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, OCTOBER 5, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 30
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DukeEngage Duke reaffirms commitment adds 8 new to need-blind admissions programs by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE
by Matt Barnett THE CHRONICLE
DukeEngage is expanding its international reach next summer. The DukeEngage program, which funds domestic and international service trips for undergraduate students, announced Tuesday the addition of eight new programs for summer 2012—increasing the total programs offered to 42. Seven of the eight new programs are based outside of the United States. Nine new programs were introduced for summer 2011—three of which were based in North Carolina—and DukeEngage accepted 50 additional students. Programs this summer will have a total number of 435 students, up from approximately 400 students last summer, Executive Director of DukeEngage Eric Mlyn said. One program in North Carolina and one in Uganda will not be continued. “We’re only expanding very little this year,” Mlyn said. “We would like to expand over the long term just because there is so much demand for the program—we have twice as many applicants as spots.” The Duke Endowment, an independent Charlotte-based foundation started in 1924 by James B. Duke, has committed to fully funding one of the new programs next summer in Bennettsville, S.C. SEE DUKEENGAGE ON PAGE 5
GRAPHIC BY JAMES LEE AND TYLER SEUC
While other institutions cut back, Duke maintains its commitment to need-blind admissions, as reported by the Board of Trustees in September.
Duke is part of a fortunate list of institutions able to maintain a need-blind college admissions process. According to a September survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed, 31.7 percent of admissions counselors at four-year colleges consider recruiting students who are able to pay full tuition a high priority for the next two to three admission cycles. This is indicative of a trend among many institutions to eliminate need-blind admissions. Similarly, 34.3 percent of counselors at four-year universities said their institution has focused more attention on recruiting students who can pay full tuition in the last year. Despite this trend, Duke will continue its need-blind policy, as it reaffirmed its commitment to need-blind admissions at the Board of Trustees meeting last week. Director of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag said the need-blind admissions policy is part of the bedrock of the University. The policy states that an applicant’s ability to pay tuition will not be a factor in the admission decision. Guttentag added that it makes sense to reaffirm Duke’s commitment to the policy given the trend among four-year colleges to eliminate need-blind admissions. “Given the financial pressure universities are under and given the economic climate, people are wondering about the commitment of colleges to access and affordability,” Guttentag said. “A time when the public might be wondering about a commitment is the time to remind them that yes, we have had this policy, we continue to have this policy and we expect to have this policy in the future.” Guttentag, who could not comment on whether he participated in the Inside Higher Ed survey, said the University has never wavered in its commitment to need-blind admissions. More institutions—such as Carleton College, Gettysburg SEE ADMISSIONS ON PAGE 12
NC to waive No Feminism extends reach from Child Left Behind Vietnam to US, expert says by Chinmayi Sharma
by Tiffany Lieu
THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
By November, North Carolina will apply to opt out of No Child Left Behind. President Barack Obama delivered a speech from the White House Sept. 23 announcing a new opportunity for states to waive certain requirements of the largest education reform act in the past decade. North Carolina’s State Department of Education will apply for the waiver Nov. 14 because officials do not feel the existing NCLB scoring system accurately portrays the performance of N.C. schools. “The accountability system does not work,” N.C. State Superintendent June Atkinson said. “The system doesn’t make sense or follow common sense. It does not adequately portray our states’ schools and how successful they are.” Under the current system, only 27.7 percent of N.C. public schools met the passing “adequate yearly progress”
Reanalyzing the movements of the 1970s provides a new perspective on feminism today. Judy Wu, associate professor of women’s studies and history at Ohio State University, explored the ’70s feminist movements in Vietnam protesting the war. In a lecture Tuesday, Wu noted that the movements, which originated in Vietnam and then spread to the United States, gave rise not only to feminist movements in Southeast Asia but also collaboration between feminists from Asia and the Western world. “These feminist movements changed everything,” Wu said. “It used to be that women and men couldn’t apply for the same jobs or even attend the same universities.” The central principle of the ’70s movement was that women were as capable of achievement and influence as
men, Wu noted. The idea remains relevant 40 years later in modern society. “Duke women truly are reaping the benefits of the feminist movement,” Wu said. Several audience members expressed gratitude and support for Wu’s research. Victoria Hesford, a postdoctoral associate in women’s studies, said Wu’s message resonated with her own perceptions of the importance of the feminist movement. “Professor Wu is doing very important work,” Hesford said. “She truly is making us rethink the movements of the ’70s and how they influenced modern feminist movements.” Miles Grier, a provost’s postdoctoral associate at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, said he was interested in the dynamics and collaboration SEE FEMINISM ON PAGE 12
SEE EDUCATION ON PAGE 12
AT&T raises the bar, Page 4
GPSC discusses new medical insurance plans, Page 4
2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
THE CHRONICLE
worldandnation
Congress pressured to challenge Chinese yuan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Every six months, the Treasury issues a report declaring that China’s currency is undervalued, draining dollars and jobs out of the U.S. economy. And every six months, the Treasury defers action, saying the Beijing government is not manipulating its currency. But with the prolonged slump in jobs, pressure is mounting among American politicians—as well as those in Europe, Brazil and emerging markets—to challenge China, even if that means imposing import tariffs to protect domestic industries and preserve job opportunities. The Senate voted 79 to 19 this week to bring to the floor a currency measure that would make it more difficult for the Treasury and Commerce departments to sidestep the need to retaliate against countries such as China. Obama said the trade deals “will make it easier for American companies to sell their products.”
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“Jewish students do as much as they can to ensure they enjoy the best experience possible. ’Due to the pressure of midterms, it was difficult to practice the Jewish traditions,’ said freshman Adam Abelson. ‘We did make Jewish food in our dorms, however.’” — From The Chronicle’s News Blog bigblog.dukechronicle.com
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schedule
Discussion Panel: The Colonies Pay Back Smith Warehouse Bay 4, 12:30-2p.m. Three experts in French and African affairs discuss the implication of recent political scandals in Franco-African relations.
Ariel Dorfman: Feeding on Dreams
Court of Appeals panel India signs partnership supports gun law in D.C. pact with Afghanistan WASHINGTON, D.C. — A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals made a 2-1 decision to uphold the District of Columbia’s authority to impose a system of handgun registration and rejected a challenge to the city’s ban on semiautomatic assault rifles and large-capacity ammunition clips.
NEW DELHI — India signed a significant security and trade pact with Afghanistan Tuesday, agreeing to step up cooperation in counterterrorism operations and trade in a move that has the potential to antagonize Pakistan at a critical juncture in the Afghanistan war.
Gothic Reading Room, 4-6p.m. Novelist, playwright, journalist and human rights activist Ariel Dorfman will reflect on his new memoir, “Feeding on Dreams.“
Duke Symphony Orchestra Reynolds Theatre, 8-10p.m. The orchestra will perform three of Beethoven’s masterpieces alongside violinist Hsiao-mei Ku and pianist Cicilia Yudha.
The Features of the Feminist White Lecture Hall, 8-10p.m. The event will feature some shorts, documentaries and feature films that focus on issues at the center of feminism in the 1970s.
TODAY IN HISTORY 1947: Henry Truman makes the first TV presidential speech.
