December 5, 2008 by Duke Chronicle Print Archives

The Chronicle Financiers V mull causes of the crisis by

mourns Mumbai terror victims

Jared Goodman THE CHRONICLE

Amid chaos in the markets, leaders from some of finance’s biggest players came to Duke to debate the causes of the global financial crisis. A panel discussion, titled “Private Equity, Sovereign Funds and the Global Credit Crunch,” drew an audience that filled the School of Law’s Star Commons Thursday to discuss the current credit crisis and the future of private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds. The panel was led by James Cox, Brainerd Currie Professor of Law, and featured three influential names in the world of private equity and sovereign wealth funds. John Canning, Law ’69 and co-founder and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, and Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder and chairman ofThe Blackstone Group, represented private equity firms and spoke of the progression of events that led to the current crisis. “It all looks so obvious in hindsight that the business model for investment banks was not sustainable,” Canning said, reiterating a sentiment that seemed to reflect the views of all panelists. Also present was Gao Xiqing, Law ’B6 SEE CRISIS ON PAGE 8

ZACHARY TRACER/THE

CHRONICLE

Approximately 100 members of the Duke community gather on the Chapellawn Thursday to mourn the victimsof last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. BY

NAtJREEN KHAN THE CHRONICLE

Although 8,000 miles away, last week’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, reverberated as far as the Chapel steps Thursday night. Bearing candles and sitting in a tight semicircle, approximately 100 people of all faiths and races gathered for a vigil on the Chapel lawn to share personal stories of loss. “Everything that those terrorists did was to show us all that is ugly in the world,” said Tariq Mohideen, a senior and a Chronicle columnist who came to mourn the loss of a close family friend in

the attack. “But Sam lived his life to the fullest and to do what is g00d.... We owe it to [the victims] to live our lives the best way that we can.” Armed with AK-47s and hand grenades, 10 Muslim assailants laid siege to the economic and entertainment epicenter of India for longer than 60 hours starting last Wednesday, taking more than 170 victims in the city’s luxury hotels and tourist attractions, including the five-star Taj Mahal Hotel and an orthodox Jewish center. Although India has been the site of attacks from religious fundamentalists in the past, this particular ac of terror

has captivated the world because of its scale. “I haven’t been able to cry about it because I’ve been so far away,” said senior Sarah Sham, who grew up in Mumbai and helped organize the vigil. “A beautiful city was ripped apart. It’s like 9/11 happened to all of our favorite places.” Though fingerpointing between India and Pakistan has dominated the headlines in the aftermath of the attacks, the overriding themes of Thursday evening were unity over, divisiveness and hope over despair. SEE VIGIL ON PAGE 5

Trustee Gao builds Duke’s China ties Alumni look to start Latino by

Will Robinson

THE CHRONICLE

A Duke School ofLaw alumnus transformed modem U.S.

foreign policy toward China in 1972. But the law school’s most prominent Chinese graduate is just glad that his countrymen

COURTNEY DOUGLAS/THE CHRONICLE

Gao Xiqing,Law 'B6 and Board ofTrustees member, is the general manager ofChina InvestmentCorp., China's $2OO-billion sovereign wealthfund.

scholarship

learned how to spell “Duke.” Since President Richard Nixon, Law ’37, held his historic meeting with Premier Chou En-lai and Chairman Mao Tse-tung to normalize U.S. relations with China, the University has struggled to establish its own bond with theworld’s most populous country. The July 1 appointment of Gao Xiqing, Law ’B6, to the Board of Trustees is a development that could greatly aid Duke’s effort. Gao, whom Esquire magazine called “one of the most powerful men in the world,” was the first Chinese citizen to pass the New York State Bar Exam. He was a Richard Nixon Scholar in the School of Law and he worked for Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon in New York—the law firm where Nixon worked. Gao is now the general manager and chiefinvestment officer of the China Investment Corp.—a sovereign wealth fund worth $2OO billion launched in September 2007. He arrived in Durham Thursday to attend his first Board ofTrustees meeting this weekend. The University’s reputation in China is “much better” than

After meeting its $3OO million goal in endowment for financial aid last month, the University may soon have a new, more targeted source of endowmentfunding. The Duke University Latino Alumni Association is currently developing a Latino Scholarship Fund to provide need-based scholarships to incoming Latino students. The Financial Aid Office would extract money from the endowment to provide aid to Latino students. “The reality is that the Latino population is going to need leadership and Duke wants those leaders to be trained at Duke,” said Christopher Brandt, Trinity ’OO and a Latino alumnus helping to spearhead the

SEE GAO ON PAGE 6

SEE SCHOLARSHIP ON PAGE 7

Emma Miller

THE CHRONICLE

2 I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

yfy Canada leader suspends Parliament

Israeli soldiers storm Hebron house

HEBRON, West Bank Israeli soldiers and police stormed a disputed building in the biblical city of Hebron on Thursday, dragging out 250 settlers in a raid meant to send a warning to Jewish young extremists fighting to keep what they see as Gpd-promised land. But activists responded with a wave of attacks on Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank, even as Israeli politicians and some settler leaders denounced them. This city of 170,000 Palestinians, with about 600 of the most extreme Jewish settlers living among them in small enclaves, is the traditional burial site of Abraham, the shared patriarch of both Jews and Muslims, and has been a focal point of Israeli-Arab violence for decades. ~

yjv

India names militant group in attack

NEW DELHI A Pakistani militant group apparently used an Indian operative as far back as 2007 to scout targets for the elaborate plot against India's financial capital, authorities said Thursday, a blow to Indian officials who have blamed the deadly attacks entirely on Pakistani extremists. As investigators sought to unravel the attack on Mumbai, stepping up questioning of the lone captured gunman, airports across India were put on high alert amid fresh warnings that terrorists planned to hijack an aircraft.

Today at Duke

...

Campus Concert Series Bryan Center, 5:30 8:30 p.m. Take a break from studying to enjoy a free concert featuring some of the Triangle's best rock bands. -

Prime Minister Stephen Harper OTTAWA suspended Parliament on Thursday to avoid alan most certain defeat in a confidence vote unprecedented move allowing him to retain power and confront Canada's flagging economy. The Conservative leader won the approval of the unelected representative of the head of state for the power to shut down Parliament until Jan. 26, hoping to buy enough time to develop a stimulus package. "Today's decision will give us an opportunity—I'm talking about all the parties—to focus on the economy and work together,” Harper said. Harper, whose party won reelection just two months ago, said a budget will be the first order of business when Parliament resumes.

Congress skeptical of auto bailout WASHINGTON U.S. automakers drew fresh skepticism from lawmakers Thursday in a rocky � confrontation over their pleas for an expanded $34 billion rescue package they say they need to survive. Congressional analysts said one bailout plan under consideration would fall short of what the carmakers want. With time on the current Congress running out, opposition to the bailout appeared to be as strong as last weekbefore Detroit's Big Three auto chiefs returned to Capitol Hill with more detailed plans on how they would spend the money. Several lawmakers in both parties are pressing the automakers to consider a so-called "pre-packaged" bankruptcy in which they would negotiate with creditors in advance and downsize, then file for Chapter 11 protection in hopes of emerging quickly as stronger companies. The Big Three have publicly shunned the notion, saying it would kill sales by destroying customers' confidence—but executives have indicated in recent days that it might ultimately be necessary.

TODAY

4938

FRIDAY partly cloudy

Blackwater guards may face prison

WASHINGTON —BlackwaterWorldwide guards involved in the deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting of Iraqi civilians could face mandatory 30-year prison sentences under an aggressive anti-drug law being considered as the Justice Department readies indictments, people close to the case said. Charges could be announced as early as Monday for the shooting, which left 17 civilians dead and strained U.S. relations with the fledgling Iraqi government. Prosecutors have been reviewing a draftindictment and considering manslaughter and assault charges for weeks. A team of prosecutors returned to the grand jury room Thursday and called no witnesses.

