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, JANUARY 24, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 82
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Low attendance forces Duke Athletics to sell student seats
Coffey named director of dining services by Gloria Lloyd
by Chris Cusack THE CHRONICLE
Once regularly an asylum for 1,200 Crazies, Section 17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium now rarely plays host to a studentonly crowd. Student attendance at men’s basketball games has fallen consistently over the last five years, even dropping after Duke won its fourth national championship in 2010. This season, approximately 650 undergraduates have attended each game, 150 fewer than during the 200809 season. As a result, Duke Athletics has begun to sell an increasing number of general admission tickets in the student section on a regular basis. “It has nothing to do with the revenue. We just want it to be full,” Director of Marketing and Relations Mike Forman said. “If there were 1,200 students every game we would love it.” This is not the first season in which students have been ac-
BYTHENUMBERS
1,200 seats are available in Section 17.
650 students
on average, have attended basketball games this season.
companied by paying customers in Section 17, the 1,200-seat stretch of bleachers that run parallel to the court across from the team benches. Last season, Section 17 tickets were sold for every regular season home game except for Michigan State and North Carolina. Approximately 850 tickets are sold to home games during winter break, reserving 100 spots for local students to attend. “It does take a lot to go to K-Ville and wait outside, sometimes in the cold and in the rain, and then go into Cameron where you have to stand and jump up and down,” co-head line monitor Ellie Garrett said. “Students need to realize that going to Cameron is... an awesome experience.” This lack of undergraduate interest has led Duke Athletics to sell about 300 tickets per game this season, priced at $65. SEE ATTENDANCE ON PAGE 7
THE CHRONICLE
Following a nationwide search, Duke has hired a new director of dining services set to start Feb. 27. With 24 years of experience in dining services, Robert Coffey, former senior associate director of housing and dining at Virginia Tech, Robert Coffey is the second dining director to come to Duke from Virginia Tech in less than one year. Rick Johnson, who became Duke’s assistant vice president of housing and dining last Spring, worked alongside Coffey until February 2011, when both departed Virginia Tech. Both Johnson and Coffey worked at Virginia Tech for more than 15 years. Coffey is currently the resident district manager for the University of South Carolina. “Virginia Tech is a multiple awardwinning dining program, so I loved everything about what [Coffey] brings from Virginia Tech,” Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said. “Between Rick’s very broad experience and Robert’s very detailed level of knowledge about the art and science of dining, I
FAITH ROBERTSON/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
SEE DINING ON PAGE 4
DukeEngage Student petition advocates cancels Ecuador for a ‘Conflict-Free Duke’ Coalition urges University to assess investments’ ties to conflict minerals summer program by Kristie Kim THE CHRONICLE
by Autumn Robinson THE CHRONICLE
Low enrollment numbers led to the cancellation of one DukeEngage program scheduled for this summer. Only four students applied for the summer 2012 DukeEngage in Quito, Ecuador. All were admitted, but after one student dropped out, the program was canceled Wednesday. The abrupt change now leaves little time for students to find an alternative summer program. “I felt really upset,” said freshman Tess Harper, who was slated to travel with DukeEngage to Ecuador this summer. “It was nice to have my summer already planned out”. No Duke professors had yet been appointed to lead the immersion program as of its cancelation, Director of SEE DUKEENGAGE ON PAGE 5
Duke to award six honorary degrees, Page 3
A group of Duke students is making strides in its petition to make the University more conscious about conflict minerals and its investments. Coalition for a Conflict-Free Duke is calling on the University to actively support the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To date, these efforts have resulted in an official statement from the University’s procurement department regarding conflict minerals earlier in the Fall and a unanimous Duke Student Government resolution, which called for a more robust University purchasing policy that would favor companies that do not use conflict minerals in their products. Now, the coalition is trying to take their cause to the Board of Trustees. “We are proud that Duke is one of eight colleges that have issued a statement on conflict minerals, but
now we are interested in the implementation of these proposals,” said junior Sanjay Kishore, president of the Duke Partnership for Service and member of the CCFD board. The group wants to alter the University’s investment strategy with respect to electronic companies and conflict minerals, Kishore said. These minerals— materials mined from conflict-stricken areas, such as the Congo— are often found in electronic consumer products. Rebel groups in Congo use the profits from the mineral trade to control local populations and perpetuate the ongoing crisis. According to its online petition that launched in early December, CCFD wants the University to implement a proxy voting guideline that would instruct the University to vote in favor of conflict-mineral conscious
ONTHERECORD
“Watch shows that matter, like ‘60 Minutes’... or ‘Swamp People.’” —Ashley Camano in “Smoke, mirrors and spray tans.” See column page 10
SEE MINERALS ON PAGE 6
Rivers becoming a dependable scorer, Page 7