August 11, 2020 by Duke Chronicle

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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 2

A CHANGED CAMPUS

Henry Haggart | Staff Photographer Undergraduate move-in is taking place over more than a week this year to allow for pandemic safety measures. Students will be subject to a wide range of safety restrictions once they are on campus.

Pandemic to reshape life at Duke Student groups By Matthew Griffin Editor-in-Chief

Students began to move in last week for a semester like no other. Duke is moving ahead with reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, but life on campus will look little like it did before. Only first-years, sophomores and a small number of juniors and seniors can live in Duke housing. Those students who do have housing—as well as off-campus students who plan to come to Duke for class or other purposes—must follow numerous regulations intended to stop the spread of the virus at Duke.

What are the rules?

All community members have to sign the Duke Compact, a pledge that lays out expectations for life at Duke during the pandemic. First announced in May and sent to the community last week, it includes everything from distancing rules to an agreement to comply with Duke’s testing, tracing and isolation procedures. The safety measures Duke has put in place this year include: Face coverings are required on campus. There are some exceptions, like while alone in confined rooms such as offices and dorm rooms, while eating or drinking and while in outdoor areas where it’s easy to maintain social distance, according to the return to Duke website. Community members must wash hands often, with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available, according to the website. Six feet of social distance are required.

Exceptions for students may include roommates, according to Duke’s Undergraduate Student COVID-19 Policy Plan. Only currently enrolled Duke students and some staff are allowed in residence halls, with exceptions for move-in, according to the policy plan. Only residents of a specific building or quad, and some staff, can be there from midnight to 10 a.m. On-campus, student-hosted gatherings are currently limited to 10 people or fewer, according to the policy plan. All students have to be tested upon returning to campus, whether living in Duke housing or off campus, and must sequester at their residence until they receive their results. Students in Duke housing, graduate students who come to campus for class or work, and faculty and staff who frequently interact with students will be subject to pool testing throughout the semester to monitor for cases of the virus. Students living in the Durham area and faculty and staff who regularly visit campus have to complete a daily symptom-monitoring survey on an app called SymMon. Community members also have to comply with contact tracing efforts. Faculty, staff and off-campus students who need to quarantine or isolate during the semester will be expected to do so at home. Students who live in Duke housing and need to be quarantined or isolated will be moved to East House or Jarvis dorms on East Campus. Duke also has quarantine and isolation capacity in the recently purchased Lodge at Duke Medical Center hotel, giving the University a See PANDEMIC on Page 4

move online By Anna Zolotor Local and National News Editor

From combating “Zoom burnout” to avoiding time zone conflicts, student leaders have been working tirelessly this summer to brainstorm ways to conduct engaging virtual events. According to a Tuesday email to students from Student Affairs, all student events will initially be conducted virtually. Student organizations that typically host events and programming on campus face challenges beyond how to host and facilitate meetings between members. Many student groups that focus on fostering community between members face the key challenge of providing opportunities for consistent engagement and relationship-building. Mi Gente, Duke’s Latinx student association, traditionally hosts many of its events in La Casa, a space in the Bryan Center that is dedicated to uplifting Latinx communities and providing an inclusive environment for all students. “For many, myself included, this space was one of the only spaces on campus I felt completely comfortable,” Mi Gente President Carlos Diaz, a junior, wrote in an email. To help counteract the loss of that space for inperson events, Diaz wrote that Mi Gente will plan fun, laid-back events. “While we recognize the importance of difficult

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conversations, we also hope that by incorporating some more lighthearted, fun programming, members will be able to find a break in their tough schedules to share a laugh together,” he wrote. Diaz also explained that Mi Gente is working on planning several kinds of engaging, accessible virtual events, including game nights and movie nights, as well as art classes with contactless supply pick-ups for students on campus. Diaz named inclusivity as one of the organization’s top priorities for the upcoming semester. “Especially this year, given the world’s circumstances, it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult for first-years to find and build community. We hope they know they are always welcome in ours,” he wrote. Other organizations face challenges other than losing on-campus space. Service See GROUPS on Page 4

INSIDE People to know at Duke If you’re an incoming student, this is your guide to all the faces you’ll want to recognize PAGE 3 (in person or on Zoom).

Welcoming John Brown In a Q&A, the new vice provost for the arts discusses the role of art in a time of great PAGE 8 change.

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Incoming students: Here’s who to know at Duke By Rose Wong Senior Editor

If you’re just arriving on campus, the thousands of faces you see (in person or virtually) may be a bit intimidating. But The Chronicle is here to help. Here are some of the University’s biggest stars to be on the lookout for as you get adjusted to campus life.

a reorganization of Tufts’ undergraduate residential life and curriculum.

Gary Bennett

Gary Bennett is vice provost for undergraduate education and a professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience. He’s been involved in important conversations during the coronavirus pandemic, including about grading policy.

Dean Sue

Charles York | Staff Photographer Vincent Price has been Duke’s president since 2017.

Sue Wasiolek is senior advisor to McMahon and Gary Bennett, vice provost for undergraduate education. Until January, however, Wasiolek was the dean of students, when she became popularly known as Dean Sue. After working in Duke Student Affairs for nearly 40 years, Dean Sue saw recent popularity for sitting atop a bench in February after a legendary victory against UNC. Students wanted to burn the bench, but Duke didn’t have a permit that night. Blue Devils surrounded Dean Sue, chanting, offering her alcohol and approaching her with lighters and a small blowtorch.

Vincent Price

President Vincent Price is entering his fourth academic year at Duke’s helm. Price’s tenure has seen the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee at the entrance of the Duke Chapel, an increase of the University minimum wage to $15 per hour and the renaming of the Carr Building to the Classroom Building. In the past, Price has been spotted strolling across campus with his dogs Scout, a golden doodle, and Cricket, a labradoodle.

Coach K

Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been the head coach of the men’s basketball team since 1980, leading the Blue Devils to five NCAA championships and 12 Final Fours. He has also coached the U.S. men’s basketball team for the Olympics. K-Ville is the area outside Cameron Indoor Stadium where undergraduate students camp out for games, icnluding tenting for weeks for a spot in the highly anticipated game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In January, Coach K screamed at the Duke student section for a chant that he thought was inappropriate. However, he made amends by holding a surprise meeting for tenters the next day, where he and explained his actions.

Tallman Trask III

If you receive a check from Duke for a research grant or summer internship funding, it may be signed by Executive Vice President Tallman Trask. Trask has been Duke’s chief financial officer since 1995, and he has deferred his planned retirement due to the pandemic.Trask led the overhaul of the BC Plaza area— now known as the Campus Center— which was designed to be the center of student life. Trask was also Duke’s liaison to GoTriangle in the negotiations to build the Durham-Orange County Light Rail, which Trask and Duke declined to endorse in Spring 2019 due to concerns about electromagnetic interference at Duke Hospital, among other reasons.

Mary Pat McMahon

Courtesy of John Blackshear John Blackshear, whose family is known for their “open door,” became dean of students’ in June.

John Blackshear

Dean Blackshear took over as dean of students and associate vice president of student affairs in June. In the past, he has served as senior associate dean for academic planning, clinical director of the Academic Resource Center, student ombudsman and a psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Services. He may be most beloved for his role as the faculty-in-residence in Trinity Dorm on East Campus. Former Trinity residents spoke fondly about Blackshear family’s “open door” in a profile.

