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Nov. 1, 2012 issue of The Chronicle

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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, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE X

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

RECESS

Karamu showcases black theater

Uni preps for BC’s makeover

Mitt came to Duke?

by Suvam Neupane

by Kristie Kim

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As the only group on campus that focuses on the work of black playwrights, Karamu Theater Company offers a unique cultural perspective to the Duke community. Although the group was first started in the 1970s, it went on a brief hiatus and is now looking to make a comeback with its upcoming fall showcase. Karamu’s mission is to spotlight the original plays written by black students and alums within an integrated system of actors of all races. Student playwright Ashley Diane Long elaborates on the group’s mission when she says, “Karamu gives black playwrights a stage to show their work and to talk openly about what it means to be a black playwright.” Jay O’Berski, Theatre Studies professor and faculty advisor for Karamu, says he was interested in advising because he “desired to mentor black playwrights and directors.” He believes that their plays too often fall through the cracks, and their perspective is sorely missed. In his fifteen years at Duke, O’Berski remarked that he could count on one hand the number of plays directed by black students. Furthermore, he stresses the role that Karamu has in assembling multicultural casts whose actors do not fit the standard drama/ theater studies mold. Even though many of the performers are acting for the first time,

Renovations to the Bryan Center will soon be underway, forcing several student organizations to find temporary space in the meantime. The renovation plans are part of the University’s larger project, which comprises the construction of an events pavilion—located west of the Bryan Center near Union Drive and Towerview Road—and renovations to the West Union Building. Renovations of the Bryan Center are scheduled to be completed summer 2013, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta. The University received $80 million to fund its construction projects from the Duke Endowment in March 2011. “For the most part, a lot of the renovations [in the Bryan Center] are to accommodate the dislocation of functions of the West Union,” Moneta said. “However, this was not simply prompted as a refresh—given the opportunity, we are also taking advantage of the opportunity to get the building aligned correctly.” The construction began in September with the relocation of the Computer Store into the Duke University Store and will continue out in phases, beginning with renovations on the middle level of the Bryan Center. The middle center currently comprises

JISOO YOON/THE CHRONICLE

Duke Democrats invited supporters to come to the West Campus bus stop dressed up as “What Scares You About Mitt Romney” for Halloween Wednesday.

SEE KARAMU ON RECESS PAGE 6

SEE BC ON PAGE 4

DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

What doctors don’t say DSG to develop a about patients’ DNA student ‘bill of rights’ by Emma Baccellieri THE CHRONICLE

The ability to map the human genome promises medicinal benefits while le posing ethical questions. Advances in genome scanning technology allow doctors to more efficiently process an individual’s whole DNA sequence, but raise concerns about the ethics of the practice. When running DNA tests, doctors sometimess encounter unexpected results unrelated to the original purpose of the screening, such as an individual’s genetic predisposition to a disease. Many question whether such incidental findings should be shared with the n, patient, said Dr. Robert Cook-Deegan, director for Genome Ethics, Law and Polioli-

Duke in costume, Page 2

cy at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. “People should have the right to t any and all information,” said Dr. Misha Angrist, assistant professor of M the practice at the IGSP. “But I’m not advocating that we force information on people. Some people don’t want to know, and we have to respect tthat.” In situations of incidental findings, d doctors must choose to either inform the patient of the additional results—including any uncertainties regarding treatment—or withhold that information. Genome scanning technology has SEE DNA ON PAGE 4

from Staff Reports THE CHRONICLE

The Duke Student Government Rules Committee will be creating a student Bill of Rights in the coming months, Executive Vice President Patrick Oathout, a junior, announced at the Senate meeting Wednesday. Oathout announced the upcoming creation of a Bill of Rights as part of the timeline for the Rules Committee, which Oathout also presented at the meeting. The Senate also passed an amendment to a Student Organization Finance Committee bylaw, creating the Financial Oversight and Appeals Committee. The committee—comprised of the DSG president, executive vice president, treasurer,

onCAMPUS

Today, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Robert Lefkowitz will be speaking with President Richard Brodhead about research and scientific mentoring at 4p.m. in Griffith Film Theater.

chief of staff and four senators, as well as the SOFC chairs—will be responsible for the appeals process for funding requests as well as allocating surplus funding. The new committee will replace the Surplus Trustees committee, which was previously responsible for surplus funds. The Senate passed a resolution approving the appointment of several students to Arts and Sciences Council positions. Senior Mea Warren was appointed to the Library Council, freshman Jay Ruckelshaus was appointed to the Committee on the Curriculum, and freshman Aohui Lin was appointed to the Committee on Courses. The resolution SEE DSG ON PAGE 10

Recess interviews Meredith Monk, Recess page 5


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THE CHRONICLE

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Happy Halloween Snapshots of student’s creative costumes around campus [a photo essay by Chelsea Pieroni and Jisoo Yoon]

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I. A wizard casts a spell on the West Campus bus stop. II. Two pirates smoke pipes on the Bryan Center Plaza. III. A bus driver wears an eccentric costume for his daily route. IV. A skeleton sits on the edge of a display at a Day of Dead exhibit in the Jameson Gallery. The exhibit, which features photos of Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, runs through Nov. 6. V. A barista burgles students’ food points at the Perk in von der Heyden Pavilion. VI. A woman shows off her Wonder Woman wear on the Duke Chapel Quad.

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ATTENTION FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

Friday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 1 at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 2 at 3 p.m. Duke Chapel Choir and Orchestra Pro Cantores Rodney Wynkoop, Conductor David Arcus, Continuo Duke University Chapel $15 General Admission $5 Students with ID Free for Duke Students

Did you know you can apply to become a Robertson Scholar? The Robertson Scholars Program invites you to an open information session to learn more about this opportunity! November 4th 7-8PM East Duke 209 November 8th 6-7PM East Duke 209 Meet Members of the program staff and current scholars Discuss the benefits and expectations of the program ■ Review important information about the application process Please join us! ■

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Tickets Available Today! www.tickets.duke.edu or call 919-684-4444

Learn more at www.robertsonscholars.org, or contact Nandini Kumar: kumar@robertsonscholars.org


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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 | 3

Sandy damage runs Obama finds ally in NJ’s Christie seeking storm aid from Conn to NC by Juliana Goldman

by Dan Eggen and William Branigin THE WASHINGTON POST

Storm-ravaged residents of New York and New Jersey began urgent recovery efforts Tuesday after a nighttime pummeling from Hurricane Sandy, which caused widespread flooding, raging fires and broad power outages and left at least 35 people dead from Connecticut to North Carolina. The devastating powerful storm’s torrential rains and howling winds left behind floodwaters from Lower Manhattan to Atlantic City, N.J., while firefighters continued to battle a stillsmoldering fire that consumed scores of homes in a waterfront neighborhood in Queens.

Mighty New York City was largely paralyzed, its pivotal subway system flooded and numerous bridges and tunnels shut down. Wall Street’s financial markets were shuttered for a second day—the longest weather-related closure in 124 years—while authorities warned that it would be days, if not weeks, before the city returned to normal. “The damage we suffered across the city is clearly extensive, and it will not be repaired overnight,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a morning news conference. He said all New York area airports were still shut down Tuesday and that public transportation in the city “remains closed until further notice.” About SEE SANDY ON PAGE 12

DOUG KAPUSTIN/THE WASHINGTON POST

Fall colors contrast with the stark and sudden onset of winter in Oakland, Md. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, snow piled up to 20 inches in the mountains in Western Maryland.

BLOOMBERG NEWS

BRIGANTINE, N.J. — It’s the October Surprise Part II. After Atlantic superstorm Sandy ravaged the Eastern seaboard, leaving behind death and destruction, an unlikely partnership has emerged between the Democratic president seeking re-election and the Republican governor who once called him the “most ill-prepared person to assume the presidency.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was the only person to greet President Barack Obama Wednesday when he walked off Air Force One in Atlantic City on a hastily assembled trip to survey storm damage and relief efforts. Both wearing zip-up jackets bearing their names and titles, they shook hands, Obama patted Christie on the back and they boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for an hour-long aerial tour of Sandy’s destruction in the state, a visit to a shelter and a walk along a stormdamaged street. When they were done, the two men took turns thanking and praising each other. Obama “has sprung into action immediately,” to get New Jersey the resources it needs, Christie said after they finished in Brigantine. “I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern.” The president said Christie has shown “extraordinary leadership” and “has been responsive and aggressive in making sure that the state got out in front of this storm.”

Even as White House officials and campaign aides insisted that politics played no role in the visit, with six days left for voters to decide whether to re-elect Obama or replace him with Republican Mitt Romney, the storm-driven alliance was fraught with political significance. “It’s obviously not the photo op that Romney wanted — a top Republican sideby-side praising the president,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. New Jersey was one of the areas hardest hit when Sandy made landfall Oct. 29 on the state’s southern shore. The 900 milewide storm swept across a region with 60 million residents, shutting government offices, transit systems and businesses and leaving at least 61 people dead. Christie, who spurned calls to run for the Republican presidential nomination last year, was the keynote speaker at the party’s national convention in Tampa, Fla., and has campaigned on Romney’s behalf. Known for his “Jersey-style” way of confronting critics or those with whom he disagrees, he hasn’t minced words when talking about the commander-in-chief. Just a few months ago, he said Obama was “posing and preening” as president, and called him a “bystander in the Oval Office.” At a rally last week in Richmond, Va., Christie repeated one of his frequent lines of derision for Obama: “He’s like a man wandering around a dark room, hands up against the wall, clutching for the light switch of leadership, and he just can’t find it.”

