April 21, 2016

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Sleep Revolution visits Duke

‘Do-or-die’

The Huffington Post brought its sleep tour to campus Monday | Page 2

No. 16 Duke hosts No. 15 Marquette Friday with postseason hopes at stake | Sports Page 11

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 109

Student activism surges at Duke, nationally

Graphic by Yuhkai Lin | The Chronicle

Adam Beyer The Chronicle The recent protests on campus have not occurred in isolation. Across the country, college students have been protesting about issues ranging from minority representation to budget transparency. Students in North Carolina have focused their efforts on the recently-passed House Bill 2, which restricted access to restrooms based on “biological sex” and repealed local nondiscrimination ordinances. North Carolina response Many students at University of North Carolina schools have expressed disappointment with new UNC System President Margaret Spellings’ decision to comply with the law. Students from several UNC schools gathered at a Board of Governors meeting Friday to show their opposition to Spellings’ decision. They also expressed complaints that the BOG has reduced funding for historically black colleges and universities, according to an article in The Daily Tar Heel last Friday. Some student leaders, however, noted that Spelling has promised to take some steps to counteract the law and that UNC schools will not change their anti-discrimination policies. “Despite the intentions and perceived hate promoted by this bill, I believe President Spellings is taking calculated action to ensure that the UNC system continues to become an ever more welcoming place for all,” wrote Houston Summers, the former UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, in an email. “There is much to be done even in the face of adversity.” However, students and advocacy groups— including the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, Equality North

Carolina and Lambda Legal—criticized Spellings’ decision, arguing that House Bill 2 violates federal law by discriminating against transgender individuals. Appalachian State Student Power, a student advocacy group, occupied the BB Dougherty administration building from April 8 to 13. The group left after a statement from Chancellor Sheri Everts condemned the bill, meeting the group’s major demand, according to an article in the Asheville Citizen-Times April 13. Duke has called for a repeal of the law in a statement issued by President Richard Brodhead, Provost Sally Kornbluth and Chancellor for Health Affairs Dr. A. Eugene Washington Monday. The law has created problems for the University, said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs

and government relations. “There are a growing number of scholars from public universities in states that have a specific ban on travel to North Carolina who have not been able to attend conferences and meetings at Duke,” he explained. “I’m aware of at least two national conferences that were supposed to take place at Duke that are now reconsidering their decision.” Schoenfeld said that several parents and students have also reached out to express concern. “Those who are interested in and care about Duke recognize that Duke didn’t create this problem and that both Duke and Durham are places that place a high premium on diversity, inclusion and tolerance for all communities,” he said.

Protests around the nation Students attending the University of California-Davis occupied their campus administration building for five weeks to demand the resignation of Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi for a lack of responsiveness to students. They also called her prior service on the board of DeVry Education Group, which is now under federal investigation, a conflict of interest, according to The Sacramento Bee. Although they left the building April 15, students said they plan to look for other ways to force Katehi’s removal. At Clemson University, five students— known by the hashtag “Clemson5”—were arrested and charged with trespassing for occupying Sikes Hall, a main administration See PROTESTS on Page 16

Petters to replace Baker as dean of academic affairs Staff Reports The Chronicle

Special to The Chronicle Mathematics professor Arlie Petters will take over as dean of academic affairs July 1.

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Mathematical physicist Arlie Petters will succeed Lee Baker as dean of academic affairs and associate vice provost for undergraduate education, the University announced Tuesday. Petters currently is a professor of mathematics and physics in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of business administration in the Fuqua School of Business. He will begin his new position July 1 and will serve through June 2020. Baker will return to the faculty as a professor of cultural anthropology after serving two terms as dean of academic affairs.

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“Petters’ life experiences make him especially well suited to shepherd Duke’s undergraduate academic program,” Dean of Trinity Valerie Ashby said in a Duke Today release. “As a minority man in the sciences, he has learned how to thrive and crafted a deeply successful career.” Born in Dangriga, Belize, Petters moved to New York as a teenager and became the first in his family to attend college. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Petters’ research on the mathematical theory of gravitational lensing, which he was the first to develop, examines how light is affected by the warping of space and time. He has pioneered applications of gravitational lensing in physics and the development of tests for theories of gravity such as Albert

Serving the University since 1905

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Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Petters’ work has also focused on the nature of spacetime around black holes. Before coming to Duke in 1998, Petters was the director of graduate studies at Princeton University and served on the faculty at MIT. At Duke, he has been a faculty in residence for six years in Wilson and Bassett residence halls. Petters has also served as a pre-major advisor and the director of undergraduate studies for the mathematics department. In addition, he previously directed Duke’s Reginaldo Howard Scholars program. In 2006, the National Academy of Sciences inducted Petters into its Portrait Collection of Distinguished African American Scientists.

@dukechronicle

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See NEW DEAN on Page 4 © 2016 The Chronicle


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April 21, 2016 by Duke Chronicle - Issuu