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 22, 2010
Senior dies suddenly Wednesday
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 138
www.dukechronicle.com
Heads of state
Officials investigating cause of Dwight’s death from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE
The Duke community was notified of senior Billy Dwight’s death in an e-mail Wednesday night. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been made public, though it did not occur in Durham County and foul play is unlikely, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta wrote in the e-mail, sent at 10:12 p.m. An investigation regarding the death is being conducted by local authorities, Moneta said in an interview Wednesday night. “We are deeply saddened by this loss and offer our deepest condolences to Billy’s friends and family,” he said. Moneta said the incident does not indicate a threat to the Duke community. He was notified of Dwight’s death at approximately 5 p.m. Wednesday. Dwight, 23 and a native of Kernersville, N.C., studied psychology and conducted an independent research project on “Measurement of Stress Reactivity in Different Virtual Environments.” He was See dwight on page 6
indu ramesh/The Chronicle
Junior Nolan Smith (center) and Coach Mike Krzyzewski (right) receive congratulations from Gov. Bev Perdue (left) during the team’s visit to her mansion Wednesday.
duke student government
DCR charter still holds, Senate rules by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
In a heated and at times disorganized session, the Duke Student Government Senate decided not to take direct action against the
Duke College Republicans, which has come under fire since the impeachment of former club chair Justin Robinette, a junior. At their final meeting of the academic year Wednesday night, senators passed the annu-
al budget for 2010-2011 and considered an amendment to suspend the College Republicans’ charter, rights and privileges because See dsg on page 5
Casimir brings Haiti to Duke RGA revision Conference will explore country’s history and reconstruction draws mixed responses by Ryan Brown THE CHRONICLE
Say “Haiti” on campus these days, and you are sounding a series of buzzwords: earthquake, poverty, corruption, tragedy. But long before the Caribbean nation was a headline splashed across international newspapers, it was something else for Jean Casimir—home. And in his four months at Duke, the Mellon Visiting Professor at the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies has sought to provide the University with an understanding of his country that goes deeper than a natural disaster. Jean Casimir “So many countries accuse Haiti of failing, when really the world has failed Haiti,” he said. “It’s fundamental that we get people to talk about this place, and ask questions without just assuming they know the answers.” When it comes to sharing Haiti with the world, Casimir has a lifetime of experience. An acclaimed expert of social change and development at the University of Haiti,
his academic career has taken him from the Caribbean to the Congo to Columbia University. His work has been published in four languages. His globetrotting, accoladestacked resume does not end there: Casimir is also the former Haitian ambassador to the United States under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. While he may be used to fielding demands from the world’s most seasoned diplomats, this semester Casimir faced a far different crowd: Duke students. He teaches two courses on Haitian society at the University, which has been an experience that brought him face-to-face with how American students perceived his country—if they knew about it at all. “To be honest, at the beginning of the semester most of my [undergraduate] students had no idea about Haiti,” he said. “Or if they knew the Haiti of today, they did not know where it had come from.” But for Casimir, that lack of understanding is hardly new. Having spent much of his adult life in voluntary exile to avoid the grip of the brutal father-son Duvalier regime in Haiti, he developed a deep understanding
Leaders of selective living groups are expressing mixed reactions to the new Collaborative Housing Process and the announcement that the housing shuffle will not continue in the future. news CHP is a revised version of the analysis Residential Group Assessment process and includes a new rubric and the formation of the Addition and Removal Committee, which has the power to place low-scoring living groups on probation. The process was ratified by Campus Council last Thursday and is a response to the administration’s decision to stop the
See casimir on page 6
See chp on page 4
Men’s Tennis: Sibling Rivalry Duke hopes for long ACC tourney run, Page 7
Duke junior Reid Carleton could face his brother, Wake Forest freshman Tripper Carleton, this coming weekend PAGE 7
by Nicole Kyle THE CHRONICLE
ONTHERECORD
“If we can give the story justice in how we present it, we’re doing the right thing.”
—Grant Hill, regarding longtime track coach Al Buehler. See Recess page 3
2 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle
worldandnation
TODAY:
7652
FRIDAY:
7455
Ukraine agrees to extend Russia’s naval base lease
SEC chief rejects GOP Dems raise more than GOP claims in Goldman case WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Party committees entered April with $22 million more to help their congressional candidates than Republicans, a reversal of four years ago. The Democratic National Committee and the party’s Senate and House fundraising arms had $58 million to spend as of March 31, compared with $36 million for the corresponding Republican groups. In March 2006, before the last midterm election, the Republicans had $84 million in the bank and the Democrats had $65 million. “The Democrats are in charge of both houses and will be until at least January,” said Mark Heesen, president of the Arlington, Va.-based National Venture Capital Association, which gave 78 percent of its donations to the majority party.
“
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Man is not made for defeat. — Ernest Hemingway
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Saying she was “disappointed by the rhetoric,” the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission forcefully rejected Wednesday Republican lawmakers’ claims that the agency filed its fraud suit against Goldman Sachs in an effort to support the work of the White House and congressional Democrats seeking to pass an overhaul of financial regulation. “The SEC is an independent law enforcement agency,” Chair Mary Schapiro said in a statement.“We do not coordinate our enforcement actions with the White House, Congress or political committees. We do not time our cases around political events or the legislative calendar.” President Barack Obama seconded that view, telling CNBC that the SEC “never discussed with us anything with respect to the charge that will be brought. “
TODAY IN HISTORY 1969: First human eye transplant performed
MOSCOW — Ukraine’s new president signed a deal Wednesday allowing Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to stay in the country another 25 years, moving to ease a long-standing source of tension in the region and give Moscow its second foreign policy victory in the former Soviet Union this month. Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, announced the breakthrough after a hastily scheduled summit in Kharkiv, Ukraine, saying that Ukraine will extend the lease on the Russian naval base in Sevastopol to 2042 in exchange for a steep discount on purchases of Russian natural gas. “These issues are directly and unequivocally combined in the agreement,” Medvedev said, describing the pact as “one of the first projects on the path of restoring good, neighborly rela-
tions between our countries.” Yanukovych’s decision reverses the policy of his predecessor, who had vowed to expel the Russian fleet in 2017, when its current lease expires, and is the strongest sign yet he will bring Ukraine closer to Russia after a five-year tilt toward the West. Speaking by phone from Kiev, a senior Ukrainian diplomat sought to address any concerns about the move in Washington. “We would like to assure our partners in the United States and other Western countries that the prolongation of the stay of the Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian soil doesn’t pose any threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty, its independence or its European integration course,” said Oleh Voloshin, director of information policy in the Foreign Ministry.
Jock fistick/bloomberg news
Passengers wait for information Tuesday at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. European airspace that was closed by the volcanic eruption in Iceland gradually reopened to passenger flights Wednesday after transport ministers said planes were allowed to fly through thinner parts of the ash plume. More than 100,000 flights have been canceled since the volcano first erupted March 20.
HAITI LAB information meeting on undergraduate research & other opportunities
Monday, April 26 12:00 PM Multicultural Center (Lower Level, Bryan Center) * lunch provided *
The Haiti lab will provide a space where experts in Haitian culture, history and language can work with scholars from other areas of the humanities and social sciences, along with legal specialists, experts in engineering and technology, medical practitioners, librarians, archivists and other interested experts, to develop plans to contribute to Haiti’s reconstruction. The lab will help produce books, articles, web resources and pedagogical materials -- notably including those in and about Haitian Creole -- that help expand Haitian studies in both the United States and Haiti. It also will serve as a resource for media outlets seeking to learn about Haiti. The lab’s co-directors are professors Deborah Jenson and Laurent Dubois. They are joined by two core faculty afliates, Guy-Uriel Charles and Kathy Walmer.
the chronicle
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 | 3
Senate confirms Schroeder for Asst. AG post
melissa yeo/The Chronicle
Steve Nowicki and Frank Stasio discuss Ann Patchett’s novel “Bel Canto” during a live webcast Wednesday as part of online book club DukeReads.
