Three named undergraduate Young Trustee finalists Doytchinov, Knight and Robertson selected from pool of eight semifinalists | 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
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015
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Duke’s adhan decisionsparks dialogue
ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH YEAR, ISSUE 65
ONE WIN FROM HISTORY
National media attention—both complimentary and critical— follow the University’s decision Emma Baccellieri News Editor Duke’s decision to relocate last week’s Muslim call-to-prayer has put the University at the center of a national conversation—garnering a range of reactions from across political and religious spectrums. The University’s initial announcement that the weekly call-to-prayer would be led from the Chapel bell tower earned national attention. Although many people praised Duke for its commitment to religious plurality, others— including some conservative and Christian leaders—criticized the University, saying that playing the call-to-prayer aloud from the Chapel went against the school’s Methodist roots. When Duke reversed the decision two days later, the media attention quickly intensified. Much of the conversation—particularly in Internet comment sections— quickly became vitriolic and drew on negative stereotypes. “In situations like this where there’s a lot of heat and not a whole lot of light, you can’t expect to have reasoned and thoughtful dialogue,” said Michael See Prayer on Page 5
Elysia Su | The Chronicle Freshman center Tyus Jones scored 22 points—12 of which came on 3-pointers—and added four assists as the Blue Devil guards broke out of a prolonged shooting slump Monday. Jones guided Duke past Pittsburgh 79-65 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. (See story on Page 6.)
With merit aid, Uni. stands alone among peers Jenna Zhang Local & National Editor
Elysia Su | The Chronicle Supporters of the University’s Muslim community gathered at the call-to-prayer on the quadrangle in front of the Chapel Friday.
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PITTSBURGH 65
79 NO. 5 DUKE
As another year of regular decision admissions approaches, Duke will look for something most of its peer schools do not— which candidates should be considered for full-ride merit scholarships. Duke is the only university to offer fullride merit scholarships among those ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News and World Report. Though some critics of merit aid programs say the scholarships can take resources away from students who need financial help most, University administrators say this is not the case for Duke. The University maintains eight merit scholarship programs while also growing the amount that is given to students with financial need, according to Melissa Maouf, director of the Office of Undergraduate Scholars & Fellows. “Our merit communities are a mixed
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bag, economically all over the place,” Malouf, wrote in an email Wednesday. “All students to apply to Duke may be considered for a merit scholarship—rich or poor or in between.” Three of the eight scholarship programs Duke offers—the Angier B. Duke Scholarship, the Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship and the Robertson Scholarship—solely take merit into account. The remaining five scholarship programs consider a mixture of merit and need. Financial resources for merit scholarships Funding for the scholarships comes almost exclusively from the Duke Endowment and private donors, Malouf wrote. The Robertson Scholars Program, for example, is privately funded by the Robertson foundation. Allen Chan, the program’s executive director, noted that the program is a “special case,” as it does not use University financial resources, which may otherwise be
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allocated to need-based financial aid. This contrasts with the situation at several schools which have ended merit aid in recent years in favor of using the funding to expand need-based aid packages, such as Franklin & Marshall College and Hamilton College. Duke’s need-based financial aid scholarships are actually currently expanding— without detracting from funding for the merit programs, Malouf said. The University currently ranks behind several of its peers in terms of need-based financial grants. Of the U.S News and World Report top 10 schools that provided information to the 2013-14 Common Data Survey, Duke presented the lowest percentage of students receiving need-based financial grants. According to the survey, 38 percent of Duke students receive need-based financial
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