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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
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Swastika found on East Campus bridge, painted over soon after
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 41
Young Trustee election results delayed due to procedural complaint By Jake Satisky Editor-in-Chief
Ben Leonard | Contributing Photographer The red swastika painted on the East Campus Bridge was swiftly painted over after it was discovered Wednesday afternoon.
By Shannon Fang Senior Editor
Jake Satisky Editor-in-Chief
A red swastika was found painted on the East Campus Bridge Wednesday around 4:30 p.m and was quickly painted over. The bridge, located near Smith Warehouse on Campus Drive, is the site of murals from Duke students and members of the Durham community. The swastika was found on the forehead of a design of a character from the Adult Swim television show “Rick and Morty.” It was promptly painted over around 5:30 p.m., and the white space was later edited with
the words “STOP THE HATE LOVE IS FREE.” “The University unequivocally condemns this cowardly action,” wrote Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, in an email to The Chronicle. “Scrawling a symbol of hate may have been an effort to intimidate the Duke community, but instead it will simply strengthen our resolve to denounce and combat anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its forms.” He added that DUPD is handling the investigation. “The incident is currently under investigation by Duke Police, which will review images from the security cameras that cover the bridge and surrounding public space,” he wrote. Mary Pat McMahon, vice provost and vice
president for student affairs, wrote in an email to The Chronicle that she was “very disheartened to see a symbol of anti-Semitic hatred on the free expression bridge.” This type of vandalism occurred in Fall 2018, when a swastika was painted over a mural on the East Campus bridge memorializing the Pittsburgh shooting at a synagogue. The swastika defaced a painting of the gold Star of David, symbolizing hope for the Jewish community. Two more anti-semitic incidents occurred on campus in Fall 2018. A swastika was found carved into a bathroom stall in the Languages See BRIDGE on Page 16
The Young Trustee results will not be released until Friday, due to an injunction issued by the Duke Student Government Judiciary. The judiciary received a complaint Wednesday morning about the Young Trustee election, wrote Chief Justice Georgia Lala, a senior, in an email to The Chronicle. The justices then issued an injunction to Attorney General John Markis, a sophomore and senior news reporter for The Chronicle. Details about the complaint won’t be made public until it has been investigated, she wrote. Lala confirmed to The Chronicle that the Judiciary is not investigating a particular candidate. “At this point in time, the Judiciary can confirm it is investigating a procedural issue regarding the Young Trustee election, rather than a violation by a Young Trustee candidate,” she wrote in an email. “The Judiciary has not been made aware of any complaints against a specific candidate at this time.” Results are expected to be released Friday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. Voting for the Young Trustee position took place from Tuesday, Feb. 11 at noon to Wednesday, Feb. 12 at noon. Results were supposed to be announced this afternoon, but the Duke community will have to wait until the judiciary investigation has been resolved. The four finalists are Leah Abrams, Maryam Asenuga, Ibrahim Butt and Tim Skapek.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Duke men’s basketball claws its way to top-10 win against FSU By Winston Lindqwister Associate Sports Editor
In many ways, Florida State was the final rung in Duke’s incredibly daunting ACC ladder. Coming off of three tough road contests and getting just one day of rest before taking on the eighth-ranked Seminoles, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils needed a monumental level of grit to come out of the stretch unscathed. And despite the odds, the Blue Devils fought through all forms of adversity, earning a win against one of the most physical teams in the nation Monday evening.
Duke took down Florida State 70-65 in a tough-as-nails battle in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Despite Florida State’s highly physical defense, unlikely heroes from the Blue Devils paved the way. “I’ve got good guys, man. I’ve got really good kids,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We beat a heck of a team tonight after beating a heck of a team in an epic game 48 hours before. I don’t know where they got the energy the whole game to do this, but they did and they listened and they fought... That last 8:29, we were terrific. We were not tired, they talked, they made plays.” See M. BASKETBALL on Page 11
FSU DUKE
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Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photography Editor The Blue Devils came off a legendary game at North Carolina to face the Seminoles Monday.
GPSC elects Kelly Tang as graduate Young Trustee By Maria Morrison Health and Science News Editor
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2 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020
Her presentation to the Student Council began with colorful, hand-drawn slides. “I chose to write and scan my slides, just because I really wanted a theme that showed that I’m authentic,” Tang explained. Tang said that the questions asked during the presentation were “really thoughtful,” specifically the ones regarding affordability and mentorship. “Those are definitely things I’ll be keeping an eye out for when I’m sitting in the room,” Tang said. The three finalists were picked from 28 applications, a slight increase from the 27 received last year. The school which provided the most candidates was the Fuqua School of Business, with 10 applications. The other two finalists—Dauwalter, thirdyear joint Ph.D. candidate in public policy and economics, and Tyler, second-year Fuqua Daytime MBA student—also presented their platforms at the meeting. In her presentation, Tyler discussed diversity, technological advancement and the breaking down of barriers between programs, while Dauwalter emphasized top-down cultural change at Duke surrounding mental health, lifelong learning and the connection to Durham. This week will also reveal the undergraduate Young Trustee, chosen by the undergraduate student body in a popular election that began Tuesday at noon and ended Wednesday at noon.
Kelly Tang will serve as the next graduate Young Trustee with hopes to represent an authentic Duke experience through promoting affordability, wellness and inclusivity. The Graduate and Professional Student Council’s General Assembly elected Tang to the position at its Tuesday night meeting. She will be an observer for the first year of her term on the Board of Trustees and then will serve as a voting member for her second year. The three finalists—Tang, Travis Dauwalter and Ashlie Tyler—gave final presentations to GPSC, whose members then voted among the three. “When I was preparing for this presentation, I just really thought about being authentic, and I’m really glad that connected and resonated with people and I really hope I can bring that to the Board of Trustees,” Tang told The Chronicle after the election. Tang, sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in art history, focused on four main goals that she wished to work toward as graduate Young Trustee: affordability, mental wellness and health, mentorship and professional development, and a diverse and inclusive community. In preparing these four key points, Tang met with graduate and professional students from across departments and asked them to identify specific problems or issues they faced. “Simply put, I want to serve the University. I want to represent the broad experiences of graduate and professional students in a way that is true to those experiences,” Tang said to the assembly. The San Diego, Calif., native has dedicated much of her time to Duke. She lived on campus in Duke housing for five years, with four of those years as a graduate resident. During that time, she spent three years as the president and founder of the Graduate Women’s Wellness and Self-Care student organization. “I have been at Duke for six years, this has been my home the entire time. And I’m ready to listen, I think I can show up for us in a room that’s full of really scary and intimidating Bre Bradham | Assoc. Photography Editor Kelly Tang, the new graduate Young Trustee people,” Tang said.
Early voting for 2020 primaries begins at Duke
Chronicle File Photo Duke was selected as an early voting site after more than 10,000 people voted early last year.
By John Markis Senior News Reporter
After Iowa and New Hampshire, the primary season is in full swing. Election fever will soon be making its way to Duke. After deliberations with the Durham County Board of Elections, Duke has secured an early-voting site for the 2020 N.C. primaries. Early voting and same-day voter registration will take place from Feb. 13-29 in Brodhead 068. The site will run from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 12-4 p.m. Sundays. It will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. The N.C. primary itself will take place on Super Tuesday, March 3. Fifteen jurisdictions—including California and Texas—and Democrats Abroad will vote on that day, making it the single day with the most number of delegates up for grabs. For B.J. Rudell, the associate director of POLIS and a staff member in the Sanford School of Public Policy, the best aspect of early voting is the flexibility and peace of mind it provides. “Some days, life gets in the way of scheduled plans,” Rudell said. “But with early voting, students have more than two weeks to vote—a long enough span to accommodate even the busiest Duke students.” Duke was a strong candidate for an earlyvoting location because of the strength of
turnout on campus during the 2018 midterms. More than 10,000 people voted early at Duke, which demonstrated great access to voters in the eyes of the Board of Elections. The ballot features candidates for federal, state and local positions for the primaries. These include spots for presidency, senate, state governor, state treasurer and a number of other positions. Locally, voters will elect the county commissioner and three members of the school board. DukeVotes, an organization sponsored by POLIS, has created a tool called BallotReady that aggregates information about the different candidates. In 2018, North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment to require photo verification for all voters, but a federal injunction in December prevented the bill from taking effect on grounds of discriminatory intent. Therefore, voters do not need photo identification to vote in the primary. However, Duke’s administration and POLIS provide options for students to obtain qualifying photo identification and will continue to assist if the injunction is overturned. Two Democratic presidential candidates are coming to the Triangle this week to try and rally support in North Carolina. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders will speak Friday at 11:30 p.m. at Durham Convention Center. Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, will visit Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Greensboro Thursday. The Chronicle will cover both events.
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Dean Sue stopped a permit-less bench burning But why doesn’t Duke have bench burning permits for away games at UNC? By Nathan Luzum Managing Editor
of A-Team, university communications and enforcement officials. “All of these individuals are on campus by halftime of the game and prepared to respond, waiting to see if they will be needed, as we only ‘burn’ if we win!” she wrote. “As you can imagine, this all takes enormous planning and scheduling.” On Saturday night, Wasiolek had to stand on the bench for nearly 45 minutes as students surrounded the bench and serenaded her with chants. Some approached her with a handle of vodka and cans of White Claw, but she chose
not to consume them. One individual even approached the bench with a small blowtorch, but Wasiolek said she wasn’t afraid. “The good news is that the collective levelheadedness of the crowd, other students made sure that didn’t happen,” she told The Chronicle Saturday night. “I was greatly appreciative of that.” Wasiolek noted that her opposition to the bench burning was rooted in a desire for safety and her goal to protect students from committing crimes. “What I didn’t want to have happen is any students get in trouble by burning the bench,”
After Duke’s miraculous comeback win in Chapel Hill, hundreds of students swarmed the quad to burn benches. But Duke didn’t have a fire permit for the game, so Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek had to plant herself on a bench Saturday night to prevent it from being burned. For the past several years, the University has obtained four permits from the Durham fire marshal to burn benches on campus, yet none of those are for away games at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The permits limit burning to the men’s and women’s basketball home games against UNC, along with the men’s and women’s National Championships. Wasiolek cited the complicated logistics and behind-the-scenes personnel work as reasons to limit the number of burnings. “In light of this complex and demanding infrastructure, we have been very mindful and intentional in requesting permits for bonfires,” she wrote in an email to The Chronicle Sunday night. “We have worked closely with [Duke Student Government] to determine which games to consider for bonfires, monitoring student interest.” She explained that Duke has never obtained permits for away games at UNC, but that the administration would be “happy and willing” to discuss other options. The University used to have a permit for the ACC tournament championship, but stopped applying for it due to lack of student interest. Wasiolek added that the logistics behind Bre Bradham | Associate Photography Editor bench burning are complicated, requiring the presence of 40-50 individuals among members Dean Sue takes photos with students after standing on a bench for around 45 minutes.
