March 2, 2010 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, march 2, 2010

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 106

www.dukechronicle.com

PLANNING FOR A

by Eugene Wang THE CHRONICLE

Facing down a $15 million budget gap for the next fiscal year, Durham is moving forward with codifying its firstever strategic plan.

The plan has been in the works since last summer, and the city is currently expected to complete and unveil the plan early this summer. Run through the City Manager’s office, the strategic plan will incorporate multiple existing department-level strategic plans.

“This is the first step,” said Jay Reinstein, strategic initiatives manager in Durham’s

BETTER DURHAM employees, citizens and institutional stakeholders Feb. 12. The SWOC survey asked respondents their opinions on a broad swath of city issues, ranging from the state of Durham’s transportation network to internal communication between departments.

The survey will lay the foundation for the plan itself, according to a Durham news release. In addition to the four SWOC categories, respondents also offered their take on what the city’s priorities should be.

Budget and Management Service department, adding that he devotes about 30 percent of his day-to-day work to the planning process. “[The plan] will really guide how we conduct business and how we guide resources and the annual budget.”

Although the plan is still being constructed, the city completed and released its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges survey of Durham

The timeline for the strategic plan, which is posted on the city’s Web site, expects that implementation will begin in September, even though the city budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year is set in June. news City Councilmember analysis Diane Catotti, however, said mid-fiscal year adjustments in January may allow the city to implement the plan without waiting a year before the next budget cycle.

“I don’t know if the plan will change See durham on page 12

Maya robinson/Chronicle file photo

Campus assigned mailing addresses Nowicki awaits

by Jeremy Ruch THE CHRONICLE

libby busdicker/Chronicle file photo

The Perkins Library was recently assigned the mailing address of 411 Chapel Drive by Duke Postal Operations.

socioeconomic diversity report

Bid farewell to the days of inventing fake dorm addresses for those package deliveries.

Duke Postal Operations announced last week that it completed a project to give every building on campus an official mailing address. The new addresses can be found online at the campus map Web site.

“College campuses are funny places in the sense that if you look around them, not every building is on a street,” said Jeff Potter, Duke’s director of real estate administration.

Brodie Gym’s address is now 20 Brodie Gym Dr., and Edens Quadrangle building 1A is now 419 Towerview Dr., to name a couple.

The address changes will have a practical effect on students receiving packages sent from private couriers, like the United Parcel Service and FedEx. In the past, students often concocted addresses for themselves based on their dormitory and room number. Now, each Duke address will include the building’s physical address in addition to room numbers where applicable. There will be no change to mail sent through the United States

Five months after the launch of the Socioeconomic Diversity Initiative, administrators are still working on the report they hope will parse how differences in class background affect Duke students’ experiences.

The Institutional Review Board approved of the proposed one-year initiative last summer. Now, those spearheading the project—modeled after the Women’s Initiative but on a smaller scale—expect that the study will extend into the 2011 -2012 academic year.

Alison Rabil, director of financial aid, and Donna Lisker, associate dean of undergraduate education, are currently conducting focus groups for the initiative. They said they will present a progress report to Steve Nowicki by the end of the Spring semester. Nowicki, vice provost and dean of

See ADDRESSES on page 5

See diversity on page 12

ONTHERECORD

“...As a result of [COP] patrolling, the break-ins for that particular community did decrease by 50 percent,”

­—DPD major officer Erwin Baker on the COP program. See story page 4

by Naureen Khan THE CHRONICLE

Professors as pupils?

Some professors join students in their classes, PAGE 3

Duke moves six home games to Cary, Page 7

2 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle

worldandnation

TODAY:

4235

WEDNESDAY:

4233

U.S. Postal Service seeks significant changes to cut costs

Chile deploys troops after High court dismisses case Saturday’s earthquake WASHINGTON, D. C. — The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a major separation of powers case that would have determined what rights judges have to free detainees at Guantanamo Bay who have been found not to be enemy combatants.

The justices, without recorded dissent, agreed with the Obama administration that changed circumstances meant that the challenge brought by a group of Chinese Muslims known as Uighurs was not ripe for the court’s consideration.

At the same time, the justices wiped out a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that had been challenged by attorneys for the detainees. The ruling said that the judicial branch had no power to release into the United States detainees who had been cleared of wrongdoing who cannot be returned to their home countries for fear of persecution.

“

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

— J. K. Rowling

”

SANTIAGO, Chile — Security forces struggled to contain looting and clashes in this country’s second-largest city Monday, as tens of thousands of Chileans who lost their homes in Saturday’s earthquake camped out in the streets and waited for relief.

More than 10,000 troops have been deployed to patrol the city of Concepcion and outlying areas devastated by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake. But even as the first contingents fanned out on foot and in army tanks, they seemed largely unable to contain the chaos. In Concepcion, looters set fire to a department store and supermarket, sending a cloud of black smoke billowing over the city.

Chilean Defense Minister Francisco Vidal announced that the government would impose curfews through Tuesday to control looting.

TODAY IN HISTORY 1969: First test flight of the supersonic Concorde.

WASHINGTON, D. C. — The U.S. Postal Service will release projections Tuesday that confirm for the first time that mail volume will never return to pre-recession levels. In response, the agency is pushing anew for a dramatic reshaping of how Americans get and send their letters and packages.

Customers are continuing to migrate to the Internet and to cheaper standardmail options, and away from the Postal Service’s signature product—first-class mail, Postmaster General John Potter will report in unveiling the projections.

The Postal Service experienced a 13 percent drop in mail volume last fiscal year, more than double any previous decline, and lost $3.8 billion. The projections anticipate steeper drops in mail volume and revenue over the next 10 years, and mounting labor costs only complicate the agency’s path to firm fiscal footing.

In an effort to offset some of the losses, Potter seeks more flexibility in the coming year to set delivery schedules, prices and labor costs. The changes could mean an end to Saturday deliveries, longer delivery times for letters and packages, higher postage-stamp prices that exceed the rate of inflation, and the potential for future layoffs.

“At the end of the day, I’m convinced that if we make the changes that are necessary, we can continue to provide universal service for Americans for decades to come,” Potter said Monday.“We can turn back from the red to the black, but there are some significant changes we need to make.”

The Postal Service will ask Congress to cut mail delivery to five days per week, a move backed by a June Gallup survey that found 52 percent of Americans support cutting Saturday deliveries in order to cut costs.

Dan Zak/The washington post

Annabel Park meets in Washington, D. C. with other members of the newly formed Coffee Party USA, an activist group which seeks civility and inclusiveness in political discourse. Park is the de facto coordinator of Coffee Party USA, which has expanded its groups to more than 30 states across the country.

