March 19, 2015

‘We voted for inefficiency’

Let the Madness Begin

DSG turned down legislation lowering the number of senators and vice presidents at its meeting Wed. | Page 2

Duke men’s basketball looks to emerge victorious against Robert Morris in the Round of 64 Fri. | Page 11

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Former Latino prof returns to campus, talks Duke racial climate “I expected the University to hold faculty accountable for their actions, and they have failed to do so” Rachel Chason University Editor

Thu Nguyen | The Chronicle Beginning in May, the Chapel will close for a yearof renovations—pushing a number of popular services and events elsewhere on campus, including a Christmas Eve service in Cameron Indoor Stadium and Easter Day worship in the Duke Gardens.

Acclaimed playwright talks political deadlock Neelesh Moorthy The Chronicle Drawing parallels between Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama, “Lincoln” screenwriter Tony Kushner tackled the modern state of politics with an eye on the past.

Kushner, renowned for his work weaving politics and history through drama, spoke at the Sanford School of Public Policy Wednesday. Best known for his 1993 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America” about the AIDS crisis and homosexuality in the 1980s, he more recently was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2012 screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s See Kushner on Page 4

Sophie Turner | The Chronicle Professor Philip Bennett spoke with Tony Kushner about arts and politics at the Sanford School of Public Policy Wednesday.

The departure of visiting Latino professor Jason Mendez raised concerns last year about the representation and treatment of Latino/a faculty at Duke. Mendez returned to campus Tuesday to discuss his experience and the University’s subsequent investigation into his case.

Mendez, who held a two-year appointment as a visiting professor in the Program in Education, described experiencing “microaggressions” and unfair treatment in a culturally insensitive environment fostered by leadership in the Program in Education. After Mendez was told in Fall 2013 that his appointment would not be renewed, he filed a complaint with the Office of Institutional Equity, which did not find evidence of discrimination or harassment following an investigation.

“I didn’t blame Duke as whole last year—I didn’t think it was fair to hold the University accountable for something it didn’t necessarily know about,” Mendez said. “Today is different. I expected the University to hold faculty accountable for their actions, and they have failed to do so.”

Inside the report Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity investigated Mendez’s complaints of workplace discrimination and harassment—interviewing six members of the Program in Education, reviewing documents provided by Jan Riggsbee, director of the program, and Mendez and listening to an audiotape recorded by Mendez. The investigation concluded that neither Duke’s non-discrimination nor harassment policies had been violated.

“Dr. Riggsbee presented legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for any employment action, which did not appear disingenuous or worthy of unbelief,” Cynthia See Mendez on Page 3

FINDING ENERGY BY SAVING IT MBA students around the country have found more than $1 billion in energy savings through the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps program.

Join EDF and guest speakers from Duke University’s MEM/MBA program in Durham on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. for a networking reception focused on leveraging the power of partnerships to improve energy efficiency. After a brief presentation, the audience will be invited to participate in a Q&A session with the presenters. Refreshments and light fare will be provided.

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DSG fails to pass legislation to restructure Senate Alex Griffith The Chronicle The Duke Student Government Senate failed to pass legislation lowering the number of senators and committees.

The Senate defeated an amendment to its bylaw which would have lowered the number of senators from 60 to 36 and would have eliminated the social culture committee during a meeting Wednesday night. The amendment was introduced by senators for academic affairs Jacob Zionce, a senior, and Annie Adair, a sophomore. It was the culmination of many discussions both on the senate floor and in committee meetings about the restructuring of the DSG Senate.

“I’m disappointed in the Senate tonight,” Zionce said. “A third of the people who are in [the Senate] didn’t even show up to the vote, and yet the Senate somehow thinks we’re efficient the way we are.”

The amendment would have cut the number of committees from seven to six and would have allotted six senators to each committee. The committees would have one senator from each class, in addition to two at-large senators. Proponents of the amendment, including Zionce, Adair, and vice president for academic affairs Ray Li, a senior, argued that a smaller senate would be more efficient, engage more senators in discussion and increase senator accountability.

If passed, the proposal would end the Senate’s social culture committee. The position of vice president for social culture would also have been replaced by a director of social culture who would serve in the president’s cabinet. Zionce and Adair argued that the committee was not essential because many of its projects could be outsourced to

other committees.

Opponents of the amendment included juniors Keizra Mecklai, vice president of equity and outreach and president-elect, and President Lavanya Sunder. They explained that a decrease in size of the Senate and the dissolution of the social culture committee would overload remaining senators.

Supporters of the amendment explained that ad-hoc senators, who help in committees but do not vote in the Senate, would be able to fill in those roles. Opponents of the amendment argued that ad-hoc senators cannot be accountable and that the lack of recognition of ad-hoc senators makes people less likely to want to fill those positions.

After hours of debate, the amendment failed 29-19.

“We voted for inefficiency, we voted for the same [Senate structure],” Zionce said.

“People all across the student body tell us there are problems in DSG, but tonight we showed that DSG is not ready to respond.”

Executive Vice President Abhi Sanka, a junior, who oversaw and directed the debate, explained that attempts to modify the structure of DSG come along every few years.

“Three years ago we increased the size of the Senate from 40 to 60,” Sanka said. “It seems like there’s a cycle every three or four years. Given the nature of the student government, there’s a desire to change the structure to accommodate the current culture.”

In other business: Dean of Academic Advising Elizabeth Fox spoke to the Senate about the state of the Duke academic advising program. She focused on the directors of academic engagement, who offer advising to students about opportunities both in and outside the classroom. She also explained that the advising

program is adding two directors of academic engagement to offer more focused perspectives on the humanities as well as on natural and quantitative sciences.

Student Organization Funding Committee recognized six new groups: the Duke Climate Coalition, formerly known as Divest Duke, which will advocate and educate in order to fight climate change; the Food Recovery Network, which has created a food recovery network on campus to combat hunger in the community; Blue Devil Games, a video game design studio; Globe Med, which raises awareness about healthcare issues around the world; Duke Energy Club, which is a group for students interested in careers in the energy field; and the Duke Reserve Officers Training Corps group, which will advise and train members of ROTC on campus.

DSG also passed a budgetary statute to move $160,000 left over from the SOFC programming fund to the 2015-2016 annual budget. The unusual surplus size is because of student group de-chartering, which dissolved many inactive groups and put their funding back into the programming fund.

The statute was introduced by SOFC chair Davis Treybig, a junior, and Sanka.

A budgetary statute to provide food for the Duke-Durham focus groups was passed. $250 was taken out of the surplus fund to provide pizza for the groups, which will discuss the Duke-Durham relationship as Durham reevaluates its strategic plan. The statute was introduced by vice president for Durham and regional affairs David Robertson, a senior, and senator for Durham and regional affairs Tanner Lockhead, a sophomore.

A budgetary statute to allocate $779.68 from the surplus fund to Femininity Through Culture, a photography project

Philip Catterall | The Chronicle Dean of Academic Advising Elizabeth Fox addressed the Senate about the state of the advising program.

focusing on gender and culture, was passed by the senate. The statute was introduced by senator for equity and outreach Ilana Weisman, a sophomore.

A election timeline statute was passed, bumping back the petition submission date from Tuesday, March 31 to Thursday, April 2. The statute was intended to allow time for any constitutional changes to take effect, in particular those which would change the number of vice president positions available. The statute, introduced

by Sanka, was rendered superfluous when the senate failed to pass any reconfiguration legislation.

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MENDEZ

continued from page 1 Clinton, OIE’s Director of Harassment Prevention, wrote in a letter addressed to Mendez on September 26, 2014. “My review of relevant documents did not find a connection between the ending of your two-year appointment and your race or color.”

But Mendez challenged the findings of the investigation—saying the inquiry lacked depth and failed to address the concerns he raised. He noted that no faculty of color were interviewed or contacted.

“The investigation team’s goal was to protect Duke, to make sure there hadn’t been any obvious examples of racism—did someone use a slur? Hang a noose?” Mendez said. “They weren’t looking for signs of ingrained systemic racism at all.”

