September 23, 2009 issue

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 23, 2009

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 24

www.dukechronicle.com

Duke student Krueger sheds light on Africa’s plight robbed on Campus Dr.

by Matthew Chase The chronicle

by Emmeline Zhao The chronicle

A student was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday night, according to the Duke University Police Department.

The incident took place at approximately 9:45 p.m. when the student was walking on Campus Drive near the East Campus Steam Plant. According to Duke police, a dark, fourdoor vehicle pulled over and the passenger exposed a handgun, demanding the student’s backpack. The car took off on Campus Drive, driving away from East Campus. The student was not injured.

The suspect was reported to be a bald, black man of large build in his 30s wearing dark pants and a loosely fitting dark sweatshirt.

Duke University Police Department Chief John Dailey and Assistant Chief Gloria Graham could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.

DUPD officials on duty Tuesday night could not provide further details.

A DukeAlert describing the incident was e-mailed to the Duke community Tuesday night at approximately 11:16 p.m. in accordance with the Clery Act. The act mandates that universities notify their communities in a timely fashion about on-campus crimes that may pose an ongoing threat.

See robbery on page 4

addison corriher/The Chronicle

Former Sen. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, who served as the ambassador to Botswana and Burundi, shares his experiences from Africa to approximately 40 students during the fourth Super Tuesday event.

Burundi, a small country located in the center of Africa, is among the poorest countries in the world. But the country’s economic woes are not the only issues it faces—about 300,000 people died there during a civil war that lingered for much of the 1990s.

Former Sen. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, who served as the ambassador to Burundi during this period, spoke at the fourth Super Tuesday event this year. Discussion centered around Krueger’s experience as ambassador to both Botswana and Burundi, where conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes has contributed to a decades-long conflict that some have deemed a genocide. Super Tuesday is a speaker series hosted by the Duke Political Union.

Krueger, who was a Duke professor for 12 years, a vice provost and the dean of Trinity College, told approximately 40 students Tuesday night that American involvement in the situation was minimal, even though the number of deaths was substantial.

“Why didn’t they care?” Krueger said. “The United States and the world knew that slaughter was going on, and they didn’t give a damn.”

In addition to discussing U.S. policy in Africa, Krueger—who co-wrote the 2007 book “From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi: Our Embassy Years During Genocide” with his wife—shared stories of witnessing the conflict.

Krueger said he asked himself every day what he could do to save the remnants of democracy and to save human lives. He shared one example when he examined two dead bodies that had been left after an army raid of a town.

See krueger on page 5

Study uses game theory to slow spread of diseases

by Sabrina Rubakovic the chronicle

nate glencer/The Chronicle

Peng Sun, associate professor at the Fuqua School of Business, researched the study that used game theory to contain outbreaks at their origins.

Students sick with the flu can take solace knowing that their coursework can be applied to minimizing the spread of their disease.

A Fuqua School of Business study, published May 25, applies game theory to fighting the flu.

At a time when numerous countries are preoccupied with developing and distributing a vaccine for the H1N1 virus to as many people as possible, the study shows that giving away a nation’s medicinal resources to another is the most effective way to curb the proliferation of disease.

Researchers from Fuqua and the European School of Management and Technology determined policymakers’ optimal course of action when an epidemic breaks out in a neighboring country that has little access to vaccines and medication.

Based on a game theory-like approach to this scenario, it would be in the best interests of developed countries to allocate their medicinal resources to the country in which the epidemic originated, referred to in the study as “country zero.”

“This sounds like an altruistic action, but it is actually selfishly beneficial,” said Peng Sun, a researcher for the study and associate professor at Fuqua. He added that this strategy works to stop the disease at its point of origin, thereby significantly reducing the spread of disease into

ONTHERECORD

“The Football Fest is basically football meets state fair.”

­—DUU Special Projects Director Christie Falco, on Homecoming weekend.

See story page 3.

the surrounding developed nations.

The study also highlights the benefit of a centralized approach to the allocation of medicinal resources. Researchers found that more countries are likely to donate their resources if they make a collaborative decision to do so, rather than if countries are left to make individual decisions. Organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization could carry out this centralized planning by facilitating the creation of contracts between nations, mandating that each country donate resources to a country experiencing the outbreak of a disease.

The research, though hypothetical in nature, gives valuable insight to policymakers by displaying the value of collective decision-making over singular decision-making.

The second phase of the study will explore what the best course of action is when a disease has spread to multiple countries, such as in the current case of H1N1—commonly known as swine flu, said Liu Yang, a researcher and Fuqua graduate student.

The Obama administration is fighting swine flu with an approach similar to the one proposed by the study. Last week, President Barack Obama announced a plan to allocate 10 percent of the U.S. swine flu vaccine supply to Mexico. If reality follows the model developed in the study, this action could greatly reduce the proliferation of swine flu in the United States.

Men’s Soccer: Evening showers Blue Devils survive UNCW on rainy night at Koskinen, PAGE 6

Football: Walk-on Snyderwine excelling on gridiron , Page 6

2 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 the chronicle

worldandnation

TODAY:

8568

THURSDAY:

8868

Japan’s leader calls for coordinated approach to N. Korea

Baucus revises health bill WASHINGTON — In a bid to unify Democrats in support of his health care overhaul bill, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., proposed Tuesday boosting subsidies for financially strapped people who would be required to buy insurance.

He also slashed proposed penalties for noncompliance with the insurance mandate and sought to limit how many people would be subject to a new excise tax on so-called “Cadillac” health plans.

Baucus’ proposals came on the first day his committee began reworking the long-awaited blueprint.

His initial proposal faced a barrage of criticism from Democrats and from the only Republican senator sympathetic to the bill, who said families of moderate means would not be able to afford the new mandate requiring almost everyone to have health insurance.

Baucus’ quick response was a sign of the growing pressure on him to move to the left now that hope of winning significant GOP support has all but evaporated.

Baucus’ changes drew praise Tuesday from some Democrats and from Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

“

Obama nominates new Customs commissioner WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has nominated the administration’s point man on border strategy to be the new commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, the White House announced Tuesday.

