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BLUE DEVILS FALL TO CLEMSON
MEET THE CO-PRESIDENT OF DUKE STUDENTS FOR GENDER NEUTRALITY PAGE 4
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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, JANUARY MMMM 13, XX, 2014 2013
Gender neutral housing to be on East Campus
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ONE ONE HUNDRED HUNDRED AND AND EIGHTH NINTHYEAR, YEAR,ISSUE ISSUEXXX 66
Duke Arts Annex expands offerings
by Carleigh Steihm THE CHRONICLE
Beginning with the Class of 2018, freshmen will have access to gender-neutral housing on East Campus. The details of implementation are still being solidified, but the gender-neutral communities will not limit students from participating in living communities, said Dean for Residential Life Joe Gonzalez. He noted that students can work with housing on a case-by-case basis to have their needs met. In addition, all selective living groups will have the option of becoming gender-neutral. The changes follow months of collaboration among administrators, Duke Students for Gender Neutrality and representatives of Duke Student Government. “DSG has always supported a robust and inclusive gender-neutral housing policy that included first-year students,” said senior Stefani Jones, president of DSG. “It’s important that we extend the same rights and privileges to first-years as we do all students on campus.” The Duke community should be inclusive of all students, Jones noted. “The key is not just that first-years now have access to the gender neutral housing program, but that all students do,” she said. “Administrators had treated the individual campus programs as pilots for a larger one, so I think it seemed natural to expand the program after it was successful.”
by Sean Miller THE CHRONICLE
By late February, students will be able to use new ceramics, photography and printmaking studios at the remodeled Arts Annex. The Arts Annex, which first opened in Fall 2012, has been closed since Thanksgiving break for the renovations. Located off of Campus Drive, the Arts Annex houses practice spaces for dance groups as well as free art studios. The art studios are open and fully stocked for student artists.
The Arts Annex will be opening in stages. Because the dance studio did not undergo renovations, it will open Monday. The new Hue Studios—which will host ceramics, photography and printmaking supplies—will open in late February. “The renovations meet the demand for a wide variety of artists who previously had no spaces in which to use their desired mediums,” said sophomore Rebecca Brenner, chair of the Visual Arts Committee for Duke University Union. “There are no other open studios for students who are
not enrolled in visual studies classes.” Students led the renovation process as the annex is completely student run, said Caitlin Shaw, program coordinator for the University Center for Activities and Events. “Students identified studios and resources to add during the renovation, helped design the layout for the new spaces and provided feedback and guidance throughout the process,” she said. “From the beginning, the Arts Annex has been a See ARTS ANNEX, page 12 aBBy FaRley/The ChroniCle
See HOUSING, page 12
Duke responds to ASA boycott of Israeli universities by Georgia Parke THE CHRONICLE
To show their support for global academic freedom President Richard Brodhead has joined in opposition to a boycott of Israeli universities. In December, two-thirds of 1,252 members of the American Studies Association voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions because of Israel’s treatment of Palestine and its impact on students and scholars. Brodhead was one of 11 university presidents and chancellors who signed a statement Dec. 20 in opposition to the boycott—meaning they believe universities should continue to work with higher education institutions in Israel—because stopping this type of collaboration is a violation of academic freedom.
A statement from the American Studies Association—an organization dedicated to the study of American culture and history—explained that the movement is to promote solidarity among scholars and students who have been “deprived of their academic freedom.” Additionally, it argues that Israeli universities are party to state policies violating human rights, international law and United Nations resolutions. The opposing statement from the Association of American Universities—of which Brodhead is an executive committee member—explained that academic freedom is a main principle of AAU members, so they cannot support the boycott. “Efforts to address political issues, or to address restrictions on academic free-
dom, should not themselves infringe upon academic freedom,” the statement read. “The boycott of Israeli academic institutions therefore clearly violates the academic freedom not only of Israeli scholars but also of American scholars who might be pressured to comply with it.” Brodhead, who has been traveling and unavailable for interviews, noted in an email Friday that he provided input to the AAU statement and considers it representative of his comment on the issue. “The statement makes a strong, cogent case and I support it wholeheartedly,” Brodhead said. The boycott is the most recent in a line of academic-related protests against Israel starting in 2002, from a variety of
countries across the globe. “Israel is feeling the pressure internationally from countries or, it sounds like, institutions, who are making statements about what they want to see moving forward,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki. Members of the Duke community have since responded both to the boycott and the opposition to it in a stilldeveloping debate over the issue. Fred Moten, a former English professor at Duke and current professor at the University of California at Riverside, endorsed the boycott in a statement, explaining that intellectuals have a responsibility to not only exercise academic freedom, but also promote it and See BOYCOTT, page 9