October 27, 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

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 46

www.dukechronicle.com

Duke offers Candidates debate Durham status quo retirement aid to professors from Staff Reports The chronicle

To make way for the new professors it plans to hire, Duke is encouraging some older professors to retire.

The University will offer extra money to some professors who are planning to retire and whose years of work at Duke and age sum to 75, also known as the “Rule of 75.”

The financial assistance is designed to aid faculty whose retirement savings have been diminished by the down economy, according to a University statement released Friday.

Based on the statement, it is unclear how much money will be offered or how many professors may be eligible to receive the aid.

Professors in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing are not eligible.

Deans will discuss the retirement incentive with eligible faculty in the next few weeks, according to the release. Faculty who take the assistance must retire by June 30, 2011.

“We want to ensure the deans have flexibility to assist our colleagues in realizing their goals for retirement,” Provost Peter Lange said in the statement. “In the process, we’ll enhance the resources available to continue the renewal and expansion of the faculty as a whole.”

Duke is looking to fill 63 faculty positions this year at all schools other than medicine and nursing, a 20 percent decrease from the average number recruited over the last three years.

According to the statement, Duke has received 325 applications for the faculty positions in fields ranging from history and economics to chemistry.

The schools of medicine and nursing are also hiring, the release stated.

Addison Corriher/The Chronicle

Durham Mayor Bill Bell speaks at an on-campus forum Monday night. The event brought city council candidates to Duke to debate issues surrounding the city, including the recent Durham Police Department overtime pay scandal and the emergence of a younger political field. About 30 people were in the audience.

by Julius Jones The chronicle

Durham City Council hopefuls and incumbents participated in an on-campus forum Monday night where the divide between young and old, change and the status quo, dominated the discourse.

The candidates in attendance were Mayor Bill Bell and his challenger Steven Williams; Ward I Councilmember Cora Cole-McFadden, who also serves as mayor pro-tempore and her challenger, Donald Hughes, 22; Ward II Councilmember Howard Clement and

Libertarian Matt Drew, 35; and Ward III Councilmember Mike Woodard, Trinity ’81, and Allan Polak, a small business owner and technician.

About 30 people attended the event, many of whom were members of the Duke community. The forum, which was cohosted by Duke Political Union and Duke Student Government, allowed each candidate to give an opening statement before the floor was opened to the audience for questions.

In response to the first question regarding former district attorney Mike Ni-

fong’s re-election, Bell said he did, in fact, donate to Nifong’s campaign in 2006.

“When Mike Nifong was appointed to that position, there were a lot of people who had positive things to say about him,” Bell said, adding that he believes the city handled the 2006 lacrosse case well.

“We’ve never had the type of media exposure we had during the lacrosse case....

The leadership, in my opinion, did an awful lot to quell what could’ve been a really emotional altercation, framed by what the See debate on page 9

Young Trustee reform discussions see low turnout

by Matthew Chase The chronicle

Amanda Turner, special secretary for the Young Trustee process, has little more than one week to create a proposal for this year’s Young Trustee selection process.

Monday night, Turner, a junior and Black Student Alliance president, held the fourth and final forum to collect student opinion about Young Trustee selection.

After the student body voted to eliminate Duke Student Government’s position of vice president for the Inter-Community Council in September, Turner—who was selected for her position in the same election—ran the forums and met with campus leaders over the last couple weeks. Turner will present her findings Nov. 4 to DSG senators, who will then be in charge of deciding on a new process.

“I definitely think that every opinion will be included

The Chronicle breaks down Duke’s win over Maryland, Page 11

in my report,” Turner said after the forum Monday. “The people that have come [to the forums], even if they just heard about it in passing, have valuable opinions to contribute.”

Although the forums have not had strong turnouts—only two people attended Monday’s meeting and only 17 have attended the meetings in total—Turner said she has noticed that general themes and concerns have risen through all of the events. She said students are concerned about the diversity of Young Trustee candidates­—most previous applicants have come from either DSG or ICC—and logistics, such as the length of previous applications.

But senior Sam Halls, who attended Monday’s meeting, questioned the point of re-evaluating the process in the first place.

“I think there are things wrong with it, but at the end

of the day, if you’re happy with who comes out of it, what’s wrong?” said Halls, DSG treasurer and a former member of the ICC. Halls also asked if people have proposed incorporating the Board of Trustees into the Young Trustee selection process. In previous years, members of DSG and ICC have selected the Young Trustee.

“The purpose of the Young Trustee is not to argue in front of students, but to be another voice on the Board,” Halls said. “And I think [the Board] would be the best to decide that.”

Turner said she has received many questions similar to Halls’, as well as a wide variety of commentaries across forums and discussions with students. Turner added that DSG members have varied opinions on the future of the

ONTHERECORD

“At night, the Marketplace looks like a hurricane came through.” ­—DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor on the East Campus dining hall. See story page 5

See young trustee on page 7

Study finds election results hurt McCain supporters’ testosterone, Page 3

2 | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 the chronicle

worldandnation

TODAY:

6454

WEDNESDAY:

7859

14 Americans killed in Afghanistan helicopter crashes

Heart attack rates reveal Reform benefits industry smaller gender differences WASHINGTON, D.C. — As President Barack Obama’s push for a health care overhaul moves toward its final act, the oftvilified health insurance industry is on the verge of seeing a plan enacted that largely protects its financial interests.

That achievement, should it stand up in the final legislation, would be the capstone of a sophisticated lobbying and strategic campaign that began even before Obama was elected president.

The specifics of the health care legislation are still being hashed out on Capitol Hill, and key details will evolve in the days ahead. Even so, there is broad agreement that the final plan will require Americans to buy health coverage for the first time, with taxpayer subsidies for millions who cannot afford it.

For the health insurance industry, that means millions of new paying customers.

“

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

— Aristotle

In the Service of Learning

”

LOS ANGELES — Middle-aged men still have higher rates of heart attacks and heart disease than middle-aged women,but those gender differences appear to be narrowing, according to a study published Monday.

The findings follow earlier research, published in a 2007 issue of the journal Neurology, establishing that stroke prevalence among women ages 45 to 54 was double that of men of the same age. Together, the findings suggest “an ominous trend in cardiovascular health among midlife women,” said the lead author of both studies, Dr. Amytis Towfighi, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Southern California.

Women have been thought to be largely protected from heart attacks and stroke before menopause because of hormonal influences. But the rising rate of obesity could undermine that natural benefit.

TODAY IN HISTORY

KABUL — In a day of military tragedy and political drama, 11 American troops and three U.S. civilians died Monday in two helicopter crashes in rural Afghanistan, while President Hamid Karzai and his top political rival escalated their dispute over conditions for holding a runoff election scheduled for Nov. 7.

Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah demanded that the nation’s top election official and three cabinet ministers be fired before the runoff, but Karzai refused. The disagreement threatens to derail an election that is crucial to American military strategy in Afghanistan.

As the nation waited tensely for the electoral contest, the two helicopter crashes marked one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces since combat operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida began

here eight years ago.

U.S. military officials here said one helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan.

In the second incident, two NATO helicopters collided in flight.

The officials said that there was no enemy attack involved in either incident but that both were under investigation.

A spokesman for the Taliban said the insurgents had shot down a helicopter in the western province of Badghis, but his claim could not be confirmed. The exact locations of the two incidents were not released.

“These separate tragedies today underscore the risks our forces and our partners face every day,” said Col. Wayne Shanks, a spokesman for the U.S.-led NATO coalition. “Our grief is compounded when we have such a significant loss on one day.”

Edward Cody/The Washington Post

Recently built in Dijon, France, the Elithis Tower is the first office building of its kind. As the most environmentally friendly tower in operation, the building’s roof is covered with solar panels, the water turns off automatically in the bathroom when users walk away and the tower’s south side is covered in a shield that allows natural light to come in while preventing the offices from getting too hot.

1904: New York City subway opens

The Program in Education The Service-Learning Program The International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education are pleased to sponsor

A Conversation About Civic Engagement and the Undergraduate Experience with

Andrew Furco, Vice President of Public Engagement at the University of Minnesota Elson Nash, Acting Director, Learn & Serve America

Nasher Museum of Art Monday, November 2nd 4:00-5:30 p.m.

Free and open to the public To reserve a seat, e-mail servicelearning@duke.edu

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the chronicle

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | 3

Male sex hormone levels drop after McCain loss

by Carmen Augustine The chronicle

Republican men may have lost more than their bragging rights in the 2008 election.