Nowicki hosts NPR’s Stasio for online book discussion by Maggie Love THE CHRONICLE
As final exams approach, it may be difficult for undergraduates to fathom pleasure reading. But more than 230 members of the Duke community tuned in Wednesday night to a webcast of the DukeReads book of the month. Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, and National Public Radio’s Frank Stasio, host of the live program “The State of Things,” discussed Ann Patchett’s 2001 novel “Bel Canto” on the
live webcast. During the webcast, Nowicki and Stasio discussed the development of relationships in the text, which tells the story of an extravagant birthday party that turns into a four-month-long hostage situation after terrorists take over. Nowicki and Stasio examined the themes of love, hope, survival and terrorism in terms of the novel’s strong visual setting, ambiguity and abrupt ending. See dukereads on page 6
Christopher Schroeder, Charles S. Murphy professor of law and public policy studies at Duke School of Law, was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department Office of Legal Policy. Schroeder was originally nominated for the position by President Barack Obama May 21, 2009, but the Senate did not act on the nomination during its session last year. Obama resubmitted Schroeder’s name in January. Schroeder served in former president Bill Clinton’s administration as acting attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. Christopher “I am pleased to welcome Chris Schroeder back to the Department of Justice,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement Wednesday. “The Office of Legal Policy serves a crucial role at the department in coordinating some of our most important projects and initiatives. Chris is an experienced and talented attorney, and I look forward to working with him on behalf of the American people.” In a February interview with The Chronicle, Schroeder called the nomination a surprise and said he was delighted to have been considered for the position and be seen as someone fitting for the role. Schroeder, who is the current director of Duke’s Program in Public Law, also said in February that he intends to return to Duke to teach after his tenure in the Department of Justice. —from staff reports
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4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle
chp from page 1 housing shuffle. “It doesn’t make sense to keep the shuffle,” Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said. “As we complete K4 and break ground on New Campus buildings, there will be reconceptualizing, and the housing shuffle may not be applicable.” The Interfraternity Council was unsettled by this decision, said former IFC president Eric Kaufman, a senior. He said the administration should have entertained student input before making this decision and that terminating the shuffle is unfair. “All the groups were pretty much hoodwinked,” Kaufman said, adding that groups—under the impression that they would switch section locations in three years—are stuck in “bad spots” for longer than they had planned to be. Former Selective House Council president Kait Nagi, a senior, said that although selective living groups are fine with the decision because they are happy with their assigned sections, she understands how some groups in undesirable locations could be upset. Selective House Council President Hilary Robbins, a senior, said this decision is mostly positive. “Now that there’s some security there will be a lot less emotion because people won’t feel like they’re losing their homes,” Robbins said. Nagi added that groups need better incentives to excel under CHP. Kaufman and Delta Tau Delta fraternity President Richard Bracken, a junior, also said the process could benefit
from better incentives. DTD was one of the fraternities rubric is more quantitative. most affected by the shuffle this year. “I’m very pleased with [CHP],” Robbins said “We really “[Under the ARC and CHP] it’s really just trying to not accomplished our goal of groups being able to know their get kicked off,” Bracken said. “What’s the point if we can’t scores going in.” move sections—other than to stay on campus?” Nagi said almost all of SHC’s suggestions for CHP, like IFC President Erskine Love, a junior, said that although removing liaisons and imposing more stringent standards stopping the shuffle seems “backwards” because it “locks” for committee members and assessment members, were groups into sections after just one RGA cycle, he under- implemented . stands why the administration had to make this decision. The 60 percent emphasis on stewardship and the “We understand that smaller number of required it ultimately benefits the events per year—six, revised “We have been technically entire campus community from eight in an earlier verto refrain from playing a sion of the CHP—were two involved since the beginning of campus-wide game of musithe most beneficial feathe revision process. However, we of cal chairs every three years,” tures of CHP, Kaufman said. Love wrote in an e-mail. But he added that there are have been pretty much notified He added that IFC aims still some vague elements to to work with Campus Coun- on a need-to-know basis and been the process, like the points cil and the SHC to derive awarded to diversity in prokind of frustrated.” alternatives for “responsible gramming. community living.” Moneta said CHP will — Eric Kaufman, Clarybel Peguero, assispromote transparency and former IFC President facilitate ties between staketant dean of fraternity and sorority life, also sees some holders, allowing a more benefit to stopping the straightforward partnership shuffle, noting that a more stable location would allow for between the council and administrators. It will also be the development of stronger communities. clearer to students how decisions are made, he said. As for CHP, the process itself is receiving generally But IFC representatives said the collaboration with positive reviews. Going into the RGA revision process last Campus Council and the administration to draft CHP was December, SHC and IFC leaders wanted clearer standards less than ideal. and more objectivity. Kaufman said IFC feels that it was notified of major Robbins said the best improvement that has been made changes and developments in the RGA revision process since last semester was that the stewardship section of the and the creation of CHP “after the fact.” “We have been technically involved since the beginning of the revision process,” Kaufman said. “However, we have been pretty much notified on a need-to-know basis and been kind of frustrated.” Going forward, IFC wants to work with Campus Council and the administration to work out any areas of CHP that need clarifying or can be improved, Love said. “If we learned anything from the culmination of the last three-year cycle this Fall, we will be sure to remember that it would be much easier to fix problems along the way instead of waiting to attend to the issues until it is too late to do anything about them,” he said.
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the chronicle
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 | 5
dsg from page 1 the impeachment violated the group’s bylaw and because a graduate student sat on the executive board, violating the group’s charter. The Senate also considered an amendment to direct the organization to make institutional changes including producing a new constitution and changing election procedures before Oct. 1 or “face punitive action.” But after a lengthy debate surrounding what was called “the most important vote of our lives,” senators passed a resolution mandating the Student Organization Finance Committee to ensure that all chartered groups stipulate election procedures and non-discrimination policies in their constitutions. SOFC will also ensure that group elections are “free, formal and publicized” and be conducted after their constitutions are approved. “It is a response to [College Republicans’] actions, but it is not placing a judgement of guilt either way,” said athletics and campus services senator Ben Bergmann, who is president of the Duke Democrats and presented the updated resolution to the Senate. “We can agree that all of these points are worth making. It will ensure that groups in the future do not have the problems that the College Republicans have had this past year. What is alleged to have occurred should not happen.” Former College Republicans vice chair Cliff Satell, a junior who supported Robinette, said he backed the resolution to suspend College Republicans because the group is “clearly in violation of the rules.” “I’m a Republican. A lot of people would be shocked that I would come out against that group—this is against my interest,” Satell said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this was very serious or if these accusations were incredibly serious.” Although the consideration to suspend the College Republicans’ charter was based
on the group’s alleged institutional missteps, many senators noted that the suspension was based on Robinette’s claim that he was impeached because he is gay. “The idea that a grad student was on the exec board is not why this is happening,” said Bergmann, a junior. “We should recognize the elephant in the room.” During the debate, academic affairs senator Danny Lewin, a senior and former Chronicle columnist, said he opposed taking action against the College Republicans because they violated SOFC rules. He added that he found other SOFC violations from other groups that the Senate should consider if it were to punish the College Republicans. Even though debate was lengthy and many of the comments senators and students made received outspoken feedback from the galley, Executive Vice President Gregory Morrison, a junior, pushed for debate to continue. Chief Justice Matt Straus, a sophomore, said he opposed the Senate’s rehashing of a situation the Judiciary ruled on Tuesday morning. In a 3-to-1 decision, the Judiciary ruled that the College Republicans did not discriminate against Robinette in impeaching him. Straus stressed the length of time the justices debated the case. “The Judiciary’s decisions are final. I believe you are erring here,” Straus said. “For the Senate to go back and rerule on something that my justices debated for 15 hours—it upsets me that you are doing so.” The Senate also passed a resolution condemning the Daily Tar Heel for its April 18 coverage of Robinette’s case. The resolution states that the publication refused to withhold the story and give Robinette 24 hours to discuss the situation with his family. “The Daily Tar Heel showed a lack of integrity and professionalism by refusing to withhold a story written about Justin Robinette,” the resolution reads.
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SOFC committee member Herng Lee (left) and Pete Schork, vice president for athletics and campus services, debate whether DSG should revoke the Duke College Republicans’ charter. In other business: After discussing the annual budget for the past two meetings, senators approved it after increasing the Undergraduate Publications Board’s allocation. Senators increased the publication board’s initial allotment of $80,500 to $100,172 because the board will not be able to apply for programming funding next year. In a significant change two weeks ago, SOFC lowered most groups’ annual budget allocations and instead tripled the programming fund for the upcoming year, a change that partially inspired increasing funding for the publications board. “The Undergraduate Publications Board is an established bucket group, we have seen how they work,” said junior Will
Passo, vice president for Durham and regional affairs. “This is their budget for the end of the year, period.” In total, the Senate allocated $451,358.16 for the 2010-2011 annual budget, leaving $359,254.84 for the programming fund. DSG president-elect Mike Lefevre, a junior and current chief of staff, also announced his cabinet for next year, noting that he created five new posts. Among the 12 positions is junior Andrew Schreiber, who will serve as chief of staff, and junior John Reynolds, who will serve as head line monitor. Senators also passed a statute establishing an archive of judicial rulings. Lewin, who submitted the statute, said the rulings should be accessible because of the prominence of recent Judiciary decisions.
6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle
dwight from page 1 advised by Zachary Rosenthal, an assistant professor in the Duke University Medical Center’s department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Dwight graduated from North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. in 2005. Moneta said he spoke to Dwight’s father Wednesday evening prior to notifying the Duke community. Information
casimir from page 1 of his country from the outside looking in. He said he has always felt a personal mission to make sure Haiti was portrayed in a fair and nuanced way on the world stage. Laurent Dubois, professor of French studies and history and a longtime friend of Casimir’s, helped arrange the scholar’s Duke stay for precisely that reason. He wanted to open new lines of dialogue about Haiti between scholars, students and the community at large. So far, he said, he has not been disappointed by the experience. The two professors are team-teaching a graduate history seminar on Haiti in the 20th century, and Dubois said Casimir’s participation has added depth and immediacy to the course material, giving students a direct line to Haitian intellectual and political life. Junior Nnenna Ene, a student in the class, said she is awed by having a professor who has not only studied the history he teaches, but also helped to shape it. She added that his enthusiasm and narrative style of speaking—peppered with French, Spanish and Haitian Creole—
regarding arrangements for memorial services will be discussed later today. University officials are asking that anyone at Duke who was close to Dwight contact the Office of Student Affairs or the dean on call. The University is also offering support through grief counseling and aid at Counseling and Psychological Services. The dean on call can be reached at (919) 668-3853 and more information is available online at http://www.studentaffairs. duke.edu/deanofstudents/get-help. makes for an engaging and entertaining class experience. “You ask him one question and he answers two or three,” she said. As Casimir’s semester at the University nears its end, he has joined Dubois, Professor of French Studies Deborah Jenson and French studies graduate student Julia Gaffield to organize an academic conference titled “Haiti’s History: Foundations for the Future.” Taking place on campus today and Friday, the event draws together intellectuals from across the United States and Caribbean to discuss Haiti’s past and the country’s reconstruction, with special regard for the preservation of archival materials displaced by the January earthquake. Casimir sees Duke’s resources as one of its best assets. “The libraries [at Duke] astound me,” he said. “You live in opulence, true opulence. Haiti has very little compared to that.” Once the conference finishes, Casimir will stay at Duke for a few more weeks to watch the last of the semester unwind. But soon, he has somewhere else he needs to be. “It’s time to go home,” he said. Naureen Khan contributed reporting.
dukereads from page 3
James B. Duke Professor of English Reynolds Price. Nowicki’s pick, “Bel Canto,” is set in a South “The narrative is in some ways very American country closely resembling Peru. slow,” Nowicki said. “Not much happens— He noted that it reminded him of the Shining just a few events are pivotal, but I found it Path and Túpac Amaru revolutionary movea page turner.” ments that emerged while he was conducting DukeReads, in its third year, is an on- graduate research there in the late 1970s. line book club created by Duke graduates He also said the book is “psychologically to help fellow quite difficult.” alumni stay conPart of this “Literally, this is classrooms nected to the psychological University, said complexity arose without borders in a sense Rachel Davies, from the reader’s assistant direc- that you can tune in wherever development of tor for the Uniyou are, as long as you have a sympathy for the versity’s Lifelong terrorists as the computer.” Learning and story unfolds, Travel organiStasio and Now— Rachel Davies, icki said. zation. Alumni invite Duke facBecause the Assistant Director for the Lifelong ulty to select story was pubLearning and Travel organization lished in the first and present the books on a half of 2001, Nomonthly basis, wicki said it would Davies added. This year, the book club pre- be interesting to know if Patchett would sented seven books, including freshman have characterized terrorists as pitiable indisummer reading novel, “The Brief Won- viduals following the attacks of 9/11. drous Life of Oscar Wao.” Members of the Duke community can “It also gives faculty members the look for further literary discussions on chance to choose a book that they don’t the live DukeReads webcast about once a teach in class so people get another insight month. Discussion questions are posted in into both the thought process of the fac- advance and the video is available on Duke’s ulty as well as learning more about Duke,” Ustream channel afterward, Davies said. Davies said. “Literally, this is classrooms without borPrevious presenters have included Pres- ders in a sense that you can tune in wherevident Richard Brodhead, Provost Peter er you are, as long as you have a computer,” Lange, Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells and Davies said.
