October 22, 2014

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

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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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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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2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

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ENDOWMENT continued from page 1

growth—that’s what we’re looking for.”

Moving past the meltdown Duke’s endowment is managed by DUMAC, a professionally-staffed investment group controlled by the University. The 2014 fiscal year ran from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 and the financial report was released to the Board of Trustees at their meeting last month.

The endowment’s value increased by $1 billion from FY 2013 to FY 2014.

The year before also saw high growth— reporting a 13.5 percent return on the endowment investments. But Trask said the University does not necessarily expect to consistently post returns this high in future years.

“That’s largely because there’s still a lot of underlying turmoil in the economy both here and elsewhere,” Trask said. “We’ve come to the view that we’re going to reduce our expectations given the fluidity of the markets.”

He noted that the endowment’s returns were among the highest in the country from the mid-1990s until the recent downturn, with an average annual return of 16 percent—going from $1.8 billion in 1997 to a peak of $6.1 billion in 2008. But when the economy crashed, the endowment dropped by almost 25 percent, falling from the $6.1 billion of FY 2008 to $4.4 billion in FY 2009.

Now, with losses from the financial meltdown completely recouped, Duke and DUMAC can look ahead. Trask cited an overall endowment value of $10 billion as a solid benchmark for

Thu Nguyen | The Chronicle Duke’s endowment recently reached a record high of $7 billion, representing one of the highest rates of return on investments in the country.

the University to aim for in the coming years.

A contributing factor to the endowment’s success in FY 2014 was philanthropic giving, Trask wrote in the official 2013-14 Financial Statement. With the University in the middle of the

Dean’s awarD for InclusIve excellence In GraDuate eDucatIon

N

ominate a Duke department, program, or interdisciplinary initiative that has demonstrated a commitment to creating an environment of inclusive excellence within the Duke University Graduate School. Inclusive excellence is reflected not only in student or faculty demographics, but also in the departmental program and climate; curriculum; intellectual discourse; and the recruitment, retention, and graduation of individuals underrepresented in the discipline, field, or area.

$3.25 billion DukeForward capital campaign, philanthropy hit a record high of $441.8 million in FY 2014.

The year was not only one of high giving but also one of relatively high spending, the statement noted. With significant campus construction ongo-

ing, FY 2014 had the second-highest level of capital spending in the University’s history—a total of $221 million.

Both operating revenues and operating expenses increased from FY 2013.

The overall revenue for FY 2014 came in at $2.30 billion, with expenses total-

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BYTHENUMBERS

$23.9 billion

Yale’s current endowment

$7.0 billion

Duke’s current endowment

$4.5 billion

Dartmouth’s current endowment

$12.4

billion

MIT’s current endowment

$9.6 billion

Penn’s current endowment

$21.4

billion

Stanford’s current endowment

$36.4

billion

Harvard’s current endowment

www.dukechronicle.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 3

ing slightly more at $2.38 billion.

have recovered over the past two years.

As its endowment increases in comProgress on par with peers ing years, the University will see inMany of Duke’s peer institutions saw creased opportunities to make socially similarly high returns on their invest- responsible investments, said Advisory ments for FY 2014, with most beginning Committee on Investment Responsibilto reach pre-recession levels again. ity Chair James Cox, the Brainerd CurYale University led peer schools with rie professor of law. a 20.2 percent return. Growth ranged Cox said that the University has albetween 15 and 20 percent for Brown ready made progress—noting that it University, Columbia University, Dart- does not invest in tobacco or arms stock mouth College, Harvard University, the and selects financial managers who seriMassachusetts Institute of Technology, ously consider the types of funds they the University of Pennsylvania and Stan- invest in.

He predicted that Duke and other ford University.

Princeton University and Cornell institutions will soon follow the lead of Yale, which has made University have not yet a point of investing in released figures for FY 2014. green initiatives.

UMAC also did a “I’m optimistic The overall value of good job picking about the future,” Cox Duke’s endowment is said. “It’s possible for significantly below that stock this year, and that universities to make of some of its older was one of the factors that peers. Trask explained allowed us to be so successsocially responsible dethat historically Duke cisions without taking has not competed with ful. Our focus, though, is on on too much risk, and Harvard, Yale, Princ- long-term growth. see their returns maxieton and Stanford in mized because of it.”

— Tallman Trask terms of endowment The endowment size, and will not in the consists of more than near future.

4,400 individual funds that are invested “That’s largely because they’re old- in a variety of ways—including through er—Harvard has been building its en- public and private equity, real estate dowment for the last 200 years,” Trask and corporate bonds, among other arsaid. “One benefit of having a smaller eas. endowment, however, is that you’re less Nearly a third of the endowment is dependent on it, so we suffered a little designated for unrestricted support less when the market crashed in 2008.” of the University, with a spending rate Though some of the larger endow- approved by the Board of Trustees. An ments—including those of Harvard additional 22 percent is specifically and Stanford, which have overall val- earmarked for financial aid, and 19 ues of $36.4 billion and $18.7 billion, percent is designated for endowed facrespectively—are still below their pre- ulty positions. The remaining funds are recession peaks, most of the institutions used for instruction and research or are with comparatively smaller endowments restricted.

