June 17, 2010

The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue S5

www.dukechronicle.com

Duke prof arrested at protest

Dance dance revolution

by Maggie Love THE CHRONICLE

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

The African American Dance Ensemble performs at Reynolds Theater. Led by Durham native “Baba” Chuck Davis, AADE celebrates its 14th appearance in the American Dance Festival since it was first established in 1984. The performance showcases traditional African culture, movement, and music.

Delegation visits new site in Kunshan

by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE

A delegation of Duke deans and representatives spent part of last week on the other side of the world.

The delegation of about 10 people, including many graduate school deans, visited the site of Duke’s new campus in the Chinese city of Kunshan. The delegation was led by Gregory Jones, senior adviser

for international strategy and incoming vice president and vice provost for global strategy and programs.

The trip comes after top administrators, including President Richard Brodhead and Provost Peter Lange, formalized partnerships between Duke, Kunshan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in their January trip to the site. The earlier trip also marked the official ground breaking of the site.

“We thought it would be a good time for several other deans to come, they could begin to build relationships and get a feel for programs that they could develop together,” Jones said. “It was an opportunity to go see and get a feel for what is happening in China, Shanghai and Kunshan in particular.”

See kunshan on page 5

Professor and author Timothy Tyson and two other North Carolina NAACP members were arrested for trespassing at a Wake County School Board meeting Tuesday night.

Tyson, a visiting professor of American Christianity and Southern Culture and author of “Blood Done Sign My Name,” state NAACP President William Barber, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church Pastor Nancy Petty and Mary Williams, assistant professor to Tyson, were taken into custody for refusing to turn over the podium to board members, an act of civil disobedience.

They were charged with second-degree trespassing, according to the Raleigh police report.

“As it happens, [Barber, Petty, Williams, and I] are all members of the Tim Tyson NAACP, but we came together... out of concern for public schools of North Carolina, which are rapidly being re-segregated,” Tyson said in an interview with The Chronicle.

See tyson on page 4

Durham looks to appropriate funds, save DPS jobs

by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE

Durham County commissioners and the Durham Public Schools Board of Education will likely pass a financial plan tonight to save the jobs of more than 150 teachers.

The plan, proposed by County Manager Mike Ruffin Tuesday, would direct $6.07 million in state lottery funds from the DPS building and debt-service fund to Durham County. Pending that transfer, the county would redirect $4.07 million in property-tax revenue for DPS teacher salaries, said Commissioner Ellen Reckhow.

DPS administrators had planned to cut 237 teaching positions for the 2010-2011 academic year due to the tightening budget. In May, the DPS School Board requested $13 million from the county to save all 237 teaching positions. Ruffin’s original proposal sought to restore 111 jobs, but the arrangement proposed Tuesday could save 179 full-time teachers in addition to a number of part-time employees for a total of the equivalent of 185 full-time teachers.

“When we’re trying to make plans and spend money that we don’t have, it makes planning very difficult,” DPS Board Vice Chair Heidi Carter said of the recent uncer-

Scheyer and Zoubek prep for next Thursday’s draft, Page 7

tainty of funds. “We want to go ahead and hire as many teachers as we can as soon as possible. It wreaks havoc in schools when you have to make changes last minute in the staffing levels.”

For the 2010-2011 academic year, state resources funding to Durham’s school system will decline by 11.9 percent, or $19.5 million, according to the 2010-11 Board of Education Budget Proposal. Board of Education meeting materials from its March 23 meeting state that DPS is losing a total of about $30 million in funding from its budget after taking into account all sources of revenue.

County commissioners gave tentative approval to the plan Tuesday, pending minor modifications. Ruffin revised the plan Tuesday night and returned it to the County Commissioners, who will present the document to the DPS Board of Education tonight.

“We’re expecting the school board to approve the memorandum of [the] agreement,” Reckhow said.

The North Carolina General Assembly must give final approval to the plans, but the County commissioners are confident that the lottery funds are available for DPS’s use.

See budget on page 5

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

Several jobs at George Watts Montessori Magnet School will be saved if the DPS Board of Education passes a new financial plan.

ONTHERECORD

“She was just a selfless, gracious woman with a tremendous upbeat attitude.”

­—Alex Robertson on his late mother Josie Robertson. See story page 3

Brr... It’s Cold in Here Duke’s second chilled water plant undergoes expansion, PAGE 4

2 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 the chronicle

Bachelor of Arts A photo essay by Melissa Yeo

1. The Nasher Museum of Art opened the “Color Balance: Paintings by Felrath Hines and Alma Thomas” exhibit June 10. The display juxtaposes abstract paintings by Hines with contemporary pieces by Thomas. 2. This week’s Music in the Gardens concert was performed by Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz. 3. The African American Dance Ensemble performs at the Reynolds Theater as part of the American Dance Festival.

1

2

3

Victim of off-campus shooting to press charges

by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE

The recently-graduated Duke student robbed and shot near East Campus last August has decided to take legal action against a suspect identified through DNA testing.

The victim, Trinity ’10, was robbed at gunpoint while walking home late at night with his girlfriend on the 500 block of Watts Street Aug. 8. The victim, who does not wish to be identified, was shot in the stomach when he attempted to resist the attacker.

“I am eventually going to press charges... whenever they find the guy,” the graduate said.

He added that police have named the suspect but do not have him in custody.

Durham Police Department Public In-

formation Officer Kammie Michael and DPD Captain Larry Smith, who is involved with the investigation, did not respond to multiple attempts for comment.

Following the incident, the victim, a computer science major, spent more than a week in Duke Hospital where he underwent surgery to repair damage to his intestines and bladder.

His girlfriend, an art student in Durham, was not harmed.

The graduate originally indicated that he did not wish to press charges, according to a June 9 e-mail sent by Smith to Partners Against Crime 2, a volunteer organization that monitors crime in Durham.

The graduate later said he misunderstood the police report, and thought DPD had not identified a suspect because the

suspect is currently not in custody.

“I had thought they hadn’t actually found the suspect,” he said. “A lieutenant from Duke

[University] Police Department talked with [an officer] at the Durham Police Department and he told me that wasn’t the case.”

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

A suspect in the shooting of a Duke student on Watts street has been identified through DNA testing.

the chronicle

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 | 3

Legislation incentivizes primary care career path

by Shaoli Chaudhuri THE CHRONICLE

Not all doctoring is created equal.

A recent Duke study found that on average, a primary care doctor’s lifetime earnings come to about half of those of a specialist.

“There’s a huge economic advantage to choosing a specialty career over a pri-

special to The Chronicle

Robertson Scholars program co-founder Josie Robertson was actively involved in the program until she fell ill. Former colleagues and scholars said Robertson was selflessly dedicated to the students in the program.