Admission is always free for Duke students.
MUSIC IN THE GALLERIES Thursday, Feb. 13, 6 PM Cash bar, 5: 30 PM
2001 Campus Dr., Durham, NC 27705
nasher.duke.edu
Join us in the galleries of Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations, where musicians from Duke’s Music Department will perform original music inspired by art. ABOVE: Archibald J. Motley, Jr., Hot Rhythm (detail), 1961. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Nasher Museum. Gift of Mara Motley, M.D., and Valerie Gerrard Browne in honor of Professor Richard J. Powell and C.T. Woods-Powell and in memory of Archie Motley. © Nasher Museum. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
she said. “It’s not a matter of whether we could have controlled it and tried as best we could to make it safe, but it’s illegal. It’s against the law. I’m not sure students understand that. I don’t mean that in a condescending way, but the law is very clear.” Bench burning is a Duke tradition that began gaining popularity after the 1986 national semifinal win against Kansas and the Blue Devils’ championship runs in the early 1990s. After several clashes between Duke Public Safety and students, Duke chose to institutionalize the process by applying for fire permits starting in 1998 and restricting bench burning duties to A-Team. In 2001, the Durham fire marshal temporarily rescinded a fire permit after benches were illegally burned following Duke’s comeback run to beat Maryland. It was reinstated after negotiations with administrators.
Eric Wei | Sports Photography Editor Dean Sue makes her point to students.
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Study abroad programs paused, student complains of discrimination By Mona Tong Local and National News Editor
Thinking of studying abroad? Three programs are now off limits, with a fourth being moved to the United States. Duke is pausing two study abroad programs for the 2020 summer term and one program for the 2020-21 academic year, and they are temporarily relocating another to a domestic location. The semester-long study-away School for International Training International Honors Program, commonly referred to as the SIT IHP, is temporarily under review for the 202021 academic year. This summer’s Duke in Cuba program was canceled due to issues in program planning, and the Duke in China summer study abroad program was altered due to coronavirus concerns. Last year, Duke canceled the 2020 summer Duke in Chile program because the country is on the University’s Restricted
Regions list due to social and political unrest. Amanda Kelso, executive director of the Global Education Office, wrote in an email to The Chronicle that the GEO hopes to see it offered again in 2021. Kelso wrote that the Duke in Cuba program was canceled because the GEO “had not made sufficient progress in program planning.” “Not enough of the pieces were in place to ensure a highquality program, and we wanted to give students plenty of time to apply to other programs or make other summer plans,” Kelso wrote. “Unfortunately, and unrelated, the program was also canceled in summer 2019 due to staffing issues. The Cuban people are wonderful hosts, and there’s much to study and learn in Cuba, so we have every intention of bringing the program back in the future.” Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the GEO is seeking a new program location, likely in North Carolina, for the summer
2020 Duke in China program. Although it will no longer offer the internship component, the academics and coursework will stay the same—including the language pledge—and the dates and language immersion will be closely preserved, according to the program webpage. This will allow students to “form their own learning community with faculty and have an intensive language experience,” Kelso wrote. The program’s application deadline has been extended to March 1. The SIT IHP program, on the other hand, was put “on review” by the GEO based on student feedback. Duke students submit post-program surveys on all semester programs to keep program information up to date and identify student concerns. In the case of IHP, Kelso wrote, the programs were becoming popular among students, but the feedback on experience quality “was very varied.” “When we get credible reports that students have not had a positive experience, then we take those directly to the program provider and we will not permit Duke students to enroll in those programs until our concerns are addressed to our satisfaction,” Kelso wrote. She wrote that although the office would like for students to participate in IHP programs in the future, it will remain on hiatus while the office discusses the feedback with program providers “to see if improvements could be made.” According to Kelso, Duke routinely reviews Duke-approved programs and has removed programs in the past due to acute or emergent issues or programs that no longer fit their academic needs or standards.
IHP complaints of discrimination
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Student feedback on the program was indeed very varied. SIT IHP has seven separate programs, including “Health and Community” and “Cities in the 21st Century,” each run by a different set of program directors and coordinators. According to the SIT IHP website, the IHP program seeks to “give students a comparative look at a critical global issues” by analyzing systems from a local to global scale. Junior Michelle Katemauswa participated in the IHP Health and Community Program track 2, entitled “Globalization, Culture and Care” which traveled to Washington, D.C., Vietnam, South Africa and Argentina. She said she enjoyed her experience with the program and appreciated the curriculum and “deconstructionist” ways of approaching various global health issues. “We got to meet a lot of people and interact with a lot of different settings and communities, which I think really made it a lot more valuable,” Katemauswa said. “I definitely came back different, at least intellectually—I am definitely a lot more skeptical about things, a lot more critical about how I view various global health issues.” On the other hand, junior Julien Lewis participated in the IHP Cities in the 21st Century Program, in which he travelled to New York, Spain, Argentina and South Africa. He expressed dissatisfaction with the way the program was run and the way the staff treated students of color. Lewis said that ever since they did an “anti-oppression training” on the first week of the program, he felt that the staff and administrators continually treated students of color differently and held them to higher standards than other students in the program. During the training, Lewis said the students shared personal stories involving racism and the administrators singled him out, as well as the only other male of color in the program who didn’t feel comfortable sharing. Afterwards, Lewis said he immediately called Duke and reported the situation as “a step leading towards discrimination within the program.” The next day, Lewis said the program director held a Q&A and 13-14 students critiqued the program for the lack of information provided about the schedule and class times and issues with budgeting and financial aid. After that, Lewis said that he and the other black students in the program received notice from their respective schools indicating that the students had expressed interest in leaving the program. None of the non-black students who spoke up received similar notices from their schools. All the black students, even one who didn’t speak against the program, received such notices, Lewis said. “They would literally only enforce rules to certain students in the classroom and not to white students… [who] were allowed to get away with being a typical college student in another country, whereas [students of color] had to be consistently paid attention to and policed everywhere we were walking around,” Lewis said. He explained that due to the internal tensions, five students had dropped the program by its completion. Lewis said that, of See STUDY ABROAD on Page 16
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PERSONAL COMMENTARY
In defense of the Iowa caucuses, from an Iowa caucus-goer By Maya Miller Staff Reporter
After hours of waiting for the results in my home state’s elections, one thing is certain: Iowa’s beloved yet unconventional voting process is under siege. As one of Duke’s few Iowans, I’m here to defend our first-in-the-nation caucuses. For the uninitiated, Iowans don’t cast primary ballots in February. Instead, they vote with their feet. Across the state, friends and neighbors gather together and physically stand in their candidate’s corner. It’s what I fondly call “politics in action.” The caucuses spawn a brand of citizen democracy rarely found in today’s digital age. If a candidate hopes to win support in Iowa, he or she must spend time meeting their fellow citizens and answering their tough questions. To that end, 30 Democratic candidates cumulatively held more than 2,400 events in Iowa since December 2016. After technical glitches delayed the release of results this year, it hurt to read the scathing comments in the media. The New York Post’s cover page read “DUH MOINES,” while an opinion column in the Washington Post wanted to “kill” the caucuses and another in Vox called them a “terrible, anti-democratic disaster.” Yet for all these shortcomings, there’s something special about the caucuses that is nearly impossible to explain. You have to experience it to understand. That’s why many people from outside Iowa can’t understand why caucuses survive. I’ve wanted to caucus ever since I was 8, after I sat atop my dad’s shoulders and watched my mom, a non-native Iowan, support her candidate in 2008. She, along
caucus. The lady in green might have made her new candidate “viable”—or eligible to earn delegates to the district convention. Four years later, my mom and I braved the cold to watch Barack Obama deliver his final campaign speech in 2012. When he thanked Iowa for believing in him from the start, I felt a rush of pride: my state had established Obama as a true contender and ultimately helped him gain the traction he needed to win the presidency that year. In 2016, even though I wasn’t old enough to participate, I still checked people in at my precinct’s caucus. My middle school gym transformed into a vicious battleground. I even watched my mild-mannered neighbor lash out at our caucus leader and demand a recount. Other people simply walked out in contempt. It was a hot, sweaty mess. During winter break last year, my mom and I saw a variety of candidates in person—a special perk of living in Iowa—and last Maya Miller | Contributing Photographer summer I was lucky enough to organize for a Iowans gather at a gymnasium at Drake University in Des Moines to caucus for their preferred presidential campaign with a field office in my Democratic presidential candidate. neighborhood. Still, as I played the ground game and with friends and neighbors from our courted potential caucus-goers, it struck me precinct, crowded into the cafeteria at what that there was no way to participate absentee. would later become my high school. Caucuses require boots on the ground, so I knew I’d have to go home. I booked my flight As a former reporter and editor for the Des Moines Register, my mom said it was home eight months in advance, along with strange to put her political beliefs on public every political correspondent in the country. display. She was especially alarmed when my The buildup to the caucuses is almost more aunt in Colorado said she’d spotted her on impressive than the event itself. You can’t C-SPAN’s broadcast. walk into a popular coffee shop or restaurant In the auditorium, a separate precinct without running into an MSNBC or NPR erupted into shouts and cheers as one lady correspondent. With this in mind, my mom wearing a green pantsuit crossed from one and I drove around Des Moines looking for candidate preference group to another. famous out-of-towners but found only two: Maya Miller | Contributing Photographer As we watched from the hallway, my dad See CAUCUSES on Page 16 explained how every person matters in a A T-shirt at Raygun, a local store in Des Moines.
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CAN’T MISS EVENTS FEBRUARY 15-APRIL 10
ART, ART HISTORY & VISUAL STUDIES
2020 GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM Friday, February 21, 2:30 pm - 6 pm Room A266, Bay 10, Smith Warehouse Graduate student presentations and lightning talks from the media labs. Keynote Address by: James J. Bloom (Hamilton College) Notes from the Field: Observations on the Northern Renaissance, Art History, and the Academy Reception to follow.
NASHER
AMI/SCREEN SOCIETY
DUKE PERFORMANCES
MUSIC
ART OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS through May 31 Nasher Museum of Art
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949) | ROBERT HAMER Saturday, February 15 2 pm Rubenstein Arts Center, Film Theater
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STUDIO COMPANY WITH STEFANIE BATTEN BLAND Saturday, February 15 | 6 pm & 8 pm Sunday, February 16 | 3 pm & 5 pm Rubenstein Arts Center, von der Heyden Studio Theater
DUKE WIND SYMPHONY: 46TH ANNUAL VIENNESE BALL Saturday, February 15 7pm Freeman Center for Jewish Life
CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
BOOK LAUNCH: ROAD THROUGH MIDNIGHT: A CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL Thursday, February 20 5:30pm - 7:30pm Center for Documentary Studies
MFA
DANCE
THEATER STUDIES
RUBENSTEIN ARTS CENTER
2020 THESIS EXHIBITION Opens March 16 Find the event calendar, exhibition details, and artist information soon at mfaeda2020.org
CHOREOLAB 2020 Friday, April 10 7:30 pm Rubenstein Arts Center, von der Heyden Studio Theater
MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION: “FEFU AND HER FRIENDS” COMING 2020
RUBY FRIDAYS— ALL SEMESTER LONG! (Most) Fridays at Noon Ruby Lounge Rubenstein Arts Center
Brought to you by Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Center for Documentary Studies, Dance Program, Music Department, Master of Fine Arts in Experimental & Documentary Studies, Nasher Museum of Art, Program in the Arts of the Moving Image’s Screen/Society, Theater Studies and Duke Performances.
