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
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 133
www.dukechronicle.com
Section shuffling terminated
The final chowdown
Campus Council to vote on assessment changes by Christina Peña THE CHRONICLE
Bonobos have been considered the forgotten ape for several different reasons, André said. Bonobos are very shy animals and as a result, are very difficult to observe. “[Lola Ya Bonobo] is a good place for study because the bonobos have the same behavior as in the wild,” she said.
University officials have decided that there will no longer be campus-wide shuffling of sections for fraternities and selective living groups, Campus Council President Stephen Temple announced in a town hall-style forum Wednesday. Section locations as determined by the most recent Residential Group Assessment process will be honored, but groups dissastisfied with permanently residing in their new locations can appeal to a recently recreated Approval and Removal Committee. The decision to freeze section shuffling was purely made by University administrators, independent of Campus Council, Temple, a junior, said. “We had a lot of conversations about it, but Campus Council did not have control over that administrative decision,” he said. A proposed Collaborative Housing Process intends to better reflect cooperation among groups, unaffiliated students and the administration. The residential group assessment would still exist, but the
See andré on page 7
See rgac on page 8
melissa yeo/The Chronicle
Seniors enjoy free food at the President’s BBQ hosted by President Richard Brodhead, in Cameron Wednesday afternoon during Senior Week, SOUND-OFF page 5
André cares for apes in Congo sanctuary by Tullia Rushton THE CHRONICLE
Duke’s Department of Evolutionary Anthropology ended its first annual Primate Palooza Wednesday with a lecture from Claudine André, founder of Lola Ya Bonobo—the first and only sanctuary for bonobos located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Brian Hare, assistant professor of evo-
lutionary anthropology, said André’s presence indicates support for the “forgotten ape.” But the bonobo, one of the four great apes, is the closest human relative, sharing 98.7 percent of its DNA with humans. “We are very lucky to have Claudine André visit us,” Hare said. “We like to root for the underdog. We want to help an animal that hasn’t gotten its fair share of attention.”
dsg vice president for durham and regional affairs
Akpaninyie and Wilson look to strengthen local ties by Joanna Lichter and Rachel Sussman THE CHRONICLE
michael naclerio/The Chronicle
Sophomore Ubong Akpaninyie, who is running for VP for Durham and regional affairs, will look to other schools for community outreach ideas.
Women’s soccer brings in top recruiting class, Page 9
The two candidates running for Duke Student Government vice president for Durham and regional affairs hope to increase student engagement in Durham by promoting community service initiatives. Sophomore Ubong Akpaninyie emphasized his experience as a Durham and regional affairs senator for the past two years. As a freshman, Akpaninyie said he was actively involved in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership and helped foster a cooperative relationship between students and members of the Trinity Heights Neighborhood Association. Freshman Gordon Wilson, a senator on the same committee, said his experience as a tutor for Carter Community School in Durham has helped him interact with residents and gain a deeper understanding of the area. Akpaninyie said if elected, he will team up with organizations like the Duke Partnership for Service to increase student outreach in Durham through various community service projects. “I really want to focus on the role of vice president [for Durham and regional affairs]... and one of these roles is to See dra on page 7
addison corriher/The Chronicle
Freshman Gordon Wilson, who is running for VP for Durham and regional affairs, said he will build on existing Durham partnerships.
ONTHERECORD
“It is hard when you’re an administrator here to honor the students’ perspective.”
—MRC Director Maureen Cullins on campus dialogue. See story page 3
Exchange student exhibits art, Recess Page 4
2 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
worldandnation
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U.S.-Russian relations tested by Kyrgyzstan interim gov.
Chinese ‘market power’ SEC ups stock monitoring over metals alarms U.S. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed limiting the ability of hedge funds and other traders to swiftly buy and sell stocks, bonds and other securities without any record of their activity Wednesday. Under the proposed rule, all large traders would each be assigned a unique identification number, which would tag every trade they make. Their trading records would only be accessible to regulators investigating manipulative or abusive trading. “This rule is designed to strengthen our oversight of the markets and protect investors in the process,” SEC Chair Mary Schapiro said. “It would give us prompt access to trading information from large traders so we can better analyze the data and investigate potentially illegal trading activity.”
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It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance? — Ronald Reagan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers called for a hearing after a government report Wednesday exposed potential “vulnerabilities” for the American military because of its extensive use of Chinese metals in smart bombs, nightvision goggles and radar. China controls 97 percent of production of materials known as rare earth oxides, giving it “market power” over the U.S., the Government Accountability Office said in the report obtained by Bloomberg News before its public release. Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters in Washington he would call for an inquiry to discuss the report. Rep. Howard McKeon of California, the top Republican on the panel, backed Skelton’s call.
MOSCOW — Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government held talks in Moscow Wednesday as the tremors of the former Soviet republic’s violent uprising create a “test case” for U.S.- Russian relations. Russia agreed to give the interim government $50 million in assistance, state broadcaster Rossiya-24 reported Wednesday. Russia and the United States, which both have air bases in the Central Asian nation, are reaching out to interim leader Roza Otunbayeva, even as ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev holds out in the country’s south. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to call Otunbayeva, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed suit two days later. “Kyrgyzstan is much more important for U.S.-Russian relations than arms control, which is an agenda of the past,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in
Global Affairs magazine. “Kyrgyzstan is a tiny test case whether the U.S. and Russia can find a way to coordinate interests in Eurasia. There could be a new deal.” The United States depends on its Manas air base near the capital Bishkek to supply its troops in Afghanistan. Robert Blake, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, arrived in Bishkek for two days of talks with the interim government. Russia initially consented to the United States opening bases in former Soviet republics to support operations against al-Qaida after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. When the war dragged on and the Bush administration actively supported membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for Ukraine and Georgia, Putin felt “betrayed,” Lukyanov said.
TODAY IN HISTORY 1896: The first Olympic games finish at Athens, Greece
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Capt. Mark Moretti and Haji Shamshir Khan, Afghan elder of the Korengal Valley, say goodbye before American troops pull out of the region. Korengal experienced some of the highest death tolls in Afghanistan, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 3
Forum promotes cultural dialogue by Aziza Sullivan THE CHRONICLE
The opportunity for unity is scarce, or so says Multicultural Resource Center Director Maureen Cullins. During the 10th Annual Unity Through Diversity Forum Wednesday night, Cullins, who served as the moderator for the evening, noted the significance of the forum as an occasion for discussion. The forum was founded in 2000 as a way to provide a chance for dialogue between cultural groups on campus, according to a bulletin provided at the event. “There are precious few venues for students and faculty to gather and discuss the hard issues,” Cullins said. “It is hard when you’re an administrator here to honor the students’ perspective.... I always try to stay grounded with what the students tell me is going on.” The panel focused on multicultural issues on campus including the shared difficulties of minority students, issues of housing, space for cultural events and academic representation in the classroom. The three-person panel comprised former dean of black affairs William Turner, Patty Chen, Trinity ’02 and former president of the Asians Students Association, and Denis Antoine, Trinity ’01 and former president of the Black Student Alliance. Their discussion lasted roughly one hour. Antoine noted that becoming involved with cultural issues on campus was something he felt compelled to participate in, especially with regard to housing and financial assistance for campus minorities. “I think anyone who’s made it this far is See unity on page 7
Duke student gov’t
Budget discussions postponed by Zachary Tracer THE CHRONICLE
addison corriher/The Chronicle
Patty Chen, Trinity ‘02, speaks Wednesday night on the potential impact of moving the Multicultural Center away from West Campus. Her talk was a part of the 10th Annual Unity Through Diversity Forum.
Duke Student Government postponed discussion of its budget after a late and at times disorganized Wednesday night meeting. The Senate had planned to discuss and vote on the student groups 2010-2011 fiscal year budget, but budget talks were delayed until next week, as the meeting ran until 11 p.m. “Given the lack of decorum in this meeting and that everyone is starting to get a little bit tired... I personally think... that we cannot do it this week,” said Treasurer Sam Halls, a senior. Hall’s comment came at the end of the 1.5 hour meeting, which did not start until 9:30 p.m. because some members were at a dinner in Chapel Hill. As the meeting neared its end, some senators voiced frustration at the prospect of considering the budget late at night. Because Executive Vice President Gregory Morrison, a junior, was absent, President Pro-tempore Price Davidson, a sophomore, led the meeting. Price said that although he did not run the meeting as smoothly as Morrison usually does, he thought the meeting was still successful. “I honestly don’t think that it entirely compromised efficiency,” Davidson said. “I had enough know-how to get us through it, and any shortcomings that I expressed as president pro-tempore were made up for by my fellow See dsg on page 8
2010 Reunions Friday, April 16, 2010 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center
Spotlight Speakers Entertainment writer Dave Karger ’95 interviews Jack Coleman ’80 and Kevin Gray ‘80 Dave Karger ’95, senior writer for Entertainment Weekly magazine, appears regularly on The Today Show, where he discusses the Oscars and entertainment trends. He has written more than 30 EW cover stories and writes a seasonal blog called OscarWatch for EW.com. He will interview actor and screenwriter Jack Coleman ’80, a constant actor for 30 years known for his roles in such hits as Dynasty and the sci-fi series Heroes, and Kevin Gray ’80, whose Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour credits include leading roles in The King and I and the Phantom of the Opera, and is currently appearing with the symphony tour Three Phantoms in Concert.
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4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
Citizens question Bell on Southside redevelopment by Alejandro Bolívar THE CHRONICLE
Mayor Bill Bell and urban renewal experts addressed Durham residents’ concerns about plans to redevelop the Southside community at the Hayti Heritage Center Wednesday night. The redevelopment project will create more than 350 mixed-income housing and retail units and will involve 100 acres of the Rolling Hills and Southside neighborhoods of the Hayti district across from downtown Durham, Bell said. Work is set to commence in August. “This is a project that has evolved since I was elected mayor in 2001,” Bell said. “It didn’t happen overnight.” One of the goals of the project is to provide quality and affordable housing to all residents and to create living spaces that would not indicate the income level of the homeowner, Bell said.
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He also emphasized the importance of transparency in the construction and development process, reaffirming a statement in an April 6 update on the city of Durham’s Web site. During the 1960s, the business districts and the oldest neighborhoods of the Hayti district were demolished to make room for the NC-147 expressway. As a result, the district, made up largely of black residents, became increasingly dilapidated. Durham has since been working alongside the Durham Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee, composed of residents and other community representatives, and with McCormack Baron Salazar, a for-proft St. Louis-based development firm that rebuilds deteriorated communities across the country. As part of Bell’s project, the city has identified a list of run-down properties around the neighborhood. For each
house it identifies, Durham will pursue rehabilitation, clearance or acquisition, Bell said. Bell also announced that he will not exercise eminent domain, or turn the properties into buildings for public use. He added that eminent domain is only applicable to individual homes and does not allow for the collective takeover of residences. “We [won’t] make anyone move—if you’re happy where you are, you stay there,” he said. To complement the project, Bell’s administration will introduce a series of social programs for the Hayti district, said Sandra Moore, president of Urban Strategies, an organization that facilitates community improvement across the country by working with residents and civic leaders. During a question-and-answer session, Durham resident Zonita Scarlett asked if there will be a significant disparity between new structures and the remaining older buildings. “We are not going to build houses that are going to be significantly different than the ones that there are now,” said Karl Schlachter, senior vice president of McCormack
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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 5
soundoff:president’sbbq As part of the third day of Senior Week events, seniors attended the President’s BBQ Wednesday evening. Held in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the event featured free food, dessert and drinks as well as complimentary cups and fleece blankets for the Class of 2010. President Richard Brodhead and his wife Cynthia Brodhead played hosts, talking with students and even taking photos in the photo booths with several students. Senior week began with a Chapel Climb Monday evening and a pub crawl along Main Street Tuesday. The week concludes with a Deans’ Wine and Cheese Reception at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club today at 5:30 p.m. The Chronicle asked seniors and the Brodheads what they liked best about the event in Cameron Wednesday evening. —compiled by Lindsey Rupp
“The food’s really good. It’s really nice to see all the seniors in one place... being in Cameron this year as a senior is really cool. I like being chill and social because pub crawls where everyone is moving around, I don’t know, at least here we can all just come to Cameron to be in Cameron and see everyone in our class.”
