Feb. 26, 2013 issue

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

XXXDAY, MONTH TUESDAY, FEBRUARY XX, 26, 2013 2013

ONE ONE HUNDRED HUNDRED AND AND EIGHTH EIGHTH YEAR, YEAR, ISSUE ISSUE 107 X

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

Vigil calls for Lawyer ‘shocked’ abortion is still an issue 40 years later, Roe v. Wade attorney talks sexism, current policy Medicaid expansion

by Emma Baccellieri THE CHRONICLE

by TJ Ciesla THE CHRONICLE

Students and community activists met Monday night to oppose the passing of Senate Bill 4, which would deny federal funding to expand Medicaid to over 500,000 North Carolinians not covered in the current plan.

Duke Democrats, Blue Devils United, Duke SDS and the Duke chapter of the NAACP collaborated with the health care advocacy organizations to hold a vigil for those without medical insurance who have died from mistreatment. Speakers gave personal accounts of the effects of the current insurance and Medicaid system, rallying the crowd to contact the governor and aid local organizations. The evening culminated in the lighting of candles for those who died and those who cannot afford medical care.

The bill in question was drafted in response to the Affordable Care Act, which offers to subsidize the full cost and, later, 90 percent of additional costs that states take on to insure those with incomes at or below 133 percent of the poverty line. Currently, Medicaid in North Carolina is available to SEE VIGIL ON PAGE 6

ELIZA BRAY/THE CHRONICLE

When Sarah Weddington successfully argued Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court 40 years ago, she thought an end to legal battles over abortion was in sight.

As part of the Jean Fox O’Barr Distinguished Lecture series, Weddington discussed her career, her experience with sexism and how to be a leader. This year is the 40th anniversary of the landmark case that declared it unconstitutional for a state to prevent a woman from having an abortion.

“I’m shocked we’re still talking about it,” Weddington said to a crowded audience at Reynolds Theater Wednesday.

At 27, Weddington was the youngest person to successfully argue a Supreme Court case. In addition to her age, she also faced the challenge of being a female lawyer in a male-dominated field.

Weddington recalled persistent sexism throughout her education in her hometown of Abilene, Texas—including being told she could not run for student body president or apply to law school.

“The sexism in Texas was so strong—I had to be strong to survive,” she said.

Nevertheless, she persevered and earned her law degree—but employment options for a female lawyer in 1960s Texas were scarce, she said.

Sarah Weddington, who argued Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court in the 1970s, speaks about the experience in Page Auditorium Monday night.

SEE WEDDINGTON ON PAGE 5

UNC sophomore Libraries publicly offer book digitalization service faces punishment for ‘intimidating’ rapist

by Caroline Michelman THE CHRONICLE

Duke Libraries can now digitize books in the public domain upon request.

Last week, Duke Libraries announced that it is starting Digitize this Book, an online service for Duke students, faculty and staff who want books in digital form. The books must be in the public domain—published before 1923, meaning their intellectual property rights have expired—and be available in Duke Libraries’ collections. The service begins this semester. Duke is one of few places offering a public digitization service, if not the only one, said Liz Milewicz, head of digital scholarship and production services.

SEE DIGITIZE ON PAGE 4

from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE

JISOO YOON/THE CHRONICLE

The Duke community can now request for books published before 1923 to be digitized, using the library’s digitization technology.

Kerry commits to slowing Syrian War, Page 2

Sophomore Landen Gambill of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is now facing possible expulsion for “intimidating” her rapist.

Gambill went to Honor Court to press charges against her exboyfriend from her freshmen year, who she said was regularly abusive. But the Honor Court, gave her an unfair trial, she said.

“They were not only offensive and inappropriate, but they were so victim-blaming,” she told the Daily Tar Heel. “They made it seem like my assault was completely my fault.”

Last month, Gambill along

ONTHERECORD

“[Bass Connections] will make for an enticing PR spiel to high school students, but are we thinking though how to better teach undergraduates?”

—Samantha Lachman in ‘Bass ackwards.’ See column page 11

with three other students and former UNC Assistant Dean of Students Melinda Manning filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against the university. The report claimed that the university pressured Manning into under-reporting cases of sexual assault, violating the Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights, the Clery Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and other equal opportunity mandates.

Gambill received notification Friday from Elizabeth Ireland, the graduate and professional schools student attorney general, SEE UNC ON PAGE 5

Sports car attracts eyes with golden ratio, Page 2

2 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

THE CHRONICLE

Golden ratio gives sports Kerry promises ideas car natural appeal to slow Syrian War

by Tony Shan THE CHRONICLE

Aston Martin’s Rapide S sports car is the latest design to make use of the ancient golden ratio, which mechanical engineering professor Adrian Bejan said confers a natural sense of beauty and speed.

The golden ratio is the relationship of the length of an object to its width or height that approximately equals 3/2, resembling the shape of a rectangle. Rapide S, the newest in Aston Martin’s line of sports cars, boasts an external design that adheres to the golden ratio in nearly every aspect. Bejan uses his theory of the constructal law to explain the ratio’s mysterious but enduring aesthetic appeal.

The constructal law, which defines the world as a teeming environment of flow systems, theorizes that humans select for shapes and objects that optimize our ability to travel across a landscape.

“We like this shape, and the reason is because our mind grasps this image the fastest when scanning a field of vision, which is the same shape as this rectangle,” Bejan said. “We equate this shape with speed and [therefore] movement, something that human evolution prefers.”

According to the Rapide S’s official website, the golden ratio sits at the heart of every

Aston Martin. For the Rapide S, the designers have gone to the extreme, using the ratio to define the form of the entire car.

The actual golden ratio, first defined by the Greek mathematician Euclid to have a value of about 1.618, is a myth, Bejan said.

To him, the phenomenon of the golden ratio is not its value like pi, which is observable in nature and quantitatively important.

“The true phenomenon is that all of us, without talking to each other, tend to be attracted to the ratio like insects to light,” he said.

A large part of this attraction may be attributed to the speed at which we can visually process an object, Bejan added. The optimal efficiency occurs when the time taken to scan horizontally equals the time it takes to scan vertically. Since we have two front facing eyes, we naturally scan horizontally at a faster rate than we do vertically, because one eye can take over for the other after a certain point of rotation.

In vertical scanning, both eyes must do the same task. Therefore, given a certain amount of time, we can horizontally process more of an image than we can vertically, naturally resulting in a rectangular shape.

“To see an image and process it in the SEE ASTON ON PAGE 6

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

The Rapide S Aston Martin sports car’s exterior was designed according to the golden ratio. Engineering professor Adrian Bejan believes that the golden ratio has evolutionary aesthetic appeal.

by Anne Gearan and Loveday Morris THE WASHINGTON POST

LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry promised fresh ideas to stop the escalating civil war in Syria, hinting Monday at a fresh international strategy to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad toward the exit.

Making his first overseas trip as secretary of state, Kerry appealed directly to the divided Syrian opposition not to lose heart.

“The Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind,” Kerry said in London, the first stop on a 10-day overseas tour that is expected to be dominated by discussion of the situation in Syria.

The United States is trying to salvage a planned strategy session with Syrian opposition leaders who have lost patience with international conferences that have failed to yield weapons or other tangible support.

The main U.S.-backed Syrian opposition group has threatened to boycott the meeting later this week in frustration over what it sees as continued American and European fence-sitting.

Kerry would not detail any of the new ideas for further assistance, saying some of them will “come to maturity” before the planned meeting in Rome on Thursday.

For now, however, the outside military help that Syrian rebels most want is off the table.

U.S. policy, Kerry said, is to seek a negotiated political deal that ends the fighting.

Two years into a civil war that has killed about 70,000 people, Assad retains the loyalty of much of the military and has shown no willingness to broker an end to the fighting or accept asylum abroad.

The threatened Syrian boycott highlights international inaction, but also gives the opposition time to settle internal divisions. The group’s leader, Mouaz al-Khatib, opened deep rifts within the group by offering talks without the precondition that Assad first step down.

“We are clear that there should be no negotiations with the Assad regime if Assad is not removed,” Fahad al-Masri, a spokes-

man for the Free Syrian Army’s joint command, said Monday. “Until then, we will fight.”