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VOLUME 115, ISSUE 41 | FEBRUARY 13, 2020
‘godspeed’ and good luck Duke alum Sade Abiodun’s short film to screen at Hayti Heritage Film Festival, page 9
green day is back The band’s latest album proves punk is still around, page 9
‘parasite’ dominates Joon-ho’s flick swept but the Oscars have a ways to go, page 8
8 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 2020
dukechronicle.com recess
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Who’s your Valentine? Nina Wilder................ uncut gems
Kerry Rork ............. streptococcus
Will Atkinson ................ shoegaze
Sydny Long .............. tobe hooper
Miranda Gershoni ..............voting
Jack Rubenstein .......... jake’s toes
Sarah Derris ................. st. vincent
Selena Qian ............ i h8 everyone
Alizeh Sheikh ............ research lab
Eva Hong .......the french dispatch
On the cover: Happy Valentine’s Day!
staff note In a 2005 commercial, my mother turns to the camera and beams, “My child wants to be an artist.” Behind her, my six-year-old self carefully paints a self-portrait, the pièce de résistance of my first-grade portfolio. In eschewing the lauded neighborhood elementary school to send me to a new performing-arts magnet program, my mother inadvertently became the face of cool, bohemian Tampa moms. Simultaneously, I spent three years surrounded by artists, in the form of friends who intentionally wore mismatched Converse to school — a nascent statement of individualism — and teachers who banned erasers so we’d be forced to forge something new from our
mistakes. Against the uber-creative milieu, I often felt at odds with my mother’s public declaration of my aspirations. I loved art, and I loved being around artists, but I was afraid. Terrified of attention, the idea of building a career around people consuming my creative outputs filled me with dread. Conversely, academics seemed to offer a sense of practicality and anonymity, and that felt safe. When my mother and I lost our apartment in 2008, I leaned more heavily into pragmatism than ever. Despite my mother’s Herculean efforts to frame the situation as an adventure, I was incensed. I didn’t want to fantasize or cobble together creative means of survival. I wanted security and a bed. If that wasn’t going to happen in my childhood, I reasoned, I had to ensure it would as an adult. I switched into the neighborhood school,
mostly because it was nearby and we didn’t have a car, but it felt symbolic of leaving all artistic ambitions behind. There, I was on the Math Bowl team and none of my friends wore mismatched shoes. It seemed secure — an especially welcome reprieve in light of my home life. But to this day, I remember the sinking feeling I got the moment I drew a crooked horizon line and my new art teacher told me to erase it. This must be what real life is, I thought as I swept away eraser crumbs for the first time. In middle school, I participated in the quintessentially American experience of reading “The Great Gatsby” and held onto nothing besides this quote: “For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath … face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” I hardly remember Daisy’s last name, but the concept of humanity’s capacity for wonder permanently resides in my mind, adjacent to every major decision I’ve made since. I made traditionally “sensible” choices throughout my adolescence, taking AP sciences and playing sports and even corralling my creative impulses into journalism, where the limitless worlds of writing and photography coalesced into an unstimulating-but-ostensiblynecessary yearbook. It was enough to get into college and enough to conceal my struggles, but never felt commensurate to my capacity for wonder. Never even close. December of my senior year, I became increasingly aware of my ennui and impulsively applied for an AmeriCorps program tutoring high schoolers in Jacksonville, Fla. That July, I moved myself and two suitcases into a house with three strangers in a massive, unfamiliar city. I was sleeping on an air mattress and tutoring algebra — my least favorite subject — but I was also sponsoring a photography club and
The Chronicle befriending incredible people. I was constantly at the crossroads of insecurity and excitement, pursuing for the first time in years something that felt truly wondrous. There, I met Kobe, otherwise known as FatBoyBiggz. Technically, I was his tutor, but I am also one of his biggest fans. Kobe is a brilliant artist. He works full-time at McDonald’s and has still made time to create three albums within the past year. But none of that reflects in his numerically-abysmal academic records, and that’s what I was supposed to care about. We’d set goals for attendance and homework and they faltered every time. Meanwhile, he’d have a new song on SoundCloud every week. After a while, I felt oppressive. I was — and am — so awestruck by his ingenuity, his natural ability to prioritize and act on his own capacity for wonder. It eventually occurred to me that maybe he, unlike myself, didn’t need school or stability to feel valuable. Of course, I want him to be afforded gravitas, and that typically necessitates a diploma. But more importantly, I want him to be happy, however he gets there. Last fall, after these little epiphanies, I sent a thank-you note to my favorite artist, Will Talenti. He was the teacher who banned erasers and helped me paint the 2005 self-portrait. He remains an artist and educator, and wrote this in response: “Life is happy and still full of wonder on my end. I am approaching my 16-year wedding anniversary, I have [three] American Hairless Terrier dogs and I am making the best artwork of my life.” I don’t know what I want to be. Probably not an artist, but who knows? I just hope that if Kobe reaches out to me in 15 years, I can tell him my life is happy and full of wonder, and he can say the same. —Tessa Delgo
local arts
Alum Sade Abiodun brings her short film to Hayti Heritage Film Festival By Hannah Miao Contributing Writer
Durham’s Hayti Heritage Film Festival is one of the nation’s longest-running Black film festivals. This year, the lineup includes the breakout work of Duke alumna Sade Abiodun, Trinity ‘18. Her short film “Godspeed” premiered at the San Diego Black Film Festival earlier this month and has been selected for film festivals across the country. But if you ask Abiodun if she considers herself a filmmaker, it might take her a moment to say yes. “I always was convinced that I couldn’t be an artistic person. I grew up being ‘the smart girl who likes science,’ so I thought that that’s where I had to fall,” she said. Abiodun studied neuroscience as an undergraduate and has been working at Duke’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience for the past two years. It was during the second semester of her senior year, however, that Abiodun first discovered filmmaking. After snagging a spot off the waitlist, she found herself in AMI Lecturing Fellow Steve Milligan’s cinematography class. She had always been an avid consumer of film, but the class gave her concrete skills, knowledge and terminology that sparked an interest in the creative process. After graduation, she kept in touch with Milligan. Later, when she came up with the concept of “Godspeed,” he signed on as her director of photography. “Godspeed” started out as a simple idea — a vivid picture that Abiodun could not get out of her mind. Listening to the song “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean, she began to imagine a story based on someone growing through distinct stages of their life. “Even though you’re in each of these individual stages, you’re still the same person.
You’re moving through it with a certain rhythm, a certain pattern that’s almost choreographed,” she explained. With input from other creative collaborators, Abiodun realized that, in order to tell the story, she would also explore the character’s relationship with her mother and the change in their dynamic over time. Although “Godspeed” is not autobiographical, Abiodun drew from personal experience to write the script and shape the vision for the short film. “I was in the state of flux and transition and graduating,” she said. “I was trying to figure out what came next while not forgetting where I’d come from before and where I was now.” Throughout the filmmaking process, she approached the project as a learning experience. From writing a screenplay to casting her characters to scouting locations, she leaned on her team of collaborators who in turn offered her patience and trust. In many ways, the project was an exercise in vulnerability. “It was a huge step out of my bubble to really try and validate myself as an artist,” Abiodun said. As both a scientist and creative, Abiodun finds many parallels between her work in neuroscience and in film. In order to create such resonant work, both fields require intentional research and preparation prior to creating a new product. In the research process for “Godspeed,” she especially drew from the work of Black filmmakers, naming Barry Jenkins’s “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” as major inspirational sources. “I really wanted to make sure that I cited depictions of Black characters that were dynamic and that weren’t just about a single traumatic experience,” she explained. Her commitment to multidimensional storytelling can be exemplified by her collaborative work style. She brought on senior
Courtesy of Sade Abiodun Abiodun’s short film “Godspeed” premiered at the San Diego Black Film Festival earlier this month.
Nonnie Egbuna to contribute poetry to the project and gave her actors agency in crafting their own performances. “I wanted to find as many ways, shapes and forms that were within my power to elevate the voices of people of color, women of color in a creative way,” she said. “We have something to say, we have these dynamic stories, we have these abilities to express ourselves and to have them resonate and relate to a host of different people.” For Abiodun, the most rewarding part of the entire experience has been seeing how audiences have connected with her work. “The true pay off for me came in people saying that it was something that they really were moved by and that they felt something. From my
neuroscience side, it was like, yes! I was able to create this emotional experience,” she said. Abiodun is still figuring out what might come next. She plans to pursue a Ph.D., hoping to focus on neurocinematics, or the study of how film watching and visual experiences influence our emotional and perceptual states. For now, her experience with filmmaking has reinforced her desire to experiment and fulfill her creative impulses. “I’m proud of myself for getting to do this,” she said. “I want ‘Godspeed’ to be something that encourages others to step out of their box, too, and just try something and see where it goes.” “Godspeed” will be shown Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Hayti Heritage Center. Tickets are $10.
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playground
Who are the Oscars for? The Academy doesn’t seem to know By Miriam Shams-Rainey Contributing Writer
The Oscars are still very white and very male, but they feel bad about it, apparently. The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ reluctance to nominate and recognize excellence in filmmaking by international, female and non-white artists has drawn the ire of the public and industry insiders alike for the past several years. The controversy started in 2015 when the Academy failed to nominate a single nonwhite actor, spurring the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag. Following a similar debacle in 2016, the Academy restructured to foster more diversity in their membership. And, sure, while certainly better than nothing, an increase from 8% non-white members in 2015 to 16% today isn’t exactly groundbreaking. When only one actor of color cinched a nomination in 2020 and female directors were shut out entirely, the #OscarsSoWhite rage tweets came back to the forefront. But this time, frustrated film buffs couldn’t even bring themselves to sit through the awards show that once drew as much attention as the Super Bowl among the arts community. Viewership reached an all-time low this year, dropping to 23.6 million from 2019’s record low of 26.5 million. Throughout last Sunday’s ceremony, the film industry was clearly well aware of the controversy and frustration. Acts of subtle and notso-subtle protest punctuated the evening, from Natalie Portman’s red carpet cape featuring the names of snubbed female directors to Janelle Monáe’s wonderfully theatric opening number highlighting black and female-led films (such as Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” and Jordan Peele’s “Us”). And, once the awards themselves got underway, indigenous filmmaker Taika Waititi won Best Adapted Screenplay for “Jojo Rabbit” and South Korean director Bong Joonho’s “Parasite” came away with an impressive four awards, including Best Picture. While these displays of representation are great, it’s hard not to wonder if they’re a form of damage control for an industry giant whose reputation has been marred by the ongoing controversy surrounding the (lack of) diversity in the films that they recognize. 2019 was a particularly impressive year for female and non-white members of the film industry, with notable performances by Asian American rapper and comedian Awkwafina (“The Farewell”), Kenyan Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o (“Us”) and Puerto Rican American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”), as well as directorial excellence by Greta
Courtesy of Getty Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won Best Picture at last Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, becoming the first international film to do so.