The report did not directly address PowerPoints received by The Chronicle last year showing stereotypical images from Latino and Asian cultures—including sombreros, maracas, tigers and fortune cookies—imposed on faculty’s profiles.

Riggsbee later apologized for the PowerPoints, calling them “insensitive and inappropriate” in a letter to the editor last April.

Mendez noted that the report also downplayed the significance of themed cards and magnets created for Riggsbee’s birthday party that appropriated Latino culture. The card stated, “Enjoy Happy Hour at the JANtina with all your PiE friends! Open annually on March 21.”

Riggsbee said the cards and magnets must have been created by a staff member without her knowledge, according to the report.

Clinton told The Chronicle that she declined to comment on any specific is-

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 | 3

sue. Riggsbee also declined to comment on personnel matters, but sent a copy of the Program in Education’s diversity statement.

Student support Students, faculty and community members filled the Bryan Center’s Von Canon room Tuesday for Mendez’s talk, called “A Better Tomorrow Begins with Dismantling Systemic White Supremacy Today.”

The event was sponsored by La Unidad Latina, Lamda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino fraternal organization, and Mi Gente, the Latino student association.

Mendez—now an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh—was celebrated by students as a caring professor passionate about social justice.

Senior Karina Santellano described Mendez as having gone “above and beyond in terms in spending time with students, and being invested in their success.”

Santellano was one of several students present who said they hoped to see better Latino/a faculty and student representation.

“I want to see more people who look like me, who share my experiences,” Santellano said. “I’m tired of censoring myself.”

Mendez’s departure left an alreadysmall Latino faculty with one fewer member. According to the 2013 Faculty Diversity Initiative Biannual Report, there were only 12 Latino/a professors in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. Latino/a faculty currently comprise 2 percent of all tenured professors, a figure that has been nearly stagnant for two decades, even as numbers have increased for other underrepresented groups.

Senior Destiny Hemphill thanked Mendez for his courage in coming forward with his story. She said Mendez had offered her

Special to The Chronicle A “fiesta”-themed PowerPoint produced by the Program in Education for welcome parties at the start of the 2008-2009 academic year underscored Mendez’ concerns.

“Tonight was powerful and gripping—a much needed conversation,” Ender said.

“But we need to continue this dialogue, to continue raising awareness and getting people to think about these issues.”

When Mendez’s talk ended, he received a standing ovation. He then opened the floor to audience members, who discussed their own experiences, and ways to move forward.

“This is what my job was about,” Mendez said as he looked around. “It wasn’t just about the 9-5, it was about the students—who I connected with, who I supported. I never wanted to come off as just a disgruntled former employee, but yeah, I am angry that they took these students from me.”

guidance when she needed it, and noted that a additional burden is placed on faculty of color to act as support systems and role models outside of their job descriptions.

“So often, stories like these are silenced,” Hemphill said. “Dr. Mendez’s willingness to name systems of oppression specifically has been a real source of power and inspiration for me.”

Mendez’s story has also inspired Latino students beyond Duke. Tommy Ender, a second year postdoctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is pushing to start a Latino organization for graduate students, said much of what Mendez spoke about resonated with him.

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KUSHNER

continued from page 1 “Lincoln.”

At its heart, the film “Lincoln” is not just about Abraham Lincoln, who shares the spotlight as the hero of the story with the House of Representatives, Kushner said. In the contemporary political climate, in which people no longer share a “common language” with regards to politics, this aspect of the film is something that is particularly poignant for Kushner.

To him, it’s a sign of hope—a historical example that shows the House and Senate can rise to heights and prove the “thesis of democracy.”

“I didn’t want to focus on some indomitable figure like Lincoln who would suddenly arrive to solve all of our problems,” Kushner said. “Because that means we’re screwed today.”

Lincoln faced challenges greater than President George Washington—and today, Obama faces chalSophie Turner | The Chronicle lenges as formidable as those Lincoln faced, Kushner

Barbara Ehrenreich

Author of “Nickel and Dimed” and “Living With a Wild God” 6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24 Richard White Lecture Hall East Campus 5:30 p.m. Reception Book signing to follow Registration: tinyurl.com/dissectinginequality

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The Chronicle said.

He noted with humor that although Lincoln had significant difficulty getting his agenda across, he was nonetheless aided by the fact that many of the people who had opposed him had seceded for the Confederacy. President Obama has no such luxury.

“Think how much easier it would be for President Obama if Mitch McConnell had seceded,” Kushner added.

The similarities between Lincoln go beyond the political circumstances with which they dealt. Obama shares some of Lincoln’s political savvy, mirroring his predecessor’s caution in his approach to the topic of same-sex marriage, Kushner said. Obama’s timing and sensitivity—about what the nation could hear and when it was prepared to hear it, Kushner added, was “positively Lincolnian.”

“He was the first black president to run and he won,” Kushner said. “And he couldn’t say in 2008, ‘I’m an African-American running for president—and by the way, I support gay marriage.’ It just wasn’t going to happen.”

But if the nation does approve gay marriage, Obama will go down in the history books as having played an important role in the movement, Kushner added.

In some respects, the political deadlock of today is even more pronounced than that of Lincoln’s day, he said. Where there once had been a language of communion, that language had broken down in the modern age. There’s a genuine ideological rift that has made a shared language—the root of democratic politics—impossible.

People still have faith in democracy, but right now, they can’t persuade each other, Kushner said. Civil discourse requires people to engage in and believe in the power of persuasion—which, in the past, has allowed great things to be accomplished.

The current political culture of individualism is to blame for the breakdown of meaningful conversations about political issues. “[There are] people who are absolutely terrified to admit [that] anything other than a sort of nomadic, individual entity who’s entirely self-sufficient exists,” he said.

For conversations to happen, people need to have a genuine investment in a common ground, he added.

Historical drama can be poignant in a way that historical research is not, Kushner explained. It can remove some of the mortality of dry research and frame it in a way that resonates with people in the modern day, Kushner noted. By depicting political problems with strong parallels to our personal lives, political dramas thrive decades after their initial production.

“There are times when oppression is most noticeably coming from the outside beating down your door, but there are times when oppression is internalized in some way,” Kushner said. “As long as there are human beings, these plays will continue to have their value. It outlives its moment of relevance.”

The event was sponsored by the Sanford School’s annual Crown Lecture in Ethics. Phillip Bennett, Eugene C. Patterson professor of the practice of journalism and public policy, facilitated the discussion.

Can you handle the madness?

Carolyn Chang | The Chronicle Duke Dining Services hosted a March Madness themed dinner at the Marketplace Wednesday evening.

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recess

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 24

MARCH 19, 2015

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Old Duke ...

Katie Fernelius................... spice girls

Gary Hoffman..............................nofx Stephanie Wu................smash mouth Drew Haskins ........................jeremih Sid Gopinath ............................ t-pain Izzi Clark ....................backstreet boys

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Check out the Recess online blog for more great content!

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I am about to tell a story that I have attempted to bury deep, deep in the recesses (no pun intended) of my past.

It definitely is not a fond memory, but, for the sake of this Editor’s Note, it must be told.

Back when I was just a wee eighth grader in junior high school, I played guitar in an alternative rock band of sorts (Clear Recognition was the name, if you’re looking for recordings #selfpromotion). Obviously, we thought we were pretty cool. Why? Because we were an alternative rock band.

Need there be any other reason? And, obviously, I thought I was at least moderately cool because I played guitar.

I kind of just assumed that coolness would come with the fact that I played guitar. It took me a while to figure that one out.

Our first real performance was for our entire school at the so-called Variety Show. Trust me, there was variety indeed. We had the ambitious idea to perform The Killers’ hit song “When You Were Young” for the audience of well over a thousand that included students, faculty, administration and parents. Funnily enough, it turns out that that “When You Were Young” is actually an extremely difficult song to perform, especially for a band of eighth graders who have all been playing their instruments for only a year. On top of that, the teacher who organized the show decided that it would be great to end the talent show with us, since we clearly had the potential with such a great song. So, we had our moment in the spotlight.