To drill or not to drill? That is the moral question for this rousing debate. Arguing against drilling will be

Bill McKibben

Time Magazine called him “the planet’s best green journalist” Boston Globe said that he is “probably the country’s most important environmentalist”

Arguing for drilling will be

Alex Epstein,

Founder and President of the Center for Industrial Progress. Mr. Epstein (Duke Class of 2002) is an energy writer who has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Investor’s Business Daily.

Where: Love Auditorium When: Monday, November 5, 7:00 PM Duke students, faculty, and staff please arrive at least fifteen minutes early to be guaranteed a seat

7 21 Broa d Street cakes • pies • cupcakes salads • soups • sandwiches Another delicious creation from Am y Tornquist, ow ner of W atts G rocery


4 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

DNA from page 1 been growing more common over the past five years and the medical community has yet to determine a standard course of action for such cases. “Do you share only what you know, the things you can understand and do something about, or do you share everything, including your uncertainty and bring the patient in as a partner to make the decision with you?” Cook-Deegan asked. He added that doctors often discover information about a patient’s genetic conditions that they cannot interpret. The question is more complex when the

BC from page 1

SIMPLY THE BEST!

the post office, McDonald’s and Griffith Film Theater. Although all parts of the student center will be affected by the construction, the majority of structural alterations will occur on this level, noted Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education. He added that major construction will begin in the middle of December, during which the middle level will be cleared out and labeled a “demolition area.” Renovation of the lower and upper levels will follow, prompting several student organizations to temporarily relocate. “It was a matter of the need to consider swing space for when we empty out the West Union,” Nowicki said. Until the completion of the Bryan Center, the Duke Student Government will take up space in the West Union and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life will occupy the building on Campus Drive that was previously home to the International House.

THE CHRONICLE

individual in question is a child rather than an adult. Knowledge of a genetic predisposition to an untreatable or unpreventable illness could color a child’s entire life, even if onset of the disease does not occur for decades, Angrist said. “There’s some legitimate concern about not predetermining a child’s future,” Angrist said. “But at the same time, I think another argument can be made, which is if you find out that your child is going to be at risk… you can be more aggressive about screening and monitoring or get him or her into a clinical trial for asymptomatic people.” Recent advances in the field have made it possible to glean the DNA sequence of a

fetus from just a blood sample of the mother, allowing doctors to predict an unborn child’s genetic predispositions to a disease without operating on the mother, CookDeegan said. “It raises the issue of if it’s right to use this technology to determine who’s born,” Cook-Deegan said. The multifaceted nature of the subject has sparked much discussion through the medical and research communities both nationwide and here at Duke, where genomescanning was the topic of the Bioethics Society’s October meeting. “A lot of people are really interested in it,” said senior Trent Chiang, president of the society. “It has so many applications.”

Cook-Deegan added that the technology holds great potential for changing the future of health care, though the challenge now is figuring out how to most effectively use the information. Some are concerned, however, about intellectual property issues that could arise from determining who has the right to the information, Angrist said. He added that all individuals should have the right to access their own genome, regardless of whether they have medical backgrounds. “We have this view of genetic information as scary and dangerous, something you can’t look at without the help of a man in a white coat, but it’s really this cool and incredible thing,” he said.

Nowicki noted that the administration wanted to avoid situations where important organizations were relocated to obscure spaces, thereby decreasing their visibility and access to the community, citing the relocation of the Women’s Center to Alexander Avenue during the renovations of Few Quad in 2008.

the need to find homes for the displaced units in the West Union renovations prompted administrators to take into account the potential of the Bryan Center. Both Moneta and Nowicki noted that since its inception, the Bryan Center has not met its expectations as a student center. “It has always just been an open, chilly, cavernous space that is not used effectively,” Nowicki noted. “The new renovations are going to reclaim a lot of the space and transform it into homes for the student organizations that need permanent space.” The vision for the three buildings align with the overall University goal of fostering a greater sense of space for the typical Duke student, Nowicki said. “There are three spaces in our lives—the space in which we live, the space in which we work and the space in which we play and interact with others in the community,” he said. “You have to think about how a pluralistic community works.” What the Duke student life lacks is the latter sphere—a provided space where a student can freely intermingle across groups,

Nowicki said, adding that the University has been successful in providing “fabulous and innovative” places in which students can work and live. He referenced the newly-constructed Keohane Quadrangle 4E as well as the Bostock Library. The reallocation of space for student organizations will allow the University Center Activities and Events to centralize most of its offices in the Bryan Center, facilitating communication among its departments and with students, said UCAE director Chris Roby. The West Union project will allow the UCAE, which is currently located on all three levels of the Bryan Center, to concentrate most of its offices on the middle level. “When we think of the endpoint—when West Union can become the student space that is flexible and versatile, when the events pavilion becomes the grand ballroom that Duke has never had and when the Bryan Center finally offers specific space for students—the culmination of all this brings into alignment the needs and vision for student organizations and the typical student,” Nowicki said.

Changing a ‘cavernous space’ The Bryan Center provides much needed space for student organizations, not accounted for in the events pavilion and the West Union renovations Discussions of the West Union renovations last Fall brought forth the issue of providing permanent space for student organizations, specifically the Center for LGBT Life and the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, both currently located in the West Union. In order to create a communal space, the renovated West Union will be comprised of shared spaces, Nowicki said, adding that specific organizations would not be able to “own” spaces within the building. As such,

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Sports

>> THE BLUE ZONE

The Chronicle

FIELD HOCKEY

Check out the sports blog tomorrow for our Behind Enemy Lines feature, where we get the inside scoop on Clemson football from one of its newspaper’s writers.

THURSDAY November 1, 2012 www.dukechroniclesports.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Duke embraces Rams loom in another exhibition underdog role by Karl Kingma THE CHRONICLE

by Lopa Rahman THE CHRONICLE

Meet Duke—the underdogs. The only team in the ACC to be winless in conference play, the Blue Devils lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year and did not even earn a berth the year before. Meet Maryland—the favorites. The Terrapins own three ACC wins this season and are the twotime defending national champions. “At this point, we have absolutely No. 6 nothing to lose,” Blue Devil junior Duke Emmie Le Marchand said. “It’s vs. pumping us up. Everyone loves to be the underdog.” No. 3 The bottom-seeded squad in the MD ACC tournament, Duke (7-10, 0-5 in SUNDAY, 7 p.m. the ACC) hopes to make a deep postHenry Stadium season run, starting with their quarterACC Tournament final matchup against the third-seeded Terrapins (14-4, 3-2) Thursday afternoon in Chapel Hill. Maryland ranks fourth in the nation in average goals per game with 4.17. The Terrapins boast a well-rounded offense with six players who have tallied at least seven goals this season. “We have the luxury of having a very deep attack,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. “We have a lot of women who are potent.” Duke’s organized backfield held the Terrapins to just two goals in the regular season game between the two teams Oct. 6. Maryland’s 2-0 shutout was a hot-button issue for the Blue Devils, who scored a goal that was called back by the referees. The SEE FIELD HOCKEY ON PAGE 6

Saturday’s opener against Western Washington was not as one-sided as many might have expected, so Duke will take the floor tonight in its second exhibition game looking to prevent its opponent from staying in the game. The visiting Vikings kept things exciting for students and visiting families Saturday, scoring 48 points in the second half WSSU and cutting the lead to 11 midway vs. through the period, but Duke’s superior athleticism and talent helped No. 3 close out the 105-87 defeat. Duke Tonight’s preseason contest Tuesday, 7 p.m. against Winston-Salem State at Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium will provide the No. 3 Blue Devils with a valuable opportunity to improve their team defense while maintaining offensive production. The Rams lack the offensive talent to present much of a threat to beat Duke, but they are experienced enough to at least give the Blue Devils a challenge. The defending 2012 CIAA champions have five returning starters and are determined to give Duke a fight, Winston-Salem head coach Bobby Collins said. Collins emphasized the importance of the team’s returning leaders in having a chance to do this. “Anytime you’re getting ready to play a team like Duke, you want to have some stability,” Collins said. “We know how talented Duke is. We just have to go in and play like we are capable, take care of the basketball, and give ourselves a chance.” The Rams’ leading scorer from last year, Justin Glover, returns to the fold after averaging 15.2 points per game last season. Sophomore forward WyKevin Bazemore will

YUMIAN DENG/THE CHRONICLE

Rasheed Sulaimon starred in Duke’s exhibition, scoring 20 points, 18 of which came on a 6-of-8 first-half shooting performance. accompany Glover in the starting five after a freshman campaign in which he averaged 10.5 points and a teamhigh 8.3 rebounds per game. The performance of Winston-Salem State’s frontcourt will be crucial against Duke, as the Division II squad faces a significant size disadvantage. Kimani Hunt and Joseph Thompson both bring size and athleticism to the unit at SEE M. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 6

FOOTBALL SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Clemson clicking as it heads to Wallace Wade by Brady Buck THE CHRONICLE

