronicle, Dean Guttentag Duke’s international outreach has been hindered “added that Duke is currently searching for ways to by a lack of funds (this sounded weird when I wrote it, increase the University’s name recognition.” In saytoo) and personnel, however. ing this he should have remembered that Duke has Acknowledging the constraints, Guttentag ad- students like Felix Wibergh, who is trying to increase mitted “We don’t travel internationally to recruit as Duke awareness in Sweden and Talia Glodjo, who is much as we would like or as much as some colleges trying to do the same in Canada. Duke students love do.” Ironically, by making the decision to increase fi- to talk about their university. It’s about time adminisnancial aid internationally, Duke took away resources trators used that to their advantage. it would need to reach a larger audience (and, yet, some short-sighted columnist will miss the point and Antonio Segalini is a Trinity junior. His column runs blame the administration). every Wednesday.


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Eat more Chirba

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ompared to most college campuses, Duke has a cornucopia of on-campus cuisine. Many colleges offer only a few dining halls that tend to serve similar types of food, kind of like the Marketplace and the Great Hall. Duke, on the other hand, offers small eateries all over campus and food delivery with Merchants on Points. Additionally, Duke allows food trucks to come to campus. rui dai Since the start of classes, a picture’s worth food trucks have been a rare but welcome sight on Duke’s campus. Last Wednesday, instead of holding the traditional barbecue, Sophomore Year Experience brought mobile vendors to West Campus to welcome the sophomores. The turnout was phenomenal. Not only did sophomores use their $6 voucher for a meal from one of the food trucks, but upperclassmen and people from all over Duke’s campuses came to enjoy the food. When I was there, I even saw a group of medical workers in scrubs from the hospital lining up for Bulkogi. Food trucks are nothing new to Duke’s campus. Two of the food trucks invited to the Sophomore Year Experience Kickoff Party, Bulkogi and Only Burger, are frequent visitors to the Duke Bubble. Only Burger has held an almost permanent place on East Campus as long as I can remember. It even has a Facebook page with over 3,600 “likes” that uses its status to list the truck’s location. There was one among the new food trucks at the Kickoff that made my mouth water: Chirba Chirba. Chirba Chirba provides an unusual blend of authentic Chinese dumplings and Americanized marketing. Unlike completely Americanized Chinese food, Chirba Chirba’s juicy dumplings provide an experience that can almost transport you halfway across the globe to Shanghai. No other eatery on campus provides such a specialized delicacy. The 45 minutes I had to wait for the food to arrive attests to the popularity of the uniquely delicious dumplings. Food trucks already add tremendously to the diversity of food options available on campus. However, they do not appear to even come close to meeting the demand of Duke students, staff and faculty. Duke students are an increasingly diverse group. The incoming Class of 2015 contains 142 international students from 55 countries, and this number is expected to increase in the future. Therefore, Duke’s food options must also diversify. Food trucks would provide an easy method of increasing variety without bankrupting the already indebted Duke Dining Services. Because the trucks are mobile, Duke Dining Services would not need to set up a permanent facility for each truck. Instead, trucks could travel between campuses on a set schedule of one or two trucks per campus per day. Months ahead of time, Duke Dining could schedule and post on its web site the times and places that a specific truck would be on campus. One truck could come to West Campus on Mondays or every other Monday, another could take its place on Tuesdays, and so forth. The schedule could change from month to month, but it would be crucial for students to know ahead of time when and where each truck would be on campus. A schedule of food trucks would not only add a spark to the list of available food options (that gradually becomes old as the school year drags on), but it would also limit the competition for other eateries on campus. Because food trucks would come to campus according to a pre-set schedule, there would be no sudden influx of additional competition for existing eateries. Students who like one or two food trucks would have to wait for the day and place that those trucks appear on campus. This way, students would neither tire of the food trucks nor stop eating at on-campus options. Moreover, one of the main rationales behind the reduction of hours for the Merchant on Points (MOP) program, could be that MOP is not conducive to communal meals around the dining table. Though MOP delivery hours are now returned to normal, food trucks can perhaps even help alleviate that particular perceived problem. The notorious snail’s pace of food truck service almost demands that students huddle in a crowd and engage in conversation around the truck for upwards of 20 minutes while waiting for their meal. The only thing that’s missing for a traditional dining experience is tables and chairs— and that can easily be arranged. Rui Dai is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 | 11