The actual performance passed in a blur. I do, however, vaguely remember a few standout moments. I remember seeing our lead singer, Will, do some

truly wild acrobatics, much to the surprise of the audience and the rest of the band. I remember watching one of our members awkwardly stand next to his piano while Will commandeered it in an unplanned spotlight moment. I remember seeing my dad’s baffled and surprised expression in the audience.

But, really, it didn’t quite click for me that we had just botched a massive performance. I walked out feeling the way that I imagine Jack felt in the happy parts of Titanic (so not the part where he unceremoniously dies). A few days later, we started hearing criticism floating around at our school. This criticism slowly became more concrete and it became clear that rival bands in our school were actively making fun of us to our friends.

Okay, yeah. We gave them a lot of material to work with. But, really? They made fun of everything from my guitar playing to the awkward piano switch to Will’s singing. It was infuriating, especially because we felt like it would be inappropriate and immature to fire anything back their way.

These feuds came to characterize a lot of my time with the band. Even after we entered high school and got new members and started writing our own music, that first talent show stuck with us. We had an incredibly difficult time shaking that reputation, and every performance seemed to be a competition to convince our friends that we were actually good and not what other people said behind our backs.

Alright. So, I just spent 500 words explaining a high school band feud.

Why? Because, at Duke, I am seeing the same absurd feuds in the artistic communities. We seem to be obsessed with hierarchies and rankings at Duke,

whether its basketball or academics or the social scene. Sadly, the artistic community seems to not be any different.

But art should be a collaboration, not a competition. Let’s look at music for example. Sure, we can point to the classic musician feuds, like Oasis and Blur or Drake and Chris Brown, and say that great music came from them. But I can’t say that I like any one Oasis song better than the best Lennon/McCartney co-written song. Look at “We Are the World” or any of the numerous followups. Look at the spectacle that was Watch the Throne. Look at The Postal Service. These incredible projects are all born from good-natured collaboration, often by musicians that could be in direct competition with each other.

This weekend is ArtCon, a new art conference that encourages students to take an active part in the decisionmaking about the Arts at Duke. This conference could be our chance to redefine and really improve our artistic community.

Through workshops and focused brainstorming sessions, students will be able to really put their ideas out there and meet other artsoriented students. This is a chance for administration, faculty and students to come together in the artistic community and figure out how we want to move this school forward.

Duke is a school that thrives on strong school spirit. We’re famous for it.

It’s time that we bring some of that spirit to the artistic community. We don’t need to stop pushing each other to make the best art we can make, but it’s about time that we start working together to show the world how great the Arts at Duke can be.

Recess House of Cards connives through a third season Steve Desilets The Chronicle Disclaimer: I should say upfront that this article contain some (small) spoilers from Season 3 of House of Cards.

But let’s be honest. You had all spring break to steal your roommate’s cousin’s dog’s Netflix password and aggressively stream from one episode straight into the next. Also, if you’re like me, you sacrificed all schoolwork and going to your friend’s birthday party to watch the full season in under 38 hours after its release (sorry, Nithin). Basically, if you haven’t watched House of Cards Season 3 by now, that’s your own fault.

The last time we saw Frank Underwood at the conclusion of Season 2, it was a moment of television perfection. Frank Underwood had just clawed his way into the presidency, and, for the first time, he was silently appreciating his Oval Office.

Chills ran all over my body. I wanted nothing more than to get a glimpse inside his head, but, instead, the show cut to an incredible cliffhanger that left me beyond excited for the next season.

Unfortunately, this season of House of Cards did not live up to my highly ambitious expectations, largely because of the nearly complete removal of Kevin Spacey’s monologues. Since the series premiere, I have loved how Frank Underwood would break the fourth wall of acting. Every episode, I anticipated his predatory gaze into the camera, as he ruthlessly explained how he intended to break down his political prey. Who can ever forget Frank’s shocking first monologue about the types of weakness as he snapped that poor, dying puppy’s

Special to the Chronicle

neck? Certainly, I can’t. The artistic decision to include only a few short monologues this season was a weakness itself.

Beyond this abandonment of the show’s most distinctive feature, missed plot opportunities contributed to my disappointment with this season of House of Cards. As Season 2 came to a close, I felt certain that the third season would focus on Frank Underwood consolidating power within his self-constructed empire. I

anticipated Stamper’s murder being dramatically investigated, Rachel’s storyline skyrocketing to prominence and the corrupt president struggling to silence all loose ends. Imagine my disappointment to learn that Stamper was not only alive but an even more central character this season! After all, Stamper is basically the Stannis Baratheon of House of Cards––the boring main character whose storyline you really don’t care about. Plus, he’s incredibly creepy. While I certainly

- Sid Gopinath

appreciate when a television show is not predictable, I would have enjoyed a more dramatic turn of events.

If there was a glimmer of cinematic genius this season, it would have to be the fascinating character development we witnessed with Claire Underwood.

Frank’s fierce and power-hungry wife has always captivated my attention, and her relationship with her infamous husband has consistently been perhaps my favorite television couple of all time.

I have patiently waited two seasons to truly see inside the mind of this incredible character, and House of Cards finally gave me everything that I needed out of her character and more. Robin Wright’s performance absolutely lit up the screen.

I still believe that this cast and crew will deliver a stunning fourth season.

Based on the opening credits, both the writing and directing teams seem to have undergone massive overturn this year. The new team may just need a little more time to adjust to their new roles. Also, my faith in producer David Fincher could never possibly waver. Just recently, this directing genius added Gone Girl to an already impressive résumé of dramatic thrillers including Se7en, Fight Club and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. With proven acting wizard Kevin Spacey by his side, I am certain that this unstoppable team will deliver nothing short of excellence next year.

So you may be asking: What is the best approach to watching this season of House of Cards? Grab a pint of your favorite Ben and Jerry’s, pour yourself a glass of wine, and embrace the unchallenged glory of Frank and Claire Underwood.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 | 7

Cannibal Ox emerges from seemingly eternal hiatus Gary Hoffman Recess Managing Editor Following up a classic album is hard, especially if the said album is an abstract hip hop classic released almost 15 years ago. Rap duo Cannibal Ox find themselves in this exact position with the release of their latest, Blade of the Ronin.

Unfortunately, they exhibit little of the surreal imagery and practical street allegories that made them legends after the release of The Cold Vein. Still, the album stands independently and should be experienced as such. Blade of the Ronin combines catchy, yet largely typical, production with surreal, braggadocious imagery to make for an only somewhat interesting listen before it quickly goes stale.

Cannibal Ox is a hip hop duo from Harlem, New York, comprised of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. They came to prominence with the release of The Cold Vein in 2001, becoming known for prophetic imagery, yet straightforward storytelling over El-P’s sparse, alienating production. However, since then, the duo has remained mostly quiet. While rumors of a new album have persisted, Vast and Vordul’s pursuits of their own solo careers have made a sophomore product seem unlikely.

Now, with Blade of the Ronin, Ox lyrically takes listeners on a journey that is never rooted in reality. Although interesting, the lines do not really relate and give the impression of a fever dream.

The lack of connection also leaves the two to resort mostly to punch lines and brag raps for substance instead of

Special to the Chronicle

crafting an overall story or experience.

For instance, Vast Aire takes advantage of some classic childhood nostalgia when he says, “Hey, ain’t you that dude who got caught touching Pikachu?” It’s just one of those lines that never fails to leave a bad taste. Some topics are sacred. Ox seems to be grasping at sensationalist straws to gain attention instead of supplying actual substance.

Flow-wise, Vordul acts as a complacent onlooker while Vast is much more

Recess

energetic and lively. At times, Vordul can be a bit too laid back, and the production seems to envelop him. Still, he usually sounds like the wizened older man who has been around the block a few too many times. Vast counters him with his hyper, slightly frenetic delivery. He has one of the most distinctive voices in hip hop, which he uses prominently without coming off as annoying. Technically, the two are pretty typical, and there are no dazzling internal rhymes or double time

flows.

Comparatively, the guest verses are pretty incredible.

Ox was able to get MF DOOM, U-God and Elzhi to contribute verses along with underground artists. All of these different voices prevent the album from becoming monotonous. For instance, DOOM has a line where he raps: “Couldn’t hold him from rolling the Western war like a golden golem.” The image isn’t exactly clear, but the classic DOOM assonance keeps the track interesting. It’s a testament to the respect the underground hip hop community has for Cannibal Ox that they could get all these artists together to deliver quality verses.

