Aug. 30, 2012 issue of The Chronicle

Page 1

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

The Chronicle

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 6

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

DSG

Event marks start of major renovations

Tailgate postponed DSG reschedules first event, amends group tabling policies

by Margot Tuchler THE CHRONICLE

The construction of the Events Pavilion will mark the start of major campus changes, administrators said. Spectators gathered on the Bryan Center Plaza as Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, senior Alex Swain, president of Duke Student Government and Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, spoke to mark the upcoming construction. Construction on the pavilion—which will house dining and event venues during West Union Building renovations—is scheduled to be completed summer 2013, at which point West Union construction will begin. The University’s larger construction project will also include renovations to the Bryan Center. “This heralds the start of three years of work,” Moneta said. [The pavilion] really is the lead project on behalf of a dramatic revitalization of the student experience on campus.” Although the University is waiting for formal building permits from Durham, city officials are well-aware of the project, and there is little doubt that the

by John Barker and Tiffany Lieu THE CHRONICLE

SEE PAVILION ON PAGE 6

Endowment leader Neil Teenage marijuana use Williams dies causes mental deficit

CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY RITA LO AND THU NGUYEN

A Duke study has found that adolescent marijuana use leads to irreversible mental deficits, including a point decline in IQ.

Duke Student Government solidified its infrastructure and began discussing its approach to issues pertaining to student life and social policies at the University. Because the inaugural meeting occurred before the Sept. 11 DSG elections, in which a large bulk of senators will be added to the governing body, much discussion centered on electing several committees to oversee the election process. Senators discussed the many transitions they will be overseeing in upcoming months, including student feedback to the house model, West Union Building renovations, changes in the statute of limitation on reporting sexual misconduct and the highly anticipated plan for replacing Tailgate. “This summer we’ve been working on a number of issues regarding several big changes to the University,” said DSG President Alex Swain, a senior. “We are transitioning to an interesting time for our country and for the relationship between students and universities in general.” The replacement for Tailgate was touched upon briefly. The first New Tailgating event has been postponed to SEE TAILGATE ON PAGE 5

from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE

by Danielle Muoio

The head of the Charlotte-based Duke Endowment died Sunday, leaving behind a legacy of support and loyalty to the University. Chairman Neil Williams, Trinity ‘58 and Law ‘61, died of a heart attack at age 76 in Winston-Salem Sunday. Williams served as head of the Charlotte-based foundation—started by James B. Duke but separate from the University—since January 2011.

THE CHRONICLE

SEE WILLIAMS ON PAGE 5

A nearly four decade study led by Duke researchers holds harrowing implications for adolescent marijuana users. The study followed more than 1,000 people from the time they were born and found that individuals who used marijuana regularly in early adolescence suffered on average an eight point IQ decline by the time they reached age 38. Not only is this drop in IQ irreversible, but it is enough to knock a person of average intelligence from the 50th percentile to the

Duke arts goes gospel, Recess Page 7

29th percentile. “Those who started to use cannabis a lot between 16 and 18 were the kids who experienced a lot of the IQ decline,” Avshalom Capsi, an Edward M. Arnett professor of psychology and neuroscience and co-author of the study, said. “Even among people who had quit…if they started very early and used cannabis for many years, their neurological test scores didn’t seem to rebound.” An IQ drop of eight points has a variety SEE MARIJUANA ON PAGE 12

ONTHERECORD

“I hopelessly tried to hold back the big grin that had overtaken my face....” —Philip Doerr in “Every week is O-week.” See column page 11.

KAYLA FALK/THE CHRONICLE

DSG President Alex Swain announced that the first tailgate of the year would be postponed at the group’s meeting Wednesday.

Duke Med addresses Rwandan health system, Page 3


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