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, October 20, 2009
Car chase on Towerview, no injuries
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 41
www.dukechronicle.com
Duke nets $147M from stimulus Sum exceeds ‘best expectations,’ NIH funds are sixth among peers by Eugene Wang The chronicle
As financial troubles lead to budget cuts, Duke is getting a boost from Uncle Sam. Duke has received approximately $146.8 million in federal stimulus research funding. Of a total of 854 Duke proposals, 237 were approved. The money from the stimulus bill, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, came to Duke primarily from four institutions: the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, said Marianne Hassan, head of Duke’s ARRA Response Team and associate dean for new initiatives at the Pratt School of Engineering. According to the Department of Health and Human Services—which administers the NIH, the largest source for grant approvals—Duke had 198 proposals approved by the NIH. The total sum of funds from the NIH places Duke sixth among institutions in NIH stimulus funding, behind the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard
by Emmeline Zhao The chronicle
Two vehicles were involved in a highspeed chase on Towerview Drive late Monday night. No one was injured. The vehicles were driving approximately 60 mph when the car being pursued came to the Towerview traffic circle and hit the curb, said sophomore Maurizio Martinovic, who was exiting the Blue Zone at the time. Police do not believe either vehicle is affiliated with the University, said Assistant Chief Gloria Graham of the Duke University Police Department. The car’s three passengers soon abandoned the damaged vehicle and fled the scene. Meanwhile, the pursuing vehicle sped up and down Towerview multiple times, yelling out the windows before driving off, Martinovic said. DUPD responded to the incident and charged the driver of the pursued vehicle with careless and reckless driving and driving with a revoked license. The other two passengers are unidentified, Graham said.. Martinovic said the chase resulted from an altercation at the intersection of Morreene Road and Towerview. See chase on page 6
See stimulus on page 6 Photo illustration by Courtney douglas/The Chronicle
Snyderman advocates health reform Durham officials by Ethan Marks The chronicle
Chronicle file photo
DUHS Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Ralph Snyderman recently wrote an oped for The Huffington Post titled “Making Sense of Health Care Reform.”
raise concerns after DPD firing
Last Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee became the last of the five Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care to pass a health care reform bill. The bill passed by a 14-9 vote, with Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine being the only Republican to vote in favor of the bill. The public option, a hotly debated component of health reform, is a major component of the bill passed by the Senate health committee, but it was not included in the Senate Finance Committee’s version. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. now have to work with the leaders of their respective chambers in order to merge the two Senate bills and three House bills into one bill for each chamber. Dr. Ralph Snyderman, an outspoken advocate of health reform, is Chancellor Emeritus of Duke University, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and past president and chief exective officer of the Duke University Health System. In light of his recent guest column in The Huffington Post titled “Making Sense of Health Care Reform,” The Chronicle’s Ethan Marks talked with Snyderman about his ideas for reforming the health care system and his opinions on some of the Congressional efforts so far.
A Durham Police Department employee’s recent termination over excessive overtime pay has raised concerns about a lack of oversight. During a year in which the alleged overtime abuse took place, several employees at both the City of Durham and DPD questioned how a non-uniformed employee was earning overtime compensation that more than doubled her regular salAlesha Robinsonary. Several attempts to shine a light Taylor on the situation were ignored by senior officials at the police department, said City Council
See Snyderman on page 6
See DPD on page 5
ONTHERECORD
“Durham was undergoing a renaissance, but the TV news and [The (Raleigh)] News & Observer only covered crime.”
—Blogger Kevin Davis on Durham news coverage. See story page 3
by Julius Jones The chronicle
Men’s Tennis: Double Trouble Duke’s top doubles team qualifies for National Indoors, PAGE 7
Tweed-Kent twins revel in success, Page 7
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worldandnation
Scandal erupts at French school
Obama orders feds to relax Internet benefits memory marijuana enforcement LOS ANGELES — Here’s an inducement for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other seniors who’ve stayed off the information superhighway: If you take the on-ramp now, you’ll get the benefits of improved cognitive dexterity and better short-term memory. So says a study presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting in Chicago. A team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, scanned the brains of 24 older adults—half of them Internet-savvy, the others not—as the subjects performed a task that simulated an Internet search. After providing online training for those with little Internet familiarity, the researchers instructed subjects to spend at least seven hours over the next two weeks conducting practice Internet searches, exploring Web sites and reading information on a range of questions.
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An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason. — C. S. Lewis
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WASHINGTON — The administration of President Barack Obama told federal authorities Monday not to arrest or prosecute medical marijuana users and suppliers, paving the way for some states to move forward with plans to create officially sanctioned dispensaries to provide the drug as relief for a series of maladies. The move by the Justice Department ended months of uncertainty over how far the Obama White House planned to go in reversing the Bush administration’s federal stance on the controversial issue. In new guidelines circulated Monday, the Justice Department told prosecutors and federal drug agents that they have more important things to do than to arrest people as long as they are obeying the laws of states that allow some use or sale of medical marijuana.
TODAY IN HISTORY 1864: Lincoln formally establishes Thanksgiving as a national holiday
PARIS — The president of the University of Toulon and two top aides were suspended Monday over charges of irregularities in the admission and graduation of Chinese students allegedly ready to pay bribes for the prestige of a French diploma. The suspension, decided by Higher Education Minister Valerie Pecresse, was an unusual public stain on France’s cherished tradition of opening its largely free education system to students from around the world. It underlined some of the pressures created by a skyrocketing number of Chinese students who go abroad, sometimes unprepared, to win the honor of a foreign diploma in China’s increasingly competitive job market. Pecresse said university president Laroussi Oueslati and vice presidents Pierre Sanz de Alba and Yves Lucas were ordered to step down because they were trying to prevent a ministry investigation by intimidating professors, threatening retaliation against witnesses and hiding documents that described admissions procedures.
TODAY:
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Online Excerpt “Brooklyn-bred music duo Matt and Kim performed this past Friday at Kville in surprisingly chilly 45 degree weather to a nonetheless enthused Duke crowd. The two, whose song “Daylight” has caught the ears of those people over at Bacardi and many a Duke Tailgate DJ, took some time to chat postperformance. ’” — From The Playground See the interview online at bigblog.dukechronicle.com
gary friedman/Los angeles times
Consumers walk through the aisles of a temporary Toys “R” Us. These short-term retail operations, known as pop-ups, are appearing around the nation. Once limited to seasonal shops and liquidation centers, pop-ups are now being opened by some of the nation’s biggest retailers due to the recession. These stores allow merchants to test new locations and products without a long term commitment.
