Dec. 5, 2012 issue of The Chronicle

T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

The Chronicle

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

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ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 70

Duke finds no wrongdoing:

Durham to compete for selective grant

Uni retains housekeeping supervisor accused of harassment

by Georgia Parke THE CHRONICLE

Durham has been named one of 20 cities competing for millions of dollars in grants from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge for innovative solutions to major city challenges. The competition between American cities encourages local governments to resolve issues through original and impactful idea proposals. In November, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced 20 finalists chosen out of 305 applications from cities across the country. One finalist will be chosen in the spring to receive the $5 million grand prize and four runnersup will receive $1 million each. The Durham project proposes entrepreneurship hubs in three struggling neighborhoods to encourage job creation, workforce training, housing development and economic growth, said Constance Stancil, director of the Neighborhood Improvement Services Department. “It is an idea space where [residents] can feel free in deciding what happens in their community,” Stancil said. “The community will serve as the decision makers. We can share knowledge with people and bring them to a point where they create and design their own solution for creating

ELYSIA SU/THE CHRONICLE

A recently completed investigation against a former housekeeping supervisor found insufficient evidence to confirm that the employee was harassing and discriminating workers. by Maggie Spini THE CHRONICLE

Some University housekeepers are upset after an investigation completed Spring 2012 found insufficient evidence to validate harassment and discrimination accusations against Linda Schlabach, who formerly served as

SEE DURHAM ON PAGE 5

Edens Quadrangle’s senior housekeeping supervisor. The decision has left some housekeepers and other concerned parties frustrated with how the University handles such complaints, citing lack of transparency. Schlabach was reemployed by Duke early Fall, following a pe-

riod of suspension while the investigation was taking place, said Edwin Gooch, a lawyer for the union Local 77, which includes employees in housekeeping and facilities management. She currently works in a dormitory on SEE HOUSEKEEPING ON PAGE 4

Razia Said uses songs to tackle deforestation What singer-songwriter Razia Said remembers about her native land in Antalaha, Madagascar, before leaving at age 11 is the thriving rainforests. But when she returned nearly 35 years later in 2005, Said saw her former home transformed by deforestation, caused by illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. The experience inspired Said to change her music’s sound in order to raise awareness about Malagasy people and the environmental destruction of Madagascar. Monday, the Duke Lemur Center and the Kenan Institute for Ethics hosted a symposium to discuss conservation in Madagascar, where Said spoke about Madagascar and its influence on her music. After her discussion, The Chronicle’s Danielle Muoio sat down with Said to discuss deforestation in Madagascar and her music.

Q&A

PHILIP CATTERALL/THE CHRONICLE

Singer and songwriter Razia Said performs music about deforestation in Madagascar.

The Chronicle: Can you talk a bit about how you got started as a musician? Razia Said: My first album was six

Canty emerges as Duke’s defensive leader, Page 7

years ago—it was in English and was [rhythm and blues] jazz because I was going for the American market. I always tried to put Madagascar in my music. I had a guitarist that came from Madagascar and performed on some of the songs, but [the album] didn’t have a lot of Madagascar’s rhythm. TC: You talked briefly about the trip you took to Madagascar and its influence on the sound of your second album at the symposium. Can you tell me more about its effect on you? RS: I took a trip in 2007 to Madagascar and at that point, I had decided that after my first album I was not happy with outcome. It was time to dig into my roots and see what was going on there. I left [Madagascar] when I was 11, and I knew I had to get back there. The trip I took in 2007 was after a trip in 2005 where I met a couple of musicians. On the [2005] trip, I thought, ‘Wow, we have this great sound, and I need to use

ONTHERECORD

“Do I think we will live forever? No....”

this.’ So in 2007, I decided to go record stuff in Madagascar, and then I toured Madagascar to get different sounds. During the tour, I noticed there was smoke and burning everywhere. I stopped at a few of those places and they said, ‘Yeah we’re just burning it to improve our agriculture.’ And I asked them, ‘But did you know that after three crops, the soil will be depleted of its nutrients?’ and they told me they were aware of it. Madagascar is such a big country that they took it for granted —they have so much land and could just migrate. But we started to tell people, ‘Look at these pictures—see how these mountains are bare now? What are we doing?’ They need to wake up to it. TC: Is there any sign of Malagasy people taking more environmental precautions? SEE SAID ON PAGE 12

Exciting research at Duke, Page 2

—Mike Shammas in ‘Defeating death.’ See column page 10

2 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

THE CHRONICLE

Research round-up Blue whales do pirouettes before dinner

Natural gas leaks abound in Boston

The largest animals on earth emulate ballerinas before killing their prey. Blue whales pirouette before lunging to consume krill, according to a study co-written by Ari Friedlaender, assistant research scientist in marine science and conservation, that was published in Biology Letters Nov. 28. Friedlaender said the strategy most likely allows the whales to engulf as many of the tiny crustaceans as possible. Friedlaender and his teammates equipped 22 blue whales—which are the largest animals to ever live, measuring nearly 100 feet long—with motion sensors using suction cups, and attached a camera to one of the whales. After reviewing the data and footage, the Duke team found that half of

A recent Duke study raises concerns over Boston’s natural gas pipeline system. Although the study was not originally assessing explosion risks in the pipeline system, the researchers found more than 3,000 gas leaks under Boston’s streets. The researchers also identified also six locations in Boston where explosions could potentially occur since gas concentrations exceeded a certain threshold. “Repairing these leaks will improve air quality, increase consumer health and safety and save money,� Robert B. Jackson, co-author of the study and professor of global environmental change at the Nicholas School of the Environment, said in a press release. “We just have to put the right financial incentives into place.�

the whales spun around 360 degrees underwater, often just before lunging for their prey. Whales locate swarms of krill from below, and then move quickly upward toward them. The spinning sometimes occurs during the surge to capture the krill, significantly slowing down the whales’ upward progress. This may allow the giant aqueous mammals to change direction more quickly as krill attempt to escape their imminent doom, allowing the whales to catch the krill before they are out of reach. The balletic moves occurred only before or between lunges for krill, indicating that the strategy is used to more effectively hunt and is not merely an outlet of artistic expression for the whales.

Leaks were distributed evenly across neighborhoods and were associated with old cast-iron pipes, the study found. The researchers recommend using gas-leaks mapping campaigns in cities that are deemed at-risk for these leaks. According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, natural gas pipeline failures have caused on average 17 fatalities, 68 injuries and $133 million in property damage annually. The leaks also pose a negative environmental and economic effect. The primary ingredient of natural gas is methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Additionally, leaks in the United States contribute to $3 billion of lost and unaccounted gas each year.

Lion population drops dramatically

Fire-retardant couches can pack a punch

African savannahs once teeming with wildlife have been fragmented by human development, driving a decline in the lion population, a Duke study found. Published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, the study found that two-thirds of the lion population have disappeared in the last 50 years. The study also found that 75 percent of Africa’s savannahs have disappeared within the same time frame, as well. Stuart Pimm, coauthor of the study and Doris Duke professor of conservation ecology at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, credited massive land-use change, deforestation and rapid human population growth as factors that have degraded the original savannah in a press release Tuesday. “Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States,� Pimm said in the release. It is estimated that 100,000 lions