Alan Bersin,a veteran of federal border enforcement and a former San Diego schools superintendent, has served since April as assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

Bersin, 62, also is the department’s special representative for border affairs, working with Mexican leaders and U.S. border-area agencies on drugs and immigration issues.

If approved as commissioner by the Senate, Bersin would take charge of about 57,000 employees who police the nation’s borders while dealing with a massive workload, grappling with the threat of corruption and trying to speed travel and commerce.

Customs and Border Protection encompasses the agents of the U.S. Border Patrol, who guard the Mexican and Canadian boundaries, a far-flung army of inspectors working at ports of entry and an air and sea interdiction fleet.

The agency faces a persistent terrorist menace as well as powerful drug mafias that have responded violently to a crackdown by the U.S. and Mexican governments.

TODAY IN HISTORY

It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish.

— Aeschylus

”

1986: Congress selects the rose as the U.S. national flower.

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UNITED NATIONS — Japan’s new prime minister called Tuesday for “close coordination” between his country and the United States on policy toward North Korea, a vexing issue that chilled relations between the two allies in the final months of the Bush administration.

Yukio Hatoyama, who will meet for the first time with President Barack Obama Wednesday, spearheaded the successful campaign by his center-left Democratic Party of Japan to end the nearly half-century of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party. His government has suggested a substantial reassessment of the military relationship with the United States and has demanded an examination of secret nuclear agreements between the two countries.

But Hatoyama said in an interview that relations between Washington and Tokyo should improve because both he and Obama were elected on messages of “change” and their success had led to the “vitality” of people in both countries. “I am convinced that surely this is going to have a possible and good impact on Japan-United States relations as well,” he said through an interpreter. “I very much would like to have the trust of the American people.”

On North Korea, he said he approved of plans by the United States to send an

envoy to Pyongyang to urge the government to return to six-nation disarmament talks. “I very much hope through that process the U.S. will be able to lead us back to the six-party talks,” he said. “In that context, I welcome bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea. But we don’t want everything to be settled in the framework of U.S. bilateral talks.”

Hatoyama twice stressed the need for “close coordination” between the two countries on North Korea. He said he learned of the administration’s plans for bilateral talks from newspaper reports, but he said that did not mean that others in his government were not informed ahead of time.

The Bush administration removed North Korea from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, even though the Stalinist government did not yield to Japanese pleas to provide details on Japanese citizens it abducted in the 1970s and 1980s.

The U.S. decision stunned the Japanese government.

Hatoyama noted with approval that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the families of abductees during her first official trip to Japan, saying the fact that she “showed her sympathy for these people was indeed much appreciated as a message.”

Lawrence ho/los angeles times

Ventura County firefighters battle a wildfire northeast of Moorpark, Calif. The fire that started Tuesday was fueled by high winds and extreme heat. It has already burned more than 6,000 acres and led to evacuations of more than 400 residents in Moorpark and surrounding communities of Ventura County.

As the fire continues moving south, authorities are expected to order more evacuations in the area.

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 | 3

duke university union

Q &A with Brian Hare

Brian Hare, assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology, is opening the Duke Canine Cognition Center within the next two weeks. Hare and his team will conduct tests on hundreds of dogs brought in by their owners. The Chronicle’s Emily Stern sat down with Hare to discuss his inspiration for the project.

The Chronicle: How did you get involved studying dogs?

Brian Hare: The short version is that I had dogs as a kid. When I was growing up, my dog’s name was Oreo, and Oreo used to love to play fetch.

I had seen that when his balls got lost when we were playing fetch with him, that you could tell him where they were and he could go find them. Later, when I was studying as an undergraduate, I realized together with my adviser that studying dogs would be really interesting because it ends up that they were doing some stuff that primates aren’t doing in terms of using humans’ social cues. For instance, paying attention to pointing gestures that I’d seen my dog as a kid doing.

TC: What can canine behavior tell us about human behavior and evolution?

BH: Ultimately, what I’m trying to study, as an evolutionary anthropologist, is human evolution. But there are not that many good models. There are not that many good ways to study animals and understand how evolution changes cognition.

But dogs are really useful because they can tell you how cognition changed, like what’s the process because you can compare lots of different breeds and figure out why it is that they became the way

DUU reviews Homecoming week plans

by Ray Koh

The chronicle

alejandro bolivar/The Chronicle

Brian Hare, assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology, will open the Duke Canine Cognition Center within the next two weeks to conduct cognitive tests on dogs. they were because there are so many of them, but they’re all so closely related.

So, it’s a really nice model for studying behavioral evolution, cognitive evolution, and they’re very unique that way.

So it’s very useful, actually.

TC: What misconceptions do most people have about their pets’ behaviors?

BH: Actually, what’s happened so far is that dogs, at least in my experience, have taught the scientists that they have many misconceptions about dogs. And that usually when I tell people the main finding is that we’ve learned that dogs are able to read gestural communica-

tion or other social cues—like they pay attention to the direction that you look or where you’re standing—they’re like, “Well, yeah, we already knew that.” And that’s true, they did know that, and the truth is that it was really the scientists that were playing catch-up.

TC: What about misconceptions, such as that when a dog kisses you they may not actually love you, they might just want food?

BH: It’s true, but that goes for human behavior too. That’s not specific to dogs, so from an evolutionary perSee hare on page 4

At their meeting Tuesday night, Duke University Union members finalized major plans for the week, including Homecoming and upcoming events.

“We just had our second day of the Scavenger Hunt, and we have about 49 teams participating. That’s over 400 people,” said Special Projects Director Christie Falco, a senior.

Falco is currently finalizing plans and looking for volunteers for Thursday’s Football Fest, a day of festivities hosted at the Durham Athletic Park leading up to the Duke-North Carolina Central University football game that evening.

