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
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, Issue 143
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Brodhead to Closed LDOC sees fewer incidents attend forum in Nanjing by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE
by Alejandro Bolívar THE CHRONICLE
President Richard Brodhead left Durham Thursday to discuss sustainability at the Fourth Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum, which will be held in Nanjing. The theme of the forum, which runs May 2-4, is “Enhancing Cultivation Quality of University Talents.” Presidents from more than 150 universities from around the world are scheduled to Richard Brodhead attend, including 120 presidents of Chinese universities. This is Brodhead’s second visit to China in 2010, the first being for the ground breaking ceremony for Duke’s new campus in the city of Kunshan. Brodhead said he hopes this conference, along with the new Kunshan campus, will contribute to expanding relations between Duke and China. “We expect to have a long-term presence in China that will continue to evolve as our faculty and students create new opportunities,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I look forward to meeting our counterparts from China.” See brodhead on page 6
nate glencer/The Chronicle
Flogging Molly performs on the Main West Quadrangle to close out the Last Day of Classes concert Wednesday. Students demanded an encore from the Irish rock band.
From a closed campus to Flogging Molly’s musical encore, Wednesday’s festivities marked several “firsts” for Duke’s annual Last Day of Classes celebration. Policy changes this year included requiring students to wear wristbands and limiting the amount of alcohol they could carry at a time. These changes contributed to a healthier, safer environment with less than half as many calls to emergency medical services compared to last year, said LDOC Committee co-Chair Liz Turner, a senior. “From what we saw, the changes were actually really helpful. [LDOC] was mostly under control,” Turner said. “Obviously there’s still trash on the quad and some people were still drinking, but I didn’t actually see any issues with it.” Out of 15 students who received EMS attention, about four were hospitalized, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta. One student was hospitalized due to a minor injury, and two or three of the hospitalizations were alcohol-related. “LDOC is the one day of the year that there are alcohol concerns for everybody, but compared to years past, yesterday was much much much better,” said junior Eli Freiman, internal coordinator for Duke EMS. “All the planning that went into the day that was strict and reduced dangerous drinking worked.” According to police reports, there were three minor incidents on campus. In one See ldoc on page 5
Profs’ election to National Academy of Stray bullet hits patrol car driven Sciences one of the ‘highest honors’ by Sonia Havele THE CHRONICLE
Two Duke scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. NAS, which selected 72 new members Tuesday, currently includes 18 other Duke professors. The society has 2,100 total members. Recognized for their excellence and achievements in research, Philip Benfey, Paul Kramer professor of biology and director of the Center for Systems Biology in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, and Vann Bennett, James B. Duke professor of cell biology, biochemistry and neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, will be officially inducted into NAS next April. According to the NAS website, election to the Academy is considered “one of the highest honors that can be accorded to a U.S. scientist or engineer.” As of 2009, in addition to its 2,100 members, NAS is composed of about 380 foreign associates, 200 of whom have won Nobel Prizes. NAS members often serve as advisers to government
Duke faces challenge in No. 1 Virginia over weekend, Page 7
by police chief
officials—including the President—on science, engineering and health-related issues. “They are potentially a source of non-political science policy advice,” Bennett said, noting that NAS has made comments and provided reports on controversial issues like climate change and stem cell research. “They can potentially be used... as a source of non-biased, nonpartisan views on a topic.” Benfey came to Duke in 2002 as chair of the biology department. His research has focused on the use of a combination of genetics, molecular biology and genomics to better understand the mechanisms that underlie the function and formation of plant cells, particularly those in the root. He holds a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University. Bennett, who began conducting research at Duke in 1987, studies the functional organization of membrane proteins, particularly the ankyrin family of adapters, in the tissues of vertebrates. He earned both
A bullet hit an unmarked patrol car driven by Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez Thursday afternoon. He was not injured. According to a statement issued by the Durham Police Department, occupants of two moving vehicles were exchanging gunfire near the intersection of South Roxboro and Dillard streets shortly before 2 p.m. when a bullet shot by one of the occupants struck and damaged Lopez’s front windshield. Jose Lopez Lopez was driving to a leadership conference at the Durham County Detention Center when the bullet struck his car, according to DPD Lt. Mark Sykes in an
See nas on page 9
See lopez on page 5
from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE
ONTHERECORD
“People don’t realize the amount of maintenance that goes into the plants, fountains, roads and benches.”
—Director of Horticulture Robert Mottern on Duke Gardens. See story page 3
What we remembered Students reflect on their LDOC 2010 experiences, SEE SOUND-OFF PAGE 5
2 | FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 the chronicle
worldandnation
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Flu shot linked with seizures and fevers among children
FDA approves Provenge, Obama appoints Fed govs prostate cancer vaccine WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama’s appointment of three Federal Reserve governors will bring the board to full strength for the first time in four years, helping Chairman Ben Bernanke manage a withdrawal of record monetary stimulus and an overhaul of bank supervision. Obama announced his choice of San Francisco Fed President Janet Yellen to be vice chairman of the Board of Governors under Bernanke Thursday. Obama also named Sarah Raskin, Maryland’s commissioner of financial regulation, and Peter Diamond, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to the seven-person board. The three, who are subject to Senate confirmation, join the board as it considers when to signal an end to its policy of keeping interest rates low for an “extended period.”
