Mar. 1 2011 issue by Duke Chronicle

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 107

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Full LDOC lineup announced Deputy Sec. of

State emphasizes int’l cooperation by Yeshwanth Kandimalla THE CHRONICLE

Chronicle graphic by courtney douglas

A text message to students Monday announced that Rudy Currence, Dev and The Cataracs will join Ludacris in the Last Day of Classes lineup this year. by Maggie Spini THE CHRONICLE

Ludacris is no longer the only name on the lineup for this year’s Last Day of Classes festivities. The complete list of LDOC artists was announced to students in a text message Monday at noon, stating “the LDOC Lineup is... Rudy Currence, Dev, The Cataracs, and Ludacris!” This was the first year the LDOC committee offered textmessage notifications in addition to e-mails. The Chronicle announced Ludacris’ spot on the lineup Feb. 15, after it

was confirmed by representatives from his label. LDOC Committee co-Chair Lindsay Tomson wrote in an e-mail that the committee derived the idea for the text messaging system from DukeAlert and line monitor communications, adding that it will be useful for providing updates on the day of the event but that the committee has “no intentions of textually harassing the student body.” In a joint statement to The Chronicle, Tomson and committee co-Chair Will Benesh, a senior, expressed their

Recent international developments have reinforced the need for cooperation with global partners in American foreign policy, the nation’s number two diplomat said Monday. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg focused on American foreign policy under President Barack Obama and emphasized the strength of multilateralism as an approach to foreign relations in his lecture in the Sanford School of Public Policy. “History is accelerating [the changes in foreign policy],” he said. “In the 21st century, [the State Department] is working on a broad range of newer challenges, such as terrorists, climate change, cyber security and popular movements.” Steinberg began his presentation by highlighting two “core convictions” of the State Department’s approach to diplomacy. “First, no nation can seize an opportunity on its own. There is always a need for international cooperation,” Steinberg noted. “Second, there is no invisible hand to bring the supply of cooperation—there are deep obstacles to cooperation.” Although it is important for the U.S. to defend its national interests, Steinberg said the State Department recognizes “the value of fostering relationships and the need for institutions and arrangements among those with diverse interests.” He pointed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for a “global architecture of cooperation” as an embodiment of the State Department’s values with respect to foreign relations. The U.S. is uniquely positioned to help overcome See steinberg on page 6

See ldoc on page 6

Students look to link tailgate to football by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE

Nearly four months after administrators canceled Tailgate, Duke Student Government held a forum Monday to gather input from students for a new kind of celebration. Although 104 students said they were planning to attend the event on Facebook, only seven students attended the forum, which aimed to “determine what [the future tailgating] experience will be like,” according to the event’s Facebook page. DSG President Mike Lefevre, a senior, and sophomore Chris Brown, vice president for athletics and campus services, led the discussion. “[Changing Tailgate] is pretty much non-negotiable,” Brown said. “Tailgate and the football game have become two mutually exclusive events... it has to be an experience... about football.”

First crops planted at sustainable campus farm, Page 4

Administrators canceled Tailgate after a minor was found unconscious in a Porta Potty. At the time, Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta called the incident the “predominant deciding factor” for canceling the final Tailgate of the year, The Chronicle previously reported. “[The incident] gave the administration an opportunity to say that we got lucky that [the minor] was only passed out,” Lefevre said. Although he recognized the seriousness of the incident, Levevre noted that this year’s Tailgates had fewest number of total calls to Emergency Medical Services in recent history. Furthermore, more than 3,000 students attended the Homecoming Tailgate—marking one of the highest attendance rates in the last few years. Students at the forum discussed

DUSDAC discusses dining in new K4, Page 3

possible changes to Tailgate that may result in a more positive experience for the student body and for the University as a whole. Finding a way to connect tailgating with football games is one of the top priorities in instituting reforms. Students suggested moving the location of future tailgating activities from its former spot in the Blue Zone. Lefevre said the majority of former discussions within DSG and with the administration have revolved around moving tailgating to a location closer to the athletic facilities, adding that the Card Gymnasium parking lot is the top choice. He noted that head football coach David Cutcliffe has set tailgating as one of his highest priorities for next year. Other ideas included requiring See tailgate on page 6

margie truwit/The Chronicle

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg spoke on international relations at the Sanford School of Public Policy Monday.

ONTHERECORD

“Knowing what to do is only half the battle. Doing it is far more challenging...”

—Senior Gregory Morrison in “Duke’s impact office.” See column page 11

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worldandnation onschedule...

Dean’s Dialogue with Durham Public Schools Superintendent Duke Chapel, 12:15-1:15p.m. Sam Wells, Dean of the Duke Chapel, interviews DPS Superintendent Eric Becoats.

on the

Movie With Professor Malone Craven C Commons, 6-9p.m. Enjoy watching the movie Chicago with a Duke professor as a last study-break before the big Spring Break.

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WEDNESDAY:

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La Tavola Italiana Film Night Social Sciences 139, 7-9p.m. The Italian culture group is sponsoring a movie night that encourages students to explore Italian culture in a relaxed setting.

web

“Freshman Laetitia Beck posted a career-best 66 in the first round Sunday of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship, held at the English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans, La. The round put her in first place at the end of the day at six-under... As a team, Duke sits in second place after the first day, trailing only the tournament host Tulane.” — From The Chronicle’s Sports Blog sports.chronicleblogs.com

chris dall/The chronicle

Panelists disccuss the meaning of being a good coach and a moral leader and the connection between the two at the Coach K Center for Excellence. The event, sponsored by the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke Athletics and the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics, featured speakers such as Women’s Field Hockey Coach Pam Bustin.