Houston airport sets up karaoke

HOUSTON —Leaving on a jet plane? Is the waiting the hardest part? Try airport karaoke! Houston's Bush International Airport is setting up karaoke booths for travelers, just in time for the holidays. One was to be up and running on Thursday afternoon, airport officials said. Forthe past two years,officials have invitedchoirsand bandsfrom high schools and churches to perform at Bush and Hobby airports during December. Karaoke seemed the next logical step, said Caroline Schneider,assistant airport manager for customer service.

—compiled from wire reports

SATURDAY partly cloudy

partly cloudy

There is more to life than increasing its speed. —Gandhi

THE CHRONICLE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008 I 3

Ruling puts Pegram splinter group pushes self-rule Nifong case in fed court by

Julius Jones

THE CHRONICLE

A federal judge rejected a bankruptcy appeal from disbarred former district attorney Mike Nifong Thursday, which will allow the three wrongly indicted former lacrosse players to pursue their charges against him. Nifong sought bankruptcy protection in January, citing a debt of $lBO million, Which includes $3O million owed to each of the three players. Federal Bankruptcy Judge William Stocks ruled in May that the players could pursue their case in federal court—outside bankruptcy court, as Nifong requested. Nifong had filed for an appeal in June, The Chronicle previously reported. Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans, Trinity ’O6, filed a civil lawsuit against Nifong, the city of Durham and Durham Police Department in October 2007. They filed 12 personal injury allegations against Nifong. U.S. District Judge James Beaty ruled on Nifong’s appeal Thursday, confirming that the allegations should be judged in a single court

court.

“The Court notes that the underlying claims against the debtor are non-core matters for which a jury trial has been demanded, and the existence of parallel proceedings in the bankruptcy court and in this court in these circumstances would result in confusion, delay, unnecessary duplication of effort and inefficient use of the parties’ and the court’s resources,” the ruling reads.

—from staffreports

The flames ofsecession still bum strong in the Land ofDixie. Fed up with a House Council they called “oppressive,” residents of a wing of the second floor of Pegram Residence Hall are attempting to secede from the

dormitory. Selador—the name of the upstart com-

munity—has taken steps to establish itself as an independent living group by selecting a leadership team, requesting representation on East Campus Council and pe-

titioning the East Campus Programming Committee for funding. Members said they have been meeting with East Campus Event Coordinator Dorothy Lou Bailey and hope Selador will be recognized as an official living community. The group will be submitting a funding request next semester to East Campus Council, Barr said. It seems unlikely that Selador would receive program funding, however, because they are not yet an officially recognized student organization, said Campus Council Vice President Kevin Thompson,

a senior. He added that if Selador members asked Pegram House Council to address their grievances, their complaints could be corrected much more easily than attempting to establish a new living group. “If they are really trying to improve the living situation in Pegram and went to the Pegram House Council leadership and the graduate resident that advises them, then I am sure they would be more than willing to work with them,” Thompson said. The Seladorian hall was distinguished from the rest of Pegram by strands of

LARSA AL-OMAISHI/THE CHRONICLE

Members of a hall on thesecondfloor of Pegram Residence Hall recently created their own living group called Seladorafter some residents were upset over thevolume of e-mails from the Pegram House Council. multi-colored love beads until the house-

keeping staff took them down. Selador member Brett Barr, a freshman, said the group formed in part to protest the volume of e-mails sent by Pegram House

Council,

House Council Treasurer Zhe Ma said he does not see Selador as a threat to Pegram, noting that he thinks the community was founded as a joke. Members of Selador, however, insist that it is no laughing matter. Residents of the second floor threw a party Nov. 14 to celebrate birthdays that took place over the summer and at the be-

ginning of the semester. The celebration was so successful that the party planners decided to break off from the rest of the dormitory, said Selador member Tony Jiang, a freshman. Selador soon took on a life of its own and is cultivating a unique culture, said Seladorian Government Official Lyell McMerty, who writes for The Chronicle. The community’s name is loosely based on Lord of the Rings, and it even has its own language, which is similar to common English except each word is followed by a SEE SELADOR ON PAGE 7

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THE CHRONICLE

4 1 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

ACADEMIC COUNCIL

Lange updates body on faculty diversity Lindsey Rupp THE CHRONICLE

ERIC

MANSFIELD/THE CHRONICLE

Campus Council members hear a plan from RLHS to test the Few Quadrangle fire alarm system next week at its meeting Thursday. Crews will try to minimize the disruption to students studying for finals.

CAMPUS COUNCIL

Fire alarms in Few to go off through next week by

Julia Love

THE CHRONICLE

Students already stressed about final exams next week may feel an even greater sense of alarm due to renovations in Few

Quadrangle.

Testing of the Few Quad fire alarm system began Thursday and will continue through next week, Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life, announced at Campus Council’s weekly meeting Thursday. Although the alarms may sound during final exams Tuesday and Thursday of next week, crews have been notified

of the academic climate on campus and will conduct the horn testing—the most disruptive part of the drill—as quickly as possible, he said. Gonzales apologized for the exam-time distraction, but noted that the fire alarm testing must be conducted now if the Few Quad construction project is to be completed in time for a January student movein date. “[The fire alarms testing] is inconvenient, but it’s unavoidable,” said Campus SEE CAMPUS ON PAGE 5

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Although Duke’s efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty members are mostly on track, they still lag in some academic fields such as the natural sciences, Provost Peter Lange said at the Academic Council meeting Thursday. Lange, in his biannual Faculty Diversity Initiative update to the council, said one reason for persistently low numbers of minorities and women in specific fields—particularly the natural sciences—is the relatively small number of minority and women in the pools of hirees the University must compete within for those faculty. “We are one of the best universities in the Peter Lange country. We should be able to recruit anyone we want, or at least make a good run at them,” he said. “So simply saying, ‘The pool is really small and that’s why we have none of X or none of Y is not an appropriate response.” The Faculty Diversity Initiative—which has been in place since the completion of the Black Faculty Strategic Initiative in 2003—focuses on recruiting and retaining minority and female faculty in fields where they are underrepresented. Although the more recent initiative has no numerical goals, Lange 1

said it has been an effective push for diversifying faculty. Lange reviewed data illustrating the University’s progress toward its racial and gender diversity goals by humanities, natural sciences and school as compared to the other Consortium on Financing Higher Education universities averages. “Numbers can only begin our understanding of the ways which we are building a diverse community and an inclusive community here at Duke,” Lange said. “The numbers tell a necessary but only a part of the story.... We have accomplished much and we still have much to do.” The University is continuing to make progress on its original 10 Point Plan designed to provide leadership, mentoring, funding and self-scrutiny to promote retention of current faculty and strategic hiring, Lange said. He also addressed the question of faculty turnover in light of the current economic climate. He said that it is likely faculty hiring will slow down in the next few years due to disincentives to retirement from the external market, disincentives to hiring from other schools because of budget constraints and tighter resources at Duke. “If you put those three factors together, it’s clear that we’re going to have real pressures on our ability to do what I would call faculty replacement,” Lange said. SEE ACADEMIC ON PAGE

THE CHRONICLE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008 1 5

VIGIL from page 1

CAMPUS from page 4

“It is pain after pain for Muslims, these Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli. “This act of violence, this act of aggression is not towards [Mumbai], not towards India, but towards all of humanity and should be condemned in the strongest terms possible.” Catholic and Jewish leaders expressed hope that the different faith communities could come together in mutual mourning despite the old wounds opened by the attacks. “This is really a universal pain,” said Rabbi Michael Goldman, the rabbi for Jewish Life at Duke. “If there’s an essential difference between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ it’s not us Jews versus them Muslims.... If there is an essential difference between us and them, it’s what do we do with our rage, with our anger. And also what to we do with our compassion?”