“
Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be read once. — Cyril Connolly
”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After a threeyear battle with federal regulators, Dendreon Corp. won approval Thursday for a vaccine to fight prostate cancer. The Food and Drug Administration cleared sales of the medicine, called Provenge, Shelly Burgess, a spokeswoman for the agency, said Thursday. Dendreon, of Seattle, submitted its application with the FDA in November 2006 and, after winning the backing of an advisory panel in 2007, was required to conduct another study to prove the drug worked. Provenge will be the first medicine to train the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells like a virus. More than 27,000 men in the United States die of prostate cancer each year, according to American Cancer Society. Provenge may bring in $4.3 billion in annual sales by 2020.
TODAY IN HISTORY 1952: Mr. Potato Head is the first toy advertised on television
SINGAPORE — Australia’s drug regulator widened an investigation into the first seasonal flu vaccine to include the H1N1 pandemic strain after the shot was linked to fevers and convulsions among children. The Therapeutic Goods Administration asked the nation’s eight states and territories to examine all reports of fevers among children under 5 years, even cases not directly involving vaccination, for evidence of a pattern that may help explain the incidents, Kay McNiece, a spokeswoman for the regulator, said in a telephone interview from Canberra Wednesday. The regulator said April 23 that children aged 5 and younger should stop receiving CSL’s Fluvax, and the company said it stopped distributing the product after complaints of seizures and fevers among children. The reports of possible side effects may deter parents from vac-
cinating their children even if the shot is shown to be safe, said Alan Hampson, chairman of the Australian Influenza Specialist Group. “There’ll be collateral damage,” Hampson said by telephone. “It’s a bit of a disaster not only here, but globally, in casting apparent doubts on the vaccine, which is potentially quite valuable in young children.” Fifty-five children in Western Australia, 5 years and younger, have been identified with possible convulsions after receiving the shot and a further 196 had less serious reactions such as fever, vomiting and inflammation at the injection site, Western Australia’s health department said. Between 20,000 and 30,000 children in the age group have been vaccinated so far this year, the department estimates.
Sarah Voisin/The washington post
Honoring workers who die on the job, the National Workers Memorial was dedicated Wednesday in Sparrows Point, Md. According to the most recent federal statistics, 5,214 workers were killed while working in 2008. Recent incidents, such as the West Virginia mine explosion and the Washington petroleum refinery blast, have brought national attention to workplace risks.
the chronicle
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 | 3
Horticulture team brings years of Proposed auto experience to Gardens maintenance bill mandates black boxes by Peter Whoriskey the washington post
China to designing the flower displays in all 55 acres of the gardens, more goes into the landscape than most visitors realize, he said. Mottern is at the helm of the operation, using more than a decade of experience in the industry of plant cultivation. The team oversees every detail from knowing what flowers are blooming when, which colors are appropriate to mix and match and what plants can survive with one another. The Gardens are home to warm season plants, cool season plants, annuals, which last all year, and perennials,
WASHINGTON, D.C. — All new cars would have to be equipped with “black boxes” that record performance data, and federal safety regulators would be granted the authority to order immediate recalls under newly proposed auto-safety legislation being considered by Congress. The draft of a bill was released Thursday by one of the House committees investigating Toyota’s massive recalls for unintended acceleration in its vehicles. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, have said they intend to collaborate on automobile safety legislation this year. The draft contains a wide array of provisions. Some require new safety features, such as the black boxes—called event data recorders—and brake override systems that allow a driver to stop a car even when the throttle is stuck open. Other elements of the bill give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more power to crack down on automakers that break the rules. “Our initial thoughts on this are that Congress have given us a legislative vehicle that has come fully loaded with all the options,” said Gloria Bergquist, a vice president at Auto Alliance, the industry trade association. “We are going to look at each one of these and ask: Where are we going to get the safety enhancements?” “It’s a terrific bill,” said Joan Claybrook, a safety advocate and former NHTSA administrator. “It tackles a lot of the key issues.” The bill would create a “vehicle safety user fee,” to be paid by manufacturers on each vehicle. The money would
See gardens on page 6
See auto bill on page 9
samantha sheft/The Chronicle
Flowers bloom in full color every year on campus as the weather gets warmer. The University’s team of 13 horticulturists, who have more than 30 of years combined experience, are responsible for designing and maintaining Duke’s gardens. by Mateen Saffarian THE CHRONICLE
As finals approach, many students may not realize the work put into a scenic campus study spot. Behind all the ponds, trees, flowers and landscaping is a team of 13 horticulturists working to keep the Sarah P. Duke Gardens healthy and growing. “People don’t realize the amount of maintenance that goes into the plants, fountains, roads and benches,” said Director of Horticulture Robert Mottern. “The amount of work is tremendous.” From seeking rare plants in countries like Japan and
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SEC sends Goldman case to prosecutors
Scrap metal
by Zachary Goldfarb the washington post
Natasha fillion/The washington post
In the ruins of a building destroyed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti by the Jan. 12 earthquake, Fritz Mesca (left) assists a member of his crew in lifting scrap metal to sell. The full day’s work yielded $12.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has referred its investigation of Goldman Sachs to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, less than two weeks after filing a civil securities fraud case against the firm, according to a source familiar with the matter. Any probe by the Justice Department would be in a preliminary stage. No Goldman Sachs employees involved in the mortgage-related transactions that are the focus of the SEC case have been interviewed by Justice Department prosecutors or the FBI agents who often conduct probes on behalf of prosecutors, according to a source familiar with the matter. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The Justice Department usually investigates high-profile cases of securities fraud, but the threshold from criminal prosecution is significantly higher than that of civil cases. The SEC only files civil cases. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News reported Thursday night that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan had followed up on the request and opened a criminal probe. The office declined to comment. “Given the recent focus on the firm, we’re not surprised by the report of an inquiry,” said Goldman spokesman Lucas Van Praag. “We would cooperate fully with any request for information.”