D

Thu Nguyen | The Chronicle

4 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

BIONIC

continued from page 1 He said that he can tell where the moon is in the night sky, which he could never do before. He even had success participating in a game of darts with his granddaughter.

“When I looked at the dart board, it started flashing and I was able to hit the boards with all five darts,” Hester said.

But the transition is not without challenges. Hahn said that adjusting to life with the bionic eye is similar to learning a new language, adding that he will continue to monitor Hester’s progress as he adjusts to the Argus.

“He is undergoing rehabilitation, and we are still learning what he can do with

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the eye,” Hahn said.

Hester described the change as overwhelming at times, particularly when first able to see things that he had long known about but never viewed. When he was able to identify where the flowers in his wife’s garden were located, for instance, he was so in awe that he had to sit down.

“I want to let others with vision problems know that there is a glimmer of hope and to not give up,” Hester said. “I am convinced that this technology will advance and help so many more people.”

Hester was the first patient in North Carolina to be implanted with the Argus, but Hahn noted that he is optimistic that the procedure will become more popular.

“Hopefully, these procedures will conPhoto Courtesy of Shawn Rocco, Duke Medicine tinue around the country, and especially Larry Hester and his wife, pictured above, say that the bionic eye has changed their lives. at Duke,” Hahn said.

The Chronicle

POLITICS

continued from page 1 finance system.

“There’s so much legalized corruption built into our system that Frank Underwood wouldn’t have to do what he does,” Schanzer said. “We don’t need the type of quid pro quo corruption seen in House of Cards because it’s all around us.”

Schanzer and Eaglen both agreed, however, that corruption in Congress took place with an end goal in mind.

“Members [of Congress] usually believe that they are acting in the best interest of everyone,” Schanzer said.

“They don’t use corruption simply to use corruption. Nothing’s really that black and white.”

www.dukechronicle.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 5

Eaglen spoke of the subtle role of ality of alcohol as a factor in political corruption within military spending interactions, as featured on “House of bills. According to her, these bills have Cards”. One of the scenes shown was become a slush fund a clip of Underwood here’s so much legal- negotiating with Terry for several unforeseen costs of the military— ized corruption built Womack, the majority including ebola mili- into our system that Frank leader of the House of tary efforts and arming Representatives, in an rebels in Syria—that Underwood wouldn’t have informal setting with are not specified in any to do what he does. We alcohol. Eaglen noted documents. They conimportance of aldon’t need the type of quid the tinue to be in effect cohol in this scene because many areas of pro quo corruption seen in and in Congress at government benefit House of Cards because it’s large, saying that it is from them. often used as a tool in all around us.

“The White House negotiations. and Pentagon need the “The booze factor is — David Schanzer military spending bills huge in Washington,” for different reasons, she said. “It greases so they stay, despite the hand of corrup- the wheels. Whenever members need to tion,” she said. become friends with someone to gain Both speakers also discussed the re- favors, they become drinking buddies.”

T

Both speakers talked about their experiences within Congress and how they reflected many other aspects of “House of Cards”. Schanzer, who was a former Capitol Hill staff member, spoke of a welfare reform proposal whose contents were leaked to the public, causing protests within the community. Despite these obstacles, he said things have calmed down.

“Nowadays, there’s a lot less drama in the job description,” he said.

Junior Emma Campbell-Mohn, president of AHM, said that the event was a success. “[This event] was started because we wanted to start a dialogue on the actions and lifestyle of Congress,” she said. “Tying it into ‘House of Cards’ is a great way to show students that it is absolutely relevant, even if it’s a bit dramatized.”

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 7

THE BLUE ZONE

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

Column

Men’s Soccer

BLUE DEVILS FALL TO ELON Not the only Madness Ryan Hoerger

Sports Managing Editor

The road woes continue for the Blue Devils.

A second-half score by sophomore Brody Huitema was not enough to save Duke from a fifth consecutive defeat, as the Blue Devils dropped a 2-1 decision to Elon Tuesday at Rudd Field. All three goals were scored in a 10-minute span early in the second half, and DUKE 1 Duke could not piece together one more ELON 2 scoring play to avoid another road defeat. “[Elon is] a good team, they’re hard to deal with,” head coach John Kerr told GoDuke.com.

“They’re committed and they’ve got guys coming from all angles. They were timely goals.”

The Blue Devils (5-8-1) were shut out entirely in the first half, and not just on the scoreboard. Duke did not register a shot in the opening period, giving Elon goalkeeper Nathan Dean a fairly stress-free 45 minutes.

On the other end of the pitch, Duke’s Wilson Fisher was under heavy fire, as the Phoenix (8-4-3) sent 10 shots toward the Blue Devil net, four of which required saves by Fisher.

