Nov. 30, 2011 issue

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, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 65

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

Activist gifts $1M to women’s history center

63 DUKE OSU 85 HE WENT TO JARED

By Scott Rich THE CHRONICLE

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Apparently, Ohio State thinks Duke is all talk. It might have proven it Tuesday night.

In an unusual move, the sold-out crowd at Value City Arena was treated to a pregame hype video taking aim particularly at the Blue Devils. Footage of Dick Vitale and other ESPN analysts praising the No. 3 Blue Devils was mocked, and ended with the tagline, “It’s time to talk about THIS,” as the No. 2 Buckeyes took the floor.

After Ohio State’s performance in Columbus, it now looks like no one will be talking about anything else.

In the premier game of the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge, the Buckeyes (7-0) handed Duke its worst loss since its season ending blowout to Villanova in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, defeating the Blue Devils 8563. Four Ohio State starters scored more than 16 points, and the team shot 59 percent from the field compared to Duke’s 47-percent clip.

“Sometimes you just get your butt kicked.

We got our butt kicked,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said following the loss. “Tonight my butt’s sore.”

After being knocked down by an 11-0 run to start the game, the Blue Devils (7-1)

by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE

Duke’s literary collection on women’s culture, history and rights has the financial capability to grow into the future.

Women’s health care pioneer, political activist, and journalist Merle Hoffman donated $1 million to the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture, the University announced Tuesday. The donation will increase programming expenses and grant funding to the center, which is a national leader in research on women’s history and culture. The donation will also name the directorship after Hoffman.

“I want to be sure that women and activists can go someplace and read what I’ve done and what my colleagues have done, and this will be a history that hasn’t left the public sphere,” Hoffman said. “I would hope the Bingham Center could be a beacon for women’s rights and reproductive rights all around the world.”

The Bingham Center was founded in 1988 and is part of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Bingham Center Director Laura Micham said the donation is the culmination of the center’s long-standing partnership with Hoffman.

This particular contribution will allow the center to direct more money toward programming, TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE

SEE CENTER ON PAGE 5

Aaron Craft had a game-high eight assists along with 17 points in the Buckeyes’ rout Tuesday night.

SEE M. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 8

Super committee failure, Duke senior receives budget cuts to impact Duke Marshall Scholarship

by Yeshwanth Kandimalla THE CHRONICLE

The recent implosion of congressional deficit reduction negotiations has raised uncertainty about federal dollars that Duke and other universities will receive in the coming years.

After the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to reach a bipartisan agreement last week, automatic cuts to the federal news budget are sched- analysis uled take effect January 2013. The cuts, per the Budget Control Act of 2011, must total $1.2 trillion divided equally between security and non-security spending in the next 10 years. The cuts will be initiated through a process called sequestration, which could lead to cuts to different federal agencies that provide grants for higher education, research and student aid.

Kenan-Biddle Partnership awards grants to 10 projects, Page 3

“There will definitely be some implications for Duke but we don’t know what that will be,” said Christopher Simmons, associate vice president of federal relations for the University. “But there are a lot of things that are going to happen before we get to sequestration, including the presidential election.”

As of now, sequestration will occur in 2013, unless lawmakers introduce legislation to undo the cuts to specific areas.

If Congress does not take steps to repeal the cuts, the budgets of most education programs will be slashed by 8 percent across the board, Tony Pals, director of communications for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities—of which Duke is a member—wrote in an email Tuesday. Although Pell Grants will be excluded from the cuts, student financial aid programs overall will be cut by $134 million, Pals added.

SEE BUDGET CUTS ON PAGE 4

by Caroline Fairchild THE CHRONICLE

Senior Daphne Ezer was awarded the esteemed Marshall Scholarship this year for her significant laboratory research and undergraduate achievements.

Already a highly experienced computational biologist following her undergraduate research at Duke, Ezer said she aspires to use the scholarship to pursue a doctoral Daphne Ezer degree in genetics at the University of Cambridge.

The highly selective Marshall Scholarship, which was established in 1953, annually finances two years of graduate-level study in the United Kingdom for up to 40 young Americans.

“I knew right from the onset that she had

ONTHERECORD

“Few overachieve for the sake of overachieving. Many, like me, are actually cramming at the last minute.”

—Rui Dai on being pre-med. See column page 10

a commitment to research and was a really special student in that regard,” said Duke computational biologist Alexander Hartemink, who supervised Ezer’s undergraduate research. “I am really proud of her.”

Ezer, who is a biology and computer science double major from New Jersey, had completed research in computational and mathematical biology even before arriving on campus her freshman year.

“She contacted me when she was still a high school student and was very eager to do research in my group,” said Hartemink, who is also the Alexander F. Hehmeyer associate professor of computer science, statistical science and biology. “I was really surprised and impressed that she was already on the ball.”

Ezer is an Angier B. Duke Scholar, Faculty Scholar and president of the Duke chapter of the Association for Computing SEE MARSHALL ON PAGE 5

Women’s cross country season wraps up, Page 7

2 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

worldandnation

Jump in consumer confidence exceeds forecasts

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Consumer confidence snapped back more than forecast in November as Americans turned less pessimistic on the outlook for jobs and wages, one reason why spending has jumped at the start of the holiday season.

The Conference Board’s index increased to 56 from a revised 40.9 reading in October, the biggest monthly gain since April 2003, figures from the New York-based private research group showed Tuesday. The gauge, at a fourmonth high, exceeded the most optimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.

The improvement in sentiment may help sustain household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, after sales climbed on Nov. 25 and Nov. 28, so-called Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Another report showing home prices continue to drop raises the risk that, without a pickup in hiring, consumers will retreat in early 2012.

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web

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onschedule Physics 130, 4-4:45p.m.

This session will offer an overview of the 11 DukeEngage Summer 2012 Group Domestic Programs as well as the application process.

Duke in Australia 2012 Information Meeting Allen 229, 5-6p.m.

The director of the program will provide an overview of this one-month, one-credit study abroad program.

