October 5, 2005 by Duke Chronicle Print Archives

studeiius Sever Pratt lectures switch from 3 to 2 meetings a week

technology

Duke rehabilitation center's technologies help the disabled

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'T'l WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,2005

THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

Police to discuss race with students by

“I’m shocked. I think they should redo the process and acIn a process marred by mistually talk to people and then takes and miscommunication, a decide,” said Ricardo Menjivar, a handful of undergraduate applisenior who applied for the task cants were effectively shut out force after the positions were from consideration for positions filled. “The idea of the underon the Undergraduate Experigraduate committee is to pick out ideas that need to be adence Task Force by Duke Student Government leaders. vanced. If DSG picks beforeA Sept. 13 e-mail from DSG hand, nobody has a fair shot.” President Jesse Longoria, a senLongoria said the students selected for the committee—senior ior, offered students the opporChris Chin, juniors Chris Cheng tunity to be considered for positions on the task force—a and Brittany Greenfield—were Presidential Committee formed appointed early because the task as a part of the strategic planforce began meeting Sept. 1, bening process. But all three of fore DSG could open up the the allotted student positions process to everyone. “This committeeseemed to be were filled Sept. 12. “There was an unfortunate beginning its work much earlier mistake that was made,” Longothan DSG seemed to be in gear to ria said with regard to not telling get students,” said Judith Ruderapplicants the positions had man, vice provost for academic been filled. and administrative services and Students who applied for the chair of the Undergraduate Expecommittee after Sept. 13 were not rience Task Force. notified that the positions had She noted that it would have been filled at any point in the apbeen difficult to add students to plication process. They turned in the committee in the middle of an essay and underwent a 15- the process. minute interview—without the “We were complicit in creatknowledge they had no chance to ing problems,” Ruderman said. be put on the task force. The confusion began this sumDSC President Pro Tempore mer when an administrator in the George Fleming, a Junior, said Provost’s Office worked with Chin the mix-up only affected about to create a report connected to five students who applied after SEE DSG ON PAGE 6 receiving the e-mail from DSC. by

Steve Veres

THE CHRONICLE

Neal Sen Gupta

SEE DUPD ON

ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST YEAR, ISSUE 29

DSG solicits students for pre-fiUed positions

THE CHRONICLE

In an effort to boost communication between officials and students, Duke University Police Department is forming a committee of student representatives that will meet regularly to-discuss minority and cultural issues pertaining to campus security. Representatives will be selected by various student organizations and will meet monthly with DUPD officials. “We want to have an open forum where people can come and voice their concerns,” said Leanora Minai, DUPD public relations specialist. “This will be an excellent way to start up dialogue with Duke students and to foster change when necessary.” Minai said DUPD wanted the student committee to include a “broad cross-section of the student body.” The cultural and minority student groups invited to send a include representative AQUADuke, Asian Students Association, Black Student Alliance, Center for Race Relations, Diya, Mi Gente and Muslim Students Association.

PATRICK PHELAN/THE CHRONICLE

Due to a late summer conference,West Campusfall move-incould move to Thursday.

RLHS considers delayed move-m by

David Graham

THE CHRONICLE

Students already disgruntled by the potential of a shortened move-out period in 2007 may soon have another reason to be

annoyed —Residential Life and Housing Services is considering a shortened fall move-in period on West Campus for the start of fall semester next year. Under the proposed RLHS timetable—which was made available to Campus Council ear-

her this semester—move-in on West would be pushed back from the traditional Tuesday start to at least Thursday. East and Central Campus move-in would not be affected. Move-in on East would begin Wednesday to coincide with the start of freshman orientation; Central move-in would proceed Tuesday as normal. Campus Council officers SEE MOVE-IN ON PAGE 6

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PAGE 7

Students decorate rooms to suit tastes, feel at home by

TOM

MENDELTHE CHRONICLE

Duke police will start a dialogue about cultural issues with a student group.

Tiffany Webber THE CHRONICLE

Walking through the door of sophomores Lily Chen and Jill Murphy’s dorm room is like walking into a bright, formal parlor. A week before school began, Murphy’s father worked tirelessly to construct a window seat for the bay window—the focal point of the entire room. Cushioned and adorned in pink upholstery, the seat is covered with various pillows and stuffed animals. Murphy said she finds it so comfortable that she has even slept on it. Their Kilgo Quadrangle dorm room is also decorated with broken mirrors, and brightly-colored fabric aligns the walls. A one-foot-high,

LAURA BETH DOUGLAS/THE CHRONICLE

A hammock and greenhouse are aspects of the eclectic decor in seniors Chris Hardy andTodd Elkin's dorm room.

SEE MAKEOVER ON PAGE

[WEDNESDAY,

THE GHRONICL,E

OCTOBER 5, 2005

Stan hits Mexico's Gulf Coast Hurricane Stan slammed into Mexico's

Bush defends Miers against doubts by

Tom Raum

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON President George W. Bush pushed back against suggestions by some skeptical Republicans that Harriet Miers was not conservative enough, insisting Tuesday that his nominee to the Supreme Court shares his strict-constructionist views. As his White House counsel made the rounds ofSenate offices, Bush reached out to his conservative supporters with words of reassurance. “I hope they’re listening,” said the president as he worked to appease conservatives without giving new ammunition to Democrats.

Some commentators and activists have open disappointment with Bush’s selection of Miers, citing her lack of a judicial track record and complaining that Bush had passed over more prominent, proven conservatives. Bush suggested he would not release documents relating to her work at the White House, saying it was “important that we maintain executive privilege,” even as Democrats demanded more information on her role in administration decisions. He urged Democrats to give her a chance to explain her views of the law and the Constitution at her confirmation hearing.

expressed

In welcome news to the White House, Miers won the unqualified support of one of the Senate’s top conservatives, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. “A lot of my fellow conservatives are concerned, but they don’t know her as I do,” said Hatch, a former chairperson of the Judiciary Committee. “She’s going to basically do what the president thinks she should and that is be a strict constructionist.” The term refers to justices who believe their role is to decide cases based on a close reading of the Constitution rather than ranging more widely in interpretation.

Troops seek to seize towns from al Qaeda by

Antonio Castaneda

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HADITHA, Iraq U.S. troops pushed through streets sown with bombs Tuesday in their biggest operation this year in western Iraq, seeking to retake three Euphrates River towns from al Qaeda insurgents. At least five U.S. service members have been killed in the fighting. Operation River Gate—launched at the start of the holy month of Ramadan—was the second U.S. offensive in a week in Anbar province, near the Syrian border. Al Qaeda in Iraq called for intensified attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces during the Muslim '

period of fasting, which started Tuesday for

the nation’s Sunnis. Blasts from U.S. warplanes and helicopters lit up the sky during the fighting, aimed at putting down Sunni-led insurgents intensifying their campaign of violence ahead of an Oct. 15 vote on Iraq’s new constitution. As with the earlier U.S. offensive—code named Iraq Fist—it appeared many fighters may have slipped away beforehand. On the political front, U.S. and U.N. officials were trying to avert a Sunni Arab boycott of the referendum, which would deeply undermine the validity of a consti-

tution Washington hopes will unite Iraq’s factions and weaken the insurgency. Officials met Tuesday with Shiite and Kurdish leaders to persuade them to reverse the Shiite-led government’s last-minute change to voting rules ahead of the Oct. 15 vote. Sunday’s change makes it almost impossible for minority Sunnis to reject the constitution—all guaranteeing its passage. Late Monday and early Tuesday, some 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched their operation with a powerful air assault on Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Parwana, about 140 miles northwest of

Baghdad.

Gulf Coast Tuesday, forcing authorities to close one of the nation's busiest ports and spawning related storms across the region that left at least 59 people dead. Stan came ashore on the coastline south of Veracruz.

Military flu solution proposed President George W. Bush, stirring debate on the worrisome possibility of a bird flu pandemic, suggested dispatching American troops to enforce quarantines in any areas with outbreaks. Experts fear a bird flu strain sweeping through Asian poultry could become the next deadly pandemic.