Triangle Bridal Showcase Sunday, October 25th • 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Durham Hilton • near Duke University Pre-Register and purchase tickets online • www.ForeverBridal.net
the chronicle
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | 3
Priest recalls prize-winning investigations
OIT blogger fills niche for local news
by Shaoli Chaudhuri
by Bhumi Purohit
For Dana Priest, stumbling upon a secret prison in Afghanistan makes investigative journalism an attractive profession. Priest delivered this year’s James D. Ewing Lecture on Ethics in Journalism to an audience of more than 50 people Monday night at the Sanford School of Public Policy. In her speech, Priest described her adventures in government accountability and investigative reporting, focusing on the stories which collectively earned her two Pulitzer Prizes. Leading the audience into the world of investigative reporting—what she referred to as “the story behind the story”—Priest began with her experience uncovering the existence of Central Intelligence Agency secret prisons. As Priest wrote in The Washington Post in 2005, the CIA used these prisons after the Sept. 11 attacks with the authority of former President George W. Bush’s administration to interrogate terrorism suspects outside the limits of military protocols and the Geneva Conventions. Known as “black site” prisons, these facilities were located in countries in Eastern Europe, Thailand and Afghanistan, where Priest inadvertently discovered the first of such sites. Priest recounted the interrogation tactics a CIA official had told her the agency
that they can keep doing throughout the rest of their four years at Duke.” Dorms gain points for reducing energy, recycling and attending Eco-Olympics events. Every week, EA gets metered energy readings from the Facilities Management Department. To calculate per-capita energy reduction, each dorm’s data is compared to its baseline reading from September. To award points for recycling, EA counts the number of recyclables in trash bins on a random day. The fewer number of recyclables, the higher the score. Dorms can also gain points by having residents attend Eco-Olympics events,
From Durham’s latest political happenings to the hippest cultural events, Kevin Davis writes about it all, and faster than some of the area’s biggest news sources. The young author’s ability to report on the latest stories with a twist of his own opinion has made him popular among the city’s residents. Davis’ blog about Durham, Bull City Rising, is a passion for the assistant director for the Office of Information Technology. Davis recognizes his work’s popularity among devoted Durhamites and has worked hard to keep the blog’s energy going—no easy task for a full-time employee. His job at Duke leaves Davis no choice but to work on the blog during his evenings, leaving no room for other interests. Regardless, Davis said he enjoys the work, and over the years it has allowed him to meet Durham’s many faces. This, he said, comes with many challenges as it becomes more difficult not to editorialize reporting. “The more you start to know people, the harder it is to say what’s on your mind,” Davis said. Despite this, Davis said Bull City Rising fills a unique niche in the city’s media outlet, as it allows him to cover stories more thoroughly than the average newspaper. He credits this to the fact that the blog’s 4,000 to 6,000 weekly views come from self-selected readers who are
See Eco-Olympics on page 4
See davis on page 6
The chronicle
See priest on page 4
The chronicle
James lee/The Chronicle
Freshmen partcipating in the annual Eco-Olympics learn how to compost leftover food at the Marketplace Monday afternoon.The competition aims to promote sustainable living among East Campus residents.
Annual Eco-Olympics fosters green living by Allison Schulhof The chronicle
As Cameron Crazies paint themselves Duke blue for basketball season, freshmen are also embracing another color—green. ThroughOctober, freshmen can engage in the Eco-Olympics, a waste and energy reduction competition between East Campus dormitories. Hosted by the Environmental Alliance, the Eco-Olympics comprise a series of events that educate students about sustainable living. “Because they are freshmen, we can get them involved with saving energy and learning about environmental issues facing the world very early on,” said EA co-President Ben Soltoff, a sophomore. “We introduce them to practices
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ourself y d e k s a r e v e ave you
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What am I looking for in life? What is the meaning of my life? How can I be a better person? What can I do about the loneliness I feel? How can I come to know God’s love? How can I know the right path God has in store for me?
The Duke Catholic Student Center at Duke University will soon begin a new journey in faith to share the richness of the Catholic Church and our community at Duke. We invite you to learn what the Church teaches, and be introduced to some of our community members. These sessions are opportunities for you, and others that you may wish to invite, to ask those perplexing and difficult questions you may have about the Church. These gatherings are for people inquiring about becoming Catholic and are open to people who are unbaptized, as well as those who are baptized.
Sessions are always held on Thursdays from 7-8:30 pm in the Falcone-Arena House off of East Campus (Address 402 N. Buchanan Blvd.). Feel free to come any night. Please give us a call if you have questions or would like further information at 680-2521, or email us at catherine.preston@duke.edu
catholic.duke.edu
(919) 684-8959
4 | Tuesday, october 20, 2009 the chronicle
Priest from page 3
Eco-olympics from page 3
used on terrorism suspects. “They would black out [the suspect’s] whole world,” Priest said. “They would keep the detention cell black. They would put gloves on their hands, earphones over their heads and shields over their eyes...and of course we know about the waterboarding.” Priest also discussed reporting the Walter Reed scandal in 2007, a story that involved exposing the subpar conditions and management at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which provides health care to soldiers and their families. Priest said one of the hospital’s buildings, Building 18, “had mold and was roach and mice-infected.” When she first learned of the building’s condition, Priest said she insisted on photographing its deteriorating state to portray all the other administrative and bureaucratic decay throughout the hospital. With respect to ethics, Priest addressed the inherent conflict between obtaining classified information from government officials—thereby jeopardizing their jobs—and a reporter’s duty to seek out and reveal the truth. In 2006, one of Priest’s alleged sources was fired from the CIA for leaking information regarding the secret prisons. But Priest said this instance did not alter her views on publishing classified information. “You certainly wouldn’t want to stop what you’re doing as a reporter [just] because someone might decide to go after the people who might be helping you,” she said. Jay Hamilton, director of the DeWitt Wallace Center and Charles S. Sydnor professor of public policy and economics, reiterated Priest’s experience in reporting sensitive national security issues. “She fits the profile of having to deal with ethical questions on a daily basis,” he said. In addition to illustrating her experiences as an in-
and students can win individual prizes such as restaurant gifts cards, an iPod or a mountain bike. Carbon racing, held Oct. 8, allowed students to calculate their carbon footprints. Last Tuesday, 169 students pledged to be vegetarians for a day. A day later, EA held a bottledtap water taste test to observe the national day of action for the Take Back the Tap campaign, which seeks to reduce bottled water consumption. At the Marketplace Monday, EA educated students about composting with worms and publicized the Marketplace’s composting capabilities. “The Marketplace can compost everything other than plastic,” Soltoff said. “So if you leave [food] on your plate and put your plate on the conveyor belt, it should all end up in compost. We have a composting facility in the Duke Forest.” EA will raise awareness this week for the 350 campaign, an international movement to address climate change. According to the 350 campaign Web site, 350 parts per million is the safe limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. “Right now we are at 389 [ppm],” said EA Co-president Mikael Owunna, a sophomore. “The 350 campaign is a push to get people to reduce their carbon emissions, so that we can get back to 350.” To prepare for the 350 campaign’s International Day of Climate Action Oct. 24, EA will table on the Plaza and at the Marketplace this week. “We are going to be giving away arm bands that say ‘350’ on them to educate students about the campaign,” Owunna said. Students can also write letters to Sen. Kay Hagan, DN.C., to encourage her to support the Boxer-Kerry bill, which would create clean jobs and energy, Owunna said. Additional events include a community garden work day and an Oct. 29 lecture by Larry Crowder, Stephen Toth professor of marine biology and an expert on sustainable fishing from the Duke Marine Lab. Dorm standings will be posted in the Marketplace next month. The winning dorm’s residents will receive T-shirts and an ice cream party, which President Richard Brodhead has attended in past years, Soltoff said. Freshman Krystal Mak has participated in many of the Eco-Olympics events. She said she likes the Eco-Olympics because it makes people more environmentally conscious. “It is great because it raises awareness about environmental issues in a more interactive manner,” Mak said. “Even if students don’t end up changing their lifestyle and making better decisions in terms of the environment, at the very least it still raises their awareness.”
THE HALLOWEEN ZONE
The closest place to campus to get Halloween Costumes, makeup and accessories.
Northgate Mall (Next to Talbot’s)
shop early for best selections!
