August 23, 2016

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Going out on top

FAC co-chairs sound off

Coach K finished his Team USA coaching career with a historic third gold medal | Sports Page 7

The seniors leading this year’s FACs share their own O-Week experiences| Page 3

The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 2

Duke’s handling of sexual assault reports under scrutiny Claire Ballentine The Chronicle The University is currently facing a Title IX lawsuit brought by a former student as well as two ongoing investigations into Title IX complaints by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. To date, the federal government has initiated more than 300 investigations into dozens of colleges for potentially violating Title IX—the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings. This month, the OCR opened a new investigation into Duke’s handling of sexual misconduct reports, while a separate probe that was initiated in November 2015 remains open. Also this month, a former Duke student filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University, alleging the school mishandled her sexual misconduct complaint from several years ago. The OCR only releases the names of students who file complaints at the end of its investigations, so at this time it remains unclear whether the lawsuit and either of the two OCR investigations against Duke are connected. The female student’s lawsuit—which was moved to federal court Aug. 9—alleges that she was subject to “a drug-facilitated rape” by two other students while they were undergraduates, one of whom is the stepson of then-Provost Peter Lange. According to the suit, she reported the assault to University officials and the Duke University Police Department, as did other students against the same men.

Graphic by Carolyn Sun | The Chronicle

The plaintiff brought the issue to Duke’s Office of Institutional Equity after the University’s only sanction was putting Lange’s stepson on probation July 12, 2013, the suit states. The OIE later issued a decision which concluded that the University’s response was “sufficient to remedy the hostile educational environment that Plaintiff suffered as a result” and was “sufficient to meet its obligations under Title IX.” “Duke does not comment on pending

litigation,” wrote Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, in an email. “What we can say is that the well-being of all our students is Duke’s highest priority. We follow a careful process when a sexual misconduct allegation is made, one that ensures we are responsive, thorough and fair as federal law and our own policies require.” According to the lawsuit, the Office of Student Conduct hired Celia Irvine, an independent psychologist, to investigate

multiple claims against the two male students. Her report, the complaint alleges, concealed evidence of “drug-facilitated” sexual assault. Irvine could not be reached for comment in time for publication. “The purpose of Ms. Irvine’s report was to fabricate a basis for the University to not suspend, expel or remove [one of the accused students] from the University,” the complaint alleged. Outside legal experts noted that in the female student’s lawsuit against the University, the plaintiff has the challenge of providing concrete evidence in support of her case. “That can take many forms, anything from eyewitness testimony to video to text messages to voicemail messages to emails, something that corroborates or substantiates what the victim said occurred, so it’s not just a ‘he said, she said,’” said Andrew Boutros, a partner at the law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP. A video of the alleged assault was taken by Lange’s stepson and seen by Duke Police investigators, according to the complaint. Erin Buzuvis, a law professor at Western New England University, said the plaintiff has to show what is called “deliberate indifference” on the part of the University, which is different from just arguing that the University took insufficient action. “The plaintiff needs to show intent, intent to not take action, like the University intentionally disregarded the problem,” Buzuvis said. Parts of the complaint referring to See TITLE IX on Page 6

‘A spectacular building’: West Union opens for students Samantha Neal The Chronicle The West Union will be opening its newly renovated glass doors and serving food to all next Monday, Aug. 29. The building is holding a soft opening this week and began serving just lunch this Monday, wrote Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, in an email. The West Union—which contains 13 new eateries operated by nine vendors—will be fully open to students and the public Aug. 29, the first day of classes. As a part of its “First Big Week” programming, there will be a “West Union First Big Welcome” event the afternoon of Sept. 2 before the annual Heatwave concert, and Duke University Union will also be hosting a trivia night Thursday in Devil’s Krafthouse. Students said that they are looking

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forward to finally enjoying additional food options on campus and having a central location to eat and socialize. “I’ve been really excited just walking by it and talking with incoming family members about West Union and what it has to offer, so when I actually get a chance to go eat inside of it and see everything, I think it will be really nice,” sophomore Analese Bridges said. During the last few weeks of the summer, workers have been putting final touches on the $95 million construction project, such as installing doorknobs and glasswork. With the exception of a few minor tweaks that will wrap up as students begin to use the West Union, Moneta said that the construction on the building is complete. “It’s a spectacular building, and I think students are going to be blown away by it,” he noted.

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See WEST UNION on Page 6

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INSIDE — News 2 Sports 7 Classified 13 Crossword 13 Opinion 14

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Han Kang | The Chronicle West Union will begin serving food to students Aug. 29 after its $95 million renovations finished at the end of the summer.

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August 23, 2016 by Duke Chronicle - Issuu