January 19, 2011 issue

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 78

www.dukechronicle.com

Panel debates NCI raised concerns after Duke review women’s role in progressives potti investigation

by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE

Delta Sigma Phi held the very first fraternity progressive on Duke’s campus 20 years ago, and the rush tradition still stands today.

But as the fraternity rush season begins, many students have brought to light the notorious nature of the progressive parties, which are known for their female hosts.

Often, the women are invited to drink hours before the party and instructed to entertain freshmen boys, the potential new members. Their tasks vary in severity from fraternity to fraternity—anything from bartending to providing sexual favors.

A panel of greek leaders and Women’s Center administrators gathered Tuesday evening to discuss the controversy surrounding progressives. The forum, entitled “Perspectives on Progressives,” was sponsored by the newly-formed Greek Women’s Initiative, a group of sorority and fraternity leaders whose goal is to raise awareness of challenges faced by greek women. About 30 students—mostly women—attended the session.

“When you speak to [sorority] leadership, most of us are on the same page in that we believe progressives are negatively affecting women, but [that is] not to say that everyone feels that way,” senior Bogna Brzezinska, president of Panhellenic Association and See progressives on page 12

Chronicle graphic by addison corriher

Documents reveal that the NCI continued to have doubts over a paper authored by Dr. Anil Potti even after a Duke review restarted clinical trials based on the research.

by Zachary Tracer THE CHRONICLE

Recently released documents show that federal researchers had more concerns than previously reported about the nowdiscredited cancer genomics research conducted by Dr. Anil Potti.

According to the documents, the National Cancer Institute continued to raise questions about the research and its use as justification for clinical trials at Duke even

after a Duke review concluded in late December 2009 that the trials could continue.

The information in the NCI documents is another indication of the growing doubts about Potti’s research in the months leading up to his suspension and resignation.

NCI scientists reported in early June that they could not reproduce the results of a key research paper co-authored by Potti that was being used to justify clinical trials, the documents show. The paper,

DukeALERT texts now mandatory

by Ashley Mooney THE CHRONICLE

ted knudsen/The Chronicle

All students will now receive DukeALERT messages by text message, a change from the previous policy, which made it optional.

published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2007, purported to use a genomic test to predict whether a chemotherapy drug known as cisplatin would be useful in treating an individual’s cancer.

“We have been unable to reproduce any of the results reported for the cisplatin chemosensitivity predictor as they were presented in the [JCO] paper, which has See potti on page 6

duke university union

Marketing Club to host ’60s-themed party in Perkins

With the increasing popularity of text messaging, the DukeALERT system has undergone a change in policy.

Students will now be required to receive emergency notifications via text message, replacing the previous opt-in policy.

“During the last several years, text messaging has become an increasingly effective way to reach many members of the Duke community because so many people are constantly connected via their cell phones,” said Paul Grantham, assistant vice president of communication services.

Receiving alerts via text message was optional until Dec. 20, when all students were required to provide their phone numbers as a part of the standard student data verification process. The approximately 4,000 employees who use Duke-purchased cell phones for business are also required to join the system.

DukeALERT, which added its text messaging option

After a year-long delay, students looking to trade in their notebooks for champagne flutes can do so next month at Perkins library.

As the von der Heyden Pavillion is transformed into a 1960s jazz lounge, students, faculty and staff attending “Mad Men and Mad Women” Feb. 25 will have the opportunity to network with advertising and marketing professionals.

The Duke Marketing Club, in collaboration with the Duke University Union, the John W. Hartman Center for

See dukealert on page 6

See duu on page 12

ONTHERECORD

“There is a false idea that we are somehow at war with Muslims.”

­—Special Rep. to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith. See story page 3

Dr. Marvin Swartz on gun control, Page 4

by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE

Durham Connects expands to entire county, Page 3

2 | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 the chronicle

worldandnation onschedule...

Career Fair Prep for Grads Bryan Center, 12-1p.m.

This workshop, held in Meeting Room B of the Bryan Center, aims to help you maximize your time at this year’s Career Fair.

on the

Dinner With the Nexus Devil’s Bistro, 6-7:30p.m.

Meet members of the Nexus, Duke’s new philosophical discussion society with a new residential component for 2011-2012.

TODAY:

5831

THURSDAY:

5140

Quit for New Years Erwin Plaza Conf. Room, 6-7p.m.

Duke’s Live for Life program will partner with you as you travel down the road to freedom from tobacco.

web

“As Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs took an unexpected leave of absence Monday, Tim Cook, Fuqua ‘88, will step up to run one of the world’s biggest technology company. This is the third time that Cook, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, will take the reins,. The Chronicle previously profiled the Duke alum, who received his master’s in business administration from Fuqua School of Business..’”

— From The Chronicle News Blog bigblog.chronicleblogs.com

Ramin Talaie/bloomberg news

Consumer sales at high-end stores like Tiffany & Co. saw an increase at the beginning of the year due to a slight rebound in the stock market. However, although recent consumer purchases at high-end stores reflect big gains among high-income households, the financial woes of the rest of the country continue. Unemployment is staying constant at about 9.6 percent—the highest rate since 1983.

Obama admin. takes a Pressure mounts in Tunisia firmer stance against China as key leaders step down WASHINGTON, D.C. — The arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao in the United States brings him face to face with an Obama administration that has grown more hard-nosed about the course of what is arguably the most important relationship the United States maintains with a foreign power.

Analysts say Hu is eager to burnish his legacy as a competent steward of China’s ties with the United States. But although Obama entered office expressing a sense that together the United States and China had an opportunity to solve many of the world’s problems, Hu will find an administration that views his government with significant misgivings.

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s interim president and prime minister resigned from the former ruling party Tuesday, although not their leadership posts, hours after at least three ministers pulled out of the North African country’s day-old unity government. The move appeared intended to offset the effect of the ministers’ resignations, which threatened to undermine efforts to quell continuing unrest here and launch an era of democratic reforms that many hope could inspire the Arab world.

As curfew approached in this tense capital, pressure mounted for Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannoushi to also resign entirely from the government.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INTRODUCTORY CLASS

Stress Management to Enrich Your Life BUILD YOUR BRAIN POWER SEEK HAPPINESS

BUILDING COMMUNITY TO STOP HUNGER NOW!

If you are feeling pressured and stressed, or just interested in learning a new skill that can enrich your life, these classes are for you!

Duke University: 2011 Martin Luther King Commemoration Week

There will be 4 sessions for this class, all on Mondays.

Jan 24, 31, Feb 7 and 14 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Click “MLK - Meal Packaging Event” under Programs & Services

They are FREE and open to ALL DUKE STUDENTS Undergraduate, Graduate and Professional Registration is required.

