Imagining a student input
Greenwell pours in 30
A look into how students have impacted the proposed Trinity curriculum | Page 3
The redshirt junior led the Blue Devils to a sixth straight win against UNC | Sports Page 6
The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2017
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 61
Results undecided in graduate student union election Neelesh Moorthy Although ballots have been submitted in the graduate student union election, the actual results are still undetermined. The National Labor Relations Board counted all of the ballots throughout the day Friday. As the results currently stand, 691 students have voted against the union, and 398 have voted in favor. However, the election results remain undecided because more than 500 additional ballots are currently being challenged. Ingrid Jenkins, an NLRB board agent, confirmed Friday that hearings will need to be held in order to resolve the status of the challenged ballots and eventually the election. A date has not yet been set, she said. The Duke Graduate Student Union—which is not yet recognized as a legal union due to the inconclusive election—kicked off last August in response to a nationwide NLRB decision that “student assistants” at private universities could unionize. But there was pushback, as the group Students Against Duke Unionization launched a campaign to oppose the unionization effort, arguing that the Service Employees International Union would not represent students’ best interests. North Carolina is a right-to-work state, meaning that no graduate student can be forced to pay union dues or join any potential union as a condition of employment, explained Daniel Bowling, a senior lecturing fellow at the Duke Law School. But just because students would not be
Jeremy Chen | The Chronicle
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forced to join the union does not mean it would not affect them. Should a graduate student union actually be formed, Bowling noted that students in opposition will still be unable to bargain individually with administrators. They will also be bound by any collective bargaining contract eventually reached, he said. “It’s like you’re in the union, but you’re just not paying dues to the union,” Bowling explained. “You can’t break off and form your own group. Administrators have to go through the union on your behalf whether you’re a part of it or not.” Graduate student Katherine Marusak
from SADU also argued that, even if students cannot be technically forced to join the union, they could be in practice if they want to have any say in the negotiations. Bowling echoed this sentiment, noting that the law is unclear on whether unions could require students to pay dues in order to participate. “Whether non-dues paying grad students covered by a negotiated agreement have the right to participate in a ratification vote is not that clear,” he wrote. “The union has a duty of ‘fair representation’ to all covered employees, which isn’t in dispute, but the Board and the courts have not been consistent on whether that extends to allowing everyone to vote on
ratification.” Challenges to graduate student unionization elections are not without precedent. A similar result occurred in Harvard University’s election in December, and NLRB hearings are still taking place as late as last week. Writing for SADU, Marusak and graduate student Michael Boyarsky noted that the organization is pleased with the current results—which have more students voting against than in favor, pending resolution of the challenged ballots. “We are pleased with the results of the election, which prove that graduate students are united in support of our current arrangement,” they wrote in an email. “We recognize that each graduate student has different responsibilities, funding sources and circumstances, and we hope that if this issue returns in the future, more care and consideration are given to the definition of the bargaining unit.” What comes next Paula McClain, dean of the Graduate School, wrote in an email to the graduate school community Friday that the additional 500 ballots were being challenged on the basis of voter eligibility, adding that “it could be some time before there is a final outcome.” Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, expanded on the reasons for challenges in an email. “During the counting process, ballots were identified from individuals who were not enrolled as students, who had already graduated, who were not enrolled in Ph.D. programs, who See UNION on Page 4
Injury woes resurface in Duke’s ugly loss at Miami Sam Turken The Chronicle CORAL GABLES, Fla.—Sitting in front of his locker as his teammates were filing into the showers, Luke Kennard was at a loss for words. After winning seven straight games and playing their best basketball of the year earlier in February, the No. 10 Blue Devils find themselves back in a position that has become all too familiar this season—dealing with injuries and trying to make sense of a poor performance. “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s just kind of frustrating,” Kennard said when asked about the impact Grayson Allen’s absence had on Duke’s 55-50 loss to Miami at the Watsco Center Saturday. The defeat dropped the Blue Devils into a tie for fifth place in the ACC standings and three games behind North Carolina—just a week after Duke had pulled within one game of the Tar Heels and made an ACC regular-
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season title seem possible. With two regular season contests remaining, Duke is just fighting to clinch a first-round bye in the ACC tournament, something that was viewed as a given for the preseason No. 1 team. But from the start of the year, injuries have altered the Blue Devils’ trajectory and prevented them from being the team that many expected would be the national title favorite in March. Saturday made it clear that fans may never see this Duke team at full strength because of the games and practices already missed. Allen sat out the contest with a lingering ankle ailment. The Jacksonville, Fla., native— who also missed time with turf toe earlier in the season—sprained his ankle against Wake Forest Feb. 18 and was limited in the Blue Devils’ loss against Syracuse Wednesday despite playing 29 minutes. But he’s not the only Duke leader who has not been at full strength.
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See INJURIES on Page 12
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INSIDE — News 2 Sportswrap Classified 13 Crossword 13 Opinion 14
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Jim Liu | The Chronicle Coach K said Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen will both be re-evaluated before Tuesday’s game against Florida State. Jefferson played just five second-half minutes Saturday.
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