Sandy Darity

The Samuel DuBois Cook professor of public policy is known for his study of inequality and reparations. Politico recognized him as one of the top 50 political thinkers in 2017, and he has served as editor-in-chief for the International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. In summer 2019, Darity was asked to testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee regarding his reparations research, and submitted written testimony.

James Coleman Jr.

The John S. Bradway professor of the practice of law leads Duke’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic, which has helped free seven wrongfully convicted men since its founding in 2007. In June 2019, Coleman successfully helped reunite Charles Ray Finch with his family after 43 years in prison. Coleman had served as Finch’s lawyer since 2001.

The upcoming academic year will be Mary Pat McMahon’s second year as Duke’s Robert Lefkowitz vice provost and vice president for student The James B. Duke professor of medicine affairs. Formerly the vice president of student was honored as one of the recipients of the affairs at Tufts University, McMahon oversaw 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Lefkowitz

Chronicle File Photo Keith Upchurch and his golden retriever Nugget are campus mainstays

is credited with discovering G proteincoupled receptors, important components in biological signaling pathways with a role in everything from vision to cancer.

Chandra Guinn

Chandra Guinn has served as the director of Duke’s Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture since 2005. She has taught classes at both Duke and UNC in the departments of sociology and African and African American studies.

student groups. Hessel’s election victory in March came after a chaotic election marked by a software error and multiple petitions filed with the Duke Student Government judiciary.

Nugget

A golden retriever who makes appearances all over Duke’s campuses, Nugget provides stressed students with a respite from their hectic schedules. Her owner, Keith Upchurch, Trinity ‘72, gets to know many Duke students over their four years on campus. Social distancing guidelines may mean fewer people can crowd around the pair as in typical years, but Upchurch also has a mailing list where he sends photos of Nugget from time to time.

Peaches

Peaches, a calico cat with her own Facebook group of fans, lives in a heated home near Keohane Quad on West Campus. To the untrained eye, other campus cats—such as Mamabean, another calico cat—may appear to be Peaches, but don’t be deceived. Courtesy of Justin Seo You might hear of a student-created Senior Tommy Hessel is the Duke Sturivalry between fans of Nugget and dent Government president. Peaches, but there’s no reason you have to Tommy Hessel pick sides. Senior Tommy Hessel serves as this year’s Portions of this story were adapted from president of Duke Student Government “Who to know at Duke: Administrators, and aims to foster a collaborative campus students, staff and more,” by Nathan Luzum, environment and break down barriers among which ran online Aug. 20, 2019.

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How dining will work this fall

ON DUKECHRONICLE.COM Video: Take a look at move-in for fall 2020 BY HENRY HAGGART AND MASON BERGER 07/10/2020 Move-in for the 2020 fall semester is a bit different than normal. Take a look at how Duke is handling the process and how students feel about the upcoming year.

Duke football releases new 2020 schedule BY EVAN KOLIN | 08/07/2020 Typically, Duke football’s week-by-week schedule is known months in advance. But this isn’t any typical year.

DSG passes resolutions calling for grading changes and fall semester days off BY CARTER FORINASH 08/04/2020 Henry Haggart | Staff Photographer Duke has altered options, hours and physical space to make dining safer during the pandemic.

By Nadia Bey University News Editor

How will students satisfy their latenight cravings this semester, with the changes to campus dining due to the coronavirus pandemic? Duke Dining facilities will be open in the fall but with reduced indoor seating, according to Duke’s reopening FAQ posted July 26. Multiple locations will offer delivery and takeout options, and hours for some locations will change. Dining will take additional safety precautions, like making all dishware “to-go” and removing self-service options.

How have dining options changed?

Dining will introduce a “rotating assortment of food trucks to various locations”, according to the reopening FAQ. One of these locations is outside of Marketplace, which will itself offer extended hours for dinner, according to a dining FAQ. Trinity Cafe will also expand its hours for first-year students to purchase dinner equivalency. The Keep Learning FAQ states that Marketplace meals will no longer be selfservice and that students will be encouraged to take their meals to go and to use expanded outdoor seating. Physical spaces will also be adjusted at all dining locations to allow for social distancing.

How does my residential status impact my meal options?

All students living in Duke housing will be required to have a meal plan, as in previous years. Off-campus students will not be allowed to enter dining facilities or use mobile ordering and pickup services. Merchants on Points, which lets students order food from local restaurants with food points, will be expanding its usual hours, and students living in Duke-provided off-campus housing will be able to use the service, according to the dining FAQ. Blue Light and Avana residents will have access to food trucks and merchants on points, while students living at the Washington Duke Inn will be able to use their food points there. Graduate and professional schools are working with dining to find food options for their students, according to the reopening FAQ. The dining FAQ also states that “care meals” will be provided to students who are in isolation.

Dine-Out was already accepting mobile orders for select locations. To order, customers selected their items from a menu and paid through the app. The customer would then receive a notification when their order was ready for pickup, and upon arrival at the dining location they would scan a QR code to receive their order. In response to the pandemic, Dining planned to implement a drop-off option through the app, Aris Marten, associate director of retail operations, told industry news site Food Management. Students would have the option to enter a drop-off location along with their phone number and workers would deliver meals to the drop-off locations while wearing masks and gloves. However, a notice posted on the app Jul. 27 stated that the drop-off program would be suspended starting Aug. 1. All mobile orders will have a packaging seal to indicate tampering, according to Dining’s COVID-19 response page. Dining is also establishing contactless pickup locations on West Campus, according to the COVID-19 response page, but these are yet to be publicized.

What safety precautions are in place?

Drink stations, condiment stations and other self-service options have been removed from dining facilities. There are also additional hand sanitizing stations at each location, and all dishware will be made to-go. To encourage social distancing, there will be line markers placed six feet apart. In addition, Dining has mandated employees to wash their hands every 20 minutes as well as between tasks. Workers will also undergo additional training on avoiding exposure to COVID-19 and review the “sick employee policy,” according to the dining FAQ. Dining has also established an “internal task force” to monitor the workplace environment and provide guidance. Third-party inspections will be conducted virtually by Steritech, a food safety auditor.

GROUPS FROM PAGE 1

organizations function primarily by sending student groups into Durham and surrounding areas to engage in in-person community service, leaving some of these clubs in a bind for the fall semester. The Duke Habitat for Humanity club normally schedules two build events each weekend, according to Co-President Arin Ghosh, a junior. But Durham’s chapter of How can I order food? Habitat for Humanity is currently restricting Students will use an app called Duke build-site access to paid employees because Dine-Out to order meals for pick-up from of COVID-19 restrictions, which means that 15 on-campus locations. As of Aug. 3, 10 of Duke’s organization cannot currently schedule these locations—The Loop, McDonald’s, volunteer events. Beyu Blue, Il Forno, Ginger & Soy, Au Bon Even before learning of the Durham chapter’s Pain, JB’s Roast & Chops, Thrive, Trinity restrictions, Ghosh explained that Student Affairs Cafe and the Freeman Center for Jewish had not yet given a clear answer on whether Life—were listed on the app. volunteer events in Durham would be permitted Before campus shut down in March, Duke with a reduced group size.