A collaborative study by Duke’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and scientists from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor showed that 40 minutes after President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential win, testosterone levels in male supporters of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Bob Barr

dropped. Levels of the hormone, which is associated with dominance, did not change in male Obama supporters. Women had constant testosterone levels, regardless of the candidate they supported.

“We were not out to make a political point with this study,” said Steven Stanton, a postdoctoral researcher at CCN and a co-author of the study. “It’s just that this contest, the 2008 presidential election, is a See Testosterone on page 8

michael naclerio/The Chronicle

Wachovia bank, located two blocks off East Campus on the corner of West Main Street and Ninth Street, was robbed Monday afternoon. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Man robs Wachovia bank off East Campus

Zachary Tracer/Chronicle File photo

A McCain supporter reacts after learning of Obama’s presidential victory Nov. 4, 2008. A recent Duke study showed that testosterone levels of male McCain supporters dropped after McCain lost the election.

A man robbed the Wachovia bank at the corner of West Main Street and Ninth Street Monday around 3 p.m.

The bank is located two blocks from East Campus.

The man gave a Wachovia teller a note demanding money, but did not reveal a weapon, WRAL reported. No one was injured in the incident.

Police have not said how much money was stolen from the bank.

Public Information Officer Kammie Michael of the Durham Police Depart-

ment could not be reached for comment Monday evening. DPD officers on duty Monday night could not provide additional information.

Police entered the Whole Foods grocery store near the bank to track down the robber, but did not find the suspect.

The suspect is described as a black male wearing a brown jacket, dark sunglasses, a baseball cap and blue jeans and carrying a bag like a laptop case over his shoulder.

—from staff reports

Are you interested in becoming Catholic?

We invite all who are interested in exploring the Catholic faith to come to Christian Initiation discussions (RCIA). Come meet some faithful Catholics who love the Lord and would consider it a privilege to get to know you. The Catholic Center at Duke University will soon begin a set of sessions to share with others the truths of the Catholic faith and the fellowship of our church family.

We invite you to learn what Catholics believe in an open and welcoming environment. These sessions are also opportunities for you to ask those perplexing and difficult questions you may have about the Church.

Sessions are always held on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30pm.

The first session will be on Thursday, October 22 from 7:00-8:30pm 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 27, 2009 the chronicle

NYU prof: Tech corrupts ‘archives’ Committee

reviews civic service center

by Christopher Ross The chronicle

lawson kurtz/The Chronicle

Diana Taylor, university professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, speaks about the danger that modern technology poses to the conventional idea of archives in Love Auditorium Monday. Her address was this semester’s second Provost Lecture.

by Ray Koh

The chronicle

Clicking through “photos tagged of you” on Facebook may be the most common way today’s students reflect on the past.

But Diana Taylor, university professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, explained Monday that she believes modern technology is damaging the conventional idea of “archives.”

Tisch, the second speaker to take part in the Provost Lecture Series this semester, delivered an address in Love Auditorium called “The Digital Age as Anti-Archive?”

Journalist Seymour Hersh spoke in Page Auditorium Oct. 13 to kick off the series.

The development of technology counteracts the traditional notion of archives, Taylor said.

“You can broadcast yourself through YouTube, Facebook allows you to share your life with others and Twitter lets you share what you are doing at every moment,” Taylor said.

But she noted that this prevalence and development of technology has deteriorated archives in the customary sense because what we store through technology and the Internet may not be accessible to future generations.

“Her speech was intriguing and she did a good job

keeping it interesting for the audience,” said Gerry Canavan, a fourth-year graduate student in literature.

Wrestling with the idea of what the digital age does to the archive is a refreshing and difficult thought because many take it for granted, Canavan said.

Taylor referenced TIME Magazine’s 2006 Person of the Year issue to emphasize her point. The person of that year was “you.”

Although TIME said that people have control over information as individuals, it is not very relevant to each person because those who were pictured in the magazine as portrayals of “you” were all young and beautiful, Taylor said. Also, the people pictured were not accurate representions of most people’s identities and jobs.

Taylor said technology is improving rapidly, adding that her argument will only become more apparent as time progresses.

The NYU professor added humor to her speech by saying that when she clicked on one of the links on TIME’s Person of the Year: “You” page, it took her to a Web site related to former Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Canavan said he was pleased with the event overall.

“How we go about accessing information may be different in the future,” he said. “It was interesting how she was saying how we keep track of it is not archived.”

Meghan O’Sullivan The Future of Iraq and Afghanistan

Thursday, October 29 at 6:15pm Sanford Building Room 04

Many people both on and off campus have heard of DukeEngage, but fewer are familiar with the Duke Center for Civic Engagement, DukeEngage’s overseer.

Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, said he wants to change that with the Civic Engagement Committee, which aims to figure out what DCCE should be doing.

“The idea was that the center would have as its flagship program DukeEngage, but would also be a coordinating point for all the civic engagement activities that go on on campus,” Nowicki said. “After DukeEngage was effectively launched, it became apparent that a lot of thought had gone into DukeEngage and not that much thought into what, other than DukeEngage, the Duke Center for Civic EnSam Wells gagement should be doing.”

Nowicki appointed Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells and Emily Klein, senior associate dean at the Nicholas School of the Environment, as committee co-chairs.

The committee is composed of 10 faculty and staff members and two students.

“The co-chairs come to issues from different directions,” Nowicki said. “[Klein] is a scientist that has been involved in Emily Klein civic engagement in a practical ‘how do we correct this problem’ sort of role, while [Wells] is a preacher and he has a very different angle.”

He added that the rest of the committee is composed of people who come from various backgrounds such as public policy and humanities, and that the range of perspectives that come from the committee will be useful.

Committee members include Suzanne Shanahan, associate director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Associate Dean of Students Todd Adams and David Schaad, adjunct assistant professor and assistant chair of civil and environmental engineering.

Nowicki noted that the committee has received reports from about 25 stakeholders across campus such as the Hart Leadership Program, the Office of Durham and Regional Affairs, the Service Learning Program and every professional school, Wells wrote in an e-mail.

The committee consolidated all the recommendations it received, both broad and specific, and is trying to establish the key problems and solutions.

Nowicki will receive recommendations from the committee at the end of the Fall semester, he said. The committee’s report will also be publicly available.

Nowicki added that he hopes the center will centralize the information for all of the civic engagement opportunities on campus, and make the information more accessible to students. “[Students] don’t need to know that some programs are involved in the Religious Life, Durham Affairs, Civic Engagement Center or Student Affairs,” he said. “They just need to know what the options are, and when they find it, the infrastructure will be whatever it happens to be.”

Alma Blount, director of the Hart Leadership Program, submitted a report to the committee.

“Before DukeEngage, there were many interesting projects and programs that Duke was known for nationally that were very creative and diverse efforts,” Blount said.

She wrote in an e-mail that it has always been Duke’s strength to provide a variety of civic engagement programming on campus and that DCCE could highlight what is unique about civic engagement at Duke.

The center could also make important contributions to a national conversation about the role of civic engagement in higher education, she noted.

The committee is in the process of writing a draft report that will be distributed to stakeholders for their input before the final report is published, Wells said.

“The civic engagement activities are becoming a significant part of Duke’s identity,” Wells said. “We need to think about the University as a whole and not just what the center will do.”

See engagement on page 9

the chronicle

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | 5

N.C. to receive $3.1M to boost alternative energy research The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that it will provide more than $3.1 million to fund energy research in North Carolina.

The grant is part of the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s selection of 37 projects nationwide that will study and propose new methods to use and produce energy. North Carolina is one of 17 states that have received funding from a total pot of $151 million.

Triangle research institute RTI International was awarded a portion of the grant to advance its studies of a “single-step catalytic biomass pyrolysis process with high carbon conversion efficiency to produce a stable bio-crude ‘oil’ with low oxygen content” to unify the three processes of the production, stabilization and upgrading of pyrolysis oil— a synthetic fuel being studied as a possible

replacement for petroleum—into one.

ARPA-E, originally founded under the America Competes Act of 2007, is funded by a $400 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The organization aims to develop innovative ways to improve ways the world produces and uses energy.

This year’s 37 recipients of ARPA-E funding comprised the organization’s first round of grants. The various research projects explore the numerous realms of energy technology, including renewable power, building efficiency and biofuels.

More than 3,600 concepts were submitted for consideration, according to the ARPA-E Web site. The final 37 projects were selected following a process of expert reviews and assessment of possible impact.