Fisher made his first start of the season Tuesday, as Kerr gave the senior the starting nod in place of freshman Joe Ohaus, who had started Duke’s first 13 matches.

The offensive attack was unable to build a

didn’t respond to the short passing game,” Kerr said. “And then we opened things up in the second half and created a lot of opportunities, a lot of problems for them in the second half. We got in behind them several times, and we had a couple shots.”

The first opportunity for the Blue

The sixth installment of Countdown to Craziness is quickly approaching, and Crazies know exactly how to celebrate this annual arrival of basketball season: a day in Krzyzewskiville followed by an evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium filled with student performances, coaching staff speeches and the highly-anticipated Blue and White scrimmage.

However unique the Crazies and their event might be, the concept of a public practice isn’t. Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell first invited fans to watch his team run a mile and a half to kick off the 1971-72 Terrapin season just three minutes into the official first day of NCAA-authorized practice.

The idea spread, leading to the phenomenon of Midnight Madness—now a trademark event—where teams at colleges across the country hold their first practice in front of a crowd sometime in mid-October, whenever the official practice season begins.

Changes to the NCAA rulebook to give

See M. Soccer on Page 8

See Madness on Page 8

sports

Delaney King

Jesús Hidalgo | The Chronicle Sophomore Brody Huitema’s third goal of the season was not enough to stop the Blue Devils’ recent skid, as Duke fell to Elon 2-1 Tuesday night.

rhythm in the first half in part because the Blue Devils focused on the short game, connecting passes back and forth but not taking many probing shots farther downfield. Heading to the locker room locked in a scoreless draw, the squad made the necessary adjustments and entered the second half looking to put more pressure on the Phoenix defense.

“We played too small [in the first half], meaning we played too short on a field that

Women’s Soccer

Long wait paying off for freshmen Dorsey and DeBree Nick Martin Sports Editor Although this is their first year in a Duke uniform, freshmen Imani Dorsey and Schuyler DeBree have been Blue Devils for a long time.

Both rookies have been catalysts for Duke in their initial season, as the two have both logged more than 1,000 game minutes and combined for 10 points thus far. Head coach Robbie Church has been around the game long enough to know a good soccer player when he sees one and, in the case of Dorsey and DeBree, he saw it three years before either of them could even suit up as Blue Devils.

“I committed my sophomore year of high school, so that’s super early,” Dorsey said. “With Robbie, I could tell he really cared about the team and our individual success, on and off the field. He made sure we were all good people, and that was super important to me.”

Although both Dorsey and DeBree both committed less than halfway into their high school careers, there was plenty of work still to be done. They would still have to meet the

academic standards Duke has in place for incoming students in addition to maintaining the high level of play on the pitch.

“It’s funny how many times I would be studying and people would be like, ‘Ah, what are you doing? You don’t have to be doing that,’” DeBree said. “Maybe if I committed to some other school, it might not have been to the same extent, but a mix of self-pride and good parenting kept me going.”

As both players kept up their studies and pushed themselves in the classroom, the on-field journeys for both players were not quite as smooth during their junior seasons.

Dorsey notched only five goals in a season shortened by injury, and DeBree would play the entirety of her junior year, scoring 13 goals, but was forced to take a reduced role with both her high school and club teams due to poor health.

It turned out that DeBree had a natural iron deficiency which, up to that point in her life, had never been diagnosed. In addition to the deficiency, she was also battling mononucleosis throughout the winter, which also went undiagnosed. Despite her reduced roles on the teams, Church was ad-

amant that she would be a Blue Devil.

“For club I wound up playing 15 minutes per half and was playing forward and outside back, but mainly forward,” DeBree said. “Robbie consistently was like, ‘We still want you here.’ He was very reassuring in the sense that he wanted me to get healthy and play here.”

The duo bounced back from their respective setbacks to put forth stellar senior campaigns. Dorsey notched 21 goals and was named the NSCAA Girls High School Scholar All-America National Player of the Year and Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014. DeBree finished with 13 goals and 10 assists in her final high school season and was named Asbury Park Press All-Shore Girls Player of the Year.

Even with all the accolades and preseason success, adjusting to the college game was no easy task. In the perennially-talented ACC, the competition has risen to a level previously unseen by either player, a change that DeBree said takes a physical toll.

“Going up against really quick, really big [and] physical players every game definitely See Freshmen on Page 9

Jesús Hidalgo | The Chronicle After committing to Duke as a sophomore in high school, freshman Imani Dorsey is getting the opportunity to contribute as a Blue Devil right away.

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8 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

M. SOCCER continued from page 7

Devils came just three minutes into the second frame, as freshman midfielder Bryson Asher had a look in the 48th minute that was corralled by Dean. More chances followed, but the Phoenix goalkeeper protected his turf well, tallying three saves on Duke’s five second-half shots.