“

TODAY:

The shell must break before the bird can fly. — Alfred Tennyson

”

TODAY IN HISTORY

1803: Ohio is admitted as the seventeenth U.S. State.

Full-time PhD-level position available NeuroCog Trials, a rapidly growing company with close ties to Duke University Medical Center, has been involved in design and implementation of multi-site clinical trials, including rater training and data quality assurance, and neurocognitive test development, for 10 years. We are looking to fill a full-time PhD-level position. This individual will assist in novel test development and validation, trial design, data analysis and interpretation, and business development, and will oversee neurocognitive rater certification and data quality control for multi-site pharmaceutical company trials. These clinical trials usually involve a large meeting of investigators and testers who require certification. Travel to US or international meetings is expected. The person filling the position should be proficient in Excel, SPSS and/or SAS. Expertise in visual design, presentation, and software development is a plus. The starting salary will be competitive with pharmaceutical industry standards with medical benefits. Management skills are essential. Additional requirements: PhD in psychology, neurosciences or related field; experience with neuropsychological or cognitive data collection and analysis; ability to travel on limited basis (average of 3-5 days per month); large-group presentation skills. Experience with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dementia is a plus.

Contact: Dr. Richard Keefe email: caren@neurocogtrials.com phone: 919-401-4642

Supreme Court forces drug Peaceful demonstrations companies to pay overtime continue in Oman WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court refused Monday to insulate the drug industry from having to pay overtime to thousands of sales representatives, turning away appeals from units of Novartis and Merck. The companies sought to overturn a federal appeals court’s conclusion that their salespeople are covered by a federal wage- and-hour law. The decision against the Novartis unit leaves the company with claims of as much as $100 million on behalf of 2,500 past and current employees. Drugmakers are facing a wave of suits by sales representatives for overtime pay. More than a dozen suits have been filed, including cases against Johnson & Johnson, Bristol- Myers Squibb and a GlaxoSmithKline unit. Drug companies have long treated sales representatives as exempt from the overtime requirements, according to court papers filed by an industry trade group.

off the

wire...

SOHAR, Oman — Hundreds of Omani protesters gathered Monday in the city of Sohar for a third night, demanding that the government open talks on their demands for more jobs, higher pay and more representative political institutions. Khaled Maqbuli, a leader of the protest, called on the demonstrators at a roundabout in the center of Sohar, north of the capital, Muscat, to stay peaceful and avoid confrontation with the army and the police. Two people were killed, several wounded and a supermarket set on fire over the past two days. “We are peaceful, we have demands, we are not saboteurs,” Maqbuli, 26, said through a loudspeaker. “We want the government to send civilian people to discuss our demands; we have nothing to say to the military.”

Burundi agrees to Nile River Accord

the chronicle

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dusdac

K4 to include new social, dining spaces by Matt Barnett THE CHRONICLE

Although K4 is only nine months from completion, University administrators have no concrete plans to incorporate the building into the existing social, study and dining spaces in McClendon Tower. Rick Johnson, assistant vice president for housing and dining, and Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta sought feedback from the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee at its meeting Monday. Johnson and Moneta discussed with the committee potential ways to make the K4-McClendon area a new center of student life. “We have really just begun planning [what to do with the space],” Moneta said. “I’d say what we’re trying to do is think strategically—to think of the whole thing as a complex.” K4 features a large glass social space, similar to the one in Von der Heyden Pavilion, Moneta noted. The building does not have facilities for a dining venue, but Moneta said he envisions a layout that will encourage students to bring food from McClendon Tower by crossing a short, covered walkway leading to K4. See Dusdac on page 4

Kingsolver promotes ‘scientific literacy’ by Julian Spector THE CHRONICLE

The crossroads of science and art yields a most fertile environment for the exchange of ideas. This philosophy may be evident in the Nicholas School of the Environment’s announcement earlier this month that author Barbara Kingsolver will receive the 2011 Lifetime Environmental Achievement in the Fine Arts Award. Kingsolver, whose writing draws from her background in biology, will accept the award and speak at Duke April 9. “The LEAF Award means the world to me because it comes from a community of thinking that I greatly respect,” Kingsolver wrote in an e-mail last week. “It’s great to be noticed, appreciated and understood.” Established in 2009, the LEAF Award recognizes an artist whose body of work grapples with environmental themes and successfully communicates those themes to the public by engaging them not only intellectually, but also emotionally, said Nicholas School Dean Bill Chameides. Actor and filmmaker Robert Redford and musician Jackson Browne were the award’s recipients in 2009 and 2010, respectively. “It’s not only about writing about the environment, but connecting people to the environment,” Chameides said. Chameides noted that the executive committee of the school’s Board of Visitors examined seven or eight nominees before selecting Kingsolver. They were looking for an accomplished artist who had the public recognition necessary to reach a sizable audience, Chameides said, also noting the central role of the environ-

The Baldwin Scholars Program announces the

ment in much of Kingsolver’s writing. “She writes about the environment in a way that people learn,” Chameides said. “Her characters struggle quite often in very human ways with human problems, and there is this inexorable march of time that is the natural world. Everything that happens on a human scale is somewhat reflected and subsumed by this larger process.” Kingsolver’s writing is informed by her exposure to science. She studied ecology and evolutionary biology at the graduate level at the University of Arizona. Her husband, Steven Hopp, is an ornitholo-

graham jepson/special to The Chronicle

Author Barbara Kingsolver was chosen to receive the Nicholas School’s LEAF Award for her efforts to engage people with the environment through her writing.