Sponsored by: Duke University, Durham Rotary Club, North Carolina Central University, Southern High School, and Stop Hunger Now! Hosted by: Southern High School

Visit the CAPS website to register and for more information on this and other Mindfulness workshops.

www.scvp.civic.duke.edu

Wednesday, Janurary 26, 2011 TIME: 5:00 - 9:00 pm

Southern High School 800 Clayton Rd. Durham, NC 27703

http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/caps (Click on WORKSHOPS AND DISCUSSIONS) CAPS - Division of Student Affairs - Duke University

For more info please contact: Neil Hoefs @ 919.684.5213 or visit www.scvp.civic.duke.edu

the chronicle

Wednesday, january 19, 2011 | 3

Program offering support Obama envoy discusses to new parents expands American-Muslim relations

by Kelly Scurry THE CHRONICLE

Parents of newborns in Durham can count on some help this year.

Since July 2008, Durham Connects has visited 1,713 families to ensure newborn well-being in half of Durham County. Now, just two years after its initial phase of visits, the organization has expanded to cover all of the county— providing essential services to thousands of families.

“The goal of Durham Connects is to visit every Durham parent who has had a baby,” said Jeannine Sato, the program’s director of the office of community resources. “Hospitals discharge new parents only days after a birth so the medical practitioners do not have much time to answer many questions.”

In 2004, Kenneth Dodge, director of the Center for Child and Family Policy, formed Durham Connects after recognizing the efforts of three organizations in the county. In collaborating with the Durham County Health Department, the Durham Family Initiative and the Network of Care, he created Durham Connects to improve and expand the existing home-visit models for child welfare.

Dodge said that creating Durham Connects has been a goal of the Center for Child and Family Policy since 2000. At the time, Durham had the highest incident rate of child abuse and neglect in the state, and North Carolina had a higher rate of child abuse than in the United

States as a whole, he said.

When Dodge was approached by the Duke Endowment, the benefactor of the Durham Family Initiative, he created a team to discover ways to decrease abuse in the county.

“The Duke Endowment came to me in 2000 stating it knew of the early child abuse in [Durham] and wondered if I would be interested in researching the problem and finding a solution,” Dodge said.

When Durham Connects made its first home visits in 2008, the organization only visited families with children born on even-numbered days of the year to test the program’s effects against the efforts of other groups, Dodge and Sato said.

Durham Connects begins helping a family after representatives from the Center for Child and Family Policy contact parents with newborns in Durham, Dodge said. Nurses from the Durham County Health Department then visit the family and provide resources for the overall well-being of the home. When the child reaches a certain age, he said the child starts participating in the East Durham Children’s Initiative, a program that collaborates with Durham Connects to provide adequate services for children until age 21.

Although it has already experienced tremendous growth, the organization hopes to reach families in neighboring counties in the future.

See connects on page 6

by Michael Shammas THE CHRONICLE

The Obama administration wants to engage with Muslims around the world by building and sustaining connections within Islamic communities, said Farah Pandith, first special representative to Muslim communities for the State Department.

Pandith, who reports directly to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, gave a speech titled “Muslim Engagement in the 21st Century” to a packed audience in the Sanford School of Public Policy last night to convey the “new, important” challenges facing the United States’ relationship with the world’s Muslim community. The government especially wants to reach out to Muslims under the age of 30 in order to fulfill its long-term goal of improving relations, she noted.

Pandith explained that the way in which the Obama administration engages with Muslims differs slightly from the way in which the Bush administration did. The current administration is looking to engage with Muslims at a closer level than its predecessor, she said.

“This is a unique spot in time,” Pandith said. “Therefore, it is vital that we think creatively about what is happening at the grassroots level in Muslim countries. We especially need to understand that what is happening around the world differs from city to city.”

She also encouraged students to be involved in changing the social dynamic between Muslims and other religious groups

2011

Wednesday, january 26 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bryan Center , main level

Questions? Call 919-684-4304

Nate glencer/The Chronicle

Farah Pandith, first special representative to Muslim communities, encouraged students to help improve relations between them and other religious groups. for the better, stressing that since 9/11 many Muslims have felt stigmatized.

The State Department wants to interact with those who feel discriminated against and go beyond the counter-terrorism aspect of foreign relations, Pandith said. She said she is especially concerned about the See pandith on page 6

4 | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 the chronicle

Q&A with Dr. Marvin Swartz Dr. Marvin Swartz is the head of Social and Community Psychiatry at the Duke University Medical Center. He has served as a consultant for The Washington Post and other media outlets following the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., in which six were killed and 14 were injured. The Chronicle’s Yeshwanth Kandimalla sat down with Swartz to discuss the circumstances surrounding the incident and the shooter, Jared Loughner.

The Chronicle: How can inflammatory political rhetoric affect a mentally or emotionally unstable person like Jared Loughner?

Dr. Marvin Swartz: The environment in which people live can really shape their thinking. With someone who has

special to The Chronicle

Dr. Marvin Swartz, who has acted as a consultant for media after the Tucson shooting, advocates for stricter enforcement of gun control laws.

a serious mental illness, his or her environment definitely has an effect. It’s an indirect relationship.

TC: Do you consider public figures that engage in such rhetoric in any way responsible for such behavior?

MS: No, not for his behavior. There’s certainly been a lot of inflammatory rhetoric, but I couldn’t draw a oneto-one relationship between that kind of rhetoric and his behavior.

TC: How does this incident compare to school or office shootings in terms of the circumstances involving the shooter and the victims?

MS: This is certainly a much higher profile case with the federal judge and [Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.] being victims. It draws a lot more attention. Mass shootings tend to draw people’s attention and scare them. The political undertone of this incident has made it more notorious.

TC: How should Loughner’s case be handled within the legal system?

MS: The judge in the case will likely order a psychiatric evaluation of Loughner. Based on those results, his attorney can determine whether or not [Loughner] is mentally capable of standing trial. Loughner and his attorneys can try an insanity defense. A successful insanity defense is extremely rare though, and it doesn’t relieve culpability.

Those who win an insanity defense are committed to mental institutions. In general, folks who plead insanity spend more time in mental institutions than they would with a regular prison sentence.

TC: Many Duke students are politically active and have heated discussions with one another. Do you see any Duke students acting as Loughner did to make a political statement?

MS: No, I do not. [Loughner] is a very sick young man and apparently untreated. I would hope anyone here who sees someone who is obviously sick would assist him. At a place like Duke, folks like the faculty or other students will try to step in and help. The community college [that Loughner had attended] assessed that he was disturbed.

He was then expelled. A lot of community colleges have

very few resources to be able to treat cases such as [Loughner’s].

TC: Going forward, do you see a shift in political rhetoric based on this incident?

MS: Well, President [Barack] Obama gave a speech calling for civility. It does appear to have toned down the inflammatory language for now. President Obama set the tone and many political pundits seemed to have followed that lead.

TC: Can you suggest any long-term solutions to prevent a similar incident in the future?

MS: I think there are some remedies and they have to do mostly with access to guns. We have to try to limit availability to certain kinds of guns and large cartridges and in general have better enforcement of existing gun laws. We also need to make sure communities have the resources to help those who are mentally ill.

TC: Do existing gun laws do enough to prevent mentally ill individuals from having access to guns?

