February 2, 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, february 2, 2011

www.dukechronicle.com

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 88

DNC announces Cairo unrest could affect Duke programs Charlotte for 2012 convention

by Alejandro Bolívar THE CHRONICLE

It’s official: The 2012 Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte, N.C. The convention, a key component in President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, will be held during the week of Sept. 3, 2012, first lady Michelle Obama announced Tuesday afternoon. Joanne Peters, spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said Obama chose Charlotte over St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland.

“It was a difficult choice between four great cities,” Peters said. “Charlotte presented a strong bid and had the resources and support to put on an amazing convention in 2012.”

The decision was communicated by the first lady in an e-mail addressed to Organizing for America, a grassroots support organization for the Obama campaign.

“Charlotte is a city marked by its southern charm, warm hospitality and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South,” she wrote.

Charlotte-based marketing group Luquire George Andrews began working in summer 2010 with a local organization, Charlotte in 2012, to develop a proposal for a bid. The company “has been in business for 26 years and has been active in promoting the Charlotte region for a variety of clients for most of that time,” said LGA Senior Vice President David Coburn.

The city was promoted based on its abundance of hotel rooms—more than 30,000—and its experience in hosting large-scale events such as NCAA Final Four

linda davidson/The washington post

The outcome of the ongoing protests in Cairo will determine the fate of Duke’s programs there. Should they result in a radical Islamic government or lead to factional warfare, the University could prevent students from traveling there for abroad opportunities.

by Michael Shammas THE CHRONICLE

Shockwaves from the current turmoil in Egypt are causing chaos throughout the political world, but the effects of the upheaval are by no means limited to politics alone.

Duke, and universities across the country, is monitoring what could happen to study abroad and summer program opportunities in Egypt if pro-democracy protests escalate despite Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s announcement Tuesday that he will not seek re-election.

Students across the world are drawn to Cairo—the political center of more than a week of protests against Mubarak’s authoritarian regime—and its cultural and intellectual opportunities. One Duke graduate student has been evacuated from the region, and although no undergraduates are currently studying abroad in Egypt, the University is watching the protests closely because their outcome will likely determine the fate of future study abroad opportunities.

See egypt on page 8

See charlotte on page 4

Durham county begins to redefine goals, future plans

by Michael Shammas THE CHRONICLE

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

Durham Deputy County Manager Wendell Davis discussed the development of a new strategic plan at a Board of Commissioners meeting Monday.

In what was the first meeting of its kind in over 20 years, the Durham County Board of Commissioners convened in special session Monday and Tuesday to discuss the next phase of Durham County’s strategic plan process.

The BOCC laid out goals to redefine its critical services, customers, mission and vision, as well as core organizational values. In addition, the board plans to develop new specific objectives and performance measures in order to evaluate progress and refine the plan over time.

The Monday meeting was held downtown at the Durham County Administrative Complex. Deputy County Manager Wendell Davis started the meeting with a slideshow presentation detailing the specifics of the strategic plan’s development over the upcoming year.

Afterwards, Dr. Tyrone Baines, a former professor at North Carolina Central University, led a discussion to formulate a new mission statement for Durham County Government.

ONTHERECORD

“In life, some people like you and some people don’t. You befriend the ones that like you and forget about the others.”

­—Freshman Scott Briggs in “Post-rush Stress Syndrome.” See column page 15

“Relax, Relate and Release” to teach stress management, Page 3

Commissioners said they believe a reformulated strategic plan is necessary in order to reflect changing realities around the nation and, specifically, in Durham.

“Today is a new day—the dawning of a new era,” Davis said. “We have a political and economic environment that is completely different. The old plan from 20 years ago simply cannot work anymore. Therefore, we are looking forward; we aren’t looking in the rearview mirror.”

The largest challenge in formulating and implementing the strategic plan may involve the budget, Baines said. Like numerous other cities, Durham is faced with the challenge of maintaining and improving upon the high quality of its services and programs despite extensive federal budget cuts. Since there is already a lack of available money to sustain current programs, the deficit is likely to get worse.

“The federal government is taking billions from state budgets,” Baines said. “Accordingly, we are going to need to figure out how to do more with less.”

See durham on page 5

CEINT investigates silver nanoparticles, Page 3

2 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 the chronicle

worldandnation onschedule...

Internship Funding Info Center for LBGT, 12-1p.m.

Come learn how to reduce financial challenges associated with participating in a low-paying or unpaid internship.

on the

Hillel Info Session BC Meeting Room A, 5-6:30p.m.

Duke is offering a free chance to visit Israel. Come out to see if you qualify and to answer any questions you may have.

7131

THURSDAY:

4531

Lost, Stolen, and Strayed Mary Lou Center, 7-9p.m.

In observance of Black History Month, the Mary Lou Williams Center will be showing documentaries every Wednesday.

web

“A team of researchers which includes Duke psychologists report that lack of selfcontrol among toddlers may predict problems later in life. The result of the study—a long term study which began with 1,000 children in New Zealand 30 years earlier— concluded that attempts to improve self-control at an earlier age could reduce trouble with substance abuse, crime and money mismanagement later in life..’”

— From The Chronicle News Blog bigblog.dukechronicle.com

jonathan alcorn/The washington post

Kmart, since the beginning of the recession, has introduced financial services in multiple stores nationwide. Check cashing, money transfers, prepaid cards, and layaway are just a few of the many services Kmart plans to integrate into their stores. Kmart has stated that these new services are in response to large banks becoming more conservative in the wake of recent economic uncertainty.

“

TODAY:

I would often be a coward, but for the shame of it.

— Conor Ralph

”

TODAY IN HISTORY

1653: New Amsterdam becomes a city.

Looking for a deal on Housing?

Check out

www.chroniclehousing.com Click on Duke Discounts

For deals for students, faculty and staff

WikiLeaks investigation Mubarak announces he finds flaw in protocol will not not seek re-election WASHINGTON — A mental health specialist recommended that the Army private accused of leaking classified material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks not be deployed to Iraq, but his immediate commanders sent him anyway, according to a military official familiar with a new Army investigation.

The recommendation by the specialist at Fort Drum, N.Y., did not disqualify Pfc. Bradley Manning from being sent to Iraq. The final decision on whether a soldier is fit to go to a war zone rests with his immediate commanders.

But an Army investigation has concluded that the commanders’ decision not to heed the specialist’s advice and their failure to properly discipline Manning may have contributed to one of the most high-profile classified military network breaches in decades, the military official said.

off the

wire...

CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced Tuesday night that he will not run in elections slated for fall, speaking hours after hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators staged their largest rallies yet to demand he step aside immediately.

The statement, promising “a peaceful transfer of power,”marked Mubarak’s most significant concession to a public uprising that he said had brought “difficult times” to Egypt. The gesture was immediately rejected by protesters who believe they have gained unstoppable momentum in their struggle to bring an immediate end to Mubarak’s three-decade reign.

“He needs to leave right now. We’ve already waited 30 years, and we don’t want to wait anymore,” said Amy Hashem, 23, who was among the demonstrators who have vowed to occupy Tahrir Square, Cairo’s central plaza, until Mubarak leaves office.