The student government passed resolutions calling for changes to fall grading policy and the fall academic calendar amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “While we are disappointed to not have a concrete vision of our club’s operations, we appreciate their prompt responses and understand that the rapidly changing situation forces new policies that cannot be hastily formulated,” Ghosh wrote in an email. The Duke Habitat for Humanity club is currently discussing alternative service options that can be conducted safely and on campus, such as building and painting birdhouses or bookcases for Habitat homes, Ghosh wrote. Some service organizations may be able to operate virtually. In posts on Duke’s individual class Facebook pages, Duke’s America Reads/ America Counts work-study tutoring program announced that it will also have fully virtual programming this semester.

Duke University Union

Duke University Union is Duke’s largest programming and media organization and typically hosts more than 100 events per year, including Duke Coffeehouse performances, trivia nights and the beloved Last Day of Classes concert and celebration. DUU President Frank Thomas, a senior, said that the club’s internal affairs will be conducted similarly to the spring 2020 semester, with the executive officers and individual committees meeting at least once a week on Zoom. Thomas said that while he feels Zoom meetings are not always as high-energy or productive as in-person meetings, he appreciates that they make it easier for students to be on time to meetings when they have conflicts with classes or other activities. He also said he’s found that Zoom’s breakout room feature works particularly well for difficult conversations because it allows for small-group interactions without the noise or distractions of an in-person meeting space. As of now, DUU is planning for all of its programming to be virtual for the fall semester, according to Thomas. He explained that most DUU committees will try to keep the quantity and content of programming consistent with previous years, but with the knowledge that they may need to readjust expectations for attendance and participation. Although Thomas recognized that the transition to virtual programming has created a lot of new work for DUU members, he is excited to have the opportunity to re-imagine the organization’s role on campus. “We are no longer pigeon-holed into what we’ve done before, so we have this huge landscape of what is possible moving forward. We can reinvent what certain committees do while being really in tune with what the student body wants at this exact moment,” Thomas said. Thomas said DUU has been working on ways to include students in different time zones via asynchronous events—which are recorded and available any time—and experimenting with technologies with different capacities than Zoom. Thomas emphasized that he believes that DUU programming––which aims to allow students to take a break from their studies, form connections

with others and relieve stress—will be more important than ever this semester. “In a time like now, where people are physically distanced and have feelings of relative isolation from others, any program that is successful in making people feel connected to others is the goal of what we’re doing right now,” he said.

Duke Student Government

Duke Student Government’s role as a conduit between administrators and the student body will be particularly important this year, according to DSG President Tommy Hessel, a senior. Hessel explained that cabinet and Senate meetings will be held virtually this semester. He hopes Zoom Senate meetings will lead to more thoughtful, concise discussion and help DSG get through their packed agenda this year. Hessel said that DSG will be particularly focused on communicating COVID-19 policy information to the student body, as well as relaying student questions to administrators. Although physical safety will be a priority for the student body this semester, Hessel said that DSG will also focus its energy on supporting mental health among students. He explained that DSG executives are currently advocating for Duke to cover costs for students to use one or two well-known wellness apps this semester.

PANDEMIC FROM PAGE 1 total of more than 250 quarantine beds. The pandemic will reshape nearly every aspect of campus life this semester. Classes will take place in a mix of in-person, online and hybrid models. Dining options will be different, with Duke bringing in food trucks and adjusting hours and physical spaces at campus eateries. All student events will initially be virtual, and student groups have had to reconsider their programming to make the shift.

What happens when students violate policies?

Students who violate COVID-19 policies may be referred to the Office of Student Conduct, according to the undergraduate policy plan, and punishments may include “removal from oncampus housing, loss of access to campus, privilege of attending courses in-person, suspension, or expulsion from the institution.” Duke has established an anonymous hotline and several other avenues for students to report behavior that violates the rules or puts people at risk, according to the policy plan. “Let us be clear—we are taking student behavioral conduct seriously, and flagrant violations of our COVID-19 student expectations will jeopardize your status as a Duke student,” wrote Clay Adams, associate dean of students, and Jeanna McCullers, senior See PANDEMIC on Page 6

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PANDEMIC FROM PAGE 4 associate dean of students and director of the OSC, in a Friday email to undergraduates. Duke’s Keep Learning website notes that “in cases where students forget or make mistakes, students may need reminders in order to adhere to health guidance. Interventions in these circumstances will be designed to help students remember and adhere to safety guidance going forward.”

Will Duke send students home again?

One question weighs on the minds of the community: Will Duke send students home again, as in March when the coronavirus first began to spread? According to the reopening FAQ published July 26, that’s a “last resort.” If conditions worsened, Duke would first go into a “shelter in place” mode, moving all classes online, canceling activities and restricting access to campus buildings. A lockdown at Duke would be safer for students, families and the University community at large, said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. “I would say sending people home, dispersing them around the country, around the world, will be the last resort,” Schoenfeld said.

Why can’t all students return?

After Duke first closed campus to most students in March, it was a long road to reopening. In May, President Vincent Price wrote in an email to students and families that Duke would be open in the fall. Schoenfeld confirmed to The Chronicle at the time that some number of students would return to campus, but that the number of students to return and the academic calendar would be announced by the end of June.

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Later that month, Price wrote in a message to students and families that Duke aimed “to enable as many of our students who are able and who choose to participate in an on-campus experience for the fall semester to do so, but only if it can be done safely.” He also announced changes to the academic calendar, including beginning fall classes Aug. 17—a week earlier than planned—and starting Spring 2021 classes a week late, with no fall or spring breaks. Price reiterated the original reopening plan at the end of June, though he noted “concerning” trends in the spread of the virus. In both his May and June messages, he wrote that plans were subject to change based on public health conditions and other factors. Upperclass students applied for housing in June, and over the summer Duke acquired space for juniors and seniors to live in the Blue Light and Avana apartments and the Washington Duke Inn to reduce density in campus housing. Then, after a rise in coronavirus cases in North Carolina and many parts of the country, Duke moved in late July to further reduce density. This time, that meant reducing the number of students who could live at Duke. Only first-years and sophomores could live in Duke housing for the fall semester, Price announced July 26, as well as juniors and seniors with special circumstances. Juniors and seniors will have priority for spring housing, and if they have off-campus housing in Durham they can come to campus for class and some other academic purposes. If conditions improve, first-years and sophomores will live on campus in the spring as well. The move came about three weeks before the start of the fall semester, throwing juniors and seniors’ plans into disarray. Even though Duke encouraged them to stay home and take online classes, some sought off-campus housing for reasons from keeping jobs to seeing friends again and getting out of their parents’ houses. Henry Haggart contributed reporting.

calendar TUESDAY, AUGUST 11 / 5:30-6:30PM

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 / 7-10PM

Foreign Policy and Politics: Panel of Duke’s Social and Pre-Professional Policy Organizations

Shark Tale Screening with Trivia Sponsored by DUU Freewater Presentations. Part of Weeks of Welcome 2020.