—from staff reports

Daniella Choi/The Chronicle

Peter Turner, franchise owner of the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins on Erwin Road, brings samples of his eatery’s menu items to the DUSDAC meeting Monday night.

DUSDAC

Group aims to tidy Nasher to showcase Andy up Marketplace Warhol’s ‘Big Shot’ Polaroids

The Nasher Museum of Art will host a collection of artist Andy Warhol’s Polaroid photographs beginning Nov. 12.

“Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids” is an arrangement of approximately 250 Polaroids and 75 black and white images Warhol took over 17 years through the 1970s and ’80s.

The exhibition features images of celebrities such as skater Dorothy Hamill and golfer Jack Nicklaus, and is a collaborative effort among the Nasher, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Ackland Art Muse-

um and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Weatherspoon Art Museum.

The exhibition will also feature several of the artist’s films and a discussion with art critic Dave Hickey. A presentation of the musical performance “13 Most Beautiful Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests” will accompany several silent-film portraits.

“Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids” will move to the Weatherspoon June 6, 2010 and the Ackland Oct. 2, 2010.

—from staff reports

by Tullia Rushton The chronicle

The Marketplace is implementing strict measures to improve its dining environment.

At their meeting Monday night, Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee members proposed plans to improve the cleanliness of Marketplace.

“At night, the Marketplace looks like a hurricane came through,” said DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor, a senior.

He added that the dining tables and yogurt bar are particularly messy toward

Celebrating THE Sanford ScHool of PublIc PolIcy

Inaugural Series

november Speakers november 3, 5 p.m. fleishman commons, Sanford building

Michael Sandel Justice, What’s the Right Thing to Do? Prepare to question your convictions. Harvard Professor Michael Sandel’s wildly popular course “Justice” draws more than 1,000 undergraduates each year. The course addresses difficult moral dilemmas in everyday issues such as affirmative action, same-sex marriage, patriotism and rights.

He is author of the book, “Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?” and the new PBS series of the same name. Book signing after the talk. contact: Sanford Events Office, (919) 613-7428.

november 4, 5 p.m. fleishman commons, Sanford building

Isaac Herzog Israel, World Affairs and the Peace Process rudnick Endowed lecture Israeli Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog will deliver the 2009 Rudnick Endowed Lecture. He will discuss the role of Israel in world affairs and the current state of the peace process with the Palestinians. The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Development and the Center for Jewish Studies, with funding provided by the Rudnick Lectureship Endowment. contact: Katie Joyce, (919) 681-1698.

These events are free and open to the public. Parking available in the Bryan Center parking deck.

SanfNovEventsad.indd 5

the end of the day.

Marketplace officials’ first attempt to improve cleanliness was to put signs on each table, encouraging students to clean up after themselves more thoroughly. This attempt, however, produced only a slight improvement in cleanliness, said DUSDAC member Anant Jha, a freshman.

Now, Marketplace staff have started to patrol the dining areas and are asking students to clean their tables before See DUSDAC on page 6

november 9, 5:30 p.m.

Page auditorium

fareed Zakaria The Rise of the Rest: The Post-American World One Year after the Election of Obama ambassador S. davis Phillips lecture Newsweek International Editor and CNN host Fareed Zakaria will discuss the changes in America’s role in international affairs since the election of President Obama.

This lecture is made possible by the Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Endowment and is cosponsored by the American Grand Strategy Program and the Sanford School.

The event is free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be distributed at the event, on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number are available in advance from tickets.duke.edu or by phone at (919)684-4444 ($5 handling fee, limit 4).

www.sanford.duke.edu 10/23/09 11:38 AM

6 | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 the chronicle

DUSDAC from page 5 leaving, which has significantly increased neatness in the dining hall, Jha said.

Marketplace staff also began to monitor students to prevent them from taking excess amounts of food or using Tupperware containers to take food away from the dining hall, Jha said.

Jha added that the Marketplace is also making changes to improve its eating environment. Officials are discussing measures such as adding ice cream scoopers and altering methods of cooking to reduce the time spent waiting in line for ice cream and pasta, respectively. The strawberry yogurt at breakfast will also be routinely alternated with other fruit yogurts, such as blueberry and peach.

DUSDAC officials said staff have also made an effort to ensure utensils do not run out during meal time by cleaning and replacing silverware every 15 minutes.

Jha added that student comment cards on dining hall tables have contributed positively toward the Marketplace’s improvement efforts.

“The staff are getting more and more suggestions every day,” he said.

In other business: DUSDAC members discussed reducing the price of margaritas at Armadillo Grill.

The current price of $5.75 is a result of employees making the sour margarita mix on a daily basis, said DUSDAC member Whitney Woodhall, a senior.

DUSDAC members proposed using a less expensive mix or producing larger quantities at a time to lower the price.

Peter Turner, the franchise owner of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins on Erwin Road, spoke in front of DUSDAC members to promote adding Dunkin’ Donuts to the Merchants on Points program.

Members noted the benefits of adding Dunkin’ Donuts, which included the availability for 24-hour delivery, the option for a good breakfast on weekends and a menu with both healthy and sweet items.

Although members expressed interest in the proposal, the group said it would like to further assess students’ needs before committing to a partnership.

Finaid reform omits some fed programs

by Daniel de Vise

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Khawar Malik had written just one 10-page paper in four years at DuVal High School in Lanham, Md., and his teacher had given him an entire year to finish it.

High school left him unprepared for college. So, Malik, 19, entered the University of Maryland through its Academic Achievement Programs division. He spent six summer weeks in the academic equivalent of boot camp, learning all the reading, writing, math and study skills he would need to keep pace with other freshmen. By the end of the sixth week, he had written another 10-page paper and several shorter ones. Today, he is an English major.

“If I didn’t have this program, I wouldn’t be here right now,” said Malik, a sophomore who has a 4.0 grade-point average.

The federal Student Support Services program, launched during the administration of President Richard Nixon, Law ’37, is part of a larger effort to help disadvantaged students overcome academic and cultural barriers to success in higher education. The program is part of TRIO, a group of national initiatives that have proven their ability to raise the odds that a disadvantaged student will stay in college, get good grades and graduate.

Yet supporters say the programs have languished through years of fiscal neglect. Total funding to the TRIO programs — $848 million in the fiscal year that began this month — has risen about 1 percent in the past five years. TRIO serves 838,591 students, fewer than it did in 2003.

The support programs are closely linked to the federal Pell grant, a $25 billion fund that helps students from low-income families pay for college. Unlike TRIO, funding for Pell has increased by more than one-third over the past three years. A student aid bill that cleared the House last month would add $40 billion to Pell over the next decade but does not address TRIO. Advocates say the support programs are key to the success of students who receive Pell grants. Money, they say, is not enough.

Sarah Voisin/The Washington Post

Amy Koman (left) of Baltimore receives help from her tutor, Christina Scott (right), at the University of Maryland College Park. Koman is part of a program that provides educational help.

“You can give them all the money in the world,” said Arnold Mitchem, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. that supports the TRIO programs. “But if you don’t address the confidence issues, the skills issue, you’re not going to make it.”

Mitchem contends that the administration of President Barack Obama will get a better return on its investment in Pell by expanding the programs that support Pell students. About 23 percent of Pell recipients receive bachelor’s degrees within six years, according to federal data, while an additional 29 percent get associate’s degrees. Such statistics prompt some critics to contend that Pell money is largely wasted.

Federal data show that 29 percent of all postsecondary students complete a bachelor’s degree in six years and 10 percent attain associate’s degrees.

See trio on page 9

the chronicle

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | 7

U.S. sits out of Indonesia’s Islam debates

by Andrew Higgins The Washington Post

JAKARTA, Indonesia — In the early 1980s, Nasir Tamara, a young Indonesian scholar, needed money to fund a study of Islam and politics. He went to the Jakarta office of the U.S.-based Ford Foundation to ask for help. He left empty-handed. The United States, he was told, was “not interested in getting into Islam.”

The rebuff came from President Barack Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, a U.S. anthropologist who lived in Indonesia for more than a decade. Dunham, who died in 1995, focused on issues of economic development, not matters of faith and politics, sensitive subjects in a country then ruled by a secular-minded autocrat.

“It was not fashionable to `do Islam’ back then,” Tamara recalled.

Today, Indonesia is a democracy and the role of Islam is one of the most important issues facing U.S. policy in a country with many more Muslims than Egypt, Syria, Jordan and all the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf combined. What kind of Islam prevails here is critical to U.S. interests across the wider Muslim world.