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National Sports Day Lesotho
Portuguese Republic Day Macau
Republic Day BILL O’LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST
During the Mycological Society’s annual mushroom fair, Mitch Fournet, a mycologist, teaches people how to distinguish the exotic mushrooms from the edible ones at Brookside Garden. The mycologists usually find about 100 species this time of year, but this year they have found dozens more.
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VISUAL I MUSIC I DANCE I THEATER I FILM I CREATIVE WRITING Sponsored by Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, Duke Alumni Association, Duke Career Center, Duke University Union Visual Arts Committee. PHOTO ABOVE: Gondolier, balanced composition (detail), photograph by Kirsty Fang ‘11
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011 | 3
Simmons’ trial begins in Alabama
Creeden named director of entrepreneur network by Yeshwanth Kandimalla
The trial of former Duke University Police Department officer Webster Simmons has begun in Dothan, Ala., the Dothan Eagle reported Monday. Simmons faces felony charges of rape and sodomy related to his alleged sexual assault of a woman in Houston County, Ala. in October 2009. “You’ll hear this man was a Duke University police officer, and he had sex toys,” District Attorney Doug Valeska said, the Dothan Eagle reported. “We’re going to prove she was unconscious, she was drugged and had a ball gag put in her mouth. He raped and sodomized her.” If convicted, Simmons faces at least 10 years in prison for each of his two charges, which are both listed as Class A felonies in Alabama. Simmons allegedly assaulted a 34-yearold woman between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Oct. 24, 2009, Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes said shortly after Simmons’ arrest. Hughes said Simmons knew the woman and purchased her a drink before leaving the club, adding that she might have been drugged. The woman woke up during the alleged attack handcuffed and gagged, before becoming unconscious again. Alabama police obtained a warrant to search Simmons’ car, where they discovered two pairs of handcuffs, a whip, a ball gag, rope and a power device with a nail attached, Hughes said. Simmons’ DUPDissued gun was also discovered in the car, Capt. Antonio Gonzalez of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office said shortly after
Simmons’ arrest. Simmons was suspended with pay from DUPD Oct. 27, 2009 following his arrest. He was subsequently put on unpaid leave Nov. 4, 2009. The University launched a routine investigation into the former officer’s conduct at Duke after his arrest. At the time, Duke Police Chief John Dailey said there was no indication that Simmons had violated any University policies. Billy Sheffield, Simmons’ attorney, said his client stayed in the Dothan area in October 2009 to help his family around their home. Sheffield does not deny that Simmons had sex with the woman but insists that a rape did not occur, the Dothan Eagle reported. The defense will also present evidence that the alleged victim drank more than Simmons and bought him a drink at the Cowboys nightclub. Sheffield said the bar manager will testify that Simmons was not allowed to enter the establishment. But he said his client and the alleged victim talked about sex toys at another local bar. —from Staff Reports
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A major initiative to spur entrepreneurship in the Triangle has found a new leader. The Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network selected Robert Creeden, founder and managing partner of Partners Innovation Fund in Boston, Mass., as its executive director Monday. Creeden has worked with start-ups for 30 years in the Boston area. He will begin his Robert Creeden role as director Oct. 24. “I’m really excited.... It’s a great opportunity with the breadth and depth of innovations in the area,” Creeden said. “This opportunity fits well in my prior experience with start-ups.” The network, which was announced in April, is a partnership between Duke, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. The initiative connects aspiring start-ups with 15 established entrepreneurs in the Triangle area to make the region a stronger hub for innovation and new ventures. The project started with a $3.6 million gift from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation—a division of
the Blackstone Group, which is a major private equity firm. Creeden said he hopes to use his existing relationships with Boston venture capital firms in his work with Triangle entrepreneurs and start-ups. Despite the sluggish economic climate, he believes ventures in the Triangle will have access to capital from investors if they demonstrate a potential for strong returns. “There is a fair amount of capital in the region and a great breadth and depth of innovation from the universities in the area,” Creeden said. “Our work will focus on putting those together.” The research in Triangle universities and other facilities have spanned a variety of sectors, including gaming, software and health care. After a year in his role, Creeden said he hopes to see a strong relationship between master entrepreneurs and the start-ups. Greater revenues for start-ups can also translate to more jobs in the region. Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, said the selection of Creeden followed a nationwide search for applicants. He was particularly qualified based on his work in Boston that brought together entrepreneurs in the health care sector and local medical centers including Massachusetts General Hospital SEE BLACKSTONE ON PAGE 12
4 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
THE CHRONICLE
AT&T improves service on campus by Zoya Qureshy THE CHRONICLE
GARY SHENG/THE CHRONICLE
The Graduate and Professional Student Council assesses the benefits to switching student insurance plans.
GPSC
Insurance plan shift eases financial burden by Danielle Muoio THE CHRONICLE
The Graduate and Professional Student Council discussed the changes to the student medical insurance plan Tuesday night. At the meeting, Anna Kenyon, insurance coordinator for Student Health, explained Duke’s switch from UnitedHealthcare to BlueCross BlueShield North Carolina, a transition that was effective this August. Kenyon said these changes will benefit graduate and professional students because of the more relaxed payment plan. “With UnitedHealthcare, the students had to pay up front for the entire premi-
um,” Kenyon said. “BlueCross is letting the students pay monthly so that the students do not feel as much of a financial burden to come up with an entire premium”. Kenyon also explained many details of the insurance plan. Unlike the previous plan, if a physician prescribes brand name medication if there is equivalent generic medication available, students will only be charged the difference between the cost of the brand name and generic medication. But if the physician specifies that the brand name medication is required, there will be no penalty. SEE GPSC ON PAGE 6
Per AT&T’s famous promise, Duke students are getting their world delivered a little more clearly. As part of a $20 billion investment plan, AT&T has taken on local improvements to support mobile broadband growth around college campuses in North Carolina where it has some of its heaviest users. The company has added cellular capacity to seven sites near the University to ensure quality and improve coverage for users, Josh Gelinas, a spokesman for AT&T, said. “Duke, who has a large student population that is actively using multiple mobile devices, clearly has demonstrated the need for capacity. We’re just trying to meet that demand,” he said.