Bill Cosmiq handles the production on all the tracks except for “Blade: The Art of Ox,” which is produced by Black Milk.

Throughout the album, the production is very grand. It has a slight feel of an up-and-coming producer asserting his existence. While the tracks are nice and, sometimes, quite beautiful, they overpower the rap. Those looking for El-P’s borderline experimental beats will be disappointed. Also, all of the opening vocal samples are cliché lines from blockbusters like Star Wars and Batman.

With a name like Blade of the Ronin, you’d think there would be more samples from samurai movies.

While Blade of the Ronin is disappointing in many aspects, it still overall is an entertaining and worthwhile listen.

Although they have not created completely original, groundbreaking work, Cannibal Ox reaffirmed that they exist while also bringing together exceptional rappers and producers to help celebrate underground hip hop.

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Robert Parkins is the University Organist and a Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke. His recordings have appeared on the Calcante, Gothic, Musical Heritage Society, and Naxos labels, and his performances described as “stylistically informed and musically exciting . . . fresh and spontaneous, transforming the music from museum artifacts to living works of beauty” (The Diapason). This season’s recital will feature “German Organ Music of Three Centuries,” including music by Buxtehude, Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Reger, and others. Performed on the Flentrop organ, this will be the final program in the Duke Chapel Organ Recital Series until 2016-2017.

Organ Recitals 2015 Duke university Chapel u sunDays at 5:00 pm

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The Chronicle

Recess discusses the nature of the Academy Awards

Recess “Best Picture” winners of the past five years shown above | Special to the Chronicle

Madhav Dutt The Chronicle

Every period of the semester tends to have go-to topics of small talk and discussion. A few of the evergreen ones include the unpredictable weather, the pressure of academics and, of course, social gossip. However, last month, an important subject was added to this list: the Oscar predictions. Every year, after a build-up to the Oscars— comprising of the People’s Choice Awards, The Golden Globes, Directors Guild Awards and the BAFTAs, among others—the world waits with baited breath as the cinematic community awards itself. Since so many awards have already been doled out by this time of the year, the Academy Awards rumor mill is always rife with names for every category.

As Duke students scramble to pack all the Oscar-nominated films (mainly to not feel left out of conversations) into their already tightly packed schedules, it seems appropriate to shed light on the entire gamut of Oscar madness that Hollywood goes through.

When it comes to actually determining winners and bagging nominations, two really important and often overlooked factors are: the movie’s release date and the production house’s campaign to distribute the film.

To elucidate the importance of a release date, a brief explanation of the selection process is required.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional organization that contains

approximately six thousand voting members. These people are eminent personalities who are divided by their expertise into judges for different award categories. The largest section, approximately 20 percent of this caucus, is made up of actors. All these voters collectively determine the winners through an online voting process—one that has been audited by PriceWaterHouseCoopers for the last seven decades.

The voting group should presumably be learned and rational enough to look at all the movies in an unbiased manner, disregarding when the film was actually released. The statistics, however, clearly show otherwise. Since 2000, more than 80 percent of the “Best Picture” category winners were released three months before awards season, with the winners from the last five years having been released in October or later (The King’s Speech, The Artist, Argo, 12 Years a Slave and Birdman). The sheer dearth of films that were released in the other nine months is peculiar. Does the cinematic community just have a ridiculously short memory? Or are all the good films only released at this time?

Unsurprisingly, releasing their film at the Oscar sweet spot (which has been calculated as approximately 200 to 250 days before the ceremony) isn’t the only thing studios do.

Another shameless factor that plays into the Oscar results is the involvement of producers and their houses in lobbying for their films. Akin to the way big corporations lobby with politicians to advocate for beneficial

legislation, production houses similarly appeal to the Oscar voting community in a host of ways. Producers tend to allocate upwards of one million dollars to promoting their films to a particular audience. In fact, winning an Academy Award has become such an accreditation that some companies take up film scripts and choose actors with the Oscars firmly planted in their minds. It’s understood by most studios that some films need an Oscar push more desperately than others.

For example, Transformers and the umpteen sequels Michael Bay spawned are certainly not in need of Oscar validation, simply because they are already seen by so many people. It’s actually the films that stray away from a mainstream audience that benefit the most from an Oscar gold stamp. Indie films quite often rely on an Oscar to invigorate sales and publicity.

It isn’t unusual to see producers cross the line by promoting their films directly to the voters. Nicolas Chartier, one of the main producers of the war drama The Hurt Locker, was censured by the Oscars committee and banned from the actual ceremony after he sent an email to all the Oscar voters, telling them to vote for The Hurt Locker and not some “500 million dollar film” (a clear reference to James Cameron’s Avatar).

Although these tricks and hacks aren’t a guarantee, most houses would rather maximize their films’ chances than release them over the summer. Since the inception of the Academy Awards, not one film released in July has won the coveted “Best Picture” award.

The date of release isn’t the only

factor involved because few things beat old-fashioned publicity and distribution.

Many argue that the drama biopic Selma was a victim of poor promotion, bagging only two nominations (“Best Picture” and “Best Original Song”) and being ignored completely in directing, writing and acting. Experts and think tanks believe this occurred simply because it wasn’t viewed by enough people. It didn’t screen in many of the film festivals, was released only in New York and Los Angeles until it was too late, and didn’t rouse the spectatorship’s interest with advertisements and discussion. Many of the critics groups said they had seen most of Selma’s rival films but hadn’t had the chance to see Selma. Distribution and coverage play a major role in the Oscar game, and the creators of Selma clearly didn’t excel at it. Testament to this was the fact that the film American Sniper was nominated for six Oscars and grossed upwards of 350 million dollars while Selma, although it was released within weeks of the former, bagged only two nominations and earned a little more than 50 million dollars. Both films were patriotic and historical in nature, but American Sniper clearly sold itself better, ending up with a more generous crop of accolades and money.

All in all, the Oscar game is dependent on a host of factors. It’s the high-stakes nature of this escape from real life to reel life that we all love dearly, and that’s probably why so many absurd and almost primitive factors play a decisive role in determining the victors on this fateful night.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 | 9

Jenny Scheinman to put music to life in the Piedmont Gary Hoffman Recess Managing Editor

In the hectic life of the Duke student, there is little time to sit back and reflect. This Friday, composer, violinist and vocalist Jenny Scheinman will challenge Duke students to do just that in her performance Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait. With her compositions set to filmmaker H. Lee Waters’ works capturing the lives of the people of Kannapolis, NC, Scheinman hopes to showcase the compassionate, affectionate and relatable citizens of the Piedmont in the early 1940s.

When asked about her project, Scheinman explained, “I think it’s probably about human potential for joy in times of hardship. It was shot in the depression; there were various things about that time that were very difficult.

The towns were segregated. Things were very not fair. It was a rough time.”

H. Lee Waters was a filmmaker who, from 1936 to 1942, went through the states of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina filming the local people. He would subsequently play these films at local theaters to allow his subjects to see themselves onscreen.

Remarkably, he edited out very little, retaining almost all of the original footage he shot in the final rendition of his project. Today, his works are a sort of time capsule, allowing viewers to partially experience what life was like back then.

“The footage really captures a compassionate aspect of human culture,” said Scheinman. “People are very affectionate with each other.

They’re always dancing and performing for the camera… It seems like a culture

Recess Michael Gross | Special to the Chronicle

A photograph of the filmmaker H. Lee Waters | Special to the Chronicle

where the people are very engaged with each other.”

Scheinman will perform her conversations herself, along with Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersoe. Jenny will be playing violin and singing. Fulks will be playing guitar and banjo, and contributing to vocals. Gjersoe will sing and play resonator guitar, a louder, more durable variant of guitar that can be seen in a lot of the footage.

The pieces to be set to film are carefully composed such that the music matches the scene cuts. Still, some room is left for improvisation. In some of the instrumental pieces there are sections that repeat over and over, and Steinman described how the band might add small variations as a form of folk improvisation.

