The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
Tuesday, january 26, 2010
YT candidates have ties to DSG, ICC
Disaster in Haiti: Two weeks later Nation still struggling to recover from Jan. 12 earthquake How you can help Visit www.duke.edu haiti to find information on ways to give time and money to aid victims in Haiti.
by Lindsey Rupp and Zachary Tracer The chronicle
The new Young Trustee selection process has yielded its first crop of semifinalists. Six of the seven semifinalists have ties to Duke Student Government or the former Inter-Community Council, now known as the Council for Collaborative Action, and four are leaders of student organizations. The Young Trustee Nominating Committee will interview semifinalists today and release a list of three finalists news Thursday night. Special Secretary for analysis the Young Trustee process Amanda Turner, a junior, said the list of semifinalists to hold a spot on the Board of Trustees did not surprise her. “I guess that’s kind of indicative of the process and how it’s a similar issue that was brought up before, that only people who know about the process care enough to run,” said Turner, who is also president of the Black Student Alliance. “Hopefully, the general election may encourage more people beyond the DSG and ICC circles [to run].” At least 12 on the nominating committee are current members of DSG or ICC, and most of the at-large members disclosed some connection to semifinalists. Still, members of the selection committee said they are working to limit the potential for conflict of interest. “I’m not evaluating them on, ‘Do I like them?’” said DSG Executive Vice President Gregory Morrison, a junior. “I’m evaluating them on, ‘Can they do a job? Will they be good for Duke?’” To minimize bias in selecting semifinalists, all identifying information was supposed to be removed from individuals’ applications by a non-voting chair. Students submitted applications to Morrison before a chair could be elected, leaving him to redact the applications and exposing him to the identities of all the applicants. YTNC Chair Lauren Moxley, a sophomore, said that although the situation was not ideal, Morrison did not voice any partiality in discussions. “It was unfortunate that that had to happen this time, but we will make sure that doesn’t happen in the future,” she said. Turner said she was pleased to see three women on the list of semifinalists, but said the lack of racial diversity was an issue. “It’s disappointing, but as someone who worked on this last year, you have to reach out to them,” Turner said. “It’s not an apathy about the position, but you need to make the position more relevant to people.” See YT on page 9
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 81
www.dukechronicle.com
How to give You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “HAITI” to 9099. The donation will be charged to your cell phone bill. Students can also use their DukeCard account to make donations on FLEX by visiting http://dukecard. duke.edu/studentdisasterrelief/. How you can get involved The Chaplain’s Office of Duke Divinity School is sponsoring a “Hope for Haiti” benefit concert in Page Auditorium Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Performers will include dancer Gaspard Louis, violinist Reginald Patterson and blues guitarist Toby Bonar. Attendees are asked to donate $10 at the door and all proceeds will go to charities that aid victims in Haiti. If you want to make yourself available to travel to Haiti as a volunteer, sign up to join the Duke University Hospital State Medical Assistance Team by visiting ServNC.org. If the federal government requests assistance from North Carolina, Duke’s SMAT could be asked to travel to Haiti.
Carol Guzy/The washington post
Home dedication, court ruling bring closure in UNC senior’s passing A ceremony in Chapel Hill Saturday marked the dedication of the Courtland Benjamin Smith Memorial House, which will honor the memory of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill senior who was shot and killed last Fall. The house will be constructed by members of UNC’s chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and other Habitat for Humanity volunteers. Courtland Smith was the president of UNC’s DKE chapter at the time of his death. The Houston, Texas native was pulled over and shot by Courtland Smith Archdale, N.C. police officers Aug. 23, 2009 after he called 911 intoxicated to ask authorities for help, discussing thoughts of suicide and saying he had a gun. Randolph County District Attorney Garland Yates ruled last month that the actions of Archdale police officers during the incident were justified. Smith repeatedly ignored officers’ warnings to retreat back to his vehicle with his hands up and continued to approach the police holding a concealed black object, WRAL reported Dec. 4. Investigators later discovered that Smith possessed a Blackberry cell phone, but no weapon.
ONTHERECORD
“The workers are so regimented about their portions.... I keep thinking, ‘I’m paying $8.69 for this?’ It’s frustrating.”
—DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor on the Great Hall. See story page 3
The (Raleigh) News & Observer and several other news organizations filed a public records lawsuit requesting the release of video footage of the shooting captured on a police car camera. A Randolph County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that the video would not be made public. “[The sealed video] allows us to concentrate on the home,” Smith’s father, Pharr Smith told The (Durham) Herald-Sun during Saturday’s memorial. “We are celebrating a life rather than mourning a life.” The Smith House will serve as a home for a refugee family from Myanmar. Lion and Zar Ree Wei fled the country’s oppressive military regime to settle in the Chapel Hill area. Both are now employed as housekeepers at UNC and they will live in the house with their six children, the (Raleigh) News & Observer reported Sunday. “We see this project as an important opportunity for DKE to contribute meaningfully to the community and give the chapter, parents and alumni a constructive way to cope with the enormous loss we suffered after Courtland’s death,” said UNC junior Davis Willingham, DKE’s new president. —from staff reports
From nursing to deanship Catherine Gilliss, Trinity ’71, was recently named Dean of the Nursing School, SEE Q&A PAGE 4
Cohen: Allow Smith to reintroduce himself, Page 10
2 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle
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Venezuelan president orders popular TV show off the air
Biden’s son decides not to Obama to aid middle class run for father’s senate seat WASHINGTON, D.C. — Promising repeatedly to “keep fighting” for average Americans, President Barack Obama rolled out new proposals Monday to help middleclass families, setting the stage for his first State of the Union address Wednesday. “Unfortunately, the middle class has been under assault for a long time,” Obama told a gathering of his Task Force on Middle Class Families at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House. “Too many Americans have known their own painful recessions long before any economist declared that there was a recession.” Previewing key themes of his upcoming address to the nation, Obama unveiled initiatives to help the middle class by making it easier for people to care for dependents, repay student loans and save for retirement.
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Everything you can imagine is real. — Pablo Picasso
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden will not run for his father’s former Senate seat, he announced via email to supporters Monday morning. “I have a duty to fulfill as Attorney General—and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence,” Biden wrote. “And that is what I must do. Therefore I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010. I will run for reelection as Attorney General.” The decision is a huge blow for Senate Democrats who had long insisted Biden was a certain candidate. Republican Rep. Mike Castle is now a strong favorite for the open seat. Of Biden’s decision, Castle said: “I respect Beau Biden’s decision to remain focused on his significant responsibilities as Delaware’s Attorney General.”
TODAY IN HISTORY 1837: Michigan admitted as 26th US state
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Caracas, VENEZUELA — Venezuela President Hugo Chavez’s government ordered cable providers Sunday to stop showing the popular television station RCTV, which had violated regulations requiring broadcasters to televise the socialist leader’s long speeches in their entirety. The measure sent shudders among press freedom advocates and generated concerns in President Barack Obama’s administration, which is frequently the target of Chavez’s barbs. RCTV has been a target of the government in the past. In 2007, the government declined to renew RCTV’s license to broadcast on the public airwaves, forcing the station onto cable. “This is done without a judge’s order, without any administrative hearing,” Marcel Granier, director of RCTV, said by phone from Caracas. “In no democracy does this happen. Those in the govern-
ment simply do not tolerate any medium that tells people how things really are.” Shortly past midnight, cable providers took the 57-year-old station off the air after the station did not broadcast a Chavez speech at a pro-government rally held Saturday. The state’s Bolivarian News Agency said seven stations were suspended for not complying with regulations. “There are some that take pleasure in challenging the government,” Chavez said on his Sunday television show, “Hello President.” “If they do not follow the law, they have to go. But it’s their decision, not ours.” The Obama administration and press freedom groups saw the government’s decision as a way to muzzle one of the few television outlets in Venezuela that criticizes the 11-year-old government.
Elin McCoy/Bloomberg News
Chilean winemaker Matias Rios grows eco-friendly pinot noir vines at Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery, the oldest in Chile. Rios soaks the vines in garlic and oil in order to keep insects called burritos from destroying the crop, and even releases 1,000 white geese into the vineyards to eat the bugs. Chile’s isolation and dry climate make organic farming easier by keeping most pests and diseases away.