AT&T is committed to accommodating more customers as the reliance on mobile communication continues to increase, Gelinas said. The increase in capacity makes it possible for areas to accommodate more cellular traffic, improving call quality, mobile broadband and reception. The company is also increasing volume capacity around Eastern Carolina University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. AT&T and other mobile service providers have been working with the Office of Information Technology to help increase coverage for all mobile device users on campus. Bob Johnson, senior director of OIT’s communications infrastructure and data center services, said OIT is constantly tracking solutions to address the University’s mobile communication needs, SEE AT&T ON PAGE 6
THE CHRONICLE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011 | 5
DUKEENGAGE from page 1
Banks defend debit card fees By Ylan Q. Mui THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The banking industry Tuesday defended a controversial new fee on debit cards as some Democrats called on consumers to abandon financial institutions that impose the charge. Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., introduced a bill that would make it easier for customers to close their accounts and prohibit banks from assessing fees for the process. Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., sent a letter to community banks and credit unions in his home state urging them to “seize this competitive opportunity” to woo consumers away from larger institutions. “Politicians may not have the highest approval ratings, but I don’t think Wall Street banks and credit cards do either,” Durbin said. The debate centers on a $5 monthly fee that Bank of America plans to begin charging next year to customers with the most basic checking accounts who use their debit cards to shop. Although Bank of America is the first major bank to adopt the fee, Wells Fargo and Chase are testing the charge and some regional banks have already instituted it. Earlier this week, President Obama criticized the move as a way for banks to pad their profits at the expense of consumers. The American Bankers Association, a trade group, fired back Tuesday, accusing Washington of attempting to control private-sector prices. “It’s disappointing and puzzling that the president would attack a private corporation for responding to government price-fixing that has fundamentally altered the economics of offering a debit card,” ABA President Frank Keating said. Banks say the fees are the consequence of a new federal rule that took effect Saturday limiting the amount of money they can collect from merchants each time a shopper swipes a debit card. The regula-
tion cuts the fee by roughly half, to 24 cents for an average $38 transaction, costing the banks $8 billion to $10 billion. The new monthly charges have angered many customers, and Bank of America’s website has been intermittently down in recent days. A spokeswoman said the company is committed to “clear and transparent pricing,” and that the fee will help allow it to “continue providing secure and efficient methods of payment for our customers.” The controversy has weighed on Bank of America, which is grappling with bad loans and lawsuits stemming from shoddy mortgages. The bank’s stock fell below $6 Monday for the first time since the financial crisis in 2009. Shares again fell Tuesday before rallying just before the close to end up by 4.2 percent to $5.76. Some financial institutions have tried to turn the outrage into opportunity. USAA, which caters to members of the military and their families, said it is committed to offering free checking accounts and debit cards. PNC touted its free debit card with the slogan “Achievement: paying for your groceries, not your debit card.” The Credit Union National Association, a trade group, said traffic on its website, www.aSmarterChoice. org, has jumped eightfold since news of Bank of America’s fee. “Our point is, if you’re upset, you should do something about it,” CUNA Chief Executive Bill Cheney said. But community banks and credit unions must walk a fine line. They oppose the new rule even though they are technically exempted from it, citing concerns that the market would eventually force them to accept lower debit-card revenue anyway. “It’s certainly something community banks don’t ever want to have to do, but their hands may be tied,” said Camden Fine, chief executive of the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group.
The program will serve the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools—an organization that DukeEngage worked with previously in Charlotte, N.C., Mlyn said. Mlyn said a new partnership with the CDF Freedom Schools presented a joint opportunity for both DukeEngage and the Duke Endowment. “We had students in our Charlotte, N.C. program, and they had a really excellent experience,” he said. “While we were observing that, the [Duke] Endowment was interested in expanding its work in South Carolina.” Representatives from the Duke Endowment were not available for comment Tuesday. The CDF Freedom Schools program provides summer literacy courses for at-risk students. The program draws support from college students and recent graduates to teach students language arts and readings skills. “We’ve been fortunate to have wonderful partners like Duke,” said Jeanne MiddletonHairston, national director of the program. “I’ve been very impressed by their work, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the students that worked with us in Charlotte.” Sophomore Tori Polo taught for Freedom Schools through DukeEngage in Charlotte this summer, calling it “one of the best experiences of my life.” “I would definitely do it again,
and I would definitely recommend it to friends,” Polo said. “Sometimes I was a little jealous of the people that got to go abroad, but I really did get exposed to an entirely new culture, especially through Freedom Schools.” The seven additional programs, based in Cambodia, Thailand, Jordan, Lebanon, Uganda, Guatemala and Russia, are funded by a combination of donations from the Duke Endowment, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other donors. The programs in Uganda, Guatemala, Lebanon and Russia will be led by Duke faculty, while the others will be led by third party organizations. David Schaad, associate professor of the practice and associate chair of Duke’s civil and environmental engineering department, will lead the program in Kaihura, Uganda. Schaad is the faculty adviser for the Duke chapter of Engineers Without Borders and has previously led DukeEngage programs in Honduras, Louisiana and North Carolina. Fifteen students will work with a local, faith-based organization on medical, sustainable agriculture, education and construction programs, Schaad said. “This is a good opportunity to partner with a wonderful community partner to improve both the community and give super opportunities to the students,” Schaad said.
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6 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
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GPSC from page 4
terminate the insurance plan by Dec. 31 or they will remain on the plan until July.
Another change due to the switch in health insurance carriers is that students seeing a therapist out of the area, when there are participating providers nearby, will have lower out-of-network benefits. Kenyon encouraged students to attend Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee meetings because they are the most influential voice on the committee. “The students are the ones that have the power to speak out when the SHIAC meetings happen,” she said. “If this is a burden on the students... come to the meetings”. She added that the SHIAC can get in touch with students’ insurance providers and get the Duke Hospital pharmacy to work with BlueCross to negotiate co-payments. Some other aspects of the plan include one routine eye exam per academic benefit if it is performed with an in-network provider. Also, up to $100 will be reimbursed by BCBS for glasses and contact lenses if a refund request is submitted. Students graduating in December must
In other business: Executive Vice President William Hunt, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in English, reminded the group that Duke will be fully transitioned from Blackboard Academic Suite to Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment by Summer 2012. University Affairs Coordinator Pan Wu, a fourth-year Ph. D. candidate in chemistry, said GPSC sub-committees are still open for application. He said there are many available positions and encouraged the graduate students to apply. Graduate students can still apply for the Duke Police Advisory Committee, Recreational Facilities Committee, Traffic Appeal Committee, Transportation Advisory Committee and the Union Board. All applications must be submitted online. The University Advisory Committee will summarize the results and distribute them to the nomination committee, who will notify the applicants if they have been accepted.
AT&T from page 4
than 97 percent. “That’s why we’re continually investing in our local wireless network, to deliver the most advanced mobile broadband experience,” Marshall said in a news release Aug. 30. Though the increase in service around campus is still relatively new, AT&T is optimistic about how the new improvements will increase coverage on campus. “We are continuously monitoring how the network performs,” Gelinas said. “So when we went in and added to the capacity to the sites that we selected, it was done with the belief that it will meet the demand that was there. We are confident that what we put there can handle the demand.” Sophomore Nicole Daniels said she has noticed a difference in AT&T’s reception since the beginning of the school year, possibly a result of AT&T’s new project. “So far [the service has] been good,” Daniels said. “At the end of last year—in the last two months—there was very poor reception, and I actually had a dropped call yesterday, but this year it’s been good so far.”
especially as technology evolves. “We continue to investigate improvements necessary to achieve the stronger signals required by smart phones on campus and to accommodate the newer signal spectrums and technologies being adopted by carriers,” Johnson wrote in an email Tuesday. Despite the collective efforts of AT&T and OIT, Duke student’s opinions of AT&T’s service vary. “I think it’s alright, but it’s spotty,” Senior Chong Ni said. “I’ve been in phone interviews, and they’ve been cut off.” Cynthia Marshall, AT&T’s president in North Carolina, said AT&T realizes the important role mobile broadband plays in the lives of students, especially those who use tablets or laptop computers during class. Marshall said that if AT&T’s agreement to acquire T-Mobile USA is approved, the mobile service provider will be able to expand its current coverage of 80 percent of the U.S. population to more
Victory is sweet
CHELSEA PIERONI/THE CHRONICLE
In Duke’s second annual Food Week, students compete with their favorite recipes in Duke University’s Culinary Society’s Dessert Expo, which took place in the Great Hall.