gist and teaches environmental studies at Emory and Henry College. Kingsolver noted the importance of communicating scientific knowledge. “I was trained as a scientist and still think of myself as a scientific citizen of the world,” she wrote. “I worry a lot about scientific literacy. We’re in a mess, frankly, because so many people just can’t, or won’t, participate in an intelligent global conversation concerning wise use of our resources. As an artist, I try to engage people in this crucial conversation.” The LEAF award recognizes artists who try to engage people with the environment in this way, Chameides said. This theme appears throughout Kingsolver’s works, such as “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” which documents her family’s experience living off of homegrown and local food for a year, and “Prodigal Summer,” which tells stories of human love set amidst a detailed natural backdrop in Appalachia. “In an improbably appealing book with the feeling of a nice stay inside a terrarium, Ms. Kingsolver means to illustrate the nature of biological destiny and provide enlightened discourse on various ecological matters,” noted a New York Times review of Kingsolver’s “Prodigal Summer.” Although the schedule for Kingsolver’s visit to Duke is still being determined, Chameides did confirm that she will perform a reading from her work. He expressed excitement for Kingsolver’s contribution to campus discourse on the environment. “She knows a lot about ecology and about science,” Chameides said. “She’s just really quite smart. If you sat down and talked to her you’d realize that this is a major player.”

DistinguisheD speaker series

Unsung Heroine Award This award will recognize a woman who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to issues that face women at Duke or in the larger community, but whose efforts have not received formal recognition. The recipient can be an undergraduate or graduate student, alumna, faculty, administrator, staff, or retiree. Nomination letters should be sent to baldwinscholars@duke.edu. Priority consideration will be given to nominations received by March 14, 2011.

Mr. Jim Mcnerney Chairman, president, and Chief executive Officer the Boeing Company The University Community Is Invited to Attend

Leadership, innovation, and global Competitiveness tuesday, March 1, 2011 4:00 pM - 5:00 pM geneen auditorium the Fuqua school of Business

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Campus farm to provide sustainable food by Amanda young THE CHRONICLE

Professor Charlotte Clark never thought an assignment in her course would lead to Duke’s own sustainable farm. A visiting assistant professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Clark was teaching Environment 171: “Food and Energy” last Spring when students conceived of the idea of the Duke University Campus Farm. When groups of five students were given questions provided by on-campus dining clients, one team was asked whether the University should consider having its own farm, Clark said. A year of planning and searching for funding later, the farm planted its first acre of seeds Sunday opposite the Carolina Friends School—the first step in the students’ movement to promote food sustainability on campus. Bon Appetit Management Company, which runs on-campus venues including the Great Hall and the Marketplace, has agreed to buy all of the food that the farm produces and will serve some of it in its venues on campus. The products include salad greens, sweet potatoes

and tomatoes, said junior Michael Bernert, a member of the farm’s founding leadership team. “I thought that the students would just do a feasibility study, but they went much further than that,” Clark said. The students met with the manager of the Duke Forest and received a 12-acre plot of land for free, Clark said. A $14,000 grant from the Students Taking an Active Role in Sustainability committee, a group that allocates funds to projects related to Duke, has helped cover costs of preparing the land and purchasing crops. If the crops grow as expected, the food should be ready by mid-April, said farm project manager Emily Sloss, Trinity ’10. She described the farm’s goals as two-fold: to produce and provide fresh local sustainable food to campus dining halls and to provide an educational facility for students and faculty to learn about farming and food. “You shouldn’t wonder, ‘What am I eating and where did it come from?’” Sloss said. “The farm will help students have a better understanding of what they’re eating and how that’s affecting their health. It will also make

them think about food’s impact on the environment and social issues, like farm workers’ rights.” Bernert also sees the farm as a key component in the battle for food sustainability. “Look at the high use of pesticides, the obesity trend in children and the high intake of fructose corn syrup in food,” Bernert said, listing recently-developing food issues. “The costs associated with these things are increasing at an exponential rate right now, and changes have to happen. The farm can help drive these changes.” Several other schools, such as Cornell and Yale universities, have also opened campus farms. Sloss said she believes that an increased interest in the food process has created this movement to cultivate university-sponsored farms. “More and more of our food is becoming processed and synthetic, and it has become food that we don’t understand what it is or what it’s doing in our body,” Sloss said. “We [talked] about these issues in class, but there’s become this realization that we could learn about these issues ourselves by growing it ourselves.”

special to the chronicle

Dusdac from page 3 “The addition of this really grand living room will really become a draw,” Moneta said. “It will be a beacon—it will be all glass. It’s going to be an extraordinary ‘see-and-beseen’ space.” The Tower, however, is not part of the new plan, said Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst. “The focus is to make use of the existing dining space, but that doesn’t include the vendor that’s currently there,” Wulforst said.

The committee also discussed potential replacements for The Tower, including a pizza spot, a diner-style venue and the revival of a pre-recession initiative to bring The Food Factory, a Cary-based deli, to campus. Though the type of restaurant is yet to be determined, administrators and DUSDAC members agreed that the venue should be a round-the-clock alternative to McDonald’s. “We’ve all aspired that it would have a 24-hour presence,” Moneta said. When asked if the venue would be run by Bon Appetit Management Company, Moneta said operators have not yet been considered.

mencement Student S m o C 1 peak 01 2 e er could be YOU! Th

Wulforst, however, expressed resistance to the spread of Bon Appetit on campus. “I don’t really want to expand Bon Appetit’s footprint,” Wulforst said. “I think they’ve got a lot on their hands.” In other business: Wulforst also noted the administration’s duty to consider “aggressive, out-of-the-box solutions” in order to continually improve the student dining experience. “One of the things that testing the [Trinity Cafe] equivalency program has told us is that... restriction taints the overall experience,” he said. “What if the [residence halls] on East [Campus] could have ‘Great Hall night?’” The Students for Sustainable Living Dining Committee also presented to DUSDAC. The SSLDC is working on the expansion of its clamshell program—which provides students with reusable to-go containers—to The Refectory Cafe and the Marketplace. The committee also wants to perform green dining audits of on-campus venues and coordinate a buffet-style celebration of local foods for Earth Day with The Refectory. The event will cost $16-$20 and feature speaker Norman Wirzba, professor of theology, ecology and rural life. DUSDAC member Mark Elstein, a senior, also announced that after a long delay, the sandwich toaster at Subway is now operational. The University has also acquired a back-up in the event of future malfunctions.