“The Football Fest is basically football meets state fair,” Falco said. “There will be inflatables, student raffles, rock See duu on page 4

CORRECTION In the Sept. 21 2009 article “Senior’s Playboy debut draws varying responses,” a quote in the first paragraph under the header Practical Considerations was inaccurately attributed. The statement was made by David Womble. The Chronicle regrets the error.

4 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 the chronicle

robbery from page 1 It is currently unclear whether the student was alone at the time, though it is likely the student was, said Sue Wasiolek, dean of students and assistant vice president for student affairs. She added that she is uncertain whether DUPD will be increasing patrols in the area as a result of Tuesday’s incident.

hare from page 3

lina colucci/The Chronicle

At their meeting Tuesday night, DUU members finalized plans for Homecoming weekend, which will be preceded Thursday by the Football Fest featuring a Duke vs. North Carolina Central University football game.

duu from page 3 climbing and a bunch of other fun stuff like that.”

Thursday’s schedule is packed with various events and guests. A DJ will play for an hour, followed by a pep rally featuring football players and coaches from Duke and NCCU. Students groups from both universities, including the Pitchforks from Duke and Dickens, a band from NCCU, will take the stage afterwards, Falco said.

In other business: Christian Lander, creator of the blog “Stuff White People Like,” will speak in Page Auditorium Oct. 27, said Major Speakers Director Yi Zhang, a junior.

Lander’s site utilizes humor to deal primarily with racial issues.

The Duke Coffeehouse will host local hip-hop groups Friday for charity, partnering with the Durham Literacy Group.

“Awesome groups like Kooley High, BPL and others will be playing. Everyone should come out to it,” said senior Andrew Kindman, DUU Coffeehouse director and general manager.

Visual Arts Director Lisa Gao, a junior, discussed the success of the opening art reception with abstract painting exhibitions in the Bryan Center’s Louise Jones Brown Gallery. More events are planned to promote students’ artwork.

“We are currently working on a project where we will exhibit students’ art at the [West Campus] Plaza and the Bryan Center,” Gao said.

spective, whenever you see any type of behavior, you can explain it at different levels. The misconception would be a more general one that you can explain behavior at just one level. But you need to look at many levels, you need to look at how behavior develops, look at how it evolved, meaning looking at different species that are closely related to each other, why is it that some species that are closely related are similar, but then others that are closely related aren’t.

TC: What experiments and tests do you plan on running at the center, and what do you hope to learn from these tests?

BH: The test we’re going to run this Fall is a funny one because there’s a serious thing we’re interested in, which

“It’s difficult to speculate if anything like this could be prevented,” she said.

“The one option that you can keep in mind is to try not to find ourselves isolated in any particular area on campus.”

The last time an armed robbery was reported on East Campus was when a junior was robbed at gunpoint July 28 behind the East Union building. Students were notified of the incident via a DukeAlert e-mail the morning of July 29. is when you’re cooperating, how do you prevent cheating? Because if you get cheated, it doesn’t make sense to cooperate.

What we’re going to do with dogs is a study called “Does your dog trust you more than a stranger?”

You have two people, and we’re going to hide food in various places, and then at the same time, a stranger and the owner of the dog are going to give a visual cue—a pointing cue—to the location of the food that they hid. The question is, “Who does the dog listen to?”

TC: How are people reacting to this idea of their pets being a part of your study?

BH: We’ve had tons of people write us, and let’s put it this way, we have the cheapest tuition and the best acceptance rate at Duke. It doesn’t cost anything and we have a 99 percent acceptance rate. So, people are excited.

Read the complete interview online at news.chronicleblogs.com.

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the chronicle

krueger from page 1 “I will tell you that there is no dead steer, pig or fish that smells like a human body that has been left to rot in the sun for days,” Krueger said. “And I stood there, and I don’t know why, but I think I had to feel with every fiber of my body what it was that I was looking at... so that I could go and speak with clarity and with passion.”

He also shared the story of finding a 5-year-old child whose head had been split open by an axe and whose body was mutilated. Krueger said that although many deaths are reported as crossfire, the child’s body proved otherwise.

“This child might have been Einstein, he might have been Mandela,” Krueger said. “I don’t know what this child might have been—that child is younger than I am and that child might have done more with his life than I have with mine.”

Krueger also chronicled someone’s attempt to assassinate him while he was on a narrow mountain road, which prompted the U.S. government to try to remove him from Africa. Krueger said he objected because he felt it was important to continue to witness the genocide.

“In Texas, when you fall off of a horse you get right back on that horse... so the worst thing that you could do is to pull the U.S. ambassador out of here,” said Krueger, who said he experienced other assassination attempts. “If I remained silent, who was to speak?”

Junior Ben Bergmann, president of Duke Democrats— which sponsored the event in conjunction with Duke Political Union—said the organizations found Krueger an appealing candidate to speak because he provided nonpartisan perspective on international issues.

“One of the things that we want to do is bring in people who can talk about the different dimensions of politics and public service,” Bergmann said. “And Ambassador and Sen. Krueger was the perfect person to do that.”

Senior Ruthie Tucker said she attended the event because she is taking the Violence and Identity house course, which incorporates Krueger’s speech into its coursework.

“I think as an [International Comparative Studies] major... we are already aware of the facts, but a lot of times the emotional reality of the situation is hidden in the realms of academia and you don’t really realize what’s going on in the world,” Tucker said. “And it’s really terrible when you think about it.”

Krueger said one of his goals in speaking to students is to motivate them to question how they can help improve situations—both domestically and abroad. In addition to Tuesday’s event, Krueger also spoke to students at the Visions of Freedom Focus program dinner Monday.

“I think all of those are questions that students can ask for themselves, and they should not just think, ‘Well, I don’t want to pay attention because there is nothing I can do,’” Krueger said in an interview. “There are always things that people can do.”

The notion that people need to hold themselves accountable for international problems was prevalent throughout the night.

“What can we do?,” Krueger said at the end of his address.

“That is a question for each of you.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 | 5

Meeting movie maker Mograbi

daniella choi/The Chronicle

Israeli documentary filmmaker Avi Mograbi shares and discusses his films with community members at the Griffith Film Theater Tuesday.