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the chronicle
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 3
duke university student dining advisory committee
DUSDAC evaluates Panda, Tommy’s, Great Hall by Sanette Tanaka The chronicle
The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee began its meeting Monday night with one objective: to try something new. With that goal in mind, DUSDAC members ventured across campus to evaluate the service and food at three dining options: Panda Express, Tommy’s Rubs and Grubs and the Great Hall. After ordering dinner, everyone reconvened to discuss their experiences. Based on the general consensus, Panda Express had the friendliest service, Tommy’s managed fairly well with a staff of two and the Great Hall was a hit or miss depending on the station. Food preferences varied at all locations. The biggest complaint was with regards to small portion sizes at the Great Hall. “The workers are so regimented about their portions,” said
DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor, a senior. “I keep thinking, ‘I’m paying $8.69 for this?’ It’s frustrating.” DUSDAC plans to continue regular evaluations of campus vendors to gain a better picture of student experiences at the eateries. The committee also discussed recent findings in the People’s Choice survey, which asked 1,300 students to assess various eateries and included more than 800 written comments. “I look at this as our report card,” Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said. “I want to be able to share all the information we get with every vendor so they know what their customers are saying.” The information will be sorted into separate comments about the service and food quality of each eatery by the end of the week, Wulforst said. “This is a good way for us, as a committee, to find out what the
Duke student community wants so we can advocate for that,” said junior Alex Klein, DUSDAC cochair and The Chronicle’s online editor. He added that some results were surprising and would be discussed further in future meetings. In other business: DUSDAC’s Berry Tripping event will take place Thursday at 9 p.m. in the Bryan Center. Students will be able to sample foods like Skittles and vinegar after eating taste-altering berries known as miracle fruit. Tickets will be on sale this week on the West Campus Plaza for $5. The Committee also plans to apply for additional funds from Duke Student Government. “We are looking at ways to make sure we’re doing as good of a job as possible to evaluate on- and off-campus eateries,” Klein said.
caroline rodriguez/The Chronicle
After purchasing dinner at Panda Express, Tommy’s and the Great Hall, DUSDAC members discusses their experiences at the three on-campus eateries at its meeting Monday evening.
Research building evacuated after chemical spill and can corrode the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Other researchers present when the spill occurred were able to contain the chemical, said Assistant Chief Gloria Graham of the Duke University Police Department. Duke’s Occupational and Environmental Safety Office and the Durham Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit arrived and successfully cleaned up the spill, said
by Rachna Reddy The chronicle
The fourth floor of the Nanaline H. Duke Building on Research Drive was evacuated when a chemical spilled at 11:24 a.m. Monday. A container was knocked from a table as a researcher fainted and fell, bumping her head. The bottle contained phenol, a chemical that is toxic when inhaled
Keith Lawrence, director of media relations in Duke’s Office of News & Communications. The researcher who fainted sustained a bump on her head, but there were no other injuries. Graham said she believed the woman was taken to the emergency room. “We were obviously very lucky and very happy to hear that there were no additional injuries,” Graham said.
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4 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle
Q &A with Catherine Gilliss Catherine Gilliss, Helene Fund Health Trust professor of nursing and dean of the School of Nursing, is Duke Medicine’s first vice chancellor for nursing affairs. She graduated with a bachelor’s in nursing from Duke in 1971 and assumed presidency of the American Academy of Nursing last November. The Chronicle’s Shaoli Chaudhuri reports. The Chronicle: You’re the first Duke alumna in 75 years to be Dean of the School of Nursing. How do you think your experiences with Duke will and have already contributed to your tenure as president of the American Academy of Nursing? Catherine Gilliss: The reason that I came back to Duke after many, many years is that Duke has a particular governing structure that brings Catherine Gilliss nursing education much closer to nursing service. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been exposed to and have come to understand much better the problems of service delivery than I ever understood before in my various academic appointments. The Academy’s mission involves using knowledge in service to policy development, for nursing care and health care. And so my experience at Duke, particularly understanding how we deliver care and what our issues are in an academic health center, I think will inform my understanding of the issues that we’ll be advancing at the academy. TC: You’re certainly making progress in education and research but given the health care debate and the uncertainty of
its future, what role do you think you, the academy and Duke will have in its future? CG: The situation right now is unstable for those who were left-leaning and hoped for more public service for meeting the needs of 45 million uninsured people— that probably won’t happen. But there are still some important issues on the table. I am at Duke, but... speaking on behalf of the academy, we’re in the process of working on a strategic plan right now, we know that the issues we want to work on— whether the health reform agenda changes or not—involve quality and safety, issues that nurses are very much in a position to control or alter. We want to work on issues of information technology, meaningful use, making sure that nurses who are managing patient care have the opportunity to participate in designing and improving the systems of data collection and data use that will improve patient care. And right now we’re also very involved in working to advance the utilization of all nurses at their fullest scope of practice. It’s the case that particular advanced practice nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, even sometimes nurse anesthetists are not permitted to use the full set of skills for which they’re licensed and then licensing varies from state to state across the country. The academy would really like to be able to advance an agenda... that would remove the regulatory barriers across the country, state by state, so we’re working with folks to try to figure out what the right strategy is to be able to do that. TC: Why did you think it was important
to help initiate a nursing Ph.D. program here? CG: The Duke School of Nursing was, at the time that we launched it, the highest ranking U.S. News & World Report program in the country that didn’t have a Ph.D. program.... We had pretty successful entry-level, lower-level programs but we didn’t have programs to do science in nursing. Most people can’t even imagine what science is like in nursing or what the questions are that nurses would explore because the public image is portrayed pretty inaccurately on shows like “Scrubs”.... In “ER,” the fabulous Julianna Margulies character who was a very good nurse moves on and goes to [medical] school. It sort of reinforces the sense that if you’re smart enough, you want to be a doctor and not be a nurse. There’s a lot of intellectual activity in nursing.... We felt at Duke that it was very important, given the interdisciplinary nature of the campus and the pressing questions in the field, that we organize and implement a Ph.D. program so that we could prepare scientists for academic nursing roles. There’s a very significant shortage of nurses in the country, world-wide actually. This is because there’s a significant short-
age of faculty members, and we believe we’re contributing to the preparation—its not a big program—but we’re participating in preparing people to be teachers in nursing and scientists in nursing. TC: What do you think the future has in store for the nursing profession? CG: You know, this has been a time of great hope, the last year, because there were assumptions that health care could sort of rationalize team delivery of health care and I still have that hope. I think where we can document that safe and quality care is still delivered, there should be some task shifting from physicians to advanced practice nurses, from advanced practice nurses to registered nurses and frankly from registered nurses to people who have limited licensure and in some cases have no licensure. There are models of care that we believe we could help design to implement that would be community-embedded. [They] would reach people that find it hard to travel to get the care they need.... There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be sort of tipping this over and going out to people where they need us and we can do that with less expensive providers.... Many people don’t need a sophisticated level of medical background to meet their basic health needs.
Don’t nod off in class. Visit www.chronicleblogs.com for the latest news updates.
The 2010 AB Duke Speaker Series
The Future of the Human Body
perspectives on genomics, technology, and the perils and promises of cracking the code. Pricilla Wald Clones, Chimeras, and Other Creatures of the Biotechnological Revolution Thursday, Jan 26, 6pm, in 0012 Westbrook Priscilla Wald is a professor of English and Women's Studies at Duke, and author of Contagious: Cultures, Carriers, and the Outbreak Narrative. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. She is currently working on a book-length project analyzing the cultural effects of information emerging from research in the genome sciences as it circulates through mainstream media and popular culture.
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the chronicle
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 5
Wall Street ‘buckles’ to Washington, cuts pay Afghanistan postpones election by Michael Moore Bloomberg News
NEW YORK — Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase’s investment bank slashed their compensation in the fourth quarter, responding to political pressure that will probably persist as details of bonuses for their top executives emerge in coming weeks. The three Wall Street firms set aside $39.9 billion for pay in 2009, below the 2007 record of $44.7 billion. The total fell short of the $46.1 billion five analysts expected this month and is almost $10 billion less than what some analysts estimated in October. “There’s no question that Wall Street got the message from Washington,” said Michael Robinson, a senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications and former head of public affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commission. “But positioning the big banks with big bonuses as the bad guys has played well for politicians, and they are likely going to keep coming back to it. To some extent, banks are just going to have to be prepared for that.” President Barack Obama called bank bonuses “obscene” for the second time in a week on Jan. 21. The next day, Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., called the industry’s practices “reckless” during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on compensation. Banks are disclosing stock awards handed out to top executives in the next few weeks. Morgan Stanley submitted filings for 10 of its executives and directors on Jan. 22. James Gorman, who became the firm’s chief executive officer at the start of this year, was awarded deferred stock grants valued at about $8.6 million for 2009, the filings showed. Walid Chammah, co-president until this year, received stock awards valued at a total of $6.6 million. John Mack, the firm’s CEO until this year and still its chairman, did not take a bonus.