Council President Molly Bierman, a senior. “Postponing [the tests] would do more harm than good.” The group also heard a presentation from sophomore Johnathan Pryor, who disclosed the results of a survey Campus Council conducted in October to determine student preferences for athletic facilities on Central Campus. The University is planning to restructure the four tennis courts and two basketball courts on Central Campus. More than two-thirdsof students surveyed said they would like to see the basketball and tennis courts redone. Campus Council will recommend the construction of several courts that double for basketball and tennis games and one artificial turf field to Eddie

acts ofterror,” said

“Postponing [the fire alarm tests] would do more harm than good.” Molly Bierman, senior and president of Campus Council

“I haven’t been able to cry about it because IVe been so far away... A beautiful city was ripped apart. It’s like 9/11 happened to all of our favorite places.” Sarah Sham, senior and vigil organizer The Jewish community particularly felt the death of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his wife, Rivka, 28, who were in Mumbai operating an outpost of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement when they were killed. Their two-year-old son was rescued from the assault. Their story has incited international outpourings of sympathy and support. “The terrorists turned a city that was bright and light into one that was filled with death,” Rabbi Zalman Bluming, executive director of Chabad at Duke, said in an interview. “My hope is that future generations will not have to grow up in the same world filled with hatred that that child grew

ZACHARY TRACER/THE CHRONICLE

Thursday's candlelight vigil on the Chapel Quadranglefor thevictimsof the Mumbai terror attacks drew about 100 individuals of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. More than 170people died in the attacks. up in. I believe with every fiber of my being that goodness is far more powerful than this carnage and evil.” Participants in the vigil also took time to pay homage to the city that many in the congregation knew and cherished, praising Mumbai for its valiant efforts to both combat future violence and recover from the tragedy. “What I really loved about [Mumbai] was the intimacy of the city, despite its size, and its resilience,” said senior Preeyanka Shah, recounting the story of a compassionate taxi driver who helped her find her way home during a strike on a recent visit. “It’s one of the most amazing cities in the world because of these interactions. I think we should keep in

mind that [Mumbai] is going to bounce back from this.” Some, however, questioned how much a vigil could proactively combat the types of terror perpetrated by the attackers. “Unless we do something about the situation, we will spend our whole life lighting candles,” said a student who chose not to identify himself. Yet most in the crowd said they believed that the show of solidarity was cathartic and of great value to the Duke community. “Sure, lighting a candle may seem silly but we’re all coming together and that’s what’s important, and one day, maybe some concrete change will come from that,” Sham said after the event.

Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services, who will make the final decision. Bierman concluded the meeting by reviewing a list of Campus Council’s accomplishments this semester, which include streamlining Quad Council training and elections, dissolving the Central Campus Graduation Week Fee, providing $25,000 in funding for the Last Day of Classes celebration and expanding programming for Devil’s Eve. “I want to thank you all,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s input, and I’m sure we will have many more things to add to the list next

semester.”

In other business: Pryor was elected to be an at-large senator to replace juniorDivya Yerramilli, who is stepping down from her post.

THE CHRONICLE

6 1 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

Wang episode—when the Chinese sophomore became the

GAO from page 1

of an international controversy after some believed her attempt to mediate a Tibet protest was a move against China—do not accurately measure Duke’s reputation in the country, Merkx said. “Our stock in China goes up as our rating in Newsweek goes up,” he noted. As a successful business person, Gao fits the typical profile of a Board member, Merkx said. The only difference is that Gao is a Chinese citizen and the University’s first Asian Trustee. Even if Gao was not chosen for his nationality, his appointment as a Trustee still means that the man who manages China’s foreign exchange reserves will be making important decisions about the University. Gao said making global connections is a valuable objective for Duke. “It’s important for every educational institution, but especially important with China,” he said. If Duke wants to catch up with otheruniversities that are investing heavily in China, the appointment of an alumnus like Gao makes sense, said Ralph Litzinger, director of the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute. center

when he graduated from theSchool of Law in 1986, Gao said. “When I first went back very few people had heard of Duke, they all knew Columbia, Harvard, Yale and Princeton,” he said. “There were times when I received letters addressed to ‘Duck.’”

Making global connections China has moved from being a place of interest to being the University’s top international priority, said Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs. He said top administrators have become more focused on the country in the past three years, but added that Gao’s selection was not merely to boost the University’s reputation in China. “He’s clearly on the Board not because he’s a Chinese government official, but because he’s a successful business man,” he said. “Gradually it will become an international board rather than a national board—that would be my prediction.” Negative publicity from incidents like last year’s Grace

“It’s a win-win for the Chinese government, and it’s a win-win for Duke,” he said. Concerns over Gao’s appointment Kristin Butler, Trinity ’OB, and Ed Rickards, Trinity ’63, criticized Gao’s appointment in a September column published in The Chronicle. They questioned the Board’s judgment in appointing a Chinese government official, citing the Chinese government’s historical disregard for human rights. Butler, however, said the column’s criticism was not specifically about China. “The problems we see in Gao’s appointment have more to do with the clandestine manner in which he was selected, the self-perpetuating nature of the Board itself,” she wrote in an e-mail. “There’s a very plausible argument to be made in favor of engagement with China. But let’s have that debate in The Chronicle and on the quad, not behind closed doors.” Those familiar with Gao’s reputation in China said they were outraged by what they called unfair criticism: Gao is an investor, not a politician, they said. He is a capitalist who was instrumental in the founding of a Chinese stock exchange in

Shanghai.

Scott Savitt, Trinity ’B5, said in a September interview that Gao was a valuable addition to the Board, particularly because ofhis experience. “He is a solid member of the reformistbranch of the Chinese government,” said Savitt, who worked as a journalist in Beijing for more than 15 years. “He knows Chinese society from the bottom up. He’s worked on factories, he’s worked on farms. I don’t think there are too many American politicians who have had the same background,” he said. But there is still some possibility for controversy surrounding Gao’s appointment because of the emergence of sovereign wealth funds as a heated topic on Wall Street, said Connel Fullenkamp, associate professor ofeconomics. “It’s somewhat controversial sure, the fact that there is potential for political influences on sovereign wealth fund managers,” he said. “It really depends whether we see any of those political influences brought to bear.”

Giving back to Duke Gao’sjoumey to Duke tookseveral interesting turns. He

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was part of a wave of Chinese students who earned Duke law degrees in the 1980s. Gao, who was living in California at the time, drove across the country in a yellow 1979 Ford Pinto to enroll at Duke. “People tried to wave me down, thinking that I was a cab,” he said. Gao was the second Chinese student to enroll during the tenure ofPaul Carrington, former dean at the School ofLaw. Several other Chinese students followed him. “It was a mixed bag, some of them didn’t do very well,” Carrington said of the students. “Gao, of course, was the star of the group.” And Gao said he is committed to his alma mater. “It’s part of a culture here to give back to the university that trained you,” said John Gruetzner, vice chair of Intercedent Limited, a business advisory firm in Shanghai. Gruetzner praised Gao as a hardworking professional and said Rickards and Butler’s criticism was unfair. Gao, however, downplayed the contribution his financial experience would bring to the Board by noting the large collection of successful investors among the current Trustees. “They have all these very capable people—they don’t need me,” he said. Perhaps more important for Duke than Gao’s commitment to the University is his commitment to his home country. His loyalty to China could bode well for Duke’s relationship with the rapidly growing nation. “The first thing that stood out to me was: This guy’s a patriot,” Carrington said. “He was a bridge, and he liked that”

•

In other business: Nancy Allen, vice provost for faculty diversity and faculty development, said funds from the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Faculty Career Flexibility are being used to help faculty take advantage of parental leave and tenure clock stoppage. The University was one offive research universities to receive the $25,000 award in 2006 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Allen noted that educating current faculty and leadership as well as monitoring existing programs are key focuses. In response to recent information technology problems across the University, the body also heard a presentation about the Information Technology Advisory Council. ITAC Chair Terry Oas, associate professor of biochemistry and chemistry, told the council about ITAC’s role in the University as a communication tool for faculty and students to voice complaints to higher administration.