Kerry addressed Khatib by name during a press conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, saying “the moment is ripe” for a reassessment of what more the outside world can do to end the war.

Kerry followed that unusual personal entreaty with a telephone call to Khatib.

The State Department did not provide additional details about that call.

“We are determined to change the calculation on the ground for President Assad,” Kerry said.

Earlier Monday, Syria’s foreign minister said the Assad government was willing to meet with rebels, the first time that a highranking official has indicated a desire for such talks.

But the offer was immediately dismissed as disingenuous by representatives of the Free Syrian Army and other opposition leaders.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem’s comments came during a visit to Moscow, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also appealed for negotiation.

“We’re ready for a dialogue with anyone who’s willing for it,” Moualem said, “even with those who carry arms. We are confident that reforms will come about, not with the help of bloodshed but through dialogue.”

Few in the opposition or international community were convinced that Assad has any genuine willingness to negotiate.

Khaled Saleh, a spokesman for the U.S.backed Syrian Opposition Coalition, dismissed the “empty offer.”

“Moualem’s offer is deceitful, and it seems that he wants to divide up those who are fighting against Assad,” Saleh said.

The embarrassing scramble to persuade the opposition to attend the Rome meeting also exposed a rare split between the United States and Britain. Hague made a point of noting that a political settlement is currently “blocked off,” because Assad refuses to step aside, and the war is intensifying.

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

VIN I L N GREE

G

L A I C R E ECOMM CON O E D VI

TEST

WIN

$500

4HE¬#HRONICLE There’s an app for that.

MAKE YOUR OWN ADVERTISEMENT

FOR LIVING SUSTAINABLY CONTEST PERIODS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH

nicholas.duke.edu/ecommercials

Just ask Lawrence Nemeh and Rob Zaleski of DUI, Duke University Improv.

SCAN HERE

TO DOWNLOAD

Search “duke chronicle” in the app store

Duke’s latest news, sports and opinions plus easy mobile access to qDuke, Sakai, ACES & the Duke Map

THE CHRONICLE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 | 3

Court won’t rule on corporate campaign gifts

by Robert Barnes THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday decided against reviewing the century-old ban on corporations making direct contributions to federal candidates.The court without comment declined to hear an appeal from two men who said the court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on elections, must also nullify the ban on campaign contributions.

The court last week accepted a different campaign finance issue. Justices announced that during their term that begins in October, they will consider a federal cap on how much an individual may spend on political contributions during a two-year election cycle. A conservative activist and the Republican National Committee are challenging the cap, which is $123,200 for an individual.

Groups that favor campaign finance restrictions gave the court grudging praise for not accepting the direct contributions case.

The Campaign Legal Center in a statement called the restrictions on corporate giving “an important bulwark against use of the corporate form to circumvent the contribution limits and to funnel corporate money directly into

campaign coffers.�

But it added: “Today’s decision does nothing to mitigate the court’s disturbing decision last week to revisit the aggregate contribution limits passed in the wake of the Watergate scandals, which if overturned would enable individual to make contributions of one-two- or even three-million dollars to buy influence in Washington.�

Two Northern Virginia businessmen, William Danielczyk and Eugene Biagai, were indicted on charges they used more than $150,000 in funds from Galen Capital to reimburse donors who contributed to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaigns for the Senate and for president.

U.S. District Judge James Cacheris threw out some of the charges, however. “For better or worse, Citizens United held that there is no distinction between an individual and a corporation with respect to political speech,� the Alexandria judge wrote. “Thus, if an individual can make direct contributions... a corporation cannot be banned from doing the same thing.�

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond reversed Cacheris’ ruling, saying the Supreme Court in Citizens United specifically sidestepped the question of direct contributions.

It is the Richmond court’s decision that the justices, without comment, declined Monday to review.

Reflections

THANH-HA NGUYEN/THE CHRONICLE

The Duke Center for Eating Disorders hosted Opening of Reflections: An Collective Personal Memoir on Disordered Eating in the Byran Center Monday.

WWW.QDUKE.COM

0H[LFR KRPH WR GHOLFLRXV 4XHVR -DSDQ KRPH WR VXSHU KHDOWK\ 1RUL VKHHWV DQG ULFH

DQG QRZ 1& 86$ KRPH WR WKHP ERWK

,QWURGXFLQJ 7KH QHZ Ĺ’&KHHV\ %XUU 5ROOĹ“ 1RUL ZLWK 5LFH DQG &KHHVH 'LS _

cosmic cantina

1920 1/2 Perry St. at Ninth Street Just a block from East Campus

50¢ OFF ANY ROLL WITH THIS COUPON!

DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER John L. Beyer, MD

Are you struggling with MAJOR DEPRESSION? Are you sad or blue?

Do you have less energy and feel tired all the time?

Do you enjoy things less than you used to?

Do you have trouble sleeping or are you sleeping too much?

Or

Have you taken an antidepressant but still feel low, lack interest in life, sleep badly and feel tired every day?

If you are 18-65 years old and meet study criteria, you may be eligible to participate in a clinical research study at Duke University Medical Center under Dr. John Beyer’s supervision.

We are evaluating the safety and efďŹ cacy of an investigational drug in patients with major depressive disorder. Study drug and psychiatric and physical assessments will be provided free of charge.

Compensation may be provided for your time and travel up to $420.

For more information, call 919-684-9701.

Pro00040688

4 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

DIGITIZE from page 1 “This is really exciting as a way to better understand what library users want to digitize and respond to that,” Milewicz said. “It gives us the opportunity to make collections in the Duke domain accessible and usable.”

The process of digitizing a book for the first time takes about two days, Milewicz said. After a book has been digitized, it becomes readily available to the general public as a fully searchable, text-only document.

The library has had the digitization technology available for years—focusing on photographs, images and manuscripts—but the service was not available to the public, aside from special requests. About three years ago, a digitization center was installed specifically for bound and printed volumes.

In the past year and a half, library staff members decided that digitization should be available as a public service, said Robert Byrd, associate university librarian for collections and user services.

The new service will help the library orchestrate the move to digitize hundreds of thousands of volumes in the print collection based on user requests, Byrd added.

“The service calls attention to the fact that we already have digitization in many of our holdings in the library,” he said.

“This service will allow users

THE CHRONICLE

to request works and feed that into the work flow so that info becomes readily available.”

Before the service was made public, a professor translating an 18th-century French volume requested a digital copy of the book because the original was so fragile. Byrd noted that the library would have never known she wanted the book digitized unless she had requested it.

Library Journal picked up Duke Libraries’ blog post from last Tuesday announcing the new service, and various additional sources have said the service is “innovative,” Milewicz said.

“It seems there is some jealously that Duke has this available to them,” Milewicz said.

“Yale is interested in piloting a service like this, and they’ve been in touch since we posted on Tuesday.”

The library expects faculty and graduate students to use the digitization service most intensely, but the service also provides great opportunity to those studying abroad or those who want a less fragile copy than the volumes available in the library, Milewicz said.

Micaela Janan, director of undergraduate studies for the classical studies department, said she imagines the new service will be very beneficial to classical studies because they have such a close relationship to texts.

“We [in classical studies] acknowledge a reciprocal ob-

Welcome home

JULIA MAY/THE CHRONICLE

The Duke Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life hosts a welcome reception for a new program coordinator, Nick Antonucci, Monday afternoon. ligation between yourself and others,” Janan said. “Scholars must acknowledge those who have gone before them that have contributed to the question that the current scholar is investigating.”

Access to older editions of texts will be invaluable to scholars, as will being able search

the digitized volumes and access them when working late at night, Janan noted.

The first request made through the online service came from a professor in the romance studies department last week for “The New Life of Dante Alighieri.”

Milewicz emphasized that the

library is eager to see the feedback from users and see which volumes are requested.

“We are curious about the response to this service,” she said.

“It gives us a sense of what our strategic priority should be. It helps us in crafting where we want to take our services in the future.”

THE CHRONICLE

WEDDINGTON from page 1 In her first job interview, the employer’s chauvinism showed through, she noted, adding that the lawyers felt women were incapable of fulfilling the demanding work schedule given that they had to be home to make dinner.

“I tried to explain that I’d worked my way through law school and had time management skills and could handle it,” Weddington said.