The ACC did not do Duke any favors this season by schedulingg the top two teams in the conference—Florida Florida State and Clemson—in consecutive tive weeks. After being beaten up by the No. 9 Seminoles last week, k, the Blue Devils (6-3, 3-2 in the ACC) now face No. 10 Clemlemson, which comes into Saturaturday’s game fresh after drububbing Wake Forest 42-133 last Thursday night. In addition to having two extra days to prepare, the lopsided victory in Winston-Salem allowed the Tigers (7-1, 4-1 in the ACC) arters to rest a majority of their starters in the second half of last week’s contest. “A couple extra days was good for us,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. The only blemish on Clemson’s record is a hard-fought ht 4937 loss on the road to Florida orida State in week four. Since then, the Tigers have comfortably rtably beaten Boston College, Georgia eorgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake ake Forest. Entering the final month nth of the regular season, Clemson appears to

be firing on all cylinders, especially on offense, where it has a wealth of talent led by signal caller Tajh Boyd, his fa favorite target Sammy Watkins and runEllington ning back Andre Ellington. “They have as many we weapons as anybody in football, “ Duke head coach David Cu Cutcliffe said. “They can rrun it. They have great rreceivers. Their quarte quarterback has played at a high level for quite some time now. They execute.” After serving a two two-game suspension during the first and battwo games of the year an tling illness early in the sseason, Watkins—who is widely cconsidered the most electrifying player in the ACC—is in prime form form. The 6-foot-1 sophomore is comi coming off a huge game against the D Demon Deacons, catching eight pas passes for 202 yards, with 177 of those co coming in the first half. “He has played four and a half games now and I think he’s se settling in,” Swinney said. “It was good to see him make some of the those play plays that people expect him to make, but he impacts the game no matter what th the stat column says.” Watkins’ partner in crime o on the

perimeter is junior DeAndre Hopkins, another dynamic game-breaker in the open field. He has 10 touchdown receptions and 15 catches for gains of 20 yards or more on the season. The tandem of him and Watkins is a nightmare for defensive coordinators to prepare for. “You can’t mimic those kind of guys in practice because of the size and speed,” Cutcliffe said. On the ground, Andre Ellington, a senior, leads the charge. The 5-foot-9 speedster has gained 754 rushing yards and recorded seven touchdowns this year. Additionally, he is a threat to catch passes out of the backfield. Boyd appears to be playing his best football of the year after an underwhelming performance against Virginia Tech two weeks ago. The redshirt junior torched the Wake Forest secondary for a Clemson-record 428 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone. “Our quarterback got back on track,” Swinney said. “I thought he was outstanding [against Wake Forest].” The defense also turned in its best effort of the year, sacking Demon Deacon quarterback Tanner Price five times and limiting his offense to just 290 total yards. Replicating that same effort this week against Duke quarterback Sean Renfree, who leads an offense that averages nearly 43 points per game at home, will be one of the Ti-

Clemson

TIGERS 7-1 (4-1) PPG RUSH/G PASS/G TD FG-FGA SACKS-YDS

CLEM 41.0 180.4 317.6 40 13-15 14-94

OPP 24.3 183.3 237.9 24 9-13 18-149

Clemson QB Tajh Boyd has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, with the dynamic Sammy Watkins on one side and DeAndre Hopkins on the other. Hopkins is tied for the ACC lead with 10 touchdowns and is second with 909 receiving yards. gers’ biggest keys to finishing the year 4-1 on the road. “It’s hard to get to the quarterback,” Swinney said. “That ball comes out, and you can tell that’s something they coach very hard.” SEE SCOUTING ON PAGE 6


6 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

THE CHRONICLE

FIELD HOCKEY from page 5

ANDRE FRIEDMAN/THE TIGER NEWS

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd is completing 67.7 percent of his passes this season with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.

tally, which would have tied the game at one before halftime, could have generated game-changing momentum for Duke. “We felt pretty wronged after the first Maryland game,” Le Marchand said. “We had a corner, which we scored on that [the referees] disallowed, [and] every replay since has proved that it definitely should have been a goal. It would have changed the whole course of the game.” The Blue Devils know, however, that they cannot concentrate on the hypotheticals from the regular season. Instead, they are focused on the looming opportunity to prove themselves as a serious contender in the ACC. Duke head coach Pam Bustin noted the importance of executing on offense and pressing to transition to attack. “As soon as we come up with the ball, we need to think about how we are getting on in our attacking lines and getting in our attacking structure,” Bustin said. “Hopefully against a team like Maryland that’s something we’re going to be able to execute.” In addition to focusing on capitalizing on their offensive opportunities, the Blue Devils have been continuing to hone

CLASSIFIEDS

SCOUTING from page 5 To help the cause in forcing Renfree to hold the ball longer, the Tigers’ secondary is expected to regain the services of sophomore cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who averaged 6.8 tackles per game in his four healthy appearances. “I think he’s going to be able to go,” Swinney said. “But he probably won’t start.” Clemson’s trip north to Durham is the program’s first since 2007, which saw the Tigers overwhelm the Blue Devils 47-10. Unlike the last meeting between the two crossdivisional foes, the Tigers will face a Blue Devil team that is undefeated at home this year. “They have really competed their tails off for four quarters every week,” Swinney said. “We are going to have to play well.”

M. BASKETBALL from page 5 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7, but forward Stephon Platt will be the Blue Devils’ main point of concern. Coming off a doubledouble in last year’s conference championship victory, the 6-foot-8 North Carolina native could be just the presence the Rams need. “There’s no question about [Stephon’s] output. He’s a very talented young man that can really score the basketball,” Collins said. “We believe that if Stephon goes, we go.” Collins’ veteran backcourt, led by Glover, should provide much-needed stability for the Rams. Senior Marcus Wells, excellent at finding scoring opportunities for his teammates, will run the point after averaging a team-high 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game last season. Winston-Salem State is also be glad to have senior guard Dominic Alston back from last year’s seasonending knee injury. “Dom [is] a very talented young man, very athletic and can really shoot the basketball,” Collins said. “He’s a fifth-year senior, so I’m looking for a lot of leadership from him.”

a new defensive strategy that they implemented against Virginia’s quick and threatening offensive unit Saturday. Their defense utilizes three marking backs and a cover player controlling open space. In the past, that cover player was a defensive midfielder. Against the Cavaliers, a center back served as the cover player. This new approach helped Duke limit Virginia to three goals, less than the Cavaliers’ 4.11 per-game average. Executing this strategy even more effectively could be the difference maker in Thursday’s matchup. Bustin credited the Blue Devils with “tremendous improvement” since their loss to the Terrapins earlier this season. She spoke for the whole team when she said that she is looking forward to seeing the implications of this improvement for the postseason. But Meharg made similar remarks about Maryland, noting its growth as a team. “At this juncture in November, when it’s tournament time, you’re looking at two teams who are reaching their peak, and their best hockey is probably yet to be seen,” Meharg said. Duke hopes that its “best hockey” will be on display Thursday. Currently below .500, the Blue Devils will need an impressive ACC tournament run in order to earn the winning record needed to be eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

DUKE EMPLOYEE SPECIAL TUITION RATE!

HOMES FOR SALE

HELP WANTED

HARASSMENT OF ANY KIND, including sexual harassment, is unacceptable at Duke. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and also prohibited by Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based upon gender. Discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, gender or age is prohibited by law and Duke policy.

Employees may enroll for academic credit in an undergraduate course valued at one course credit for $975 and/or enroll as an auditor in an undergraduate course valued at one course credit for $100. Application deadline December 1 for credit. Registration deadline January 8 for audit. Questions? http:// www.learnmore.duke.edu/ academics/ or 684-2621.

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Nov 17th, 2012 at 10:30 am-- 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home at 1810 Hillcrest Dr in Durham. Close to Duke and walking distance to restaurants and shops. This home has hardwood floors,TLess WH, fenced back yard& storage shed. Close to I-85. Great starter home or rental for invester. Call 919-754-4140 for more info. Open House on Nov 3th and 10th at 1-4 pm. Jay G. Simmons NCRBL 119337, NCAL 5364

Looking to hire part-time tennis instructors during the 2013 Spring semester. Location is about 5 miles from campus. Please send resume to hollowrocktennis@gmail.com if interested.

If you have questions or want additional information, you may contact the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) directly at (919) 684-8222 or visit our website at: www.duke.edu/web/ equity. If you have a concern, you are encouraged to seek help from your manager, Human Resources or OIE. Students who have concerns may seek assistance from the Office of Student Conduct, your chair, dean or OIE.

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Projected summer 2013 course offerings now available. See http://summersession.duke. edu/courses

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Looking for reliable nanny on Thurs/Fridays for care of two young boys, 2 and 5. Care is including drop off/picks ups from nearby schools. Must have safe driving record and car, and enjoy kid outings (parks, etc). Looking for start date after Thanksgiving. Majority of the time would be spend with 2 1/2 yr old while older one is at school. Pay is $13/hour.