Rob Stewart/The Chronicle
Dana Priest, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, delivered the James D. Ewing lecture on Ethics in Journalism in Sanford Monday. vestigative reporter and opinions on the ethical gray areas, Priest gave general advice to those aspiring to pursue journalism. Contrary to what television journalism personalities suggest, a good journalist learns to listen, not talk, she said. “Listen to what [your sources are] saying. Listen to what they’re not saying. Listen to their body language,” she added. Philip Bennett, Eugene C. Patterson professor of the practice of journalism and public policy, introduced Priest as a former co-worker and “one of the most courageous investigative reporters” he has worked with. During his time as managing editor of the Washing Post from 2005 to 2009, Bennett worked alongside Priest as she exposed both of the major scandals she discussed. Bennett also said he hopes journalism students who attended the lecture had come to appreciate the complexity of the ethics-related questions Priest addressed. “It’s very easy to reduce them to right or wrong or up or down—but they’re very complex,” he said, “And it’s a fluid part of what our democracy is dealing with, especially in a time of war.” Although Priest noted that investigative reporting is “the biggest challenge for anybody” in journalism, she said the rewards of the job outweigh its negative aspects. “I’m at the place where I’ve always wanted to be,” she said.
ELI Accepting Applications The Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative within the Duke’s Hart Leadership Program is accepting 18 undergraduates to join its 2010 class. Applications from high-impact student leaders with interest in civic engagement, social change, and/or entrepreneurship are encouraged.
Application Deadline: October 25, 2009
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-9pm Sun 12pm-6pm
Benefits: Create a real-world social enterprise Funded summer social innovative experience All-star network of leading social innovators Ongoing leadership development & mentoring Post ELI funding for top ventures
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To learn more about the ELI experience join us in an
Information Session Thursday, October 22 at 7-8pm Gray building room 228 (next to the Divinity School) Pizza will be served
For more information: visit us on the web www.sanford.duke.edu/eli or contact Della O. McKinnon: dom2@duke.edu
the chronicle
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | 5
DUSDAC
Group brings in vendors for evaluation, feedback by Christina Pena The chronicle
The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee began a new initiative Monday night to discuss improving food services with vendors. DUSDAC hopes to start bringing in managers from on-campus vendors for 30-minutes discussions at the beginning of its weekly meetings. They tested the program by having Alpine Bagels Manager Brett Porter and employee Darnetta Craig attend the meeting, present ideas and listen to suggestions from the committee. “We’re excited about starting this new program that will help us evaluate every oncampus eatery, and talking to them about how we see improvement from the student perspective,” said DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor, a senior. Alpine Bagels let the committee taste test two of their newest sandwiches, the Buffalo Chicken Wrap and the Turkey Ciabatta Roll, which should be available soon. The eatery also announced possible changes, such as using flatbreads, bringing in whole grain bagels and adding more vegan options such as soy cream cheeses. Committee members suggested Alpine Bagels stay open later, give out free samples to customers waiting in line and offer punch cards to reward people who frequently buy sandwiches in addition to the already-available frozen yogurt cards. DUSDAC also recommended adding a smaller cookie to Alpine Bagels’ menu. “I love [the new initiative], it is a great idea,” said DUSDAC member Zach Chapla, a junior. “This way, we can get a sense for what is going on with them, and we can make our suggestions heard as a committee since we are a student advisory committee. I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before.” DUSDAC plans to bring in Panda Express and Tommy’s Rubs and Grubs in the next two weeks to discuss ways the eateries can improve for the student body.
Alejandro Bolivar/The Chronicle
DUSDAC members discuss a program to bring in food vendor managers to attend its weekly meetings. Alpine Bagels was the first vendor the group invited. In other business: DUSDAC and Dining Services are also trying to work out a system for students to tip Merchants on Points delivery drivers using food points instead of cash. “We hope to test two or so vendors in November and get a sense for how it should work,” Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said. “That way we can get all the kinks out and get it to work out the right way. We then hope to roll the program out sometime in January, but there is no guarantee that it won’t take longer.” Taylor said the empty Caribbean Kitchen cart will be replaced by a Greek vendor owned and run by Giorgio Bakatsis, owner of the now-closed George’s Garage restaurant. Vita is now part of MOP and Nosh should be within the next week. George’s Diner should be tentatively available on points Oct. 23.
DPD from page 1 member Eugene Brown. “I’m angry about this,” Brown said. “I’m upset about this and what makes me particularly angry about this is the fact that this was not dealt with when brought to the police department’s attention.” According to an audit released by Durham’s Audit Services Department, Alesha Robinson-Taylor, a secondary employment coordinator at DPD, earned $62,583.13 in overtime pay between September 2008 and August 2009. When concerns about the legitimacy of Robinson-Taylor’s overtime were voiced, the mechanisms within DPD and the city to address the concerns proved ineffective. Durham City Manager Tom Bonfield said the leadership within the police department failed on several occasions to adequately respond to the claims of abuse when it was brought to their attention. “This situation with the audit finding... is of extra concern for us,” he said. “It is particularly troubling that this was going on while we were in the midst of budget cuts and when we had to eliminate 113 positions, many of them were police officers.” Nearly all of Robinson-Taylor’s overtime compensation was approved by Deputy Police Chief B.J. Council. Council will retire Dec. 31. DPD Public Information Officer Kammie Michael declined to comment, referring The Chronicle to the city manager’s office. Bonfield said he is not concerned by the department’s decision to allow Council to retire, noting that the decision is common when an employee has a long-standing tenure within any company or organization. “In the case of a senior person who had worked for the city for 20 years, you certainly have to make a change in leadership, but I don’t think you need to punish the entirety of their career,” he said. Robinson-Taylor’s immediate supervisor, Capt. Charlene Balch, noticed the excessive overtime and brought it to the attention of Council. In response, Council relieved Balch of her duties approving Robinson-Taylor’s overtime pay and instead approved it herself. “In essence, Charlene was the whistleblower, but her whistle was taken from her by B.J. Council,” Brown said.
The audit placed blame on both Council and DPD Chief Jose Lopez, who was made aware of the situation as early as April. According to the audit, DPD Administrative Chief Jessie Burwell told Lopez that the amount of overtime being earned by Robinson-Taylor was unacceptable. Then, and again in June, Lopez and Council defended the overtime pay. Within the city manager’s office, payroll employees also noticed discrepancies and alerted their superiors, said Deputy City Manager Wanda Page, who oversees the city’s payroll division that handles payroll duties for DPD. “Certainly the assumption is that if hours are claimed for compensation, then those hours were actually worked,” she said. “Those hours are verified by the supervisor when they sign the employee’s time card.” Page said because it is not uncommon for DPD officers and employees to work overtime, the payroll department is not designed to catch instances of abuse. “It is not a system designed to determine if what an employee turns in on a case by case basis is correct,” she said. “It could be possible, even more than occasionally, that they may work 45 or 50 hours [a week], sometimes even more, if they worked a double shift. If it is the case that an employee is supposed to work 40 hours a week, and claims to have worked 80, then that is something that would raise a flag in the finance department.” Bonfield said that ultimately, complacency was to blame for both the city’s and DPD’s decisions not to probe deeper into whether or not the overtime pay received by Robinson-Taylor was legitimate. “There were situations where [police staff raised concerns] and they were told it was approved by commanding officers within the department and the finance department also raised concerns several times and they were told the same thing,” he said. “The problem was that they accepted that instead of taking the issue to higher levels of city government.” Bonfield noted that the city manager’s office has a confidential hotline that employees can call in order to report abuse, waste or fraud within various departments within the city. But throughout the 12 months in question, no one called the hotline to report the alleged abuse.
