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, JUNE 21, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, SUMMER ISSUE 6
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
BOT passes FAREWELL TO DIV. REFECTORY conflict-free petition by Gloria Lloyd THE CHRONICLE
Despite student protests on the Refectory’s behalf, Duke’s sustainable cafe is leaving its Divinity School location in July. The eatery, which opened in 2005 and won numerous awards for serving the best food on campus, will move off campus to a new location on Chapel Hill Boulevard and will launch a food truck. The move comes after owner Laura Hall refused to pay a higher commission to Duke Dining. A yet-to-be-determined vendor will be selected by Duke Dining to occupy the Refectory’s Divinity School location. “It’s a sad moment for Duke,” said former Duke Student Government president Pete Schork, Trinity ’12. “It’s obviously financially motivated, but the undergraduate community was overwhelmingly in support of the Refectory staying on campus, overwhelmingly in favor of incurring further fees in order to keep them on campus.” Contract negotiations between Duke Dining and Hall stalled in the Spring after Hall declined to increase the annual commission she pays to Duke from 10 to 15 percent of gross revenue. With the existing commission rate, the Refectory paid Dining Services $130,000 from June 2011 to June 2012, Hall said. The fee would rise by
By Kristie Kim THE CHRONICLE
The University will now use its power as a shareholder to encourage technology companies to crack down on conflict minerals. On Friday, the Board of Trustees adopted a new proxy voting guideline for the institution’s investments. The guideline, proposed by Coalition for a Conflict-Free Duke, stipulates that DUMAC—the firm that manages investments for the Duke University Endowment—support shareholder resolutions that call for reports on the policies and efforts of companies regarding their avoidance of conflict minerals. Duke will be the second university to pass a shareholder resolution regarding conflict mineral trade, following Stanford University in 2010. “It’s always difficult to be the first person to start a movement, but at times it is more difficult to be the first time to follow,” said junior Stefani Jones, founding member and chair of the CCFD board. “It’s a meaningful step that demonstrates Duke’s leadership and... willingness to think about human rights and social justice in a tangible way.” Conflict minerals—mined from conflict-stricken areas—are often found in electronic consumer products. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed forces use profits from mining minerals like cassiterite and wolframite to control populations and perpetuate the ongoing conflict, said senior Sanjay Kishore, president of the Duke Partnership for Service and board member of CCFD.
CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY ELYSIA SU
As the Refectory prepares to leave the Duke Divinity School for its new Durham location, due to tensions between the owner and University administrators, the space grows empty.
SEE REFECTORY ON PAGE 4
Student travel in Egypt restricted
Engineers make Bull City homes green
by Lauren Carroll
by Ashley Mooney
A multi-step process In order for the Board to approve any proposal regarding the control of investment practices, the proposal must pass through two committees—the President’s Special Committee on Investment Responsibility and the Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility. The ACIR and PSC are University bodies formed in 2004 after the Board adopted a policy on socially responsible investing. The PSC unanimously supported the conflict minerals proposal in January and the ACIR approved it unanimously in April 26. “What we concluded was that there was a considered course of action that
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Duke students currently in Cairo are subject to in-country travel restrictions due to potential unrest surrounding the Egyptian presidential elections this past weekend. Before leaving for Egypt, DukeEngage Cairo and Duke in the Arab World participants agreed to various restrictions pertaining to movement around the city. Administrators created these policies—which went into effect Saturday—in anticipation of protest and possible violence as Egyptians headed to the polls June 16 and 17. As the situation in Cairo remains calm in the areas where students are living and working, the limitations are slowly being lifted. Since Saturday, DukeEngage students have been bound to Garden City—a small, upscale district within Cairo. Until Wednesday, students were unable to visit the primary partner organization where they volunteer throughout the
Two engineering students are getting hands-on with energy efficiency. The Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to senior Marc Loeffke and junior Charlie Molthrop for a pilot program to monitor energy use and target sources of inefficiency in 15 Durham homes. Their goal is to reduce energy use and carbon emissions while saving homeowners’ money. Loeffke said they are not afraid to get dirty in the process of energy efficiency improvement. “I personally get to perform the heavy lifting in the homes, sweating in a hot attic equipped head-to-toe in coveralls, dust mask, kneepads and a headlamp,” Loeffke wrote in an email Monday. “Then I later get to look over the change in energy consumption post-improvements, analyze
SEE MINERALS ON PAGE 6
SEE EGYPT ON PAGE 12
SEE ENERGY ON PAGE 6
Duke Motorsports races in Michigan, Page 3
ONTHERECORD
“America is exceptional, but we messed, and it’s time I said sorry.” —Junior Patrick Oathout in “A sniper shot my student.” See column page 11
Duke athletes set sights on London, Page 7