Gerwig (“Little Women”) among many others. That’s not to say the praise for “Parasite” is unwarranted, though. It’s a true masterpiece that packs profound social commentary into a story that is hilarious and haunting all at once. “Hair Love” also shines as a heart-warming short film, and there’s no denying the masterful cinematography of “1917.” For the most part, the winning movies are fantastic, but are they necessarily better than the snubbed works that don’t meet the Academy’s standard of an “Oscar-worthy” movie? That’s up for debate. There’s an unspoken understanding that an “Oscar-worthy” film must focus primarily on white males. Take Joaquin Phoenix’s Best Actor-winning “Joker,” for example. Focused around the titular character’s alienation from society and eventual descent into super-villainy, the film puts a borderline unhealthy emphasis on making the audience empathize with a poorly-behaved white man. Meanwhile, stories that confront racial or gender-based issues like “Us” or “Hustlers” go unacknowledged. Even the Academy’s praise for Cynthia Ervio’s titular role in “Harriet” leaves something to be desired, as the only black narrative the Academy highlights is one of slavery and strife.
The Academy knows that the lack of diversity among its nominees is a systemic issue. The apologetic, self-deprecating mood that overtook this weekend’s proceedings made that clear, as presenters made jabs at the lack of black nominees and Janelle Monáe snuck the iconic “Oscars So White” rallying cry into her opening number. However, the question still remains of what the Academy is going to do about it, or if it will do anything about it at all. As cinema becomes more accessible to both watch and create, the film industry is transforming at breakneck speed. Filmmakers and movie buffs alike are connecting with movies that represent them in new ways as frequently-underrepresented groups start to tell their own stories through film. As the Academy continues to overlook and belittle these non-white, non-male stories, the continued snubs and subsequent placating gimmicks are becoming harder and harder to ignore. Filmmaking is an incredibly diverse art, representing an equally diverse group of movie-lovers and artists. Until the Academy steps up to honor this diversity in its nominations, instead of in half-hearted lip service on awards night, the Oscars are doomed to continue their disjointed, haphazard floundering toward irrelevance.
Green Day’s new album is proof that punk rock isn’t dead By Skyler Graham Staff Writer
On Feb. 7, punk rock band Green Day released their 15th album “Father of All Motherfuckers.” The album release complements recent albums from fellow rock bands Fall Out Boy and Weezer, both of which Green Day will be joining this summer in their international Hella Mega Tour. The Berkeley-based band rose to fame in 1994 with their hit album “Dookie.” They provided the anthem against the Bush administration with their 2004 “American Idiot.” Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Green Day defined the punk rock movement of the era with tales of adolescent anxiety and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s bold hair colors. I love the Green Day of the ‘90s and early 2000s. But I also love Blink-182 and Third Eye Blind’s music hailing from the same era, and their newest albums were remarkably disappointing. Bands need to change their sound to adapt to an ever-evolving industry and maturing fanbase; unfortunately, this change often means sacrificing the character that attracted many original fans. When I heard Green Day was releasing an album in 2020, I was excited, but worried that they too would resort to modern pop styles and production techniques to sell a record. I was pleasantly surprised. “Father of All Motherfuckers” uniquely blends elements of punk rock, contemporary rock, rock ‘n’ roll and pop. It displays a distinct contrast from Green Day’s whimsically aggressive ‘90s hits, but is captivating nonetheless. On this album, the band reveals how musical innovation means both crossing genre lines and transcending time and regional boundaries.
When first hearing the seemingly artificial voices and excessive hand-clapping on opening tracks “Father of All…” and “Fire, Ready, Aim,” I immediately assumed hope was lost for the revival of punk rock bands. Here we go again, I thought. Another ‘90s band trying to make a comeback, another band failing to find a new sound and failing to replicate their signature sound. Yet even with surface-level elements of modern pop, Green Day doesn’t neglect the necessity of lyrics infused with rebellious energy — the call to “stick a hammer in your mouth and knock your teeth to the ground” emphasizes the art of being unapologetically violent and loud and dangerous and beautiful.
“I Was a Teenage Teenager,” as the name implies, epitomizes the essence of punk. The undeniable angst of being “filled with piss and vinegar” parallels the attitude of the band’s “Dookie” era — hating school, hating life, but loving music, as music can release and transform hate into a secure space for the insecure. In an interview with Playboy Germany, drummer Tré Cool reflected on the band’s teenage years: “I was a frustrated, searching, sometimes happy teenager. The three of us were the outsiders, the freaks, not the least bit crazy. And no matter how old you are: this teenage brain never completely regresses.” Green Day combines these angsty themes
Courtesy of NME Green Day’s latest uniquely blends elements of punk rock, contemporary rock, rock ‘n’ roll and pop.
with elements of rock of the past. “Stab You in the Heart,” for example, sounds like Little Richard gone punk. The driving melody and beat reminiscent of ‘50s rock meets the electricity and thirst for revenge of pop-punk music. “Meet Me on the Roof ” also contains the rhythm and admiration found in a ‘60s Motown ballad. The overlap of time and genre continues in “Graffitia,” which uses characteristics of ‘80s pop (such as a heavy synthesizer) and subtly discusses struggles of factory workers and victims of police brutality. “Are we the last forgotten?” the band asks, recognizing the importance of sharing unheard, overlooked stories. Subtle political messages are also found in “Oh Yeah!,” with its reference to school shootings and “bulletproof backpacks.” This anti-establishment theme is just as intentional as the iconic “American Idiot,” if not always as direct or forceful. Green Day finds inspiration in modern alternative bands in “Sugar Youth,” its fast pace and sensuous intensity similar to Britpop bands like the Arctic Monkeys. The calming flow of “Junkies on a High,” however, may be more comparable to the contemporary sound of Imagine Dragons or Coldplay. Although there are notable similarities to these bands, the shift to a more modern sound doesn’t feel forced. Green Day has managed to blend deceptively opposing elements of music — past and present, American and British — into an album that will carry punk rock into the new decade. They’re not as Californian as on “Dookie” or as angsty as “American Idiot,” but they’re still just as careless and cynical and powerful. They’re still embracing the rebellion of punk, and they’re keeping it alive.
Sports 10 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020
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THE BLUE ZONE
BEYOND THE ARC: DUKE WINS DEFENSIVE BATTLE dukechronicle.com
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Duke demonstrates grit to Despite recent success, Blue Devils cap emotional 3-day stretch trying to avoid ‘destination-itis’ By Shane Smith Blue Zone Editor
Mike Krzyzewski is talking to the Cameron Crazies again. No, there wasn’t a shouting tirade at halftime, and the Duke head coach swears it isn’t for ‘selfish’ reasons. He doesn’t even think the fans were bad. Krzyzewski just wanted more from the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd of 9,314 Monday night. Fresh off of as gritty and impressive of a 48-hour stretch of any team in all of college basketball, Krzyzewski was just looking for his team’s energy to be matched. “We’ve been spoiled to watch Zion [Williamson], [Jayson] Tatum, [Marvin] Bagley and all these guys play, and that’s not what we have.” Krzyzewski said. “We have an old fashioned team that needs for everybody to be hungry. [Duke fans] are accustomed to outstanding, and this team is trying to be.” For as iconic as a rivalry buzzer-beater can be, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils’ 70-65 win against No. 8 Florida State was an even bigger step for Krzyzewski’s young squad, and it showed as the long-time head coach bubbled with pride postgame. After the emotional overtime victory against North Carolina and just one day of rest, Duke used pure grit and toughness against an extremely physical
top-10 opponent. “A real player doesn’t run plays, a real player makes plays,” Krzyzewski emphasized. “You run plays for people who aren’t players. That doesn’t mean you See GRIT on Page 12
Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photo Editor
Mike Krzyzewski made it abundantly clear how proud he was of his team Monday.
By Jake C. Piazza Staff Writer
In the past two seasons, Duke has gone from a team that had not been to a super regional since 1961 to coming up one game short of the College World Series in back-
Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photo Editor
Chase Cheek is among the key contributors returning from the 2019 Blue Devils.