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6 | Tuesday, october 20, 2009 the chronicle
stimulus from page 1
davis from page 3
University, according to data from HHS. “Last spring, the notion was that we [could receive] $100 million, and if things go really well, we could get $150 million,” Vice Provost for Research James Siedow said. “We exceeded our best expectations.” Of the 237 approved projects, 163 were for the Duke University Medical Center and 74 were for the University, Hassan said. The 163 DUMC grants provide about $117 million in funds, and the 74 University grants provide $30 million. DUMC submitted 689 proposals and the University submitted 165, for approval rates of approximately 24 and 45 percent, respectively. “If you look across the country, Duke did extremely well relative to its peers in terms of total ARRA funding” said DUMC Vice Dean for Research Sally Kornbluth. “Our success rate was great—under normal circumstances, some NIH institutes are only funding 8 to 10 percent each round [of total applications].” Although the majority of the funding was supposed to conclude Sept. 30, a few proposals for infrastructure improvements are still being evaluated, Kornbluth said. For example, a $15 million proposal that received good initial scores from NIH administrators has yet to be decided upon, Siedow said. He noted that a final decision may not occur until early 2010. The $147 million provided by ARRA comes in two primary forms: extended paylines for previously approved proposals and new grants. Most of Duke’s ARRA research money is through increased budgets for existing projects, Hassan said. Although a welcome boost in research spending after years of declining federal
already aware of Durham’s latest issues. But Davis wasn’t always a fan of Durham. “When I was looking at colleges, my dad and I came to Duke and to Durham,” Davis said. “I hated Durham. A small town in the South… not somewhere I wanted to be.” Davis ended up at Harvard University where his passion for journalism began. While working for The Harvard Crimson as both an editor and a technology columnist for four years, Davis developed a hobby for writing. Davis graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and worked outside journalism in various locations, before finally moving to Durham in 2005. This time, the Bull City charmed him—Davis and his wife immediately fell in love with Durham. After living here for about a year, Davis said he realized the city rarely received any positive coverage in traditional media outlets. “Durham was undergoing a renaissance, but the TV news and [The (Raleigh)] News & Observer only covered crime,” he said. “I was feeling like not all of Durham’s story was being told.” Davis decided to utilize his interest in journalism and the skills he picked up at Harvard to start a blog about Durham, aptly named Bull City Rising, that would focus on the economic development and growth of the city. The blog’s coverage soon expanded to politics, culture, trends and the latest news and soon grew in popularity. Davis’ knack for journalistic writing earned Bull City Rising the title of the best blog about Durham by the blogging Web site outside.in. Davis said his readership may soon expand in the near future as local newspapers find it difficult to face the economic climate. Although he sees readers relying more on the Internet for news in the coming years, Davis said Bull City Rising does not make enough revenue to increase its coverage to meet that demand. Staff members from both The (Durham) Herald-Sun and The News & Observer, however, said Davis’ blog is not a replacement for the newspapers’ online editions. Bob Ashley, editor for The HeraldSun, said there is a difference between Davis’ style of reporting and a newspaper Web site. “I think blogs like Kevin’s... are going to be a source of information for people, but they’ll still rely on information collected, aggregated, reported and checked for accuracy by trained journalists,” Ashley said. Regardless, Davis said he hopes to one day have his own staff that can report more, especially one that can cover stories dealing with private institutions such as Duke. Currently, Davis only covers news in the public sphere. Expanding coverage, however, is a challenge given that the blog does not have many business partners. Jim Wise, a staff writer for The News & Observer, said Davis could get online advertisers if blogs like his had information from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, which provides media viewership and readership information to advertisers. All challenges aside, Davis said he is optimistic about the future of his blog and sees it being more prominent in 10 to 15 years. “The economic model [for blogging] has to evolve to make increased coverage more sustainable. [Right now] the blog kind of eats my life, but it’s a lot of fun,” he says.
chase from page 1 The first vehicle stopped at a green light to give directions to a friend, which irritated the second car and prompted the chase,
snyderman from page 1 The Chronicle: Now that the last of the five Congressional committees has passed a health reform bill, what do you think of the proposed changes so far? Is there anything on the table that you don’t think is a good idea? Ralph Snyderman: Well, one has to determine if one wants to be an optimist or a pessimist, and I will lean more toward being an optimist. The politics has made it very difficult to have a rational reform of how health care is delivered. What I am concerned about is that there will be, because of the increase in coverage, an increase in expense. The fact that there has been very little reform of how health care is actually delivered and how health care is paid for makes me think that the expenses might continue to rise. So I lean a little bit more toward the optimism. It’s better to have this than nothing, but I am hoping that we move from this to an approach that truly makes the delivery more cost-effective. We are capable of doing this. TC: You have spent your lifetime working in many different areas of the health industry. How have these experiences shaped your ideas about the health care system and its need for reform? RS: My prior experience in health care has led me to the inescapable conclusion that health care delivery is in need of major reform. While we have tremendous capabilities to improve episodes of disease, we have not focused as effectively as we can on prevention and early effective intervention. I think our capabilities of delivering better health care are far greater than what we actually do. TC: You have long been a proponent
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Grpahic by hon lung chu/The Chronicle
support, ARRA funding provides a shortterm financial boon for institutes and research agencies that some fear may disappear once the economy returns to health. “We really hope that the NIH will come to bat and really pick things up at the end of these two years, so the momentum gained during this two-year period can be maintained,” Kornbluth said. “But whether this will have a long-term impact will depend on what happens at the end of these two years.” Of the $147 million, Siedow said roughly 75 percent is to cover direct costs—for expenses such as labor, material and equipment—borne by research teams. The remaining 25 percent is intended to cover the University’s indirect costs, such as administrative overhead, lab maintenance and electricity. The exact direct-indirect cost breakdown is determined on a grant-by-grant basis. In a time of tough financial straits for Duke, the research funds provide some relief to an otherwise stretched University budget. Siedow said he does not expect ARRA funding to provide long-term solutions to current
budget woes brought on by the recession. “[ARRA] is a good influx of funding to the University, but it’s not long-term money. It’s only going to last a couple of years,” Siedow said. “This isn’t a panacea that gets us out of our recent budget problems.” On the employment side, the additional funding has allowed the University to keep or add more than 100 positions, said Vice President for Human Resources Kyle Cavanaugh. The positions range from postdoctoral jobs to work-study spots for undergraduates. The long-term impact of ARRA funding on employment, however, remains unclear, especially given the short-term nature of much of the grant money. “The overall intent is to stimulate a lot of activity that will spawn continuation and expansion in research and will retain positions as well as create additional opportunities,” Cavanaugh said. “I don’t think anyone has a great projection as to what happens two years from now and the final outcome of this, but our intent is to be as aggressive as we can in securing these funds as they become available.”
