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
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 21
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Policy changes result in fewer EMS calls
Some sax before you hit the sack
by Michael Shammas THE CHRONICLE
sonal lessons that I learned.” The award-winning documentary, which premiered in Charlotte last year, was created by the Echo Foundation—a social justice organization founded in 1997 using seed money donated by Wiesel. “We believe that each person has a responsibility to humanity,” Stephanie Ansaldo, Echo Foundation president and director of the film, said in an interview. “It is our obligation to contribute whatever talents we have to the
The administration’s charge to shift an alcoholcentric campus culture is enduring so far this academic year. The amount of emergencies involving alcohol poisoning has declined, Duke Police Chief John Dailey said, adding that overall there has been less irresponsible drinking on campus than in previous years. “We have seen fewer alcohol-related medical calls over the past few months than we did during the same period last year,” Dailey wrote in an email Monday. “We’ve had 67 for January to September 2011—last year, the total for the [corresponding] time was 78.” There have been approximately 82 EMS calls since the start of this academic year, senior Ryan Lipes, director of Duke Emergency Medical Services, said, adding that there was no unusual rise in calls during orientation. “Orientation week was a fairly average week for EMS calls,” Lipes wrote in an email Monday. “We had 22 EMS calls—six of which were alcohol-related.” Duirng the week of Sept. 12—the first full-week groups were allowed the have section parties—there were only five alcohol-related EMS calls, Dailey wrote in an email Wednesday. This is less than the three previous weeks, respectively. Recent policy changes—such as the prohibiting section parties in the first three weeks of school as opposed to the first two weeks—are a direct result of the University’s efforts to lessen alcohol’s pervasiveness on
SEE WIESEL ON PAGE 10
SEE EMS ON PAGE 4
NATE GLENCER/THE CHRONICLE
Students gather for Jazz at the Mary Lou Williams Center, held select Wednesday evenings.
Students retrace Wiesel’s steps by Allie Huttler THE CHRONICLE
An audience gathered to follow in the footsteps of a prominent Holocaust survivor Wednesday night. The Center for Documentary Studies held a showing of “In the Footsteps of Elie Wiesel”—a documentary that follows 12 students from CharlotteMecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C. as they travel to several locations significant in the life of Eli Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The film was followed by a panel discussion among
Duke faculty, the film’s directors and some of the students who participated in the trip—including junior Cate Auerbach, who organized the event. “My experience was very powerful and very impacting in some ways that I expected, but some that I did not,” Auerbach said. “I hoped to learn more about the Holocaust and Elie Wiesel’s personal experience, which I did, but in addition I learned about the importance of sharing that experience with others.... The event is one way in which I’ve been able to share that experience and continue the per-
Poll shows young voters ACLU files suit over skeptical of Social Security pro-life license plates by Arden Kreeger THE CHRONICLE
Young Americans would rather entrust their money to the Tooth Fairy than the federal government. In a recent poll, 66 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 said they believed their Social Security money is safer “under their pillow” than with the federal government. The poll, which was conducted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Generation Opportunity organization dedicated to educating and engaging young Americans, also indicated that 66 percent are “deeply concerned” about U.S. financial debt, and 76 percent believe government spending ought to be reduced. “A lot of people in the younger generation realize Social Security is a pay-as-yougo system, and there aren’t actually any
No. 4 Blue Devils continue ACC play against Miami, Page 5
resources set aside for paying those bills in the future,” said Connel Fullenkamp, director of undergraduate studies and professor of economics. The two major factors contributing to Social Security instability are increases in obligations relative to contribution and gradually declining labor force participation rates among the working-age population, Charles Becker, associate chair and research professor in the economics department, wrote in an email Tuesday. Becker described Social Security as a Ponzi scheme, but said the system will continue to exist as long as there are contributors. “Young people have swallowed the myth that Social Security would not be around for SEE SOCIAL SECURITY ON PAGE 4
by Lia Cromwell THE CHRONICLE
North Carolinians will not hit the polls until 2012, but the state is already absorbed in political controversy. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina Sept. 8 in reaction to N.C. General Assembly House Bill 289, which allows for numerous special interest groups to print license plates for profit. The suit was filed because the N.C. branch of Choose Life Inc., an advocacy group based in Florida, was granted the right to print plates while no pro-choice organizations were granted permission. According to the ACLU, this violates residents’ right to free speech. Representative Mitch Gillespie, RBurke, is the primary sponsor of HB 289.
N.C. farm turns waste into electricity, Page 3
He said the legislation is not meant to encroach on civil liberties, but rather to help pregnant women in N.C. “[The purpose of the bill] was to create an avenue to collect revenue to help support pregnancy crisis centers,” Gillespie said. “We have a legislative process here and we followed it. They tried to amend the bill [to include pro-choice license plates], but the amendment was voted down.” The ACLU is looking to change that. The “Choose Life” license plates, which would give $15 per plate to the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship—a Christian group that provides pregnancy counseling to women not seeking abortions—are currently SEE LICENSE PLATES ON PAGE 10
Admins vow to hear student opinions, Page 3