Farm income to reach Egyptians to have first record $100.9B, USDA says post-Mubarak election WASHINGTON, D.C. — Farm income will jump 28 percent this year to a record $100.9 billion because of higher crop and livestock prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered its estimate from $103.6 billion forecast in August because of declines in grain and oilseed prices since September.

CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptians thronged the polls to cast their votes in the first round of historic elections that they hope will usher in an era of democratic governance. The staggered parliamentary ballot, which will continue across the country until March, has so far been relatively calm.

Duke Visiting Artist Lecture Series Smith Warehouse Bay 4, 6-8p.m.

Meridith Pingree, a New York-based sculpturer, will discuss her recent work.

East Asian Cinema: Seopyeonje White Lecture Hall 107, 8-9:50p.m.

Seopyeonje, a Korean film produced in 1993, tells stories about pansori, a type of traditional Korean folk-song, and pansori singers.

TODAY IN HISTORY 1835: Mark Twain is born.

”

“At the Harvard University vs. Yale University football game Saturday morning, a U-Haul truck hit three women, killing one and injuring two, according to the Crimson. After hitting the three women, the driver of the U-Haul, a Yale junior, hit another U-Haul truck, which then hit a third.”

— From The Chronicle’s News Blog bigblog.dukechronicle.com

5336

DukeEngage Domestic Group Program Information Session

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.

— Paul Dudley White

on the

THURSDAY:

TODAY:

on the

calendar

Bonifacio Day Philippines

Harvest Holiday Turkmenistan

Independence Day ANNA FINKE/THE WASHINGTON POST

Dancers from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company are performing the renowned original piece — eyeSpace. Recognized as one of the most distinctive dancing groups in the country, the Company will disband after the final stretch of its international Legacy Tour, which ends in New York on Dec. 31.

Yemen

National Day Benin

THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | 3

Duke-UNC partnership funds 10 joint projects

by Shucao Mo THE CHRONICLE

Funding is now in place for a new set of collaborations between Duke and UNC. The Kenan-Biddle Partnership awarded $5,000 grants to 10 projects Monday that aim to enhance the intellectual life of both campuses. Now in its second year, the $150,000 initiative distributes up to $50,000 annually over three years to projects at Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The partnership is funded by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust and the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation.

The selection committee—composed of students, faculty and administrators from both campuses—read over the proposals and discussed and compared the pros and cons of each before making the final decision. The proposals were due in October.

Compared to last year’s 91 applications, the number of applications decreased to nearly 50 this year.

Carol Tresolini, vice provost for academic initiatives at UNC-Chapel Hill, said that she is not sure why the number of applications decreased this year.

The decrease may have to do with more effective self-selection among applicants, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta wrote in an email Monday. “[The] smaller number represented better understanding of the grant’s intentions,” Moneta said. “Many last year really didn’t fit. This year, nearly all were quite qualified, which made the decision-making process extremely challenging.”

Tresolini said that the committee placed an

emphasis on proposals that were initiated by students and considered the extent to which the projects contribute to each campus.

Duke Student Government President Pete Schork, a senior, who served on the selection committee, noted that there were overarching guidelines in the selection process, but each committee member was able to use his own subjective criterion when evaluating the proposals.

“I was looking for applications that play upon the strength of each campus and for those that would receive the greatest benefit by having the grants,” Schork said.

Awarded projects include Emerging Scholars of Media and Technology, Triangle Race Conference, Duke-UNC South Asian Classical Music Partnership and UNC-Duke China Leadership Summit.

Each project was required to include at least one public exhibition, presentation or performance and preference was given to proposals made jointly by students from both universities.

Sophomore Helen Cai, the Duke initiator of the UNC-Duke China Leadership Summit, said that the grant will allow her team to focus on developing a more complex structure for its annual conference, which will create a stronger collaborative relationship between Duke and UNC. “We have a positive affirmation from faculty [after receiving the grant],” Cai said.

“We are able to expand the conference— finding speakers around the country, inviting international delegates, extending the length of the conference and creating more networks.”

Biden in Iraq as US withdrawal gathers pace

By Liz Sly THE WASHINGTON POST

BAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden flew into Baghdad on Tuesday to mark the end of the Iraq war and the start of a new chapter in the relationship between Baghdad and Washington, as U.S. troops stream out of Iraq to meet the year-end deadline for their departure.

A key focus of Biden’s talks with Iraqi leaders will be the thorny question of future military cooperation and how much assistance it will be possible for the United States to continue to provide to the Iraqi security forces given the breakdown of negotiations to keep some U.S. forces

here longer, U.S. officials say.

The visit comes as the U.S. military accelerates efforts to meet the Dec. 31 withdrawal date stipulated by the security agreement signed during the George W. Bush administration. The main highway leading south to Kuwait has been clogged for weeks by convoys, and the skies over Baghdad echo nightly with the roar of aircraft flying soldiers home.

With only 13,000 troops now left in Iraq, down from a peak of around 170,000, both Iraqi and U.S. officials say it is unlikely any new agreement will emerge SEE IRAQ ON PAGE 6

Fiddler on the east duke

JULIAN SPECTOR/THE CHRONICLE

Students performed chamber works from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries Tuesday.

4 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

THE CHRONICLE

Colleges fear rise of stimulant drugs

By Jenna Johnson THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American University junior never finishes her monthly prescription of instant-release Adderall used to control her ADHD. She says taking the medication daily might result in sleeplessness or the pills losing their effectiveness. So she shares the extras with friends who promise to use it as a study aid, not a party drug. She sells whatever is left to friends of friends for $5 to $10 each.

“I really try to avoid doing it because it makes me feel like a drug dealer,” said the student, who didn’t want her name used because sharing or selling prescription drugs can be a felony and a violation of university policies. If caught, she could get kicked out of school or face jail time, but she doubts that would ever happen.

For more than two decades, college students have illegally taken prescription stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall to stay awake and hyper-focused while studying.

As sales of medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder soar, administrators worry that illegal use also is increasing.

The White House Office of Drug Control voiced concern about the increase in its latest strategy report, which promises to introduce policies in the next few years that will target college students and a range of substance abuse issues.