Celebrating THE Sanford ScHool of PublIc PolIcy

Inaugural Series

Special Events october 1-3, 2009 founder’s day convocation Thursday, Oct. 1, 4:00 p.m., Duke Chapel Professor of Public Policy and Law Joel fleishman, founding director of what is now the Sanford School, delivers the Founder’s Day address and is awarded the University Medal for Distinguished Service.

Terry Sanford distinguished lectures Fleishman Commons, Sanford Building

“The new Global Economy: a conversation with richard fisher”

“Prospects in Public Health: a conversation with dr. Gail rosseau”

Friday, Oct. 2, 4:30 p.m. Reception follows

Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:00 a.m.

richard fisher, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, offers an insider’s view of the global financial crisis in a conversation with National Public Radio Senior News Analyst cokie roberts. An audience Q&A follows the lecture.

Fisher was assistant to the secretary of the U.S. Treasury during the Carter administration and later served as deputy U.S. trade representative with the rank of ambassador. He oversaw implementation of NAFTA and various agreements with Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Chile and Singapore.

Using examples from her work with patients, Gail rosseau, M.D., illustrates core issues in the health insurance debate such as equal access to care, medical liability and high costs.

John Harwood T’78, political journalist with CNBC and The New York Times, engages Rosseau in a dialogue about health insurance reform.

Rosseau, chief of surgery at the Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago and a brain tumor specialist, was among President Obama’s candidates for U.S. Surgeon General.

Events are free and open to the public.

additional Events “Terry Sanford: an american original” Photography Exhibit All Weekend, Sanford Building Preview 20 images from a new exhibit about Terry Sanford, the progressive leader who served as governor of North Carolina, U.S. Senator, president of Duke University, and founder of what is now the Sanford School.

Student Poster Session

Alumni, please check online for other alumni-only events: www.sanford.duke.edu

for details please email ppscomm@duke.edu or call (919) 613-7312 or (919) 613-7428.

Friday, Oct. 2, 2:00 p.m., Sanford Building Public policy seniors are on hand to answer questions about their honors thesis research projects.

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Sports

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The most meaningful game

Technically, Duke’s Homecoming matchup with N.C. Central Saturday is meaningless.

In reality, it’s a must-win.

The (Raleigh) News and Observer reported two weeks ago that the NCAA does not yet consider the Eagles a full-fledged FCS team, so a win this weekend would do nothing to help the Blue Devils’ bowl Joe aspirations. Duke would still need to win five of its final eight contests to qualify for its first postseason game since the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl.

But the N.C. Central game could set the tone for the remainder of the Blue Devils’ season.

If Duke has any chance of fulfilling its goal of playing in December, it needs to build some serious momentum against the Eagles. After rebounding from a disappointing opening week with a much-improved effort at Army, the Blue Devils fell flat last weekend against Kansas, losing 44-16.

Part of that, as head coach David Cutcliffe pointed out after the game, has to do with the Jayhawks. Their offense is going to make a lot of their opponents look worse than they really are. But after an opening two-play, 87-yard touchdown drive, Duke failed to get much going against Kansas’ defense, and it was only a matter of time before Todd Reesing and the Jayhawk offense got on track.

By the end of the first half, Kansas had

WEDNESDAY September 23, 2009

Head coach David Cutcliffe announced Tuesday that freshman running back Desmond Scott will see his first action of the season Saturday against N.C. Central

www.dukechroniclesports.com

football

FROM THE PITCH TO THE GRIDIRON

Drews

See Drews on page 7

Ian soileau/Chronicle file photo

Junior Will Snyderwine joined the team as a walk-on in 2007 under then-head coach Ted Roof, and has seen game action with the Blue Devils this season.

by Harrison Comfort The chronicle

Actor Mark Wahlberg starred in the 2006 film “Invincible”, detailing the true story of Vince Papale, a local bartender who made the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster after attending an open tryout in 1976.

There is no feature film in the works about Duke Football, yet the Blue Devils’ team features its own version of Vince Papale.

His name is Will Snyderwine.

During the 2007 season, under thenhead coach Ted Roof, the program placed an advertisement in The Chronicle inviting all undergraduates to attend an open kicking tryout. The ad specifically requested players with some level of field goal-kicking experience.

Then-freshman Snyderwine was a standout. He not only impressed the coaches enough to earn a roster spot, but enough

to dress for the Blue Devils’ next game.

And ironically enough, the day before the tryout, Snyderwine had no plans to even attend.

“Under Coach Roof, the team had a little trouble and had an open tryout. I was on the club rugby team at the time and the coaches sent out an email to all club sports,” Snyderwine said. “Two of See snyderwine on page 8

men’s soccer

Blue Devils win rain-soaked match

by Chris Cusack The chronicle

courtney douglas/Chronicle file photo

David Cutcliffe’s squad has a daunting task ahead of it if the Blue Devils are to become bowl-eligible.

On a sloppy night dominated by poor passing and wasted opportunities, No. 12 Duke managed to barely hold off pesky UNC-Wilmington UNCW 1 (4-2-1) at Koskinen DUKE 2 Stadium.

Under a steady downpour, the Blue Devils (5-1-1) outlasted the Seahawks in the double-overtime contest, coming from behind to win 2-1.

Junior midfielder Cole Grossman finished a cross from freshman Andrew Wenger in the 102nd minute to give Duke a crucial rebound victory following the Blue Devils’ first defeat of the

season, a 2-1 loss against then-No. 3 North Carolina Friday.

Despite outshooting UNCWilmington 23-9, the Blue Devils could not break through when it counted, squandering countless scoring opportunities.

Early on, however, Duke seemed destined for an easy victory. The game’s first twenty minutes saw the Blue Devils come out firing on all cylinders, and they created scoring chances as early as the third minute. However, the Seahawk defense held strong, creating just enough pressure to prevent an early goal.