“This is a fight for ideas, a fight for what kind of future Indonesia wants,” said Walter North, Jakarta mission chief for the U.S. Agency for International Development, who knew Dunham while she was here in the 1980s.

It is also a fight that raises a tricky question: Should Americans stand apart from Islam’s internal struggles around the world or jump in and try to bolster Muslims who are in sync with American

views?

A close look at U.S. interactions with Muslim groups in Indonesia — Obama’s boyhood home for four years — shows how, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, rival strategies have played out, often with consequences very different from what Washington intended.

In the debate over how best to influence the country’s religious direction, some champion intervention, most notably a private organization from North Carolina that has waded deep into Indonesia’s theological struggles. But, in the main, U.S. thinking has moved back toward what it was in Dunham’s day: stay out of Islam.

In many ways, Indonesia — a nation of 240 million people scattered across 17,000 islands — is moving in America’s direction. It has flirted with Saudi-style dogmatism on its fringes. But while increasingly pious, it shows few signs of dumping what, since Islam arrived here in the 14th century, has generally been an eclectic and flexible brand of the faith.

Terrorism, which many Indonesians previously considered an Americanmade myth, now stirs general revulsion. When a key suspect in July suicide bombings in Jakarta was killed recently in a shootout with a U.S.-trained police unit, his native village, appalled by his violent activities, refused to take the body for burial.

A band of Islamic moral vigilantes this month forced a Japanese porn star to call off a trip to Jakarta. But the group no longer storms bars, nightclubs and hotels as it did regularly a few years ago, at the

Graphic by The Washington Post

height of a U.S. drive to promote “moderate” Islam. Aceh, a particularly devout Indonesian region and a big recipient of U.S. aid after a 2004 tsunami, recently introduced a bylaw that mandates the stoning to death of adulterers, but few expect the penalty to be carried out. Aceh’s governor, who has an American adviser paid for by USAID, opposes stoning.

Public fury at the United States over See indonesia on page 9

young trustee from page 1 selection process, as some DSG members have proposed that the process remain the same and others have suggested that the process become a student body election.

Some of the forum’s attendees noted, however, that opening the selection to the entire student body may turn the process into a popularity contest. Conversation also centered around some of DSG members’ advantages in previous selection processes.

Halls said DSG officials often have access to top administrators, who could write strong faculty recommendations for a potential Young Trustee.

“If [Executive Vice President] Tallman Trask writes a letter saying, ‘I think this person should sit on the Board,’ it will have a huge impact,” he said.

Halls added that he is concerned about the selection of this year’s Young Trustee, as changing the process has been time consuming.

“It seems like a total time crunch,” he said.

“There seem to be so many things up in the air.

I’m just really, really worried. At some point you need to choose something and try it.”

After the meeting, Turner said it is easy to lose focus and debate one section of the process, but DSG officials need to discuss it as a whole. She said she hopes DSG will come to a conclusion about the process, and the student body will be better informed about the Young Trustee. One of the tasks of the special secretary for the Young Trustee process is to make the process more transparent.

“If you come across a person and you ask them about the process, you have to start by describing it,” Turner said. “Hopefully, future students will get to a point where everyone knows what this process is and what this person does. But for now, it’s important to go through the basics.”

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8 | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 the chronicle

Scientists seek swine flu origin in pig farming

by David Brown

The Washington Post

TIPTON, Iowa — It may be crowded and carpeted in manure, but the long white building beside State Route 38 is one of the most pathogen-free homes a pig could have.

The animals don’t know the feel of grass, mud or sunshine, and hardly the touch of man, in their six months of life. But they are also free of many of the infections that slow the growth and occasionally end the lives of their outdoor cousins.

“We’re producing the most efficient animal, one that is healthy every day,” said Devon Schott, the 34-year-old farmer who owns the building. To do that, he said, “biosecurity is of utmost importance.”

Despite the buttoned-up methods of farmers such as Schott, many experts think pig farming presents a serious and overlooked risk to public health. Proof of that assertion—indirect but indisputable, in the opinion of virologists—is the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza, commonly known as swine flu.

Little is known about the origin of swine flu. But one

Testosterone from page 3 good place... [to look at] the consequence of winning or losing a dominance contest in terms of testosterone levels.”

Researchers gathered saliva samples from 183 college-aged men and women the day before the election and four separate samples on election night. The first sample on election night was taken as the polls were closing at 8 p.m., and the second sample was taken at approximately 11:30 p.m. when election results were announced.

The final two saliva samples were taken in 20-minute intervals following.

Before the election, participants also took a survey about their political views. After

thing is virtually certain: The bug now infecting the people of more than 190 countries began in a pig.

Detecting such cross-species transfers quickly—or, better yet, preventing them—is an urgent priority in a field that has spent most of its energy in recent years worrying about the emergence of flu from birds in Asia.

A major concern now is what might happen if swine flu spreads widely in pigs, and then out again into the human population.

“We really need to know more about what is happening in the pig population in the United States,” said Robert Webster, a leading avian influenza virologist.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa revealed last week they had identified the H1N1 strain in seven pigs at the Minnesota State Fair in late summer as part of a study of virus exchange between swine and people.

Some of those animals may have caught the bug from the hordes of visitors at the 12-day event. But not all: One infected animal was swabbed while being unloaded and almost certainly arrived with the virus, said Gregory Gray, a

learning the election results, they recorded their feelings. Those who voted for a losing candidate reported feeling more submissive, unhappy, unpleasant and controlled by others than those who voted for Obama.

Duke students had different emotional responses to the election outcome.

“I felt like I was part of a win,” said Duke Democrats President Ben Bergmann, a junior.

Duke College Republicans Executive Director Vikram Srinivasan, a senior, said he did not feel less dominant after Obama’s win.

Kevin LaBar, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience and a co-author of the study, noted that the study illuminated testosterone’s evolution as a mediator of social dominance in physical combat.

physician and epidemiologist at the University of Iowa who helped run the study.

What worries virologists is the mixing of human and swine flu strains—or, worse, human, swine and bird strains. That can lead to “reassortment,” in which strands of genetic material are exchanged to yield a new virus, often with behavior not seen in its parents.

Those features can include higher contagiousness, rapid growth, the ability to infect the lungs and, most important, an unfamiliar appearance to the immune system.

Reassortment is rare, and it’s even rarer when the product is a strain that can spread like wildfire. That’s one reason influenza pandemics occur only a few times a century—the last one was in 1968.

A major goal of public health is to make such events even more rare. One way is to keep pigs and humans away from each other’s flu viruses. It’s been clear for a while, however, that there’s a small but steady traffic of virus between America’s 110 million pigs and the 120,000 people who care for them.

“The fact that you can change testosterone levels just by placing a vote instead of fighting it out yourself is really a novel discovery of how testosterone levels can be changed,” LaBar said.

Although testosterone is now involved in modern men’s conceptual competitions, regulation of the hormone was originally important for survival in physical competitions.

“If you’ve just lost a contest, the drop in the testosterone levels promotes withdrawal from future competition,” Stanton said.

“And if you’ve just lost, that’s probably to your benefit.”

He added that men need to be as invested in a distant face-off as they are in faceto-face combat to feel the hormonal effects of a win.

“Humans have a new way of electing leaders but we’re still relying on the same hormone systems,” LaBar said.

Testosterone controls sexual development in men and libido in men and women. It is also associated with aggression.

“The cliches are to some extent pretty accurate,” Stanton said.

The female body may use different hormones to cope with dominance competition, but these mechanisms are still unknown.

Further studies in competition may keep researchers closer to campus, such as Duke’s rivalry with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, LaBar said. “[We] want to test this with Duke and UNC basketball fans—that’s the next step,” he said.

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the chronicle

Trio from page 6 But when Pell is combined with the support programs, the graduation rate rises by about 10 points, according to Mitchem’s agency.

At the University of Maryland, the TRIO program is housed in an academic building across from Memorial Chapel. On Wednesday morning, students popped in and out of small classrooms to learn study skills and seek supplementary instruction in reading and math. Program directors do not consider the classes remedial. Instructors teach college-level material, but at a slower pace.

“We give the students an elongated approach to dealing with the concept,” said Jerry Lewis, executive director of Academic Achievement Programs.

The six-week boot camp is the starting point for about 100 freshmen a year at Maryland, students who otherwise would

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | 9

not be admitted. Typically, they have good grades but lower SAT scores than other University of Maryland students, and they come from high schools that offer less-rigorous classes. All but a handful make it through the summer program and gain freshman status.