Elon forward Jason Waterman broke the scoreless draw in the 54th minute, sneaking a shot past Fisher from 15 yards out after receiving a pass from teammate Myles Mansfield. It was the fourth time during the Blue Devils’ recent five-game skid that Duke has conceded the first goal.

But the Blue Devils had a quick answer.

Less than two minutes later, a well-executed free kick from captain Sean Davis found Huitema, and the sophomore was able to bury a shot past Dean to even the score on Duke’s second shot of the match.

After Huitema’s goal—his third of the season—the Blue Devils had two more chances to take the lead in quick succession. Kerr said he was pleased with the resolve his team showed after going down 1-0, but the flurry of activity immediately following the Elon score did not end in a second Duke goal. Neither Bryan White nor Zach Mathers could convert their opportunities, leading to a counterattack by the Phoenix.

In the 62nd minute, Elon struck again, as junior Miguel Salazar notched his third goal of the season. Collecting the ball near midfield, the junior found some open space and fired a strike from 20 yards out that rattled the back of the net. It would

prove to be the decisive blow.

“We didn’t go with [Salazar] at midfield and he took us a couple of steps forward and lashed one,” Kerr said. “You maybe hit one of those every couple years. Credit to him, but it’s one of those days.”

The Blue Devils continued to fight until the end of the match, earning their last shot attempt in the 88th minute. Looking to send the game into overtime and match Huitema with three goals on the season, senior Nick Palodichuk was stonewalled by Dean, sealing the win for the Phoenix.

“We played a lot better in the second half, [and] I’m happy with the way we responded,” Kerr said. “We’re a young team; we’re learning the hard way, and we’ve got to keep progressing and keep things the right way. I thought particularly in the second half we were unlucky not to equalize.”

Duke opens its final homestand of the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium against Pittsburgh.

MADNESS

continued from page 7 teams more flexibility concerning the start of their schedules turned Midnight Madness into more of a spectacle than a productive practice. One of the main functions of these intrasquad scrimmages—besides introducing freshmen to playing in sold-out arenas— is to give recruits a taste of a school’s basketball climate before their high school seasons are in full swing.

So if it’s common across colleges, what does Countdown look like away from Cameron?

sports

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One of the more famous Midnight Madness traditions takes place at Michigan State, where head coach Tom Izzo thinks of one ridiculous way after another to make his appearance at the event. Iowa State’s Jameel McKay reminded Crazies everywhere of Countdown to Craziness 2013—particularly Jabari Parker’s slam dunk over a group of children—when he picked a random fan to jump over before throwing it down in the dunk contest.

One of the most established opening events takes place at the University of Kentucky. Big Blue Madness—now in its 34th year—gathers fans to watch what was historically the Wildcats’ first practice, although now the team begins practice two weeks beforehand.

Despite the energy and excitement occasioned by these events, the lack of actual competition in an intrasquad practice or scrimmage often fails to bring the right amount of passion to the avid basketball fan. So let’s bring an element of conference competition to the basketball debut discussion—how does Countdown measure up in the ACC? With 15 teams, the ACC is bursting with opportunities to kick off the basketball season. Unfortunately, it seems only a fraction of these schools know how to throw a mid-October practice party.

Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Florida State all have recorded evidence of public scrimmages in the 1990s that seem to have disappeared with the advent of the 21st century. On the next tier, Miami, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Virginia managed an intrasquad scrimmage sometime in the last five years that may or may not happen again

The Chronicle this year—in Virginia’s case, this depends on administrators’ decision to answer chat room pleas for such an event.

Late to the game and in its own category, Georgia Tech will host its first White vs. Gold intrasquad scrimmage Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Clemson’s Orange and Purple scrimmage is actually four separate 10-minute scrimmages.

The final six ACC members—Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Louisville—all have an established tradition to ring in the basketball season. The attractions themselves vary between schools. For example, N.C. State’s scrimmage features high numbers of basketball alumni participating in a throwback game, North Carolina’s Late Night with Roy has a new theme every year and Pittsburgh participates in two public scrimmages—the Oakland Zoo Scrimmage and the Blue and Gold Scrimmage, held at the Maggie Dixon Fair, which raises awareness about good heart health.

These schools’ dedication to giving their fans a glimpse of the season’s squad has remained despite the NCAA’s policy changes.

The change to midnight practice rules may have altered the specific date of the events, but it hasn’t lessened the excitement surrounding them—the Carrier Dome was sold out for Syracuse’s opener, Orange Madness, which featured head coach Jim Boeheim entering on a Humvee.

So who finishes atop the ACC for kick-off events? An objective decision is complicated. I couldn’t be at any of the other schools’ ceremonial first practices, but I’ll see you at Countdown.

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FRESHMEN continued from page 7

takes a toll on your body,” DeBree said. “I’ve never been this sore in my life. I feel like I’ve finally gotten used to the idea that you don’t recover—ever—after preseason.... But learning to play with that constant soreness and heaviness is just about learning how to play smarter, which is pretty cool.”