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the chronicle

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 | 3

Profs take Red Mango may offer new fro-yo option seats next to students Duke University student dining advisory committee

by Sanette Tanaka THE CHRONICLE

by Ann Kang THE CHRONICLE

Most students come to Duke thinking about the classes they will take with accomplished faculty, but some of those same faculty members could turn out to be their classmates rather than their professors.

Some faculty take time to pursue studies outside of their own classrooms. Although it may be an unusual experience to sit sideby-side with students and learn materials from a student’s perspective, some professors have found this experience enriching.

George McLendon, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences and dean of Trinity College, has taken first-year Spanish at Duke. McLendon said he found the experience very helpful for him as a professor teaching freshmen.

“I’ve taught first-year students for 30 years, and I thought it would be helpful for me pedagogically for me to be a first-year student,” McLendon said. “It’s always good to remember how hard it is to learn something new.”

This experience also showed him the studious work habits of Duke undergraduate students. McLendon said although he worked hard in the Spanish class, he was not the best student in the class and admired the natural skill other students exhibited.

Taking undergraduate courses also See professors on page 6

Frozen yogurt chain Red Mango may become the newest healthy option on campus.

Steve Mosh, president and chief executive officer of Carolina Mango Inc., presented his framework for bringing the franchise to campus as early as this Fall to the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee Monday night.

“We are all about health, taste and style,” Mosh said. “We offer a hip, warm, welcoming environment, and the product is sensational.

It matches the fast-paced fit for this campus

since you can get in, get out and go.”

The chain originated in California, but no shops have been opened in the Southeast.

Mosh said he is in the final stages of opening the first location in Greensboro and wants the second location to be at Duke.

Red Mango frozen yogurt is all-natural and tart, which is unique to the brand, Mosh said. Red Mango would also offer parfaits, smoothies and flavored iced teas—all rich in active cultures.

Fresh fruit, nut, graham cracker and chocolate chip toppings, among others, would also be available.

larsa al-omaishi/The Chronicle

Steve Mosh, president and CEO of Carolina Mango, pitches his idea to bring the Red Mango frozen yogurt chain to campus next Fall. If approved, the new restaurant would replace an existing campus eatery.

Mosh and Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst have discussed the means to bring the concept to fruition, though many details are still in flux. If brought to campus, Red Mango would most likely occupy a high-traffic location on West Campus, replacing an existing eatery, Wulforst said.

The hours, format and appearance of the eatery depend on student demand and the amount of space available, Mosh said. Red Mango could function under a pre-made, made-to-order or self-serve model. Prices will largely depend on traffic, Mosh added.

Still, chances of actually bringing Red Mango to campus are slim, said DUSDAC co-Chair Jason Taylor, a senior.

“I believe there is maybe a 10 percent chance [of opening Red Mango] because of the deficit, the hurdles in upper administration and the fact that we have to get rid of an existing vendor,” Taylor said.

“Within a couple of weeks, we’ll have a much better idea of its feasibility.”

Wulforst said the chances are higher because of Mosh’s ability to pay all startup costs and the low conversion costs due to the replacement—rather than the addition—of a vendor.

Despite the multiple fro-yo venues that have recently cropped up in the Triangle area, Mosh said he does not expect Red Mango to cause any major disruptions in campus markets.

In other business: The Central Campus eatery’s opening date has been postponed due to weather.

Named “The Devil’s Bistro” by Campus Council, the restaurant is now slated to open Mar. 12 with an official reception Mar. 19.

4 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle

Volunteer patrols help with local crime prevention

by Jessica Chang THE CHRONICLE

A vandalized car sits in the middle of a street, and on top of its trunk is a bag of white powder. After an observer spots the car, a police officer is called to test the powder and it becomes clear that the bag contains only laundry powder and that the car was most likely demolished in a bad drug deal.

That’s a typical situation Frances Brown, District Two captain for the Citizen Observer Patrol program, might face on his weekly patrol.

The Citizen Observer Patrol program, also called Citizens on Patrol, is a volunteer group under the direction of the Durham Police Department that gives volunteers an opportunity to actively assist DPD in deterring crime and enhancing quality of life in the community.

Durham’s program began in September 2003 after Eric Hester, founder of the program and currently the crime prevention officer at the Duke University Police Department, modeled it after a successful COP program in Broward County, Fla. The program there had 2,500 volunteers and 250 patrol cars, and some areas of Broward County where the program had been implemented experienced as much as a 65 percent decrease in crime rates, Hester said.

“It was a way in which law enforcement could connect with the community and strengthen opportunities in working together so they could help us in creating solutions to concerns within the neighborhood,” Hester said.

Durham’s COP started by patrolling in District Two and expanded last year to include Districts One and Four. The Durham Police Department is currently working to expand the program to include District Three. District Two encompasses North Duke Street, Broad Street and North Mangum Street.

COP volunteers patrol in pairs daily from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. in four-hour shifts, Brown wrote in an e-mail.

All volunteers are required to do a minimum of two rides per month and attend a monthly meeting. Volun-

teers must be at least 21 years of age and go through specialized training and background checks done by DPD, said Erwin Baker, the major officer of the program. COP volunteers ride in retired police cars while on patrol.

Brown said that when volunteers are out patrolling, it is important that they carry police radios and wear uniforms, and are a visible presence in the neighborhood. But he added that they should only observe, not

“Whether COP was directly responsible, I can’t say yea or nay because it’s not something that you can really measure, but as a result of them patrolling, the break-ins for that particular community did decrease by 50 percent.”

— Erwin Baker, major officer for the COP program intervene, in problems they may encounter. No COP member has ever been placed in a dangerous situation or been harmed, Baker noted.

Brown said a typical shift consists of doing property checks for residents who are on vacation and checking on the sick and elderly. COP volunteers would also look for expired license plates, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, evidence of illegal activities and anything else that may affect the quality of life for residents.

“Most of the time I feel I have not completed everything I wanted to do,” he said.

Many Duke students who live off campus live in District Two, and they can benefit from the program by requesting property checks during spring break when

Dislocated Performances:

op H p i H o n i t a L y r g u n t i n n i e g C a R e i m T w e n t y- f i r s t in the March 19, 2010 East Campus Union, Upper East Side Duke University 9:30 am – 5:00 pm How does Hip Hop speak to the day-to-day existence of Latinos in the present age of multiculturalism, globalization, and Obama? How might we read Hip Hop in different ways now, examining how it also dislocates and recalibrates Latinidad? This one-day workshop will engage the work of activists and prominent scholars in performance and cultural studies, examining the performances of race, gender, sexuality and Latinidad within Hip Hop and the political possibilities of “dislocation.”