But cracking down on study drugs is nearly impossible, said several college administrators who have worked on the issue as it has gained wider attention in recent

years. Students who abuse study drugs don’t reek of marijuana or show the telltale signs of excessive drinking. They rarely end up in hospital beds or jail cells.

Study drugs are “kind of a silent issue,” said Daniel Swinton, president of the Association for Student Conduct Administration and an assistant dean at Vanderbilt University. “Everyone’s aware of it, but I think we’re all focused on the more prevalent one — alcohol.”

When misused, prescription stimulants can cause an irregular heart beat, panic attacks and in rare cases death, especially when mixed with alcohol or other drugs. These prescription medications are similar to cocaine and can be addictive. But experts say there is little evidence of a widespread medical crisis or growing rates of addiction.

In the past decade, University of Virginia students have made about 16,000 visits to the emergency room. Only a handful of those visits involved stimulants, said James Turner, executive director of U-Va.’s Department of Student Health and former president of the American College Health Association.

“Maybe they just use it once to stay up late to study, but they’re not becoming chronic users,” Turner said.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the amount of illicit use taking place, as studies often use different measures that result in a wide range of results. Most college substanceabuse policies now include the words “prescription drugs,” and many schools educate SEE DRUGS ON PAGE 6

BUDGET CUTS from page 1 Duke researchers will continue to be strong contenders in the competition for federal grants from institutions such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, but they will be competing for a smaller amount of money if the cuts go forward, Simmons added.

Sequestration will also trigger a 2 percent reduction in federal reimbursement for hospitals that subsidize the costs of treating patients using Medicare, said Paul Vick, associatevice president for government relations for Duke Medicine. This loss is in addition to the collective $155 billion in Medicare reimbursements hospitals, including the Duke University Health System, will lose over 10 years as part of the health care reform enacted in 2010 but set to take effect 2014.

Vick noted that the super committee was considering proposals that would have led to deeper cuts for DUHS. Although federal money given to hospitals was not a major target in the deficit reduction efforts, every recipient of federal funding was vulnerable, assuming that the committee aimed to make small cuts across a broad range of programs, he added.

“I don’t think any cuts to health care are appropriate, but it is a such a large portion of federal spending—they would have to look at it as part of a deficit reduction package,” he said.

Although universities are beneficial to society in the long term, they are financial drains for the federal government in the short term by using funds without directly contributing to the tax base, said Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and economics.

“With the failure of the super committee, everything by default will occur through spending cuts, which is bad from the university perspective,” Vigdor said. “In exchange

for all that government money, [universities] do a lot of great things for a society.... You can adopt a policy to cut money for the things we do, but there will be consequences.”

Some members of Congress are deeply concerned about automatic cuts to the defense budget due to sequestration, but less federal funding for research and education could be equally harmful to the United States’ future economic growth, said Rep. David Price, D-N.C. “All budget cuts are not created equal,” Price said. “You are never going to balance the budget without a healthy growing economy, which is much more about better-targeted investments in research and education than it is simply cutting those things.”

It remains unclear whether sequestration will be reversed before 2013, Simmons said. The legislation aiming to do that could come as a broad measure or gradual changes, but the University remains fully committed to supporting congressional proposals that maintain research and financial aid funding.

“Most Republicans and Democrats want to avoid sequestration and have some control over where cuts are made,” he noted. “Members of Congress may raise questions about the quality of research or education but at the end of the day, colleges and universities receive pretty good bipartisan support... but there’s going to be cuts everywhere to fix the budget.”

Sequestration was most recently introduced in 1985 as part of a balanced budget law but was eventually reversed, Vick noted.

President Barack Obama has noted that he will veto any attempt to reverse the 2013 sequester.

“The whole idea of sequestration is to put pressure on policymakers to come up with something that is less painful,” Price said. “If [sequestration] comes into effect, that is a sign of failure.”

THE CHRONICLE

CENTER from page 1 operating expenses and grant funding. Micham added.

Hoffman, who donated her personal and professional papers to the center in 2000, said she hopes the funds will allow it to remain a strong resource for women’s history—particularly in health and reproductive rights. She is the founder and CEO of Choices Women’s Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest women’s health facilities. She is also the publisher and editor-in-chief of On the Issues Magazine—a progressive feminist publication founded in 1983.

Hoffman’s donation validates the center’s history of excellence, said Deborah Jakubs, Rita Di Giallonardo Holloway University librarian and vice provost for library affairs. “[Hoffman] is so committed to the kind of work the

MARSHALL from page 1 Machinery. She was also an organizer of the 2011 National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference, a winner in the undergraduate division of the Duke Start-Up Challenge.

Alex Rosenberg, director of the Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship Program and R. Taylor Cole professor of philosophy, said the program has a history of producing Marshall Scholars because it attracts students interested in this type of opportunity, such as Ezer.

“Daphne is a perfect example of the student we aim to bring to Duke,” Rosenberg said. “It’s because they do so well at the research that make them great candidates for these scholarships.”

After graduation, Ezer plans to work with Cambridge researcher Boris Adryan to work on predictive models of how genes are turned on and off. Although research is important, Ezer said the impact of research on the larger world must be considered as well.

“Research is only half of the process of science. For science to have any impact, research must be shared with others,” Ezer said in a news release Tuesday. “Once knowledge is communicated, it is public knowledge. It can be used and misused by anyone. Therefore, scientists must consider the ethical or policy implications of their work.”

Lauren Carroll contributed reporting.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | 5

Bingham Center carries out and makes possible through the provision of scholarly research and programming, and it is something she thinks so highly of that she wanted her name associated with it,” Jakubs said.

Hoffman said this donation comes at a time when she is reflecting on her involvement with women’s health and reproductive rights. This year marks the 40th anniversary of her women’s medical center, and she is currently writing her autobiography, “Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Board Room.” In her years of work in women’s rights activism, she has used the Bingham Center’s archives multiple times.

“I’ve gone back to my own archives and others’ archives to assist my own work,” she said. “[For my autobiography], there was a lot of research that had to be done on myself because there have been so many things I’ve done that I’ve forgotten....

We’ve been through this together all throughout the years.”