to-back years. This season, the 15th-ranked Blue Devils are again expected to be a national contender, meaning Duke’s familiar underdog narrative is beginning to grow stale with the national attention. With a pair of preseason All-Americans in Bryce Jarvis and Thomas Girard, lofty postseason goals and the return of most 2019 starters, it can be easy for Duke to get caught looking into what the future has in store, resulting in costly mistakes in the present. According to junior catcher Michael Rothenberg, head coach Chris Pollard keeps the team on track by warning them of getting diagnosed with “destination-itis.” Don’t go rushing to look up destinationitis on WebMD—this diagnosis is merely a way for Pollard to communicate to his players to take this long season one day at a time, appreciating every moment for its worth. Missing the present is a tale as old as time, so Pollard makes sure to whisk his players’ heads out of the clouds and back into the present when the College World Series chatter begins. “You have to work really hard to stay focused on the day at hand.... We talk all the time about the expression, ‘Bury your head See BASEBALL on Page 13
SOFTBALL
After strong opening weekend, Duke to return home By Bre Bradham Staff Writer
The tale of the Blue Devils’ young season so far is batting, baserunning and battening down the hatches. The team kicked off its third season with a five-game trip down to Florida last weekend, notching 27 runs and winning four of its contests. Next up, the Blue Devils will host the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge in Durham, playing four games this weekend at Duke Softball Stadium. ‘Coming alive’ down in Florida On Friday, the Blue Devils (4-1) overwhelmed a Clemson team playing its first-ever season by a score of 11-0 in five innings, moving to 3-0 alltime in opening games. Duke slowly chipped away at the Tigers through the first two innings, nudging the score up to 3-0 behind a trio of RBI singles, before exploding in the third inning with a combination of solid hitting and Clemson errors to extend the lead to 10-0. A solo blast by sophomore outfielder Caroline Jacobsen in the fourth inning put the
game to rest due to the mercy rule. Head coach Marissa Young said the team put a lot of preparation into the first game, and she was happy to see so many players “coming alive.” The Blue Devils stayed alive through their next contest Friday, coming out swinging and beating Indiana 8-2 in a game that featured freshman Felise Collins’ first career home run. On the second day of its five-game weekend slate, Duke eked past St. John’s 3-1 thanks to an inside-the-park home run by sophomore Deja Davis and an RBI single by junior Rachel Crabtree. That night, though, the Blue Devils were dealt their first loss of the season thanks to well-rounded hitting by Central Florida, falling 5-2 to the Knights. In its last game of the weekend, Duke revenged its misstep from the night before. The Blue Devils jumped out to a three-run lead on home runs by Jacobsen and sophomore Kristina Foreman, holding onto that lead despite a late, seventh-inning rally by Central Florida, when the Knights drove in a pair of runs. “We love to score first. That’s been part of our identity since year one. The difference maker
Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photography Editor
The Blue Devils will welcome Syracuse, Indiana and Rutgers to Durham this weekend. in that game was our ability to finish, and we have not been great at that in the past,” Young said of the 3-2 win. “So that was huge from our standpoint, to see people hang in there.” Young said one of her goals for the year is for her pitchers to be able to go the distance and
pitch full games. In a busy weekend, both junior Brianna Butler and sophomore Shelby Waters both pitched the maximum amount of innings, with Butler allowing only one hit to Clemson and See SOFTBALL on Page 13
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M. BASKETBALL FROM PAGE 1
Freshman Matthew Hurt struggled just days before against North Carolina, notching four fouls early and finding himself riding the pine for much of Saturday evening. But even being relegated to a relief role hardly fazed the Rochester, Minn., native, as the young Blue Devil came out with a fire and stayed clutch right to the end. After Malik Osborne grabbed a blocked shot and skied for a dunk to trim the Blue Devils’ lead to three, Hurt made it count on every trip to the line as the Seminoles fought for possession through fouling. Although the freshman made his first two makes from the charity stripe, the Blue Devils failed to deny the Seminoles another trip to the rack and whiffed the ensuing offensive possession with a last-second Wendell Moore hurl off the rim. However, rather than letting the visiting team off the hook with a chance to tie the game, Hurt skied through two of Florida State’s bigs, grabbing the game-sealing rebound and drawing a foul to win the evening. The freshman ended the nightwith a spectacular display overall. Hurt heated up with back-to-back threes in the first half and got Cameron on its feet early with a block to preserve a 10-point advantage. “People call me a shooter, a scorer, but I want to be more than that,” Hurt said. “I want the dirty plays, the dirty work, the rebounds, the deflections, all of that. I’m just trying to make winning plays.” Vernon Carey Jr. wasn’t able to stay as productive down the stretch due to Florida State’s towering interior, but the Blue Devils (21-3, 11-2
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in the ACC) had another big they could lean on. Senior captain Javin DeLaurier has spent most of his Duke career as an energetic role player off the bench, but in the thick of one of the most important conference games of the season, the Shipman, Va., native delivered. DeLaurier ferociously rebounded every Florida State miss late, grabbing any board he could to take away Seminole opportunities. The senior captain made arguably his biggest impact of the night, however, at the free throw line. With Duke holding on to a meager three-point lead in the final minute of play, DeLaurier was fouled after grabbing a crucial board. Despite his 66.7 percentage from the line on the season, DeLaurier sank both to all but ensure victory. The Blue Devils knew they were in for a dogfight against the energetic Seminoles, and Duke needed all hands on deck to stay afloat. Duke’s first unlikely hero was Jordan Goldwire, a defensive specialist who caught an incredibly hot hand offensively to save a floundering Blue Devil offense. Star point guard Tre Jones was uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at the start of the second half, with three inbounds passes landing in the hands of Florida State (20-4, 10-3). Although Duke’s defense remained stout enough to limit the visiting team’s points off of turnovers, the Blue Devil offense looked dead in the water for the opening minutes of play. Luckily for Duke, Goldwire was unfazed. The junior point guard ignited the Blue Devil offense with back-to-back triples, giving Duke’s stagnating offense a much-needed lift. However, just as Duke created an inch of space, the Seminoles would turn up the pressure to stay in the mix. Alex O’Connell was the next Blue Devil to catch fire down the stretch.
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Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photography Editor
Matthew Hurt came out aganst the Seminoles with a fire and performed in the clutch. As both teams traded blows in the waning minutes of the game, O’Connell showcased the quickness and offensive finesse Duke has been craving from the junior shooter all season. Saving a play on a fadeaway two, O’Connell came alive moments later with a corner three to stabilize a Blue Devil lead. “It felt good. They were big-time shots,” O’Connell said. “Especially playing a team like Florida State, I tried to stay in space and be ready to shoot. Making sure to move their defense was a big thing for us, and we did that down the stretch.” Florida State’s Trent Forrest lived with free real estate in the heads of Jones and Goldwire, notching eight steals and converting each takeaway with attempted fast-break buckets. The senior
guard made short work of the Blue Devils on both ends of the floor, contributing 18 points to electrify an otherwise cold-shooting Seminole squad. After the three-game road stretch over the last two weeks, the Blue Devils will enjoy some time in Durham, hosting Notre Dame Saturday in Cameron. “We need a full day off,” Krzyzewski said. “This is a nine day period with three road games and this game, and our kids won all four of them. It’s a lot of travel, a lot of stuff. They’ve really developed into a good team. I really love these guys because they’re different guys. We don’t have a starting lineup, we have a team. Sometimes when you have a starting lineup you put a ceiling on your other guys, but we don’t have that with this group.”
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was next play.” As for Moore, Saturday’s heroics didn’t suddenly turn the Charlotte native into another Duke star. There were still bumps in the road, like committing four of the Blue Devils 20 turnovers, but Moore once again symbolized Duke’s winning effort Monday, producing countless gritty plays. “Wendell, who, I don’t think any of you in the audience have had a winning shot in front of 21,000 people against your arch rival, but if you’re 18, how you handle that can be pretty tough. He had a game like a kid that’s 18 until the second half, and then that play he made in the full court just was spectacular,” Krzyzewski said. Slow starts have been an issue for the Blue Devils since the turn of the new decade, and an early hole would have doomed Duke from the start if it weren’t for an unmatched defensive intensity. Florida State missed its
first eight shots from the floor, most of them contested jumpers, as the Blue Devils played with a burning fire not seen in the games against the Tar Heels and Boston College. “It’s definitely a big thing when we can get out quick like that because there’s been games
Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photography Editor
Known for his hustle and tenacity, Jordan Goldwire was crucial down the stretch.
FROM PAGE 10 don’t run them for players too, but players make plays, and our guys are making plays, they’re making really good plays. Damn, am I happy about these guys.” Tied with Duke in the ACC standings coming into the night, the Seminoles were as big a test as any from a talent and physical standpoint. However, the Blue Devils came out with a rocking energy needed in a heavyweight ACC fight. “It’s a huge thing for us,” freshman forward Wendell Moore Jr. said. “Coaches preaching that this whole 48 hours is kind of like a tournament thing for us, like playing a game Friday and come back and play Sunday. We knew we won the game Saturday, we knew we had a huge game coming up, so everything
After being the hero Saturday, Wendell Moore Jr. once again came up big late for Duke.
Henry Haggart | Assistant Sports Photo Editor
in the past where we haven’t had a hot start,” junior guard Alex O’Connell said. “You put a pretty big emphasis on that and tonight just making sure that we come out hard and don’t start slow. I think that helped us down the stretch in being able to finish the game out like we did.” As much as tired legs were a factor late in the second half, the mental fatigue from the thriller in Chapel Hill could have easily made the Blue Devils succumb to the veteran Seminoles. Krzyzewski mentioned that with the short break, the team could only see a shortened scouting report on Florida State’s 11-man rotation, “changing the delivery” of the scouting report to categorize each Seminole as a shooter, driver or big. “That was obviously a historical game for us and it was a lot of fun,” O’Connell said on the North Carolina win. “We enjoyed that win as much as any team could, but we made sure we moved on. The coaches were really big on making sure we moved on from that game and I think we did a good job of that.” Toward the final stretch of the game, Duke looked like it could collapse, trailing 52-50, but grit up and down the roster came through again for the Blue Devils. A five-point spark from O’Connell and clutch, tough play from Matthew Hurt allowed Duke to capture its 21st win in bruising fashion. “[The Seminoles have] got so much depth and they play so many guys,” junior guard Jordan Goldwire said. “They’re a very good team, athletic, defend well and well-coached. It was a fight.” Krzyzewski couldn’t help but appear like a proud father after the win—or grandfather, I suppose—but he’s simply trying to make the college basketball world love his team as much as he does.
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BASEBALL FROM PAGE 10 in the moment,’ meaning do not come up and look and see what is on the horizon,” said Pollard. “Do not worry about what is behind you; it has already happened. Just stay really locked into what is happening in the present moment.” While catching a case of destination-itis may be benign in some areas of life, the college baseball season is no place to come down with it. Duke knows all too well the importance of every game, ending both of its last two seasons just short of its desired destination: Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series. “Not letting that—he calls it destination-itis— not letting that Omaha destination cloud what you’re doing in the moment,” said Rothenberg, recently named the fourth-best catcher in the nation by D1Baseball.com. It is no small task to put Omaha in the rearview mirror and focus solely on the present, but the Blue Devils are going to need to this season. The ACC is as loaded as ever, with eight teams earning top 25 rankings and Duke drawing an unfavorable schedule early on against the top tier of the conference. There will be minimal time to work through the early-year growing pains, such as finding out who will complement Jarvis and southpaw Bill Chillari to make up the starting pitching staff. Multiple names have been floated around, but there is no concrete plan for the starting rotation as well as the bullpen pecking order. Regardless of who Pollard pencils in, Jarvis has a mindset much like the rest of the squad going into this season. “No one moment is more important than
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the other, except for the moment that you are in now. So I think that whatever you are doing in that moment, whether it’s practice, whether it’s a scrimmage or whether it’s a game, just putting everything you have into that one moment and not getting caught up in what is next is the big thing,” said the junior pitcher. Jarvis ensured he would not get caught with destination-itis over the summer by making some significant additions to his game. The Franklin, Tenn., native added a 12-6 curveball to his arsenal and got some extra velocity on his fastball, making him a four-pitch guy who throws in the mid-90s. It will be more difficult than ever before for the team to avoid being diagnosed with destination-itis”\, considering that Duke has been a stone’s throw away from Omaha each of the past two years. In the 2018 season, the Blue Devils had
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their hearts broken by perennial powerhouse Texas Tech, losing the rubber match of the super regional. A year ago, Vanderbilt, the eventual champion, stole the last two games of the super regional, closing the book on the Duke Cinderella story. Despite these experiences not being enjoyable, senior captain Chase Cheek has a unique outlook on the outcomes of the past two seasons. “We’re really poised. Before we were kind of new to the whole scene…. Now, we have been there before, we have been there back-toback [years], so we are excited for the season, but we are not that new kid on the block,” said the outfielder. I’m not sure what the right prescription to cure destination-itis is, but the Blue Devils will need to get vaccinated immediately, as Army will roll into town Friday to start off Duke’s 2020 season.
