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
FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 120
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Safi promotes broad look at social justice
Brodhead assesses Duke’s race relations
Everyday I’m shufflin’
by Gloria Lloyd
by Kristie Kim
THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
Muslims should engage in all avenues of social justice rather than solely focus on their own persecution, said Omid Safi, the keynote speaker at Duke’s Islamic Awareness Week. Safi, Religion ’00 and professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said his preferred method of promoting Islam and its ideals does not focus on protesting injustices inflicted on Muslims but instead working against injustices done to all communities. This philosophy is inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Safi, who is considered a leader of the progressive Muslim debate, spent 11 years studying at Duke and co-founded Duke’s Muslim Student Association in 1988. “The question we have to ask today is not ‘If we rise up for justice for others, what will happen to us?’” Safi said. “The question we have to ask is ‘If we do not rise up, what will happen to them?’” The professor, whose research interests include Islamic mysticism, delivered a speech about peace and justice to about 35 students from Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University at the Divinity School Thursday. Safi’s speech was the culmination of the annual MSA-sponsored
President Richard Brodhead reflected on the University’s history and increasing efforts for greater equity Thursday. In his address at the Annual Meeting of the University Faculty, Brodhead discussed issues of race and inclusion in Duke’s history, noting the topic’s relevance in light of the recent controversy over an unpublished study exploring the correlation between GPA and race. Brodhead explained that although the University thrives on free expression, views that students believe diminish their standing at the University warrant an institutional response. “This University has had a commitment to making Duke a place of access, opportunity and mutual respect for all,” Brodhead said. “This commitment was confirmed in Duke’s most recent strategic plan, and I reconfirm the commitment today.” In January, several students and members of Black Student Alliance presented administrators with the Black Culture Initiative— a list of recommendations regarding the problems facing the black community at Duke. Although the initiative prompted discussion between students and the administration, Brodhead did not reference the initiative directly in the address but did allude to some of the suggestions it presented. BSA
TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE
Courtney Liu and Cedric Stapleton of Sabrosura perform for “Shufflin,” presented by On Tap. SEE SAFI ON PAGE 4
SEE BRODHEAD ON PAGE 5
vs ST. JOHN’S Bejan finds order in chaotic world DUKE SATURDAY 9:00 p.m. ESPN Blue Devils face Red Storm •
by Julian Spector THE CHRONICLE
TORI POWERS/THE CHRONICLE
Engineering professor Adrian Bejan invented the constructal law of design.
Adrian Bejan, J.A. Jones professor at the Pratt School of Engineering, reclined behind his desk, clean-shaven, sporting trim silvery hair and recouping from a four-day and three-city book tour. To his left, file cabinets and stacks of paper rise to meet the ceiling. To his right, the wall disappears behind his 16 honorary degrees from some 11 different countries. “When last I checked, [Henry] Kissinger had 18,” he noted, with the unassuming self-confidence of someone who has invented a law of physics. Bejan, who is one of the 100 most cited authors cited in all fields of engineering, first published on the constructal law in 1996 and has since expanded its application to almost any field. The prin-
ciple defines the world as a teeming environment of flow systems—cars traveling on the highway or antelopes moving on a plain—that branch out into increasingly smaller pieces as the most efficient way to travel across a landscape. In January, he published a book aimed at bringing his law to wider audiences. Its title indicates the broad nature of the concept—“Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, And Social Organization.” With a background in mechanical engineering, Bejan specializes in thermodynamic design—studying, for instance, how to design computer chips that dissipate heat as efficiently as possible. He began to recognize characteristics of his
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by Brady Buck THE CHRONICLE
Nothing has come easily for Duke this season. Battling through inexperience, costly injuries and a brutal schedule, the Blue Devils (265) have needed every ounce of their resilience to reach the Sweet 16. Saturday, the challenges continue as a depleted Duke roster travels three time zones from Durham to take on a veteran St. John’s squad. They will enter the regional semifinals with confidence left over from a convincing over Vanderbilt on the Commodores’ home floor Tuesday.
SEE BEJAN ON PAGE 12 SEE SWEET 16 ON PAGE 8
Football players take part in Pro Day, Page 6
ONTHERECORD
“Arabic language and literature... should be a topic of high importance for the curriculum of humanistic studies.” —Professor Carl Ernst on Arabic language and literature. See story page 3
Plumlee’s draft decision not yet made, Page 7