THE CHRONICLE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

SELADOR from page 3

SCHOLARSHIP from page 1

silent and invisible letter ‘Q.’ “We get along with the Pegramite»,” McMerty said. “However, as a culture and linguistically we are a totally different people.” Campus Council has no jurisdiction on which groups are officially recognized by the University, Thompson said. The Student Organization Finance Committee, a subsidiary of. Duke Student Government, determines which groups qualify for funding.

“I kind of agree with their fundamental ideology, but the way they are going about it is wrong.... They have no regard for the status quo.” Devon Townsend, Pegram resident Some Pegram residents said they are to the idea of Selador all the same. Others, however, said they are concerned that the community’s methods are

receptive

too extreme.

“I kind of agree with their fundamental ideology, but the way they are going about it is wrong,” said Pegram resident Devon Townsend, who is not a member of Selador. “They have no regard for the status quo. They are completely anarchist.” Townsend, a freshman, added that many Pegram residents support the dormitory’s House Council, explaining that the secession resulted because the student leaders refused to give into Selador’s

LARSA AL-OMAISHI/THE CHRONICLE

Membersof Selador—a hall in Pegram—hope to get recognition of their independent living group. demand for wilder parties “That is the fundamental difference between Selador and Pegram—the level of control,” he said. “[Ma] is a great leader who was not willing to compromise his principles, but Selador can’t be stopped. The [residence assistants] keep the rules and keep things safe, but Selador cannot be contained.” Selador recently annexed new “territory,” with three rooms on the third floor of Pegram now known as the “Northern Territories of Philopia,” McMerty said. Students living in Randolph and Blackwell Residence Halls have also expressed interest in joining the community, he added. Though they hope to continue expanding, Seladorian officials noted that they do not intend to force membership in the community on anyone.

ship Fund is that it is funded by alumni and it is need-based rather than merit-based. “This is the first time that an alumni association’s efforts. “This is a powerful tool group has done that,” Sanchez noted. for the admissions office.” DULAA’s efforts are crucial to building a DULAA began the scholarship fund for Latino community at Duke, Brandt said. Latino students in 2004 and has solicited “There is a lot of value included in havdonations from the growing body of Latino ing a diverse student body,” he said. “It also alumni since that time, Brandt said. happens dialLatinos are the fastest growing So far, the fundhas received gifts from close demographic in the United States, and that’s to 98 contributors and has grown to about something that wasn’t reflected in the Duke $125,000, said Julian Sanchez, director of the student body until very recendy.” Office ofIntercultural Affairs, who serves as an According to the College Board, Hisadviser to DULAA. The goal for 2009 will be to panics made up 6 percent of Duke’s Class grow the fund to about $250,000. of2012, compared to 11.5 percent at StanThe scholarship fund, however, is not yet ford University and 9 percent at both Yale large enough to begin administering aid to University and Princeton University. incoming Latino students. Peter Vaughn, Brandt said one of the challenges Duke executive director &f alumni and developfaces when recruiting Latino students is that ment communications, said the fund needs Durham is not a major urban center. to reach a level where it yields income be“When competing with Stanford or Cofore it can begin to be awarded on the basis lumbia University, it’s not naturally going to attract Latinos,” he said. “Also, it’s locatof need by the Financial Aid Office. ed in the South, which was not historically “I think that the alums who are developing this would like to see growth in the welcoming to people of. different ethnicifuture,” Sanchez said. “As more Latinos ties and cultures.” graduate from Duke and establish themAlthough the numberof donors and the selves in the professions, I think there’s size of the scholarship have grown substangood potential for this to grow.” tially since 2004, Brandt said he recognized Although the scholarship is still in its in- that the Latino alumni community is fairly fancy, Brandt said DULAA has high hopes young and “not typically in the giving porfor its expansion. tions of their careers and lives.” So the La“In an ideal world, our goal is to emutino Alumni Association plans to establish late the [Reginaldo Howard Memorial contacts in South Florida and other areas Scholarship] program, though we’re still with large Hispanic populations in an efin the womb, so to speak,” he said. fort to attract more funds. The Reginaldo Howard annually provides Regina Long, associate director of developfive full merit scholarships to students of Afment for Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, rican heritage. But the program, which was has faith in DULAA’s ability to grow the scholestablished in 1976, also began as a small arship and reach out to Latino students. scholarship program, Sanchez said. Initially “[DULAA is] so concerned about maka $6,000 to $B,OOO scholarship, it now fully ing sure that Duke is getting as much of an funds the recipient’s Duke education and opportunity as any other university at our room and board. level to produce leaders of Hispanic backWhat distinguishes the Latino Scholar- grounds,” she said.

Want to join a

fraternity/sorority? i.

Register online by December 5 for Panhel and January 7 for IFC. *h tin: / / oreek. studentafFairs. duke, edu/index.html* **

Participate in Panhellenic Recruitment on January 4-11. Move in begins on January 4 @ 10am for women only!

Participate in IFC Recruitment on January 8-26.

Questions? Ask Ruthie

ruthie.chen@duke.edu trent.mcnatt@duke.edu

Chen for Panhellenic at

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*lf you registered before or on December 3rd for Panhellenic Recruitment please attend the meeting on 12/3 at Bpm in the Griffith Film Theatre located In the Bryan Center

THE CHRONICLE

8 I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

CRISIS from page 1

COURTNEY DOUGLAS/THE CHRONICLE

A panel offinance industry players discuss the origins of the financial crisis with Professor ofLaw James Cox (far left) Thursday in Star Commons.

and general manager and chief investment officer of the China Investment Corporation—China’s sovereign wealth fund responsible for investing and managing $2OO billion in assets. Gao is also a member of the Board of Trustees. Although several factors played into the current credit crisis, Schwarzman said sub-prime mortgages were a primary reason for the tight credit markets. “The idea of lending money to poor people is the story of how this crisis started,” he said. He noted that a misalignment of incentives caused banks to only worry about reselling mortgage-backed assets, rather than assessing the value of the securities when they mature. “Securities were bought by investment firms that were sold to banks around the world... it was like an epidemic started in America,” Schwarzman said. But when people started to default on mortgages and investors realized the true value of the loans, banks were forced to hold on to the assets despite huge losses. Because investors were unsure of the value of assets held by banks and investment firms, banks stopped lending to each other, Schwartzman said. “Since financial institutions could not borrow, they stopped lending to everyone,” he said. All of the panelists stressed the need for banks to reduce their leverage ratios—the ratio of borrowed funds to equity. Some of the investment banks were leveraged 32-to-l, meaning that they borrowed $32 for every dollar they put up for an investment in hopes of maximizing their returns. Members of the panel all agreed that banks needed to “deleverage” by selling off borrowings. But the panel cautioned that it would be a long, and perhaps painful, process.