After a finals-crunch all-nighter, students should try to make it back to their beds rather than crash on the couch for a cat nap. An alarmingly large portion of consumer couches use foam padding containing flame-retardant chemicals that are considered probable human carcinogens, according to a study conducted by Heather Stapleton, associate professor of environmental chemistry at the Nicholas School of the Environment. Tris—a chemical that was used in infant pajamas in the 1970s but was phased out of usage because of said carcinogenic risks—was among the chemicals found in the couch cushions. Another chemical found in 17 percent of the 102 couch foam samples studied was pentaBDE, which is a banned substance in 172 countries and 12 U.S. states. Studies have suggested that PentaBDE chemicals can affect brain development and cause problems with endocrine activ-

roamed the savannah in 1960 with only 32,000 to 35,000 currently remaining. Lion populations in West Africa have had the steepest decline. Using satellite imagery from Google Earth, human population density data and estimates of the local lion populations, the researchers were able to estimate where lions have the highest chance of survival. They found that only 10 areas were identified as strongholds—spots that offer lions an excellent chance of survival. Many strongholds exist within national parks, however, and none exist in West Africa, where human populations have nearly doubled in the last 20 to 30 years. “Giving these lions something of a fighting chance will require substantial increases in effort,� Andrew Jacobson, a research associate in Pimm’s lab, said in the release. “The next 10 years are decisive for this region, not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health.�

ity, and that early exposure to infants can cause low birth weight, lowered IQ and impaired motor and behavioral development. Forty-one percent of the couch samples in the study, which was published in Environmental Science and Technology, contained Tris, and Tris and pentaBDE were the only flame retardants found in couches manufactured prior to 2005. More than half contained flame-retardants that are potentially harmful to humans or have not been thoroughly tested for human safety. Information about the type of flame retardants used can get lost in the production chain by the time the foam reaches the furniture manufacturer, making it difficult to track the exact chemicals used. If it is any consolation, the couches with flame-retardants are tested to withstand at least 12 seconds of small flame exposure without igniting. —from Staff Reports

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 3

Govs. urge Obama Senate rejects international to fix the fiscal cliff treaty to protect disabled by Roger Runningen and William Selway BLOOMBERG NEWS

WASHINGTON — U.S. governors urged President Obama to quickly compromise with Congress to avert the so-called fiscal cliff and avoid hurting economic recoveries in their states. Governors also pressed the president to avoid shifting costs from the federal government to states as the White House negotiates with Republican leaders in Congress over avoiding the fiscal cliff, more than $600 billion of tax increases and spending cuts set to begin in January. “What people are concerned about is the uncertainty that the current state of the debate represents to businesses and individuals across the country,” said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, D, at a news conference Tuesday after meeting with Obama at the White House. “The sooner this gets resolved in a way that’s not a three-month fix, but that’s a fix for some longer period of time, the better off that we’ll be.” States are concerned that Congress could hurt their financial recoveries by eliminating billions in state aid and triggering a recession. That poses risks in the nation’s capitals, where tax collections have rebounded near the peaks hit before the brunt of the 18-month recession that began in December 2007.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, R, said the fiscal cliff threatens to cut $500 million from his state’s revenue. “We’ve got to come together and get this done,” he said. “This impacts the economy. The uncertainty that’s out there lingering is creating havoc with the economies in our states.” Obama invited members of the executive committee of the National Governors Association to the White House for talks on the budget negotiations, the effect on states and potential compromises with Congress. Governors at the meeting included Democrats Mike Beebe of Arkansas and Mark Dayton of Minnesota, and Republican Scott Walker of Wisconsin. Also present were Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling. Obama put Vice President Joe Biden in charge of following up with the governors. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that failing to keep the tax increases and spending cuts from happening might pitch the U.S. economy into a recession. That would put pressure on state governments if sales taxes decline and residents lose their jobs. “If we go into another recession that will have a serious effect SEE CLIFF ON PAGE 12

by Rosalind Helderman THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — The Senate has failed to ratify an international treaty intended to protect the rights of those with disabilities, as a bloc of conservatives opposed the treaty believing it could interfere with U.S. law. The Senate voted 61 to 38 to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, a tally that fell short of the two-thirds needed to sign on to an international treaty. The 2006 treaty, which forbids discrimination of the disabled, has enjoyed bipartisan support. Sen. John Kerry, DMass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the treaty would encourage other nations to develop the kind of protections the United States adopted 22 years ago with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The international treaty’s thrust, he said, was a message: “Be more like us.” But the treaty has split Republicans. Among its most vocal supporters were Republican war veterans, including President George H.W. Bush and former senator Bob Dole, who was injured in World War II and made a rare return to

M a r ke t s a n d M a n a g e m e n t Fundamentals of Corporate Finance Visiting Associate Professor, Ed Tiryakian Presents Guest Lecturer:

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the Senate floor Tuesday to observe the vote and lend his stature. Other conservatives were deeply suspicious of the United Nations, which would oversee treaty obligations. Those who opposed the treaty included former senator and Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, the father of a developmentally disabled child who had traveled to Capitol Hill last week to encourage fellow Republicans to vote no. He and other conservatives argued that the treaty could relinquish U.S. sovereignty to a U.N. committee charged with overseeing a ban on discrimination and determining how the disabled, including children, should be treated. They particularly worried that the committee could violate the rights of parents who choose to home school their disabled children. “This is a direct assault on us,” Santorum said. Nations that have signed on to the treaty include China, Iran and Syria. Opponents said that American approval might give the impression that the United States accepts how those nations treat their disabled citizens.

“The hard reality is that there are nation-states, like China, who do like to sign up to these organizations and gain the reputation for doing good things while, in fact, not doing good things,” said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Supporters dismissed those fears as paranoid, noting that the treaty would change nothing in U.S. law without further approval from Congress. “With these provisions, the United States can join the convention as an expression — an expression — of our leadership on disability rights without ceding any of our ability to decide for ourselves how best to address those issues in our law,” said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. The risk of rejection grew after Santorum and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, announced that they had gathered the signatures of 36 fellow Republicans on a letter opposing the adoption of the measure during this month’s lame-duck session. But its proponents had pushed forward in hopes of peeling off a handful of Republican opponents. Senators were greeted this week near their basement subway by veterans and others in wheelchairs who pushed for support.

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HOUSEKEEPING from page 1

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East Campus, he added, noting that he is not aware of any complaints filed against Schlabach since she resumed employment. The original grievance, filed Dec. 7, 2011 and signed by seven housekeepers who had been working under Schlabach in Edens, contended that Schlabach harassed employees based on racial and national origin. According to a copy of the original document obtained by The Chronicle, she was accused of routinely utilizing “humiliation and aggression, used to promote a climate of fear.” Specifically, the letter alleged that Schlabach had taken money from the housekeepers, violated their personal property and threatened termination and deportation, among other actions. The original letter demanded that Schlabach should be fired. “We can’t get a definite answer from management [why], but they brought her back with a clean slate,” Gooch said. “We don’t know what happened with the investigation.” Andrea*, a former housekeeper, was one of the original seven signatories. This Spring, she received a letter dated May 3, 2012 explaining Duke’s reasons for not finding Schlabach guilty of the alleged harassment, written and signed by Cynthia Clinton, director of harassment prevention at the Office of Institutional Equity. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Chronicle. “My follow-up to this matter did not reveal sufficient evidence of prohibited discrimination,” the letter states. “Ms. Schlabach presented legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for any employment actions taken, which do not appear disingenuous or unworthy of belief. As such, I do not find a violation of Duke’s nondiscrimination policy.” The Chronicle made repeated attempts to contact Schlabach, but she could not be reached for comment. ‘Nobody asked me’ After Housing, Dining and Residence Life received the complaint in December 2011, they referred it to a “third-party” office on Duke’s campus for review that is equipped to investigate harassment issues, said Rick Johnson, assistant vice president of student affairs for HDRL. Due to employee privacy rights, Johnson declined to state which office was charged with the task. Clinton would not confirm that her office handled the investigation, citing her obligation to protect the privacy of University employees and because of an OIE policy that bars her from speaking about specific cases. But her May 3 letter states that she conducted interviews to investigate concerns and complaints cited in the Dec. 7 grievance and reviewed relevant documents. Additionally, her letter terms the decision “my investigation and determination.” Johnson said the investigation and review process was “thorough and exhaustive,” spanning about three months. “The third-party office interviewed over 20 people, some of them multiple times,” he said. “The intent was to corroborate stuff that they heard through the other interviews.” Andrea, however, said she was never contacted to testify about the case, though she was one of the seven housekeepers who signed the Dec. 7 complaint. Andrea lost her job at the University Sept. 15, 2011 after six years of employment, when human resources officials found that she did not have the proper authorization to work in the United States. Although she was not employed by Duke when the complaint was filed or during the investigation, she said she still should have been contacted to give testimony as one of the housekeepers who claimed mistreatment by Schlabach. “I was furious because it wasn’t right,” Andrea said. “Nobody asked me questions about what happened.” But in her letter to Andrea, Clinton refers

