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
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 9
www.dukechronicle.com
Judge OKs Health care debate hits campus Pressler’s slander suit by Ian Rapoport The chronicle
by Toni Wei
The chronicle
A North Carolina appeals court ruled Tuesday that former men’s lacrosse coach Mike Pressler can continue with a lawsuit against the University. Pressler—who signed a settlement in 2007 with the University after he was fired following the false rape allegations in 2006—charges that John Burness, former Duke senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, made slanderous remarks about him after and in violation of the settlement, which included a clause precluding defamatory comments. Duke had filed the appeal saying that as a former employee, Pressler’s allegations should be mediated through arbitration with the University rather than through a court case. The Court of Appeals upheld the original decision Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Howard Manning in April 2008, stating that the settlement reached between Pressler and the University effectively voided all earlier agreements, meaning Pressler is no longer bound by previous contracts requiring arbitration. “What this means is that Coach Pressler is going to get his day in court, which is what See pressler on page 4
Robin mi/The Chronicle
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., takes questions about health care reform from students in a town hall-styled forum at Duke Tuesday night. Students also posed questions about the war in Afghanistan, the current economic crisis, and the trillion-dollar budget deficit.
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., returned to campus to take part in a town hall-styled forum Tuesday night. Even after waiting more than 30 minutes for the speaker to arrive, students were still full of energy and ready to challenge him on prominent political issues. Price, a professor of public policy and political science at Duke, answered questions as Duke Democrats’ first speaker for the recently re-formed Duke Political Union’s weekly “Super Tuesday” speaker event, an effort on behalf of several on-campus political groups to keep students interested in politics. Approximately 100 students attended the event. “I put in a lot of happy years at Duke,” Price said. “I’m always glad to be invited back.” Duke Democrats President Ben Bergmann, a junior, and Duke College Republicans Chair Vikram Srinivasan, a senior, co-founded DPU. Bergmann said DPU’s goal is “to strengthen the political groups on campus by providing a space where political culture can be cultivated at Duke.” With “Super Tuesday,” a different political group will present a speaker each week. Price began by noting that the country is “navigating treacherous waters” in dealing with some of the most pressing issues of this era. He explained that the challenge of reform has only been exSee price on page 5
New Muslim Center centralizes Ramadan celebrations by Shaoli Chaudhuri The chronicle
ian soileau/The Chronicle
Muslim students gathered to celebrate Ramadan at the Center for Muslim Life Tuesday evening. This is the first time the center, which opened last December, has hosted the celebration.
The Islamic holiday of Ramadan has arrived as it does every year, but with one important addition—Muslims on campus can finally celebrate it in a space of their own. The new Center for Muslim Life, which opened December 2008, will serve as the focal point for the Ramadan celebration this year. This marks a drastic change from last year’s Ramadan at Duke, said Muslim Chaplain Abdullah Antepli. Before the University gave the Muslim community the Swift Avenue building that now serves as the Center, Ramadan took the form of a hassle instead of a holiday. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset, and this ritual continues for approximately one month. Every evening, they literally “break fast” with iftars, dinners that act as festive, social events. In the past, though, Duke Muslims were forced from venue to venue for iftars. “Monday at the [International] House, Tuesday, [the] Freeman Center… we were like nomads,” Antepli said. “That pretty much convinced Duke University to give a space to the Muslim community.” The Center for Muslim Life, however, has done more than simply act as a roof over the heads of Muslim community members. It has also proven the ideal tool for both uniting and mobilizing the community. Antepli explained that in past years, Islamic prayer services consisted of no
ONTHERECORD
“I can’t tell you what an amazing pass that was. An amazing pass, an easy finish. That was all him.”
—Soccer midfielder Cole Grossman, on teammate Daniel Tweed-Kent’s pass. See story page 7
more than 20 people. Now, sometimes more than 120 people attend those same services. Active Muslims have appeared from seemingly nowhere with the consecutive arrivals of Antepli—who is in his second year as Duke’s first Muslim chaplain—and the Center, he said. “Having a center just gives us more presence,” said junior Nabila Haque, co-president of the Muslim Students Association. “People are aware that there is a Muslim community at Duke now.” MSA’s other co-president, junior Sobia Shariff, also said the new Center has benefited MSA. “The reaction used to be like, ‘Oh, what’s MSA?’ Now it’s... ‘Oh the MSA—what are you guys doing now?’” This increasing interest from the outside community reinforces a point made by Antepli. “Even though this center is an important center for Islam and Muslims… this is not a Muslim cocoon,” Antepli said. “This is not a place where only Muslims hang out.” The co-presidents both mentioned several instances of their non-Muslim friends relaxing at the Center as well as attending MSA events, religious and otherwise. Although Antepli is pleased with how successful the Center has been so far, its popularity is already becoming an issue.
Women’s Tennis: Debut loss Former Blue Devil Mallory Cecil loses at the U.S. Open, PAGE 7
See ramadan on page 5
DukeMobile adds new features, Page 3