—Adam Barron
“[My favorite part was] definitely the photo booth. I saw [President Richard] Brodhead taking a picture with two students. The food’s delicious, and the fact that all the seniors are “As a college student, free food is together, we don’t all get together always a plus.” like this, we should have more events —Brianna Vey like this.”
—Aron Anderson
“It’s a fun way to end senior year, hanging out with old friends.”
—Rachael Winchester
“It’s been incredible fun. Everyone is here, the end is near, but not too near, everyone is having a nice time.”
“Fleece blankets [were the best part]. The food was really good though, better than I’d expected.” —Liz Clipp
“I like having the event in Cameron, it’s kind of where it started and ended for us—being on the floor, watching and “[This event is] awesome. Totally awesome.” cheering, being a part of this.” —Richard Brodhead, president
—Cynthia Brodhead
—Alex Lyons-Smith
indu ramesh/The Chronicle
Durham Mayor Bill Bell takes questions Wednesday from the community regarding the city’s plans for major housing projects that cover 100 acres in the Rolling Hills and Southside neighborhoods.
southside from page 4 Baron Salazar. David Lee, who has lived in Southside for five years, asked what efforts the police force is implementing to make the area safer. “What are [the] plans to keep people from stealing an [air conditioning unit]?” Lee asked. Captain Rick Pendergrass of the Durham Police Department said the
police presence in Southside Durham has increased in the last few months. He added that residents need to be more involved and report any crime that they might witness. Pendergrass also noted that the crime rates of Rolling Hills and Southside are not so different from the rest of Durham’s neighborhoods. “We have the same issues that we’ve got all over town and the district with poverty and violent crime, but this occurs throughout the city,” he said.
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6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
Yale man makes presidents from provosts by Oliver Staley Bloomberg News
NEW YORK—When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was searching for a new president in 2004, it skipped past college leaders with long resumes and instead turned to Susan Hockfield, a neurobiologist who had been Yale University’s provost—its No. 2 position—for less than two years. In choosing Hockfield, MIT, whose faculty and alumni have won 73 Nobel Prizes, made one of the safest bets in higher education: It picked a protégé of Richard Levin, Yale’s longtime president with a knack for cultivating college leaders. Levin, 63, whose 17 years in office make
him the Ivy League’s longest-serving president, is reshaping the leadership of higher education in the U.S. and Britain more than any other college president. Just as protégés of retired General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jack Welch have run at least four of the largest U.S. companies, so former Yale provosts groomed by Levin head three of the world’s top 10 universities: MIT, the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Former Levin administrators also run Wellesley College, Duke University and Carnegie Mellon University. “Rick sees this as part of his role as president of one of the world’s great universities: the development of great academic leaders,” said Jared Cohon, 62, a former Yale dean
Administrative Internship in Global Health Nursing Attention: Graduating Duke Seniors Duke University School of Nursing, Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives is seeking recent Duke University graduates with an interest in international development and program planning. Incumbent will work directly with the Associate Dean on the development of projects associated with on-going work of this department. Candidate should possess the ability to conduct advanced literature searches; draft analytical reviews of the literature; review articles and write summaries; organize and help with layouts of reports; draft report summaries; organize logistical plans for meetings; respond to routine communication; and organize and store data electronically. May also include some potential travel. To apply, please visit https//www.hr.duke.edu and search Requisition Number 400387835.
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who in 1997 became president of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Levin, an industrial economist who received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1974, said observing how successful companies function taught him to think like a chief executive when it comes to hiring and promoting. Levin identifies professors with the talent to lead, coaches them in the nuances of university finances and shares decision making, all to prepare them for greater responsibilities, he said. Yale holds annual meetings where the university’s officers talk about the talent in the administration and who else could do their jobs, said Provost Peter Salovey, 52, a psychologist who was formerly dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and of Yale College. When he chooses provosts, Levin considers if they could one day be president. “Given the choice, why not try to select provosts in whom you see growth potential?” Levin said in an interview in his office in New Haven, Connecticut. “Is the person a potential successor for a higher level job is a criterion in almost every case.” Yale, the second-richest university in the U.S., after Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., has thrived since Levin took over in 1993 from Benno Schmidt, a former dean of Columbia Law School in New York who left Yale after six years. Under Levin, Yale has doubled the number of undergraduate applications, and its endowment has increased fivefold to $16.3 billion. During the same period, Harvard has had four presidents, including an interim leader. Levin’s approach to management, including his success in overseeing the endowment, makes his protégés sought after by other institutions, said John Isaacson,
president of Isaacson, Miller, a Bostonbased executive search company that works with universities. “It’s the easiest sale to make in front of a search committee,” Isaacson said. “Levin is a very effective president with a spectacularly successful endowment, one of the great reputations in the country and a centralized management team.” Yale “has become a talent hothouse,” he said. Effective leaders think about succession, said Indra Nooyi, chairwoman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y., and a member of the Yale Corporation, the university’s governing body. “The success of a leader is judged by the quality of the successors they have developed,” Nooyi said. “All of us should think about whom we have groomed for our succession.” Yale, like PepsiCo and Fairfield, Conn.based General Electric Co., is an organization with a reputation for developing leaders, Nooyi said. At General Electric, Welch groomed Robert Nardelli, who served as chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Home Depot; W. James McNerney, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Boeing; David Cote, chairman and CEO of Morris Township, N.J.based Honeywell International; and Jeffrey Immelt, GE’s current chairman and CEO. Levin’s protégés became desirable during the years of rapid university endowment growth during the last two decades. Future Yale candidates may not be so sought after, since the model of financial management practiced at Yale, Harvard and other endowment-dependent universities is no longer so attractive after 2008’s financial meltdown, Isaacson said.
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andré from page 1 André added that bonobos could not be thoroughly studied in the past because of the former “taboos” placed on sex. Sex is an integral and frequent part of bonobo culture and scientists have to accept that aspect of bonobo life in order to observe them. André said she began her involvement with animal conservation after the town where she lived, Kinshasa, was looted in 1991 by the Congolese military as a result of political turmoil. Along with the rest of the town, the local zoo and its animals were in bad shape. André volunteered to revive the animals in the zoo and received her first orphaned bonobo soon after, she added. “I didn’t make a choice, my life crossed the door of the zoo,” André said. “It was a way to help my country during this period.” The bonobos, André noted, are orphaned because of the popular
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 7
trend of hunting adult bonobos for meat. Orphaned bonobos are then captured and sold as pets, which is against Congolese law. In addition to opening Lola Ya Bonobo, André said she pressed the Congolese government to enforce its anti-bonobo hunting and trading laws to increase their protection. At the sanctuary, orphaned bonobos are rehabilitated after their traumatic experiences of losing their families and being temporarily sold as pets, she said. Education is also a crucial part of Lola Ya Bonobo’s mission. André said the sanctuary teaches about 30,000 Congolese children about bonobo conservation each year. “Here, I have learned my motto: Conservation begins by education,” she said. Duke also sends a number of students to the Congo each year to work and study at the sanctuary, said Vanessa Woods, a research scientist in evolutionary
anthropology. “[Lola Ya Bonobo] is the only place in the world we can do the research that we are interested in,” Woods said. André said they have been working on introducing bonobos back to the wild. They recently successfully released a group of nine bonobos back into the wild and are preparing to do the same with a second group. In the future, André said she hopes to raise enough money to purchase a nearby island and move the sanctuary there to prevent bonobo overcrowding. “We have to worry about overpopulation because [the hunting of bonobos for meat] is never going to stop,” André said. Junior Sandeep Prasanna said he was grateful for the opportunity to hear André speak. “Claudine André is a hero in the primate world and it was great to see her in person and hear how she’s helping our closest relatives,” he said.
nate glencer/The Chronicle
Lola Ya Bonobo founder Claudine André speaks on the last day of the first annual Primate Palooza. André works to protect and educate people on bonobos, humans’ closest relatives, which have often been referred to as the “forgotten ape.”
unity from page 3 not about to get out of the way,” Antoine said. “You [have] no choice but to get involved. And once you get involved, you have to move on, keep going, because you’re not satisfied with getting involved with just one thing.” A question-and-answer segment followed the panel discussion. Several students asked the panel about their thoughts on the unsuccessful merger of the Multicultural Center and the International House in the Fall. Chen expressed disappointment about the idea of moving the MCC off of West Campus. “When we were pushing for the MCC [in 2000], it was a very big deal,” Chen said. “You had West Campus, considered the mainstay of campus where all the core activities took place. It was disproportionately white.... It was important for us to feel ownership over a piece of West Campus.” Antoine added that although space on West does not equal re-enfranchisement, moving the MCC would have sent what he called an “interesting message,” especially if students were against it. International Association President Alexis Rosenblum, a senior, represented the Council of Cultural Group Presidents at the forum with a closing statement. Her remarks voiced several concerns from minority groups on campus. “We challenge the inaccurate presumption that all students can easily acclimate to our campus without having intentional measures in place to specifically recruit and retain students of color,” Rosenblum said. “Students have much to offer when it comes to institutional changes that directly affect their needs and priorities.… We see ourselves not only as shared stakeholders in the institution, but as part of [the Duke] community.”
dra from page 1 create a partnership with the Office of Student Activities and Facilities or the Duke Center for Civic Engagement to have new community initiatives,” he said. Although Akpaninyie said student engagement with Durham has improved, he noted that Duke should follow the example of service initiatives at other colleges across the country. He referenced Florida State University’s “The Big Event,” one of the nation’s largest annual service events in which students serve the local community for one day, according to the event’s Web site. Because students are often pressed for time, a one-day event would be the most efficient way to encourage civic involvement, Akpaninyie added. “As Duke students, we are inherently busy with work and extending ourselves... the reality is Duke students have to maximize their time,” he said. “What I’ve been doing this year and want to do next year is modeling Duke on other universities and how they have interaction with the community.” Akpaninyie added that he hopes to host events in conjunction with other institutions, such as with North Carolina Central University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Student Affairs senator Ebonie Simpson, a sophomore, said Akpaninyie’s passion for the committee is unique, pointing to his devotion and experience. “I know his work ethic—he’s very hard-working and makes sure the outcome is what he wants. He’s very passionate about Durham and regional affairs,” Simpson said. “He makes sure things are done and done well, and takes a lot of peoples’ ideas into consideration.” Wilson emphasized his passion for community service and engagement, adding that his work in DSG has led to a more encompassing outreach program in Durham.
