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, NOVEMBER 14, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 58
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
KENTUCKY FRIED FRESHMEN by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE
ATLANTA — When Mason Plumlee fouled out with 35 seconds left, he bowed his head but headed to the bench without regret. On the Blue Devils’ next possession, Seth Curry hit two free throws to extend Duke’s lead to eight. Twenty-one seconds later, Ryan Kelly capped off Duke’s scoring with a two-handed slam. Facing a Kentucky squad led by a quartet of freshmen, Duke’s seniors combined for 51 points—and the team’s first 28 points of the game— as the No. 9 Blue Devils beat the No. 3 Wildcats 75-68 in the Champions Classic at the Georgia Dome. Curry finished with a game-high 23 points, 14 of which came in the second half, after Plumlee scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half. “I think it was good, especially in the end-of game situation, having guys like myself, Ryan and Seth who have been in those,” Plumlee said. “Each possession becomes that much more important, so I think we had guys on the floor that understood the importance of a possession.” Kentucky (1-1) did not hold a lead during the entire second half, with Duke (2-0) holding a 12-point lead with 6:30 to play after a Curry jump shot. SEE M. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 8 ELYSIA SU/THE CHRONICLE
Preparing for new MCAT Gov’t budget cuts may be more challenging may affect Duke by Georgia Parke THE CHRONICLE
Undergraduate students preparing for a career in medicine will need to adjust their courseloads to better prepare for the MCAT. In the next few years, prospective medical school students will begin to take a revised version of the Medical College Admission Test. The changes to the test will include elimination of the writing section in 2013 and the addition of sections on behavioral sciences, social sciences and biochemistry, as well as added focus on critical thinking—to take effect in 2015. According to a Kaplan Test Prep survey, 87 percent of medical school admissions officers are supportive of the changes. But some think the changes, which will extend the length of the
Gross Hall renovations underway, Page 2
test from 5.5 hours to seven hours, will make pre-med undergraduate courseloads more challenging because of the added topics. In the 2012 survey of medical school admissions officers—released earlier this month—40 percent of respondents said they believed premed courseloads will increase, and no respondents said they believed the changes would make medical school preparation easier. The major subject changes will not affect pre-med students graduating in 2013 and 2014, said Owen Farcy, assistant director of pre-health programs for Kaplan Test Prep. But underclassmen need to plan ahead to make sure they will be prepared for the test when it changes SEE MCAT ON PAGE 4
BYTHENUMBERS
40 percent
of medical school admissions officers think MCAT changes will make the undergraduate premed courseload more difficult.
74 percent
of medical school admissions officers support the changes to the MCAT.
by Jack Mercola THE CHRONICLE
With the general election in the rearview mirror and a fiscal cliff on the horizon, federal and state governments will likely make some spending cuts that could affect Duke. If unchanged, major automatic spending cuts and higher tax rates will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, prompting what many politicians and pundits have called a fiscal cliff that may shock the wallets of many Americans and could send the United States into another recession. Because the 2012 general election did not alter the balance of power on Capitol Hill—Republicans kept their majority in the House of Representatives and
ONTHERECORD
“My point here is that the definition of popularity is historically and pervasively blurred....” —Lindsay Tomson in ‘The sociology of mario kart.’ See column page 11
Democrats widened their majority in the Senate but still do not have a supermajority—the two parties that have been long at odds on issues concerning taxation and government spending will need to forge an agreement before the end of the year in order to alter these policies. Not only are Bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, effectively raising taxes at all income levels, but federal spending will be cut across the board by 0.25 percent on average for many federal agencies. The National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health could see their funding cut by up to 7.8 percent. SEE BUDGET ON PAGE 6
PTSD linked to fear control in brain, Page 2