to interviewing her as part of the investigation process. Clinton declined to comment to The Chronicle on whether or not those interviews with Andrea took place. Gooch said he believes that as the union protecting housekeepers, Local 77 should have been allowed to be more involved in the investigation. Although he and other union representatives were permitted to sit in on parts of the hearings, they were barred from “actively taking part” in the investigation, he said. No University officials conferred with union representatives before deeming the case to have unsubstantial evidence, Gooch added. “We were left out of the conversation,” he said. “No one knew what was happening until we saw [Schlabach] coming back to work.” In her May 3 letter, Clinton stated that Schlabach denied several of the housekeepers’ claims during the investigation process. Schlabach testified that she did not act in an abusive, harassing, threatening or discriminatory manner, nor did she use undesirable work assignments to punish workers or force anyone to contribute money for workplace events. Additionally, the letter states that Schlabach claimed to have followed departmental policies and procedures. According to the letter, Schlabach acknowledged some of the allegations, including shaking and hitting a vacuum cleaner—she said it had been clogged and she was trying to make it work again. Those complaints did not qualify as a violation of the Duke harassment policy, Clinton noted in the letter. In addition to Schlabach’s own denial of several actions, the letter notes that some of the accusations made by housekeepers, including certain behavior and comments attributed to Schlabach, could not be corroborated in the interview process. A separate entity Schlabach’s case not only affects many individuals personally, but also raises broader questions about how Duke handles harassment claims, said Kinnari Bhojani, Trinity ’12 and one of the founders of Duke Student Action with Workers, a group established to support University employees. OIE implements Duke harassment policies, and also follows up on concerns about mistreatment, Clinton said. The University has a formal definition for harassment—“verbal or physical conduct… that, because of its severity and/or persistence, interferes significantly with an individual’s work,” according to the OIE website. But when it comes to investigating claims of harassment, there is no formula, Clinton said. “The factual context is very important,” she said. “We try to be as equitable and fair and objective. In any situation we handle, we always reflect on what we may have learned and how that can influence how we handle future cases.” At the end of her May 3 letter, Clinton notes that a “detailed confidential report” of the investigation was submitted to responsible University officials, and included recommendations “to aid in sustaining an inclusive and respectful work environment.” She declined to disclose who those University officials were or the nature of the alluded to recommendations. But Bhojani questioned whether OIE should have handled this particular case at all. It is an office within the University, which she believes may have resulted in an investigation conducted with bias. Johnson contended that the office that conducted the investigation was able to operate as a third party because it is external to HDRL. “[It] is very separate, certainly separate from us, separate from Student Affairs,” he said. “They can be totally objective because they’re evaluating the department and a situation that they’re independent of.” *Name has been changed for the source’s protection.

THE CHRONICLE

DURHAM from page 1 jobs, housing and small businesses.” The project is facilitated by the Durham Urban Innovation Center and began when the center hired a neighborhood development specialist with a background in planning and architecture a year ago. Since then, the project has grown to become a community-driven process that involves both state and local agents as well as Durham residents who meet on a monthly basis. “This changes the way business is done and changes the relationship between the city and its residents,” said Wanona Satcher, manager of the project and neighborhood development specialist at the Neighborhood Improvement Services Department. “Our goal is to affect as many people as possible.” After the finalists were announced, a team from Durham traveled to the Bloomberg Ideas Camp in New York City. There, the group worked with experts to refine their ideas and hone their approach. The team will resubmit a final proposal in January to be considered for the prize. Criteria for the contest include having a visionary approach, showing potential for positive impact, being realistically implementable and creating solutions that can be replicable in other cities. “To be selected as a finalist from more than 300 submissions across the country speaks volumes about the potential value of this project to Durham and to other cities,” said Durham Mayor Bill Bell in a press release last month. “This project presents Durham with an exciting opportunity to be transformative in a unique way which, if executed,

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 5

could have a very positive impact on Durham in general and specifically for the people in the selected neighborhoods.” Other projects competing for the top prize include a real-time pattern detection analytics platform in Chicago, a single-bin waste diversion and recovery project in Houston and an infant mortality prevention initiative in Cincinnati. Satcher said the Durham project is the only one of its kind and establishes a partnership among city agencies, entrepreneurs, students and residents. “The project is very organic and can be replicated anywhere out of state,” Satcher said. “Whatever travels in the Durham community—interesting innovative concepts and projects—will have a general impact not just today and will continue over time.” If implemented, the project will extend to the Duke community as well. Stancil expressed interest in involving students with knowledge and passion for education, law, business and public policy in particular. “We definitely need help with a way we can articulate the policy benchmarks we want—to take that concept and prove that it works,” Satcher said. Stancil noted that the end goal of the Durham project is about more than just repainting houses and swapping out their residents, which she said marks a departure from previous initiatives. She said the end goal, rather, is to raise the bar and set higher standards of living in Durham above the bare minimum. “It is more than just empowering people,” Stancil said. “It is promoting freedom to decide what will happen in their life—providing them freedom of choice, thought and action.”

Hanukkah comes early

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A menorah is lit on the Main Quadrangle to celebrate the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, which begins Friday evening.

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Read Danny Nolan’s men’s basketball Stat Chat tomorrow on the sports blog. The lottery for free tickets to Duke football’s bowl game was extended through today.

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FENCING

Nollner goes from Utah to rising fencing star by Vaishnavi Krishnan THE CHRONICLE

Three weeks ago, Duke fencer Dylan Nollner placed third out of 264 entries in Division I men’s epee at the North American Cup. The junior now returns to Duke this year as the Blue Devils’ top epee after securing a silver medal in the U-20 Junior Olympics last year. He also qualified for the U.S. Junior World Team, was the top finisher for the Americans at the Junior World Fencing Championships and advanced to the NCAA Championships for his second straight year. Although he has yet to decide what his next step may be, working towards representing the United States in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is not out of the question. But fencing has not always been Nollner’s sport of choice. After playing tennis throughout elementary school where he grew up in Ogden, Utah, Nollner decided he wanted to switch over to another individual sport. “I was just curious about fencing, I had seen it in movies and things like that,” Nollner said. “So I just looked it up online and found a local club and have stuck with it ever since. I love all the strategy behind it, and being a smart kid, it’s the perfect application of the physicality of sports with the big mental aspects. So it was the perfect sport for me.”

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Duke fencer Dylan Nollner, left, defeats Italy’s Andrea Santarelli at the 2012 Junior World Championships. The rules for each of the weapons in fencing differ and in epee, the person may only hit the target with the point of the blade to score. The whole body is the target area. Compared to both sabre and foil, epee is considered a slower game in which there is a lot more strategy involved

because it is easy to make a mistake and be hit due to the large target area. “I don’t know why it appealed to me the most,” Nollner said. “I started off doing foil at the club that I started with and then I ended up having better success earlier with epee. There was also a little bit stronger

epee in the area where I am from.” Coming into college, Nollner had the option to attend a university with a stronger fencing program than Duke’s lowerprofile one. Notre Dame—a powerhouse in college fencing that has won National Championships and sent people to the 2012 London Olympics—was on the top of his list before visiting Duke. “I wanted to make sure that none of my decisions were based off of one factor of a school. When I came and visited here, my first night I went to a party on the fratio and saw Kyle Singler with all the other people. Everyone was more welcoming to me. I thought it was the best mix of academics, athletics and a good social environment that will help me grow. It was an easy choice,” Nollner said. This is the end of the national season for fencing before the official NCAA season kicks off in January. During this time, fencers rack up points in order to qualify for world stage events like the Pan-American Games, Junior Worlds and potentially the Olympics. “This is apart from Duke, but I am still representing them,” Nollner said. In the North American Cup, Nollner felt that he was moving well and his entire game seemed to be clicking aside from a SEE NOLLNER ON PAGE 7