Unable to secure a job at a firm, Weddington was hired by her law school to research how to challenge anti-abortion statutes—a positive move.

“If I had gotten a job at a firm, I wouldn’t have had the time to try Roe v. Wade,” she added.

A group in Austin who had been working to tell women about contraception and abortion options brought the case to Weddington. The organization was concerned that they could be prosecuted for being an accomplice to the crime of abortion by sharing the information with women.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 | 5

Among these women was the Roe v. Wade plaintiff—under an alias—Jane Roe. “I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m the right one,’” she noted.

“I’d never done a contested case before.”

Interestingly enough, she added that there were religious groups from several denominations—such as Methodists, Southern Baptists, Presbyterians and numerous Jewish groups—that supported her position during the critical trial. These groups, she added, filed pro-choice amicus briefs to the Supreme Court.

After Roe v. Wade, Weddington pursued a variety of positions, including as an assistant to former President Jimmy Carter and a college professor.

Weddington also spoke to the current state of women’s reproductive rights, noting the situation has become more difficult for women in recent years due to the fact that Republicans have become more rigidly anti-abortion.

Defining leadership as the “willingness and ability to leave your thumbprint,” she specified three aspects crucial in expressing leadership: the ability to adapt to a difficult

situation, a critical eye and the acceptance of one’s imperfection.

“You take a situation that isn’t what it ought to be and make it different,” Weddington said. “It’s looking around you and thinking what needs to be changed.”

Weddington’s ideas on the role of leadership were intriguing, noted sophomore Clair Hong, adding that Weddington’s personal struggles as a female attorney prompted her to have a more critical eye as a female college student. “[Weddington’s] inability to apply for a credit card without the permission of her husband, who had been earning less than her, was surprising and really brought me back to her time period,” she said.

Mark Rutledge, the United Church of Christ campus minister and a participant in the abortion rights movement since the 1960s, expressed his appreciation for Weddington’s speech.

“Men need to be in solidarity with women who are still fighting this,” he said.

UNC from page 1 that she is being charged with violating the UNC honor code and needs to appear once again in front of the Honor Court. The email states that the court believes it has evidence that Gambill has acted in ways that are “disruptive or intimidating behavior that willfully abuses, disparages or otherwise interferes with another so as to adversely affect their academic pursuits, opportunities for university employment, participation in university-sponsored extracurricular activities or opportunities to benefit from other aspects of university life.”

Gambill said, though, that she has never publicly identified her rapist. At a preliminary Honor Court meeting, she was told that she could be in violation of the honor code simply by saying she was raped. If she is found guilty, she could receive a number of punishments ranging from a written warning to expulsion.

A similar situation would be unlikely to happen on Duke’s campus, said junior Stefani Jones, Duke Student Government vice president for equity and outreach and a leading advocate for the campaign leading to Duke’s repeal of the statute of limitations for student sexual misconduct. Jones added that the controversy offers an opportunity to reflect.

“The incident at UNC highlights just how important it is for universities and students to be looking for ways to prevent and address sexual assault on campus. Victimblaming and a poor institutional response are inexcusable,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of work on our campus this year, specifically in repealing the statute of limitations on our reporting policy, to give victims additional support. There’s a lot more to be done, though.”

Honor Council Chair Michael Habashi, a senior, also expressed that he did not believe a case like this could happen at Duke.

“The student conduct process at Duke is one in which the student is treated with respect,” he said. “We’ve created an infrastructure where students feel empowered in that room [with the Student Conduct Board] and have the outside resources they need as well.”

Jones added that she along with the DSG Committee for Equity and Outreach have been working to address gender-based violence with a Gender Task Force, which would seek to approach the issue of sexual assault holistically, and start a program which would provide academic support to victims.

Classic Long Sleeve Tees Colors: Royal, Black, Graphite, White Available Sizes: S - 2X Fabric Content: 6.1 oz. 100% preshrunk cotton jersey Knit cuffs Limited sizes and quantities available.

Compared to $2695 & $2895 each Advertised price does not include tax.

Offer valid through Saturday, March 2, 2013 or while supplies last.

Available in the following locations:

$

14

for S - XL $ 16 for 2X

The University Store Upper Level, Bryan Center

East Campus Store East Union Building, East Campus

Medical Center Bookstore Lower Level, Duke Clinics

6 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

VIGIL from page 1 adults with dependents who make less than 49 percent of the poverty line. The bill—which would prevent the expansion of Medicaid eligibility required for the federal funds—has already passed in the Senate and the House and is awaiting approval by Gov. Pat McCrory, who has expressed support for the bill.

“Either people don’t know, or worse, they don’t care,” said Reverend William Barber, II, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Leading the speeches, Barber emphasized the Christian morals of giving to the poor and noted how current government actions do not adequately reflect this.

Other speeches also addressed economic issues. Charles van Der Horst, Trinity ’74 and associate chief at the division of infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, empha-

ASTON from page 2 brain faster is to move faster,” Bejan said. “Vision is synonymous with locomotion in the animal realm.

That is why the [Rapide S], with that shape, looks fast.”

From an evolutionary perspective, Bejan believes that humans continuously strive for movement, a quality of our species reflected in our appreciation of the golden ratio. Something that can move us

THE CHRONICLE

sized that switching to the new system would create jobs and cut the cost of medical care, especially in light of the federal subsidy. “[The bill] is baffling—it’s not just mean-spirited but dumb,” van der Horst said, expressing a sentiment that was repeated throughout the evening.

The program also featured testimonials from those without insurance due to pre-existing conditions, travelling from as far as Asheville to tell stories of mistreatment and helplessness—ranging from skipped fibromyalgia medication to untreated tumors. In both testimonials, speakers noted how the Duke Hospital provided charity aid as a means of support.

Speakers also encouraged supporters to call McCrory and speak out against the bill using talking points from the vigil, in hopes that the governor will follow fellow Republican governors in accepting the health care initiative and vetoing the bill. Members of the audience rallied and repeated the

message, one urging to “call every day.”

The event finished with the crowd forming a circle to watch the lighting of the five large candles for those who have died and those who cannot afford medical care. Candles were then distributed to all attendees in a moment of silence, which was followed by a communal singing of “We Shall Overcome.”

Beyond encouraging action against the bill, speakers also encouraged the crowd to volunteer at local health care organizations.

“Whether or not [the bill] passes, health care is still an issue, and there are many organizations who want to give help,” said senior Elena Botella, an organizer of the event.

Botella also writes a column for The Chronicle.

Organizers made reference to organizations such as Project Access for students to help the local poor receive health care.

The event was an example of

“physical activism—a tangible opportunity to rally,” said sophomore Adrienne Harreveld, event organizer and co-president of Duke Democrats.

quickly increases our accessibility to opportunities. Bejan argues that the biological species that defines us is not simply man—it is man and machine. Machines are how the modern man moves and so the vehicle that can transport us the quickest is the most attractive.

“This is how and why we move,” Bejan said. “We are a human-machine species because our physical bodies alone do not represent us—man and vehicle together is a biological species.”

Although constructal law offers one explanation, we do not know for sure why the golden ratio is aesthetically pleasing.

Still, designers in many fields apply this principal to their work. For example, aside from vehicle designers, architects use the golden ratio as well. Simon Unwin, emeritus professor of architecture at the University of Dundee, Scotland, said instances of the golden ratio can be found anywhere from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” to recent Royal

Institute of British Architects Gold Medal winner Peter Zumthor’s design of his Thermal Baths. Unwin believes that aside from its visual appeal, the golden ratio is also a very convenient tool to have.

“Designing is a difficult thing [and] making decisions about relative sizes is [hard]” Unwin wrote in an email Sunday. “If you adopt a rule—such as using the golden ratio whenever you can—life becomes easier. The decision is made for you by the rule you have adopted.”

This sentiment was noted by other attendees of the event.

“Stats are one thing,” said sophomore Diego Quezada. “Human stories are another.”

JISOO YOON/THE CHRONICLE

North Carolina Central University senior Rhonda Robinson, a patient health advocate, speaks at a vigil for the uninsured at the Duke Chapel Monday evening.

Aston Martin’s use of the golden ratio, however, may be more of an advertising ploy than a credible evaluation of the design, Unwin noted.