Graham said. Several other cars were on Towerview at the time and were almost hit by the pursuing vehicle, Martinovic said. Because the area sees heavy pedestrian traffic, the chase posed a danger to stu-
dents, Graham said. “The roundabout is deliberately there to slow traffic down—that’s the primary reason [the first driver] was cited,” she said. “It’s just a blessing that somebody didn’t get hit.”
of transitioning to a system of health care focused on prevention and personalized medicine, often termed “prospective care.” What exactly does a prospective health care system entail? RS: What prospective care does is put more empowerment on the part of the individual, the patient, and it deals with disease before it does significant damage. In other words, rather than focusing on disease events once they occur, which is the way health care is generally practiced today, it tries to anticipate an individual’s risks and allows each one of them to work with the health system to minimize the risks. TC: Does a prospective health care system actually reduce costs? RS: Every evidence we have thus far is that prospective care reduces costs, and there are two very good examples that have been developed at Duke. One is the care of individuals with congestive heart failure, where we showed that a prospective health care approach greatly minimizes the clinical problems and reduces hospital admissions, and also reduces costs.... The Duke Prospective Health program for Duke employees and their families is also off to an outstanding start and has improved the health of the Duke community and decreased health care costs for the University and all its employees. TC: How do you feel about the muchdebated public option? RS: I think the public option basically is a good idea in the sense that, for selected individuals that can’t get private insurance in other ways, there is an opportunity to be a bit more experimental in designing better, more cost-effective models of care. So on that side, I like it. The danger of a public option,
if it’s not done right, is that the government pays for care at a much lower rate than private insurance. And most physicians and hospitals will tell you that they could not exist solely on the government rate. So by having a public option, there really is an unlevel playing field in the sense that the public option-type insurance has the benefit of lower expenses than private insurers. That’s a complicated answer, but unfortunately it is the reality, which makes the public option a difficult concept, although basically I think it is a good concept. TC: There are many problems in our current system that are too pervasive to be fixed with one law or can even be adequately addressed by one push for reform. How do you see our health care system changing and our efforts at reform evolving as we move into the future? RS: I think that the most important initiative that could come from the health care legislation itself would be to change how medical costs are reimbursed to the providers—in other words, the reimbursement system which currently rewards disease rather than prevention. I think that would be the most important thing. I have to say there is a second thing, which is absolutely essential, and that is that individuals—you, me, and everyone else who reads this article—understands that health is one of their greatest resources, and they need to take ownership of it. What individuals can do for themselves, for most of their lives, is at least as great as what the health system can do for them. As a country, we need to understand the importance of our own health, and I am proud that Duke has developed a Prospective Health Care Club among its own students that truly values the importance of health.
Sports
>> MEN’S SOCCER
The Chronicle
TUESDAY
October 20, 2009
The Blue Devils host Navy in a late-season nonconference encounter tonight at 7 p.m. in Koskinen Stadium. Duke is 7-1-0 at home this season
www.dukechroniclesports.com
Luck and skill Sophomore walk-ons make go hand-in-hand Men’s SOccer
big names for themselves by Vignesh Nathan The chronicle
Some would say that sophomores Christopher and Daniel Tweed-Kent are a typical set of twins. They complement each other flawlessly, sharing a major, taking classes together, living with one another and finishing each other’s sentences. On campus, when you see one of them, chances are you’ll see the other close by. This year, however, Christopher and Daniel can add yet another activity that they do together—contributing to one of the best soccer teams in the nation. Hailing from Pittsfield, Mass., the Tweed-Kent twins have played soccer for their entire lives. “We started playing when we were five years old, in our family’s backyard,” Christopher Tweed-Kent said. “It was really a family event.” Christopher and Daniel are the youngest of six siblings, and all the Tweed-Kent children played soccer at one point in their lives. However, Daniel and Christopher took it one step further. Both were four-year letter winners on their high school’s varsity team, leading their school to an undefeated record during their senior year. They might be playing on the national collegiate level right now, but some of their favorite memories come from playing at Pittsfield High. “One of my favorite memories was beating Ludlow [High School] our senior year,” Daniel TweedKent recounted. “In our minds, they were just the team we had to beat.”
Amid all the talk about Duke Basketball—how far the team can go this year, whether the program has taken a step back in the past five years, how many people need to sleep in a tent for two months to get the best seats in Cameron for the Carolina game—the beginning of the season is a good time to point out the obvious: Beyond talent, you need some incredible luck to win a national title in college basketball. It’s the nature of a 64-team, single-elimination tournament. In the NBA a team can lose three games against each opponent it Taylor faces in the playoffs and still win a series in the Finals. During March Madness, teams have to hope they don’t catch the wrong team at the wrong time like a piping-hot Villanova squad that happens to peak at the best possible time. While luck is a significant factor on the court, putting together a team even capable of making such a run in the era of players fleeing college basketball early for the NBA requires a certain type of fortune of its own. What if Luol Deng had returned for his sophomore season in 2003-2004 and point guard Shaun Livingston had ever arrived on campus? Duke could have trotted out a starting five of Livingston, J.J. Redick, Daniel Ewing, Deng and Shelden Williams with Sean Dockery, DeMarcus Nelson, and David McClure coming off the bench. Or what if John Wall decided on Duke and his presence convinced Gerald Henderson to take one more shot at a title? Many critics of the Duke program insist that the Blue Devils have taken a substantial step back since last making the Final Four in 2004. But had either one of those scenarios worked out, Duke would have been the favorite to win a national title. Looking into the immediate future, the possibility of
Doherty
dianna liu/Chronicle file photo
See tweed-kents on page 8
Christopher Tweed-Kent and his brother, Daniel, walked on at Duke as sophomores.
See doherty on page 8
Men’s Tennis
Duke duo wins regional title by Tom Gieryn The chronicle
How do you improve a tennis team that lost more than half the doubles points it played in 2009? With a solid right-handed player returning in Reid Carleton, the Blue Devils couldn’t go wrong by bringing in prized lefty recruit Henrique Cunha from Brazil. That approach has worked dazzlingly for Duke so far, as Carleton and Cunha emerged as champions from the ITA Carolina Regionals. Duke’s No. 1 doubles team beat the top duo from W a k e Forest 8-4 in the tournament final Monday, earning itself one of just 16 doubles berths in the ITA Indoor National tournament in November. En route to the regional title, Carleton and Cunha won five matches, all by a score of 8-5 or better, beating the No. 1 and No. 2 teams from
archrival North Carolina and the top pair from Wake Forest. Carleton and Cunha brought their best return game against strong servers Iain Atkinson and Steve Forman in the regional final, starting the match strong and getting up a critical break early. Atkinson had defeated Cunha in singles play Sunday, and Forman returned to Wake Forest after being part of the No. 1 doubles team in college tennis last season. The Demon Deacon duo put up a fight during the middle of the match before Duke finished off the Wake Forest pair. “There were a couple times where... it looked like the other team was going to make a run, and both Reid and Cunha really stepped up in the big moments of the match,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. Duke has not sent a player to National Indoors since 2004, Smith said. Carleton and Cunha are now 14-2 as a doubles pair, with their only two losses coming against the first- and sixth-ranked teams in the
country. This is especially impressive given that the two had never played together prior to their first match this season, and Carleton said he had never played with a left-handed partner before. “They are getting more and more comfortable with each other and with their games.... They both return exceptionally well, and they’re extremely fast, so... they’re putting pressure on another team’s serve almost every game,” Smith said. “[Cunha has] jumped in right away at the No. 1 spot, and he’s been phenomenal this year.” Smith is particularly encouraged by the win since it reflects the coaches’ increased focus on doubles play. “Starting off our season, we’re going to have a legitimate No. 1 team,” Smith said. “We feel like we’re up there, like we’re a top five team in the country,” Carleton said. “We’re just trying to prove ourselves.” With their win at regionals, Cunha and Carleton have earned themselves a chance to do just that.
special to The Chronicle
Reid Carleton and Henrique Cunha won the ITA Carolina Regional doubles title Monday.