MS: With the [Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, a federal law enacted in 1994 requiring background checks of people looking purchase firearms], states can report people that have been committed [to mental institutions] to a national database. It helps restrict access to guns being purchased at retail outlets, although there are restrictions for purchasing them at gun shows. I think proper enforcement of the Brady Act would somewhat limit access to guns.

Visit dukechronicle.com to share your opinion.

the chronicle

Wednesday, january 19, 2011 | 5

Lieberman to retire at end of term, will not run in 2012

by Dan Balz and Paul Kane THE washington post

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee who won re-election to the Senate in 2006 as an independent, plans to announce Wednesday that he will retire at the end of his term, according to an aide.

Once a stalwart member of the Democratic caucus and a leader in the party’s centrist wing, Lieberman (Conn.) has spent most of the past four years in partial exile - voting with Democrats on organizational matters and some domestic issues while siding with Republicans on key issues of national security.

His estrangement from his party reached its apex when he backed Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign, siding with a close friend and political soulmate over the nominee of a party that had been his home since he entered politics four decades earlier.

Lieberman, 68, has scheduled an announcement for Wednesday in his home town of Stamford, Conn. There, an aide said, he will cast himself as a politician in the mold of former President John F. Kennedy, who inspired him to enter politics and who, in Lieberman’s rendering, was strong on national security, a centrist on economic issues and a liberal on social issues.

“He believes he’s been consistent with that legacy since in public life,” said Marshall Wittmann, his communications director.

Lieberman achieved an important item on the liberal agenda, the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” prohibition, which was approved last month.

But even that victory was not enough to win back the full affection of many Democrats, who could not forgive him for his unwavering support of Republican President George W. Bush’s Iraq war policies and for his decision to back McCain.

Lieberman faced the prospect of a potentially difficult re-election campaign, including a competitive primary if he sought the Democratic nomination.

Instead, he decided to retire in two years, with the in-

tention of remaining active in public life. After four terms in the Senate, he decided he wanted to open a new chapter in his life, an aide said.

Lieberman’s statement Wednesday will come one day after an announcement by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. that he will retire rather than face what could be a difficult re-election campaign in two years. His seat will become a prime prospect for a Republican takeover.

Connecticut, a perennially Democratic state, may pose a more difficult challenge for Republicans. Last November, the GOP was frustrated in its hopes of picking up the Senate seat of Christopher Dodd (D), who retired in the face of a potentially difficult re-election race.

“Being elected as an independent has encouraged me to do more what is right, rather than worrying about what it means politically in two years or four years” — Joseph Lieberman, U.S. Senator On Tuesday, lawmakers were consuming the news of Lieberman’s decision even before it was made official.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., who is considering a 2012 Senate bid, noted that Lieberman had a career with “a lot of twists and turns” but still was “one of the giants” in his state’s political history.

“Joe is like a family member to the state,” he said.

Lieberman’s involvement in progressive politics began as a college student, when he was active in the civil rights movement and went to Mississippi to help with voter registration drives for African Americans.

He began his rise in politics by winning election to the Connecticut Senate, defeating the body’s majority leader.

He later served as the state’s attorney general. In 1988, he challenged then-Sen. Lowell Weicker, a maverick Republican who was considered the strong favorite. In an upset, Lieberman narrowly won.

In Washington, he became a leader of the party’s centrist wing, eventually chairing the Democratic Leadership Council. On foreign policy, he voted for the first Persian Gulf War resolution, in 1991, when many Democrats opposed it, and he has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters.

In 2000, Al Gore chose Lieberman to be his vice presidential running mate, making Lieberman the first Jewish American on a major-party ticket. After Bush became president, Lieberman made clear that he thought the Gore political team focused too much on class warfare. He and Gore later broke more significantly on Iraq.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Lieberman helped engineer passage of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security and embraced Bush’s war in Iraq. It was that support that prompted a primary challenge in the 2006 Senate race from millionaire Ned Lamont and a campaign that pitted the emerging progressive net roots of the Democratic Party against the party’s former vice presidential nominee.

Lieberman lost that primary but announced immediately that he would run in the general election as an independent.

Most of the Democratic establishment abandoned him, but when Republicans declined to put their full resources behind their nominee, Lieberman won re-election.

He said later that his 2006 race had freed him from the “tribal partisanship” that has come to dominate Washington.

“Being elected as an independent has encouraged me to do more what is right, rather than worrying about what it means politically in two years or four years,” he told The Washington Post in June 2008.

While many point to that 2006 race as Lieberman’s seminal break with Democrats, he rejoined the caucus in 2007 without much fanfare, openly breaking from the party only when it came to the war in Iraq.

Duke University School of Nursing

Office Office of of Global Global and and Community Community Health Health Initiatives Initiatives Presents Presents

The Fourth Annual Global Health Lecture Thursday, Thursday, February February 3, 3, 2011 2011 4:30pm 4:30pm –– 6:00pm 6:00pm (Reception (Reception immediately immediately following following in in Café Café DUSON) DUSON)

Duke University University School School Duke of Nursing Nursing of 307 Trent Trent Drive Drive 307 Room 1014 1014 Room Durham, NC NC 27710 27710 Durham,

“USAID in Haiti: One Year After the Earthquake… A Vision for the Future” 2011 Lecturer:

Co-sponsors

Russell Porter Coordinator, Haiti Task Team U.S. Agency for International Development This event is FREE and open to the public, however, registration is required. To register go to www.nursing.duke.edu. The deadline for registration is January 31, 2011.

For more information contact Belinda Wisdom @ 919-684-9554 or via email: belinda.wisdom@duke.edu.

All photos provided courtesy of US Agency for International Development.

All Rights Reserved.

6 | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 the chronicle

potti from page 1 been repeatedly cited as providing validation for the predictor,” NCI statistician Lisa McShane wrote in the June report, which was sent to the Duke researchers and Vice Dean for Research Sally Kornbluth. “The data, computer code, and instructions provided to us by Dr. Potti did not enable us to reproduce the results in the paper, and we do not know why or when the methods were changed.”

The NCI recently provided the documents to the Institute of Medicine as part of the IOM’s review of Potti’s research at Duke’s Institute for Genome Science and Policy and similar studies. The IOM then released them to The Cancer Letter.

Several weeks after the NCI found it could not reproduce Potti’s research, Duke researchers traveled to Maryland to meet with the NCI to discuss the organization’s concerns. After the June 29 meeting, attended by Kornbluth, IGSP Director Huntington Willard, Potti and other researchers, concerns about Potti’s data became more apparent.

“These interactions highlighted further lapses in data handling and analysis, and raised additional questions about the provenance of the data,” Kornbluth and Dr. Michael Cuffe, vice president for medical affairs, wrote in a summary of events for the IOM. After the meeting, the NCI continued to harbor doubts about the Duke research, according to the prepared speech of McShane at the first meeting of the IOM review committee in December.

“The meeting concluded with NCI remaining unconvinced of the validity of the Duke predictors,” McShane said, according to the prepared remarks.