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Duke’s most important Realignment raises game (actually this time) Week after week, each football game Duke has played this season has seemingly been billed as the most important Duke football game in upwards of 20 years. With the Blue Devils headed back to postseason play in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27, don’t expect that to stop anytime soon. We said it before Daniel Duke’s season opener against Florida International, a convincing blowout victory. We said it again before the Blue Devils traveled to Wake Forest, snapping a streak of 13 consecutive losses to their ACC rival. And we said it before Duke secured bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994 with a heart-stopping come-from-behind victory against North Carolina. So excuse me for sounding redundant, but the Blue Devils’ bowl game against Cincinnati is actually the most important game Duke has played in 18 years. The Blue Devils are hardly coming into this game on a high note. Posting a 6-2 record in its first eight games, Duke appeared poised to compete during its remaining conference schedule and vie for the ACC’s Coastal Division crown, a feat that should not have been terribly

Carp

On Football

difficult. Considering the fact that North Carolina was already bowl ineligible, Miami was likely going to join them and Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech were struggling—uncharacteristic of the division’s two typical powerhouses—Duke would have only needed one more win to secure the division crown and a spot in the ACC Championship game for the first time in program history. It appeared as though after securing bowl eligibility in dramatic fashion, Duke may have taken its foot off the gas in its losses to Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Miami. The Blue Devil defense was porous in its final four games of the year, allowing a staggering 49.5 points per game. Duke didn’t have any help from the ACC’s scheduling committee on this one—squaring off with the Seminoles and Tigers in back-to-back games is as tough as it can get in this conference—but the Blue Devils squandered opportunities to win each of their final two games of the season against the Yellow Jackets and Hurricanes and now enter postseason play on a fourgame losing skid. Earlier this week, head coach David Cutcliffe mentioned that the next few weeks of bowl practices are not just meant to prepare Duke for its matchup SEE CARP ON PAGE 8

scheduling questions by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge annually produces some of the year’s best non-conference matchups, including this year’s 7368 victory for No. 2 Duke against then-No. 4 Ohio State at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But with Maryland leaving the ACC for the Big Ten as just one example of an increasingly-volatile conference realignment picture, will holding the challenge in the future be realistic? Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski wondered just that on his GoDuke.com radio show with Bob Harris last week. “The ACC/Big Ten—I wonder where that’s going to go. I don’t think we should do it anymore,” Krzyzewski said. “They’re taking teams from conference. We don’t even know who’s in all these conferences anymore. So, let’s just schedule our own games going forward.” Among the chief concerns for the Blue Devils is juggling the realignment and its consequences with the desire maintain their own schedule flexibility. “For instance in the ACC, we recently expanded from a 16-game to an 18-game conference schedule and with the ACC/Big 10 Challenge game already in place, that eliminates three games that the schools could schedule in the past,” Krzyzewski wrote in an email statement to The Chronicle Wednes-

day. “For years, Duke and other ACC schools have benefitted from scheduling strong national opponents. Certainly, college sports are based on tradition. We have to be careful not to lose that.” The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is currently part of the television contracts both conferences have with ESPN, the company’s director of programming and acquisitions Nick Dawson said. Although the full details of the television contracts are not publicly available, the ACC and ESPN announced an agreement in May 2012 that extended their television rights deal through the 2026-27 season. The Big Ten’s deal with ESPN, however, only runs through the 2016-17 season. “From my perspective, people I’ve talked to in the two conferences and coaches, they both see a tremendous amount of value in the series,” Dawson said. “It’s one game on their schedule but it’s really become the landmark event for non-conference college basketball.” But as conference expansion continues, scheduling becomes even more difficult for teams. Last year the Blue Devils were able to play St. John’s in late January, breaking up their ACC play with a non-conference game, something they had been able to do in years SEE ACC ON PAGE 8

THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 7

FOOTBALL SENIOR PROFILE

Canty emerges as a senior defensive leader by Michael Schreiner THE CHRONICLE

In November 2008, Walt Canty gave a verbal commitment to a football team that had won just eight of its last 55 games. In three weeks, he will play his final game as a Blue Devil, concluding the best season for Duke football in nearly two decades. The senior safety has helped take Blue Devils from the cellar of the ACC to the team’s first bowl game since 1994. Named one of the Duke’s four co-captains before the start of his senior campaign, Canty proved to be a dependable leader throughout the team’s 6-6 season. “If there ever was a captain, he’s a captain,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “I trust him completely.” After registering a combined 153 tackles through his first three seasons, Canty had a team-leading 102 stops in the 2012 regular season. No one else on the team had more than 80 and just two other Blue Devils—Jordan Byas and Ross Cockrell—finished the regular season with more than 60. Beyond the scope of Duke, Canty’s 8.5 tackles per game ranked ninth in the ACC. The senior inherited the title of Duke’s tackle king from fellow safety Matt Daniels, who graduated last year and has appeared in four games for the St. Louis Rams this year. A captain his senior year and one of Cutcliffe’s all-time favorite players, Daniels took Canty under his wing early on in the younger safety’s Duke career. As Canty developed into a team leader in his own right, he too worked to leave his mark on Duke football. He said reinventing the mentality surrounding the program was the most important, and hardest, change he attempted to enact during his four years.

ELYSIA SU/THE CHRONICLE

Duke senior safety Walt Canty recorded a team-leading 102 tackles this season for the Blue Devils. “I feel like overall more guys have begun to buy in to what’s going on and buy in to the mindset that we expect to win,” he said. “Everyone is expected to be accountable for their actions on and off the field.” But raising the expectations both players and fans had for the program was not a burden Canty shouldered by himself. In fact, Cutcliffe had already outlined the revival of Duke football before Canty ever called himself a Blue Devil. The vision Cutcliffe and defensive backs coach Derek Jones laid out while recruiting the 6-foot-1 safety played a large part in Canty’s decision to commit to a then-8-for-55 Duke

program in 2008. “Coach Cut always preached faith, family and football as he continues to preach and that’s something that I really like,” Canty said. “I wanted to be a part of the change in culture here at Duke football.” Canty’s desire to remain close to his hometown of Roebuck, S.C. also influenced his decision to attend Duke—the first FBS school to offer him a scholarship. To top things off, Canty has spent the last four years living with redshirt junior safety Taylor Sowell, his best friend and teammate at Dorman High School. “At times it can get hard, trying to balance

NOLLNER from page 6

FOOTBALL SENIOR PROFILE

Renfree quietly carries Duke by Jacob Levitt THE CHRONICLE

It is difficult to get Sean Renfree to talk about himself, but just about anyone else will give him a glowing endorsement. Not just the players and coaching staff at Duke, though they are also happy to talk about how much he has meant to the team, but national awards committees as well. Among others, he has won the Jim Tatum Award, which honors the ACC’s top football student-athlete and the Pop Warner National College Football Award, given to athletes for their accomplishments in athletics, academics and community service. He has been a finalist for a number of other awards as well. “Sean Renfree just keeps racking in, deservedly, honors,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “To have started as many games, to be as effective as he has been, as humble as he has been and accomplish so much for this University, we need to celebrate Sean Renfree. I think sometimes he’s taken for granted, not only in our midst but in this league’s midst. He’s a pretty special guy.” Sean Renfree’s numbers ensure he will end his career as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Duke history. During his five years at Duke, he has set or tied a multitude of school records, and now holds the mark for career completion percentage. He is also is on mark to break the school’s single-season record, which he set last year. He has also been instrumental in helping senior wide receiver and fellow cocaptain Conner Vernon, his roommate the past two years, to establish confer-

the school work, social life and football and all that, but overall it’s been a really good experience,” Canty, a public policy major, said of his time at Duke. His favorite football memory came in the closing seconds of this year’s game against North Carolina, when the Blue Devils achieved bowl eligibility by stealing the win on their final drive. As for his football plans after Duke, Canty is reluctant to look too far ahead— he and his fellow seniors have one last goal to accomplish first. “We’re going to take care of the bowl game, and then we will see what goes on,” he said. Throughout the season, Cutcliffe has repeatedly praised his senior captains for their role in the program’s best season since 1994. “Our captains are incredible… almost everyone on the team voted for them,” Cutcliffe said. “When you have that kind of respect that they have from their teammates, and then they are the kind of people they are, they are going to carry us not just through games and adversity—they carry every practice.” That adversity included a combined 18 losses in Canty’s sophomore and junior seasons and a number of blowout defeats this year. Despite the demanding path Duke football had to travel to reach another postseason, Canty’s confidence never wavered. “You don’t change when you get your tail whipped,” Cutcliffe said. “You don’t lose your confidence in those circumstances. They know. We have enough leaders—enough guys who have played plenty of snaps. Nobody is going to tell Walt Canty he isn’t a good football player—he is.” Luckily for the Blue Devils, four years ago Canty also believed Duke could be a good football program.