CHEMISTRY TUTOR Looking for an experienced tutor for 10th grade chemistry. Qualifications: Chemistry major grad or undergrad student. Time: flexible, 2 sessions/week, 1-2 hr/ session. Location: Chapel Hill home. Competitive pay. Email resume with GPA, 3 references to beth_huang@yahoo.com RN FOR PHONE TRIAGE

Busy Chapel Hill Pediatrics office in search of a phone triage nurse. Must be a RN. 32-40 hrs/ wk; no nights or weekends; excellent benefits package and competitive pay. Email dwilliams@chapelhillpeds. com

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The Independent Daily at Duke University

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8 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Vote Obama for president In 2008, The Chronicle’s Today, in 2012, we yet again independent editorial board endorse Obama but under resoundingly endorsed Ba- much less idealized circumrack Obama to be the next stances. After four years in ofpresident of the United fice, Obama has not fulfilled States. Obama’s subsequent his promise to reconcile the divictory—which visive and toxic placed a black political climate editorial man in our nain Washington. tion’s highest office for the Congressional Republicans first time in history—was the have made bipartisanship near fruit borne by a campaign of impossible, but Obama himself change, bipartisanship and has been a disappointment in much-needed healing after some regards. While we like eight years of squandered Obama for his obvious intellimoney and goodwill. There gence and cool temperament, were high hopes for the newly his strengths can also be his elected president, especially weaknesses: Obama sometimes among many young voters believes himself too intelligent who saw their 21st century to play politics. His temperaoutlook reflected in Obama’s ment is sometimes too cool to history and personality. At engage Americans emotionally Duke, nearly 700 students and certainly too cool to face packed Sanford to witness his down his bloodthirsty political historic election. opponents.

“

Obviously civillian deaths are not ideal but, compared to past wars and the actions of our enemies, the United States has done extreme efforts to avoid civillian deaths [sic]. —“doughaig” commenting on the column “We are all pro-life.” 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.

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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

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YESHWANTH KANDIMALLA, Editor LAUREN CARROLL, Managing Editor JULIAN SPECTOR, News Editor ANDREW BEATON, Sports Editor CHRIS DALL, Photography Editor MAGGIE LAFALCE, Editorial Page Editor KATHERINE ZHANG, Editorial Board Chair PARKER KUIVILA, Managing Editor for Online JIM POSEN, Director of Online Operations CHRISSY BECK, General Manager KRISTIE KIM, University Editor TIFFANY LIEU, Local & National Editor ANDREW LUO, Health & Science Editor CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ, News Photography Editor PHOEBE LONG, Design Editor MICHAELA DWYER, Recess Editor SOPHIA DURAND, Recess Photography Editor SCOTT BRIGGS, Editorial Page Managing Editor MATTHEW CHASE, Towerview Editor ADDISON CORRIHER, Towerview Photography Editor NICOLE KYLE, Social Media Editor SAMANTHA BROOKS, Senior Editor REBECCA DICKENSON, Advertising Director MARY WEAVER, Operations Manager DAVID RICE, Director of External Relations

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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. © 2012 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.

Nevertheless, we have no choice but to endorse Obama in the face of the alternative Mitt Romney. Our endorsement ultimately came down to values, which dwarf our relatively trivial misgivings about leadership styles. No matter how uninspiring Obama’s 2012 campaign has been compared to the 2008 campaign, it has offered a more heartening vision than that proposed by Romney’s campaign, which has been run on the values of an increasingly extremist Republican Party. Duke is fundamentally built upon values of equality, fairness and community—values we believe are embodied much more in Obama than Romney, who may have embodied them at one point in time but has since been swept

into the winds by his radical base. The issues speak for themselves. Duke students care about fighting discrimination. Obama’s first piece of signed legislation was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which helps protect women and minorities from wage discrimination. Duke students care that our LGBT community is treated with fairness and dignity. Obama helped end “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. He also endorsed marriage equality. Duke students care about college affordability, especially the nearly 50 percent of undergraduates who receive needbased aid. Obama reformed the federal student aid program, saving the government

$60 billion, a third of which were put into Pell grants, which benefit more than 10 percent of Duke students. Romney’s campaign has proven that he simply cannot match Obama’s commitment to these crucial values. Romney’s emphasis on “real economy” private equity experience, his shortsighted worldview and indifference to the “47 percent” are not the solution to a nation still in slow recovery from a near economic catastrophe. These are not the values we hold. These are not the values we believe most Duke students hold. Obama may not be a perfect candidate nor a perfect human being, but his values are superior. Thus, we emphatically endorse Obama to be re-elected president of the United States.

Why you should support school choice

onlinecomment

Est. 1905

THE CHRONICLE

commentaries

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ducation is a hot button issue this elec- home school or public charter school. School tion season with many thoughts circulat- choice gives families educational freedom to ing on how to create the most effective choose any school that meets their needs reeducational system. We know that gardless of race, income, religion every child deserves the chance or location. anna sheehy to have a great education— The current American educaguest column regardless of where they live or tional system, however, dictates their parents’ income. And we which public school students atknow that improving our country’s educational tend based almost solely on location. Demogsystem is a vital step toward ensuring long-term raphy should not be destiny. The current sysglobal competitiveness. It will be impossible tem fails to consider the vitality and quality of for America to remain at the forefront of in- the school and the specific needs of individual novation and competition without public and families and students. If a family cannot afford private schools that sufficiently prepare chil- to choose a different school, a student’s edudren to enter a global work environment. It cational fate is relegated to their position on will be up to the next governor to ensure that a map. Parental school choice allows parents our schools are on the right path to prepare to choose where their children attend school, students. With this in mind, it is critical to take regardless of their ability to pay. a closer look at what school choice has to offer Momentum behind such ideas is catching families and each candidate’s position. on. A Wall Street Journal editorial declared American public schools currently spend an 2011 the “year of school choice,” as 13 states average of $120,000 on a single child’s educa- enacted or expanded school choice options tion from kindergarten through high school, last year. That year, North Carolina completely and the U.S. spends more than $500 billion in lifted the cap, previously set at 100, on the numa single year to educate kids ages 5 through ber of public charter schools that are allowed 18. Accounting for the entire education sec- to operate in the state. North Carolina also entor, including college and mid-career train- acted its first private school choice program by ing, education represents 9 percent of U.S. allowing parents with special needs children to gross domestic product. This is more than receive up to $6,000 per year to send their chileither of the country’s energy or technology dren to private schools. Ten thousand families sectors. This level of education spending has in North Carolina will benefit from these legismade the United States one of the leaders in lative changes. education spending globally, but these spendEducation will always remain one of the most ing levels have not translated to better student important issues to voters, as it is vital to our naperformance. The most recent Organization tion’s success now and in the future. Our curfor Economic Cooperation and Development rent educational system is not working—costs (OECD) Programme for International Student are rising and results are falling. Something Assessment report found that among 34 OECD needs to change to ensure a strong and secure countries, 15-year old American students rank future. School choice offers a way to give every 14th in reading skills, 17th in science and 25th family educational freedom, and it also proin math. Most alarming, however, is that only vides methods to help raise the performance of eight countries have lower graduation rates each student and our educational system. This than the United States. These statistics clearly November, you will face many choices when show that something is not quite working in voting for candidates—remember to think our educational system. Therefore, looking at about education and its direct importance to expanding educational opportunities through America’s collective future. Think about what parental school-choice initiatives is important kind of future you want and what kind of eduto providing a quality education system for our cational system will get us there when casting children. your vote. Parental school choice, in its broadest sense, means giving parents the ability to send their Anna Sheehy, Trinity ’13 children to the school of their choice. This can Intern, Parents for Educational Freedom in North be a traditional public school, private school, Carolina


THE CHRONICLE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 | 9

commentaries

Interested in writing for the opinion pages? The Spring 2013 columnist and Monday, Monday applications are now available. Send an email to mfl5@duke.edu for more information.

Freedom fighting my own biases

I

grew up in an anti-Semitic household. I have relatives Knesset doesn’t do away with the institutional inequalities who treat “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” as fact such as poorer health care, education and limited access and not as the vile, racist propaganda that it is. to land ownership. Just as having black congressmen in I am not immune to anti-Semitic biases, the late 19th century didn’t undo Jim Crow just as I am not immune to racist, misogyor, in the present day, having a black presinistic, homophobic, classist, ableist or even dent doesn’t undo the fact that one in nine Islamophobic biases. Despite all the antiyoung black males are in prison. oppression work I do, whether through It’s not just prejudice (the attitude that student groups or in my personal life, it is Palestinians or Arabs or Muslims are somea constant struggle to keep these biases in how inherently violent, savage or otherwise check. In fact, my struggles against oppresunworthy of free and dignified lives) but sion have taught me how to identify my own institutional power that constitute the opahmad jitan biases and how I may perpetuate oppressive pression of Palestinians. The destinies of systems as much as it has taught me how to indecent family man Palestinians are largely at the mercy of the identify centers of power to fight against. technologically and militarily advanced state I do not publicly make these recognitions for a pat on of Israel, with large support from our very own nation. the back for how good of a social justice advocate I am. But as I remember the suffering of the Palestinians, I Nor do I make them in resignation—“we’re all a bit racist, remind myself not to lose sensitivity to the historical opso relax.” I recognize these biases as a reminder that the pression of the Jewish people. No one can afford to forget struggle for justice is a constant and never-ending process; the Holocaust—the most brutal, mechanized and tragic it’s as much a practice in self-awareness as it is an effort to genocide in human history, claiming over 6 million Jewish fight against oppressive structures. I also remind myself that souls—and we must all say “never again” to such a collective my own oppression isn’t isolated; it intersects with all other human failure. The suffering didn’t end after the fall of the kinds of oppression and there’s no way one can fight for Third Reich. Anti-Semitism was, and still is, rampant. The the rights of one group while another continues to be mar- Jewish people deserve safety and self-empowerment just ginalized. like everyone else. I keep all of this in mind when I do Palestinian solidarToo often—and even once is too often—I see those who ity work. The issue affects my family and me in an intimate have similar awareness of the suffering of the Palestinian way, but it is very much entwined with my own daily life as people yet harbor outright hatred for Jews. Holocaust dea Duke student. I am driven to ensure that people of color, nial. Equating the actions of an oppressive regime with the women, the LGBTQ community, members of lower socio- faith of an entire group of people. Dehumanizing civilians economic status, Muslims and other marginalized groups as targets of terrorist attacks. can feel safe and empowered on Duke’s campus and in the When I stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, I United States at large. But I also inform my thoughts and also must take a stand against those individuals and groups. behaviors on how our own action and inaction perpetuate Their fight is not my fight. It is not the fight of the vast the suffering of people worldwide, including that of the majority of the Palestinian people. The fight against opPalestinian people. pression can’t be fueled by hate and prejudice against an Our government, through military aid and diplomat- entire people. ic pressures, and our population, through its attitudes, With recent polling data suggesting that almost 70 perhelp to perpetuate the largest refugee population in the cent of Israelis would not support voting rights for Palestinworld—over 5 million Palestinians and their descendants. ians if the West Bank were formally annexed into Israel, it’s Palestinians in the West Bank lack freedom of movement, clear that the mistrust and prejudice runs both ways. Just self-determination or even proper access to water. An im- like in South Africa, before the process of truth and recposing 700-km-long wall not only separates the Palestinian onciliation can truly begin, the oppressive structures must population from Israel but also splits up many Palestinian first be undone. Settlements must be dismantled. The wall villages while annexing more land into Israel. As Gaza is un- must be torn down. Palestinian refugees should be given der a full blockade, the Israeli military counts the amount the right to return to their rightful homes. It’s a long and of calories needed to keep the population at just-above- never-ending process to face the biases we all have and to tolerable levels of malnutrition. Palestinians within Israel fight oppression, and it must start with us. may have formal access to citizenship, but they are still part of the larger system of oppression against Palestinians perAhmad Jitan is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other petuated by the Israeli state. The fact that there are Arabs in Thursday. You can follow Ahmad on Twitter @AhmadJitan.