“Slow is OK, deliberate is OK, but mismanagement is not OK and it is why we are seeing losses in the

stock market.” Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder and chairman of The Blackstone Group If all the banks were to try and deleverage immediately, the market would be flooded with assets, driving down their prices. Schwarzman said the process can and should take up to five years. “Slow is OK, deliberate is OK, but mismanagement is not OK and it is why we are seeing losses in the stock market,” he said. The three major financial players, however, did not agree on all causes of the crisis. A point of contention among the panel was the role of mark-to-market, or fair accounting, practices in the credit crisis. Mark-to-market accounting is the process of assigning values to assets held by a financial company based on the current market price for the asset, rather than historical prices. Practices such as these played a role in the collapse of investment banks like Lehman Brothers, Schwarzman said. The other members of the panel, however, objected to this view. “What mark-to-market accounting did was expose that Lehman was leveraged 32-to-l,” Canning said. “It is like blaming your police department for catching you driving drunk.” Gao noted that mark-to-market accounting is more transparent and more predictable. As an investor in institutions that practice such accounting, he noted that fair accounting is important for investors. Gao also spoke about the difficult position that sovereign wealth funds have found themselves in. These organizations, which have come under fire recently for a lack of transparency, have played a big role in providing money for the bailout offinancial institutions. [Sovereign wealth funds were] trying to catch a falling knife,” he said. “If [the funds] get cut then everyone loves [them]. If the market goes up then everyone hates [them] again.” Although the current credit situation has improved over the past few months, it remains a large issuefor governments and people around the world, panel members said. The future offinancial institutions remains uncertain, though it is clear that private equity funds will be needed to provide capital for the economy to turn around, they added. “

SThe

Chronicle

>■> SPORTS BLOG

DOITS

December 5,2008

■

DUKE

SPORTS BLOG

fr,day

The Sports Blog sits down for a Q&A with associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski Want more Reggie Love? Scroll through a slideshow of Barack Obama's right-hand man

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

] CH

CRISLER ARENA SATURDAY 3:30 p.m. ESPN •

•

Blue Devils poised for non-conference rematch by

Ben Cohen

THE CHRONICLE

The last time No. 4 Duke played Michigan in the 2K Sports Classic final, the Blue Devils opted to take an extra hour of practice the morning of the game because of a quick turnaround between contests. The gameday session paid off later that night as Duke won the tournament title with ease. When they travel to Crisler Arena to take on Michigan for the second time in two weeks Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the Blue Devils will have had more than 24 hours to study the Wolverines’ variation of the Princeton offense and vaunted 1-3-1 zone defense—not that they appeared to need it in their 71-56 win Nov. 21. “For us, because of the unconventional way they play, it’s good to get extra preparation,” said junior Jon Scheyer, who scored eight points against the Wolverines. “Last time, I think we did a pretty good job, even though we really only had a day to prepare for them.” Duke (8-0) will have to deal with pressures other than a lack of superfluous

scouting, though. The Blue Devils will not be in the Duke-friendly atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, but rather in an already sold-out gym in front of fans who want revenge.

In addition, the team will stray from its typical travel schedule to accommodate for players’ exams and final papers. Duke won’t leave for Ann Arbor, Mich, until Friday night for the Saturday afternoon game, leaving less time to acclimate to the away setting than usual. “The thing that we battle this week is exams. Our guys have been finishing up papers and turning things in,” head coach MikeKrzyzewski said. “I thinkwe’re battling that a little bit, coming off a big win and being put in a pressure situation. To have these two days to prepare for Michigan is really good, but we’re going to be careful about how much time on the court we give them. The capacity is only so much.” As Krzyzewski alluded, the Blue Devils’ Tuesday win over No. 9 Purdue adds a new element to the rematch. This contest SEE M. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 10

VOLLEYBALL

Caroline Fairchild THE CHRONICLE

This weekend, the Blue Devils are about to experience a whole new world of competitive volleyball —California, here they come. Duke, the co-ACC champion, plays its first match in the NCAA tournament Friday at 8:30 p.m. against San Francisco in Los

Bn SBTI

SJg San Francisco

Defensive pressure

Angeles.

After an entire season of playing mostly conference foes, the Duke Blue Devils (24-8) are loo “"S fonvarc! FRIDAY, 8:30 p.m, to the challenges and Los Angeles excitement that come NCAA tournament from playing an unfamiliar team all the way across the country in the sport’s hotbed. “It’s really great that we are playing some opponents that aren’t in the ACC,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “Our team has continued to get better as the season has gone on, and as we go into playing our toughest competition of the year, this is when we want to play our best, and I think ,

ON PAGE 11

MAX MASNICK/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

SeniorSue Carls, a California native, plays across from her high school Friday in the NCAA tournament

overwhelms

Felicia Tan

THE CHRONICLE

Before returning home Thursday, Duke had struggled with its offense in a three-game road swing that resulted in one loss and another win that was too close for comfort. The No. 12 Blue Devils’ ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against lowa started in the same vein. But Duke finally found its offense with a little help from the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd. With 2:20 left in the first half, Duke fans rose to their feet to urge on the Blue Devils. Riding that enthusiasm, Krystal Thomas sank a > 471 jumper and Duke reeled off a 9m.i/r PUKE / 71 0 run to finally break out of the offensive funk that had plagued it for most of the first half. The Blue Devils built on that lead after the break, scrapping and defending their way to a 71-47 victory. “It kind of gets you riled up,” juniorJoy Cheek said of the fan support. “I think it’s really important to have people out there.” From the start, Duke (5-1) used physical, aggressive defense to take lowa (4-4) out of its game, closing off passing lanes and preventing the Hawkeyes from cutting to the basket. The Blue Devils forced 28 turnovers in the game,and lowa didn’t start hitting baskets until it was too late. “We used our athleticism to get them out of what they’re used to,” said guard Abby Waner, who posted a team-high seven assists and five steals. “I think that was huge.

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Duke breaks out of funk in time to cruise by

California matches await Duke in NCAA tourney by

Chante Black paced the No. 12 Blue Devils with 18points in Duke's 71 -47 win over lowa Thursday at home.

They could never get into their flex offense because we were constantly denying passes

that otherwise have been there for them.” lowa head coach Lisa Bluder acknowledged that Duke’s depth eventually wore her team down. Even while missing two key players, the Blue Devils had the personnel to put different players on Kristi Smith all night, clearly rattling the All-Big Ten guard with the pressure. Center Chante Black had a quietly solid night for Duke. Black was honored before the game as the 24th Blue Devil to register 1,000 career points, and she celebrated the achievement by putting up 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in 27 minutes. Before Duke scrapped its way to a sizeable second half lead, however, it struggled to find an offensive groove. The Blue Devils started 0-for-14 from the field and shot only 30.6 percent in the first half. They looked sorely out of sync at times, failing to score for another seven-minute stretch later in the half. “Sometimes [defensive] intensity spills over to speed on the other end of the floor, and perhaps not as much balance,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. Perhaps. But Duke also showed that it sorely missed its usual playmakers. Point guards Jasmine Thomas and Chelsea Hopkins were out with knee injuries. Hopkins underwent surgery earlier Thursday and is expected to be out for up to three weeks, while Thomas’ diagnosis for an MCL sprain is two weeks on the sideline. SEE W. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 11

THE CHRONICLE

10 1 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

Soreadin the Love

LAWSON KURTZ/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Junior Gerald Henderson scored 12 points when the Blue Devils beat Michigan 71-56 N0v.21 in New York.