Next year, he hopes to tap into preexisting resources and projects. “I feel one thing that is missing is a cohesive Web site... to demonstrate all the volunteer resources in the Durham area as well as preexisting Durham non-profit organizations,” Wilson said. “I want to bring together the resources of the Center for Civic Engagement and Duke Partnership for Service.” Wilson said he has started working on this project with the Duke Innovative Design Agency. This year, he helped to organize the March 21 Durham CROP Walk, in which thousands of locals walked across campus to raise funds to help alleviate global poverty. He also wants to work with the athletics and campus services committee to bring local residents to basketball games in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Although basketball games are some of the most “desirable” events on campus, they are also the least accessible, he noted. “I want to bring the Duke spirit into the Durham community,” Wilson said. “My experience in the community has certainly given me the insight into the sort of tensions and perspectives of Duke from Durham citizens.” Wilson added that he has a good understanding of student perspectives from his work with other organizations such as Common Ground, Blue Devils United and Duke Debate. Freshman Chris Brown, a Durham and regional affairs senator who is running for vice president for athletics and campus services, said Wilson is very informed about Durham and constantly uses his knowledge to promote involvement in the area. “In terms of production on the committee, his knowledge about Durham and people to talk to and the way we can improve relations… he’s the person to go to” Brown said. “Literally, the knowledge he has about areas and the ways DukeDurham involvement can be improved is really impressive.”
8 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
dsg from page 3 student government members.” At the meeting, senators gave the Duke Partnership for Service control over funding for Duke community service organizations. Community service groups can now choose to apply for funding from dPS or from the Student Organization Finance Committee, which usually handles student group funding. Funding for performance groups such as Hoof n’ Horn and Duke Circus, as well as for some student publications, is also administered in a centralized manner. Price noted that the decision to delay discussion of the budget gives student groups more time to appeal their allocations by contacting SOFC. No groups had appealed their budgets as of Wednesday’s meeting, he said. In the middle of the meeting, Davidson presented a mock resolution written as a humorous response to a comment junior Justin Robinette made about DSG in Tuesday’s Chronicle. In a comment about DSG’s handling of the Spring elections, Robinette called DSG leaders “presumptuous post-adolescent teenagers with drinking problems and personal vendettas.” The resolution jokingly stated which DSG leaders had drink-
ing problems and which had personal vendettas. “The Senate expresses the sense that it is not presumptuous—any more so than the quoted individual, at least,” read the resolution, which was screen-projected. Academic Affairs senator Danny Lewin, a senior and a former Chronicle columnist, presented a resolution titled “Promoting Democracy.” The proposal, rejected by the Senate, would have encouraged the Election Commission to extend the deadline for candidates to file to run for office until 11:59 p.m. the day before the election. It also sought to eliminate the signature collection requirement for students seeking to run. In other business: Junior Max Tabachnik, current SOFC vice chair for the programming fund, was elected SOFC chair. He said he is in favor of DSG’s move toward using umbrella groups like dPS to distribute funding to organizations with similar purposes. “I think it’s a good initiative,” he said. “The leaders probably best understand what funding decisions need to be made.” Tabachnik said in his speech that he wants to implement a more rigorous member selection process, adding that he wants to improve the organization’s clarity and transparency.
larsa al-omaishi/The Chronicle
To right These Wrongs: continuing the Work of Terry Sanford
At Wednesday’s DSG meeting, SOFC chair-elect Max Tabachnik presents his proposal to make SOFC more transparent to students.
rgac from page 1
Symposium, book Signing and reception friday, april 23, 2010 Sanford building, duke university
Fifty years after Terry Sanford was elected governor of North Carolina, this symposium revisits the pressing concerns of his political career: poverty, education and racial inequality. 3:30 p.m. concurrent panel discussions
“Facing the Achievement Gap from Kindergarten to College” Panelists: Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, Minnie Forte-Brown, and R. Scott Ralls
“From Then to Now: Antipoverty Efforts in North Carolina” Panelists: Robert R. Korstad, James L. Leloudis, Leslie Winner, Naomi Feaste, and Noah Raper
Photograph by Billy E. Barnes, courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, Billy Ebert Barnes Collection.
“The Pursuit of Equity in Health, Wealth and Citizenship” Panelists: William A. Darity Jr., Sherman James, and Irene Godinez
5:00 p.m. reception, Terry Sanford photo exhibition, and book signing
To Right These Wrongs: The North Carolina Fund and the Battle to End Poverty and Inequality in 1960s America (By Robert R. Korstad & James L. Leloudis, UNC Press 2010)
6:30 p.m. Keynote address by n.c. Sen. dan blue (d-Wake)
THE Sanford ScHool of PublIc PolIcy
Inaugural Series
The final event of the Sanford School of Public Policy’s 2009-2010 Inaugural Series Register online at www.sanford.duke.edu/events/inaugural/special/ or contact (919) 613-7315 PovertyChronad2.indd 2
After his election, Tabachnik presented a resolution to alter the SOFC selection process. The motion would allow current members to apply for another term in the Spring. SOFC would interview member candidates in the Fall, to be later confirmed by the Senate. DSG will vote on the proposal next week.
4/1/10 12:30 AM
new process would bring back the ARC, which is a joint student-administrative committee that would preside over decisions made regarding section living situations. Many residential group leaders used the opportunity in Wednesday’s forum to give feedback on the CHP before Campus Council votes on the resolution at its meeting today. Several leaders who attended the meeting expressed concern at the composition of the ARC, most specifically the presence of five unaffiliated members who are unfamiliar with the workings of fraternities or selective living groups. ARC members would be chosen by the committee co-chairs. “Trust is a big word to be thrown around especially after going through the RGAC process,” said outgoing Alpha Tau Omega fraternity President Adam DeWolf, a junior. “You’re putting housing in the hands of unaffiliated students and faculty who have not lived in section.” Temple noted that the committee reflects the estimated 75-25 ratio of unaffiliated students to affiliated students. “There are very real effects of this process for independent students,” Temple said. “Every bed that goes to a selective living group or fraternity section is one less that could have been for an unaffiliated student, which is why independent students are stakeholders [in the committee].” Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life, noted that trust would be necessary for this process, but affiliated students formerly had the majority of the say. “It didn’t really work,” he said. “It was like the fox guarding the hen house, it wasn’t representative of the campus.” Regarding the impact of section damages, Temple noted that in this new process, damages would be assessed in terms of the severity and impact on the community as opposed to costs. He added that the dollar amount for cleaning and damage repair were not always fair. “This new policy would be beneficial to both independent students and affiliated students,” Temple said. The RGA scores, however, do not clearly stipulate what a “low” score would entail and when a group would be at risk for probation. “There need to be guidelines that groups go by, so that they would know some form of written criteria of what is a probationary score,” DeWolf said. “Leaving groups biting their fingernails when they’ve worked their asses off is unacceptable.” Campus Council Vice President Johnathan Pryor, a junior, noted that although there were compelling arguments for both sides, a compromise had to be made. The CHP proposes a reduction in required community events to six, which Temple said reflected a new emphasis on quality instead of quantity. CHP also allows social events like section parties to count. There was, however, a debate about whether off-campus events could be counted. Council members noted that they would consider the proposition for allowing off-campus philanthropic events. Community involvement would make up 40 percent of the RGA score, and section stewardship would count for 60 percent. The decisions of the ARC committee would act as recommendations to the executive director for Residence Life and Housing Services. “[A group being approved or removed from campus] is not going to come down to one vote,” Pryor said. “Everything here is still a suggestion to the administration.”
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volume 12 issue 27 april 15, 2010
CARDBORD ART(ICLES)
North Carolina musicians reinterpret Springsteen’s Nebraska
PAGE 3
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATE GLENCER /The chronicle
mark o’connor memorial to The Man in Black in Page Auditorium
page 3
cardboard art
Exchange student uses found objects in paintings
page 4&5
uniquities
Check blog for pictures of the new Durham boutique
bit.ly/9uoact
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theSANDBOX. Jonathan Safran Foer is a smart dude. Like, really super intelligent. Princeton undergraduate. Full-time writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Yada yada yada. But one thing he doesn’t do, something that might surprise the general reading (and affirm the general non-reading) public, is read much contemporary literature. Who does, then again? I do. But who am I? Not Jonathan Safran Foer. I concede nothing to you, Jonathan Safran Foer. This isn’t about concessions, though, give or take, tic-tac-toe or what have you—this is about the two types of writers out there, Jonathan Safran Foer included. Type one: Jonathan Safran Foer and co., those authors who trumpet the virtues of Kafka and Melville like they were their professors, and who are limited in their consumption of the other writers sharing their commercial and cultural environment. I’d say this contributes largely to Jonathan Safran Foer’s giddily
idiosyncratic style, which has about as much in common with today’s other writers as a dingo does with your neighbor’s retriever. This doesn’t make him better, necessarily, or worse; it just makes him different, and if you’re into that, then all the more power to you. Type two: the writers who are hyper aware of the landscape in which they create, and the traditions of which they’re a part, who read lots of contempory lit. Teachers of creative writing like Tobias Wolff, prolific reviewers like Jonathan Lethem and Deborah Eisenberg, these are the guys and girls who can reel off their favorite books of the year on command and who you’re likely to find in bookstores, hobnobbing. I’m all for hobnobbing. So if you’re an author, guess you can go either way. Just read books, all of you who aren’t writing them. Or Jonathan Safran Foer might have to go into i-banking. —Kevin Lincoln
[recesseditors] pixar-ed selves Andrew Hibbard..................................................................................................Geri Eugene Wang......................................................................................................YETI Charlie McSpadden.............................................................................................Dug Kevin Lincoln..................................................................................Alfredo Linguini Claire Finch.........................................................................................................Dory Lisa Du.................................................................................................................Edna Maddie Lieberberg.............................................................................................Celia Will Robinson........................................................................................Sid (& Scud)
April 15, 2010
excessive compulsive
As a columnist, I enjoy a certain celebrity status on campus. SafeRides chauffeurs me around free of charge, a VIP exit by Subway gets me my Great Hall meals for free and I spare no expenses on my no-limit account us celebs call Flex.Most of you don’t know what I’m talking about. In fact, most of you don’t know who I am. You don’t know what I look like, and you probably never will. This column has not done what it promised for my sex life. But seriously, I’ve gained nothing from this column except making my job hunt more difficult, destroying the possibility of a good first impression and, to be honest, facilitating my genuine enjoyment. I’ve loved every second of writing for you and will miss pushing the boundaries of what you consider funny. In regards to the words of Arthur Koestler, the great George Carlin said, “The jester makes jokes, he’s funny, he makes fun, he ridicules. But if his ridicules are based on sound ideas and thinking, then he can proceed to the second panel, which is the thinker—he called it the philosopher. The jester becomes the philosopher, and if he does these things with dazzling language that we marvel at, then he becomes a poet too. Then the jester can be a thinking jester who thinks poetically.” Now, I’m not a poet. I’m not a philosopher. I’m not even a jester. At most I’m a con artist who somehow tricked his editor into believing his words were fit for print. But even as I’ve snuck this column in every other week, I’ve done so with at least some purpose beyond entertaining you. Freud explains that comedy is where the subconscious can safely release anger. Regular readers can attest that I’ve only got a little bit of fire inside me. This passion stems from an acknowledgement that the world is
a different place than our parents lived in, and I aspire to make it different still. But as I learned the other night, sometimes the world just isn’t ready for an abortion joke or a kill-your-pregnant-girlfriend joke or a Ijust-killed-two-birds-with-one-stone joke. As the esteemed Koestler said, “Humor has a dose of aggressiveness.” To me, that aggressiveness can only be on the attack. Now that my time is coming to an end— I’m graduating and soon I’ll be dead—I’ve realized only one thing here. In life, I need to become so important that when they finally invent a time machine, they will come back and get me. “That kid Jack Wilkinson— oh hell yes, we have to go back and get that dude.” In this day and age, nothing you publish or do will ever be lost. No tweets, Facebook pictures, no stupid biweekly columns will ever suffer the fate of Ozymandias. Everyone’s legacy will be saved on some hard drive, some place, by someone. My legacy is not safe. It’s not politically correct. It’s not satisfied with the norms of society. Maybe some people aren’t ready for it, but I believe that one day this world will be ready for tolerance, not out of fear but out of genuine respect for race, sex and religion. Someone wise once said, “The more you joke about something, the more it takes the form of a joke, shedding its facade of bigotry and leaving only humor where once there was hate.” I’ve tried to realize this in word. Maybe some of you have understood that, or maybe you’ll just see my writings as an aimless weaving of ruin like the scribbles of dead grass left by a garden hose when, after too many days of baking in the sun, it is finally coiled up. Jack Wilkinson is a Trinity senior. This is his last column, you’ll all be dead soon.