8 | Tuesday, October 20, 2009 the chronicle
Tweed-kents from page 7 In addition, the twins helped guide their club team to the Massachusetts state semifinals in 2008, and again in 2009. And on top of that, they were co-salutatorians in their graduating class. Maybe Christopher and Daniel are not your stereotypical twins. During the spring semester of their freshman year at Duke, while braving the fierce storm of a Pratt curriculum combined with the stress of a premed’s schedule, the Tweed-Kents contacted the coaching staff to request a tryout for the soccer team.
michael naclerio/Chronicle file photo
Daniel Tweed-Kent has a goal and two assists this season after walking on to the Blue Devil roster.
“In high school, we thought that we would have to choose between athletics or academics,” Christopher Tweed-Kent said. “But once we got to Duke, we realized that we would have time for both. And on top of that, we just realized how much we would miss the sport.” Eventually, head coach John Kerr granted the twins a 15-day tryout period. “They really sparked my interest in terms of their work ethic and their efforts all over the field,” Kerr said. “They really inspired the rest of the team to work harder.” The Tweed-Kents found out in early April that they had made the cut. Now, as two official members of the squad, Christopher and Daniel have found their niche. They are one of three pairs of brothers on Duke’s roster, and one of two different pairs of twins. Surprise, surprise, they even share the same position—outside midfielder. In their first year with the Blue Devils, they have made a huge impact on the team. Christopher has started 11 of the team’s 12 games, contributing three assists so far. Meanwhile, Daniel scored his first collegiate goal in a thrilling double-overtime game against then-No. 16 Virginia Sept. 11. However, when asked about their best experiences in Division I-A soccer, both agreed that Duke’s 2-0 win against thenNo. 2 Maryland, the defending national champion, was among their favorites. “Beating Maryland was a great experience.” Christopher Tweed-Kent said. “Just knowing that we could beat the No. 2 team in the country gave us a huge boost of confidence.” Looking forward to the rest of their careers, the twins aren’t just content with being a member of a Division I-A team. They want to take home a national championship. “We know that we have the skills to win the championship. As always, it takes a little bit of luck,” Daniel Tweed-Kent said. “Once we can get that luck, we can win.” What began as two five-year-old twins playing soccer in the backyard with their parents and siblings has become two 19-year-olds competing for a national championship.
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Chronicle file photo
Luol Deng could have been part of an outstanding Duke lineup had he returned for his sophomore year.
doherty from page 7 commitments from top-five recruits Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes would immediately put Duke back into the discussion of national title favorites. Any program that is one or two pieces away from a national title hasn’t fallen off too
far. (For karma’s sake, Irving would be a real gem. New Jersey point guards—namely Bobby Hurley and Jay Williams—have led Duke to all its national titles.) In an article for CBS Sports, Gary Parrish failed to acknowledge that even though Duke hasn’t been to a Final Four in five years, it has been only a few breaks away. “Coach K hasn’t sniffed a national title in a while,” Parrish wrote. “It’s a direct result, I think, of putting too much emphasis on character and intangibles -- i.e., so-called ‘good and smart kids’ -- in recruiting and not enough emphasis on just getting badass ballers who can run and jump at an elite level.” Parrish’s view of the lack of recent success in March as an institutional problem ignores the role of chance that is just as significant of a factor. Krzyzewski had a point at preseason media day when he noted that when this decade ends, Duke will have won more games in the past ten years than any other program has ever won in a single decade. Sure, a national title should always be the golden standard of success, but in college basketball sometimes the best you can do is keep your team in contention and hope for a few breaks. Krzyzewski certainly is aware that this sort of criticism exists. When a student in Page Auditorium asked if the team would run more zone this season, Krzyzewski decided to use a bit of humor to make a point. “What kind of zone would you like me to run?” he asked. The critic was unsure how exactly to respond and didn’t answer. “Do you know how a zone works?” Krzyzewski followed up with a smirk. The audience erupted into laughter and applause. Krzyzewski made his point. It’s easier to find fault with a team than to coach that team to a championship. Winning a title is not as simple as running a zone or recruiting “badass ballers” over character or intangibles. Winning in March requires a few breaks.
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Meetings DUKE IN LONDON DRAMA MEETING The Duke in London Drama
summer program will hold an info session on Tues., Oct 20, at 5:30pm in 128 Theater Studies Studios in the lower level of the Bryan Center. The program is open to all majors. See global.duke.edu/geo or call 684-2174 for more information.
the chronicle
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | 9
Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins
Dilbert Scott Adams
Doonesbury Garry Trudeau
The Chronicle events not included at eco olympics: coal burning contest: ������������������������������������������� clee, hon, bonnie the newspaper skim and chuck: ������������������������������ emmeline, will toxic waste hide and seek: ���������������������������������������������������� JJ, rAc bobbing for apple cores: ���������������������������������������������� shuchi, jinny lawncare/gardening competition (HAH!): �������������� gabe, andy, joe baldwin climb: �����������������������������������������courtney, addison, lauren refrigerator pressure cleaning: ������������������������������������klein, tiffany mavis beacon teaches typing: ���������������������� tracer, lindsey, rachna Barb Starbuck believes in a scorched earth policy: ����������������� Barb
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The Independent Daily at Duke University
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10 | Tuesday, october 20, 2009 the chronicle commentaries
Winter Forum woes Despite the financial crisis creditation process, which and looming budget shortfalls, the University must complete the University will hold its first once every 10 years. annual Winter Forum this JanFor reasons stated last uary, focused on “Making the Spring in this column, we Green Economy Work.” have been skeptical about Developed the value addas part of ed by Duke’s editorial Duke’s Qualmost recent ity Enhancement Plan, which QEP. And although the Winsought to better integrate glo- ter Forum component of balization into the undergrad- this larger plan has the pouate experience, the Winter tential to enhance some stuForum is a two-and-a-half- dents’ experiences, an event day symposium held prior to that lasts only a couple days the start of Spring semester is at most a supplementary classes. The program seeks to and peripheral addition to provide a global experience everyday life on campus. for athletes, engineers and Now that the plan for a other students who often are Winter Forum has been acunable to study abroad due to tualized, however, its cost— scheduling constraints. $100,000 this year—is cause Creating and carrying out for concern. a QEP is a required part of The QEP was drafted the Southern Association of during a period of financial Colleges and Schools reac- largesse when spending was
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onlinecomment
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert may not offer much in the way of legitimate news, but boy, oh boy, do they know how to discredit their opponents.
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A
not an issue, so at the time the program undoubtedly seemed reasonable. But in today’s economic climate, it is inappropriate to spend a large amount of money on a program that is short in duration and void of an essential purpose. For a University that is on the verge of layoffs, the $100,000 price tag is hardly justifiable. Instead, the administration could have decreased the budget for the event and still fulfilled its obligation to enact the QEP’s programs. Even after deciding to spend so much money on the forum, though, advertising and marketing for the event was lackluster. Aside from one mention in a lengthy DSG blast e-mail and a few posters inside campus buses, there was no widespread ef-
fort to get the word out about the Winter Forum. As a result, it is not surprising that only about 75 of the University’s thousands of undergraduates applied to participate. For a program that means so much to the University and the reaccreditation process, this is not acceptable. Moreover, given the lack of awareness on campus, it is likely that those who did apply already had an established interest in environmental sustainability. This would mean that the forum is not reaching out to a broad array of students and only attracting those who already have had global experiences. To remedy this situation for future forums, personalized e-mails should be proactively sent to students targeted by the Winter Forum: athletes,
engineers and other groups less likely to study abroad. Still, e-mails are not enough on their own. The forum’s planners should reach out to faculty members across the University and encourage them to tell their students about the program. Additionally, more flyers and a banner in the Bryan Center would make a big difference in drumming up student interest. And if, in the future, the initial application level is low, the administration should extend the deadline. The Winter Forum is too important and too expensive to enact poorly. For any hope of actually enhancing the quality of the Duke experience, better planning and proper marketing are necessary to get a diverse array of students involved.