lettertotheeditor Rethink affirmative action I was genuinely shocked to read that Duke is actively and openly supporting affirmative action. A crude, unproductive, patronizing practice such as this does not suit an institution with the credentials that Duke has. Diversity in opinions and ideologies does indeed enrich our collective college experience, but coerced racial or ethnic diversity does not. I am not better for having “x” number of black friends or “y” number of Indian friends or “z” number of white friends. I am better for knowing people who can think critically and arrive at differing conclusions about the world and our role in it. If your racial or ethnic background has contributed to the person you are today, write about it in your application essays, and write about it well. If it hasn’t, then there are plenty of other interesting facets of yourself to write about. Should we not be judged by

the content of our characters rather than by the color of our skin, as Martin Luther King, Jr. suggested? The importance of race, or indeed, any congenital trait, is the personal identities its inheritors draw from it. Whether I am straight or gay or lesbian or white or half black or one-quarter Mexican or one twohundred-fifty-sixth Senegalese, if I want to take such a classification into account when defining myself, I had better go to great lengths to think seriously about what that means to avoid lazily accepting the benefits of whatever group I was born into. If I want to attend the college of my choice strongly enough, I should be expected to work my fingers to the bone for every last admissions point—like everyone else. Jed Bradshaw Trinity ’16

A monster called climate change

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ast year in an environmental ethics class the professor asked me why I act in the face of climate change. That’s a question I encourage everyone to ask themselves— why do you, or don’t you, act against the terrible changes happening to the natural environment? I’m motivated by the knowledge that climate change is more than a “natural disaster”—that is what keeps me from getting stuck in my mind, inactive. I climb up the stairs of the attic of my mind, and I stumble across two things I haven’t thought about lately: my shield of morality and my toolbox of ethics. They strike me as strange, sitting there, gleaming in the dusty attic. I think I should grab them, since I was told I have to face climate change. I will need all the help I can get. I didn’t know climate change had a face. I didn’t know that the thing causing the ice caps to melt and the caribou to starve and the streams to flood and the frogs hannah andersonto suffer and the hurricanes baranger to intensify was a thing with state of the arts a face. I didn’t know I could face it, stand in front of it, face-to-face. Stare into its eyes, in a no-blinking, no-wavering contest. In the dusty attic, I turn, startled to see the face of climate change staring back at me. We lock eyes, face-to-face, not blinking. I see that it’s true. Climate change is a monster. With a face. A hairy monstrous face that scares individuals into recycling. A monster that steals the rain from thirst-choked people and sends it to people dripping with condensed humidity. Climate change. The warming of the planet. More energy in the weather system. More rain in some places, less in others. Melting ice and snow. Changes in temperature so minuscule that we don’t notice them, but animals do. Species loss. Biodiversity loss. Loss. Climate change. Magnifying wealth disparities. Spreading mosquito-born disease. Intensifying the suffering due to lack of healthcare. Increases in natural disasters. Death. Suffering. Pain. We must act against this monster climate change that harms us. This is us against nature, against the weather, against the changing sea levels. As I stare into the eyes of climate change, I realize that I recognize the features of this monster. The curving brow, the arching nose, the deep eyes. I reach up to my face and feel something there. I pull off the mask, pulling hard to reveal the reflection of a self I had long ago forgotten. Climate change is a monster. And it does have a face. But that face is not nature. That face is me, or rather, humankind. This is me against myself, humankind against humankind. As I stare into the mirror, into the eyes of climate change, unwavering and unblinking in my effort to win this staring contest with a mirror, I think. I think about what I usually do when someone or something is harmed. I normally strap on my protective shield of morality and grab my toolbox of ethics and step into the fray. No matter whether it was me or another who was harmed, a thing or a friend, a tropical frog unable to spawn in the puddles too deep or arctic caribou digging for foliage under snow too thick. No matter whether it was beautiful or unique, useful or valuable, or anything but itself. No matter whether it was mine or will be mine, or will help me or my children, or will do anything other than exist. It is my moral obligation, my ethical imperative, to try to counteract and mend the harm done in the world. As I stare into the eyes of humanity, I am trying to stare down the do-er of these wrongs. If only I could catch the person who started this, I could fix it all. But I realize that it doesn’t matter who started this or who knew about it or who let it go on. What matters is that everything has a right to live and thrive. Each plant, each mountaintop, each ant, each elephant. We all have a responsibility to heal the wounds that have been caused and to help everything thrive to the fullest. As I stare into the eyes of humanity, I start to dust off my shield of morality and my toolbox of ethics. One in my left hand, one in my right, I hurry from the attic of mind, ready to see the true face of climate change. I hope you won’t get stuck in the attic of your mind—I’m waiting for you to join me. Hannah Anderson-Baranger is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.


10 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012

THE CHRONICLE

DSG from page 1

SANDY from page 3

Dia de los Muertos

also urged the Arts and Sciences Council to allow sophomore William Huang and senior Katherine Shirrell to serve on the Committee on Global Education for Undergraduates, even though only one student representative is explicitly required. The Muslim Student Association was granted $1,700 to fund its Poetic Vision Tour event, to be held Nov. 17.

www.qduke.com

JISOO YOON/THE CHRONICLE

Students look at a food display at a Day of the Dead celebration photo exhibit in the Jameson Gallery. The exhibit will run through Nov. 6.

I Image credits: dit (l (left ft to t right) i ht) h ) Manuela M Mejia Mejia, Self Self-Portrait, lf Portrait photograph; photog h h Y Yun n Jian, Autumn A t Mountains, M t i acrylic li on paper, 20”x22”; Huanbing Xu, untitled, photograph.

Thru November 4

Nov 1

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE THURS

Rowena Gan, piano

duARTS

Betsy Boxberger

Classical Music Noon Bryan Center

Celebrate the arts all week with duARTS Noon The Plaza

Solo Dance 12:20pm Bryan Center

Something Borrowed, Something Blue A cappella 6pm von der Heyden, Perkins Library

Salon: an evening of poetry with The Archive 6pm von der Heyden, Perkins Library

Nov 3

FRI

SAT

Nov 4

Nov 2

duARTS Mozart Violin Indu Ramesh DEMAN Solo violin Weekend Begins Celebrate the Concertos

SUN

arts all week Classical Music 11am – 8:30pm Arts Venues on East & with duARTS 12:30pm Noon Bryan Center West Campus The Plaza

Stop Motion Anne Crew Talkington

Swing Dance

Dance 5pm The Plaza

5:20pm The Plaza

Solo Dance 5:15pm Bryan Center

DEMAN Career Workshops

Duke Chamber Players

10:30am – 11:30am Perkins Library

Chamber Music Noon Bryan Center

Art Exhibition Ends Over 200 works by more than 100 students Noon, Bryan Center

1:30pm Perkins Library alcove

Def Mo (Defining Movement) Dance 6:30pm Marketplace

Perichoresis Performance Art 2:30pm Bryan Center

DEMAN Alumni Panel & Reception 5:30-8:30pm The Nasher Museum

Art Exhibition Over 200 works by more than 100 students Thru November 4 Bryan Center

Art Exhibition Over 200 works by more than 100 students Thru November 4 Bryan Center

Opera Workshop

Art Exhibition

Vocal Music 4:40pm Bryan Center

Over 200 works by more than 100 students Thru November 4 Bryan Center

United in Praise

Student Performances

Gospel 5:40pm Bryan Center

Theater, Music, Dance 6:30pm The Nasher Museum

DEMAN & Duke Arts Festival Send-off Lunch Best In Show & Duke Magazine Photo Awards

11:45am-1:30pm Bryan Center

DEMAN Music Studio Session Small Town Records 1:30pm Small Town Records Studio Bryan Center basement

arts.duke.edu/festival Schedule subject to change. Outdoor events are rain or shine.