commentaries

lettertotheeditor We didn’t start the fire Last weekend, The New York Times published the article “After Class, Skimpy Equality” written by Lisa Belkin. The article begins with an anecdote about a Duke University fraternity’s inappropriate party invitations and the response of the Duke student body, particularly the establishment of the Greek Women’s Initiative. I am the President and co-founder of the Greek Women’s Initiative. While I applaud Ms. Belkin for her frank, insightful look into the sexual underbelly of today’s college life, I believe that she missed some of the context and complexity of the issue at hand, particularly when it comes to Duke. Ms. Belkin asks in her article why sexualization has once again become acceptable in college. She writes as though sexualization went into remission. From the perspective of a current college student, it seems that the college culture of debauchery and objectification never went away. My generation has grown up watching movies that glorify these social problems. From “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), to “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984), to “American Pie 2” (2001) and “Van Wilder” (2002), media has consistently shown a college world where women are the sexy sluts and men are the drunken guys trying to score with them. Women walk onto a college campus with pornographic labels already stuck to them: “hot young co-ed” or “freshmeat.” We are caricatures before we even say our names. Everyone knows about these stereotypes when they come to col-

lege, and there is a pressure to conform to them. The main priority of incoming freshmen arriving in an unfamiliar environment is to fit in as quickly as possible. As a result, some men and women succumb to the pressure. Many of us, however, are not going along with it. In recent years, men and women have been making a serious effort to change campus culture. The Duke Greek Women’s Initiative was founded and is run completely by students. It boasts members from almost every greek chapter on Duke’s campus, both male and female, and each member devotes time and energy to understanding and ameliorating gender problems at Duke. The email incident was not the first or even the most egregious degrading invitation sent by a fraternity during my two years at Duke. However, following the uproar over the emails, the fraternity responsible for them sent two members to work with the GWI to help effect positive change. Furthermore, the Duke Panhellenic Association has been working for the past year to better sorority recruitment, housing and social circumstances for a more empowering sorority experience. Yes, the college gender culture is a problem, and yes, students often perpetuate that problem. However, we did not create this culture; we inherited it. More importantly, we are committed to changing it. Kelsey Woodford, Trinity ’13 President, Greek Women’s Initiative