New Orleans workers laid off

Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday the city’ is laying off as many as 3,000 employees because of the financial damage inflicted on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Nagin announced with "great sadness" he cannot keep the workers on the payroll.

Bush proposes disease policy Seeking to tighten the nation's defense against mad cow disease, the George W. Bush administration proposed to eliminate cattle parts from feed for all animals, including chickens, pigs and pets Tuesday. News briefs compiled from wirereports

"If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the Paul Beatty trap door."

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,2005

THE CHRONICLE

Engineers respond to Katrina aftermath Pratt School adjusts class by

Jacqueline Dickey THE CHRONICLE

A panel ofcivil and environmental engineering experts discussed solutions to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts Tuesday. The meeting was the latest in a series of academic forums organized by various professors and administrators at die University to address the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The panel of experts set out to demonstrate the inherent problems with the nation’s reaction to the catastrophe, using New Orleans as a primary example of inefficient planning and response. Topics ranged from urban development to toxic mold. Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering Kristina Johnson said the role ofDuke is to “bring ideas forward.” “[The purpose of the panel is to] explore, in the interdisciplinary environment, ways to better prepare to cope with disasters,” she said. “You have to do what you can, where you can, with what you have,” she added, quoting former President Theodore Roosevelt. Professors and students agreed that the problem in New Orleans is more than just water damage—it is the lack ofcommunication between academic disciplines. “Medicine, engineering and public policy can help, especially at Duke,” said special guest Joshua Sommer, director of the Mold Advocacy Prevention Education and Research Coalition. Panel organizer Ana Barros, professor of civil and environmental engineering, began the discussion by emphasizing the importance of learning from past mistakes. “The way we do risk analysis is really a problem,” she said, explaining that a similar flooding disaster to the New Orleans catastrophe happened more than 10 years ago in St. Louis. Risk analysis is the ability to use models to predict what will happen in any situation. Professor of Civil Engineering Miguel Medina focused on the reality of living in a city when a hurricane strikes. He said before Katrina hit New Orleans, computer simulations accurately predicted exacdy what would happen. “If you have urban development in a

schedules by

Erin Lewis

THE CHRONICLE

Students at the Pratt School of Engineering have been noticing a change in their schedules lately. Over the past three semesters, Pratt has changed most of its 50-minute lecture classes that meet three times a week into 75-minute periods that meet only twice a week. Although there has been no formal decision to change the length of all Pratt’s lecture classes, the engineering school has been making an attempt to adjust course schedules to accommodate for limited facilities. “We need to optimally make use of scarce classroom space,” explained Tod Laursen, Pratt’s senior associate dean for education. It is much easier to efficiently schedule 75-minute class periods twice a week than it is to schedule 50-minute lectures three times a week, Laursen added. “There is a fairly long ‘dead period’ which classrooms would go unused if in too many courses are scheduled three times a week,” he said. The new schedule requires Pratt students to be in class for longer periods at a time, but it also gives them an extra day free of engineering lectures. “It’s harder on those two days, but it’s worth it for the third free day,” junior

ANTHONY CROSS/THE CHRONICLE

At a Tuesday panel,professors questioned the nation's preparation and response to Hurricane Katrina.

hurricane-prone area, this poses unique problems and hazards to the human pop-

al waste, petroleum and heavy metals to Lake Pontchartrain following the hurricane. “The environment will recover, but it ulation,” he said. Henri Gavin, associate professor of will take decades,” Linden said. civil engineering, said adequate engiSommer directed attention to toxic could decrease the amount of mold and its effect on the population, sayneering people inconvenienced if a disaster takes ing prevention is the best solution to the place in the future. problem that mold presents. Although the panel received excellent “Allowing a system to fail in a known or desirable way can reduce the loads it must feedback from those present, Kathi Bewithstand,” he said. ratan, a research scientist in the Nicholas Leta Huntsinger, a lecturer in the civil School of the Environment and Earth Sciengineering department, said engineering ences, had one cridcism. models do not take into account the fact “The people who need to hear this stuff aren’t in the room,” she said. “How that people’s actions are unforeseeable. “Why do good plans go wrong?” she do we get beyond this?” asked. “People’s behavior is unpreNext semester, Pratt will offer a semidictable, especially during times of stress,” nar intended to bridge the gap between Recalling the flawed environmental disciplines, tided “Natural Catastrophes; mantra, ‘dilution is the solution to polluRebuilding.” The class will focus on contion,’ Karl Linden—assistant professor of structing life-cycle analyses of natural discivil engineering—expressed dismay with asters and addressing environmental and the speedy addition of raw sewage, industrisocietal issues following a catastrophe.

SEE PRATT ON PAGE 5

CORRECTION In the Oct. 4 article about the medical school anniversary, Dr. Scott Levin's quote should have been attributed to Dr. Edward Halperin, vice dean of the School of Medicine.

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THE CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 5, 2005

health&science

ON SHAKY GROUND Currently, more than 600 million people live in areas where serious earthquakes are likely to occur.

8858 H3581 Center researches technology for disabled WHO reports on disease risks

Chronic ailments such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes will kill nearly 400 million people over the next 10 years and cost countr je !' ke a a * nc^a hundreds of bil ions of dollars, a new report on world health says.'The lives of far too many people in the world are being blighted and cut short by chronic diseases," said Lee Jong-Woo, the director-general of the World Health Organization. *

Weight gain increases with age Just when we thought we couldnt get any fatter, a new study that followed Americans for three decades suggests that over the long haul, 9 out of 10 men and -7 out of 10 women will become overweight. Being

overweight

raises blood pressure and cholesterol, which in turn can raise the risk of heart disease. Americans share Nobel Prize Americans John L. Hall and Roy J. Glauber and German Theodor W. Haensch won the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for work that could lead to better long-distance communication and more precise navigation worldwide and beyond. The prize was given to the three for their work in applying modern quantum physics to the study of optics.

McGowan Jasten CHRONICLE THE

As a former manager of technical services at p erdue Farms, Will Marvel fully7 appreciates the value V n being„A-diagofc a keyboard. But nosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—a disease characterized by deterioration of motor skills— in 1994 led to a severe impairment in his abilities to use a computer. In 2001, after “a slow progression of the disease that caused degeneration of his ability to use his hands, Marvel was referred to program director of . ’J d l LT i„„ Enthe TT Uravetsity s Rehabilitation gmeenng Research Center on Communication Enhancement at Duke’s Assistive Technology Clinic, Caves paired Marvel with a cornputer software device that allows him to type with only a mouse—at a speed of 30 words per minute. “Today, I’m on the computer eight hours a day,” Marvel said, adding that he maintains websites, reads news online and even does Internet crossword puzzles. Marvel is one of millions of patients who contract diseases or sustain injuries that make communication and essential tasks difficult. “From customer service options ,

”

to the effects of the computer age,

complex technologies are taking on an unprecedented role in people’s lives,” said Caves, who graduated from the Master of Engineering Management Program at the Pratt School of Engineering in 2003. “But many [disabled people] are being left behind or ignored.” The RERC, a national research program with centers across the country, promotes research for technology that improves the lives of the disabled. It is funded by a $4.75 million grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. “RERC consists of ‘virtual centers’—six institutions focusing on a particular technology to facilitate life with disabilities,” Caves said. “At Duke, we’re mainly trying to improve the lives of people who use communication devices by building, designing and researching new devices.”