Robertson remembered for uniting rival schools

by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE

Josephine “Josie” Robertson, co-founder of the Robertson Scholars program and New York philanthropist, passed away June 8 after a long struggle with breast cancer at the age of 67.

Robertson started the program in 2000 when she and her husband Julian Robertson donated $24 million to unite Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with the scholarship.

The program awards a total of about 36 incoming freshmen—18 at both schools— full-ride scholarships covering tuition, room and board, summer stipends and other fees.

Jeanne Kirschner, Robertson Scholars program associate director for finance, administration and planning, said Robertson’s contribution was more than financial, noting that Josie Robertson was present at program events before she fell ill.

“This is a horrible circumstance for everyone involved, but we can still celebrate both her and Julian’s contribution to the Duke and UNC communities,” Kirschner said.

In addition to the Robertson Scholars program, Josie Robertson served on the board of the Boys’ Club of New York and was a director of the dropout prevention project, Classroom, Inc. In 1996, Robertson and her husband established the

Robertson Foundation, which has assets exceeding $1 billion and provides grants to organizations concerning education, environment, medical research and religion and spirituality.

Alex Robertson, who is one of Josie Robertson’s three sons and a 2001 graduate of Carolina, said the Robertson Scholars program meant a lot to his mother.

He added that his parents wanted to connect Duke and UNC with the program.

“They met some pretty amazing kids at both schools over the years,” Alex Robertson said. “It was a shame that at two great schools 10 miles apart, that nobody got to visit each other. They thought of a creative way to... bring both schools together.”

Alex Robertson added that his mother played an active role in improving the program’s Finalists’ Weekend, when scholarship finalists come to the area for interviews every Spring. He said she would sometimes travel with the scholars and invite them to New York.

“She would meet with the students and look at ways in which she could make the program stronger,” Alex Robertson said.

“Our apartment in New York, she always opened it up to scholars.... She was just a selfless, gracious woman with a tremendous upbeat attitude.”

See robertson on page 6

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

A career in primary care has proven less appealing to medical students than specialized fields.

Health care legislation is working to encourage students to go into primary care.

mary care career,” said Dr. Kevin Schulman, professor of medicine and business administration, and one of the authors of the study. In addition to the wealth gap, Schulman added that primary care doctors also tend to have less attractive lifestyles than specialists do.

The study, which considered medical school debt, earning potential and the age at which a physician begins earning an income, raises several questions— especially at a time when, as Schulman noted, the United States is facing a severe shortage of primary care physicians. The American Academy of Family Physicians has predicted that by 2020, the United States will face a shortfall of 40,000 family physicians.

Recent health care reform legislation aims to encourage the primary care career path by provisioning Medicare bonuses for primary care physicians and financially supporting medical students who aspire to work in the field.

Another possible measure is to encourage medical schools—such as the Duke School of Medicine—to help “funnel” students into primary care after graduation.

The Duke School of Medicine— ranked sixth in research medical schools last month by U.S. News and World Report—placed 42nd in primary care, based on its percentage of graduates set to pursue such careers.

See Primary care on page 6

4 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 the chronicle

New projects prompt expansion of chilled water plant

by Caitlin Guenther THE CHRONICLE

In response to increasing demand on its centralized cooling system, the University is expanding one of its chilled water facilities.

The University’s second chilled water plant, located off LaSalle Street, helps to provide the majority of air conditioning to the University and the Duke University Medical Center. Its $22 million expansion—approved by the Board of Trustees in May—will double the size of the plant to accommodate for the construction of the Duke Medicine Pavilion and the Cancer Center as well as future additions to the University, said John Noonan, associate vice president for facilities management.

“We are essentially out of capacity right now for chilled water,” Noonan said. “We have a lot of buildings hooked up to the system. This plant expansion, depending on how fast Duke grows in the future, could [meet cooling needs for] ten or twenty years.”

To increase the plant’s efficiency and capacity for cooling, the addition will install two 3800-ton centrifu-

gal chillers in addition to piping, electrical infrastructure and necessary floor space for four more 3800-ton chillers, Smith added.

Construction will begin as soon as the plans are approved by the city of Durham, which is expected to be within the month, Noonan said. The project is estimated to take between 15 and 18 months to complete.

The plant is a key component of Duke’s centralized cooling system, which is a more efficient alternative to individual systems for buildings on campus. Duke constructed its first chilled water plant in 2000 at the corner of Towerview Drive and Science Drive to provide air conditioning to the campus more efficiently.

The plant uses chilled water to transfer heat from the

inside of buildings to the outside. A centralized system is cheaper and greener because it can be closely controlled to optimize cooling while using as little water and electricity as possible. This cannot be done with several hundred smaller units, said Darin Smith, manager for chilled water plant operations.

The plant maximizes efficiency using software that Tom Young, a controls engineer at the plant, described as “self learning.” The software optimizes the machinery through constant recalculations based on the machinery’s past performance, he said.

When the chillers are operating at their most efficient levels, the university saves costs on water and electricity, said Smith.

melissa yeo/The Chronicle

The chilled water plant off LaSalle Street will double in size to accommodate increasing demand from current and future construction projects.

tyson from page 1 Tyson and the other protestors linked arms, sang songs and sat in board members’ seats, disrupting the Tuesday meeting for about an hour before being led out in handcuffs by Wake County police.

“If the anti-diversity coalition of the school board thinks I’m a pain in the neck wait ‘till they meet my mama who taught fourth grade for 40 years and knows what to do with people who don’t do their homework,” Tyson said in a Wednesday interview with WRAL. Barber said his organization decided to stage its sit-in after the school board refused to allot it a 45-minute presentation period. Although school board Chair Ron Margiotta said he followed the board’s time limit protocol by offering Barber 45 minutes at a private meeting with the vice chair and the president of the board, Barber said he requested a public dialogue.

“Last night, it was quite evident [they] wanted to be arrested,” Margiotta said.

What has Tyson and other members of the North Carolina NAACP staging a 1960s-style sit-in is the school board’s plan to eliminate the existing busing for diversity system.

The busing system was adopted by the district in 2000 in an effort to increase socioeconomic diversity in Wake County

public schools, and it became a model for other school systems. The board plans to replace the current practice with a return to a neighborhood zoning system.

Margiotta said the plan, which would go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year, will give parents options when choosing their child’s school.

But Tyson and other members of the North Carolina NAACP noted that many in favor of neighborhood schools may not realize the racial implications of the new zoning system, as neighborhoods tend to be divided not only by income level but also by race.

Duke does not have an official position on the Wake County school board’s move but is supportive of Tyson’s use of civil disobedience, said David Jarmul, associate vice president for news and communications.

Tyson said he has also received supporting messages from his Duke students.