Any September ‘10, December ‘10, or May ‘11 Graduate is eligible. Speeches must be submitted to SpecialEvents@duke.edu by 5:00 p.m., Sunday, March 13 For more information and instructions, please contact Sterly Wilder at 684-2782 or sterly.wilder@daa.duke.edu

victor kuo/The Chronicle

Ideas for dining in the new K4 include utilizing a glass pavillion as dining and social space and replacing The Tower with a 24-hour venue.

the chronicle

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ldoc from page 1 enthusiasm for the April 27 event. “All of us on the LDOC committee are extremely excited about the artist selection this year,” they wrote in an e-mail. “We’re happy to see that there’s been a generally positive reaction from the students.” Benesh and Tomson also stressed their commitment to bringing in artists whose songs students would recognize. “We also wanted artists that would appeal to a large portion of the student population and would fit with the celebratory atmosphere of LDOC,” they noted. The Cataracs are a hip-hop, indie-pop duo based in Los Angeles. The group has found success with songs like “Club Love,” a single released in 2010. They are most widely recognized, however, for their work on the song “Like a G6” by Far East Movement, which was written by Niles HollowellDhar and David Singer-Vine, The Cataracs’ two members. “[The Cataracs is] a band that’s been around for a really long time that just recently made a break,” sophomore Kyla Casey said. “I think that because they’ve been playing in clubs so many times it will be like Flogging Molly last year, where they really understood how to work an audience.” Dev, also based in Los Angeles, is “the sound of now,” according to her MySpace page. The Cataracs discovered Dev after she posted a recording of her singing on MySpace and have since col-

laborated with her for hits like “Booty Bounce,” which has more than 3.8 million views on YouTube and has been featured on MTV. Dev’s most recent single, “Bass Down Low,” also featuring The Cataracs, is described as a “stunning slab of sweaty electro, with skittering hi-hats and tons of swag” on her MySpace page. Both Dev and The Cataracs are signed to Universal Records. “Dev is just amazing,” said sophomore Chris Clayton, who also noted his satisfaction with the overall lineup. “I’m really excited that the LDOC Committee managed to branch out from hard core rappers and Irish music to provide us with something a little more indie and fun. It will be upbeat and exciting.” Rudy Currence rounds out this year’s LDOC lineup. Currence is a pop/R&B/soul artist who signed in 2009 with Disturbing Tha Peace, the music label owned by Ludacris. Currence has been honored for his writing by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and has had a song featured in the film “The Bourne Identity,” according to his MySpace page. Currence’s booking agency, The College Agency, describes him as “a powerful, unique voice in today’s music scene” on its website. “Rudy sings with power and passion, writes beautiful soulful lyrics, produces complex music and plays several instruments including the keyboard and guitar.” Benesh wrote in an e-mail that sophomore Alex Shapanka, chief financial officer of the LDOC Committee, will not be commenting on the LDOC budget.

steinberg from page 1 the barriers impeding international cooperation, he noted, because it has fostered goodwill in many parts of the world since World War II. He cited recent work with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on issues such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions and democracy in the Middle East as “evidence of the vitality of [the U.S.] partnership” with European allies. Steinberg also emphasized partnerships with Japan, South Korea and Australia as critical to resolving concerns about nuclear proliferation in North Korea and climate change. He drew attention to the presence of growing powers such as India and China, describing India as “an indispensable partner” whose importance has increased to an unprecedented level. Steinberg also spoke of China’s growth as a international power and its complicated diplomatic relationship with the U.S. “China doesn’t fit into a black-and-white category of friend or rival,” he said. “Still, there is scarcely a problem that can’t be solved with [the U.S. and China] working together.” Despite the growing collaboration between the two governments, the State Department continues to emphasize American opposition to hu-

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man rights abuses and a lack of democracy to the Chinese government, he noted. Steinberg said although nation-states remain important in the world of international relations, powerful non-state actors have shown the limits of government power, specifically the greater role of civil society in foreign relations. He attributed the trend to the growing popularity of social networking. “Civil society is a leg of a three-legged stool along with private corporations and national governments,” he explained. “[The State Department] is not imposing its own preferences but supporting others in their own pursuit of political freedom.” He related the broader discussion of the role of civil society to the recent popular uprising in Egypt and the process of creating a democratic government there. He noted that the U.S. will direct $150 million in foreign aid to assist Egypt’s transition to democracy. “One of every five Arabs is an Egyptian,” he explained. “A thriving democracy in Egypt would strike a violent blow to al-Qaida’s narrative of hatred.” Senior Jared Goodman said he appreciated Steinberg’s commentary about Egypt and other current foreign policy events. “He placed substantial emphasis on current events, which I think the audience liked,” Goodman said.