Grant-sponsored projects

get patients with disabilities caused by a range of factors, from muscular dystrophy to certain forms of autism. A major project focuses on increasing the range of devices that

tar-

24 hours a day

SPECIAL TO CHRONICLE

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center helps create communication aids. can interpret the speech of patients with different impairments, Such technology already assists people with a small number of diseases, such as bulbar palsy. “In the past, most systems used recordings of speech patterns from regular speech. We’re start-

ing out small, recording numbers and such using patients with ALS,” said Frank Deßuyter, principal investigator of RERC and chief of the speech pathology and audiology division at the SEE RERC ON PAGE 7

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

THE CHRONICLE

University revises dispute protocol by

Claire Crowley THE CHRONICLE

The University’s newly revised Dispute Resolution Policy and Procedures—which serve as guidelines for resolving staff departmental conflicts —took effect Sept. 15. Duke Human Resources revised the policy in order to “streamline the process to make it betterand more efficient,” said Mindy Kornberg, assistant vice president for human resources. The revisions create more opportunities to solve departmental conflicts informally through face-to-face resolutions, early interventions and problem ownership. A stronger emphasis on relaxed resolutions drives the new policy, which includes a provision for trained mediators during more difficult disputes. Overall, departmental disputes have not been a major issue on campus, but the policy will likely be applied most often in situations centered “around performance,” Kornberg said. “Supervisors will feel performance isn’t satisfactory, and employees will feel that performance is good,” she added. “Disciplinary action may be taken.” For issues that cannot be resolved at the local level, a SEE DISPUTE ON PAGE 8

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PRATT from page 3 Dave Abdollahian explained. “The third free day is glorious,” he added. Professors at Pratt said they are noticing both negative and positive aspects of longer lectures. “I feel that I can get into more depth in a 75-minute class, but the trade off is I need to do something at about the 25- and 50-minute points to make sure people haven’t zoned out,” Professor Michael Gustafson said. Joseph Nadeau, assistant professor of civil engineering, also expressed concern over students’ attention spans. “Seventy-five minutes is a long time to stay alert and focused,” Nadeau said. “It is my opinion that the best interests of the undergraduate body are served by fifty minute periods.” Nadeau noted, however, that he feels 75 minutes can be very effective for graduate and some upper-level undergraduate courses that are covering more difficult material. Gustafson also said the longer class period allows him to give students more comprehensive tests.

5, 20051 5

Laursen pointed out that when large lecture classes only meet twice a week, there is more of an emphasis on lab periods and recitations, which allows for students to interact with each other and professors in smaller settings. The schedule for the first-year course Engineering 53, for instance, has lecture classes only on Mondays and Fridays with lab periods and recitations in between, allowing students to work with the ideas presented in lecture for the majority of the week. “It can be really helpful to bounce ideas off each other between lectures,” Engineering 53 student Allison Elia, a freshman, said. Elia also noted the general pros and cons of the schedule switch. “Two days a week is a nice thing to have,” she said. ‘You’re not so crammed with labs and recitations. But 75 minutes is a long time to go without a break because you just lose focus.” More material can be covered, however, in longer lectures, junior Jarred Callura explained. “We don’t have to stop and start now because of the longer class time,” he said.

(WEDNESDAY,

DSG

THE CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 5, 2005

from page 1

lem,” Longoria said. “It wasn’t that this committee was closed. If anyone wanted to

apply earlier, they would have been inter-

the task force and thought he would be a good member of the committee. But an official in the Provost’s Office mixed up names and asked Longoria if Cheng could serve on the task force. “We asked Jesse to appoint Chris Cheng. It was the wrong person. Our assistant didn’t know that,” Ruderman said. Because Longoria knew Chin had worked on issues related to the task force over the summer, he appointed him to fill the second position. Both Chin and Cheng went to the task force’s initial meeting Sept. 1. Ruderman said she was surprised when both Chin and Cheng showed up to the meeting. She accepted both on the committee but also told Longoria to select a female representative. “This was a comedy of errors,” Ruderman said. Longoria and other DSG search committee members sent out requests Sept. 8 to at least three female undergraduates, asking them to apply for the newly formed third position. Greenfield said she interviewed and was accepted for the position Saturday, Sept. 10. DSG sent the e-mail advertising the committee to the whole student body Sept. 12, accepted applications until Sept. 16 and interviewed the applicants for the already-filled seats on the committee. “I realize that the e-mail created a prob-

MOVE-IN from page 1

viewed and considered.” The Chronicle ran a letter Sept. 14 from junior Lauren Garson, executive secretary and public relations director for DSG, that encouraged students to apply for various committees. The Undergraduate Experience Task Force was not listed. DSG leaders said the letter was an effort to correct the mistake in the studentwide e-mail. “I believe that we did our best to compensate for that,” Fleming said. Longoria said the students who applied for the task force were considered for the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which oversees the recommendations the task force produces. The committee was also not included in Garson’s letter. DSG Senator Daron Gunn, ajunior and the only DSG-selected student on the Planning Steering Committee, said he did not apply for the task force. At least two students who applied for the task force did not know they were being considered for the Planning Steering Committee. The task force representatives voiced mixed reactions to the process. “There are good and bad things that come from finding a balance of people who come through official channels,” Chin said. “Who is to say one person’s undergraduate experience was better than others?” The Undergraduate Experience Task Campus Facilities Manager Shawhan

emphasized that the change for move-in on West is not intended as a long-term policy shift. It may be necessary due to a

Lynch said. Lynch noted that the staff is often already exhausted by a busy conference season prior to the approximately two weeks allotted for cleaning before the

conference that will be held on campus. RLHS typically closes the conference season Aug. 2, but it pushed the deadline back to accommodate the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education’s conference, which is scheduled for Aug. 6-10. Some conference-goers will be housed in West Campus dorms—meaning maintenance personnel would have less time than usual to prepare the dorms for a Tuesday move-in. “Is that enough time? Not really,” West

of school. Campus Council President Jay Ganatra, a junior, said about 50 percent ofWest Campus residents move in on Tuesday or Wednesday in a typical year. He added that he recognizes students’ potential concerns with a delayed move-in schedule. “I know students won’t be happy, and that’s why we’re really pushing RLHS,” Ganatra said. “I know I wouldn’t be happy with a Thursday move-in.” “Campus Council doesn’t approve bestart

LAURA BETH

DOUGLAS/THE

CHRONICLI

DSG President Jesse Longoria, a senior, said taskforce applicants were considered for another committee. Force was charged by President Richard Brodhead and Provost Peter Lange to consider how to enhance or change various aspects of the University, from the administrative structure of both the Trinity College ofArts and Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering to examining facilities on campus and makcause students are [our] number one customers,” he added. Members of Campus Council have been meeting with Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services, to consider alternatives to the proposed move-in change. One suggestion is to use some of the revenue from the conference to pay overtime to RLHS employees, thus allowing maintenance to be finished in time for a Tuesday move-in. Ganatra emphasized that even with alternatives on the table, the Thursday move-in policy is still only a proposal. “Nothing is set right now because we’re still trying to work with Eddie [Hull],” Ganatra said. “Bottom line is that nothing’s final

ing “recommendations for change that will foster a greater sense of self-engage-

ment on the part of students.”

Among other things, the task force’s recommendations could potentially shape the academic, social and co-curricular cultures of Duke’s undergraduate population, Ruderman noted. and we’re still working on it.” Hull declined to comment on the potential move-in change, citing in an email a “commitment to Campus Council not to discuss this issue until the council has had an opportunity to review it.” Ganatra expects Campus Council to consider the issue at its first meeting following Fall Break. Duke—which has approximately 6,100 undergraduates total and 2,550 living on West—allows a long move-in period compared to other universities in the area. North Carolina State University, with some 20,300 students, allows four days. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill allows six days for its approximately 16,100 students to move in.

THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 20051

DUPD from page 1

RERC from page 4

Many student leaders said they believe involving student input in DUPD actions and policy is a step in the right direction Senior Liza McClellan, vice president of community relations for BSA, said the student committee is “a great idea and absolutely necessary.” McClellan added that the relationship between DUPD and students has been “fairly rocky” in the past. “The Duke Police have been rude or ignorant towards the minority community and have ignored many of our requests for change and explanation of policy,” she said. McClellan said she welcomes the opportunity for collaboration. “[The student committee] will allow everyone to work together as a community instead of in an ‘us versus them’ type of mentality,” she said. Junior Felix Li, co-president of the Center for Race Relations, said the creation of the student committee is long overdue He added that the committee will give interaction between students and the DUPD a higher level of transparency than it currently has. “Sometimes minorities feel marginalized and feel that their reports of police violations enter a political vacuum,” Li said. “[This committee] will make these issues blatant and in the

Duke University Medical Center. Although the development and testing ofassistive speech devices are long processes—3,ooo data points are required to perfect the vocalization of 11 digits—collaborators hope a range of new tools will be in use by the grant’s expiration in 2008. Caves and his team hope to develop voice recognition devices similar to ones that are currently on the market. They eventually plan to test whether vocabulary models will also work for patients with Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and a range of other diseases that cause slurred speech. Deßuyter and Caves are also collaborating on the early stages of an “eye gaze” system that would allow paralyzed patients to target areas of a screen visually in order to communicate. “Currently, such systems are too complex for such uses,” Deßuyter said. “We hope to simplify this by minimizing the number of [word] choices, among other features.” Not confined to clinics, initiatives at Duke are also integrated into the classroom. Caves taught the Pratt course “Devices for People with Disabilities” last spring. “We matched student groups with a person with a disability at a local health provider,” Caves said. “We built various tools—from a bike for a kid with shorter arms to a 3-D sound stadon for kids with visual impairments to [help them] operate switch-operated devices using sounds.” According to the grant’s mission statement, the NIDRR hopes to contribute to a society in which technological advances benefit everyone. “We hope to break away from the current standards available, to bring a chance to people with a range of limitations,” Caves said.

open.” Li noted that the creation of the committee will “provide a great opportunity

for students to understand the police perspective.” Both Li and McClellan pointed to past instances in which events sponsored by minority groups brought out high lev-

els of security but similar non-minority events did not bring out the same number of officers or attract similar DUPD attention. “When simple parties or step shows turn into high security events... we feel targeted,” McClellan said. Though the new student committee is meant to be a forum to discuss such security issues, some doubts are circulating as to how much change it will initiate. “[The student committee] has potential to prevent future confrontations, but

only time will tell if they are serious about student input,” said senior Zubair Chao, president of MSA. He added that preventing future tension will require consensus from both students and DUPD officers. Although she remains hopeful, McClellan also had reservations about the effectiveness of the initiative. “It will help, but only in a minor way because it is quite difficult to change the stereotypes and attitudes that the police have already formed,” she said.

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TOM MENDEL/THE CHRONICLE

DUPD officials have consulted several campus organizations about a new student advisory group.

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DISPUTE from page 5

most efficiently and fairly resolves grievances, officials explained.

Dispute Review Panel comprised of trained Duke employees will investigate the case and issue a recommendation. In accordance with the original policy, particularly sensitive disputes—like the wrongful termination of an employee—will be forwarded to an outside mediating group, the American Arbitrators Association. An unaffiliated outside board

Several Duke professors—including Thomas Nechyba, chair of the economics department, and Bruce Kuniholm, director of the Sanford Institute of Public Policy —said the revisions have not influenced their conflict resolution strategies. “We have resolved our conflicts internally, and I have not had to refer to conflict resolution policies before or after the change,” Nechyba said.

LAURA BETH DOUGLAS/THE CHRONICLE

Sophomores Lily Chen and Jill Murphy sit on a bench constructed when the roommates moved in theirdorm.

MAKEOVER from page 1 square coffee table and rocking lounge chairs provide the girls with a convenient spot to study, eat or just loaf around. “It’s a very cozy room and ridiculously girly,” Murphy said. For most Blue Devils, moving into a dorm room means trips to Walmart, a futon, a minifridge and maybe a George Forman grill. Then again, some students—like Chen and Murphy—go above and beyond the call of room decor. Deb Lo Biondo, assistant dean of residence life and housing services, said she encourages extreme room makeovers, provided students comply with safety regulations. “I think it is important for students to personalize their residence hall room, especially since it’s their home away from home,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Their room is also the place where they spend the vast majority of their time—so it needs to feel comfortable and is hopefully a place where students can feel productive.” For some, the interior design of their living space has moved away from being purely functional—desk, bed, computer, TV—and has transcended to the realm of the creative and artistic. Seniors Todd Elkin and Chris Hardy, for example, have built a true, bona fide greenhouse in their Few Quadrangle room. “I’ve always just liked having plants in the room,” Elkin said. “It gives off a live, green aura.” Elkin and Hardy—known by many as “The Bonsai Boys”—have been harvesting bonsai plants since before they met each other six years ago as high school students in Louisville, Ky. The greenhouse is equipped with fluorescent lighting, a shower curtain and a humidifier, and it sits in the the room’s large bay window. In addition to the greenhouse, the rest of the room also reflects the seniors’ personal tastes. From time to time, they hang a hammock across the room, which Elkin said he, Hardy and other visitors use “fairly often.” “We had some space so we decided to do something crazy,” Elkin said. Hardy’s sleeping area, dubbed “The Cave,” is a padded den situated beneath

his homemade desk and work space. Elkin personalized his sleeping area as well. In an effort to maximize bunk space, he built a two-foot extension onto the the side of his partially lofted bed. His bookshelf, extra blankets and pillows rest on the extension. The roommates also converted the old backseat of a car into a couch. “‘Different’ is probably the best way to describe our room,” Elkin said, adding that it only took about one day to put it together. Freshmen Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and Martynas Pocius have also added personal flair to their Alspaugh Residence Hall room—which, at more than 300 square feet, also happens to be the largest room on East Campus. The three students call three very different places around the world home, and each has dedicated a specific spot in the room to pay homage to his native land. Boateng—whose roots are in Sudan, although he comes to Duke via London—hung a flag symbolizing African pride on the center wall of the room. Boykin, born and bred in Los Angeles, has a fake palm tree next to his desk, which he plans to decorate with lights and ornaments around Christmas time. A Lithuanian flag hangs above the headboard of Pocius’ bed. “We’re all from very different places London, Lithuania, L.A. —and all wanted stuff to remind us of home,” Boykin said. He added that the size of the room often attracts many visitors—numbering 14 in total one night. The room is so spacious many students are able to—and actually do—breakdance in it at one time. “It’s sort of like a commons room with people coming by,” Boykin said. “I used to try to study in here, but now it’s so distracting I just go to the library.” The freshmen, however, were able to find common ground. The three, who are all avid basketball lovers, also put a small basketball hoop above their door. “At home I had a court outside,” Boykin said. “Here, I needed something I could play music and shoot around to.” Although these are only a few of the rooms that have experienced an extreme makeover at the University, each of the rooms suit the tastes of their respective residents for one specific reason. As Chen put it, “It feels like home here.” —

October 5r 2005 RENNIE CLIMBS LIST JOHN RENNIE ISNOW NO. 8 ON THE ALL TIME MEN'S SOCCER WIN UST MCE 10

MOOSE SHUTS PLAYOFFS WITH Will The New York Yankees win Game 1 of their bestof-five series with the Angels 4-2. Mike Mussina earned the win for the AL East champs.

VOLLEYBALL

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Varsity teams aid Duke slams Demon Deacons hurricane victims by Sam Levy THE CHRONICLE

games between Sept. 10 and Oct. 1 and collected close to $20,000 Although no Duke athletic to donate to the American Red teams were forced to cancel or Cross’ relief effort. But some postpone games in the wake of teams decided to do more, engagHurricane Katrina’s devastation ing in their own projects to help last month, several Blue Devils victims of the tragedy. felt obligated to provide relief to After learning about a field those who were affected. hospital that had been erected in Members of every varsity team Waveland, Miss., members of participated in fund raising ef- Duke’s men’s and women’s cross forts at each of Duke’s home country teams wanted to make some tangible impact to assist the patients that were being treated there on a daily basis. The teams gathered at an offcampus house Sept. 24 and began sorting over $l,OOO worth of firstaid supplies into kits that could be sent to the hospital, which was being staffed by North Carolina medical personnel, including several doctors and nurses from Duke. In two hours, the teams made nearly 500 kits containing items such as band-aids, gauze, antibiotics, latex gloves and other items used to treat minor injuries. The packages were transported to Mississippi Sept. 29 by a new wave of medical volunteers who were heading to the site. “We felt like, as a team, we wanted to make a contribution,” said Chas Salmen, a cross country co-captain who helped to organize the project. “We go into the training room all the time to be SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE treated for minor injuries. As a Members of the cross country teams team we saw a parallel that we helped to package first aid kits to send to SEE KATRINA ON PAGE 12 Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina victims. by