“Professor Tyson is highly regarded here at Duke for his work as a faculty member, and he has a very prominent book [“Blood Done Sign My Name”],” Jarmul said.

“We believe strongly in academic freedom and in free speech. It’s just a fundamental part of what we are as a University,” he added.

Tyson and members of the NAACP said they are also concerned about the possible political and financial motivations behind the mostly-Republican school board’s decision.

Del Burns, superintendent of Wake County public schools, also accused the school board of engaging in political partisanship. Burns resigned in February partly due to disagreements with the school board majority’s new zoning plan, according to a recent (Raleigh) News & Observer article.

Margiotta confirmed that all five school board members in favor of the zoning plan are Republicans, while the other four are Democrats. Margiotta denied, however, that partisanship influenced the board’s decision.

Tyson also noted that Margiotta’s position on the Board of Trustees for Thales Academy, a private chain of schools in North Carolina, might suggest that he is not fully invested in the success of public schools.

Margiotta denied allegations of ulterior motives, however, expressing distaste for the basis of the state NAACP’s claims.

“That’s something I tend to resent: people using politics or race as an influencing factor,” Margiotta said.

The board’s response to the NAACP’s protest was another offense, Barber said Wednesday morning at a press conference at the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church.

The North Carolina NAACP is planning several workshops on how to effectively enact civil disobedience. Tyson will teach one these classes.

the chronicle

kunshan from page 1 Jones said the five-building campus is scheduled to open by January 2012, at which point the site will host some of the Fuqua School of Business’ programming. Chinese partners will begin studying at the site hopefully by Fall 2012, Jones projected, adding that the University must receive approval from the Chinese Ministry of Education before offering degrees in the region.

Participants of the delegation included Bill Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment, Catherine Gilliss, dean of the School of Nursing, Bruce Kuniholm, director of the Sanford School of Public Policy, Steve Nowicki David Levi, dean of the School of Law, Dr. Michael Merson, director of the Global Health Institute, Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, and Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard.

Jones said he worked with Lange to choose members of the delegation, adding that some administrators were invited but could not attend the trip. He said this trip had a larger delegation than all previous visits to the site and that it intentionally included people from different facets of the University.

“Getting a broad sense and seeing it firsthand is really valuable and important,” Jones said. “They can talk to each other about ways they might be able to do things together.”

The delegation spent the week meeting with Kunshan’s leaders, including the mayor and vice mayor, and with academic leaders at SJTU, Jones said. Members toured Kunshan and the site of the future campus and attended lectures that are part of the Fuqua’s global executive MBA program to learn more about China, Jones added.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 | 5

Nowicki said construction is set to begin soon and facilities are being built with extra space for undergraduates, adding that graduate school deans were receptive to sharing the space. He noted that building relationships with China is important for the development of “global citizens” in the Duke community.

“We read about the enormous Chinese economy,” Nowicki said. “When you’re there, it becomes very tangible. This is a world center, and China is going to be very important in the upcoming century. How could you not become connected?”

Although business programs will likely be the first operating on the campus, other schools and programs began to establish communication with Chinese officials.

Gilliss wrote in an e-mail that she signed a “memorandum of understanding” with the SJTU School of Nursing to begin working on student and faculty collaboration. Gilliss said she was slightly surprised by the interest to sign the memorandum, but said she looks forward to working with Chinese nurses.

“Most nurses are not university prepared in China, and SJTU is viewed as a very elite university,” Gilliss said. “Their interest in us reinforces their commitment to lead in the preparation of clinicians and scientists in nursing.”

Undergraduate opportunities at the Kunshan campus may lie far in the future, but Nowicki said he does plan to build partnerships with the country. He said some of the trip’s discussions were more concrete than others, adding that the Chinese officials are eager to move quickly.

“I think that they’re looking to the strength of our educational programs,” Nowicki said. “It’s a school that is willing to consider these international ventures.

Frankly, they want us because they want to learn from us.”

budget from page 1 “We’ve been assured by Representative Mickey Michaux that these funds will be available to save teaching positions,” Reckhow said. Michaux, a democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, is the senior chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Of the $6.07 million to be directed to Durham County, about $3.8 million is immediately available. The remaining funds, about $2.2 million, are expected to be generated by the state

BYTHENUMBERS

30 million

total losses in DPS’s funding from last fiscal year, taking into account all sources of revenue

6.07 million

amount of state lottery funds that would be directed from the DPS building and debt-service fund to Durham County under the proposal that will be voted on tonight

179

full-time jobs that will be saved if the proposal passes a vote by Durham County commissioners and the Durham Public Schools Board of Education

lottery during the General Assembly’s current session.

“Normally we generate about $4 million [in lottery money] per year,” Reckhow said. “We’re being very, very conservative for next year, counting on only $2.2 [million], so we feel that’s a conservative estimate.”

Although lottery money can save teachers’ jobs this year, further challenges loom in DPS’s future. Reckhow said more than 300 positions will remain at risk for the 2011-2012 school year.

In September 2011, federal stimulus funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will end. The ARRA provided a total of about $36.5 million, according to the 2010-11 Board of Education Budget Proposal. About 64 percent of this amount was used this fiscal year to save jobs, leaving just $13.2 million for next fiscal year.

“We know that we fall off a cliff from a funding point of view next year,” Reckhow said. “There is a bill in Congress that provides additional funds for teachers, but right now there’s not... a great chance of [it passing]. My hope would be maybe next year, with the stimulus money totally gone, it might get greater momentum.”

Carter said the Board of Education is forming an ad hoc committee to work on the long-term budget and to communicate with the business community and other stakeholders in Durham to raise money.

“It’s very important to work in tight partnership with the community people to secure funding with teaching and programs,” Carter said. “We also have to continue to scour our budget for any possible duplication of services.... We’ve already done that at a herculean level and we’ll need to continue.”

6 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 the chronicle

primary care from page 3 “There are other medical schools trying to send people into primary care careers,” Schulman said. “[But] there’s no question that we’re a research medical school. We’re the only medical school in the country that has a... third-year research requirement.”

According to Schulman, Duke is tailored to academic and research-related careers.

“I think what you’ll find is... we all aspire to be experts at something,” said Drew Henderson, a fourth-year medical school student. “Duke doesn’t have a primary care mission—it turns out specialized and subspecialized [physicians].”

Henderson entered Duke seriously considering primary care, but said he now favors orthopedic surgery. He added that the field inspired him, and his choice was not financially motivated.

Fourth-year student Ellen Perkins, however, does wish to pursue a primary care path, working in family medicine in an under-served community. She acknowledged that few students share her ambitions, but economic reasons are not the only deterrents for her peers.

“In some ways [general practice is] a less prestigious field,” Perkins said. “It’s like a fall-back option of a medical career.... [People] were very dismissive of primary care.