tailgate from page 1 students who attend Tailgate to go to football games via a DukeCard swiping system. Still, students acknowledged that generating the same level of excitement for football games as there was for previous Tailgates will be difficult. “We’re a basketball school, not a football school,” said senior Greg Halperin. “Football is the exception to [Duke’s strong athletic programs], and people don’t want to show up to that.” Students also discussed modifying the event’s alcohol policy in order to change tailgating culture. The majority of discussion centered around replacing cases of beer with kegs. Beer cans can be dangerous because some students throw partially-filled cans into the air. Proposals to transition away from cases of beer to kegs have been discussed before, Lefevre said. Although Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek approved kegs for tailgating, Lefevre said there are “not enough kegs in the city of Durham” to support the event. He added that there would be a problem with massive quantities of unregistered kegs in a condensed area. Although students agreed the current tailgating system requires reform, some defended the main idea of Tailgate. “We’re known for our passion worldwide, whether we paint our faces blue and white or we wear pink tutus,” said sophomore Kendall Murphy. “Why is this a bad thing?”

Sports

>> ONLINE

The Chronicle

TUESDAY March 1, 2011

Duke Blue Planet released a video yesterday detailing Kyrie Irving’s rehabilitation after his toe injury. Watch it with our comments on the blog

www.dukechroniclesports.com

The people’s player of the year His name may not be “a noun, an adverb, and an adjective, all wrapped into one,” as Verne Lundquist exclaimed about Jimmer Fredette, but Nolan Smith is every bit the Naismith Trophy candidate that the Jimmer is. For once, though, Duke’s overexposure may be what’s costing Smith’s campaign for National Player of the Year. If you’re like any other college basketball fan, you’ve probably just seen highlights of Fredette play while Smith makes a national television appearance once a week. That means viewers have seen all sides of Nolan: the good, bad Chris and ugly. They don’t get that with Jimmer, just the YouTube clips. His legend grows with every game not aired outside of the Mountain Time Zone. And as more and more fans turn to YouTube for their full impression of Jimmer, Nolan’s accomplishments may be left behind. Jimmer’s highlights, admittedly, are nothing short of sensational—I particularly enjoy watching the referee openly shake his head in amazement after the senior drains a 30-plus footer right in front of him. And to Jimmer’s credit, the guy has furthered—albeit not intentionally—his own mythical persona both on and off the court by keeping his own words out of the national spotlight. In January he became a sensation after dropping 43 points in a win over San Diego State. Nelly tweeted that he was “the truth.” Kevin Durant exclaimed that Jimmer is “the best scorer in the world!!” But what they saw was not an accurate portrayal of a player’s day-in, day-out production. Durant, for one, just weeks after he was caught up in the first wave of Jimmer worship, took to his blog

Cusack

lawson kurtz/The Chronicle

While people see only the highlights from Jimmer Fredette, they see everything from Nolan Smith, Chris Cusack writes.

to clarify who he believed was the nation’s best collegiate player. “[Smith is] having a phenomenal type of year!” Durant wrote. “A Player of the Year type of year, First Team All-American type of year....” While the legend lives on in Provo, Nolan goes about basketball as if it’s business as usual. He has no separate public persona, no myth created by overzealous fans. Nolan stays in constant contact with his fans through any variety of multimedia, the most popular being his highly-active Twitter feed—since joining the site he has tweeted 8,725 times to a following of over 28,000. Ironically, I believe it’s that outgoing personality that keeps him behind in the polls. He has no mystery or cultlike following that comes from being just a collection of YouTube highlights and exaggerations. Just look at both guards’ season statistical lines. Smith: 21.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Over the season he has shot 47.6 percent from the floor with a 1.76 assist-to-turnover ratio. Fredette: Nation-leading 27.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting at a 45.6-percent clip and dishing out 1.26 assists per turnover. Besides Fredette’s obvious lead in scoring, Nolan has had a better season across the board. Fredette takes a whopping 19.1 shots per game, good for 31.3 percent of his team’s total attempts. Smith, in contrast, averages 3.6 fewer shots per game, which explains, in part, his lower numbers. But Smith is on pace to become the first player ever to lead the ACC in both points and assists, while Fredette only possesses the Mountain West Conference’s scoring See cusack on page 8

baseball

New baseball bats befuddle college hitters Blue Devils yet to hit a home run this season by Stuart Price THE CHRONICLE

After several years of escalating game times and rising concerns for player safety, the NCAA decided to take a stance against the prodigious offensive output in college baseball. Unfortunately, in the two months since altering its standard for acceptable bats, it seems the NCAA may have gone too far. On Sept. 16, 2008 the NCAA Baseball Research Panel and Baseball Rules Committee adopted a standard of .50 in Ball-Bat Coefficient Restitution (BBCOR) testing, which represents only a marginally higher bat performance than top-quality wooden bats. It went into effect Jan. 1, 2011. That decision had a profound impact on both Duke and other Division I teams throughout the country. “Seeing it in action, I think they dialed the bats back too far,” head coach Sean McNally said. “It’s certainly changed the complexion of the college game and we’re still trying to figure out exactly to what degree. You can definitely see its effects in games, no question.” Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they have not historically relied on great of-

fensive production. Consequently, it seems Duke is coping with the transition better than some other programs across the nation. “We’ve always been a relatively smallball team,” senior pitcher and infielder Dennis O’Grady said. “We hit and run. We bunt. We steal. Especially this year, we have a lot of guys who can run, so in some aspects the bats are kind of playing to our advantage with our team speed and the way that we defend here.” While Duke tends to rely on smallball, the bat alterations have nonetheless forced McNally to reevaluate his in-game strategy this season. “Our overall style of play has evolved a little bit,” McNally said. “I think we’re trying to bunt and hit and run and our numbers have been more aggressive on the bases early in the season. I think earlier in games you’ll see people do more to try to push a run or two across or bring the infield in to cut a run off because scoring will definitely be down.” The Blue Devils may have adjusted their offensive approach to compensate thanh-ha nguyen/Chronicle file photo

See bats on page 8

Similar to wooden bats, the new bats in college baseball have resulted in lower power numbers for Duke.