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Recess
volume 12 issue 28 april 22, 2010
GET A WRISTBAND.
will you remember? Interviews with LDOC perfomers Jay Sean and Rooney
CENTER
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATE GLENCER/The chronicle
grant hill
b-ball great helps document another Duke legend
page 3
bus poetry
creative writing woven into everyday Duke life
page 7
9th is back
Duke prof produces new album with rapper Murs
page 7
Page 2
recess
theSANDBOX. Guido Anselmi had bold ambitions. Not necessarily bolder than those of Duke students, most of whom have each half-hour scheduled down to a tee, who have jobs on Wall Street or for the Peace Corps, who champion organizations or win national titles. But his ambitions were a different type of bold. The protagonist of Federico Fellini’s film 8 1/2 desired to create his own film, one that “could help bury forever all the dead things we carry within ourselves.” At Recess, by no means do we attempt such a therapeutic cleansing of the self through our articles, no acts of reverse necromancy through creativity. We have, however, extended ourselves into our reviews, reports, interviews. We’ve left our text in the curling edges of Thursday Chronicles, we’ve burned pixelated imprints into computer screens and onto your eyes, all in the hopes of procuring some sort of effect. But, in his vain attempt to create a cinematic masterpiece, Guido hits an
April 22, 2010
>> editor’s note existential roadblock, telling a friend: “I have nothing to say, but I want to say it all the same.” In today’s world of hyper selfexpression, a world with more and more media outlets, it’s easy to ask why. How tempting an idea, to stop adding clutter to an over-cluttered world. In my last review, I asked how one leaves. Weeks away from a diploma, I by no means have solved that seemingly impossible quandary. But as I think back on the hours spent writing for this publication—the trips to the Rialto and the Chelsea, the weekends at Full Frame— I’ve come to a clear, perhaps archaic, realization: one cannot leave. My classmates and I may be gone from here, leaving our lives, to quote the film’s critic, “in tattered pieces, in vague memories, in the faces of those we never knew how to love.” But at this point, why leave by burying the past? Instead, communicate, extend, relive and above all create. —Charlie McSpadden
[recesseditors] deconstruction: (tribute to ahibbs) Andrew Hibbard..................................................now he can curl up with Derrida Eugene Wang....................................................................made it through this year Charlie McSpadden..................................................................Shooters humanism Kevin Lincoln....................................................................................lesbian phallus? Claire Finch............................................................post-post-vampirefeminist punk Jonathan Wall...........................................................................cisgendered at heart Maddie Lieberberg....................................................................queering the bomb Will Robinson..........................................................................more of a textual guy
Culture plays a funny role on this campus. On one hand, culture is the core of every problem at Duke. Gender, race, sexuality, sex, politics, experience, drinking, behavior—it all goes back to culture. And then there’s Culture. Duke is brimming with Culture. If you’ve ever opened the pages of Recess, you’ve no doubt seen some of the visionary programming of Aaron Greenwald and company (and it’s a good company) at Duke Performances, serving as vanguards of Culture for students and community alike. And there are the good folks at the Coffeehouse, around the Triangle, in arts faculty positions and at innumerable other places. And let us not forget the students. To be sure, culture and Culture are conflated, difficult to divorce. But culture and Culture are not the same; culture is an institution. Culture is a practice which can inform this institution. It would be easy to go through Duke only performing one type of prescribed and problematic culture—that is, pouring through tomes Sunday to Thursday and guzzling cheap beer on the weekends. I might have been better off squirreling away my hours on the third floor of Lilly’s stacks, soaking in Jameson and Husserl, learning my ontologies and epistemologies. But I don’t regret the visits to Nelson Music Room or forays to Local 506 and the Carolina Theatre. At a liberal arts college or university, Culture seems like a necessary part of the practice and daily life. It is crucial to our education if only because it has been constructed as such. But, without getting too theoretical or spiritual, you have to believe it enriches the lived experience at some level. Maybe I’m just some irrelevant art-loving Marxist holding tight to the humanities as a rejection of the ills that befall West Campus.
Hopefully, though, there is something more universal informing my appreciation. And all this said, I like to see Recess as not the arts or A&E or lifestyles section, but the Arts and Culture section. At Recess, we’ve tried to cultivate this and cover as much Culture as we can. But there are page and word limits, constraints of staff and time and a whole slew of other roadblocks. We’ve privileged certain people and groups over others and missed stories. Paradigmatically, Recess is not a promoter of Culture but an interface to it, critically engaging and asking questions. Again, we haven’t always done this, but we have strived to. To view this as a failure would not only be too binaried a view, I think it would be incorrect. At its best, I hope that Recess is an agent of ushering and facilitating access to Culture. Maybe we spend too much time with culture, maybe we poorly represent Culture or maybe I’m wrong and we’ve totally failed. But ideally, we’re an agent of Culture. Moreover, these shortcomings speak to the richness of offerings before us as members of this community. As much flack as undergrads give Duke and Durham, there is a lot laid before us. Troika, Full Frame, the many on-campus offerings—the list goes on. We can all immerse ourselves in the world a little bit more, push ourselves a little farther and try a little harder. There’s no reason to be amateur. We should be doing the best we can to facilitate Cultured culture, spending more time looking at art or thinking about Culture. It doesn’t matter how. We can all do Culture a little better, and maybe then we can have a bit of a warmer, more open culture, rooted more securely in Culture. —Andrew Hibbard 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 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.
SPACE FOR RENT You looked, others will too. Advertise in the Chronicle Classifieds. � Quick & Easy � Maximum Exposure � Success Every Time www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds
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Coach Buehler doc produced by Grant Hill by Charlie McSpadden THE CHRONICLE
Duke basketball legend, African-American art collector and current NBA star Grant Hill can now add another title to his already impressive resume: documentary film producer. Hill, Trinity ’94, officially signed on as an executive producer for Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story, a sports documentary about former Duke University track coach Al Buehler that Amy Unell, Trinity ’03, has been working on since October. Hill’s engagement with the documentary began when Unell interviewed Hill this past January. Hill, a former student of Buehler’s, immediately noted Unell’s passion and the necessity to present Buehler’s life to a wider audience. “This story is so close to home,” Hill said. “We’ve had this unbelievable individual, teacher, leader and coach in our backyard and family, and I don’t know if a lot of us know the true story behind his enormity of experience.” Buehler has been at the University for 55 years. He’s won ACC championships, coached Olympians, served as the chair of a department and was elected into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to all of his accolades, Buehler now lives with a benign brain tumor that was diagnosed this past fall. “His story is a story that needs to be told, to be shared, to be learned from,” Hill said. “If we can give the story justice in how we present it, we’re doing the right thing.” Unell, also a former student of Buehler’s, is thrilled at Hill’s executive producer status, especially at the possibility of connecting to a much broader audience. “In terms of reaching our goals and having a really successful film that honors Coach and his legacy, Grant coming on board takes the documentary to this whole other level,” Unell said. “He opens so many doors, [allowing] more people to see it and be a part of the process and the celebration.” Helping to bring the story to life is an undergraduate class that Unell has overseen this past semester. The students have helped build a website, utilize social networks and prepare for the documentary’s premiere Sept. 24, this Fall’s Homecoming
special to The Chronicle
Longtime Duke figure Al Buehler, who spent 45 years coaching track and field at the university, is the subject of a new documentary by alum Amy Unell. Former basketball star Grant Hill serves as an executive producer. Weekend. Sophomore Molly Himmelstein, a member of Unell’s Arts of the Moving Image course, echoes her professor’s excitement about Grant’s involvement. “Grant makes our message more universal,” Himmelstein said. “He’s so dedicated to the project, he’s an invaluable connection.” The commitment of the Phoenix Suns forward could be a testament to the lasting bonds between student and professor. The summer after his sophomore year and 1992 NCAA National Championship, Hill took “History and Issues of Sport” with Buehler, a class that is still offered to undergraduates. While studying history at Duke, he found the course beneficial because of the relationship he formed with Buehler in addition to the course material. “Getting to take the course with him and being able to spend time with him really was a treasure on my part,” Hill said. “I took away a great deal from understanding those that paved the way before me, the
REDuCE • REusE • RECyClE
DonAtE Books! Give your extra books (including textbooks) to the the Friends of the Durham County Library
Earth Day April 22, 2010 11 am - 3 pm in front of Duke Chapel Look for the Discovery Mobile!