They would say, ‘You can do better than that,’ [and], ‘Don’t sacrifice yourself in that really boring field.’”

Dr. Barbara Sheline, assistant dean for primary care, practices community medicine herself. But she agrees with Henderson that Duke has never marketed itself as an institution for training primary doctors.

“There is prestige in medicine through research,” Sheline said. Additionally—un-

like state-funded schools— private medical schools like Duke have historically had to compete with one another for funding, giving research greater importance.

This Fall, the School of Medicine will implement a program that funds experience in primary care for eight selected students each year. These “experiences” will include following a panel of patients for nine months so students can understand the role of a health care provider from a patient’s perspective, Sheline said.

In spite of such efforts and the nationwide shortage, Schulman pointed out that students cannot be forced into primary care.

“Our students get the pick of the litter and they’re making what seems to be a rational choice,” Schulman said.

robertson from page 3 Mark Laabs, a former Robertson scholar and a 2006 graduate of Carolina, said both Josie and Julian Robertson served as his mentors, especially once he graduated.

Laabs, a director of ClimateBridge, an international company dedicated to using low-carbon technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Josie Robertson made the program a tight-knit community.

“If there is anything that stood out, it was the fact that she was able to make people feel comfortable in circumstances even when they should have been stressed,” Laabs said. “Even as my distance from the program has gotten further, Julian and Josie have continued to be really

important parts of my life, during really important turning points in it.”

Judith Ruderman, former Duke vice provost for academic and administrative services and a former member of the Robertson Committee, wrote in an e-mail that Josie Robertson was very active in the Robertson Scholars program, even if she was in the background more than her husband.

“Josie came to all the major functions and was proud of the scholars and the role she played in facilitating this unique venture,” Ruderman said. “She was a gracious and lovely woman in all senses. She fought her cancer valiantly and her death is a great loss to Julian and the rest of the family, to her friends, and to her associates like me.”

qDUKE.COM presented by The Chronicle

Make it your homepage.

Sports

>> ONLINE

The Chronicle

ONLINE

THURSDAY June 17, 2010

The connection between Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski’s decisions to spurn the NBA Plus, keep an eye out for our World Cup series, featuring soccer-crazed Duke athletes

www.dukechroniclesports.com

THE LEAGUE AWAITS

by Andy Moore THE CHRONICLE

The 2010 NBA Draft will be an unusual one for Duke.

In contrast to the tremendous hype that has preceded some Blue Devil draft classes, this year’s chatter has been understated. It’s commonly recognized that June 24, 2010, will be nothing like June 30, 1999, for Duke. In the latter draft, Elton Brand was picked first, and Trajan Langdon, Corey Maggette and William Avery followed in the next 13 selections. This year’s draft will also be a far cry from the 2002 edition, when Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer all were selected in the first 35 picks.

Still, this year, all signs point to two Blue Devils being picked in the second round, and one, who has participated in off-season workouts, possibly being signed as a free agent.

And six months ago no one could have predicted the player who will likely be the first Blue Devil taken off the board.

Yes, according to most mock drafts, Brian Zoubek will be first draft pick to come from Duke next Thursday night. The 7-foot-1 center, with a career average of 4.2 points per game and two major foot injuries under his See draft on page 8 graphic by melissa yeo/The Chronicle

track & field

Blue Devils stumble in NCAA Championships

by Andy Moore THE CHRONICLE

Duke trotted out six first-timers to the NCAA Championships last week, but youthful exuberance didn’t translate into results for the team.

The Blue Devils struggled last Wednesday through Friday in Eugene, Ore., to replicate the success they found in the qualifying rounds of the NCAA Championships last month in Greensboro, N.C. All six finished between 20th and 22nd place in his or her event. The youth of the team, however, is promising for the program’s future, according to head coach Norm Ogilvie.

“We’re a year away,” Ogilvie said. “I think we got some great experience, but we found out we need to get better.... All six kids who went to Oregon had the performance of their careers in Greensboro.

The hope is you go back, after seeing all the success and fans there, and you say, ‘I want that, too.’”

Of the six athletes, Ogilvie singled out Carly Seymour the most for her performance in the finals. Seymour, a sophomore distance runner, finished the 10,000 meters in a time of 34:06.40 during day one last Wednesday. Though the mark was a personal-best by 51 seconds, Seymour still finished in 22nd place. Ogilvie chalked it up to just how good her competitors were. “[Seymour] was the one person that really performed well,” Ogilvie said. “The others were just off their season best.”

Also competing Wednesday was discus hurler Austin Gamble. Gamble, who dou-

bles as a linebacker on the football team, became the first Blue Devil in school history to compete in the discus throw of the NCAA Championships after unleashing an 180-foot, 10-inch toss in Greensboro. He couldn’t quite match that number in Eugene, though, finishing in 20th place after throwing 160-feet, three-inches. The freshman’s enthusiasm may have hurt him in the finals.

“He was probably the most excited out of the six,” Ogilvie said. “He did really well... but it took him two throws to settle down.”

Ryan McDermott was the last Blue Devil to compete Wednesday. Running in the steeplechase, the junior came in 20th after finishing in 8:55.47.

On day two, Duke’s Corey Nanni and Kate Van Buskirk competed in the 1,500 m. Nanni fell victim to an unusual injury—an insect bite— in the days before he was set to run in the men’s event. It became infected, and Nanni ran in Eugene while on medication. He still finished the race in 3:53.04, good for 22nd place, but well off his 3:43.52 performance in Greensboro.

“He couldn’t even run for a few days before nationals,” Ogilvie said. “He was in position to make the finals, but he couldn’t make it the last 1,000 meters because of the antibacterials.”

Senior Van Buskirk finished 22nd in her event with a 4:28.65 run. lawson kurtz/Chronicle file photo

See track & field on page 8

Ryan McDermott, the final Blue Devil to compete last Wednesday, finished 20th in the steeplechase.

8 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 the chronicle

Draft from page 7 belt, currently sits at 52nd on ESPN writer Chad Ford’s big board, and has become a virtual lock to be selected in the second round.

“Brian’s going to get drafted,” ESPN analyst and Duke graduate Jay Bilas said.

“I think he’s come a long way in that he got healthy and is playing the way I think people thought he would play all along....

I think he can come in as a back-up big guy in the NBA and make a difference right away.”

Zoubek had never started a game until February 16 when, against eventual ACC co-champion Maryland, he scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Duke went 15-1 with him in the starting lineup, and the center became the most statistically effective offensive rebounder in the country. Now it looks like he’ll be rewarded with an NBA Draft pick.