In discussing the relationship between the music and the film, Scheinman noted, “There’s a lot of dancing in [the film]. A lot of the music I wrote is dance music, so it almost has the feeling of a musical theater piece or something.

There are whole passages where the characters are dancing to our music.”

Finn Taylor was chosen by Scheinman to direct the arrangement of Waters’ films. Taylor has directed three films, one of which, Cherish, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Scheinman noted that after she found Taylor to work with her on the project, “things really started moving quickly,” and he was invaluable in helping her decide which of her material worked with the footage.

“Music and film is an absolutely magical combination when it clicks,” she observed. “It’s so much more powerful than either of them separately.”

Aaron Greenwald, director of Duke Performances and the one who asked Scheinman to embark on the project five years ago, shares similar sentiments.

Greenwald explained that his decision to choose Scheinman came after he watched Waters’ films, which “begged for someone who had a knowledge of American folk music and fiddle music.” “[Jenny Scheinman] has had an interesting and diverse career, as an arranger, jazz improviser, singer, she’s also a really in-demand collaborator,” he continued. “I just have a real huge admiration for her. She has a kind of idiosyncratic quality that I really appreciate in an artist.”

Greenwald also hopes the performance will give Duke students a chance to take a break from the cycle of responsibilities that university life might bring.

“I am so struck by how little time there is,” he remarked. “I went to college in the mid nineties and part of what was great was getting to zone out and just listen to music or read a book and think about it. I feel like, increasingly, Duke students, and students everywhere, have less and less time to do that.”

Hopefully, this performance will allow students to reach outside the Duke bubble and reflect on the lives of people who will never directly affect them.

For Scheinman, an important aspect of the footage is a glimpse of a slightly different lifestyle. In her own words: “If there’s wisdom in looking back at a culture before our time it might be to look people in the eye, be affectionate, don’t look at your hand-held device all day. The world they lived in was very different from ours, and very striking.”

10 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

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recess

Modest Mouse returns with Strangers to Ourselves Sam Meyers The Chronicle Strangers to Ourselves is a very fitting title for Modest Mouse’s most recent studio album. The band from Issaquah, WA came back on stage with an ambitiously long record after a 7-year hiatus. The album in its entirety is composed of fifteen songs, each with a strained melancholy beaten into them and more than a hint of experimental production. Although at first the despondence and angst in the album are surprising, these qualities make sense after considering Brock’s potential feeling of irrelevance in the music scene after such a long hiatus.

The band is known for being slightly unreliable in terms of sound. Somehow they always manage to be recognized with enthusiasm from die-hard fans. Some songs on this album uncannily resemble their older breakthroughs (listen to “Lampshades on Fire” at 1 minute and then “The World At Large” at 50 seconds). Other songs seem to come out of thin air and strike hard.

“Pistol” is the premier example of a song striking hard and surprisingly. The song is unexpectedly heavy and angry. The bass is too much of a key player in the song, and the other parts of the song feel as if the equipment was accidentally left distorted by a previous band in the studio and Modest just ran with it. “Ansel”’s breakdown (about a minute and a half in) serves as a bridge between the density of “Pistol” and the routinely calmer verse-style of “The Ground Walk, with Time in a Box.” At around two minutes through the song, it relents to a chorus of several overlaid voices singing the bridge and is refreshingly comforting.

“The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box” is a higher, rougher track than the following “Coyotes” (the most acoustic and clear song on the album), but it does well as a lead into its disciple. Its vigorous drumming solidifies the ideas of bitterness and frustration that are weaved throughout Strangers to Ourselves. The bridge that “Ansel” makes with “The Ground” after “Pistol” helps create congruency within the album.

“The Best Room,” a personal favorite, is a very upbeat, melodic exploration of experiencing insignificance and growing old. There’s a steady, comforting drum beat throughout the song and a very predicable pause for a bridge which nudges the listener with the smooth “don’t you know it’s hard feeling tired every time that you try?” and then becomes dynamic in build to the heavy chorus which reads “the best room they have is the last room you want.” This one is a simpler song, but the calm riff before “to the empty balconies” is befitting of Modest’s sound and does guitarist Johnny Marr justice.

All the experimentation considered, their sound is consistently recognizable. It is an occasion, but every once and a while the band hits those chords and melodies in perfect coalition. Brock’s voice is, and has always been, moldable to the lead guitar’s vibe. And the lyrics, though unfortunately and sporadically scared off by various supplementary instruments, are scenic. They are missing certain subtleties maybe because co-songwriter and bassist Eric Judy was not a contributor to this album. Nevertheless, the songs are honest. Brock’s words are soulful, honest and candid. He has nothing to lose.

For all its hills and valleys, it is a very brave record.

A few critics have claimed that this album is unlike Modest Mouse’s sound. That they

Special to the Chronicle

stray, in this record, away from West Coast sounds. That they are no longer the band who pumped “Float On” and “The World At Large” into mainstream music, but now just a band struggling to catch the end of the wave their past successes have created.

It has also been mentioned that the title of Strangers to Ourselves implies with reason that Modest has not found its way back to itself after the band’s break, that there are pieces of it that will no longer fit together and thus production trial and error was demanded of them.

Perhaps, though, they are presenting to us their fractured self as something that has

Recess

always been.

The name of the band comes from a Virginia Woolf story, which reads “for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest, mousecoloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises.”

Strangers to Ourselves sounds like an album created by people who dislike to hear their own praises. Who are sometimes timid and gloomy and, other times, fiery and dense. Who are maybe still unfamiliar with themselves but are learning by making mistakes. Who are definitely and honestly trying to figure themselves out again.

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THE BLUE ZONE

NCAA TOURNEY PREVIEW: EAST REGION

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Men’s Basketball

Duke to face Robert Morris in first round

The Blue Devils will open NCAA tournament play Friday against the Colonials Ryan Hoerger Beat Writer They had to wait a few extra days, but the Blue Devils finally know their opponent for their first game of the NCAA tournament and can begin preparations for their bid at a run to the Final Four.

Duke—the top-seeded team in the South region—will take on 16th-seeded Robert Morris Friday No. 16 at 7:10 p.m. at Robert Time Warner Cable Morris Arena in Charlotte, vs.

N.C. The Colonials No. 1 defeated North Duke Florida in a First Four FRIDAY, 7:10 p.m.

Time Warner Cable Arena matchup Wednesday night to keep their season alive and advance to meet the Blue Devils.

After picking up impressive top-10 road wins at Wisconsin, Virginia and Louisville, Duke was awarded its first No. 1 seed since the 2011 Big Dance.

Freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones

Jack White | The Chronicle Duke freshman guard Tyus Jones is avergaing 11.6 points and 5.8 assists per game heading into the NCAA tournament.

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and Justise Winslow have powered the Blue Devils all season—all three rookies score in double-figures—but will enter onto the game’s biggest stage for the first time Friday.

“Stay in the moment—that’s what we’re trying to get with our guys,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday. “I think it’s easy to manage your own expectations. It’s really hard

Baseball

to manage anyone else’s.... I want it to be as pure as possible for these guys.”

Okafor, Jones and Winslow will look to reverse the fortunes of young Blue Devil teams in the NCAA tournament.

Duke (29-4) has bowed out in the Round of 64 in two of the past three seasons, falling to 15th-seeded Lehigh in 2012 and 14th-seeded Mercer in 2014.

Senior captain Quinn Cook was a

member of both of those teams and is looking to make a deep postseason run before his career in Durham comes to an end. The Washington native has enjoyed a career season this year as Jones’ running mate in the backcourt with 15.7 points per game. Although half of this year’s roster has never played in the Big Dance, Cook said Tuesday that he thinks this year’s group is different from the squads that made early exits.

“We won a lot of big games, bigtime games, on the road. I remember in 2012, we didn’t do well on the road in big-time games,” Cook said. “[This year] we’ve won some enormous games.

Our freshmen keep getting better and we have those years to use as motivation, myself and Marshall [Plumlee].”

Robert Morris (20-14) was the clear aggressor in the opening minutes Wednesday, but then watched the Ospreys soar past them with a bevy of 3-pointers to claim a six-point halftime lead. The Colonials regrouped, though, holding North Florida scoreless for 4:44 to climb back into the game behind stellar guard play.