sacrifices [of] the athletes.” Knowledge gained in Buehler’s class extended beyond important dates, names and facts. “I learned that you can lead without being a rah-rah kind of guy—that you can do it in a kinder way, a more intelligent way and a more productive way,” Hill said. “I got that from [Buehler] and apply it in my own life.” When asked about Hill, Buehler, ever the history professor, traces the basketball star’s family geneology to his grandfather, who worked at a steel mill in order to pay for his son Calvin to be formally educated, eventually at Yale. Buehler fondly remembers when Hill brought his father, a former NFL running back, into class for a presentation. “That was the best lecture about why education is worth something,” Buehler said. “That’s why Grant Hill was where he was.” Equipped with an astounding mental Rolodex of information, Buehler also notes
Hill’s mother roomed with Hillary Clinton while at Wellesley. This racially progressive pairing is in line with Buehler’s own quiet racial victories involving the all-black North Carolina Central University track team in the 1950s. Buehler sees sports as an essential component on breaking down racial barriers in both American and global history, a belief that has become an important storyline of the documentary. “[In terms of race] sports have led the way in most cases, not all,” Buehler said. “We may not have been number one, but we had the biggest clout.” In the same way that sports can promote social progress, they can also benefit the world of culture. Hill has utilized his fame and success to bring art into the public eye. “Grant Hill went beyond being an NBA player,” Buehler said. “He’s got the foremost Afro-American art collection of anybody around, he plays the piano... he’s got some culture, other than just shooting a basketball.” The documentary has become yet another venture of Hill’s, one he’s been interested in for some time. “I wanted to get involved in telling stories; I love documentaries in general,” Hill said. “There are so many life lessons... as a result of experiences, and a documentary is the perfect opportunity through which to explore [them].” With Starting at the Finish Line, Hill has entered into the documentary realm from the business side but has expressed interest in eventually flexing his creative muscles, including a “really big idea” that he “couldn’t let out right now.” Hill’s experience with making the documentary, especially his interactions with Unell, has provided a wealth of production knowledge. “Amy has allowed me not only to participate but to really learn a great deal from her,” Hill said. “She’s been tremendous, very patient and persistent.” The feeling is beyond mutual. “It has been a serendipitous collaboration,” Unell said. Check out a video address from Grant Hill about Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story at www.dukechronicle.com
Rooney talks fans and O.C. In the midst of the five hours set aside for the LDOC concert, Cali-steeped surf-pop outfit Rooney should make the stage shine a little brighter. Sonia Havele talks to Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman about the freedom of label independence and the might of The O.C. in opening up a band to new audiences. And with a little math, Schwartzman demonstrates that most of Duke is around the same age now that the band was when they got their start. So, have you guys been pretty busy now that your album is coming soon? Yeah, it’s been really busy, but it’s been exciting—not like a downer busy. We shot a video a few weeks ago, our single’s going to come out the first week of May and the record’s going to be out very soon—June 8. What can your fans expect from this record, and how do you think it compares to your past music? I have a hard time answering that question because I feel like it’s so hard to analyze your own music sometimes. But I feel like I’m really proud of it. We made it in my studio in L.A., and we produced it and engineered it ourselves. We didn’t know what to expect and we went into it just trying to do our best and it turned out really great. I think we’ve matured. We started in high school, and now we’re adults. I think you can hear it in the music. I also feel like, to me, the songs have more going on in them. It’s not like everything is trying to be a hit single or something. As a band, what is your songwriting process like? Do you collaborate? Do you write individually? You know, the other two records I wrote by myself. I do cowrite for other projects, but for Rooney it’s kind of my own process and I feel kind of territorial about the way I work. But for this album... Louie wrote a really great song called “Into the Blue,” and then Taylor and Ned wrote a song called “The Hunch.” But usually I’ll write songs, I’ll demo them and then I’ll play all the demos to the band. Then we’ll all kind of pick and choose which ones we like. So you have to be kind of willing to part with a song if people don’t like it. I feel like the records we make are kind of shaped by everyone’s tastes. [We] find our sound by picking the right songs. Looking back on the timeline of your albums, you guys seem like a relatively slow-producing band. You’ve put out a full-length album about every three or four years. Why would you say that you guys are a relatively slow-producing band, and are there any specific elements of your production process that contribute to this? Well the truth is yeah, this is our third record. [But] there was a four year delay between the [second and third] because we had a big label problem. In that four years, we made three albums and only released one of them. We got held up by certain people in our creative lives who were kind of standing in our way. I feel like we’re just the opposite of a slow-producing band, because we turn things around relatively quickly. We wanted to leave Interscope because we wanted to get into a new system where we put music out more frequently. Do you ever plan on releasing any of the tracks on your unreleased albums? It’s kind of tricky because I don’t think anyone loves the way
they sound, but I think there are some really good songs on there. I think we’re going to try and re-record a bunch of those songs and release them [in] a b-side compilation—I hope. How has this past year been since your split from Interscope? It was very liberating creatively for me as a writer because I didn’t feel like I had anyone breathing down my neck. I felt like all the expectations were my own. [Before] people’s expectations were just getting into my zone. I think everyone in the band thought it was a really amazing time to redefine ourselves [and] our whole formula for how we want to work. Looking at the bands you have toured with, it seems like you’ve had a wide range of collaborations. How has it been opening for huge mainstream pop icons like the Jonas Brothers, as opposed to lesser-known indie bands like Tally Hall and Crash Kings, who you toured with this past winter? You know, it’s definitely weird... when you look at our touring history. We’ve been all over the map, but I like it. It’s something that I’m pretty proud of. I feel like our music works well in all different ways and contexts. I think our sound is really diverse [and] our touring reflects our sound. I like that we can play a Kiss F.M. pop show and then we can go play an indie radio show. I think it’s pretty unique for a band to be able to do that. I [also] think that at times its frustrating to make music that’s not exactly what everyone listens to today. With a lot of different genres there’s a built-in audience—get a tattoo, get a piercing and then all of a sudden you belong to something. I don’t know what Rooney’s fans want to belong to other than loving the band, to loving music, to appreciating it. I don’t worry much about who we play with. I just want to keep building what we do and be able to turn people on to our sound. How has being on T.V. shows like The O.C. affected you as a band? I feel like the obvious answer is that it has opened us up to a new audience. It’s such a hard time to get [mainstream] exposure for bands today unless you have some big hit song or something. I think The O.C. opened us up to a wider audience, and that was really positive for us. I feel like a lot of college kids that come to see Rooney definitely know us from The O.C. You know, I can’t complain—the more the merrier. Maybe some people don’t think it’s cool to be a on a TV show like The O.C., but enough cool bands have done it that I don’t think it’s anything to worry about anymore. Being able to play more college shows is great and if it’s because of things like The O.C., then I’m happy to do more of them. So your website lists only three tour dates this April and all of them are on college campuses. Is there anything that specifically draws you to a college crowd as opposed to a more standard audience? I actually love college shows. I think we’ve made a lot of fans in the college-age demographic. We play our most well-known songs like “Shake It” and “When Did Your Heart Go Missing,” and people in the crowd get really really excited. It’s so cool to be able to have that response. I’m really happy we’re able to get back out there and play shows like this. When we first started back in 2003, college kids then were like 18 and now are like 25. College kids now were 12 years old [then]. It’s like a new generation, a new demographic.
April 22, 2010
6 P.M. START 11 P.M. END FLOGGING MOLLY
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ROONEY JAY SEAN BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE
DOWN DOWNDOWN DOWNDOWN DOWNDOWN DOWNDOWN DOWN April 22, 2010
“Do you remember?” is a question that carries extra weight during the beer-soaked revelry of LDOC. Jay Sean doesn’t mean it that way, but you can rest assured that the British pop star will perform his hit single of the same name during a headlining performance on Duke’s one true holiday. Lindsey Rupp had the opportunity to question Jay Sean about how he made it in America, getting “Down” with Lil Wayne and almost living a life of medicine.
