T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
The Chronicle
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 47
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Students voice Law school applicants most likely to have Facebook checked support for Food Factory
by Tiffany Lieu THE CHRONICLE
Law school applicants ought to be careful about what they post on Facebook. A survey conducted by Kaplan Test Prep found that law school admissions officers look at applicants’ Facebook pages and other social networking sites more often than do their undergraduate or business school counterparts. In a process that is already very competitive, admissions officers are taking additional aspects into account when determining which students are accepted. The Duke School of Law accepts approximately 20 percent of applicants— a rate that is consistent with many top institutions, said Jeff Thomas, director of prelaw programs for Kaplan. The trend is indicative of the legal profession itself, Thomas said. “We want to make sure
that the people who are the gatekeepers of the law and the people who are creating the laws are ones that will follow the law,” Thomas said. “Law schools are the gatekeepers to future attorneys, so it makes sense that they are more circumspect on the front end.” The study, released Oct. 24, surveyed admissions officers at 359 different undergraduate, business and law schools to determine what factors the officers considered during the admissions process. Of those surveyed, 20 percent of the undergraduate admissions officers and 27 percent of the business school admissions officers said they used social networking sites to research applicants. In comparison, 37 percent of law school admissions officers said they took information found on SEE FACEBOOK ON PAGE 5
by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE
Students are rallying in support of the Food Factory despite its unsuccessful start this year. A group that includes members of Duke Student Government, Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee and the general student body have started a movement to save the Food Factory, which has had trouble attracting business since arriving to Central Campus this year. The student-created committee aims to counter the undue negative publicity the business has recently received by reaching out to the Duke community and improving advertising, said senior Manny Olojede, a DSG senator for student life. “The food is great, but they aren’t getting as many students as they wanted,” Olojede said. “We want to change perceptions about the Food Factory.... They are still trying.” The restaurant’s owner Jim Schmid said he appreciates the student effort to increase traffic to the eatery. Schmid, who has been working approximately 80 hours a week to keep the restaurant afloat, added that while it may be struggling now, the outlook for its future is improving. “We’re happy that students are trying to keep us there, and we’re trying to fill their needs with food,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. Last month just stunk.” DUSDAC co-Chair Beth Gordon, a junior, said she believes that many students do not eat at the Food Factory because it is located on Central Campus—not because there is anything wrong with the restaurant itself. The newly established Food Factory committee will consider ways to
CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY MELISSA YEO
SEE FOOD FACTORY ON PAGE 6
University assists creation of public policy program in Vietnam by Marianna Jordan THE CHRONICLE
The University is furthering its global expansion in Vietnam and this time in the realm of environmental policy. Duke University is assisting the Vietnamese National University in Ho Chi Minh City with the development of a new master’s degree program in public policy for environmental protection, which is set to begin Fall 2012. Francis Lethem, the director of the Duke Center for International Development and associate dean for executive education programs at the Sanford School of Public Policy, said Sanford and the Nicholas School of the Environment are collaborating to act as advisors to the nascent program in Vietnam. “Part of the marvelous spirit of Duke is that collaboration occurs across the academic environment,” Lethem said. “This partnership with [VNU-HCM] would not have been conceivable had we gone about this alone.” Vietnam is currently facing a number of environmental
Chris TweedKent’s journey from walk-on to draft prospect, Page 9
challenges, most importantly those posed by climate change, said Erika Weinthal, associate professor of environmental policy and coordinator of the Nicholas School’s involvement in the program. “[The Vietnamese] are fully cognizant that climate change will have tremendous impacts on their environment, economy and social well-being of their population,” she said. Nicholas School faculty were initially asked through the General Electric Foundation to visit VNU-HCM, Weinthal said. The foundation is interested in helping the university create an environmental policy program. “We were asked to go [to Vietnam] to meet with the faculty and administration and talk to them about what would be feasible in terms of getting a good grasp of what a potential [VNU master] program might look like,” Weinthal said. A team from Sanford and the Nicholas School initially visited in January 2010, Lethem noted, adding that the team
JI SOO YOON/THE CHRONICLE
SEE VIETNAM ON PAGE 6
The Food Factory on Central Campus has experienced little success since opening this Fall, but students are working to save the eatery.
ONTHERECORD
“If you aren’t self-interested, you don’t live very long.” —Professor Connel Fullenkamp in “Got greed?” See column page 14
Matt Daniels is hitting his stride, Page 9