Duke Performances in durham, at duke, the modern comes home. Rosanne cash + MaRk o’connoR poets & prophets
Thursday, April 15 • 8 pm | Page acadeMy of st. MaRtin in the fields feat.
julian Rachlin, violin & viola edvard grieg, beethoven, britten, astor piazzolla
Friday, April 16 • 8 pm | Page cioMpi quaRtet: fiRst couRse Thursday, April 29 • 6 pm | Duke Gardens cioMpi quaRtet: conceRt no. 4
beethoven, chiayu hsu, robert ward with Michael buRns, joseph Robinson allan waRe, Robbie link & Randall love
Saturday, May 1 • 8 pm | Reynolds
rosanne cash + mark o’connor · 4/15
for tickets & info 919-684-4444 dukeperformances.org
han, setzeR, finckel tRio shubert trios
Saturday, May 8 • 8 pm | Reynolds student $5 duke tickets
10% discount
duke employee
2010 Music in the gaRdens
tickets on-sale thuRsday, apRil 15 conceRts begin wednesday, May 26
April 15, 2010
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Local artists O’Connor and Cash pay tribute to The Man in Black channel Boss for charity by Brian Contratto THE CHRONICLE
special to The Chronicle
Mark O’Connor will perform his chamber trio Poets and Prophets, written as a tribute to friend and collaborator Johnny Cash, alongside Cash’s daughter Rosanne tonight in Page Auditorium. That collaborative spirit emerged from a deeply painful by Ryan Brown THE CHRONICLE source. When the elder Cash died in 2003, O’Connor said Bluegrass. Classical. Jazz. Country. Swing. he knew he needed to pay tribute—both to Cash’s musical Ask Mark O’Connor what kinds of music he makes, and legacy and to their long friendship. he’ll give you a list longer than an Econ problem set. So he composed Poets and Prophets, a classical chamber Tonight in Page Auditorium, however, the genre-bend- trio in Cash’s memory, layering themes from the Man in ing fiddler will have one particular style on the brain as he Black’s own music over an original composition heavily inplays a concert inspired by the legendary Johnny Cash. spired by O’Connor’s lifelong relationship with the elder He will be joined on stage by Grammy-Award winning statesman of country. singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash, daughter of the late As a nine-year old, O’Connor remembered, Cash’s Cash, in a Duke Performances double bill that Director of powerful voice and guitar style had convinced him that Duke Performances Aaron Greenwald said will make for a he wanted to be a musician. Decades later, O’Connor had vibrant and unique night of music. done just that, forging a career that eventually brought “When artists are generating collaborations like this, I him back to his boyhood hero, with whom he worked as think that’s incredibly exciting,” Greenwald said. “So often a session player in the 1980s. But their relationship went producers make double bills, and they’re not generated deeper than music, and over the years O’Connor formed by the artists. But in this case the collaboration was completely organic.” See o’connor on page 6
Bruce Springsteen created Nebraska in 1982 with a four-track recorder, releasing the songs as demos and opting out of full-fleshed production with his trusty E Street Band, whom he had collaborated with for Born to Run, his uncompromised masterpiece. The result is eerie. The 10 songs are potential rockers spurned in favor of sparse atmosphere—and Springsteen sounds downright harrowing. Rob Koegler, who works at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, has coordinated Deliver Me From Nowhere, a fascinating new take on Nebraska, performed live in its entirety by a collaboration of local musicians at NCSSM. “We worked up arrangements that include pedal steel, mandolin, drums, violin, accordion, harmonium, upright bass and guitar,” Koegler wrote in an e-mail. “I wanted to preserve that quality but provide a different context.” Part of this new context is coupling the concert with two charitable partners, the Coalition to Unchain Dogs and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “The Coalition is a well-organized machine and is very good at getting their message out,” Koegler said. The North Carolina organization builds fences so that neglected dogs can be released from tethers and has recently attracted support from local groups like Superchunk and Lost in the Trees. “You see fences going up, and dogs having better conditions at your neighbor’s house,” said Will Hackney, who works for Chapel Hill-based Trekky Records and will play mandolin for the concert. “There’s an instant gratification that is rare with other causes.” Jason Kutchma of indie-rock band Red Collar, who will play guitar and contribute vocals, explained his interest in the SCSJ, a group of professional philanthropists who help underrepresented people. “My friend has been dealing with a brain tumor for the past eight years, [and] he recently had a surgery,” Kutchma wrote in an e-mail. “Making ends meet has not been easy. [SCSJ] are acting as an umbrella for [my friend] to receive benefits and help.” Concertgoers don’t need to have a personal stake in either organization to enjoy the music, which goes beyond See tribute on page 7
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<< the b
tauri wind wayward traveler self-released
Tauri Wind’s debut EP, Wayward Traveler, is rife with jazz inflections and the throwback feel of ’90s rock. But nostalgia shouldn’t distract from what this record really is: the music of five guys on either side of graduation. Wayward Traveler is four songs that share a fixation with “moving on.” The bulk of Tauri Wind is comprised of three seniors—keyboardist Lujing Liu, guitarist Justin Brunet and bassist Sean Yu—and the other two members are both recent graduates: vocalist and trumpet player Zac Forbes, Trinity ’08, and drummer Ray Zeller, Trinity ’09. This idea of going from one part of life to the next fascinates the band, and with a lineup like this, it’s not at all surprising. Written by Forbes, lead track “Lonely Street” focuses on transience. On top of rhythmic piano chords and guitar squalls that are warped and ragged, Forbes sings about time and its trickery. Seen in the context of his two-year removal from Duke, one can’t help but think of how deceptively far away those four years must seem not long after they’re over.
April 15, 2010
Even more explicit, “Time Has Come” rides trumpet and skittish guitar into Forbes singing Brunet’s lyrics: “The time has come for me/To get out and see some things out there/It’s hard to know but I’ve got to go/ Remember these times that we’ve known right here.” The song is heavy with reminiscence, and the confidence of the band’s playing makes for a nice counterpoint to the sense of inevitability that hangs over the lyrics. Liu gets in on the next two tracks, having written “Pretty Little Stranger” and the words of “Lavender Sky” (Forbes composed the music). Wayward Traveler is a collaborative effort from an instrumentally diverse band with something on its mind. Such focus is striking from musicians who more or less paint themselves as individuals in flux. —Kevin Lincoln
Exchange s by Sonia Havele THE CHRONICLE
MADDIE LIEBERBERG / THE CHRONICLE
Stanislas Colodiet, an exchange student from France, has an exhibition of his paintings entitled The Trash Factory tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse. Colodiet uses collected detritus from around East Campus in his art.
the artist >>
For anyone wary of the French stereoty islas Colodiet. With his charming accent a artistic ability, the Duke exchange studen any notions of snail-eating snobbery. In an exhibit titled The Trash Factory showcase a collection of his artwork tonig Coffeehouse. The event, co-sponsored by t seum of Art and the Office of the Vice P Arts, is also a sale, providing enticed visito nity to purchase any of the displayed piece The exhibition will feature a variety mostly portraits—that not only display talent, but also his impressive ability to ut tional materials, such as trash, in compo The featured portraits have been painte cardboard and constructed from fragme Campus Bridge that Colodiet “gathered, fied and mounted” on to wood. “I don’t have a car, so I can’t always ge need,” Colodiet said. “So I started using [ cardboard.” Those depicted in the paintings range and historical figures, such as Vladimir P Zedong, to American pop culture persona Warhol and the Notorious B.I.G. Colodie with bold colors, assorted textures and strokes. Though Colodiet, 20, did not attend h until he was 15, he has always been surr
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April 15, 2010
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bands >>
panda force panda force small town records
Dance is one of the more ubiquitous terms in pop music today, applied to bands as stylistically disparate as Major Lazer and Franz Ferdinand. Panda Force is certainly closer to the latter on the spectrum of dance-influenced music, but the group further reinforces the breadth of the term. Comprised of students David Munoz, Navid Nafissi, Matt Feinman and Aidan Stallworth, Panda Force uses the opaque label of “post-rock dance” to describe their sound on their Myspace, but a single listen sheds light on what this means. Based more on propulsion than melody, Panda Force relies heavily on Stallworth’s guitar and Nafissi’s persistent clatter. Opener “End of the World” actually treads near the territory of Franz Ferdinand, as a funky groove carries Stallworth’s rapid-fire verses. Elsewhere, “Nightmare” introduces a synth burble and a lyrical guitar riff to Panda Force’s aesthetic, and “New Riff” displays the band at its most melodic. Throughout, the album’s feel is relatively consistent—sonic flourishes are kept to a minimum, and Stallworth’s emotive voice is presented entirely without effects. Panda Force doesn’t offer “dance music” in the traditional sense, like many of today’s bands who describe themselves as such. But their first record explores new dimensions of dance, in the process showing just how diverse the genre has become. —Ross Green
student elevates waste to art
ype, meet Stanand exceptional nt has disproved
y, Colodiet will ght at the Duke the Nasher MuProvost for the ors the opportues. of paintings— Colodiet’s raw tilize unconvenosing his work. ed on pieces of ents of the East washed, modi-
et the supplies I [materials like]
e from political Putin and Mao alities like Andy et’s work bursts blended brush
his first art class rounded by the
presence of art. “Having grown up in Paris and having gone to museums since he was a child, he’s really lived and breathed art all of his life, “ said Anne Schroder, curator and coordinator for academic programs at the Nasher. Colodiet interned with Schroder at the Nasher during the fall semester. The aesthetic intensity transmitted through his artwork stems straight from the overwhelming passion he feels about his paintings. “When I’m making art, I’m very involved in it,” Colodiet said. “Usually I go to the Smith Warehouse, and it’s always during the night.” With such fervency, one would be surprised to discover that Colodiet is not pursuing any sort of art major. He hopes to become a curator and plans to obtain an undergraduate degree in political science from Sciences Po, the university he attends in Paris. Colodiet explained, however, that the French meaning of political science is more akin to the America idea of liberal arts. That said, since his arrival in August, Colodiet has unquestionably graced Duke with his creative presence while taking advantage of nearly every artistic opportunity at his disposal. He has enrolled in courses on painting, the art market and museum management and participated in art shows and contests both at Duke and in Durham. In November 2009, Colodiet participated in the Durham Art Walk and Duke Arts Weekend exhibits, taking first place out of 200 entries at the latter. Vice Provost for the Arts Scott Lindroth said Colodiet’s talent blew him away when he first encountered the stu-
dent’s artwork during the Duke Arts Weekend show. “The paintings were unframed and [on cardboard],” Lindroth said. “They were just stunning, interesting and compelling works.” Currently, Colodiet’s work is on display at the What is Good Art? exhibit in the Friedl Building on East Campus. The exhibit is presented by the Kennan Institute for Ethics and will be showing until May 16. In his own words, Colodiet wrote that he hopes tonight’s exhibit will be a “great conclusion of my year of artistic practice at Duke.” He emphasized the importance of publicizing one’s artwork, attracting a diverse audience and gaining valuable feedback. Coldiet also noted his efforts—connecting with teachers, pursuing sponsors and making friends who introduced him to other artists—to build his reputation as an artist at the University. “I feel like [being at an American university] is kind of scary,” he said. “[But] if you’re convincing enough, you can do anything.” Stanislas Colodiet is exhibiting tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse on East Campus tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. There will also be a buffet.