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WEDNESDAY October 5, 2011 www.dukechroniclesports.com
Obstacles abound in compliance efforts by Tom Gieryn THE CHRONICLE
The following story is the second in a fourpart series examining how Duke stays compliant within increasingly complex NCAA guidelines. The next two parts will run through the rest of the week. The full story will be available on The Chronicle’s website Friday. Imagining the lost glory days of college football, before scandal and impropriety sullied the sport’s name, is not difficult to do, though many argue that such misbehavior is not new but rather just a product of increased media attention. There are many avenues by which the shady operators who wreak havoc within college football infiltrate the system. One of the most-trodden paths for these individuals is opened before prospective athletes ever set foot on a college campus. “It used to be that when you recruited a student-athlete, you went through the coach, and you went through the parent, whether it was a two-parent home or a one-parent home,” Tom Luginbill, national recruiting director for ESPN’s college football scouting service Scouts Inc., said. “And you found out who the decision-maker was…. Now these coaches are being forced to go through a handler or a runner or somebody that’s tied himself to a prospect, and he’s got that kid’s ear. And if you want to recruit him, you’d better go through [the handler]. Coaches don’t want to go through that person.” With so many players to be recruited, and such strict time frames in which recruiting can take place, coaches have to take advantage of every moment. That can cause problems, because with so
Bobby Colton takes a numerical look at the chemistry between Sean Renfree and his favorite target this season, Conner Vernon.
many recruits and so many recruiters, it hardly gives coaches the proper time to evaluate a player’s character, which will be primary determinant of a player’s willingness and ability to abide by NCAA rules once he gets to college. “It’s easy to turn on the tape and see whether a guy can play,” Luginbill said. “The process has become so accelerated that you’re forced to offer people before you’re really truly ready, because you’re not done evaluating them yet. But if you don’t offer them, you’re not going to have a chance to get them. And coaches hate that.” Coaches wish they had more evaluation time because when players join a program and choose to flaunt the rules, it’s the program that gets punished. Luginbill thinks this may be changing, though. When former Tennessee basketball head coach Bruce Pearl finally acknowledged several rules violations, the NCAA slapped him with a three-year “show-cause penalty.” Tennessee fired Pearl, but the nature of the show-cause penalty means the university will face no sanctions. Rather, the punishment will follow Pearl to his next employer. Any school that hires Pearl will have to “show cause” that it deserves to avoid the application of any penalties to the coach’s new program. Luginbill said he believes those sorts of sanctions, which punish the violators rather than the institutions that employ them, will become more commonplace. He also said he hopes to see the implementation of penalties that affect only players that opt to break the rules, rather than entire teams. SEE COMPLIANCE ON PAGE 8
No giving up on Duke
TRACY HUANG/THE CHRONICLE
The Duke offense never gave up after falling behind Saturday night, even if fans did, Palmatary writes. by Jason Palmatary THE CHRONICLE
Unlike most people in Durham on Saturday night, I was actually aware that the Blue Devils were on the road facing off with upstart Florida International in what had the potential to be a season-defining game from the openJason ing kickoff. So I made my way over to a friend’s off-campus apartment where we would be able to tune into the ESPNU broadcast. Duke’s first-quarter scoring explosion was encouraging. Quarterback Sean Renfree came out on target and successfully took several chances downfield with the Golden Panthers pressing up in man-toman coverage. The Blue Devils proved equally vulnerable to the big play on
Palmatary On Football
defense, however, and were victimized by speedy Florida International wideout T.Y. Hilton on several occasions. Still, when all the dust settled, Renfree and his teammates held a 17-14 lead. The scoring slowed considerably, though, and Duke didn’t manage any points in the second or third quarters. The fourth quarter began with the Golden Panthers holding a 20-17 advantage. On Florida International’s first drive of the final period, wide receiver Wayne Times caught a short pass in the flat, dodged a tackler and scampered down the sideline past Austin Gamble’s half-hearted attempt to knock him out of bounds. The end result on the field was a 34-yard touchdown and a twopossession deficit for the Blue Devils with just over 13 minutes to play. On the couch back in Durham, the play left me ready to throw in the towel, hoping my buddy would change the channel to watch one of the primetime games—Alabama at Florida or Nebraska at SEE PALMATARY ON PAGE 8
MEN’S SOCCER
Blue Devils record first shutout since August by Giancarlo Riotto THE CHRONICLE
DAVID KORNBERG/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Duke goalkeeper James Belshaw recorded his eighth career shutout Tuesday against Davidson.
Over the course of Duke’s recent unbeaten streak, offense has not been hard to come by. According to Blue Devils head coach John Kerr, however, the squad’s defensive performance Duke 1 had remained a bit uneven. ‘Cats 0 Duke dispelled any doubts its head coach may have had with a convincing defensive effort in a 1-0 victory at Davidson (4-5-1) Tuesday night. In the process, the Blue Devils (6-4-1) extended their unbeaten streak to six games, further distancing themselves from the disappointing 1-4 start that knocked them out of the top 25. “We put together a good overall performance tonight,” Kerr said. “We were very much improved defensively. It’s been a long time since we had been able to put
together a shutout, and that was something that we were looking to do.” The shutout was the Blue Devils’ first since August 29 against Furman. Junior goalkeeper James Belshaw anchored the team’s defensive effort with three saves, one of which came on an excellent Wildcat chance in the first half. The shutout was the eighth of Belshaw’s collegiate career. And while the defensive performance in front of Belshaw was certainly impressive, the team’s offense continued its recent string of dominant showings. While not reflected in the final score, Duke was in control on offense from the get-go, generating a total of 22 shots to Davidson’s nine. Junior forward Andrew Wenger scored his team-leading 12th goal three minutes into the second half, snapping the scoreless tie and putting the Blue Devils ahead for good. “We had good buildup on offense the
entire first half and did a great job of creating openings,” Kerr said. “But we weren’t clinical with our final passes and final touches until Andrew was able to score for us.” Kerr described Wenger’s goal as a huge confidence boost for the entire team. “We were fortunate that [Davidson] had one or two really good chances that they couldn’t convert in the first half, and scoring right away in the second half was really big,” Kerr said. Duke’s ability to couple dominant offensive and defensive performances will be crucial as the team moves into the heart of ACC play. The Blue Devils will look to extend their unbeaten streak starting Friday in a home matchup against formidable N.C. State. “We’re in a groove in a good time right now,” Kerr said, “and we feel really good about where we’re at as a team and what we can do.”