Featuring the Duke International Relations Association, the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and Polis: Center for Politics. Part of Weeks of Welcome 2020. Zoom meeting ID: 948 4252 3627

Link: http://cglink.me/r735320

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 / 7-8PM

Sponsored by DUU Freewater Presentations. Part of Weeks of Welcome 2020. Link: http://cglink.me/r736641

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 / 7PM

Screening of “The Prestige” and short film “Darkness Purrs”

Music in Your Gardens: Young Bull Sponsored by Duke Performances, Continuing Studies, Duke Arts, Sarah P. Duke Gardens and WXDU . Link: https://dukeperformances.duke.edu/ event-category/music-in-your-gardens/ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 / 3-4PM

MONDAY, AUGUST 17 / 9AM-9PM

First Day of Class Fits Sponsored by the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. Link: http://cglink.me/r738105

Public Speaking at Duke: Intro to Duke’s Competitive Groups

MONDAY, AUGUST 17 / 9-9:30PM

Featuring the Duke International Relations Association, Duke Mock Trial and Duke Moot Court. Part of Weeks of Welcome 2020. Zoom meeting ID: 981 6193 8346

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 / 6-7PM

Mindful Moment Monday

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Student Activities Fair

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Sponsored by Student Affairs, featuring a variety of student groups you can get involved in at Duke. Link: http://cglink.me/r731115

To submit an event to The Chronicle’s calendar, email chronevents@gmail.com.

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 2 | AUGUST 2020

august 11, 2020

welcoming john brown In conversation with the new vice provost for the arts, page 8

8 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

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campus arts

Q&A: In conversation with vice provost for the arts John Brown By Tessa Delgo Local Arts Editor

Special to The Chronicle John Brown, the new vice provost for the arts, pictured above, is a bassist, composer and producer from Fayetteville, NC.

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Duke Chorale

The Chorale is a community of students committed to singing music from many times and cultures, with beauty, passion, and understanding. Although this year will look very different due to the pandemic, we hope you’ll join us for choir activities with a different twist!

virtual recordings - online concerts - group vocal training - and more AUDITION information: music.duke.edu/ensembles/chorale

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INFO SESSION Wednesday, Aug. 12, 4-4:30 pm (online) AUDITIONS Tuesday, Aug. 18, 5:30 - 8:30 pm, Nelson Music Room

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After 13 years of serving as Duke’s first-ever vice provost for the arts, Dr. Scott Lindroth stepped down from the role over the summer. In June, Duke announced that John Brown, Duke’s Jazz Program director and longtime professor would be Lindroth’s successor. A native North Carolinian, Brown first came to Duke in 2001 as an adjunct faculty member in the music department, but prior to that, Brown spent many weekends in high school on Duke’s campus for his sister’s music rehearsals. Brown has been tied to the arts at Duke for the majority of his life, and now he will lead them. The Chronicle corresponded with Brown over email to discuss the evolution of Duke’s arts culture, taking on this role during a pandemic as well as accessibility and equity in the arts. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The Chronicle: How are you feeling about taking on the vice provost role? What are you most excited about? John Brown: I am overjoyed about the opportunity to serve as vice provost for the arts. I experience many emotions during the course of the day, but they are all related. Excitement, joy, enthusiasm and, oddly enough, despite the chaos we face in our world, optimism. I am grateful to be in a position that enables and inspires human expression and also makes it available for people to experience, study and enjoy. TC: How does it feel to be transitioning into this role amid COVID-19 and widespread civil unrest? What role do you foresee the arts having at Duke in the fall as the community starts to come back together? JB: COVID-19 has changed Duke and changed the world. When I think of what life looked like this time last year, I experience a challenging juxtaposition of delight and melancholy. The civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd — one life among many Black and brown lives taken by the violent expression of systemic racism — has highlighted a plague that has hindered our progress as a nation and as a people. It has been said that where there is no suffering, there is no art. Our country is now suffering from two diseases: coronavirus and racism. In them, art is undeniably present. While art and artists are always here, it is during trying times that we connect and interact with art in deeper, more substantive and more meaningful ways. TC: What about Duke made you want to work here? What has made you want to stay? JB: I am a native North Carolinian, and I always admired what I heard and saw about Duke growing up. I spent a lot of time at Duke when I was in high school because my sister was part of the Duke University String School, and we visited every Saturday to spend the day in Biddle Music Building while my sister rehearsed. (I still marvel at the fact that a door I walked past every Saturday would one day be the door to my office!) I also performed at Duke on many occasions over the years before I started teaching here. Since beginning an official relationship with Duke nearly 20 years ago, I have had the pleasure of teaching here, living on campus among students as a Faculty in Residence, being a pre-major advisor and going all-in with all things Duke. We are indeed a family, and there is a communal spirit among us. TC: Having been part of the arts community at Duke for nearly twenty years, what progress do you feel has been made? What would you still like to see more of? JB: Since I came to campus in 2001, Duke Performances was born, the Nasher Museum of Art was founded, the vice provost for the rts position was created, Baldwin and Page Auditorium were renovated, the Rubenstein Arts Center was built and two MFAs were established. These tremendous steps forward are symbols of Duke’s commitment to the arts and a testament to the work of my predecessor, Scott Lindroth. Moving forward, I would like to see us engage more with our broader community. Duke folks are not only the best and the brightest, but also among the most giving and caring people one can find. I have set a goal of creating new partnerships and collaborations with Durham Public Schools, our neighboring universities and community artists and cultural organizations. I want to create an environment where the arts at Duke are a visible and integral part of Durham, of North Carolina, our country and the world. An abbreviated version of this article appears in print. For the full story, visit https://www.dukechronicle.com/section/ recess.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | 9

AUDITIONS & INFO SESSIONS for Music Lessons & Ensembles

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JOIN US FALL 2020!

GENERAL INFO SESSIONS Wednesday, Aug. 12 3-6 pm: Virtual Ensemble Info Meetings for Chamber Music, Chorale, Collegium Musicum, Symphony Orchestra & Wind Symphony

Online, Hybrid Instruction, & In-Person Classes MUSIC: AN INTRODUCTION (MUS 120) ALP, CCI, CZ Study of the components of music (e.g. melody, rhythm) through comparative listening to styles from different places and times, ranging from current popular artists to classical, jazz, and world music. Profs. Anthony Kelley & Emily Wang - HYBRID

HISTORY OF ROCK: R&B TO INDIE (MUS 143) ALP, CZ Explores the emergence of rhythm and blues in the 1940s and rock and roll in the 1950s, and their roots in earlier popular genres; the advent of rock music in the 1960s; and the history of various subgenres over the following decades. Prof. Nicholas Stoia - HYBRID

MUSIC HISTORY I (MUS 255S) ALP, CCI, CZ History of music in medieval and early Europe in its cultural & social context. Prof. Thomas Brothers - ONLINE

LIVE VIRTUAL AUDITIONS & REHEARSAL (sign-up required) Aug. 10-21: Chorale Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7-8pm: Chorale Open Rehearsal Wednesday, Aug. 19 & Thursday, Aug. 20 6-9pm: Jazz Ensemble (jazz saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, piano, vibes, bass, drums, vocals)

MUSIC HISTORY III (MUS 257) ALP, CCI, CZ, R History of music in nineteenth-century through post-WWI Europe and the United States in its cultural & social context Profs. Harry Davidson & R. Larry Todd - ONLINE

THEORY & PRACTICE OF TONAL MUSIC I (MUS 261) ALP Profs. Nicholas Stoia & Robert Parkins - HYBRID & IN-PERSON

Individual/Group Lessons & Ensembles WILL take place Fall 2020!