Mary Helen Wood | Photography Editor
Michael Rothenberg was recently named the No. 4 catcher in the country by D1Baseball.com.
SOFTBALL FROM PAGE 10 Waters giving up only two hits to St. John’s. “I think that’s going to be a differencemaker for us, to manage our pitching staff if we have people that can throw complete games,” Young said. The weekend ahead Coming off of a strong start to the season, the Blue Devils are gearing up to host the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge this weekend. The series will bring Syracuse (1-1), Rutgers (3-2) and Indiana (2-3) to town for eight games. Duke will kick off its weekend against Indiana Friday night and Saturday afternoon, a team the Blue Devils are pretty familiar with. “I think it helps with confidence knowing we’ve played Indiana the last two years,” Young said. “Our kids know what the game plan is, what to expect, and they just need to go out and execute.” Duke will then face Rutgers Saturday night and Sunday. The Scarlet Knights earned their first winning season since 2015 last year under new head coach Kristen Butler, and Butler’s team is looking to build on that success. ‘Pieces of the puzzle’ Looking ahead, Young’s squad is looking to make the ACC tournament for the third year in a row and hopefully drive deeper into the postseason than it has so far. She said one goal is for the team to make the Women’s College World Series regionals and to keep elevating the team’s profile on the national level. “I think we have the pieces of the puzzle we need to be a top-50 team,” Young said.
find housing at The Chronicle’s online guide to living near Duke.
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
The Chronicle
“
The virulence of xenophobia
O
n January 23, the RDU airport authority was told that a passenger flying in from JFK had been in Wuhan. They contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about potential exposure to the novel
Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made extraordinary efforts to limit the outbreak, including the construction of two hospitals in Wuhan and a mask-making factory in Beijing within a week. Despite these efforts, mainstream U.S. media have
when it’s cool but discard it when it’s undesirable. This is insulting to the Chinese and Asian families separated from their loved ones and deeply concerned for their safety and wellbeing, especially during Lunar New Year when family is invaluable.
weaponized the outbreak and government response to smear the CCP as repressive and authoritarian. As a result, the distinctions between the physical body and the political body are blurred, and the virus becomes essentialized in and synonymous with the Chinese body and the Asian body. This specifically recalls the fearful narrative of the Yellow Peril, a chronic anxiety about how the yellow people of East Asia pose a significant threat against Western power. Against the advice of global health experts, the U.S. enacted a ban on Chinese travelers that could do more harm than good. This gave a legal green light on racist discrimination as evidenced on social media—clips have been circulating in which Chinese people and their culinary practices are called “gross,” “unclean,” and even deserving of the virus. In Sydney’s Chinatown, a 60-year-old man died from a heart attack, in part because bystanders did not give him CPR for fear of the coronavirus. This is not the first time we’ve seen the conflation of diseased bodies with political bodies—HIV/AIDS and Ebola were also racialized diseases that resulted in calls for travel bans. Altogether, these travel bans have historically been unsuccessful and reinforce the xenophobic perspective of immigrants and foreigners as dirty and contaminated, threatening the sanctity of the U.S. Internally, some people in the Asian and Chinese diaspora have distanced themselves from their home countries by using some variation of “I haven’t been to China in a long time.” Perhaps this is due to internalized racism and the precarious balancing act between the Model Minority and the Yellow Peril. Regardless, there seems to be a convenient choice: flaunt your culture
For Duke, the COVID-19 outbreak has been relevant due to the relationship with Duke Kunshan University. Rather than practicing empathy for the disruption in learning and life for fellow students, students have exploited the viral outbreak as opinion fodder to concoct a reactionary, fear-mongering column steeped in Orientalism and Sinophobia. This adds to the rich history of anti-Asian racism at Duke, from Kappa Sigma’s Asia Prime party to the biostatistics department scandal, all of which rely on despicable stereotypes about China and East Asia at large. Given the escalating panic regarding COVID-19, it is laughable to realize that in the U.S., you are actually more likely to die from the flu than from COVID-19. This season has seen more than 180,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. Because the flu comes every year, it rarely receives the attention of emerging bugs like COVID-19, even though COVID-19 seems to be a more extreme case of the flu. In both cases, most healthy individuals make full recoveries and seem unlikely to develop a serious illness while fatalities are frequently concentrated in vulnerable populations such as those with weakened immune systems. This all speaks to the importance of media literacy and paramount need to maintain a critical lens in order to minimize unnecessary and misinformed fear and panic not only regarding public health, but also Sinophobia and racism. Rather than spending our time on dismissive, divisive memes, we cannot stress enough the necessity of practicing basic hand and respiratory hygiene, getting a (FREE) flu shot and exercising empathy instead.
community editorial board coronavirus. By January 25, the CDC confirmed that the patient tested negative for coronavirus. Not a single virus, “coronavirus” actually refers to a large family of viruses that can be transmitted from animals to humans. This new strain, COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China at the end of December. Since then, at least 1,113 people have died and about 45,000 have been infected in China as of this past Tuesday. While it quickly received massive attention as a global health emergency and deaths by COVID-19 have now exceeded those from the SARS outbreak in 2003, it still has a very low fatality rate: less than 3%. With a population of more than one billion people, China has been short on supplies and delayed in running tests for COVID-19.
hot take of the week “Injunction-junction, what’s your function...” —Nathan Luzum, Managing Editor, on February 12, 2020
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chronicleletters@duke.edu Letter: Show some gratitude for Duke
ear fellow Duke students, I love our University, so there are few things that bother me more than hearing
prestigious institution and enjoy what will hopefully be some of the four most memorable years of our lives. Yes, we will have to work hard, and yes, there will be
letter TO THE EDITOR
my fellow students complain about what I like to refer to as ‘first world problems.’ We, as students of this amazing university, should be thankful for all the opportunities present in this place and the doors that they open to our future. Let me keep it quick. There are many children in the world that literally dream of attending college someday, but many never even get past middle school before they have to start working to help maintain their families. On the other hand, not only are we fortunate enough to go to a college; we are blessed to go to Duke University, one of the premier academic institutions in the world. It is no secret that coming to Duke can be expensive and is a financial burden to many. But Duke is a place where it doesn’t matter whether you pay full tuition and housing, or don’t pay a single cent to be here; we have all come here to learn. Generous donors, the Duke Endowment, and tuition-paying families are selflessly making it possible for all of us to seamlessly attend this
things we don’t like. But in the grand scheme of things, shouldn’t we be thankful that we can have a tuna poke bowl for lunch or a ribeye for dinner? When faced with the question about whether Duke should ask us for money or not with initiatives like the Senior Giving Challenge, I acknowledge that it is an individual choice. Some people would like to donate but don’t have the financial means to do so. Others have the means but simply don’t want to. And that’s fine. Sometimes I think it is necessary for us to take a step back, take a look around and realize how fortunate we are to be here and have so many resources at our disposal. As the famous Cinderella song goes: “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
Roberto Miselem is a Pratt senior.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 | 15
House of cows: Our morning with Dean Sue T
aylor: Spending time with Dean Sue in her kitchen reminds me of long days parked, legs swinging, at my grandmother’s barstool as a little girl. I delighted in playing observer for those uncounted stretches of time, and now I catch myself again with senses all turned out. It’s a captivating study—how gregarious women with life under their belts occupy space—and I’m learning, I hope, how to become one of them.
Margot Armbruster Taylor Plett BREAD TALKS
Like the kitchens of the wisest grandmothers, Dean Sue’s invites a long and sleepy stay. It’s all buttery light and overgrown bundles of greenery, crowding the countertops, conspiring to harbor some dewy afternoon. There’s kitsch and knicknacks packing stories; unbashful colors; books in rows and stacks; cows, cows, everywhere (when we pull a cake from the oven later, the potholder cows look like they’re nibbling the pan). It’s the kind of space that begs you to ask tell me about this and hope the story carries on and on. Of all the senses in this kitchen—warmth at the window, the spicy scent of pumpkin batter bubbling into cake, the perfunctory crunch of an apple—it’s the music of her voice that most impresses onto me the permission to relax and be satisfied. Dean Sue’s voice is the sing-song of an audiobook reader reciting Mother Goose. And it stays that way even when she’s talking about something ugly or sad. “All can be weathered,” the sound seems to say. Margot: Dean Sue has been at Duke forever—four decades. “Duke is the depth in my life,” she tells us. Still, she emphasizes throughout our conversation the rockiness of her beginnings here. She didn’t get into med school. She whiled away hours in a Duke Store iteration containing “three different Duke t-shirts, that was it,” a candy-and-cigarette counter, and a little grill with diner-style booths—olive green, with the stuffing always falling out. Hazel, a tiny, chainsmoking elderly woman, worked late. “I could go in at night and talk to her and feel like I belonged,” Dean Sue recalls. Her residential house, too, formed a tiny community that helped save her.