M. BASKETBALL from page 9 has all the classic makings of a trap game, landing four days after a marquee win and before an 11-day break for finals. The fact that the Wolverines (5-2) have a unique style doesn’t help the time crunch, either, but (he Blue Devils’ previous games with them—both this year and last year, when Duke romped 95-67 in head coach John Beilein’s first season—provide them with some level of comfort. The Princeton ofTense is relatively prominent in college basketball, and the Blue Devils will encounter it again Jan. 17 when Georgetown—coached byjohn Thompson 111, a Pete Carril disciple—comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Wolverines, however, use it differmost teams, as they are content to settle for the backdoor layup, and when teams overplay the cut, they have no qualms launching threes. Shooting guard Manny Harris, in particular, is a dual threat in that respect. Harris scored a game-high 25 points against the Blue Devils in New York City. Michigan’s defense, on the other hand, is even more unique. Before Duke was able to dismantle it with ease, the zone defense confounded then-No. 4 UCLA into 17 turnovers and only 52 points. The Blue Devils’ countered the 1-3-1 with a combination of offensive approaches: They penetrated gaps, attacked corners, pushed the ball in transition and simply based their offense off of what the defense allowed. Still, despite the lack of preparation

ently than

LAWSON KURTZ/THE

CHRONICLE

FormerBlue Devil Reggie Love, who served as President-elect Barack Obama's body man during his campaign,stopped by Duke's basketball practice Thursday. Heis in town to preparefor theLSAT Saturday. time, Duke’s players had fewer things to worry about and could concentrate solely on basketball. On Saturday, the Blue Devils will have to deal with another hostile setting, lingering academic pressure —not to mention a Michigan squad that has improved like any other team. “When we played them [in New York],

we weren’t thinking about class or anything, and that’s what we have to do during these two days—to make sure we do focus,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s not the amount of time, it’s what focus you can bring. “I’m interested to see how we’ll do. It’s a big game to see mental toughness, to see how we can do in this situation.”

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THE CHRONICLE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008 1 11

VOLLEYBALL from page 9

it’s the best environment we could ask for, because California loves vol-

leyball.”

that we have set ourselves up to make that happen.” In addition to starting the postseason, Duke’s players are looking forward to playing in an environment that respects the sport immensely. California has a volleyball culture that doesn’t quite exist in North Carolina or any other pocket of the country. For senior middle blocker Sue Carls, playing in the Golden State has extra meaning, because she grew up and first learned volleyball in California. Carls is thrilled to play what could be her last match in a Duke uniform with some support from her family and the opportunity to play against a highly regarded team like San Francisco (22-7). “I couldn’t ask for a better end to my last season at Duke,” Carls said. “I’m so excited to be going back to California. I went to high school across the street from UCLA, and so playing in front of my friends and family is going to be really fun. “California volleyball is big and there are going to be big crowds, so

The Blue Devils have another reason to be happy to fly 3,000 miles to play again, as Nagel said they have improved throughout the season and are finally at the point where they wanted to be entering the NCAA tournament. Friday’s matchup will be seniors Jourdan Norman, Aana Wherry and Carls’ fourth trip to the tournament, and although the Blue Devils haven’t made it past the second round, they are eager to work hard and prove themselves as true competitors by not overlooking any match and using the skills they have used all year. “Playing San Francisco in the first round is going to be a great challenge for our team, but I know it’s a challenge we can handle,” Carls said. “Our coach said it best when she said it’s a new season. We are looking at it as a fun trip, but we are going to take care of business. San Francisco is a great team, and they are going to be fun to play.” If Duke gets past the Dons, it will play the winner of the UCLA-LSU matchup Saturday at 7 p.m.

CHASE OLIVIERI/THE

CHRONICLE

Freshman Shay Selby scorednine points in die No. 12 Blue Devils'easy win over lowa Thursday in theACC/Big Ten Challenge.

No. 12 Duke

71. lowa 47 14 33 47 28 43 71

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200 16-53 5-18 10-12 44

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Ist Half: 19.2, 2nd Half: 40.7, Game: 30.2 RATO MIN FG 3-PT FT

DUKE

JuniorRachael Moss returns toher home state ofCalifornia this weekend in the NCAA tournament

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Ist Half: 30.6, 2nd Half: 47.4, Game: 39.2

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W. BASKETBALL from page 9 Karima Christmas gave the Blue Devils a brief scare late in the game, when she left the court clutching her right knee and remained on the bench with ice for the rest of the game. After the contest, McCallie said the injury is nothing to worry about, which allows Duke to breathe a sigh ofrelief. “She banged her knee,” McCallie said. “I’m told she’s fine. She’s going to have to be fine. She’s fine.” With Thomas and Hopkins on the bench, Keturah Jackson,Waner and freshman Shay Selby shared time at the point. Selby provided a spark off the bench, contributing nine points and two steals at key times. The freshman admitted she was nervous earlier in the season, but she looks increasingly comfortable on the court. “What [Selby] has done to step up is very important to us,” McCallie said. “You just have to have a lot ofpeople that can handle the ball, a lotof people that can create. You’ve got to have that ball handling overall.” The Blue Devils should be far more comfortable once their two regular ball handlers return. For now, Duke will hang its hat on strong defense. Thursday night, that looked to be more than enough.

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The Chronicle semi predictions: one tequila, two tequila...: eugene, swetha late-night mental health check. chelsay, shushay all investors score big: rybrown, sabreena, jlove three shots oughta do it: lisa rhombuses rear their fugly head. ben diana, eric "miss" the 4 a.m. bus back to east. kathie clap relives a vlO2 moment: dpq makes its glorious return: khadijah Roily C. Miller wants to go out with a bang: Roily ...

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Student Advertising Manager: Margaret Potter Jack Taylor, Cordelia Biddle, Melissa Reyes Account Executives: Paul Yen, Lianna Gao, James Shoetan, Amber Su, Cap Young Creative Student Managers: Alexandra Beilis, Akara Lee Creative Services: Lauren Bledsoe, Danjie Fang Christine Hall, Megan Meza Online Archivist: Roily Miller Business Assistants: Rebecca Winebar

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14 | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008

THE CHRONICLE

A more perfect Union According

to its constitution, the mission of the Duke University Union is “to serve as a center of social, cultural, intellectual and recreational activities for members of the Duke Uni-

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editorial

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well-funded student group. With such importance and such a large chunk of our Student Activities Fee comes great responsibility, especially because the

versity community.” The end of the semester is the perfect time to look back to assess just how well this year’s Union administration is living up to its charge so far. DUU, as an organization, arguably has the greatest impact on the everyday lives of undergraduate students, planning and executing parties, dances, movie screenings, television programming and other events. In addition, its mammoth $633,000 budget makes it the most

Union’s

leadership is appointed and not directly accountable to the student body. Unfortunately, in years past, we have witnessed past executive boards operating opaquely, squandering their budget on such frivolities as a trip to the Sundance Film Festival. Thankfully, starting last year and continuing into this semester, DUU has greatly increased its transparency, opening its meetings to the public and keeping the student body better informed about its activities through

frequent blast e-mails. In an

effort to continue this trend, the Union should make a better effort at updating the “news” and “minutes and agendas” sections on its Web site as well as post its current fiscal year budget. Students deserve to know where their dollars are going. When it comes down to fulfilling the specifics of its mission, the Union so far receives mixed reviews. It has done a good job promoting a collaborative, innovative and entrepreneurial environment that allows students to take ownership in planning events and exhibitions. The revival ofJoe College Day, a strong Freewater Films lineup—including the popular sing-along series—and the

ontWlrecord This act of violence, this act of aggression is not towards Bombay, not towards India, but towards all of humanity and should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. —Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. See story page 1.

LETTERS POLICY The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form ofletters to the editor or guest columas. Submlssioas 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; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit lettersand guestcolumns for length, clarity and style and the right to widihold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

es.

