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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
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 78
Arts and Sciences Council pauses curriculum approval process Rob Palmisano The Chronicle Arts and Sciences Council will take a pause and evaluate the next steps to revamp the Trinity curriculum. Valerie Ashby, dean of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, addressed the Council’s Thursday meeting, explaining that she had recently met with nearly all of the 32 Trinity department chairs about the proposed changes to the curriculum. The primary consensus that came out of these conversations was that council members should slow the curriculum process in order for them to become collectively excited about it. “A narrow passing [of a curriculum] doesn’t feel great to me as a start for a successful implementation which is our responsibility,” Ashby said. She encouraged faculty to cast aside all “negative energy” moving forward and to “take a pause of any length” if necessary. The new curriculum proposal—called “The BluePrint”—has received criticism, especially at the Council’s March 10 meeting in which representatives of multiple departments said their department had told them to vote against the proposal. Faculty members in departments like philosophy, statistical science, history and sociology said they would vote against the curriculum in its current iteration. “The faculty on the [Imagining Duke Curriculum] committee would like to incorporate feedback into another proposal before we move to the amendment and voting process,” Interim Council Chair Sherryl Broverman, associate professor of the practice
Lilliana Reyes | The Chronicle Trinity Dean Valerie Ashby told the Council that she thinks it is important to secure broad support from faculty before making changes to the curriculum.
of biology, previously told The Chronicle. “[The Executive Committee of the Arts and Sciences Council] and the deans are trying to carefully balance moving forward with a new curriculum and moving forward with the right curriculum that excites the most faculty.” Several of the faculty proposed ways to get more feedback about a potential curriculum. Shai Ginsburg, associate professor in the department of Asian and Middle Eastern studies, said he wants to see students involved in the process. He added that the Council must also
decide whether the new curriculum will target a particular “type” of student, and if so, whether a closer collaboration with the admissions office will be necessary to identify those types of students from the time they initially apply. But Duke does not select students in that way, argued Carol Apollonio, professor of the practice of Slavic and Eurasian studies. She noted that many of the challenges students face during their time on campus are not going to be solved by simply drafting a new curriculum.
J. Lorand Matory, Lawrence Richardson professor of cultural anthropology, encouraged fellow council members to recognize the maturity of undergraduates and their capacity to “think critically enough to change the world themselves.” “These are not children, they are young adults,” he said. “So how do you persuade young adults to embrace your values?” In addition to ways to increase feedback about a proposal, another key subject of discussion was how to assess the role of requirements within the new curriculum. Jonathan C. Mattingly, professor of mathematics and statistical science, noted that Curriculum 2000—the existing curriculum for Trinity undergraduates—is often criticized as “anti-intellectual” and as a series of “checkboxes.” Faculty have a responsibility to teach their students intellectual curiosity by requiring a representative sample of the liberal arts education, argued Thomas Pfau, Alice Mary Baldwin professor of English. The process of laying out requirements is not unlike laying down the rules as a parent, he said. “Much of parenting boils down to some requirements too, and it can’t always be about what you want or what is good for you,” he said. Junior Surya Prabhakar—a student in attendance—mirrored Pfau’s view by explaining that had it not been for the various requirements of the existing Duke curriculum, he probably never would have deviated beyond his “pre-professional” economics track and developed the intellectual curiosity that he has See CURRICULUM on Page 5
New IFC president looks to increase diversity in Greek system Claire Ballentine The Chronicle Junior James Bradford, president of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity, was recently elected president of the Interfraternity Council. The Chronicle spoke with Bradford about the issues IFC currently faces and the organization’s efforts to increase diversity and prevent sexual assault on campus. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Special to The Chronicle Bradford noted that he hopes to foster a closer relationship between IFC and HDRL this year.
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The Chronicle: What are your major goals this year? James Bradford: I think that we have to break down barriers and collaborate within the IFC. I’m trying to encourage collaboration there that will lead ultimately to events and ultimately build a better community within IFC that trickles down to the chapters—starting with executive team and the president’s council. Another thing that I really want to
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emphasize is the aspect of diversity in the IFC. I think that the perception of the IFC is that we are white, privileged males, and I think my goal for the IFC is to become a more approachable body to all types of people. The first thing we really have to do is gather context. Our first step will be reaching out to identity groups— simply gaining insight, asking questions and listening. A couple questions that would be important are how can we as IFC foster an environment that is successful for individuals of all types of identities, how are we not doing that right now and how can we get better. And then the second thing is we have to connect on a personal level with people that we are trying to recruit. While the perception of IFC is of a white male privileged group, everyone has their own experiences and stories to tell as IFC men. It’ll be important to communicate on a personal level and tell what the IFC means to them. Lastly is sexual assault awareness and prevention. This is a large point. Obviously,
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IFC has a sexual assault prevention team. They’ve made strides specifically in regards to training. It’s about making sure there are training sessions for new members who will be joining the IFC fraternities and then continuing the conversation. We need to know how to have tough conversations. It also falls down to chapter-facilitated and IFCfacilitated events like speaker Tim Mousseau [who spoke Monday on campus] about topics that aren’t the easiest to talk about. TC: How do you think IFC at Duke compares to fraternity life at other institutions? JB: From what I have gathered from conversations with David Pittman [interim director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life], I think that the IFC chapters at Duke collaborate less than they do on other campuses. That is my perception. And this is See IFC PRESIDENT on Page 4
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