Students remain tethered to the support programs for their first two years, taking supplementary classes, learning how to deal with professors and roommates, and getting advice on how to manage their time.

About 92 percent return as sophomores, a higher retention rate than for the university as a whole. Two-thirds of program participants receive their diplomas.

That is lower than the 81 percent graduation rate for University of Maryland as a whole but higher than the national average for students from low-income families in four-year colleges, which is about 40 percent, according to program officials.

DEBATE from page 1 national media was trying to do.”

Williams, who has been critical of how Bell handled the lacrosse case in the past, said the city council must do more to encourage civic engagement.

“This current council, they don’t encourage involvement from the community,” Williams said. “They sit in City Hall and say, ‘We need you to come.’ But they don’t go out to the community and let you know what actually is going on.”

Woodard rebuffed Williams’ statement, noting that he had been a member of his neighborhood watch for 19 years.

Audience members also raised questions about the Durham Police Department overtime pay scandal that led to the termination of Secondary Employment Coordinator Alesha Robinson-Taylor. DPD dismissed Robinson-Taylor Oct. 14 after an audit revealed that she had received more than $62,000 in excess overtime pay.

Bell said the responsibility for managing the police department falls to the city manager, who oversees DPD operations. Williams, however, criticized Bell’s approach to the issue.

“This is this administration’s deal every day. They except themselves of responsibility on a daily basis,” Williams said. “Yes, there needs to be an overhaul of our police system.”

Hughes, echoing Williams’ sentiment that the city council failed in its oversight role, said his opponent, Cole-McFadden, was chair of the Audit Oversight Committee and failed to keep a watchful eye on DPD. Hughes also said that after the scandal broke, the city removed a Web page that cited Cole-McFadden as chair of the oversight committee.

Cole-McFadden said she has never served as chair of the committee and the Web page was removed because it was incorrect.

Clement, coming to the defense of the

indonesia from page 7 the Iraq war has faded, a trend accelerated by the departure of President George W. Bush and the election of Obama. In 2003, the first year of the war, 15 percent of Indonesians surveyed by the Pew Research Center had a favorable view of the United States — compared with 75 percent before Bush took office.

America’s favorability rating is now 63 percent.

There are many reasons for the change of mood: an economy that is growing fast despite the global slump; increasing political stability rooted in elections that are generally free and fair; moves by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a U.S.-trained former general who won reelection by a landslide in July, to co-opt Islamic political parties.

Another reason, said Masdar Mas’udi, a senior cleric at Nahd-

police department, said DPD is one of the finest department in the state.

“You know, it’s very fascinating to hear young people who ain’t been there and ain’t done that, come up with these solutions,” said Clement, who is 75 years old.

“I’m afraid you just don’t know what you are talking about.”

In many regards, the central issue in the forum was the contrast between the experienced council and the batch of young, relatively new politicians.

“I’m often asked why I am so involved in politics at such a young age, and I often respond, ‘Why not?’” Hughes said. “But one thing I can assure you is our president reminded us about a month ago that we didn’t come here to fear the future, but we came to shape it.”

The incumbents, however, said their experiences proved their worthiness to be elected to another term.

“I’ve served 26 years as your city councilman for Ward II and I’ve come to the realization that experience does matter,” Clement said. “I’m not a ‘Johnny-comelately,’ who on July 1 decided to run for city council or for mayor. I’ve been committed to being involved in Durham for over 26 years.”

Many of the challengers used their remarks to draw contrasts between what they would do if elected and what they consider to be the status quo.

Drew, a Libertarian, noted that since 2001, the city population has grown 11 percent and the government has grown 30 percent. In comparison, the city’s debt has increased 78 percent.

“Durham is on an unsustainable path,” Drew said. “The things that you see in downtown—the big, shiny objects—these are things that we paid for with future taxes.... The bill is coming due.”

The incumbents rejected any notion that they represent the status quo.

“I’ve been a change agent my entire life,” Cole-McFadden said. “We have never been satisfied with the status quo.”

engagement from page 4 Wells added that one point of discussion is whether civic engagement is primarily an academic experience or an extracurricular activity. He said the signature program, DukeEngage, does not connect to students’ classroom experiences.

Senior Adam Nathan, who is on the committee and participated in a DukeEngage program in Bangladesh, said he would like to resolve this problem.

“My experience with DukeEngage is that it’s really hard

latul Ulama, Indonesia’s — and the world’s — largest Islamic organization, is that the United States has backed away from overt intrusions into religious matters. A foe of hard-line Muslims who has worked closely with Americans, Mas’udi said he now believes that U.S. intervention in theological quarrels often provides radicals with “a sparring partner” that strengthens them.

These days, instead of tinkering with religious doctrine, a pet project focuses on providing organic rice seeds to poor Muslim farmers.

In the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, Washington deployed money and rhetoric in a big push to bolster “moderate” Muslims against what Bush called the “real and profound ideology” of “Islamo-fascism.”

Obama, promising a “new beginning between America and Muslims around the world,” has avoided dividing Muslims into competing theological camps.

He has denounced “violent extremists” but, in a June speech in Cairo, stated that “Islam is not part of the problem.”

North, the USAID mission chief, said the best way to help “champions of an enlightened perspective win the day” is to avoid theology and help Indonesia “address some of the problems here, such as poverty and corruption.” Trying to groom Muslim leaders America likes, he said, won’t help.

This is a sharp retreat from the approach taken right after the Sept. 11 attacks, when a raft of U.S.-funded programs sought to amplify the voice of “moderates.” Hundreds of Indonesian clerics went through U.S.sponsored courses that taught a reform-minded reading of the Koran. A handbook for preachers, published with U.S. money, offered tips on what to preach.

One American-funded Muslim group even tried to script Friday prayer sermons.

addison corriher/The Chronicle

Mayoral challenger Steven Williams speaks at an on-campus debate Monday night. Williams has been critical of incumbent Mayor Bill Bell’s handling of the 2006 lacrosse case and wants city council members to be more active.

for students to connect from their experiences with actual opportunities here at Duke, like classes, extracurricular activities and research opportunities,” he said. “One of my goals on the committee is to make sure that we’re creating sustainable civic engagement experiences across four years so that students don’t feel like they’re just collecting experiences.”

DukeEngage is not the only program run by DCCE— the Community Service Center was split last year between Student Affairs and DCCE. The portion of the Community Service Center now run

by DCCE is called DCCE-Durham Programs.

Eric Mlyn, director of DukeEngage and DCCE, said he hopes to offer the center’s programs and other programs around campus to students who wish to get involved in civic engagement, especially to returning DukeEngage students.

Mlyn is not on the Civic Engagement Committee but has been given many opportunities to participate in the process.

“We had a lot of input in the committee’s deliberations so I think it’s been a really open and transparent process,” he said. “I am really looking forward to their recommendations.”

Sports

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The Chronicle

TUESDAY

October 27, 2009

Duke Volleyball came from behind twice over the weekend to defeat Georgia Tech and Clemson on the road in two of the rowdiest venues in the ACC

www.dukechroniclesports.com

women’s tennis

Zsilinszka takes 2nd in tourney

by Gabe Starosta The chronicle

michael naclerio/The Chronicle

Duke security officials confiscated life-size cutouts and signs mentioning recruit Harrison Barnes from Cameron Indoor Stadium during Saturday’s win over Pfeiffer.

Compliance and its discontents The NCAA has many rules, and most of them, I’m sure, are logical. Like, boosters shouldn’t pay recruits to attend their alma maters, and coaches shouldn’t find geeks to take the SAT for a five-star prospect.

These policies make sense, and I’m all for policies that make sense.

There are other compliance guidelines that don’t make that much sense. Did you know: outside of breakfast, lunch and dinner, teams can only give their players certain foods as snacks.

Bagels are acceptable Ben as carbohydrates, but cream cheese isn’t, and what’s a bagel without a schmear?

Ostensibly, the goal of the policy is to flatten recruiting advantages in college athletics—that is, certain schools can afford lox and cream cheese with chives, and others have to settle for tubes of Philly’s, and if a recruit likes lox, then the latter school doesn’t stand a chance. Of course, if a recruit likes Cameron Indoor Stadium, playing for the coach of Team USA and flying on chartered planes, then pretty much every school doesn’t stand a chance.

This is how a blanket rule with good intentions becomes nothing more than “the cream cheese rule.” Recruiting regulations work similarly, and Cameron was the setting for another dose of NCAA inanity this weekend.

