March 22, 2021

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The Chronicle

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W. golf falls in 2019 rematch Page 9

The independent news organization at Duke University

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

ONLINE DAILY AT DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 25

Dorm room dispatches Anisha Reddy | Staff reporter Staff reporter Anisha Reddy’s West Campus dorm room, midway through a week during which on-campus students were confined to their residences except for certain essential purposes.

Monday, 2:00 p.m.

Economics problem set. Chinese essay. Outline for research project. I’ve been staring at my planner for ten minutes, but I struggle to start even one task. I feel like a trapped Westview resident from Wanda’s Hex in “WandaVision.” I need to act normally, because work still has to be done, but I also feel an invisible force chipping away at my sanity and disrupting my productivity. I need comfort, a sense of familiarity. Instinctively, I reach for my phone and text my brother, a junior on West Campus: “Wanna take a walk sometime this week, we’re allowed gatherings up to three and I hate solitary confinement.” Three minutes later, a reply: “Yes PLEASE/ I’m going crazy/ U free today honestly.” Good to know we’re both feeling the same way. We meet on West. The gray sky and light drizzle match our dreary mood as we dodge sidewalk puddles and contemplate how we’ll cope with the week. But after a few minutes, we find ourselves teasing each other as if it were any normal day, momentarily forgetting about the week ahead. We’re about to go our separate ways when a ray of sunlight slices through the clouds and bathes the Crowell clocktower’s stone walls. Riding the bus back to East, I notice three first-years surrounded by brown paper bags and a stack of pizza boxes– food from West Union to last them a coupleof days. “Sprout, Tandoor, Il Forno,” one of the first-year students, Gargi Mahadeshwar, tells me. “We don’t have card access. We had to wait to be let in.” I should do that, I think to myself. But after a few moments, I dismiss the idea. I think I’ll be fine sticking to Marketplace just for this week. -Katie Tan, staff reporter.

Wednesday, 9 a.m.

“Morning guys,” my friend Nathan Nouri, a sophomore, sends a text in our friends’ group chat. “How is everyone?” We’re tired, bored and missing each other. Wednesday feels a lot like Tuesday, which felt a lot like Monday. As I walk through my dorm hallway to go brush my teeth, I can just barely hear my blockmates behind their doors, each of them cloistered in their dorm rooms. Luis, cycling on his

stationary bike and listening to music. Parker, climbing out of bed. Alex, chuckling at a YouTube video. When I return to my room, Nouri has shared a photo in our group chat: a piece of paper, on which he’s listed each day of the lockdown. He’s crossed out Days 1-3. He sends another text: “Today is halfway.” - Chris Kuo, features managing editor,

After a spike in COVID-19 cases that administrators attributed to in-person fraternity rush events, Duke issued a weeklong “stay-in-place” order that included a move to entirely online classes, restrictions on when on-campus students could leave their residences and a ban on on-campus students coming to campus except for essential activities. The order ended 9 a.m. Sunday. Here are some students’ experiences from a week in lockdown. Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

A peek through the blinds confirms my suspicions: the sky is overcast and gloomy, just like it has been all week. It almost feels like the weather is part of a cruel joke, with the lack of social interaction, the isolation in our rooms, and the perpetually grey skies conspiring to keep spirits low. I look out my window to Keohane Quad to see students milling around alone or in pairs. They seem adrift to me, like prisoners in a yard, outside only to escape the boredom of their rooms. Time passes weirdly under lockdown. Alone with the fluorescent lighting and stale air of my dorm, I’ve completed the same cycle: wake up, attend online class, eat

INSIDE — Entertainment for your post-lockdown week | Serving the University since 1905 |

by myself, do homework, go to bed. I never know what day or even what time it is without checking my phone because everything is blending together into one long lockdown. And it’s only Wednesday. I get a text in a group chat: “Does anyone want to go on a walk before it gets too dark?” I scramble to “like” the message, desperate for something to do. A few minutes later, three friends and I separate into two pairs and set off on our long, meandering stroll around West Campus. As we walk, first-year Lindsey Weyant remarks, “I really needed to get out of my room. Sitting in one place all day has been terrible for my mental health.” I agree, and the simple act of commiserating with someone immediately lifts the weight off my chest. I realize that those kids I had looked down at earlier had the right idea, that the key to getting through this week is the same as the key to getting through this school year. We have to deliberately make time to get out and do something every day, and we have to make time to check on each other. By the end of our stroll, my restlessness has quieted. I stop to marvel at the cherry blossoms in full bloom. They remind me that the beautiful North Carolina spring is almost here, so long as we get through the next few days. I take one last deep breath, gulping a lungful of the crisp evening air, and head inside. -Anisha Reddy, staff reporter. See LOCKDOWN on Page 2

INSIDE Students express anger at frats Students are frustrated with Durham IFC organizations, which the administration has blamed for a virus surge. PAGE 2

Meet your president-elect

Christina Wang wants to prioritize people-first leadership and build community relationships. PAGE 3

Staff note: #StopAsianHate

Recess columnist Derek Deng reflects on the queer Asian American experience and the power of socia media. PAGE 11

@dukechronicle @dukebasketball |

@thedukechronicle | ©2021 The Chronicle


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March 22, 2021 by Duke Chronicle - Issuu