The clinical trials—including one funded in part by the NCI—continued, but the NCI requested that Duke provide it with the original data and computer code that might validate the researchers’ conclusions.

In an interview, McShane said that after the June 29 meeting the NCI gave the Duke researchers a final chance to establish the source and accuracy of their data and prove that their predictor worked.

But that inquiry was soon overshadowed by the events that led to Potti’s suspension and eventual resignation.

“The scientific discourse with the NCI and Dr. Nevins and Dr. Potti clearly was not reaching a resolution, and so when the [resume] allegations came out only two weeks later, it was pretty clear we needed to pause these trials and figure out whether we were on sound footing,” Cuffe said.

The paper that provided the scientific justification for the predictor was retracted in November because Duke researchers could not reproduce its findings.

McShane was not the only one pointing out problems in cancer genomics research conducted by Potti.

Two biostatisticians from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Keith Baggerly and Kevin Coombes, also examined research conducted by Potti and others at Duke and encountered problems similar to those identified by the NCI. Their concerns that those problems could lead to patient harm, echoed by the NCI, helped prompt the 2009 Duke review of clinical trials based on the research. But Duke officials did not provide biostatistics reviewers with a report from Baggerly and Coombes containing evidence of additional research flaws, and the reviewers ultimately approved reopening the clincal trials. Baggerly said

he is confident that had the reviewers been given the report, the data problems would have been spotted.

The administrators responsible for the review, including Institutional Review Board Chair Dr. John Harrelson, decided not to forward the report to the biostatisticians in order to preserve their objectivity, Harrelson said. He noted that the biostatisticians were provided with the articles Baggerly and Coombes had published criticizing the research.

“Our concern was to have an unbiased review of the data and to not have the accuser try the defendant,” Harrelson said But Baggerly said the November 2009 report contained information not available elsewhere. He pointed out that the analysis was based on new information the Duke researchers posted online in early November.

He noted that even as Duke was investigating the research of Nevins and Potti, the researchers continued to post incorrect data online.

“What we have is documented proof that the data is wrong as the investigation is underway,” Baggerly said. “Indeed, it’s wrong for two drugs that they’re using in clinical trials for two years.”

Harrelson said that given what he and other administrators knew at the time, the decision not to give the report to the reviewers was the right one. He said the reason the review failed to detect problems was that the researchers did not provide the biostatisticians with all of their raw data.

“Our request to the investigators at Duke was that the reviewers be provided with all of the source data,” Harrelson said. “It turns out that they were not, and that’s what lead to the subsequent concern and the retraction of the papers by Dr. Nevins.”

dukealert from page 1

Students interested in running for Editor of The Chronicle should submit a resumé and a two-page essay on goals for the newspaper to the Board of Directors of the Duke Student Publishing Co., Inc. Applications should be submitted to: 301 Flowers Building Attention: Lindsey Rupp Editor, The Chronicle Deadline for application is Friday, January 21, 2011 at 5 p.m.

in 2008, also uses e-mail, emergency lines and its website to inform students and employees of emergency situations.

About 8,000 individuals are currently signed up for the DukeALERT texting service, which is designed to update students in a quick and efficient way. With the implementation of the new policy, the system has as many as 12,000 additional phones to be registered, Grantham said.

Several other schools, such as North Carolina State University, have developed similar emergency text messaging services since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.

Information collected during the recent winter storm gives evidence of an increasing number of people accessing emergency information from their phones.

Web metrics show that the DukeALERT emergency website received 22,400 visits from Sunday to Wednesday last week.

Sixteen percent of this traffic was from smartphone devices such as iPhones and Blackberries, said Grantham.

There are several concerns about making participation in the texting service mandatory. One is the cost of text messaging. Several people either do not

connects from page 3 “At this time, we don’t have an efficient way to include infants born in Orange and Wake counties, but we hope to one day cover the entire [Research Triangle area],” Sato added.

Dodge and Sato said the Center is conducting research to determine the effectiveness of the program in reducing

pandith from page 3 “us-versus-them” mentality that many believe the United States has with Muslim countries and noted that the State Department hopes that by engaging with young Muslims it can serve as an outlet to hear their concerns.

“We understand that we are at war with al Qaeda, but at the same time that is not the only way we should engage with the Muslim community,” Pandith said “There is a false idea that we are somehow at war with Muslims.”

Pandith said that the way in which young Muslims develop will affect the United States. Indeed, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and claims nearly a fourth of the world’s people.

“The narratives that are affecting young [Muslims] as they form their identities should be of concern to us,” said Pandith. “There are not enough voices to facilitate talk between different young people. We hope to encourage innovation and discussion to help young Muslims make a better world.”

After speaking for about 15 minutes, Pandith spent 45 minutes taking questions from professors, students and faculty members within the audience.

Sophomore Chris Carroll said he attended the speech because the country’s relationship with Muslims is an important component of U.S. foreign policy.

“I liked the speech and thought Farah was a very impressive diplomat,” he said, “But she was very bureaucratic in her statements. I would have liked to have heard her talk more about how she cements the relationships that she forms with the people she meets around the world.” have texting or are not willing to pay the charges.

Some students were also concerned with their privacy when giving out their numbers.

“I feel like a student should not have to give up their phone number if they don’t want to,” freshman Alex Kazandjian said.

“They can encourage you to use it, but I don’t think that they should make it mandatory. Although at the same time I see where they are coming from.”

In a Duke News press release, the University assures that the numbers collected will not be included in Duke’s online directory.

“I think it’s a good thing because who doesn’t want to be aware when there is a crime on campus? As long as they don’t take advantage of DukeALERT by sending an excessive amount of messages, I think it’s fine,” freshman Minshu Deng said.

Despite these concerns, the DukeALERT system still allows the University to communicate almost instantly with the Duke community regarding dangerous situations, increasing the safety on campus, Grantham noted.

“If we have the opportunity to get a message out to people about a potentially dangerous situation, it just made sense to do it,” Grantham said.

the incidents of child abuse and neglect in the Durham area by studying North Carolina statistics, hospital emergency room and admittance records and anonymous surveys from families and professionals.

“Eighty-six percent of families invited have chosen to participate.” Dodge admitted. “Hopefully that is a sign that the Durham community sees Durham Connects as having a beneficial impact.

Sports

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WEDNESDAY www.dukechroniclesports.com

wrestling

Blue Devils fall to rival Senior Mike Bell records night’s only pin

by Jeff Scholl THE CHRONICLE

Mike Bell had lost a contact lens earlier in his match against North Carolina’s Danny Lopes, but he didn’t need 20-20 vision to score DUKE 9 Duke’s best victory of the night.