by Keith Richburg The Washington Post
Lloyd Blankfein, 55, and Jamie Dimon, 53, the CEOs of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, and Mack, 65, defended their firms’ pay practices in a Jan. 13 hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. They said making senior executives hold shares they receive as compensation aligns their interests with shareholders. At Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan’s investment bank, all based in New York, pay expenses equate to about $24 billion in bonuses, based on pay consultant Options Group’s estimate that yearend awards account for 60 percent of total compensation costs. While that would be an increase of 29 percent from the estimated levels of a year ago, it is below the estimated payout for 2007. Goldman Sachs subtracted $519 million from its compensation pool in the fourth quarter and made $500 million in charitable donations. That brought full-year pay costs to $16.2 billion, or 36 percent of revenue, the smallest portion since the firm went public in 1999. Goldman Sachs’s decision reflected
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“management buckling to media/Washington pressure on pay,” Macquarie Group analyst David Trone wrote in a note to investors. “Paying out at a 36 percent rate is unlikely to be attempted two years in a row, lest the company see an outflow of talent and its franchise destroyed.” Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer David Viniar said the firm tried to “balance the needs of the public versus being fair to our people” on compensation, and he does not expect many employees to leave in protest about the pay cuts. Even with lower amounts allocated in the fourth quarter, the compensation costs are enough to pay each employee at the three firms $336,843, more than six times the U.S. median household income of See compensation on page 7
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s election commission announced Sunday that it is postponing scheduled parliamentary elections from May until September, bowing to logistical concerns, worries about potential voting fraud and the likelihood that the U.S. troop “surge” will lead to intensified fighting in parts of the country. As the troop buildup continues, five more U.S. service members were killed in the past 24 hours in the volatile south of Afghanistan, the focus of the surge and where the Taliban insurgency is most entrenched. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force reported that three Americans were killed Sunday by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and that two more Americans died on Saturday, also from roadside bombs. Their deaths bring to 26 the number of U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan this month, according to the Web site iCasualties.org, which tracks U.S. and coalition fatalities. U.S. military commanders said they expect casualties to continue to grow as the fighting escalates. By comparison, in January 2009, 15 U.S. personnel were killed in Afghanistan, according to iCasualties.org.
6 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle
Ninety killed in Ethiopian With tents lacking, Haitians create Airlines plane crash by Massoud Derhally and Jason McLure Bloomberg News
BEIRUT — An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Co. 737 with 90 people on board crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Beirut after departing the Lebanese capital in stormy weather early Monday morning. There were no reports of survivors. Twenty-one bodies have been found, with the search focused five miles offshore. The jetliner’s voice and data recorders are likely to be recovered and should reveal what brought it down, Elias Murr, Lebanon’s defense minister said. “In principle the weather factor is the cause of the crash,” Murr said at a press conference in Beirut, which has been lashed by heavy rain and high winds for much of the past two days. “There is no evidence of foul play.” Flight ET409 left the city’s Rafik Hariri International Airport for Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, at 2:35 a.m. and lost contact with air traffic control shortly afterward. The crash is the fourth fatal accident involving the new generation of Boeing 737s introduced 12 years ago and Ethiopian Airlines’ first since 1988, excluding a fatal hijacking in 1996, according to data compiled by London-based aviation consultant Ascend. Water at the crash site is between 164-328 feet deep, Murr said. Local military personnel are being assisted by a U.S. ship, a helicopter from Britain’s Royal Air Force and forces from France and the United Nations. “Weather conditions are very harsh,” Lebanese army Brigadier Saleh Haj Suleiman said in a telephone interview, adding that no survivors have so far been found. Flames were seen coming from the aircraft before the crash near Na’ameh town, south of Beirut, according to the state-run Lebanese National News Agency. Terrorism is unlikely to have been a factor, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said in Beirut. Saad Hariri, the country’s prime minister, declared Monday a day of mourning for the victims of the event. “It was manageable weather, otherwise the crew wouldn’t have taken off,” Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Girma Wake told reporters at a briefing in Addis Ababa. The plane’s passengers included 51 Lebanese and 23 Ethiopians, the carrier said on its Web site. The eight crew were all Ethiopian.
The crashed 737-800 was built in 2002 and operated with Irish discount carrier Ryanair until April last year, when it went to CIT Group’s aerospace unit before being leased to Ethiopian Airlines in September, according to Ascend. It was powered by engines from the CFM International joint venture of General Electric and France’s Safran. Boeing is working with the National Transportation Safety Board to assist Lebanese authorities with the probe, spokesperson Sandy Angers said. Addis Abababased Ethiopian Airlines, which is state owned, said it had sent investigators to the scene of the crash. Paul Hayes, director of safety at Ascend, said both the airline and model of plane involved have sound safety records. “Ethiopian Airlines is a small carrier that’s generally seen as having a good reputation for safety, while the current generation of Boeing 737s has been in use in large numbers for 10 years and has an excellent record,” he said. The plane was also carrying two Britons and one person each from Turkey, France, Russia, Canada, Syria and Iraq, the airline said. The Lebanese National News Agency put the number of Lebanese citizens at 54, saying that some held dual citizenship. The wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon was among those on the plane, said Anne-Charlotte Dommartin, a spokesperson for the French embassy in Beirut. The flight was slightly delayed, having been due to take off at 2:10 a.m. At Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, people have been told to wait for further information on possible survivors, said Tedros Abdissa, whose 35-yearold cousin Tegist Shokur was on the flight. “She was a domestic servant and her employer beat her up so she chose to leave,” he said in an interview at the airport. Ethiopian Airlines operates a fleet of 37 planes, most of them Boeing aircraft, according to its Web site. The carrier hasn’t suffered a fatal crash since November 1996, when 125 people died during the hijacking of a Boeing 767 en route to Nairobi, according to the Flight Safety Foundation. The plane ditched off the Comoros islands as it ran short of fuel after the hijackers sought to divert it to Australia. A 737-200 operated by the airline crashed after takeoff in 1988, killing 35 passengers, after the plane flew through a flock of birds which were ingested into its engines, according to Ascend.
makeshift camps by William Booth and Peter Slevin The Washington Post
CROIX DES BOUQUETS, Haiti — Aid organizations struggling to shelter more than 600,000 Haitians made homeless by the earthquake said Sunday there are only 10,000 tents in the country, and that they remain in a warehouse, relegating the population to many more nights in squalid camps and on street sidewalks. “We have a severe shortage of tents,” said Niurka Pineiro of the International Organization for Migration, the lead agency tasked with creating immediate solutions for Haitians left without a roof over their heads. The IOM is preparing its first official tent city for 10,000 people here in the dry, flat cactus scrub west of the town of Croix des Bouquets, about 10 miles from the Port-au-Prince airport. The site is baking hot, barren, dusty and located next to a half-constructed development gone bust called Village des Antilles. The “village” was abandoned five or six years ago, according to Jean Francois Pitesse, a guard, who said, “They ran out of money.” What is left is a concrete block ghost town painted in South Florida pastels, now roofless, rotting. Relief officials say they cannot erect the tents here until they build latrines and arrange for water. According to Stevenson Brea, a man from Croix des Bouquets who showed up because he heard there might be work, the foreigners came with bulldozers, leveled the field, and then left—three days ago. Nobody was working at the site Sunday. A local man, who was gathering the upended tree roots at the site to make charcoal, wondered why anyone would want to live so far from the city, in the middle of a herd of goats, with no services, transportation or work. But relief officials are planning to operate a cash-for-work program at the site, whereby the tented residents would be paid five dollars a day to build their own homes—or perhaps convert the Village of Antilles into something habitable. Mountains of supplies are pouring into the overwhelmed airport in Port-au-Prince, but for each new crate of antibiotics or pallet of condensed milk, a new exasperating bottleneck appears. Italy’s top disaster official called the Haiti quake-relief effort “pathetic” and disorganized and compared the response to the early days after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Speaking to Italian state television from Port-au-Prince, Guido Bertolaso, Italy’s civil protection chief, said what was needed was for a single international civilian coordinator to take charge and for the humanitarian effort to be demilitarized. “Unfortunately, there’s this need to make a `bella figura’ before the TV cameras rather than focus on what’s under the debris,” he said.
