Graduate School
Sports
J-tenting kicks off
blue devils rally to top maryland
Page 3
sportswrap page 2
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, february mmmm xx, 17,2013 2014
www.dukechronicle.com
ONE ONE HUNDRED HUNDRED AND AND EIGHTH ninthYEAR, YEAR,Issue Issuexxx 85
TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE
Portrait of a porn star: a Duke freshman’s alter-ego by Katie Fernelius TOWERVIEW
*Editor’s note: The sources’ names in this story were changed to protect their identities. The stage name of the first-year porn star was also changed so that it could not be traced back to her true identity. For a first-year woman at Duke, a halfsecond Google search transformed her from Lauren*, a college Republican and aspiring lawyer, into Aurora*, a rising porn starlet. At a private, top-10 university like Duke where the full cost of attendance is steadily creeping to $60,000 a year, Lauren said she turns to the adult film industry to help supplement her financial aid. If a woman were to film one heterosexual scene a day for one week every month, she would earn an annual profit of $84,000 and easily place herself in the 70th percentile for income in America, according to a 2012 article published in Business Insider. Two days after receiving a text message from a friend about the “freshman porn star,” I decided to reach out to her on Facebook and ask to meet. The next day, I stood outside The Loop Pizza Grill, feeling like how someone must before a blind date—blithely looking around trying to decipher any hint of profile picture familiarity in the strangers that walked past.
ELYSIA SU/TOWeRVIEW
A first-year Duke student who doubles as a part-time adult film actress struggles with the Internet spotlight.
Gothic Wonderland & Pornland “Hey, are you Katie?” she asked, walking up and gathering her hair on one side of her neck. She was wearing the standard garb of many Duke women: a cotton, blue V-neck and lululemon yoga pants with a North Face jacket tucked underneath her arm. In shuffling past her on the plaza or sitting next to her on a bus, one would never suspect that Lauren was, in fact, involved in the adult film industry.
In talking to her during the meal to come, I hardly believed it myself. She talked of her dismissal of sororities—“it’s a toxic environment”—political beliefs—“Republican, but I identify more as a libertarian”—and her studies—“proud women’s studies and sociology double-major.” Lauren said she travels to Los Angeles during breaks to shoot adult films. Her travel is paid for by her agent at Matrix Models. Lauren does not disclose how much she is paid per
shoot, but during the course of our monthlong correspondence she does not hesitate to show off to me her recently-purchased iPad mini and array of designer handbags. Lauren’s parents still do not know of her involvement in the porn industry. During winter break, she told her parents she had an additional final exam at Duke so she could fly to Los Angeles for a week of filming before flying home. Inevitably, our conversation veered toward the discussion of her identity, especially as a woman. I naturally was curious if she saw her womanhood differently in the porn industry than on Duke’s campus. “For me, Lauren is nerdy, she’s intelligent, she’s aspirational,” Lauren said. “So is Aurora—but she’s sexy and innocent, too. She gets to be more open than Lauren, more vulnerable. I feel totally and completely myself as Lauren and as Aurora. An alter-ego is liberating. It’s probably the most empowered I have ever felt.” Having an alter-ego has allowed Lauren to find a home that she has not been able to find at Duke. Although she said her first experience of filming an adult film was awkward and uncomfortable, she quickly realized there was no reason to be self-conscious since she was See PORN STAR, page 4
Weekend classes scheduled Duke braves worst storm to make up for snow days seen in last five years by Emma Baccellieri The Chronicle
Students excited about the recent snow days will have to hit the ground running this week: not only with regular classes, but also with the possibility of upcoming make-up sessions. Whether or not a course will have make-up classes will be left to the professor’s discretion, according to an email sent to department directors of undergraduate studies, program directors and assistant program directors by
Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs for Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and associate vice provost for undergraduate education. The make-up sessions will be held on weekends and on the first day of reading period, according to the email. “We had to find days that did not conflict with large campus events that could not be moved,” Baker said in an email to The Chronicle. Professors who do not wish to hold See classes, page 8
by Elizabeth Djinis The Chronicle
Both the state of North Carolina and Duke were left reeling after the recent massive snowstorm that led Gov. Pat McCrory to issue a state of emergency and cancelled three days of class. Beginning Wednesday morning, the storm quickly accumulated a level of 2-3 inches of snow on the ground, causing bus routes to stop service at 5:30 p.m. that afternoon. Despite enforcing the emergency weather policy, the University put some staff
members—such as bus drivers, the police force and facilities workers—up in area hotels to ensure that essential campus services were running. Emergency coordinator Kyle Cavanaugh said the storm was the worst the University has seen in the last five years. “It was a combination of the blast of snow, the ice and the temperature never rising above freezing,” Cavanaugh said. “This one was a bit unique...every storm has its idiosyncratic qualities.” See snow storm, page 5