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bats from page 7

be outside people looking in at the game thought it was a little bit of a risk, especially for the pitcher. I’ve definitely been hit by for the BBCOR bats, but Duke’s power comebackers, but it’s more of me making a numbers have dropped off considerably bad pitch than the bat causing it. It’s more from last season. Through eight games, of what you can do to protect yourself.” Duke has hit zero home runs against With such a small sample pool of inferior non-conference opponents. In games, it is hard to make a compelling arcomparison, the team managed .71 home gument that the NCAA created a new, disruns per game last season. tinct problem with its BBCOR standards. “First impression as a hitter was you And the NCAA has stressed that the new were kind of BBCOR certificaupset about the tion was necessary “When we first started hitbats, but as a to “to enhance pitcher, at the ting with [the new bats], we the safety of the same time, you were kind of surprised how student-athletes.” love the bats,” But some still feel O’Grady said. that the NCAA bad they actually were.” “When we first has over-correct— Dennis O’Grady ed a problem. started hitting with them, we Despite the iniwere kind of surtial worries about prised how bad they actually were. But they the new standards, McNally expressed say the more teams hit with new bats, the hope that the NCAA will figure out a susbetter they get.” tainable solution to the bat dilemma. The Blue Devils can take solace in the “What I would like to see next year… fact that their opponents are also strug- is a middle ground where guys are regling to adapt. But the profound impact warded if they drive the ball, whether it’s the bat change has already had on strat- batting practice or in a game by hitting it egy and power numbers raises the ques- out of the ballpark,” McNally said. “I’m tion whether the change was needed in hoping we find a middle ground next the first place. year. Safety-wise it’s a good move and cer“To be honest I don’t think it was a nec- tainly our pace of play is up. Hopefully essary change within the college baseball we dial the bats up a bit and get it right playing community,” O’Grady said. “May- as soon as next season.”

cusack from page 7 lead. And Nolan has done it all, while still taking over the point guard position since Kyrie Irving’s injury. As the end of the regular season

looms—postseason performances are not taken into account in Naismith balloting— the myth of Jimmer looms large over the college basketball landscape. But if the voting is based on the oncourt performance, Nolan deserves to take the top spot.

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YT election needs its own rules At a forum last week, the running for the position seek two popularly elected Young organizational endorsements, Trustees raised valid ques- are profiled in The Chronicle tions about the election pro- and post campaign informacess that secured them their tion online. coveted position. After their politics have While the been touted for editorial current process a couple weeks, election is not the verdict is perfect and certainly needs put in students’ hands to deto be tweaked, we believe it is cide which candidate would conceptually sound. make the best Young Trustee. In theory, an informed The election part of this committee of students should process is essential. The stuwinnow the applicants down to dent body knows these candithree finalists, each of whom is dates best, so they will most wholly qualified to serve on the likely choose the person who Board of Trustees. The student best fits the role. Additionbody then has the final say. ally, allowing an election reThe main problem with the moves insider politics from Young Trustee election as it cur- the final decision. rently stands is that the existing Despite the necessity of methods for conducting the an election, this by no means vote fall under the same rules signifies that Young Trustees as any other Duke Student Gov- should run for their position ernment election. Candidates the same way as a DSG presi-

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However, part of this needed change must come from DSG creating a new political culture around the election and fostering a better understanding of the candidates’ role in the process. First and foremost, writein candidates, which were allowed this year due to a technicality, must be eliminated. Additionally, the organizational endorsements policy needs to be reconsidered. Endorsements confound the process of the Young Trustee election, forcing candidates to alter their rhetoric to fit organizational aims. Fighting for endorsements makes the nominees create a platform, and this position is not about platforming or pandering. Young Trustees should be

judged on their quality of character, not campaign pledges. One potential solution is to have organizations issue internal endorsements that are not broadcasted to the entire student body. Finally, the short time span between the Young Trustee and DSG elections has the potential to leave the student body withered and apathetic toward the DSG presidential vote, which is arguably more important for students’ day-today concerns. Crafting an election that is wholly distinct from other DSG elections should assuage this funk. Precious Lockhart, Nick Tsipis and Amanda Turner recused themselves due to involvement with the Board of Elections, YTNC and DSG, respectively.

Expand language T-reqs

onlinecomment

Maybe the VT football team will be kind enough to return the favor and CHOKE for us when they come to Durham.

dential candidate. In fact, it is imperative that the procedures be separate. The role of a trustee is distinct from the role of a student body president. Thus, the rules of the Young Trustee campaign must be greatly refined. We do not want to see a candidate running for Young Trustee on a “Club Sports” platform, nor should they be forced to answer endless strings of questions about Tailgate. Neither of these issues, nor many others that have crept up during the past two campaigns, are core areas of concern for the Board. We are hopeful that an open election process will eventually breed greater knowledge of the Young Trustee position and a better understanding of the Trustees among undergraduates.