Women’s Studies Chair Ranjana Khanna, said faculty members and students in the women’s studies program work closely with the Bingham Center. Hoffman’s contributions have also inspired other women’s rights activists to donate their papers to the center, allowing Duke students and faculty members interested in women’s rights and women’s health to conduct thorough research. The center, Khanna said, contains many resources not available at other universities.

Khanna also serves as director of undergraduate and graduate studies for the department. “[Her donation] has created a foundation for documenting reproductive rights beyond Merle’s efforts,” Khanna said. “It’s become a repository for papers that are not available in the same way elsewhere and our students will benefit from that.”

How to save a life

KENZIE BROWN/THE CHRONICLE

A student donates blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive Tuesday.

6 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

DRUGS from page 4 students about the dangers of study drugs during orientation or health seminars. They also are trying to identify the issues that drive abuse, such as excessive stress, poor study skills or too much partying on school nights.

At some schools, parents are told to check in with their students during midterms and finals and ask questions about how they manage stress. At U-Va., students are told that if they need drugs to make it through their homework, they should get tested for ADHD or a learning disability. Duke University declared that illegally using prescription stimulants is academic dishonesty.

Other schools are targeting potential dealers. At George Washington University, students with ADHD prescriptions are told to purchase a safe for their dorm room.

Students who want to try the drugs usually don’t have to look far for a classmate with a prescription. Millions of children and

IRAQ from page 3 to reverse their governments’ mutual decision to adhere to the deadline.

“For the moment, the priority for us is to carry out the security agreement of 2008 and to finalize the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq,” U.S. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey told reporters.

But Biden will be looking for ways in which the U.S. military can sustain the close relationship it has forged with the Iraqi security forces over the past eight-and-ahalf years under the terms of the Strategic Framework Agreement, an accord signed at the same time as the security pact and laying out the terms for cooperation in a variety of fields.

THE CHRONICLE

adults have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Last fall, five percent of incoming college freshmen had the disorder, according to the Higher Education Research Institute.

Without prescription drugs, many of these students might not have made it to college.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Ritalin became the first ADHD drug to gain renown. But most of today’s college students are more familiar with Adderall, an amphetamine introduced in the United States in 1996 that comes in a variety of generic forms with different names. Sales of ADHD medications have increased from $4 billion in 2006 to $7.2 billion last year, according to IMS Health, a health-care information company.

For many students, college is an ongoing experiment in risk assessment. As they contemplate popping one of the illicit drugs, they probably weigh the potential benefits (hours of laser-like focus) against potential consequences (getting in trouble or getting hurt).

“I think that’s the calculation that a lot of college students are making,” said Molly

Young, 24, a New York writer. “It can be really helpful. That’s the truth.” Young said she often took extended-release Adderall without a prescription when she was an undergraduate at Brown University. Her pills mostly came from friends, although she also ordered some online.

While some students flaunt the fact that they take what is nicknamed “Ivy League crack,” others hide it. Young said she told very few people at Brown about the habit because, “there was something shameful in conceding that you needed chemical help.”

But the average user is often a below-average student, according to a study by the University of Maryland’s Center on Young Adult Health and Development. The center surveyed 1,250 students and found that those using stimulants had a grade-point average of 2.82, lower than the non-user average of 2.96. Users also studied two hours less per week, socialized three and a half hours more and missed more classes.

Such evidence suggests that some students

party so much they fall behind academically, and turn to study drugs in an effort to catch up. So, are these students cheating?

This fall, the Duke University Office of Student Conduct added another bullet-point to its list of things that are considered cheating: “the unauthorized use of prescription medication to enhance academic performance.”

If the office learns that a student might have violated the policy, the charge would go through the disciplinary process and, if warranted, a punishment would be assigned.

The student newspaper’s editorial board largely backed the decision, comparing a scholar on stimulants to a football player on steroids. But it cautioned that stimulants are only symptoms of a bigger problem— unhealthy academic competition.

“Students see their peers as direct competition for job offers or spots in graduate and professional school,” wrote the Duke Chronicle staff. “With this mind set, many students strive not only to do well themselves, but also to do better than their com-

Alongside Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki, Biden will co-chair a meeting of the Higher Coordination Committee, the body set up to implement the agreement, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on the visit.

The visit heralds “a new phase in our relationship—a long-term strategic partnership across a range of sectors,” the official said.

Among the many possibilities being discussed are an expanded role for NATO trainers, joint military exercises both inside and outside Iraq and some form of air cooperation that would address concerns on both sides that Iraq is unable to defend its airspace, Jeffrey said.

“These are all ideas. There is nothing concrete. But the Iraqis are talking to us

about them and as time goes on in the weeks ahead we may come to some further decisions,” he said.

“There could be various kinds of air cooperation, and it gets around the immunity thing as long as people aren’t deployed on the ground,” he added.

Negotiations on a continued U.S. military presence collapsed last month after Iraq refused to grant immunity from prosecution to U.S. troops who kill Iraqis, something the United States said was essential if American soldiers who stayed here were to be able to defend themselves.

But Iraqi military officials and U.S. commanders say there are still huge gaps in the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces that will not easily be filled. Foremost among those is the lack of an Iraqi air force ca-

pable both of defending Iraq’s airspace against external threats and of launching the kind of airstrikes that have taken out alQaida in Iraq leaders in recent years.

The Iraqi army has placed more than $8 billion worth of orders for U.S. military hardware, including M1-A1 Abrams tanks and howitzers, in addition to 18 F16s that won’t be delivered until 2015.

All require sophisticated training, U.S. officials say.

About 200 members of the U.S. military will remain behind as part of the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq, under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, but it is expected that the bulk of the training will be carried out by civilian contractors provided by the companies supplying the equipment.

Sports The Chronicle

BLUE ZONE

WEDNESDAY November 30, 2011

Further coverage of Duke’s loss to Ohio State online on the Chronicle’s sports blog, including what the defeat means for the Blue Devils moving forward.

www.dukechroniclesports.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Sullinger-centric offense too much for Duke

by Matt Levenberg THE CHRONICLE

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s teams have always been known for their defensive prowess. But Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio State had its way with an inexperienced Duke squad that struggled to contain the Buckeyes’ balanced attack.