Curtis Lane

THE CHRONICLE

The Duke volleyball team continued its winning ways Tuesday night as the Blue Devils defeated Wake Forest 3-0 for their fourth straight ACC victory. Middle blockers Jourdan Norman and Carrie DeMange each had 14 kills, WAKE 0 and sophoDUKE -3 more setter Ali Hausfeld added 44 assists to her ACC-leading total of 660. The 14 kills were a career high for Norman, a freshman from Carrollton, Texas. The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead in Game 1, prompting a Wake Forest timeout with Duke up 10-4. The Demon Deacons then took advantage of five Blue Devil attack errors to tie the game at 13. But Norman and DeMange took over, each recording five kills as Duke took the first game, 30-23. “Early on we were covering too tightly,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We weren’t communicating smoothly and we allowed Wake Forest to take advantage.” The Blue Devils set the tone for the rest of the match with their strong play in the first few points of the second game. Outside hitter Tealle Hunkus recorded two kills to propel Duke to a 5-1 lead. “I told them to remember what we did in the first game that worked for us and that Wake would come out harder the second time,” Nagel said. The Blue Devils (10-3, 4-1 in

PETER

GEBHARD/THE CHRONICLE

The Blue Devils cruised to a 3-0 victory over Wake Forest, extending their ACC win streak to four gamesand improving theirrecord to 4-1 in the conference. the ACC) easily won Game 2, 3017, as Wake Forest (8-6, 1-4) struggled to keep up with the Duke attack. Norman continued her onslaught with 4 more kills, as the Demon Deacon defense had no answer.

“I had been working hard in practice all week on my transitions, and just being able to move faster,” said Norman, who also tied for the team high with 5 blocks. SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 12

Blue Devils are better than 1 -4 record indicates Against then-No. 23 Virginia, Duke had 19 first downs just 11 for the Cavaliers. Last Saturday against Navy, the Blue Devils had 20 and the Midshipmen only 13. The Blue Devils are also winning the time-of-possession and penalty batdes. Duke has controlled the ball for an average of 32:52 per game has committed five fewer penalties per contest than its opponents. to Virginia. attendance For the most part, the team isn’t playing careless footafter But being in for all five games so far this year, I ball—it’s playing well on most plays. Unfortunately, most think Roof would be misguided to plays isn’t enough to win Division I-A football games. It’s the big play, or “X-play” as Roof calls it, which has look at the first half of the season been killing Duke—the Blue Devils have given up too and only see the team’s disappointing record. Though the 1-4 start many on defense and produced too few on offense. would suggest a complete failure, Against East Carolina, the Blue Devils struggled on gregory the team has actually played pretty third-and-long situations, allowing the Pirates to accumuwell and is just a handful of plays late huge gains at times when it looked like Duke would be getting the ball back. away from being successful. Faced with a third-and-seven from the 50-yard line late You might think I’m being a statistics in the first half, the Pirates connected for a devastating little optimistic, but there are some surprising touchdown. The Blue Devils mounted a late comeback, has the Duke actually to support my theory. On year, more first downs than its opponents by a count of 76 to but they never really recovered. PETER GEBHARD/THE CHRONICLE Three weeks later in Charlottesville, Va., Duke’s defense 75. And that includes losing the first-down battle by 17 The Blue haveearned more first downs thantheir opponents and Devils to Virginia Tech Sept. 10 in a game when Duke only adof possession have also won the and time battles. penalty SEE PLAYS ON PAGE X 12 vanced the ball into opposing territory once.

For most college football coaches, winning is their paramount concern, no matter how the result is achieved. Ted Roof says he subscribes to the same attitude, even though his teams have been losing quite a bit. “We’re not into the moral victory thing,” he told me before the loss two weekends ago

beaton

101WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,2005

THE CHRONICLE

MEN'S SOCCER

THE WEEK AHEAD IN DUKE SPORTS

Rennie’s coaching style still resulting in wins by

Peter Henle

(1-4)

Football

THE CHRONICLE

In his 27th season at Duke, men’s soccer head coach John Rennie is leading another successful campaign. The eighth-ranked Blue Devils have amassed a 7-1-1 record and are in second cc be notebook hind Virginia.

l"* e^

s*-'

Men's

vs. W. Illinois

Soccer

7:00 p.m.

(8-2-1)

Women's

e is un en in its last five games, and it has outscored its opponents 16-5 during that stretch. Rennie, who became the sixthwinningest coach in Division I history with the team’s win over Temple Sept. 24, is no stranger to this sort of success. Several players said their coach’s reserved demeanor is a signature of his coaching style, but that he also demands discipline and unwavering effort from his players on the field. “Him not saying a lot lets you get comfortable,” freshman Mike Grella said. “You know he has confidence in you, so it makes you a better player.” Having led the program to its only national championship in 1986, Rennie has stuck to his calm approach to coaching—a strategy that has allowed players

@ (7-1-1)

Soccer

(9-2)

Field Hockey

TIAN, QINZHENG/THE CHRONICLE

(10-3)

Men's soccer head coach John Rennie is in his 27th year at Duke. He hasbeen named ACC coach of the year five times.

Volleyball

vs. Villanova 4:00 p.m.

to make the most of their abilities.

During his tenure at Duke, he has coached 27 All-Americans, five of

Swimming

whom have earned the Hermann Trophy, given annually to the national collegiate player of the year. “By not saying a lot you are forced to deal with adversity on the field and overcome it on your own,” junior cocaptain Chris Loftus said. Rennie has established a strong soccer tradition at Duke, which

Diving

Oct 7 ECU Diving Invitational Greenville, N.C.

Rowing Oct 8 Lake Michie Invitational Bahama, N.C.

Men's Tennis Oct. 6-9

ITA

All-American Tulsa, Okla.

iame of the Week: W. Soccer @ North Carolina ie No. 12 Blue Devils will visit the perennial powerhouse Tar leels, ranked first in the nation, Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Women's Golf

Men's Golf

Oct 7-8 Tar Heel Invitational ChapelHill, NC

Oct 9-10

Coca-Cola

Duke Golf Classic Durham, N.C.

HOME GAMES ARE IN BOLD

SEE RENNIE ON PAGE 12

2005 MLB PLAYOFFS

xf Yankees beat Angels in Game

sportsbriefs

from staff reports

1, regain home field advantage Janie

McCauley by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

tuesday'sresults R H E NEW YORK 4 9 0 LOS ANGELES 2 7 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. Mike Mussina’s elbow held up just fine, and rookie Robinson Cano provided all the offense New York needed with a huge hit in his postseason debut. Mussina pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning, Cano lined a three-run double in the first and the Yankees beat Bartolo Colon again, defeating the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 in Game 1 of their AL division series Tuesday night. Mariano Rivera saved it for the Yankees, who looked completely fresh—even after a cross-country trek on the heels of a seven-game road trip to end the regular season. They traveled West late Sunday, one day after clinching their eighth consecudve AL East tide with a victory over the rival Red Sox in Boston. “We’ve been playing important games for the last month or so now,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re home or on the road.” Houston @ Atlanta, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Darin Erstad’s RBI single cut it to 4-2 in Series tied at 0-0 the ninth, only the 10th earned run Rivera Probable Starters HOD; Pettitte, AIL: Hudson has allowed in 71 career postseason appearances. But the right-hander got Boston @ Chicago, 7:05 p.m. on ESPN pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman on a popup White Sox lead series 1-0 with a runner on first to seal the victory. Probable Starters BOS; Wells, CHW: Buehrle New York produced all its offense with two outs and wasted little time getdng to New York @ L.A., 10:05 p.m. on ESPN Colon, a 21-game winner and leading conYankees lead series 1-0 tenderfor the AL Cy Young Award. Probable Starters NYY: Wang, LAA; Lackey