he first time it occurred to me that I Unfortunately, in the sequence of French could have made better use of my for- classes I took at Duke, we never got that far. Or eign language T-req, I was in the back maybe we did, but during my freshman and sophof a station wagon in Dakar, Senegal, trying to omore years, I considered language classes akin figure out how to say no to a travelto a puddle of vomit on the steps ing porn salesman. of a C-1—you just had to hold I know, it happens to the best of us. your nose and get around it. If In my case, it all started when I you could have seen me in those decided I was going to take a quick beginning courses, it probably weekend vacation to the other side would have occurred to you that of the country, a hallmark of every I’d taken a heavy tranquilizer bestudy abroad semester. Except in my fore going to class each morning, case, instead of a sleek high-speed perhaps one designed to calm a ryan brown train to zip me 200 miles south, the stampeding elephant. It’s hard public transit option of choice was a first world problems otherwise to account for my perfleet of rusting ‘70s-era station wagplexed, heavy-lidded silence and ons, most of which had as many as occasional mangled French uttertwo working doors. ances: “I enjoy eat some sandwiches, but I prefer Hundreds of these cars, which the Senegalese watch film.” call sept-places (seven spaces), cram daily into a But when, the following Fall semester, I found massive dirt lot in the center of Dakar, where they myself for the first time in my life in a place where set up camp under a sign bearing the name of the vast majority of people I encountered didn’t their destination and idle patiently until all sept of speak English, I found myself wishing for sometheir places have been claimed. thing altogether different: that Duke had forced That morning, two friends and I had wiggled me to take more foreign language classes. our way through the chaos and found a station In the scheme of language learning, three sewagon heading for the town we wanted to visit. mesters is a ridiculously short span of time, one But by the time we sat down in our seats, the that stops far short of proficiency and makes the word was out: There were three white women in countless hours you’ve sunk into it by that point the station. feel unsatisfying and pointless. It’s the kind of curA throng of salesmen descended, pressing ricular requirement that tries to tiptoe between their wares against our windows. In the frenzy, two irreconcilable sides—those who feel that it’s I could make out fake Gucci sunglasses and important for every student to know a foreign lanapple-scented dish soap, pineapple cookies and guage and those who think bilingualism should be phone cards and copies of the Koran. And then, a free choice. suddenly, a hand shot in through the open winWell let me clue you into something—for most dow, waving a CD jewel case that bore an im- of the world, speaking multiple languages is not age of three glistening naked women and a glass a privilege you earn by becoming a student at an dildo in a position that can only be described as elite university that forces you to take a few Ruscompromising. sian classes to graduate. It’s a reality of life lived There are situations in which learning a among a crowded array of ethnic, social and linforeign language can seem like a tremendous guistic groups. It’s a prerequisite for walking in waste of time. I’m thinking of those warm Friday the world. mornings in September when you’re sitting in So at the risk of sounding like a crazy old the back of a windowless room in the Languages senior, I encourage you to do something biBuilding, counting the seconds until your intro zarre—take more foreign language classes than Spanish/Hindi/whatever class ends, and you you have to, or at least take the required ones can return to a world where it’s possible to ac- seriously. Let them be entry points into cultures tually describe your weekend with some accu- and experiences you could never otherwise be racy (cómo se dice “tailgate” en español?). And a part of. then there are moments like this, when the only And make sure you ask your professor for the thing you want in the world is to be able to say translation of “bootleg hardcore porn.” Trust me. in smooth, unbroken French, “Thank you for You’re going to need that one. your offer, but I would appreciate it if you could move that unseemly tangle of limbs out of my Ryan Brown is a Trinity senior. Her column runs line of vision.” every other Tuesday.

the chronicle

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 | 11

commentaries

Duke’s impact office

he institutional importance of the presiNow assuming you’ve got the myriad of skills that dency is surpassed perhaps only by the might make you a good president of Duke, how should Board of Trustees. I recently interviewed you use them? Knowing what to do is only half the all the living presidents of Duke to battle. Doing it is far more challenging help me understand the nuances for the president. of presidential leadership: Keith President Brodie cited his comBrodie (1985-1993), Nan Keohane mitment to increase the presence (1993-2004) and Richard Brodhead of black students and faculty on (2004-present). They represent campus as a test of his leadership fully one-third of those who have ability. He realized that in 1985 the occupied that office since James B. undergraduate population was only Duke’s 1924 grant that transformed gregory morrison about 3 percent black. For President Trinity College into Duke UniverBrodie, “that was unacceptable. We finish the thought are in a community over 40 percent sity. Their time in office represents 26 years—which is longer than I’ve African American and in the South. been alive. Duke offered a tremendous set of opportunities University presidents have an incredibly wide to those who studied here. To deprive a subset of portfolio. President Brodhead has, for example, the population of that was not a good thing.” So hired both a head football coach and a dean of he hired a new dean of admissions and a recruiter the chapel. Duke’s presidents are responsible for who targeted black high school students. He bea multi-billion dollar health system. They must be gan our inaugural Black Faculty Initiative and set the public face of the University. They must be up the Reginaldo Howard scholarship program for able to set a strategic direction. When he comes black students. At the end of President Brodie’s to work, President Brodhead asks, “What’s there tenure as president, the number of black students to be done?” at Duke had tripled. The answer: “There are the things you have to President Keohane thought that breaking deal with, and there are the things you aspire to deal down the barriers that traditionally separated with. Every day is a different mix.” academic departments and schools was the bigPresident Brodie told me that a good president gest challenge of being Duke’s president. She “knows the faculty, knows the students, throws him noted that a key aspect of her job was “bringing or herself into the life of the institution, under- together leaders from the different schools and stands the strengths and weaknesses of the place constituencies to focus on ‘One Duke,’ working and knows how to use resources to grow it.” Duke’s together to realize the amazing potential of this president must be a jack of all trades. To be good university through inter-school collaboration and at the job, he said, “you have to have the skills nec- interdisciplinary and international projects.” The essary to run a board meeting, to fundraise [and] provost and the deans were key partners in her to be able to fire people who aren’t living up to efforts. standards.” Like those of Presidents Brodie and Keohane, President Keohane also gave me a long list of President Brodhead’s signature initiatives also reskills necessary in a good president: “First of all, quire collaboration and mobilization across the good judgment, which includes the abilities to fore- University. We can’t achieve our potential on fronts see problems and figure out how to solve them; to like internationalization (“the meaning of internaappoint good people; and [to] make timely and wise tionalization is only beginning to be understood in decisions. Then, experience in and respect for the American universities”) and knowledge in service of scholarly enterprise... [and] good communications society (“training people as problem-solvers rather skills, so you can make the case for the University to than as experts in fixed disciplines”) by presidential potential supporters (including donors) and also po- fiat only. tential critics.” A good president builds a team and sets a direcPresident Brodie believes presidents need pas- tion. In President Brodhead’s words, “the whole sion, humility, and energy. President Keohane add- point of being president of Duke is to ask where did ed courage, stamina and a sense of humor to the we say we were going to go, how far did we get and list. President Brodhead said that “the first skill you where do we go now?” have to have as a university president is the willingI won’t be so arrogant as to ascribe success or ness to listen and learn... you have to figure out how failure to any Duke presidency. One thing is clear you can put together the aspirations of the place though: To students it matters a great deal who into some form you can follow through with. [A sits in that chair on the second floor of the Allen president should] think not only about what higher Building. President Brodhead notes that “you’ve education is today, but also about what people are got to realize that it’s endless work; nothing that going to wish it was tomorrow.” A love of learning you want to accomplish can be accomplished doesn’t hurt either. once and for all. You’ve just always got to make As for leadership in particular, the University re- progress on it.” quires a special kind. President Brodhead told me that a president must “have some skill for playing Gregory Morrison is a Trinity senior and the former with others—university leadership is not a command Executive Vice President of DSG. His column runs evand control kind of leadership.” ery Monday.