You started your musical career in Asia and Europe before heading to the U.S. When your career began seven years ago, did you imagine making it in America? For us, coming from Europe, we look up to American artists because that’s what we grew up on. We grew up on your Whitneys, and we grew up on your Michael Jacksons, and all those huge artists—they were all of course from America. So you know we’re very small, the music industry is very small and America is like the Holy Grail for us. So for me to make it out here is incredible. What do you think has made you a charttopping artist in America? Do you attribute it to any change in your style that has made your music popular with American crowds like it hasn’t been before? I think probably the reason for my sort of break through here was all about timing and all about the kind of songs and the kind of music I was putting out at the right time. You’ve got to remember, I came out at a moment where there weren’t many male pop R&B vocalists around, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to slot in. And I think I came doing music that I guess was easy for people to sing, but still I bring the R&B and soul influence in my album, but really it’s for a mainstream pop audience. Some people have called you a one-man boy band, what’s your reaction to that? I don’t really know what that means. I think it’s probably referring to the large predominantly female fan base that I have... because a lot of times people are like, “Yo, we don’t see this many girls unless it’s a boy band performing.” And so I think that’s pretty cool, and for me, I recognized over the years that that has been my market, and you know without those
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girls, I wouldn’t be here. So for me that’s just a huge compliment. You have worked with several big-name artists on Cash Money Records and said in an interview that “this is just the beginning” for you. Who has been your favorite artist to collaborate with and why? Obviously the most cherished memory is going to be [Lil] Wayne because that was for me just such a huge deal, and I really couldn’t believe the moment when it really happened. But I think probably the thing for me that has been the biggest career breakthrough has been the Mary J. Blige collaboration because for me... that’s such an incredible collaboration. And when they came to us for that I was so flattered and so humbled because at the end of the day, that’s somebody that I grew up listening to and admiring. She’s the queen of R&B soul, you can’t get bigger than her when it comes to that kind of music, so when she chose me for her song, that’s
interested you in a college tour? Is there a trait among American college campuses or audiences that appeals to you or your style? You know what it is? These college tours have probably been, I’ve been saying to everybody, they’ve been one of the most eye-opening experiences ever because I’m performing to literally the demographic that is my fan base. And it’s not in a club environment, it’s not in an arena, it’s literally in their college where they feel like, “Wow, he’s here on our campus, in our gym, whatever, in our arena.” And the vibe is so crazy, like the energy is insane. These have been some of the most exciting audiences I’ve performed to. And to be honest, like I said, the girls—they go nuts. They lose their minds, and they’re just screaming, and the dudes that are there are just there having fun and enjoying themselves, they’ve brought their girls down there or whatever. It’s a fun night for everyone. Is there a difference between American
“And the vibe is so crazy, like the energy is insane. These have been some of the most exciting audiences I’ve performed to.” — Jay Sean, on performing on college campuses a pretty big deal to compete with Mary’s voice on the same record, you know [laughing]. So for me that was the most flattering one, I think. Your biggest hits, “Down” and “Do You Remember,” feature other prominent artists. Do the tracks still feel like your own when you perform them alone? Oh of course, because... the thing is, when I perform “Down” without Wayne, I mean, the whole crowd looks forward to that part. They all know the verses, everybody sings along. So I just put the mike out in the audience and basically everybody becomes Lil Wayne. And with Sean Paul, when I perform without him, you know everybody loves that verse, there’s a lot of energy there, so I find ways of working with it. I might harmonize with him or whatever it is, I’ll work with it. And it never feels like, uh oh, here comes the point where everbody’s going to be like, “Uh, hello, where is Sean Paul, I can’t see him, why is his voice coming out of the speakers,” you know what I mean? Nobody really thinks about it, they just sing along. You just returned from a tour in Australia, and you’ve enjoyed large success in Europe and Asia. What
audiences and British and Asian audiences you’ve played for? Definitely, the audiences are different everywhere. Australia, for example, was just going crazy because they’re so far from America that when they get American artists to come down, they appreciate it so much because they don’t know when they’re going to come again. They’re there lining up from the early hours of the morning because they don’t want to miss a thing, and they’re just an unbelievable audience. And that’s true for certain areas of the world where they’re not spoiled. But the thing for me which has been incredible is because I’m British, and because I’m new to America, my American fan base has been one of the most exciting and fun fan bases for me to perform to because I’m seeing it all grow again. What do you consider about American audiences as being “spoiled?” That’s an interesting word. I don’t mean spoiled in a way like they’re not enjoying themselves. It’s like, for example, you go to L.A. They’re not going to freak out when Julia Roberts is walking into Starbucks because
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they’re used to seeing her probably around, they’re used to seeing stars around everywhere.... So it’s very, very interesting how performing in different parts of America there’s just different responses. I read that you left medical school to pursue music. Do you ever wonder how your life might have been different if you hadn’t taken a chance on your music? Yeah, of course, I mean I’d probably be dissecting someone’s kidneys right now. What advice would you give someone who’s in college struggling between those two kinds of career paths? I go by the motto dream big, live big. You have to have a dream and go for it and chase it. But whether that dream is to become an astronaut or whether that dream is to become an accountant it doesn’t matter, chase it and do what you want to do.... As long as you’re not doing it on a whim... be responsible about it and be realistic about it. As I said, if you know you have the talent, go for it. If you don’t and you know you can’t sing—that’s what freaks me out, when you see people go on American Idol and we all know they can’t sing. Don’t they have someone in their lives who goes, “You know what, bro, seriously? Don’t make a fool out of yourself. Stay at home, finish your studies, its not going to happen for you.” You’ve already toured in five continents; where do you see your musical career taking you in the next 10 years? I think it’s going to be bigger and better. I have every ounce of belief in that because the music that we’re making is so exciting right now, and to be honest, I think it has to do with the receptive audience. America has embraced me really in a way I could not have imagined, and that inspires me to write more great music. I’ve already nearly finished this next album, and it’s already sounding so good, and I think hopefully it’s going to be something that the people out there are going to love. And from there, more opportunities will come. So, as I said, that’s why this is just the beginning because there’s a long way ahead and it’s going to be exciting.
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lcd soundsystem this is happening virgin
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LCD Soundsystem follows up on 2007’s highly successful Sound of Silver with their (supposedly) final album, This Is Happening. All of their trademarks are present: the fusion between infectious dance music and punk-influenced rock, pervasive drum machine and James Murphy’s sharp wit. It may not be as immediately accessible and danceready as the band’s previous albums, but this is truly the group’s masterpiece. On the surface, This Is Happening sticks closely to the pattern set by its predecessor, sporting a similar sequence of nine tracks. Opener “Dance Yrself Clean,” with its backing drum loops, is as hypnotic as its counterpart “Get Innocuous!”, and lead single “Drunk Girls” is as abrasive and high octane as Sound of Silver single “North American Scum.” Both albums have similarly titled center-
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pieces: “All I Want” echoes “All My Friends,” employing sentimental, introspective lyrics and cyclical piano and guitar refrains. Despite these similarities, LCD Soundsystem’s last project is a stylistically unique beast. The aforementioned opener transforms into a thunderous cascade of synthesizers reminiscent of the Knife. “All I Want” is the album’s highlight, dissolving into warbling keyboards that threaten to swallow the forlorn vocals. The quirky “Pow Pow” blends layers of percussion, twinkling synthesizers and spoken word. It’s not until “Home,” the album’s finale, that the band returns to its roots and (ostensbily) closes its career with one last carefree dance number. As always, James Murphy’s vocals ground the album, keeping the music emotional even within this computerized landscape. Murphy spans a full vocal range and myriad styles with grace and ease. This may be LCD Soundsystem’s swan song, but This Is Happening is a hell of a way to end an era. —Jeff Shi
the girl with the dragon tattoo
LEADERSHIP IN
DIFFICULT
dir. n.a. oplev music box films
eeeEE
Lisbeth Salander, with her bullring and black leather getup, makes Angelina Jolie look like a veritable beacon of gentle femininity. Apart from her subversive style and dramatic features, there’s something more to the heroine of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the film of the same name and first cinematic installment based on Swedish author 2009-10 Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy. In this surprisingly brutal murder mystery, Lisbeth Deans’ Dialogue (Noomi Rapace) is a disturbed and reticent 24-year-old woman with a violent criminal history, who’s somehow found herself a job at a top security agency. Ostensibly, she’s a private investigator, but she’s also apparently trained in a variety of weapons maneuvers and an adept computer hacking sleuth to boot. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist, Lisbeth’s comparatively trepid male counterpart, has recently been found guilty of libel and dismissed from his post at Millennium magazine. Impressed by his reporting “persistence,” a rich elderly businessman (Sven-Bertil Taube) chooses Mikael to uncover the mystery surrounding his beloved niece’s disappearance forty years prior. Inexplicably, Mikael and Lisbeth find themselves working together to solve the case. Though The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is entrancing, Pratt School of Engineering saturated with background detail and framed in an erotic Dean Tom Katsouleas hue, it doesn’t successfully amplify or encapsulate its literary namesake. We get a compelling and heartless heroine and Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells we can admire, but with whom we don’t want to identify givTuesday, April 27, 12:15-1:15 pm en her violent tendencies. Lisbeth is incomplete, her stakes Schiciano Auditorium Side A, Fitzpatrick Center, and motives never articulated. And the ending’s macabre Pratt School of Engineering twist has a sense of resolution to it, normally a positive, exLunch refreshments will be served cept that it produces no titillating desire to see what’s down the road for the investigatory duo. Therein lies the problem of an adaptation obfuscated DeansDialogues_Katsouleas_0410.indd 1 4/11/2010 7:33:41 PM by perplexing background details that may have contributed substantially to the literature, but never fully coalesce in film. An American remake is rumored, and hopefully it can remedy this version’s shortcomings. Still, it’s unlikely to be as stylish or feature a heroine as ruthless—or finely cheekboned—as its Swedish counterpart. —Brian Contratto
TIMES
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April 22, 2010
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Prof leads project displaying poetry on buses by Nathan Nye THE CHRONICLE
Frustrating rides, tight spaces and awkward jarring are probably the most interesting things associated with Duke buses, but Professor of English Deborah Pope and Arts Outreach and Commmunications Assistant Beverly Meek are trying to change that. When you ride a Duke bus, they want you to have an experience with poetry. Pope is passionate about the artistically written word. In both her professional and daily life, she wants people to realize that poetry isn’t just something for English majors, stuffy libraries and coffeehouses. “I don’t believe poetry is a static form,” Pope said. “I believe in poetry getting off the page, out of the classroom and into the world. I thought that putting the poetry on the buses was a common denominator.” To fulfill her aspiration of making poetry more accessible, she paired with Meek, who provided the funding and practical knowhow to get the project off the ground. “I’ve had placards put on the bus before. The readability is an issue,” Meek said. “We dealt with text, font size and how it related to the poetry, and then some design aspect, making sure it was something people were going to read.” With the green light from Meek, Pope
asked her students to find short excerpts from recognized poems to be printed and placed on the buses. Pope and Meek worked with designer Jan Martell to create a unique aesthetic for all of the works. They wanted the design to work with the words to create something beautiful and touching. The final prints are all very simple, zen and elegant, highlighting the character of each poem. “Each design evokes a quality of the poem,” Pope said. When everything was finished, Pope chose 25 different excerpts to go in 25 different buses. It would seem Duke now has its very own fleet of moving art, and the poems have been placed on every bus in the Duke system, not just those used by students. Meek was ecstatic that the project would help bridge the gap between the student population and the medical center. “As for the buses that serve the med center, this is a place where the larger Duke community could come in as well,” Meek said. “We all can be here with these words. They don’t separate us in any way. It’s one place where anyone can participate.” Pope agreed the project should go beyond just undergraduates. “It’s an open conversation, it’s not something that’s just campus specific.... The way
poetry itself should speak to a wide spectrum of individuals,” she said. For Pope, the point of this project was to make poetry something vibrant, and something that could be relevant in the lives of people today. “I wanted to show that poetry is not ponderous all the time, you don’t need footnotes or an intermediary,” Pope said. “I wanted people to be able to respond without someone there telling you how to respond.” Based on the final poem selections, Pope’s students responded to an interesting mix of themes. The chosen pieces cover a wide range of topics, localities and times. “The poets range from an eigth century mystic to Langston Hughes,” Pope said. “They represent just about every continent... Some are funny; some make you think a little more,” Pope said. One of Pope’s students, senior Salman Bhai, sought out work of the latter variety. “I tried to find poems that would help students gain insight,” Bhai said. “I found lots of poems by Rumi. It gives people the eight minutes it takes to get from East to West to reflect on their lives.” This reflection is something that Pope wanted Duke students to be able to experience through poetry. The project has certainly started to get noticed.