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12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Lunch

1:15pm - 3:00 pm

Panel II: Los Sueños de los fantasmas que marchan: The Liberation Dreams of an Un-seen Army (Rosa Clemente, Mark Anthony Neal, and Raquel Z. Rivera)

3:00 pm

Music and Reception featuring DJ Miraculous

For more information, visit: http://latino.aas.duke.edu/

they are away from their homes, Hester said. He added that of all the previously completed house checks, none of the houses were ever broken into.

Hester said he thinks the program has been effective, noting one particular example of a time when COP members checked on an elderly lady one evening and found her lying on the floor after falling and breaking her hip that morning. He said the volunteers saved her life.

“We know that property crime goes down just by our being out and reminding people not to leave a purse or anything else of value on the seat—put it in the trunk where eyes cannot see it,” Brown said.

Baker said that there had been recent problems with break-ins in District One during the day when people are at work, so a COP program was initiated in the district about three months ago. Volunteers passed out crime prevention flyers and continuously patrolled the district’s neighborhoods. District One borders the northeast side of East Main Street.

“Whether COP was directly responsible, I can’t say yea or nay because it’s not something that you can really measure, but as a result of them patrolling, the break-ins for that particular community did decrease by 50 percent,” Harris said.

Brown said the program is currently on a down cycle in the number of members but that they are actively recruiting and adding new volunteers.

“We want more publicity for the program, but we have to be careful how we get it,” he said. “We don’t want the bad guys to decide to target us. We have a ride-along program where citizens interested can ride with us and see if it fits into their lifestyle. If it doesn’t, all they have lost is four hours of their time, and we have another person educated about us.”

Baker added that although he thinks the program is working well, it needs more funding for specialized vehicles and uniforms.

“We’ve gotten grants, but everything costs money,” he said.

the chronicle

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 | 5

addresses from page 1 Postal Service, which will continue to be delivered to students’ P.O. boxes, said DPO General Manager Michael Trogdon.

The project to give each building an address has been years in the making, Potter said. After an episode last August when a Durham 911 operator had difficulty finding the location of a local fire that ultimately killed an elderly man, the need to expedite the project became clear, Potter added.

Trogdon cautioned students and faculty not to use the new addresses for regular mail.

“If [USPS mail is] sent to us with a postal address it’s going to be delayed,” Trogdon said. “You need to make certain before you use just a street address that that is a package that is going to be delivered by some courier other than the U.S. Postal Service.”

Many universities have never allowed the delivery of packages directly to student dormitories. At Vanderbilt University, for instance, all packages and parcels directed to students go to centralized locations.

Although most buildings on Vanderbilt’s campus have mailing addresses, none of them receive direct deliveries from the USPS, said Mickey Anglea, postmaster of Vanderbilt Mail Services.

“It’s basically taboo to address things to dormitories,” Anglea said. “We don’t have the resources there to check items in.”

He cited safety concerns as one reason why Vanderbilt prefers not to have parcels delivered directly, adding that Vanderbilt was the target of a mail bomb sent by the “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski in 1982.

Boston University’s Mail Services department, however, does not handle student

chronicle file photo

Edens 2C (right) and 1C (left) received the mailing addresses of 117 Edens Drive and 423 Towerview Drive, respectively, in the recent project by Duke Postal Operations. mail—letters and packages are delivered directly to the residence halls, where they are sorted by staff from the housing and residential safety department.

“All we do is we take care of the university’s business mail,” said Albano Lacerda, director of BU Mail Services.

Lacerda added that the university implemented safety precautions including limiting individuals allowed to enter buildings and deliver packages in light of concerns about student safety.

Potter said Duke wanted to smooth the transition to the new address system, and

maintained that the change was mostly grounded in concerns about safety and communications.

“In terms of mail there was no intention to make a change,” Potter said. “The idea was to keep [the change] as low-profile as possible.”

DUKE PROVOST’S LECTURE SERIES 2009/2010 provost.duke.edu/speaker_series

ThE FUTURE OF ThE PaST, ThE FUTURE OF ThE PRESEnT:

The historical Record in the Digital age WEDnESDay, MaRCh 3, 2010 5:00–6:30 pm SOCIaL SCIEnCES BUILDIng ROOM 139

Jonathan Zittrain Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Co-Founder/Faculty Co-Director, Berkman Center for Internet & Society GaminG history: the Battle for narrative Control in the Digital age The Internet has been rightly seen as a vehicle for freedom; each day there is more information available to more people than the day before.

What are the factors that could slow, halt, or even turn the tide of access and contribution to knowledge? How do we create and hide our digital tracks? What impact will ubiquitous human computing have on the enterprise of recording and establishing history?

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6 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle

Do you still have textbooks to purchase for this semester?

We have to return unsold textbooks by wholesaler and publisher deadlines. So, starting the week of Spring Break, we will return Spring ’10 textbooks (used and new) to their vendors.

If you still need texts for your courses, now is the time to buy them.

As always, if you need a textbook that we don’t have in stock, we’ll special order it for you. You prepay for the textbook and we order it shipped second-day air at our expense. It takes 2-3 business days to get special orders, so plan ahead.

Don’t forget our Used Books Classifieds listing.

The link is available at www.dukestores.duke.edu/textbook.php

Duke University Textbook Store Mid-Level, Bryan Center / Phone: 919.684.6793 Department of Duke University Stores®

professors from page 3 allows faculty to get to know students at a more personal level. Charlie Thompson, director of the undergraduate program at the Center for Documentary Studies, recently bonded with a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The student is interested in Latin America, which is an area in which Thompson has worked for several years. They met in an audio documentary course Thompson is currently taking in preparation for documenting a Duke Engage project on Latin American borders.

Thompson added that he enjoys getting help from other students in the class who are better versed in technology than he is.

“Just because I finished a Ph. D. and have completed the qualifications for a university professor doesn’t mean that I’ve learned everything or that I can’t always add to my knowledge base. I think it’s a wonderful privilege to be in a learning environment,” Thompson said.

Although participating in undergraduate courses can be a great experience for some faculty members, managing both taking classes and preparing their own can be a challenge.

“When I found myself up at 12:30 at night realizing I still had more homework to do—and I had my own classes to prepare for and committees––nothing scared me as much as being prepared for the [undergraduate] class,” said Claudia Koonz, a professor of history, who has taken a beginning Italian course as preparation to teach in Venice.

Some professors who have fellow faculty members in their classes appreciated having such a unique pupil in the class.