It is very rare for the government to indict a firm, and the mere threat of criminal prosecution can destroy a company. A criminal investigation destroyed the Wall Street firm Drexel Burnham Lambert in the 1980s even though the firm settled with authorities. And although the Supreme Court ultimately overturned the conviction, accounting firm Arthur Andersen collapsed after facing criminal charges in connection with the Enron corporate corruption in the early 2002. In that case, the justices said that lower courts had given juries far too broad principles by which to decide whether to convict the company. The decision, lawyers at the time said, would make more difficult for prosecutors to bring criminal cases against corporations. The SEC claims the firm and an employee named Fabrice Tourre broke the law and committed fraud when they sold clients a complex investment linked to the value of home loans that was secretly designed to fail. Another firm, Paulson & Co., a hedge fund, helped Goldman create the investment and planned to bet against it. But the SEC claims that relationship was not disclosed to Goldman’s clients, ACA Financial Guaranty and the German bank IKB. Goldman has steadfastly rejected charges that it committed securities fraud. Tourre has also denied the charges. Goldman says ACA and IKB were sophisticated investors and disclosure of Paulson’s role was not legally required.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 | 5
ldocsoundoff Duke students celebrated the Last Day of Classes throughout the day Wednesday on the Main West Quadrangle. The day included performances from Jay Sean, Flogging Molly, Rooney and Big D and the Kids Table, as well as food and drink vendors on the quad. Thursday afternoon, The Chronicle interviewed several students about their thoughts on this year’s LDOC. —compiled by Rohan Taneja “I was happy and surprised that the majority of the school participated. Most students wanted to go, whether they drank or not and whether they liked the acts or not.” —C.J. Hunter, freshman “I would want more active things to do during the day next year because there was not a lot going on until Mulan Sing-Along. It would also be nice if they listened to the students a bit more about what bands they want.” —Megan Sherrell, junior “It was nice just getting to hang out with everyone in a really relaxed, happy atmosphere.” —Jacqueline Lash, freshman
sylvie spewak/The Chronicle
Jay Sean performs at Wednesday’s LDOC celebration. Though administrators commented on the amount of trash left on Main West Quad, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek called this year’s LDOC the “best effort yet.”
ldoc from page 1 case Wednesday night, a student knocked a female student to the ground. No charges were filed. Policy changes required all students to wear wristbands during the celebration and carry their DukeCards with them at all times. Security guards were posted at each entrance to Main West Quadrangle in order to ensure that campus was closed to those not affiliated with Duke. Students were also restricted to carrying six beers on their person, six fewer than last year’s limit. Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek called this year’s LDOC the “best effort yet,” adding that safety measures did not seem to compromise student enjoyment. Moneta said he felt the closed campus contributed to a safer atmosphere and prevented Main West Quad from becoming too crowded. In the past, many students reported injuries due to the packed environment, Moneta said. Several students, however, voiced com-
lopez from page 1 interview with WRAL. DPD is investigating the shooting. One unidentified person was taken to Duke
plaints regarding the closed campus policy as they planned to celebrate with friends from nearby schools, Turner said. She said the LDOC Committee may consider selling tickets to people outside of Duke next year. Both Moneta and Wasiolek were disappointed with the amount of litter on campus. Although fewer people attended LDOC compared to previous years, Wasiolek said the all-day activities may have contributed to increased amounts of trash. “As the day progressed the trash got worse,” she said. “And that’s something I hope the students will recognize in the future as something they really need to take responsibility for.” The most positive feedback came from students who attended the day’s concerts, Turner said. After Flogging Molly performed, students demanded an encore. “I’m so proud of the LDOC co-Chairs and of the staff and the large teams that supported them,” Moneta said. “It felt safe, it felt Duke and it felt like a community celebration.” University Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the back. Investigators do not know how many people were in the two vehicles, and one vehicle fled the scene, according to WRAL.