“We should have been 2- or 3-nil up,” head coach John Kerr See M. Soccer on page 8

michael naclerio/The Chronicle

Cole Grossman scored the game-winning goal in double overtime Tuesday in Duke’s 2-1 win over UNC-Wilmington at a rainy Koskinen Stadium.

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 | 7

Drews from page 6 started to pull away, and the Blue Devils had lost their chance to make a statement on sort-of national TV. (Can you really count Versus as national TV if at one point a graphic refers to the sideline reporter as “Third Guy,” and later, the play-by-play announcer doesn’t even attempt to say cornerback Chris Rwabukamba’s name after he defends a pass? Let’s be like the NCAA and say the station is still transitioning from its days as OLN.) Now, with just one nonconference win counting toward bowl eligibility, Duke has to get five wins out of its ACC schedule. It is unlikely any of those will come from matchups with Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Miami is looking as if it has returned to national-power status, Georgia Tech proved last year that its triple-option offense can tear through the Blue Devil defense and Virginia Tech is Virginia Tech.

That leaves five potentially winnable games on Duke’s schedule: N.C. State, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Wake Forest. (The Tar Heels are ranked, but they don’t scare me as much as the Yellow Jackets—the Blue Devils always seem to play their archrivals tough.) Duke would have to win all five of those games to qualify for a bowl—a daunting task, considering it is 1-for-3 in winnable games so far.

With the Hokies coming up Oct. 3, the Blue Devils aren’t good enough to just turn on the switch when it matters, Oct. 10 against the Wolfpack. Duke, despite all the progress it has made since the Ted Roof Era, is still in the early phase of the rebuilding process. If the Blue Devils have any chance of making a bowl game, they have to do all the little things right.

Just as importantly, they cannot afford extended losing streaks because they are not far enough removed from the days of 0-12 and 1-11. Many players did not win their first home game until last season, and most of them have suffered devastating losses to North Carolina and Wake Forest in their careers. Duke is not at the point where it can overcome several consecutive ugly weeks with a key victory.

That’s why the first-ever meeting between Durham’s schools is so critical. With Virginia Tech looming, the Blue Devils need to build momentum this weekend. As the NCAA realizes, N.C. Central will not truly provide Division I-level competition. The Eagles have scored just 44 points this season, including 10 in a double-overtime loss to Morehead State Saturday. They have completed less than 53 percent of their passes and average 3.1 yards per carry on the ground.

The Blue Devils should be favored, and they have to win—and do so convincingly. If they don’t, the season won’t be lost by any means. Duke may still match or exceed last season’s win total.

But expectations for the program have changed. The Blue Devils are no longer measured by whether they win one game per season. They may not be a bowl team yet, but Cutcliffe insists that they should compete for a bid.

If they struggle against N.C. Central, that is out of the question. They will not follow that with a 5-for-5 performance in the games they have to win. But if Duke blows out the Eagles, anything is possible in those contests.

For a meaningless game, there’s certainly a lot at stake.

LAWSON KURTZ/The Chronicle

Despite cornerback Chris Rwabukamba’s best efforts returning a blocked extra point, the Blue Devils lost to Kansas 44-16 in Lawrence Saturday.

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Snyderwine from page 6 my friends who were also playing on the rugby team and lived in my dorm told me about it and insisted that I [go].”

Prior to attending the tryout, the Maryland native did not think he had any chance at making the team and largely attended to appease his friends.

Before Duke, the junior kicker lettered in soccer and rugby at Landon High School in Bethesda, Md. and also competed for the U-19 national rugby team. Initially, just like in college, Snyderwine did not have any interest in putting on pads for his school.

A similar situation to the 2007 tryout, however, ended with Snyderwine as the starting placekicker for the football team.

“I mostly played soccer and rugby, but I got the kicking job in high school pretty much the same way,” Snyderwine said.

“The kicker got hurt and the football coach asked me to kick a few field goals…. After that, they told me I’d be the kicker for the rest of the season.”

Four years later, the former soccer and rugby player now holds the starting placekicker position at an FBS school. This season, Snyderwine has not missed an extra point, connecting on all six attempts. The kicker is also currently third on the team in scoring with nine points.

And despite not even knowing about the tryout and being dragged to it by friends, Snyderwine considers giving in to his friends’ pleas one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

“It has been amazing. I enjoy every minute of it,” Snyderwine said. “I’m really happy about how things turned out, and I love being a part of the team. It really gives me a sense of purpose—we work really hard and I just enjoy everything about it.”

Yet being a kicker comes with its challenges from teammates. Since the placekicker is not as physically involved in the game as other players, teammates sometimes give kickers a hard time for their relatively less active role on the team. Snyderwine, though, has not experienced any real headaches from the rest of the Blue Devils.

“It really is not too bad—at this point [teammates’ comments] are nothing you haven’t heard,” Snyderwine said.

“Once in a while you hear things like, ‘Oh you’re just the kicker,’ and you just respond, ‘I get it, I know.’”

Despite the occasional heckle, Snyderwine handles himself well on the practice field, special teams coordinator Ron Middleton said.

“He knows what’s expected of him,” Middleton said. “The best way to deal with kickers is not to deal with them.

They have enough stuff in their head— they are weird anyway. Ninety-five percent of it is between the ears.”

So far, Snyderwine has shown he’s got a level head on his shoulders—and more importantly, a strong leg.

Angie Yu/Chronicle file photo

Freshman goalkeeper James Belshaw gave up just one fluke goal in the Blue Devils’ 2-1 home victory.

M. Soccer from page 6

ian soileau/Chronicle file photo

Kicker Will Snyderwine is 6-for-6 on PATs this season and has scored a total of nine points for the Blue Devils.

said. “When you don’t capitalize on that play and those opportunities, you allow teams to get a little confident.”

After being outshot 11-0 in the first half, the Seahawks stormed back at the start of the second. Blue Devil goalkeeper James Belshaw briefly delayed the inevitable, making a spectacular one-handed diving stop on a point-blank shot. However, UNC-Wilmington finally drew blood when junior striker Tyler Wheaton bombed a shot from 35 yards. After deflecting off a Duke defender and flying high into the air, the ball spun off the right post into the net, causing an uproar from the Seahawk faithful.

