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The independent news organization at Duke University
MONDAY. MARCH 29, 2021
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 26
RAs try to build community in pandemic Durham public schools adapt to hybrid classes By Katie Tan Staff Reporter
Simran Prakash | Photography Editor Shari Tian and Alex Kintzer are resident assistants in Brown dorm and Edens quad, respectively. They’ve had to adapt their RA events in an effort to keep building community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
night for his residents that was “pretty well attended,” he said. On the other hand, sophomore Shari Tian, an RA in Brown, prefers to plan in-person events, which she finds tend to draw a Thanks to online classes, students spend much more time better turnout than virtual events. in their residence halls than they would in an ordinary year, “Last semester, I held a Cookout milkshake and coloring but because of COVID-19-related restrictions, fostering event for my residents to chill outside as a way to destress for community within dorms has been an uphill battle for the first round of midterms. It went really well. I also held resident assistants. a stress watercolor painting event where we had Insomnia Not to be deterred, many RAs have worked especially hard Cookies. This semester, I held a movie night in the common to build safe, welcoming and tight-knit dorm environments. room,” Tian said. “It’s a lot more difficult than it has been before. There is a Kintzer noted that in previous semesters, RAs often felt required element of creativity and resourcefulness now,” said stressed about meeting a required number of events and tended senior Alex Kintzer, an RA in Edens. toward choosing to host easier events with fewer logistical details. Kintzer noted that safety restrictions However, now more than ever, RAs are related to food and common room It’s a lot more difficult prioritizing “quality over quantity” for capacity have been particularly than it has been before. their events, Kintzer said. challenging obstacles for event planning. “In previous semesters, when there “RAs are no longer able to simply put a There is a required have been quotas to meet in terms of pizza in the common room,” he said. numerical number of events, it was easy element of creativity and While these rules have certainly made the to fall into a ‘pizza in the common room’ RA job more difficult, they have encouraged resourcefulness now. event, or sending people to an event RAs to be particularly intentional with their hosted by someone else. That is no longer alex kintzer acceptable. People need the connection to programming, Kintzer said. RESIDENT ASSISTANT IN EDENS QUAD “I don’t think that the restrictions are each other. It needs to be quality at this necessarily even a hindrance,” Kintzer said. point,” Kintzer said. “It has forced RAs to think more and to have more engaging Kintzer and Tian said that they’ve had to lower their events. In general, we have risen to the challenge to create more expectations in terms of event turnout this year. However, engaging events.” they’re both grateful that they’ve had fairly good turnout to all Kintzer added that RA-sponsored events are more varied of their programming. than ever, with hybrid and online events in addition to the “I’m really grateful that my residents are very involved. The typical in-person gatherings. turnout is pretty good, with low expectations. I have a total of “I held some online events for Kahoot games, Spotify 12-13 residents and at least three residents show up to each playlists and music vibe nights … We were also lucky to be event. Everyone has super busy schedules, so it warms my heart able to do outdoor in-person events. Residents were able to see when people come to my events and is part of the reason I love each other and understand themselves as a community. Having this job,” Tian said. the variety of programs was definitely helpful for building Several RAs reflected that students are far more likely to community,” Kintzer said. turn out to events when there is food involved. “The more Kintzer added that he has created gift packages for his food, the more people come. Of course, the food is individually residents on several occasions this year, including a wellness kit wrapped to follow COVID guidelines” Zhang said. and a Halloween gift bag. Interim Dean for Residence Life Deb LoBiondo wrote Junior Andy Zhang, an RA in Trinity, said that he has also experimented with online events this year. He held a virtual game See COMMUNITY on Page 2 By Amy Guan
Staff Reporter
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After nearly seven months of complete virtual instruction under the state’s Plan C, Durham Public Schools teachers and administrators are making every effort to safely prepare classrooms for hybrid in-person teaching on a tight deadline. Durham Public Schools’ instruction was originally supposed to remain virtual throughout the rest of the school year. However, the board of education decided during their March 2 meeting for a return to hybrid inperson teaching. “Strategically, staying in Plan C is not realistic anymore,” wrote Michelle Burton, president of the Durham Association of Educators, in a social media post. “The COVID infection rate is less than 5% in Durham County. The majority of the school districts in NC are on either Plan A or Plan B ... DAE will be asking that all school buildings reopen on April 8 to allow enough time for as many DPS staff to get fully vaccinated and to make sure plans are in place for a smoother reopening.” Nine days later, Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 220 on March 11, requiring school districts to offer inperson instruction to K-12 students. This decision came after Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 37 Feb. 26, arguing that it did not observe public safety guidelines surrounding social distancing. The Senate failed to override the veto on March 1. Elementary school students in Durham Public Schools returned to schools on March 15, and middle and high school students will begin returning April 8. Families can still choose to remain learning virtually. See SCHOOLS on Page 12
Joyce Huang | Staff Photographer Durham’s school buildings will all reopen by April 8.
INSIDE Duke’s aggressive trademark defense A study by Duke professors criticized how the University defends its trademarks. PAGE 2
A food lover’s guide to college in a pandemic Eating together is an important part of how Recess columnist Maddie Menkes connects with friends. PAGE 6
Editorial: Support Asian communities Asians and Asian Americans face racism at Duke and beyond, the Community Editorial Board writes. PAGE 10
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