Although many students select courses to fit their schedules or fulfill their require-

ments, Shelli Plesser, lecturer of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, who has taught Hebrew to current and retired faculty for several years, said older students select courses because they are deeply interested in the subject.

But having a professor or a faculty in class can affect the classroom environment.

Sometimes, it takes time for undergraduate students to get used to the unorthodox environment.

“In language classes that tend to be small and intimate, it does change the dynamic, and it takes a while for the undergraduate students to be comfortable to sit with dads or grandmas sitting there,” Plesser said.

She noted that although faculty and professors can bring a valuable perspective to the class, the other students need to relax enough to include them in their community before they will benefit from the experience.

Having professors in class can also increase the pressure on the faculty members who are teaching the course.

“Well, they are so smart you hoped you weren’t boring the socks off of them—that was the challenging thing,” said Francis Newton, professor emeritus of classical studies, who has taught two German professors and one history professor. Newton also noted that the professors seemed to learn differently because they are already very aware about teaching techniques and often learn new subjects in relation to their own.

Despite the unusual situation, both Koonz and McLendon said they would want to take undergraduate courses again. Thompson also said the added discipline of having a class once a week was very enjoyable.

“I think most of us become professors because we love learning—not because we know it all, but because we want to continue learning,” Thompson said.

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Sports

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The Chronicle

TUESDAY March 2, 2010

Former Blue Devil Gerald Henderson can’t quite call himself His Airness, but he did beat the legendary Michael Jordan in the classic game of H-O-R-S-E—twice

www.dukechroniclesports.com

Blocking out the past

Baseball

Duke moves 6 home games to Cary facility

by Gabe Starosta The Chronicle

margie truwit/Chronicle file photo

Senior Brian Zoubek’s breakout game came against Maryland three weeks ago, and the center has kept up his improved level of play since.

Flashing back to the start of the season, the picture looked bleak for Duke center Brian Zoubek as he entered his senior campaign.

Plagued by recurring foot injuries and struggling to earn consistent playing time through his first three years, Zoubek entered 2009 with paltry career averages of 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Two players with only a year of combined experience between them—brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee—were slotted ahead of Zoubek and fellow senior Lance Thomas on the preseason depth chart.

Up until about a month ago, perhaps the thing Zoubek was Will best known for was not his play on the court but instead the bizarre “Z” handsign—inspired by the trademark gesture of a sci-fi cult in the stoner flick “Dude, Where’s My Car?”— that the Cameron Crazies flash whenever the 7-foot-1 center snares a rebound or swishes a free throw.

But over his past five contests, Zoubek’s rapid transition into a legitimate force on the glass and in the paint has spurred the emergence of a Duke team that is playing some of its best basketball of the year, just as the calendar turns to March.

Sparked by a superb performance with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 77-56 thrashing of Maryland Feb. 13, Zoubek has gone on a tear that almost no one saw coming. Starting in each of those five games, Zoubek posted averages of 7.8 points and 10.6 rebounds, well exceeding his career numbers.

But more important has been his strength on the offensive boards, bolstering the scoring attack of a team that relies heavily on the jump-shooting efforts of

Flaherty

Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler.

With his 24 offensive rebounds during his recent stint in the starting lineup, Zoubek has played a key role in sustaining offensive possessions and facilitating second-chance opportunities. Looking closely at logs from the past five games, Zoubek’s impact on the offense becomes clear. Twenty-nine Duke points have been scored directly after Zoubek has secured an offensive rebound, with the scores coming off both tip-ins and kickouts to perimeter players.

Zoubek’s prowess on the offensive glass has accounted for nearly six additional Duke points per game—a crucial margin in close games like the Blue Devils’ wins against Miami and Virginia Tech, both of which were tight until the final minutes. And these stats haven’t just come against shoddy talent. Zoubek has stepped up against two of the best teams in the ACC in Maryland and Virginia Tech, while on an individual level, he turned in a strong game against potential NBA draftee Jerome Jordan of Tulsa.

Duke is lucky to have pulled off a feat that most programs would only dream of: discovering a serviceable center capable of crashing the boards buried deep on its own bench. The Blue Devils, as currently composed with a resurgent Zoubek, its “Big Three” wing players and deep frontcourt reserves, are finally discovering the balance inside and out that has largely eluded them since Shelden Williams graduated in 2006.

That all leaves one big question that has eluded Duke fans for the past four years—what has taken so long for Zoubek to develop into a starter?

There are plenty of theories circulating that purport

The Duke baseball program announced Tuesday morning that six more of its games will be held at off-campus venues this season.

The Blue Devils were already scheduled to play 18 times at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) in downtown Durham, and the team’s 13 remaining home games were to be played at Jack Coombs Field, Duke’s traditional home on West Campus. However, six of those contests have now been moved to the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., meaning that the Blue Devils will play only seven games on campus this year.

The most prominent series moved away from Jack Coombs Field is the April 16-18 series against ACC rival and national power Florida State. The three-game set with the Seminoles was scheduled to be the only ACC series held on campus. Florida State reached the NCAA Super Regionals last year.

The other contests moved away from Duke’s home field were Wednesday’s matchup with Xavier and a two-game homestand against Temple next week.

The seven teams that will still face the Blue Devils at Jack Coombs Field are all moderately local opponents from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and all are visiting for just a single game. Those opponents include Davidson, Liberty and William & Mary.

While Jack Coombs Field is within walking distance of all West Campus dorms, DBAP requires students and fans to drive about five minutes to the stadium. The USA Baseball site in Cary, meanwhile, is located nearly 15 miles from the University.

Blue Devil players, coaches and administrators expressed excitement before the season about playing home games at DBAP, and Duke won its first three games there against Fordham last weekend. But it remains to be seen whether the move to the new ballparks spurs greater attendance, especially from students, or depresses it even further.

Chronicle file photo

See Zoubek on page 8

Duke played at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in last year’s ACC Tournament, and the stadium is now the Blue Devils’ primary home.

8 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle

fromstaffreports Duke men take 6th in ACC swimming In its best finish under fifth-year head coach Dan Colella, Duke took sixth place at the ACC Swimming Championships held in Chapel Hill over the weekend.

The Blue Devils finished the contest with 305 points—just 3.5 behind fifth-place finisher Georgia Tech—and set four school records in the process.

David Carlson broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke Friday with a time of 56.08, and Ben Tuben swam a 1:48.97 in the prelims to best the Duke 200 butterfly mark. Tuben would beat his own record by .25 seconds in the finals.

The last Duke record to fall would be the 400 freestyle relay. Spencer Booth, Ben Hwang, Sean Smith and Nick Garvy beat the existing school record by three seconds, putting the Blue Devils at third in the event for the weekend.