—Vinodh Chandra, freshman “I was a little concerned about how the acts were going to work out, but I thought they definitely were energetic and did a great job—Flogging Molly had an awesome set.” —Marcus Molchany, sophomore “Get rid of the wristbands. If we have a celebration this size, people want to invite their friends, and the policy probably leads to even more problems.” —Daniel Murray, freshman “What I appreciated about LDOC was that outside of basketball, it was one of the few opportunities for the entire Duke community to come together for an amazing end to a long and busy year.” —Josiah Littrell, graduate student in the Divinity School
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brodhead from page 1 Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said Duke’s expansion in China makes it a valuable addition to the conference. “Duke’s visibility in China has grown considerably in the last year or two and is an added benefit for both Duke and the conference,” Schoenfeld said. “Any conference that brings 150 universities—some of the major, top universities in the world—is a major event.” The presidents of Yale University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Oxford University and University of California, Los Angeles have also been invited to speak at the conference. Additionally, university presidents from major universities in the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany and Russia will be present. This is Brodhead’s first time attending the event. According to the conference’s website, the forum will address teaching methods, constructing sustainable campuses, creating learning environments that foster innovative talents and evaluating talent cultivation. Government
censorship is also a pressing issue in Chinese education, one which attendees hope is discussed in the forum. “[Censorship in China] is a big issue,” said Charles Clotfelter, Z. Smith Reynolds professor of public policy, economics and law. “We’ve already discussed it here at Duke. It’s going to be an ongoing issue with any university in the U.S. that partners with any university in China.” At the conference, Brodhead will discuss campus sustainability, specifically regarding Duke’s new campus in Kunshan. This campus will meet the high sustainability standards that Brodhead said “have become such an integral part of the Duke experience.” He said the forum would be a learning opportunity for university presidents from all areas of the globe because they share a “common interest in the free flow of information and scholarly pursuits.” “This marks the continuing growth of U.S.-China collaboration in higher education, but it is also important to note the global scope of the forum,” he said. “The fact that so many top universities from around the world are coming together shows that we have much to learn from each other.”
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gardens from page 3 which only survive part of the year, Mottern said. To make matters more complicated, each flower blooms at different times, has different leaf textures and needs different amounts of water and sun exposure. Mottern said the 12 horticulturists he works with are the driving force behind the success of the gardens because they come up with much of the new ideas for design. Mottern said his team is constantly looking for avenues of inspiration. “You might see something in a magazine, an idea you may like,” Mottern said. “One thing I have been trying to do since being here is finding inspiration from things you wouldn’t normally be inspired by from a gardening stand point. We have the Nasher Museum [of Art] across the street, and we can look at... a Picasso [for inspiration], what colors he used.” The ability to combine all of the knowledge about plants and then artistically design beautiful displays is something Mottern said is acquired through years of experience. He added that his team has almost 30 years of combined experience. As the weather gets warmer, students are increasingly spending time in the gardens. They may not understand the work that goes into creating them entirely, but they nonetheless seem to enjoy the product of Mottern’s effort. Freshmen Lotte Van Miegroet and Donnie Vineyard, said the Gardens are one of Duke’s biggest attractions. “The Duke Gardens are beautiful, especially in the spring,” Van Miegroet said. “Students sometimes forget about this little haven that Duke provides for them.” Though still in his first year at the University, Vineyard has made an effort to take advantage of all that the gardens have to offer. “They’re a perfect place to go take a walk and relax or even to study in,” he said. “I think the Duke Gardens are wonderful.” Many students might not realize the place’s history while they sit in the garden. Planners of the University originally wanted to use the land to create a large lake, but the project was eventually canceled, Mottern said. Instead, according to the Gardens’ website, during the 1930’s a proposal for gardens became a reality under the leadership of Frederic Hanes, then a professor at the School of Medicine. Almost eight decades later, Hanes’ vision—and the generosity of Sarah P. Duke’s $20,000 donation—is being enjoyed by the newest crop of Duke students.
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April 30, 2010
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baseball
Riding high, Devils fight for tourney berth by Chris Cusack THE CHRONICLE
From the outset of this season, the Blue Devils have had only one thought on their minds: earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Duke was the only team from the ACC Tournament not invited to an NCAA regional, and the feelings from the snub still linger. “We’ve shown flashNo. 1 es of being capable of UVA achieving that goal,” vs. head coach Sean McNally said. “We certainly Duke haven’t been consistent enough throughout to FRIDAY - SUNDAY really make it a reality at DBAP this point in the season. That’s been a frustration for our club.” As of now, the Blue Devils (25-18, 7-14 in the ACC) sit two games out of eighth place in the ACC, the cutoff point for the conference playoffs. Yet, after winning a pitcher’s duel with North Carolina A&T on Tuesday, 2-1, and a slugfest with High Point the following day, 13-11, Duke feels primed to win any type of matchup. And with only nine league games remaining, the Blue Devils need to make up ground quickly—a task made more difficult this weekend by No. 1 Virginia. The two teams begin their three-game series Friday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Ranked no lower than No. 4 nationally all season, the Cavaliers (36-9, 15-6) are the most balanced team in the ACC, boasting the highest batting average, .342, and the
lowest team ERA, 3.62, in the conference. Duke, on the other hand, has no players batting above .327, and only one pitcher with a minimum of ten appearances who has an ERA of less than 3.62. “Virginia does everything well,” McNally said. “They pitch well, they’ve got a lineup that’s tough to get through, and they defend well. They are as complete a team as we’ll face all year.” Perhaps the most striking contrast between the two teams can be found in starting pitching. Virginia has used the same three starters all season with great success, while Duke’s rotation has taken a different form nearly every weekend with little to show for it. “We’re still searching for some consistency,” McNally said. “We just have to put it all together. Obviously, it’s late in the year, so it’s time for these guys to step it up and get it done.” Duke’s staff will be tested by a Cavalier offense that has scored eighty runs over a current seven-game winning streak. Friday, Dennis O’Grady will take the mound for the Blue Devils. Indicative of the struggles faced by the staff this season, O’Grady sports an ERA of 4.56 and has yet to win a start. After making overpowering appearances out of the bullpen, freshman Marcus Stroman will attempt Saturday to match his debut as a starter last Friday when he spurred the Blue Devils to their only win in the series against Wake Forest. “That decision was just made out of the Tyler seuc/Chronicle file photo
See baseball on page 8
Sophomore outfielder Will Piwnica-Worms was a crucial part in Duke’s victory over High Point Wednesday.