Early Friday morning, hours after Kyrie Irving committed to Duke and before Harrison Barnes arrived for his official visit, a group of Duke students painted benches and hung signs out of windows with text like: “NCAA C_AMPS.” (There’s an H missing!)

Technically, the signs could have been referring to, um, anyone, even though the target was pretty obvious. On Saturday, the line

Cohen

monitors distributed posters directed at the same recruit, and one even smuggled a life-size cutout of said recruit in a Duke uniform, which was promptly confiscated

by Event One staffers. Students pulled a similar trick when Irving visited a few weeks back by hanging signs outside dorms. If Irving didn’t see them in person, he must have seen pictures on the Internet.

Technically, the institution cannot arrange any publicity for a recruit, whether he be a fencer or the top forward in the country. The prospective student is supposed to see campus as it would appear on an average day, Cindy Hartmann, associate athletic director for compliance, told me Monday. It doesn’t matter whether the prospect is named outright or whether the reference is veiled. Anything that draws attention to a recruit’s campus visit is taboo.

But before we go any further, let’s review the visits of Irving and Barnes.

In both cases, the Cameron Crazies did their best to lure the prospect. In both cases, Duke’s compliance officers did their job by ceasing the activity. And in both cases, the recruits got the message.

Maybe it’s me—I’m not a public policy major—but something seems off about that. Right now, the bulky legislative process of the NCAA makes it impossible for the governing body to keep up with technology.

The spirit of the rule is one thing, but enforcement is an entirely different matter. No one used the Internet when some of these rules were passed and now, as Hartmann pointed out, a recruit can take care of his own publicity by announcing his visit on Facebook or Twitter. Then what happens?

Can’t blame the students, even if they are breaking minor rules, because there are violations and then there are violations, and these types belong firmly in the former.

Can’t blame compliance, either, for taking

down signs when they became aware of them, because that’s what they’re paid to do.

So let’s lay the burden on the NCAA, whose recruiting regulations are still laughably lagging. (For comparison’s sake, this publicity rule was created in 1997 and last revised in 2003. Know what else happened in 2003? A faceless nobody moved into his sophomore dorm at Harvard. His name was Mark Zuckerberg.) It’s easy to remove a banner from campus. It’s damn near impossible to police a student who interacts with a recruit on Twitter.

And those hypotheticals don’t even delve into gray areas. What if I were to go to Cameron and hang a banner that read, “Harrison Barnes, Come To Duke!”, take it down immediately and then post the photo on every recruiting message board? What if I did it anonymously? Or what if I just Photoshopped that same sign into a snapshot of Cameron, then tweeted it directly at the recruit?

Let’s keep playing this game and move it to the realm of Facebook. Say I start a Facebook group about a certain prospect— I’m wondering whether any of these sentences would be acceptable by NCAA rules: If your last name starts with “B” and ends with “arnes,” then some people at Duke think this fine university would suit you.

No? If you’re a 6-foot-8 forward from Ames, Iowa, perhaps you should consider matriculating to the school you visited this weekend.

Not there yet? If you’re Scout.com’s No. 1 player in the country, you might look good wearing No. 40 for a place of higher education in Durham, N.C. Still no?

OK, one more try. How about: If you play basketball, go to college. That sounds right.

Also, if there’s a Rolls Royce in your driveway, the NCAA kindly requests that you return it if you’re not going to use it.

That thing was probably expensive.

An impressive run to the championship match of a prestigious tournament ended in disappointment for Duke Monday as junior Reka Zsilinszka lost in the finals of the ITA Carolina Regional individual bracket in Winston-Salem.

Zsilinszka, the tournament’s sixth seed, was given a bye into the second round and did not drop a set in her first two matches to earn a place in the quarterfinals. There, she defeated No. 1 Sanaz Marand of North Carolina in a tense three-setter to earn a berth in the semifinals, which she swept through easily to reach the title match.

In the final—which guaranteed the winner a bid to ITA National Indoors next month—Zsilinszka faced one of the highestrated players in the area, second seed Josipa Bek from Clemson. In a hotly contested two sets, Bek was able to keep Zsilinszka off balance just enough to get the win, 6-4, 7-6.

“For the first part of the fall [Reka] played defensive tennis eight feet behind the baseline, just hoping people would miss,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “This weekend she stepped up and played like [I know she can]. She went after her serves… wasn’t afraid to come to the net, did the little things better that we’ve been harping on with her.”

Duke’s doubles teams also suffered tough defeats, but Ashworth was pleased with the way his squad performed. Both Blue Devil duos—Elizabeth Plotkin played with Zsilinszka, while Amanda Granson and Ellah Nze were paired together—fell in the semifinals by slim margins.

“We’ve been kind of struggling all fall with doubles trying to find some combinations… and this weekend was the first tournament that we had a glimpse of what could be really good doubles play,” Ashworth said.

kevin lincoln/Chronicle file photo

Junior Reka Zsinliszka advanced to the final of the ITA Carolina Regionals before losing to Josipa Bek.

the chronicle

Football

OFFENSE Rush:

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | 11

making the grade

EXAM NO. 7: The Maryland Terrapins

Overall Grade:

It was more of the same from the Blue Devil rushing attack that failed to average even a yard per carry on the ground. Interestingly enough, the coaching staff never made an attempt to establish a traditional run game as quarterback Thaddeus Lewis carried on 14 of Duke’s 28 rushing attempts. While it is tough to be too critical of the backs when their chances are so limited, it is clear that pounding the football won’t be a focal point for the offense the rest of the way.

Pass:

Lewis continued his stellar play as he posted another game with more than 350 yards through the air. He was also efficient as he completed 30-of-43 passes and got six different receivers involved in the action. These statistics are even more impressive when one considers the torrential downpour that was making it even tougher on the aerial attack. Receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon deserve credit for their ability to turn short catches into big plays.

X’s & O’s:

In getting its second consecutive ACC victory, Duke’s offense really had a field day in terms of moving the football against a pretty stingy Maryland defense. However, repetitive penalties and turnovers in Terrapin territory prevented long drives from resulting in points on more than one occasion. To beat better teams, this efficiency must improve.

DEFENSE Rush:

B

Overall Grade:

A

The Duke front seven was terrific Saturday as the unit was swarming in the backfield all day and held the Maryland rushing attack to just 67 yards. Given the wet conditions and the expected difficulty in the passing game, the coaches allowed safety Matt Daniels to be aggressive up in the box, and he rewarded this confidence with a team-high nine tackles. Linebackers Vincent Rey and Damian Thornton were also active in recording eight stops apiece, several of which were for losses.

With the exception of the blown coverage that resulted in a 67-yard touchdown reception for Terrapin tailback Davin Meggett, the Duke secondary turned in arguably its best performance of the year, with the exception of the Army game. The weather conditions certainly favored the defense, but the Blue Devils allowed just 182 passing yards. Rey’s key interception late in the game sealed the deal and was a good sign for an increasingly ballhawking bunch.

Pass: X’s & O’s:

The defense was flocking to the football throughout the game and prevented Maryland from sustaining any consistent drives. Perhaps most impressive was the number of plays that Duke ended in the Terrapin backfield. Also significant was the defense stepping up in key spots: a stop on fourth-and-1, holding Maryland to a field goal after a turnover in Duke territory and allowing no fourth-quarter points.

Highest marks: WR Donovan Varner

The young receiving corps continued to impress Saturday, and Varner, a sophomore, turned in a team-high 120 receiving yards. Much improved from last year, Varner showcased his ability to not only make a defensive back miss and score but also to absorb a big hit over the middle and hang on.

Hit the books: Duke’s Rush Offense

Granted, this unit has taken its fair share of criticism this year, and David Cutcliffe has found ways to keep offensive output high without success on the ground. But to win more games in the ACC, the running game needs to become, at the least, a solid change of pace.

— by Jason Palmatary

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The Chronicle

14 | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 the chronicle commentaries

Honoring their sacrifice In 2008, more than a Originally dedicated in century after it was first cel- 1993, the memorial included ebrated, the University offi- the names of alumni killed cially recognized Memorial through the end of World War Day as a holiday by cancel- II. Fallen soldiers from the ing classes.

Korean, VietWith siminam and both editorial lar delay, it is Gulf Wars were finally honoring alumni who not added to the memorial’s died decades ago while serv- plaques until last week. ing in the Korean and VietAs a university whose misnam Wars. sion is to educate students This is a disappointing committed to integrity and trend. service to society, it is about Last Friday, at a ceremo- time that alumni killed in the ny attended by U.S. Secre- line of duty were finally given tary of Veterans Affairs Eric the recognition they deserve.