33 UNC The 141-pound senior pinned Lopes with 41 seconds remaining in the match, providing one of the lone bright spots for the Blue Devils (1-2, 0-1 in the ACC) in their 33-9 loss to the Tar Heels Tuesday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

ONLINE

January 19, 2011

Fox Sports reported yesterday that Kyrie Irving’s father, Dederick, said his son’s cast would be removed Feb. 4 Check out our online-only column, “Around the ACC”

“I was completely surprised because I had lost my contacts and I couldn’t see so hot already, and when [the referee] called it I thought it was potentially dangerous because of the way we were scrambling,” Bell said. “It looked like a weird situation but we actually do practice that type of position.... So when he tried to roll under my leg I turned my toe up, and turning your toe up keeps him from going back and forth. He made the mistake of trying to roll and I just kind of caught him.”

Bell’s victory provided Duke with six of See wrestling on page 8

DUKE vs N.C. STATE WEDNESDAY • 7 p.m. • ESPN

Smith, Leslie anchor dominant frontcourt

by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE

N.C. State is never portrayed as Duke’s fiercest in-state rival, but nobody has bothered to inform Tracy Smith of that.

He took down the Blue Devils last year with a dominating 23-point performance and hopes to inflict similar pain on his crosstown rivals when they meet at the RBC Center tonight at 7 p.m.

After defeating Jordan Williams of Maryland and more recently losing to Seminoles’ forward Chris Singleton, Duke will be playing another conference game against a powerful big man. These games have exposed the Blue Devils’ need to defend the post, and they have analyzed their performances to formulate a game plan against Smith.

“I would say [N.C. State is] closer to the style of Maryland with Tracy Smith,” associate head coach Chris Collins said. “They have some good young athletes, and they have a dominant big man who is the focal point of what they do.”

Although the Wolfpack (11-6, 1-2 in the ACC) have struggled as of late, losing two consecutive road games to ACC opponents Boston College and Florida State, the team is starting to find its rhythm. Smith missed 10 games earlier in the season and is only recently approaching the minutes that he averaged last year in his junior season.

In the paint, Smith is joined by freshman forward C.J. Leslie, who stepped up in Smith’s absence and is averaging 11.1

Chelsea Pieroni/The Chronicle

In one of its two home conference matches of the season, the Blue Devils fell to rival North Carolina, 33-9.

See n.c. state on page 8

rob stewart/Chronicle file photo

During the last time Duke set foot in Raleigh, Tracy Smith exploded for 23 points in the Wolfpack’s win.

Crunching the numbers with the Blue Devils The beginning of 2011 hasn’t been especially kind to Mike Krzyzewski and his team. The Blue Devils won a dogfight against Maryland in Cameron, then lost to Florida State on the road, and looked lost for nearly 30 minutes against Virginia.

But perhaps some simple New Year’s resolutions Tom will help Duke get back to its former No. 1 ranking. Using some basic statistics, it’s not hard to identify some goals that might help the Blue Devils as the calendar moves toward March.

The first number we’ll use is “offensive rating.” It takes into account many different ways players contribute to scoring, from made field goals to offensive rebounds to turnovers—and

Gieryn

it spits out one number that expresses how much offense a player generates per possession.

Because it’s a per possession stat, though, offensive rating doesn’t mean much on its own. Instead, the key to offensive stardom in basketball is combining a high offensive rating with a high usage rate, which measures the percentage of a team’s possessions that end with the ball in the hands of a particular player, because that player shoots or turns the ball over. So the best players are the ones who not only have a high offensive rating, but who are involved often enough to have a high usage rate.

Here, then, is a chart to illustrate the relationship between these two statistics—usage and offensive rating— for each Blue Devil player: See gieryn on page 8

graphic by margie truwit/The Chronicle

8 | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 the chronicle

n.c. state from page 7 points, eight rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on the season. Despite the freshman’s recent success, Collins singled out Smith as the player the Blue Devils need to stop.

“He’s an elite player in our conference. He’s very hard to guard one-onone,” Collins said. “Whenever he gets the ball down low he commands double teams, and he’s a good passer from the post, so those guys on the outside become difficult to defend.”

The perimeter player to watch for is sophomore forward Scott Wood, who benefits the most from the attention inside. Wood is an elite 3-point shooter, having made 46 treys on the season— more than any Duke player. Also on the perimeter is freshman point guard Ryan Harrow, who has experienced growing

wrestling from page 7 its nine total team points, and he temporarily kept the Blue Devils in the match after they fell behind 12-0 due to forfeits at both the 125 and 133-pound weight classes.

Yet the Tar Heels (6-5, 1-1) quickly rallied and reeled off six consecutive victories, the first three of which were major decisions that each added four points to North Carolina’s overall score. Redshirt freshman Bret Klopp—ranked No. 32 in the nation at 174 pounds—tried to stop the bleeding against Thomas Ferguson. Klopp had registered a teambest 13 pins heading into the match, but he failed to mount an effective attack against Ferguson, and it was clear the match would go the distance.

Klopp trailed 8-4 heading into the final period and never managed to close the gap, ultimately dropping his first dual match of the season by a score of 9-4.

“We weren’t very aggressive,” Bell said of Duke’s performance on the night. “We went out and we wrestled Davidson [on the road] last week, and our guys were just machines, they were tearing people’s

pains in his inaugural year and is not a threat from downtown like Wood.

How Duke (16-1, 3-1) will defend Smith to prevent N.C. State from capitalizing from outside is the major question. Ryan Kelly, the Plumlees and Kyle Singler, who saw minutes against Maryland essentially playing the five, are all going to have to contribute to contain the powerful forward.

“It’s going to be more of a committee. Obviously to start the game Mason will have that responsibility,” Collins said.

“But obviously Ryan, Miles [will] too. We never want to have one guy stop one player, it’s a team effort.”

Ultimately, the type of lineup that Duke plays will not only decide the pace of the game, but also how they defend Smith.

“We don’t want to play Kyle at center, but if the game situation calls for a smaller lineup, we’ll do that,” Collins said.

heads off, and tonight UNC took the first shot on us every single match.”

The lack of aggression continued at 184 pounds, where redshirt sophomore Diego Bencomo narrowly lost to No. 28 Antonio Giorgio 7-5. Bencomo owns 16 wins on the season, second-most on the team, yet Giorgio gave him all he could handle. Bencomo trailed 6-3 in the third period and had yet to make a strong move against Giorgio, but he finally took a shot with only 13 seconds left in the match. Bencomo could not put Giorgio on his back, however, and only came away with a two-point takedown as time expired—not enough for the victory.

Redshirt sophomore Andrew Fulk gave the Blue Devils their second and final win of the night at the heavyweight spot, but the three-point decision over Ben Brooks was not nearly enough to close the overall 27-point gap in team scores.

“Overall they fought really hard,” Duke head coach Clar Anderson said. “Technically we probably wrestled to what [North Carolina] anticipated, but it’s obviously disappointing.”

gieryn from page 7 So, what does this show us?

The top-right quadrant shows the offensive stars: high efficiency and high usage.

These players are good scorers, and are very involved in the offense.

Move to the top left, and you’re looking at the players with the most to gain from resolving to get more involved in the offense.

These are the guys with the greatest potential to become bigger cogs in the offensive machine.

In the bottom left, we find the team’s “role players,” who don’t score particularly efficiently, but who also aren’t playing outside themselves and aren’t using lots of possessions.