From the outset, the Blue Devils were faced with a variety of scoring options they would be tasked with defending for the duration of the contest. Ohio State opened up an 11-point lead, going 5-for-6 from the floor.

The Buckeye starters proved too much for Duke as Jared Sullinger, Game Aaron Craft, Deshaun Thomas and Analysis William Buford combined for 76 of the team’s 85 points.

“We all got beat in our individual matchups, so it wasn’t just one person,” forward Mason Plumlee said.

Ohio State was able to do so by moving the ball efficiently through the post and around the perimeter.

Craft, the efficient point guard, racked up eight of his team’s 18 assists.

Although Sullinger was only credited with one assist, there were countless times when Blue Devils collapsed into the paint, leaving guards unguarded on the perimeter. Sullinger showed great vision and delivered passes to his teammates who worked the ball around the perimeter and made open shots.

In the first half, the Buckeyes boasted ten assists to just four turnovers while Duke had recorded only three assists and had turned the ball over eight times.

Patience and good decision-making allowed Ohio State to exploit the Blue Devils’ defense and shoot over 59 percent from the field, including 57 percent from beyond the arc for the game. Before last night’s loss, Duke had allowed

opponents to shoot just 42 percent from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point range.

“We just played bad defense,” freshman guard Austin Rivers said. “If you know anything about Duke, the best thing we do is play defense. Tonight, we [all played as individuals] instead of team defense.”

Rivers did all he could to keep his team in the game, scoring a team-high 22 points and using his penetration to create open shots for his teammates. The Blue Devils had shot the ball very well early in the season, making over 45 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Against Ohio State, however, guards Seth Curry, Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton shot a combined 1-for-11 from 3-point range while fellow shooters Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly did not pull the trigger on a single attempt from deep. Although the Buckeye defenders played well, there were several open shots that the guards missed badly.

Mason Plumlee was one of the few bright spots of Duke’s offense. The middle Plumlee scored 16 points and added eight rebounds while going up against one of the best big men in the country.

“I thought [Sullinger] and Mason played hard,” Krzyzewski said. “Mason played Sullinger well, and he wanted the ball.”

Although Plumlee matched Sullinger with eight boards apiece, no other Blue Devil hauled in more than three rebounds. Each of Ohio State’s starters grabbed at least five rebounds, leading to the Buckeyes winning the battle on the boards by six.

The Blue Devils have their work cut out for them as they must improve their team defense and rebounding if they are going to be a force in the national title picture.

“We’re a very young team,” Krzyzewski said,” We’re still trying to figure out who we are as a basketball team…. Our team is going to get a lot better by playing against this level of competition.”

TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE

Mason Plumlee had 16 points and eight rebounds against Jared Sullinger, but no other Blue Devil had more than three boards.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: SEASON IN REVIEW

Injuries derail promising season

by Sarah Elsakr THE CHRONICLE

Just before the season’s start in early September, the Blue Devils were excited about the opportunities that lay before them, voicing their commitment to taking the season ‘one day at a time.’ Although their optimism was cautious and both head coach Kevin Jermyn and his runners refrained from setting specific goals, they did admit to a desire to improve upon the previous year’s results. After the end of a difficult season, however, Duke will have to walk away knowing that it was unable to accomplish its goal.

The 2010 season was one that did not live up to its potential, Jermyn said during the 2011 preseason. But after last week’s NCAA meet ended a season that has been characterized by performances that were consistently worse than those of the previous year, the same can be said about the 2011 season.

“Looking back, it’s a disappointing season just knowing we didn’t make nationals,” senior Esther Vermeer said. “That’s kind of the overarching disappointment.”

The Blue Devils opened the first few races of the season with success but ran into setbacks once they entered more competitive meets. At the ACC meet, despite goals of improving on a third-place finish in 2010, Duke crossed the line in seventh. Shortly

afterwards at the NCAA Southeast Regional meet, the Blue Devils finished fifth, two places worse than the previous year. Only one runner, junior Madeline Morgan, was able to rise above the disappointing result and make it to the national meet as an individual. For the rest of the team though, that fifth-place finish represented an unsatisfactory end to a frustrating season.

“We came into the season with pretty high expectations,” Jermyn said. “But unfortunately we had a couple injuries to our top people… and continued to find too much adversity… to go out and compete at the level of our original goals.”

Duke, which expected to return its top six competitors from the previous season, including NCAA 10k champion Juliet Bottorff and 2009 All-American Carly Seymour, was disappointed to discover that four out of those six were unable to compete due to injury. As a result, the incoming freshman class was forced to make up the difference, going straight from high school competitions to top-level collegiate meets. The lack of experienced runners traveling with the team also minimized the amount of upperclassmen leadership that Jermyn identified as a necessity for success.

Despite the multiple setbacks, however, there were some highlights as a few runners proved themselves capable of stepping up

under pressure. Seniors Suejin Ahn and Vermeer led the team throughout much of the season and a few freshmen, including Chloe Maleski and Julianna Miller, also showed rapid improvement and were able to contribute successful performances.

“Personally I ran, in the races before regionals, better than I ever have any season,” Vermeer said. “So it’s kind of disappointing. It’s just really hard to be proud personally when the team doesn’t perform as well as we had hoped.”

But even though these few successes were not enough to bring the season around, both Jermyn and his runners agree that the difficulties they faced have helped the team grow. And despite the fact that upperclassmen such as Ahn and Vermeer were hoping for a successful ending to their collegiate cross country careers, they are setting their sights on the future and trying to take the frustration in stride.

“Even though there have been disappointments along the way I have learned a lot about myself and about myself as a runner,” Vermeer said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world even though it didn’t go quite as I had planned…. We learn from our mistakes and try to move forward.

We’re working harder this track season and hopefully it will pay off.”

fromstaffreports Selby suspended indefinitely after Jam Shay Selby has been suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules, women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie announced Tuesday.

The senior guard has started in all five of the Blue Devils’ games so far this season, averaging 6.2 points and 3.0 assists per contest.