the chronicle
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 7
Lethal blasts in Baghdad target hotel compounds licemen secured the scene, Ahmed Attiyah, 36, wept uncontrollably. He held identification cards belonging to a BAGHDAD — Suicide bombers targeted high-profile dead friend. Attiyah said he saw half of his friend’s body hotels in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people on the ground after the blast. He knew who it was, he and wounding dozens, in the latest in a series of coordi- said, because he recognized the jacket. Wissam Mahmoud, who works in the Hamra, said he nated attacks thought to have been carried out by Sunni insurgents determined to discredit the Shiite-led govern- saw the shootout from a hotel balcony. The explosion threw him across the room. “I thought this was the safment as the U.S. military withdraws. The blasts suggest that a weakened insurgency, battling est place in Baghdad,” said Mahmoud, his arm in a sling. the government under the banner of al-Qaida in Iraq, has “No place is safe.” A U.S. military team responded to the scene nearly chosen to carry out a smaller number of more powerful and more sophisticated attacks that target prominent, fortified four hours after the blast. The patrol comcompounds in the capital. In the mander, who spoke past, the group frequently target“I thought this was the safest on the condition that ed Shiite civilians in easy-to-access no name be used, sugareas such as markets in an effort place in Baghdad.... No place is gested that insurgents to stoke sectarian violence. picked the hotels beBy striking at hotels that safe.” government house Western journalists and — Wissam Mahmoud, cause buildings have become nongovernmental organizations, insurgents appeared to Hamra Hotel worker in Baghdad heavily fortified in the wake of coordinated broaden their scope, sending a explosions in August, message to foreigners to stay out October and December as parliamentary elections loom just weeks away. The Hamra and Sheraton hotels, both that killed hundreds and left key ministries in shambles. Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker close to Prime Minister Nouri of which were hit Monday, are iconic buildings in postinvasion Iraq that are associated with the flood of foreign al-Maliki, blamed the attacks on remnants of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party. “They are trying to stop the politijournalists who traveled here to cover the war. Monday’s bombings coincided with the execution of a cal process,” he said. “They targeted the media offices so cousin of Saddam Hussein known as Chemical Ali, who the bombings would echo.” He said he doubted the attacks were carried out in rewas convicted of orchestrating poison gas attacks that killed more than 5,000 Kurds in 1988. His death marked sponse to the execution of Chemical Ali, whose real name the end of a painful chapter in Iraq’s history, but the was Ali Hassan al-Majeed. But government spokesman Ali bombings confirmed that a struggle for power is still be- al-Dabbagh said he thought the two were linked. Iraqi officials have in recent months taken down ceing waged between Sunni extremists marginalized after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and the Shiite-dominated gov- ment barriers along prominent streets, including areas ernment that came to power after Saddam was deposed. near compounds where journalists are based, because Both the insurgents and the Iraqi government see they say the structures are no longer necessary in a counthe weeks leading to the March 7 parliamentary elec- try where security has improved. After failing to persuade tions as a key period to prove their mettle. Extremists the officials to keep the barriers up, some Western news want to make a U.S.-backed, democratic Iraq untenable organizations have opted for more secure locales. Several days ago, an Iraqi commander from the Baghso they can return to power; Iraqi government leaders want to show that they can maintain security as the U.S. dad Operations Command arrived at the Hamra compound and ordered that the guards abandon their checkmilitary draws down. Monday’s bombings occurred shortly before 4 p.m. points and that blast walls be removed. After journalists and targeted the Sheraton, Babylon and Hamra hotels, protested and sought help from U.S. and Iraqi officials, all of which are located in high-security compounds that the Iraqi commander was overruled. have been popular among Westerners. The Washington Post’s bureau is in the Hamra Hotel compound. Three of the newspaper’s Iraqi employees were wounded. Several other Western news organizations have offices in or near the Hamra and the Sheraton. The bombings were carried out in close succession. The Sheraton, no longer run by the namesake hotel chain, was the first location targeted. The Babylon, which is nearby and also on the banks of the Tigris River, was hit next. Minutes later, two men walked up to one of the two checkpoints that lead to the Hamra, according to witnesses. One of the men was dressed in a brown suit. Using pistols, the assailants opened fire on the four guards at the checkpoint, witnesses said. “That forced the guards to the rear,” said a compound security supervisor who witnessed the ambush. One of the assailants lifted the security barrier at the checkpoint, allowing a white minivan packed with explosives to enter. As the vehicle weaved through cement barriers at the entrance, one of the guards shot the driver, apparently killing him and causing the vehicle to stop roughly 40 yards inside the compound but 50 yards from the hotel building. “That’s why we’re alive today,” said the security manager, who spoke on the condition that no name be used. The security manager said an accomplice acting as a lookout must have detonated the explosives remotely after realizing the driver had been shot. The blast left a crater roughly 10 feet deep and 75 feet around. It caused houses to crumble and shattered most of the hotel’s windows. Gen. Hussein Kamal, the head of intelligence at the Interior Ministry, said Monday night that officials had received reports about threats to hotels. He said officials alerted the Babylon Hotel management that suicide bombers might strike there to target politicians meeting inside. After the blast at the Hamra, as Iraqi soldiers and poby Ernesto Londono and Leila Fadel The Washington Post
compensation from page 5 $50,303 in 2008. Individual compensation varies widely within investment banks, with low-level employees often earning bonuses of less than $100,000 while global division heads may receive compensation topping $10 million, according to an Options Group report. “The American taxpayers are angry that their tax dollars lifted many financial firms in a time of crisis while some of these same firms now have reported record profits and are handing out lavish bonuses,” Carson said at the hearing. “Some of these firms have not turned around yet, but continue to follow reckless compensation practices.” Goldman Sachs employee stock awards will be priced at the Jan. 22 closing level, according to a person familiar with the situation. The 8.1 percent drop in the stock that day and Jan. 21 means the executives will receive a greater number of shares than they would have earlier in the week and have more opportunity to profit. Executives are restricted from selling the shares for five years, prohibiting them from pocketing any quick gains. JPMorgan allocated $549 million for investment-bank compensation in the fourth quarter, down 80 percent from the third quarter. That brought full-year compensation costs at the investment bank, which more than doubled its revenue from 2008, to $9.33 billion. Morgan Stanley, which added 15,000 employees in June through its Morgan Stanley Smith Barney wealth-management joint venture, set aside $14.4 billion for pay, less per employee than in 2007. The lower costs helped Goldman Sachs earn $4.95 billion in the fourth quarter, bringing its full-year profit to $13.4 billion. JPMorgan earned $11.7 billion for the year, while Morgan Stanley reported full-year net income of $1.35 billion. Payment of bonuses in stock rather than cash can result in higher reported earnings because the firms often do not have to record the expense on their income statements until the shares vest. Viniar said the vesting schedule did not materially lower Goldman’s compensation ratio. Firms detail the compensation of five of their highest ranking executives in a proxy statement sent to investors before their annual meetings. Officers and directors of the firm must submit filings to the SEC disclosing shares they are awarded within days of receiving them. Those filings may receive more attention this year because banks are expected to pay a greater portion of compensation in stock in part to satisfy regulators’ calls to tie pay to long-term performance. Samuel Robinson, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley spokesman Mark Lake declined to comment beyond the firms’ statements. Kristin Lemkau, a JPMorgan spokeswoman, did not return calls for comment. Bank of America and New York-based Citigroup do not break out compensation data for their investmentbanking units.
8 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle
President Obama to propose freeze on spending by Lori Montgomery The Washington Post
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Under mounting pressure to rein in mammoth budget deficits, President Barack Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a three-year freeze on federal spending that is not related to national security, a concession to public concern about government spending that could dramatically curtail Obama’s legislative ambitions. The freeze would take effect in October and limit the overall budget for agencies other than the military, veterans affairs, homeland security and certain international programs to $447 billion a year for the remainder of Obama's first term, senior administration officials said Monday, imposing sharp limits on his ability to begin initiatives for education, the environment and other areas of domestic policy. Although the freeze would shave no more than $15 billion off next year's budget—barely denting a deficit projected to exceed $1 trillion for the third year in a row— White House officials said it could save significantly more during the next decade. They view the initiative as a critical component of a broader deficit-reduction campaign intended to restore confidence in Obama’s ability to control the excesses of Washington and the most lavish aspirations of his own administration. “You can’t afford to do everything that you might have always wanted to do. That's the decision-making process that the president and the economic team went through,” said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the speech the president will deliver on Wednesday night. “We’re not here to tell you that we've solved the deficit. But you have to take steps to control spending.” The announcement comes less than a week after Massachusetts voters sent shock waves through the Democratic establishment by handing Republicans a crucial 41st seat in the Senate and the power to block Obama’s legislative agenda. After spending much of his first year in office pursuing expensive measures to revive a faltering economy and overhaul the health-care system, Obama has pledged
to devote much of the next year to reducing budget deficits, which have forced the Treasury Department to increase borrowing, driving the accumulated national debt to dizzying levels. Obama’s commitment to that goal will be an important theme of his address to Congress, administration officials said, and will be fully detailed in the budget he is due to submit to lawmakers early next week. Administration officials have declined to say specifically how Obama plans to reduce deficits projected to add more than $9 trillion to the national debt during the next decade. But the president has endorsed several measures aimed at meeting that goal, including the adoption of stringent pay-as-you-go