Lindy Duncan finds success on and off course by Nicholas Schwartz THE CHRONICLE
Ian Soileau/Chronicle file photo
Freshman Lindy Duncan, who won the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic this year, leads Duke in scoring average.
Golf legend Bobby Jones once said, “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-inch course… the space between your ears.” At the highest levels of golf, whether it be on the PGA Tour or in the ACC, nearly every player has the talent necessary to win— but few possess the mental toughness and composure that separates the great players from the rest. For freshman standout Lindy Duncan, identifying the safest route to the hole and memorizing the slope of a green is easy. It’s the off-the-course stresses that complicate things. “It’s tough because we have really long days and we miss a lot of school,” Duncan said. “Off the course, academics are pretty tough. We have to stay on top of a lot of things.” Being a golfer at Duke is different than playing any other sport—not only are practices longer, but tournaments, which usually span four or five days, are held in both the fall and spring seasons. Combined with a typical course load, golfers at Duke have to strike a fine balance between bunkers and books in order to be successful. Duncan has succeeded in handling the pressures off the greens without seeing her play suffer.
“I just didn’t want to feel like my game dropped a level,” Duncan said. “I didn’t want to let college get in the way of me staying at that level.” Duncan has made the transition to college golf admirably thus far, and her mental sharpness has carried her to success both on and off the course. Her unmatched preparation and attention to detail has made her one of the most successful Blue Devil freshmen ever, with four top-five finishes— including a victory at the Liz Murphey Classic—and a team-best scoring average already to her name. Teammate Alison Whitaker credits Duncan’s success to her unmatched focus and determination. “She knows what she needs in order to play well, and she’s stayed really true to that—whether it be by working out, or in team training by focusing on certain things she needs to work at,” Whitaker said. “That’s not something that usually happens with freshmen—usually they get thrown into the team environment and they just do what the team does without focusing on what they need to do [individually] in order to play their best golf.” See duncan on page 8
8 | FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 the chronicle
baseball from page 7 fact that I think he’s our best arm and he’s had the most success,” McNally said. “You want the starter who’s going to give you the best chance to win on that particular day, and we’re expecting him to finish strong.” McNally added that Sunday’s starter remains to be decided and will be chosen based on the previous days’ results. Eric Pfisterer appears to be the favorite after piling together three quality starts over the last few weeks. With an ERA of 2.22 over that span, he has struck out 21 batters and walked just six in 24 innings. Will Piwnica-Worms will continue to anchor a Blue Devil lineup that has been
streaky of late. After beating Wake Forest behind ten runs last Friday, Duke was held to only six runs over its next three games before pounding out 13 Wednesday against High Point. Piwnica-Worms has been a stable bat all season, hitting a team-best .327 with 22 extra base hits. But without any support, the Blue Devils won’t stand a chance against the consistent strength of the Cavaliers. “The box score on our season hasn’t been written,” McNally said. “We’re in about the seventh inning, and we’ve got to close it out strong and finish strong. Our guys will continue to work hard individually and collectively all the way through.” IAN SOILEAU/Chronicle FILE PHOTO
Duncan will go into the NCAA Regional Championship Thursday at Ironwood Golf Course as Duke’s No. 1 player.
duncan from page 7
Tyler seuc/Chronicle file photo
The versatile Marcus Stroman couples a good bat with an even better arm. He’s scheduled to pitch Saturday.
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College golfers, who are usually only familiar with playing the sport individually throughout their careers, must also learn to quickly embrace the team environment—a feat that can prove to be challenging. After a junior career where Duncan excelled—among other achievements, she made it to the semifinals of the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur—Duncan had to learn how to be an effective teammate, having only played team golf for a year in high school. But having two fellow freshmen on the six-person team ensures Duncan is not alone in making the difficult transition. “I knew Stacey [Kim] and Courtney [Ellenbogen] for a few years before I got here through junior golf, and it’s been interesting having three freshmen,” Duncan said. “We [didn’t] really know what we were do-
ing, and had to learn how to be on a team because we’ve never really done that.” Duncan and the rest of the No. 4 Blue Devils will travel to Ironwood Golf Course in Greenville, N.C., for the NCAA Regional Championship May 6, having already earned a No. 1 seed. Duke faces stiff competition, including No. 3 Auburn and ACC foe Wake Forest, but Duncan hopes to draw on the lessons she has learned from winning this spring to lead the Blue Devils to the top of the leaderboard. “The biggest thing I learned about was patience. Your game can be really great, but if you don’t have patience and a belief in yourself, then no matter how well you are playing it’s still going to be tough to win,” Duncan said. “Winning involves a lot of things. You have to be playing well, you have to be patient, be tough, you can’t let little things bother you.”