Freshmen Alex Harmon posted a 15:48.70 in the 1650 freestyle, giving him 20th in the conference. He was followed close behind by teammate Matt Carder, who came in 21st with a 15:52.35.

Booth, freshman Ted Minturn and senior Murillo Adrados all qualified for the 200 backstroke finals, with Booth turning in the Blue Devils’ fastest time on the season at 1:46.96. He finished 12th in the event. Minturn and Adrados finished in

15th and 24th, respectively.

During final action on Saturday, Garvy, a junior, took sixth in the conference in the 100 freestyle with a 44.37, and Hwang, a freshman, finished 10th at 44.95. Freshman Jim Zuponeck, Carlson and sophomore Alex Kluge finished 16th, 18th and 21st in the 200 breaststroke.

Blue Devil women shine at ACCs At the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend, Blue Devil women took third place overall with 60 points while the men finished in eighth with 38.5.

Juniors Cory Nanni and Sean-Pat Oswald finished with the most points for the Duke men. Nanni took third in the mile run, tallying a 4:10.63 to earn six points. Oswald finished third in the 800m in 1:52.24.

On the women’s side, both junior Devotia Moore and freshman Madeline Morgan finished in third place, in the 800 and the 3,000 meter events, respectively.

Other point-getters for the Blue Devils included Tony Shirk, who tied for eighth in the men’s pole vault with a career-best 5.00 meters, and sophomores Cydney Ross and Leslie Morrison, who finished in fourth and seventh in the women’s 800m.

Zoubek from page 7 to explain this. Some say that Duke’s coaching staff is not adept at developing post players, particularly when the team’s primary big man coach is former Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski, who stands 5-foot-11.

But when asked last week, Zoubek cited Wojciechowski as the biggest single influence on his development this season.

“He has been with me all four years,” Zoubek said. “While I have had some lows or didn’t exactly want to do all the work he was making me do, he was making me better, even if I might have hated the stuff.”

Another theory to explain Zoubek’s sluggish development has been due to his injuries. As the recent experiences of NBA centers Yao Ming and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and current UNC post player Tyler Zeller attest, human feet aren’t well engineered for the pounding a seven-foot basketball player applies to them. In a similar light, the foot injuries that have forced Zoubek under the knife twice shouldn’t be an indictment of his willingness to improve or a subpar level of fitness.

But at the end of the day, explanations aren’t nearly as relevant as the end result.

The fact that Zoubek has become an integral component to Duke’s NCAA Tournament chances this year should make any of his past struggles irrelevant. Zoubek’s ascendance has given Duke as good of a chance entering the postseason as it has

melissa yeo/Chronicle file photo

Senior Brian Zoubek has made a name for himself lately with tough defense and rebounding down low. had in a long time. And if Duke’s emergent big man helps his team to a deep Tournament run, his late success will stand out for more than any silly stoner movie reference.

CLASSIFIEDS Announcements Global Semester Abroad India/China Spring 2011

caroline rodriguez/The Chronicle

The Duke male swimmers fell just three points shy of fifth place at the ACC Championships over the weekend.

The Global Semester Abroad (GSA): India/China program will hold an information meeting for prospective students on Tuesday, March 2, at 5:00 p.m., in 103 Allen Building. The GSA will launch in spring 2011 in Udaipur, India and Beijing, China, and offer four Duke courses in development, environment, and global health.

Two courses will be taught in each country. Courses will count towards multiple major, minor, certificate, and curricular requirements. Full program details can be found at <http://studyabroad.duke. edu/home/Programs/Semester/ Global_Semester_Abroad>.

The spring 2011 application deadline is April 16, 2010.

Holton Prize in Education

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the chronicle

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 | 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

Dilbert Scott Adams

Doonesbury Garry Trudeau

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The Independent Daily at Duke University

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10 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle commentaries

Phase in gender-neutral housing When it comes to the issue a new residence hall, genderof gender-neutral housing, it neutral housing must be careis time for Duke to follow suit fully considered. with its peer institutions.

The question of permitting Last week, Yale University gender-neutral housing on became the last Ivy League campus is fundamentally an school to adopt issue of student some form of choice.

Stueditorial gender-neutral dents are mahousing for its students. Yale’s ture young adults and deserve program, which will be piloted the right to choose their roomduring the 2010-2011 school mate without regard to gender. year, will allow seniors to live While it is unlikely that many in mixed-gender suites but not students would desire to live mixed-gender bedrooms. with a member of the opposite At Duke, the conversation sex, there is not reason to preabout gender-neutral housing clude them from doing so. has been quiet since Fall 2007 In this vein, gender-neutral when the University was forced housing is also an important to create several gender-neutral issue for accommodating bathrooms on West Campus and upholding the rights of to accommodate transgender LGBT students. Duke’s singlestudents. But as the University sex housing system creates actively reconsiders its housing uncomfortable situations for model and finalizes plans for transgender students, and in-

“

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Everyone except the Board realizes this increase is making it even harder for middle class students to justify a Duke education.

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See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

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H

stituting some form of genderneutral housing would provide a simple solution to this serious problem.

Moral objections to roommate pairs of opposite sexes are off-base. The University is a pluralistic community, and individual value systems must not impinge on the rights and needs of students. This argument is also discredited by that fact that the policy would be opt-in only, so it will have no direct affect on those who object to it.

Critics who assert that gender-neutral housing would be disruptive to existing housing patterns and heighten roommate conflict are similarly unfounded. Students are generally well-informed and rational when choosing a roommate, and conflicts are possible in any roommate

pairing—even between best friends of the same sex.

Moreover, very few seniors in relationships currently live with their significant other in off-campus apartments, and it is hard to imagine that, on campus, this would become a popular trend. This is no reason to rule out genderneutral housing.

This Wednesday, the Duke Student Government Senate will discuss the possibility of bringing gender-neutral housing to campus. Senators should commit to work with Residence Life and Housing Services and Campus Council to create a gender-neutral pilot program on West and Central Campuses for the 2011-2012 academic year.

On Central, mixed-gender roommate pairs should be

able to participate in Room Pix and select any apartment.

On West, select hallways in several quadrangles should be designated for the pilot, and their bathrooms should simply be converted from single-sex to gender-neutral.

After evaluating a pilot program on West and Central, then students and administrators could consider bringing the policy to East Campus.

Gender-neutral housing can improve the quality of life for a select number of students, and it can easily be implemented. There is no reason for Duke to shy away from this important cause.

Michelle Sohn recused herself from this editorial due to her involvement with a proposal for gender-neutral housing on campus.

