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, APRIL 20, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 138
www.dukechronicle.com
Lefevre will deliver speech at graduation
Break-ins plague Belmont Management not responsive during series of incidents, students say
by Alex Zempolich THE CHRONICLE
Duke Student Government President Mike Lefevre will voice the student perspective one last time at graduation. Lefevre, whom the University announced Tuesday will serve as the student speaker at commencement May 15, said he wants his fellow seniors to take away a feeling of community and friendship into the world beyond Duke. Lefevre said he will talk about the themes he Mike Lefevre believes are important to the Duke experience, including the commitment to community and teamwork that he values at the University—though he said he would like to keep the specific topics of his speech private until graduation day. “I absolutely love the people here and I want to be able to deliver a message to the student body, many of whom I consider great friends,” Lefevre said. “[I want to] leave them with my reflections on our time together and also give them a new way of looking at how to turn our experiences into something productive for the rest of our lives.” At graduation, Lefevre will join
by Yeshwanth Kandimalla THE CHRONICLE
A series of break-ins at the Belmont Apartments remains under investigation, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. There have been four confirmed cases of breaking and entering—three of which also involved theft—and one attempted break-in since April 11, said Ron Christie, a detective with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office who has been stationed as a courtesy officer at the apartment
complex since August. Charges have not been filed in the burglaries, and the search for potential suspects is ongoing, Kammie Michael, Durham Police Department public information officer wrote in an email Tuesday. DPD is primarily handling the investigations. Three of the homes broken into were those of Duke students. See robberies on page 7
See lefevre on page 12 chronicle file photo
Students plan ‘Beer Trucks’ alternative Campus debates merit of BSAI, LSRW programs by Caroline Fairchild THE CHRONICLE
For senior and Duke Student Government President Mike Lefevre, “Beer Trucks”—the traditional commencement week event that was canceled this year—is worth fighting for. Under Lefevre’s leadership, there has been a student-led effort to reinstate an event similar to Beer Trucks during commencement week. Last night, Duke University Union voted to postpone their decision on providing funding for the event until the DSG Senate makes a funding decision in tonight’s meeting. The two organizations’ combined decisions will determine if Lefevre’s plan could become a reality. “All the seniors realized something needs to be done and it was just a matter of who is going to get the event off the ground,” Lefevre said. “We are beginning an initiative to get the event going again, and I have rallied some student leaders to help me in the process.” Some members of Lefevre’s team include outgoing Duke Partnership for Service President Becky Agostino and Alison Lane, outgoing chair for Duke University Union’s annual events committee. See beer trucks on page 5
Basketball player Alex Murphy to enroll a year early, Page 9
by Amanda Young THE CHRONICLE
chronicle file photo
Though ‘Beer Trucks’ will not return in the same form, students are planning to create an alternative version to hold during commencement week.
The answer is neither black nor white. Both the Black Student Alliance Invitational and Latino Student Recruitment Weekend will likely take place in future years, but some members of the Duke community have raised questions about how effective the weekends are for recruiting prospective students, when the events should take place and whether minority events should combined with other recruitment efforts. Early in his term at Duke, President Richard Brodhead said that he prefers a racially unified welcome for all admitted students, and in an interview he reaffirmed his stance
ONTHERECORD
“He was a wonderful chair, a brilliant scholar and a great teacher.”
—Professor William Chafe on the late historian Joel Colton. See story page 4
See minorities on page 8
Financial aid for online courses sees overhaul, Page 3