Even with the added aches and pains, the switch to the college game has been a seamless one for both players. DeBree has started all 15 matches for the Blue Devils after moving to outside back, and has helped the defense notch six shutouts.

Dorsey has started 14 contests and registered three goals and two assists, good for eight points on the season. Her first goal was one to remember, as she netted the go-ahead goal on the road against West Virginia.

“We had lost our first two games, and just to have that off my shoulders, it was a big win and I was ready for more,” Dorsey said. “I’m proud

of the impact I’ve had on this team. I hope I can score a couple more times later in the season, but I think I’ve created good chances and brought new energy to the team.”

Although Duke has struggled to climb above .500 this season, the Blue Devils point to last year’s performance that the regular season does not tell the whole story. In 2013, they finished the regular season 8-7-4 but advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

With three games left in the season, DeBree and Dorsey know that if the young squad can do enough to make it to the postseason, their first year could truly be one to remember.

“We definitely look to last year as an example of, no matter how bad it gets, as long as you have some confidence in your team, then you can always turn the season around comsudoku_442A pletely,” DeBree said. “We all know how talent4 lacked 8 a little 7 luck ed this team is. I think we’ve 7 4 still 6 has in some games, but I think everyone 5 some confidence that if we do pull out2these 2 6 last few games and we do get into the tourna8 3 2 ment, we’re really going to make an impact.”

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 9

ACROSS 1 Hatcher who was a Bond girl 5 Medicate again 11 Letters at Indy 14 Complaint 15 Words from the agreeable 16 Like early morning hours 17 Drink made with Jameson, maybe 19 “The Lord of the Rings” creature 20 Fix 21 Eric, in Finland 22 Geoffrey of fashion 24 Dumb as a box of rocks 26 Genie’s reply 29 Original “Veronica Mars” airer 31 Spartan serfs 32 “Behold,” to Brutus 35 Tough time

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44 Supply with goods 45 Rubber-stamped 46 Circus clown car, often 48 Witty sort 50 Literary hybrid 53 Raid 57 Biathlete’s weapon 58 Clueless 60 Absorbed, as a loss 61 Author LeShan 62 Job done by the insects seen above the circled words in 17-, 26and 50-Across 66 Shape of Mork’s spacecraft on “Mork & Mindy” 67 Plaza Hotel girl

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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

“

Is DKU really five stars?

Duke Kunshan University opened its doors—the doors of a nearby five-star Kunshan hotel—in late August, with students and faculty based in a hotel due to ongoing construction of its physical campus.

Duke Kunshan University opened its doors—the doors of a nearby five star Kunshan hotel—in late

Editorial August, with students and faculty based in a hotel due to ongoing construction of its physical campus.

Now, nearly halfway through the semester, DKU has opened another set of doors—this time its own— with its Conference Center. After this rocky start, what does Duke stand to gain from its partnership with Wuhan University in establishing DKU? We find that our collaboration is suffering from the rush to launch DKU as well as the outlook for DKU student experiences.

Examining the reasons for this venture, we ask how students going to DKU will enrich Duke upon returning from their global semester. While Duke Engage has significant post-program elements designed to bring student experiences back to campus, improvements to Duke from DKU’s

undergraduate global semester are uncertain and seem to lack such structure. We also see several physical failures in the start of DKU. In moving from idea to reality, DKU raises questions about whether the administration prematurely launched the university. Classes were planned to begin in August with five of the six campus buildings open—instead, DKU started with zero, using spaces in a nearby hotel for accommodations. The Conference Center marks the first of the five buildings to open this Fall, and we question why a university would open without its physical premises constructed and ready for use.

We harbor further concerns about whether students attending DKU will receive the university experience they are due. Phase two of DKU’s development involves the expansion of the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum, but we are concerned about lingering questions of academic freedom. Such a curriculum may be incomplete if topics like Western political philosophy or China’s negative environmental impacts are off limits given rumors of government bans of some topics. Students may also feel pressure to hold back opinions contrary to Chinese academic or cultural norms. Meanwhile, tuition for Chinese students is RMB 24,400 and $15,000 for international students. Additionally, we wonder

onlinecomment

—“Bluedevil91” commenting on the editorial “Reframing privilege”

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CARLEIGH STIEHM, Editor MOUSA ALSHANTEER, Managing Editor EMMA BACCELLIERI, News Editor GEORGIA PARKE, Executive Digital Editor NICK MARTIN, Sports Editor DARBI GRIFFITH, Photography Editor ELIZABETH DJINIS, Editorial Page Editor TIFFANY LIEU, Editorial Board Chair MICHAEL LAI, Director of Online Development TYLER NISONOFF, Director of Online Operations CHRISSY BECK, General Manager RACHEL CHASON, University Editor ALEENA KAREDIYA, Local & National Editor GAUTAM HATHI, Health & Science Editor EMMA LOEWE, News Photography Editor KATIE FERNELIUS, Recess Editor IZZY CLARK, Recess Photography Editor MICHELLE MENCHACA, Editorial Page Managing Editor DANIEL CARP, Towerview Editor ELYSIA SU, Towerview Photography Editor MARGOT TUCHLER, Social Media Editor PATTON CALLAWAY, Senior Editor RAISA CHOWDHURY, News Blog Editor SHANEN GANAPATHEE, Multimedia Editor SOPHIA DURAND, Recruitment Chair MEGAN HAVEN, Advertising Director BARBARA STARBUCK, Creative Director

about the lives of students outside the classroom.