“If you analyze the actual application of the golden ratio in the design (as indicated on the photograph on their website), the instances where it is used are somewhat arbitrary,” Unwin said. “The suspicion is that they are playing an advertising game. Would that be a new thing? Of course not!”

Sports

>> THE BLUE ZONE

The Chronicle

TUESDAY

sports.chronicleblogs.com

February 26, 2013 www.dukechroniclesports.com

FOOTBALL

Vernon works out at NFL Combine

by Daniel Carp THE CHRONICLE

More than 300 NFL hopefuls flocked to Indianapolis last weekend to show off their skills at the annual NFL Scouting Combine, and this year two Blue Devils were in attendance.

Former Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon and quarterback Sean Renfree were on hand at the 2013 Combine, where Vernon worked out in front of NFL coaches, executives and scouts. Renfree was on hand to have his official measurements taken by the NFL as he continues to rehab from surgery he had to fix a torn pectoral muscle suffered in Duke’s Belk Bowl loss to Cincinnati.

Vernon officially clocked at 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 6.93 seconds in the threecone drill, 4.22 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and 11.34 seconds in the 60-yard shuttle. He also turned in a vertical leap of 32.5 inches and a broad jump of 125 inches. His official 40-yard dash time was slightly below average for a receiver at the Combine in the past five years—as was his vertical leap—and was above average on the broad jump. His shuttle and three-cone drill times were about average.

“I definitely think [my workout] helped [my draft stock]. At the end of the day, all NFL teams are worried about are finding football players,” Vernon said. “When it came to actual football work and football drills, I really excelled, so wherever I was before I’m sure I’m either still there or teams have moved me up because of how I did on the field work.”

Although Vernon maintains his satisfac-

Bringing Crazie back

we’ve been playing very well defensively, but at the same time we have to find a balanced lineup that can score runs.”

Junior outfielder Jeff Kremer and junior third baseman Jordan Betts make up the core of Duke’s offense in the two- and four-holes, respectively. Both Kremer and Betts galvanized

Ten minutes prior to the tip-off of Sunday’s game against Boston College, I tweeted from Cameron Indoor Stadium’s press row that the student section was as empty as I had seen it all season that close to game time. I don’t have any scientific numbers, so I couldn’t tell for sure if it was the smallest student crowd of the season, but as the Tom game went on, I was nonetheless impressed by the enthusiasm from the group that did make it out for a Sunday afternoon contest.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski was pleased as well.

“The last game we played here was against Carolina, and you can have a hangover,” Krzyzewski said after the game. “And our crowd didn’t. Our crowd was hungry.

They’ve been terrific all year long. This is one of the best years for our crowd in Cameron, and they came through again today.”

So in a way, saying that the stands against Boston College were relatively empty was a compliment.

In the three years that I’ve been here, it might be overly generous to say that student interest in attending games at Cameron has fluctuated. More accurately, it had waned.

The Chronicle ran a front-page piece last year on the declines in student attendance, noting that the athletics department was selling general admission tickets in those rickety bleachers for the first time in history.

I’ve had plenty of discussions with friends and colleagues about why Cameron crowds had been shrinking. Undoubtedly the prevalence of online streaming affected things. The changing composition of the student body has probably contributed. And it certainly didn’t help that last year’s squad, which lacked cohesion even among its own members, was not the sort of team that was easy to rally around.

So I headed into my senior year with trepidation that I would have to spend my final year at Duke lamenting a continued downturn. But then the Ohio State game early in the season was one of the most electric atmospheres I had seen at Cameron.

New records were set for participation in black tenting, with 45 makeshift structures making the plaza in front of Wilson Gymnasium appear almost as full as it had been just days before the same contest in 2012.

So I think, at this point in the season, it’s safe to say: The Crazies are back. But not quite all the way. Not yet.

Much as I’m loathe to compliment the same Maryland fans who have chanted all sorts of unprintable obscenities at Duke players throughout the years, I have to admit I was very impressed by the coordination that the Terrapin faithful showed when I visited College Park 10 days ago to see the Blue Devils lose 83-81. Go search on YouTube

SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 8

SEE GIERYN ON PAGE 8

Gieryn

ELYSIA SU/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Conner Vernon continued his journey to the NFL by working out for teams at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. tion in reference to his performance at the Combine, it did not come without some confusion. During his two attempts at the 40-yard dash, Vernon was clocked unofficially at 4.59 and 4.47 seconds, respectively.

“That was something that I definitely questioned, because I didn’t understand

how I could come in so much lower unofficially and end up with an official time of 4.68 seconds,” Vernon said. “Even some of the scouts I had talked to said they had me at a much lower time, so I don’t know if SEE VERNON ON PAGE 8

BASEBALL

Duke faces North Carolina A&T

by Danielle Lazarus THE CHRONICLE

Duke’s season picks up speed Tuesday as the Blue Devils travel to play their first weekday game against North Carolina A&T. This is the first of three consecutive weeks with two midweek games for Duke.

“This is really going to test our depth,” head coach Chris Pollard said.

Duke (4-2) faces the Aggies coming off a three-game sweep of Bucknell. The Blue Devils shined on the mound against the Bison, giving up only Duke one run in 27 innings vs. of pitching. Following a series against Florida NC where Duke was outA&T scored 23-13, the pitchTuesday, 3 p.m. ing staff held Bucknell War Memorial Stadium to only nine hits and a .102 batting average.

The Aggies, however, will see a new face on the mound during the first inning: freshman James Marvel, getting his first start of a season.

“James threw very well down at Florida, so we’re trying to build off of that initial outing he had down there,” Pollard said. “We have a lot of depth pitching-wise, and it’s a really great opportunity for some guys like James down in the bullpen who haven’t thrown a lot yet.”

Even though the Blue Devils hope to continue their stellar pitching, Pollard is still tinkering with the lineup. Although Duke scored 15 runs on the weekend, including nine while

Rasheed Sulaimon won ACC Rookie of the Week and Duke moved to No. 3 in this week’s AP Poll. Read more on the sports blog.

JESSIE LU/THE CHRONICLE

Duke third baseman Jordan Betts has led Duke’s offense, hitting a walk-off home run against Bucknell this weekend. shutting out the Bison, the Blue Devils left 21 men on base in the series.

“Part of [the reason for] our offensive [problems] is that it’s early in the season and the pitching is ahead of the hitting. Part of it is the fact that I think we’re going to continue to look at some different lineup combinations,” Pollard said. “We certainly don’t want to sacrifice what we’re doing defensively because

8 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

GIERYN from page 7 for a video entitled “Maryland Students Flash Mob and Harlem Shake.” Trust me, it looked sweet.

We’ve got the enthusiasm here, not to mention a good, very likable team and one of the nation’s best venues. We used to have the coordination as well. After all, this is the same student section that invented the “Airball” chant—and even chanted it in German in when Washington came to town in 1985 with its imported star forward Detlef Schrempf. In 1980, the same crowd rattled its keys in unison every time N.C. State star Clyde “The Glide” Austin touched the ball.

The forward was under investigation for having multiple cars registered under his name on campus and went 1-for-6 with just three points at Cameron, after having averaged double-digits in scoring each of his first three years prior to being investigated as a senior. This is the legacy we inherit.

Some of the traditions that have made

VERNON from page 7 there was human error or maybe I actually ran that time. I don’t know—but the numbers didn’t really add up.”

Vernon spent more than a month preparing for this specific set of workouts with his trainer Tony Villani of XPE Sports. Vernon said that the pair worked on his agility and explosiveness off the line, two attributes that lend themselves well to the Combine-style drills.

In addition to the Combine workouts, Vernon also had to participate in a number of on-field drills to test his route-running ability, catching ability and ability to adjust to different types of throws.

“That was the easy part. Once we got to the

BASEBALL from page 7 the Blue Devils against the Bison, with Kremer going 4-for-9 on the weekend with three walks and Betts getting a hit in each game of the series, including a walk-off homerun to clinch the win in game two. It was the third baseman’s first homer of the season.

Aggie redshirt junior lefty Dustin Myers is set to face Marvel on the mound. Myers, who typically pitches out of the bullpen, will be making his sixth start in three seasons with the

THE CHRONICLE

me enjoy Crazieness so much are disappearing, so consider this myy last-ditch attempt t, I present a list of to save them. With that, es, past and future: reminders for all Crazies, 1. When the opponent has the ball in bounds, he high-decibel keep your hands down. The me drone is always the same when the opponent hass the ball, but the handwaving at the player with the ball occurs only when the ball is not in play (i.e., being inbounded).