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 | 9
nas from page 1 his M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In an interview with The Chronicle, Bennett recognized NAS’s efforts to broaden its membership over the years, extending more invitations to younger scientists and women. The scientists expressed gratitude for the colleagues, graduate stuPhilip Benfey dents and post-doctoral scholars who have contributed to their research over the years. Benfey also attributed his accomplishments as a researcher to the interdisciplinary environment that Duke provides, noting the University’s efforts Vann Bennett to promote collaboration. “Collaboration is encouraged and rewarded at Duke, and this is not the case at every institution,” Benfey said. Also among the 72 newly elected Academy members was alumnus Dr. William Kaelin, Trinity ’79 and Medical School ’83. A professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, he has focused his research career on oncology, primar-
auto bill from page 3 supplement NHTSA’s budget. The fee begins at $3 per vehicle and increases to $9 after three years. The bill also increases the fines that NHTSA can seek from an automaker. In the
ily the role and function of tumor suppressor genes. Kailin said he had a great appreciation for his Duke education and the influence that his professors at the University had on him. When he entered medical school, Kaelin said he had not intended to become a researcher. Studying under Duke Professor of Radiation Oncology Randy Jirtle, however, helped him decide to become a scientist instead of a physician. Jirtle served as a mentor and inspired him to seek a more scientific route, Kaelin said. “It was very important to work in Randy Jirtle’s laboratory because it reopened my eyes to becoming a scientist,” he said. “Most importantly, he showed me that science could be fun.” In addition to the three elected to NAS with ties to the University, Lorena Beese, James B. Duke professor of biochemistry, was officially inducted this weekend to the Academy after having been elected in spring 2009. NAS was established during the height of the Civil War by former President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, according to the NAS website. Since then, the institution has included some of the most famous and renowned scientists in the world. “What was so thrilling was that you actually find the book where the first signature was that of Abraham Lincoln,” Beese said. “You’re in a room with all of these legendary figures in science.” Toyota case, NHTSA could have fined Toyota $13.8 billion for failing to notify regulators of a defect, but a statutory cap cut the penalty to $16.4 million, agency officials said. The bill does not allow for criminal penalties for automakers that knowingly violate safety laws, however, a sanction that advocates said was necessary to ensure compliance.
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The Independent Daily at Duke University
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<Insert headline> editorial
We would have written another plea for transparency from University administrators or a functional Duke Student Government. But we didn’t want to mess up the back of your crossword puzzle—especially during exam week. In case you couldn’t tell, this edit is a joke. Good luck on exams, and have a great summer!
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NCAA champs... awesome. I was watching it live in Singapore. No less exciting!
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—“eugel” commenting on the column “23 days since Indianapolis.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.
Letters Policy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address. Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.
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Inc. 1993
will robinson, Editor Hon Lung Chu, Managing Editor emmeline Zhao, News Editor Gabe Starosta, Sports Editor Michael Naclerio, Photography Editor shuchi Parikh, Editorial Page Editor Michael Blake, Editorial Board Chair alex klein, Online Editor jonathan angier, General Manager Lindsey rupp, University Editor sabreena merchant, Sports Managing Editor julius jones, Local & National Editor jinny cho, Health & Science Editor Courtney Douglas, News Photography Editor andrew hibbard, Recess Editor Austin Boehm, Editorial Page Managing Editor Drew sternesky, Editorial Page Managing Editor ashley holmstrom, Wire Editor chelsea allison, Towerview Editor eugene wang, Recess Managing Editor DEAN CHEN, Lead Developer zachary kazzaz, Recruitment Chair Taylor Doherty, Sports Recruitment Chair Mary weaver, Operations Manager Barbara starbuck, Production Manager
zachary tracer, University Editor naureen khan, Senior Editor toni wei, Local & National Editor rachna reddy, Health & Science Editor Ian soileau, Sports Photography Editor Maya Robinson, Multimedia Editor Emily bray, Editorial Page Managing Editor Rebecca wu, Editorial Page Managing Editor Charlie Lee, Design Editor Ben cohen, Towerview Editor Maddie Lieberberg, Recess Photography Editor Lawson kurtz, Towerview Photography Editor caroline mcgeough, Recruitment Chair Andy Moore, Sports Recruitment Chair CHRISSY BECK, Advertising/Marketing Director REBECCA DICKENSON, Chapel Hill Ad Sales Manager
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My favorite mistake
ost who know me will be able to tell you— from Long Island, rocking Coach flip-flops and a I am a sucker for senior columns. Every Lacoste polo in the smothering Durham heat, and April, my sentimental heart beats wildly thought to myself, “Oh, boy.” Two dorm rooms and reading last-minute secrets and eleventh-hour two apartments later, I wince at the thought of havpearls of wisdom. In the interest of preserving ing her any farther away than the next bedroom. convention, I’m sticking to the cliI loved imperfectly too—somechés. These are my confessions. times too much, sometimes too litMy four years here were the tle and many times, too late. I had product of a glitch in the admisa ridiculous puppy crush on my sions formula. Someone in Dean first editor (oh please, all of you Guttentag’s perfectly sculpted already knew), and I’m leaving enClass of Dimes decided to opt for tirely enamored and so proud of Harvard or Stanford instead, and the current and incoming chiefs. Duke got saddled with me—a And now for those pearls of wisnaureen khan straight-laced girl from