Freshman Sarah Van Name was particularly pleased by the attention the project gives to writing on campus. “I feel like creative writing as an art at Duke is sometimes pushed to the side, and the poetry on the bus made me so happy because it was creative writing in such a prominent place,” Van Name said. This visibility was one of the reasons Pope chose buses as her medium. “It’s public yet intimate. I like that it’s public and you can sit there and have your private thought about it,” Pope said. Pope and Meek have already started planning ways to improve and evolve their new program. They’re thinking about rotating the poems between different routes so that everyone would have the opportunity to experience all 25 pieces. There is also discussion about having student poetry featured, which would give a public creative outlet for student poets on campus, but such a move would likely be a later addition to the program. When asked about the end goal of the venture, Meek and Pope gave straightforward replies. Meek wants to foster student discussion, while Pope wants “to show that poetry is not remote and arcane, it’s immediate, and both ordinary and transforming.”
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or
murs & 9th wonder fornever smc
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Murs and 9th Wonder are accomplished hip-hop veterans—guys with well-established niches and lengthy discographies, including a few listenable and entertaining collaborations. ForNever, despite 9th’s insistence that it would be the pair’s best record to date, picks up pretty much exactly where their previous work left off, a breezy affair that never strays from either artists’ comfort zone. The album never surpasses Murs 3:16—to date Murs’ and 9th’s gold standard—in large part because it’s so clearly cut from the same cloth. That’s not to say ForNever feels like a rehash, just a new application of a familiar formula. It’s as relaxed and comfortable as the material the duo have produced before. Murs tackles front-stoop banter while 9th spins through a new batch of soulful samples. The two are remarkably adept at wringing enjoyment out of unremarkable topics; a track like “The Lick,” an ode to corner stores everywhere, might seem pedestrian if not for Murs’ undeniable charisma. “Let Me Talk” narrates petty marital strife, and “Cigarettes and Liquor” and “Live from Roscoe’s” both create the impression ForNever might simply be a retelling of whatever happened to Murs last week. It’s a style that isn’t inherently flawed as much as it is limited. Neither Murs nor 9th are major-label personalities, not because they don’t have the chops but because they don’t have the ego. “I Used to Love Her (Again)” illustrates the problem they face: in a world of ostentatious crack-rap and 808s and Heartbreak, it doesn’t pay to forego both styles and pursue the Everyman course of ForNever. But as Murs asks on the title track, “We doing it for love, what the f— you making music for?” Though these two may not be destined for superstardom, making stellar hip-hop is not likely to go out of fashion. —Ross Green
489-3941
“Where customer service is still a priority” NCUC C-726 ICC MC315111
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April 22, 2010
the tallest man on earth the wild hunt dead oceans
New building at N.C. Museum of Art
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When listening to The Wild Hunt by the Tallest Man on Earth, it becomes apparent that Swedish folk artist Kristian Matsson has created a work of aural folk art. The lyrics are pure poetry, animated by Matsson’s gravelly voice and accompanied with cheery guitar, and every track strikes the perfect folksy note. It isn’t often that artists create both beautiful verses and catchy hooks, but somehow TTMOE does both. All of the songs on The Wild Hunt are lyrical, and each one manages to carve out its own space without feeling like a continuation of the track before. “You’re Going Back” feels like an epic journey, even though the lyrics by themselves
the runaways
dir. f. sigismondi apparition
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NATE GLENCER/The Chronicle
The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh will open a 127,000 sq.-ft. , light-filled building showcasing the museum’s permanent collection to the public April 24 after more than three years in progress.
A teenaged Cherie Currie (played by an astoundingly mature-looking Dakota Fanning) struts across the stage in a corset and fishnets, straddling the microphone as she barks out in her trademark cacophonous growl, “Hello world, I’m your wild girl/I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!” An iconic scene in rock history, Currie’s performance—taken from the peak of her fame as the lead singer of all-girl rock band the Runaways—stands in many ways as the aesthetic and emotional focal point of director Floria Sigismondi’s film The Runaways. Replete with seventiesera glitz and sharply tinged with the sex, drugs and emotional upheaval that notoriously tore the band apart, the film is a surpringly artistic look into the group’s
are actually rather repetitive. It just so happens that Matsson makes every word feel genuine and fresh. Admittedly, Matsson’s vocals are neither crisp nor clean. They have a scratchy feeling, but these songs would feel odd without that roughness. It gives an emotional edge to the LP, particularly on tracks like “Love is All.” The one issue with the album is the lack of musical variety. Most songs seem to feature the same light, rather happy guitar sounds. It isn’t immediately apparent, but after a while the static instrumentation becomes wearing. With The Wild Hunt, Kristian Matsson may just live up to his moniker, because he has made an album that will force the listener to look upwards to find the source of his sweet music. —Nathan Nye rise and fall. Kristen Stewart plays guitarist and music icon Joan Jett, breaking from her static role in Twilight to successfully portray a rough yet sensitive Jett. Fanning similarly shines as Currie, infusing her transformation from shy teen to drugged-out publicity maven with an affective pull. Indeed, the story of the band itself is well known and thus predictable, so the heart of the film is away from the narrative. It resides instead in the relationships formed between band members and their manipulative manager Kim Fowley (a sufficiently creepy Michael Shannon) and in the painstaking recreation of a fleeting moment in musical history. The result is a kinesthetic, immersive experience that vibrates with a palpable energy, washing over and through the music, sets and performances—leaving viewers with a visceral glimpse into a brief, bygone rock era. —Claire Finch
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Sports
FOOTBALL
The Chronicle
THURSDAY April 22, 2010
Duke teammates Brett Huffman and Vincent Rey, both seniors, received the University Scholar Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation Monday
www.dukechroniclesports.com
Men’s tennis
women’s lacrosse
Carleton, younger brother succeeding in ACC
with high hopes for Duke
Conference connections Postseason play opens
margie truwit/Chronicle file photo
Reid Carleton could face his younger brother, Wake Forest freshman Tripper Carleton, in the ACC tournament. by Tim Visutipol THE CHRONICLE
For junior Reid Carleton, tennis runs in the family. Carleton grew up with an older sister, Jackie, a former Blue Devil, and a younger brother, Tripper, himself a Division-I tennis player. The difference is that Tripper, who is a freshman, plays the game at Wake Forest, not at Duke like Reid does and Jackie once did. In the Carleton household, tennis was a very important activity. Reid’s father, Frank,
is a tennis coach, and the three siblings were taught to play from a very young age. “We’ve pretty much always been surrounded by tennis,” Reid said. “We were hitting balls since we were three years old.” Frank was also the coach of his three children until they reached their college years. Tennis, however, was not the only sport the children played growing up. Reid said he and his siblings played basketball, soccer and baseball all the way up to See carleton on page 8
Duke might be ranked fourth in the country, but that lofty national ranking hasn’t made conference play a walk in the park. The No. 4 Blue Devils (11-4) begin postseason play today as the fourth seed in the ACC tournament, a testament to the elite level of play required to compete in the conference. North Carolina, Maryland BC and Virginia are vs. ranked first, third No. 4 and fifth in the naDuke tion, respectively, and three of Duke’s THURSDAY, 2:30 p.m. four losses came to College Park, Md. those teams. ACC Tournament The Blue Devils’ lone loss outside of the ACC? That came to Northwestern, No. 2 in the country and a championship contender every season. Despite Duke’s inability to get over the hump against top competition, the Blue Devils can take heart from the fact that the team has improved as the season has progressed. Duke suffered a comprehensive 17-4 loss to the Terrapins in late February, but has done better against its toughest rivals since then: The Blue Devils were beaten by Virginia by a single goal, and they led the No. 1 Tar Heels at halftime before a second-half blitz by North Carolina gave it a 9-6 win. Duke’s opponent Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, fifth seed Boston College (10-4), doesn’t
have the same pedigree, but if the Blue Devils aren’t careful, they could be primed for an upset. The Eagles led Duke 8-4 at halftime in Koskinen Stadium just two weeks ago, and it took an 8-3 second half by the Blue Devils to eke out the win. Duke and Boston College square off today at 2:30 p.m. in College Park, Md., and the winner will face top seed North Carolina Friday afternoon. —from staff reports
margie truwit/Chronicle file photo
Duke has improved markedly, although its results have not, since its 17-4 loss to Maryland in February.
men’s golf
Senior Long confident in young teammates by Ryan Claxton THE CHRONICLE
For a program used to being loaded with juniors and seniors, this season’s lineup is noticeably different for the Blue Devils. With only one senior, two juniors and a sophomore on the roster at the beginning of the school year, Duke knew it was going to rely on the play of its four-man incoming class for success in 2010. So far, so good for the Blue Devils. With the emergence of freshmen Julian Suri and Brinson Paolini as regular competitors, Duke has seen steady results at the team level throughout the year. While individual results have varied, the team has finished in the top three in three out of six events in the spring season, while finishing no lower than eighth in team competition. Suri has shown flashes of what should be a bright future throughout the year, bursting out of the gate with a sixth-place finish at the SunTrust Gator Invitational in February. In his most recent outing, Suri tied for second at
the N.C. State Wolfpack Intercollegiate in Raleigh, bested only by teammate Adam Long. No matter the fluctuations of his younger teammates over the course of the year, Long has remained a steady hand as he plays the role of the lone senior for the Blue Devils. Along with his win in Raleigh, Long has added three other top-20 finishes to his resume this spring. Even with his individual victory, Long stressed the importance of making success contagious for the whole team—especially with the ACC tournament right around the corner. “The timing of [the win] couldn’t have been better heading into ACCs,” Long said. “Personally, as an individual thing, I think it’s great. And as a team, having someone on your team win kind of pushes the other guys and gives the other guys some confidence—just knowing that we play together every day, and having one guy win, you say, ‘Oh hey, I can win.’” photo courtesy of duke photography
See m. golf on page 8
Unlike in past years, Duke’s squad is made up of several freshmen and just one senior, Adam Long.
