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, OCTOBER 8, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 32
www.dukechronicle.com
Sex list draws media to Duke
Gun discharges in West Union
Casual depictions of sex revive lax-era concerns by Zachary Tracer THE CHRONICLE
The sexual practices of Duke students are back in the spotlight, four years after lacrosse case coverage subjected campus culture to national examination. Reporters from major news outlets descended on campus yesterday after a detailed list of a Duke alumna’s sexual encounters went viral. For some, the attention the list has attracted revives questions about Duke’s social norms and rekindles concerns over public perceptions of the University. “People have this impression that Duke is this culture of these hypersexual people, and unfortunately events like this don’t help our case,” said Duke Student Government President Mike Lefevre, a senior. He said he was disappointed to see national media outlets like The New York Times and NBC’s Today Show on campus covering the situation. Lefevre said a New York Times reporter interviewed him Thursday about the sex list. “This is not the kind of story that should be getting national attention,” Lefevre said. “It doesn’t reflect well on the University, on the student body, and it certainly doesn’t reflect well on the national media.” The 42-slide PowerPoint that has drawn widespread attention was meant to be shared
by Taylor Doherty THE CHRONICLE
A revolver discharged between Chick-fil-A and the Great Hall Thursday when a part-time employee dropped his backpack to the floor in a back office. Jamiles McElveen, who works for the Great Hall, was charged with carrying a weapon on campus and carrying a concealed weapon after police responded to the incident
at approximately 5 p.m., said Duke University Police Chief John Dailey. The bullet lodged in the ceiling and no one was injured. McElveen has been barred indefinitely from stepping onto campus. “He said he put his bookbag down and it went off—he said he didn’t know it was in there,” said Princess, an employee at Chick-fil-A, adding that McElveen said he had left his bag unattended briefly at the
See media on page 4
bus station before coming to work. “He made history—today is Duke history,” Princess said. “He goes down as the dumbest criminal.” In addition to the gun charges, McElveen was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, Dailey said. McElveen has worked at the University since the end of 2009. Dailey said he could not comment on McElveen’s future employment status.
melissa yeo/The Chronicle
Budget cuts force chemistry dept. to hold some labs online by Jessica Kim THE CHRONICLE
tracy huang/The Chronicle
Due to budget cuts in recent years, some chemistry classes now alternate between “wet” and “dry” labs, with the dry labs graded online.
In an effort to cut costs, students in general chemistry and organic chemistry classes this semester are conducting half of their laboratory sessions outside of class on their computers. The new curriculum includes “wet” and “dry” labs, with the dry labs consisting of work in an online program called Sapling Learning. Dry labs typically consist of reading and written exercises graded online, James Parise, instructor of chemistry and organic chemistry laboratory manager, wrote in an e-mail. The wet labs will consist of traditional experiments that introduce a technique or focus on a synthetic method, he added. The changes will affect students in Chemistry 31, 32, 151 and 152, he said. During the previous two fiscal years, the chemistry department’s budget was reduced by 5 and 10 percent, respectively, Warren Warren, James B. Duke professor of chemistry and chair of the chemistry department, wrote in an e-mail. “As you know, all departments in Trinity [College of Arts and Sciences] were directed to make significant cuts last year,” Warren said. “We felt that decreasing the organic [and general chemistry labs] was a constructive
ONTHERECORD
“The prohibition-interdiction-incarceration model has a sorry history in the U.S.”
—Pathology Prof. Thomas Sporn in “Just say no more.” See column page 11
solution which was consistent with what our peer institutions were doing, and which would open up new educational opportunities.” The cost of operating undergraduate laboratories is one of the largest components of the chemistry department’s operating budget, Richard MacPhail, associate chair and co-director of undergraduate studies for the chemistry department, wrote in an e-mail. The new format will achieve cost-savings estimated between 25 and 50 percent on various lab materials such as chemicals, pipettes, glassware and gloves. Further savings will result from lighter staffing, but exact estimates for savings are not currently available. “Because the budget for these operations is so complex, we do not expect to have an exact accounting of our savings until the year is over,” MacPhail said. Unhappy customers Some students noted that the new curriculum is both less conducive to learning and less demanding. Sophomore Billy Kim, who spends an average of less than half an hour doing the dry lab but more than three
Our House VP for Student Affairs Larry Moneta discusses progress on the house model, PAGE 3
See labs on page 4
Duke debuts tournament named after legendary coach, Page 5