Shinseki, Grad ’76, PresiIt takes an incredible dent Richard Brodhead re- amount of courage and dedidedicated the University’s cation to serve one’s counwar memorial, located be- try in the armed forces, and tween the Chapel and the political debates about the Westbrook building of the merits of these wars aside, Divinity School. the lives of fallen alumni like

“

—“chilisauce2727” commenting on the letter “Students, show more support for football.”

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The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

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of fallen alumni since World War II. That it took so long for the memorial to be updated to include these names reveals a huge administrative oversight and systemic failure.

University officials should have had a set mechanism in place to record the names of alumni who died in the line of duty, and they should have periodically updated the memorial accordingly. In the future, such a process must be implemented to prevent further decades without recognition of fallen alumni.

Last week’s rededication ceremony, despite its extended delay, was well executed.

It provided an appropriate venue for family, friends and students to pay their respects

to the deceased, and the presence of Shinseki added to the significance of the occasion.

Events like this show the power and importance of recognizing those who were called to serve. Now that the memorial has been updated, we hope that the need for continued celebrations of the bravery, sacrifice and honor of alumni soldiers does not fall off the administrative radar.

Two weeks from now when the nation pauses to celebrate Veteran’s Day, the University community will at last be able to adequately honor its alumni who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. That’s a welcome change decades in the waiting.

At least I can tie my shoes

onlinecomment

Why not expand this argument? How come no one attends any of the soccer games? Coach Kerr is doing as good a job as Cut. They’re ranked! Football can’t say that.

James Regan, Trinity ’02, or Charles Mason, Trinity ’64, serve as tangible reminders of the price of freedom.

A memorial not only provides evidence of their sacrifice and inscribes each alumni’s name in the annals of history, it also provides a space for all members of the University community—past and present—to pause, reflect, remember and honor.

When alumni were killed fighting in the Middle East in 2004 and 2007, alumni pressure led the University to make rededicating the memorial a priority. But according to President Brodhead, the process of updating the memorial took five years because the University had to locate all of the names

T

hey say an elephant never forgets. Alas, I am not a pachyderm (good thing... having tusks would just be awkward). You may be wondering why I am discussing a large land mammal. Don’t be pushy. Basically, I am forgetful. I don’t forget small things like meeting times or homework assignments; I forget fairly simple concepts that I anna sadler rarely utilize inside the Duke bubble. i’m not being that Things a zebraway, but... print day planner won’t help me remember. Duke lets me get away with practicing very few real-world skills­­—though our university is constantly challenging us academically and intellectually, our ultra-advanced studies leave little need for elementary-level knowledge.

Even though I still try to use my DukeCard off campus, I’d like to discuss a different monetary issue that I have with Duke (tuition? bazam!). I’ve realized that my main problem with currency involves remembering how to use what little real money I handle. Raise your hand if you’ve counted change recently. Yeah, I’m not raising mine.

Because I rarely have the need to exchange paper and metal, I found myself in a predicament recently: $18.81 was my total. Pretty sweet, huh?

I managed to count out 18 dollars quite easily, but those pesky little coins ruined my payment groove. Of course I ended up looking ridiculous in front of the woman at the cash register because it took me an extremely pathetic amount of time to whisper the addition to myself while counting on my fingers before actually handing over the money. Maybe I should practice in my room before I go out to dinner again, but, being a typical Duke student, I’ll probably hold out for a Coinstar machine in the Bryan Center.

Equally embarrassing to admit is my inability to tell time. Luckily, I can read a digital watch, but analog is a whole ‘nother ball game, people. My sense of time revolves mostly around when professors stop talking and the angle of the sun coming through the windows of the Perkins-Bostock bridge. I feel the University has led me to rely on these rudimentary methods. Is there a clock shortage in Durham, or do I just have class in all the

clock-less rooms? Perhaps I have all the professors that have caught on to us clock-watchers. And even when I have had the privilege of being in a classroom that is fully equipped, I have noticed that the clock is invariably hanging in a position that makes it completely illegible from where I am sitting. It’s impossible to decipher the meaning of the distant hands, and the pretty glowing numbers on my cell phone inevitably tempt me back into technological dependence. And my street cred suffers when I need at least 20 seconds to give someone the time.

My incompetence as a driver may not be as socially ostracizing as my first two confessions, but nonetheless, it is pretty darn sad. As a freshman last year, I didn’t have a car, so my only practice behind the wheel was the random times I borrowed a car to make a Target run. Although I returned home over the summer and had a car available to drive, my boyfriend often insisted on navigating (chivalrous, yes, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with my being female). This year I am lucky enough to have a car at school, but I try to avoid driving it unless the errand is absolutely necessary. With the nearest parking spot at least 20 minutes away, driving loses its appeal pretty quickly. Getting around mostly by walking has eliminated any need to look out for stop signs, obey traffic lights, or use much depth perception. So although I’m now well versed in how to analyze the social construct of sexuality, speak Spanish, treat conduct disorder and discuss the roles of Greek women, I no longer possess a skill most 16-year-olds have (I did, however, manage to hold on to my adolescent awkwardness). I am now a dangerous person who no longer stores traffic laws in the forefront of her mind and who has frightened many pedestrians and law enforcement officers recently.

At first glance, I may seem to be an all-knowing super-genius, but in reality I stumble through everyday life. When you graduate from college and can intelligently discuss the economic benefits of globalization or how a human cell fights disease, don’t act annoyingly superior before you make sure you can pay for something, read a watch, operate heavy machinery, or basically do things anyone over the age of eight can. You never know when you’ll need to estimate the time of your car crash for the police report and subsequently payoff the cop to conveniently lose the paper work.

Anna Sadler is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Tuesday.

the chronicle

Waiting for...

A

llow me to take a break from what I usually write about—or at least from how I usually start. This week I want to begin my column with something that is equally important to me: culture and art. And I promise, at the end of it I will draw the connections.

So stay with me.

Last Saturday I went to Reynolds Theater to see the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” During intermission I ran into someone who asked me how I found the play so far, and my response was, “it gives me andrea patiño shivers.” He asked me why and surprisingly, I didn’t numb know the reasons for my reaction. It’s hard to describe the kind of feelings the play triggered in me: a mix of profound excitement, nostalgia, fascination and distress.

In regards to the excitement, I blame it partly on the beauty of the play and partly on the fact that it was the first time I actually saw it live. The nostalgia piece comes from the fact that I had read the play three years ago in high school, and I remember being extremely fascinated by it, and all those feelings were coming back to me that night.

Fascination and distress are perhaps harder to explain. The most obvious elements that might have triggered these sentiments have to do with the content of the play: Two characters—Vladimir and Estragon— endlessly wait for a never-appearing-unknown Godot.

Since its first appearance in 1953, the play has caused people to speculate and interpret it in hundreds of ways.

Is Godot a metaphor for God? Do the characters really exist? What are they really waiting for, if anything? Additionally, given its historical context, the play has often been related to World War II. What immediately caught my attention from this particular performance was the choice of actors. Vladimir and Estragon were both black. The only white character was Pozzo—a traveler who encounters these two. His cruelly mistreated and robotic server, Lucky, was also black. Similarly, all the characters, except Pozzo, wore dirty clothes. These differences were too evident for me to be interpreted as unconscious decisions of the director. Read it in any context you prefer, but the fact is that an implicit commentary was being made. Maybe about race, maybe about class, maybe about national or international dynamics; where or when, that’s for you to decide.

Another element that kept me thinking throughout the play was that the original context of this production was the New Orleans catastrophe. In 2007 the Classical Theatre of Harlem adapted Beckett’s play to this tragedy, suggesting a similarity between the waiting of the characters and the waiting of those who suffered the consequences of Katrina. Researching a little more that Saturday night, I found a short documentary where the director explained how the idea emerged and his reasons for bringing art to a place like New Orleans.

For me, that was the point where the play—and this production in particular—reinforced those feelings of fascination and distress. On one hand it implicitly deals with certain issues that are applicable to nearly every society (like race and class), and on the other, its history brought to mind the ways in which art deals with these issues. Back in 2007 the play was a major success that not only brought the New Orleans community together, but also resulted in an impressive amount of funds directed to its reconstruction.