BOSTON CHICAGO

H 2 9 14 II

E 0 I

wednesday'sschedule

ICON

SPORTS

MEDIA

JayWilliams played one season for theBulls before severely injuring himself in a motorcycle accident. Williams puts comeback bid on hold Duke graduate Jay Williams has decided to call off his latest comeback attempt for now. Two years after severing a nerve in his leg and tearing several knee ligaments in a motorcycle accident, Williams attempted to return to the NBA this past off-season. He said he had received invitations to several training camps, but instead has chosen to continue his rehabilitation on his own. Feinstein back in booth after using curse Best-selling author and former Chronicle Sports Editor John Feinstein will return to the Navy football radio booth this weekend. During the Oct. 1 broadcast against Duke, Feinstein uttered an expletive. He immediately excused himself from the broadcast and tendered his resignation following the game, but it was rejected. Tennis successful in Tulsa Jonathan Stokke won again in the singles bracket at the ITA All-American Tour-

in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday. In the doubles bracket, the duo of Stokke and Joey Atas advanced through the second qualifying round. Duke’s other pair, Ludovic Walter and Peter Rodrigues, also advanced through two qualifying rounds. nament

Women’s tennis falls in California Sophomore Clelia Deltour and Senior Jackie Carleton each lost in the qualifying rounds of the ITA All-American Tournament in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Daniela Bercek will compete in the main draw. Martial arts studio donates to relief effort Karate International, a local martial arts studio that teaches several Duke physical education classes, held a “Kick-a-Thon” Sept. 14-15 to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. A number of Duke students enrolled in the for-credit classes participated in the event, which raised $23,000. Karate International donated all of the money to The Salvation Army.

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121WEDNESDAY,

THE CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 5,2005

KATRINA

from page 9

could help some people affected by the hurricane with their minor injuries. “We felt like it was away to make a concrete difference because we realized that a lot of these injuries would probably go untreated. To give a needy child a band-aid to cover a wound or some antibiotic cream to treat a minor cut felt like away to make a small impact in such a big tragedy.” Members of the teams contributed money to buy the first-aid supplies from the Henry-Schein Company, which provides similar items to Duke’s athletic teams. In addition, Head Athletic Trainer Dave Engelhardt and other members of the training department donated a significant number of supplies to the effort. “We felt like it was a time when people were in need, and we needed to give something back,” junior Alex Romero said. ‘We were all fortunate enough not to be affected, but we wanted to help the people that were.” Offering a different type of assistance, the field hockey team collected money

RENNIE PETER GEBHARD/THE CHRONICLE

Carrie DeMange (15) recorded 14kills in the Blue Devils'win Tuesday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

VOLLEYBALL from page 9 Nagel has also been pleased with Norman’s effort and quick adjustment to the college game. “Things are a little bit faster at this level, and I’ve seen her progress since we’ve started,” she said. “This certainly hasn’t happened overnight, but she’s done a great job with blocking, as well as on the offensive end.” The efforts of Norman and DeMange notwithstanding, defense drove Duke to its win, as the team recorded 56 digs and 15 blocks. “The defense was the reason our of-

fense was so effective tonight,” Nagel said. “Every coach will tell you that defense wins games. I have a real passion for blocking and defense, so I absolutely want my team playing like that.” Game 3 went according to plan for the Blue Devils, as the Demon Deacons never really threatened, and Duke thwarted every Wake Forest mini-rally. “In our huddles we just focused on who their best hitters were and how to defend them,” Norman said. The Blue Devils take their four game winning streak to Charlottesville, Va. to take on Virginia Friday night. The Cavaliers, coming off a 3-0 win over Virginia Tech Tuesday, are 3-2 in the ACC.

from family and friends and supplemented those donations by contributing their Duke meal allowance during their trip to Delaware, Sept. 3-4. In total, the team donated $l,OOO to the Red Cross. “I brought the idea to the team and they jumpedright on board,” field hockey head coach Beth Bozman said of paying for their own meals during the weekend trip. “After seeing the devastation, everyone collectively wanted to help. People’s lives will be changed forever by this tragedy, and if every team here followed our example and gave $l,OOO, it would be very significant.” At the Duke adidas classic, hosted by the women’s soccer team Sept. 16-18, Tshirts were given away to anyone that donated at least $lO to assist victims of the hurricane. Adidas donated the 200 free Tshirts and the event raised $1,570 for the Red Cross. “As a team, everybody felt good about trying to get involved,” women’s soccer head coach Robbie Church said. “It was a huge success, and we were glad to do our part to help the victims of this tragedy.”

from page 10

began in just his .second season in Durham. Starting six freshmen, the Blue Devils upset Clemson, which had not lost a league game in nine years. “Beating them that year at home and winning the ACC Championship in 1980 was certainly the foundation for what has come after that,” Rennie said. All the players are cognizant of the program’s rich tradition under Rennie and several admitted it was a major factor in their decisions to come to Duke. “The guy has been around forever and he knows the game,” Loftus said. “That was definitely the main thing that attracted me.” After six successful seasons as the head coach of Columbia, Rennie was lured to Durham in 1979 by the balance between athletics and academics at Duke. “Duke wants to be the best in everything it does and that’s what attracted me to the university,” Rennie said.

ARMANDO

HUARINGA/THE CHRONICLE

Juniorco-captain Chris Loftus was attracted to Duke because of head coach John Rennie's experience.

nuity has limited the opportunity for a quick scoring strike. Duke’s longest play from scrimmage against a Division I-A opallowed the Cavaliers to turn a third-and-24 ponent this year is a 30-yard completion situation into a 46-yard scoring strike. At from Zack Asack to Jomar Wright. And the time the Blue Devil deficit was just ten, Wright probably isn’t even going to play but four Virginia plays later the score was again this year.

X PLAYS

from page 9

31-0. What once seemed to me like a gritty effort by Duke soon turned into a game with an embarrassing final score. The same thing happened in Duke’s most recent game. The Blue Devils defense allowed second-half rushes of 47 and 52 yards to Navy. The first scored a touchdown and the second led to the game-winning score. “That was the biggest factor in the football game,” Roof said Monday of the gamebreaking plays. “If somebody told me we’d have won the turnover batde, won the penalty battle and possessed the ball for 39 minutes and two seconds and lost, I wouldn’t have seen that one coming.” The big defensive lapses in those three games spelled part of Duke’s demise, but the losses also could have been prevented with more explosive plays on offense. Roof and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien have been conservative in their play calling in an attempt to limit thirdand-long situations. But the lack of inge-

It’s unreasonable to expect Duke’s defense to contain all game-breaking plays, but to beat legitimate college football teams and I’m not counting VMI in there—you can’t lose focus even for a moment. Roof has said repeatedly that there is no magical fix to the problem. On defense the problem seems to be depth. With a couple more recruiting classes like last year’s—and all indications so far point to another strong one this year Duke will finally have the depth to contain those big plays. On offense, I think the answer involves more risky play calling by Duke. If you’re going to lose, you might as well do it fighting. It’s nice to leave Duke’s quarterbacks with shorter distances on third down by running the ball on the first two, but given the results so far I think it’s time for a change. Taking a couple more home-run shots each game could excite the team and the fans, maybe net a touchdown and who knows, even win a game. —

—

MICHAEL CHANG/THE CHRON

Some believe that if theBlue Devils were to take more offensive chances, they would be more successful.