8 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
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COMPLIANCE from page 7
are paying attention.” And even as the calls from all sides “We need to start moving away from pun- grow louder for the NCAA to at least reishing universities and holding a university work, if not drastically rewrite, the everand a program hostage for the actions of a few, thickening rulebook, some experts wonand start punishing the violators,” he said. der if the current model of compliance But coaches and players who run afoul of and monitoring can even function in its the complex NCAA rulebook are sometimes present configuration. in good faith when they break the rules. “The NCAA polices the universities Even a school like Duke, which has avoided that comprise its membership,” Charles any major scrutiny from NCAA investiga- Robinson, the Yahoo! Sports writer who tors, still deals with plenty of infractions. exposed major violations at Miami, said. “We always have secondary minor viola- “So on a macro level, you have an overtions,” Kennedy said. “They’re a function all system governing itself, which always of the complexity of the rules.” is problematic. Because what does a sysAs an example of troublesome rules that tem that governs itself typically do? It cause inadvertent violations, Kennedy re- makes decisions to allow itself to sustain ferred to the NCAA guidelines that govern its own existence.” the stationery that The NCAA’s schools can use for mandate might correspondence. “We always have secondary seem self-serv“If you go back but there minor violations. They’re a ing, and research the is an even more history of the function of the complexity direct motive rules regarding for the schools of the rules.” stationery, it’s themselves to comical,” Kenaside po— Chris Kennedy shunt nedy said. “Two tential complicolors only, no ance problems— color, one color. more revenue. No university “If you’re achievements—yes, you can put univer- a compliance officer out there doing sity achievements…. So a coach is sitting your job to the best of your abilities,” in his office, and he pulls out a piece of Robinson said, “and you’re reporting stationery, which was legal eight months every single little thing that’s going on ago, and it’s not legal now, and without with your program, that can have negathinking he sends that off. He’s commit- tive consequences for that program. ted a violation. In what meaningful way is And if it has negative consequences that a violation? And we spend an inordi- that take players off the field, that can nate amount of time, and the NCAA staff impact wins and losses, and that can imspends an inordinate amount of time pro- pact the bottom line.” cessing that kind of violation.” From the increased leverage and inStationery is far from the only area where volvement of third parties with players the rules do not seem to have any sense of and recruits, to the convoluted structure reality. Kennedy cited another, even more of the rules themselves, to the potentially ludicrous, example. Coaches are allowed contradictory motivations of policing unlimited phone calls to a prospect in the entities, the entire compliance arena is five days preceding an official visit, he said, a veritable minefield of problems and in order to coordinate travel and arrival conflicts. With so many obstacles and so plans. But if the visit is subsequently can- many moving pieces in a game that becelled, perhaps due to weather conditions comes more complex all the time, Robinthat delay air travel, then those phone calls son is skeptical that running a truly comare considered illegal. pliant program is even possible in today’s “You’re tempted sometimes, [with] college football climate. some stupid violation…to say, ‘Oh forget “If your definition of a clean proit.’ But we can’t do that,” Kennedy said. gram is that it has to be entirely clean, “We have to write it up and send it in and then you have to expect the kids to be tell everybody in the world we committed clean too,” he said. “That the kid is gothat violation. And send copies to the con- ing to go out there and never take anyference, and to the president. What that thing, that his family is going to go out does is that demonstrates to everybody who there and never take anything, and I gets a copy of that violation letter, that we don’t know if that’s realistic.”
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PALMATARY from page 7 Wisconsin—or the MLB playoffs. Fortunately, my friend forced me to stay tuned to the action from Miami, and I could not have been more impressed with the 31-27 come-from-behind victory that ensued. In the aftermath, I made a vow to myself that I would never again give up on Renfree or his head coach David Cutcliffe. And neither should any member of the Duke faithful. The offense’s response to the 10-point hole was immediate, as Renfree found a streaking Donovan Varner for a 54-yard pickup on the first play from scrimmage, setting Duke up with a first-and-goal. Two gutsy runs by Juwan Thompson later, and it was a 27-24 ballgame. After forcing Florida International to punt on their next possession, Duke was driving with a chance to take the lead when it faced a fourth-and-two from the Golden Panther 43-yard line with just over eight minutes to play. Ordinarily, I would have expected the aggressive Cutcliffe to keep his offense on the field and roll the dice on fourth down. Instead, he showed a new sense of confidence in his defense and elected to punt the football away. Following a touchback, the defensive unit rewarded Cutcliffe for his faith with a far sweeter prize than just a stop. On the drive’s third play, defensive end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo got upfield and knocked the ball out of Florida International quarterback Wesley Carroll’s hand as he began his throwing motion. Anthony Young-Wiseman scooped up the bouncing ball and rumbled down to the nine-yard line. Just one play later, Thompson waltzed untouched into the end zone with the game’s deciding score. What we saw during that fourth quarter in Miami was a football team coming of age, the first time such a transformation has taken place during the Renfree Era. Two seasons ago, as a senior, Thad Lewis underwent a similar process over the course of a three-game winning streak that included road wins at N.C. State and Virginia. For Renfree, the turning point came during this one turnaround quarter as he proved that he can be the battle-tested leader of a winning team. Running the ball effectively in the red zone and making game-changing plays on defense are two defining components of a team capable of executing in the fourth quarter and emerging victorious from tight contests. Duke showed the ability to do both of these things in that final 15
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Sean Renfree took a key step forward Saturday when he engineered a fourth-quarter comeback.
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minutes. Perhaps most significantly, Cutcliffe demonstrated his belief in the running game, choosing to pound away in the red zone, and in the defense, by deciding to kick it away despite trailing late. Cutcliffe and his team have frequently had to rely on air-it-out, high-scoring football to win games. In the late stages of an undecided game, though, this is not the way football is played. That the Blue Devils found a different way to win is a sign that this team’s maturation process is further along than many people, including myself, expected. That’s why we owe this team our full attention as it fights every week to secure a bowl berth.
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House model: The debate continues Duke students have ex- Central campuses, but would pressed a strong backlash retain the option to transfer to against the transition to the another house if they desire. house model. Tonight, Duke The fundamental objecStudent Government will tive of such a model is to represent these student voic- mediate the disconnect that es by proposoccurs between editorial ing a concrete the freshman alternative to and the upperthe proposed house model: class residential experiences. a proposition they dub “the Schork believes that this continuation model.” method is superior because Duke Student Govern- it removes the “unnecessary ment representatives, led by disruption to students’ lives” President Pete Schork, are that occurs during the transicampaigning for a new model tion from East Campus. that—as the name suggests— DSG has done well by sugwould aim to continue the gesting this new model. It has freshman year living experi- fulfilled its duty of listening ence in successive years. The to students’ concerns and core of the continuation pushing the administration model is that students would to reconsider or adapt conremain living with members troversial policies. The stuof their freshman dorm in dent outcry and subsequent designated quads on West and DSG opposition to the house
“
The artist rendering looks pretty cool. I really hope they take in student input on this. —“deepdishpizza” commenting on the story “Preliminary West Union plans span four floors, increase student space” 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.
model may be too little too late, but we hope that students’ best suggestions will be incorporated into the eventual residence system. The house model has been in the works for years, but it was not until recently that concrete plans were revealed, opening the door for student disapproval. DSG’s suggested system is most valuable in that it provides a point of comparison to the proposed house model and can serve as a locus for debate. “We’re not trying to present this model as the perfect solution. We just think it’s a step up from what students have at this time,” said Esosa Osa, DSG vice president for residence life and dining. Albeit not perfect, the continuation model’s DSG
proponents have succeeded in developing a system that encourages student input. They intend to send out a survey to a random sample of students and plan to encourage student attendance at the DSG meeting tonight to discuss their plan. Most importantly, they acknowledge that their model is merely an outline and needs to be filled in by student voices. The continuation model has some flaws; it assumes that, generally, students want to continue their freshman year experience for their remaining Duke years. This may overestimate student preferences. Certainly, there are those who would object to extending their freshman residential experience. However, the continuation model
is overall more likely to foster community for a larger portion of the Duke population than the house model. Ultimately, the continuation model possesses the same flaw as the house model—it limits student choice. The continuation model links students to dorms on West or Central campuses depending upon their freshman dorm and does not allow for blocks. Thus, students can either live with members of their firstyear dorm or transfer to a dorm comprised of members of another first-year dorm. DSG representatives have responded to students’ outcries, as they were elected to do. Hopefully, their activism will prompt the administration to respond to students’ requests, as they’re paid to do.