The starting backcourt tandem of See M. Basketball on Page 13

Wrestling

Duke crushes Columbia Five Blue Devils to NCAAs Jack Dolgin

Seth Johnson

Staff Writer Trailing by two, Duke put up four runs in the third inning and added six in the fourth to do more than just claw past the Lions.

The Blue Devils completed a two-game sweep of Columbia with a commanding 16-4 victory at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park Wednesday night. Dillon Haviland recorded the win and first Columbia 4 baseman Jalen DUKE 16 Phillips smashed two home runs to right field after a “heart-to-heart” with head coach Chris Pollard before the game. “[I’m] really, really impressed by the ballgame he played,” Pollard said of Phillips.

“After we made some mistakes early, we looked a little bit sluggish, and then we really came out in the third… and had a big answer.”

After a scoreless first frame, Columbia (3-9) pounced on new pitcher Luke Whitten and the supporting cast behind him. Joe Falcone kicked things off with a double. Then, with one out, John Kinne grounded a ball to shortstop Kenny Koplove, who overthrew Phillips at first See Baseball on Page 12

Beat Writer

Jesús Hidalgo | The Chronicle Redshirt sophomore Jalen Phillips hit two home runs—the first of his career—as the Blue Devils clinched the sweep against Columbia.

It all comes down to this—the road ends in St. Louis.

After landing a program-best five qualifiers, Duke will pack its bags and head to St. Louis for the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center March 19-21. With the brackets set and the rest of the season in the rearview, the Blue Devil grapplers will suit up, strap on their headgear and hit the mats against the best competition in the nation.

“It’s all about matchups now,” head coach Glen Lanham said. “You’re not going to sneak up on anybody—you’re at nationals for a reason. Looking at it, all our guys are coming into nationals at a good time and at the right intensity. I’m excited to get it over with—to get out there. I want to get past all [the waiting around] and get to the wrestling.”

ACC champion No. 7 Conner Hartmann will lead the Blue Devils (11-7) into battle after qualifying for nationals for the third straight year with a 26-2 record—including

an undefeated campaign against ACC competition.

The returning All-American will be joined by fellow grapplers redshirt senior Immanuel Kerr-Brown, redshirt junior Marcus Cain, sophomore Jacob Kasper and freshman Mitch Finesilver. Kerr-Brown is making his second straight appearance on the national stage, but the remaining three qualifiers will be making their first appearances.

Despite only two losses—including one to reigning NCAA champion No. 1 J’den Cox of Missouri—and being ranked No. 7 for much of the season, Hartmann was given the No. 10 seed in the 197-pound weight class. The redshirt junior was unseeded last season before capturing All-American honors.

“I just think, ‘Man, when is the kid going to get some respect?’” Lanham said.

“He definitely merited a higher seed. He should have gotten a higher seed. He put in the work, the effort. His résumé shows.

He is an ACC champ. He is a returning AllAmerican. When is he going to get his due?”

See Wrestling on Page 12

Sanjeev Dasgupta | The Chronicle After finishing the season as the No. 7-ranked wrestler in the 197-pound weight class, redshirt junior Conner Hartmann will enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed.

WRESTLING continued from page 11

The Port Orchard, Wash., native will hit the mat against Pennsylvania senior Canaan Bethea, who boasts a 16-7 overall record.

When asked about the result of his seeding, Hartmann shrugged it off and expressed little concern with his draw.

“I believe that my final showing will be better than that,” Hartmann said.

After receiving one of the six at-large bids at 157 pounds last week to become the fifth Duke qualifier, Kerr-Brown will return to nationals as the 12th Blue Devil to advance to the big stage multiple times.

The redshirt senior has 76 career wins—

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12 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

including 48 in the past two seasons—and a 22-11 season record in his final campaign for Lanham.

“As soon as we saw the bracket and we saw that he was in, I was like, ‘Oh, thank God,’” Lanham said. “‘This kid definitely was one that deserved to be there and he has put the work in.’”

Due to his at-large status, the Rome, Ga., native will wrestle a pigtail match against Maryland’s Louis Mascola—who Kerr-Brown defeated 7-3 earlier this season in the Grapple at the Garden—before making his way into the bracket. With the sun setting on his career, the redshirt senior is just pleased to have the opportunity to keep fighting.

“I thought that honestly after I lost in the third- and fourth-place match at ACCs that my

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wrestling career was over,” Kerr-Brown said. “I thought that was it for me. I feel blessed. I’m grateful for the opportunity to go back and compete again.”

First-time qualifiers Cain, Kasper and Finesilver round out the field of Duke grapplers hitting the road. After a 21-7 season and third-place finish in the ACC championships, Cain will be matched up against No. 5 seed Christopher Villalonga of Cornell. Villalonga may be a three-time national qualifier, but that does not discourage his Blue Devil opponent.

“It’s just one match at a time that I’ve got to wrestle, so it doesn’t matter who I’m going against,” Cain said. “I’ve been working hard all season, so nothing’s different but the tournament name and that’s all.”

Kasper qualified for nationals after a runner-up performance in the ACC tournament. With a single win in St. Louis, the sophomore will become the seventh Blue Devil since 2008-09 to reach the 25-win mark in a single season. Kasper will open with No. 4 seed Jack Dechow of Old Dominion—the third-ranked national wrestler at 184.

After starting 4-4, Finesilver went on a 7-3 tear to end the season—including an upset bid from the No. 6 seed in the ACC championships to take runner-up honors.

The Lexington, Ohio, native will wrestle No. 2 seed Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin in his first-ever nationals bout. Despite the draw, Finesilver’s teammates are confident he can prove himself.

“We all know that [Finesilver] can succeed and that he can win against really tough competition,” Hartmann said. “We know that his potential is still semi-untapped. He is really tough. He has a tank that no one can beat pretty much. Once he believes that— and I think he is starting to—that’s what is going to lead to him having success.”

After the accolades of a season like 2014-15 for Duke, it would be easy for some programs to become complacent and satisfied, but the journey is not over for the Blue Devils. The numbers may be pointing in the right direction for Lanham and his squad, but the season is not finished until the final whistle blows and the wrestling stops.

“We’re glad that we are sending five guys to nationals but that’s something that we have expected of ourselves for a long time,” Kerr-Brown said. “It’s something that we expect of ourselves for the future.

We expect a lot of bigger and better things for Duke. We’re happy with what we’ve got now, but we’re definitely not satisfied.”

BASEBALL

continued from page 11 and allowed Kinne to take second and Falcone to score from second.

Whitten would escape the jam after a backhand snag from third baseman Max Miller and a nice spinning throw of his own, but with Columbia up 1-0, the damage was done.

“I was impressed by what I thought was a good job on [Whitten’s] part of pitching through some of the mistakes that we made behind him,” Pollard said. “Luke’s throwing the ball well for us.”

Duke (16-5) evened the game in the bottom of the second when Michael Smiciklas—who reached base on a hit-by-pitch—scored on a Koplove two-out double.

In the top of the third, the Lions opened up a 3-1 lead after Phillips mishandled a pickoff throw.

Bu once again, Duke would battle back. In the bottom of the third, the Blue Devils cut the Columbia lead in half without swinging the bat, using four walks to plate another run.

With the score 3-2 and the ducks still on the pond, right fielder Peter Zyla stayed patient at the plate, fouling off pitch after pitch until he got the 3-2 pitch he was waiting for. The Alpharetta, Ga., native sent the ball deep into the night and past right fielder Gus Craig for a three-run triple. Delivering a Tiger Woodsesque fist pump in excitement, Zyla had given Duke the spark it had been waiting for.

“That game is a coin-flip right there, it could go either way, they’ve got some momentum,” Pollard said of the triple. “I thought that was one of the better at-bats of the year.”

After Haviland retired the side on just seven pitches—keeping the momentum with the Duke offense—the Blue Devils opened the bottom of the fourth in style. Without recording an out, Phillips homered to right, Andy Perez tripled to right center and the Blue Devils recorded a walk and back-to-backto-back RBI singles. In just 0.1 innings, Duke had gone from trailing 3-1 to winning 9-3, and the hosts would go on to end the six-run frame ahead 11-3.