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
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April 15, 2010
Art Walk exhibits locals all over Durham by Sanette Tanaka THE CHRONICLE
Unlike a traditional studio tour, this weekend’s Durham Art Walk is a self-guided walking excursion, featuring works by more than 200 artists in unique locations scattered across downtown Durham. Pieces range from jewelry to paintings to sculptures, and sites include cafes, hair salons, an ad agency and a used CD store. Since its modest beginnings in 1999, the Durham Art Walk has exploded in popularity, said Barclay McConnell, artist services manager for the Durham Arts Council. Because the artists do not face any prerequisites to showcase their work, the participants vary in experience. “Anyone can be a part of it,” McConnell said. “Although the majority are professionals, you’ll come across artists who aren’t that great or who are brand new.” McConnell attributes the increase in artists to “small improvements,” such as the addition of a promotion com-
mercial and a redesign of the walking map. She expects more than 4,000 people to take part in the two-day event. The showcase will also include live musical performances and food from local vendors. Although shuttles will be provided, all sites are within walking distance of one another. While some are actual studio spaces, such as Golden Belt, others utilize nontraditional venues. The Durham Performing Arts Center, for example, will feature work by 25 artists and the American Tobacco Campus will host seven photographers’ pieces. “The Durham art scene is growing, and so a showcase of our local artists is bound to become more popular,” McConnell said. “I think [the art scene] is grabbing people’s attention more and more. Plus, we add surprises to make it intriguing.” One such incentive is the second annual scavenger hunt, presented by a collection of artists known as Durty Presented by the
Walkin’ and Swingin’ with Mary Lou Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger and one of the most important Women in Jazz. This concert, by the NCJRO, features her music that spans 6 decades and was written for such bands as Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy; Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Pre-Concert Lecture:
Narrated Concert:
Thursday, April 29, 2010 6:15 p.m.–7:15 p.m. FREE!
Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:30 p.m.
Gerrard Hall, located right beside Memorial Hall on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.
Memorial Hall. Tickets are available at the Memorial Hall Box Office, by calling 919-843-3333 or at the door.
Durham. This year, the artists “beefed up” the scavenger hunt with extra attention to details, McConnell said. People will unscramble a six-letter puzzle by deciphering clues about the sites. The hunt is meant “for the children and the young at heart,” said Patrick Phelps McKeown, DAC artist services coordinator. “We want to raise awareness about the history of Durham by drawing attention to famous landmarks,” he added. Although all pieces are available for purchase, McConnell said the event serves a larger purpose for the community. “The [walk] has a multifaceted mission to help promote local artists and also rebuild this area,” she said. “It’s about revitalizing downtown Durham.” The Durham Art Walk is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. in the downtown Durham area.
o’connor from page 3 a friendship with both Cash and his second wife June Carter. “It was having a connection to Cash in two completely different eras of my life that made Poets and Prophets a wonderful journey for me,” O’Connor wrote in an e-mail. But that journey didn’t end when the work was finished in 2006. The piece, which National Public Radio said evoked “the piercing directness and populism of Cash’s best work,” quickly caught the ear of Rosanne Cash. She was moved by the artistic effort he had made for her father, O’Connor explained, and asked him to join her in a series of shows, pairing Poets and Prophets with songs Cash had written in tribute to her father. Cash and O’Connor, joined in his trio by cellist Joey Amini and pianist Me-
lissa Marse, will bring that combination to Duke. Cash will also play from her newest album, The List, a selection of covers taken from a list of essential country tunes her father gave her as a teenager. In many ways, Greenwald said, the concert will be a meeting of giants. That the two musicians—both incredibly talented and creative in their own right—chose to return to the memory of Johnny Cash is a testament to the deceased star’s far-reaching legacy, he added. “By all accounts [he] was a really remarkable person,” Greenwald said, “not just as an artist but as a father and as an individual.” Mark O’Connor and Rosanne Cash perform tonight at 8 p.m. in Page Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $20-38 general admission. Visit dukeperformances.duke.edu for more information.
Compañía Nacional de Danza APR 17/18
Baaba Maal APR 27
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
Order tickets online or at the Box Office, (919) 843-3333 M–F 10am – 6pm
April 15, 2010
tribute from page 3 rote covers and hero-worship. And diehard Boss fans can expect to be pleased. Deliver Me From Nowhere is “a good enough spin for Springsteen fans, though not distancing it far enough away that they’ll be disappointed with our interpretation,” Kutchma— who’s enjoyed plenty of Nebraska spins himself—said. “It’s a guy and a guitar. That’s it. Though that is enough. Though the song structure is simple and the narrative direct, there’s a depth and complexity that not many other albums have. There is despair and violence all over the album... and yet there’s some hope.” Though most contributors are big Boss fans, Hackney had never heard Nebraska. “I think that made the process really rewarding, because I’m getting to know
the music by actively playing it,” Hackney said. “I can bring ideas to the process which might not occur to someone who knows the songs inside out.” Another new discovery for the mandolin player—who also works with Lost in the Trees and fellow Triangle bands Bowerbirds and Midtown Dickens—was that Koegler is actually his next-door neighbor. “We didn’t really know each other before this process, so its been a nice way to collaborate,” he said. “And our rehearsals have been 40 yards from my house.” Koegler, who apart from organizing the benefit show will be playing in the band, said he didn’t know any of the contributing members beforehand except for Kutchma, whom he specifically targeted for his vocal talents. “One starts to run around with the same folks... it’s just the way it goes,” Kutchma said. You get busy with the business aspect
playing this saturday
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@ the Coffeehouse 9p.m.
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of being in a band and participating in other projects takes a back seat. It’s an exceptionally nice change of pace and a real thrill to do something like this.” Deliver Me From Nowhere also includes a screening of Terrence Malick’s 1973 film Badlands prior to the show. In the film, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek play Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the infamous couple responsible for 11 murders in Nebraska and Wymoning. Its inclusion is no accident—in the eponymous opening track, Springsteen assumes the voice of Starkweather to narrate: “They wanted to know why I did what I did/Well sir, I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.” Deliver Me From Nowhere starts this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in ETC Auditorium at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, 1219 Broad Street.
special to The Chronicle
Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 record Nebraska is being reimagined for a live performance by local musicians.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski Book Signing
phosphorescent here’s to taking it easy dead oceans
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Brooklyn-based and Alabama-born, Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck has carved a nice niche for his band as a Southern-fried, folk-tinged, rollicking rock effort. What is so unique about this niche is its very transcendence of genre boundaries. Here’s To Taking It Easy, the band’s fifth LP, is perhaps the best encapsulation of this genre resistance. The album forgoes the spiritual qualities of 2007’s stunning Pride and the hagiographic, more traditionally Southern tendencies of 2009’s Willie Nelson tribute To Willie. Instead, this album is an articulation of its title—a fusion of David Hockney’s Los Angeles portraits (albeit less queer) with an Allman Brothers sensibility. In this sense, it differs from To Willie, which was upbeat in its own right. Houck and company just feel more at home in these songs than the Nelson covers. But Houck is careful to balance this out. The album possesses a darkness and suggests some demons. Houck’s lyricism is rife with a sense of loss, be it of a lover or in the abandonment of utopian impossibilities. This is where the Phosphorescent we know so well emerges. Contrasted to the more joyous arrangement, Houck reveals his unique gift with genre fusion, combining blues, gospel and soul. The album is imperfect to be sure, but it lends itself to greater pleasure with each listening. At its best, Here’s to Taking It Easy is an articulation of the potentials of a Southern sound informed by another part of America. With Will Oldham at his side, Houck is paving a new sonic landscape for the South, and it is a bright future. —Andrew Hibbard
Friday, April 16 | 1pm - 3pm The Gothic Bookshop Upper Level, Bryan Center In addition to a purchased copy of any book written by Coach K, Coach K will be happy to sign one additional piece of Duke memorabilia at this special signing.