Cyclone in Australia grows in intensity

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | 3

Center studies effects of silver nanoparticles

Program to teach how to handle stress

Rocky horror

by Mateen Saffarian

by Caroline Fairchild

As Duke students go about their daily lives, they may not realize that many of their household products contain silver nanoparticles, a material with effects that are still unknown.

At Duke’s Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology, a multidisciplinary team of scientists, chemists, biologists and engineers have stepped up to take on the challenge of studying these extremely small particles and their effects on the environment.

“This is a revolution of science and tech,” said CEINT Director Mark Wiesner.

“We want to get this one right. We don’t want the next DDT.” Nanoparticles, which are much smaller than human cells, have special properties that have the potential to lead to scientific breakthroughs. However, as these particles continue to be incorporated into various ordinary products, their effects on humans and the environment still remain relatively unknown.

“The goal of CEINT is to help determine the impacts of nanomaterials on natural systems,” said Richard Di Giulio, professor of environmental toxicology and director of the Integrated Toxicology Program for the Nicholas School of the Environment.

CEINT, a collaboration between Duke, Carnegie Mellon University, Howard

Stress is the number one contributing factor affecting individual academic performance at Duke, according to a survey conducted last semester by the American College Health Association.

In the survey of 585 Duke students, 28 percent admitted that stress negatively affects their academic performance, which was defined as receiving a lower grade in a class or even dropping a course. Maralis Mercado, program coordinator for the Student Wellness Center, said that this might have something to do with the high standards Duke students have for themselves.

But Gary Glass, assistant coordinator of outreach and developmental programming for Counseling and Psychological Services, said stress is a very misunderstood emotion.

In fact, some stress in life is good.

“A certain level of stress actually improves your performance because it makes you run more efficiently and productively,” Glass said. “So you can use it to your advantage, but staying in that mode for too long is counterproductive.”

In response to the survey’s findings, the Duke Student Wellness Center will offer “Relax, Relate and Release,” a series of programs beginning March 22 that will teach students stress techniques such

THE CHRONICLE

THE CHRONICLE

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

Aron Ralston, author and inspiration for the film “127 Hours,” spoke Tuesday evening in Reynolds Industries Theater. Ralston, an avid hiker, amputated his own arm in order to escape being trapped by a boulder.

See ceint on page 5

See stress on page 6

DUMESC Duke University Middle East Studies Center PRESENTS:

MOHSEN KADIVAR (RELIGION) “LESSONS FROM IRAN‟S GREEN REVOLUTION” FRANCES HASSO (ICS AND WOMEN‟S STUDIES) “THE JASMINE REVOLUTION: A POSTCOLONIAL TURNING POINT IN THE „ARAB‟ MIDDLE EAST” AZEDDINE CHERGUI (AMES) “MOROCCO” ALYSSA MILLER (ANTHROPOLOGY) “THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE JASMINE REVOLUTION” ABDESLAM MAGHRAOUI (POLITICAL SCIENCE) “IS EGYPT NEXT?” BRANDON GORMAN (SOCIOLOGY, UNC) “DISCOURSES OF DEMOCRACY IN AUTHORITARIAN CONTEXTS: THE CASE OF BEN ALI” ******************************** WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 126 SOC/PSYCH 7:30PM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

4 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 the chronicle

Duke earns grant to further learning in economic history

by Sarah Zuk THE CHRONICLE

Recognized for its leadership and innovation worldwide, Duke’s Center for the History of Political Economy recently received a $750,000 grant from the Institute for New Economic Thinking.

The three-year grant will help expand much of the center’s current programming and fellowships, which include a summer teaching institute, annual conferences, workshops and speakers series. INET, which was founded with a $50 million pledge from billionaire and noted financier George Soros, hopes to change the way in which economists are educated.

“The objectives of the programs are to prepare young scholars in economics to teach and to do research in the history of

economics,” according to INET website.

“Despite its importance, the history of economics as a field of systematic study and instruction is in poor health in economics departments worldwide.”

INET awarded Duke the grant because it believes Duke has the resources to improve training in the history of economics, said Bruce Caldwell, the center’s director.

INET also appointed Caldwell to its advisory board, which is composed of five Nobel laureates in economics.

In addition to the center, Duke also has other resources dedicated to this discipline. Duke University Press publishes “The History of Political Economy,” an academic journal, and the University is also the headquarters of the Economist Papers Project, an extensive collection of texts from historical economic figures.

nicole kyle/The Chronicle

The Institute for New Economic Thinking has awarded Duke’s Center for the History of Political Economy with a three-year grant meant to encourage students to research the history of economics.

CA

E C N

D E LL

Five Duke professors also have training in the history of economics—an exceedingly rare number relative to other institutions, Caldwell said.

The center has also draws academics worldwide to study in a “unique” environment, said Andrej Svorencik, a graduate student and visiting researcher from the University of Amsterdam. Svorencik cited the Economics Paper Project and the “critical mass” of individuals who study the history of economics at Duke as factors brought him to the University.

Pedro Duarte, an assistant professor from the University of Sao Paulo who is also conducting research, was also drawn to Duke by The Economist Papers Project and commended the staff at the center.

“There is a community of people working here that is unique in the world,” he said.

Caldwell stressed the importance of studying the history of economics because he said past theories can provide insight to future financial dilemmas. He emphasized that the history of economics bridges the gap between other areas of social sciences, which can help foster a broader dialogue to improve the economy.

And despite his focus on the past, Caldwell noted that finding new ways to study economics is exceedingly important.

He specifically cited the emerging field of behavioral economics—a popular discipline at Duke—as an example.

Apart from Duke, more than 50 grantees from 11 countries received funding for the renewed initiative in economic education, according to the organization’s website. INET’s Inaugural Grant Program received more than 500 proposals worldwide and chose 34 projects to receive $7 million in funding.

charlotte from page 1

William Chafe, Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History and an expert on American politics, said the selection of Charlotte was part of a strategy to keep North Carolina in the Democratic column. He added, however, that the same could be said of Cleveland and Minneapolis.

“It may be that the [Democratic Party] feels North Carolina is the least secure and most ‘up-in-the-air’ of the three states,” Chafe wrote in an e-mail. “In any event, having the convention in Charlotte can only help in a tight race.”

Governor Bev Perdue called the announcement “fantastic news for North Carolina regardless of your political party” in a news release Tuesday.

“A national political convention is a keystone event that will boost North Carolina’s economy, while showcasing Charlotte and our state to the nation and the world,” she said. “What they will see when they get there is what hundreds of businesses already know—Charlotte’s smart investments in infrastructure, cultural attractions and amenities have produced a climate perfect for work and play.”

games and regional tournaments, NASCAR races and the 2010 National Rifle Association annual meeting. The groups also noted that Charlotte Douglas International Airport offers non-stop service to more than 134 destinations and has 695 departures each day. Information on which venues within the city will be used is yet to be released.