Given the small size of the student body at roughly 100 total students and its diverse demographic, will DKU see any sort of vibrant extracurricular life? It is hard to imagine spirited Editorial Board discussions, well-attended cultural events or intramural sports opportunities for students, an issue that we hope to see prioritized in the interests of a holistic experience for DKU students.

Despite these reservations, we acknowledge that DKU will contribute to Duke’s global image and emphasis on global-minded approaches to education.

Through the complete immersion of DKU students in a truly mixed and international student body, DKU will foster huge cultural exchanges in all the interactions of its students that will shape their lives and global outlooks. Additionally, much stands to be gained from taking this opportunity to examine how liberal arts educations look elsewhere in the world as DKU administrators tour Chinese universities and take in those perspectives.

No matter what happens, we applaud Duke’s tenacity in starting this collaboration and hope for the best as Duke and DKU look to blaze the trail of fostering international institutions of higher learning.

Estonia’s dilemma

Racism is a system that both systemically and systematically oppresses a people; while white people can experience racist acts, they will never be the “victims of racism,” because they are always free to forget about their race.

Est. 1905

The Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com commentary

10 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

KALI SHULKLAPPER, University Editor JENNA ZHANG, Local & National Editor GRACE WANG, Health & Science Editor BRIANNA SIRACUSE, Sports Photography Editor GARY HOFFMAN, Recess Managing Editor YUYI LI, Online Photo Editor RYAN HOERGER, Sports Managing Editor DANIELLE MUOIO, Towerview Editor ELIZA STRONG, Towerview Creative Director RYAN ZHANG, Special Projects Editor RITA LO, Executive Print Layout Editor IMANI MOISE, News Blog Editor KRISTIE KIM, Multimedia Editor ANDREW LUO, Recruitment Chair MEGAN MCGINITY, Digital Sales Manager MARY WEAVER, Operations 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.

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vidently, the Swedish military detected a strange disturbance in its coastal waters a few days ago. An unidentified object that surfaced in close proximity to the Stockholm archipelago was sighted three separate times. After intercepting a distress signal in Russian, the panicked Swedes realized that the object was a Russian submarine. A massive Swedish hunt for the submarine oh-so nostalgically reminds one of the days when Soviet submarine sightings would cause security alerts during the heightened tensions of the Cold War.

the east and the American military is preoccupied with conflict in the Middle East. Who do you turn to? What do you do?

Does anybody really think that America would protect Estonia if Putin planned to attack it? It’s arguable that an incursion thinly veiled as assistance to domestic resistance/separatists would have a very high chance of being successful. In a perfect world, this shouldn’t even be debatable.

If having Europe’s energy security in a chokehold is Putin’s tactic to enhancing his geopolitical position,

Tyler Fredricks PATRICIANS ETC.

Why are the Swedes reacting so vigorously?

25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russians have fastened their imperial boots, donned their expansionist helmets and this time they don’t have Reagan standing in their way.

Following six years of President Barack Obama’s haphazard foreign policy strategy of getting cozy with foes and disappointing friends, Putin doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that the next two years are a major opportunity to assert regional hegemony and craft a geopolitical reality that is more to his liking.

Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal made a survival manual for Obama on how to avoid jeopardizing America’s position to be a force for liberal democracy and human rights in the world.

Jakub Grygiel of online publication The American Interest blasted the president by likening him to the Roman Emperor Commodus and warned him against turning away from foreign fights to tackle domestic problems. Even Congress, the legislature of our government and the most direct representatives of the people of this country, is becoming frustrated over the Obama administration’s efforts to conduct foreign policy on its own terms away from the scrutiny and review of the mouthpiece of public opinion.

The common thread here is that people don’t take Obama’s assertions of American global leadership seriously.

Imagine you’re the president of Estonia. Crimea has just been annexed by your not-so-long-ago imperial overlord. You see a Ukraine with a Russian presence of 17.3 percent of the population and your own country with a Russian presence of 24.8 percent of the population. Neighboring countries are detecting submarine activity to your west, Soviet troops amass on a border just two countries away to

then the Baltic region is undoubtedly on his agenda.

Pundits are ready to point to the pipeline running through Ukraine as a key ingredient in incentivizing Putin to act so aggressively in the region. Yet at the same time, melting sea ice in the Baltic and Arctic regions are freeing up vast expanses of water that hold natural gas and petroleum. Due to the still fuzzy, unclear laws on determining how maritime territory is divided, these new areas are undoubtedly piquing the Russian leader’s interest. Motivated by a distrust of American willingness to act, Sweden and Finland have already moved to cooperate more bilaterally in terms of security in the region.