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IN PERSON AUDITIONS (sign-up required) Monday, Aug. 17 4-7:30pm: Classical Piano Nelson Music Room, East Duke (online also available) 6-9pm: Viola, Cello & Bass (lessons & Symphony Orchestra) 019 Biddle Tuesday, Aug. 18 12:30-4:30pm: Voice individual lessons (Voice Class 101-2 online) Baldwin Auditorium 5:30-8:30pm: Chamber Music Nelson Music Room, East Duke Wednesday, Aug. 19 10:30am-12:30pm & 1:30-4:30pm: Voice individual lessons (Voice Class 101-2 online) Baldwin Auditorium Thursday, Aug. 20 6:00-9:00pm: Violin (lessons & Symphony Orchestra) Nelson Music Room, East Duke

ONLINE AUDITIONS (submit your prerecorded audition material) Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, Wind Symphony - deadline Aug. 20 Classical Guitar and Harp - deadline Aug. 20 CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR Class Voice, Djembe (West African drumming), Afro-Cuban percussion, Collegium Musicum, [dnme] New Music Ensemble, Organ, and/or Harpsichord

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sportswrap august 11, 2020

QUESTIONS

MOUNT

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: FORMER DUKE STAR GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY WOMEN’S GOLF: THE QUEST FOR BACK-TO-BACK TITLES CONTINUES

MARY HELEN WOOD/THE CHRONICLE

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The Chronicle

FOOTBALL

Column: Blue Devils at risk for growing pains By Jake C. Piazza Blue Zone Editor

Winter is for ski trips, summer is for beach vacations and fall is for football. A fall in the United States without football just wouldn’t feel quite right, and at the moment, it looks like that scenario might be avoided. While COVID-19 concerns could lead to the suspension or cancellation of the season as the only options, the ACC’s intention to have fall sports is a glimmer of hope for the time being. After the conference’s formal announcement, each school continued with its season planning and on Aug. 6, Duke released its 2020 football schedule. The ACC is a conference in limbo and outside of Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina, it is anyone’s guess as to how teams fare on the field. In Duke’s case, the recent scheduling changes have the potential to disproportionately hurt the Blue Devils. There is too much uncertainty amid Duke. The first kickoff of the season is set for Sept. 12 and there is still no official word on who the starting quarterback will be. Uncertainty at the quarterback position is one of the last things a team would want in a normal year, and with this shortened, restricted preseason, it will likely create problems for at least the first few games. The open quarterback position has led to meticulous studying habits from all of the signal callers on this year’s roster. As the team opened preseason camp Aug. 7, head coach David Cutcliffe expressed his satisfaction with how diligently his quarterbacks have been analyzing the Xs and Os, but he noted that it will ultimately come down to performance on the field. “If you want to be the all-time quarterback on the playground at school, guess what you better do? You better throw it better than everybody else,” Cutcliffe said. “Otherwise you don’t get to be the all-time quarterback.” Complementing the quarterback confusion is a huge question mark on what Duke’s offense is going to look like this season. We know Cutcliffe will be calling the plays, but this Blue Devil offense has no idea what their identity is and there is not much to build off

from last year, with Duke ranking 11th in the conference in both points and touchdowns. The Blue Devils have a talented young receiving corps, and Deon Jackson will hold down the backfield, but the concern is with the cohesiveness of the entire offense. Duke was a screen-heavy, runcentric team last year that resulted in an offense that averaged only 18.7 first downs per game, so success this season will have to come via different schematics than a year ago. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem regularly, but the condensed summer practice schedule will make it even more difficult for Duke to create its 2020 offensive brand. Regardless of the blockades in the Blue Devils’ path though, Cutcliffe is confident in his team. “I think our [offensive] skill people are exceptional,” Cutcliffe said. “We just got to make sure we get this quarterback thing right and that’s going to be a competitive nature. Not displeased at all with the start of any of [the quarterbacks] today.” Duke’s success since 2012 has had a common foundation at the beginning of every season: winnable nonconference games. That 2012 campaign marked the Blue Devils’ first bowl appearance in 18 years, with five additional bowl appearances since then including plenty of nonconference wins prior to ACC play. Not having these contests—Duke’s lone nonconference matchup will take place Oct. 31 against Charlotte—to work through any early roadblocks is alarming, especially when looking at the Blue Devils’ early schedule. September has proven to be crucial to Duke’s run at bowl games, and this September is not going to be an easy one. After traveling to South Bend, Ind., to take on Notre Dame, Duke will host Boston College to open its home slate. The Eagles had an ugly 6-7 overall record last season but finished second in the ACC in rushing yards and added Notre Dame transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who is eligible to play right away. Following Duke’s first bye, the team hosts Virginia Tech, which was tabbed No. 24 in the first Coaches Poll. While superstar Hokie cornerback Caleb Farley has opted to sit out the season due to COVID-19 concerns, the Blue Devils need to

have their quarterback woes figured out by then if they are going to take advantage. If Duke can fight through its first three games and manage to steal just one victory, it has a chance to gain the confidence needed to get through the rest of the gauntlet. The Blue Devils’ only game outside of Notre Dame that will overwhelmingly favor their opponent is their matchup with North Carolina Nov. 7. Other than that, Duke will have a legitimate chance in each and every contest. The Blue Devils’ success this season will hinge directly on how fast they can figure out who they are. If by Oct. 1 we are looking at a team with an established quarterback that knows its offensive strengths, then we just might see Duke back in a bowl game.

Chronicle File Photo Redshirt sophomore Gunnar Holmberg will compete with transfer Chase Brice and Chris Katrenick for the starting quarterback job.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | 13

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Chidom gets involved with mentorship project By Evan Kolin Sports Editor

Former Duke women’s basketball star Oderah Chidom had always wanted to give back to her community. She just never quite knew how. But when Chidom met Jacqueline Diep, she finally found that opportunity. In the spring of 2019, Diep co-founded The Big Homie Project, a nonprofit focused on providing Black and Brown kids in underprivileged communities mentorship from professionals in areas that often lack diversity. As soon as Chidom spoke with Diep, she knew this was something she wanted to be a part of. “When I met [Diep], and she has a vision that is basically her baby, we had a lot of the same aligning virtues,” Chidom said. “I got brought on board basically because we share that alignment, and I want to help the community and create opportunities and create platforms and be a mentor in a sense.” Providing mentorship While Chidom and Diep grew up in differing backgrounds, the two shared one common sentiment: they wouldn’t be where they are today without the help of strong mentors growing up. Diep, a San Jose, Calif., native, grew up in foster care from the age of 11 until she was emancipated at age 17. But thanks to her social worker, teachers and, in her words, “people who just really cared about me,” she was able to graduate college and get her MBA from the University of Southern California. After finishing business school and moving back to the Bay Area, Diep started to get involved in helping the nearby community of East Palo Alto, Calif., a city struggling to keep up with its booming neighbors. Her work began with volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula. But thanks to the inspiration of one of her best friends Auriel August—a Duke alumna, one of the few Black doctors at Stanford and the first mentor involved with The Big Homie Project—her vision took off. Soon, Diep co-founded The Big Homie Project alongside Remi Sobomehin, a Stanford alumnus and Director of Volunteerism at the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula. “I think there’s huge value in showing other Black and Brown kids people who look like them who have broken barriers or who have overcome certain circumstances so that they know what it takes to actually do that,” Diep said. “I’ll never ever tell you I know what it feels like to be a Black person. I don’t. I know what it feels like to be homeless. I know what it feels like to be a