Windmills

ere’s what you shouldn’t do for spring your consciousness nirvana for no good reason? break: Go on a weeklong bender with your Silly questions—of course you would. buddies, regardless of age, each night Drinking to excess and then some just to imfilled with drunken debauchery so press people does not make you unforgettable that it can only be cool. It makes you look insecure. I erased by your hours of blackout, would rather endure college friendyour next morning’s hangover less than be admired for my ability playing proxy for memories. to pour toxin down my throat.

No, seriously. I wasn’t saying that Although I’m a funny sort of guy, for comedic effect. I could recite alI’m perfectly happy to throw a special cohol abuse facts and figures until finger at anyone whose friendship I’m blue in the face, but it wouldn’t would require I impress them on their jeremy walch matter. It wouldn’t be anything conditions. If you can’t do that, then anger turned some of you haven’t seen and igperhaps some self-esteem work is in sideways nored a thousand times before. order. Life will not be easy if you can’t Let’s clear this up right from the make confidence without a bottle. start: I’m not anti-drinking. An Italian pasta dish Some of those who disagree with me have no without a good wine complement just isn’t the doubt convinced themselves that they need a little same. I am, however, against irresponsible drink- alcohol to feel socially comfortable and relaxed. ing—drinking that definitely isn’t for the sake of It’s only a drink or two, though—certainly not quenching your thirst and palate. Unfortunately, enough to get drunk. I’m not talking to them, it is precisely this irresponsible variety which I’ve right? grown accustomed to seeing.

Wrong. They are relying on a substance outside Frankly, it pisses me off. The colossal stupid- themselves to handle normal social situations, perity on display every weekend here makes me dis- haps even depending on it. It’s foolish to think that’s gusted with our corner of humanity. It is equally more than a stone’s throw from a full-blown psychomaddening that this is acceptable, even implictly logical addiction. It’s a small wonder that more will encouraged in our environment, simply because not turn out to be alcoholics post-graduation. it is “what college students do.”

What angers me the most, though, is that it To the souls drinking with intent to get wast- seems most college kids are just using booze to ed: I hardly even know where to start. It’s possible hide. When we’re drunk, we can claim to be somethat it is a hopeless situation, but it’s my opinion one other than our true selves; we are no longer that they’re just dumb. I don’t care what their letting anyone in on our true passions, which we grades are or what Stanford and Binet have to say keep to ourselves like dirty secrets. about them. It takes a special sort of logic (none) There’s a certain vulnerability that comes with to be OK with blacking out. Some of them even being passionate, especially about life and the go so far as to brag about it. The claim is that people around you. Yet the most beautiful people they’re drinking so much and having such a great I know do this fearlessly. They have just as much time that they have forgotten it by the next day. fun doing what they love as others have on SaturPersonally, I like to be able to have memories of day night. the great times I’ve enjoyed.

Is alcohol all that we have to love? Are we too While we’re at it, what’s the point of a drunk- scared of being laughed at for being passionate en hook-up? Not that I don’t understand the about something else? motivation for sex—in fact this is exactly the I’m not. I’m a romantic and an idealist. If I reason why I can’t wrap my head around the could change just our small part of the world, I inebriated interlude. Circle yes if you agree: Sex would. Nothing would make me happier than to feels good. see the obsession with alcohol fade away.

Then would it not stand to reason that you’d Of course, that won’t ever happen. I’m tilting want to be fully aware, fully conscious, fully at a windmill. aroused, so as to wholly enjoy the experience?

Would you sacrifice any of these and think the Jeremy Walch is a Pratt junior. His column runs evpleasure as deep, as powerful? Would you deprive ery other Tuesday.

www.dukechronicle.com

the chronicle

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 | 11

commentaries

Complaints from the anti-peanut gallery

I

have a complaint to lodge with the uni- pick an identity out of a seemingly infinite list of verse. possibilities, we’re plagued with the doubt that This complaint comes at the conclusion we will likely make a mistake and end up less of many months of chronic indecision and an happy than our capacity would have allowed us. eleventh-hour major declaraWe feel lost in an immense and tion: I’m too privileged. In my jumbled sea of opportunities. life I’ve held in my possession After all, the selection of a too much opportunity, talent, correct answer from a handful of money, curiosity and success. alternatives is much easier than I’ve been exposed to too many from a greater variety. And as rainspiring stories, met too many tional creatures, humans don’t charismatic people, had too like to miss out on things—we many riveting conversations especially don’t want to forego shining li about too many disparate and our chance at the greatest posall too human fascinating subjects. sible future fulfillment. Picking In short, my life has been too only four classes from a catalog good. I’ve been too lucky. of hundreds is difficult. Picking only one area No, the above is not a satirical jab at the of nominal interest out of a list of more than bellyaching of the average upper-middle-class 40 is difficult. Picking one post-graduation college student. I’m not mocking myself and path out of countless professions? Yep, pretty my fellow Duke students—I’m actually right gosh-darn difficult. on board with the self-pitying sentiment of the Thus the insecurity, thus the worry, thus overprivileged. the major-hopping and department-dabbling In fact, I volunteer myself to lead the march and future anxiety. of the lucky and whiny.

On “Radiolab,” psychologist Barry Schwartz A word to the skeptical: I don’t mean to blamed this indecision on our perception that sound like just another trivial brat, and I know we live in “a world in which everything is availthe seemingly ridiculous nature of my objec- able.” Regardless of whether this is actually tions. We should all presumably want more true, it’s definitely a point of pride of every choice, more freedom, more room to breathe institution of higher learning. And though and to explore and to “find” ourselves. But I’m duly impressed by the buckets of diverse there’s a sense in which too much room breeds opportunities dumped in my lap by Duke on indirection. Sometimes the lack of restrictions a daily basis, I also acknowledge the apprehenbecomes very similar to a lack of guidance. sion with which I sometimes view my own asThe much-glorified freedom to choose may of-yet undetermined future. not be all that freeing after all.

So, my complaint with the universe isn’t an The persistent problem of intelligent yet impassioned petition for redress so much as indecisive, gifted yet worried college students it is a recognition of the fact that even superis the abundance of choice they have in their privileged, intelligent and promising people own futures. In high school, we were all patted can have psychologically legitimate concerns. on the back, told we had oodles of potential When I compare my prospects with those and sent on our way to higher education— of my parents at the around the same age (in where our potential would supposedly trans- Maoist China, they had little hope of a college late into real skills and lifelong passions. Our education), I know that my life has been and prospects were inspiring when we were bright- will likely continue to be more secure, comeyed and bushy-tailed youngsters destined for fortable and prosperous than theirs. I’m grategreat things. ful—really, I am.