Liquid European sunshine
utumn. The temperature is dropping, the leaves are changing, first round of midterms are over and, ah yes, football season is swinging into high gear. Or, since this is Duke, I should say Tailgate season. Side note: I have not been on camlaura keeley pus since last April eurotrip and have no idea where this fervent debate about Tailgate came from. All I know is that I have no interest in joining that discussion, other then to say I’m a full supporter of giving the football team more, er, proper support. But I digress. What I’m trying to say is that, upon arriving at Duke as a wide-eyed, wet-behind-theears freshman more than two years ago (scary!), I had never seen a party quite like Tailgate. But ladies and gentlemen, señoras y caballeros, I have an announcement to make that might surprise several of you. Tailgate is not as good as it gets as far as raging parties go. That award most definitely has to go to the entire category of European festivals. Now, note the fact that I gave this prestigious award to the entire category, not just a specific festival. That’s because there is not just one awesome party—rather, there are multiple ragers that make up what can only be described as a “party season” that sweeps through the entire continent. I’ve been to three and loved them all, so in the spirit of channeling my inner anal Duke student (book-bagging starts in less than a week!), here is a top three countdown: No. 3—La Noche en Blanco: Madrid, Spain, Sept. 19. This one-night-only special is tight for so many reasons. To begin with, the city opens all of the museums for free and keeps the metro running until 3 a.m. instead of 1:30 a.m. for this huge cultural bash (can’t really say there is anything cultural about Tailgate). Next, the entire city, from perky 4 year-olds to sprightly senior citizens, hangs out in the street all night long. Seriously, all night long—I can attest to that fact since it took me and my roommate 30 minutes to finally hail down a cab at 5:30 am. And finally, La Noche en Blanco is part of a bigger party known as the European White Nights, so similar festivals are going down in Paris, Rome, Brussels and other cities on successive weekends. This progression makes it possible to travel to all of them throughout the fall. You might as well take advantage of one of the positives of this whole united Europe movement (because the Euro is taking advantage of you all the rest of the time!).
No. 2—Fringe Festival: Edinburgh, Scotland, Aug. 7 to 31. According to the official Web site, Fringe is the largest arts festival on Earth (more culture!). And they aren’t kidding—this year’s festival featured 34,265 performances of over 2,200 shows in 256 different venues. There are comedy shows, theatre shows, concerts, “dance and physical theatre” and some acts just for the kiddies. And they are performed all over the city, some in official, enclosed venues, but most are just scattered randomly throughout the street. Now, there are imitation Fringe festivals all over the world, but they can’t quite replicate the Edinburgh magic—this is easily Europe’s best-kept secret. The Scots (like a lot of Europeans) don’t work early, late or on weekends, so the setting is perfect to go walking, running or trainspotting through the streets and just take in all of the month-long craziness that is the Fringe. No. 1—Oktoberfest: Munich, Germany, Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. Now say what you want about one-night or one-month cultural stands, but at the end of the day, you just can’t beat the granddaddy of them all. Imagine Tailgate, minus cars (if they are even still allowed, I can’t keep up), plus huge beer tents and carnivalesque rides. The music is eerily similar—who would have thought the Germans would love to sing along to “Sweet Caroline” and “Country Roads”? Instead of drinking out of aluminum cans or plastic cups (once again, I can’t keep up), you get to drink out of huge, liter-sized glass steins that are literally as big as your face. And rather than digging through frat-tastic trash cans for beer like you are a homeless person in search of gold, you get to sit at a table as a German beer maid, complete with full costume, serves you the most delicious beer in the world. Best of all, where else are you going to meet people from literally all over the world? Over the course of my three-day trip into the (Bier)garden of Eden, I sat with a group of Dutch men celebrating their friend’s birthday (he was embarrassingly old), a group of 16-year-old German boys who thought we were the coolest thing ever (their embarrassingly young German girl friends didn’t really share their enthusiasm; the scent of perceived competition is universal), some appropriately aged Australians and finally some good ol’ Dukies. It was everything I could have ever asked for and then some. It can only be compared to experiencing Tailgate for the very first time, only better. So when Tailgate rolls around this Saturday, I don’t expect to feel any pangs of nostalgia. Miss Tailgate? Please, that would mean missing out on Europe instead. I’ll take my continental culture parties with real beer over a Busch Light shower in the Blue Zone any day. Laura Keeley is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Tuesday.
the chronicle
Tuesday, october 20, 2009 | 11
commentaries
Cupid’s sledgehammer
“I
t’s a lot like being ill because I’m not eating, I’m sleeping irregularly, and thoughts of this person are constantly getting in the way of everything else.... For the first time in my life, I’m infatuated.”—S, Trinity ’10 I don’t know whether it’s because of midterm season finishing or the cold weather causing people to huddle together, but romance is in kousha navidar the air. This week I holy diver have three very different quotes all about relationships. To answer your question, I do realize that even using quotes doesn’t change that I have chosen one of the most overused topics for discussion at Duke (only surpassed by Tailgate and changing the Marketplace meal plan. Zing!) And yes, I appreciate that anything I say could have already been articulated by someone who, unlike me, is smart enough to wear more at a bus stop in 55 degree weather than just a T-shirt and a smile. However, I think there’s worth in hearing the diversity of your stories. So I’m going to have this column do its duty and let you guys do the talking. In our first case we have S, who seems to have been whacked in the gut by Cupid’s sledgehammer. S met someone through a mutual friend, and the heart of S has been beating further out the chest the more time S spends with this individual. In the middle of the quagmire that is called senior year, S has found someone that creates happiness, and S wants nothing else. “I’m confused because I asked... for just a hookup, but now we have to go out to dinner to talk about things. I don’t understand what we have to talk about.” —T, Trinity ’10 T met someone over the summer, but isn’t interested in a relationship. And while it’s clear what T doesn’t want, T’s partner has been sending mixed signals, and hangs out with T only within the context of dates. T does not feel a need to justify hooking up, but is frustrated because it seems like T’s partner wants a relationship. In the midst of the utter bombshell that is senior year, the last thing that T wants is a serious commitment. “I’ve already got the wedding planned. All I need now is the partner.” —C, Trinity ’12 C has a vision. It includes a cake. And gifts. And it’s not a birthday party. I learned that C just finished looking through a bridal magazine to find a dress
(not because C was going to a wedding, but rather because C knew that “marriage is going to happen someday”). C believes relationships are the mechanism for getting married and wants to keep a serious commitment after college. Although in this case there is still over half of a Duke career left to finish, C is playing the game for keepsies. Many people outside of Duke don’t recognize our varied approach to relationships. The popular media describes college students as sexually ravenous misfits who seek physical pleasure at such extreme costs that it’s like we are robots hardwired to seek out sweet sweet robo-love. In the 1999 National Review article “Hook-up U” Amy Holmes wrote that relationships in colleges are nonexistent. Unfortunately, her analysis focuses exclusively on the extreme hook-up practices at high-profile universities and tries to label an entire culture by only examining its most extreme behavior. As we Dukies know all too well, the lacrossescandal-inspired Rolling Stone article “Sex & Scandal at Duke” by Janet Reitman tells us that “much to the disappointment of many students, female and male, there’s no real dating scene at Duke.” Instead, Reitman tells us that we see “sex as a sport, as a way of life, as a source of constant self-scrutiny and self-analysis.” It’s almost like she thinks our “sexcapades” will be the next big event at the 2012 Olympics. Where does this discrepancy between perception and reality come from? Perhaps our mistake lies in an attempt to generalize based on extreme behavior. As students, we have different opinions on everything from politics and religion to whether Beyonce did in fact release the best music video of all time (OF ALL TIME!). Why should our views on relationships be any less varied? It’s easy to stick to a popular conception that is more visible on campus than the subtle and complex views held by each of the individuals I talked to. But as their quotations show, we are not just students; we are people with different hopes and needs. Whether it’s finding a partner for marriage or not looking for a partner at all, embracing this diversity will speak to our own beliefs regarding relationships better than trying to adhere to any generalization that’s put before us. Thanks for sharing your stories. For future reference, if you see me by the bus stop, feel free to bring hot chocolate. Come on, show me some love. Kousha Navidar is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Tuesday.
