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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
thursday, february 4, 2016
www.dukechronicle.com
ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH YEAR, Issue 71
SLG interest continues to rise in 2016 YT finalists present to DSG Wed. Gautam Hathi The Chronicle
the hope that a round system would foster a more intimate environment conducive to forming relationships in the final round,” Ho wrote in the email. Of the six SLGs that provided statistics to The Chronicle, Jam!, a sports-themed SLG, and The Cube, an entrepreneurship-themed house, reported the smallest numbers of students who rushed their groups, with 18 and 20 applicants, respectively. Jam! co-president Melissa Letzler, a junior, said Jam! extended 12 bids this year. Last year, 19 students rushed Jam! and 16
The Duke Student Government Senate heard from Young Trustee candidates during its meeting Wednesday. The three candidates—Wills Rooney, Max Schreiber and Jamal Edwards, all seniors— presented their platforms to the Senate and answered questions. Rooney described proposed changes to Duke’s curriculum, Schreiber advocated for the current housing model and discussed issues of free expression and Edwards spoke about how Duke could change its image both on campus and nationally. In his presentation to the Senate, Rooney said that he would advocate for more integrated curriculum options that would help Duke students find common perspectives on fundamental issues. “Duke’s curriculum is not all that unified, not all that integrated,” Rooney said. “It really needs to address the serious life questions of purpose and meaning that are embedded in every human heart.” Rooney said that, if elected, he would push for an organized set of courses that deal with issues such as religion, ethics and virtues. Although Rooney said that he did not think that his proposed set of courses should be required, he argued that having such courses offered as a major, minor or certificate would lead more students to tackle fundamental life questions during their time at Duke.
See SLG RUSH on Page 4
See DSG on Page 4
Graphic by Yuhkai Lin | The Chronicle
Matthew Riley The Chronicle Rush applicant numbers for selective living groups continued to rise this year, but the number of bids extended by SLGs stayed relatively constant. Cooper House had a record 459 students register for their rush process this year—up from last year’s total of 450—said junior Jake Wirfel, Cooper’s president. He said that bids were extended to 30 students, freshmen and sophomores. Wirfel explained that 459 represents the number of people who
registered for Cooper’s rush at the beginning of the process, not necessarily those who expressed sustained interest. Junior Jeffrey Ho, Brownstone’s president, explained that approximately 200 students submitted a form after a week and a half to be considered for Brownstone’s last round. Ho wrote in an email that this year Brownstone extended 27 bids, which represents an increase from last year—when Brownstone extended 23 bids—and puts its acceptance rate at approximately 13.5 percent. “Brownstone’s largest change this year was the implementation of a round system that was added for a variety of reasons including
New women’s leadership initiative funded by alumna Claire Ballentine The Chronicle A new initiative will facilitate programs to make women and female-identified undergraduates better leaders during the next three years. The Penny Pilgram George Women’s Leadership Initiative—funded by Penny Pilgram George, Women’s College ‘65, and the George Family Foundation—aims to empower students by sponsoring opportunities related to leadership. Managed by the Center for Leadership Development and Social Action, the initiative will include events such as small group discussions, workshops and panels of speakers.
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“I know Duke women and female-identified students as very confident leaders but they sometimes don’t see themselves that way,” said Deborah Hackney, associate director for the Center for Leadership Development and Social Action. Hackney noted that the events will allow women to interact with faculty and staff as well as alumni in conversations about authentic leadership. Senior Madelaine Katz—who has been involved with the Center for Leadership Development and Social Action— explained that events sponsored by the initiative will include a panel discussion in April that will work with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship office to provide opportunities to interact with entrepreneurs
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as well as a forum for Muslim women to perform poetry. In addition, the initiative will help fund an alternative spring break trip to San Diego during which participants will study human trafficking in the area. An aim of the initiative is to provide women on campus, including those in minority groups and first generation college students, with role models, Katz explained. “Hopefully, we will encourage women leaders from all different backgrounds and they can encourage others,” she said. Hackney noted that the initiative’s programs will be especially important in light of data on women’s perceptions of their abilities. According to studies on student leadership, See INITIATIVE on Page 4
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Special to The Chronicle Penny Pilgram George, Women’s College ’65, funded the new initiative.
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