Courtesy of Jacqueline Diep

Chidom has goals to spread The Big Homie Project, with roots in East Palo Alto, Calif., to Durham. foster kid…. But I will never ever know what it feels like to be a Black woman or a Black man. “And so a lot of my friends in my Rolodex are folks who work in spaces that lack diversity—they’re part of the underrepresented. And they’re good people. They might not know what to do as far as being able to impact and give back but that’s where I come in.” After officially starting the nonprofit, Diep used her and August’s vast networks to create mentorship programs and events in a variety of different industries, from medicine to sports. One of those events included the Aaron Gordon basketball clinic, for which Diep had a mere 12 days to plan but worked tirelessly on to make it happen. The clinic was how Diep met Packie Turner, Gordon’s trainer, and the two worked together over the next few months on other events

similar to the clinic. Turner also trains Chidom, who was in the gym one day this summer when Diep walked in. “We organically started talking about helping out within the Black community,” Chidom said. “And she mentioned a nonprofit that she operates. I was super interested to learn more about it and how I can help out and kind of really talk about the details. So the next day after we met, we were texting and talking on the phone all day...and I really bought into her vision that she had going on, and it kind of just took off from there.” Chidom acknowledges that the recently-heightened awareness surrounding the struggles of marginalized

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | 15

WOMEN’S GOLF

Duke prepares for another season as defending champs By Glen Morgenstern Associate Sports Editor

After the COVID-19 pandemic cut last season short, Duke women’s golf can still call itself national champions. But this year’s roster includes only two of the six members of that title-winning squad. To make matters worse, the remaining members—senior Jaravee Boonchant and junior Gina Kim—can’t live at Duke this semester. The highestranked Blue Devil, Boonchant, will stay in her native Thailand to play LPGA tournaments there. Kim suffered a far crueler fate. She has been forced to reside in her native Chapel Hill and commute to Durham for practice. There won’t be college golf this fall, so that will be the extent of Kim’s involvement with the team this semester. A team of national champions—minus most of the champions—enters the 2020-21 season as uncertain as any in the country. Thankfully, head coach Dan Brooks can rely on the squad’s two youngest members to blend in quickly. Incoming freshmen Phoebe Brinker and Anne Chen, respectively ranked the 26th- and 21st-best golfers in their class by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), seem to fit the mold of Blue Devil golf. Brinker and Florida State recruit Taylor Roberts organized the inaugural Senior Cup: a last hurrah of sorts for the nation’s top junior golfers, conceived from the idea that the majority of these athletes had their senior seasons cut short due to the pandemic. Brinker and her team, which included Chen, fell short to Roberts July 21-22 on the Parkland, Fla., golf course. However, the tournament raised over $40,000 for the Emergency Golf Relief Fund and a grant for junior golfers. “It was such a great way to end [my high school career],” Brinker said. “It was so rewarding to see all the months of hard work we did paid off. People were saying it was the most fun they’ve had all summer, and we raised so much money for charity.” Duke women’s golf has a history of philanthropy. Virginia Elena Carta, the team’s most recent individual champion,

Chronicle File Photo Senior Jaravee Boonchant is one of two returning national champions for the Blue Devils.

started Birdies for Babies in 2017. The charity raised more than $10,000 for Duke Children’s and Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care units that year and raised more than $20,000 in each of the next two seasons. Brinker and Chen aren’t at all cookie cutter Blue Devils, though. “I always use the same ball marker,” Brinker said. “I’ve been using it for three years now, and I haven’t lost it yet.” Chen has her quirks, too. “If I play badly [in an outfit], I can’t wear that outfit again,” Chen said. “It’s a temporary [ban] just for the tournament. And in the morning, I won’t eat dry food. I’ll eat cereal or fruit.” Chen’s weird outfit rule may come into play when she finally tees off for Duke in the spring. Things were already weird at the Senior Cup, though. The Parkland Golf and Country Club took measures to

prevent golfers from spreading COVID-19. Competitors rode their own carts and wore masks in public spaces, while holes were stuffed with pool noodles. “It feels kind of…not right,” Chen said. While it might sound odd, the pool noodle method has become commonplace in golf courses around the country. The spongey material is inserted into the hole so balls pop out, preventing golfers from having to reach into the hole for their ball. “It was a problem,” Brinker said. “People would putt and it would hit the pin and bounce out. They were like, can you count this shot as in or out?” While those are certainly challenging questions, Brinker and Chen will face tougher ones very soon. Before college sports ground to a halt in mid-March, Duke was the No. 4 team in the nation and still had five players from the 2019 title year. Without upperclassmen on campus and stars like Carta and Ana Belac, who was the third-ranked women’s golfer in the NCAA, Brinker and Chen take on more responsibility for Duke than freshmen usually do. The Blue Devils have a reputation to uphold—Dan Brooks’ program has won seven NCAA titles in 21 years. A championship seems to be the only acceptable ending to a season’s story. But that shouldn’t be so hard, right? Brinker was one of the most highly-touted recruits in the country. Before the Senior Cup, she was ranked the No. 7 junior player by the AJGA, previously spending time in the top-5 as well. She made the 2019 Rolex Junior All-America Girls First Team. Both Brinker and Chen committed to Duke in their sophomore years. And although they haven’t known one another for very long, they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other very soon. “I love [Chen],” Brinker said. “She is one of my best friends from junior golf, and we’re going to be rooming together. We’re definitely friends before competitors.” It’s lonely at the top. It’s even more so during a pandemic. But with the infusion of Brinker and Chen, perhaps Duke women’s golf won’t be quite so lonesome.

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Welcome

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | 17 15

WOMEN’S GOLF

Duke prepares for another season as defending champs By Glen Morgenstern Associate Sports Editor

Chronicle File Photo Senior Jaravee Boonchant is one of two returning national champions for the Blue Devils.

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The Chronicle

Why we’re printing one day a week this year T

his will be a year like no other. Firstyears and sophomores are returning to a changed campus, while many juniors and seniors are bracing themselves for a semester of online learning. Administrators are trying to balance Duke’s mission of higher education with the demands of a global

you the news you need: We will only print one day a week. After this first issue, released on a Tuesday, you’ll see a new issue of The Chronicle on newsstands every Monday morning. A team of current and former Chronicle leaders met throughout the summer to discuss the future of our print product and agreed that it’s the right time to make this change, which will continue a decrease in our weekly print days that began seven years ago. The Chronicle EDITOR’S NOTE is a digital-first news organization, and our website is the best place to bring our readers pandemic. real-time information about Duke’s policies As the strange new academic year starts, and conditions on campus at a time when we’re making a change that will help us bring everything will be in flux.