Institutionalized segregation
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I
came from a relatively small, primarily Jew- sian majority population around them. We often ish public high school. Of the 151 people in tend to ascribe self-segregation at Duke only to my graduating class, I was one of only three minority students because Caucasians represent Asians. Almost all of my closest the majority of the student popufriends at school were non-Asian. lation, but a social group of only Coming to Duke University not Caucasians is also technically selfonly meant a significant change in segregated. the diversity of people around me, Nevertheless, just because selfbut my introduction to the idea of segregation is a natural phenomself-segregation. enon doesn’t mean that it is right I am ethnically Asian, Chinese and that we shouldn’t do our best to be more specific. I was born to alleviate its effects. Instead, it rui dai in China, but I have lived in the means that we need to try harder to a picture’s worth United States for over half of my integrate ethnic and racial groups life. My identity is a mish-mash of on campus. Chinese culture and my day-to-day American One of the main reasons we came to Duke life. University was to broaden our perspectives in Self-segregation was a foreign concept to me the process of gaining a world-class education. before Duke. It never occurred to me that a group Secluding ourselves in the comforts of what we of ethnically similar individuals congregating in know does not facilitate the opening of our one place at the same time could be construed eyes to the world. Instead, it reinforces what as anything but a group of friends enjoying each we have learned before and narrows our point other’s company. of view in our interpersonal interactions. Does it matter if all my friends happened to This is not to say that Duke should implement be of the same race as I was? a new rule to officially force students of different At first I thought that it doesn’t—self-segrega- races or ethnic backgrounds to live together. Nor tion exists only in the mind of the observer. Who does it mean Duke should promote self-segregaI interact with in my social life is my own business. tion or sanction potentially racially segregating It shouldn’t even be an issue up for discussion. houses in the new house model. Rather, the inteBut it is an issue. gration process has to be organic and instigated Especially at a university that prides itself on di- by student actions. versity, self-segregation places constraints on my It is hard to integrate races. Why else did it ability to engage with everything that Duke has to take nearly 100 years after the abolishment of offer. By interacting only with those individuals I slavery for the Civil Rights Movement to start to feel most comfortable with, I close myself off to make major inroads on institutional racism? It relationships that might change my life. takes effort and time. A lot of it. It will be a long Whether it is because of natural instincts or time from now before race becomes less of an the comfort of belonging to a group of people issue in our world. Until then, we need to do the with similar backgrounds and interests, there is best that we can to step outside of our comfort an almost automatic connection among those zones—no matter how difficult we may find the people of the same race. Especially among mi- idea—and integrate. norities, race is often a significant factor in helpI don’t believe that the cultural groups such ing individuals form groups. It is part of a natu- as Asian Students Association, Black Student ral phenomenon. I feel it when I meet another Alliance, Mi Gente and others should be able Asian person for the first time. Especially if we to form race-specific houses in the new house are able to converse in Mandarin, I feel a lot clos- model because it represents a setback for racial er to him or her after a 15-minute conversation and ethnic integration. It disintegrates the Duke than I would after an analogous interaction with student body into racially defined fragments that a non-Asian individual. harken back to the early 20th century dogma of In social psychology, this is termed the “cross- “separate but equal.” race effect.” It is perfectly acceptable to want to live with It is not exclusive to minorities, but it is a our friends, but the racial part of that decision component of all racial and ethnic identities, should not become part of the institutional including Caucasians. Among minority Cauca- model. sian populations in many countries, for example, there tends to be a closer sense of camaraderie Rui Dai is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every with their compatriots than with the non-Cauca- other Wednesday.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011 | 11
commentaries
Save the Food Factory
Just give up
L
ast Thursday, I was walking to class when I saw about him, because he is either too apathetic or too dump trucks unloading brown piles onto our crazy to care anymore. Similarly, President Brodquads. For a brief second, I wondered if I was head, Larry Moneta and the rest of the members of imagining this entire situation—it the Allen Building do not care about still was early enough and I hadn’t yet current students’ opinions of them drunk my coffee. Could we really be or their practices. And why should dumping piles of what appeared to they? By the time most of us are at a be manure onto our quads? Was this comfortable enough financial state to Larry Moneta and the rest of the addonate to Duke, the current inhabitministration’s response to recent stuants of the Allen Building will be long dent dissent? gone. The piles were obviously put there antonio segalini Richard Brodhead is already in his to help fertilize our quad, and I’m not 60‘s and closer to the end of his term musings entirely sure it was even manure. The as president of this University than problem is I believed it could have the beginning. Larry Moneta has been any number of different things, and none of been at Duke longer than Brodhead, having come them surprised me. That’s when I realized Duke Uni- here in 2001 after serving roughly 10 years in a simiversity, and specifically its leaders, had entered into lar position at the University of Pennsylvania (and we the Tyson Zone. all know how that ended). Most other administrators The “Tyson Zone” was coined by sports columnist at the “core” of Duke—Sue Wasiolek, Peter Lange, Bill Simmons, and is described by Wikipedia as “the Stephen Nowicki—are nearing their times of retirestatus an athlete or celebrity reaches when his or her ment or at the very least a reduction of their duties behavior becomes so outrageous that one would be- at Duke. I like to compare them to the stereotypical lieve any story or anecdote about the person, no mat- grandparent: They can say ridiculous things, be obter how shocking or bizarre.” It was named after for- noxious and cause scenes because they’re not going mer boxer Mike Tyson, because you honestly could to be around for much longer. say “Mike Tyson did … ” and anyone would believe They’re also very smart about how they do things. whatever came after. This moniker could easily be Major changes are great ways for Duke to get funding applied to Duke administrators: “Larry Moneta just from donations. Spicing up things a bit by changing kicked a kid in the shin,” or “Duke’s administrators the way students live their day-to-day lives is a great just allocated $42.5 million over six years to a school fundraising strategy! Just slap a picture of a black kid, in China that actually hasn’t received Chinese gov- brown kid (Latino or southeast Asian), white kid and ernment approval yet and had its opening delayed at Asian kid laughing together and send it out to top least a semester” are both plausible statements that donors or prospective donors (looking at you, Bruce come to mind. Actually, the last one just happened. Springsteen). Who cares if current students don’t Welcome to the Tyson Zone. like it, since they are not likely to donate for decades The goings-on in Kunshan also bring to light that to come. The current administration will have been the current lack of approval from the Chinese gov- long gone by then, and some unwitting schmucks ernment is, according to Provost Peter Lange, “a pro- will be left dealing with the mess. It’s brilliant, even if cess that is preventing Duke from recruiting students it is a little shortsighted! for DKU academic programs.” Furthermore, accordThat’s why we’re in the Tyson Zone right now. ing to The Chronicle, Academic Council Chair Su- Administrators don’t care about current students’ san Lozier expressed that “faculty members are not reactions to policies because current students don’t prepared to proceed with upcoming DKU proposals donate back to Duke. Instead, they want stories to because they feel they have had limited involvement point to while their hands are reaching for donors’ in its development.” Essentially, the campus has no back pockets. It’s a brilliant short-term strategy, even students (or ways to convince them to come to DKU) if it will lead to Duke’s future downfall. and no serious faculty involvement from members Students don’t have the power to do anything of the Durham campus. Not to worry, however, since about it. Though a large-scale protest might bring Duke has most of its DKU administration in place light to the fact that Duke is in the Tyson Zone, it’s and has recently “received a $1 million gift from an too complicated to start a protest. And though makanonymous donor this summer, bringing total dona- ing a fuss in student papers or letters to alumni may tions to $6 million.” That donation brings the DKU’s cause current donors to fight for changes, no one costs to 14.1 percent currently funded by donation. wants to be that guy—you know, the guy who talks Those are not very lofty goals. Again, welcome to the about actual things in The Chronicle. I’d much rathTyson Zone. er just talk about sports. The Tyson Zone stems from a person or group’s apathy towards others’ judgments. Mike Tyson probAntonio Segalini is a Trinity junior. His column runs ably does not care about what the public has to say every Wednesday.