lettertotheeditor Make Duke Performances more inclusive On Friday, Oct. 16, I attended the Don Byron New Gospel Quintet concert, which was the fourth Duke Performances event I have attended since arriving in August. I applaud Duke Performances Director Aaron Greenwald and the University for recognizing the roots of modern music. As an incoming, African-American professional student, I was excited to see the diversity within this year’s schedule. I have enjoyed all of the performances thus far. However, I left Friday night’s performance feeling a bit unsettled. Prior to the concert, I visited two of the black-owned businesses in the shopping center adjacent to the Hayti Heritage Center, where the event was held. During each transaction, I mentioned that I was heading to the concert. “What’s going on?” they inquired. The two owners and their patrons had no idea about this event or the two-day “Hallelujah Train” event that had previously taken place. I asked myself: Is Duke going ‘in’ the community without trying to reach out and market these events, beyond traditional mediums, to local
residents? There were many empty seats on Friday night. Did the University consider distributing complimentary passes to one of the local churches or to music students at Hillside High? A simple gesture like this would aid in the ongoing and much needed healing process between Duke and the black community. As a student growing up in Charleston, S.C., I developed a love for the arts because institutions like the College of Charleston and the Spoleto Festival USA helped to plant the seed of arts appreciation in a 12-year-old saxophone player. I trust that Duke wants to do more than simply host events “in Durham.” The goal, I assume, is to connect with the local community. If so, I encourage the Duke Performances staff to consider that people “in Durham” may need different invitations beyond press releases and the Internet. It may take additional work, but the healing process always takes time. Arlecia Simmons Divinity ’12
Don’t discount the MDGs
S
aturday, Oct. 17, marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This day has been observed every year since 1987, when over 100,000 people gathered at the site of the signing of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The day provides a chance for countries around the world to duke millenium villages project raise awareness about poverty alleviation. social justice International Poverty Day column is an important opportunity to think about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These eight goals seek to eradicate extreme poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. In 2000, 189 countries adopted the Millennium Declaration, which affirmed their commitment to meet these goals by 2015. We would like to highlight the first goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, in recognition of International Poverty Day. This goal, although daunting, is made more tangible by the target to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day. Although it is clear that we are far from meeting this target, it is essential to acknowledge that progress has been made. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a report in July that highlights challenges as well as noteworthy successes in our efforts to fulfill the MDGs. In 1990, people living in extreme poverty accounted for more than half of the developing world’s population. In 2005, this proportion had dropped to a quarter. With regard to the other MDGs, the number of deaths of children under five has fallen from 12.6 million in 1990 to nine million in 2007, even with population growth. Enrollment in primary education in the developing world grew from 83 percent in 2000 to 88 percent in 2007. These improvements demonstrate that with the right funding and commitment, change can occur. Unfortunately, the current economic downturn has threatened the continuation of efforts to bring basic human rights to suffering individuals throughout the world. There is much to be proud of but the world must refocus its attention and dedication. Poverty rates in the developing world are falling at a much slower pace. In the particularly poor regions of SubSaharan Africa and Southern Asia, the number of poor people is actually increasing. The positive trend in alleviating hunger is experiencing setbacks due to higher food prices. Children continue to suffer from a lack of proper nutrition, which inhibits their ability to attend school as well as assist their families, and thereby undermines prospects for sustainable development. One in six people still does not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Under the current circumstances, one billion people may remain in extreme poverty by 2015. Although the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals may not be reached in the next six years, significant steps can be taken to bolster the diminishing progress. Many NGOs are making tremendous strides throughout Africa and the developing world. There are many simple changes that can have a lasting impact on communities. These include the elimination of school and uniform fees to ensure that all children can attend school, the distribution of soil nutrients to farmers to improve crop yield and the treatment of malaria in local clinics. These small-scale programs demonstrate that the MDGs are attainable within our lifetime. Although it is unlikely that the Millennium Development Goals will be met by 2015, we should not discount their value. The MDGs create a framework for dialogue and action, among students, think tanks and NGOs and world leaders. They also provide a mechanism for setting priorities and keeping the global community focused on the challenges that lie before us. The MDGs are making a difference. Marie Aberger and Caroline Lampen are Trinity seniors and copresidents of the Millennium Villages Project at Duke.
October 21– October 27
12 | Tuesday, october 20, 2009 the chronicle
Arts DUKE
arts.duke.edu
Screen Society
We Cheat Each Other: A Transcontinental Video Feed Performance 1999 Hart Fellowship recipient Eric Gottesman has spent the past ten years engaging children in Gulele, Ethiopia in a series of artistic interventions. Using photography, video, audio and text, the collaboration strives to exhibit images that counteract the stereotypical images – violence, chaos, and suffering – that typically reach us regarding this region. At this event, audience members will read letters sent between Gottesman and Gulele resident Salamawit Alemu, who joined the project at eight years old. Thursday, Oct. 22 7pm at the Center for Documentary Studies Free
All events are free and open to the general public. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are at 7pm in the Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center. (“White” = Richard White Auditorium, East Campus.) 10/21 Dear Pyongyang (White) 2005, Japan. AMES Presents Documentaries & Cine-East. Followed by a Q&A with Prof. Nayoung Aimee Kwon (Duke) and Prof. Eika Tai (NCSU)! 10/25 Flow: For Love of Water (White) The Politics of Food. 10/26 Roman de Gare (8pm) 2007, Claude Lelouch. French Film Series.
fvd.aas.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule.php
Events Thursday, October 22 MUSIC/TALK. A Jazz Conversation. Featuring John Brown, director of the Duke Jazz Program and Visiting Artist Vincent Gardner of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Noon. Perkins Library, Biddle Rare Book Room. Free. Friday, October 23 MUSIC. Soulless Dogs/Gary Mitchell. 6:30pm. Dillo. Free to everyone.
MUSIC. Duke Jazz Ensemble and Duke Djembe Ensemble. Parents Weekend Concert with Vincent Gardner, trombone. 8 pm. Baldwin Auditorium. $5 gen./ students & seniors free. Saturday, October 24 MUSIC. Duke Chorale, Duke Symphony Orchestra, and Duke Wind Symphony. Parents Weekend Concert. 8 pm. Duke Chapel. $5 gen./students & seniors free.
Sunday, October 25 MUSIC. In the Spotlight: solo and small group student performances. 2 pm. Nelson Music Room. Free. MUSIC. Dreams and Other Shores: New Sonic Voyages. Encounters with the music of our time featuring Littoral by Duke’s newest faculty composer, John Supko, performed by Due East. Also works by Kurtág and Crumb performed by Petra Berenyi and Randall Love. 8 pm. Nelson Music Room. Free.