“Given Washington Democrats’ unprecedented spending binge, this is like announcing you’re going on a diet after winning a pie-eating contest.” — Michael Steel, spokesman for representative John Boehner budget rules that would bar lawmakers from passing programs that increase deficits and the creation of a bipartisan commission to work toward a balanced budget. The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a plan to create a budget commission, though supporters say they lack the 60 votes needed for adoption. Obama has told lawmakers that if the measure fails, he will issue an executive order creating such a task force and ordering it to develop a plan that would raise taxes while restraining spending on big entitlement programs, such as Medicare, Medicare and Social Security, which threaten to drive the nation's debt toward levels not seen since World War II. Spending on those programs—known as “mandatory” or “entitlement” programs, because the law requires ev-
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eryone eligible to receive benefits—constitutes nearly twothirds of the nation's $3 trillion budget. The remaining third is known as “discretionary” spending, because it falls under congressional control. The spending freeze Obama plans to announce Wednesday would affect only the nonsecurity portion of discretionary spending, or about oneeighth of the overall budget. The freeze is likely to be met with a mixed reaction on Capitol Hill. Conservative Democrats, including Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and members of the House Blue Dog Coalition, have been calling for a spending freeze backed by the threat of a presidential veto. But liberals have resisted freezing spending, particularly on social programs, and are likely to call on Obama to extend any freeze to military programs. “I think it’s entirely possible to do,” said Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., a strong proponent of balanced budgets. “It’s relatively modest in terms of overall deficit reduction. But it sends an important signal that everything is on the table.” Republicans mocked the idea, which comes after a year in which Obama sought and won a $787 billion fiscal stimulus package and has pursued a far-reaching overhaul of the health-care system expected to cost about $900 billion over the next decade. “Given Washington Democrats’ unprecedented spending binge, this is like announcing you're going on a diet after winning a pie-eating contest,” said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The White House quickly fired back, noting that nonsecurity discretionary funding nearly doubled between 1995 and 2006, when the House—and periodically the Senate—was in Republican control. It was not clear Monday which programs would be most affected by a freeze. Administration officials said Obama would not freeze spending across the board but would increase investments in some agencies while slashing others. For example, Democrats are eager to authorize programs to create jobs as part of an effort to lower a 10 percent unemployment rate and to offer additional help to a struggling middle class in the run-up to November's congressional elections.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 9
For U.S. soldiers, survivors’ needs comes before the mission by Dana Hedgpeth The Washington Post
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Haitian men stood outside the razor wire, lined up on both sides of the dirt road, waiting. When Army Capt. Andrew Salmo stepped out from the makeshift military quarters in a former school, he and about 20 of his men were swarmed by the Haitians. With iPhones, they snapped pictures of the soldiers, asked for food, water and jobs, trying to show the troops their government ID cards and get them to take down their names and skills. It took the soldiers almost 20 minutes to go about half a block to a church where they planned to take food and water. “People are friendly,” Salmo, 28, said. “They don’t want just handouts. They want jobs. I have to tell them ‘No, we’re the Army. We’re not Ford Motor Company.’” Since arriving in Haiti last week, the 140 infantrymen have delivered more than 15,000 meals and 30,000 bottles of water. Salmo and his men of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne— about 40 percent of whom have served in Iraq and Afghanistan—are trying to focus on getting help to Cite Soleil, a shantytown just outside the capital where about 300,000 people live under tin roofs and in tents made with bedsheets. It is considered one of the poorest places in Haiti—and in the Western Hemisphere. The town, some say, did not have as much damage from the earthquake as other places because it was too poor to fall, having few two-story buildings. Still, 3,000 people died there and 15,000 were injured. But Cite Soleil’s police chief worries that criminals who escaped from a nearby prison damaged by the quake will again take up in Cite Soleil. For years, the area was dominated by gangs notorious for kidnappings and killings. But in 2004, after U.N. security forces arrived, the town’s violence ebbed and many of the gang leaders were eventually thrown in jail. Days after the earthquake, some gang leaders who had escaped from the prison showed up at the police station and asked for a weapons cache, Haitian police said. And a few gang members—one of whom was named “Blade,” after the Wesley Snipes movie about a vampire—were lynched by a mob after they tried to reorganize, the police said. Aristide Rosemond, the city’s police chief, lost his parents, his wife and daughter in the earthquake but has been going to work every day to try to maintain control of his force. He has only three or four police officers per shift on the streets. Usually he
carol guzy/The washington post
An American soldier watches as locals remove items from a damaged store in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. U.S. soldiers often prioritize the needs of survivors over their mission. would have 15. For Salmo, who served 12 months in Iraq in 2005, establishing a relationship with local leaders is crucial to helping the Haitians help themselves in the long term—a strategy he tried in Iraq. “All we’re doing now is passing out fish,” he said. “If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.” He’s hired locals who speak English to help him figure out whom to trust, paying them mostly in MREs—Meals Ready to Eat. Rosemond asked Salmo whether the U.S. military could keep a presence in the town by passing out food and water, as it had earlier in the week, hoping that criminals who see Americans in uniform would be deterred from picking up guns he believes they have stashed away. “What about offering people food and water in exchange for turning in their weapons?” Salmo asked. The police chief agreed that could work, but Salmo said he’d need to check with his higher-ups before they started it. After meeting with Rosemond, Salmo and his men took a tour of the shantytown’s neighborhoods, which have Ameri-
can names like Boston and Brooklyn. Along the narrow, trash-strewn streets, many people went about their daily lives. One young girl braided another one’s hair. A woman bathed her small toddler in a plastic tub of murky water. And a man fried plantains in a pot of oil next to a woman on a blanket selling dented cans of peas and sardines. As Salmo and his men passed, kids yelled, “Hey, you! Hey, you!” A few men said thank you and others joked—Please, take over Haiti. For some soldiers, being in Haiti is merely a pit stop to being deployed to war. “I’d rather be in Iraq or Afghanistan,” said 1st Sgt. Santos Cavazos, who lost his left eye in a battle in Iraq. “There you know there’s a bad guy, and our job is to look for him.” “Here, we’re like a football team being put in front of a Ping-Pong table. It’s a learning curve,” he added. When Salmo’s men couldn’t get their Humvee and trucks down a road blocked by a fallen electrical pole, they took out an ax and chopped down the pole, drawing stares from the locals.
ytsemifinalists
YT from page 1
The Chronicle breaks down the semifinalists for this year’s Young Trustee.
Meg Foran Senior Majors: English, Linguistics Involvement: FAC Board CoChair; Student Alumni Advisory Board Chair
Ben Getson Junior Major: Computer Science Involvement: Founder and Vice President of Ubuntu
John Harpham Senior Majors: Political Science, French Involvement: Former Chair of The Chronicle’s Editorial Board; A.B. Duke Scholarship Selection Committee
“They’ve never seen someone just stop and do something,” Guiteau Nestant, a Haitian police sergeant, said as he walked with Salmo. “They believe that if an American is in a place to help, everybody survives.” After looking at a destroyed school, Salmo headed back to his base camp and gathered reports from his men on other food and water deliveries they had made that day. The delivery at the Catholic church did not go as smoothly as he would have hoped. The friars had a complicated system of giving out tickets to those who should get food, but some people became frustrated when they did not get the tickets and were not offered food. “We were the goon squad when we were pushing people away and we still had food,” said Sgt. Andy Anspach. Go back and finish the job, Salmo told him. “Yes sir,” the sergeant replied. Remember, he told his men, “they had a crisis of biblical proportions. We’re going to stay on as long as people want us to stay.” “We’re going to try to fix it,” he said. “We may not, but we’re going to try.”
Chelsea Goldstein Senior Major: Political Science Involvement: DSG VP for Academic Affairs; Duke Debate President; member of The Chronicle’s Editorial Board
Zachary Perret Senior Majors: Biology, Chemistry Involvement: President of DUU; Institutional Advancement Committee of the Duke Board of Trustees
Adam Nathan Senior Major: Program II: International Development Involvement: President of Duke Partnership for Service; Founder of Hope Scholars Program
Alexis Rosenblum Senior Major: Public Policy Involvement: President of the International Association; President of Duke Consulting Club
Although Morrison said the lack of non-white semifinalists is unfortunate, he noted that “the seven semifinalists represent a really diverse set of Duke experiences.” The pool of semifinalists is one short of the eight semifinalists called for in the bylaws governing the process. Moxley said the committee could not agree on a final applicant qualified enough to be a semifinalist. She added that members felt it would be unfair to approve a candidate who would not be able to garner enough support from the nominating committee to be a finalist. Senior Will Patrick, president of his class in Engineering Student Government, was among the rejected applicants and said he thought
it was strange the committee could not agree on an eighth semifinalist. “Maybe one thing you could say is that there’s no candidate for the Board that has sort of been off the beaten path at Duke,” Patrick said. “Having people from slightly different backgrounds during the interview process may have been a nice thing for them to have.” DSG President Awa Nur, a senior, said the preponderance of traditional candidates reflects the perceived insider nature of the application and selection process. She cited insufficient advertising and the rigorous application as factors discouraging unconventional candidates. “I think the committee picked the seven most qualified people as they saw fit,” Nur said. “ I think it’ll get harder from here on out, they have a good pool of applicants.”