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E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696

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MATTHEW GRIFFIN, Editor EVAN KOLIN, Sports Editor MARIA MORRISON, Managing Editor CARTER FORINASH, News Editor MONA TONG, Assistant News Editor ROSE WONG, Senior Editor JAKE SATISKY, Digital Strategy Director SIMRAN PRAKASH, Photography Editor MIHIR BELLAMKONDA, Opinion Editor SARAH DERRIS, Recess Editor CHRISSY BECK, General Manager SHANE SMITH, Sports Managing Editor MASON BERGER, Video Editor MARY HELEN WOOD, Audio Editor NADIA BEY, University News Editor LEAH BOYD, University News Editor PRIYA PARKASH, University News Editor PREETHA RAMACHANDRAN, University News Editor WILLIAM HE, Local and National News Editor ANNA ZOLOTOR, Local and National News Editor ASHWIN KULSHRESTHA, Health and Science News Editor MICHAEL LEE, Health and Science News Editor STEFANIE POUSOULIDES, Investigations Editor JAKE SHERIDAN, Features Editor CHRIS KUO, Features Managing Editor JOHN MARKIS, Senior News Reporter

REBECCA SCHNEID, Sports Photography Editor JACKSON MURAIKA, Assistant Sports Photography Editor AARON ZHAO, Features Photography Editor BELLA BANN, Photography Social Media Editor MARGOT ARMBRUSTER, Opinion Managing Editor NICHOLAS CHRAPLIWY, Opinion Managing Editor VICTORIA PRIESTER, Opinion Managing Editor SYDNY LONG, Recess Managing Editor BEN WALLACE, Community Editorial Board Chair RYAN WILLIAMS, Community Editorial Board Chair SHANNON FANG, Equity and Outreach Coordinator NADIA BEY, Recruitment Chair JAKE SATISKY, Recruitment Chair TREY FOWLER, Advertising Director JULIE MOORE, Creative Director

The Chronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 1517 Hull Avenue call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 2022 Campus Drive call 684-3811. One copy per person; additional copies may be purchased for .25 at The Chronicle Business office at the address above. @ 2020 Duke Student Publishing Company

Meanwhile, the team wanted print to have its own identity, something that’s easier to accomplish when we’re only putting together one issue a week. The new print edition will center long-form journalism: features, investigations, collections of stories that explore a single topic. This year, the news section of the print issue will largely gather our most impactful coverage of how the coronavirus pandemic alters life at Duke, serving as a record of the community’s experiences and the administration’s choices during a global crisis. (This first issue, for instance, collects stories about what it means to return to campus during a pandemic.) The sports section of the print paper will focus on columns and long-form features, instead of game recaps and previews that can be read in real time online. Recess will have a similar look to before but will choose a more focused set of stories to print, emphasizing previews of upcoming virtual or socially distanced events, as well as select pop-culture reviews and pieces about how COVID-19 has affected campus life. The opinion section will highlight the voices of the community by gathering the week’s best columns, editorials and letters to the editor. Strong graphic design will pull it all together, making for a visually interesting product that will serve as a memento of each week in Duke’s history. So what does this mean for you? When you’re looking for breaking news or day-of

sports stories, our website is the place to go. When you want a more curated, reflective look back at the week, pick up the print edition. (All our content is published online, so don’t worry if you have to wait until the spring to get your hands on a copy.) If you’ve mainly been a print reader up to this point, you’ll find a bulletin in the new print edition to point you to stories from the past week that only appeared online. While you’re checking them out, make sure to bookmark our website and explore the video stories, podcasts and other multimedia content on offer there. I’m confident that this is the right next step for The Chronicle. Our leadership and board of directors support the change, even though we had the financial resources to continue printing two days a week if we had chosen to do so. More than anything, I’m excited about the ways this will free us to tell innovative stories online, from interactive graphics to collaborations between our different sections. Yet I’m also looking forward to long nights in the office putting together our print paper, as so many editors have done before me. I’m excited to see this first issue on newsstands and in your hands. This column originally ran online with the title “Editor’s note: Why we’re moving to one day a week of print.” It has been lightly edited for publication here. Matthew Griffin is a Trinity junior and The Chronicle’s editor-in-chief for Vol. 116.

C’mon, Vince I

am offended by the crocodile tears in Vincent Price’s recent epistle. How many Black Lives Mattered when Duke phased out all those union jobs and farmed out the work to unorganized contractors whose workers have no job protection and few benefits?

David Henderson LETTER TO THE EDITOR How many Black Lives Mattered in the decision to kill the Light Rail System which would have increased job and transportation-to-work possibilities for

so many area workers? How many Black Lives Matter on the Duke Board of Trustees? Out of thirty-six trustees, three are African-American. One is African. Count ‘em! If Price is serious, there will be a Black Lives Matter criterion in the selection of the next Executive Vice President, someone not only with excellent managerial skills, but with a commitment to social justice, environmental protection, public transportation and to closing the wealth gap in this country. C’mon, Vince, you think we don’t know how hollow your words are? We’re Duke people. Always, David M. Henderson ‘68

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | 19

Facebook is the new tobacco Spike Lee and the ethics of looting

s the global movement against racial injustice precipitated by George Floyd’s brutal killing continues unabated this summer, Duke students have begun the arduous and necessary task of mobilizing, reading and unlearning racist superstructures required to convert the intensity of the current environment into a lasting anti-racist movement. The horrific scenes of police brutality strung out on the screens of every American last month were no different than abuses of years past, but after watching the 8 minutes and 46 seconds of moral depravity that occurred in Minneapolis, America’s galvanization out of its collective stupor seemed only natural, if not totally unsurprising.

o many people are “all for” anti-racism measures yet uncomfortable with the nature of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Obviously” they condemn racism, but they’re mostly concerned about whether looting and violence are reasonable responses to George Floyd’s death. This is the wrong starting point. We should be asking ourselves why in a world riddled with unethical behavior we choose to single out protestors for moral condemnation and why we believe that victims must be perfect in order to deserve our compassion and support.