“I firmly expect him to be picked in the middle part of the second round,” said Matt Kamalsky, who writes for Draftexpress.com. “Those offensive rebounding numbers that he put up in the second part of the season, it’s incredible…. And, to come back from what he came from, they’re a product of hard work.”

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski also thinks the big man will do well in the league­—after all, the coach saw the work he did in the lead-up to Indianapolis.

“There’s no way we win the national championship without Brian,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s confident, knows the game.

I think he’ll do fine [in the NBA].”

Zoubek participated in the last draft combine of the year in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 11 in front of 23 NBA teams.

He said at the time that he “never could have expected this.”

“It’s been an unbelievable year for me,” he said. “I feel so blessed to be in this position and to finally be able to show people what I thought I could do the whole time.”

Jon Scheyer is the other senior likely to be drafted. Ranking 61st on Ford’s board, Scheyer’s stock has slipped somewhat after he contracted mononucleosis and could not perform at the Chicago draft combine.

He still participated in the measurements at the camp, coming in at a surprising 6-foot-6 in height with shoes on. And in the weeks since then, he has participated in smaller workouts, proving, accord-

“Brian’s going to get drafted.... I think he can come in as a back-up big guy in the NBA and make a difference right away. ” — Jay Bilas ing to Kamalsky, that he’s recovered well from his illness.

“He’s shown what he needed to show,” Kamalsky said. “He’s never going to wow anybody with his athleticism, but he showed up in the workouts and shot the ball well while coming back from mono.”

Associate head coach Chris Collins said that those in the NBA like his game, despite the critics who point to a lack of athletic ability compared to others in the league.

“People who watch college basketball all have a great respect for his game,” Collins said. “They respect his ability to do a lot of things out there—his ability as a clutch player, saving his best moments for the end of games.”

“Jon is somebody that, as soon as you coach him, you say, ‘Okay, I gotta have that kid,’” Krzyzewski added. “He’s just a good basketball player.”

If the NBA doesn’t pan out for Scheyer, there is another option, made possible by his Jewish ancestry. He can claim dual citizenship with the United States and Israel, making him very valuable to European teams that will only take a certain number of American players.

Scheyer has not publicly commented on the European option, choosing instead this past month to focus on his draft status.

However, Collins—who played professionally in Finland—said Scheyer could do far worse than playing overseas.

“I know a lot of teams over there are really clamoring to try to sign him,” Collins said. “[Europe] is a very attractive situation. If the NBA doesn’t work out, he has the ability to go over there and make a lot of money playing.”

Bilas, who played for teams in Spain and Italy after his time at Duke, echoed Collins’ sentiment.

“Playing overseas oftentimes you can make more money,” Bilas said. “It might be a good option to play over there for a while and then come back here.... The NBA scouts over there just as much as over here now.”

Lance Thomas, Duke’s final senior, is not expected to be drafted. However, the Scotch Plains, N.J., native did participate in workouts with his hometown New Jersey Nets.

Kamalsky feels that Thomas’ high

school pedigree ensures that he’ll get a chance with an NBA team.

“I think Lance will get a look in the summer leagues, just because of how highly touted he was coming out of high school,” he said. “He’ll have the opportunity [to play in the NBA] more so than any other guy not projected to be drafted.”

While the hype of years past may be lacking this time around, one thing is for sure—June 24 will be a pivotal day in the lives of Zoubek, Scheyer and Thomas, even if the splendor of the first round does not necessarily await them.

track & field from page 7 Juliet Bottorff was the final runner to compete for Duke in Eugene. The freshman ran the 5,000 m last Friday in 16:38.26, finishing in 22nd.

While the lack of top finishers in the group of six was disappointing after strong performances in Greensboro, Ogilvie is confident of his group for future events.

Twenty-seven of the 28 athletes that competed in Greensboro return to the team next year. Five of the six who advanced to the championships in Eugene are also coming back.

“We’re pretty excited about next year.

The 2011 track season is setting up to be the best in school history,” he said. “It just didn’t happen in Eugene.”

Four Blue Devils compete for the last time this year in the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships, beginning next Wednesday. Nanni and McDermott will run, while freshmen Michelle Anumba and Andrea Hopkins will throw in the juniors event.

CLASSIFIEDS Caretaker/companion/ etc. Looking for in home care work. References include Duke Cardiac Rehab/in-Home healthcare. Hours/Wages vary. Available day / nights / weekends.

Graduation certificate and CPR.

919-596-8643/cell 919-972-1526.

RESEARCH STUDIES Paid Research Opportunity Participants are needed for studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies are conducted at the Duke University Brain Imaging and Analysis Center. Must be 18 years of older and no history of neurological injury or disease. Studies last 1-2 hours and participants are paid approximately $20/ hr.

For more information call 6819344 or email volunteer@biac. duke.edu.

(10672)

HELP WANTED BARISTA Gourmet coffee shop in DUMC hiring FT/ PT Baristas. $8/ hr + tips. Apply in person at EspressOasis in North Cafeteria 681-5884

Lab Research Analyst I Lab in Cell Biology dept looking for recent graduate for 1 year position. Salary $38-48K. Need basic biology lab skills, but must be comfortable working with computers. Strong math or biophysics background a plus. Position may be renewable depending on funding. For more info, R. J. Perz-Edwards, rjpe@cellbio. duke.edu, 919-648-5674

Housekeeper Clean large house near Southpoint Mall, do laundry, run errands. Must be dog friendly. Flexible schedule available, $12/hr. cdelgross@ earthlink.net

1500 sq ft 2 bedroom townhome off Hope Valley Road, available July 1. Fireplace, separate dining room, deck with woods, porch, new carpets. 10 minutes Duke, RTP; 20 minutes UNC; 5 minutes I-40, 15-501.

Cozy home, very quiet neighborhood. $900/mo. 572-9510.

FOR SALE Antique art deco circa 1930 bedroom dresser w/ mirror and night table.

Very good condition. $150.

Call 919-425-5775.

CHILD CARE Childcare Provider For my 3 month old daughter in our WoodLake neighborhood home starting the week of 7/7/10 for 2-3 days a week. $70/day. Please contact Jennifer at jenniferhondos@me.com or 717-578-2242 Nanny wanted 15 - 20 hours per week for afterschool care for two children, 8 and 10 years old. Hours between 3:00 and 7:00 pm. Start date August 23rd, 2010. Prior childcare/babysitting experience preferred. References and clean driving record required. Please email cmoore3124@aol.com or call 919-630-3292 to apply.

HOMES FOR SALE 3BR 2.5 BA in Lattamoor Beautiful, spacious home in gated community minutes to Duke, Durham Regional and downtown. Formal DR, large windows, 2 car garage, walking trails, solid surface countertops. $212,000, 107 Latta Circle, MLS# 1724268 919-960-7575

Luxury home for sale Minutes from Duke, near Duke School for Children. Approx. 5,200 sq.ft. gracious home (1988).