Once we step foot on the hallowed cobbleBut I stand by my right to feel doubt. Spestones of Duke University, however, an unan- cifically, I stand by my right to feel choice swerable question greets and haunts us well angst without also feeling guilty for being privinto our first few semesters of collegiate life: ileged and ungrateful. In a Maslowian sense, Now what? Now that we’ve shown ourselves to self-actualization is every individual’s greatest be adequately clever and decently competent, concern, even those whose other, more bahow are we supposed to select the ideal path sic needs are satisfied. It is on this level that from the vast array open to us? any individual—even one to whom the most Jad Abumrad of WNYC’s “Radiolab” charac- extensive amount of opportunities has been terizes this anxiety as “choice angst.” It’s the un- granted—may find herself at a loss. settling fear that accompanies a decision when the stakes are high, the options are vast and the Shining Li is a Trinity sophomore. Her column choice isn’t obvious. When we are forced to runs every Tuesday.

Independent thinking

“N

ot affiliated with a larger controlling unit.” That’s how Merriam-Webster defines “independent,” which makes the recently formed Group of Duke Independents an especially paradoxical proposition.

The upstart group intends to play an advocacy role for independent students on campus to counter the loud lobbying voice of housed Interfraternity Council fraternities and other selective living groups. The group has its work cut out for it, however; a few weeks since its inception, the GDI Facebook group has less than 200 members, bradford colbert a small percentage of the large group of the other side people and diverse opinions they hope to represent.

If that sounded overly negative, I apologize. To be perfectly honest, the term “independent” has never sat right with me. The title strikes me as a misnomer for any active member of our Duke community.

Whether you’re involved in a cultural club or an activism group, a musical ensemble or a freshman orientation program, almost everyone on campus affiliates themselves with at least one organization. A lack of residential focus doesn’t cheapen that connection. Even those students who have managed to repress the extracurricular-seeking instincts that got them through high school and into Duke in the first place are members of classroom discussions, study groups or pick-up basketball games that tie them intrinsically to the larger Duke community.

I’m sure there are a few truly “independent” students out there—lone wolves who ignore their peers and lock themselves in their rooms for most of the day. I just don’t know very many of them, and they probably like it that way. I’m also willing to bet they won’t be the first people to jump on the GDI bandwagon.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with independence. It’s what we celebrate on the Fourth of July; it’s where we buy our wagon wheels and oxen before departing on the Oregon Trail. But here at Duke, those who choose independence over living in a dorm with a colorful sign out front are a socially stigmatized majority.

The biggest problem independents face is not one of agency, but of identity. As soon as rising sophomores buy into the “independent” mentality, the stigma becomes self-perpetuating. Sophomores arrive on campus with the previous years’ relationships already in their back pocket. Making friends with your hallmates is no longer a priority—in fact, I went through my whole sophomore year without knowing the names of the guys who shared a bathroom with me. It’s an okay existence, but it can feel isolating at times.

The formation of the GDI signals that not all students are happy with the current state of residential life. But there is already a student group charged with addressing residential concerns—Campus Council. They are the student body’s primary liaison to Residence Life and Housing Services, and they serve all segments of the residential community, affiliated or not. Campus Council accepts ad-hoc members to its committees by application, so you don’t even need a huge fraternity voting bloc to participate. With all due respect to the GDI’s founders, I don’t think a brand new bureaucracy with a tongue-in-cheek name will necessarily be any better than the existing bureaucracy at addressing the underlying issues faced by independents—second-rate housing options and a lack of a sense of community.

Maybe the physical set-up of housing on West needs to be reexamined.

The current quad model was voted into existence by the Board of Trustees in the Fall of 2002, shifting the focus of RLHS from individual entryways and houses to six bigger quads. Initially, freshman dorms were “linked” to specific quads on West Campus in the hopes of preserving the communities that were fostered during the widely-acclaimed “First Year Experience” on East. That system was abandoned in 2005 for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that nobody wanted to be “linked” to Edens.

But devoid of these connections, the quads now lack character. With no discernable identity differentiating one quad from the next, it’s only logical that Room Pix participants base their decisions overwhelmingly on square-footage, air-conditioning and proximity to the rest of campus. Each quad is ultimately a hodgepodge of 250 to 500 very different students, many of whom will only live in that quad for one year. Under those conditions, despite the best efforts of the many hardworking residence coordinators and resident assistants, a few nights of free food during finals week cannot a community make.

Maybe the real culprit here is not the selective living groups’ lobbying arms.

Maybe it’s just time to think outside the quad with respect to housing models.

Let’s pre-select a handful of blocks of eight to 10 contiguous rooms with adjacent common rooms for a separate lottery to allow independents the shot at their own section. Let’s put a limited level of squatting on the table for good neighbors to remain in the quad they’ve made their home. These sorts of changes foster lasting community-building and allow different dorms to develop identities. Maybe over time, living groups could develop organically rather than through an application process or an administrative mandate.

And maybe one day, the term “GDI,” with both of its meanings, will no longer be needed in the campus vernacular.

Bradford Colbert is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Tuesday.

12 | TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 the chronicle

diversity from page 1 undergraduate education, proposed and announced the project earlier last year.

More than 40 percent of Duke students receive need-based financial assistance. At the same time, approximately 21.6 percent of students come from families that make more than $300,000 a year, according to self-reported senior survey data compiled by the Office of Institutional Research from 2007 to 2009.

With Duke bolstering its financial aid program in recent years and the percentage of aided students expected to rise, administrators said it was time to take a closer look at Duke’s accessibility from the perspective of students with more modest means. Added expenses for classes, dues for clubs and greek organizations and the social implications of being on financial aid are all topics that the initiative hopes to broach.

But progress has been slower than planned.

“The issues are deep and I would rather have Donna [Lisker] and Alison Rabil take their time and do it right rather than rush and get some answer,” Nowicki said. “They’ve learned that some of the dimensions we were thinking about looking at aren’t as interesting, and there are new dimensions that we weren’t thinking of looking at that are interesting.

As they’ve been thinking about focus groups, they’re sort of growing beyond our original thinking.”

Since the initiative was approved, four focus groups, each with five or six student participants, have been conducted and videotaped. They will be viewed at a later date for further analysis. Administrators had planned to do 10 focus groups over the course of this year with 10 to 12 participants in each, The Chronicle reported last September.

Nowicki, Lisker and Rabil said the complexity and sensitivity surrounding the topic of socioeconomic diversity

durham from page 1 [City Council] operations that much. It’s a really good process, but it’s more of an enhancement,” Catotti said. “We are not waiting to make operational changes. If there are efficiencies or adjustments we can make now, we are all for them.”