“It was a little unfortunate,” senior defender Josh Bienenfeld said. “But we all got together, kept our focus and it was great to see everyone committed to getting our first goal.”

That strike came in the 73rd minute, when freshman Ryan Finley beat his defender and rifled a shot past UNC-Wilm-

ington goalkeeper Brock Duckworth from the top of the box. Duke continued to threaten throughout the rest of the half as UNC-Wilmington began to tire.

By the end of regulation, the Blue Devils had rediscovered their early swagger to regain the momentum before the start of the extra period.

“There was only going to be one winner in overtime, and that was us,” Kerr said.

Duke’s superior skill finally shined through in overtime. Early in the second extra session, Wenger burned his defender down the left sideline and offered up a cross that landed on the foot of Grossman, who smoked it past the overmatched goalkeeper.

As the Blue Devils rushed the field, the team looked unsure as to whom it should mob, finally splitting to envelop both players.

“We sure made that one interesting, didn’t we?” Kerr said after the game, shaking his head.

Although Duke escaped with a win despite its subpar showing, a similar performance would be disastrous when the Blue Devils resume ACC play Friday night at Boston College.

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Answer to puzzle

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 | 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

Dilbert Scott Adams

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The Chronicle theories we fight swine flu with: frat, myrtle: �����������������������������������������������������������������������������charlie east coast bias: ����������������������������������������������������������������emme, will nihilism: ����������������������������������������������������������������� thoughtful euge it’s all a conspiracy: ���������������������������������������������������� shuchi, austin defense wins championships: ������������������������������gabe, sabreeeena alcoholism: ������������������������������������������������������������� court, c-rod, sam 001001010001: ����������������������������������������������������������������� @alexklein communism: �������������������������������������������������������������������� jessica, hon Barb Starbuck would punch that swine in the face: ��������������� Barb

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The Chronicle

10 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 the chronicle commentaries

Carrying on the Brand legacy As president of the Nation- of university life in a way that al Collegiate Athletic Associa- fostered the acquisition of tion, Myles Brand sought to diverse skills among student tackle the divide between col- athletes. legiate athletics and academSpecifically, he impleics. But after mented measures Brand’s death like the Academic editorial last week, it Progress Report, a appears as if his mission re- metric designed to incentivmains largely unfulfilled. ize good academic perforA victim of pancreatic can- mance, and the Graduation cer at the age of 67, Brand, Success Rate, which tracked formerly the president of graduation rates of NCAA Indiana University, assumed teams. Prior to Brand, no leadership of the NCAA in other NCAA president ad2003. As the first college presi- opted such a strong stance dent to also serve as president in favor of academics, and of the NCAA, Brand brought his unfailing adherence to a unique and valuable per- the stringent regulations spective to the position. Dur- and metrics he created was ing his tenure, he pushed to admirable and exemplary. integrate student athletics Brand’s initiatives, as into the traditional academic successful as they were, unexperience and link these of- derscore the challenges his tentimes binary components successor must address. Rais-

“

onlinecomment

It is these students, the poorer ones who must finance all or most of their educational costs with debt, that must be the focus of our concern.

”

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ing academic standards is a good start, but as matters exist today, athletics can never be fully integrated into the academic life of the university without addressing growing commercialization. As long as athletes—particularly when it comes to the big revenue sports like football and basketball—are treated as valuable money-making assets instead of actual college students, the academic-athletic divide will persist.

The next NCAA president should continue to uphold Brand’s strict academic standards, but he or she must tackle commercialization head on with a particularly pragmatic approach. Key areas to investigate and assess include the recruiting process, the pervasive marketing of university

athletics, the athletic facility construction “arms race” and the inordinate number of hours athletes spend practicing each week.

Our own university, perhaps, is an appropriate model for the marriage of academics and athletics that Brand desired. Duke’s strong academic tradition lends itself to a well rounded athletic program, offering student athletes a good balanced undergraduate experience both on and off the playing field.

Student athletes are successfully integrated into the Duke community and work to the same rigorous standards as other undergraduates.

At an administrative level, the transition from Joe Alleva to Kevin White, the current director of athlet-

ics, has been a smooth and welcome change. Elevating the athletic director to a vice president position solidifies the place of athletics as a central and inextricable part of the University. In the future, the athletics strategic plan “Unrivaled Ambition” could provide a strong roadmap for continuing the integration of athletic and academic excellence.

Collegiate sports bring in hundreds of millions of dollars each year, filling the coffers of athletics departments across the country and leaving many student athletes academically bankrupt.

Myles Brand exhibited true leadership in beginning to address this problem. We hope his successor does the same.

Practice makes permanent

O

ld people are running the table!

And I am not talking about billiards, although my grandpa used to hustle me in pool all the time. I am talking about society. This is not an earth-shattering revelation—young people are less likely to engage in public discourse than are older people. Fact.

I did not realize, however, just how apathetic we really are until last week’s Duke Student steffi decker Government elecrefuse to lose tions. Twenty-seven percent! Seriously people? Seventy-three percent of us brilliant, topnotch thinkers, who can unearth genetic defects in a lab and engineer an invisibility cloak, cannot be bothered to click a few buttons on the computers that we are already sitting in front of.

But you may query, so what? Why should we participate in DSG elections? I’m glad you ask.

Not to minimize the service of DSG to the University (especially considering this is a column encouraging participation), it seems that the average student would have reason to interact with DSG on issues mostly pertaining to Tailgate, line monitor policy and club funding. The totality of which seems worthy of roughly 27 percent of our collective attention.

So if it is not because DSG is so important to your experience at Duke, why should we vote? Because we are getting owned by old people. Or, in more politically correct terms, the “geriatric gap” is growing.

In the 2008 presidential election, people aged 65 to 74 participated to the tune of 70.1 percent, whereas we 18 to 24 year olds voted at only 44.3 percent.