Beautiful 1.12 acres, with lowmaintenance landscaping, 1,000 sq.ft. deck; screened porch, very private in-ground pool. Handsome home has 6 BR/4.5 BA. 17 Altmont Ct. Durham, NC. Asking $625,900. FSBO. MLS 3003488.

Contact Mark Trustin (919) 4901778.

We sell homes. We offer 30 Day-Free marketing plans that posts property on the MLS that Realtors use. After 30-Days $500 to continue. We provide lock box, Sign, Scheduling Services. Let’s meet and talk!!

Local Contact# 919-399-2313 visit www.goodhomesstore.com

HOMES FOR RENT 2BR/2Bth for rent Apartment for rent minutes from Chapel Hill and 15 min from Duke. Features: Secure ID entry, covered porch, new hardwood floors, washer/ dryer, community pool, fireplace, electric fan in each room, and furnished kitchen if requested. Rent: $1100 919-724-2649

Home for Rent Beautiful, 3 BR, 2 BA, in Duke Forest; 2 miles from campus. Quiet and great neighborhood. Great for professionals!

919-489-3074

TOWNHOUSE FOR SALE OPEN HOUSE Sat June 12 to Thurs June 17, 12:30-3:30pm Huge Townhouse Near Duke 4 Bed, 3 Bath 2,200 sqft Built 2007. One of the largest in Pickett Park. Dark Hardwood Floors, Pristine Carpet Lots of Sunlight. Custom Additions.

New Everything.

Asking $257k (Neg) 2822 Pickett Rd. 516-747-5091 or email (web ad) for special viewing.

www.dukechronicle.com

SERVICES OFFERED

The Chronicle classified advertising

www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds rates All advertising - $6.00 for first 15 words 10¢ (per day) additional per word 3 or 4 consecutive insertions - 10 % off 5 or more consecutive insertions - 20 % off special features online and print all bold wording - $1.00 extra per day bold heading - $1.50 extra per day bold and sub headline - $2.50 extra per day online only attention getting icon - $1.00 extra per ad spotlight/feature ad - $2.00 per day website link - $1.00 per ad map - $1.00 per ad hit counter - $1.00 per ad picture or graphic - $2.50 per ad deadline 12:00 noon 1 business day prior to publication payment Prepayment is required Master Card, VISA, Discover, American Express, cash or check ad submission

online: www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds

Around the world 24 hours a day

email: advertising@chronicle.duke.edu fax to: 919-684-8295 phone orders: (919)-684-3811

No refunds or cancellations after first insertion deadline ADVERTISERS: Please check your advertisement for errors on the first day of publication. If you find an error, please call 919-684-3811. The Chronicle only accepts responsibility for the first incorrect day for ads entered by our office staff. We cannot offer make-good runs for errors in ads placed online by the customer.

the chronicle thursday, june 17, 2010 | 9

Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins

Dilbert Scott Adams

Doonesbury Garry Trudeau

The Chronicle why we hate campers: they’re us, in a time machine: ��������������������������������������������������� toni their fanny packs: ����������������������������������������������������������������������rupp those damn neon lanyards: ����������������������������������� this is the carter it’s good, though. that’s how you avoid them: �������joanna, chaser they actually suck at sports: ������������������������������������������������������andy how many pictures you going to take of the chapel?: �������melissa hit puberty, then we’ll talk: ���������������������������������������������������� x-tina they travel in loud, obnoxious packs: �����������������������������tay-dough Barb Starbuck thinks they’re okay: ������������������������������������������ Barb

Ink Pen Phil Dunlap

Student Advertising Manager:...............................Margaret Potter Account Executives:.................... Chelsea Canepa, Phil DeGrouchy Liza Doran, Lianna Gao, Rhea Kaw, Ben Masselink Amber Su, Mike Sullivan, Jack Taylor Quinn Wang, Cap Young Creative Services Student Manager............................Christine Hall Creative Services:................................Lauren Bledsoe, Danjie Fang Caitlin Johnson, Megan Meza , Hannah Smith Business Assistant:.........................................................Joslyn Dunn

Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. (No number is repeated in any column, row or box.)

Answer to puzzle www.sudoku.com

The Independent Daily at Duke University

The Chronicle

10 | XXXDAY, MONTH XX, 2010 the chronicle commentaries

Proceed with caution The Bostock Group, The University has wisechaired by Roy Bostock, ly been transparent so far Trinity ’62, has been devis- concerning the plans for ing tentative long-term plans fundraising for athletics for renovating Wallace Wade construction. Duke adminisStadium and small portions trators firmly stated that the of Cameron InUniversity will door Stadium. staff editorial not be fundThe Bostock ing any sigStudy outlines four phases nificant portion of the conof preliminary construction struction—that burden falls and showcases the group’s squarely on the Athletics attempts to both modernize Department. As a result, the Duke’s facilities and maxi- University can avoid the permize revenues. ception that Duke Athletics Wallace Wade’s renova- will receive special treatment tions would increase the stadi- as Duke seeks to eliminate um capacity, create intimacy, its $40 million deficit. provide premium amenities Fortunately, the project is and potentially attract stron- in the hands of some of the ger athletes—all things that University’s most prominent could fill seats with Duke and and able alumni. The group Durham fans. The projected of nine alumni is composed cost of construction totals an of former Duke athletes, fiestimated $80 to $90 million. nancial experts and both

“

onlinecomment

I think an expansion of Wallace Wade should be evaluated carefully, as a large investment in our facilities will not necessarily translate into results. I also don’t think that bigger is always better.

”

—“Gertrude Higgins” commenting on the story “Reconstructing Duke Football.”

See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

Letters Policy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest 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; 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 letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

Est. 1905

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

The Chronicle

Inc. 1993

Lindsey Rupp, Editor Toni Wei, Managing Editor Taylor Doherty, News Editor Andy Moore, Sports Editor Courtney Douglas, Photography Editor Ben Brostoff, Editorial Page Editor Will Robinson, Editorial Board Chair Christina Peña, Managing Editor for Online jonathan angier, General Manager DEAN CHEN, Director of Online Operations Matthew Chase, University Editor Samantha Brooks, Local & National Editor Sonia Havele, Health & Science Editor Melissa Yeo, News Photography Editor Kevin Lincoln, Recess Editor Lisa du, Recess Managing Editor Charlie Lee, Editorial Page Managing Editor SAnette Tanaka, Wire Editor Andrew Hibbard, Towerview Editor Chase Olivieri, Towerview Photography Editor zachary tracer, Special Projects Editor alex beutel, Director of Online Development Jinny Cho, Senior Editor DAn Ahrens, Recruitment Chair Mary weaver, Operations Manager Barbara starbuck, Production Manager

Jeff Scholl, Sports Managing Editor Joanna Lichter, University Editor Ciaran O’Connor, Local & National Editor Tullia Rushton, Health & Science Editor Margie Truwit, Sports Photography Editor Michael Naclerio, Multimedia Editor Nathan Glencer, Recess Photography Editor Drew sternesky, Editorial Page Managing Editor carter Suryadevara, Design Editor Lawson kurtz, Towerview Editor Maya Robinson, Towerview Creative Director hon lung chu, Special Projects Editor for Online cheney tsai, Director of Online Design Julia Love, Senior Editor Jessica Lichter, Recruitment Chair CHRISSY BECK, Advertising/Marketing Director REBECCA DICKENSON, Chapel Hill Ad Sales Manager

The Chronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors.