What does it mean to live in a world where America doesn’t have a legitimate threat of force against other countries? What does it mean to live in a world where bellicose states don’t have to worry about reprisal if they don’t follow the ‘rules’ of the post-Cold War international system? What does it mean if small liberal democracies have to act independently because they distrust the American defensive umbrella? As a millennial, I can’t answer these questions because I simply don’t know. But I’m afraid to find out.

As the Swedish game of frenzied hide and seek with the Russian submarine continues and the official Russian dance of denial follows (does anybody else remember Mr. Putin denying the presence of Russian soldiers in Crimea?), the eyes of the world should dart from the Baltic to North America. The actions of people and countries half a world away depend on how the government across the Atlantic acts. Not tomorrow, but now. Before Estonia’s dilemma becomes a dilemma for us all.

Tyler Fredricks is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Wednesday.

The Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com commentary

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 11

How Mississippi’s victories on the field can help us with victories off the field

The privilege of pursuing your passion

M

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ississippi houses the most talked about battle in the country, and for once, it’s not one that makes you shudder. Football has brought Mississippi together in ways powers like religion and politics cannot.

Two of the top three college football teams are currently occupied in the state of Mississippi. It was a spectacular day, arguably the greatest day in Mississippi football history. On October 4, 2014, Mississippi State faced Texas A&M and University of Mississippi “Ole Miss” faced Alabama, the latter playing for the largest crowd in Southeastern Conference history. Both Mississippi teams stunned national audiences and beat the opposing football powerhouses. Beating them on our own land made the wins even more sweet. The trajectory’s been up

program for the poor. But that’s not the heaviest problem. Most of these states have not even come up with alternatives, such as premium support or federal subsidy programs to those who cannot afford insurance. Those without health insurance cannot fight acute and chronic illnesses to become productive and sustainable members in society. As a result, you get communities trapped in cycles of unemployment, truancy and incarceration.

Politicians for these states are hurting the very kinds of people health insurance and education plans are intended to help. You can’t ignore race when one group continues to benefit from the marginalization of another group. Slavery in the South may no longer exist, but the current (lack of) policies, laws and programs are doing more harm than good.

love comedy. Mindy Kaling is my role model, I would marry Andy Samberg and if I could have dinner with any five people, Steve Martin and Tina Fey would be in the mix. My senior quote in my high school yearbook was from Pam of “The Office,” not only because I liked the quote, but also because I, too, would like to one day marry Jim Halpert.

Which is why, at first, I was disappointed when I didn’t get into the two campus comedy groups for which I auditioned in the first couple weeks of school. I went into a momentary panic over whether people actually found me funny, or if all I ever got was pity laughter. (A Yak about an observation I made at Shooters that got 250 upvotes kept my panic at bay.)

My double dose of rejection made me think a lot about my passion for comedy and what role it might play in the rest of my life. I came to Duke with the dream job of writing for “Saturday Night Live,” and involvement with some kind

Leena El-Sadek

Mary Ziemba

(DIS)EASED (RE)PRESENTATION

EASTERN EXPOSURE

since that day.

In five weeks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs jumped from no rank to being the country’s number one ranked football team—in Bulldog football history, the team has never been this good. The Ole Miss Rebels currently sit at number three, their highest rank since winning their 1963 SEC Championship, auspiciously the same academic year James Meredith became the first black student to integrate Ole Miss. By beating teams like Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M, these two Mississippi teams have proven to be a force to be reckoned with. The world continues to watch.

But, as many are familiar, football isn’t the only battle Mississippi is fighting.

Mississippi is lambasted for being “first in things that are bad, last in things that are good.” The poverty-health-education trifecta has taken over Mississippi’s narrative, as systems are failing to address the most pressing needs. But it shouldn’t be a surprise that these three come in a pack.

Poverty is the fire that ignites a cascade of problems, especially education and health.

Yet, Mississippi, along with many other states, refuses to support programs that could benefit groups affected the most by these failing systems. When the majority in power refuse to help the minority out of power, it’s hard to ignore the effects of race and how people continue to see each other, although we live in a country that promises equality and justice.

The South’s poor is redolent of the circumstances of the Jim Crow South—many are poor black people working low-income jobs in underdeveloped communities. Led mainly by conservative, white politicians, these communities rarely see policies that enhance their wellbeing.

Look at Mississippi’s education. Despite producing brilliant ‘students’ like Richard Wright, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Morgan Freeman and Oprah Winfrey, Mississippi public schools have one of the lowest per student expenditure rates in the country. Teachers in Mississippi are also paid $15,000 less than the average teacher in the country. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that these statistics correlate to Mississippi’s low ranking on the national education rankings list. It should, however, come as a surprise that despite this already minimal funding, Mississippi legislatures cut $1.3 billion from schools and gave $1.3 billion in tax breaks to the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi.