Once the ball is in play, we stick to jumping up and down.

2. Listen to the band. They’re there for a reason. Almost all of the classic Duke songs—especiallyy “Devil with ave hand the Blue Dress On”—have motions or words that go along with them, and it makes me sad when the ng are seniors. only people waving along

This year, on multiple occasions, occ we’ve been chanting for Crazy Towel Guy over the band.

We can do better.

3. Do your homework. Cre Creativity takes preparation. The involvem involvement of the line monitors is cru crucial on this one, and this is wh where cheer sheets— which have aappeared less and less freque frequently as time has passed—a passed—are so important.

Any opp opposing player can expect road crowds to chant aabout his height or his h haircut, but the chants that really get under the skin are the ones they don’t se see coming. It also looks bad wh when we can’t get a chant started for an important recruit who is visiting. Being well-informe well-informed is what makes us stand out.

4. Not ev every chant has to be complete completely novel. It seems

to me that this season we’ve lost some of our go-to chants. Older cheer sheets used to have the staple cheers on them as well as opponent-specific material. I’ve yet to hear “He’s a fresh-man” for either Rasheed Sulaimon or Amile Jefferson. It’s been a while since we’ve done “It’s a school night” for a game delay on a weeknight. We’ve got some clever classics that it never hurts to break out.

5. Don’t lose your enthusiasm. I’m asking for us to work on adding back the witty, coordinated aspect that has made the Cameron Crazies a nationwide benchmark for basketball fandom, but no amount of snark can replace simply jumping up and down and yelling away your voice.

Let’s finish bringing the Crazies back.

Players graduate every four years (and often leave sooner than that), and even Coach K will eventually depart from the Duke bench.

But if we do it right, passing down our wisdom along with our passion, the Cameron Crazies are forever.

field work, I was just playing football. You take away all the hype from the 40-yard dash and the shuttle drill and the broad jump and all I had to do was just play football,” Vernon said. “That’s something that I felt I really excelled with—all I had to do was catch the football and run good routes. I think teams saw that and they’ll take that performance into account.”

Off the field, Vernon had the opportunity to meet with coaches and executives from a number of NFL teams for interviews, which included breaking down game film, drawing up plays and memorizing coverages and formations. Vernon’s interviews were meant to see how he reacted in given situations as well as test his short-term memory and learning abilities.

Although Vernon said his interview ses-

sions with teams went well, he said that he is not trying to get too far ahead of himself when thinking of his draft stock or which teams might be particularly interested in him. Vernon is projected as a mid-late round pick in April’s NFL Draft.

“At the end of the day, as much as I like talking to all of these teams and appreciate their time, I just have to sit back and wait for my phone call in April,” Vernon said. “That’s when I’ll finally know where I’m going.”

Vernon will return to Duke shortly for the first time since graduating at the conclusion of the Fall semester and will have nearly a month to prepare at his alma-mater for the Blue Devils’ Pro Day later in March.

The wide receiver said he will work extensively in the weight room with strength and

conditioning coach John Durfey, specifically on his bench press—the only Combine drill in which Vernon did not participate.

Vernon said he plans to bench press at Pro Day and will use his month to get in sync with Duke assistant director of video Mike Cappetto, a former Blue Devil quarterback who will throw to Vernon as Renfree continues to recover from his injury.

“That’s a big reason why I’m coming up before Pro Day. Obviously it’s been a while since he’s thrown it, so I’ll be able to work with him and get a feel for him,” Vernon said. “I also just want to enjoy Duke, because this is probably the last time I’m going to be here for quite some time. So I look forward to coming back and hanging out with my teammates who I’m going to graduate with.”

Aggies. He has compiled a 15.66 earned run average, giving up 39 runs on 38 hits in only 22.2 innings.

On the offensive side, North Carolina A&T is led by junior designated hitter Cameron Jergens and junior infielder Luke Tendler. Jergens, who also doubles as a relief pitcher, leads the Aggies (4-3) in batting average and hits, going 9-for-26 to post a .346 average. Tendler was named a Freshman All-American for the 2011 season and has been an offensive centerpiece for North Carolina A&T ever since. Not only is Tendler powerful, boasting a team-leading

.556 slugging percentage, but his speed has proven to be crucial for the Aggies’ run game, leading the team with four stolen bases in as many tries. “[Tendler] is doing very, very well,” Pollard said. “One of the things they really like to hang their hat on is that they’re aggressive on the bases. They’ve stolen 18 bases in seven ball games, so we know they’re going to be very aggressive there. We’ve got to work real hard to control their run game.”

If anyone can show the Blue Devils the way to solve North Carolina A&T’s combination of

speed and power, it’s Pollard, who faced the Aggies eight times during his tenure as head coach at Appalachian State. “[North Carolina A&T] has got a lot of guys back from the last couple of years, so I’m familiar with their team because we played them every year I was at Appalachian [State],” Pollard said. “They’re a good club, they’ve got some good wins early in the season, and some confidence. Starting tomorrow, we’ll get a lot of opportunities for guys to step up and figure out their roles. It’ll be a good ball game.”

EXCLUSIVE EGG DONOR NEEDED Help a wonderful recipient who is eager to start a family.

Intended parent working with prestigious Los Angeles IVF clinic seeks the following:

CLASSIFIEDS TUTORING NEED BETTER ORGANIC GRADE? EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL

CHEMISTRY TUTOR GETS RESULTS! WWW.CHEMCOACHING.COM

Caucasian woman Available immediately 5’9” and above Physically fit

ANNOUNCEMENTS A LOT OF CARS INC . Great vehicles $550-$795 down. 150+ Vehicles. Layaway option. We do taxes!

Between ages 21 - 28 Highly educated with outstanding SAT/ACT scores Extremely healthy family history

Duke ID $150 discount. 33 cars between $1850-$3995 cash. www.alotofcarsnc.com. Owned

by Duke Alumni (919)220-7155

UNC CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY RECRUITING SUBJECTS age 18-75 with anal fissure to determine efficacy and safety of investigational medication. 919-966-8328 Meley_woldeghebriel@med. unc.edu

RESEARCH STUDIES UNC CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY recruiting subjects age 18-80 with IBS-Diarrhea to determine safety and efficacy of investigational medication. 919966-8328

Meley_woldeghebriel@med. unc.edu

TRAVEL/VACATION

Open to meeting recipient BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK

***International students and those on a student Visa encouraged to apply*** Very generous compensation plus all flights, hotel stay, and expenses paid. Serious inquiries only reply to: newdonor@eggdonor.com

EXCEPTIONAL EGG DONOR NEEDED. Generous compensation plus all expenses paid. Graduate from university or attending. Outstanding SAT/ ACT or GRE Scores. Contact: f.sherman@nccrm.com

$189 for 5 days. All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise. Accommodations on the island at your choice of thirteen resorts. Appalachia Travel. www.

BahamaSun.com 800-867-5018

The Chronicle classified advertising

www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds rates All advertising - $6.00 for first 15 words 10¢ (per day) additional per word 3 or 4 consecutive insertions - 10 % off 5 or more consecutive insertions - 20 % off deadline 12:00 noon 1 business day prior to publication payment Prepayment is required Master Card, VISA, Discover, American Express, cash or check ad submission

online: www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds email: advertising@chronicle.duke.edu fax to: 919-684-8295 phone orders: (919)-684-3811 No refunds or cancellations after first insertion deadline ADVERTISERS: Please check your advertisement for errors on the first day of publication. If you find an error, please call 919-684-3811. The Chronicle only accepts responsibility for the first incorrect day for ads entered by our office staff. We cannot offer make-good runs for errors in ads placed online by the customer.