750,000 New Yorkers are without power, the mayor said. “The level of devastation at the Jersey Shore is unthinkable,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told reporters earlier Tuesday morning. He said he was about to take a helicopter tour to assess the damage but “there is no place for me to land on the barrier islands.” He said 2.4 million New Jersey households are without power—twice the number that lost electricity during Hurricane Irene—and he estimated that full restoration would take longer than the eight days it took after that storm last year. “It is beyond anything I thought I’d ever see,” Christie said of the damage to his state. “Terrible.... No question in my mind, the devastation that happened to New Jersey is beyond what happened to anyone else” from Sandy. President Barack Obama signed federal emergency declarations for 10 states and Washington, D.C., permitting state officials to begin making requests for federal assistance, including manpower and equipment. The president had canceled campaign plans for Monday and Tuesday so he could remain at the White House and oversee the federal response to the storm. Obama later canceled campaign events scheduled for Wednesday in Ohio, the White House announced. Obama held a conference call Tuesday with 13 state governors, seven city mayors and top administration officials to discuss response efforts, the White House said. Later, after visiting the headquarters of the Red Cross in Washington, Obama told reporters he has instructed federal agencies to be proactive in responding to the disaster. “There’s no excuse for inaction at this point,” he said. “My message to the federal government: No bureaucracy. No red tape.” Obama said he told the state and local officials, “We are going to do everything we can to get resources to you and make sure that any unmet need is identified.” He added that “if they are getting no for an answer from the federal government, they can call me personally at the White House.” Obama also urged people to look out for each other, particularly the elderly, and to donate to the Red Cross. “During the darkness of the storm, I think we also saw what’s brightest in America,” he said, citing images of New York nurses carrying newborns to safety, firefighters battling to save homes in Queens and the Coast Guard rescuing people from a sinking ship off North Carolina. “This is a tough time for a lot of people... but America’s tougher,” Obama said. “We’re tougher because we pull together. We leave nobody behind. We make sure that we respond as a nation.” GOP challenger Mitt Romney also shelved many of his campaign plans, but held a “storm relief” event in Dayton, Ohio, that featured the trappings of a political “victory rally.” The campaign also announced that Romney would formally resume full campaigning on Wednesday in Florida. At the Dayton event, Romney ignored repeated questions from reporters about whether he wished to scale back the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a position he advocated during a GOP primary debate. FEMA is in charge of coordinating the federal response to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. The Dayton event promptly drew criticism from Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, who charged that Romney “chose to politicize” the storm damage by holding a campaign-style rally. Bloomberg and other officials said they expected their jurisdictions to be ready for Election Day next Tuesday, though neither provided details about what challenges they might face. Christie, who had been floated as a potential GOP presidential candidate and has campaigned on Romney’s behalf, offered words of praise Tuesday for Obama’s efforts during the storm and scoffed at speculation about Sandy’s potential impact on the election. “I spoke to the president three times yesterday,” Christie said on CNN. “He’s been incredibly supportive and helpful to our state, and not once did he bring up the election.... If he’s not bringing it up, I’m certainly not going to bring it up.”

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM


Recess

volume 14 issue 9 November 1, 2012

T(RE)AD

HEAVY

HEIGHTS

Recess reviews Neil Young memoir/album, Brontë adaptation

PAGE 3

SOPHIA DURAND/THE CHRONICLE

miyazaki

wuthering heights Brontë adaptation broods a little too much

PAGE 3

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

meredith monk

rare Japanese films to be screened for one weekend

multidisciplinary artist grows younger in Girlchild

CENTER

CENTER SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE


recess

PAGE 2

November 1, 2012

editor’s NOTE

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he night before Halloween, I watched Stanley Kubrick’s iconic adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. I had seen the film before and certainly enjoyed it the first time, but a few nights ago, when I watched it with some friends, I followed along on a website I had found the week before. The page showed screenshots of an edited version of the film in which the movie is shown simultaneously both backwards and forwards, with both directions superimposed on each other. Doing so revealed to me a fascinating symmetry in the film, with distant scenes paired to create enriched levels of creepiness. Jack is shown in the forwards version throwing a ball against the wall; in the backwards version, Wendy carries a baseball bat. Forwards Jack rubs his son’s back while backwards Grady wipes off Jack’s coat. Here was an entire plane of symbolism that I missed despite paying close attention during my first viewing. (Fans of the film should Google “the shining forwards and backwards.” I visited the ‘kdk12’ website.) In the context of all this, I’m reminded of an experience I had in the eleventh grade in Mr. Kutner’s “Love in Literature” class. We were reading Beloved by Toni Morrison. At one point, Morrison describes a woman,

who we later find out is the titular character, rising from the water as Sethe, the protagonist, is stricken with mysterious abdominal pains. I took this all at face value, believing that Beloved really did just swim out of the water and that Sethe had a stomach bug or appendicitis. Only when we discussed our reading the next day did I learn that the entire chapter was one big birth metaphor. I really should have been on the lookout for that when Sethe’s water broke (I thought she was having a bizarre pee attack). While nested symbolism like Kubrick’s and Morrison’s is far from commonplace, we must never forget to look for it. And I’m not just talking about our consumption of art—oversimplification plagues our day-to-day lives and decisions. Donnie Darko said it well when he lashed out against the uniaxial spectrum of emotion proposed by his health teacher: “There are other things that you’re missing, like the entire spectrum of human emotion. You can’t just lump everything into these two categories and then just deny everything else!” Too often we do just that, imposing false dichotomies onto issues and situations that warrant much deeper analysis. It’s an election year, so we as a society are obsessed with politics right now. It seems that every news segment is placed within the frame of the showdown between Romney and Obama. Don’t worry, I will not write about the how we educate our swamp children merits and shortfalls of these Michaela Dwyer..........................................................................................monkishly candidates. Instead, I aim to Holly Hilliard.....................................................................lots of old-school T Swift critique the Darko-esque uniaxial spectrum of political Dan Fishman....................................forced memorization of Stevie Wonder lyrics views. Our notion of ‘left’ and Ted Phillips..........................................................................................avoid dualisms ‘right’ is useless for expressing Katie Zaborsky.............................................................dirty hair is better for styling a set of nuanced, well-thoughtout political beliefs. Worse Sophia Durand................................................a mosquito net is worth 1000 words yet, our bipartisan system only Emma Loewe............................................................................to like swamp things truly acknowledges two points Andrew Karim.............................................................................bike without injury on this flawed and incomplete scale, exiling those with so-

[recesseditors]

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called “extreme” views from the political discussion. There are currently only two independents in Congress: Senators Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders. Their “Independent” labels are tenuous at best. Lieberman is a registered Democrat, but ran under a third party and is actually listed as an “Independent Democrat.” Sanders, for all intents and purposes, is a Democrat, running as Independent only because he is not a member of a formal political party. The rest of Congress is made up of Democrats and Republicans, blues and reds, asses and elephants. A wise man once told me, “there are two sides of every coin.” While the sense of duality intrinsic to this metaphor is one I like to avoid, the notion of complexity here is a good one. You might be staunchly in favor of Obama, so to you he may appear a faultless political messiah. To a Romney supporter, Obama’s policy is Swiss cheese and he is poised to ruin our democracy. Both polarized versions of Barry’s character are, with slight consideration, very obviously false. But remember that this note is not just about politics, but about the way we perceive the world we live in. Perhaps the problem is that too many people live their lives without thinking, especially in this age of non-stop screentime and engagement. Perhaps it is part of what makes us human—did our primitive Serengeti ancestors get a leg up (two legs up?) on the evolutionary competition by categorizing their experiences and the world in which they lived? Many scientists think so. But that’s no excuse. While being alive precludes us from ‘escaping’ evolution, I believe our abnormally large brains enable us to buck our genetic tradition in a conscious attempt to enrich the state of our world. Unfortunately, the very nature of my argument dictates that I delve into the nuances of anthropology, but I’m already over 800 words. —Ted Phillips


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November 1, 2012

wuthering heights

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

DIR. ANDREA ARNOLD ECOSSE FILMS

The latest adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights is over two hours of bleak moors and longing looks, and not much else. For those who haven’t read the book or seen any of the other film versions, the story follows Heathcliff, portrayed by Solomon Glave (young Heathcliff) and James Howson (adult Heathcliff). He is abandoned as a boy and taken in by a family as something between a child and a servant.