The recession Catotti pointed to some recurring issues like poor local transportation infrastructure that may require significant investment and thus would need to be incorporated into the budget next June. Both citizens and city staff listed public transportation and old infrastructure in the SWOC survey as major challenges facing Durham.

Although expanding the transportation network and repairing deteriorating streets are laudable goals, they at times need to be moderated by the realities of city governance. Given the current recession, projects involving significant operational costs will need to be considered in the context of the city’s resources, Catotti noted.

“It is obviously making all of us very mindful of our constraints,” she said. “Constraints are not new. We have not had adequate resources to address all the many needs and concerns, so you always have to prioritize.

I think what the strategic plan does is that it focuses very clearly on what our priorities are, given limited resources.”

Although Durham has generally survived the recession better than other cities in North Carolina, the poor economy has been a factor in the development of the

has necessitated a slower-simmering approach than they initially anticipated.

“It’s clear to us that this is a complex landscape that we’re going to have to keep carrying forward into the Fall semester and into next year,” Lisker said.

“I’d like the pace to pick up a little bit.”

Scheduling students willing to take part in the study has presented unforeseen challenges, officials said. Approximately 25 students receiving financial aid—who were part of a random sample generated by the Office of Institutional Research—have participated in the study so far. Administrators said they are also planning on targeting students not on financial aid to participate in focus groups, as well as possibly integrating a survey and interviews with parents and alumni into the report.

Lisker noted that 200 subjects took part in the Women’s Initiative to provide a full picture of the issue, and the SDI too will continue to move forward until administrators start hearing redundant data. Administrators said they hope the SDI sparks discussion on the often uncomfortable topics of money.

“Social class is a hard thing to talk about,” Lisker said. “Not that race is easy, or gender is easy, but we have more practice.”

Rabil and Lisker said that although they might not be able to change an embedded culture on campus, they will suggest concrete policy changes to ease excess burden, if there is any, for aided students.

“Students on financial aid always have to make choices—we always have to make choices about how we spend our money,” Rabil said. “But you really should be able to have as valuable an experience at Duke as any other student.... The purpose of the study is to check ourselves.

Are we doing that?”

The implications of socioeconomic difference among Duke students has been largely untouched by the majority of the campus culture reports that have

plan, Reinstein said. A comprehensive strategic plan will help the city focus the annual budget and put in place accountability mechanisms to ensure that resources are used effectively, he added.

“I think everything is just going to have to be slower [with the recession],” said Evan Covington-Chavez, residential development director at Self-Help, a community financial development organization and a stakeholder included in the SWOC survey.

“We won’t have a quick pace getting anything accomplished.... There will probably have to be some prioritizing.”

City Manager Tom Bonfield, however, said he does not think the recession will affect the implementation of the plan. The plan will be more useful in guiding the city’s priorities as the economy recovers and the city nets new tax revenue, he said.

“We know that the rate of growth in new revenues—whether it be sales taxes or property taxes—is going to be substantially slower in Durham than we’ve experienced in a long, long time,” Bonfield said. “To spend those dollars, we need to have a strategic plan.... The plan isn’t necessarily going to say, ‘Here are the new projects.’ It’s more setting the direction of priorities.”

What came before Bonfield said he saw a need for a comprehensive strategic plan after talking with the City Council and city staff when he came to Durham in mid-2008. Bonfield previously worked as the city manager of Pensacola, Fla. “There was a sense that we in Durham have seemed to kind of react to issues and bounce from issue to issue and not stick

Source: Office of Institutional Research

come out in the last decade. The Campus Culture Initiative makes no mention of the issue.

“The forgotten dimension has been socioeconomic difference,” Nowicki said. “It has been one factor all of these different studies haven’t really addressed squarely or at all.”

Administrators hope to report back to the Board of Trustees once they have crystallized findings.

with a plan,” Bonfield said. “From my general experience and knowledge, the organizations in local governments that do have a strategic plan are more successful.

Just across the board, that’s fact.”

Previous attempts to create a city-wide strategic plan fell short of completion. In 1998, the city manager’s office collected data from citizen and stakeholder surveys, but did not have the necessary support from city leaders to create a full-fledged strategic plan, Reinstein said.

But with Bonfield’s arrival in 2008, and with support from Mayor Bill Bell and the council, all the stars aligned to facilitate the creation of a comprehensive plan.

“Personally, I think the strategic plan should have been implemented earlier, because it helps make sure the decisions you make in any area are held accountable,” said Councilmember Farad Ali. “Right now, this is allowing us to be more forward thinking in recognizing that we’re building the foundations in the strategic plan for councils in the future.”

Duke’s involvement To gather data, the city employed the help of Zelos Consulting, a firm specializing in government and nonprofit organizations, to solicit opinions from more than 380 staff members and all 25 department directors, according to the SWOC document. Additionally, 204 citizens and 18 institutional stakeholders were polled for their thoughts.

Although Duke was one of the 18 stakeholders, the University did not return its survey in time for the SWOC document’s publication, Reinstein said. The responses

graphic by hon lung chu/The Chronicle

“[Socioeconomic diversity] ought to mean that we look for talent in its many forms and once that’s discovered we’re going to make sure there are no financial hurdles for bringing that talent to Duke,” said Board Chair and Democratic state Sen. Dan Blue, Law ’73. “That ensures you’ll have the socioeconomic diversity that enriches the experience of all students.”

Lindsey Rupp contributed reporting.

from the four stakeholders who responded in time are included in the document.

“It’s been slow,” said Phail Wynn, Duke’s vice president for Durham and regional affairs, referring to the response rate of the top administrators and deans to whom Wynn distributed the stakeholder survey.

“Only a quarter of them have sent me back anything. But what has come in so far has been generally positive.”

Recent downtown revitalization, including the development of the Durham Performing Arts Center, was a common point of praise among administrators and deans, Wynn said.

He added, however, that crime and security concerns remain an issue among the ten or so Duke officials surveyed. Wynn said that given the University’s role as the city’s largest employer, he expects to see Duke featured prominently in the strategic plan when it is unveiled to the public.

“What I am trying to do is to broaden and deepen Duke’s role as an advocate in working with the city on these key issues,” Wynn said. “We on the Duke side know what the city’s main concerns are, but the city is also interested in Duke’s concerns.”

With a yawning budget gap and diminished prospects for revenue growth, strategic planning may not necessarily present ambitious new projects to invest in. Rather, the plan will likely modify the priorities of multiple city departments so they are all pointing in the same direction, so that when growth returns it will be managed effectively, Bonfield said.

“To me, it’s one more tool in the toolbox,” Catotti said. “We always knew we weren’t going to solve these problems overnight.”