Sports
>> MEN’S TENNIS
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TUESDAY
January 26, 2010 www.dukechroniclesports.com
Men’s basketball
Davidson, GMU see applications spike after deep Tournament runs Duke applications rising, but numbers not tied to basketball success by Nicholas Schwartz The chronicle
In 2008, as Davidson College star Stephen Curry steered the Wildcats to an Elite Eight appearance in Detroit, the school’s admissions office dealt with an unexpected problem back in North Carolina. The tiny college, comprised of 1,668 students, was forced to process an increased number of applications and acceptances, in part because of the elevated exposure Curry and the Wildcats provided. Even a year later, despite an economic downturn, Davidson reported a surge in undergraduate applications. “We hear sometimes from applicants that they first learned of Davidson after the NCAA Tournament,” Davidson Dean of Admissions Christopher Gruber said. “It’s definitely something we use to distinguish ourselves. When you think of schools our size with Division-I athletic programs, there aren’t many.” In the ultra-competitive environment of college admissions, students and universities strive to separate themselves from the overqualified pack. Prospective students rely on test scores and extracurricular credentials, while institutions like Duke point to research initiatives, merit of faculty and number of books in their libraries. Duke, however, has a few key assets that separate it from most top-10 academic institutions—namely, the three national championship banners hanging in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Although few students declare outright that they came to Duke because of the basketball program, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag said he knows that the exposure generated from successful, high-revenue athletic programs positively affects the outlooks of prospective students. “[The men’s basketball team] is an incredibly visible part of the University, and not only that, but it’s an incredibly positive part of the University,” Guttentag said. “What drives kids to Duke is that amazing combination we have—the terrific athletic programs and the sense of school spirit all in the context of one of the best academic environments in the world.” Still, because Duke has enjoyed consistent success on the hardwood since the late 1980s, it is not necessarily subject to the fluctuation Davidson has experienced in recent years. Undergraduate applications to Duke have generally not been impacted by individual basketball seasons, Guttentag said. The Blue Devils won their first national championships in 1991 and 1992, and in that time span, undergraduate applications remained virtually the same from year to year. In fact, for students entering in the fall of 1993, the University reported a drop of 721 applications,
The Blue Devils’ threeman recruiting class for 2010-2011 was rated the No. 1 class in the country by the Tennis Recruiting Network
99 problems but Smith ain’t one As the biggest rock star in the world, JayZ’s got the music, he’s got the girl and he’s definitely got the swagger—the guy brashly anointed himself the new Sinatra, and no one really found room to disagree. He even has the attention and curious interest of neophytes like me, because by now, even stiffs know every word of “Empire State of Mind” without necessarily knowing the real meaning of some of the lyrics. (To wit: I not only needed a clarification between Jesus and Jeezy, but also an explanation of what it means to pay LeBron and Dwyane Wade, and why one option is preferable to the other.) I can nod my head and sing along, but the truth is, I’m never Ben really sure what Jay-Z’s spitting about. I do know, though, that one of his songs made a cameo at Countdown to Craziness in October because of Nolan Smith. He may be a DMV homer, but he’s one of those people who gets Jay-Z. As the junior walked onto Coach K Court rocking star-shaped shades, with his hands above his head, “Public Service Announcement” blared throughout the quaint stadium. Its opening cadence: “Allow me to reintroduce myself.” What a perfect lyric for Smith, I thought without even knowing the name of the song, and it’s only become more apt since ACC play began. Is there a better way to describe Smith’s breakout season? Around this time last year—in fact, right after Clemson stomped Duke in Littlejohn Coliseum—Smith lost his starting spot, then added injury to insult when he ran into a blind screen at Maryland and sat out three games with a concussion. (If Smith hadn’t
Cohen
larsa al-omaishi/Chronicle file photo
Davidson’s Stephen Curry led his team to the 2008 Elite Eight—and garnered his school national attention. even though the Blue Devils were on the heels of five straight Final Four appearances and consecutive national titles. After the 1994-1995 season, during which the Blue Devils finished 13-18 and head coach Mike Krzyzewski took a leave of absence for medical reasons, the admissions office reported that it had received 856 fewer undergraduate applications than the previous year. Guttentag, however, doubted that there were many students basing their decision on one losing season. The raw application statistics rarely correlate directly to basketball successes, and actually prove to be counter-intuitive in some cases. After the 2001 national championship, there was a jump of more than 1,000 applications. Since then, applications have increased every year except for 2007, even though the Class of 2008 was the first class not to experience a Final Four run in a decade. Duke’s last Final Four season, in 2004, preceded an eight percent growth in applications. But the 2006-2007 basketball season, in which Duke lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to Virginia Commonwealth, was still followed by a six percent gain. Instead, since Krzyzewski elevated the program to the national spotlight,
the consistent media exposure afforded to the team makes high school students think twice before passing on Duke, Guttentag said. Duke’s lack of reliance on superb seasons to attract applicants contrasts with the athletic success of some lesserknown universities and colleges. After a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006, George Mason saw a Davidson-like jump of more than 20 percent in undergraduate applications the following year. “It’s a good problem to have,” George Mason Dean of Admissions Andrew Flagel said at the time. “There’s no doubt that being in the Final Four really accelerated that trajectory in a way that none of us could really have anticipated.” With head football coach David Cutcliffe’s decision to remain at Duke—and the media attention that situation attracted—and Krzyzewski’s involvement with USA Basketball, Guttentag expects an increasing number of prospective Blue Devils to apply for chances to jump up and down in Cameron Indoor Stadium. “It’s hard to tie admissions numbers to one factor,” Guttentag said. “But I think to the increasing degree at which we’re acknowledged as a school that has a number of terrific programs, it can only help from an admissions standpoint.”
See cohen on page 11
lawson kurtz/Chronicle file photo
Nolan Smith captivated the crowd at Countdown to Craziness with his stylish sunglasses and Jay-Z intro.
the chronicle
Tuesday, january 26, 2010 | 11
5am McHenry
nate glencer/Chronicle file photo
Junior Nolan Smith has not only replaced Gerald Henderson as Duke’s best slasher, but has also improved his 3-point shot dramatically.
cohen from page 10 been supplanted by Greg Paulus and then Elliot Williams, would Jon Scheyer still be a shooting guard? These are the things you think when listening to “Public Service Announcement” for research.) Before his sophomore season, Smith was touted as a player ready to evolve into the muscle behind Duke’s potential NCAA Tournament run. Neither happened. As the Blue Devils bowed out quietly in the Sweet 16, Smith ended the year out of the spotlight with unremarkable numbers that hardly distinguished his second season from his first. The Blue Devils, in short, needed to allow Smith to reintroduce himself. It was understandable that Smith—despite having emerged in the offseason as a goofy, likable character on Twitter and perhaps even the public face of the program— entered this year without the buzz, which was instead heaped on Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. Smith was no longer the point guard stealing a starting spot from a senior, nor was he the symbolic face of Duke’s response from an opening-weekend flameout in 2008. Instead, Smith was an afterthought when, all along, he’s been just as crucial to the team’s potential as Scheyer, whose steadiness anchors the team. Smith, too, has been consistent, just in the opposite way. Smith and Scheyer are virtually tied for second in the ACC in scoring partly because Smith’s 3-point percentage is up from 34.6 percent to 50.8 percent, best in the league. Smith’s strength, however, isn’t behind the arc but inside the lane, where he is Duke’s most dynamic playmaker. He can elevate for a jumper over a forward, and he can explode to the rim for a dunk. Last year, as Gerald Henderson developed in the middle of his junior season into the team’s preeminent creator, Smith’s role didn’t suit his talent. “He has the ability to create his own shot,” Krzyzewski said Saturday after Smith led Duke with 22 points. “He’s not great at it, but he’s the best guy we have at doing that.” No one’s comparing him to John Wall —speak not the name!—but then, Smith doesn’t need to be. Last I looked, the traits of a good NCAA Tournament team haven’t changed since last October, when raving about Smith was all the rage. Duke, like every other team, needs what Smith provides. If these Blue Devils are primed for a trip into April—and like anyone else who follows this team, I’m not yet sure that they are—Smith is going to be the catalyst in March, mostly because he has to be. Right now, there’s no one on this Duke team who can do what Smith does. That became all the more clear Saturday at Clemson. Last year, when he didn’t pick up his dribble in the backcourt, Smith wriggled into suffocating traps. He shot 1-of-7 with no assists and four turnovers in just 23 painful minutes. Smith didn’t really recover, but the problem had existed long before that night, which Krzyzewski dubbed “embarrassing.” Smith never looked as comfortable as a point guard as he did off the ball; he wasn’t himself. The time off and drastically different look of this team gave Smith an opportunity for transformation and he punctuated it at Clemson, shooting 8-of-13 in 37 minutes with two assists and, most importantly, zero turnovers. With every game growing in significance—fresh out the frying pan into the fire, as Jay-Z would say—Smith’s reintroduction had arrived right on time. He looked like himself.
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StudyBlue.com is expanding on your campus. Campus Reps are paid $8/ hour plus hefty bonuses. For more information, visit our website http:// go.studyblue.com/ job or email your resume to jobs@ studyblue.com. 608-334-2447
work in a zebrafish lab: The
Stedman Center is looking for a student to work part-time feeding Zebrafish in the morning and evening hours, including some weekends. The lab is located offcampus in Independence Park, North Durham. 10-12 hours per week; $11 per hour. Contact jennifer.b.moss@duke.edu 919479-2379
Student Programmers wanted
There are two student programmer positions available at the Brain Imaging & Analysis Center at Duke. One position will entail working with our IT staff to help with basic network computing skills (setting up computers, user accounts, web design, etc). The second position will involve assisting faculty with running a research study involving human subjects. Programming skills and/ or experience with task development software is preferred with this position, but not required. Work study is preferred, but not required. Compensation will commensurate with experience. Interested candidates should email their resume and/or questions to info@biac.duke.edu.