Justice in the academy

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ast April, the Department of Education’s Office for used in civil cases and that it is also used in Title VII cases Civil Rights did something it’s never done before: (Title VII also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex). In what was dubbed the “Dear Colleague” letter, it Although it’s true that these investigations into sexual asfinally specified how universities should sault at universities are not criminal casrespond to sexual violence allegations, es—they are not being prosecuted by the which have been classified as Title IX viostate—it is also true that they are not really lations since the law was written. Associate civil cases insofar as the complainant is not Dean of Students Stephen Bryan, who also directly suing the alleged perpetrator. The serves as the director of the Office of Stuuniversity is leading the investigation as if dent Conduct, explained in an email that it were a criminal court (with, however, an Duke has already made some immediate unrepresented defendant). Samantha Harchanges to its disciplinary policy as a result michael goodrich ris of the Foundation for Individual Rights of the new guidelines, including that “alin Education (FIRE) is quoted in an article leged violations of university policy that fall between parentheses in Philadelphia Magazine in which she under Title IX (e.g., harassment, sexual asexplains that “we’re not sending these stusault) will now be resolved using the ‘preponderance of dents to prison, but the terminology is the same. They’re evidence’ standard, while our standard will remain ‘clear found guilty of serious criminal offenses.” Expulsion from and convincing’ for all other cases.” Dean Bryan also a university for a sexual crime is a permanent mark on a stuwrote “students who come forward with such allegations dent’s life, and the possibility of wrongful convictions only against another student will have the same appeal rights increases with lower evidence standards. that an accused student has currently in our disciplinary The low burden of proof stipulated by the “Dear Colprocess.” More changes are pending: The Office of Stu- league” letter has been a cause of concern for many in dent Conduct has not yet completed its evaluation of the academia. The American Association of University Profes19 page long “Dear Colleague” letter. sors even sent a letter to the Office for Civil Rights explainOverall, the guidelines in the letter are a forward step. ing that the new standard is too low and that, depending Ada Gregory, director of the Women’s Center, explained on interpretation, it could even lead to restrictions on the in an email that “most offenders commit multiple crimes speech of professors who are trying to open dialogues before any intervention and that recidivism is likely.” This on uncomfortable topics. The AAUP recommends using means that sexual assault needs to be aggressively pros- the “clear and convincing” standard—Duke’s previous ecuted in order to maintain a safe atmosphere in any standard—which, according to Dean Bryan, constitutes institution—especially a residential-academic one. Sexual roughly a 75 percent certainty of guilt. assault is more common on university campuses than Problems with evidentiary standards are only commost realize—indeed last year the Women’s Center at pounded by the fact that, under Title IX regulations, Duke received 21 reports of rape and 23 reports of sexual every complaint of assault must receive a full investigaassault. Even this number likely doesn’t reflect how many tion. Lauren Sieben, writing in the Chronicle of Higher sexual assaults actually occurred at Duke, given that many Education explains that “criminal prosecutors, for lack of of these crimes go unreported. evidence, decline to pursue many cases; under Title IX, However, in spite of the clear merit of many aspects of colleges must.” Sieben quotes Peter F. Lake, director of the “Dear Colleague” letter, a few of the specific changes the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and seem misguided. Before these guidelines were issued last Policy at Stetson University, who says that “We’ve been year, Duke used the “clear and convincing” standard of lured into doing something in a criminal-justice model evidence in all cases, which falls in between the “prepon- that the criminal-justice system itself hasn’t been able to derance of evidence” and “beyond a reasonable doubt” deal with.” standards in terms of strictness. Dean Bryan explained Unfortunately, universities have no choice but to comthat “a ‘preponderance of evidence’ simply means more ply with every one of these guidelines because they are likely than not.” In other words, students can now be ex- tied to Title IX funding. The “Dear Colleague” letter still pelled from Duke if there is 51 percent certainty that they is a step forward in dealing with the unfortunately high have committed a sexual crime. We like to use the scale as number of sexual assaults that occur on college campuses a symbol for justice, but when it comes down to it, our le- nationwide, but punitive measures cannot be favored over gal system is set up to lean towards the defendant because due process. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about creatof the belief that innocence must be presumed and that ing university-level judicial policy that’s a bit more reflecthe shame of an undeserved acquittal is outweighed by tive of our national standards of justice. the horror of an innocent’s conviction. The “Dear Colleague” letter justifies using the “preponMichael Goodrich is a Trinity senior. His column runs evderance of evidence” standard because it is the standard ery other Wednesday.


12 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

SCHOOL from page 1 15 days to raise $100,000, they managed to collect that amount in nine days, said Roice Fulton, vice president of the Governor’s School Foundation. Fulton said the groups’ success inspired them to set an ultimate goal of raising the $1 million necessary to operate both Governor’s School campuses at full capacity without charging an estimated $2,100 per student. The efforts were one of the first instances where a public education program with an unknown future held a campaign to raise private funds, he added. “That was the beginning of our fundraising drive,” Hart said. “Working mostly through alumni for whom we had recently updated contact information, through our Facebook group and through our websites, we were able to raise $175,000 by the deadline.” Junior Elena Botella, who attended the program, said she was not surprised that