The convention is expected to generate an economic impact of between $150 and $200 million; this will allow an investment of $40 to $45 million to be directed toward libraries, schools, parks and public safety within the city, according to the Charlotte in 2012 website. The site also reported that between 30,000 and 35,000 delegates are scheduled to attend the event.

The Republican Party will have its own convention in Tampa, Fla. Similar to the situation in North Carolina, Obama won the popular vote in Florida during the 2008 presidential election but Republicans obtained the majority of victories in the 2010 midterm elections.

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | 5

ceint from page 3 University, Virginia Tech, the University of Kentucky and Stanford University, is headquartered at Duke and has been conducting research on nanomaterials since 2008. The center focuses primarily on silver nanoparticles, the most commonly found variation of nanomaterials, which are used as antibacterials in many common products such as food supplements, socks, teddy bears, tooth brushes, cosmetics and even baby pacifiers.

Di Giulio noted the obstacles of working with nanomaterials, namely the minute size of the particles and the unpredictable ways they can affect the environment.

He said there are many potential dangers with nanoparticles, ranging from disturbing microbial growth in aquatic systems to directly harming plants or animals.

Wiesner also noted that the erratic nature of nanomaterials often complicates research with surprising experimental results.

“What we see in the lab is not what we see in the field,” Wiesner said. “We have seen something that appears toxic in the lab is actually not as toxic in the environment and [vice versa].”

Despite these complications, researchers are pushing forward and making progress with their projects.

Claudia Gunsch, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, commented on her most recent findings regarding the impact of nanoparticles on different organisms.

“The work that we have done so far shows that there were visible effects on the plants and the way they were growing and also impacts on microbial communities,” Gunsch said. “The verdict is still out however, and we still have to figure out if these effects could be environmentally detrimental.”

Di Giulio explained that CEINT has three different core themes that their research focuses on. The first looks at the transportation and fate of the nanoparticles based on how their construction and surface coating affects their behavior in different media. The second involves cellular and organismal toxicity and focuses on the direct effects of these particles on individual organisms. The third theme focuses on the ecosystem and how the particles directly affect the environment as a whole.

As a result of its leading role in nano-

material research, Weisner said the manufacturing industry, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and REACH, the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use, are carefully watching the center’s progress.

“The real beauty of CEINT is the highly interdisciplinary collection of individuals from multiple universities who are really working collectively to address these important issues,” said Di Giulio “This is only the beginning... and we are just starting research on other nanomaterials as well.”

tracy huang/The Chronicle

Researchers at the Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology are looking into the effects of nanoparticles on natural systems, which are currently not well understood.

No German?

No Problem.

durham from page 1 BOCC Vice Chairman Ellen Reckhow said despite budget cuts, however, the BOCC intends to continue to provide quality services.

“In Durham County, we strive to be the best,” she said. “Our programs are funded at high levels.”

While the strategic plan’s development will be a complicated, drawn-out process, the BOCC said it hopes to ensure that all citizens have an equal chance to participate and voice concerns.

“Whether they live in the northern part of the county or downtown, we need to make sure everyone can contribute,” Davis said.

Approximately the first hour and a half of the meeting was spent going over the logistics of the strategic plan. Afterward, Baines led a discussion to create a provisional mission statement based on the suggestions of the commissioners and other government members.

The combined statement, which is likely to change over time, took elements from other mission statements of county governments throughout the state.

“Durham County Government provides fiscally responsible, quality services necessary to promote a healthy, safe and vibrant community,” Baines read from a draft of the mission statement.

Although the commissioners made progress on Monday, further development and implementation of the strategic plan will unfold slowly over the remainder of the year. The process will rely heavily on statistics and will especially entail performance measurements, surveys, polls and focus groups.

“We have to set short-term goals with the long-term vision in mind,” Davis said.

Go Berlin!

No prior German required for Fall English-only offered in Summer german.duke.edu/duke-in-berlin

6 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 the chronicle

stress from page 3 as proper breathing exercises, meditation and visualization. This new program will complement “Stress for Success,” the CAPS educational program concerned with properly educating students about stress management. The hope is that this course kit will give students the tools necessary to combat stress more effectively in the future. “[“Stress for Success”] is about learning what stress is, how to manage learning how to change your thinking patterns concerning stress and how to relate yourself emotionally to moderate the effects of stress,” Glass said.

In general, stress itself is not a problem and is just the body’s automatic response to danger—that is why your muscles tense and your blood pressure rises. But when the danger you face is not a physical danger and instead an upcoming exam, family pressure or economic trouble, there is no method to release stress—causing a prolonged negative outlook and even depression. Understanding the roots and causes of stress is what Glass said he hopes to teach students in the upcoming workshop.

“We want students to take a break and take a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life as a Duke student,” Mercado said. “Everybody here is the best of the best but that isn’t enough, they also want to prove it and talk about it.”

Stress is a problem in the lives of students on campus, junior Angela Sheng said. She has taken advantage of some of the stress programs CAPS has offered in the past, but said that for a lot of students—women in particular­—the most helpful stress reliever is simply talking about stress and relating to others about

Photo illustration by ted knudsen and caroline rodriguez

The Duke Student Wellness Center is offering a series of programs to help students properly deal with anxiety. While stress itself is not a problem, lack of release can cause a negative outlook and depression. large amounts of work, even if that might not be the case.

“I think for girls it has a lot to do with talking about how stressed you are,” Sheng said. “Even if you aren’t all that stressed, you just say, ‘Oh my gosh, I have so much to do tonight, and I need to just stay in the library all day.’”

Glass said students relating to each other to alleviate stress is quite normal. At elite universities with highly competitive atmospheres, students do not feel safe to admit when they are struggling out of fear that it will be seen as a sign of weakness, he said. That is why simply talking about

stress can lessen the emotional impact of a midterm exam or a high-pressure class presentation.

“Isolation feels dangerous and therefore it triggers the stress response,” Glass said. “Reach out to your friends when you are having a hard time because the more we bring the truth to the surface, the less dangerous it feels.”

Aside from talking to peers when stress creeps in, Student Health Center Dietitian Toni Apadula said it is important to keep in mind the importance of eating correctly. When students feel anxious, they have the reaction of either lunging

for comfort foods or not eating at all, Apadula said. The former tends to become a form of self-medication because comfort foods are often rich in simple carbohydrates and release relaxing chemicals into the bloodstream like serotonin, and the latter leads to a general sense of tiredness and a lack of focus, she said.

Apadula recommends that students make an effort to strike a balance with the food groups they are eating and to eat often to avoid fatigue.

“Even if you are going to be in the library all day, bring a healthy snack with you or your blood sugar levels will fall and you won’t be able to concentrate which will increase your stress levels,” Apadula said. “Don’t go more than four hours without eating while you are awake.”

Glass recommends exercise as not only a great complement to a healthy diet, but also as essential to releasing the energy that the stress emotion triggers.

“If you are oriented towards danger and feeling stressed because of it, you need to use your energy,” Glass said.

Biomedical engineer Runbin Dong, a junior, agrees and said any sort of activity that gets him out of the library and moving helps him deal with stress.

