Nov. 30, 2012 issue of The Chronicle

Page 1

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, NOVEMBER 30, 2012

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 67

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

Duke says it’s in the ACC for the long haul

Admins OK 5 new gender neutral houses

Administrators affirm their commitment to the conference

by Jeffrey Cicurel THE CHRONICLE

The University has formally approved five gender-neutral, unaffiliated houses for the 2013-2014 academic year. Duke Housing, Dining and Residence Life will implement gender-neutral housing in three unaffiliated West Campus houses: two houses in Kilgo Quadrangle and one house in Few Quadrangle. HDRL also plans to have two independent gender-neutral houses on Central Campus. After the University agreed to implement gender-neutral housing on West Campus in April, HDRL began a review of the current housing model in order to assess the necessary changes. In a recent survey, the majority of students either support or were indifferent toward gender-neutral housing. “The discomfort came in when people were asked ‘Would you be comfortable sharing a bathroom with a student of the opposite gender?’” said Dean for Residential Life Joe Gonzalez. “That’s when the answers started changing.” As a result of this survey, HDRL wanted to keep at least two single-gender bathrooms available in houses that became gender-neutral, Gonzalez said. In their summer assessment, there were different levels of difficulty of transforming current houses to gender-neutral. Current houses with three

by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE

CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY PHOEBE LONG

Duke is planning on sticking with the ACC despite widespread realignment across the conference in recent years.

After a whirlwind of changes to the ACC, there is no end in sight for realignment. But Duke has its own reasons for remaining committed to the conference in an otherwise uncertain environment. “Duke is totally committed to the ACC,” President Richard Brodhead said. “It’s a rich occasion for fantasy. You’ve heard of fantasy football. Now we have fantasy conferences.” The ACC has been at the forefront of conference realignment in the last decade, most recently adding Louisville Wednesday with a unanimous vote from the conference’s Council of Presidents following last week’s announcement that Maryland would be departing the ACC for the Big Ten. The moves came after September’s addition of Notre Dame and last year’s additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, which came while Brodhead was chair of the council. But Brodhead said Duke will stick with the ACC because of its strong commitment to both athletic and academic excellence. But Brodhead knows the game—when he went to parties as a kid, he never liked musical chairs, but it taught him a valuable lesson. Now, in a rapidly shuffling college athletics landscape that many acknowledge has the potential to end up with four “super” conferences, Brodhead’s goal is to make sure that the Blue Devils stay in the game. “I never intend for it to happen that Duke doesn’t have a chair,” Brodhead said. “At the same time, I think

SEE HOUSING ON PAGE 3

SEE ACC ON PAGE 7

Gov’t awards two profs Uni launches initiative for climate research with Indian billionaire by Georgia Parke THE CHRONICLE

The Pentagon recently honored an environmental project, conducted in part by two Duke scientists from the Nicholas School of the Environment. Patrick Halpin, associate professor of marine geospatial ecology, and Norman Christensen, research professor and founding dean of the Nicholas School, are two of 13 contributors to the Defense Coastal/ Estuarine Research Program over the past five years. The Strategic Environmental Research Development Program, a subdivision of the Department of Defense, named the program Project of the Year for resource conservation and climate change. DCERP intends to continue developing and enhancing training facilities at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune while sustaining costal and estuarine ecosystems and

The Board of Trustees meets this weekend, Page 2

natural resources at its coastal North Carolina location. “This is an ongoing, long-term project trying to develop ecosystem-based research approach at Camp Lejeune,” Halpin, one of the co-leaders of the DCERP Data Management Module, said. “We are working on a combination of research and practical application to try help the Department of Defense do a better job of sustainably managing their land.” This is Halpin’s second award from the SERDP. He noted the distinctive characteristics of the land on which the Marine Corps base is established, such as the presence of sea turtles, coastal dunes and marsh areas, which DCERP seeks to understand and protect. “DCERP is designed to conduct missionSEE AWARD ON PAGE 4

by Margot Tuchler THE CHRONICLE

CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ/THE CHRONICLE

Duke announced a new partnership with Shiv Nadar University in India Thursday.

ONTHERECORD

“As we head into the season of endless holidays and celebrations, we should give some thought to our spiritual beliefs....” —Addie Navaro in ‘Some deeper stuff.’ See column page 4

The University has committed itself to yet another global collaboration, this time in India. Provost Peter Lange and Nikhil Sinha, vice chancellor of Shiv Nadar University in Greater Noida, India, signed a memorandum of understanding indicating the two institutions’ intent to pursue collaborations as SNU—which opened in 2011—continues to develop. Additionally, Sinha and Martha Putallaz, executive director of Duke’s Talent Identification Program, signed a memorandum signifying the forthcoming collaboration of TIP and SNU to develop strategies for educating gifted youth. TIP has enrolled 4,200 Indian students since 2008, Putallaz said. SEE INDIA ON PAGE 4

Best-selling author talks conflict minerals, Page 3


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Nov. 30, 2012 issue of The Chronicle by Duke Chronicle - Issuu