And why should we care? In the past week I have been following the discussion about Duke Performances and the efforts being made to make it more inclusive. I believe these performances and art in general at Duke are not only a great way to bring together the Durham and Duke communities, but also to discuss issues that concern us. After having seen “Waiting for Godot” and realizing the great impact this production has had, I am even more invested in the idea that art can become a promising way for us to critically discuss, while integrating the community. So: what are we waiting for?

Andrea Patiño is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Tuesday.

Tuesday, october 27, 2009 | 15

commentaries

lettertotheeditor Don’t take sides on Middle East conflict In his Oct. 23 column, “The war within,” Michael Stauch writes, “Some people will undoubtedly protest what I write here. They will say that I am doing a disservice to King’s legacy.”

Indeed, I do protest. However, my point is less to do with King’s legacy than Stauch’s veiled attack on a democratic country. Stauch’s failure to recognize the right of supporters of Israel to candlelight vigils, using pointed words like “apartheid” and “brutal siege,” is the primary shortcoming in his article. Both Israelis and Palestinians feel as if they have been slighted, and I doubt that Stauch, despite his high credentials as a second-year graduate student, is in a position to definitively say which side is wrong.

Of course, neither am I. And I won’t. To say that one side is more right than the other would be to completely ignore the feelings of an entire group of people. As a human, I cannot, in good faith, delegitimize other humans by taking a side. The fact of

the matter is that both Israelis and Palestinians are victims of terrorism.

While I can’t say that one side is wrong, I can respectfully say that Stauch is. It disgusts me how easily he can ignore the Israeli plight. For what reason?

Whom does he think he is helping by inciting hate?

I argue that the only person he is helping is himself.

While he gets another Chronicle publication, two groups of people are still suffering.

Pointing fingers is not the way to peace. Although Stauch urges students to take up arms for the Palestinian cause, I would ask those same students to lay them down. Supporters of Israel, too, lay down your arms as well. This madness has gone on for too long, and children on each side have died. Let’s pick up candles and occupy buildings not against each other, but for each other. Let’s fight together, for peace.

Kenneth Gould Trinity ’13

You, me and Kyrie

I

magine an alternative reality where Kyrie Irving is white.

Kind of deflating.

When you get past the suffocating political correctness that inevitably governs any discussion about race, there is something extremely relieving about Irving being a 6-foot-1 black guard. Duke’s successful recruitment of the St. Patrick’s prep stud is a gigantic victory in the team likability (and no doubt, diversity) department. In general, athletic and aggressive African-American guards possess enorben brostoff mous potential for imbro’s stuff proving a team’s fan base, more so than a player of a different race or position: White players invite a kind of natural scorn for being out of place in a mostly black game, and guards are more dynamic and skill-laden than centers of equivalent rank at their respective position. It is no coincidence that my personal iconic player list of the last two decades reads off Isiah, Magic, Jordan, Kobe and LeBron (technically a three, but really a combo guard at heart). Of course, I am leaving out a white forward of some acclaim by the name of Larry Bird.

Icons are by definition popular on a massive scale, and for this reason I leave Bird off the list.

Bird’s popularity really only resonated in Massachusetts and Indiana, two states that were already predisposed to like him because of their large white working class populations. Among the rest of the country, Bird and his Boston Celtic teammates were viewed with general disdain. Spike Lee even managed to take pot shots at Bird and company in his award-winning film, “Do the Right Thing.” This dislike stemmed from the reality that Bird’s teams, like Bird himself, were unabashedly white (at least

by NBA standards) and played a style of basketball predicated more on teamwork and defense than on style and flair—sort of reminiscent of the Duke teams of the last several years, no?

In fact, the more recent incarnations of Duke Basketball are even less likeable on a national scale than those 1980s Celtics. No one likes to root for the bourgeois: unlike Boston, Duke says Starbucks more so than Dunkin’ Donuts. Campus is also smack dab in the middle of a poverty-ridden city that audibly resents it. Add this to the fact that citizens of the aforementioned city, oftentimes black, work for the university in such glamorous positions as Subway

chef and bus driver. When all is said and done, to an innocent bystander merely given general knowledge of the team and the University, supporting Duke Basketball is tantamount to supporting WASP culture.

Most people who go here are at least tangentially aware of all of the above, and consequently greeted Irving’s decision as some type of image revival.

Certainly, there was campus-wide relief Thursday around 5:30 p.m. Would this relief have been the same if Kyrie Irving were white, as is 64.3 percent of this year’s team (versus only 48 percent of freshmen here)? For that matter, would any of this extended media circus over his visits and Twitter account have happened if he were white? It’s impossible to gauge whether we’re more excited that Irving is really good or really black.

This debate, as it pertains to basketball, has also gone in the opposite direction: we question whether talented white players are popular because they are really good or really white. Dennis Rodman once reportedly accused Larry Bird of winning MVP honors in 1987 solely because he was white. Journalist Dan Le Batard suggested to a clearly annoyed Jay Bilas that Tyler Hansborough’s race might play into how NBA general managers evaluate him. It’s a debate essentially centered around the implication that race is somehow representative of group image: Some Cameron Crazies will anoint Irving Duke’s Great Black Hope in the same manner that others anointed Bird the NBA’s Great White Hope. I also feel inclined to mention that George Lucas and the Jedi Knights declared Luke Skywalker “A New Hope.”

It somehow seems a bit idiotic that we should thrust these burdens onto people. Irving is 17 years old and now responsible for helping an entire fan base deal with white liberal guilt. The guy presumably is coming here to win a national championship and look good for the NBA scouts; next year he’ll probably think more about Miles Plumlee’s post game than Duke’s post-lacrosse image. If he were white, his immediate concerns would be no different. Irving probably doesn’t care about what he means to you and me, but you and I do. And next year’s applicants probably do, too. What Irving represents as a black American (in contrast to what he would represent as a white American) does have significant cultural implications for Duke, and as a result we have to keep having this stupidly cyclic what-if-he-were-white/ what-if-he-were-black argument about basketball players. Let’s only hope the media will one day stop writing about it.

Ben Brostoff is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Tuesday.

backpages.chronicleblogs.com

October 28 – November 3

16 | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 the chronicle

Arts DUKE

arts.duke.edu

Screen Society

All events are free and open to the general public. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are at 7pm in the Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center. (“Nasher” = Nasher Museum Auditorium)

10/28 Absurdistan (8pm) 2008, Germany, Veit Helmer. Accented Cinemas of the Middle East.

Nevermore Duke Players, the student theater group from the Department of Theater Studies, presents Nevermore, a gothic carnival based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A show about revenge, murder, and madness, there will be an imaginary world of dancing phantoms and scary sounds and lights. A perfect Halloween experience. Directed by Adam Barron (T’10).

Oct. 29-31 8 pm & 11 pm Brody Theater East Campus Free Admission at the Door

Events Sunday, November 1 FILM. Drag Me to Hell. 2pm. Griffith Theater. $1-$3.

MUSIC. Faculty Recital. Hsiao-mei Ku, violin and Jennifer Chang, guzheng. Works by Mark Kuss. 8 pm.

Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building. Free.

MUSIC. Islands with Jemina Pearl. 9 pm. Duke Coffeehouse. $10 General; Free for Duke Students.

Monday, November 2 TALK. Vera Lengsfeld. Controversial German politician. 7:30pm. Schiciano Auditorium. Free.

Tuesday, November 3 MUSIC. Viola master class with Sheila Browne.

5 pm. Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building. Free.

COMEDY. Reduced Shakespeare Company.

8pm. Reynolds Theater. $15 General; $7 Duke Students.

Duke Performances in durham, at duke, the modern comes home.

louis lortie, piano thursday, OctOber 29 • 8 pm | reynOlds gal costa & romero lubambo friday, OctOber 30 • 8 pm | reynOlds ciompi quartet: lunchtime classics beethoven tuesday, nOvember 3 • 12 pm rare bOOk rOOm

duke student tickets always $5

louis lortie, piano · 10/29

for tickets & info

919-684-4444

dukeperformances.org

10/29–10/30 Departures (7pm/9:30pm) 2008, Japan. Cine-East: East Asian Cinema. Co-presented with Freewater Presentations; 2 screenings each night, at 7pm & 9:30pm.

11/2 Hunger 2008, Ireland, Steve McQueen.

Documentary about hunger strike in N. Ireland prison. – Panel discussion to follow with Duke faculty!

11/3 No Umbrella & Please Vote For Me (Rare Book Room, Perkins Library) Human Rights Film Series – Double Feature with panel discussion to follow!

fvd.aas.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule.php