The Chronicle Williams campaigns
on campus Mayor BeWs rival criticizes his handling of lax case by
Julius Jones
THE CHRONICLE
Durham mayoral candidate Steven Williams held an informal town hall meeting with approximately 20 students Monday
pight.
pu Us out
of Derby Days
Williams, who is a registered Republican, was invited to campus by the Duke College Republicans. During his remarks, Williams was often critical of incumbent Mayor Bill Bell, who he will face in the Nov. 3 general election. One of his sharpest critiques of Bell came when Williams was asked about the mayor’s handling of the Duke lacrosse case. Williams said Bell failed to keep the city united as false rape allegations were leveled against three members of the men’s team in March 2006. “When you are in a position where you’re an introvert, and you are in a position where you are supposed to lead people, it’s not going to work,” Williams said. “[Bell] could have handled the situation much better. The issues in court, they can handle themselves, but in terms of the institutions, his job was to bring everyone together, and he didn’t do that.” Williams’s criticism of Bell resonated with many in the room who felt the mayor SEE WILLIAMS ON PAGE 6
decision comes after years of controversy for the fundraising event by
Joanna Lighter THE CHRONICLE
LAWSON KURTZ/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
mheilenic Association voted to withdraw from Sigma Chi's annual lys event after complaints from
Duke’s Derby Days may soon be numbered. In a decision that was “months, if not years, in the making,” presidents of all nine on-campus sororities voted last month to withdraw from the event, as stated in a letter written by the Panhellenic Association to Sigma Chi fraternity. Derby Days is Sigma Chi’s week-long annual event to raise money for various national charities that in previous years culminated in the Lip Sync contest—a competition among sororities to win over the hearts of the judging “Derby Daddies” through suggestive dance steps and lip motions on the elevated plaza stage. “We cannot in good faith ask our women to participate in an event that, in our opinion, mars the reputation of the Greek community and detracts from the positive experience we work hard to cultivate for our members,” the sorority presidents wrote. In response to past complaints from sororities, the fraternity has restructured the event, said senior Andrew Bevan, Sigma Chi president. In 2007, the fraternity moved Lip Sync from Shooters II to the West Campus Plaza to provide a more controlled environment for the event, he said. AJthough the absence of the
sorority members.
SEE DERBY DAYS ON PAGE 4
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Durham mayoral candidate StevenWilliams speaks at a campaign event Monday night. Williams criticized Mayor Bill Bell on his approach to the lacrosse case.
ontheRECORD "...We've got to have the players create a product on the field that gets people in the stands...." —Head coach David Cutdiffe on attracting students to games. See story page 7.