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
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 139
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Campus site to simplify voting process
Gender-neutral housing to come to West Campus
Mary Lou melodies
by Lauren Carroll by Jack Mercola
THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
Opt-in gender-neutral housing will expand to West Campus starting Fall 2013. Following months of discussion, the University officially committed to a West Campus gender-neutral housing option Monday. Details of what gender-neutral sections on West will entail are not set in stone, though students and administrators expect that in select coed houses there will be genderneutral bathrooms on each hall and possibly gender-neutral rooms. Gender-neutral bathrooms are facilities available to students of any gender, and gender-neutral rooms allow for roommate pairs of opposite genders. “What the University’s policy should do is enable the wise choices of young adults but not dictate those choices,” said Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education. “Ultimately, it’s going to be the decision of the students.” A letter to be sent to the student body later this week outlines the University’s plan for implementing gender-neutral housing. The letter was drafted by Nowicki; Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta; Duke Student Government President Pete Schork, a senior; and sophomores Sunny Frothingham and Jacob Tobia, co-presidents of Duke Students for Gender Neutrality. “Duke is committed to offering opt-in
Although North Carolina’s May 8 primary election is three days after the official end of the semester, members of the Duke community can head to the polls starting today. The University will host an on-campus early voting site located in the Old Trinity Room in the West Union Building, adjacent to the Alumni Lounge, today through May 5. There, students, faculty and administrators can vote in the open presidential primary and various state and local races, as well as for or against the controversial Amendment One—a state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Anyone who has been a Durham County resident for at least 30 days can both register and vote on the same visit to the on-campus early voting site, said junior Alex Swain, Duke Student Government vice president of Durham and regional affairs and DSG president-elect. Additionally, students currently registered in another state will be able to reregister and vote on-site. Anyone registered in Durham County can vote at the Duke site regardless of the location of their home precinct. “It’s in our mission to encourage social responsibility, and the University has been very
SAMANTHA SCHAFRANK/THE CHRONICLE
Members of the Duke community gather for Jazz music at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. SEE VOTING ON PAGE 5
SEE GENDER-NEUTRAL ON PAGE 6
von der Leyen Wenger balances classes with MLS duty calls for unity to solve Euro crisis by Ashley Mooney THE CHRONICLE
by Margot Tuchler THE CHRONICLE
Europe needs to strive for increased unity if the European financial crisis is to be solved, said Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, German federal minister for labor and social affairs, in a talk Wednesday. Von der Leyen addressed more than 70 audience members about the origins of the Euro crisis, current issues with labor and demographics in Europe and the need for a unified fiscal policy among member states of the European Union. As a top labor official in Germany—a nation faring well in the crisis with the power to bailout struggling nations—von der Leyen spoke with direct insight into the crisis. The event was hosted by the Fuqua School SEE VON DER LEYEN ON PAGE 6
Wietoska enters postseason at full strength, Page 7
CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Junior Andrew Wenger juggles more than just soccer balls—he balances a professional soccer career with the Montreal Impact with his classes at Duke. Wenger played for Duke for three seasons, winning the Hermann Trophy—an award given to the top player in NCAA Division I soccer—as well as the title of 2010 ACC defensive player of the year and 2011 ACC offensive player of the year. In January, Impact drafted Wenger first overall in the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. “[Playing in MLS] is much different because obviously there’s the sense of you getting paid and it’s a little more cutthroat,” Wenger said. “You need to be on your game every day.” Wenger has played forward—the same position he played his junior year at Duke—in six of the Impact’s last seven games. Although he may play the same position, he noted that the game moves at a much quicker pace in the world of professional soccer. Wenger’s first goal with the Impact, an expansion
Andrew Wenger, a junior, won the Hermann Trophy for his play during the 2011 season.
ONTHERECORD
“I had a friend who regularly became regularly sick to her stomach with anxiety on Sundays.” —Priya Bhat in “Considering the KoolAid.” See column page 11
SEE WENGER ON PAGE 8
Blue Devils look for consistency in doubles play, Page 7