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a check-in on cultural slgs
Blue devils top d-II national champs at cameron
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The Chronicle 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
xxxxxday, MONDAY, NOVEMBER mmmm xx, 4, 2013
www.dukechronicle.com
ONE ONE HUNDRED HUNDRED AND AND EIGHTH ninthYEAR, YEAR,Issue Issuexxx 44
New lunch Duke weighs in on sophomore slump time slow for News feature food trucks by Sasha Zients The Chronicle
Food trucks had a slow first week as a lunch option. In response to decreased dining options, the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee, Duke Student Government and Duke Dining worked together to bring food trucks to campus as a lunch option. The trucks are located behind Perkins and Bostock libraries where, as of yet, many students are unaware of their existence, explained senior Chris Taylor, co-chair of DUSDAC. “We found that this location is not very visible,” said Jody Argote, the owner of the Parlez-Vous Crepe food truck. “On Tuesday, the first hour didn’t go well but then I put up signs by the stairs that students walk by and that seemed to help.” Argote said that advertisement is particularly important since students will not see the trucks on their way to class. She plans on using Duke Dining’s promotional campaign as well as her own social media—specifically Twitter and Facebook—to publicize the location of her truck at lunchtime. Carolina Escobar, founder of Captain Ponchos, noted that her truck had 15 customers during Monday’s lunch hours—fewer than she had expected, given the popularity of the truck during dinner hours. “The location isn’t ideal. In a perfect world, the trucks would be in front of the Chapel or on the lawn,” Taylor said. “Duke doesn’t want anything in either of those places before 5 o’clock” Robert Coffey, director of dining services, noted that Duke Dining worked with student requests and different offices on campus to determine the location See food trucks page 12
graphic by rita lo/The Chronicle
by Ryan Zhang The Chronicle
Two weeks after Duke’s newest freshmen packed the Chapel for convocation, the Sophomore Class Council welcomed back the Class of 2016 for a similar event—except for the dozens of empty rows behind the hundred or so students gathered near the front. The sophomore convocation is one of several efforts to counter a trend widely known as the “sophomore slump.” Schools across the country have long grappled with the problem of a decline in students’ motivation during
sophomore year, launching new programs to ward off drops in retention. Duke students who may be mired in the sophomore slump are not alone, said Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek. “It’s sort of a second-year phenomenon, and it doesn’t just exist in college,” Wasiolek said. “What has been reported is that the second year of doing something is generally not as exciting and uplifting and exhilarating as the first year.” At Duke, the sophomore slump manifests itself in ways other than retention rates. The
Social Relationships Project, which collected data from students between 2007 and 2010, offered evidence that sophomores do tend to experience a slump in their second year. Data from the project indicated that students felt a lesser sense of belonging and a greater feeling of loneliness during their sophomore year, said Deb Lo Biondo, associate dean of residential life for West Campus. One reason this might occur is that students are let down when their initial expectations are not met. See sophomore, page 9
Baguetteaboutit rolls out new Durham restaurant by Azeb Yirga The Chronicle
Baguetteaboutit is forgetting about only serving its sandwiches from a truck. The company, which has operated successfully as a food truck throughout the Research Triangle area since December 2011, is taking a step toward opening its own brick-and mortar restaurant on Miami Boulevard in Durham. Although the official grand opening is Monday, an opening celebration took place Friday
night with a food truck rodeo in the restaurant’s new parking lot. Gillian Mclane, the general manager of the new restaurant, said the addition of the restaurant could have significant benefits for the company. She believes that it will enjoy steady business from locals who work in Research Triangle Park. “I think it is a good expansion of the business,” she said. “I think it is a great opportunity, especially with the location that it is at.”
Since Baguetteaboutit imported the French sandwich specialty to North Carolina, the sandwiches have been selling quickly. At a Raleigh food truck rodeo on Oct. 13, the truck sold 300 to 350 sandwiches over a four-hour period, Kirkland said. This kind of success encouraged the business to consider opening a restaurant. Baguetteaboutit’s specialty offerings See Restaurant, page 12
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