4HE¬#HRONICLE T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011
Admins work for Kunshan web freedom
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, ISSUE 130/
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Grad student not harmed in robbery
Secret garden
by Lauren Carroll
from Staff Reports
Administrators are confident that academic standards will be maintained at Duke Kunshan University despite restrictive Chinese Internet policy. How the University will maintain these standards, however, remains unclear. In a document released in March, administrators guaranteed academic freedom—including unrestricted Internet and library access—because it is an integral component of DKU’s success as a model of western education in China. The joint agreement document between Duke, the city of Kunshan and DKU’s legal partner, Wuhan University, stipulates that certain academic quality standards must be met, Provost Peter Lange said in an interview March 29. The agreement is expected to be completed and approved in coming weeks, though Lange said he was not at liberty to discuss the terms of the agreement. “Academic freedom in teaching, research, scholarly communication and access to information [are] key ingredient[s] of academic quality,” the document, which was prepared by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Global Strategy and Programs, states. “Duke will need to take the lead in ensuring that these principles are woven into the fabric of daily life at Duke Kunshan University.” Although administrators have repeatedly expressed their confidence in obtaining unrestricted Internet, certain details have yet to be revealed. When the issue of academic freedom was raised at the Academic Council meeting in March, President Richard Brodhead said he is “fairly certain” that the DKU campus will have unrestricted Internet, noting that he believes some Chinese universities already have unlimited access on their campuses. Brodhead did not, however, explain the details of the Internet arrangement between DKU and the Chinese government. “We need to insist on [these values], but we can’t be naive to think they will be practiced the same way [as in the United States],” Brodhead said at the meeting. “It does seem better to learn something about China—to help our students to learn to negotiate these differences—than just to say it’s impossible.” The Chinese government monitors Internet traffic, censoring content that it believes to be threatening to the state, said Ken Rogerson, who has expertise in international Internet policy and serves
A female graduate student was robbed at gunpoint on Ninth Street early Thursday morning. An armed man approached and proceeded to rob the graduate student, who is pursuing degrees in the Fuqua School of Business and the Nicholas School of the Environment, around 12:25 a.m. The 28-year-old was walking from her vehicle near the 1000 block of Ninth Street. The male took the victim’s purse before fleeing in a red, large-body pickup track that was driven by a second male, Kammie Michael, Durham Police Department public information officer, wrote in an email Thursday. The victim’s handbag and its contents were valued at $145, according to the DPD incident report. The victim did not suffer any injuries from the robbery, the report states. The suspects have not been discovered. The armed man is described as a Hispanic male, age 18 to 24, with a medium build and height ranging from 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing dark clothing and a hooded sweatshirt. The accomplice in the truck was described as a male with medium build, 5 feet
THE CHRONICLE
SEE KUNSHAN ON PAGE 5
New bill would cut community college federal loan program in NC, Page 3
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VICTOR KUO/THE CHRONICLE
DUU Annual Events hosted Duke Royale Thursday evening at the Doris Duke Center. Students gathered to enjoy free crepes, hors d’oeuvres, cheeses and assorted French wines.
SEE ROBBERY ON PAGE 5
Re-evaluation of roles needed for health reform by Dana Kraushar THE CHRONICLE
Health care reform requires a comprehensive re-examination of our shared responsibilities both in Durham and across the Unites States, a local hospital administrator said Thursday. Kerry Watson, president of Durham Regional Hospital, spoke with Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells Thursday about health care challenges. The talk was the fourth and final installment in the Chapel’s lecture series “Dean’s Dialogues: Listening to the Heart of Durham.” Watson explained the ways in which his career path has shaped his approach toward health care and man-
agement. When he was a young man, he participated in a job opportunity program for underprivileged youth at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hospital system, where he experienced the menial aspects of hospital operations, such as cleaning the facilities. “I have worked in the trenches of a hospital, which I think has given me a unique perspective on the so-called ‘lower levels,’” Watson said, noting that each employee, regardless of position, plays a crucial role in ensuring that every patient receives quality care. When asked by Wells about his SEE WATSON ON PAGE 16
ONTHERECORD
“While you’re waiting for things to happen in your life, sign up for a few good books.”
—Professor Carol Apollonio in “A lying down job.” See column page 15
CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY MELISSA YEO
The armed man approached the victim near the 1000 block of Ninth Street and took her purse before fleeing around 12:25 a.m. Thursday morning.
Students may benefit from gifted treatment, Page 4