The 5-foot-9 Cleveland, Ohio native and classmate Kathleen Scheer are the only two seniors Shay Selby on the Duke roster.

The move comes days after the team returned from the Freeport, Bahamas, where it suffered its first lost of the season to then-No. 4 Notre Dame, 56-54, in the championship game of the Junkanoo Jam. In the Blue Devils’ 97-31 semifinal win over Gardner-Webb, Selby had 11 points and five assists.

Selby played in all 34 of the Blue Devils’ games last season, starting ten. She shot 40.4 percent from beyond the arc, earning allACC Academic team honors.

No. 7 Duke will take the court without Selby Thursday night against No. 13 Purdue. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

8 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

took nearly 55 percent of the team’s shots.

Seth Curry scored only seven points, his lowest total of the year, after taking only battled back behind the offense of Mason four shots in the first half. Ryan Kelly, comPlumlee and Austin Rivers to cut the lead to ing off MVP honors at the Maui Invitationone point with 12:33 to go in the first half. al, was invisible in Columbus. The junior The Buckeyes responded, though, as Jared captain took just two shots in 14 first-half Sullinger, William Buford and Deshuan minutes, and played only one minute the Thomas combined to score 19 of Ohio State’s rest of the way. He finished with no points next 23 points as the lead ballooned to 13. and three rebounds.

But the true dagger didn’t come until later The team accumulated just ten assists in the half. After a and is now ranked three-point play by 242nd in Division“We just put our hands up Rivers brought the I basketball in asand fell back into the ropes. sists per game. lead back down to ten with 4:15 to According to We never ever struck back, Krzyzewski, go, Duke looked though, poised to make a the trip to Maui not once.” run and narrow played a major role — Austin Rivers in Duke’s lackluster the deficit before halftime. While effort Tuesday. The Buford answered Blue Devils had just Rivers with an impressive fade-away jumper, come off a grueling schedule of seven games however, the Blue Devils lost their shooting in thirteen days, while Ohio State has not left touch. Tyler Thornton, Quinn Cook and Riv- Columbus yet this season. ers missed four open threes, two of which “They haven’t been on the road. We just were airballs, and Duke would only score two got back from a hellacious tournament in points the rest of the half.

Maui,” Krzyzewski said. “We weren’t able to Meanwhile, the Blue Devils were flum- get juiced up in this short amount of time moxed by Thomas, who scored nine to go on the road. That had a bearing on it. straight Buckeye points following Buford’s Even if we did that I’m not sure if we would jumper and even exploited a rare zone de- have beaten that team.” fense implemented by Krzyzewski.

The Buckeyes were also on the end of evDuke found itself down 19 at the half, ery bounce—in the first half alone Ohio State and would not close the lead to less than 17 had ten second chance points, compared to the rest of the way. none by Duke. And a team that is shooting be“They went out there and they took a low 35 percent from beyond the 3-point arc punch at us,” Rivers said. “We just put our this season went 5-for-5 in the second half to hands up and fell back into the ropes. We stymie any hope of a Blue Devil run. never ever struck back, not once.”

Regardless, Duke was never able to overAlthough Duke’s defense was the main come those first half runs that turned a top culprit of the blowout loss, the Blue Devils 5 matchup into a laugher. also struggled to find an offensive rhythm in “I just think they were more ready to play,” a hostile environment. Rivers and Plumlee Plumlee said. “You can tell by the way the accounted for 38 of Duke’s 63 points and game started. We just didn’t come ready.”

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M. BASKETBALL from page 8

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Austin Rivers led all scorers with 22 points, but it was not enough against the No. 2 Buckeyes.

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Housing exemptions unwise but not fatal Housing lottery exemp- istrators and leaders to fulfill tions for four University-spon- certain criterion. sored selective living groups Housing, Dining and stand in direct contrast to the Residence Life’s placement underlying pillar of equity in- of these groups on West contended to define the house tradicts the University’s asmodel allocasertion that all editorial tion process. Alcampuses are though the Uniequal. Instead, versity should have been more it recognizes West’s superitransparent and timely in an- ority over Central Campus nouncing preferential treat- and asserts certain groups’ ment for the four groups, the entitlement to this cherished error is not fatal to the house space over others’. Perhaps model’s future success. the University is not responThe Baldwin Scholars, sible for bestowing increased Women’s Housing Option, value to one campus over Wellness Community and another—that is the result Substance-Free houses were of student opinion. But the all granted exemption from administration is certainly the housing lottery and were guilty of reinforcing such guaranteed placement on stereotypes, first by granting West Campus. Members in University-sponsored SLGs all four of these groups are exemption from the house selected by University admin- model allocation process and

“

An easy way to reduce carbon and water usage is to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms and make sure faucets are tightly secured and not leaking. Don’t need any lofty rhetoric to do that.

”

—“Robert Taylor Holmes” commenting on the story “University making progress toward carbon-neutral pledge.”

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.

then by placing these groups on West. Justification for placing WHO and Baldwin Scholars on West may be to ensure a gender balance, given Panhellenic Association sororities’ collective decision to seek placement together, which placed them on Central. But the Substance-Free and Wellness groups cannot seek shelter under such an explanation.

Before the housing lottery occurred, HDRL should have been more transparent about its intention to unconditionally place the four groups on West.

Panhel women stated their preference for joint housing late in the housing model lottery discussions. This change threatened to upset gender distribution across campuses and makes understandable

the placement of WHO and Baldwin Scholars. Regardless, the groups’ exemption should have been communicated to the student body immediately upon HDRL’s decision, in order to ensure transparency in an already unpopular housing transformation.

University-sponsored living groups have no special value, or attendant privilege, above student-run SLGs. Member selection by University administrators does not render these kinds of groups eligible for special treatment. This selection process does not make these groups inherently more valuable and hence deserving of house lottery immunity.

But they have received special treatment nonetheless.

Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate

education, noted in September 2010 that “social selective groups have a level of privilege, and then there are the independents who have a much lower level of privilege.” But isn’t giving special treatment to four selective living groups also a way of providing some groups a higher level of privilege?