lettertotheeditor Student input critical to success of future West Union University administrators recently made the decision to move the LGBT and Mary Lou Williams centers from the future West Union building without first consulting the broader undergraduate community. Student consultation was restricted to the three students who serve on the West Union Planning Committee in order to first gain Board of Trustee approval for the project. The Mary Lou Williams Center and the LGBT Center are venues that are not only spaces for cultural communities, but also the undergraduate community at large. We therefore object to how this decision was made and the assertion that undergraduate consultation and Trustee input are mutually exclusive. A decision of this type, by definition, requires community consultation before major decisions are made. Administrators must not again use Trustee approval as a reason for delaying or preventing necessary student consultation prior to major decisions affecting undergraduate life. Fortunately, other important decisions about
the West Union complex have yet to be made, and a plan exists to incorporate student input going forward. Student Affairs has agreed to create four student working groups focusing on the future of the two affected centers, dining culture and concepts and venues for student activities within the new complex. We hope that these dialogues are fully collaborative and that administrators consider a full range of student input in deciding the future of the centers, as well as the building as a whole. As students, we now have a crucial opportunity to shape the future campus into our campus. Please keep informed of ongoing progress on the West Union project by attending upcoming forums, including an informational session this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Von Canon Auditorium in the Bryan Center. Upcoming opportunities to serve on the aforementioned working groups will also be advertised in the DSG blast. We look forward to hearing your thoughts as we progress through this decisive time for our campus and how we move through it. Duke Student Government Executive Board
C
omplaints about Central Campus are common, even from underclassmen who have only lived on East or West. In my first year living on Duke’s third estate, as a junior, a freshman explained to me that Central is “just a swamp.” I hadn’t realized, apparently. The vehemence of protests like these even makes me wonder whether I’m remiss in my satisfaction with Duke’s shadow campus. All too often, conversations about Central seem more informed by predispositions and hearsay than by actual experience. Many new residents seem determined to hate it, michael goodrich in spite of the private kitchens and between parentheses bathrooms, the increased living space, the relative quiet and the proximity to the Gardens. And the complaints keep rolling in. It’s too far from West. It’s dangerous. And to top it off, there’s no food! And yet, there’s an easy response to each of these: a brisk walk to the Old Chem building takes 15 minutes (from Oregon Street) and the bus comes every 10; crime rates are no higher on Central Campus than anywhere else, except perhaps in our imaginations; and we have The Food Factory (a.k.a. The Devil’s Bistro), which is run by the same people as the award-winning restaurant of the same name in Cary. The problem with the last one, though, is that The Food Factory just ended its weekday lunch service. The restaurant used to be open from 11:30 a.m. until midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and even later on weekends. Now, however, Monday through Friday, it is only open from 4 p.m. till midnight and stops cooking food around 10:30 (but still sells packaged snacks, beer, fresh fruit and vegetables from a little shop) because of low traffic. There are a few reasons why The Food Factory has been opening its doors for fewer hours, none of which have anything to do with the quality of the food (and the food is fantastic; one of my friends claims to literally dream about their french fries). The first is that it was never properly promoted. When Duke first opened Devil’s Bistro two years ago, on the other hand, there was plenty of fanfare, plenty of advertising and a big kickoff event. The Food Factory has gotten none of this. Support for the first Bistro, however, was bolstered by the University’s initiatives: first semester last year, it could get packed. But by the spring semester, the market had spoken—the food was bad and the service unapologetically slow, conclusions reflected in the DUSDAC report. The restaurant had some good ideas—save the crispy-on-theoutside-raw-on-the-inside chicken, wing and trivia night was great— but everyone wanted a change. Enter The Food Factory, like an answer. The second problem, though, which is tied to the lack of promotion, is that our admirable new restaurant for some reason inherited all the opprobrium associated with the previous, poorly run one. Many are reluctant to trust any Devil’s Bistro, so disgusted were they by the last one. Not changing the name on the side of the building may have been a mistake, given the pain of its associations. The final problem, and perhaps the greatest, is the general reluctance to travel to Central. Students don’t seem to understand: It’s not that far, and if you walk through the gardens, the trip is actually quite nice. But denizens of East and West hesitate to make the trip. And as a result, they’re missing out on one of the best restaurants on campus. With the Food Factory closed during the day, Central residents no longer have a nearby option for lunch, or even for a later dinner. When Duke started building Mill Village a few years ago, it was conceding to the fact that Central Campus both needed and deserved a central social and dining space. Right now, that conviction is faltering. Rick Johnson of Housing, Dining, and Residence Life explained in an email that Duke has already spent around $30,000 supporting The Food Factory with retrofits in the Bistro and in Trent, as well as by providing the physical location itself. This is not enough. If the University wants to justify its rhetoric about the equality of the quality of living spaces, then it should do what it can for The Food Factory, both by subsidizing it to stay open for lunch until regular traffic can be restored, and by promoting it more heavily. HDRL cannot let the Central Campus restaurant fail. Even the unfortunates studying abroad in Edens have a 24-hour restaurant within a 10 minute walk. And for what it’s worth, The Food Factory is doing its part: The restaurant has started a rotating menu of daily specials and in a few weeks will be serving brunch on the weekends. They’ve been experimenting with new dishes on the menu and responding to feedback from students. As Johnson explains, HDRL has “heard nothing but compliments on the quality of [The Food Factory’s] food.” This is the kind of restaurant that we’ve always wanted on Duke. It would be a shame if we don’t take the time to realize that. Michael Goodrich is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Thursday.
12 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
FEMINISM from page 1 that the ’70s movements initiated between the Vietnamese women in the East and women in Europe and the U.S. Such cooperation contrasted with the imperialist activities of Western governments in the Vietnam War era, Grier said. “What Professor Wu’s work gets at is that feminism was not necessarily a gift from the West to the East,” he said. “In fact, in this case, the feminist movement originated from the east.” The movements of the ’70s featured the rise of international collaboration between women encouraged by the Vietnamese Women’s Union. Women in the East and West shared political understanding because of the racial, class and gender inequities both groups faced. This new interconnectivity—termed global sisterhood—sought to deconstruct and erase boundaries between women in the Eastern and Western hemispheres by promoting dialogue and discussion about the de-
THE CHRONICLE
structiveness of war and the improvements that could be made. “The VMU were interested in face-toface interactions and how that affected global sisterhood and internationalism,” Wu said. In Vietnam, the rise of women’s involvement in efforts to stop the war by joining the fight and participating in guerilla warfare gave way to female empowerment in the country. Such progress inspired Asian-American women to catalyze their own social movements. “Asian-American women were effectively invisible before the war,” Wu said. “They had to move ahead without the help from any institutions or organizations.” Wu encourages Duke students to learn from the strategies used by the VMU and feminists in Europe and the U.S. to continue to redefine feminism today. “We should use the strategies of the ’70s feminist movements to get people to think,” Wu said. “We need to change people’s perceptions and ultimately get them to act on these changes.”