The final quadrant, on the bottom right, gives a testament to head coach Mike Krzyzewski, in that no players appear here, which is where the low-efficiency, high-usage players would show up. These are players who aren’t especially good scorers but who nonetheless use lots of the team’s possessions. Krzyzewski’s players know their roles so well that no one is trying to score more than he’s able to.

This gives a picture of where things stand, but in making resolutions, it’s critical to look at what could improve. Here are four players that could really benefit themselves and their team by improving a certain area of their game.

1. Mason Plumlee: Work on free throw shooting until blue in the face. It’s no surprise to see rookies Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton in the “role player” quadrant; nor is it odd that workmanlike junior Miles Plumlee is down there. But Mason has started 12 of 17 games and has been counted on to fill a scoring role in the paint. Mason is a monster on the defensive glass, and a good offensive rebounder as well, but his efficiency is held down by his dismal 42.2 percent performance at the charity stripe. Better finishing inside and more made free throws would turn Plumlee into a reliable offensive threat.

2. Andre Dawkins: Keep looking for your shot. Dawkins’s offensive rating

currently ranks 13th in the country, as he’s absolutely shooting lights out: 47.7 percent from beyond the arc, 68.6 percent on two-point shots, and over 80 percent from the line. It’s icing on the cake that he rarely turns the ball over (just 15 turnovers in 441 minutes). But in spite of that productivity, his usage rate ranks second-to-last on the team, ahead of only Thornton. His role has increased since Kyrie Irving got hurt, and his performance on Saturday against Virginia showed that he’s ready to take more of a leadership role for his team. It’s impossible to expect Dawkins to keep making shots at such high rates, but if he can resolve to keep on shooting, he’ll be a massive asset on offense.

3. Seth Curry: Get to the rim more and finish better. Curry’s making better than 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and he’s an 85 percent marksman from the free-throw line. He’s been effective bringing the ball up (30 assists to 16 turnovers) and he’s been a pesky defender, tied for the team lead with 24 steals. His Achilles’ heel, though, is twopoint shooting: He’s made just 14 of his 43 two-point attempts (32.6 percent). If he can improve that number, he could earn his way into the starting lineup at point guard.

4. Ryan Kelly: Fill the void Duke has as an inside scoring threat. Kelly is nowhere near the rebounder that fellow sophomore Mason Plumlee is, but he’s blocked just four less shots despite playing 127 less minutes.

On offense, though, he shoots better near the rim (56 percent from two-point range compared to Mason’s 55 percent) but adds a three-point threat (32 percent despite a recent shooting slump) and a good freethrow stroke at 86.7 percent. If Plumlee doesn’t step up to become the inside scoring threat many have expected him to be, perhaps Kelly can inherit that role.

These four have shown serious potential and could improve their games with a few of these adjustments. Duke will get a boost if they make good on its New Year’s resolutions.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011 | 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

Dilbert Scott Adams

Doonesbury Garry Trudeau

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10 | Wednesday, january 19, 2011

Sakai cooks up something new When it comes to Duke’s and it takes some effort to eeLearning software, it looks mail specific groups of students. like something new is on the Most importantly, the discussion menu. boards are defunct and do not The Arts and Sciences provide an intuitive interface for Council announced last week class collaboration. that Sakai ColAs such, laboration and Blackboard reeditorial Learning Envimains underronment would replace Black- utilized with many professors board Academic Suite Version preferring to forego the system 8 by the summer of 2012. More altogether. than 350 educational organizaSakai, named for a famous tions are using Sakai, according “Iron Chef,” appears more to the company’s website, and promising in terms of encourDuke is looking to join them. aging collaboration. AccordThis is good news for faculty ing to Learning Solutions and students who have felt that Magazine, learning manageBlackboard—true to its antiquat- ment systems like Blackboard ed name—is clunky, aesthetically tend to limit the amount of unappealing and confusing to student involvement in the onuse. The location of documents, line environment. The professuch as syllabi, tends to be incon- sor usually uploads documents sistent. The e-mailing capabilities and issues announcements. of Blackboard are cumbersome, Students are left to simply re-

“

onlinecomment

Mason is getting a lot of rebounds but until he can put the ball in the basket, Duke will still struggle. A paint controlling force? I must be watching a different game.

”

—“Mary Balbach” commenting on the story “Could Mason Plumlee be the new Zoubek?”

See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

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Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns.

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ceive information.

Sakai, on the other hand, is a collaborative learning environment designed to increase student involvement by facilitating group discussions. It allows students to create their own groups and makes it easier for them to upload documents. Educators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have praised its cleaner look and more intuitive functionality, according to The Daily Tar Heel.

Additionally, Sakai offers a portfolio tool that allows students and professors to create collections of their work, which would be helpful for seniors looking for post-graduation opportunities and students looking to gain a more in-depth understanding of their professors’ work.

As with all system overhauls,

there will be an added time cost as faculty and students learn how to use Sakai. Tracy Futhey, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer, noted that there were some limitations to Sakai.

The Daily Tar Heel reports that several UNC professors complained about not being able to separate notifications by class section.

Still, Sakai poses a great benefit because it is run on open source software. As Ed Gomes, senior associate dean of Trinity College Technology Services said, there is much potential for Duke to expand its eLearning system in order to accommodate its international ambitions.

With campuses in Singapore and China, it will be vital for Duke to create a system that can support collaboration

among different locations.

Other schools have been successful in the modification process. According to FutureGov Asia Pacific, Oxford University recently altered Sakai software to create virtual learning environments in which students can access online lectures and manage their course materials.

Sakai will enable technicians to tailor the eLearning environment to Duke’s needs.

The fact that faculty and staff will be able to access it on iPads and mobile phones is an added upgrade. Perhaps Sakai can accompany an overhaul of ACES to create a more elegant course selection system as well.

Ultimately, Sakai’s flexibility and potential for expansion should encourage broader and more efficient participation in Duke’s eLearning community.