“Just going to a bar, going to watch a movie, going to the gym or just hanging out with friends all really help,” Dong said “My friends and I have instituted a Friday night gathering just to relax.”

But overall, Dong said that compared to its peer institutions, Duke offers its students a stable atmosphere to learn and grow.

“I think Duke students are actually pretty good at managing their stress,” Dong said. “We have a good life with balance—it is not like this place is like [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], just saying,”

the chronicle

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | 7

8 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 the chronicle

egpyt from page 1 Sophomore Amir Abdu, whose father is from Egypt, said he hopes Mubarak lives up to his promise to not run for re-election.

“My hope is that the Egyptian youth will get what they want—a democratic government that promotes freedom,” he said.

In the meantime, administrators at Duke are monitoring the situation’s developments. Margaret Riley, director of the Global Education Office for Undergraduates, wrote in an email that the only program the University currently offers in Egypt is a non-Duke administered program based in Cairo at the American University in Cairo. If a government with radical Islamists at the helm replaces Mubarak’s—or, worse, if the protests escalate into factional warfare—then the University may be forced to halt its study abroad opportunities in Egypt even if it does not wish to do so, she added.

“If the International Travel Oversight Committee determines to add Egypt to the ‘Restricted Regions List,’ then undergraduates would no longer be permitted to study there,” she wrote.

Even without an official warning, some undergraduates are already reconsidering their desire to study in Egypt due to lingering political uncertainty in the country. Some students fear that all study abroad programs in Egypt in the Fall could be canceled if the unrest continues.

“There are three Duke students who have active applications with American University in Cairo for the fall,” Riley wrote. “They are seriously considering other options at this time.”

Study abroad programs for graduate students are also being affected. The lone Duke graduate student studying in Egypt this semester has already been evacuated, as have the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s graduate students, according to The Herald-Sun. “International SOS arranged for the evacuation of the one current Duke student who was in Egypt this week,” Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations wrote in an e-mail. “[It] also assisted several recent graduates who were in the country on study and research tours.”

Schoenfeld said it is premature for Duke to make any official decision at this time. Any action on Egypt’s status

as a study abroad destination should be well-thought out, he noted, because of the nation’s immense archaeological, historical and cultural opportunities. Few countries can match Egypt’s diverse educational opportunities, he added.

“We look at each program and country on a caseby-case basis to balance the risks with the educational value,” he wrote. “It is important not to make general assumptions or decisions based on the events in one particular country.”

The University also has a DukeEngage program based in Cairo, which last year sent about 10 students to work with refugees, disabled youths and community development projects. This will be the program’s fourth summer, and it is set to take place from May 30 to July 29. Representatives for DukeEngage did not respond immediately to requests for comment on whether the program could be canceled if the unrest continues.

The possibility that study abroad opportunities in Cairo will be canceled is particularly striking considering the popularity and success of past programs there. Two Duke students studied in Cairo last semester at AUC. Junior Ross Taggart, one of the students, said he enjoyed his experience.

“I absolutely loved my experience in Egypt,” he wrote in an e-mail, citing the beautiful historical sites and the “wonderful people” he met.

Although Taggart experienced a relatively peaceful and informative stay in Egypt, he said some political tensions were noticeable even last semester.

“Some of my professors [at AUC] talked at length in class about the rampant corruption in the Egyptian government and Mubarak’s blatant manipulation of the electoral process,” he wrote. “Still, elections were held and Mubarak was re-elected while I was there with absolutely no incident that I was aware of.”

Even a complete change of government would not necessarily spell doom for study abroad opportunities in Egypt. The protests are pro-democratic in nature and are led mostly by liberal reformers under the age of 30, despite the attempts of religious organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood to gain a foothold in the movement. If the government is wholly replaced, the transition could be not only peaceful, but also beneficial if democratic reformers lead the government rather than religious groups, Ebra-

him Moosa, associate professor of Islamic studies, wrote in an e-mail. “[The protests in Egypt] will only affect us in the immediate short term since safety and security concerns would be foremost in dispatching students to the region,” he wrote. “Depending on how long these protests drag on, Americans would be welcome once things go back to normal, but as of now we do not know what ‘normal’ means.”

Moosa added that he believes the Muslim Brotherhood is not as ominous a presence as the United States, Israel, some members of the media and Mubarak himself have made it out to be.

“Using the Muslim Brotherhood as a scarecrow has been a red herring used by the Mubarak regime and also sections of our political establishment and media to support the status quo,” he wrote. “If the Egyptian people choose a political party they prefer but one that is not to our liking, we might be able to lament their choice, but we have no right to subvert and block their right to choose freely.”

Moosa added that the United States and Israel should support democracy in Egypt, rather than continue to support Mubarak.

The Egyptian protests are larger than Duke or any one institution. Whatever the outcome, it has the potential to affect millions, for better or worse. The protests have already helped start or sustain similar protests in Tunisia, Yemen, Lebanon and—most recently—Jordan. The “domino effect of change” that Moosa cited could very well cause further protests throughout the notoriously volatile region.

Egyptian students at Duke are watching the events closely.

Abdu said he believes radical groups have neither the influence nor the means to seize power once Mubarak steps down.

“Although it is a concern, I have doubts that the Muslim Brotherhood has the popularity or the influence to take control,” he said. “Although they support the demonstrations, the Islamic fundamentalists don’t seem to have an active presence at all.”

Abdu added that he believes a peaceful result is likely.

“Egypt seems to be on the verge of real change, and I have faith that it will achieve a positive result,” he said. “I truly believe that after all the dust has finally settled, my family will be able to enjoy freedom, stability and peace.”

THINK ECUADOR. Duke credits - Homestays - Community projects - Life-altering experiences

Duke in the Andes — Quito, Ecuador Come learn more about Duke’s only semester program in South America!

INFORMATION TABLE BRYAN CENTER (LOWER LEVEL) TOMORROW! Thursday, February 3 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Featuring Resident Director Juan Aulestia

Application Deadline: March 1 ▪ Spanish 76 or above required

http://global.duke.edu/geo

Sports

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WEDNESDAY February 2, 2011

Tom Gieryn looks at Duke Basketball’s performance trends in the month of February See what the University of Maryland’s VP told students about tonight’s game

www.dukechroniclesports.com

NO. 5 DUKE

MARYLAND

COLLEGE PARK, MD • WEDNESDAY • 9 p.m. • ESPN

Blue Devils prepare for test against Terps

Duke has lost three of its last six at Maryland

by Scott Rich THE CHRONICLE

Greivis Vasquez no longer resides in College Park, Md. But an irrepressible hatred for all things Duke remains.

And following one of the Blue Devils’ worst performances in recent memory, Terrapin fans may feel an upset over their hated rival is ripe for the picking—even if Vasquez’s absence has hindered the team’s performance this season.

No. 5 Duke (19-2, 6-1 in the ACC) was shell-shocked against St. John’s Sunday, losing a game many viewed as a projected easy non-conference victory by 15 points.

The loss revived fears that these Blue Devils might have the same road woes as in recent years, as Duke has lost two of its

five true away games this season.