Believe it or not though, old people were once young people, and as young people they did not participate either. Therefore, these voting statistics are not just coincidence; it takes time to become educated in the art of participation. So, by the time they, and eventually we, hit middle age, and certainly when rounding the corner into senior citizenry, elder people are veteran participators.

We, however, at the ripe old age of 18 to 22, are novices.

So if we want to have any chance at proactively protecting the interests of our generation such as clean air, some kind of health care and an amount of debt that won’t suffocate us, we’d better start practicing. And what better place to start than in the sheltered environment of university elections?

Don’t feel bad though, it’s not really your fault that you appear apathetic. For the last 18 years or so you have been taught to do what you are told. Our education system is built on a hierarchical model. The teacher stands in front of the room and instructs. Students are not only discouraged, but also punished for violating the orders of teachers, parents and other authority figures. Young people are supposed to fill their little heads with knowledge and information so they will have a baseline from which to participate and perpetuate the system.

But as our Duke education (or more likely Wikipedia) has taught us, intelligence is not really about retaining information or being a disciplined sheep. More, it is about the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials in order to engage and thoughtfully contribute to the discourse.

More likely than not, you don’t inherit these skills on your 18th birthday. But here we are, young adults, expected to do this, to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, etc.

So how do you cope with this pressure? You vote in the DSG election! Not because it matters (although it might, but I’ll leave that argument to someone who knows more and cares more than I do about DSG internal politics), but because it is good practice. And as my old basketball coach used to say, practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make permanent.

We are not the “dumbest generation” as so much recent literature suggest. We are, however, participation illiterate. Unlike any generation that has come before us though, the population models are upside down leaving us grossly outnumbered by the participation literate—the baby boomers.

The natural evolution of participation suggests that it take decades to learn to participate effectively. Our generation, however, does not have that kind of time.

The growing geriatric gap means that our futures are being mortgaged for today’s interests. We might be too busy doing irreversible damage to our livers and lungs or other risky (albeit fun) behaviors to care about, for example, the health care debate, but if the financial crisis has taught us anything it is that bad mortgages equal bad future.

So if for no other reason, vote in DSG elections, because like anything else, it takes practice to be an engaged citizen.

Furthermore, as the Chinese Olympic gymnastics team taught me, if you want to be good at something, you have to start early.

Steffi Decker is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 | 11

commentaries

Macs’ military

lettertotheeditor Revised Tailgate guidelines for Saturday Homecoming weekend is upon us. The football game against North Carolina Central University begins at 7 p.m. this Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium. Make sure you catch this very rare opportunity to see two Bull City teams battle it out on the gridiron.

I want to thank those students who did an exceptional job following the new guidelines at the first Tailgate. I was most impressed by the unified cleaning effort that included members from almost every group. Keep up the good work.

A detailed summary of changes for Tailgate can be found at http://dsg.duke.edu. The following changes are in effect for this Tailgate: Tailgate will run from 3:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the first lot of the Blue Zone. Cars and grills must enter between 2:45 and 3:15 p.m. (when students begin to enter.)

Registration is on the Duke Student Government Web site from now until Thursday at 2 p.m. Each group will be assigned a 5-minute registration window in the tailgate lottery occurring Thursday night from 7:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.

L

Tailgating groups must now have 3 to 5 designated “go-to” people for game day to help notify groups of Tailgate guideline violations.

Extra cups and recycling bins will be pre-distributed to Tailgate spots to make guidelines easier to follow.

Per administrative request, standing and sitting on top of cars is no longer permitted.

This rule is in some ways a disappointing departure from tradition, but this is better than a serious injury, making it a necessity.

Only Burger and Chik-Fil-A (on points) will be located in the front of the Tailgate lot.

The Tailgate conduct review guidelines are now posted on the DSG Web site for your review. This process will only apply to those groups and individuals who risk others’ safety and/or repeatedly ignore game day requests for conduct improvement.

Enjoy your homecoming festivities responsibly so you can give the team the support they deserve come 7 p.m. Go Duke!

Pete Schork VP for athletics and campus services, DSG

Hail to the thieves

ast December, instrumental rock gui- thing at all away from his prose or prolificacy tarist Joe Satriani brought a lawsuit as a playwright or poet. It merely means that against Coldplay over their wildly fa- not all of his plots were, in fact, his. Many of mous hit “Viva La Vida.” Satriani attested his works mirrored very closely the tales told that the melody of the song had been taken by those who came before him, and those of directly from his tune “If I us more well read than this Could Fly.” In fact, Satriani columnist could point you wasn’t the only big name to directly to those tales. accuse Coldplay of thievery; Even in light of this, the Cat Stevens also suggested Bard is no less extraordito the media that the super nary in our eyes. He is still group had plagiarized porthe best there ever was, retions of his work. Satriani gardless of the fact that he settled his suit out of court may have borrowed a stochris bassil just over a week ago (preryline here or there. sumably for a hefty sum), This is nothing new, and true story while Stevens asked for his in no way a profundity. Evcompensation to come in eryone knows that Gregg the form of “a cup of tea with them.” In Gillis of Girl Talk didn’t record any of the both cases, Coldplay front man Chris Mar- music he puts out (Gillis doesn’t even have tin insisted that the band wrote the song the legal rights to the music he uses). If entirely on their own. these instances are so much more blatant But would it really have been so bad if they than the trial-inducing tunes of Coldplay, hadn’t? After all, artists’ influences always why, then, do we let them go without so seem to show through in their songs, and the much as a lawsuit? old adage tells us that imitation is the sincerThe answer, in this case, is a relatively est form of flattery. Of course, imitation bor- simple one. It’s because they’re good. dering on plagiarism tends to bring up an People like them. Sure, Shakespeare wrote abundance of red flags, especially here on a some stories that someone else had already college campus. We are all heavily cautioned put down on paper. For one thing, he was by professors and administrators alike not writing at a time when nuisances such as to take the Chris Martin path when it comes copyright laws didn’t exist, but that’s not to term papers, and for good reason. In the the point. The point is that he took those realm of the arts, however, it’s worth noting old stories and wrote them better than anythat matters such as this should be looked at one else did, and so all sins are forgiven. in their own little light.