All on the table
EDUCATION from page 1 standards, according to the state’s 20102011 Adequate Yearly Progress report. In Durham, only eight out of 54 schools passed the NCLB set standards. NCLB is a piece of education legislation —implemented in 2002 while former President George W. Bush was in office—that determines federal funding allocations for all public schools based on set reading, language and math standards. Schools that fail to meet all the academic standards lose entitlement to some of their federal funding. In a Sept. 23 letter to chief state school officers, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the Obama administration acknowledged several shortcomings of the policy as the basis for this reform. Duncan will allow states to request exemptions to the law. “The No Child Left Behind legislation, while well intentioned, has always contained one serious flaw that forces skepticism among school leaders nationwide,” Durham Public Schools Superintendent Eric Becoats said. “If one subgroup [within a school] misses the target, then the entire school receives a disparaging label that may not be warranted.” The NCLB system is set up in a manner that equally penalizes all schools who do not meet the standards, even if one school fails to meet more provisions than another, Atkinson said. Schools that do not perform up to par are denied certain federal funds, she added, which perpetuates many of the original underlying causes for the poor scores, including socioeconomic factors. “We have a fairly high poverty rate in North Carolina with at least 50 percent of our students eligible to receive free or reduced lunches,” Atkinson said. “About 115 of our school districts suffer below poverty levels, and in these areas the funds could be used for needed additional teachers, supplies, technology and help for students.” Instead, schools scoring below passing levels—failing to meet one or more re-
ADMISSIONS from page 1
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Duke students and administrators discuss sustainable food and the future of Duke Dining at a round table-style forum in the Great Hall.
BLACKSTONE from page 3 and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. That experience will help as Creeden works to bridge partnerships with the universities, which tend to be bureaucratic in their organizational structure, and entrepreneurs, who are accustomed to a relatively smaller structure, Stursberg said. “He has organizational credibility with master entrepreneurs and understands entrepreneurial development,” she said. “He far and away surpassed the other candidates—he comes from a different context with new connections.” Kimberly Jenkins, senior adviser to the president and provost for innovation and entrepreneurship, was Duke’s representative on the official search committee for an executive director. She noted that Creeden’s ties to venture capital firms and prior experience as a liaison between larger organizations and start-ups will help entrepre-
neurs at Duke. “Our health system as a whole works with $2 billion annually, but he also needs to help researchers working on smaller projects such as medical devices,” Jenkins said. “The ability to work with universities and build companies is a great skill set.” Though health care is a major area of research at Duke, Creeden’s work in the information technology sector will also benefit students and faculty looking for financial backing for their projects in this area. The project is scheduled to last five years and will pair 15 entrepreneurs with 30 qualified start-up ventures, Blackstone CEO Steven Schwarzman said in April. Ideal start-up candidates are those in the early stages of fundraising, with the potential to create approximately $40 million in revenue and become profitable within 10 years. Schwarzman added that he predicts the network will double the number of startups in the region, attract more than $800 million in capital and generate more than 17,000 jobs and $4 billion in business revenue.
College and Smith College, who have adopted need-aware policies that limit the number of admitted students with financial need—are transitioning away from need-blind admissions because of what is happening to the private higher education business model, said Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and economics and director of graduate studies and the Ph.D. program. University funding usually comes from three sources—tuition, endowments and federal grants, Vigdor said. As tuition has rapidly increased nationwide, and endowments and federal grants have tumbled, it is more difficult for both the average family to afford a private university education and for a university to offer full financial aid. Vigdor added that some universities may eliminate need-blind admissions in order to balance budgets. “There are a lot of bills you have to pay in a university,” Vigdor said. “When all your normal sources of revenue get squeezed, something’s gotta give.” The 2008 financial crisis caused the University’s endowment, which provides the University with financial aid dollars, to fall 20 percent between June 2008 and January 2009. This prompted some administrators to question need-blind admissions. Guttentag said the University never actually considered eliminating the policy. “Those were some of the shortest discussions I have ever been a part of,” he said.
quirements—trigger “sanctions,” which is when the government offers specific aid to target problems in the schools. North Carolina ranks among other states planning to apply for a waiver. Duncan noted that several states have opposed NCLB for years, claiming it has been ineffective for helping students. The applications for the waiver will require states to explain their chosen alternative form of accountability as well as outline their self-imposed higher standards, Duncan said. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts in all relevant fields— such as experts in students with disabilities, leadership evaluation and standardized tests. If accepted, changes to the state will be put in effect during the 2013-2014 academic year, he said. “It is unclear at this time how an approved waiver will impact federal funds to schools locally,” said Lewis Ferebee, chief of staff for Durham Public Schools. “A waiver could potentially relieve the challenges of the NCLB school choice and the ‘one fail, all fail’ accountability models and allow for a greater focus on growth for all students.” In his speech, Obama also outlined other unintended effects from NCLB that he hopes the new initiative will minimize. “Teachers too often are being forced to teach to the test—subjects like history and science have been squeezed out,” Obama said in the Sept. 23 speech. “And in order to avoid having their schools labeled as failures, some states, perversely, have actually had to lower their standards in a race to the bottom instead of a race to the top.” The goal, he explained, is to have states raise their standards and make the accountability system more flexible to allow each state to work to its own strengths by proposing its own form of self-regulation. “Today, as many as a quarter of our students aren’t finishing high school,” Obama said. “We have fallen to 16th [worldwide] in the proportion of young people with a college degree, even though we know that 60 percent of new jobs in the coming decade will require more than a high school diploma.”
Board of Trustees Chair Richard Wagoner, former president and CEO of General Motors Corp. and Trinity ’75, said the University is very fortunate to have the endowment it has—the University endowment grew 24.5 percent in fiscal year 2010-2011. The Board, Wagoner said, finds significant value in being able to be need-blind and attract students across the academic and financial spectrum. When President Richard Brodhead came to Duke in 2004, he was concerned about the amount of funding available for need-blind admissions, so the University raised $300 million, Wagoner said. “It is a significant cost for the University, so the more endowment we can raise for it, the better,” Wagoner said. “But [the needblind admissions policy] is a fundamental commitment of the University and will continue to be.” Duke’s need-blind admissions policy applies only to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The University is not need-blind toward international applicants, though some need-based financial aid is available for them. Guttentag said the University does not yet have enough resources to be need-blind for international applicants, noting that adding an international applicant need-blind policy in the next couple of years is very unlikely. “In a perfect world, we would be needblind for everybody,” Guttentag said. “[Need-blind admissions for international applicants] is one place where almost every college draws the line, and we are comfortable doing so as well.”