Now the team faces Maryland (14-7, 4-3) tonight at 9 p.m. in the Comcast Center, a venue in which it has lost three of its last six contests.

“We had our worst game of the year,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of his team’s effort against the Red Storm. “As a result they just handed it to us. It’s something we need to learn from.”

The Blue Devils could also learn from last year’s performance in College Park.

Just like against St. John’s, Duke got off to a slow start against the Terrapins and was down 33-19 in the first half before a 19-7 run to end the half saved the team Michael Naclerio/Chronicle file photo

See MARYLAND on page 11

Greivis Vasquez scored 20 points and hit a basket with 39 seconds remaining to beat the Blue Devils last season.

Krzyzewski takes to the airwaves

by Andy Moore THE CHRONICLE

Into the conference room walks Mike Krzyzewski, eager to begin one of his favorite parts of the week.

It is around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25. In this room on the sixth floor of the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center, wall space is so rare that the New York Athletic Club’s prestigious Winged Foot award still sits on the floor.

Krzyzewski plops down in a chair not to watch tape, meet with one of his players or draw up a new play.

He’s about to record a radio show—an act that most coaches anticipate like a root canal.

“I love it,” Krzyzewski says. “It gives a platform where you can express your opinions since that’s what they want, and that’s a good thing.”

Over the past six years, Krzyzewski has hosted this weekly Sirius XM radio show called “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K.” He and co-host Dave Sims talk about the sports news of the day, like the NFL playoffs, and conduct a lengthy interview with guests ranging from Kobe Bryant to Barbara Bush. Needless to say, it’s an unusual form of sports radio show.

Krzyzewski stopped doing the typical coach’s call-in show in the 1980s, and his disdain for them is still apparent.

“It wasn’t worth it, and I didn’t want to make money that way,” Krzyzewski said. “The same guys would See coach k on page 11

Graphic By addison corriher

10 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 the chronicle

Duke needs to overcome February blues

by Tom Gieryn THE CHRONICLE

If William Shakespeare were to give Mike Krzyzewski coaching advice, he might warn Coach K to beware the ides of March. But if history is any guide, he’d be off by a month.

It’s been repeated many times that Sunday’s loss to St. John’s came on the one-year anniversary of last season’s drubbing at the hands of Georgetown.

But that’s not exactly a freak coincidence: Over the last five seasons, the Blue Devils are 3-4 in games during the fiveday span from Tom Jan. 28 to Feb. 1.

And that lackluster performance has been a herald of tougher times in February. Over the four seasons from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009 (intentionally leaving out last season as an outlier), Duke compiled a record of just 27-15 from February 1 to the end of the regular season.

That’s still a quality record by most teams’ standards, but it leaves something to be desired given the standards to which the Blue Devils aspire.

It would be easy to write off the poorer performance as a product of the ACC schedule ramping up and competition levels increasing as the season goes on.

And indeed it would be misleading to compare pre-February records to postFebruary records, since plenty of the early-season wins come against the likes

Gieryn

of UNC-Greensboro and Elon.

But what if we remove those easier games?

Statistician Ken Pomeroy generates plenty of numbers, and among them is also a system for ranking teams. It doesn’t always agree with the AP and coaches’ polls, but it’s nonetheless pretty good, and it’s better for our purposes since it doesn’t stop ranking after the top 25.

Over the same stretch from 2005 to 2009 that saw the Blue Devils win 63 percent of their games after February 1, they went 49-7 against top-100 teams before that date, for a winning percentage of nearly 90 percent.

And if you’re still thinking that it’s merely a strength-of-schedule issue, consider that by Pomeroy’s system, the average ranking of Duke’s opponents in the top-100 games pre-February is 51.2. The average ranking of opponents in February or later is lower, but only slightly so, at 46.4.

Naturally, the tough opponents become denser late in the season, since contests against good teams aren’t separated by cakewalks against bad ones. But once the postseason rolls around, it’s critical to be able to string together wins against the best competition, and Duke needs to be playing its best basketball in March rather than January.

Last year was particularly illustrative, as Duke finally seemed to get over the February blues. The team went 10-4 against top-100 opponents before February last season, and then

Graphic By CHRIS DALL

improved, as it streaked to a 9-1 finish in the regular season and blazed its way to an NCAA title.

The 2009-2010 season was one of only two campaigns in the last eight where the Blue Devils have been ranked higher in the AP poll at the end of the season than they were entering the month of February.

As the calendar turns over to February of this year, Duke holds an 8-2 mark against top-100 opponents, and matching or exceeding that record in its remaining ten games would seem to be a crucial predictor of its postseason chances.

The immediate future could prove particularly decisive. Coming off a losing effort against St.

John’s Sunday, the Blue Devils face an especially tough upcoming schedule, with road contests against Maryland and Miami and a matchup with now-ranked North Carolina.

Wins over those teams would be quality victories for a team trying to prove that its poor performance against the Red Storm was just a fluke.

Those wins would also go a long way toward making sure the Blue Devils are trending in the right direction come tournament time.

Naturally any basketball team cares most about winning in the tournament, but if Duke wants to avoid the ides of March, it might want to get started one month sooner.

Chronicle File PHOTO

Lance Thomas and last year’s Blue Devils went 9-1 in the regular season once the month of February began.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | 11

coach k from page 9

MARYLAND from page 9

call up, and they became personalities on the show. I’m not saying it is bad for everyone, but for me, it was a waste of time.”

Around 2005, Krzyzewski’s agent, David Falk, and Duke’s athletic department began to discuss the idea for a new radio show. This one would be different, with an unconventional format, and it would air on satellite radio.

The coach was amenable. The two sides worked out a deal, and Jon Jackson, associate athletic director for university and public affairs, offered the co-hosting job over lunch to Sims, who knew Krzyzewski from his Army days.

“Jon told me, ‘It’s not going to be the usual stuff,’” said Sims, the Seattle Mariners’ broadcaster. “There is going to be some philosophy.”

Since that day at lunch, Krzyzewski and Sims have developed an on-air rapport that belies the fact one host is in Durham and the other normally in New York. Their interviewing style is conversational, and Jackson thinks this approach allows guests to say more than they would with a less-accomplished media member. Professional golfer Annika Sorenstam, for one, told a story about receiving congratulations from a pilot over an airplane’s intercom after she won her first major. She revealed that she was so embarrassed that she hid in the lavatory.

“Guests are so comfortable because we’re not trying to create a story,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to create a conversation about what makes that person great.”

Krzyzewski has heard that positive feedback, but despite the show’s success, he still asks for critiques.

“You have to be coached on the show, which is a good thing,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m Kyle Singler with this show— I’m Nolan Smith.”

Last Tuesday, while waiting to interview Jay Wright, the Villanova coach known for his basketball acumen and his dapper attire, Krzyzewski reviewed his notes on the coach, a booklet of talking points written by his daughter, Jamie Spatola, and Jackson. After Krzyzewski marked up the notes with his blue pen, though, he would mostly abandon the talking points. Krzyzewski said he believes the show “should be unstructured.”