Why the gym is overcrowded

“W

hat is he doing lifting at my bench around the big screen TVs featuring CNN and press?” “What is she doing running ESPN. And you often have to wait to play on the on my elliptical?” If you’ve visited the tennis and basketball courts when it gets warmer. gym since coming back from winter But how do they do it? Your first break, you’ve probably asked yourreaction was probably to assume self the same types of questions that that UNC students have less work I have. You’ve probably wondered than Duke students. From firsthand why it is that these other people experience, however, I can tell you think that they have a right to inthat this is not the case. Although trude on your turf. individual classes may involve less Why do we find so many at the work, a typical UNC student takes gym at the start of a new semester? chris edelman five to six courses in a semester, Is it to fulfill a New Years’ resolucompared to a Duke student’s four, shades of blue tion? Is it so that they can add anresulting in significantly more time other fro-yo to their daily intake? spent in the classroom. Overall, Or maybe they work out simply to ensure that all UNC students spend an equivalent amount of of us, their peers, can confirm that they have, in time to Duke students on readings, writings and fact, committed their five days weekly to the gym, problem sets. thereby fulfilling the standard requirements of a Rather, it seems that UNC students choose Duke student. to enjoy the simple pleasures in life while simulUnfortunately, I do not have definitive answers taneously getting their work done because they to any of these questions. But I do have something have perspective on their college experience that else to consider: 12 miles down the road at UNC many of us lack. For them, college is not just a Chapel Hill, there is not as noticeable a difference place to earn a diploma that will advance you to in the amount of people working out at the begin- the next stage; college is a place where you actuning of the semester than other times during the ally live, in the fullest sense of the word, for four semester. Of course, with 18,000 Tar Heels compet- wholesome years. Instead of investing every free ing for recreation equipment, it is always challeng- moment in a materially productive activity, they ing to find a free piece of equipment, but the first are willing to spend time on more personally couple weeks of the semester are not particularly meaningful pursuits. frustrating. This is one of many differences I’ve We don’t live in a vacuum. Grades matter. Inlearned about between Duke and UNC that I hope ternships matter. Admission tests matter. We can’t to convey during the duration of this column. do anything about that. But we have the ability to One thing that most Duke and UNC students make time throughout our college experience for share is an abundance of free time at the begin- other experiences that are personally meaningful ning of the semester—free time that many of us at to us. Think about the ways that you might not be Duke devote to stair climbers and stationary bikes. investing your time properly and how you might I believe we initially allocate our time to our physi- be able to squeeze in time for the wealth of other cal fitness because it doesn’t compete for our time activities whose payoffs may be intangible but no with papers and tests that could affect our grades less valuable. Here’s a hint: They’re probably the at other times of the semester. sorts of things you’re doing right now as you wait Prioritizing goals makes sense, to an extent. for classes to pick up.

But it is also important to manage our time straSo consider keeping up your daily visits to Wiltegically so that we make time for what really mat- son and Brodie. If it’s something that’s important ters to us. to you, I encourage you to do it, even if it means Visit UNC’s main quad any time of year, making that I have to wait to get on my treadmill in front sure not to sip from the Old Well fountain—they of my ESPN TV that nobody else would dare to use say it’s bad luck for Duke students—and you’re during my 10 a.m. time slot. sure to see people tossing around a Frisbee, reading a novel, or tanning on warmer days. In the Chris Edelman is a Trinity senior and a Robertson Student Center, there are always crowds chatting Scholar. His column runs every other Wednesday.

Got an opinion? Share your comments at www.dukechronicle.com

the chronicle

Technicalities 101

I

’d like to start out by making clear that I do not envy Pratt students for a second. As many people would tell you, students in the Pratt School of Engineering have a very intense course load with little flexibility for elective courses.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is fine and dandy for the students in the Trinity College of Arts, scott briggs Sciences and Unnecessarily Complicated and blowing the whistle Extensive General Education Requirements.

Academic Requirements for Trinity students are governed by a nifty thing called Curriculum 2000, which mandates us to take at least two classes in each of the five Areas of Knowledge and three Modes of Inquiry, not including Foreign Language, Writing and Research Modes of Inquiry requirements. Now, if this all sounds confusing, that’s because it is. Don’t worry though; there is a program on ACES under the “Future Plans” tab that helps you sort it all out!

That’s right, they had to make a program to help kids with perfect SAT scores understand what they have to do to graduate. It seems to me that should be a pretty good indication that your GE requirements are a bit too convoluted and confusing.

It’s not a secret that Curriculum 2000 is designed to force students into classes listed under majors that, quite frankly, no one cares about. It’s well known that teachers try to get their classes absurd listings just to fill seats. And everyone knows the primary goal of selecting classes is to find the Holy Grail: a math class taught in Portuguese with a quote-unquote writing component that is also listed as an “Ethical Inquiry” class.

It’s a joke, and everyone knows it, thanks in large part to other columnists at The Chronicle who have been just as annoyed about this as I am. However, my issues with this system run far deeper than the welldocumented flaws of Curriculum 2000. As annoyed as I am that I will probably end up spending a semester sitting through The History of Magic, it is the mentality behind this system that is far more irritating.

Duke’s main obligation should naturally be educating the students, but Curriculum 2000 makes it seem as though the administration is far more concerned with pleasing professors in under-appreciated majors. Although alterations made to C2K in 2004 took important strides in reducing the burden on students, they did nothing to address the core problems. Curriculum 2000 does not ensure us a liberal arts education: It is all smoke and mirrors.

C2K creates the illusion of producing students with a diverse educational background while still allowing academic freedom. In reality, all it means is that we spend the second semester of our senior year sleeping through four well-listed classes. Just because something looks good to parents in a brochure doesn’t mean it’s practical.

For example, take this half-baked idea: “Wouldn’t it be great if every graduate of Trinity, but not Pratt, had to achieve at least intermediate proficiency in a foreign language?” Oh, where to begin. For one, I was unaware that every region of the world served by Engineers Without Borders is native English-speaking. How silly of me. But naturally, an English major would need to be fluent in Turkish. And I haven’t even mentioned that most students would prefer to study a language about as useful as Pig Latin instead of dealing with the insufferable Spanish Department.

As much as I value the importance of a multifaceted education, there are obvious ways to better ensure that Duke students receive one. As a biology major, I think it would be beneficial if my exposure to “Cross Cultural Inquiry” were even mildly relevant to medicine. Surely you would think there must be a professor at Duke willing and qualified to teach a class on the variations in medical practices among different cultures. Apparently not.

Scott Briggs is a Trinity freshman. His column runs every other Wednesday.

commentaries

W

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 | 11

Homecoming

hen I was an undergrad, I used to have this re- ones, regardless of any lifestyle changes they had made. current dream.

Of course there were some changes: Instead of taking I dreamt that I was graduating. bets on who would be first to get engaged, we paid off It was graduation weekend, and my famthose bets. We wagered on who would ily was there, and everyone was proud of me. I be the first to have a kid, then cringed as had good grades and a spot lined up in medical we imagined our irresponsible buddy as school. I should have been happy, but I wasn’t. a parent.

Every time I woke up from this dream, I I talked to my father about the weekwas incredibly sad. Then I realized it was only end, and he nodded knowingly. “It’s the a dream, and I felt much better. same way when my friends and I get toOf course, my nightmare eventually begether,” he said, “and we’ve been out of came a reality: I graduated. It wasn’t as bad as I college for 30 years.” alex fanaroff thought it would be, but it was still kind of deSo hopefully I’ve got that going for farewell tour pressing. You know how they say college is the me, which is nice. best four years of your life? Hopefully that’s In all seriousness, Duke has given me not true, but it’s certainly better than medical school. a lot of gifts. An education, a ticket into a career as a docAs it turns out, what I missed most about college (aside tor, some memories, a million free T-shirts. (And all it cost from the dozens of hours per week I spent procrastinat- was nearly half a million dollars in tuition and fees plus a ing, watching Saved by the Bell reruns and playing video $20.07 senior gift!) games) was living side by side with my closest friends (with But mostly, Duke gave me friends, people to whom I whom I mostly procrastinated, watched Saved by the Bell intend to stay close for a long, long time. This is the greatreruns and played video games). est gift of all. I’m on campus all the time, and the Gothic So you’ve got to believe I was thrilled by the chance to Wonderland is nice. But a house in the Poconos filled spend this weekend skiing with 16 of my closest friends with my friends really felt like home. from college.