1905

Direct submissions to Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708

Fax: (919) 684-4696 E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu

The Chronicle

CHELSEA ALLISON, Editor EUGENE WANG, Managing Editor SHUCHIPARIKH, News Editor BEN COHEN, Sports Editor MAYA ROBINSON, Photography Editor LISA MA, Editorial Page Editor JULIALOVE, University Editor EMMELINE ZHAO, University Editor SEAN MORONEY, Online Editor

JONATHAN ANGIER, General Manager JOHNHARPHAM, EditorialBoard Chair NAUREEN KHAN, Local & NationalEditor KRISTEN DAVIS, Health & Science Editor NATHAN FREEMAN, Features Editor ZACHARY TRACER, News PhotographyEditor AUSTIN BOEHM, Editorial Page Managing Editor LISA DU, Wire Editor ROB COPELAND, TowerviewEditor ALEX KLEIN, Editor forNew Media BAISHIWU, Recess Managing Editor GLEN GUTTERSON,Recess Photography Editor GABRIELLE MCGLYNN, Recruitment Chair WENJIA ZHANG, Recruitment Chair CHRISSYBECK, Advertising/MarketingDirector MONICA FRANKLIN, DurhamAd Sales Manager STEPHANIE RISBON, AdministrativeCoordinator

MATTHEW ILES, Sports Managing Editor WILL ROBINSON, Local& NationalEditor JESSICA LIGHTER, Health & Science Editor DAVID GRAHAM,Recess Editor CHASE OLIVIERI, Sports PhotographyEditor REBECCA WU, Editorial Page Managing Editor ALEXANDRA BROWN, Towerview Editor HON LUNG CHU, Design Director NANCY WANG, Recess Managing Editor ALYSSAREICHARDT, TowerviewPhotography Editor LAWSON KURTZ, Online Photography Editor GABE STAROSTA, Recruitment Chair MARY WEAVER, OperationsManager BARBARA STARBUCK, Production Manager REBECCA DICKENSON, Chapel Hill Ad Sales Manager

TheChronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc, a non-profit corporation independent ofDuke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily thoseofDuke 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 theauthors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. Toreach the Business Office at 103West Union Building,call 684-3811.T0 reach the Advertising Office at 101 West Union Building call 684-3811 or fax 684-8295. Visit TheChronicle Online at http://www.dukechronicle.com. O 2008 TheChronicle Box 90858, DurharrvN.C277oB, All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in anyformwithout the prior, written pemiissioo of theBusiness Office: Each Indwidualßentitled toone ftee copy

tended debate between Harold Ford and Michael Steele. With such a large budget and the name of a prestigious university behind it, there is no excuse for this committee’s lack ofefficacy. In the upcoming semester, DUU should make a conscious effort to improve in this area. The Sanford Institute of Public Policy has traditionally put together a great line-up of engaging, interesting speakers. DUU should learn from this model and seek out popular speakers that are both intellectually stimulating and appealing to undergraduate students. With so much of our dollars at stake, let’s hope DUU has saved its best ideas for the Spring ahead.

underperforming.

Despite

a renovation of its studios, Cable 13 has deteriorated in quality and its online schedule is practically non-functional. Most disappointingly, the committee most aligned with the Union’s mission of fostering an intellectual climate on campus—Major Speakers—has fallen short For the entire semester, the only event

Three

and a halfyears ago, I made a pact with the Universe: Get me into a top university. I want nothing else. (This was before I realized you could ask the Universe for much bigger things.) My parents entered university against an acceptance rate of 0.35 percent, dr jelayed by the Cultural Revolution. My father went on to finish his Ph.D. in three years. He sometimes wrote on the bathroom counter because janetwu his newborn (me) counting sheep was a crybaby. I was the unexpected second child of a visiting scientist on scholarship in Canada. His first daughter went to Princeton. According to China’s One Child Policy, my life would have been impossible—extinguished. Academia was my birthright. I’m graduating. My only definite grown-up plan is a plane ticket to Paris and a train schedule. What did I learn? And was it worth it after all? On Monday night, I learned about post-socialist Hungarian nostalgia, I learned that the plesiosaurus was not a dinosaur. It was a marine sauropterygian reptile. Epitheliochorial placenta had an index card with a picture of a hippopotamus. I learned to (mis) program Wackadot. I learned about nature on non-recycled paper. Did you know that if you put an old citation on your windshield, you can park anywhere? I learned about ethics. I learned that according to medieval cartography, the men of Ethiopia had one large foot. When he rested, the foot could shield him from the sun. I learned to devalue the academic institution. Scholastic suffocation as a means to an end: graduation. I didn’t want to answer your questions because you didn’t seem to care. So I left campus for a year. And I spent each summer in a different city. In Africa, in the rented station wagon to iSimangaliso, on the white beaches of Ponta d’Ouro, I hoped that visceral experience might grant me real understanding. I wasn’t completely wrong. In New Zealand, I picked mushrooms for three days. There is no immediate correlation between fungi diversity and dead standing tree trunk girth. I came back. Isn’t scholarship about submerg-

Phone; (919) 684-2663

they hosted was the poorly at-

pus Coffeehouse stand out as notable DUU achievements from the past semester. In addition, the Major Attractions committee has done a goodjob, bringing in Russell Peters and various high profile artists. Unfortunately, however, it seems that several major DUU committees have been

Many sheep later

remodeling of the East Cam-

ing ignorance? But the objective became a checklist without meaning. No amount of miles could erase it. I learned that there is a very real illusion of experience. God is false. Authority is destructive. You are wrong. What you begin to understand is that the wisest are the humblest. Give me knowledge enough to know I know nothing. You crumple against the enormity of history, and learn that extricating yourself from the timeline is impossible, inhuman. I learned that I take things too

seriously. I learned why you like Hitchcock, Welles, Godard. But I still cry with happiness when I see “The Lord of the Rings.” Academia has no poetry, I said. It has no passion. Footnotes are the poetic antichrist. Will we never escape context? Of course, she introduced me to poetry. My favorite: What He Thought, by Heather McHugh, Introduction to Creative Writing. I learned about Giordano Bruno. I learned about difficulty. I learned that I could not be a surgeon. But I could love science for giving you a new kidney. Academia is all order, no emotion, I said. Intellectual passion is oxymoronic. Passion transcends, screw artistic intent. Art is great if it is brutal. Every moment must be cataclysmic. It was too easy. I learned to defend ardently what I didn’t believe. But it wasn’t all me. Staying on topic is dangerous, Professor. Digressions are fodder to understanding. They reside unformed in the guise of a tangent. Thank you, in the back, for making irrelevant observations. I learned that life is confusing. I learned that confusion can disguise itself as doctrine. All you need is a reminder of personal ignorance by another’s confession of ignorance. He said that ideology is a prison for humanity. They tell you not to use words like “humanity” because, really, what could you possibly say about humanity in eight pages? Maintain a clear focus. Refer back to your thesis. But don’t summarize and don’t reiterate. What was I saying? University is not a bubble. It is a suspension of time. At times, the frenetic immobility disheartens. Sometimes, it’s beautiful. I learned that you were right all along: We don’t know enough. So, yes it was worth it. Even “Biology of Dinosaurs.”

Janet Wu

umn.

is a Trinity senior. This is her last col-

THE CHRONICLE

Secret diary of a prostitute wall

When

I was even shorter than I am now, I collected pre-Lincoln Memorial pennies, Pokemon cards and POGs. Now I collect prostitutes. The whore card is as übiquitous a London symbol as the bright red telephone boxes into which they are tastefully bluetacked to advertise the services of some of London’s luscious ladies, including “Stunlysa chen ning Blonde Babe,” hi, society “Seductive Blonde Babe,” “Sexy Blonde Babe” and, if you just can’t decide, “Blonde Babe,” pure and simple. The whore card is all class, inviting clients to spank and be spanked with the ever classic gape plastered onto lipsticked lips; “Oops, did my shirt just pop open? Good thing I’m wearing these little stars on my t...” It’s also colourful and shiny. And that is why I started bringing whore cards back to my dorm, two or three at a time, to tack onto my wall. Now I have 98. Not everyone understands my fascination with these be-G-stringed gals in all their glossy glory. As I stand in a telephone booth carefully surveying the menu of madams like a seasoned connoisseur (I don’t do doubles, although a few in my collection might be up for it), curious passersby glance in and shuffle off with raised eyebrows. My biggest fear is getting my face pounded in by an angry pimp as he discovers me exiting the booth with his freshly posted pictures. Originally I liked to keep my ladies pressed between the pages of a book, carrying them around in my tote bag. (It was like having friends.) This ended the day I dropped my textbook in Labour Economics, and “Sexy Sassy Classy Sally” and all her sexy sassy classy pals abruptly introduced themselves to my classmates: (I still maintain the accident was educational in nature. They are working girls after all.) The incident was almost as embarrassing as the time I shot a cashier at the Loop with a cola-flavoured condom trying to get my wallet out of my backpack after a visit to the Student Health table on the Plaza.