Child Care part-time nanny Caring, energetic person needed to care for 2 girls (6 and 3) two afternoons/ week (M, T, or TH) from 12:30-5:30. Responsibilities include picking oldest up from school. Must have excellent references, background check, and driving record. Contact Heather at hnormanscott@nc.rr. com/ 919-361-2723
Meetings Duke in Spain summer info mtg
DUKE IN SPAIN summer May 14 to June 25, 2010 Learn more about this exciting Spanish language, history and culture program based in Madrid, at an information meeting on Wednesday, January 27 at 5:00 p.m. in Allen 318. To apply online, visit http:// global.duke.edu/ geo. Questions? email globaled@ duke.edu or call 684-2174. Rolling admissions until Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010, with applications received after the deadline processed on a spaceavailable basis.
DUKE IN FRANCE INFO MEETING The Duke in France/ EDUCO
semester and academic year program will hold an information session on Tuesday, January 26, at 5 pm in Languages 305. Former participants will be available to answer questions. See global.duke.edu/ geo or call 684-2174 for more information.
Students of all majors are invited to learn more about studying in Berlin, for either the semester/ academic year or summer, at an information session on Wednesday, January 27, 4:00-5:30pm, in Languages 109. Refreshments will be served. See global.duke.edu/ geo or call 684-2174 for more information.
Duke in Australia
Duke in Australia summer 2010 Information Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in Allen 103, 5:30 p.m. Earn one Duke credit and travel to amazing locations in Australia, learning about biogeography on this exciting month-long summer program. For more information, visit the GEO-U website at http:// global.duke.edu/ geo, call 684-2174, or e-mail globaled@ duke.edu. Summer Application Deadline: Feb. 3, 2010.
Tickets Need 2 tix for maryland game Answer my prayers! Fly-
ing in for first game in Cameron in years. Tommy, 847-899-3585, tsternberg@williamblair.com Wanted - Duke Tixx - FSU Duke class ’98 Alum - Looking for 4 Tickets for the FSU game. Flying down. Would also take 2 Tixx. Please help. Call anytime. 917-324-4182
Travel/Vacation BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK
$189 for 5-DAYS or $239 for 7-DAYS. All prices include: Roundtrip luxury cruise with food. Accommodations on the island at your choice of thirteen resorts. Appalachia Travel www. BahamaSun. com 800-867-5018.
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the chronicle
Tuesday, january 26, 2010 | 13
Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins
Dilbert Scott Adams
Doonesbury Garry Trudeau
The Chronicle what we’d pay $8.69 for: a boat ride: ��������������������������������������������� clee, bonnie, melissa, hon more news, more writers, more everything: ���������� will, emmeline tennis lessons: ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� toni a less creepy MM columnist: ���������������������������������������������������� drew the spare parts that is unc basketball: �������������������� gabe, clax, will a second card reader: ���������������������������������naclerio, maya, addison a finely adorned table: �������������������������������������������������klein, dennis more or less pigment: ������������������������������������������������������������tiffany Barb Starbuck likes her portions medium-sized: ��������������������� Barb
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Student Advertising Manager:...............................Margaret Potter Account Executives:............................ Chelsea Canepa, Liza Doran Lianna Gao, Ben Masselink Amber Su, Mike Sullivan, Jack Taylor Quinn Wang, Cap Young Creative Services:................................Lauren Bledsoe, Danjie Fang Christine Hall, Megan Meza Hannah Smith Business Assistant:.........................................................Joslyn Dunn
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14 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle commentaries
“
Central sections a good start Bid day isn’t the only zation has been lobbying for, thing the Panhellenic Associ- housing on Central is a paration has to be excited about tial solution. this week. At its meeting last Next year, members of Thursday, Campus Council the nine Panhellenic Assovoted to allocate Central ciation sororities will be able Campus housto live togething to Panhel er in a block editorial and two fraof two units on ternities, Pi Kappa Phi and Central. This has the potenSigma Alpha Epsilon. tial to foster inter-sorority Although these changes unity, empower women and are a step in the right di- strengthen the lobbying rection in addressing the power of Panhel, the largest spatial concerns of Panhel student organization. and building community Still, space on Central on Central Campus, more only provides a short-term, action is needed on both stop-gap solution to the fronts. needs of the Panhellenic For years, Panhel has pe- community. When the econtitioned the administration omy rebounds and the confor space on West Campus struction of New Campus to use for programming and begins, Panhel should be at recruitment events. While it’s the top of the list of organinot exactly what the organi- zations to receive space.
”
—“ChineseDukie” commenting on the story “China finalizes China expansion plans.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.
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Council and RLHS should look to populate Central with more selective and elective groups. Thus far, only highly organized groups with a strong lobbying presence have been able to acquire living space on Central, leaving many students with ideas for new living communities out of consideration. To change this status quo, Campus Council should develop and publicize a process by which student groups can obtain a section on Central. Doing so would allow enterprising individuals looking for a community-oriented living experience to start a group. In order to encourage students to take advantage of the opportunity, the bar
for creating a selective living group should initially be set low. In the long run, however, some evaluation is necessary to ensure continuity of groups from year to year. Alternatively, incorporating elective living models around a certain theme— similar to West Campus’ “East Meets West” and “substance free” sections—can offer independents a community experience on Central without forcing them to join a formal living group. As the University begins to wrap up the first phase of physical improvements to Central Campus this semester, it should remember that when it comes to providing space for Panhel and creating a community on Central, the work has only just begun.
Broken resolutions
onlinecomment
Kunshan is an amazing city. It is a model that exemplifies how China has contributed to the world economy and brought better and better life to its people.
Creating a section for Panhel and the two fraternities also raises a larger question about the allocation of housing on Central. Right now, the haphazard, scattered orientation of apartment buildings prevents the formation of a community environment on Central Campus. The addition of living groups can somewhat alleviate this problem. But simply putting a few more sections on Central does not go far enough to address the sense of isolation that characterizes the Central Campus living experience for many. In addition to the five living communities that will be on Central next year—Panhel, SHARE, Ubuntu and the two fraternities—Campus
L
ess than a month ago, you looked out through your champagne-induced haze (OK, it was an André-induced haze, recession year cuts…) toward the horizon of a new year, a new decade. Your pulse quickened, a smile etched its way onto your inebriated face and warmth emanated from the jordan rice chambers of your real talk heart. “What is this funny feeling that is overtaking me?” you asked. “Could it be? But I haven’t felt anything like this since November of 2008. I thought it never would return. But here it is! Hope! A new hope for a new decade.” 2009 was a calamity parade. The recession. Swine Flu. Michael Jackson. “Transformers 2.” The Yankees. Tiger Woods. Moving on to the new decade seemed to be a daunting task, but drawing upon your newfound hope, you made a solemn vow to turn fortune around and make 2010 the Best Year Ever! And so Jan. 1 you wrote a list of two New Year’s resolutions and posted it on your refrigerator. Neither was out of the ordinary, just two simple Dr. Phil-approved steps to rebuild your life that 2009 had shattered. 1. Live a healthier lifestyle in the New Year. 2. Take greater control of your destiny. These were not overly ambitious resolutions. Indeed, you thought your two potential plans of action—giving up drinking Sunday through Wednesday or abandoning the pre-med track— would have put two big check marks on your list. Surely abstaining from alcohol would be a healthier option than the alternative (though perhaps not for your mental health), and sobriety would undoubtedly give you greater control of your life. As for dropping pre-med, you don’t need to take physics and organic chemistry to know that sleep is good for you, and now you, not your parents, would finally decide your future. A week into January, and you were feeling pretty good about your resolutions, and you were ready to make two changes that would have fulfilled them. 2010 was yours for the taking. Fast forward to the present day, and here you are, cold and ashamed, lying naked on the floor, discarding the torn pieces of your resolutions. “What did I do wrong?” you ask yourself. Nothing. It’s not your fault. Listen to me son,
it’s not your fault! And I do not say this merely as a platitude like Robin Williams did in “Good Will Hunting.” It really isn’t your fault; blame can be shared by the Democratic Congress, the voters of Massachusetts and the Supreme Court of the United States. The House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill in November that included the so-called “public option”—the jewel of the reform plan that President Obama outlined and that the voters accepted. A bit more than a month later, the public option became one of the many casualties of the Democratic Senate’s circular firing squad (Senate integrity became another) when the Senate passed its own version of the bill. Health care industry stocks, including those for insurance companies, rose. Resolution No. 1 was in jeopardy. Last week, in what Democrats still seem to think to be some sort of terrible mistake, the voters of Massachusetts elected an upscale bachelorette party private dancer to fill Edward Kennedy’s senate seat, though to their credit, the alternative candidate’s campaign was a case study in how to throw away a 46-year legacy. Health care stocks rose again. Now we are told “health care reform” is going to spend its days on a big farm where it will have plenty of room to roam. But maybe you can have “health insurance reform” for Christmas next year if you promise to be extra good. RIP your first resolution. But perhaps you can salvage resolution No. 2 if you help get these guys voted out of office. ¡Que se vayan todos! Let’s get these flunkies of the corporate fat cats out of office? Right comrades? Unfortunately, no. The flunkies are here to stay. Last week the Supreme Court banged the gavel to open corporate bidding on elections by declaring unconstitutional laws limiting political spending by corporate entities. En route to putting Washington on eBay, the Court overruled multiple precedents and relied on bogus First Amendment arguments that extend the rights of individual citizens to corporations. In so doing, the Court paradoxically encroached on the rights of individual citizens by turning Democratic elections into bids. Complaints that elections can be bought and that corporate interests control Washington are already commonplace both on the right and the left. Expect in 2010 for this Supreme Court ruling to increase the volume of such complaints. In other words, forget about fulfilling resolution No. 2. Jordan Rice is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Tuesday.
