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 29, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 26
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Annual Clery Report shows Kornbluth named decrease in campus crime vice provost of academic affairs by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE
“For the number of people we have on campus with the amount of activity and the openness, the reported crime rate indicates that Duke is a safe campus,” DUPD Chief John Dailey said, noting that the numbers fluctuate each year. The Clery Act mandates that universities publish annual safety reports by Oct. 1, reporting crimes committed on campus and public property adjacent to it. As required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act, DUPD also released information regarding Duke’s fire safety procedures and statistics. Referrals to the Office of Student Conduct for alcohol violations have declined to 344 in 2010 from 363 in 2009, according to the report. The number of arrests for such
Sally Kornbluth, vice dean for research at the Duke University School of Medicine, will now serve as vice provost of academic affairs, the University announced Wednesday. Kornbluth, who is also the James B. Duke professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, will assume her new role officially in November, succeeding John Simon who left Duke in August to become the provost at the University of Virginia. “I look forward to getting to Sally Kornbluth know all of my colleagues on the [non-medical] campus side and to have opportunities to work with the provost,” Kornbluth said. “I’ve had great interactions with them outside of the Medical School, and that is part of what really motivates me to take this job.” As vice provost for academic affairs, Kornbluth will work closely with the Provost Peter Lange on a number of initiatives. Lange said she will be his right-hand person, in regards to academic and research-related projects. He noted that she will also mediate Duke’s discussions with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools—an organization that provides college accreditation. Everyone who works in the Office of the Provost has a personal academic focus beyond their office
SEE CRIME ON PAGE 4
SEE KORNBLUTH ON PAGE 10
CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY MELISSA YEO
by Yeshwanth Kandimalla THE CHRONICLE
University crime is on a small decline, according to a report issued by Duke University Police Department Tuesday. According to the Clery Security Report, which is published annually per federal law, Duke’s campus and adjacent areas saw fewer reported crimes in 2010 as compared to previous years. A total of 439 crimes were reported on campus in 2010, compared to 516 in 2009 and 444 in 2008. The number of crimes reported in the last year decreased in every major category since 2009—including alcohol violations, burglaries, sexual offenses and drug violations—except for motor vehicle thefts, which increased from 14 in 2009 to 15 in 2010 on campus and in immediate vicinity.
Johnson issues a ‘call Student loan default rates on to action’ to students the rise for recent graduates by Amanda Young by Kelly Scurry THE CHRONICLE
Journalist and social activist Jeff Johnson sought to empower the black community at Duke Wednesday night. Johnson spoke about the ways students can enact change in the world in the Duke chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s annual “Back-to-School Engagement” event. Johnson, who previously served as the national director of NAACP’s Youth and College Division, is an MSNBC contributor and the White House correspondent for The Grio, a video news organization that focuses on important issues to the black community. Johnson discussed several strategies that college students can employ in their
daily lives, especially in their student organizations. These strategies focus on creating a strong-bodied group that has a clear “call to action.” “As you lay out a call to action, it’s challenging because it implies that people aren’t there [already],” Johnson said. Johnson stressed the need for all leaders to have a vision. He explained that if a movement lacks a vision, then “no one will join.” He also emphasized a group’s need to prioritize quality over quantity. He stated that some organizations need to stop trying to recruit people who are unlikely to join and start working with the people that they have. He suggested that leaders
New student group calls for recognition, Page 3
SEE JOHNSON ON PAGE 4
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THE CHRONICLE
Last May, David Piccirilli graduated from Duke with a diploma in hand and $170,000 in loans in the back of his mind. He must now enlist help from his parents to help repay his loans or face default. “My job doesn’t pay very much compared to the jobs of other students,” said Piccirilli, a market control assistant at a inter-dealer brokerage firm in New York City. “With rent and daily expenses, I would barely be able to make minimum payments on my loans on my own.” Piccirilli is part of an increasing number of borrowers who default on their student loans. At Duke, one-third undergraduates take out loans during their college career, said Irene Jasper,
director of Duke’s Office of Student Loans in the Financial Aid Office. Duke’s default rate rose from 0.5 percent in fiscal year 2008 to 0.7 percent in fiscal year 2009, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. Nationally, the default rate increased from 7 percent to 8.8 percent across the same years. Duke’s rate is slightly lower than the 4.6 percent default rate for private institutions in fiscal year 2009. Although Duke’s default rate increased, Jasper said it is still considered “extremely low.” She added that she is not too concerned about students defaulting on their loans. In 2010, Duke students graduated SEE LOANS ON PAGE 10
Blue Devils try to improve to 12-1, face No. 13 Virginia, Page 5