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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
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 36
Faculty endorses DKU undergrad program What’s up with IFC’s sexual assault task force?
Bre Bradham The Chronicle Students are one step closer to being able to earn an undergraduate liberal arts degree at Duke Kunshan University. At its November meeting, Academic Council—the University’s faculty governance body—voted to endorse the creation of an four-year undergraduate degree program at DKU by a 57-18 vote, following three years of intense debate. The next step in the approval process is for the resolution to be heard by the Board of Trustees. “I’m very excited about the vote,” said Provost Sally Kornbluth, one of key proponents of the proposal. “This is a wonderful thing for Duke to be doing, and we have had a great dialogue over a number of years.” During the meeting, some faculty members raised concerns about the impending retirement of President Richard Brodhead, the status of intellectual freedom in China and the University’s economic investment in the venture, but most expressed excitement about the opportunities available with the expansion of Duke’s involvement in China. The undergraduate degree would be added to the programs Duke already offers in Kunshan, which include master’s degrees in environmental policy, medical physics, global health and management studies. Brodhead opened the discussion of the resolution by acknowledging that it has inspired “diametrically opposed” viewpoints among the faculty, but that they have debated the benefits and risks of the
Claire Ballentine The Chronicle
Chronicle File Photo Academic Council voted 57-18 to endorse the creation of an undergraduate liberal arts degree program, a proposal years in the making.
program with civility. He contrasted this with the “protracted election cycle” that preceded the national election earlier this month, and praised the process that has taken the proposal to where it is today. “We have prepared and prepared and prepared,” he said. “Committees spent all last year working their way through this. We are in a state of readiness we will never be at again to make this decision.” Brodhead also rebutted a query as to how inclined his successor would be to continue
the work, noting that presidential candidates have been briefed on their responsibility for the project. He jokingly added that none had dropped out yet because of it. The costs of the venture were one issue of key concern to the faculty. Brodhead explained that Duke’s contribution would be $5 million annually, and the Kunshan government would subsidize up to $45 million. See DKU on Page 5
Haven’t heard anything lately about the Interfraternity Council’s sexual assault task force? You’re not alone. Last summer, the IFC created a student-led task force in an effort to investigate the role of Greek life in sexual assault. The committee, which initially consisted of 12 IFC members, planned to examine the social culture at Duke during the 2015-16 academic year and make recommendations to prevent and address the issue of sexual assault. Almost a year and a half later, the task force has yet to release any findings to the public. Before now, the only comment from a member on the task force’s progress since its inception was in June, when senior Annie Adair said that the group met six or seven times last Fall and at least once in the Spring. She told The Chronicle then that the committee had also sent out a survey to See TASK FORCE on Page 5
DUSDAC addresses affordability, plans for food truck rodeo Karam Katariya The Chronicle Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee discussed student complaints and its plans for next semester at its meeting Thursday. Brian Taylor, Trinity ‘16 and DUSDAC chair, explained that DUSDAC wants to focus on increasing affordability for upperclassmen at on-campus locations in the future. “It’s really hard, however, to make sure that these vendors sell the same quantity of food for lower prices,” he said. “They’ll likely be giving out even smaller portions if there is a demand for cheaper prices.” For instance, West Union’s Il Forno is considering selling smaller portions of their pasta at lower prices. Taylor also discussed changes to the annual food truck rodeo, which coincides with the Old Duke concert and allows students to try out a variety of food trucks
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that could potentially sell on campus. The rodeo is likely to cost $7,000 to $10,000, Taylor said. One prospective food truck for the event is Captain Poncho’s, a Mexican food truck. Another main focus were recent issues reported by students on the Fix My Campus Facebook page, such as TGI Friday’s Merchants-on-Points not delivering students’ orders. Students have complained that there is only one place to get water at Marketplace. Some first-years who eat at Marketplace on a daily basis would like more areas to get water, members noted. In addition, Fix My Campus had a recent post about a student finding a fly in his togo salad from Café Edens. DUSDAC also talked about upcoming projects, including a partnership with Mi Gente to increase the amount of Latin American food on campus.
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See DUSDAC on Page 5
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Chris Teufel | The Chronicle DUSDAC considered ways to make campus food more affordable and increase the amount of Latin American food on campus at its meeting Thursday.
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