To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 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://www.dukechronicle.com. © 2010 The Chronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C. 27708. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior, written permission of the Business Office. Each individual is entitled to one free copy.

current and former Board of Trustees members­.

John Mack, T ’68, serves on the Board of Trustees and as chairman of the board of Morgan Stanley, and Adam Silver, T ’84, is the deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the National Basketball Association. Bostock served as a Trustee, played football at Duke and serves as chairman of the board of Yahoo! Inc. The other six members of the group also provide unique expertise.

As Bostock noted, the group is committed to the University’s aim to achieve excellence in all facets and activities—a standard that Duke Football has not lived up to for a number of years.

These preliminary plans rekindle that mission.

Thus far, the Bostock Group has been cautious about planning too far ahead and should continue to do so.

The committee has expressed awareness that a fuller understanding of Durham’s demographics and interest in Duke Football are necessary before finalizing plans. Ambitious proposals for expansion should only be pursued if there is a demand by local residents to attend games.

As these plans progress, administrators and Bostock Group members also should make sure that Duke’s commitment to academic standards remain intact. A competitive and profitable program is certainly desirable, but not at the expense of the University’s academic mission. Duke can be com-

petitive in the ACC without giving in to pressure to lower its admissions standards for student-athletes.

Finally, as the Bostock Group considers construction to Cameron Indoor— adding a store area and improving lobby amenities—the plan to keep changes to the stadium to a minimum would fortunately preserve the character of the iconic venue.

These plans are a step in the right direction, providing first-rate facilities to reinforce and encourage a more competitive and profitable football program at Duke. The caution in moving forward with the proposals should be commended, but it also must be continued as construction is further considered.

Wikipedia In this life, it’s well known that if something in several of the aforementioned magazine studseems too good to be true, then it probably is. Mir- ies as well, with the British “PC Plus” concluding acle weight-loss programs and wonder pill supple- in its April 2008 issue that users should “check ments always disappoint. Half-price Rolexes bought anything that seems outlandish with a second on a street corner in some big city stop ticking the source” (this is comically irresolute with the fact minute you get back to the hotel. And Butler’s Hol- that some students visit a subject’s Wikipedia page lywood underdog story came up just a few inches just to scalp its list of secondary sources for their too short, certainly a major letdown for kids who bibliographies). It’s worth noting that the source study 8 miles down the road from Indianapolis. listing of a page itself can become a valuable jumpIt should come as no surprise, ing off point for a student seeking then, that the most accessible, informative sources of reading or convenient and comprehensive reresearch. search tool available to students, Of course, that seems to be the public online encyclopedia Wikipedia’s most popular use, at known as Wikipedia, is inadmisleast for right now. Not yet fit for sible as a source in the classroom. the works cited page, it serves inIn fact, its accuracy and reliability stead as a safe haven for those are so frequently called into quesstruggling with writer’s block, unchris bassil tion that its impermissibility usually familiarity with an assigned topic goes without saying. or any other number of limiting summer column This supposed “fact,” howevstressors. It provides a digestibly er, may be starting to change. As complete initial overview of most awareness of the encyclopedia has grown in re- subjects, complete with listings for further readcent years, the quickness of its revisionary-style ing and the opportunity for familiarization with real-time editing, which is placed in the hands of key terms, phrases and ideas. In short, it’s wildly the presumably responsible public, has become convenient and is most everyone’s go-to when it more and more difficult to ignore. Hoaxes and comes to breaching the unknown. glaring inaccuracies, except in a handful of cases, On top of all that, we now know that the inforstruggle to survive for more than a few minutes mation that it does include is more reliable than on Wikipedia. A study in the prestigious scien- skeptics would have you believe, and that its ability tific journal “Nature” examined 42 articles from to change with the times and provide the most upWikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica apiece to-date accurate data is unparalleled. Wikipedia and found a total of four major errors on each can be incomplete, and it can also be too lengthy, side, suggesting that Wikipedia is at least on a too complex and too clumsy in its prose. But these level comparable to that of well-respected print are charges that could be leveled against any pubencyclopedias. Web-based surveys and comput- lication regardless of its name or medium, and ing magazines in Australia, Germany and Eng- so cannot be considered so valid as to dismiss the land have all published similar findings. It’s be- website as an adequate source of information. Any ginning to look like the information available on good researcher spreads the weight of his papers Wikipedia may not always be as erroneous as was across a wide swath of resources anyway, enough once believed. to fill in the gaps that a single source might presThe most significant exceptions to these find- ent. An incomplete citation attributed to Wikipeings, though, can be found on pages detailing dia is then as much the fault of the researcher as drugs and medical studies. Although the infor- it is of the website. mation communicated in these entries contained A responsible stance is what’s needed when it very few inaccuracies, a research team from Nova comes to Wikipedia. It’s certainly invaluable as just Southeastern University found that excerpts on a jumping off point, but it might be time to finally drugs frequently left out valuable information. embrace it as something reputable enough to inThe lead researcher of the team cited the known clude in a footnote. Either way, if used properly, editing of drug pages by pharmaceutical company it can provide helpful information and resources representatives, who were later caught, as a po- upon which to build a case. After all, that’s just tential explanation. Still, Wikipedia was cited 614 what the “Reliability of Wikipedia” entry was able times in medical reference journals last year. to do for this column.

The idea that Wikipedia paints incomplete pictures is beginning to become more prevalent Chris Bassil is a rising Trinity junior. His column than the notion that its information is unreliable.

The omission of significant information was noted runs every other Thursday in the summer.

the chronicle

commentaries

Basketball, the World Cup, and you I love the World Cup. I love its purity, its beauty. I love to watch every single game.

I remember watching Togo four years ago and seeing its players play with passion and heart. The team did so without getting paid. They wore their country’s name with pride, and definitely did it justice. Separatist violence led to shootings in Togo earlier this year. Nine people were wounded and two died. A sad story, yes, but the Togo soccer team should not be remembered that way.