Duke University’s Independent Bookshop Upper Level, Bryan Center Phone: 919.684.3986 Monday - Wednesday: 8:30am - 7pm Thursday & Friday: 8:30am - 8pm Saturday: 9am - 6pm
www.gothicbookshop.com
Page 8
35 shots of rum dir. c. denis cinema guild
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How does one leave? What’s the appropriate way to cut ties with a job, a home, a lover, a father, the dead? The French film 35 Shots of Rum addresses the difficulty of departure, among other existential crises, with a subtlety that leaves a sonorous effect. At the center of a small apartment complex community in an ethnic Parisian suburb, solemn and laconic Lionel (Alex Descas) drives a metro, the mirror reflections of his passengers his only company. His beautiful daughter Josephine (Mati Diop) still lives at home, keeping close to her widowed father while studying anthropology in grad school. Lionel begins to develop a romance with peppy but pensive neighbor Gabrielle (Nicole Dogue), who also leads a life of transit as a Parisian cabbie. Rounding out this “family” is the orphaned Noe (Gregoire Colin) who holds onto his parent’s penthouse apartment and old
recess
possessions and maintains a flirtation with Josephine. You slip into this film as if it were a warm pool of water. Writer-director Claire Denis creates a melodious rhythm to her work, enveloping the audience with her characters’ lives. Minutes go by without dialogue: glances between the players speak volumes, a feat that’s as much a compliment to the actors as it is to Denis. Her astounding ability to convey meaning and emotion through silence helps to assuage the blows dealt by loud and blunt mainstream films. But a forewarning: Denis offers no easy answers, no clear-cut narrative explanation, no neatly packaged message for the audience. She does, however, provide sumptuously stunning visuals. Wide night shots of apartment buildings and trains, checkered with lit compartments, open windows into the lives of others and create a sense of narrative vastness and possibility. Smaller moments similarly succeed, especially the sultry low-lighting used during an impromptu restaurant dance. The divisions between Denis’ cinematic world and ours are almost nonexistent. So when you do leave, it’s seamless. —Charlie McSpadden
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mgmt congratulations columbia
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As the tight guitars chime in on MGMT’s new record Congratulations, it’s clear that the time to pretend is over. The duo’s true colors bloom on their second LP, a strange follow-up to the smash success that was 2007’s Oracular Spectacular. Oracular Spectacular allowed thousands of teenagers to break out their shutter shades, roll up their jeans and sing along with infectious, radio-worthy singles “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel.” As a result, occasional indie-rockers expected a lot from MGMT on this record. But Congratulations doesn’t heed the call of summer station-wagon adventures in Day-Glo hoodies. Instead, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser tap into their influences: the vast history of psych-pop, from the ’60s to contemporary. The fantastic “It’s Working” recalls Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. “Brian Eno” sounds nothing like its namesake’s music, instead appropriating the zaniness of Dan Bejar of Destroyer fame. It’s as if being hit-makers bored MGMT; Congratulations finds them comfortably wielding the musical tools of a long-lived tradition. The newfound sense of heritage meets with mixed results. Experimental songs like “Siberian Breaks” and “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” fall flat. The former doesn’t justify its 12-minute runtime, and the latter is an instrumental piece that wanders into nowhere. The single “Flash Delirium” tries to pack operatic variety into four minutes, leaving the listener feeling bereft of any genre in particular. MGMT’s career is following an odd trajectory; they have moved from surefire pop stars to a band searching for its identity. Congratulations is not a step backward from Oracular, but it hints more at future potential than current control. —Jake Stanley
date night
dir. s. levy twentieth century fox
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Tina Fey and Steve Carell, two of mainstream America’s funniest people, team together—this time not at NBC. Despite a plot that’s nowhere near new and contrived action sequences, the duo manage to make Date Night a marginal moviegoing experience. Monotonous parents Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Fey) make up your typical, middle-aged couple stuck in a rut, forced to get their kicks from a weekly book club and organized date nights. To spice things up a bit, Phil takes Claire on a romantic dinner to a trendy Manhattan hotspot. Arriving without a reservation, Phil spontaneously decides to take another couples’ table (how wild!). Unbeknownst to the Fosters, said couple possesses incriminating evidence wanted by an influential thug who sends his minions to retrieve the evidence and kill them. A night of innocent escapades turns into one of fleeing from thugs, breaking into buildings and grand theft auto. Director Shawn Levy, most recognized for the Night at the Museum movies, balances comedy and action to keep the audience satsified. At times, though, the film feels more like an extended sitcom episode. Perhaps because of this fact, Fey and Carell grasp the farce of the plot and provide the core of the comedy, and the mediocre-at-best dialogue elevates in the hands of the seasoned performers. Some celebrity friends help to envliven the plot, especially the vain Mark Wahlberg (who can’t keep a shirt on during the entire movie—much to every female in the cinema’s delight) and dim-witted duo James Franco and Mila Kunis. Watch the movie, but keep in mind exactly what it is—a cliche story with embellished action scenes and a humorous cast. — Sabrina Hamilton-Payne
Sports
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THURSDAY April 15, 2010
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Baseball
Ness and Foreman combine for shutout by Andy Margius THE CHRONICLE
Wednesday night marked Duke’s biggest pitching duel of the season as the Blue Devils managed to scratch out a 1-0 win over UNCDUKE 1 Greensboro. The combined UNC-G 0 effort of seniors Michael Ness and Jonathan Foreman gave Duke (20-14) its fourth shutout of the season at the expense of the struggling Spartans (14-19). The Ness-Foreman combo was able to rack
Will he stay or will he go? Singler met with the Duke coaching staff Tuesday and is expected to make his decision soon. More on this story on the Sports Blog
up 10 strikeouts without surrendering a single walk on the night. “I thought our two seniors Michael Ness and Jon Foreman were outstanding,” head coach Sean McNally said. “They both threw the ball as well as I’ve seen them throw it.” McNally also noted the Blue Devils’ exceptional defense, which never let Ness or Foreman down during the game. Highlighted by play from junior shortstop Jake Lemmerman, Duke posted its 18th errorless game of the season. See Baseball on page 11
Women’s Lacrosse
Blue Devils fall to Tar Heels in regular season closer by Harrison Comfort THE CHRONICLE
The Blue Devils had the perfect opportunity to close out their regular season on the right note. Duke could have taken down conference rival North Carolina in its season finale and entered the ACC Tournament with some much-needed moDUKE 6 mentum, as it did last 9 year, when the team UNC crushed Davidson 17-5 before making a run to the conference tournament final. Although the No. 4 Blue Devils (11-4, 2-3 in the ACC) had hopes of repeating a similar feat against the Tarheels, North Carolina had other plans and was not about to let Duke edge out a victory on the Tarheels’ home field. No. 2 North Carolina (12-1, 4-1) defeated Duke 9-6 Wednesday night in the final conference game of the regular season schedule for both teams. The Tarheels’ win at Fetzer Field narrowed the all-time series to 12-11, with the Blue Devils still holding the lead. Duke came to Chapel Hill with high intensity and controlled the game’s tempo for the first half as the team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Captain Lindsay Gilbride put the Blue Devils on the board first on a score
Tyler Seuc/Chronicle file photo
Senior Michael Ness got the start for Duke against UNC-G, pitching five scoreless innings and K’ing four.
See w. Lax on page 11
Sylvie Spewak/Chronicle file photo
Lindsay Gilbride watched the Tar Heels score six unanswered goals after halftime on Duke.
Church reloads with stellar recruiting class by Nicholas Schwartz THE CHRONICLE
Senior graduation marks the departure of many of Duke’s best athletes, and head coach Robbie Church may be losing more talent than any other program, as four key personalities for the Blue Devils—Jane Alukonis, KayAnne Gummersall, Sarah Murphy and Elisabeth Redmond—will all bid farewell to a Duke team that made tremendous progress during their years. Church has been busy away from the pitch, however, and is using the glory of consecutive Elite Eight appearances in 2007 and 2008 to lure some of the best players in the country to Durham. In August, nine new Blue Devils will take to the field—and all of them have something to offer a team that will expect to compete for an ACC title in 2010. Duke’s incoming class is one of only five in the country to welcome at least five of the top 100 recruits, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com “What we sell [in recruiting] is excellence—excellence on the soc-
cer field, and excellence in the classroom,” Church said. “They’re a bunch of wonderful young ladies—all of them are very good soccer players, and very good students, and that’s important to us.” The class is very diverse on the field, and will create depth at every position—something that the Blue Devils have not had in recent years. The back line will be bolstered with the additions of Natasha Anasi, of Arlington, Texas and Avery Rape, sister of sophomore central defender Ashley Rape. Both players are athletically gifted, and will prove to be versatile players in Church’s system. While Anasi and the younger Rape will likely compete for spots at fullback, the two incoming freshmen have the ability to push forward and overlap the wide midfielders in attack. These contributions could give the Blue Devils the cutting edge they lacked last season. “We like versatile players, players that Rob Stewart/Chronicle file photo
See Recruiting on page 11
Erin Koballa says Duke’s recruiting class will give her competition, but it can only make the team better.
10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
Women’s Tennis
Duke downs Demon Deacons in statement win The Blue Devils breezed by Wake Forest Wednesday, and after dropping their last three matches, the win was a welcome return to form. Ellah Nze, Elizabeth Plotkin, Amanda Granson and Monica Gorny all made quick work of their opponents, giving Duke (18-5, 6-3 in the ACC) a 4-1 road victory against the Demon Deacons (8-13, 2-7) without the last two singles matches—Reka Zsilinszka and Mary DUKE 4 Clayton’s—needing to be finished. WAKE 3 Perhaps more importantly, the four winning players erased the memories of last Sunday, when all four dropped their matches against Clemson. “It was big that the people who won today all lost in the last match,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “That was a big confidence boost.” Granson was part of an early Duke rally and finished her match first, walking off court four after downing Wake Forest’s Emilee Malvehy in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. “We got off to a slow start, but in singles we were about to get up in the first sets on all of the courts,” Ashworth said. “I think that really set the tone for the match since we haven’t been doing that recently, even in the matches we won.” Gorny was the next to win, crushing Katarina Reveche 6-4, 6-2. Her and Granson’s wins meant two points on the scoreboard early, setting the pace for the rest of their teammates. Nze and Plotkin finished up things by winning their matches 6-3, 6-3 and 6-2, 6-2, respectively. The only blemish on the day was a loss in doubles play for Duke, with the team’s top tandem of Granson and Nze falling, followed by Mary Clayton and Gorny. While the doubles loss ultimately didn’t matter, Ashworth still expressed concern about conceding the point—the first time it’s happened in the last eight matches. “That’s the first time in a while we’ve struggled in doubles.... Hopefully we’ll get the doubles back to where it should be [this weekend],” he said. —from staff reports
sylvie spewak/Chronicle file photo
With a 6-4, 6-2 victory, senior Amanda Granson kicked off an early Duke rally, where the Blue Devils won the tournament’s first five sets.
you are invited
jackson browne to receive The Duke LEAF Award Sat., April 17 • Page Auditorium 2 p.m. Free and open to the public Browne is being honored for his extraordinary body of work as an environmentalist, songwriter and musician. His most stirring and inspirational works include “Lives in the Balance,” “For Everyman,” “The Pretender,” “Before the Deluge” and “The Drums of War.”
Free and open to the public. Tickets available at the Duke box office.
nicholas.duke.edu/leaf
the chronicle
W. Lax from page 9 assisted by junior Christie Kaestner with 21:44 left in the period. Junior midfielder Sarah Bullard added another tally just a few minutes later on a free position shot. Duke continued to maintain its dominance over North Carolina for most of the period until Tarheel forward Becky Lynch scored two goals in a 15-second span with six minutes left in the half. Kaestner quickly responded with an unassisted score of her own and put her team up 3-2 at halftime. The Tarheels, however, had already regained some of the game’s momentum and didn’t look back. After the break, North Carolina came out firing and scored six unanswered goals. The Blue Devils’ defense, which played an incredibly strong first half against a team
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 11
that averages over 16 goals per contest, could not keep up with the Tarheels’ offensive adjustments. Lynch, who leads North Carolina with 18 assists this year, took a more aggressive approach in last night’s contest as she added a third score for a hat trick during her team’s offensive outburst. With the Tarheels up 8-3 and only 10:38 left in the game, sophomore forward Kat Thomas put on an impressive showcase by scoring a hat trick of her own in the remaining time. Although she put forth a valiant effort in the game’s last minutes, her team could not match the offensive prowess and aggression of rival North Carolina. The loss concludes the regular season for Duke, and the team will start postseason play on April 22 for the ACC Tournament.
Sylvie Spewak/Chronicle file photo
Sophomore Kat Thomas scored a hat trick Wednesday against North Carolina, but Duke still fell 9-6.
Recruiting from page 9 can play multiple positions,” Church said. “We’re not scared to play a player as a back for half a game, and then as a forward for the second half.” One of the biggest holes left by the departing class of 2010 will be in the midfield. With the development of rising underclassmen and the addition of talented midfield prospects, though, Church is confident he can cover for the loss of Redmond, one of the most accomplished players in Duke soccer history. Gilda Doria, of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Kaitlyn Kerr—the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey— will give Duke depth in the center of the field. Doria and Kerr may even compete for starting positions if they can make the quick transition to the college game. Church has also added a pair of superlative strikers to aid the Blue Devils in attack. Mollie Pathman, a Durham native and a star for the local Triangle Futbol Club, was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina as a junior. Along with Anasi, Pathman was selected to train in Carson, Calif. this week with the United States Under-18 team. Another Player of the Year, Laura Weinberg of Boca Raton,
Fla., will join Pathman and the rest of the returning Blue Devil forwards, who Church described as having “the best spring they’ve ever had.” With the deep incoming class and the return of several players from injury, Church’s squad will feature 29 players, his largest team ever. The depth will give the Blue Devils more flexibility in training, something they were without during an injury-plagued 2009 season, which saw five players suffer season ending injuries. Church expects the newfound strength in numbers to be crucial in maintaining a high level of intensity throughout the year. “Now we have depth at every position, and it’s going to make every training session as competitive as it can be—people are going to want to get on the field,” Church said. “If you started last year—that’s fantastic, congratulations… but nobody gets a free pass to start next year.” Church’s warning to his returning players should spark a fiery pre-season battle for a spot in the starting lineup. Rising sophomore Erin Koballa, for one, welcomes the challenge with open arms. “Everybody is going to have to fight for their position on the field,” she said. “And overall, that’s going to make our team better.”