After Phillips launched another home run to right and James Ziemba worked out of trouble by striking out the side, the Blue Devils emerged victorious for the second night in a row in downtown Durham.

“Now we’ve been down here for two days, [and] we’ve got a level of comfort,” Pollard said.

“We’re excited to keep going this weekend.”

Duke continues its homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Pittsburgh at the DBAP.

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M. BASKETBALL

CLASSIFIEDS

continued from page 11

Rodney Pryor and Marcquise Reed combined for 39 points and reserve guard Lucky Jones poured in a team-high 21 to keep pace with Osprey sharpshooter Beau Beech’s 28 points. The trio scored 24 consecutive points for the Colonials in a 10-minute stretch and will be the focal point of Duke’s defensive gameplan Friday.

Robert Morris is no stranger to playing the role of giant-slayer—the Colonials eliminated defending national champion Kentucky from the NIT in 2013, powered by Jones’ 15 points.

With 72 fewer hours to prepare for their Round of 64 matchup because of the Colonials’ play-in game, Cook said that the Blue Devils spent the first few days following the selection show controlling what they could control—themselves.

“We’ve been preparing for us, just making sure we’re in shape, sharp on offense, sharp on defense.

We’ve been getting up and down a little bit, doing individual work, working on us,” Cook said. “My first three years here, we knew who we would be playing so we would start preparing for those guys. It’s a little different.”

Krzyzewski has said all season that his freshmen are ahead of the curve, physically and mentally. The fourtime national champion echoed his captain, saying he thinks his young team is capable of a deep run.

“They believe in one another and they believe in us,” Krzyzewski said. “They believe we can win. They don’t split apart.”

The winner of Friday’s matchup will meet either No. 8 San Diego State or No. 9 St. John’s Sunday with a trip to Houston for the Sweet 16 on the line. The Blue Devils defeated the Red Storm Jan. 25 at Madison Square Garden to earn Krzyzewski his 1,000th career win.

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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

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14 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

The importance of due process in Oklahoma

A

racist chant, a de-chartered fraternity, two expulsions and a national uproar: Last week, the University of Oklahoma and issues of race were thrust into the national spotlight after members of its Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were captured on video singing a hateful and racist chant. The nine-second video showed members of the fraternity chanting a song steeped in racial slurs, which included a reference to lynching and boasts that the fraternity would never admit a black member. The administrative response was quick and decisive. Within hours of the video’s release, the university’s president, David L. Boren, a former U.S. senator, shut down the campus chapter, denouncing the students as “disgraceful,” and, a day later, expelled the two students who had led the chant.

The swift expulsions are unconventional and risky, especially when compared to the measured responses many institutions legislate to avoid scandal. Yet, in many ways, the response was the safer gambit in a lose-lose situation. Had the university stayed any immediate response, it would have appeared to be sanctioning the students’ actions and opened itself to vociferous public backlash. If it responded quickly and decisively, as it did, the

university would claim a moral high ground. Yet, in doing so, it would leave itself vulnerable to legal consequences down the road. Caught between two unfavorable outcomes, Boren’s decision to respond immediately was the lesser of two evils and sent a strong message about its intolerance of such hateful speech.

Yet, whereas the university’s move to immediately expel the two students may be justifiable, the process by which the decision was made is problematic and troubling. The veracity of the video and the hatefulness of its contents are inexcusable. Yet, all students should have the right to present their side of the story in a judicial process that rigorously examines evidence and considers all relevant factors, no matter how deplorable. In the absence of a direct mandate granting the university president power to bypass judicial processes and instead take commensurate action against students, the swift decision to expel denied them the proper channels of due process. Suspending the students while an investigation and case were prepared would have been a more judicious solution. Though the end result may be morally justifiable, the means by which it was wrought was procedurally problematic.

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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 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

The importance of due process for students is implicated even further in the debate over the freedom of speech. While we are no lawyers and admittedly lack the requisite legal basis, a foray into court and case precedence suggests that SAE’s racist speech, no matter how deplorable, was a legally permissible exercise of their rights to free speech. In 2001, for example, Auburn University’s president, William F. Walker, indefinitely suspended 15 students for wearing Ku Klux Klan uniforms and blackface to fraternity parties. An Alabama judge later ordered him to reinstate most of the students, citing their acts as free speech.

Legality aside, the content and message propounded in the song are reprehensible and unacceptable. Lynching and dehumanizing language perpetuates a lack of respect toward black individuals and other minorities that must be halted and reversed. Though we may have the right to free speech, we must be cognizant of the impact of our words, acts and biases on those around us. After the video’s release, dozens of students marched across the University of Oklahoma campus to the fraternity’s house before it was closed. Such a show of solidarity against racist and hateful behavior is one we should all embody.

Why we obsess over sports

I find it more unfortunate that we are raising a generation so coddled that they cannot even handle a meaningless verbal insult.

If you can’t even walk around Duke without feeling “paralyzed” how are you possibly going to survive in the real world?

Est. 1905

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he NCAA tournament is slowly upon us and it seems like everyone is hosting their own bracket competition. In my three years at Duke, no one has played with my heartstrings or stressed me out more than Duke Basketball. My friends are still deciding if our bracket loser should be forced to sign-up and take the SATs or take a two-hour shower— we are a creative bunch…

This all got me to thinking: why do we obsess over sports so much? Where did this all begin and just how did our obsession grow so big? I hardly stress for an exam, but when Duke is down with anything less than five minutes to go, my heart is suddenly pounding at 100 miles per hour.

Let’s start with the scientific reasons. You

Dillon Patel IT’S CASUAL... might have guessed that watching your team perform well will lead to an increase in testosterone levels, but dopamine and mirror neurons arguably play a greater role in our obsession. Dopamine not only fills us with a sense of euphoria, but also increases our memory and learning, which give us a greater desire to recreate the excitement we just can’t seem to forget. Moreover, mirror neurons often make our brains mimic the players’ we are watching on the screen or on court, making us feel like we were the ones to score that game-winning basket—I mean LeBron James and I were basically the same person from the years 2010-2014.

Beyond scientific reasons, watching sports is akin to a Hollywood movie. Without even considering the beautiful acting performances by the best floppers in the industry, sporting events have become theatrical performances.

They even have their own set of heroes, villains, back-stories and underdogs. In some ways, its even better than Hollywood. Unlike films, sporting events don’t have any pre-destined outcome and there is no guarantee that the average watcher will leave feeling satisfied.

The “better” team doesn’t always win and the “good guys” don’t always get what they deserve.

It is inspiring to watch such raw emotion, amazing athletic feats and a pure determination to win. There are few other places that society deems an “acceptable” place for grown men to ball their eyes out—but then again,

that’s a whole other issue. The most popular professional sports tend to be those we played as kids, and thus have formed a connection to for a very long time. After spending four years in high school running, I’ve definitely noticed this in my enjoyment for Olympic Track & Field.

So, why else do we obsess?

One of the biggest reasons is the fact that we are tribal creatures who are constantly searching for belonging by nature. I’m not saying this group mentality is a good thing, but it definitely helps explains the cults that form around a successful sports team. We feel stronger and more powerful when connected to a larger body of people. Becoming a part of team’s fan base and sharing in its common colors, traditions and enemies become a very powerful binding force. However, much like the blue and black, white and gold dress phenomenon, being a part of fan base sometimes blinds us to certain alternative perspectives. This is probably why everyone seems to hate on the refs.

Unlike politics or other pursuits, the barriers to entry in cheering for a sports team are quite low. The rules aren’t incredibly difficult and it’s pretty easy to just cheer when others do. I absolutely participated in what some might call “bandwagon-ing” behavior when cheering during soccer games in Barcelona this past semester.

Furthermore, sports are also a pretty “safe” conversation topic, especially compared with the alternatives of religions, politics or even economics. You may disagree with someone’s team preferences, but you generally won’t hate them for it—UNC fans aside, of course. The implicit fear of debating issues of actual substance creates a need to talk about something that is interesting, substantial and engaging, but not filled with any true ethical questions or consequences to make anyone too uncomfortable. Thus, we turn to sports. Our love of sports stems from both physiology and human nature.