Texas, who dom. Here they are: I wish you a senior column had never spent more than a week college experience as messy and tataway from home. I was a secondtered at the seams as mine. I hope string draft pick. A poor man’s Blue Devil. you get to do things like skip class to go chase presiBut that was OK. I had never stepped foot on dential candidates across North Carolina. I hope campus or, in fact, on Carolina soil, but from the you spend Friday nights drinking $4 champagne glossy brochures I imagined Duke as a place where and giggling about the oddities of Duke life until brilliance seeped from the Gothic stones, there the wee hours of the morning with people you love, for the absorbing. I would paint my face blue and when you should be doing work. I hope you embecome a part of this happy Duke family. brace the beauty of being a 20-something, young Of course, coming here was more like falling and naive and allowed your share of blunders. down the rabbit hole. It’s a bizarre place, jarFor my Duke ladies specifically, I hope you ring to the senses—so much wealth and privilege don’t let this place break you. Instead, I hope you pooled in the middle of a vibrant Southern city unapologetically refuse to play by the rules of the brimming with urban cool, all underneath that game and I hope you don’t let anyone douse water gorgeous Carolina sky. on your outrage at the things about this institution The truth is, I’m not sure if Guttentag should that should rightly prompt your ire. have taken a gamble on me, because I’ve messed Last weekend, I was given an award at our annuthis up horribly. My Duke career has been marked al newspaper formal, named in honor of a former by stumbles and missteps. Nothing has gone quite Chronicle editor tragically taken by cancer before according to plan. his tenure was up. Afterwards, a sea of people envelFor starters, I spent entirely too much time in oped me in hugs. The faces blended together eventhis damn office and probably too little tending tually, and all I could feel were the arms of strangto my classes, my grades and my social life. I can ers around me. And really all this time, it has been mark the ebb and flow of each year through The the arms of strangers—the makeshift family that we Chronicle—stories, deadlines, corrections, pro- make at the University—that have held me, buoyed motions, editor elections. Reporting and a buzzing me up, pieced me together when I was in danger of newsroom were an antidote to my natural shyness flying apart. I hope you find such strong arms and and a crippling sort of loneliness. An eclectic cast good strangers to hold you. of editors—by far, the most interesting, admirable I’m emerging from my college experience with and profane people that I’ve had the pleasure of fault lines where I’ve been damaged and bruised— knowing—told me to ask the uncomfortable ques- knowing they have made me a more dynamic, intions, to be fearless. I saw many a 3 a.m. in 301 teresting, whole person. Mostly, I’m just grateful Flowers, but in the morning, there were always ty- to have gone through it. pos to be attended to, more questions to be asked, Duke, you are and always will be my favorite angles left unexplored, another day’s paper to be mistake. put out. I came to a school with a $40,000 price tag beNaureen Khan is a Trinity senior. She is a senior edicause I didn’t want to be an idiot and guess what? tor and former Local and National Editor of The ChronI’m graduating only less of an idiot in that I know icle. She wants to thank DG, Shreya, Jia, Shuch, rAc, how much I don’t know. and Euge for being such incredible sources of inspiration, I met my freshman year roommate on move-in and Doe-eyes, EZ, Hon, Rupp, Ztrace, RB and the rest of day—the definition of a Jewish American Princess the babies for putting up with her all this time.
the chronicle
Horizontal Sportswrap
W
hile you’re at college, a lot of really strange things will probably happen to you. Most will probably be inconsequential, like watching a crazy woman get arrested for yelling and subsequently throwing books in Perkins, or learning to solve the Rubik’s Cube in fewer than 30 seconds. Of course, many others will change your college life in drastic and sometimes unfortunate ways. Examples of these include becomian soileau ing friends with the only other person on campus senior column who rides BMX (good), or taking accelerated general chemistry with Professor Toone (bad). A particular example of one strange event in my college career is my becoming, through an entirely unfortunate series of events, the sports photography editor at The Chronicle. Sometimes the wrong person gets appointed to the wrong position here at the paper, and that might just be the case this time around. The three biggest responsibilities of this job are taking pictures of sports, training other people to take pictures of sports and being creepy at women’s sporting events. I like to think I am at least decent at these things; certainly the people I have trained have gotten some great photographs. The reason I am wrong for this position is because I have to choose the weekly Sportswrap photograph for Monday editions of The Chronicle. This cover of the sports section has the ubiquitous, made-up word “SPORTSWRAP” across the top and features a full-page picture, usually of basketball or football (I pushed to get club ping-pong all year, but turns out we don’t cover that). Picking this photo in and of itself is not a bad thing, but I got the idea in my head that it would actually make sense to have a Sportswrap that was horizontal. Imagine it now, the words running sideways along the edge of the page with the picture running down the page. To actually see it, people would have to rotate their newspapers 90 degrees (orπpi/2 radians for all the math-inclined out there). The sports editor gets the last say as far as the Sportswrap cover is concerned. Try as I might, he never liked any of my ideas for a horizontal Sportswrap and my dream was never realized. To his credit, he did say he was open to the idea as long as I could get a quality photograph. (Basketball is almost never horizontal; think about it: 7-foot men jumping as high as they possibly can.) Many other staff members told me the idea was crazy. No one would understand why it wasn’t the usual direction, they said. They were probably right, but that is exactly why I thought it was such a great idea. Maybe I’m just strange; I like to think I’m just ahead of my