ELYSIA SU/THE CHRONICLE

Sean Renfree has thrown a career-high 18 touchdowns this season, completing 66.3 percent of his passes. ence records for career receptions and receiving yards. “I had 55 catches my freshman year so, I’m not a math major, but the 200-whatever I have after that are Sean,” Vernon said. “So again I owe a lot of my success to him and obviously without him I wouldn’t be the player I am today. This program wouldn’t be where it is today without him either.” And it was only by chance that Renfree even considered Duke. Renfree had originally committed to Georgia Tech to play for Chan Gailey, but Gailey was dismissed and replaced by Paul Johnson,

whose triple-option offense did not have room for a pocket passer like Renfree. Just seven days after Johnson’s hiring at Georgia Tech, Duke hired Cutcliffe as its next head coach. Renfree had not previously considered Duke, but he was excited about the prospect of playing for Cutcliffe, who successfully sold him on his vision for success. Renfree redshirted his freshman year but played the next year as a reserve, even splitting reps with then-starter Thaddeus Lewis, who later signed with the St. Louis SEE RENFREE ON PAGE 8

minor leg cramp. Now, he is engrossed in bettering his game, with both his coach from home and his coach here discussing steps for improvement. Every week, Nollner participates in individual workouts: lifting, plyometrics, yoga, pilates, group drilling and footwork. And when not in official practice, he spends time perfecting his blade-work and tip control. Although Nollner does not yet know what he is going to do after college, he is going to squeeze in as much training as he can while he is still at Duke. He may try and make the 2016 Olympic team, if it is realistic, but will not step out of school to pursue that goal. His employment after college has importance to his long-term fencing goals , depending on whether or not ithis future job will be able to support his training and travel schedule along with the necessary finances. An alternate plan could be potentially living in the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs after graduation. Everything is paid for there, and depending on his Olympic chances at that time, he said he may choose to live there full time for one or two years. For Nollner, everything is still up in the air, but he will decide before he graduates from Duke. “If you are taking fencing seriously in college, there is no pro-fencing league, so at this high of a level and to still be getting some of the finishes that I have, I guess [the Olympics] is always in the back of your mind,” Nollner said. “It is for sure a great goal, but I am trying to be realistic about it and take it one step at a time, one season at a time. If in the next couple of years I can qualify first for a Pan-American team that would be great. I went to Junior World Championships last year, and I thought that was a great first step, so hopefully the good results can continue.”

8 |WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

THE CHRONICLE

ACC from page 6

CARP from page 6

past. Because this is the first year ACC teams are playing an 18-game conference schedule, Duke has no such game on its calendar this year. But the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is also a boon for the conference. It is often scheduled in the weekend leading up to the college football championship games, with the basketball contests featured in primetime on one of ESPN’s networks. “We certainly hold some ideal real estate for it. And it is the one that gets the most attention nationally by college basketball followers and pundits,� said Karl Hicks, the ACC’s associate commissioner for men’s basketball. “ESPN has the right to a challenge series with us, and the Big Ten/ACC one has certainly been a successful one.� Mike Cragg, a Duke senior associate athletic director who deals with much of the men’s basketball scheduling, echoed much of Krzyzewski’s sentiments about the program’s scheduling outlook. He said that with the reduced flexibility provided by the 18game ACC schedule and by losing traditional rivals such as Maryland, the shifting athletic calendar will be something to keep a close eye on moving forward. “Times change,� Cragg said. “I’m sure we’re not alone in feeling that.�

with the Bearcats, but also to bridge the gap between the end of this season and the commencement of spring practice for next year. Cutcliffe added that there will be times during this period when he forces his seniors to take a seat and watch the 2013 Blue Devils in live action. Cutcliffe even mentioned that in the next three weeks he will be seriously evaluating some position changes, adjustments for next season that could be instituted as early as the bowl game against Cincinnati. This is a team that is going to experience significant changes in its transition toward next season. Duke will lose three of its four captains, its starting quarterback, the most statistically accomplished wide receiver in ACC history and a number of leaders on both sides of the ball. The Blue Devils’ goal was not just to make it to one bowl game, but to become a team that is perennially bowl eligible, much like many of its ACC counterparts. But to achieve this, Duke is going to need some momentum heading into an offseason full of change, and a five-game losing streak to end the year is not the way to do that. The changes this team faces this offseason coupled with a disappointing end the season has the potential to remind Duke fans of the winless teams they knew and did not love. Duke needs one more victory to clinch a winning season for the first time since 1994. This is a team that has made great strides this season—the Blue Devils have accomplished a feat some thought was impossible by becoming bowl eligible and made football relevant on campus for the first time in a long time. The Blue Devils cannot afford to be content with merely stepping on the field at Bank of America Stadium in three weeks—they need to be ready to compete for the program’s future. This is a year that should be celebrated for the accomplishments Duke football has made, not a season that drifted into irrelevancy as a 6-7 anomaly from a team with a haunted past. It may be just the Belk Bowl trophy on the line when both teams take the field in three weeks, but make no mistake, Duke has a lot to lose.

RENFREE from page 7 Rams out of college. As a freshman, Renfree showed his potential, completing 34-of-50 passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions before tearing his ACL against Georgia Tech. The next season, Renfree and the offense came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, putting up 99 points in two games against Elon and Wake Forest but coming away with only one win to show for it. The season took a downhill turn after a blowout loss to then-No. 1 Alabama left the team—including Renfree—shellshocked. The young signal-caller committed 12 turnovers in the next three games, two of which came against beatable opponents. Renfree recovered to compile more than 3,000 yards passing for the year, becoming just the fourth Duke quarterback to do so, but he threw

ERIC LIN/THE CHRONICLE

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said he is unsure of the future of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. only 14 touchdowns compared to 17 interceptions. Brandon Connette often replaced Renfree in the red zone as a Wildcat quarterback that season because of the team’s struggle in the traditional run game, depriving Renfree of the opportunity to throw short touchdowns. Although Renfree has always said that he felt secure in his starting role, he demonstrated his maturity at a young age by coming out of that season with his confidence intact. As in his sophomore year, Renfree accumulated excellent passing numbers the next season, but he was able to cut down on the turnovers that plagued him the previous year. Once again, however, the team finished with a frustrating 3-9 record, including several painfully close losses. But this past season, Renfree has finally put it all together. He is averaging 10 more passing yards per game than

last year with improved decision making. This season he has set a career-best in touchdown passes and further cut his interceptions, with just eight picks in 11 games, leading his team to six wins and its first bowl game since 1994. As he usually does, Renfree shared the credit with his teammates. “We’ve played much better as a unit [this year]—our offense, defense and our special teams,� Renfree said. “We’ve been able to run the ball more effectively, and that’s helped us gain more yardage and score more points. Our turnover margin has been very good for the season. There are a lot of people who have contributed.� After the season, Renfree will return home to Phoenix to train for the NFL Draft, where he is projected as a possible late-round pick, but for now he’s focused on making the most of the final game he was so instrumental in helping Duke earn.