Comments? Suggestions? Opinions? E-mail mvp2l@duke.edu

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,

THE CHRONICLE

Diversions

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The Imperial March (Darth Vader Theme): .....Skwak One Step Closer (To the Edge)—Linkin Park: Seyward Liz Bittersweet Symphony—The Verve: Kelly ESPN Hockey 2 Nite: mvp, yaffe The Mighty Ducks Suite: .tom, cross, Killers: john miller Mr. Brightside—The tian The Forrest GumpSuite:.... Diana NBAonNBC—John Tesh: Roily Roily likes Gilligan’s Island:

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Account Representatives: Monica Franklin, Dawn Hall Eric Berkowitz, Jenny Wang Account Assistants: Advertising Representatives: ...Jenny 80, Melanie Bloom, Evelyn Chang, Desmund Collins, Sim Stafford, Charlie Wain Heather Murray National Advertising Coordinator: Alexandra Beilis, Meagan Bridges, Creative Services: Robert Fenequito, Andrea Galambos, Erica Harper Alicia Rondon, Willy Wu, Susan Zhu Roily Miller Online Archivist: Brian Williams Production Assistant: Business Assistants;. Shereen Arthur, Danielle Roberts

141 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

5,2005

THE CHRONICLE

Better commun cat ion about computers needed

'3 u E— l

Over

which had begun a month earlier when hackers got into tape drives that back up files. Though almost 100 percent of the lost files were recovered, the five weeks when the server was down produced plenty of staffeditoria problems anxiety and lost began last May when hackers productivity. More recently, Duke Unitapped into one of Duke University Health System’s webversity Libraries’ on-line catasites. The attack compromised log crashed, resulting in the the security of 5,500 users’ passloss of data entered from July words and more than 8,000 21 to Sept. 11. Students were fragments of Social Security inconvenienced by looking for books that the catalog didn’t numbers. Then in July, three out of show as being checked out, seven drives on a server at the and by being unable to access Pratt School of Engineering class readings through the Ecrashed simultaneously, taking reserves system. down two million files. The On top ofit all, a virus poscrash was the culmination of ing as an e-mail from Duke’s multiple unrelated events, administration has been circuthe past several months, hackers, computer crashes and email viruses have disrupted the smooth functioning of computer systems at Duke The string of computer

was a

comedy

of errors.

—Judith Ruderman,

vice provost for academic and administrative services, on the recent mishap involving applications for the Undergraduate Experience Task Force. See story, page 1.

I think it is important for students to personalize their residence hall room, especially since it's their home away from home. Their room is also the place where they spend the vast majority of their time—so it needs to feel comfortable and is hopefully a place where students can

feel productive.

Deb Lo Biando, assistant dean of residential life and housing services, on students who decorate their dorm rooms. See story, page 1.

Est. 1905

The Chronicle

Inc. 1993

SEYWARDDARBY, Editor SARAH KWAK, ManagingEditor STEVE VERES, News Editor SAIDI CHEN, University Editor TIFFANY WEBBER, University Editor KELLY ROHRS, Editorial Page Editor MIKE VAN PELT, Sports Editor JONATHANANGIER, GeneralManager TOM MENDEL, Photography Editor VICTORIA WESTON, Health & Science Editor ADAM EAGLIN, City & State Editor DAN ENGLANDER, City & State Editor ALEX FANAROFF, Sports Managing Editor QINZHENG TIAN, Sports Photography Editor CORINNE LOW, Recess Editor ROBERT WINTERODE, Recess Editor VARUN LELLA, Recess Photography Editor ALEX WARR, Recess Design Editor MINGYANG LIU, Wire Editor IZA WOJCIECHOWSKA, Wire Editor KAREN HAUPTMAN, Online Editor SARAH BALL, Editorial Page Managing Editor EMILY ALMAS, TowerviewEditor MATT SULLIVAN, TowerviewEditor ANDREW GERST, Towerview Managing Editor ANTHONY CROSS, Towerview PhotographyEditor BEN PERAHIA, UniversitySenior Editor ISSA HANNA, Editorial Page Senior Editor KATIE SOMERS, Recess Senior Editor MARGAUX KANIS, SeniorEditor AARON LEVINE, Senior Editor DAVIS WARD, SeniorEditor SUE NEWSOME, AdvertisingDirector BARBARA STARBUCK,Production Manager MARY WEAVER, OperationsManager YU-HSIEN HUANG, Supplements Coordinator NALINI MILNE, University Advertising Manager STEPHANIE RISBON, AdministrativeCoordinator TheChronicleis published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc a non-profitcorporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or twstees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorialboard. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views ofthe authors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-46%. To reach the Business Office at 103 West Union Building, call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 101 West Union Building call 684-3811 or fax 684-8295. Visit The Chronicle Online at ,

http-J/www.chronicie.duke.edu. C 2005 TheChronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C 27708. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without theprior, written permission of the Business Office. Each individ-

ual is entitled to one free copy.

In the past, Duke officials have done a competent and even a superb job of informing students, faculty and staffwhen computer flair ups occur. With the latest string of computer problems, however, communication has been subpar. Officials have informed students when computer systems were back up but have often failed to inform them direcdy about computer problems as

they were actually occurring. Additionally while computer disruptions do get posted on the Office ofInformationTech-

nology’s website, they are sometimes

not

prominently dis-

played, and one often has to click through a couple ofpages before being able to learn about current security threats.

It would be helpful to students if the appropriate authorities at Duke made a more concerted effort to communicate ongoing computer problems. Then, for example, a student would not spend two hours searching for a book before learning that a computer crash lost data from the li-

brary’s catalog. When it comes to the revirus posing as an e-mail from Duke’s administration, the University has a special responsibility to inform students about the threat. In the past when similar incidents occurred, OIT has done good job of sending e-mails to students, warning them about the viruses. Of course, the onus of protecting student’s computcent

ers from hackers and viruses does not rest solely on the

University. Students must remain vigilant and careful themselves. They shouldn’t open an email attachment, no matter how benign it appears, unless they trust the source that originally sent it. Additionally, it’s important to install a firewall and have regularly updated anti-virus software. Both are downloadable from OlT’s website. Nevertheless, Duke needs to do a better job of communicating with its students so that they are aware of server crashes, hackers, viruses and other computer disruptions. It would save thousands of students time, energy and

anxiety.

letterstotheeditor

ontherecord This

lating around campus.

Brownstone is not substance-free I’m a sophomore currendy living in Brownstone and would like to clear up a misconception that made its way into the Monday, Monday column. I write knowing it’s a humor column, so I do not wish to make this a big deal. I’ll admit that, before I rushed, I had also heard a rumor that Brownstone was substance-free. But after rushing and getting to know the dorm, I know that this is not the case. Just like members of other selective houses (with the exception of the newly created group called “Wellness”), those of us in Brownstone are free to make our own decisions about alcohol. In addition, Brownstone is not affiliated with Brown dorm on East Campus. There are people in Brownstone who drink and those who chose not to drink, but the decision is always left to the individual. The column is a concern to me because it gives an inaccurate impression to students who might consider rushing for the house. It is important to clarify that Brownstone is a social dorm that does not make decisions about whether or not its members can or cannot drink.

Jane Chen

Trinity ‘OB

Co-Rush Chair of Brownstone St. Patrick lured snakes With the approach of the Christian feast day of All Saints (Nov. 1 in the Western liturgical calendar), perhaps The Chronicle should consider hiring several additional feet

checkers, and possibly a myth-andsymbol checker, to deal with coverage of worship in Duke Chapel.

In the Oct. 3 article on the

Chapel’s “blessing of the pets” (“Pets receive blessings at serv-

ice”) you report that this annual ceremony takes place in conjunction with “the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of animals famed for driving the snakes out of Ireland.” A British colleague at Ecumenical News International, who is something of a stickler for syntax, remarks, “if animals won’t drive out snakes, what will?” But are animals famed for doing so? It is my suspicion that your reporter has confused St. Francis with St. Patrick. I hope for the sake of the student athletes that Duke will not soon confront Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish. Rev. Theodore Gill World Council of Churches Geneva, Switzerland Blue-White tickets on sale Tickets for the Blue and White game Oct. 22 are on sale Wednesday until 4 p.m. or until they are sold out at the ticket office in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Students get one free ticket and may purchase a maximum of two tickets for their parents at $2O each, cash or check only. Lauren Troyer Pratt ‘O6 HeadLine Monitor Harriet Miers not qualified Sandra Day O’Connor, Laura

Bush and many other female leaders have called upon President George W. Bush to name a woman to the Supreme Court. He has indeed done that with Harriet Miers, his nominee to replace O’Connor. The problem is, despite having ovaries, she is not qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court. I am not saying that she’s unqualified because she’s a woman, nor am I saying she’s unqualified because she’s extremely conservative. I’m not even saying she’s unqualified because she’s one of President Bush’s closest friends. I’m saying she’s unqualified because Harriet Miers has never been a judge. True, she has almost 18 months of experience as White House Counsel. She also has 5 years of experience as a private attorney. In order to do these things, she’s probably a smart lady. However, she has never been a judge. I have as much judicial experience as she does (maybe more—on take-your-child-towork day, I got to bang the gavel once when I was 8). I don’t agree that we automatically need a woman or a minority as our next associate justice of the Supreme Court. We should have the person who is most qualified, regardless of gender or skin color. The most qualified person is certainly not someone who has spent a grand total of zero hours behind the bench. Come on, Mr. President. You can do better than this. David Shiffman Trinity ‘O7