In the state of health, Mississippi’s sick are only getting sicker. 23 states, including Mississippi, have not expanded Medicaid, the health insurance

Millsaps College Professor Robert S. McElvaine accurately quoted Booker T. Washington in his article in the Huffington Post, “Football and Race in Mississippi.”

“One man cannot hold another man down in a ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.”

By excluding the minority out of power from policy discussion reforms, Mississippi governor Phil Bryant, among other governors, is impacting everyone else in the state. Not expanding Medicaid is affecting all groups living in poverty, including poor white and Hispanic individuals, and immigrants. Marginalizing groups is a deliberate political move and it takes time, capital and resources. You can’t progress as a society until you recognize these ills and work to relieve the institutional pressures placed on minority groups.

As long as you’re holding these groups down in the ditch, you’ll remain in the ditch, too.

61 of the 99 Mississippi State football team players are from Mississippi. The majority of Mississippi’s talent is produced by Mississippi, and these players wear the Mississippi name proudly. There is a raw authenticity in Mississippi’s football teams that has come a long way from a struggling, segregated society. Mississippi’s reform isn’t found in the hands of Congress or out-of-state organizations. Mississippi’s reform is found in Mississippi.

Mississippi State student and dear friend Kimberly Eady said, “Whether you win or lose is the only thing people remember. Look at the diversity of a team and of the fans and see how everyone comes together with the common goal of beating your opponent.”

Dak Prescott, the Mississippi State quarterback, echoes Kimberly’s sentiments. He tweeted, “At Mississippi State we don’t have fans, we have family.”

And he’s referring to both a team and fan-base that is both black and white.

If it weren’t for integration, Mississippi could not occupy where it currently stands—two of the top three rankings in SEC football. Imagine where Mississippi and the United States could be if we take a cue from football and support fair opportunity, support and justice in other sectors such as access to healthcare, education and jobs. True integration—not just by color, but by rights and opportunity—can propel football and a lot more to the very top of the rankings.

As Johnny Vaught, head coach of every Ole Miss SEC championship team, said to his 1962 Championship team,“We’ve got to show the world that we’re not all bad.”

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Leena El-Sadek is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.

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of comedy organization seemed a crucial part of that plan. I mulled over starting my own campus comedy group and tried to write a script for a segment of SNL’s “Weekend Update.”

That endeavor ended with me frustratedly wondering why I couldn’t think of a good pun about playoff baseball and turning on an episode of “Parks and Recreation” instead.

A few weeks later, I read an article by television host Mike Rowe that made me rethink my dream job. In it, Rowe speaks about the danger of following one’s passions and how doing so might lead to failure. “Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it,” he says. “And just because you’re determined to improve doesn’t mean that you will. Does that mean you shouldn’t pursue a thing you’re passionate about? Of course not. The question is, for how long, and to what end?”

The point is, Rowe’s words made me think hard about what I wanted to do with my life. If writing a mock SNL script was so frustrating for me, was writing comedy what I really wanted to do with my life? Plus, not getting accepted to one of Duke’s comedy groups forced me to search for something else to do with my time, leading me to discover other campus groups that I might not have joined had I been a part of one of the comedy groups. For now, I’ll be more than happy to pursue other endeavors and use comedy as a hobby or procrastination a study break.

I have trouble, though, extending Mike Rowe’s advice to all Duke students. If you go here, chances are you’re naturally very gifted at something and/or worked very hard to become really good at something. We’re a school of world-class athletes, students, artists, activists, dancers and musicians. By virtue of who the Duke student is, one could argue that he has a better chance of being successful at whatever it is he studies, whatever sport he plays or whatever cause he advocates. Not to mention, Duke students have world-class facilities, alumni and faculty at their disposal that give them a better shot at success than many people have. Even in my short-lived pursuit of a career in comedy, I might not have had the opportunity to explore other areas or activities had I been a student anywhere else.

Mike Rowe argues that the thousands of “American Idol” auditioners who are shocked that they don’t make it on to the show should not have been surprised at their failure because their chances of success were so low in the first place.

I can’t help but contrast our students against those failed contestants—unlike them, Duke students, in many cases, have the luxury of studying or doing what they like. This isn’t to say that all Duke students will succeed in their passions, or that any other person will not, but just that a Duke student has a much better shot at obtaining that success.

College gives students the unique opportunity to go after nearly any passion they wish. The big addendum that Duke gives its students is a greater chance of success with that passion. It might be comedy, it might be singing—but no matter what that passion is, many Duke students have talent, a good work ethic or both, plus Duke’s resources, which in many cases put that passion within reach. Duke students have the privilege of pursuing their passions, no matter how they choose to pursue them.

Mary Ziemba is a Trinity freshman. Her column runs every other Wednesday.

12 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014

www.dukechronicle.com

The Chronicle

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