Instead, the team’s legacy shed light on how important sports are today. The men on the Togo national team lived a dream in 2006, as they miraculously got to escape the problems of their home country and head to Germany to play soccer. The same can be said for the Ivory Coast.

The national team’s ascent to soccer’s highest stage led to the country calling a ceasefire and putting pause on a civil war. Think about that for a second. Two factions of a country laid down their arms and trusted each other.

The war could wait a month, and they wanted to form a unified support group for their soccer team. You think they asked about tribe affiliation around the television? antonio segalini Soccer was an escape.

The same is true for all sports. Duke students put the summer column same faith in basketball, and during those glorious forty minutes put everything aside. Whether it is in Cameron or on television, basketball lets us escape work or studying or that bad grade you totally didn’t deserve (even though your version of studying was reading the book the night before). When Singler (I would say Kyrie, but let’s not jinx him) hits a three or Mason grabs a key offensive rebound, we cheer our heads off and focus on the game. We focus on supporting our team, and feel a part of it in victory and defeat. While we may go back to our work afterwards (or even during halftime), we make sure that we allocate the proper time to watch our team. It is important.

College gets really hard and often can feel overwhelming. While our situations are nothing like those of the members of Togo or the Ivory Coast, we still feel the stress and pressure that make us forget how fun college is supposed to be. Sometimes it takes something as simple as a game to take us away from it all.

Maybe that is why we get so crazy. Maybe that is why your friends from other colleges think you are weird for painting your face blue. Who cares, though? Because there is a reason why so many people start to love basketball when they come on campus, and it isn’t because we excel at it (although that certainly helps). No, it’s because we get to have fun and let loose, jump up and down and scream at people we don’t know.

It’s not like we are the only school that has this experience. Ask Cornell students how they felt during the NCAA tournament, or Harvard or Yale students how they felt during The Game. Ask Stanford or Notre Dame students about their football teams.

It is as if we lead double lives, one that goes to class every day and one that becomes a maniac during games.

Dare I say the student-athletes do us a favor? From Henrique Cunha to Joy Cheek, from our lacrosse team to our soccer squad, Duke athletics allow students to get away from the books and have some healthy fun. That is why I believe that more schools should mimic the idea and actually pump money into athletics. Imagine if schools such as Cornell could offer athletic scholarships or have better recruiting facilities. Their academics are good enough; it’s time they started to let their students become crazies.

It’s time they had a little fun.

The Ivy League could learn something (else) from Duke. They should give their teams a little more to work with and allow their students to be fans. They may not feel as passionate as the citizens of the Ivory Coast, but you’d be surprised how big a difference it would make.

I used to think nothing would beat how I felt when my native Italy won the World Cup. Then, I came to Duke and watched our team cut down the nets. It is time other private universities allowed their fans to get the same thrill. They won’t regret it.

Antonio Segalini is a rising Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Thursday in the summer.

XXXDAY, MONTH XX, 2010 | 11

Sporting the dance Watching sports alone is like playing Uno with only two people. It is possible, but not enjoyable. The game suddenly becomes less interesting when you do not have another person to share in the bursts of jubilations or indignant blasphemies.

None of my family or friends have been big sports fans. My own history of watching sports, as a result, is rather short and, admittedly, embarrassing. I have never watched a basketball game from beginning to end until Duke-UNC and I didn’t know that LeBron James played for Cleveland, my hometown, until the end of my senior year in high school.

Yet, given my modest beginnings in sports fandom, I have recently found myself engrossed with Duke Basketball and the World Cup. I have always viewed sports as something on the peripheral. I didn’t even know that Duke was famous for its basketball team until I arrived at Duke as an enrolled student. I never thought I would become a Cameron Crazie.

Surprisingly, my sudden change in attitude toward watching sports has a lot to do with how group dancing is extremely popular in China, but less so in the U.S. Last Saturday, the group of Duke students on the service project and I went to a Tibetan Circle Dance in a public square of a university. We were all skeptical at the beginning, but soon, the dance took on a life of its own.

We were part of the group that first started the dance. It was just 15 people in a circle, moving legs and arms in various ways according to preordained dance steps that none of us could make sense of.

Fifteen people didn’t even make half a circle.

But soon, people of various ages and backgrounds started to join. College students, just coming back from class or the library, entered without hesitation, as though they’d done it many times before.

A 70-something elderly grandmother entered into rui dai the circle in front of me, and a 10-year-old girl imitated the dance moves on the side before joining summer column the circle too.

It was almost mythical. Before long, the incomplete circle of people became several rings of more than 100 individuals.

We were there for more than two hours, and for most of the time, I was thinking how impossible it was for this to occur at Duke, or anywhere else in the U.S. Everyone would be worrying the entire time about how foolish they look flailing their arms and legs according to the dance.

Dancing in the U.S. is more performance art than improvisation. It is something that you display to other people, to exhibit your skills.

Tibetan Circle Dance, or Guozhuang, on the other hand, is something that you do only for yourself. No one is there to judge how badly you fail at following the steps.

Each person has their own style of dancing and everyone makes mistakes, even the leader. But no one cares. I know for sure that I crashed into the person behind me more than a few times.

Group dancing in China is like watching sports in America. It is an instant and transient bond between you and people you have never met. For the brief period that the dance revolved in circles, I felt that I was one with the rest of the group. We were all part of something bigger than ourselves: the dance.

For the brief period that you are watching a game in a bar, regardless of how much or how little you know about the game or the people in the bar, you are part of something more important than the individual. And that is exhilarating.

It is almost cathartic.

Sports in general is a social activity. Even running, which is usually considered a solitary activity, has many social components weaved into its foundation. Runners have friends they run with or to which they can gush about their latest times. I have never seen as much enthusiasm as exists between two runners exchanging tips on how to prepare for the next marathon.

Therefore, watching sports is even more of social pastime. This is why watching a game in a bar full of strangers is more entertaining than watching it alone. At least in the bar, it is possible to feel like part of the team.

It is also why I have only recently gotten into watching sports. Never before college have I had the opportunity to converse about the natural endowments of Cristiano Ronaldo (for other athletically illiterates like me: an apparently really famous Portuguese soccer player). My high school athletics were so dismal I never had the opportunity to make sports a social activity.

Communal watching of ESPN is a less common phenomenon in China than it is in the U.S. Though watching sports is common in China, few follow it religiously. And for those who do, it is less of a social interaction, but more for the thrill of winning or the game itself. Group dancing is a more common form of social gathering.

I wonder: if we didn’t have Duke athletics, would the need for cathartic social experiences revive line dancing?

Rui Dai is a rising Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Thursday in the summer.

Got something to say? Comment on columns at

www.dukechronicle.com

12 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 the chronicle