the chronicle
I
commentaries
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 15
Drenched in goo
t turns out that strangers are less willing to touch you when you’re covered in baby oil. Hi, my name is Kousha. I get material for my column by sitting at the West Campus bus stop for about an hour every week with a table and sign that says “talk to me.” I use a quote from the resulting conversations as the topic of each column. This week I talked to someone at the bus stop who thought that there was a lack of support for the performing arts on campus. But instead of using a quote from the kousha navidar conversation, I’d like to share my own experience. It’s a story that de- the bus stops here scribes my perception of the arts at Duke; it involves baby oil. Really, it’s the classic tale of a little boy looking for acceptance. Right now I’m in a musical at Duke. At one point in every performance, I have to go on stage shirtless and covered in baby oil. (Trust me, this makes sense in the context of the play.) I have noticed that the audience is much less willing to touch me when I go on stage naked and drenched in the goo. I have no idea why. I smell good. This heart-wrenching story is a metaphor for the relationship between the performing arts and students at our school. The audience represents the students, and my body is (you guessed it) the art. While I may assimilate perfectly as a clothed bystander, my peers recoil as I rip off the shell to reveal the juice of musical theater making my bulging pecs and biceps even more pronounced. (They laugh every time I take my shirt off—they’re probably intimidated by the display.) I don’t think the Duke administration is necessarily at fault for the lack of student interest. By establishing the Nasher Museum of Art, heightening publicity for Duke Performances and increasing the popularity of majors such as theater studies and dance, the University is at least trying to move in the right direction. Maybe the low interest is just a product of our own unique student body that makes us different from other institutions. Not worse or better, just different. The arts do not play a big role in most Duke students’ experiences. I have been involved with theater at Duke since my freshman year, and even I wouldn’t consider myself deeply connected to the arts. Unfortunately, every year I’ll visit the Nasher once, attend maybe one Duke Performance and—outside of my own productions—won’t venture out to see the myriad outstanding student-run productions. And that’s from someone who doesn’t mind spending entire days in a cramped theater applying makeup and dancing for strangers. That came out weird. Would it be possible for students to employ some of the enthusiasm for sports that motivates us to sleep outside for a month toward the arts? How would that change our campus vibe? I don’t intend to compare basketball to theatre—they are two different animals. But it does make me wonder how much our own actions contribute to the perception that at Duke you either actively make art, or don’t experience it at all. Happily, I think student support for the performing arts is only improving over time. For one, there are some student performances that are able to attract large audiences. Awaaz is a great example. Unfortunately, Awaaz only happens for one weekend every year, and there are many other weeks that offer equally stellar student productions. Secondly, just because we don’t come out in droves for artistic experiences doesn’t mean that there aren’t potentially interested students. I’m a resident assistant and I invited my residents to a musical last week and, even though most of them hadn’t been to a play before, they seemed really happy to be there. (This may have been because they snuck ’Dillo into the performance, but I’m not asking questions.) Even if the arts aren’t a central part of our culture, it doesn’t mean that it’s not possible for this to change over time. If you’re looking for something fun to do next Friday night, don’t be afraid to go watch a play or listen to a concert in Baldwin Auditorium. It’ll be fun. And there probably won’t be any baby oil. Kousha Navidar is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Tuesday.
dukechronicle.com Don’t miss a beat.
Nighttiming
I
t’s 3 a.m.—do you know where your bed is? 11:50 p.m. I’ve heard the rowdy conversations Are you in it? Are you sound asleep, having we all have in our so-called “study” rooms. I crawled under your covers a full eight hours know all too well that glint of competition in before your phone alarm is scheduled for your the bloodshot eyes of someone out-not-sleeprude awakening? ing someone else. Or are you like me and most other college Trust me, no one is eager to get to bed. students, who—according to a study published The truth is, sleep isn’t all that great. As any in the Journal of Adolescent Health last Au- night owl will attest, night is just better than gust—regularly stay up too late, get up too ear- day: cozier, more manageable, somehow more ly and live in chronic sleep intimate than its sunny counterpart. deprivation during some of For many a college undergrad, sleepthe most formative years of lessness isn’t a sad reality—it’s a our lives? choice. We might complain about it We’ve all heard the spiel all we want, but when it comes right thousands of times: College down to it, we prefer to stay up late. students pull all-nighters Ask anybody whose sleep schedule for classes during the week, actually became more nocturnal durshining li party the entire weekend and ing winter break (this includes me, as drink coffee until our cells well as most of my friends)—even if all too human are inundated in caffeine we had the choice, we wouldn’t go to and our blood runs brown. bed at a normal hour. As “This AmeriAs a result, we interrupt our natural circadian can Life” host Ira Glass recently intimated about rhythms, learn more slowly, fall asleep in class, a third-shift job he once held, there’s a certain je suffer from behavioral problems—and because ne sais quoi about the nighttime, an endearing we’re more prone to depression, we eventually quality to “being up when the rest of the world spiral downward into a bottomless, sleepless [is] asleep.” It’s akin to being part of a secret abyss of despair and misery. society of sorts, an exclusive clan of dynamism It sounds pretty bad, and maybe it is. After while everyone else lies dormant. all, the study bemoaned the fact that less than Night is the time of mystery and excitement, a third of college undergraduates get a regular a mixing of the mystic and the daring. It houses full night’s sleep. The rest of us stumble into a jumble of traditions and images, from vamour 10:05 a.m. classes bleary-eyed, yawning and pires to cow-tipping, from dazzling thunderwhining about how late we were up the night storms to tribal bonfire dances. It’s the period before. More and more it seems we’re all vic- during which anything can happen, when the tims of a scheme designed to subversively rob typical daily boundaries of reality and time twist us of our sleep and our mental health, forcing and open to allow new possibilities, novel expeus into detrimental habits that’ll push us over riences. Whether it passes as a few hours nestled the edge the minute the caffeine wears off. in a corner of the library or in a daze of inebriaBefore we turn into a campus of heavy-lid- tion, the night belongs to the young with whom ded, half-awake zombies, however, let’s stand it shares a spirit of adventure and vitality. up for ourselves (that is, if you’re not too tired I don’t mean to wax tiresomely poetic, and to get up from your sprawl on that nice, comfy I’m not implying that we are in fact defying couch on the third floor of Perkins). Sure, some reality by shirking sleep. But to me, a relucof us might have been beaten down by a ma- tance for going to bed reveals an enthusiasm levolent conspiracy of taxing and unreasonable for life that I expect among college students. demands (otherwise known as the esteemed If we must forego some alertness during the Pratt School of Engineering). If you’re one of day, then so be it. In the meantime, in between the poor, lost souls I’ve seen in the Link por- time, we are alive when it matters most. ing over a heavily marked electrical engineerSo the next time it’s 3 a.m. and you find ing book in that delicate hour before dawn, I’m yourself with nothing else to do, grab an iced sorry—soldier on, brave warrior, soldier on. coffee from McDonald’s and come find me in As for the rest of us, I don’t buy the sob story. the Link. I’ve passed countless computer screens aglow with the familiar Facebook logos while on a Shining Li is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs last-minute run to von der Heyden Pavilion at every Tuesday.
16 | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the chronicle
Add your experience to ours. When people with unique backgrounds come together, new ideas emerge. And that’s the way we like it. So if you think your background is too different to work at Goldman Sachs, we beg to differ. In fact, we think it’s an asset. Learn more at gs.com/careers Please join us for the following event at Duke University:
Goldman Sachs Summer Analyst Firmwide Information Session Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010 Time: 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm Venue: Washington Duke Inn – Presidents Room I & II 3001 Cameron Blvd Summer Analyst Program Application Deadline: January 29, 2010. Apply online at www.gs.com/careers and through your school’s career services office.
Goldman Sachs is an equal opportunity employer. © The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.