Wright was late to call. When he finally did phone in, Krzyzewski started to tease the coach who led the U.S. select team last summer against his FIBA national team.

“Jay, you should have the select team ready by now,” he said. The two talked about their international summer and when the conversation moved toward Villanova’s team, the producer Jeremiah Tittle, began to record.

The two coaches chatted about the nature of the Big East this season, and a few days before Duke’s loss to St. John’s, Krzyzewski noted that the conference is as strong as he’s seen it. Wright didn’t disagree.

The conversation moved to how Wright coaches in such a dog-eat-dog conference. He offered an analogy, comparing sympathy to medicine. It’s needed, he said, but not in huge quantities. Krzyzewski, who had been scribbling notes, paused and turned to a notepad with the Duke logo emblazoned up top. He wrote down the advice.

Krzyzewsk does this a lot, filling the first page of what he calls his “special pad” with ideas and inspiration. “You learn from all these people,” the coach said. “I use [their advice] quite a bit.”

The interview with Wright was rare in that the coach only reached for his pad once.

“At the end of the show,” Jackson said, “He will often say, ‘That was terrific, what he said, and I’m going to share that with my team.’”

Sophomore forward Ryan Kelly can recall many times that Krzyzewski specifically talked about a guest from the XM show. Two weeks ago, John Madden was his guest. The former Raiders coach and longtime NFL analyst talked about instilling a sense of urgency in his players, especially in the NFL playoffs. The notion of urgency clicked with Krzyzewski. He brought it up at the team’s practice a few hours later. It became a theme for the week.

“We knew then that we needed to have a sense of urgency,” Kelly said. “We’ve tended to have a sense of urgency in parts of games. We need to take that the entire game and in every practice.”

At that practice, a few hours after the recording, Krzyzewski may well have imparted some pearls of wisdom he gleaned from Wright. But first, there was a promo to record.

from a probable blowout.

Trading baskets with the home team in the second half in front of an emotional crowd on Vasquez’s senior night, though, proved to be impractical, as Maryland prevailed 79-72.

This season, however, the Terrapins will be without the stellar Vasquez, who scored 20 points, including the game-clinching basket, in that contest. Instead, Maryland will rely on their new star, sophomore Jordan Williams, to set the pace.

The center had 15 points and 11 rebounds in that victory last season and led the Terrapins with 23 points and 13 rebounds earlier in the season against Duke.

The Blue Devils, though, pulled out a 71-64 victory in Cameron thanks to a combined 43 points from senior captains Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

More pressure will be on Smith and Singler after the disappointing defeat against St. John’s to not only raise

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the level of their games, but that of their teammates as well.

“Throughout a year, a team isn’t going to play well all the time,” Krzyzewski said. “I would hope that our leadership does come forward.”

Krzyzewski hopes the impact of that leadership will manifest in a resurgent Blue Devil frontcourt, led by Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee. After a streak in which he made 18 consecutive field goals, the second-longest such streak in Duke history, Kelly cooled down against St. John’s with only seven points.

Plumlee’s performance dipped similarly against the Red Storm—following five straight double-digit rebounding performances, Plumlee pulled down only four boards and was 0-for-2 from the field.

Sunday’s loss to St. John’s served as a wake-up call to the Blue Devils that subpar performances on the road will rarely result in wins against quality competition.

Against a rival like Maryland tonight, that call will need to be heard not only by Duke’s senior leadership, but by the whole team, for the Blue Devils to get back on the winning track.

Want to discuss the major campus issues of gender, accessibility, sexuality and our social culture with President Brodhead, Larry Moneta, Sue Wasiolek, and Steve Nowicki?

Then come to Perkins 217 at 7pm Thursday February 3!

E-mail the questions you want answered to dukepresidentsforum@gmail.com

12 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011

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The Chronicle Topics we would bring up at the Convention: tailgate: �����������������������������������������������������������������������anthony, twei more resources at student health: ������������������������������������������drupp more snow days: �������������������������������������������������������������yeshwanth equalize room space: ���������������������������������������������������������������� drew raise the profile of ESPNW: ������������������������������������� $rich$, dr., plee bring back fourlokos: ������������������������������������� fraddison, crod, cdall file-sharing: ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� xtina the perks of monitor walls: ���������������������������������������������������������ian Barb Starbuck is the keynote speaker: ������������������������������������� Barb

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Duke, Durham should move past layoff Relationships are always organization for 11 years, had hard, and the Duke-Durham cultivated the sort of genuine relationship doubly so. relationships with members At the end of 2010, the of the Durham community Charlotte-based Duke En- that are necessary for a true dowment cut the funding for partnership. Palmer was a the Duke-Durvaluable liaison editorial ham Neighborbetween Duke hood Partnerand Durham, ship. Collateral damage from and his loss is significant. this closure included letting Nonetheless, from the go Michael Palmer, former University’s perspective, its assistant vice president for hands were tied by the financommunity affairs. cial constraints of a private The loss of Palmer to the donor The Duke EndowNeighborhood Partnership, an ment, which is independent organization perennially cited of the University. as one of the great successes in Yet something went wrong Duke and Durham’s ongoing here. Palmer, the University relationship, is unfortunate. and Durham residents seem The resources provided by the to be nursing hurt feelings partnership were vital to sev- about the affair when there eral Durham non-profits. should be little animosity. A But more importantly, Mi- true community partnership chael Palmer, who headed the should not fall apart when

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funding from grants—a notoriously fickle source—runs out. All the parties involved should seek to preserve and kindle the relationships that made the DDNP successful in the first place.

Palmer no longer works for Duke, and the University’s financial contributions to Durham have decreased, but relationships ought to persist across payroll lines. Palmer, who continues to sit on the boards of several Durham nonprofits, would ideally remain a valuable liaison between the University and the community.

The fusillade of reactions on all sides suggests that this has not happened. Palmer has declared that he will not be “wearing [his] Duke hat anymore,” while Durham Pastor Fredrick Davis

announced his “disgust and disappointment” over the affair in a letter to President Richard Brodhead. There is blood in the water.

In order for constructive reconciliation to take place among Durham, Palmer and the University, all parties need to recognize several things.

First, Durham non-profits and residents should accept that Duke’s decision was directly tied to the actions of a private donor. Grant funds are volatile, and even more so in periods of economic uncertainty. The lapsing of the DDNP grant, which expired at the ripe age of 14 years, should have been foreseen. While Duke should be economically committed to Durham when it can be, Durham must remain willing

to work with the University when times are tough.

Duke, on the other hand, needs to acknowledge that this is not the send-off Palmer deserved. It is unclear what strained his relationship with the University. Duke offered to keep him employed in some capacity, but Palmer was apparently not satisfied with what was on the table.

We hope Palmer will reaffirm his commitment to working with Durham and Duke. He is no longer on Duke’s payroll, but if he is still committed to bettering Durham that means making town-gown relations the best they can be.

Duke and Durham are partners. They should stop splitting hairs over lost grant funding and move forward.