Because I’m not exactly the most outgoing person, I And as it turns out, you can go home again. made my close friends through my fraternity, through Aside from the fact that a couple of my old college random mornings spent watching TBS reruns and buddies could probably find the entire contents of my SportsCenter and impromptu hallway hockey games at bank account in their couch cushions, nothing had night. Other people make friends in other ways— in changed. We made the same jokes, rehashed the same class, at club meetings, in the cage in Shooters. It doesn’t stupid stories and made fun of each other for the same matter how you do it. old things. We even re-fought some of our old wrestling But whether you have 18 weeks or three and a half matches—only now we had two near-doctors to check on years as an undergrad, make some friends. Work on the the losers and a few bankers to set odds. Those of us with friendships you’ve already made. Share some common work to do procrastinated like it was 2006. If TBS were experiences because you’ll laugh at those memories in still showing Saved by the Bell reruns, we would have the future. watched; if the house we were staying in had a PS2, we Your own graduation nightmare will come true all too would have played. soon, and those friendships will be the only link you’ll Each of us, no matter what we had done in the four have to some of the best years of your life. intervening years, stepped right back into our old roles.

Those who did best in college were still the smart ones; Alex Fanaroff is a fourth-year medical student. His column those who partied the most in college were still the crazy runs every Wednesday.

12 | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

duu from page 1 Sales, Advertising and Marketing History and Duke Libraries will host the semiformal event. Members of the Marketing Club said they are excited to showcase the advertising industry in a sophisticated atmosphere based on the popular television show, “Mad Men.” “We really want students to come, dress up, be responsible and mingle with alumni and faculty,” said Erica Washington, a senior and member of the Marketing Club.

“We’re really stressing that... it’s not just a party. We’re also going to have a series of lectures... showcasing 1960’s history and pop culture.”

Marketing Club members secured $15,000 in funding from DUU at its meeting last night. Washington emphasized the event’s networking aspect, adding that all members of the Board of Trustees will attend.

In addition to jazz music in von der Heyden, a Motown DJ will play in the first floor Link. Washington added that a senior champagne toast will be held in the Bostock Library basement.

the chronicle

Last year’s library party was cancelled after several funding and planning failures. The 2010 party was supposed to be hosted by Duke Partnership for Service, but the organization failed to raise enough money.

Marketing Club members are aiming for a budget of $56,000—$30,000 of which has been set aside for food. So far, the organization has raised $42,000, including DUU’s funding.

Senior Emma Donaho, a member of the Marketing Club, said the organization has secured funding from the Duke Annual Fund, Provost Peter Lange and the Student Organization Finance Committee. Donaho added that the club will solicit more funds from local advertising agencies.

In other business: Although DUU approved funding for the library party, the group voted to table discussions for funding a Duke TEDx event. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design is a nonprofit organization that holds multiple conferences worldwide to disseminate “ideas worth spreading,” according to the company’s website.

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Junior Chelsea Ursaner, the event’s organizer, said she has booked a number of speakers for the event, including Dan Ariely, James B. Duke professor of behavioral economics.

Although the event’s financing is unclear, Ursaner expects the budget to be about $6,400. She requested about $4,000 from DUU. DUU declined to immediately provide funding, citing the event’s “unorganized” nature.

Senior Dustin Gamza, chair of the Innovations Committee, said he was excited about the event but worried about the event’s planning given it is nearly three months away.

“I actually love TEDx talks... that said this is frustrating to me because there’s a lot of money for things like food and catalogues for an event we have the purview to put on through [the Speakers and Stage Committee],” he said. “[Ursaner] was pretty forthcoming but she doesn’t have a clue.... Think about how hard it is [already] to get students to get to an event with a celebrity name.”

progressives from page 1 member of the Greek Women’s Initiative, said before the event. “This is why we’re having these outlets. For some people, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.”

The panelists—both for and against the parties—discussed several provocative issues surrounding progressives, including sexual assault, female empowerment and social hierarchy.

Amy Cleckler, the Women’s Center’s gender violence prevention program coordinator, conceded that an alcohol-free progressive would be the only suitable alternative, despite how unattractive it may seem to fraternities.

“When you’ve had alcohol, you’re not legally able to give consent [to sex],” she added. “Is this alcohol-facilitated sexual assault?”

Tuesday’s forum was not the first event where the progressive parties were discussed, and it will not be the last. The Panhellenic Association held a Grand Chapter meeting Dec. 6 at which a petition to end the “particularly coercive, negative type of progressive” was circulated. As of Tuesday night, 454 people signed the online petition, which was initially created by the Duke University Women’s Respect Campaign.

Interfraternity Council President Erskine Love, a senior, views the campaign as a “reminder” of the issues some progressives present as opposed to a reason to cancel progressives entirely.

“To half the chapters it is irrelevant because they don’t have any parties like this, but for the other half it’s kind of a wake up call or reminder as to how the things that these groups do can be seen from another perspective, the women’s perspective,” Love said before the meeting.

Former Women’s Center Director Donna Lisker, who is the current associate dean of undergraduate education, said she thinks progressives should end. She added that fraternities should find a healthier alternative.

“Whether they’re good or bad progressives, the women are there as bait to join the fraternity. I don’t get that at a school like this where the men and women are so smart,” she said. “You could do so much better. There are many other ways to have fun.”

Senior Nihaal Karnik, IFC vice president of recruitment, identified the positive aspects of progressives, attributing many of the negatives to “freshman naivete,” adding that only several of the fraternities “toe the line.”

“If you’re in a fraternity, it’s a great way to see how [potential new members] act with girls when they’re drunk,” Karnik said. “If we’re welcoming someone into a brotherhood, I don’t want to be a brother to someone who will hurt one of my good girl friends.”

Junior Isaac Mizrahi, member of Delta Sigma Phi, expressed his concern that people should not engage in activities that make them uncomfortable but added that he was “proud” to see Duke students participating in “experimental” activities.

“That power is something [the participating women] could have never felt in another setting, and I think that’s a positive,” he noted.

Admitting that many women do feel empowered in the progressive setting, Brzezinska noted that it is often a false sense of control.

“Yes, there are women who are feeling empowered, but there is always someone telling her to do that,” she said of the tasks women perform at the parties.

Although the panelists did not reach a consensus by the end of the forum, fraternities and sororities agreed that they should educate both men and women about progressives and the rush process. The Greek Women’s Initiative also plans to hold more forums to discuss similar issues.

“Before, there was a lack of general knowledge. Now, a lot of women are being proactive about the issues they see affecting them,” Brzezinska said.