October 22, 2014

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Long Wait Pays Off for Freshmen Blue Devils After committing to Duke early in their high school careers, Imani Dorsey and Schuyler DeBree are stand-outs for women’s soccer | Page 7

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

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH YEAR, ISSUE 34

Duke patient Welcoming Fall to campus FY 2014 growth regains sight significant, but via ‘bionic eye’ not sustainable After decades of blindness, local man has vision restored by Duke surgery

After posting returns of 20.1 percent, Duke has recovered from financial crash of 2008

Claire Ballentine

Rachel Chason

The Chronicle

University Editor

For 33 years, Larry Hester’s world was dark—but thanks to a “bionic eye” implanted by Duke Eye Center, he is now getting a second chance at sight. Hester, a 66-year-old tire salesman from Raleigh, went blind due to a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa when he was in his early 30s. But last month a surgery at Duke Eye Center made him the seventh person in the country to receive a so-called bionic eye—a visual aid known as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device. After a recovery period of several weeks, the eye has now been “turned on,” and for the first time in decades, Hester can enjoy simple pleasures such as the sight of his wife’s face and games with his granddaughter. Hester was surrounded by friends and family when his eye was activated by Dr. Paul Hahn, the surgeon who implanted the Argus. With the push of a button, Hahn was able to take Hester out of the darkness he had lived in for decades. “Within seconds, I could see flashes of light, which is what I had been told would happen,” Hester said, noting that the flashes corresponded to prominent objects around him. The eye will not fully restore Hester’s vision, Hahn noted. Instead, it allows him to see flashes of light that let him judge distances and distinguish objects. But though Hester’s progress might seem limited, Hahn said, it is a significant advancement compared to Hester’s previous sight—when he could see no light and could not tell when the sun was shining. The most significant advantage of the bionic eye for a patient such as Hester is becoming better able to navigate and identify objects like doorways and crosswalks, Hahn said. Hester said that the bionic eye has changed his life, noting that he can now see flashes of light to let him know when his wife is nearby after years of locating her only by her voice. “I can reach out and touch her cheek without poking her eye,” Hester said.

Though Duke’s endowment reached a record high of $7 billion at the end of the 2014 fiscal year, its high rate of growth will be difficult to maintain in the long-term. The University reported a 20.1 percent return on its total investments— one of the highest rates in the country—but recognizes that growth will vary from year to year, said Executive Vice President Tallman Trask. With this year showing the endowment at its highest level since the economic crash in 2008, Trask said Duke hopes to continue its growth despite current economic uncertainty. “The markets are back up, and we’ve ridden them back,” Trask said. “DUMAC also did a good job picking stock this year, and that was one of the factors that allowed us to be so successful. Our focus, though, is on long-term

See Bionic on Page 4

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Victor Ye | The Chronicle With the start of the fall season last month, the Duke community has witnessed both periods of rainfall and intense sunshine.

See Endowment on Page 2

Netflix meets Capitol Hill in panel discussion “I long for the days of Frank Underwoods in Congress,” says former Democratic staff director Aleena Karediya Local & National Editor Students and guest speakers discussed the real-life influences on the popular Netflix series “House of Cards” within congressional politics Tuesday night. Hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society, the event featured clips of the show along with a moderated debate to discuss its reflection of Congress today. Speakers included David Schanzer, associate professor of the practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy, and Mackenzie Eaglen, former principal defense advisor to Senator Susan Collins. Schanzer opened his discussion

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INSIDE — News 2 Sports 7 Classified 9 Puzzles 9 Opinion 10

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with an analysis of the character Frank Underwood, the majority whip of the show’s fictional United States House of Representatives, and said that there were positive and negative aspects to his behavior that can be seen in Congress today, citing Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi as examples. “There are two different faces of Underwood—he’s corrupt and conniving, yet charming. The bottom line is that we need need a Frank Underwood in Washington,” he said. Eaglen echoed the sentiment. “I long for the days of [“House of Cards” protagonist] Frank Underwoods in Congress—the Lyndon B. Johnsons and the Clintons,” Eaglen said. Schanzer elaborated on the theme of corruption seen in the series and noted that corruption in Congress is not as blatant as shown on TV, yet still exists in the form of the campaign See Politics on Page 5

Serving the University since 1905

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Mousa Alshanteer | The Chronicle Mackenzie Eaglen and David Schanzer, pictured above, discussed the real-life influences of “House of Cards” Tuesday evening.

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© 2014 The Chronicle


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