You booze, you lose?

ave you ever received a citation from your unreasonable for other residents. As Deb LoBiresident assistant or residence coordina- ondo, Duke’s Assistant Dean of Residence Life tor? The answer may very well depend and Housing Services (RLHS), said in an interon whether you go to Duke or the view, “We’re not out looking for Uiversity of North Carolina at Chatrouble.” pel Hill. Whereas Duke enforces its At the heart of the difference policy explicitly when students’ safebetween Duke and UNC’s discity is at risk, UNC maintains a strict plinary policies is the issue of trust. zero tolerance policy that denies Duke trusts its students to behave students any leeway whatsoever. in a responsible and conscientious An example from my sophomanner suitable to adults and more year spring semester at UNC appropriate action when they chris edelman takes is illustrative. One Friday night at don’t. UNC expects its students about 10 p.m., I was happily watchto act irresponsibly and therefore shades of blue ing a YouTube video in my dorm at treats them like children, taking a reasonable volume with the door harsh action against even minor closed. All of a sudden, I heard knocking, and the offenses. According to Duke’s Student Conduct next thing I knew, my RA told me that I needed website, “Students will participate with integrity to shut off the video and that the next time I com- in the disciplinary process. What students say is mitted a “noise violation” he would send a letter assumed true unless information indicates to the home to my parents. That’s right—my parents! contrary.” Dean LoBiondo reiterated, “I am goUNC students are not permitted to host any ing to trust that you are an adult and that you are parties in residence halls that have any alcohol of going to make those [responsible decisions].” any sort—even if there’s a licensed bartender or Despite the superiority of Duke’s policy to it’s BYOB and all students are old enough to drink. UNC’s, Duke can improve as well. RLHS has a Of age students may drink but only within their responsibility to determine who and when it is aprooms or apartments. Underage students are not propriate to trust. Dean LoBiondo admitted in an permitted to drink anywhere on campus—even in e-mail that she believes “some groups plan for staff the privacy of their own dorm rooms. These rules or DUPD intervention if they choose to engage in are strictly enforced. RAs routinely enter student activities that are against University policy.” RLHS rooms if they have even the slightest suspicion must recognize that some groups fib pre-party that someone is violating university policy, even if planning documents and are particularly adept at no safety concerns are involved, creating a sort of evading detection during parties. Other groups “police campus.” choose to host completely unsanctioned parties A better approach is to recognize the specific that are often never discovered. The University dangers of college drinking and seek to minimize must do a better job, therefore, of making sure them, rather than creating a strict zero tolerance that some groups do not face a higher risk of punpolicy that fosters a hostile relationship between ishment and sanction simply because they do not students and administration. have a method of duping RCs. Duke disciplinary policy strikes the appropriWe all must recognize that Duke is unique. ate balance between freedom and responsibility. Somewhat isolated here in the midst of 7,000 On any given weekend, fraternities and selective acres of forest, all 6,504 of us undergraduates living groups host parties on West and Central have a tight-knit community where we interact Campuses open to the whole campus that have closely and repeatedly with each other. Such a been pre-approved by Residence Life. In some community can only thrive if a bond of trust excases, groups must file pre-party planning docu- ists, not only among students, but also between ments and meet with RCs, and the administra- students and the administration. That bond tion ensures that their security are near the scene can only be fostered if students behave in a refor safety reasons and not necessarily to enforce sponsible and respectful manner and if RLHS University policy. A program trains party moni- maintains faith in students and evenly enforces tors to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning, University policy. Otherwise, God forbid, we prevent sexual abuse and get help when need- might end up in a similar situation to students at ed. Although Duke does not permit parties with UNC—a situation in which when anyone boozes, central alcohol distribution sites, and alcohol everyone loses. must be served by a licensed university bartender, these rules are not strictly enforced unless Chris Edelman is a Trinity senior and a Robertson someone is in danger or the noise level becomes Scholar. His column runs every other Wednesday.

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A

Post-rush Stress Syndrome

s the alcohol-induced haze settles on this last Sunday of rush, I have a million thoughts flying through my mind. By the time you read this, all decisions governing the future of greek life will be made; but as I write this, the fraternal scenario with which I will be presented has yet to be seen. It seems the appropriate choice, if not the only option at present, is for me to reflect on the last 500 scott briggs hours of partying, sleeplessas i see it ness and man-flirting.

During the first round, the only thing I heard more than seniors asking me where I’m from was the claim that rush would be the best time of my life. Well, over the past three weeks, I’ve seen a lot of keg stands and not a lot of classroom attendance. I’ve watched as the most diligent Pratt stars became scatterbrained zombies, living only to impress the current generation of frat stars. I’ve heard stories that created mental images I may never be able to erase,

I

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | 15

commentaries

and I’ve witnessed more EMS calls in a week than I have in an entire semester.

Three weeks later, I’ve admittedly had a blast… and stressed myself out entirely. I attended every single open house and treated them all like job interviews. I crafted schedules to fit in as many events as humanly possible. It became my life’s mission to memorize the name and hometown of every brother in every fraternity on campus. I’ve spent my Sunday nights sitting at my desk refreshing my e-mail every 30 seconds, lest someone receive their second round invite before me. I’ve rotted my brain on College ACB, to the point that if I read one more comment about how this post was clearly written by ABC pretending to be DEF while dressed as GHI, my brain might just ooze out of my ears. I psychoanalyzed the situation to death.

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. If I could go back and redo the process, there are certainly things I would change.

While everyone’s rush process is unique, the stress seems to be a common factor. In life, some people like you and some people don’t. You befriend the ones that like you and forget about the others. No one really thinks about it until we formalize the process and get Greek letters involved. Then chaos ensues. This sacred college ritu-

On the road

spent most of December and January interviewing for residency positions at hospitals all over the eastern half of the country.

There was one 30-day span, from mid-December to mid-January, during which I spent time at 12 different destinations. (For the record: Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Ann Arbor; Oak Island, N.C.; Richmond; New York; Philadelphia; Durham; Raleigh; Boston; St. Louis; Mt. Pocono, Pa.). I learned a lot about hospitals and residency programs, but I learned even more about traveling. alex fanaroff As a service to my readers, I offer farewell tour up the following bits of wisdom: 1. There is a special circle of Hell reserved for those people who recline their seats on an airplane.

Honestly, you’re invading my space. Along with my plane ticket, I purchased the rights to the entirety of the space between my seat and the seat in front of me. When you recline your seat, you’re stealing almost a third of my real estate. In return, you can fork over one-third of the cost of my ticket, or I’ll kick your seat for the rest of the flight.

2. An analogy: BoltBus is to Megabus as Tina Fey is to Sarah Palin: smarter, more attractive, and more qualified to be president.

3. My blister-covered heels and toes want me to tell you to break in your shoes before you start traveling for interviews.

4. Tri-fold garment bags? More expensive than normal garment bags, but totally worth it. Not only will you look like a supercool business traveler, but your suit will still be presentable when you get where you’re going—and you won’t have to pay $50 to check your bag.

