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, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 11
www.dukechronicle.com
DSG
University DCR loses annual funds, faces de-chartering consolidates van services by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE
When the buses stop running, students can still get a ride home—but don’t call the service SafeRides. Sam Veraldi, director of Duke Parking and Transportation, said the administration has consolidated two transportation services: SafeRides, typically used by students, and the Duke Hospitals van service. The merged service is now called Duke Vans. “We combined two separate organizations and dispatch functions as a matter of efficiency and from a budget standpoint,” Veraldi said. Duke Vans is a Duke Parking and Transportation service that runs when buses stop for the night. Duke Vans are available to pick up anyone with a valid University ID on campus and drop them off anywhere on campus or at private residences within a defined boundary area off campus. The service operates between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. Students were not informed of the change because the consolidation and new name have not altered the level of services See saferides on page 5
courtney douglas/The Chronicle
Seniors Justin Robinette, former Duke College Republicans chair, and Cliff Satell, former DCR vice chair, testify regarding DCR’s hostile atmosphere at the Duke Student Government meeting Wednesday night.
In a meeting that lasted more than four hours, the Duke Student Government Senate defunded the Duke College Republicans and took the first step toward de-chartering the group on the basis that the club has demonstrated a “culture of discrimination.” Securing exactly the two-thirds vote necessary for the de-chartering, the governing body’s decision will cut the organization off from annual funding for the academic year. The decision to de-charter is not official yet. The Student Organization Finance Committee will have the final say on the group’s charter. De-chartering will only be official if a majority of SOFC members vote for the DCR to lose that designation. SOFC’s decision could also eliminate DCR funding for the next two years. The group will likely meet in the next two or three weeks, said SOFC Chair Max Tabachnik, a senior. Because the decision to de-charter is not final, many senators acknowledged that their actions were largely symbolic. “De-chartering them down to a recognized group would add an element of justice to this, and up until this point there hasn’t been an element of justice to this group,” said senior Will Passo, a student affairs senator. Despite its defunding, the College Republicans will still be able to host events and have access to the programming fund—which tripled in the Spring. See dsg on page 12
Law requires textbook prices to be shown during registration by Ray Koh
THE CHRONICLE
Emily Shiau/The Chronicle
Students can now view textbook prices via ACES prior to selecting courses. The change, beginning with Fall registration adheres to new legislation.
As a result of newly enacted legislation, the cost of expensive books will no longer be a surprise on the first day of classes for future semesters. In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Duke now links to the title, author and retail price of textbook for all classes in ACES and STORM for use of students while selecting courses. The legislation required universities and colleges to list textbook information by July 1, 2010, though Duke began displaying this information earlier and in time for Fall 2010 class registration, said University Registrar Bruce Cunningham. The legislation’s purpose is to ensure that students have access to affordable course materials and is supposed to increase transparency. Cunningham said the University Bookstore received book requests much earlier this year and was therefore able to secure more used copies of textbooks for students. “Compared to last year, I felt like I had a much easier time finding my textbooks at reasonable prices,” said sophomore Kevin Carey, adding that he noticed the additional used copies of books. Used copies are especially important because in certain classes students hardly even use the books, he said.
ONTHERECORD
“The federal government does everyone’s job but their own.”
—Louisiana State Law School Professor John Baker. See story page 3
Smith Warehouse renovation nears its conclusion, Page 3
Although Carey sometimes uses Amazon to buy used books, he said the bookstore is sometimes more convenient because he can more easily return books if he changes his courses at the beginning of the semester. Buying used books on Amazon also requires trusting the independent sellers that offer the books, he added. For some students, textbooks remain expensive, especially for those that do not compare prices online. Sophomore Sanjay Wunnava bought textbooks for BIO 101L: “Molecular Biology” on campus and said he spent more than $250 between the course’s book and a clicker required for class that allows the lecture’s more than 300 students to participate by answering multiple choice questions. Fortunately, the materials are not this expensive for the majority of his classes, he added. But in addition to the newly enacted legislation, Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs for Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, said there is a movement among professors to use more affordable textbooks, said “For the class I used to teach, we used to use multiple books, but now we only use one,” Baker said. “Professors are also comfortable using BlackBoard and other websites instead of textbooks. You have a lot more flexibility.” See textbooks on page 5
Paul Harraka balances racing and school, Page 7