All the news not fit for print on our sports blog at dukechroniclesports.com
baseball from page 9 For the offense, the night did not prove to be as noteworthy. After scoring only two runs the night before in a loss to Davidson, the Blue Devils again struggled with their bats, only managing to score one against the Spartans. However, impressive play by sophomore Joe Pedevillano allowed Duke to manufacture its only run of the game. After falling behind 0-2 in the count in the sixth inning, Pedevillano fought back to draw the count to 3-2. He scorched the next pitch into center field for a single— one of only five hits in the game for Duke. On the very next pitch, he stole second. On the next, third. With the go-ahead run now just 90 feet away, Lemmerman would not let the work of his teammate go unrewarded. Taking a two-out, 1-0 fastball to right, Lemmerman’s clutch single proved to be the Blue Devils’ only RBI, giving them the win. “It was just a night where when we hit the ball hard, we hit it right at people,” McNally said. “We were going to have to be creative and really try to push it to score.... Jake Lemmerman really came up big, got us a base hit, and got us all the runs we needed.” Though the offense produced just enough, the Blue Devils would not have been able to pull out the victory without a strong showing by Foreman. While his career at Duke has been marked by some tough times, mostly in his sophomore year, Foreman has made his senior year his strongest. Improving his record to 2-0 on the season, his prowess on the mound Wednesday dropped his ERA to an impressive 3.96. When asked about the night, McNally was quick to point out Foreman’s play. “For Jon Foreman, it’s the best I’ve seen
him throw in his carreer.... He put it together tonight on the mound.” Looking forward, the Blue Devils will need to improve their offensive play quicky if they plan to win this weekend. Facing No. 6 Florida State in a threegame set in Cary, the matchup is not going to be easy. The Seminoles come into the series giving up an average of 3.86 runs a game to opponents. Compare that with 5.49 and 6.04, the average runs per game allowed by Davidson and UNCGreensboro, respectively, and Duke could be in for a tough weekend. However, McNally remains confident in his team’s ability to produce this weekend. “The good thing is we know that we are capable of producing better results because we’ve done it this year,” McNally said. “Offense is cyclical, it comes and goes at different times, sometimes when you least expect it. I think our guys will be better going into the weekend.... We’ve got a diverse offense, a good group of players and we’re always capable of success.”
Michael Naclerio/Chronicle file photo
Senior pitcher Jonathan Foreman entered the game in the 6th, retiring the first 11 batters he faced.
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12 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle Classifieds ART CLASS THIS SUMMER! Duke
Tutoring Econ 105 Tutor Seeking Econ
105 tutor to help explai n material and prepare for exam. Must be experienced and able to communicate. Good pay. Call 252-3532141 ext. 14. 252-353-2141 SAT TUTOR NEEDED $30/hr for two hours on Saturdays this summer. Looking for very good verbal scores (750+ writing and 750+ reading). Two very smart middle schoolers need you! s.embree@ alumni.duke.edu
Announcements New Education Online Course Summer Term I 2010
EDUC 168/ PUBPOL 193K – Reform in American Classrooms Earn Duke Academic Credit This Summer from ANYWHERE This course will examine the “straight from the headlines” issues confronting American schools. Representative Course Topics include Charter Schools, High-Stakes Testing, Standards Movement, Achievement Gap, State Longitudinal Data Systems, and More! Note: There will be eight scheduled whole class meetings using two-way conferencing and eight asynchronous modules hosted on Blackboard for students to complete individually. Contact Professor Kristen Stephens at kstephen@duke.edu
Paralegal Intensive
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SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS Make a teaching license part of your undergraduate studies and earn a Minor in Education at the same time! The Program in Education at Duke offers students the opportunity to earn a teaching license at the elementary level (grades K-6) or at the high school level (grades 9-12 in English, math, social studies, or science). Students in the Teacher Preparation Program also qualify for the Minor in Education. Applications for admission are now being accepted. For elementary licensure, contact Dr. Jan Riggsbee at 6603077 or jrigg@duke.edu. For high school licensure, contact Dr. Susan Wynn at 660-2403 or swynn@
will be offering a Drawing class both sessions. Here is your opportunity to take this class before it gets filled up during the year! Learn pencil, charcoal, pen and ink. USE YOUR CREATIVITY while learning TECHNIQUES in DRAWING. SEATS ARE LIMITED contact cashemily@mac.com for a permission number r for ARTVIS100.
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Be a part of Duke Football!
Coach Cutcliffe and the Duke Football team are looking for part-time help in the video office for the upcoming 2010 season. Responsibilities include videotaping practices and assisting with any other video needs. No prior video experience necessary. All applicants will need to be enrolled at Duke for the 2010 fall semester. Benefits include team meals and team issued clothing. Hours of work are 8-11am Tuesday-Thursdays and game days throughout the season, pay rate $10/ hour. Please contact Tom Long at 919668-5717 or tlong@duaa.duke. edu.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 13
Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins
Dilbert Scott Adams
Doonesbury Garry Trudeau
The Chronicle things we conserve:
Ink Pen Phil Dunlap
matter: ������������������������������������������������������������������ charlie, hon, toni newspapers—they’re going extinct: ������������������ emmeline, lindsey the majestic dodo bird: �����������������������������������������������������������nicole sclafani tickets: ������������������������������������������������������������������������austin jeff’s animal magnetism: �����������������������������������������������andy, jscholl recycling is soooo 2009: �������������������������������������������������������addison jellystone national park: �����������������������������������������������������christina marketplace meat: ���������������������������������������������������������������� sanette Barb Starbuck has a platinum LEED ranking: ��������������������������� Barb Student Advertising Manager:...............................Margaret Potter Account Executives:.................... Chelsea Canepa, Phil DeGrouchy Liza Doran, Lianna Gao, Rhea Kaw, Ben Masselink Amber Su, Mike Sullivan, Jack Taylor Quinn Wang, Cap Young Creative Services Student Manager............................Christine Hall Creative Services:................................Lauren Bledsoe, Danjie Fang Caitlin Johnson, Megan Meza , Hannah Smith Business Assistant:.........................................................Joslyn Dunn
Sudoku
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. (No number is repeated in any column, row or box.)
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The Independent Daily at Duke University
The Chronicle
14 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle commentaries
Toward a better funding model The Student OrganizaThis model is problematic tion Finance Committee’s for two reasons. First, there is funding structure is broken, no accountability built into the and we are glad that the body process. A group could apply is taking steps to improve the to SOFC now for an event they accountability of the student plan to hold next Fall or Spring, group budgetbut there is no ing process. enforcement to editorial Under curensure that the rent SOFC protocol, student group actually follows through. groups apply at the end Therefore, a group can simply of the Spring semester for request money for an event it funding for the following ac- does not hold and then divert ademic year. In their budget the funding for whatever purrequests, groups can include poses it chooses. costs for normal group opSecond, since SOFC will erating expenses as well as usually consult a student the costs for any event that group’s budgets from previthey plan on holding the ous years when determining next year. If a group decides how much money to allocate to throw an event after the to the group, this process can budgeting process is com- grandfather into the annual plete, it can apply to an ad budgeting process events hoc fund set aside specifi- that do not deserve or need a cally for programs. large amount of money.
“
onlinecomment
Thaddeus is the reason I love watching Duke football now. I am so excited for this upcoming year.... Now I have hope every game that not only do we have a chance, but I expect Duke to win.
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—“Scott” commenting on the story “Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.
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The new funding model introduced at last week’s Duke Student Government meeting is a welcome solution to these problems. With this plan, SOFC will exclude event funding from the annual group budgeting process and triple the money set aside for the student group programming fund. Groups will apply for event funding strictly on a rolling basis. This new funding scheme will increase accountability and prevent wasted money. By requesting funds individually for each event they hold, groups will be forced to have a program planned out before requesting funds to hold it. This check serves as a de facto audit of student group programming but does not necessitate the ex-
tensive manpower an actual audit process would require. Moving all events-related funding to a single, large pool of money also gives new and old groups equal access to programming funds and favors those who effectively utilize their programming funds to plan successful events. Still, with any new approach to funding, there are some areas to carefully consider so that the change does not discourage groups from programming. The nature of student event planning is that groups lay in place concrete plans and budgets either well in advance or very close to their execution. For this reason, funding should be made available to student groups as soon as possible. This way, groups may apply now for
money to finance events they want to hold next year. Another possible issue is that programming funds will be used disproportionately more in the Fall semester than in the Spring semester. SOFC might consider splitting the pool of funds between semesters to prevent such an imbalance. Finally, the funding application must strike a balance between being strict enough to provide some check on group spending while being sufficiently flexible to empower groups and not pose a hurdle to event planning. SOFC must exercise stewardship with the student activity fee funding that is entrusted to it. The new program funding model is a step toward this important goal.
Thinking about thinking
ttention Duke: We have an epidemic. for too often encouraging strident and thoughtless This affliction isn’t listed in any medical en- conviction—provided those views are the right ones. cyclopedia (at least not yet). But it is nonetheFaculty in particular bear responsibility. I can reless serious. I am describing the phenomenon of the member multiple times in class when a left-leaning self-regarding student “intellectual” professor proceeded to challenge the who, by virtue of his obvious high ethics of the market, or some other intelligence and Duke education, asright-leaning viewpoint, while conspicsumes the full authority of his worlduously omitting a similar critique of the view. This equating of intellect with left. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not coma set of predetermined conclusions plaining. Conservative students benefit creates a campus echo chamber that enormously from such interrogation. stifles meaningful discourse. As I’ve written before, however, The problem struck me during a vikram srinivasan left-leaning students are getting conversation about the role of govripped off. This alone would be cause uncommon ernment, when a peer said he “just for a remedy. But this disproportionconviction didn’t understand how an intelligent ate treatment also has broader conperson could think” differently. He sequences for campus culture. When was not joking. The reasoning seems to be that “if liberal students see professors tag-teaming their conyou agree with me, you are intelligent; if you do not, servative peers, this feeds further into their self-certhere must be something wrong with your brain.” tainty. If you agree with the professor’s general line From conversations with friends, I sense that of attack, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that these kinds of pronouncements are all too com- “he’s not challenging me because I’m right.” mon. They beg the question: How is an “intelliThis is self-serving on professors’ behalf, to say gent” person supposed to think? the least. And it reflects the same problem that afThis self-reverential obnoxiousness speaks to flicts students. The duty of the University is not to a deeper problem. College students today are far guide students towards predetermined conclusions. too certain—about their beliefs, about their poli- Instead, it should instill in students ways of thinking tics, about their ethics. that will help them investigate their own truths. Such certainty is problematic for a whole host We need a different approach to political and of reasons. On one front, it precludes and limits moral discourse on this campus—one which, rather the effect of true learning. than telling us why we are right, challenges us to think Education should entail a radical self-reflection on about how we may be wrong. It is with this understandone’s core assumptions and philosophy. Intellectual ing that our lives become more purposeful, enriched egoism, then, renders education a lost opportunity. with a fuller sense of the moral logic with which our Certainty on questions that are hotly debated (the choices are imbued. We could all use a strong remindrole of government, the nature of rights, the meaning er of Socrates’s lesson on the tentativeness of knowlof “progress”) is not impressive. Instead, it bespeaks edge: “All I know is that I know nothing.” ignorance of the moral complexity that underpins so The University presents a paradox. Even as it much political and philosophical discourse. represents how much we have come to know, it also The result is that too often, campus “discourse” speaks to the sheer magnitude of that which we do feels like a monologue. Rather than allowing their not. Before this reality, the supreme self-confidence convictions to be challenged, students tune out of the 20-year-old college student can only be comic. those with whom they disagree. Moralizing has I am not arguing that students should not bebecome an exercise of the egoistic, rather than lieve in anything. Action, rooted in reflection, ethical, faculty. Education today serves to convince is praiseworthy. There is something to be said, ourselves we are right, rather than to indulge the though, for beginning one’s introspection by acpossibility that we may be wrong. knowledging the prospect that one’s deepest beThe why questions are also undervalued. Why, for liefs may be wrong, incoherent or ill-reasoned. instance, is the mere feeling of conviction enough Without recognizing the potential for our own falto justify it? From one campus crusade to another, libility, discussion is fruitless and narcissistic—it is an exyou name the issue, students make public the depth pression of arbitrary feeling, instead of reason informed of their belief on the issue of the week. But if you by experience. Conversations of this kind are defensive press them, it’s alarming how few can articulate the and fearful, never bold and open to new truths. core moral premises that animate their thinking. And that, I know, is a true shame. Students must assume some of the blame here. If we do not think enough, it is ultimately our fault. Vikram Srinivasan is a Trinity senior. This is his But administrators and faculty, too, are responsible final column.