5. Along the same lines: Traveling in a suit? Can’t beat it. Everyone thinks you’re more important when you travel in a suit. Plus, you really show up the travelers wearing too-small sweats.

6. Simple math: JetBlue > Southwest >>>> every other airline.

This is perhaps the most important point for the non-business traveler. On every other airline, there’s a caste system. As a younger, poorer person with no SkyMiles or Mileage Plus or AAdvantage points, you’re basically an Untouchable. On JetBlue and Southwest, everyone’s treated equally. It’s like communism, minus bread lines and work camps. (JetBlue gets the nod over Southwest because they have better snacks and you get the whole can of soda instead of just a small cup of soda. Also, the TVs. Duh.) 7. Walking two miles from hospital to hotel through a snowcovered Ann Arbor afternoon—not so bad. Walking a quarter-mile through a Boston blizzard at 6:30 a.m.—bad.

8. Philadelphia International Airport: Despite marketing its Terminal B and C as the Philadelphia Marketplace Food & Shops, it’s not a fantastic place to spend seven hours. Actually, this is probably true of any entity marketing itself as a “marketplace,” airport or otherwise.

9. I have no idea how people traveled before Al Gore invented smartphones. I don’t think I arrived at any of my destination airports with any clue how I was going to get to the hospital or even what time I was supposed to be at the hospital. If it weren’t for my iPhone, I would’ve had to—gasp!—plan ahead.

10. Currito! Burritos without borders, indeed. If I hadn’t just spent $1,500 traveling to residency interviews, I’d open my own franchise.

Alex Fanaroff is a fourth-year medical student. His column runs every Wednesday.

al, a practice that should be about finding a community of brothers with whom to spend your college years, has been turned into a popularity contest far worse than anything I can remember from high school.

Despite what people may tell you, it is possible to be in a “top tier” fraternity and hate everyone around you. It is also possible to be in the “bottom tier” and actually like your brothers. You can spend hours trying to convince the student body via gossip sites that your fraternity mixes with the best sororities, but at the end of the day you have to sign off and live with them.

As I wait for that IFC envelope to be slid under my door, I wish everyone in this year’s rush class the best of luck finding their place at Duke. Whether you’re pledging, already in a greek organization or a GDI, there are some tenets that are universal.

So take this as a bit of advice from a freshman who admittedly knows nothing and did it all wrong: Have fun. Be true to yourself. Throw the rankings out the window. The rest will work itself out.

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

U.S. fallout: what does ‘change’ mean in Egypt?

It seems to me that the path to change is so haz- space. The Egyptian diaspora has established ardous and the cost so high that revolution is often satellite networks to call for Coptic, or Christianthe inevitable outcome.

Egyptian, rights. Egypt’s three leading Internet Many young Egyptians, marginalized by the service providers are now accessible to many stucurrent state of the economy and dents in Egypt’s nearly 40 univerdisappointed with the political sities. Likewise, Al-Jazeera’s covmbaye lo process, are finding solace in soerage on satellite TV has shifted cial media and joining groups that from covering proponents of al guest column focus on utopian visions of the Qaeda’s anarchism to promoting Muslim ummah, or community. diversity, tolerance and the opThe state has taught them to despise Egypt and posing views among its constituency. romanticize the diaspora. They seek change.

The change is not all good, as the class diMore than two years ago, I blogged about vide in Egypt has deepened. Cairo’s metropoliObama’s candidacy and expectations in the tan area was built for fewer than three million Egyptian streets about his message of change. people, but it now houses almost 20 million peoNearly two years into his presidency, nothing had ple; most of them are the working poor. Among changed for Amm Haqib, one of the many home- them are tens of thousands who make the cemless Egyptians who I encountered daily as direc- eteries in the City of the Dead their permanent tor of the DukeEngage program in Cairo. He home. At the opposite end of the spectrum are still sat on his wooden chair at the corner store the rich, who started establishing gated comof the dilapidated building in Garden City, once munities. They are mostly top government civil Cairo’s most prestigious enclave. Each day he servants, military officers and members of the asked if I had spare change for his breakfast. By business class. then he had stopped calling me “Obama.” When The Muslim Brotherhood, and non-religious I inquired why, his response was ready, “mafish parties such as Nassirites, the Wafd and the altaghyir”—there is no change.

Ghad were further marginalized in the 2010 This was vastly different from summer election, as Mubarak’s party claimed 81 per2008, when Obama meant change and hope cent of the seats. Ala al-Aswani, Egypt’s most to Amm Haqib. That was the same summer renowned novelist and a member of Kifayah, Duke students were invited to Cairo Univer- a secular group, told me that “waiting for help sity for a roundtable discussion on “the com- from the U.S. is no longer an option for the ing of Obama.” Everyone in attendance won- Egyptians.” And Kifaya’ ideas of proactive prodered what that change would bring to their test were adopted by the April 6 Youth Movedaily life. The mood was jubilant, and people ment that gathered more than 100,000 users in were enthusiastic about Obama’s change. But their social network. Since then, the two groups just two years later, Egyptian Obama admirers, have been the outlets for most anti-government like Amm Haqib, avoid talk of change. Obama’s protest. speech in Cairo, in which he talked about relaNo one knows what type of change will come tions between the U.S. and the Muslim world from this uprising, but those who closely moniwithout rebuking Egyptian president Hosni tor political changes in the Middle East know Mubarak, left many cold. that power struggles in this region have not been Haqib is right: There has been no change in favorable to the U.S. Whether change comes Egyptian politics. The regime still uses the concept through revolution, as in Iran; tribal arrangeof Muslim extremism as a bogeyman in order to ments, as in Lebanon; military coup d’états, as in stifle meaningful reform. Mubarak’s party eradi- the Sudan; foreign invasion, as in Iraq or through cated the last hope of political culture in the 2005 a democratic process, as in Turkey, it has often election, when brutality marked the government’s culminated in a revolution against U.S. policies. relationship with the opposition.

Will Egypt be an exception? One cannot be sure, Haqib is also wrong. There are tremendous but neither past experiences nor current indicachanges underway outside the formal political tors are encouraging. space. There were more than half a billion users of Facebook last year, and nearly 15 million of Mbaye Lo is an assistant professor of the practice in them were from the Middle East and North Afri- the Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies. He ca, mostly looking for alternative socio-political directs DukeEngage’s Cairo.

16 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011

the chronicle

A Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture

What Makes a Good Leader:

Former Duke University President Nan Keohane talks with Kristin Goss, assistant professor of public policy, and Mike Lefevre, president of Duke Student Government.

They will discuss the ideas presented in Keohane’s new book, “Thinking about Leadership.”

Book-signing and reception to follow.

Co-sponsored by Hart Leadership Program and Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Photo by Jon RoemeR/WoodRoW Wilson school

A CoNverSATioN WiTh NAN KeohANe

Friday, Feb. 4, 1:30 pm Fleishman Commons Sanford Building Free and open to the public Parking in Science Drive Visitor Lot or Bryan Center Lot Contact: mary.lindsley@duke.edu (919) 613-7312

www.sanford.duke.edu SanfChron_Keohane.indd 1

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