The University’s breach of student trust in this instance was not catastrophic—the consequences to the majority of students will be unfelt. Nonetheless, administrators must recognize their errors both in failing to be transparent in this situation and in a flawed practice of favoring certain groups.

Such violations of trust must not occur again, and in the meantime, students should accept that what is done is done, and move forward.

Prepping pre-med

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T

here are many things that need to be taken to do was closet myself in a library cubicle every into account when you try to decide what Friday night in order to maintain a 4.0 GPA. A you want to do for the rest of your life. I number isn’t going to define the rest of my life. thought I had my priorities straight I want to make friends and build when I first enrolled at Duke; since those relationships. College is supthen a lot has changed. posed to be one of the best four Freshman year, I didn’t have a years of our lives and I am sure not clear idea of what I wanted to do. going to waste it to become someOne day I was going to be a sharpthing I don’t want to be 20 years dressing businesswoman using my down the road. not-so-kick-butt Mandarin skills to Yet here I am, two and a half make powerful deals between the years later, a pre-med. rui dai U.S. and Chinese business worlds.

I don’t know at exactly what a picture’s worth The next, I was bound to become point my opinion of pre-meds and a bleeding-heart social worker who their aspirations changed. But over was going rid the world of hunger AND poverty. time, I realized that, yes, pre-meds are competiThe last thing that I wanted to become was a tive, but they are not any more competitive than pre-med. Pre-med students have an unfortunate the average Duke student. reputation for being extremely intense and comMy decision to hopefully become a doctor is petitive. They are usually the ones in the library based on what I want to do with my life and how late at night cramming for the organic chemistry a medical career would be perfectly suited to my exam the next day. They are also the most likely goals. I realize that, at the end of the day, I am to have argued every half-point with their high- a scientist. I like science and I want to push its school biology teachers about obscure medical boundaries. But the reason why I want to push facts that only made the overworked educators those boundaries is because I want to help people. sigh with exasperation.

I want to know that my work has an impact on othPre-meds are perfectionists. There is a reason ers. Doing research in a lab 24 hours a day, seven why we will one day trust them with our lives. Their days a week, just isn’t going to cut it. I want to have future profession demands a spotless record, and personal interactions with those I help. anyone who comes up short is not fit to wear the As a result, I have transformed into a pre-med, laurel-like white coat. focusing only on getting my degree with as few Even then, pre-meds will always try to out-do damages to my GPA as possible. Being pre-med is one another. It’s as though being good is never just a means to an end. All I want is to go to medigood enough. Good can never be measured on a cal school. I will keep my head down and avoid as permanent scale. It completely depends on how many academic competitions as possible. you are doing compared to the person next to Over time, I have realized that everyone else you. Being pre-med isn’t about being your best; has the same plan. instead, it’s about being as close to the top of the Most pre-meds are just trying to stay afloat. pile of your peers as possible.

Pass the class with a reasonable grade and move I remember one of the smartest people I’ve on. Few overachieve for the sake of overachievever known groaning a couple years ago about ing. Many, like me, are actually cramming at the how all the pre-meds in biology 119 made the last minute. I’ve only heard of a handful of superclass so much harder. I stopped in my tracks. Pre- students who make a habit of reading one or two meds can even make a class difficult for someone chapters ahead of the lectures. And those exist in whom I consider to be one of the smartest in- almost every major at Duke. dividuals on this planet? What kind of academic Yes, pre-med is hard. It is a career path that will beasts are they? undoubtedly come hand in hand with a couple If I wasn’t anti pre-med before I heard this, I Friday nights in the library. But it certainly isn’t certainly was afterward. every Friday night.

As you can probably imagine, after battling my way through a sea of over-achieving high-schoolRui Dai is a Trinity junior. This is her final column ers just to get into college, the last thing I wanted of the semester.

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Badges! Get your merit badges!

P

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | 11

commentaries

ut a lot of weight on standardized tests and thing we should avoid. Barry Joseph, director of kids will develop a talent for them—it’s a the Online Leadership Program for Global Kids, fact. And a number of internet organiza- Inc. explains in a video on the DMLC website tions are trying to give them anoth“Badges are giving young people a er hoop, according to a recent New way to not just learn new skills and York Times article. knowledge but actually develop The Fourth Digital Media and language around it that they might Learning Competition (DMLC), a not have had before to talk about Humanities, Arts, Science and Techit, whether it’s in a job interview or nology Advanced Collaboratory on a resume or applying for col(HASTAC) initiative, has received leges.” funding and support from, among In other words, these badges will others, the MacArthur Foundation, michael goodrich teach our youngsters how to packthe Mozilla Foundation and Duke to between parentheses age themselves more effectively. start a competition—co-administratJoseph even explains that in a betaed by our very own Professor Cathy test with a group of kids who were Davidson—to encourage the use of digital merit awarded various badges for exploring a commubadges that reward learning and accomplishment. nity around a museum, the high-achievers strove The program will be completely open source: Any to get all of the possible badges. And so the digital organization can make and award any badge they badges regress to a checklist culture. The DMLC want, and once earned, they will be displayed in website encourages this: “For a learner, a sequence online profiles. of badges can be a path to gaining expertise and As the DMLC website explains “a badge is a new competencies. Badges can capture and disvalidated indicator of accomplishment, skill, qual- play that path, providing information about, and ity or interest that can be earned in any learning visualizations of, needed skills and competencies.” environment” and that “can signal traditional aca- This is not the kind of education we should be prodemic attainment or the acquisition of skills such moting. (If you think the classical studies departas collaboration, teamwork, leadership and other ment is having trouble filling seats now, wait till we 21st century skills.” start putting badges on classes. Oh, Euripides doesn’t The idea is to “make the accomplishments and get me a badge in Excel or PowerPoint? That’s just too experiences of individuals, in online and offline bad!) It encourages students—from a very young spaces, visible to anyone and everyone, including age—to pick an endpoint and figure out how to potential employers, teachers and peer communi- get to it. Learning, once completely incentivized, ties.” It’s a great idea, in theory. can easily become more discrete and instrumental The problem is that the only way these digital than it is continuous and cherished. merit badges could work as a quick, stable inforCorporations even understand how to take admation system for employers or colleges, or badge- vantage of this. Gabe Newell, president and owner earners for that matter, is if each one is highly spe- of Valve Corporation, a game developer, is also excific. Merit badges are typically used as a shorthand cited at the idea of the badge system. He explains that conveys mastery of a larger skill set (like hunt- that game developers will be able “to think about ing or fishing or cooking), but, as is suggested by the kinds of educational experiences gamers will a video on the DMLC website, digital badges can have” and to create badges for them. Well that’s be awarded for any small activity, like attending a handy. Now we can finally commodify skill. After workshop. If this is the case, the badges will have all, playing videogames (after purchasing them parodic specificity. Setting up a wireless router in from companies like Valve, that is) can improve your house doesn’t merit a computer science or your career prospects. Parents of the Old World: IT badge; it merits a Non-Commercial-Wireless- afraid that your child is playing Xbox Live a little Router-Configuration badge. It would be a disser- too much? Have no fear! He’s earning his colvice to leave the badges vague and general. Un- laboration badges. Think he’s spending too much like military medals, the badges say nothing about time pushing around blocks in Zelda? No worries! general levels of achievement—they could often Goldman’ll pay a premium for that analytical reabe rewarded for individual tasks accomplished. soning badge!