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Sequence all the majors Have you ever found your- mentals of textual analysis. self in a class that spends weeks Wildly varying student exrecapping material that you pertise pressures professors to learned last semester? Have spend a lot of time and energy you ever been frustrated in an getting everyone on the same upper-level elective where some page. Regardless, beginner students have and advanced never heard of students are uneditorial basic concepts likely to speak from the department’s intro- the language of the discipline ductory course? with the same fluency. A more With many departments— deliberate sequencing of coursparticularly those in the hu- es within majors will empower manities and social sciences— professors to incorporate more lacking established course sophisticated material and sequences, advanced courses enhance the academic experioften contain students with ence. vastly different prior knowlIn Monday’s editorial, we edge. Students do not attempt emphasized the importance stochastic calculus without be- of specialization—what we ing proficient in basic math. Yet called the second phase of the we allow students to compare undergraduate education—espostmodernism in Virginia pecially in the humanities. An Woolf and J. M. Coetzee with- anemic attempt at specializaout having learned the funda- tion lessens a student’s ability

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I noticed blue paintings of penises on the pavement around the East Campus bridge. Maybe the vandalism was committed by a bunch of immature high school kids. —“ashpool ” commenting on the story “Duke Jewish center sign vandalized.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

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to engage in integrated learning later on. Humanities departments—and certain social science departments—need structured curricula that build on themselves in a clear and methodical fashion over time. First, a department must establish a strong gateway course to its curriculum. This class needs to be consistent across semesters and professors. The fundamentals of a discipline should never be subject to the whimsy of the teacher. Additionally, gateway courses must be comprehensive, covering fundamental concepts rather than niche topics of the professor’s choosing. Whether textual analysis in English or cost-benefit analysis in public policy, these concepts should be introduced early

then deliberately developed over a sequenced core. Each department should recommended a specific roadmap for students, a more in-depth major worksheet thoroughly explaining pre- and co-requisites. This way, a student can track her own development and choose electives accordingly. Course numbering is integral to improving course sequencing. Numbers should truly inform students about the difficulty of a course. The nature of the difficulty—whether measured in pages of reading, number of mathematical concepts employed, musical technique mastered—will vary by department. But this improved course sequencing system should not be too rigid. It must be flexible enough for students enter-

ing Duke who already possess advanced knowledge to skip courses. It must also ensure that each department has a number of beginner courses that require no prior knowledge that anyone could take, regardless of expertise. Intelligent course sequencing will result in a better, overall classroom experience. Students in advanced courses would finally be accountable for the understanding elementary concepts, freeing up professors to jump into the meat of the sophisticated material more quickly. The whole class’ level of intellectual engagement would then be elevated, resulting in more learning for all. Let’s buckle down and sequence our majors. Let’s finally get everyone on the same page.

Defeating death

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MARGOT TUCHLER, University Editor JACK MERCOLA, Local & National Editor DANIELLE MUOIO, Health & Science Editor ELYSIA SU, Sports Photography Editor ELIZA STRONG, Design Editor HOLLY HILLIARD, Recess Managing Editor CHELSEA PIERONI, Online Photo Editor ASHLEY MOONEY, Sports Managing Editor SONIA HAVELE, Towerview Editor MELISSA YEO, Towerview Creative Director NICOLE KYLE, Special Projects Editor MAGGIE SPINI, Senior Editor MICHAEL SHAMMAS, Recruitment Chair BARBARA STARBUCK, Creative Director MEGAN MCGINITY, Digital Sales Manager

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T

housands of years ago it was written in Cor- time a cell divides, the cell’s telomere shortens, so inthians 15:26: “And the last enemy to be the length of a telomere is correlated with a person’s destroyed is death.” Throughout history, we age. After this discovery, West founded a company humans have vainly tried to defeat death in what- with the ultimate purpose of using stem cells to reever way we could. We have created pair tissue damage. West faces harsh religions that promise an afterlife. criticism concerning his research on We have, like Alexander the Great, cellular aging, especially in regards conquered entire nations—not for to stem cell use and telomerase acland but for eternal fame. We have tivation. Interestingly, telomerase searched for “fountains of life.” The activation does hold some promise; Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang for example, one study found that even ingested mercury tablets in an activating telomerase reverses tissue attempt at immortality. When this mike shammas degeneration in prematurely aged, backfired, islander Xu Fu convinced telomerase-deficient mice. fairly unbalanced a desperate Huang that if only he lent Third, our ability to grow organs him some treasure-laden ships he in the lab is slowly but surely increaswould find an elixir on the mythical island of Japan. ing due to tissue engineering research. Although Needless to say, Fu never returned, and today we are currently we are limited to growing relatively simple still headed toward the same destination as these organs such as the bladder, further research could men. It is a destination that is conceived as paradise enable us to grow new hearts or lungs. “Have a weak by many and oblivion by few. It is a destination that heart?” a future doctor might ask. “Not a problem. has consumed billions. Just pop in a new one!” The quest for immortality has not ended. Indeed, Finally, we are no longer certain that death is a people who view death as oblivion are trying hard necessary condition of life. Some of you may have to defeat it. Armed with modern science, they are read “Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortalmaking so much progress that Harvard-educated ity?” in The New York Times recently. As the article physicist Michio Kaku has even questioned whether states, Christian Sommer, a German marine-biology he is a member of the last generation to die. Kaku student, “discovered eternal life in 1988” when he believes that a toddler alive today could be the first unwittingly scooped up Turritopsis dohrnii, today physically immortal human. known more commonly as the “immortal jellyfish.” The idea sounds crazy at first—preposterous, As The New York Times wrote, “After several even. But increasingly, more and more scientists are days [Sommer] noticed that his Turritopsis dohrnii viewing death as less of an inevitability and more as was behaving in a very peculiar manner. … Plainly something that science can and will tackle. Though speaking, it refused to die. It appeared to age in previously senescence research was promoted primar- reverse, growing younger and younger until it ily by charlatans like Aubrey de Grey, credible scien- reached its earliest stage of development, at which tists like Michio Kaku and Michael West are coming point it began its life cycle anew.” Japanese sciento see physical immortality as an inevitability. tist Shin Kubota is studying this “Benjamin Button” This is due to a few reasons. First, our under- jellyfish in the hopes of uncovering the genes that standing of where we age has increased, in large allow it to live forever—and learning how we can part because of our relatively novel ability to scan harness them. the human genome. “Think of a car,” Kaku recently Do I think we will live forever? No. This research explained in an online video, “Where does aging is still in its nascent stages, and there is still a long take place in a car? Well, the engine. Why? Because way to go. But the social consequences of immortalithat’s where combustion takes place, that’s where we ty are interesting to contemplate, for they pose queshave the gum of deposits and soot buildup in the tions for religion as well as society. Would religions engine because that’s where oxidation takes place. fight attempts at physical immortality? Given eternal But where does oxidation take place in itself? The life, how long would couples remain married? What mitochondria. The mitochondrion is the engine of would it mean to have a life-long career goal? the cell. So we now know where aging takes place.” Whether you dread eternal life or welcome it, it Second, numerous scientists think it may be pos- seems possible that humans will eventually turn the sible to reverse cellular damage. In his well-reviewed dream, like spaceflight or nuclear fusion, into a realbook, “The Immortal Cell,” Dr. Michael West talks ity. If this is true, the main questions are when—and about how the death of his father spurned him to at what cost to our humanity. discover the cellular “clock” telomerase (a biological mechanism that manages the aging of cells). Mike Shammas is a Trinity senior. This is his final colTelomerase is referred to as a “clock” because every umn of the semester.

THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 11

commentaries

No more medallions

O

ne of the most ubiquitously prac- thing, though, firms like Medallion Finanticed—and yet, seldom interrogat- cial serve as red herrings in the medallion ed or defended with any true in- debate, and—once we accept the conceit tellectual rigor—habits of the state comes of a state-mandated restriction on the numin the form of the restriction of the pool ber of cab drivers in a given city—do proof labor in any given industry. Although vide a desirable function: Without them, such restrictions can come in a myriad cab drivers would have an even harder time of forms, such as licensure, unionization securing funding for medallions, and the or mandatory school attenindustry would suffer further dance until adulthood (as as a result. in the case of the NBA), the If Medallion Financial economic consequences for isn’t truly to blame for the consumers and unlucky (or farcical boondoggle that unconnected) labor are alis the taxi cab medallion most always the same. scheme, then some other As economist Robert P. major player must be at fault. Murphy has pointed out, In order to find out who or chris bassil a textbook example of the what that is, it’s useful to human action consequences of artificially look at Washington, D.C. restricting desirable goods The nation’s Capitol has witis found in the practice of issuing “me- nessed its own share of corruption in the dallions,” or numbered metal plates, to taxi cab industry, as it has toiled through taxi cabs in cities such as New York. In debate on bills authored indirectly by taxi areas that follow the medallion system, cab magnates and has seen dozens of men drivers who wish to operate a cab are re- indicted on bribery charges relating to quired by law to first obtain a medallion the issue. The common denominator in from the city. The city government, un- all of these instances has been the state der pressure from political and financial and its attempts to artificially restrict the interest groups, severely limits the num- labor pool in a given industry, thereby pitber of medallions—and, as a result, the ting productive worker against productive number of taxi cabs—on the road at any worker and promoting a system according given time. (As recently as November of to which the quickest road to profit is to 2011, for instance, the total number of abandon consumers and please politicians medallions in New York City was fixed at in their place. Instead of pointing the fina paltry 13,237.) ger at mere opportunists like Medallion As supply of medallions stagnates and Financial, those who are dissatisfied with demand for them grows, a number of such a bureaucratic spoils system would things begin to happen. One of these is do well to look deeper into the matter, that the value of each medallion, now the and to track down the source of the honey sole means by which to operate a cab— that is drawing the flies. and, for many, to earn a living—skyrockIn fact, those paying attention to rentets. In fact, the market value of medal- seeking scams like the medallion traveslions has climbed so high in New York ty—which, frankly, is far more than half that most cab drivers are unable to afford the battle—will notice how easily the lesthem at all. (In 2011, for example, medal- sons drawn from it can be extrapolated to lions were selling there for as high as $1 any industry in which third-party intervenmillion apiece.) As a result, drivers who tions forcibly restrict the size of the labor don’t wish to change lines of work and pool. It is not by some flaw in execution, acquire new skill sets are left with little but rather by design—which relegates choice but to take out loans from cor- most workers to unemployment while reporations such as Medallion Financial, warding inflated revenues to an at-best which charges them a relatively reason- lucky and at-worst politically connected able—yet still more than counterfactual few—that schemes such as medallion iszero—interest rate of 4.8 percent, or to suance, state-backed unionization, govrent medallions from owners. This can ernment licensure and minimum wages leave a driver in a hole of over $100 at inevitably result in an increase in prices the beginning of each day, which can in and a corresponding decrease in quality, some circumstances result in the sacrifice availability and, perhaps most importantof safety, low-yield customers or both as a ly, overall employment. driver attempts to make up the difference Of course, it is possible, based on the with enough time left over to make some system of morality of the reader, to permoney to take home in the evening. ceive these consequences as the necessary It’s easy to blame firms like Medallion price to pay for regulated taxi cab service Financial, who profit off of what appears or guaranteed homogeneity of medical to be a more or less arbitrary rent-seeking practice or additional benefits for unionploy, for rising fares and declining quality ized workers; that is a different point enin the hired car industry, and it’s not alto- tirely. What is not possible, however, is to gether unwarranted, either. After all, New squeeze blood from a stone. Artificial reYork Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whose father strictions on the labor force will always, for Mario has long sat on the board of Medal- the reasons listed above, make an industry lion Financial and whose political career less competitive, and will harm consumers has been bankrolled by the corporation, and the vast majority of implicated laborers has put himself in the interesting position in the process. of passing judgment on medallion-related issues in New York. (To Gov. Cuomo’s very Chris Bassil, Trinity ’12, is currently worklimited credit, he did approve a modest in- ing for Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, crease in medallions in late 2011.) If any- Mass. This is his final column of the semester.

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The Socialites

Screenshotted!

T

he other day, I set out on a mis- said pictures shared with the genersion—a humanitarian effort, if al public. My love of embarrassing you will—to benefit mankind. people coupled with my tendency My goal: Make everyone in the world to hoard things (photos included) get Snapchat. do not mesh well with For those of you this social norm. who have no idea Rule Two: No askwhat modern teching to be screenshotnology is (a.k.a., ted. those of you without Photo senders give iPhones), Snapchat up any right to NOT is an app where you have their picture can send pictures for saved forever on my lillie reed a set number of secphone if they send a wumbology onds before they are Snapchat for longer erased from the rethan five seconds. If ceiving phone forever. I know what you send a Snapchat for that long, you’re thinking. Never before has you obviously either want the whole there been a piece of technology world to see it, or you think I’m an so clearly meant for sending d*** idiot and it takes me that long to pics. Well, señoritas, think again. think about pictures. No matter Nowadays, Snapchat is basically the why, I’m posting it on Facebook. new texting. Which means texting Rule Three: Look your worst. is the new emailing. And emailing Although Snapchatting is used is the new messenger pigeon, ex- in part for actual communication, cept minus the camaraderie and it is more so intended for explorplus erectile dysfunction ads. ing just how bad you can make your My first target on my global face look. You need to flex facial Snapchat inoculation mission was muscles you didn’t even know existmy friend Lorenzo. This person’s ed. Incorporate props if necessary. name has been changed to protect If you look halfway decent in your his identity, because his real name Snapchats, you’re not trying hard is Dan and that’s just not interest- enough. Or you’re trying too hard. ing. Lorenzo has already gradu- Either way, f*** you. ated from Duke, and is what some Rule Four: Group chats, a love/ call a “real person.” He was back to hate relationship. visit this weekend, and I managed Group Snapchats are a great to force him to chill with me (read: way to say “HELLO STARSHINE!” nacho-eating contest). After deci- to anyone you don’t see often. mating some nachos, I started my However, if you send upwards of campaign for him to get Snapchat. seven pictures of yourself to near When he asked what it was, I heard strangers every day, you need to do these words come out of my mouth: like Hermione and sort out your “It’s this awesome app where you pri-or-ities. Remember, kids, your send funny pictures to people and virtual personality must be equally they send pictures to you and you or less obnoxious than your actual can’t unsubscribe. It’s … great?” personality, or else you’re that siThis conversation began and lent weirdo who only communiended my plot for world Snapchat cates via texting. domination. I had idealized SnapRule Five: User discretion is adchat in my mind like new couples vised. idealize their significant others Adolescents are already prone (Snapchat’s just like, SO different to the delusion that they are surfrom any other social media I’ve rounded by an imaginary audience been with before. I know he’s got a that constantly evaluates their bedirty past but … he’s different with havior (citation: my developmenme!). But, just like a new couple, tal psychology class). Although it’s Snapchat and I began noticing great that social media provides an each other’s glaring imperfections ever-expanding avenue for social a few months in. I had no respect support, it can also breed a parfor his privacy, and he would vent ticular brand of narcissism where to all my friends with notifications people do things solely to advertise of “Screenshotted!” And, like all them on social media. the other social media I’d been Sorry, lovebirds: Snapchat is not with before, Snapchat had too any different than the other social many rules. Here is a short list of media out there. Although perhaps some of the rules a Snapchat user funnier and more spontaneous, it must abide by, or you and Snapchat has all the rules, and perhaps more are OVER. of the narcissism, that Facebook, Rule One: No screenshotting. Twitter and Instagram have. The I’ve always been a rule breaker. social comparison and competition Takin’ risks, livin’ on the edge. My we’ve been living with since middle current favorite act of rebellion is school permeates our adult life breaking the cardinal Snapchat virtually, and it can crowd out the rule: No taking pictures of Snap- actual enjoyment of our life experichats. There is almost an implied ences for the sake of looking like privacy contract when you hit send, we’re having fun. So as you send telling the recipient that they can your Urkel face to your friends, see this picture, but they can’t make sure you don’t miss out on HAVE it. As most of the pictures the bigger picture around you. sent via Snapchat involve the sender looking like they just inhaled Lillie Reed is a Trinity sophomore. cinnamon off of a possum’s a**, it’s This is her final installation for the seunderstandable they wouldn’t want mester of the weekly Socialites column.