Now my prostitute cards are carefully arranged in a mural above my bed, where they can be properly and privately appreciated for the art that they are.

Much like the symbolic snowflake, each of my whore cards is its own unique and individual masterpiece, except for “Elegant Brazilian,” “Beautiful Brunette Ex-Model” and “Young & Beautiful,” all of which feature different agency numbers but the same stock photo of a pouting brunette in a bikini and heels. Although nearly all the ladies on my wall advertise spanking services, “Top Asian Mistress,” decked out in a black leather number and disdnctively unerotic cat mask complete with silver-glitter coated whiskers, offers “two-way spanking,” which is weirdly specific and also brilliant. Like Shakespeare before them, these London ladies have away with words, spinning their smut into phrases that better the English language. “Busty Blonde Babe” seductively invites you for an “unhurried melons massage.” Another broad calls herself “Miss Behaving.” “Spank My Arse, I Deserve It,” she says. (This card really speaks to my soul, as I can identify with her attempt at humour combined with self-

degradation.)

Some of the prostitutes, on the other hand, could use a refresher in spelling and grammar. Misplaced apostrophes are sprinkled throughout the mural, and one card features nothing but two entangled blondes, a phone number and large hot pink lettersr: “LESBISN LOVERS.” Considering the lack of extra text, you would think a bit of proofreading might have done some good, but then again, the minimal use of type might speak to the card designer’s assumption that images over words trigger carnal desires... that or his low budget. But despite the varied levels of thought and effort put into each card, I hold every one near and dear to my heart—from coy and pink “Ask & I Might” to the niche-satisfying “Stunning Kinky Transsexual Pre-Op” to the Christmas—and dominatrix-themed—“Have a Cruel Yule,” and if nothing else, like silly life lessons and precious memories, my card collection is a little bit of London I can take home and cherish always.

Lysa Chen is a Trinity junior. This is her last column of the semester.

lettertotheeditor Don’t put Brown down I recently read the Nov. 21 editorial, “Send Brown into town,” expressing disappointment in Duke Student Government Vice President for Durham and regional affairs sophomore Andrew Brown and his

position.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5,2008 I 15

commentaries

I would like to say that I was truly disheartened by this editorial because it was uninformed about the relationship between Duke and Durham and about what the position actually entails. Brown has made multiple, productive attempts to coordinate a project the Community Service Center has been spending the calendar year on: the Service Leadership Council. We have so many groups on campus that are dedicated to service, and yet so much energy is wasted because these groups are unaware of what they need to do to be more successful in aiding others. The CSC, however, has tried to bridge these groups together,' to reduce excess DSG funding and to help them be more successful in membership, transportation issues, funding and publicity in general. Brown has been an excellent advocate for all of the needs of this project within DSG, and has been an integral part ofits development. Some individuals feel that the most important aid to Duke-Durham relations is a combination of this service and seeing students do something in

the surrounding area. This may not be all that the position is supposed to do, but it is certainly constructive and an activity that has taken both time and effort. In fact, we hope to change the charter of DSG service groups so that they must comply with a few simple requirements in order to make this system run more smoothly. This altered charter was entirely Brown’s idea. Above all, I cannot understand why such a harsh editorial was written about a brand new position that is still working itself out—of course it has its kinks right now in its first semester. DSG (via Brown) helped unite the service groups to perfect the transportation voucher program for service groups and has helped work to make SLC and CSC thoroughly represented in the campus political sphere; I would have to disagree with the assertion the editorial makes that there is a lack of progress m Brown’s position. I simply wish more emphasis could be placed on the importance of community service in building a meaningful relationship between Duke and its surroundings, which in some way may be the entire purpose of Brown’s job. Eden Pappo Co-director.; Community Service Center Duke ’O9

We don’t need no ’education’

One

of my favorite things about the end of a semes-

ter—and I use that word with a sarcasm that mere

print can never fully convey —is filling out course evaluation forms. For those readers who are not students, these forms ask us to give our thoughts anonymously on the quality of the course, and to rate from one to five our '«-2S success at such committee-api&i proved goals as “synthesizing Sf'ltTand integrating knowledge.” These forms are then collected by each department Oliver sherouse and scanned, analyzed, drug tested, incinerated and deyou tell me livered to the Marketplace to be baked into next Tuesday’s meatloaf. At least they may as well be, judging by the number of professors who have told me the forms matter to them as little as they matter to me. But then, I’ve gotten slightly used to seeing professors go through the motions of something they’ve told me they hate doing. Grades are a perennial favorite—nearly every prof announces at the start of semester how much they despise handing out grades and how little they matter. I’ve even adjusted my own opinion to match theirs—sometimes to my parents’ chagrin. And yet somehow, every semester, I get a full set of grades from these avowed grade-haters. A good many professors also claim to hate giving busy work, but just about everybody 1 know is swamped with it. I didn’t realize undl I was working full-time one summer just how much free time I was missing during the semester. I had time for reading —remember when you used to read all the time?—and for creativity, and all those things I don’t have time for during classes. And what’s been taking up all that time? It’s hard to even remember. Meaningless crap for one class or another that the mind discarded the moment it was turned in. Don’t get me wrong here; what I’m attacking is not the professors, but the seeming disconnect between what the people hired to teach us think, and what actually happens in the classroom. Sure, they’d love to care more about thinking and learning than grades and work, but it’s not up to them. They have to answer to the school, which in turn has to answer to the accreditation system and to U.S. News and World Report. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that in our system, education has been divorced from learning through bureaucracy. And when I say “our system,” I don’t just mean Duke’s; the problem exists throughout the United States, and in some respects, throughout the world. Which is not to say that Duke doesn’t add its own fun bureaucratic layers. I’m still waiting for somebody to explain to me why I’ll be graduating with two Science, Technology and Society credits from my history major, and none from my computer science major. I’ve yet to meet a student who couldn’t have filled their Writing 20 spot with something that actually interested them and still figured out how to do peer reviews. And it’s these little things, these endless hoops to jump through, that shackle both student and professors to subjects and methods that interest neither. I’d love to point my finger at an administrator like Dick Brodhead or Peter Langq, and say, “That’s the idiot! Fire that one,” but it’s just not that simple; there’s no one person to blame. In fact, a big part of the problem is the lack of any true intellectual center to explain why we’re running this show the way we are. Students, professors and even university presidents are all caught up in this massive hamster wheel of a process we call higher education. I’m sure by now some of you are saying “OK, buddy, you can complain, but could you run things any better?” And the answer is “likely not.” Any any rate, I’m not going to try to redesign the university in a 750-word column. But what I can do is point out not just that the system is dumb, but that everybody, on some level, knows that. Even those who have better things to do than write essays enumerating their complaints can tell that the whole process just doesn’t feel right. And, I suppose, if everybody knows that everybody knows there’s a problem, maybe we can stop pretending there isn’t. That way, if and when somebody comes up with a better way of doing things, we might actually listen.;

Oliver Shenmse is a Trinity senior. This is his last column of the semester.

16 I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008

THE CHRONICLE