He develops an unbreakable bond with Cathy, the daughter of the house portrayed by Shannon Beer (young Cathy) and Kaya Scodelario (adult Cathy). But their relationship is doomed to fail. The only striking change in director Andrea Arnolds’s version is that Heathcliff is black (the character is usually described as a Gypsy), which is intended to make it even clearer to the audience that he and Cathy cannot be together. In actuality, it makes little difference to the plot, except to change the specific slurs that are hurled at him by Cathy’s brother. Cathy and Heathcliff are animals. They run wild on the moors, and Arnold depicts them as one with nature. However, the actors’ lack of chemistry makes it difficult for us to see them as compatible with even each other. The characters brutally abuse animals, killing rabbits in the field without flinching and hanging dogs from posts by the collar for amusement. They’re brutal towards each other as well. As children and adults, Cathy and Heathcliff get into physical fights, scratching and pulling hair. In an especially cringe-worthy scene, Cathy licks Heathcliff’s wounds clean after he is whipped by her brother. The characters’ abuse of one another also extends into the emotional realm as their mutual obsession manifests itself in cruelty. The acting is as blank and empty as the vast moors, however, psych rock is quietly beautiful, if a little tired. None of the tunes have the slightest irony or embellishment. It’s just raw American music. Young is in a grazing mood now. His memoir is less an attempt to give his life a narrative arc than it is an opportunity for Young to say whatever comes to his mind. The chapters come together with no real glue, no easy chronology. For people who don’t know the ins and outs of Young’s career, who have not been awestruck by his songs, there’s little in the memoir that’s of great intrigue. These are the stories I imagine Young would tell if you were lucky enough to sit next to him on an airplane. The stories are oddly quotidian: he writes a lot about cars he used to own, his recently deceased friends and the paneling that he put up in his old cabin. He says surprisingly little about his music. He doesn’t glamorize his life, and he doesn’t seem worried about his legacy. Instead what’s here is a picture of Young as an old man: his thoughts, his regrets and his lingering hopes. Neil’s father, a fiction writer, used to tell him: “just write everyday and see what comes out.” If Neil wasn’t doing that before, he’s doing it now. The memoir was written at a time when Neil had just recently kicked his long-standing habits

waging heavy peace/psychedelic pill BLUE RIDER PRESS/REPRISE

/ When I imagine Neil Young in my mind’s eye, the picture I see is from a YouTube video of “Old Man” from 1971. He’s so damn young. Long locks of brown hair extend past his shoulders. He still has the last remnants of baby fat on his unwrinkled cheeks. His head is cocked slightly to his left so that he looks a yard ahead of his feet when he plays. And singing that song, singing about how he finally understands his father… I don’t know how he can bring himself to play that song now—now that he’s an old man. Nobody writes a memoir without getting at least a little nostalgic. On Psychedelic Pill, Neil Young’s recently released collaboration album with long-time partners Crazy Horse, the first twenty-seven minutes is a tune called “Driftin’ Back.” It’s a slow, methodical jam session. Nobody hurries, it’s as if there’s nowhere to go. In his new memoir Waging Heavy Peace, Young has an image that describes it perfectly: the song “graze[s] like a herd of buffalo.” The whole album is filled with songs that have the same attitude. The

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so it just seems like they enjoy beating each other up. Because of the emphasis on the animalistic nature of the characters, there is very little dialogue to carry the audience through the story. You have to know the plot to follow the film. Most of the lines from the novel that other adaptations overdramatize were not even included, or were underemphasized. The characters exist in a universe where everything is based on instinct. Unfortunately, that gives us no greater insight into their emotions or motives for their behavior conveyed so well by the novel and other adaptations (e.g. ITV’s version, aired in the US on PBS’s Masterpiece). The director does manage to show the bleak and desolate moors better than most—everything in the film is some shade of gray or brown, and there are several beautiful shots of the Northern English landscape. But the odd choice to film Wuthering Heights in the old Academy ratio (1:1.33) rather than widescreen (1:1.8) doesn’t take full advantage of the mournful setting. While the film may interested devotees of Brontë’s original novel, its gaunt exploration of the grittier side of the classic story would most likely bore the average viewer. —Megan Rise of both pot and alcohol—a time when Neil didn’t have the inspiration to make music. “I need to go away and replenish,” he writes. “This book is one thing I am doing to stay off the stage.” It’s a humble goal, and Young doesn’t have any delusions that the new book—and likewise his new music—is anything grander than it is. Rather both are works that Neil needed to do, and, thankfully, we needed him to do, too. —Dan Fishman

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

NASHER MUSEUM OF ART AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters THE CONE SISTERS OF BALTIMORE

Do you want to run the

PRVW SRSXODU LEFT: Henri Matisse, Striped Robe, Fruit, and Anemones, 1940. Oil on canvas, 21½ x 25½ inches. (54.3 x 64.8 cm) BMA 1950.263 ©2012 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

November 4, 2012 – February 10, 2013

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“…a fascinating look at the Cones’ evolving relationships with – The New York Times Picasso and Matisse…” Tickets on sale now 919-684-4444, nasher.duke.edu/matisse or in person at the museum. Nasher Museum Members receive two free Matisse tickets per day. This exhibition is organized by The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Jewish Museum, New York, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. In Durham, the exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. At the Nasher Museum of Art, lead foundation support is provided by the Crow Creek Foundation. Lead corporate support is provided by Wells Fargo. The media sponsor is NBC17.

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November 1, 2012 SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

M I Y A Z A K I

Six Miyazaki films to be screened at Carolina Theatre by Thomas Kavanagh THE CHRONICLE

Ever since Disney released an edited version of Naussicaä of the Valley of the Wind to director Hayao Miyazaki’s dissatisfaction, American distributors have struggled to bring his anime masterpieces to English-speaking audiences. Story has it that a producer for the Japanese film distributor Toho Company Ltd. sent a samurai sword to Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein with a note saying “no cuts” in order to emphasize that Miyazaki prohibited any changes for the American releases of his films. In light of Toho’s historic restrictive copyright policies, it is an exquisite pleasure that the Carolina Theatre will be premiering a limited edition retrospective of Miyazaki’s films under the title of Miyazaki’s production company. The Studio Ghibli Collection opens for one weekend only, starting this Friday, at the downtown Durham theater. The premiere, which showcases six of Miyazaki’s films, four of which are in the original Japanese, is made possible through an exclusive licensing deal with GKIDS, a New York-based international film distributor. Jim Carl, the Senior Director at the Carolina Theatre, commented on the rarity of such a deal. “For years, film programmers have been trying to find an American distributor who was willing to take on the costs of negotiating with Toho to bring the original Japanese films,” Carl noted. “GKIDS finally stepped up to the plate.” Not only was the acquisition of thirteen of the best Miyazaki prints by GKIDS an exciting new development for cinemas across the U.S., the individual contract struck by Carolina Theatre is a testament to its clout among distributors. Just getting access to The Studio Ghibli Collection was a challenge. “There’s only a limited number of prints,” Carl explained. “And because this retrospective is very popular, the prints are in very high demand.” Now, if “anime” seems culturally inaccessible to an American audience or “animated” connotes the narrative simplicity of Sunday morning cartoons, a pitch to those unfamiliar with the genre might be necessary. These films have too much industry influence and emotional potency to be glossed over. That is, if you’ve enjoyed any of the American animation masterpieces born during the turn of the century— Up, Toy Story, Mulan, Alladin, Tangled, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, to name a few—then you will undoubtedly appreciate, if not adore, the groundbreaking anime classics by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. The creators behind the aforementioned Disney and Pixar successes have all

cited the Japanese storyteller as a chief influence. John Lasseter, director of Up, A Bug’s Life, and the Toy Story series, has consistently credited Miyazaki as a primary source of inspiration. “What I love about Miyazaki is he takes a breath and he lets something just be there,” Lasseter said in a 2009 interview for Entertainment Weekly. “And that makes what comes after it all the more amazing.” Maybe references to the Disney Renaissance of the ‘90s don’t seem relevant enough. Alright, then: the effect of Miyazaki’s animation can be seen even as recently as James Cameron’s 2009 3D epic, Avatar. I find it hard to believe that Cameron imagined Pandora’s entrancing alien landscape without first exploring the elaborate jungle of Naussicaä of the Valley of the Wind. A relevant aside: before Avatar, Miyazaki’s Spirited Away broke Titanic’s record as the highest grossing film of all time. I hope that underscores the gravity of Miyazaki’s contribution to the film canon. Yet I don’t mean to focus solely on Miyazaki’s role in cinema ancestry, however notable it may be. His films are wonderful irrespective of their impact, as both engagingly complex allegories and splendid escapes to the fantastical. Take Princess Mononoke, which seamlessly blends imagery from post world-war industrialism, Japanese traditional culture and 50’s Westerns as a prime example of Miyazaki’s firm grasp on narrative. The film follows a prince, Ashitaka, as he mediates the conflict between the destructive expansion of the warring “Iron Town” and the threatened forest spirits. In doing so, he confronts San, the titular Princess Mononoke, as she seeks to protect the forest from the encroaching human military. The film typifies Miyazaki’s work for having a strong female lead, a clash of magical and machine forces and an emphasis on the dangers of environmental destruction. But Princess Mononoke, to make clear, isn’t a progressive manifesto disguised as an anime sci-fi; Miyazaki wouldn’t stoop to such pedantry. Rather, it is protagonist Ashitaka’s conflicting allegiances that makes the narrative complex, while the dark, Japanese medieval aesthetic grants the story an adult richness. I dearly hope Miyazaki escapes the art-house cinema niche—he’s worth a broader audience—because his films appeal to anyone still clinging to a shred of youth. If you want to deepen your understanding of contemporary animation, or simply escape into one of Miyazaki’s colorful landscapes, the Carolina Theatre offers a rare resource to experience the filmmaker’s work.