12 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012

THE CHRONICLE

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December 5 - 10 EXHIBITIONS The Restraints: Open and Hidden. Photographer Gordon Parks’s 1956 Life magazine series on segregation. Thru March 2. Center for Documentary Studies. Free. Campaign for Braddock Hospital (Save Our Community Hospital). Photographs by LaToya Ruby Frazier. Thru Feb 23. Center for Documentary Studies. Free. Student Action with Farmworkers: 20 Years of Growing Farmworker Activists. Thru Dec 9. Perkins Library Gallery. Free. Documenting the Politics of Food: Photographs from the Rubenstein Library Collections. Thru December 10. Rubenstein Library Photography Gallery. Free. Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore. Thru February 10, 2013. Nasher Museum of Art. Free to Duke students (1 per day with I.D.) Tickets: 919-684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

EVENTS December 5 Duke Symphony Orchestra. Harry Davidson, dir. Nothing ‘Pathetic’ about these three: Debussy, Petite Suite; Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 “Turkish,” featuring selected soloists from the violin section of the DSO; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique.” 8pm, Page Aud. Free. December 6 First Thursday. Visitors are invited to take part in fabric design activity inspired by Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters. 6pm. Free. Art for All. Following the hands-on activity, Celebrate Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters. Hosted by the Nasher Student Advisory Board for the Duke and Durham communities. 7-10pm. Free. Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme]. Tim Hambourger, dir. 8pm, Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. Free. December 7 Duke Jazz Ensemble. John Brown, dir., with guest artist Alvin Atkinson, drummer/percussionist. 8pm, Page Aud. $10 gen., $5 Students & Sr. Citizens. December 8 Duke String School. Dorothy Kitchen, dir. 3pm, Beginning Ensembles & Intermediate I; 4pm, Chamber Music Groups; 7pm, Intermediate II & DUSS Youth Symphony Orchestra. Page Aud. Free. Choral Society of Durham Christmas Concert. Presented with full orchestra, this community group will perform Honegger’s Une Cantate de Noel, and carols of the season. 8pm, Duke Chapel. $20 Gen.; $5 Students. December 9 Faculty Recital. Jonathan Bagg, viola, and pianists Philip Amalong and Stephen Jaffe (playing his own piece). Music for viola and piano by Bach, Brahms, s, Jaffe Ja and Hindemith. 4pm, Nelson Music Rm., East Duke Bldg. Free. Choral Society of Durham Christmas Concert. (See Dec. 8) 4pm. Exhibition Closing. Student Action with Farmworkers: 20 Years of Growing Farmworker Activists. Perkins Library Gallery. Free. December 10 Exhibition Closing. Documenting the Politics of Food: Photographs from the Rubenstein Library Collections. Rubenstein Library Photography Gallery. Free. This message is brought to you by the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Center for Documentary Studies, Chapel Music, Duke Dance Program, Duke Music Department, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University Libraries, Screen/Society, Department of Theater Studies with support from the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts.

RS: People are really starting to get say, ‘OK, we need to take care of this,’ but it’s the poorest country in the world, and you have to feel for these people who are just surviving. When you need to survive, you’ll do anything, and the least of your concerns is what is going to happen to the planet in 300 years. That’s the big contradiction—in countries like Madagascar that are really poor… where people are faced with just feeding their families—it’s a very difficult thing to go around and tell people to stop cutting the forest [unless] you come up with solutions for them. Because otherwise they say ‘Hey, this is easy for you to say. You live over there, you don’t have our pressure.’ But I say we need to think on the long term. We need to create some economies, some new ways of helping you feed your family. If we can have the forest intact, we can attract have agritourism. We need to build on these things that are endemic that only we can provide—where people come to see lemurs, or these beautiful native turtles or these flowers. People pay a lot of money for that—especially nowadays when nature is becoming more and more valuable. TC: So the economic and environmental situation go pretty hand-inhand? RS: The Malagasy person doesn’t live on a lot of money—they live on a dollar a day. If there was a way we could show an example of a successful agritourism area in Madagascar and say, ‘OK—lets really set this up in a way where it’ll be actually protected, and you have to pay to get in and advertise it. Then let’s see how much money this brings in and how many people we can employ in villages to make it work.’ We could have people create artisan bags, clothes, [sell] vanilla. Lets make it work. There is one successful forest called Ranomafana. This forest was taken in charge by this lady called Patricia Wright, who’s a conservationist that researches golden bamboo lemurs. She lives there half of the time and constructed labs and brings American students to do internships and study abroad. They managed to actually contain the problem and make it touristy enough— there are roads that come through it, there are hotels that are comfortable that people can live in and the town is thriving on this national park. I would love to make this happen in the northeast of Madagascar, which has a much bigger forest. TC: It’s interesting because the idea is that Madagascar’s forest can be the solution to Madagascar’s economic problems. Do you try and incorporate that theme in your music? RS: Music is not just about saying, ‘That’s bad, don’t do it,’ because that’s definitely the worst approach. The best

CLIFF from page 3 on everybody’s revenue situation at the state level,” Dayton said in an interview. “We all depend on this economy expanding and creating new jobs and generating revenues and lessening some of the burden on some of the social programs,” Dayton said. “We all stand to gain from that, and we all stand to lose if it doesn’t happen.” States would also be affected by automatic budget cuts set to begin if Congress doesn’t come up with other ways to

approach is saying, ‘What do you think would be a good solution? Do you think you could live like this?’ If they say ‘Yes, if we had a road already, my god that would change my world.” But to make a road, you need half a million dollars. We need big money to be injected in Madagascar, and that’s not most people’s priority. TC: You also did a tour in America, was that trying to raise awareness about this predicament? RS: Yeah the idea of tour in America is to tell people what’s going on and also target people with money to create help…. I’m really trying to see if there are any ways we can find some money in America. Without the money we can’t do anything—ideas are great, but we need money to support them. But first people have to be aware of problem, and that’s where I come in. We did a whole reforestation program where we planted 20,000 trees when we did a concert in Masoala, and it was helped by a lot of programs and organizations. But six months down the road I got a phone call, and half of the crops we planted burned because someone did one of those slash-and-burn agricultural fires, and it and went into national park where we planted. That was heartbreaking. TC: When will your next tour be? RS: The next one will be in 2013 or 2014 in the United States. We’re not sure if we will do one in Madagascar again, but we’re concentrating in the U.S. There’s awareness that needs to be done…. In the States, we are hoping to get support behind it and—who knows—get something that is really big and can generate a substantial amount of money to create new business and industries and improve agritourism [in Madagascar]. That’s something we need to concentrate on. TC: How has your music changed things both in Madagascar and also here? RS: It has a parallel kind of impact. People in Madagascar are starting to know about me and why I’m doing my music, so they get a hint about why this is important. They’ll ask, ‘Why would this women do something about Madagascar when she lives in New York?’ and then they say, ‘Wow, I guess Madagascar means something to her, which means Madagascar must be important.’ So there’s that kind of recognition in Madagascar. And [in the United States] people are saying, ‘What’s Malagasy music, I’ve never heard of that,’ and people are listening to what I’m doing and not just discovering Malagasy music but also a person from Madagascar who cares about Madagascar. It’s an interesting way to have them discover a country. I have a lot of women followers because women are like, ‘Right on, you’re doing something amazing.’ It’s very empowering. reduce the deficit. They would lose $7.5 billion next year from dozens of programs that flow through states, including money for public schools, according to Federal Funds Information for States, a Washington-based group that follows the budget for states. That represents a small share of the approximately $575 billion they received in federal funds in 2011, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. Utah’s Herbert said it’s important that states receive more flexibility to manage state programs if the funding is cut.