the chronicle
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 | 15
commentaries
There’s no place like home
Louie, Louie
pledge allegiance to the flag of a country that does unable to receive a new passport. Because my father not want me. refused to align himself with a government known to I am proud to be an Ethiopian. I was born there, violate human rights, my family fell target to the immost of my relatives still live there, and while I’ve spent plementation of this new policy. The prime minister, more of my life abroad, I still consider the country that who has been in office for 15 years now, has started to the CIA ranked the ninth poorest country in the world resemble a dictator more than a democratically electto be my home. ed official who, instead of preserving While I went through the prepubescitizenship rights, was now exercising an cent phase of wanting to reject my “Afabuse of power to restrict them. I was disricanness” and blend in with my friends enfranchised in a matter of several days: in middle school, my parents insisted My country no longer wanted me. on talking to me only in Amharic so I I’m not being dramatic. This for me wouldn’t forget our native tongue. I meant that I couldn’t go to the Ethiopian dreaded the days that my mom would Embassy in Washington, D.C., and remetty fisseha ceive a passport, which, if I didn’t have pack injera in my brown paper bag when all I wanted was a Lunchable like all the a passport already, would mean that I i’m just saying other kids. Now, I look back and can’t could not travel outside of the U.S. Not thank my parents enough for tolerating the temper fits to mention the dawning realization that I can’t just of a girl who almost haphazardly forfeited her culture, fly into “my” country anymore because I most likely and instead instilled in her an unwavering sense of wouldn’t be let across the border. The reasons for the pride and identity rooted in the horn of Africa. referendum are insignificant. Unfortunately, African This sense of pride persisted all throughout high politics will be African politics. But the net effect is school and college, and I used every excuse to incor- egregious. Last month, my right to my country’s passporate my native country into my activities. I did every- port was revoked—a fundamental citizenship right thing, from toy drives to benefit an orphanage in Addis which either by design or default is intrinsically tied Ababa, to pursuing an AAAS minor motivated by my de- into the definition of one’s identity. How can I still say sire to learn more about the only African country—my I’m Ethiopian? country—to maintain her independence during the era Countries aren’t just boundaries demarcated on of colonialism. As I grew older my infatuation only grew stretches of land. They bear meaning, identity and culstronger, and I began to make plans around returning ture. One of my good friends would scoff at me when to Ethiopia as soon as I completed my education. I had I say this, and adamantly respond that he doesn’t idena sense of indebtedness, of duty, that was empowering tify with a “peoples” or a chunk of land. I do. That’s and grounding at the same time. I loved it. all that I’ve really had, after coming to America where For these reasons, it came as no surprise to my par- I was too black to white people and too African to ents when I declined the opportunity to give up my blacks. I am the majority somewhere on this planet Ethiopian citizenship in exchange for an American where I can blend in, where I can belong. passport. I was content with being an American permaIn my mind, Ethiopia is the safety net that catches me nent resident, despite the fact that some of my family when my forehead is too big or my hair is too curly or was undergoing the naturalization process without me. my parents are too overprotective of their kids. It’s the I couldn’t imagine betraying my country like that—I’d flag that hangs above my bed, the student organization feel like such a sell out. Besides you can’t be prime min- on campus that I help to lead, the history that my friends ister unless you’re an Ethiopian citizen, which for me have gotten tired of hearing me talk about. It was also pretty much sealed the deal: I was 100 percent positive the passport that I used to be entitled to and the electhat I’d never want to become an American. tions that I always missed but vowed to one day return That is, until the Ethiopian government denied me and participate in. It was me, and now, as I question if it and my family our citizenship rights. can be anymore, I wonder if the Ethiopian government Effective March 2010, Ethiopian embassies around knows the extent of the damage that it has done. the world could no longer issue passports to former government employees who did not side with the curMetty Fisseha is a Trinity junior. This is her final column rent political party, I learned when my brother was of the semester.
oward the end of my elementary school career, my family decided it was time for a new dog. While we’d gone small in the past, this time I was hoping for a large breed. I’d always wanted a big dog, one that could knock me over if it wanted to. A nice lab or retriever, I thought. Someone I could run and wrestle with. Someone I could let pull me down the street on my skateboard. Someone I could dan flavin pet without having to bend at the waist. in real life So of course, we got a tiny dog. My parents brought home an Italian greyhound—think normal greyhound shrunk to quarter size. It was a dog so spindly and slender that it went translucent when backlit by the sun. Not much bigger than a basketball and built like a deer, the dog looked about as strong as a toothpick and as durable as a China plate. My disappointment lasted all of five seconds, about the length of time it took for someone to put the new dog in my lap. Originally acquired as a companion to Fritz, our aging miniature schnauzer, Luigi the Italian greyhound was everything that Fritz wasn’t. Energetic, affectionate and playful, Louie (as we learned to call him) was the center of attention from day one. He would play fetch and tug-o-war. He would let my sister pick him up and carry him around cradled like a baby. If he heard you singing he would throw his head back and howl along. He loved to lick hands and even faces if he could catch you off guard. In his life he never met a lap he wouldn’t take a nap in. And he could run. Fast. With his ears folded back and his eyes squinting in the wind, he could rocket from one end of the yard to the other in seconds. For his size, his speed was astonishing. Sometimes you could barely make out his features as he whizzed past you, just a blur of white and tan. And so it was that Louie became the premier mascot of the Flavin family. Too old to care about his demotion, Fritz spent his twilight years happily sleeping, eating and sleeping some more. Louie rose to prominence unchallenged. By the end of the first year he was part of the family, immortalized in our Christmas cards. When Fritz finally passed on, Louie had full reign over our hearts and the downstairs sofa. He was in his prime and we loved him. No other dog was as loyal, as cute or as quirky as ours. We rationalized his faults. He didn’t bark too much, he was just a good watchdog. He didn’t growl at strangers, he was just protective of his masters. He didn’t pull on the leash when we took him for walks, he just... well, it made him look silly so it was OK. Then one day we saw an ad in the paper. A woman was moving away and had to leave her one-year-old dog, Lilly, behind. Already trained and house-broken, all Lilly needed was a family. Wouldn’t Louie love a little sister, we thought. She was even the same breed. It seemed meant to be. We called the number in the ad. The first time we met Lilly, we were blown away by her obedience. She had mastered and could nonchalantly carry out an impressive list of commands. Louie looked simple in comparison. Well-groomed, mild-tempered and perfectly trained, Lilly was too much to pass up. Louie didn’t lose his position of prominence the way Fritz had. He remained undisputed king of the castle for some time after Lilly arrived. In spite of her training, Lilly could be skittish and aloof. Meanwhile, Louie had grown up with us. We knew his routines and he knew ours. Things had a comfortable, entrenched feeling. If anything, the two dogs shared the spotlight. Then Lilly started to come out of her shell, and Louie wasn’t amused. Perhaps jealous of the extra attention we gave her or just growing cranky in his old age, Louie took to pushing Lilly around. A steady stream of growls and aggressive behavior put their friendship on ice. Monday night, things got ugly between Louie and Lilly. Fur flew, blood spilled, dogs went to the emergency clinic and on Tuesday morning a difficult decision was made. Now Lilly has free reign over the downstairs sofa. It’s a strange business, losing a pet. I feel as if someone went into my house and permanently rearranged a single piece of furniture in every room. I’ll get used to the new setup eventually and in the grand scheme of things nothing really important has changed, but it can never be exactly the way it was before. In the meantime I’ll take comfort in the fact that all dogs go to heaven. Even the ones that bite holes in other dogs.
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For sale: The Fourth Estate
f you present an argument in a classroom, it is exWhen the now infamous Rep. Joe Wilson, Rpected to be logically sound. Otherwise, you can ex- S.C., interrupted President Barack Obama, he pect to have it rightly refuted. As a recent graduate, didn’t yell, “I have statistical data that casts your I have been disheartened to discover that these expecta- theory into doubt!” A baseless claim, “You lie!” now tions do not extend to important places suffices as a political riposte. And the off campus. Like our government. to this behavior is not an jamie friedland solution I now live in Washington, D.C., the equally extreme liberal demagogue guest column front line of a polarized America. From like Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla. Just the floor of the Senate to the op-ed page tell the truth! of The Washington Post, I am disgusted by the deliberThe nastiness of our political discourse is unprecate mistruths and toxicity that have polluted the nation- edented but not inexplicable. Our two-party system al dialogue. Name your issue, it’s there. This conversa- has had this all-out combative capability since Jeffertion takes a necessary turn towards Fox News. son and Adams. It has just been held in check by the People say that Fox News is irrelevant because it media—until now. yells into its own echo chamber and thus reaches only The American media has sold out. Politicians used ultraconservatives. But even conceding that point, Fox to be restrained by objective fact checking and invesretains unfortunate relevance. tigative journalism. Public accountability once held My final Chronicle column lamented the main- extreme rhetoric in check. Today, American news outstream media embracing “balance” as their primary lets are either perversely partisan or utterly defanged. value, unseating objective accuracy and giving Fox an And when the referees are biased or silent, the game apparent victory. Consider a linear spectrum from lib- quickly turns violent. eral to conservative. As long as balance trumps accuStudents from one school may have little sway over racy, whenever conservatives dive outrageously to the the national media, but we are not powerless to turn right, media outlets must move at least half as far in back this ugly tide. We can’t pick the refs, but we can that direction to stay in the center. That taints every- pick the players. body’s news. Believe it or not, it’s already another election year. Instead of trying to perfectly straddle that mobile North Carolina’s primaries are next month, and in center, media outlets have increasingly resorted to November many of you can help elect a new U.S. senapunditry; pair each comment from the left with a com- tor and representative. So let me be the first to say: ment from the right and you have ostensibly achieved “Please vote.” As an official D.C. resident, I essentially balance—at the expense of the truth. no longer can. It’s one of the many things I miss being If the news is just a soapbox for politicos, and out- able to do at Duke. lets are afraid to call out disprovable lies, the system has collapsed. Jamie Friedland graduated from Trinity College in 2009.
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Daniel Flavin is a Trinity senior. This is his final column.
16 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 the chronicle
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