8 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle
m. golf from page 7
Photo courtesy of duke photography
Senior Adam Long won his first tournament in Duke’s most recent outing at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate in Raleigh April 9 and 10.
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As Duke seeks to notch its first team victory of the season, Long emphasized that the Blue Devils will need to find ways to score better early in tournaments. Duke has made a habit of starting off slowly this season, with high first-round scores that drop over the course of the tournament as the Blue Devils fight their way up the leaderboard. “I guess it’s kind of like basketball,” Long said. “Our basketball team was a second-half team this year, and it’s the same kind of thing where our second and third rounds tend to be better—we get better as the tournament goes along.” At N.C. State, Duke opened with a first-round 296, which then dropped to 290 and 281 for the second and third rounds, respectively. While that meant a secondplace team finish, the Blue Devils were only seven strokes behind tournament champion North Carolina. Duke will use the experience from the Wolfpack Intercollegiate as a dress rehearsal for this weekend’s ACC Championship in New London, N.C. The field in Raleigh featured nine of the 11 ACC squads—only Boston College and Clemson were absent. If the younger players can find their comfort zone early, the Blue Devils could be a force to be reckoned with in the later rounds. Long said that the course sets up well for Duke to shed its early-round struggles. “The first hole is a par-5, it’s really reachable [in two strokes] and the fourth hole is also a par5,” Long said. “So there’s two par-5s in the first four holes where you can really get ahead of the field if you can get off to a good start. “I don’t think that there’s any one team that’s a frontrunner or definitely going to win or anything like that, but I know one thing—we’ll definitely be in the mix.”
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carleton from page 7 high school, but they turned their focus to tennis when they realized they were capable of earning college scholarships. Jackie led the way in this regard, enrolling to play tennis at UCLA before transferring to Duke before her junior year. Reid sought to take after his sister, and claims she was a large factor in his decision to become a Blue Devil. “[She] knew the coaches well here and had nothing but good things to say about them. She was always talking about how great the guys’ team was doing and how everybody liked them so much,” he said. “When I came here I already felt like I knew [the coaches]…. I felt really comfortable before even coming here.” Tripper was also very close to joining Reid on the courts in Durham—Tripper verbally committed to Duke before deciding against it to, in the words of his older brother, “make his own way at his own school.”
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“As long as he’s not at UNC, I’m okay with it” — Reid Carleton, a Duke junior, on his younger brother Tripper playing for Wake Forest Although the brothers aren’t teammates, they have been lucky enough to be in the same state and in the same conference. “It is nice to know he’s kind of close,” Reid said. “We haven’t actually been able to see each other with such busy schedules…. Wake’s close, but not that close.” Being in the same conference has led to opportunities for the two to compete against each other, most notably during Duke’s clash with Wake Forest April 7. Reid, who plays in the second singles spot for Duke, could have played his brother, who splits time between the first and second singles for the Demon Deacons. The Facebook event for the match even advertised it as an opportunity to see the sibling rivalry. However, Tripper played No. 1 for Wake Forest that day while Reid remained at his No. 2 slot. It is surprising to learn that the two have never played against each other—Reid said that growing up, the two didn’t keep score. When asked about the prospect of facing his younger brother, though, Reid was uncertain about the idea. “I don’t know. I sort of have mixed feelings about it.… It
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Duke junior Reid Carleton is the second member of his family to play tennis at Duke. His older sister, Jackie, did so for two seasons. would be interesting,” Reid said. “Honestly, I’d rather not play him, and I don’t think he would want to play me, either.” The question remains, though: Who would win in a match between the two? “[Tripper has] got a very good backhand, and my backhand is a little weaker.… I like to hit a lot of inside-out forehands to people’s backhands,” Reid said. “It’ll be a tough matchup for me as he has such a strong backhand. He can get it back to my backhand and maybe gain a little bit of an advantage.” Reid may find out the true outcome of such a match— Duke could face Wake Forest in the ACC tournament semifinals this Saturday in Cary, N.C., although the Demon Deacons have a tougher road to that stage. Ultimately, Reid says he is fine with his brother’s choice to attend Wake Forest. “As long as he’s not at UNC, I’m okay with it,” he said.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 | 9
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The Chronicle what we would do at Bev’s house: eat: ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� clee, toni get lost: ���������������������������������������������������������������� emmez, tdo, rupp more investigative reporting: ���������������������������������������������������JLich drive there on my bikeee: �������������������������������������������������������austin chill with the bball players: ��������������������������gabe, jeff, Stephen A. raid the liquor cabinet: ����������������������������������� addison, maya, larsa update my foursquare like crazy: ���������������������������������������christina SCOOTER!!!: ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� jessica Barb Starbuck only visits condos: ��������������������������������������������� Barb
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10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle commentaries
“
ARC step in right direction This is the first of two edito- further University-wide section rials on the new Collaborative shuffling will take place. Housing Process. Today’s disUltimately, Moneta’s decicusses the culmination of the sion marks the RGAC process three-year Residential Group as a failed experiment. Assessment Committee process Last week, Campus Counand the reintrocil voted to apeditorial duction of the prove the CHP, Approval and which includes Removal Committee. Tomor- a new Residential Group Asrow’s editorial will delve into sesment metric and revives the new Residential Group As- the ARC. sessment process itself. This system is complex, The student-run hous- but it creates a group assessing experiment that resulted ment protocol that resembles in the reshuffling of several the one pre-dating RGAC, at fraternity and selective living least in practice. Although group sections recently came we find it troubling that stuto an end following a decree dents were not consulted beby Vice President for Student fore receiving this mandate, Affairs Larry Moneta. we generally agree with the This means that from now notion that the residential on, residential assessments will process should be largely an be conducted jointly by the ad- administrative responsibility. ministration, rather than solely Given Duke’s residential by students. In addition, no structure, housing is an issue
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in which all students, independent or affiliated, have a vested interest. It is often contentious, and students involved in the process cannot avoid bias in the proceedings. The newly reinstituted ARC, composed of administrators and students, should not be afraid to use its authority to give sections to new groups and remove section privileges from groups that are not performing well. Thus, we support bringing administrators back into the assessment picture to a point, but we disagree with their decision to terminate campus-wide shuffling of sections. Under the CHP, groups will be able to change sections only on a caseby-case basis. Yet, changing the locations of selective group sections is an important component of the housing process for
various reasons. First, deeming next year’s arrangement of sections permanent institutionalizes the results of this year’s RGAC process, which was inherently flawed. To permanently situate groups based on a faulty assessment is unfair to all involved. Second, without section shuffling, groups can only move to a new section when another group is removed or a new spot opens. Such opportunities will be rare because groups do not often face eviction from campus. Also, when a section in a good location does open, groups seeking to move will probably compete unnecessarily fiercely with one another to acquire the space. Finally, placing groups permanently in their current sections offers those groups with “prime” locations on campus a
recruiting advantage. If section shuffling were a regular occurrence, potential new members of living groups and fraternities would be more likely to choose affiliations based on the groups rather than their housing. Campus-wide shuffling of sections should be a regular occurrence, taking place on a set timeline. The ARC should adopt this responsibility in conjunction with its other duties and should formulate a procedure for executing the rearrangement. The RGAC process was clearly not the right answer to the question of how to assess housing arrangements for fraternities and livinggroups. The new ARC has the potential to improve upon this method, as long as it recognizes that regular section shuffling is still necessary.
When the dust clears On Monday, a storm of sorts hit Duke’s campus. Justin Robinette, a junior and former chair of Duke College Republicans, alleged that his sexuality played a role in his impeachment by the organization’s executive board. Following this statement’s publication, a flood of reactions was unleashed from all angles, and responses poured in from across campus. News comes and goes, and a lot has happened in the ying-ying lu span of a few days: fleeting moments a DSG Judiciary ruling, an administration’s wise decision to let students self-govern and student groups’ own preparations for future action. So far, the bulk of the case has been settled at the institutional level. Indeed, for the sake of the organizations and individuals involved, I hope that the spotlight continues to turn away, allowing them the space to find some peace. Amid the stress, turmoil and emotionality of Monday’s events, I was reminded of something special: the power of dialogue. A beautiful shift occurred when a few members of Blue Devils United sat down in the same room with members of the board of College Republicans to discuss the situation: each side became more human to the other. Though I had requested to attend as an outside observer, each group came into the impromptu meeting knowing that the stakes were high, and thus, to a certain extent, were geared to either attack or defend. However, in the span of two hours, as the conversation progressed, these feelings were whittled down. At the end, the participants agreed that discussions between the two groups should take place more often, and not just when something major happened. After I left the meeting and continued through my day, I couldn’t help noticing a similar phenomena playing out in a range of interactions, including ones that were less formal: between friends, classmates and peers of differing viewpoints. During my time at Duke, I have both witnessed the deep power of dialogue and grappled frustratingly with its limitations. Defined simply, “to dialogue” means to talk. But when done well, it is more than just that. The best type of dialogue requires a safe space, an open mind and the trust that stems from recognizing that we are all human—complex, multifaceted and deserving of respect—and, on this campus, we are all Duke students. In the case of several campus controversies, such as the discussion about minority recruitment weekends prompted by One Duke United, and the student anger at the administration’s proposed merger of the Center for Multicultural Affairs
and International House, structured dialogue played its role and set a foundation for action. Indeed, I cannot think of a single instance in which giving students a space to express their beliefs and really listen to each other did not help move things along—and, in some cases, change minds. However, dialogue and the learning that comes from it cannot occur when we jump to a verdict and are too quick to judge. Dialogue cannot occur without participants realizing that, sometimes, we need to talk less and listen a whole lot more. Dialogue cannot occur when we attack people instead of addressing their actions; nor can it occur when we resort to vilifying the “other side,” whether it consists of one person or many. Finally, meaningful dialogue cannot occur when stakeholders refuse to tolerate shades of gray and choose only to see situations in dichotomies of black and white. In the past few days, I have watched as, out of fear and anger and hurt, members of the Duke community—my community—made all of the above mistakes. We lost much by acting in some of the ways that we did, not least our sense of humanity, respect and levelheadedness. Even worse, we watched as some of our peers suffered as a result of our rash conclusions. An attempt by the Duke community to sweep the Robinette incident under a rug and forget about it would be a mistake. Although the DSG Judiciary has dismissed Robinette’s case, valuable lessons remain to be learned, and we must continue to process the events and address the larger issues raised by them. It is the responsibility of all of Duke to create a welcoming environment on campus, and we can always have a conversation about ways to do so without attributing it to a single incident. Indeed, in the coming weeks, special attention should be paid to reaffirming the openness of our campus community; ensuring that the LGBT Center remains a safe space for marginalized students, even in the face of national media scrutiny and outside intrusion; and taking steps to ensure that no student is now afraid to come forward when future cases of discrimination or perceived injustice arise. Additionally, I hope that in the next few weeks, through the conversations and collaborations to follow, we will begin to challenge the notion that Duke students prefer to oversimplify touchy issues rather than to delve into controversy and nuances. I hope that we become more comfortable with making ourselves uncomfortable, and continue to attach faces to experiences unlike our own. And so, as I prepare to leave Duke, this is my final request: Let this be an opportunity gained, not a lesson wasted. Ying-Ying Lu is a Trinity senior. This is her final column.