Include legal education in AlcoholEDU

early two and a half hours into the mandatory, pre-freshman year AlcoholEdu course, I remember questioning whether any of the information I was given would prove useful or preventative over my next four years in college. I have come to realize in the subsequent three years that if alcohol education is intended not only to promote immediate safety, but also to prevent future life difficulties for students, both high school health classes and AlcoholEdu leave much to be desired in terms of pracderek speranza tical relevance. It is, of course, important to be am i doing this right? aware of certain basics of biology in the context of alcohol consumption, as many have no doubt benefitted from the conventional wisdom of alternating alcohol and water, estimating your blood-alcohol content based on your body weight and becoming familiar with the high school guidance counselor favorite, the Biphasic Curve. But this sort of “you-should-drink-lessand-here’s-why” message, which amounts to little more than one-dimensional moralization backed by fairly obvious statistics, is ineffective and perhaps irrelevant for one simple reason: College students are going to drink anyway, and some are going to drink quite a lot. A far more relevant component of how not to ruin your life with alcohol is staying informed about the legal issues surrounding underage drinking, yet this aspect is completely absent from all conventional education on the matter. I’m speaking now not of a simple ability to regurgitate that it is illegal for a person under 21 to possess alcohol in the state of North Carolina, which is covered in AlcoholEdu, but of a knowledge of one’s rights and, more importantly, a knowledge of a police officer’s rights when it comes to enforcing the law. It seems (at least from personal experience) that this sort of instruction would be of use to a greater number of people than would a three-hour lesson in the first-order reaction property of alcohol processing. Put simply, exactly two people I know have needed emergency medical services for alcohol-related issues, whereas the majority of people I’ve met at Duke have run into some sort of alcohol-related legal trouble. While these are by no means scientific statistics, they suggest that legal education at the very least deserves more conversation. In most, if not all, cases, students’ run-ins with the law entail heavy fines, high court costs and potentially tarnished records that could jeopardize future employment prospects— all of which could have furtherreaching consequences than a few hours in the hospital. Although Duke is a private university that can (and does) instruct its own police force to offer its students a certain level of protection from Draconian real world laws, it seems that it could do a better job of arming its students with legal knowledge for when they leave the confines of campus. Some police officers, knowing that students are not aware of what they can and can’t legally do, take advantage of their positions to slap people with citations and fines they may not even be allowed to hand out in the first place. Is an Alcohol Law Enforcement officer allowed to stop you for any reason, search your belongings and demand an ID? It’s been known to happen, but you won’t know if it should have until you’ve paid a lawyer a few thousand dollars to find out, and your tax money has paid overtime to the officer for coming to court. The other issue is that state alcohol laws are so abstruse and self-contradicting that even if you’ve read the statutes in their entirety, you still might not know what’s legal and what isn’t. Contrary to popular belief, for example, many states do not have laws that prohibit the consumption of alcohol by minors and persons ages 18 to 20 in private places. In other words, it’s actually legal in many states to drink (but not purchase) alcohol at someone’s home no matter what age you are. But how would anyone know that without some degree of education on the issue? North Carolina, unfortunately, is not one of these states, but it does have its own set of mind-boggling rules, known as Chapter 18B of North Carolina’s General Statutes, from which two different readers could get opposite interpretations of just about everything. Something is amiss when neither law enforcers nor citizens truly understand the laws that are being enforced. The prescription seems to be an increase in education on state and federal alcohol policies, which could simultaneously lead to better decision-making on the part of students and a higher level of accountability for law enforcement. Derek Speranza is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Tuesday.

12 | TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 the chronicle

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