THE CHRONICLE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013| 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

Dilbert Scott Adams

Doonesbury Garry Trudeau

The Chronicle Favorite youtube videos: oh hai, psycho girl singing: ............................. locopop, thornberry oscar wilde jersey shore:........................................................ jewels boys will be girls: .................................................................... parka real housewives of disney: ...................................................briggsy kyle gets buckets: ..............................................................og abeats taylor swift goat addition:............................................... chelc, jesc one direction, breakup letter: ........................ greek girl, bacce ball sea urchin eating a cookie: ................................................mr. teeth Barb Starbuck: ........................................................................... Barb

The Duplex Glenn McCoy

Student Advertising Manager: .................................. Allison Rhyne Account Representatives: ..................... Jen Bahadur, Sarah Burgart Courtney Clower, Peter Chapin, Claire Gilhuly, Sterling Lambert Liz Lash, Dori Levy, Gini Li, Ina Li, Vivian Lorencatto, Parker Masselink, Cliff Simmons, James Sinclair, Olivia Wax Creative Services Student Manager: ................. Marcela Heywood Creative Services: ..........................................Allison Eisen, Mao Hu Rachel Kiner, Rita Lo, Izzy Xu Business Office ...............................Susanna Booth, Emily McKelvey

Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. (No number is repeated in any column, row or box.)

RE

VA M

PE

D

Better than ever.

Answer to puzzle

qDuke.com www.sudoku.com

The Independent Daily at Duke University

The Chronicle

10 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Flipping the classroom The success of an innova- His Duke class now utilizes tive class that makes use of online learning, too. Before the online educational tech- coming to class, students are nology, Coursera, is strength- required to watch a pre-reening support for the in- corded lecture on Coursera, creased use of technology in complete a quiz and make a classes across note online of the board. We concepts that editorial will discuss the need further reasons for its success and its clarification. This way, Noor implications for the future of can tailor any teaching toonline education in normal wards student needs before Duke classes. the class morphs into an adBiology professor Mo- vanced discussion session. hamed Noor taught his Noor reports that this secourse, Genetics and Evolu- mester’s class has obtained tion, to approximately 30,000 exceptionally high mid-term students worldwide last se- grades in comparison to premester through Coursera. vious semesters. This gives This semester, he has started support to increased use of teaching the same mate- technology in other classrial to a class of 450 Duke es. It should be noted that students as he has done in what has been quipped the previous semesters, but with flipped-classroom approach one important difference. is not as radical as it might

onlinecomment

“

Brown University, Furman University, Calhoun College at Yale ... ever noticed the name “Carr” on the history building? ... Maybe you’re right. But there’s a lot of work ahead if we’re going to eliminate from places of honor the name of every person who held offensive views or did offensive things.

—“JB Radcliffe” commenting on the column “Time to end the silence on Aycock.”

LETTERS POLICY The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address.

Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns.

The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

Est. 1905

THE CHRONICLE

commentaries

”

Direct submissions to:

E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696

The Chronicle

Inc. 1993

YESHWANTH KANDIMALLA, Editor LAUREN CARROLL, Managing Editor JULIAN SPECTOR, News Editor ANDREW BEATON, Sports Editor CHRIS DALL, Photography Editor MAGGIE LAFALCE, Editorial Page Editor KATHERINE ZHANG, Editorial Board Chair JIM POSEN, Director of Online Operations CHRISSY BECK, General Manager KRISTIE KIM, University Editor TIFFANY LIEU, Local & National Editor ANDREW LUO, Health & Science Editor CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ, News Photography Editor PHOEBE LONG, Design Editor MICHAELA DWYER, Recess Editor SOPHIA DURAND, Recess Photography Editor SCOTT BRIGGS, Editorial Page Managing Editor MATTHEW CHASE, Towerview Editor ADDISON CORRIHER, Towerview Photography Editor ANNA KOELSCH, Social Media Editor SAMANTHA BROOKS, Senior Editor REBECCA DICKENSON, Advertising Director MARY WEAVER, Operations Manager DAVID RICE, Director of External Relations

MARGOT TUCHLER, University Editor JACK MERCOLA, Local & National Editor DANIELLE MUOIO, Health & Science Editor ELYSIA SU, Sports Photography Editor ELIZA STRONG, Design Editor HOLLY HILLIARD, Recess Managing Editor CHELSEA PIERONI, Online Photo Editor ASHLEY MOONEY, Sports Managing Editor SONIA HAVELE, Towerview Editor MELISSA YEO, Towerview Creative Director NICOLE KYLE, Special Projects Editor MAGGIE SPINI, Senior Editor MICHAEL SHAMMAS, Recruitment Chair BARBARA STARBUCK, Creative Director MEGAN MCGINITY, Digital Sales Manager

The Chronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors.

To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 103 West Union Building, call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 101 West Union Building call 684-3811 or fax 684-8295. Visit The Chronicle Online at http://www.dukechronicle.com. © 2012 The Chronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C. 27708. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior, written permission of the Business Office. Each individual is entitled to one free copy.

seem. Subjects like English and history have always required students to learn the material before going to class for deeper analysis and discussion in a way that has not been possible for more conceptual subjects previously.

Professors always ought to be looking for the most efficient way to spend precious class time. It is hardly surprising that Noor’s class has achieved such success because its methodology supports the natural learning process. Attending a lecture given to a large class is an almost completely passive process, and it is difficult to suggest why watching lectures from the comfort of one’s dorm room might have significant differences. The deeper elucidation of diffi-

cult concepts and the application of ideas to problems are much more reliant on interactions with teacher’s assistants and professors. It makes sense that the more active learning is prioritized for inside the classroom.

The flipped-classroom model does bring about challenges for professors. If lectures are always online and no new material is taught in class, students may decide going to class is unnecessary.

This attitude is dangerous— not because of such a decision in itself—but because of what it implies about the perceived value of class time which is theoretically enhanced. A quick fix would be to move the online quiz to the start of class. However, it would still be unsatisfactory if students

were only attending class for this purely extrinsic reason.

Noor also notes the risk of an increased workload due to video lectures. Professors who are considering mimicking Noor’s strategy must ensure they are not simply cramming all essential learning into students’ work schedules outside the classroom.

The Editorial Board has previously been positive about websites such as Coursera but has purported that there are benefits of a traditional, faceto-face education that an online education cannot match.

We reaffirm this stance but as the line between the learning styles is blurred in cases like this, professors must preserve class as an invaluable and principal part of a student’s educational experience.

“Argo” is bad, embarrassing and wrong

I

wonder if I am the only one deeply disturbed and of increasingly contrived narrow escapes from third troubled by the recent Hollywood movie, “Argo.” world mobs who, predictably, are never quite smart My increasing sense of loneliness and alienation enough to catch up with the Americans.” with “Argo” has been fed by the movie’s overrated “Argo” also disturbingly caters to the biased, postfame, its undeserved success in the 9-11 image of Islam, Muslims and movie theaters and now more painfully Middle Easterners and effectively by the multiple Oscars that it has won. serves to re-assert existing stereoTo me, “Argo” and the response it has types. The movie skillfully markets created shed light on larger problems once again the newly found internathat we face in our society, especially tional enemy of Western civilization. in our movie industry. “Argo” demonThe movie describes and pictures strates how out of touch we are with the monolithic, black-and-white, pecrucial global realities and how dis- abdullah antepli jorative, primitive, archaic, vengeful, connected we are from how we come unforgiving, irredeemably ignorant blue devil imam across to the rest of the human family and forever dangerous nature of this through these kinds of expressions. new and scary enemy.