Alex Hoffman

David Min

GUEST COLUMN Throughout the rapid escalation of protest and public outcry, I have been particularly inspired by our generation’s unwillingness to be confined or limited in our fight for change. From monuments to school curriculums, reparations to city council races, America has been forced to stop and reevaluate the foundations of its social, political and economic frameworks. Institutions and corporations that have lived free from scrutiny are now under the microscope for their roles in perpetuating systemic racism. I want to talk about one such company: Facebook. If you read newspapers or watch late-night television, you’ve probably already seen a scathing critique of the social media giant. It’s been bashed for its mishandling of fake news, complete disregard for consumer privacy, and complicity in subverting the 2016 election, and deservedly so. In this moment of nationwide reckoning over the original sin of American white supremacy, however, it is more important than ever to examine Facebook’s specific role in suppressing and perpetuating violence against Black and brown communities at home and abroad. Facebook allowed the Russian Government to target African Americans by spreading “racially divisive and racist content” on its platforms according to reports commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Even after Facebook learned the Russian-linked accounts were using specific voter-suppression tactics aimed at depressing the black vote, the company made no move to intervene citing its longstanding neutrality in political affairs. Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a digitally focused racial justice organization, criticized the company following the release of the reports for “treating everything as being on two sides of a political coin,” a reference to Facebook’s history of profiting off falsehoods and hate speech that generate clicks. Facebook facilitated an ongoing genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar, refusing to update its content moderation policies to prevent blatant human rights abuses from military commanders and prominent politicians. After the story broke, the company dragged its feet and remained hostile towards civil advocate groups. Facebook’s tolerance of white nationalists was outrageous before and wholly indefensible now. However, despite renewed calls for a wholesale reform of its guidelines, it remains easier than ever for white nationalists to mobilize on (and Facebook to profit from) the platform. Despite massive public criticism, Facebook has continued to inadequately invest in content moderation, relegating its efforts to contain hate speech and misinformation to underpaid and understaffed offices in remote locations. The company made its priorities clear last October when Mark Zuckerberg responded to bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill by doubling down on Facebook’s refusal to moderate political speech, even when it violated community guidelines. For years, civil rights advocates warned Facebook that the platform was being used as a weapon of hate against their communities. Often, the problem was hate speech. Other times it took the form of harassment and endangerment of Black Lives Matter activists. Guided by an extremist free-speech ideology, Facebook did nothing to prevent its events pages from organizing explicitly anti-Muslim rallies and the white supremacist protests in Charlottesville. Meanwhile, it concentrated its resources to transform into an advertising business, bringing in tens of billions of dollars annually while failing to apply the desperately requested civil rights guidelines that could have prevented those ads from fomenting discrimination. When the company was asked to respond to the boycott, Facebook’s VP of Northern Europe only managed “when there’s hate in the world there will also be hate on Facebook.” Purposeful negligence and ideological aversion to oversight should remind us of a similarly reprehensible industry that has been a foundational aspect of Duke since its inception: the tobacco industry. Facebook is potentially as detrimental to humanity as Big Tobacco ever was. It has certainly used the same corporate playbook. Both profited from falsehoods. Both pushed products intentionally designed to be addictive. Both deceptively targeted developing markets. The main difference, however, is that Facebook’s cancer is not reserved for the lungs, but society. Contributing to its “disinformation-for-profit machine,” as described by Elizabeth Warren, merits the same professional stigma reserved for marketing a pack of cigarettes. No Duke undergraduate would dare be caught jostling for a Phillip Morris or Altria interview. There is a basic agreement among our generation that they are deeply unethical companies, and no paycheck could justify the social cost of contributing to their bottom lines. Put another way, Big Tobacco is undeserving of our community’s talent. Facebook is as well. Facebook’s inherent attractiveness as an industry titan will not disappear overnight and changing its corporate culture will require a groundswell of support. That needs to start at the university level where a Facebook cubicle is one of the most coveted landing areas for Duke graduates. While the boycott campaign is an important first step, it will only last for the month of July, and most companies cannot afford to relinquish ad revenue indefinitely. That is why only 1 in 4 similar campaigns historically lead to concessions from the targeted businesses. While fighting against potentially the most influential non-state actor in the history of the world seems daunting, we should not sell ourselves short. Facebook recruits over half its employees from top 10 schools. Stopping that source would have an immediate and jolting effect and the resulting brain drain would limit the company’s innovative potential and long-term growth. I understand that to many this would mean losing a dream job. In my one year at Duke I have met multiple kind, thoughtful people that plan on joining the company in the Fall. That’s fine. But if Black Lives really Matter to you, then don’t work for Facebook. Alex Hoffman is a Trinity sophomore majoring in Public Policy and Spanish.

I don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. Almost 31 years after its release, Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” remains eerily applicable to understanding and reconciling property damage with anti-Blackness. The film takes place on the hottest day of the summer in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and centers on Mookie, a charming yet unambitious delivery guy at the local Italian pizzeria. The day ends with the owner of the pizza shop, Sal, bickering with two community members and long-time customers. Sal argues with Buggin’ Out about the lack of diversity on the pizzeria’s wall of fame and Radio Raheem about the volume of his boombox. Buggin’ Out threatens to boycott Sal’s and refers to him with an ethnic slur. Sal responds by calling him the n-word and destroying Raheem’s boombox. Raheem attacks Sal. The police arrive and break up the fight by placing Raheem into a chokehold, which kills him. The police officers drive off out of fear, leaving the pizzeria alone with an enraged crowd. Before the crowd has time to react, Mookie hurls a trash can through the window of the restaurant. The crowd destroys the pizzeria and sets it on fire. The question that the audience ultimately asks is whether Mookie did “the right thing” by starting a riot after Radio Raheem was murdered. But how can we possibly single out Mookie as the single recipient of moral criticism in a movie where almost every character is flawed but ultimately understandable? How can we possibly define for Mookie how he should feel in response to injustices that are merely theoretical concerns for non-Black people? Why do we critique and judge the every move of the victim when the intuitive approach is to dissect what preceded it? Lee’s aim is not to be didactic, but rather to show how it’s possible to have sympathy for individuals who are neither perfectly good nor evil. The movie helps us to understand why it’s so much more productive to interrogate structures of racism instead of individual characters. Mookie or Sal being right or wrong should not determine whether or not we acknowledge and remedy our participation in unequal systems. The point of the movie’s title is that the question of right or wrong is hardly a question worth asking when you consider the complexities of individual agency within larger structures of oppression and generations of pain. It is totally normal to be sad about destruction and violence generally, but it is incoherent for the actions of protestors to delegitimize the goals of BLM for you. The point of the movie is that victims are rarely “perfect” and that our criticism of their oppressors should not stem from the complete innocence of the victim, but rather because their life matters—regardless of what they’ve done, and particularly when outraged by a broken criminal justice system. It’s okay to be disappointed with looters who are uninterested in advancing Black issues and mad that the livelihoods of small business owners are being damaged. But it always seems to be the case that these talking points are meant to leave a bad taste in our mouths, chip away at the movement’s purpose and allow you to flinch in the face of injustice. Regardless, these concerns should be, if anything, reasons to invest in a more compassionate society and to be infuriated with the inequality that continuously ignites conflict. The voices that choose to focus on looting are often the ones that fail to grasp how much this society has taken from Black families psychologically and materially even after emancipation. Evaluating individual instances of theft in a vacuum is an abstraction that distorts reality particularly when the economic and social consequences of generations upon generations of theft are so apparent. My argument isn’t to reject any sympathies you have with bystanders, but to consider whether you are doing the same work to empathize with the Black lived experience, something isolated and unrelatable for most of Duke. It’s hard to believe that you truly care about insured Target merchandise when other instances of robbery such as wage theft, land dispossession, predatory lending, and the destruction of Black Wall Street can fly under the radar. Moreover, placing the onus of civility and compassion on the side of the protestors appears even more outrageous in light of racial history. Believing that BLM loses legitimacy due to rioting would suggest that the unrest and violence brought about by Nat Turner’s Rebellion or the Haitian Revolution should be pitted on slaves and not the institution of slavery. Comparing the status quo to slavery is hyperbole, but the logic of the positionality between oppressed and oppressor is valuable as comparison. Do you understand how ridiculous you sound when you argue that both sides can share equal degrees of responsibility, or that you somehow dislike the larger structures at play but shut down any response that makes you remotely uncomfortable? At the end of the day, the people who constantly bring up the issue of looting are telling on themselves. You can say all the right things about racism, but we know that at the bottom of your heart lies a deeper and truer connection with businesses. It’s honestly embarrassing and suspicious to be so dismissive of protest, so angry about looting and simultaneously so stubbornly averse to changes that could remedy the protests’ initial concerns. It signals to all of us that you’re looking for literally any reason to not support a movement centered around making Black life grievable. Ask yourself: is looting what truly disturbs you or is it a simple talking point to help you justify your neutrality on issues that would otherwise force you to grapple with America’s problems? David Min is a Trinity junior. His column, milk before cereal, runs on alternate Mondays. Special thanks to Dani Yan for his contributions to this column. Black Lives Matter.

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