time, although I know that is not the case. There are quite a few things I regret from college, and I think that is a normal feeling about this time in one’s life. Don’t get me wrong, there are many more things that I do not regret, but the one regret that is at the front of my mind when I think about college (because I can remember it), is my not making the horizontal Sportswrap happen. I feel that I could have tried a little harder and actually made my little, insignificant dream come true. Then again, maybe not. Maybe my sports editor would have denied my wish, regardless of the quality of the horizontal photographs I got. Perhaps the point is moot, as it’s the end of the year and it still hasn’t happened. The horizontal Sportswrap is completely insignificant in the big picture of things, and until I become the next president of the United States, CEO of AIG or Mike Posner, I probably won’t be doing much of significance in the future. But that isn’t what’s important. What is important is to realize your goals, regardless of how insignificant they are. Fancy that cute girl in your chemistry class (or Tailgate, either will do)? Go for it! Want your group of New York friends to go to the Daytona 500 with you? Make it happen. It’ll be worth it in the end, and even if you fail, at least you can say you tried relatively hard for a while, had a few beers, then gave up trying. Of course, none of you really needs this message. You are all high-falutin’ Duke students with aspirations of curing cancer and solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine. All I can do is solve the stupid Rubik’s Cube. Ian Soileau is a Trinity Senior. He is the sports photography editor of The Chronicle.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 | 11
A ful(filling) experience
hoever said there’s no such thing as a free changed a little more than a year ago. The fallout from lunch clearly hasn’t met me. My name is Mi- the University’s budget crisis has taken its toll on the chael, and I am a free food addict. I say that free food market. Lectures are less likely to be coupled not out of shame, but with the beaming with costly catering, and the days of expride of someone who has never logged travagant dessert trays are long gone. onto DukePass in the final days of a seBut I found that even as the food ofmester to reload on food points. ferings around me deteriorated, I still It all started in the beginning of could not wait to trudge to the Franklin sophomore year when I saw an ad on Center at noon on Wednesday to hear a the television screens at the entrance of lecture from a renowned South African the Marketplace soliciting students to journalist. Suddenly it was the food for become “mystery diners” for Duke Dinthought—not the sandwich platter— michael blake ing. The prospect sounded too good to that mattered most to me. senior column pass up, so I went back to my dorm room There is a point to this confession, as and e-mailed the woman whose name banal as it may seem. I have spent too was listed on the screen. Within a week, I was added to much time over the past three years accumulating free the legion of students and employees who review cus- food knowledge, and I figured that it was my duty to tomer service and food quality at Duke’s eateries, all in share it in my final words in this newspaper. exchange for a free meal (and you wonder why there is But more importantly, I think that my search for a Dining deficit?). free food taught me something about this complex, exOnce I tapped into the free food underground, I citing and at times infuriating place we call Duke. knew there had to be a world of culinary delights out At the end of my freshman year, I penned a guest there waiting for me. With the University’s online event column for The Chronicle. Ironically, as a three-year calendar as my guide, I anxiously sought out lectures member of the independent Editorial Board, that coland lunchtime seminars—from the Law School to the umn was the last time—until now—I’ve had the opDivinity School—in the hope of nabbing a free bite to portunity to own my words on the opinion pages and eat. Some days, I would enjoy delicious catering from sign my name next to them. Written after the release of the Refectory; other days I would strike out with soggy the Campus Culture Initiative report, the column quessandwiches from Alpine. tioned why Duke remained so deeply fissured along Within a few months, I hit the jackpot. With a map lines of race and class and challenged the University in hand and hunger raging in my belly, I made the administration to confront these issues head on. trek to the John Hope Franklin Center to attend a As passionate as I was back then about understandtalk. For the life of me, I could not tell you who the ing the University’s deeply complicated campus culspeaker was. I do, however, vividly remember sitting ture, there was one thing I overlooked. It was up to in the back of the room munching on a delicious bur- me—not anyone in the Allen Building—to build my rito from Chipotle. I had discovered the ultimate free own Duke: to challenge myself, to make sense of this food event: Wednesdays at the Center, a weekly lunch- place, to take advantage of all it offered, to engage with time lecture series hosted by the Franklin Humanities its difference. Like a free lunch, a (ful)filling college Institute. experience wouldn’t be handed to me on a silver platOver the course of my junior year, my longing for ter. It was there waiting for me, and I had to go out free food ebbed and flowed. A semester of 11:40 a.m. there and find it. classes could dampen any shot at making it to a lunch To all the event planners whose food I have eaten, talk, forcing me to settle with the less-desirable-but-still- and to everyone who played a part in shaping my four suitable cheese and cracker spread set out for the after- years, thanks for everything. To those still looking for work 4 p.m. lecture crowd. And a week chock full of their own Duke, or simply for a free bite to eat, happy tests or papers could prove to be a complete free food hunting. buzz-kill. Nonetheless, I continued on my journey, deterMichael Blake is a Trinity senior. He is chair of the Chronmined to squeeze every last free wrap or plate of pasta icle’s Editorial Board. He still has $260.45 food points left for salad from my Duke experience—until something this semester.
12 | FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010
the chronicle