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 16, 2010
Photography contest honors late Mahato
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 16
www.dukechronicle.com
duke student gov’t
Now hiring?
Senate votes to put DCR on probation
by Chinmayi Sharma THE CHRONICLE
An exhibit of scientific images and photographs of everyday items honored graduate student Abhijit Mahato’s unique combination of interests in the arts and engineering in a memorial contest Wednesday. More than two years after engineering graduate student Mahato’s death, the “Envisioning the Invisible” image contest sponsored by the Pratt School of Engineering commemorated his life. In addition to awards for the best submitted photos, a number of speakers recognized Mahato, including Tod Laursen, former chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, who was also Mahato’s academic advisor. In addition to remembering Mahato, who was shot and killed Jan. 18, 2008 at the Anderson Apartments near West Campus, Laursen encouraged other students to imitate his passion for interdisciplinary pursuits. Laursen described Mahato as “having a love for life with interests in varied extracurricular activities such as basketball, art, chess and intellectual debate.” The event was marked by shared sorrow over his death, as many in the audience had known him personally. Attended by about 100 students, faculty, researchers and artists, the event marked the end to a photo contest in which the submissions fell into two categories: “making the ordinary extraordinary” and “sharing the science and knowledge of objects through vision and imaging.” Jie Ren, a graduate student in physics, won the first-place award and a $1,000 cash prize for her work titled “Sand Strength.” Ren said she has been taking scientific pictures for years. “It is part of my work,” she said. “I took it for my experiment, which has been going on for more than a year now.” The 26 submissions by students were inspired by science in reality. The keynote speaker was Felice Frankel, a researcher at both Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who, like Mahato did, successfully pursues her interests in science and photography. “It’s about education,” she said, adding that she tries to use photography to portray science as an interesting subject. Frankel shared a presentation that included a number of photos—such as complex architecture, obscure chemical reactions and mundane objects such as scotch tape—to get the audience interested in science. See mahato on page 5
Justice Alito speaks at the School of Law, Page 3
by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
Addison Corriher/The Chronicle
Students dress to impress to learn more about potential careers and meet with representatives from companies in several industries at the Fall Career Fair in the Bryan Center Wednesday.
At its meeting Wednesday night, the Duke Student Government Senate moved to place the Duke College Republicans on “disciplinary probation.” The Senate’s resolution “neither confirms nor denies accusations of misconduct,” but allows the DSG Vice President for Student Affairs and the Student Affairs Senate Committee to more closely monitor DCR. The Student Organization Finance Committee now also has the power to review annual student group funding if a group is found guilty of misconduct. But interim DCR Chair Stewart Day, a senior, said DSG’s ruling is in line with actions DCR is already taking. “We have already submitted for DSG and SOFC oversight in the future,” Day said during the meeting. “I don’t want to say that as an admission of guilt. It’s something that I think would be beneficial in the long run.” The provisions giving DSG more control over the club come from a statute passed earlier in the meeting establishing See dsg on page 4
Low turnout jeopardizes Refectory brunch by Matt Barnett THE CHRONICLE
Lemon ricotta pancakes and egg strata may not be enough to save Saturday brunch at the Law School Refectory. The Refectory Cafe, which operates at two locations—the School of Law and the Divinity School, describes itself as a “green cafe,” offering fresh, healthy and homemade food options to students on campus. High operating costs and low student-traffic at the Law School, however, have jeopardized the once-popular Saturday brunch. In response to student complaints about limited weekend brunch choices, last Spring the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee and Duke Student Government asked the owner of the Refectory, Laura Hall, to open one of her locations for Saturday brunch. In the last two months of the 2010 Spring semester, Hall opened the Law School Refectory for Saturday brunch and received an overwhelming response. This Fall, however, the brunch, which operates Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., has not been as successful. “In the first two weeks we got 150 to 175 people,” Hall said. “When we operate on a given day, we need about 400 people to come through so we can keep a competitive price for such high-quality food.” Of those who attend, Hall estimates that roughly 25 percent are undergraduates. She noted the wages and benefits of employees in addition to the cost of local food are the reasons Saturday brunch See refectory on page 6
Stronger Than Yesterday Durham parents start a website to provide a resource for choosing a school, PAGE 4
Tracy Huang/The Chronicle
Although the Law School Refectory’s Saturday brunch opened last semester to high demand, poor attendance this Fall may force the eatery to discontinue it.
ONTHERECORD
“For a website that has such widespread usage, how could it go down with such a whimper? ”
—Senior Jeremy Steinman in “Death of a frat.” See column page 11.