TORNADO from page 1 with a speed of 35 mph. Durham had been on a tornado watch since midday. Kammie Michael, public information officer for the Durham Police Department, wrote in an email Tuesday that the tornado caused no large-scale damage to Durham. “We did have a report of a tree down blocking the road at West Club Boulevard and Hillandale Road and another large tree down blocking a section of Swarthmore Road,” Michael said. “We had some weather-related traffic accidents but no serious injuries.” There is no uniform protocol dictat-

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the Governor’s School Foundation was able to raise money so quickly. Botella called Governor’s School “an investment,” adding that it brings people together from different backgrounds who want to see the state succeed. “The General Assembly is mistaken if it thinks it can have a fast-growing economy without cultivating talent,” she said. Governor’s School has been affected by budget cuts since last year, when the General Assembly removed $475,000 from its budget, forcing officials to charge tuition—$500 per student—for the first time in the program’s history. Governor’s School was also forced to decrease its enrollment from 800 students to 600—300 on each campus. According to the Governor’s School Foundation website, the monetary campaign aims to restore the program’s tuition-free status. Fulton said he attributed the campaign’s success largely to the program’s 35,000 alumni, many of whom held their own small gatherings as well as wrote testimonials and letters to

the state legislature. He added that 80 percent of funds raised came from small donations. The Foundation’s tactics also included soliciting major gifts and appealing to philanthropists and major players throughout the state. Fulton noted that the organization applied for several grants, adding that BB&T had already awarded the Governor’s School Foundation a $20,000 grant. The Foundation hired the WinstonSalem-based fundraising company The Winslow Group—headed by Governor’s School alumnus David Winslow—to help with the efforts. Despite future challenges, alumni are confident about the program’s future. Hart said the groups will continue working in order to approach the N.C. Board of Education in November with enough funds to convince them to continue Governor’s School with 2012 sessions. “It’s been very inspiring to see the show of support and we really aspire to the restoration of [state] funding for 2013,” Fulton said.

ing how professors and students in class should respond to weather-related or other DukeAlerts, Provost Peter Lange said, noting that the variety of alerts prevents uniform responses from being effective. “There is no single policy because alerts differ and situations differ,” he said. “You are supposed to listen to the alert and respond accordingly, as we would expect any professor to do.” Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta noted that appropriate responses to the tornado depended to some extent on the type of building students were in at the time of the warning. “What you would do for [the Fuqua School of Business]—which is contained within a building—is different than what

you would do with [the Trinity College of] Arts and Sciences that spans dozens of buildings,” Moneta said. “If you are in a Gothic building, it doesn’t get much safer than that.” Some facilities took the lead in responding to the tornado alert. In Lilly Library, a staff member at the front desk rang the closing bell and asked those present to move to the basement, said Carol Terry, a senior library assistant at Lilly. She estimated that approximately 40 to 50 students descended into the basement. “People were very cooperative,” Terry said. “[They asked] ‘Where do we go? Do we have class?’ And we said, ‘No, we don’t think you have class. We really want you to come downstairs.’”

LIBYA from page 4 mercenaries, military commanders and internally displaced people.” Estimates of the number of vehicles in the convoy to Niger varied from 50 to more than 200. An official of the rebels’ governing Transitional National Council said the vehicles were armed and carried more than 250 people. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so he could talk frankly, said the rebels are worried about security along Libya’s thousands of miles of border because they have no ability to lock it down. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the council, has asked Niger to stop Gadhafi and his top officials from crossing the border. But according to council members and media accounts from Niamey, the capital of Niger, the loyalist convoy was welcomed inside the country. Some students were unfazed by the warnings. Sophomore Coulter Knapp said he was studying a variety of dinosaur and mammal skulls in the basement of the Biological Sciences building when members of the class received the text alert. “We just looked at our phones and said, ‘Well, already done,’” he said. “As opposed to a tornado outside—I’d rather pick looking at skulls any day.” Senior Ari Bar-Mashiah said he was eating lunch when he received the message. “I took that to mean to just continue eating at the Refectory because I was hungry, and that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I feel like I would have noticed some sort of apocalyptic event occurring outside, and in that case I would have been a little more worried.”


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