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
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 56
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Trojan: Duke needs to up its game Fodil is on When it comes to sexual health, Duke is not on top. See ‘health,’ page 7
students’ speed dial by Linda Yu THE CHRONICLE
To a certain set of Duke students, there is a number programmed in their phones they call as regularly as their own mothers. The number belongs to Fodil Mahjoubi, a cab driver who is as famous among late night revelers as the Crazy Towel Guy is among Duke sports fans. “I know that. Everybody told me that—thank you God,” he said with a bright Fodil Mahjoubi smile when The Chronicle joined him for a ride on Saturday night. Born in Algeria, Fodil has been a cabbie for almost six years. He speaks French, Arabic and Norwegian fluently, but when he first came to the States he spoke little English, though he has since improved. Fodil has the smile of a former heartbreaker, though he is currently single. “I’m looking,” he said. “I told you I’m picky, girl.” He said that when he was younger he was a little bit wilder. “I drink, sex, lotta things. This not good. I want to do some stuff good, so that God he can forgive me. It’s a like a scale, a balance,” PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JISOO YOON
In condom manufacturer Trojan’s sexual health rankings, Duke ranks 41st among colleges nationally, a jump up from its previous spot at 50th.
SEE FODIL ON PAGE 4
End-of-life care varies Gender pay gap persists for grads BYTHENUMBERS among med schools by Tiffany Lieu THE CHRONICLE
by John Barker THE CHRONICLE
Medical students should consider hospitals’ end-of-life care when applying to residency programs, according to a recent study. A recent report issued by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care shows teaching hospitals throughout the country have major differences in their end-of-life care policies, which is the treatment given to patients suffering from terminal or incurable diseases. The differences may stem from the variation in institutional policies at different hospitals. Using data collected from Medicare, researchers compared the care statistics for 23 highly ranked teaching hospitals,
Duke opens its season with a 7455 win vs. Georgia State, Sportswrap page 4
including the Duke University Medical Center. The study suggests that such data on the effectiveness of hospital care ought to be more widely available to students deciding between residency programs. To compare the overall treatment of chronically ill patients, the report calculated a hospital care intensity index that combined the average number of days these patients spent in the hospital in the last two years of their life and the average number of physician visits in the same period. Duke performed below the national average on this index: Patients near the end of life at Cedars-Sinai Medical SEE HOSPITALS ON PAGE 6
7,600 dollars
the amount that men are paid more than women in their first year out of college
82 percent how much of a dollar a female earns compared to her male counterpart
35k, 43k dollars
how much women and men earn on average, respectively, in their first year out of college
College-educated women with similar degrees, jobs and hours worked may bring home thousands of dollars less than their male colleagues. A year after graduating from college, women are paid only 82 percent of what their male counterparts earn, according to a report published by the American Association of University Women. Even when controlling for differences in college major, amount of hours worked and types of jobs held, women, based on 2009 data, still made on average $7,600 less than their male colleagues, particularly in sales occupations, education and business and management. The pay gap suggests that, though gender equity in the workforce has improved, there remains
much work to be done, said Catherine Hill, co-author of the report and the director of research at AAUW. The pay gap could have significant effects on Duke students preparing to enter the workforce. “It reminds us that this is not just a question of people’s choices—you can’t choose to not experience the pay gap,” she said. The report noted that the pay gap can be partly tied to differences in occupational choices between men and women after graduating The report, which measured how much men and women earn in their first year after graduation, marks a slight reduction in the gender pay gap since 2001, when women made 80 percent of what their male peers earned, according to a similar study from the SEE GAP ON PAGE 6
ONTHERECORD
“Today, as our nation reflects on the service and sacrifices of our veterans, I am reminded of how nurses are part of... a community with a strong connection to the military.....” —Nursing School Dean Catherine GIllis in ‘Nurses and veteran care,’ online only.
Relive Awaaz, Photo essay page 3