And now here she is, building the Duke her younger self needed. Her door is nonfiguratively always open, allowing students to filter in and study, or just sit and be; she hosts a weekly open house with an interesting adult; last year during reading period she left the room open for 12 straight hours, baking cookies (14 dozen in total!) as students worked away. Nothing makes her happier, she says, than seeing residents start to open her fridge without asking. “This is your home,” she parrots herself in that lilting voice, “stay as long as you like.” Her baseball cap, which she claims conceals a case of postjog hat head, reads “love thy neighbor.” Wristbands emblazoned with campus causes—charities, the football team, two students who died before graduation—cloak her arms. All this would feel overwrought coming from anyone else, but for Dean Sue they just feel like objects she’s accumulated along the way. Taylor: It becomes clear that Dean Sue is the type to hold onto things for a long time; the idiom applies to much more than her home at Duke. We combine our wet ingredients in a 70-year-old bowl using a mixer she’s carried with her since her teenage years. It was given to her, she tells us, by the older waitresses at the restaurant where she worked one high school summer. It was a parting gift (and a token of belonging), covered in stickers, sputtering now, and tired. Our football team is another case in the longevity of Dean Sue’s loves. She’s been their cheerleader and mentor for decades now (ask about the signed cow figurine on the end table). The evidence of her commitment will walk through the door as we’re cleaning up: a middle-aged man who once played varsity here, now with his two children and parents in tow, running into Dean Sue’s embrace. And she’ll know the names of his kids. And his mother will lay a hand on Dean Sue’s shoulder and say earnestly to Margot and me that “This woman single-handedly got my son through Duke.” Dean Sue will look sheepish, and also proud. But now, as the ancient beater sort-of-kind-of whips canned pumpkin into our batter and it turns creamy orange against the colors of egg and vanilla (“One of the most important things about baking is never to use imitation vanilla”), I’m thinking that all things endear themselves to Dean Sue. This is especially true with things that are a little out of place or unexpected. “Love thy neighbor,” as her hat says, but also love thy mixer, and thy house plants, and thy cow art. And love thy unglorified, underdog football team. “I do so love underdogs,” Dean Sue whispers to me. Margot: Dean Sue, gesturing to Daisy, the painted rainbow
cow on the wall, asks the football player’s daughter if she can tell which animal’s her favorite, and both kids stare up at her with adoration. That might be because her candy bars are melting on their fingers—dad, though typically anti-sugar, has allowed his mentor to distribute some of the snacks lining most every surface (on top of the table, under the table, the countertops, the shelves). While we’ve been here, she’s stuffed us, too, with apples, oranges and hummus from this mysteriously replenishing supply. As they leave, she pushes our pumpkin concoction on them. It’s not pretty: we decorated before the cake was cool, so the icing melted, fading to a hazy, cloudllike glaze. Now we swipe finger after finger through the mixing bowls, in agreement that cream cheese frosting is one of the best foods in this world, period. Soon our teeth feel sugar-fuzzy and our time is up. Dean Sue has asked, then listened intently, about our lives—Taylor’s play, my hometown, our worries and what we are doing later this weekend. Really, we’ve only just met, but these few hours in Gilbert-Addoms have felt oddly like visiting a grandparent after school. We settle in among the light-steeped chairs, talk about our day, and, of course, have a little snack together. Taylor: Dean Sue has an all-star batting average when it comes to building communities. It happens year after year: the residents fall in love with her, she with them, all with each other and Daisy the cow. And she mourns them in earnest in the early days of summer, when the wet and sparkling heat settles into the ground and all is silent again in the halls of Gilbert-Addoms. In the fall, many of them will be back for frequent visits “home,” and the very same pans will bake new batches of cookies. There will be a new batch of residents then, too, shuffling meekly into Dean Sue’s kitchen, following the smell, edging between the emboldened sophomores and discovering, with delight, the cows which seem to materialize in every nook with a wink. When we go, I feel a twinge of longing. I’ll never quite have that secret membership in Dean Sue’s kitchen forever afforded to a GA resident. I’ll never quite be one of her kids, I think. But a couple weeks later, I’m mid-Shakespearean monologue when, squinting through the spotlights, I see her in the audience—it’s Dean Sue, beaming at me, proud. Margot Armbruster is a Trinity sophomore and Taylor Plett is a Trinity junior. Their column, “bread talks,” runs on alternate Mondays.
‘A quant background with a focus on social impact’
H
i Luke (and the rest of DIIG), I’m Amy. I don’t think we’ve met before, but I’m about to graduate in a few months. A friend sent me your column on impact investing, and it reminded me a bit of where I was during my sophomore spring.
Amy Fan FANGIRLING Some context: At the beginning of 2018, I had already declared my math major and settled on the economics minor, mostly because I refused to take macroeconomics for the major. Shortly after, I started wondering (or at least strongly felt the need to wonder) what was I going to do with my degree. One of the ultimate sells for the math major was how broadly applicable it was. I had been told my quantitative skills could help me answer any question I wanted—even the ones for positive social good. When I was looking for internships though, the main market for my quantitative skills (and the places with what seemed like the more interesting questions) seemed to be primarily and tech. On the other hand, the main market for my interests in societal issues seemed to be… not designed for people who liked math. In fact, if felt near the opposite. That winter break, I had emailed an alum with this frustration, and asked for some guidance on where to look. She responded back with a phrase that seemed to neatly summarize my
interests: “a quant background with a focus on social impact.” Was that me? Was that who I wanted to become? Was I, Amy Fan, “quant background with a focus on social impact?” College hadn’t told me who I was yet, but it sounded nice, and it sounded like something I could work towards for the next two years. That alum also recommended that I check out two companies: 1) Omidyar, a philanthropic investment firm started by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, and 2) Palantir, which she framed as “big data ‘for the common good.’” We don’t need to talk about Palantir—that’s been done enough already. (To be fair, during my sophomore year, the main thing I had to be skeptical of was Palantir’s huge contracts with the Department of Defense.) But a philanthropic investment firm sounds close to what DIIG is trying to do. You included a slew of data to showcase the good that impact investing, broadly, has done. I have a few thoughts on most of the evidence you used and how you interpreted it that I’ll include at the end of this column, but fighting evidence with evidence isn’t what I came here to do. Instead, I’ll start here: I’m glad you notice that there are problems in our society, because that sometimes seems to be lost in the preprofessionalism of Duke. I’m glad that you notice that social inequality and environmental degradation are pressing problems, and I see an impressive list of projects that y’all have helped with. At the same time, I would argue that there are other, more pressing questions that need to be asked before a problem is defined and a
solution applied. As Gino noted in his original column, are the problems impact investing seeks to fix actually caused by the wealth inequality that the finance industry perpetuates? Is the problem a lack of efficient markets or innovation, or other stronger social, political forces? To what extent is finance the solution—and to what extent is it the problem? Are powerful institutions blocking the path to change? A few weeks ago, Darren Walker—the president of the Ford Foundation—came to speak to Duke. The impact investing sphere at its core seems similar to the philanthropy sphere in that it aims to use large amounts of wealth to do good in this world. Among other things, Walker noted the antidemocratic nature of philanthropy. In particular, he talked about how John D. Rockefeller donated money to Spelman College (named after his wife) so that Black women could be educated, but he would never have supported Black women going to the same colleges as his daughters. Andrew Carnegie strongly believed that everyone should have a library—but not necessarily access to the same kinds of books. As I’ll explain in more detail below, the “government-backed” development financial institutions you claim are examples of positive change, typically use international development funds from developed countries to fund projects in developing economics, a move that reeks of neo-colonialism. Perhaps it’s easier to address environmental and energy needs in African countries than the chronic underdevelopment of the African continent as a whole. Both do some good, sure, and maybe in a highly controlled
experiment where nothing else changes except for the specific way money is allocated (as is commonly done in science and in other highly quantitative fields), perhaps it’s better that things are these institutions exist than not. But the world is more complicated than that, and the only reliable way I’ve found to learn about that world is to be more immersed in that world. Long story short, I did not check out Omidyar or Palantir, and I no longer think about being “quant background with a focus on social impact.” There seemed to be other, more pressing questions at stake that a set of tools and methods couldn’t answer. I imagine you have a community of people in DIIG who support your decision, even share your goals, who may back your decision and shape your views as you read this. Maybe some of them were at the same point as I was during their sophomore year when they chose to join DIIG. To be quite honest, I don’t think I have a similar group, at least professionally. I’m not sure how many of my peers share my concerns. One last point: You note that DIIG’s education program has “empowered entrepreneurs looking to serve underrepresented minorities” and “explicitly advocate[s] an alternative route away from traditional pre-professional roles,” yet I looked at many of the LinkedIn Premium profiles of your executive team, and it makes me wonder: alongside these explicit messages, what is DIIG implicitly communicating? Best of luck. Amy Amy Fan is a Trinity senior. Her column, “fangirling,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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BRIDGE
CAUCUSES
doesn’t regret it. about more than just the results. They are “I learned a lot from it about myself,” Lewis FROM PAGE 5 about the retail politics that come before said. “I just want people to be held accountable as candidates campaign face-to-face with building, which was later scratched out. A when they need to,” he added. Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd in the their constituents. Iowa is the place where pumpkin with the symbol carved into it was Hilton Downtown and former Secretary of candidates are allowed to breathe and also found on East Campus, along with sheets Changes in the works State John Kerry at Centro, a popular local show their human side, whether that be by of paper strewn throughout campus that said, In a statement to The Chronicle, Mory Pagel, restaurant. flipping pork chops or blocking someone’s “It’s okay to be white.” executive director of institutional relations and Finally, the big day arrived. The air buzzed ranch dressing. Also that semester, a mural painted by Mi strategic partnerships at SIT, wrote that Duke is a with anticipation as my mom and I drove Iowans expect to interact with politicians Gente on the East Campus Bridge to honor “longstanding and valued” partner institution for to our caucus location, a college basketball who seek their support. We show up to Latinx Heritage Month was vandalized with black SIT. Over the past decade, 83 Duke students in total stadium about the size of Cameron. As we campaign events, read each candidate’s scribbles less than 24 hours after finishing. A man participated in the IHP program, he noted. walked in, we chatted with neighbors until the policy plans and ask the candidates tough later admitted to the act, claiming he “felt bad” He wrote that SIT is aware that some time came to split into candidate groups. Even questions because of the environment that that he outlined his piece over their mural. Duke students have had concerns about IHP my mom and I separated. caucuses foster. After those incidents took place, President programs both during the program and in Promoting efficiency at the expense of a Counters took the initial headcount to Vincent Price promised in a November 2018 their evaluations, and they take this feedback establish viability and calculated 849 people more human element is simply not worth message to the Duke community that the “very seriously.” He emphasized that SIT seeks in the room. To be viable, then, a candidate the cost. Cutting out Iowa would mean University would place security cameras at the to ensure that its programs are “academically needed to surpass the 15% threshold with transitioning from meet-your-candidate East Campus Bridge. He also vowed to increase rigorous, culturally relevant and inclusive.” support from at least 127 people. Yet, to events to big multi-million-dollar ad slots. security at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life. As a result, SIT is already making specific my surprise, the animosity that defined my Talk about an undemocratic process. Anti-semitic posters were also posted on modifications to address the feedback, including caucus experience four years earlier was This is a make-or-break point for Iowa’s the East Campus wall and Main Street sidewalk changes to the website to more accurately nowhere to be found. caucuses. We worked hard to make the 2020 in Spring 2018. The posters depicted imagery reflect the intensity of the IHP programming. The entire process went so smoothly that caucuses more accessible and efficient—and of a gun pointed toward a stereotypical These changes include introducing more robust my mom and I agreed it was eerily orderly. succeeded. Yes, we have some wrinkles to iron representation of a Jewish person. orientations for students to better understand Yet now is when critics decide it’s finally the out. But we’re getting there. DUPD Chief of Police John Dailey was expectations, homestays and programming; moment to end my state’s democratic ritual. Give us another chance. We’ll build an even contacted via email but did not respond in time increased training for staff on issues of diversity, But here’s my response: The caucuses are better caucus for the future. for publication. identities, restorative justice and conflict resolution; and more time for independent student research and self-care. He added that SIT, in cooperation with its parent nonprofit World Learning, is FROM PAGE 4 launching an ongoing internal inquiry into TRAVEL/VACATION those who dropped, four were black and one specific complaints. was Hispanic. Specifically addressing the Cities program, CARIBBEAN SPRING BREAK $189 FOR 5-DAYS. All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise. AcHowever, Katemauswa felt that her program Pagel wrote that SIT has hired an outside commodations on the island at your choice of seven resorts. Appalachia Travel. www.BahamaSun.com was more conscious of these issues, which consultant to observe the orientation “to resulted in a more positive experience. perform a further, broader external review to Lewis added that he and his classmates were discern if there are any program gaps once our also frustrated with the program schedule and internal investigation is complete.” Who we’re issuing an injunction against: the lack of transparency regarding program Katemauswa said that Lewis’s program DSG judiciary: �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������satistics details. He said that the students were told they needs to be reviewed and addressed, but she would only be in class for no more than one believes IHP is ultimately “worth it” and hopes Getting the end piece of pumpkin bread: �������������������������������������������������������������������������������luzumontheloose and a half hours per day, but, in reality, they the program will be made available for students Stinkin’ midterms: ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� pairoftongs “were in a building, sitting in a chair for seven in the future. DUSDAC: �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������gwenstefanie hours out of the eight-hour time period.” Pagel wrote that SIT looks forward to Katemauswa said that although her program working closely with Duke to reinstate the Layout Editors : ................................................................................................................................Kyle Harvey, had the same 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, she wasn’t University’s “long-held confidence in SIT and Yoav Kargon, Priya Meesa, Evelyn Sturrock, Jeremy Tang, Bennett David in the classroom all day. The students only had IHP to provide extraordinary study abroad Student Advertising Manager: �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Rebecca Ross traditional classes once a week for about an hour opportunities for Duke students.” Account Representatives:................... Juliana Arbelaez, Emma Olivo, Spencer Perkins, Sam Richey, Alex Russell, and a half, and she said they filled the rest of the Nonetheless, Lewis emphasized that Paula Sakuma, Jake Schulman, Simon Shore, Maddy Torres, Stef Watchi, Montana Williams time with guest lecturers, site visits to hospitals students should do their research on the Marketing Manager:.................................................................................................................. Jared McCloskey The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation and clinics and field day trips. institution they’re enrolling in before “just The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 Despite his experience, Lewis said that he committing a whole semester of your life to it.” Student Business Manager............................................................................................... Dylan Riley, Alex Rose For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 FROM PAGE 1
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Crossword ACROSS 1 Break-dancer, slangily
28 Very slight probability 32 On vacation
5 Not yet out of contention
33 Triage locales, briefly
9 Big, fat mouth
34 Bottom-left PC key
13 Gun, as an engine 15 “Silkwood” screenwriter Ephron 16 Bigger than big 17 “Hello” singer, 2015 18 Nickname for baseball’s Reggie Jackson
35 Beyond welldone 37 Audiophile’s rack contents 38 Ream unit 39 What the “E” stands for in HOMES 40 Trifling amount 41 Subj. for an M.B.A. student
54 Relative via remarriage 57 Reaction to the Beatles in 1964, e.g. 58 Give a smooth surface 59 Hoppy quaffs 60 What a lenient boss might cut you 61 Gave the heaveho 62 Turndown from Putin 63 “Let It Go” singer in “Frozen”
DOWN 1 Spoiled sorts 20 Long jumper, in 42 Picture from 2 One monopolizing hoops Ansel Adams, say a mattress 22 Call to the 46 H.S. math class 3 Describing one’s U.S.C.G. 47 “___ favor” bathroom routine in detail, say 23 One of 10 felled 48 Island ring in a strike 4 Time for a TV log 49 Wall St. debut 5 How LPs were 24 Big name in 51 What 20-, 28originally lighters and 42-Across recorded 25 Terse affirmative are 6 “Me neither” 7 Cell window ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE fixtures 8 Military science V A C A T E G E N T G E M subject A R A B I A E L I A A N Y 9 Hammer-wielding R U B I E S E M E R A L D S Norse god G A T T U N I C G L U T S U N S N A R E T O R E 10 Cause chafing, perhaps E L A S T I C A S A P E R W A S H E D U P F U S S Y 11 969, for Methuselah at A M E T H Y S T S his death S C A M P D E C R E A S E 12 One ___ C O G E E G S H A D I E R customer A C I D A L L E N L A G 14 Gets a furtive N A T O R A I S A R E S glimpse of D I A M O N D S P E A R L S 19 Part of I.T., for A N T W E L T P A N O U T short L E E E D Y S S T I N G Y 21 “Alas!”
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No. 0107
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PUZZLE BY ROSS TRUDEAU
25 Like some flagrant fouls
38 Splits that may give rise to sects
26 Lot unit
40 Nova ___ (Halifax native, say)
27 Go soft 29 Dominated, in gamer lingo 30 Sick and tired 31 “Gesundheit!” elicitor 35 ___ Fleck, banjo virtuoso
41 Sword with a sensor
51 Essay offering an alternative viewpoint 52 Drink similar to a Slurpee
43 Like cocoons and 53 In fine fettle cotton candy 44 Like Liesl, among 54 Place where one might get a manithe von Trapp pedi children
36 River of Eurasia
45 Public perception, in political lingo
55 Line on a bill just above the total
37 In a crude way
50 Port of Honshu
56 First lady
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Crossword Note:ACROSS For the story behind 29 Letter thisincrossword, the 54 see “You’ll nytimes.com/ never last third of the beat my score!” wordplay. 1 I.T. support NATO alphabet 55 Lock desk service ACROSS 52 “I could go on 33 “Interstellar” 30 Couches 56 Shakespeare actor Damon and on …” 7 goes 1 “Down Like: Suffix 32 Capital of the Frazier!” caller 55 contemporary Tuna alternative 34 Longer forearm 4 Eponymous U.S. for 54 days 58 bone 13 Heated 59 Comedian Zany anecdote characterhouse of in 1784 Jimmy Disneyland’s for chicks 35 Biological 60 What’s an 34 Plus “Wild Ride” messenger 60 Longtime uncommon blood 14 Like Looney molecule “Today” type … or a hint 10 Tunes, Tangy Greek 35 Meditation forecaster to this puzzle’s cheese 36 mantras Extra-small theatrically theme amount, as of 61 Amusing 14 Usual victim of 36 Not interpret 16 Jane Eyre or lotion 63 incongruities Higher-up Bart’s prank calls Wonder Woman 38 correctly “Return from 64 Friendless “Old Man and the 15 Schwartz who 62 40 Indonesian full-screen mode” 17 Spicy Sea” fish spent Tuesdays money 63 Make like key with Mitch 65 Good friend of 18 More thanAlbom tied N.F.L. 40 How “Thy sharp teeth Stimpy 16 some Robert Bolt’s “___ 44 …” referent games are for All Seasons” 66 “I’mDOWN on your ___!” 19 Characteristic resolved, for Yardstick part 17 Early warnings of 41 short 1 When 67 Flashy an one, for 21 Cook dangerand Curry 43 Egypt : pound :: opera’s short? musical 45 Common Iran : ___ sport themes may be 22 boy’s 19 Spanish “Miami ___” 68 Tribe of Israel fish established related 20 name Economic and to 45 Sacred lamb, the sixth month from theslangily Latin legislative capital 47 Pants, 2 Bit of headwear of theLanka year of Sri thatDOWN often has 47 Bit Now-discontinued 48 of foppish 1 jewels Egg-shaped Chili’s appetizer 24 in a rare attire 21 Baby Melancholy computer, once with a rhyming birth 3 Cry at night 23 Bronze ___ 50 Drum name kit, by 2 Darth Vader’s son26 leave name 4 Mince words? 24 They English pop in diva 50 another in-law Han ___ Oscar-winning the spring 52 Not so brave 5 composer Jule 26 Radiant display 3 Annual Mend 27 Clarifying and determined also called the winter/spring 51 Workplace of 4 observance Echoic soup Northern Lights phrase Jack Bauer 53 Brave and on slogan “24,” for short 32 Harbor Glee clubsight member 6 Sets ahead determined 28 5 Heist up figure of time, in 6 jargon iPhone ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE alternative, once 7 What some say 7 God Southeast B O Y M R TI O N AI D T P I SB H FT R E A T A is to them Division N.B.A. R OE EV U M P O R N R O RI E A H M U G E M A A N 8 “Leave team, onthis to scoreboards E B M C T O E R me” A LD AE RL M E R L O L S V BI C E H LR O E M E B P O I N ST O E R R O W CT O 8 Religious Lack one’s group usual 9 vitality, maybe S O S A G P EI N A D B EI C L E I A M 10 Part of the 9 conjugation Orange sherbet G U H R O O S RT A O BF O A R C H E A E A N L CI S of and Latin others“esse” the A Y M AE T R TS C LT N R A L B A SA W S O U 10 “Very Bad Things” B N U A R N DT A B C D ES S C S H A E S E P T 11 Permissive R and “Swingers” E D R GI E S O U L E A C G O N U S 12 Captive’s R I A actor Jon plea A E N S D O S M C EA B P LE O P S H O T M O AL W S O 11 Spicy Eastern prince 13 Indian A L G S TP Y O N R E L C E TI U I P O 12 fritters Order at Chipotle O TU CT S I H D A E LS HI B O U T S E T C E T 15 Textbook unit 13 Freshly P N AI B E P C O E S M A NI VI A YS AT RE N I T E 20 P.D. alert 18 Crowd noises A AL R E LS I N S L R A C K EP XA EV CE M E N 23 “For one thing D N H Y O E T O G E D L A S N A 22 “Rah!” at a SA X I DE E P bullfight …”
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0108 No. 0109
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PUZZLE PUZZLE BY BY ALEX AMANDA EATON-SALNERS YESNOWITZ AND JOON PAHK
24 “Indeed!,” Org. for lawyers 24
25 colloquially “Spill the tea!” 26 Remove Soft drink brand 25 27 forcefully Water bill listing 28 Go Onefrom might sleep 26 on it place to one 29 another Ranchero’s plain 30 Principle Discussion31 recapping phrase 33 31 Lure Suckers or syrups 32 Oppressive Hollywood-area 36 attraction La ___ atmosphere Tar Pits 37 37 Get End with point the of a military march program?
39 Texas Rookiecity move? 38 on
53 Go One(for) alternative 46
42 border Encapsulation
49
the Mexican
44 Window Sixteenth president’s dressing nickname
39
40 46 “Midnight’s Outerwear?
Children” 48 novelist, New York 1981 Giants giant Mel 41 First country 49 to Elected establish congresswoman Christianity as of 2018, its state religion Alexandria 42 Sailor vis-à-vis ___-Cortez a sail 52 “For Your ___ Only” up 43 Lathers
to Uber
French
54 port Rep on the
55 Mediterranean Young otter’s home
50
Tool with a
blade 56 pointed Owl or osprey
57 Large Unit of beverage the eye 51
containing the iris dispenser
58 Capital Dollywood’s 52 of
locale: Abbr. Albania
61 A word from 57 Drag Scrooge 59 62 Stepped Debate stance
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.