So, I’ll spend this week filling out brackets and the next month stressing over Duke Basketball, dreaming of Indianapolis and making new friends along the way. We love to win, love to hate, and love to compete. I’m not saying there aren’t many inherent problems with our obsession with sports, but we’ll deal with that in the next column. For now, it’s time for some basketball.

Dillon Patel is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Thursday.

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www.dukechronicle.com commentary

The extroverted introvert

I

am the type of person you would likely label an extrovert within the first few minutes of meeting. Most of my interactions involve lots of hand gesturing, talking far louder than I realize and an abundant energy stemming from a dork-like enthusiasm.

So when my mood switches to that of my more introverted side, people can be a bit thrown off.

I’ll get questions like, “Is everything okay? You seem… not yourself.” For the longest time, I felt confused and even downtrodden by these questions. Was something actually wrong with me?

Was I upset? And, if so, what was I upset about?

I’m sure many Duke students can identify with this scenario. If you are someone who usually operates at 150 percent when in public, people express concern if you go down to 95 percent. It has always made me want to yell, “But I’m still at 95% and that’s still above average!

others, whereas introverts often find these interactions tiring and need alone time to recharge afterwards. Introversion and extroversion has less to do with how people outwardly interact with others and much more to do with how these interactions make them feel internally.

It was reassuring to read that my cringing away from small talk in favor of deeper one-on-one conversation, and my habit of letting my phone go to voicemail was not something that I alone experienced. Rather, it was a common trait of my more introverted temperament.

Furthermore, it was empowering to read about the strengths that accompany being an introvert. These include: strong concentration skills, powerful drives to resolve conflict and overall perceptiveness. I’ve stopped pushing back so hard against my introversion and the results have been magical. The best way I can

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 | 15

Building defense and confidence

I

grip my fist tight in the palm of my hand, plant my feet shoulder width-apart and whip my elbow around, making firm contact with the shield. I repeat this three times with each elbow before I move on to the next shield, gripping it along the top with both hands and swiftly crushing my knee into its center. I finish with a series of swift kicks, driving the edge of my sneakers into the center with as much force as I can muster.

It’s barely ten in the morning and I rolled out of bed only 20 minutes before, but my energy levels are picking up. We’ve finished our warmups with the shields, and are gathering together on the blue mats in the center of Brodie gym. It’s time for self-defense.

I’ll admit that for a while, I was a bit overconfident in my ability to handle myself. I’m small in stature—5-foot-nothing—but I’ve always believed I’m much stronger than I may appear to others. I trust my ability to handle situations with calm composure, and I’m as stubborn as they come: I know I would have no trouble giving someone a piece of my

Cara Peterson

Julia Janco

IT’S CALLED A “VICTORY LAP”

ADDING IT ALL UP

Leave me alone!”

It’s frustrating to feel called out in this way.

I felt a pressure to strain and force myself into a higher gear, as though I had to maintain that extroverted front at all times or I wasn’t truly being myself. I began to confuse tapping into my natural introversion with a loss of identity. If I felt too tired to go to a party or social event and chat people up, I felt ashamed. I was operating in an all-or-nothing frame of mind that wasn’t leaving room for the complexities of my identity.

Extroversion and introversion are far from all-or-nothing. Just like the majority of things in life, they belong to a non-exclusive spectrum. In truth, I am an extroverted introvert—or an introvert with extroverted tendencies. And though this sounds like a simple realization, it has been life changing. By finally embracing my introverted side instead of trying to “overcome” it—as if it were something that needed to be overcome in the first place— I am no longer discounting a trait that goes to the core of who I am. I have been given a newfound sense of entitlement to be more fully myself.

In her book “Quiet” Susan Cain explains that, in a culture such as America’s that has set up an “Extrovert Ideal”, the one-third of individuals who fall on the more extroverted side of the spectrum can struggle with the negative connotation of labels placed on them. She defines this Extrovert Ideal as “the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight.” She adds, “Introversion— along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness— is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology.” Cain deconstructs the labels that introverts have racked up by simply being themselves and explains from where these misconceptions arise.

When people think “introvert”, they think: shy, quiet, withdrawn. But temperament is so much more complex then that. The biggest determinant of whether someone is an extrovert or introvert is from where one draws energy. Extroverts gain energy from social interactions with

think to describe it is that, in the beginning of my time at Duke, I had this huge cup I was constantly trying to keep half full. I thought I had to be everything for everyone in order to be myself and push myself to engage as fully as possible in every interaction. Now that I’ve embraced my introverted side and allowed myself to enjoy the simple content that brings me, it’s as though I’ve made that cup smaller and suddenly it’s overflowing. To those of you who view your introversion or introverted tendencies—to whatever degree—to be a negative, I urge you to step back and reevaluate. Introversion as a gift to be cherished.

The biggest thing about being an introvert that I believe to be far too underrated is the drive it creates to be reflective and form a relationship with one’s inner self. I was only able to reap these benefits once I stopped running away from the alone time and solitude so frowned upon by the Extrovert Ideal. I think the need many Duke students feel to be busy all the time partially comes from a fear of what we would stumble upon if we had some time alone with our thoughts. We are taught to fear the uncertainty lurking in the less-ventured parts of our brains. We don’t realize how many treasures are waiting to be discovered there, as well.

My recent introverted expeditions into this space have shown me that my inner self has just as many needs, fears and anxieties as she has joys and curiosities. I believe we are meant to connect with all of them. The “flaws” we try our best to evade, to push to the far corners of our thoughts, they are the deepest manifestations of our humanness. They are our aliveness.

They have power over us whether we choose to acknowledge them or not. So why not learn to harness their power for our own good? Daring to embrace our introversion or introverted tendencies is the first step.

edit pages

Cara Peterson is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Thursday. Follow her on Tumblr at http:// thetwenty-something.tumblr.com and on Twitter @ the20_something.

mind.

And too many years of watching football from the sidelines has only built-up my desires to hit someone once in a while.

But after months of travel abroad and too many instances of catcalling and being followed by strange men, I realized that I was starting to feel anxious. Anxious to do simple things like walk down the street without someone, anxious to be in a group of girls without a male accompanying us.

The news only promotes those feelings of fear and anxiety. Each day the headlines tell the same sad stories from college campuses and city streets across the country: “Girl gets abducted/kidnapped/attacked/ raped.”

So this semester, I signed up for a self-defense class through the Health, Wellness and Physical Education department. I’ll admit that much of my excitement leading up to the class was due to the idea of getting to hit people. Nothing provides stress-relief during thesis crunch-time like a few good punches to the gut—or a good “grab and snatch” as my professor likes to refer to it, though I’ll leave the details of that one up to your imagination.

But my primary goal was to prove to myself my own strength again.

I’m small but tough, and wanted to be able to build up my confidence levels so I could walk with a little less anxiety.

It’s been eight weeks of shields, mats, kicks, chokeholds and shrimp rolls. But here’s the reality of it: regardless of how many miles I run or burpees I do in HIIT classes at the gym, this 5-foot-nothin’ girl isn’t taking down any moderately sized males anytime soon. The fact of the matter is that his physical strength—particularly upper-body strength—will probably always have the upper hand on mine.

What self defense has taught me—more than anything—is that that’s quite alright. Our strengths are elsewhere, and we just need to learn how to find them.

So each week, after warming up with the shields, we learn to find our physical strength—in females, that’s often in our hips. We learn to look for weak points: the ways to make fingers break their grip, to pull the feet out from underneath someone.

And we also look for our mental strengths. We learn to keep calm under pressure, and to react quickly. To keep cool and remember where our strengths are, even when we feel weak, powerless and unable. We learn be confident in ourselves, regardless of physical size, strength or power.

I recommend to every female—and male, too—to take a self-defense class. It’s a heck of a lot of fun to start off your morning knocking people to the ground and pulling out of chokeholds. But it’ll also change your mindset on how you carry yourself. And that’s enough to walk down the streets a little easier.

Julia Janco is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Thursday.

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16 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

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