I welcomed the news of “Argo” when I first Since the release of the movie, many of my friends heard of it, hoping that it would help us face one from all over the world, both Middle Eastern and of the ugliest chapters of our recent U.S. history otherwise, expressed their dismay and distaste about with Iran. I was misled by the initial publicity of the “Argo.” Much of what they said can be summarized movie and excited to see how the movie would un- in the following questions: “Who the heck do these veil our government’s miserably failed foreign poli- people think they are?” “Who will buy this self-serving, cies prior to the Islamic revolution in 1979. I was biased and inaccurate propaganda in 2013?” “Do they eagerly waiting to see how the movie would enable (the filmmakers) not realize they make fools of theman honest, self-critical assessment of Uncle Sam’s— selves? For God’s sake give us a break!” especially the CIA’s—shameful involvement in the I also wonder how many Americans watched toppling of the democratically-elected government Argo and asked these kinds of questions. My friends’ in Iran in the early 1950s and the empowering of a rightful frustrations over “Argo” mirror certain realireprehensibly corrupt and oppressive regime in the ties of us as a society. It is no longer the 1980s, the country for over four decades. More importantly, I Reagan days where movies like “Rambo” can fly. hoped the movie would show how, in part, these This kind of self-glorifying distortion of history can ethical and moral failures helped the conception no longer go unnoticed or unpunished. What will it and the birth of the so-called 1979 Islamic Revolu- take to wake up from our self-delusions and express tion that ruined Iranian society. ourselves as we are, not what we wish to be? Again, After giving a puzzlingly brief lip service to my Slate’s Kevin B. Lee puts it perfectly: expectations at the beginning of the movie, “Argo” “We can delight all we like in this cinematic recymoved on to be another embarrassing “Rambo III” cling act, but the fact remains that we are no longer movie in many despicable ways: an innocent, white, living in a world where we can get away with films like Western David beating up ugly, exotic, monstrous ori- this—not if we want to be in a position to deal with a ental Goliaths and emerging as victor despite all odds. world that is rising to meet us. The movies we endorse It caters to its home audience’s starvation for self-glory need to rise to the occasion of reflecting a new global and self-serving, happy endings. More troublingly, the reality, using a newer set of storytelling tools than this movie does all of that by distorting the obvious facts reheated excuse for a historical geopolitical thriller.” about one of the most important events in our recent I can’t agree with him more and I fully share his history and dehumanizing a rich civilization irrespon- disappointment and deep sense of embarrassment sibly. Film critic Kevin B. Lee expressed my heartache over “Argo.” U.S. society in general and our movie best when he recently reviewed “Argo” for Slate: industry in particular have so much to catch up on “Looking at the runaway success of this film, it with modern day realities and global responsibilities. seems as if critics and audiences alike lack the his- Let’s stop making fools of ourselves. torical knowledge to recognize a self-serving perversion of an unflattering past, or the cultural acumen Abdullah Antepli is the Muslim Chaplain and an adto see the utterly ersatz nature of the enterprise: a junct faculty of Islamic Studies. His column runs every other cast of stock characters and situations, and a series Tuesday. You can follow Abdullah on Twitter @aantepli.

THE CHRONICLE

commentaries

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013 | 11

Medicine is selfish

Bass ackwards

hether you are in fact “pre- I realized how tough it would be to med,” are friends with a bunch stare these patients in the eye just a few of us nerds or are just a casu- days after their elected representatives al spectator of folks drawing organic essentially denied their self-worth as chemistry reactions all people. I couldn’t really over Link study rooms, see how the 62-year-old there’s a pretty good farmer who kept tendchance you’ve asked ing his crops in the midst somebody (or yourself) of a battle with Stage IV a question: “Why mediprostate cancer or the cine?” In response, I’m 45-year-old security guard betting you heard the who couldn’t see clearly standard answers: “to during the night shift help people,” “to change because of a retinal hemthe world,” etc. I know orrhage were somehow them, because I’ve re“parasites” of society. If cited these verbatim for their lack of personal rethe past three-and-a-half sponsibility prohibited years. Yet, while the sentipre-med series them from access to basic ment of selflessness may medical services, then I premeditations be genuine for some asshudder to think what I— piring docs, I don’t buy it the lazy, privileged son of anymore—at least not from myself. two physicians who has never worked a See, as one of many at Duke passion- day in his life—deserve. ate about addressing health inequalAt the same time, however, the inity, I’ve come to realize that medicine stant gratification of playing some role is just one of many ways to “help” the in connecting folks to resources—to “sick.” I’ve also been trained to view drugs, to diagnostics, to doctors— the achievement of my full potential helped me cope with the powerlessness as—for better or worse—a function of that all advocates felt from failure. In the scale of impact I make. As such, if I many ways, the sights, sounds and sensareally wanted to help people, wouldn’t tions of the experience gave me a taste limiting my ability to address the struc- of medicine. The swing of the door tural factors that contribute to illness closing as a patient entered the room, (access, poverty, neglect, etc.) by, say, transforming a sterile enclave into a seeking the security and prestige of safe space for vulnerability and empamedicine be a bit selfish? It’s a ques- thy. The ruffling of paperwork used to tion I’ve been wrestling with for some document patient history, punctuating time—especially in the context of re- the impossible task of translating stocent events. ries of suffering, hope, humor and deJust a few weeks ago, the N.C. Gen- spair into a series of neatly categorized eral Assembly faced a major deci- checkboxes. The swell of pride one felt sion to extend access to healthcare to after being able to promise someone over 500,000 citizens. Like every state, that you could provide help; the conNorth Carolina had the option of ex- stant lurking fear of having to confess panding Medicaid through a provision the opposite. Even though my efforts of Obamacare that directed the fed- weren’t addressing the “root causes” of eral government to subsidize health these problems, I felt a certain joy in coverage for low-income citizens for a being able to do something. decade and beyond. Yet, even though And maybe that’s why it’s okay to purthis policy would have protected the sue medicine as we know it for reasons most vulnerable North Carolinians at that aren’t completely selfless: because low cost to the state, legislators swiftly we all crave the ability to point to our rejected the offer. own impact, to be able to say with cerThis wasn’t just a function of poli- tainty that if I didn’t exist, something tics as usual. As Florida Gov. Rick Scott, would be different. There’s no denying a passionate conservative and one of medicine offers a very tangible skillset seven Republican governors to expand to create change, even if we’re mostly Medicaid, stated, “While the federal reacting to suffering we could have government is committed to paying prevented through systemic changes in 100 percent of the cost, I cannot, in the first place. This desire to actualize good conscience, deny Floridians that change isn’t bad, per se—for all I know, need it access to care.” perhaps this gratification is what keeps As someone contemplating spend- advocates for structural change sane ing the rest of my life on similar efforts, during periods of adversity. My reflecthe reluctance to agree on the need for tions have helped me realize I’m not even the most basic change terrified immune to these temptations of ego, me. Could I accept making no differ- and maybe that explains why I need ence at the end of the day? medicine: Because, whether I like it or Recently, this calculus became a not, I’m selfish, too. bit more personal. For the past few weeks, I’ve spent time at Project ACSanjay Kishore, Trinity ’13, is a Duke CESS, an organization in Durham that pre-med. This column is the seventh installhelps connect low-income, uninsured ment in a semester-long series of weekly colpatients to specialist physicians while umns written on the pre-med experience at covering their charges. My job? Inter- Duke, as well as the diverse ways students view patients for an hour, ensure their can pursue and engage with the field of eligibility and hear their stories. Soon, medicine.

t’s too early to use Passover as a news sounds grandiose: We’re not going to hook, but here goes. There are four change everything about education and perspectives from which to question we don’t intend to do so, but it’s an eduthe Bass Connections program: the wise cational enterprise.” child, the wicked, the simYou could accomplish ple one and the one who the same ends by doing does not even know how things that should be to ask a question. done anyway, like reformThe wise among us ing pre-major advising so will ask: Will the program students are assigned to positively change the edpeople who know how to ucational experience we tell them that documenget at Duke? tary studies and English samantha The Bass Connections and women’s studies exlachman program aims to reshape ist. But those reforms interdisciplinary educa- what’s our age again? aren’t as sexy. tion by creating five vertiAnd those of us who cally integrated streams, encompassing do not even know how to ask a question all 10 schools of the University. “Project won’t ponder these issues, because we teams” will work on issues related to one need more humanities training to know of five fields of study: Global Health, how to question authority, contemplate Education and Human Development, how we’re being taught and challenge Brain and Society, Energy, and Informa- what we’re offered. tion, Society and Culture.

