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 30, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 26
www.dukechronicle.com
Gates reviews effects of voluntary service Trinity looks
to reduce size by attrition
by Ciaran O’Connor THE CHRONICLE
After discussing the state of America’s allvolunteer military force, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates implored Duke students to “earn their freedom” Wednesday night. Speaking to a packed Page Auditorium, Gates reflected on both the benefits and consequences of maintaining voluntary service in wartime, arguing that although the system has improved military performance, it has also come at an unsustainable price and placed extraordinary strain on a small sliver of society. The secretary also stressed the degree to which many Americans have become disconnected from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and asked young people to consider how they can give back to their country. “Even after 9/11, in the absence of a draft, for a growing number of Americans, service in the military, no matter how laudable, has become something for other people to do,” he said. “Think about what you can do to earn your freedom— freedom paid for by those whose names are... in veterans’ cemeteries across this country and across the world.” Gates, the only secretary of defense to be retained by a newly-elected president, spoke for about half an hour before taking several questions from an audience of students, faculty, media and Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from Duke and nearby schools. Gates’ presence resonated with the military community. Prior to delivering the Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Family
by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE
gle Institute for Security Studies, the Office of Global Strategy and Programs and Duke’s “A World Together” initiative. “To us, he talked about the challenges that would face us as leaders,
Arts and Sciences will extend last year’s faculty retirement incentive offer in its attempt to reduce faculty size. The Trinity College of Arts and Sciences is looking to further shrink the size of its faculty to combat projected budgetary deficits for fiscal years 20112012 and 2012-2013, Alvin Crumbliss, interim dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences and dean of Trinity College, announced at the Arts and Sciences Council Alvin Crumbliss meeting Sept. 16. The University will supplement retirement packages of professors who commit to retire by June 30, 2012 with money from the University’s central fund. Professors who meet the Rule of 75—their age and years of work sum to 75—are eligible to individually negotiate retirement packages with academic deans. Provost Peter Lange said this year will “almost certainly” be the last Duke offers these incentives, though it is unclear when faculty members must decide
See gates on page 6
See faculty on page 6
melissa yeo/The Chronicle
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke in Page Auditorium Wednesday about a growing sense of separation between most American citizens and military service. International Lecture, Gates spoke to the ROTC units separately in the Bryan Center, said Peter Feaver, professor of political science. The American Grand Strategy Program, for which Feaver serves as director, sponsored the event along with the Trian-
House model to Conversations canceled for the year level field for independents by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
by Maggie Love THE CHRONICLE
With the transition to the house model on West Campus set for Fall 2012, administrators have announced additional details concerning the way the system will affect residence life. The new housing model seeks to accommodate students who are not members of fraternities or selective living groups in order to offer independents the same privileges other groups currently have. The house model will replace the University’s current quad model. The houses will contain 40 to 120 people, said Donna Lisker, associate dean of undergraduate education. Under the new model, students will have the option to return to the same community their junior and senior years, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said. See housing on page 6
Scientists publish theory on cell division, Page 3
Chronicle file photo
Administrators canceled Duke Conversations this year, after the expensive program did not fulfill its goals last academic year.
After a series of reforms that took place last year, one University program has been silenced for the academic year. Duke Conversations, a program that began in 2005, allowed students to bring guest speakers to campus to host dinners and lead discussions on a chosen topic. But the program was not fulfilling all of its original goals last year, which led administrators to cancel the program, said Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education. The future of the program is unknown, he added. “It was a lot of money; it just wasn’t doing what it was hoped to originally accomplish,” Nowicki said. “It was an experiment that wasn’t working the way we wanted it to.” Nowicki said he consulted President Richard Brodhead— who helped start the program—and Chris Roby, director of the Office of Student Activities and Facilities, in deciding to cancel the program. This is not the first time administrators have called for a change to the Duke Conversations program. In 2008, Nowicki convened a review committee to examine the program, which found that a small number of
ONTHERECORD
“The same people get called on over and over again and some freshmen can’t speak.”
—DSG VP for Student Affairs Gurdane Bhutani. See story page 4
See conversationson page 5
Freshmen negotiate the switch to college life, Page 3