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
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 61
www.dukechronicle.com
Panel agrees potti investigation on volatility Potti affair continues to unravel of US politics by Ciaran O’Connor THE CHRONICLE
Don’t read too much into this fall’s midterm elections results. That was the consensus among the distinguished panel gathered Saturday at the Sanford School of Public Policy to discuss the midterms and their coverage by the media. John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent; John Harris, editor-in-chief of Politico; and Sunshine Hillygus, associate professor of political science, took turns analyzing the Republican Party’s extraordinary resurgence, breaking down the GOP’s net gain of more than 60 House seats and its broader implications in an uncertain political landscape. Although the panelists differed somewhat on their assessment of the elections’ greater significance, they agreed that in a highly polarized political climate fueled by a media prone to sweeping pronouncements, the nation must keep the results in perspective. “There’s a great volatility in the American electorate right now,” King said. “As we discuss what just happened, I would not pour any cement—there’s a restiveness in the country.” Harris described the electorate as “chronically disaffected” with a political discourse that, shaped by an increasingly sensationalistic press, has come to resemble a “freak show.” As such, he said, the American people’s political allegiance is
Cancer researcher resigns, accepts blame for mistakes
Nevins requests retraction of key genomics research paper
by Taylor Doherty and Zachary Tracer
by Zachary Tracer
The Duke cancer researcher who has been under investigation for research misconduct since this summer has resigned. Dr. Anil Potti stepped down from his positions at Duke’s Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy and the School of Medicine Friday and took sole responsibility for the problems in his research, IGSP Director Huntington Willard said. Potti had been on paid administrative leave since July. “This is obviously a very regrettable series of events at all kinds of levels,” Willard said in an interview with The Chronicle Friday. Potti’s resignation comes after the termination of three clinical trials based on his research and the questioning of
A Duke researcher is in the process of retracting a foundational cancer genomics paper, signaling a lack of confidence in some of its findings. Dr. Joseph Nevins is requesting the retraction as part of an ongoing review of experiments conducted by Dr. Anil Potti, the cancer researcher under investigation for research misconduct who resigned Friday. Potti was a principal author of the paper, which describes ways of using genomic information to predict how individuals would respond to cancer-fighting drugs. “This process has been initiated due to concerns about the reproducibility of reported predictors, and
See resignation on page 8
See retraction on page 8
THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
See zeidman on page 3
Bistro seeks increased customer base DUHS faces new suit over reviews of 2004 incident by Ray Koh
THE CHRONICLE
Faith Robertson/The Chronicle
Devil’s Bistro, which opened this Spring, is looking to establish itself not only as an eatery but as a social destination on Central Campus.
Despite meeting its early goals, Devil’s Bistro is hoping to increase its revenue and attract more customers. The new Central Campus vendor, operated by Bon Appétit Management Company, opened in April and offers students a wide variety of meal options. After its first full semester of operation, however, the Bistro is looking to attract a larger customer base. “Our primary target customers were Central Campus residents, and so far the feedback has been great,” said Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst. “We projected around 200 customers per day and that’s how it’s doing right now.” He noted, however, that Dining had conservative estimates of revenue and customers for the eatery when it opened. Even though West Campus residents account for
New cries have arisen in response to the accidental use of hydraulic-fluid-tainted surgical instruments on DUHS patients in late 2004. A group of 14 patients is suing Duke University Health System because they believe that studies Duke conducted to determine the level of harm caused by the mistake were flawed. For two months in late 2004, physicians at Duke Raleigh and Durham Regional hospitals used surgical
See bistro on page 4
See hospital on page 3
ONTHERECORD
“You can maintain that normal, well-adjusted people appreciate Harry Potter.”
—Junior Shining Li in “Harry Potter sucks.” See column page 7
W. Soccer falls to Oklahoma State in Stillwater, SPORTSWRAP page 4
from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE
M. Soccer season ends in second round loss, SPORTSWRAP page 5