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, MARCH 21, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 118
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
SMASHVILLE VANDY 80
96 DUKE
BSAI funding institutionalized by Margot Tuchler THE CHRONICLE
by Zac Elder THE CHRONICLE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an arena without air conditioning, facing an opponent playing on its home floor and a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, the Blue Devils used the game’s intensity to get hot from the field. The highest-scoring game of Duke’s season—with 176 total points scored—the second-seeded Blue Devils dominated Tuesday night’s matchup against Van-
derbilt in a fast-paced shootout, defeating the Commodores 96-80 at Memorial Gynmasium. Led by Haley Peters and Tricia Liston, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, Duke took its momentum from Sunday’s lopsided victory over Samford to dominate seventhseeded Vanderbilt. A raucous Commodore crowd had little effect on the Blue Devils early on, with head coach Joanne P. SEE W. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 7
Negotiations between Black Student Alliance and administrators are making progress following the delivery of the Black Culture Initiative. The initiative is a list of recommendations that addresses problems facing the black community at Duke. BSA issued the list to administrators in January, and its members have since held consistent discussions with upper-level administrators. As a result, BSA has secured $13,000 from the Office of the Provost to fund the various groups that would like to participate in Black Student Alliance Invitational, the admission weekend for prospective black students, said BSA President Nana Asante, a senior. This contribution will complement funds BSAI already receives annually—including $2,000 from the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture and $5,000 from the admissions office, Asante said. The University has promised to maintain this total $20,000 pledge in years to come. This year’s BSAI will begin Thursday. A secure and increased investment in BSAI—one of the action items requested in the Black Culture Initiative—will help recruit a number of black students from an extremely competitive applicant pool, said BSAI Chair Charles West, a junior. In years past, BSA would solicit funding through the programming fund of the Student Organization Finance Committee. He noted that this allocation for BSAI is a significant increase from the amount of money that previously funded the weekend. “By providing this money, the University has shown that it is on the right trajectory to achieving greater diversity and enriching the at-large community,” West
CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ/THE CHRONICLE
DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT
DSG to consider restructuring of committees by Patton Callaway THE CHRONICLE
Duke Student Government will vote Wednesday on a proposal to completely reorganize the Senate’s structure. The rules committee approved a final proposal for restructuring DSG Tuesday that will change the committee structure of the Senate. The proposal suggests the Senate eliminate five existing committees and convert to seven new committees: services; residential life; social culture; facilities and environment; diversity and equity; academic affairs; and Durham and regional affairs. If approved the restructuring will have an effect on upcoming elections. SEE DSG ON PAGE 6
GPSC elects next year’s leadership, Page 4
SEE BSA ON PAGE 6
Pond to save water, provide park space by Margot Tuchler THE CHRONICLE
A man-made pond will soon help Duke reduce its dependence on city water while providing a new recreational outlet for the community. In Spring 2013, the University is set to break ground on a roughly four-acre water reclamation pond that will increase Duke’s self-sufficiency in water usage while also serving as a park. The pond will be located near the intersection of Circuit Drive and Towerview and Erwin roads and could save the Duke up to 100 million gallons of potable water annually. The reservoir, to be completed Spring 2014, will provide water to Duke’s chilled water plants, which satisfy most of the campus’ water needs and are the largest users of potable water, Vice President for Facilities John Noonan wrote in an email Sunday. The chilled water plants help air condition a significant number of facilities on campus, among other functions. The entire pond area will be six acres in total as it includes recreational space. There will be walking trails surrounding the pond, though there will not be any recreational activity in the water, Noonan said, noting that the
park will be an amenity for the entire campus. The cost of the project is expected to be about $9 million. About $6 million or $7 million will be spent on the pond itself, and the remainder will be used to fund the park’s construction, said Executive Vice President Tallman Trask. Duke is currently the largest user of the city of Durham’s water, which presents concerns about dependency on the city. “Going back to the [2007] drought, we started wondering about whether there were ways we could... protect ourselves against drought, [and be] maybe a little less dependent on the city,” Trask said. The pond will also be useful for future University projects when water issues need to be taken into consideration, Trask added. It is designed to handle varying water levels during different seasons and will be able to fluctuate between three and five acres. Construction cannot begin until Duke acquires the proper permits from the city of Durham and the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, which investigates, develops and maintains national environmental resources, particularly water.
ONTHERECORD
“It takes more than just one institution to impact the care of women around the world.” —Dr. Haywood Brown on health concerns. See Q&A page 3
SEE POND ON PAGE 12
Duke falls in playoff holes, Page 7