February 6, 2017

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Whose face is it?

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Duke researchers investigate high-attention focus using photos of famous actors | Page 2

Coach K returned in Duke’s 72-64 win against Pittsburgh Saturday | Sportswrap

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 6, 2017

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 53

Alumni draft letter to protest Stephen Miller Duke Libraries project brings together Civil Rights activists Adam Beyer and Claire Ballentine The Chronicle

When Duke alums learned their former classmate Stephen Miller helped design President Donald Trump’s executive order halting immigration, many were outraged. Miller, Trinity ‘07 and Trump’s senior advisor, is widely reported to be one of the key players behind an executive order that blocks immigration from seven predominantly-Muslim countries and indefinitely bans Syrian refugees. In response, Duke alums have drafted an open letter to Miller, expressing their disappointment in both Miller’s participation in creating the immigration ban and his role in the Trump administration in general. “I’m deeply troubled by having a peer at Duke be one of the principal architects of an executive order that goes against what Duke education represents,” said Carly Knight, Trinity ‘07 and one of the creators of the letter. Knight—who is currently a graduate student at Harvard University—and Corey Sobel, Trinity ‘07 and a writer in New York City, launched the letter Saturday afternoon, and it currently has more than 700 signatures. “We find it impossible to see in your words and actions any glimmer of the University values we so cherish, nor the slightest suggestion that you spent four of your most formative years at the same dynamic, diverse institution of higher education we did,” the letter reads. That notion was shared by one of the letter’s signees, Steven Davidson, Trinity ‘15. Pushing back on some conservative rhetoric about universities, Davidson said, “experiencing four years at Duke is not some liberal brainwashing experience,” but is instead a place to expose students to a diversity of experiences and lifestyles. “That’s the fundamental rock of a college experience, and I honestly wonder what he spent his four years at Duke doing,” Davidson said. “Did he interact with these people?” Knight noted that she had been

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Bre Bradham The Chronicle In the early 1960s, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee organized youth across the South in the fight for desegregation. On Saturday night at North Carolina Central University, six veterans of the movement came together in Durham to recount how they became involved with the movement. Although the five activists—Faith Holsaert, Shirley Sherrod, Larry Rubin, Annette White and Janie Rambeau— came from a variety of backgrounds, their See CIVIL RIGHTS on Page 4

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The letter, created by Carly Knight and Corey Sobel, both Trinity ‘07, notes that the actions of Duke alum Stephen Miller (above) do not reflect Duke’s values.

speaking with other Duke alums from her year about Miller when she came across a Facebook post from Sobel expressing similar sentiments. She reached out to him, and they decided to create the open letter. Much of the letter’s circulation has been through word of mouth, she explained, adding that she has been encouraging alums to share it on their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. Next week, she plans to reach out to Duke alumni associations for their help. There is no formal way for Knight and Sobel to verify that the signatories are Duke alums, but they are requiring alums to submit their email addresses. Alums can also send questions or additional thoughts to openlettertostephenmiller@gmail.com. The two said they hope the letter

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received enough attention that it would be difficult for Miller to miss, although they are unsure whether it will impact his views directly. “I think that his actions indicate a close-mindedness to criticism and a resistance to any worldview that doesn’t align very much with his,” Sobel said. Davidson acknowledged that the letter was not going to lead Miller to a “change of heart,” but argued that at the very least, it clearly states the values of the Duke community. Sobel noted that several Harvard alums organized a similar letter aimed at Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and another one of his senior advisors. “The idea that this letter is going to [make] him have a come-to-Jesus See MILLER on Page 4

Serving the University since 1905

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Bre Bradham | The Chronicle The project aims to share the history of SNCC and collect stories from former members of the Civil Rights Movement.

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© 2017 The Chronicle


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February 6, 2017 by Duke Chronicle - Issuu