As for Gillis and the rest of the mash-up Consider the aptly named “mash-up” movement, corporate law has yet to put an music that is so widely endorsed across end to the music. Perhaps this too is for no campuses and club scenes today. Mash-up reason other than its widespread popularartists, for those unaware, create songs by ity. Some herald this musical phenomenon digitally piecing together fragments of the as somewhat of a cultural revolution, while works of other artists and weaving them most are more or less content to just enjoy into something of an aural collage. The it for what it is. But the reason it doesn’t go movement is of ambiguous legal status to trial in our minds is because it is realized for obvious reasons, yet is seldom looked to be something new in the way of the arts. down upon for such. On the contrary, the Something new built from something old, music is celebrated and widely consumed, just like Shakespeare’s stories. just like the commercial culture of hip-hop It’s like Picasso may or may not have sampling from which it spawned. said: Good artists imitate, but great artists The offenses here, save for those paying steal. Most grant Shakespeare his greatness royalties, are far more obvious than those of and, depending on your point of view, Girl Chris Martin and Coldplay. This is no recent Talk might be up there as well. If that’s the development, though, as this type of pilfering case, then it looks like Satriani and Stevens can be traced a pretty considerable way back. just may have given Coldplay the biggest It has been suggested, and reasonably compliment in the book. substantiated, that Shakespeare himself wasn’t quite the mastermind we’ve made Chris Bassil is a Trinity sophomore. His colhim out to be. Now, that’s not to take any- umn runs every other Wednesday.

O

n Monday, Gen. Stanley Mc- McMaster, while significantly less critical Chrystal, head of U.S. and NATO than McChrystal concerning U.S. troop forces in Afghanistan, earned preparedness in the region, touched on himself a spot in the history books. Mc- the same issues found in McChrystal’s reChrystal’s report on the port. Establishing security war in Afghanistan, sent is necessary in Afghanito President Obama Aug. stan, but the security must 30, can now be read on be established with the the Washington Post’s needs and interests of the Web site. population in mind. McThe 66-page report Master and McChrystal signals a potential paraare on the same page, perdigm shift in U.S. milihaps signaling the already elad gross tary strategy. McChrystal changed mindset of U.S. kitty babies describes the dire need military commanders. to implement a better But military officials counter insurgency plan in Afghani- still await President Barack Obama’s plan stan and to station more U.S. soldiers for Afghanistan. John Hillen, Trinity ’88 in Afghanistan. and former assistant secretary of state for “The long-term fight will require pa- political military affairs, spoke at Duke last tience and commitment, but I believe week, and attributed some of the failure in the short-term fight will be decisive,” Mc- Afghanistan to Obama’s delay in speaking Chrystal writes. “Failure to gain the initia- to the public about Afghanistan’s importive and reverse insurgent momentum in tance. Perhaps rightfully so—it’s the presithe near-term (next 12 months)—while dent’s job to explain the case to the AmeriAfghan security capacity matures—risks can people, and rally support when he or an outcome where defeating the insur- she believes the fight is in the best interests gency is no longer possible.” of this country.

The situation is critical. Counter inBut the president isn’t the only one surgency and the obstacles to Afghani to blame. The media has failed to depict stability take up the majority of Mc- the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Chrystal’s report. A non-traditional war Cynics may say the U.S. is to blame for calls for non-traditional warfare, and Afghanistan’s suffering, but Kabul wasn’t this revolution must start with the sol- so rosy when the Taliban was in power. dier. McChrystal criticizes current forces Even in Taliban-controlled sections of in Afghanistan for being too ignorant of Afghanistan today, beheadings, torture Afghani culture. He envisions troops and other forms of violence are used by trained not only to protect, but to help leaders to maintain authority through build functioning societies. fear. McMaster pointed to a PBS FrontDestruction of the enemy is no longer line documentary, “Children of the Talithe primary goal; protection of the civilian ban,” that he said accurately portrays inpopulation is. The days of calling in bomb- surgent brutality found in Pakistan and ers to take out enemy targets in civilian Afghanistan, and in McChrystal’s report. population centers must end. Even if Osa- McChrystal and McMaster connect these ma bin Laden himself is killed in an attack acts of violence to increased regional near a civilian gathering, the psychologi- instability—insurgent forces kill local cal and social costs of accidentally killing leadership, replace the leaders with their a bride, groom and half their families far own members and then target adolesoutweighs the benefits from accomplish- cents and children for indoctrination. ing traditional military objectives.

The problems facing the U.S. are For example, insurgents normally threefold: 1) The failure to effectively have two choices when confronting U.S. market the campaign has resulted in less forces: be killed or surrender. McChrys- than optimal support, both in Afghanital wants to give them a third option: re- stan and at home; 2) the modern soldier integration into the local community. In needs to be retrained as a nation builder, the battle for the hearts and minds of Af- armed not only with guns but with culghanis, McChrystal recognizes that the tural understanding, linguistic skills and U.S. must offer better results than those compassion; 3) the insufficient troop offered by Taliban insurgents. Security, level threatens to compromise the entire economic opportunity, education— mission in Afghawwnistan. McChrystal’s McChrystal’s military must account for military would address many of the probit all. In short, the U.S. military must lems our soldiers face in Afghanistan become nation builders in order to suc- today, and, if successfully implemented, ceed in Afghanistan.

McChrystal’s recommendations may Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster faced a prove to be the decisive turning point in crowd of students, faculty and guests at American Middle Eastern strategy.

Duke Monday night, after McChrystal’s But Obama has yet to act decisively. report had been released. Fully grasping This is no time to waver, because every his responsibilities as an officer in the day the Commander-in -Chief waits, U.S. military, McMaster warned the crowd another U.S. soldier or Afghani child that he would not comment on policy, inches closer to the grave. but that he could discuss background information on the situation the military Elad Gross is a Trinity senior. His column faces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. runs every Wednesday.

New from Gloria Ahn on the opinion blog:

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