The effectiveness of each digital merit badge It’s kind of funny when you think about lifelong depends entirely on the depth to which it allows badge-earning. It reminds me of that episode of an employer to evaluate a prospective hire. If a “Full House” when Stephanie or Michelle—I can’t Javascript badge links to a detailed report of the remember which—spends the whole show trying programming done, as The New York Times ar- to earn her merit badge for cooking (spoiler alert: ticle suggests, claims about the superficiality of she makes frozen popsicles out of orange juice). I badges are certainly mediated. Thoroughness of like the name: digital merit badges. It couldn’t be this sort ought to be encouraged (but then again, any more contemptuous. why can’t you just put this kind of stuff in a resume or a cover letter?)

Michael Goodrich is a Trinity senior. This is his final Nevertheless, the badge culture itself is some- column of the semester.

Getting in our own way

G

overnments tend to foster inefficiencies. It’s simple logic: Politicians and laws help mitigate certain issues that the free market does not address and help those that capitalism misses. Economics says that, if solutions to certain problems were efficient or profitable, capitalism would step in and some corporation would do it.

And that is all fine and dandy. The only problems occur during political brokering—when certain entities get explicit protections or relief due to anything other than their benefit to the people. For example, allocating extra subsidies to specifantonio segalini ic corn farmers hinders competition and musings the benefits consumers receive from it.

Favoritism does have its benefits.

Helping failing businesses can save jobs in the short run and allow those companies a second chance to innovate and compete. Certain specific interventions have come in order to stop volatility and prevent widespread turmoil. If a governing body’s purpose were to represent the people, however, competition—including allowing failing companies to fail—would be the correct thing to do. Less intervention would lead to lower prices, higher efficiency and less government spending.

In theory, any job losses would be rectified when efficient corporations increase market share, and cuts of unnecessary or inefficient workers would further lower prices for consumers.

Are there problems? Yes, but there are many more problems with favoritism.

The one place where inefficiencies and ineffectiveness affect student life on a regular basis is through dining. Let me be clear from the start: Workers do their jobs and get paid for it. Although there is constant argument about the ineffectiveness of union workers, it is hard to blame people for taking a job that pays them well and allows them to feed their families. Ask any professional basketball player if they felt it was their responsibility to take less pay than offered. Despite the fact that there were teams losing money, none of the players placed the burden upon themselves. And why should they?

Instead, the inefficiencies are due to a problem with the dining system as a whole, especially in the way it fosters (or rather does not) competition amongst dining locations. In an effort to protect the interests of current dining locations on campus, Duke University has made significant strides to limit the amount of outside interferences. The University has helped prop up failing dining locations by eliminating the competition. Outside of ordering from vendors on Duke’s delivery (which administrators also attempted to limit this year), there is no way for students to use their food points outside of the campus limits. Local restaurants and other eateries are placed at a serious competitive disadvantage, as they are unable to provide their goods on students’ most widely used currency.

This obviously has its benefits. By only allowing students to use food points at locations on campus, Duke helps foster a community. Further, the University also maintains a well-defined location for security and Duke University Police Department officers to patrol.

The problem with this is that by maintaining a distinct barrier between the campus and local dining locations, there is a significant burden placed on students as consumers. With limited dining options, locations are not forced to be efficient or cost-friendly. Instead, they can make significant mark-ups.

Furthermore, by not extending the use of food points to off-campus vendors, Duke is hindering a more complete relationship between students and Durham’s rising small businesses. With a significant number of restaurants on Ninth Street and Erwin Road, the interaction between students and Durham residents would increase simply from opening up the dining options. Villanova University in Pennsylvania currently allows over 70 nearby off-campus vendors on their “Wildcard” plan, and many other universities blur the lines between off-campus vendors and those on campus. Nearby bagel shops, restaurants and even convenience stores allow students to use their student cards to make payments. Duke can implement a similar plan and allow local businesses of its choosing to use food or FLEX points. The University can also charge a fee to those businesses, causing them to mark up their products (and therefore help on-campus businesses compete) while also alleviating the dining deficit.

Obviously there are problems with allowing for off-campus dining options on food points. There are safety concerns with people wandering into Durham at night, but this can be mitigated by only extending the option of food points to nearby businesses as well as shutting off late-night dining at off-campus locations. Further, constant foot traffic from large numbers of students going throughout Durham will make picking off individual students more difficult.

In essence, allowing off-campus options on food points will increase competition, thus increasing quality of goods (and lowering prices) on campus while also providing more variety for students. Also, it will help foster a connection between Duke and Durham and create a mutually beneficial relationship. It is time Duke stopped allowing its students to be burdened by an underwhelming and inefficient dining plan.

Antonio Segalini is a Trinity junior. His column runs every Wednesday.

12 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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