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November 1, 2012

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Recess Interviews: Meredith Monk Last Tuesday, multidisciplinary artist Meredith Monk and her Vocal Ensemble arrived at Duke for a two-week Duke Performances residency leading up to her performance of Education of the Girlchild Revisited, an iteration of her 1972 operatic work. Recess Editor Michaela Dwyer, who saw the piece as an impressionable young dancer at the American Dance Festival in 2008, talked to Monk about her own college experience, the human voice as artistic instrument and the risk inherent in live performance. Recess: I know that you went to Sarah Lawrence College, which is a school that a lot of my friends who are sort of artistically inclined always talk about wistfully, like, “Oh, we could have gone here.” Coming from someone who’s both a college student and an artist, I’m wondering what was it like going to Sarah Lawrence. Had you already established your artistic interests or were they developed there and in what capacity? Meredith Monk: Well, first of all, it was four of the best years of my life. I mean, I loved it…At that particular point in my life it was really nice that it was a women’s college because in those days, it was that if men were there, they got much more attention and their minds were more respected, so going to a women’s college, there were a lot of really smart women there, and the teachers were top-notch teachers, so the first basic thing I noticed that was so different was that your mind and your thinking was respected. That was really extraordinary, so you were immediately pushed to also have respect for your own thinking and your mentality. And the other thing that was so incredible for a person like me was that, by my senior year, I was able to design my own program. Strangely enough, when I first got to Sarah Lawrence, I thought I was going to be a writer…then I think what happened was that, just for my own growth and my own mentality and integration as a human being, I think that lifestyle of myself up in my room and writing all day long for me was not the best way to go at that particular time in my life. And so there’s something about doing the applied physical arts like singing and dancing and doing theater that was very important to me. R: I was watching a clip from a 1983 documentary of your work and you were talking about the word specifically as being—I think you said, “I have contempt when the word is used as the glue of something. I really don’t like that one has to sit and listen to words all the time when really all the other faculties are not being used.” I’m curious to hear you speak about why you’ve gone with non-verbal but still a voice-based approach. MM: It’s not that I don’t love language…I absolutely adore it. But I just feel that language sometimes becomes a filter system to direct experience. And I feel that we do live in a hierarchical society that values the word more than anything else as a way of checking our experience. In other words, you read a review of a piece in the newspaper and people come in and look at the piece, listening to the voice of that person who wrote a review from only that particular point of view…it becomes a filter system. We’re brought up in a way to say that the only validity toward experiencing something is if someone writes about it and talks about it. I actually trust the nonverbal expression more because I think that

nonverbal expression cuts through discursive thoughts in our minds and goes right to direct experience, so you can actually let that little narrator in your mind telling you what your experience is, you can let that guy or gal rest a little bit…Also, because of not having a lot of text in my work, I’m also able to travel all over the world and people all over the world get that direct experience. R: In the context of Education of the Girlchild Revisited, could you speak about how an audience should approach this type of work and in turn how you prepare to do this type of work. MM: For the audience, basically the preparation is to be present and to not be afraid of just experiencing, emotionally and perceptually, what’s actually going on. For Girlchild I have to do a physical warm-up, I have to do a vocal warm-up and preparation of the makeup [for] the transformation aspect, which you could say is more an acting thing…I’m not really doing psychological characters in the sense of Western acting; they’re much more iconic in a way that’s closer to an Asian idea of character...a mythic or archetype. So I have...a lot of mental preparation. I don’t know if you remember, but I’m sitting on a little stool as the old woman when you walk in for about 20 minutes. And so that quieting down is also a preparation to perform the piece. R: The piece is about aging represented in reverse. What was it like between performing it in 1972 or 1973 when you were a younger person and now when you’re older? MM: That’s pretty ironic, because in a way, in ’72 or ’73 I was a young woman who was fantasizing my old age. And now I’m an older woman—between the middle-aged woman and the old woman—remembering my youth in my body, actually feeling that sense in my body again. R: One thing I’m always curious about with performance work or multidisciplinary work is at what point a work is finished or presentable. MM: Well, very good friends of mine said if I’m doing a run it’s very good that you come to the first and then the last performance because it’s a very different piece by the last performance…We can change it all the time…It’s like a baby and it needs to go through all the processes: a newborn, a little toddler and hopefully you get to a teenager. I think the beauty of live performance is that there’s a possibility of process. You just have to be daring enough to know that if it’s not quite working you should do it anyway because you’re gonna learn from that. You have to be pretty brave. Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble perform Education of the Girlchild Revisited and Shards Friday and Saturday in Reynolds Industries Theater at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students.

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

M O N K


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This week in arts: highlights from the Duke Arts Festival Arts Exhibition The 2012 Duke Arts Exhibition, currently on display in the Bryan Center through November 4, showcases over 200 works by Duke undergraduate students of all majors. The unique setup features everything from poems and pictures to paintings and sculptures. Anyone walking through the BC is able to explore the exhibition, which in some areas literally surrounds the viewer. The DUU Visual Arts Committee, in conjunction with Arts Faculty and Staff, selected the pieces for the general display. Students submitted pictures of their artwork online, and the approved pieces were exhibited and sorted by theme and/ or medium, said DUU Visual Arts Committee Chair Sharon Chan. “We hung intensively for 12 straight hours.” This year, there is also a small setup of pieces contributed by 10 graduate students earning their MFAs in Experimental & Documentary Arts. The MFA alcove is complete with headsets and televisions that allows viewers to watch the videos. At the end of the festival, certain pieces will be chosen for awards and recognition; those pieces will then replace the MFA display, and “we’ll have a ‘Best of The Arts Festival Show’ afterward for two weeks,” said Chan. The Arts Exhibition is considered the centerpiece of the ongoing Duke Arts Festival.

SOPHIA DURAND/THE CHRONICLE

Salon: An evening of Poetry with the Archive Tonight from 6:30-9:30, Duke’s oldest literary magazine, The Archive, will be hosting its second Salon: An Evening of Poetry with The Archive event. In von der Hayden Pavilion, professional faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students will read their original poetry; in between readings, student musicians will perform prepared solos. In addition, hors d’oeuvres, pastries and drinks will be served. “We just want to show that there is in fact a very strong and coherent literary community,” said Tong Xiang, co-editor-in-chief of The Archive. “Everyone should come out. Great catering. Great beer. It’s going to be an awesome event.” By showcasing the on-campus literary and musical talent, the evening will bring together different types of artistic talent and unite them with an interested audience. “It’s always nice when you have a beautiful venue and beautiful art accompanied with, hopefully, beautiful music,” said performing cellist Lucas Spangher. The evening also will mark the release of the latest copy of The Archive. —Jamie Kessler

KARAMU from News page 1 they bring a fresh set of talents and experiences which liven the stage. Lexia Chadwick, one of three directors, noted that “Karamu wants to produce everything from technical theater to musicals to spoken word so that the art of diverse people can be experienced.” The showcase will feature two plays: Dark Covers, which is written by Ashley Diane Long and co-directed by Lexia Chadwick and Long, and Serendipity, written by an alumnus and directed by Molly Forlines. Both pieces are completely student-produced, -directed and -acted, highlighting the talent and dedication of the student artists. Dark Covers explores the interplay between race and body image in a world where women are only valued for fitting very specific ideals of outer beauty. One of the unique characteristics of Covers is its emphasis on improvisation. Both Chadwick

November 1, 2012

and Long expressed that they wanted the performers to incorporate some of their own experiences with race and body image into the story. Serendipity, on the other hand, is thematically centered on the experience of being a woman at Duke. Effortless perfection, hookup culture and dissatisfaction over Duke’s dating scene all take center stage and, Forlines and O’Berski say, are treated with an authenticity and honesty one usually doesn’t see. For O’Berski, this authenticity will definitely grip the students’ attention: “the alumnus wrote a very salacious account of Duke Life and it is absolutely reflective of how students really talk, think and treat each other.” Chadwick hopes that the showcase will whet students’ appetite and raise awareness about Karamu’s presence on campus. A large part of creating this interest, Chadwick explains, is celebrating the work of Duke students, and the ideas that they are passionate about. “I want a really organic environment where students start projects that mean a lot to them. There’s so much talent here, and it’s vital that Karamu focuses on content Duke students can relate to.” Long also echoed the sentiment that students feel trapped in Duke’s bubble, and this idea of confinement is central to the inspiration of both pieces. Moreover, the group’s emphasis on experimenting with new material challenges both performers and playwrights to create something authentic that both speaks to and questions important aspects of the Duke experience. It is exactly this willingness to approach challenging issues in new ways which drew Forlines to Karamu in the first place. For students in attendance, the directors hope the two plays initiate a vibrant dialogue. Long expects Dark Covers to challenge students not only on how they perceive beauty, but also raise questions about the steps they take to live up to these oppressive standards. Likewise, Forlines believes that Serendipity will stimulate discourse about why women and men are frustrated with various aspects of social life on campus. Above all, the goal is to challenge the normative discourse, and recognize how it disrupts students’ relationship with each other. Black theatre has always been an integral part of the African American community at Duke, but this weekend, Karamu seeks to share this tradition of excellence with the broader Duke public. Karamu Theatre Company will be holding its Fall Showcase in Brody Theater on November 2-3 at 8 pm and Nov. 4 at 2 pm.

THURSDAY, NOV. 1ST 6:30-9:30PM THE VON DER HEYDEN PAVILION & start your Thursday night in Duke literary fashion.

0/%429 s ,)6% -53)# s !247/2+ s &//$ s $2).+ For more information, email def13@duke.edu Sponsored by The Archive Literary Magazine, The Undergraduate Publications Board, The Duke University English Department and The Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts


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