LETTERS POLICY The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the edi-

columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address. Letters should not exceed 325 words. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor. tor or guest

Direct submissions to: Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696 E-mail; letters@chronicle.duke.edu

THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,

THE EMOTIONAL PR

RESSION OF

200511 5

On leadership

XAMS

OPTIMISM

I’ve been wanting to write a column on leadership. On what it is, what it ought to be and how well it’s practiced here at Duke. But I figured that, ifI wrote it, I’d sound like I was preaching, or, even worse, I’djust sound boring. But judging by recent events, I think some of us could use a sermon on how to lead, even ifI sound a little cheesy in the process. It seems like we’ve been complaining for awhile now; about the intellectual syaasSFss*** climate on campus; about social life or the absence thereof; about unfair, unwieldy and unnecessary administrative policies. This grumbling hasn’t really anthony collins produced much in the way if only you knew of change, though. And it’s because of something else we’ve been complaining about recently: ineffective student government and the lack of student leadership. The latest chapter in this ongoing saga of student dissatisfaction involves Campus Council and their endorsement of a Residence Life and Housing Services plan to shorten the upperclassman move-out period. Apparently, the Council felt pressured to accept a plan they didn’t too much favor in the first place. Faced with the choice of representing student interests or bowing to the administration, they chose the latter. According to published reports, they knew what students desired, and they knew what they, themselves, wanted, but they were too timid to advocate for more than they thought they might get. They preferred to acquiesce rather than fail trying to secure our interests. And then, in a show of ambivalence, Campus Council reversed its position when faced with the dissatisfaction of the student body. Campus Council President Jay Ganatra issued a statement claiming that Campus Council now supports die eight-business-day move-out period. And, in a further show of indecisiveness, he implied that student,surveys will be used in the upcoming weeks to shape the future stance of the Council. This kind of reminds me of Alexandre Ledru-Rollin, the French politician who, while watching a growing mass of protesters march through the streets of Paris, shouted: “There go my people! I must find out where they are going so I can lead them!” This is precisely the kind of pseudo-leadership we are plagued by on campus; leadership that attempts to lead from the back or by looking back; leadership that is uninformed and, therefore, indecisive. Many Campus Council members genuinely thought that the organization’s opinion would have little effect on the move-out policy. And they were certainly justified in their thinking since Campus Council has little if any actual power. But true leadership strikes a balance between realism and idealism. A good leader knows when to bargain and when to demand; when to give and when to take; when to compromise and when to confront. Duke student government organizations merely possess a symbolic and influential power that can only be effective in unity. The relative strength of this power of persuasion is solely determined by the clarity of our collective voice. Should we choose to broadcast a muddled and discordant voice, we risk the ear of the administration and the confidence of the Duke student body. If we pass one resolution just to repeal it the next week and have to conduct massive surveys because we don’t really have a clue what students want, then we show our weakness and jeopardize our influence. Leaders aren’t leaders because they want to be. They’re leaders because of the vision they already have, the strength they’ve already forged and because the direction in which they’re already headed just so happens to be the direction their followers desire to travel. Changing your own direction just so you can stay at the front of the crowd is not leadership, it’s self interest, the antithesis of the self sacrifice necessary to lead. I don’t mean to jump on the bandwagon of criticizing those who have the will and courage to try to effect some change on campus. And I don’t mean to blame Campus Council for a universal problem. They are hardly the only ones responsible for or suffering from a lack ofeffective leadership. But the fact is, we’re still complaining, and little is being done to address our grievances. If the essence of leadership is to change things, then our purported leaders are failing. It seems to me that we need to make some real changes to student life. But in order to do that, we need some real leadership. 4

DESPAIR

im -

The illusion offree will

Last

school year, a chemistry professor at Duke let gender, age and idiosyncratic personality traits deterhis class of approximately 300 students self-grade mine the contents of my closet. Whether I choose today to don my green corduroys or blues its homework. The average grade jeans depends on my mood at the moon the assignments was nearly 100 perment, what I’ve worn in the previous cent, despite low class attendance. On few days and local weather conditions. exams, which were open-note, the class Free will is not part of the equation. average hovered in the low-to-mid A disconcerting implication of the eighties There were two possible reasons denial of free will is the attack it makes for this discrepancy in grades: 1) 300 on accountability. If people truly aren’t dishonest Duke undergraduates all free agents, then how can a sodetyjustify holding them accountable for their just happened to enroll in the same preeti aroon actions? There’s no reason for worry. We chemistry course, or 2) situations atm for the stars can, for example, justify the prosecution not personal morals—determine human behavior. of thieves on the basis that properly administered punishments —such as incarceration—proCommon sense eliminates reason one, Reason two is right, but it drives a stake into one of tect law-abiding citizens, teach incarcerated thieves not to steal in the future and deter potential thieves from the core values ofAmerican civic culture: individual readopting a life ofcrime. Just because people aren’t free sponsibility. Individual responsibility assumes that people are free agents who, acting out of their own free agents doesn’t mean they can go scot-free! The one great benefit that humankind stands to wills, make their own individual choices in life. If peogain from Jettisoning free will is that it will focus ple make bad choices, it’s their fault alone. Fingerpointing is not allowed. greater attention on reforming societal conditions and Free will, though, is ultimatelyjust an illusion. What rules so that they better promote desired human bemay seem to be “choices” are simply reactions to one’s haviors. Government corruption in developing counexternal environment. Like the self-grading students tries, for example, isn’t the result of the individual in the chemistry class, people’s behavior is determined moral shortcomings of public officials. Just as in the case of the “dishonest” Duke chemistry students, govby the set-up of the situations they encounter, not perernment corruption is the fault of weak policies that sonal morals. This point is illustrated well by the so-called obesity don’t effectively deter, detect and penalize inappropriepidemic. Americans aren’t force-fed 32-ounce Cokes ate conduct. Bottom line: Human “decision-making” can be at the movies and 560-calorie Big Macs at McDonald’s. But, they sure seem to be stuffing theirfaces a lot more schematically portrayed as follows: now than they were a few decades ago. Where does individual responsibility come into play? Do the AmeriEnvironment (societal rales conditions) cans of 2005 really have less self control than the Personal life history Americans of 1985? Innate personality traits Biological drives The same logic applies to immigrants. Fresh off the boat, they’re slim. A few years later, they’re as pokable A person’s environment (as in societal rules and as the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Do immigrants simply turn combined with that person’s life history, conditions), their cards? green in their willpower as they pick up biological drives and innate personality traits (e.g. a No, the obesity epidemic isn’t the result of a nationwide decline of the personal virtues of restraint and risk-taking versus cautious personality), factor into that person’s subconscious cost-benefit analysis of a situamoderation. Rather, it stems from the growth of a market economy that responds to consumer demands, tion. Out of this weighing of the costs versus the benefits of choosing a particular behavior, the person which in this case happen to be the basic human bio“makes the decision” that maximizes benefits over and calorie-dense foods energy-saving logical drives.for costs. Free will is out of the equation! If we want to activities. Would you like some fries with that? uncomfortable to change people’s behaviors, we have to change someMany people may initially find it think that free will is an illusion. Most of the time, we thing in the box above! Epilogue; Free will is just an illusion. Yes, it’s bitter feel like we are making our own decisions. Don’t we all to swallow. look into pill choose what to wear each morning? But, as I limited and my jeans closet, is selection to why my my Preeti Aroon is a graduate student in public policy. Her colorful corduroy pants, as opposed to business suits, culture, column runs every other Wednesday. kente cloth dresses or sarongs? The answer: My —

Decision’

Anthony Collins is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Wednesday.

THE CHRONICLE

16IWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,2005

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