the chronicle
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 | 11
commentaries
Revenge of the freaks
L
et your freak flag fly—you’ll be in about recent times that proclaims the great company. freak is worthy of respect? There has been a growing social One possible factor could be the develmovement in the United opment of the Internet, and to States and around the a lesser degree, television. The world that celebrates the speed at which information freak—nerds, queens, travels, along with the extremepunks. Slowly, it’s infilly diversified and international trated music, television audience it serves, has meant and other forms of meoverexposure to a variety of dia. An obvious example topics and images that before is the hit Fox television would have seemed outlandthomas series “Glee.” On the ish and dangerous due to their gebremedhin uniqueness. But nothing is most recent episode, the show featured a slew special anymore. Relevancy is word-by-word of Madonna’s greatest no longer about shock value or hits from “Like a Virgin” originality, but is instead about to “Open Your Heart.” Personally, I wor- being relatable. The genius of the Intership Her Madgesty. Her music never fails net is that unlike in a high school oligarto inspire me to jump up and dance, but chy, everyone has a voice, and due to the more than that, Madonna understands the great equilibrium of the Web, every voice beauty of the individual. Her music takes must be respected. the limelight away from the cheerleader This ideological shift has made room and directs it at the fat girl. for shows like “Glee.” The musical-comMore than two decades after Madonna edy series celebrates the diversity of its hit the stage, a new sheriff came to town cast, giving each and every one a time to in the form of a scantily clad blonde who shine in the spotlight, as well as never neordered us to just dance. Lady Gaga isn’t glecting the development of their individjust a freak, she is the self-proclaimed ual story lines—a kindness on the part of queen of freaks and at times makes Ma- the writers that urges us to appreciate the donna look like the most tightly wound lives people lead when they are unseen. virgin in the nunnery. Dressing up in The show reminds me of an oft quoted mountain-sized shoulder pads and Ker- line from Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”: mit the Frog dolls, razor wires and large “The only people for me are the mad opaque glasses, one must understand that ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad there is a method to her madness. to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of evIn a recent interview with Barbara Wal- erything at the same time, the ones who ters, Lady Gaga explained that as a girl never yawn or say a commonplace thing, growing up in New York City, she felt inse- but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yelcure and was often teased. “I guess, what low Roman candles exploding like spiders I’m trying to say is, I want to liberate [my across the stars, and in the middle, you fans], I want to free them of their fears see the blue center-light pop, and everyand make them feel… that they can cre- body goes ahh...” ate their own space in the world.” Two Now is the time to stand up and stand Grammys won, 10 million albums sold and out. This is the dawn of the freak. A recurmore than one billion YouTube views— ring theme throughout my columns this Lady Gaga is still going strong. past year has been the idea of individuHistory has always had its fair share of ality and self-expression. Avoid seeming freaks—Grace Jones, Marcel Duchamp, mass-produced at all costs. Listen more to Jesus—those who thought outside the yourself and less to the crowds. Be outrabox, and more importantly, thought for geous and be true. God bless the freaks. themselves. Often, at least in their respective generations, they were met with Thomas Gebremedhin is a Trinity senior. admonishment and anger. So what is it This is his final column.
lettertotheeditor Vigil for Yushu earthqake tonight On April 14, 2010 at 7:49 a.m. local time, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai, China. Although it was difficult to get reliable information in the immediate hours after the earthquake, it is now clear that Yushu has become a place of devastation: 2,039 dead, more than 12,000 injured, 175 missing and 100,000 homeless. Ninety percent of the homes in the county seat, Jyeku, have collapsed. Many still don’t have access to basic needs such as water, food, shelter, clothing, medicine, etc. The majority of Yushu’s residents are sleeping on the street without any protection, living on limited instant noodles and drinking water from contaminated sources. 12,135 people are injured, but only about 3,000 reportedly have been transported to hospitals to get medical care. There are many ways that students, faculty and staff can help. You can make a donation through cash, check, FLEX and food points. You can spread the word to those who might be able to help by join-
ing our Facebook cause “Duke Students Support Yushu Earthquake Relief.” Or, you can simply pray for them. Each action will make a significant impact for the earthquake victims. Tibetan and Chinese students are hoping to reach out to the greater Duke community, and request each of you act in solidarity with the people of Yushu. In the next few days, we will be holding a series of events. You can find us daily at a table on the Plaza, as we get out the word about what is going on in Yushu and attempt to raise funds. We were there last weekend, and thank the many alumni, parents and students who stopped by to ask questions and donate. Tonight we will hold a memorial event in front of the Chapel from 6 to 7 p.m. We hope you can join us, and help raise awareness on campus about this tragic and devastating earthquake and donate to the relief effort. Drolma Gadou Trinity ’11 Tsering Drolma Trinity ’12
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My carbon diet challenge
oday is Earth Day. Telecommuting, though, is pretty What a day for a “green devil” convenient. The shortest commute column. ever takes just seconds and starts when I figured with all the earthy stuff go- I go downstairs to my home office ing on today and this week (i.e. Duke’s where my laptop is settled under a celebration and concert on the Plaza to- nice little window. With another cup day and Durham’s Earth of coffee within arm’s Day Festival Saturday), I reach, it’s a hard comhad to kick it up a notch mute to resist. But, for this column. while it means I might So I went on a diet, a only be distracted by carbon diet that is, and the mailman, it also I called it my carbon means I don’t see my diet challenge, C.D.C. office mates, or have for short. casual interactions on Now, I’m not into diliz bloomhardt the quad walking to ets as a general rule. But get lunch. A good opgreen devil sometimes a catalyst is tion, but not one to be required for change. overused. Last month, I filled Finally, bike comout the carbon calculator on the Duke muting. Well, I picked the wrong week Sustainability website as part of the to start bike commuting. Rememmonthly Green Devil Challenge (no ber the storm of pollen the trees unrelation to this column). Based on leashed last week? The green dust that the short survey of generic questions, clung to every surface and was kicked it told me I would need 55 seedlings up into clouds at the slightest hint of growing for 10 years to offset my con- a breeze? That hit hard the first day I tribution to the Duke footprint. In set out on my bike, and I was suffering three areas of impact—energy, diet before I even got off my street. and behavior—my impact was low, but Now, biking during commuting my transportation impact was average. hours can be a death-defying expeThere was room for improvement. rience around here depending on In 1970, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D- where you’re coming from. And, Wisc., saw room for improvement too, based on my conversations with sevand founded Earth Day as a “teach- eral committed bike commuters, the in” on the environment. Modeled infrastructure on and adjacent to after similar events to protest the war campus for traveling by and housin Vietnam, the first Earth Day was a ing bikes is lacking, to say the least. grassroots success with events held in Nevertheless, this mode of transportacommunities across the country. The tion is underutilized in the bike-able intervening years have seen the found- city of Durham, and a great form of ing of the U.S. Environmental Protec- exercise. Perhaps with better bike tion Agency and passage of the Clean lanes and maps, and covered storage Air Act and Clean Water Act. for commuter bikes, we could see this These are vast improvements, but alternative really take off outside the in no way are the environmental prob- student-only Duke Bikes program. lems of the world solved, and this year, Not to wrongly associate the referPresident Barack Obama once again ence, but I’ll quote Queen in suggestcalled on individuals and their com- ing to all Dukies that you “get on your munities to make the 40th anniversary bikes and ride!” of Earth Day a meaningful and educaI already said I’m not into diets. I’m tional success. especially not into fad diets, and since it’s Which brings us back to my C.D.C. only been two weeks, I guess that means During the past few weeks, in my I can’t quit my C.D.C. just yet. But I have attempt to cut my transportation already learned a lot, so as far as Earth footprint, I have experimented with Day goes, I believe I’ve met my chalsuch alternatives as riding my bike to lenge. Now I’ll have to put it to you, dear school, telecommuting and signing up reader, to find your own teachable moto join a carpool. I have yet to tackle ment. This is not your parent’s Earth Day the bus system. after all, it’s yours. It’s easy for me to state that every Thanks for reading this semester, and option has its drawbacks, as well as its for those interested, I will continue postadvantages. For instance, when I en- ing about my C.D.C. and other notes tered myself in the Duke GreenRide about eco-sustainability that haven’t fit database, a ride-sharing service offered into my columns on my blog at www. through Parking and Transportation dukegreendevil.blogspot.com. Services, I stopped short of actually contacting my matches by e-mail. I’m Liz Bloomhardt is a third-year Ph.D. stujust not ready to give up the sense of dent in mechanical engineering. This is her freedom my current schedule allows. final column of the semester.
12 | THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 the chronicle
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