Roth said, “We want people from the The three articles and two editorials humanities involved in these project in The Chronicle about the program teams, because the humanistic perspechave attracted zero comments—a pro- tive is incredibly important; they will be gram billed to be revolutionary has gen- a part of the conversation.” erated little, if any, debate. We’re being Professor Owen Astrachan will teach kept in the dark as the administrators the gateway course for the one area that and faculty involved move from concep- sounds like it could incorporate the tion to implementation. humanities—the Information, Society Indeed, Susan Roth, vice provost for and Culture stream. Yet it sounds much interdisciplinary studies, noted in an in- more related to technology and privacy, terview, “Once we knew for sure it was rather than anything that would ingoing to happen, we had a lot to do to trigue and satisfy students who just like get everything in place in time for reg- to talk about books. istration this Spring, to launch it in the Janiak added that historical analyFall. The reason we’re not talking is be- sis could be integrated: “We’re often, cause we don’t have anything specific to I think, very quick to say, ‘Here’s this say yet, but we’re almost there.” amazing new technology!’ There’s a Why not wait another year and slow wow factor involved with an iPad or it down, so we can have the conversa- something. We’re very quick to say, tion about how, and indeed if, we actu- ‘This will change everything; educaally need to change the way we collabo- tion and communication will never be rate and educate? the same.’ That’s always part of the way Associate professor of English Robert Americans think about things, espeMitchell, the director of the Center for cially, because we’re not really a tradiInterdisciplinary Studies in Science and tion-bound society. History helps us to Cultural Theory, has similar concerns figure out, is that true? Is it really wise about the need for such a program, to speak in that way?” which he shared with me in an email: A real acknowledgment of history “It is still unclear to me what pre- would suggest that what Duke did in cisely this program will entail. It is hard, the 1980s to break into the academic though, to see this effort ‘to transform big leagues, by putting real money beundergraduate education’ as a response hind the humanities (our English deto any actual problem at Duke. … We partment at one time was the best in the should be wary of efforts to ‘transform’ country) should be done again. from above what faculty and underThere is simply no substitute for graduates are currently doing very well. people. If this amount of money was … Encouraging faculty to participate put into the endowment, Duke could in this program with promises of large create dozens of new faculty chairs course development grants is telling with just the interest. and, in my opinion, based upon a misThe best classes I’ve taken have been understanding of what motivates facul- with outstanding professors in subjects ty: Most of us will jump in and fix prob- as diverse as “Melville, James and Cathlems for free provided that someone er” and “Civilians in the Path of War.” demonstrates to us—rather than simply The worst classes (which all happened asserts—that something is broken.” to have been cross-listed) relied on The wicked among us will ask: Isn’t conceits and clever-sounding set-ups this just intended to enhance the mar- but were train wrecks because the proketing of Duke’s “interdisciplinary” na- fessors were uninspiring. The form of ture? It’ll make for an enticing PR spiel those courses displaced the content. to high school students. But are we Roth calls it “an educational program thinking through how to better teach that is fundamentally problem focused,” undergraduates, Duke’s bread and but- because they “wanted students to be ter? In a Jan. 22 Chronicle article, as- able to understand that the questions sociate professor of philosophy Andrew asked in the academy are not always the Janiak said that he thought the program same as those outside the academy, to might separate Duke from peer institu- try and bring those together.” But must tions, noting, “We think you basically students always be solving problems? can’t get this anywhere else.”

The danger with this flashy “supraThe simple among us will ask: Will structure” (as Janiak called it) is that it this program help me? might do nothing to change the quality In an interview, Janiak explained of instruction. that another goal is to create more “coherent pathways” for Duke students Samantha Lachman is a Trinity senior. and ultimately “to change education at Her column runs every other Tuesday. FolDuke.” Janiak continued, saying, “That low her on Twitter @SamLachman.

W

Want more Chron?

Visit www.chronicleblogs.com for our news, sports, editorial and recess blogs.

I

12 | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013

THE CHRONICLE

February 26 – March 5 Exhibitions The Restraints: Open and Hidden. Photographer Gordon Parks’s 1956 Life magazine series on segregation. Thru March 2. Center for Documentary Studies. Free.

The Road to Desegregation at Duke. A look at the contributions of African Americans at Duke 50 years after desegregation. Thru March 3. Rare Book Room Cases, Rubenstein Library. Free.

A Mockery of Justice: Caricature and the Dreyfus Affair. How the popular press satirized one of the most notorious legal cases in French history. Thru March 9. Rubenstein Library Photography Gallery. Free.

Mapping the City: A Stranger’s Guide. How maps project ideas of urban space. Curated by students in the Franklin Humanities Institute Borderwork(s) Lab. Thru March 17. Perkins Library Gallery. Free.

Alphabetic Excursions. Prints by Merrill Shatzman, associate professor of the practice of visual arts. Thru March 31. East Duke Corridor Gallery. Free.

Light Sensitive. Photographic Works from North Carolina Collections. Thru May 12. Nasher Museum of Art.

Events February 27 Immersed in Every Sense 2 Visiting Artist Series. Artist talk with Chris Coleman. 12pm, Smith Warehouse, Bay 6, Room 177. Free.

February 28 Talk. Photographer Burk Uzzle, past president of Mangum Photos, whose work is part of Light Sensitive, gives the annual Semans Lecture. 7pm, Nasher Museum of Art. Across the Threshold: Creativity, Being & Healing Interdisciplinary Conference. See ad on this page.

March 1 Lecture Series in Musicology: Arved Ashby (Ohio State).

“Mahler’s ‘new mode of musical perception, tightly wound around itself.’” 4pm, Room 101 Biddle Music Bldg. Free.

Inviting artists, scientists, spiritual activists, healers and academicians interested in a holistic approach to create more awareness contextualizing ourselves vis-à-vis the environment we live in and to generate an empowered response to the global environmental destruction we currently face.

Key Presenters Acclaimed photographer and cultural/environmental activist

Internationally-known community-based artist

Chris Jordan

Lily Yeh P Pre-Conference Workshop: H Healing through Creative Action: A Authenticity is the Key

Keynote Address: Encountering Midway: the Roles of Grief, Hope, and Love in Healing Our World

Across the Threshold. (See Feb. 28) March 2 Across the Threshold. (See Feb. 28) March 3 Choral Society of Durham Chamber Choir Concert. Bursting with melody and rhythmic vigor, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle will be presented in its original scoring for two pianos and small organ.

4pm, Duke Chapel. $15 Gen., Students free.

Encounters: with the music of our time presents Wet Ink Ensemble, Jacqueline Horner Kwiatek, & guests. Three world premieres of dissertation pieces by Duke Ph. D. candidates Dan Ruccia: Hallmarks, Sigils and Colophons, Verena MösenbichlerBryant, conductor; Tim Hambourger: Last Wave Reached; Paul Swartzel: The Greatest Professional Wrestling Match of All Time.

8pm, Sheafer Lab Theater. Free.

Across the Threshold. (See Feb. 28)

Screen/Society All events are free and open to the general public. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are at 7pm in the Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center. (CDS) = Center for Documentary Studies, 1317 W. Pettigrew Street. (W) = Richard White Auditorium.

2/26

Short films from the 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival (8pm, W) AMI Showcase

2/27

Sneak Peek presentation of MIDWAY (work in progress environmental documentary) Presentation and discussion with director Chris Jordan

2/27

SOULS OF ZEN: Buddhism, Ancestors, and the 2011 Tsunami in Japan (CDS) Documentary screening w/ dir. Tim Graf (Q&A to follow) Cine-East: East Asian Cinema

2/28

PEASANT FAMILY HAPPINESS (5pm, W) Documentary screening w/ dir. Jenny Chio (Panel Discussion to follow)

ami.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule

Award-winning dancer/ choreographer

Master dancer, teacher and cultural ambassador

Ronald K. Brown

Dr. Baba Chuck Davis Closing Ceremony

Performance by Ronald K. Brown/ EVIDENCE Dance Company

Register now.

danceprogram.duke.edu/threshold This Conference is hosted by the Duke University Dance Program and made possible in part by a Visiting Artist Grant from the Council for the Arts, Duke University Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts; Duke University Office of the Dean of Humanities; and the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation. With additional support from the following Duke University units: The Nicholas School of the Environment, Center for Documentary Studies, Franklin Humanities Institute, Office of Durham & Regional Affairs, The Program in Women’s Studies, Duke Center for Civic Engagement, Duke University Center for International Studies, Duke Service-Learning Program, Arts of the Moving Image, Baldwin Scholars Program, SLIPPAGE: Performance, Culture, Technology, and the depart-ments of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, Theater Studies, Music, and Cultural Anthropology; and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Program on Integrative Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This message is brought to you by the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Center for Documentary Studies, Chapel Music, Duke Dance Program, Duke Music Department, Duke Performances, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University Libraries, Screen/Society, Department of Theater Studies with support from the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts.