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, JANUARY 17, 2013

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 80

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Duke plans study abroad in Cuba by Nadia Hajji THE CHRONICLE

Administrators are in the early stages of making Cuba an accessible study abroad locale. In light of loosened government travel restrictions implemented in 2011, the Global Education Office for Undergraduates has initiated an exploratory group to consider a study abroad program in Cuba, said Margaret Riley, director of the GEO and assistant vice provost for undergraduate global education. The United States has imposed travel restrictions to Cuba since 1960. Currently, independent travel to Cuba by Americans remains prohibited, but some students and individuals taking part in educational and humanitarian tours are allowed to visit the country. “[A Cuba study abroad program would] enhance our portfolio and geographic distribution of our programs,” Riley wrote in an email Tuesday. The program administrators are discussing what would be an expansion of an existing study abroad program in Cuba through Brown University. The program would offer students the opportunity to

Obama unveils new gun policies by Tiffany Lieu THE CHRONICLE

The battle to reform gun control laws will soon emerge in Congress. In response to the recent mass shootings that have ravaged the nation, President Barack Obama announced a proposal Wednesday to reform gun control laws. The proposal to Congress included both action items for legislators as well as executive actions that the president plans to enact unilaterally. Local school administrators have also taken steps to increase security, so far resisting calls to arm teachers as a defense against violent attacks. Twenty children were killed in the Newtown, Conn. school

shooting in December, and 12 were killed and 58 injured in the July shooting in Aurora, Colo. The following national outcry, however, may still not provide enough momentum to ensure policy reforms, Philip Cook, senior associate dean for faculty and research at the Sanford School of Public Policy, wrote in an email Monday. “Public opinion is in support of these measures, but that is unlikely to be enough to overcome the [National Rifle Association] influence,” Cook said. Among the proposed reforms is a requirement for criminal background checks for all gun purchases, a restriction SEE GUNS ON PAGE 4 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS DALL

SEE CUBA ON PAGE 3

President Obama presented a series of gun control measures Wednesday. NRA President David Keene has advocated arming teachers for school safety.

Uni picks student Lemur Center to open new office in Madagascar health director by Danielle Muoio THE CHRONICLE

The Duke Lemur Center recently acquired office space in Sambava, Madagascar, to house their latest conservation project. Since it began in January 2012, the center’s SAVA Conservation Initiative has not had a physical location to consolidate its efforts. SAVA—named for the region Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemar and Andapa in northeastern Madagascar—uses a multifaceted approach to promote environmental progress in areas suffering from rapid deforestation. The Duke Lemur Center rented a space—expected to open in about a month—to house researchers and serve as an office space in the region. SEE LEMURS ON PAGE 4

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

The Duke Lemur Center will soon open offices and living space in this building in Sambava, Madagascar to house the SAVA Conservation Initiative.

Dr. John Vaughn has been appointed as the new director of student health of Duke University. Vaughn will be bringing experiJohn Vaughn ence gained from working Ohio State University’s Student Health Services and improving its health promotion activities and technologies, according to a Duke statement. Apart from being involved in Ohio State’s Student Health and Services and Department of Family Medicine since 2007,

ONTHERECORD

Exhibit celebrates 50 years of black students, Recess page 4

“One part of SLG life has always made me deeply uncomfortable—the “selective” part......” —Elena Botella in ‘The sticky ‘S’ in SLGs.’ See column page 8

Vaughn is the chair-elect of the clinical medical section of the American College Health Association and chair of the social networking subcommittee of the Council of Scientific Editors. Vaughn is interested in the use of programs that use social media and technology to improve health care delivery within the student community and in the medical humanities. Vaughn earned his degree in English literature at OSU in 1993, where he later graduated from medical school in 1997. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. —from Staff Reports

Blue Devils trample Virginia Tech, Page 5

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DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Students will vote on bill of rights by Imani Moise THE CHRONICLE

Undergraduates will be able to vote on a proposed student bill of rights. The Duke Student Government rules committee proposed the addition of a bill of rights to the DSG constitution, presenting the legislation before the Senate Wednesday night. The goal of the bill is to provide a mechanism for students to address wrongs committed to them by student groups. The proposed amendment received a two-thirds majority of support in the Senate. It will be added to the ballot for the undergraduate Young Trustee election, scheduled for Feb. 7. The idea for including a student written bill of rights was originally announced in a Senate meeting last October. The proposed bill describes the rights of all undergraduate students at Duke, including freedom of expression, ideology, privacy and the right to vote. “To some extent we are trying to be preventory rather than patch up a hole after its opened,” said sophomore Nikolai Doytchinov, vice president for academic

affairs. The main goal of the bill is to clarify what students should expect from the Judiciary, DSG and other student groups, Doytchinov said. Although other universities also have bill of rights, DSG’s proposed bill differs in that it is designed to be enforceable rather than theoretical, he said. Currently, student rights are ambiguous, making cases that go before the judiciary difficult to resolve. With the new legislation, a student who felt that his or her rights were being infringed upon could contact the chief justice of the judiciary, who would then take the appropriate actions, Doytchinov explained. Executive Vice President Patrick Oathout, a junior, noted that the presence of a bill of rights would greatly benefit the community and improve student life on campus. He added that the proposed new bill of rights is more comprehensive than the University’s current non-discrimination policy—a document that reinforces Duke’s commitment to maintaining an environment free of discrimination and

harassment. But some Senate members questioned the purpose of the amendment as it serves a very similar purpose to the University’s nondiscrimination policy enforced by the Office of Institutional Equity. “I agree with everything that’s written in [the bill], but I don’t know if that’s where our time is best spent” said junior Stefani Jones, vice president for equity and outreach. But adding a new set of rights does not harm anyone, Oathout said, adding that to not have the bill would be to maintain the status quo. That the document is written by students will provide additional benefits and accountability, he added. “Not only is it a set of rights that we ourselves have written, it gives us [the right of] enforcement of our own policies,” Oathout said. Other senators are concerned that the bill will eventually become irrelevant to the student body. Junior Marcus Benning, senator for Durham and regional affairs, SEE DSG ON PAGE 3

MELISSA YEO/THE CHRONICLE

DSG Executive Vice President Patrick Oathout presents about a possible student bill of rights at the group’s Wednesday meeting.

Prospects grow dim for nuclear talks with Iran by Jason Rezaian and Joby Warrick THE WASHINGTON POST

TEHRAN — Four weeks after agreeing in principle to nuclear talks, Iran has gone silent about its plans for the negotiations, baffling U.S. and European diplomats while also signaling internal discord over what analysts on both sides see as the best chance in years for a nuclear bargain with the West. Prospects for the talks — which U.S. officials last month described as imminent — have grown more uncertain after Iran declined to respond to at least two proposals for meeting dates, Western diplomats said. Iranian and European Union officials discussed logistical issues by phone on Monday amid hopes that a meeting could still occur before the end of the month. But with progress at a crawl, officials and analysts on both sides expressed concern that the chances for a deal were being undermined by political divisions, in Tehran as well as in Western capitals. Hard-liners in Iran have spoken publicly against making any nuclear concessions, while in the United States, conservatives in Congress have warned against a deal that would allow Iran to retain any ability to enrich uranium, even for nonmilitary purposes. “The problem for the Iranians is not the date; it’s a worry that the meeting will not be successful,” said Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former nuclear negotiator for Iran who lives in the United States. “They want to have a meeting as soon as possible, but they don’t want to be blamed if there’s another failure.” The maneuvering over meeting dates and venues cast a shadow over a visit to Iran this week by officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The IAEA is prodding Tehran to grant access to military facilities where the agency believes Iran secretly conducted

research on nuclear weapons a decade ago. Iran insists its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. Although Iran and the IAEA reported progress last month toward resolving the dispute, the agency’s chief, Yukiya Amano, told reporters that he was “not necessarily optimistic” about the outcome of the meeting. Analysts say Iran would probably preserve its bargaining chips for the broader dialogue with the group known as P5-plus-1 — the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany. Three rounds of talks last year between Iran and the P5plus-1 ended in deadlock. But Iranian envoys signaled a possible diplomatic thaw last month by agreeing to resume negotiations about possible curbs on the nuclear program. The news sent diplomats scurrying to pack for meetings that were expected to begin in mid-December or immediately after the New Year’s holiday. But two tentative meeting dates passed without a response, prompting speculation that the Iranians were stalling for time or were locked in an internal debate over whether to agree to limits on the nuclear program in return for future sanctions relief, diplomats and analysts said. “They’ve gone to ground,” said one senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. “We’re all waiting, and everyone is checking with everyone else, but there’s been nothing at all.” Still, key officials on both sides continue to suggest that conditions are right for a deal, given Western anxieties about the prospect of another Middle East military conflict and Iranian anguish over unprecedented economic sanctions. In Tehran, a growing chorus of current and former officials in recent weeks has touted the need for a diplomatic end to what they see as the root cause of many of Iran’s problems.

“For the West to become confident about our peaceful nuclear activities and for us to get our rights and get past the effects of sanctions and the difficult path the enemy has prepared for us, there is only one way, and it is negotiations,” Hassan Rowhani, a former senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, told an Iranian news agency. But in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s many rivals are loath to give him space to make a settlement, which would allow him to take a measure of credit for mending relations with the United States before his final term ends in the summer. “While the Supreme Leader has final say on the nuclear issue, the next president would at least initially be able to enter the scene with some fresh ideas and have room for maneuvering,” Iranian political analyst Mohammad Ali Shabani said in an e-mail. In any case, Iran is unlikely to accept a deal that does not include clear timelines for sanctions relief, which would be key to gaining public support for a settlement, Iranian policymakers and analysts say. Mounting international sanctions have hampered Iran’s ability to sell oil abroad and transact with foreign banks. The economic ripple effects have caused shortages of food, medicine and imported gasoline, the latter of which has been replaced by low-quality fuel that is contributing to air pollution blamed for hundreds of recent deaths. “There are sufficient forces in the Iranian society to push for change in relations, but . . . only if the United States also shows flexibility on the nuclear issue and abandons aspects of policies that have so far failed to force Iran to bend,” says SEE IRAN ON PAGE 3

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 | 3

CUBA from page 1 experience life in the Caribbean country for an extended period of time. In the past, Duke has conducted programs in Cuba, but this would not be a reactivation of any previous programs. In addition to meeting student interest for a program in Cuba, the study abroad option would also broaden the opportunities offered to students wishing to study Spanish. Last Fall, Duke only offered one semester-long international program in Latin America, which took place in Costa Rica. The other Spanish-speaking semester abroad program was in Madrid. Duke is collaborating with other high caliber American universities to discuss the possibility of expanding Brown’s program, Riley said. If realized, the program would follow the same model as the Duke in Barcelona/Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona program beginning Fall 2013. The Barcelona program was formed as a combined study abroad effort among several universities who observed that there was growing interest in Barcelona as a host city for study abroad, yet there were limited program options for students. These U.S. partners created a consortium to offer academic study alongside

IRAN from page 2 Farideh Farhi, a political science professor at the University of Hawaii who specializes in Iran. But just who in Iran would make any decision to bend remains unclear. Iranian foreign policy was long thought to lie solely in the hands of its supreme leader. Over time, though, the pragmatism required

Spanish natives in the area. Administrators hope to create a similar consortium called the Center for Advanced Studies Abroad, which would include a program in Cuba. Brown in Cuba is based in the capital city Havana. Students in the program are introduced to Cuban culture and everyday life through orientation programs, and enroll in courses to understand the key issues facing the country today, according to the program’s website. The program centers upon the social sciences, arts and the humanities. Joan Clifford, assistant director of the Spanish language program, reached out to the GEO to offer her full support of a Cuba program after returning from a recent eight-day trip to the country. “At various times on my trip, I began to contemplate how enriching a study abroad experience would be, since I myself was enthusiastic about the warmth of the people, the rich artistic and intellectual tradition and the complex political situation,” Clifford wrote in an email Wednesday . Junior Detti Belina, who studied in Madrid Fall 2012, is excited by the prospect of a Cuba study abroad option. “Despite the complicated history of Cuban-American relations and concerns over the nation’s socialist government, for Iran to grow economically, militarily and politically in an unstable region replaced many of the regime’s more fundamental tendencies and widened the field of domestic players, who often have diverging interests. Today, with opposing political factions seeking to advance their own agendas, what is often perceived abroad as mixed signals from Iranian leaders is actually a set of competing visions for Iran’s diplomatic future.

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CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY RITA LO

The Global Education Office for Undergraduates is exploring the possibility of hosting a study abroad program in Cuba due to loosened travel restrictions. a study abroad opportunity there would offer a mind-opening and unique experience to Duke students,” Belina said. Duke is also participating in exploratory groups in other locations, Riley noted. One such program could be in Turkey, where Duke would be the lead institution. In addition, the University

DSG from page 2 urged the Senate to consider ways to market the bill to maximize its efficacy for students. “I fear this resolution will end up like a lot of our other resolution—in a black hole,” Benning said. In response to this concern, Doytchinov proposed that Senate members play

could collaborate with Stanford University on a program in Chile. Although she is excited that the GEO is taking part in discussions on enhanced study abroad offerings, Riley said that all programs are in their early stages and no concrete progress has yet been made for the Cuba program. an active role in spreading awareness and sending reminders of the bill’s existence at the beginning of each term. “The committee has done a great job putting this together—we should think carefully and I hope the Senate takes this week to think about what it means for the student body,” sophomore Derek Rhodes, vice president for Durham and regional affairs, noted.

4 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

GUNS from page 1 on ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, the reinstatement of a strengthened version of the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, $4 billion to keep 15,000 police officers on the street and increased focus on and financial support for expanding mental health programs for young people. Rodney Berry, assistant principal for sixth and seventh grade at Durham School of the Arts, said he fully supports the new emphasis on mental health, adding that change must happen on a national scale. Change will take time and effort, though, given the current low level of federal funding toward such programs and the slow progress in improving criminal records and mental health records, Cook noted. “We have a long ways to go,” he said. There has been widespread support for maintaining the status quo in regards to gun control laws over the last 10 to 15 years, though such support is declining in light of the recent shootings, said Kristin Goss, associate professor of public policy and political science. She added that the country remains very divided about comprehensive gun con-

THE CHRONICLE

trol reform, but the majority of American voters would support specific laws. Even so, given the partisan split regarding gun control laws, it seems unlikely that Congress will enact assault weapons bans or universal backgrounds checks, Cook said. “The House Republicans are not going to oppose the NRA position, which is dead set against any legislation along those lines,” he said. Given the dominance of the Republican Party over North Carolina’s government, any reforms to gun control laws in the state will likely swing toward loosening current regulations rather than strengthening them, Cook added. On the local level, opposition to the status quo is gathering momentum. Durham Mayor Bill Bell, along with 800 U.S. mayors, teamed up with the lobbying organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns to enact new restrictions. The demands include requiring criminal background checks for all gun buyers and banning assault weapons and highcapacity magazines. “This has happened too many times,” Bell said in a joint statement one month after the tragic shooting in Newton, Connecticut. “We’ve got the message, the ques-

LEMURS from page 1 “[The new space] will just take the project to the next level and help us become more visible in the community,” said DLC conservation coordinator Charlie Welch. “It’s easier to further our objectives when more people in the community are aware about what we’re doing.” The project is relatively small, consisting of one on-theground postdoctoral researcher, Erik Patel, and the project manager, Lanto Andrianandrasana, who is also located in Madagascar. Despite the size, Welch said it has been difficult to run the project without a home base. “Erik has been running the project out of where he lives

tion is, have the people in Congress got the message.” Guns in schools Obama’s new proposal includes a provision that would finance programs to train school officials, as well as police officers and first responders, to respond to armed attacks. The NRA took a different approach, proposing to increase the number of armed security guards on school campuses. To date, 18 states across the nation—including Connecticut, the site of the recent mass shooting that was the second deadliest school shooting in the nation’s history—allow adults to carry a loaded firearm on school campuses, sometimes with a requirement of permission from the school, NBC reported. Allowing teachers to carry firearms introduces a host of new risks, however, including questions of security and control of the weapon, Cook said. A scenario involving a student stealing a teacher’s gun to use against others is not unimaginable, especially given that teachers often have items such as mobile phones stolen, he added. “It’s a terrible idea to arm teachers…. The net result may well be worse than the

and as the project grows, we need a place where people can go that is not where Erik lives,” he said. “To be taken seriously as a project in the area, you need a place where people can go.” The initiative incorporates several approaches to lead conservation efforts in the SAVA region, according to the Duke Lemur Center’s April 2012 newsletter. These include educating local people on the importance of environmental awareness, supporting reforestation efforts and conducting research in the region. Without the space, projects are scattered, Andrianandrasana said. Meetings occur in restaurants and computer work is done in cybercafes where they can print documents. Patel noted that he has lived in many places since coming

current situation,” Cook said. “There would be the added risk with no benefit.” Goss called into question the efficacy of arming teachers—who are oftentimes minimally trained—with guns, pointing to studies that show that trained police officers hit their targets only a fraction of the time. Placing armed and untrained civilians in a crisis situation could result in dangerous consequences, she added. In Durham public schools, only county sheriffs and deputies are allowed to carry firearms, and even they are expected to follow very strict guidelines, Berry said. In response to the recent mass shootings, schools across the district revisited their security plans to ensure the highest safety for students and faculty, Berry said. Only minor changes—such as increased visibility and support for teachers from the administration and other security personnel—were made to DSA’s plans. Ultimately, however, no security plan can provide protection against an armed intruder, Berry said. “You can put together a great security plan, but when someone is really bent on doing something, they can find the weaknesses in the plan,” he said.

to Madagascar, including tents and bungalows. The new space will give Patel a permanent living space when he is not on expeditions. Welch added that if the Duke Lemur Center successfully starts a DukeEngage program in Madagascar, students would be able to use the new space, which consists of two bedrooms, an office, a living room and a kitchen. “The new office space will give us the private meeting space we’ve needed for a long time as well as allow us to host visitors, such as DukeEngage students and visiting Duke professors, more effectively and safely,” Patel wrote in an email Wednesday. “It will also give us a secure location, since it is enclosed by a private locked gate, to pay salaries and take care of other financial matters in private.”

A Seminar Series on the Mathematical Modeling of Cancer

In the Spring semester, the mathematical biology seminar will be devoted to a series of talks on cancer modeling. Seminars will take place 12PM to 1PM in room 119 of the Physics Building (at the end of Science Drive). Topics will include the evolutionary dynamics that drive tumor progression and the resulting tumor heterogeneity, insights into angiogenesis from systems biology, HPV and cervical cancer, chemotherapeutic treatment of ovarian cancer, optimizing radiation dosing schedules for glioblastoma and sophisticated models of cancer in individual patients. Many of the speakers work in tightly-integrated teams of clinicians, modelers, and biologists to develop computational tools that will one day help improve clinical planning. The aim of this seminar is to catalyze similar interactions between mathematical scientists and cancer researchers at Duke. More details about the seminar including titles, abstracts, papers related to the talks, and how you can watch the talks remotely (in real time or after the fact) can be found at http://www.math.duke.edu/~rtd/sem2013/talks.html For more information or to arrange a meeting with one of the speakers contact Rick Durrett by email rtd@math.duke. edu or phone 919-660-6970. In the first seminar on January 18 Durrett will give an overview of topics to be discussed during the semester. An article on his work can be found in the January 9 issue of the Duke Chronicle.

Sports

>>THE BLUE ZONE

The Chronicle

THURSDAY January 17, 2013

Stay updated as the Blue Devils take on Clemson Thursday by checking out The Chronicle’s sports blog for live coverage of the men’s basketball game.

www.dukechroniclesports.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech game is a shot at redemption by Tim Visutipol

DUKE vs. GEORGIA TECH

THE CHRONICLE

Thursday, January 17 • Cameron Indoor Stadium 9:00 p.m. No. 3 Blue Devils (15-1, 2-1)

BACKCOURT

FRONTCOURT

F F G G G

BENCH

No Blue Devil on the current roster has ever experienced back-to-back losses during the regular season. After its first loss this season Saturday, No. 3 Duke (15-1, 2-1 in the ACC) will need to bounce back against Georgia Tech tonight at 9 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium to ensure this record remains true. Without senior Ryan Kelly—sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury—the Blue Devils showed their mortality Saturday and are no longer undefeated. The Yellow Jackets (10-5, 0-3), looking for their first conference win, will look to capitalize on a Duke team that is still adjusting to missing a regular starter. “It’s a lot easier to get ready, get pumped for the game playing such a high-caliber team as Duke,” Georgia Tech center Daniel Miller said. “It’s something we look forward throughout the season, and something we prepare for during the off-season.” Stepping into Kelly’s place on Saturday were junior Josh Hairston and freshman Amile Jefferson. The two combined for 18 points in the loss to the Wolfpack, but could not keep N.C. State’s C.J. Leslie quiet during the contest. Although the Yellow Jackets will not offer the same offensive threat inside, it will be interesting to see how head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the coaching staff allocate Kelly’s minutes in this contest. “Well, I’m not sure you ever recapture that completely,” Krzyzewski said in his Monday ACC teleconference. “Ryan is one of the best players, and so you can’t ask somebody

MASON PLUMLEE 17.5 PPG, 11.4 RPG JOSH HAIRSTON 2.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG RASHEED SULAIMON 10.8 PPG, 0.9 SPG SETH CURRY 16.4 PPG, 42.4% 3-pointers QUINN COOK 11.8 PPG, 6.2 APG

Yellow Jackets (10-5, 0-3) C F F G G

DANIEL MILLER 7.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG MARCUS GEORGES-HUNT 10.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG ROBERT CARTER JR. 10.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG BRANDON REED 5.4 PPG MFON UDOFIA 10.0 PPG, 3.2 APG

(Projected lineups, statistics from 2012-13 season) The Duke frontcourt is much DUKE GT weaker with Ryan Kelly still out 65.5 PPG: 79.1 indefinitely with a foot injury, 57.1 PPG DEF: 61.8 FG%: but the Blue Devils still have 47.8 42.1 3PT%: the advantage with National 41.8 30.0 FT%: Player of the Year candidate 71.5 64.9 RPG: 37.7 36.1 Mason Plumlee on the block. APG: 15.7 13.6 Yellow Jacket PG Mfon Udo4.2 BPG: 4.6 fia can be a handful, but SPG: 6.0 7.1 Quinn Cook is emerging as 11.2 11.5 TO/G: one of the elite floor generThe breakdown als in the ACC and should Duke still needs to find its groove without Kelly, be able to smoothly run the but playing a weak Georgia Tech squad should Duke offense. be the perfect remedy. Being back in front of the With Kelly injured, Duke’s Cameron Crazies after playing in a hostile road bench is even more imporenvironment, the Blue Devil backcourt should be tant. Amile Jefferson should able to improve its shooting from the last game be ready to play early and and regain its footing in the ACC. often while Marshall Plumlee and Alex Murphy could also hear their names called.

OUR CALL: Duke wins, 76-58

to just try to do what he does. Your team has to develop a little bit different personality.” Duke was also fortunate not to lose guard Seth Curry to a long-term injury after he left Saturday’s game late in the second half. Krzyzewski said Curry suffered a slight ankle sprain and will play against Georgia Tech. Curry’s status boosts the Blue Devils, especially with freshman guard Rasheed Sulaimon struggling recently. Sulaimon went 0-for-10 against the Wolfpack. “I think it can happen more with freshmen,” Krzyzewski said. “Since coming back from Christmas, he really hasn’t played that well in all aspects of the game. He’s been okay, but he hasn’t come close to playing the way he was, and sometimes, especially a younger player, if the ball is not going in, it can have an adverse effect on other aspects of your game, and that might be what’s happening with him.” The Yellow Jackets are facing an injury concern of their own with senior guard Mfon Udofia still recovering from a knock he received against Illinois in late November. Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory said that even though Udofia can play, he does not believe Udofia is fully fit and lacks some of his explosiveness. While N.C. State leads the conference in field goal percentage, the Yellow Jackets have the lowest. Despite this, Georgia Tech is third in the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 57.1 points per game. The Yellow Jackets are also a good rebounding team, outrebounding their opponents by SEE M. BASKETBALL ON PAGE 6

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Blue Devils demolish Virginia Tech by Maureen Dolan THE CHRONICLE

Despite struggles offensively, Duke’s defense sparked the team to 58-26 victory over Virginia Tech to retain its spotless record. The No. 4 Blue Devils (16-0, 6-0 in the ACC) took an early lead, and never let the Hokies (7-10, 1-5) back in Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke’s full court press and zone defense overwhelmed Virginia Tech’s offense. Hokies’ head coach Dennis Wolff admitted that his team looked “shell shocked,” which the Blue Devils certainly used to their advantage. With the score 16-12, Duke’s stifling defense held the Hokies scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the first half as the Blue Devils went on 24-0 run to erase any doubt of the outcome by halftime. “We played different defenses, and the team responded well,” Blue Devil head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “There was some great execution. I felt we got a whole lot better defensively during the game.” The team racked up 19 steals and forced 26 Hokie turnovers during the physical game, with 23 Duke points resulting from turnovers.

Despite the score differential and overall dominance, this was not the same offensive output that the Blue Devils have produced all season. “It’s a good lesson for us as a team,” McCallie said. “You had better play some defense. You had better rebound. Because sometimes the ball doesn’t fall the way you like it to fall.” Duke’s 58 points is a season low, compared to an average of 80.4 points. Even though the team shot 45.8 percent during the first half, only just under the average for the season, complacency with the lead and an overall lack of concentration caused the Blue Devils to shoot only 29.3 percent in the second half. “Since we have been so offensive-minded all season, sometimes it’s good to be a little humble there to know exactly what you need to do on offense,” McCallie said, “[But] I’m really concerned about assists. That’s a horrible number for us.” McCallie has room for worry: While the team averages 18.5 for the season, Duke only put up eight assists on Wednesday. Sophomore center Elizabeth Williams

TRACY HUANG/THE CHRONICLE

Sophomore Elizabeth Williams notched her fourth 20-point game of the season, keeping Duke undefeated. was the one bright spot on the Blue Devil offense. She nearly defeated the entire Hokie offense on her own with her game-leading 20 points. While junior guard Chelsea Gray did not add as many assists as the team is used to per game, she did put up 12 points and grabbed seven steals from the Hokies.

The real test for Duke will come next week when they take on No. 3 Connecticut. The Huskies have had the Blue Devils’ number lately, besting them in their last five meetings. Connecticut plays a very physical game, and McCallie looks forward to a “dress rehearsal” for what Duke will hopefully face in the NCAA tournament.

6 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

THE CHRONICLE

M. BASKETBALL from page 5 almost three boards a game, good for fourth in the ACC. “In this league you’d better respect everybody you play because everybody has got great players,� Gregory said in his teleconference. “But we also want to get to a point where that respect is a healthy respect, but we go out there and try to play Georgia Tech basketball. And that’s defend better, that’s rebound better, which is a key for us, and that’s when the opportunity comes, and we’d like it to come more often, to really push the ball and share the ball.�

Both teams are coming off losses from the weekend, something Gregory says will not affect the game at all. Georgia Tech squandered an 11-point lead to fall to Virginia Tech in overtime. “Great challenge on Thursday. Play against not only one of the best teams in our conference but one of the best teams in the country,� Gregory said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve come off 20 wins or 10 losses, it’s hard to play in Durham.� Most importantly, Miller said, it is essential that the Yellow Jackets stay focused against a Duke team looking to avoid a second consecutive loss.

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Seth Curry was injured on Saturday, but will play Thurs.

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He stressed the difficulty of playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium as a factor, especially for a young team with only one senior on the roster. “It’s a shocking atmosphere the first time you’re there [in Cameron],� Miller said. “We’ve had a few games like that so far. N.C. State was a pretty crowded arena, and that place was pretty loud. But it’s nothing like Duke. We know we’ve got to be even more focused and not let the little things distract us. Duke’s probably going to come out trying to avenge that loss, so if anything that’s going to put us in a pretty bad spot.�

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Defense highlights win against Hokies by Jackie Klauberg THE CHRONICLE

Duke’s defense was too much for Virginia Tech to handle Wednesday night. The No. 4 Blue Devils (16-0, 6-0 in the ACC) held the Hokies (7-10, 1-5) to just 12 points in the first half and 26 points for the game. Duke’s full-court press was relentless throughout the game, forcing 26 Virginia Tech turnovers. The Blue Devils also finished the game with 19 steals and 23 points off of those Hokie giveaways. Virginia Tech head coach Dennis Wolff accredited a lot of his team’s unraveling to Duke’s overwhelming defense. “Obviously we need to play better on offense if we are going to be up against a team as good as this,â€? he said. “For the first 15 minutes we competed pretty good, but then it totally unraveled. The turnovers [led] to baskets‌. Some of our young kids were shell-shocked.â€? Wolff was keen to mention that despite his team’s offensive struggles, the Hokies held the Blue Devils to just 58 points in the game. Prior to the game, Duke had been averaging 80.4 points per contest. “It’s not like I walked out there and thought our kids weren’t trying,â€? Wolff said. “We don’t really have a point guard, we are not really equipped at the moment.â€? Fully equipped or not, the Blue Devils

amassed so many turnovers because of their relentless pressure both on- and off-ball. “It takes us forever to get the ball over, then when we get the ball over, we really don’t have a lot of time to do anything against their zone,� Wolff said. “They are big at every position and we did a bad job getting the ball in the middle of it.� Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie praised her team’s ability to disrupt Virginia Tech’s flow of play. Chelsea Gray and Alexis Jones led the defensive efforts, recording seven and six steals, respectively. “Our press work was good,� McCallie said. “We were very aggressive, we played different defenses and the team responded well. Defensively there were a lot of good moments and some really good execution. I thought we got a whole lot better defensively during the game. That is a definite highlight for us.� While Duke is currently the only unbeaten team in Division I basketball, the team ranks fourth in the nation behind Baylor, Notre Dame and Connecticut. The Blue Devils travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on the Huskies, who lead the NCAA in both scoring offense and defense with 84.6 points and 45.9 points, respectively. Monday’s matchup will likely be a battle as Duke looks to stifle a high-scoring Connecticut team with its defense to maintain the one and only perfect record.

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Advanced displacement Like most things high ing additional weight to apschool students agonize plicants who boast an AP or over—Facebook friends, woe- IB course load greater than fully uncool parents—the 5. The changes promise to number of Advanced Place- take some of the stress off of ment and International Bacca- already overextended high laureate coursschool stues students dents, and we editorial take probably urge Duke to matters much less than they follow UNC’s lead. think. The study, and UNC’s deA recent study commis- cision to embrace its findings, sioned by the admissions of- may slow the AP arms race fice of the University of North that plays out yearly in AmeriCarolina at Chapel Hill reveals can high schools. Because that, while taking up to five AP college admissions criteria or IB courses in high school is often dictate how high school likely to improve a UNC stu- students structure their acadent’s freshman grade point demic lives, the conclusion average, taking more than 5 reached by UNC’s admissions has no significant impact on office—that an applicant’s his or her college GPA. In stockpile of AP or IB courses light of these findings, UNC does not necessarily reflect plans to alter its admissions his or her preparedness for standards, no longer afford- college—may discourage

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Don’t get me wrong, anonymity can be (and is) a great screen for people who have to filter their own socially unacceptable beliefs in the real world, but you fail to even consider the positives of anonymity in today’s world. —“WeKnowYouMeanReddit” commenting on the column “Anonymeanie.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.

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high school students from overstuffing their schedules with advanced courses and, consequently, ease the sometimes crippling stress of applying to college. Although discouraging high school students from shouldering herculean AP or IB course loads may reduce applicant stress, neither the UNC study nor UNC’s modified admissions standards challenges the logic of credentialism. UNC still considers a certain number of AP or IB courses to represent a useful criterion for admission, encouraging high school students to view advanced courses not as opportunities to gain valuable knowledge and skills, but as necessary obstacles in the bruising fight for an acceptance letter. Ac-

cording to Steve Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions at UNC, completing 5 AP or IB courses indicates that “You’ve jumped through the meaningful hoop.” Far from subverting the checklist approach to college admissions—in which the intrinsic value of high school activities is supplanted by their value as resume line items—the UNC admissions office continues to legitimize and reinforce it. Although the study has prompted UNC to recalibrate its admissions standards, it might not reveal all that much. While some schools are awash with AP and IB courses, others offer far fewer, and, at these schools, even the most ambitious student may only be able to take 5 AP or IB

classes. Given the disparity in the availability of AP and IB courses, the study may only reveal that students who take full advantage of their high school’s course offerings will perform better in college—a less-than-novel insight. Even if the study does offer new information about the importance of high school courses, the competitiveness of college admissions will always induce ambitious students to overextend and overexert themselves. While we believe that Duke should adopt UNC’s data-driven approach in crafting its admissions policy, we doubt a minor recalibration of a college’s admissions criteria will temper the often unhealthy zeal with which high school students vie for admission.

The sticky “S” in SLGs

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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.

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n conversations about Duke “campus cul- be to randomly select amongst applicants—perture,” many administrators and students haps from a pool of people who had attended assume that greek organizations are inher- a certain percentage of recruitment events. Or ently problematic. Their structure is heteronor- are we afraid that other Duke students aren’t mative. They drink too much. cool enough to hang out with us? Their high dues, which go in large Having watched two rush cycles part to the national chapters of of the Nexus, I’ve found consisthe organizations, inhibit sociotently that the people who were economic diversity. Nationwide the most sociable—and hence, a “total frat move” means being with whom I interacted the most at impolite to someone employed in events—were not those with whom the service sector, or performing a I now have the deepest friendships. lewd act onto an attractive female The Nexus uses an anonymous apelena botella who has not explicitly indicated plication to make initial decisions her consent. No matter how hard a rebirth of wonder about who is admitted; once idena Duke greek organization tries, tities are known, it takes a supermthey struggle to escape these stereotypes. ajority of votes to swap those who were accepted Within this same paradigm, the SLG is pur- with those who were not. Those who are not adported to be the more humane alternative. mitted as residents are automatically invited to When the house model was formulated, ad- join us as what might be called a “non-residential ministrators framed it as offering the SLG ex- member.” This system isn’t perfect, but there are perience to independent students: The ability a few things I like about it. I like that the initial to return to your living space for up to three votes cast are freed from some of the prejudices years, housing mixed between grade levels and and biases we all know exist: people’s biases tosupposedly a sense of community. As a member ward those who are more attractive and taller, and of the Nexus, I can say without a doubt that the biases as they pertain to race or gender. I like that Nexus has been among the most fulfilling parts this process helps to make sure that the Nexus— of my Duke experience: an intentional commu- a discussion community—maintains in its memnity of people with whom I always feel comfort- bership individuals who are more contemplative able sharing ideas and dreaming big. and introspective. I like that people can go to our And yet, one part of SLG life has always made recruitment events and not feel like they’re beme deeply uncomfortable—the “selective” part of ing evaluated—that they can avoid the game of the SLG. Duke students compete and are under “competitive friendship” where whomever builds pressure for most of the day—in the classroom, the most relationships in three weeks wins. at the gym and as they apply for internships and When I discuss the Nexus with people outfor coveted honors. For those in SLGs, the so- side of Duke, I’m too embarrassed to mention cial structure can provide the affirming support the “S”; I just call it a “living group,” and I wonthat makes navigating the rest of Duke possible. der if it’s time for us to rethink the SLG’s phiThe process, however, by which SLGs admit new losophy and name. I’m in favor of the phrase members brings competition—explicitly—into “Intentional Living Community” or perhaps Duke’s social life, in a way that competition argu- “Student-Led Intentional Community,” which ably does not belong. In light of the privileged highlights to me what is important about the status of SLGs both within Duke’s administrative SLG: that it is a group of students who have cholandscape but also within conversations about sen to live together, not that a group of seniors campus culture, it is time that the institution of decided which first-years were worthy of living “rush” face greater scrutiny. amongst their ranks. There are good reasons A SLG is, at its simplest, a group of friends to admit one rushee over another into your that lives together. With that in mind, who SLG. As an example, for an SLG to continue to would ever feel comfortable telling another hu- exist, it needs at least a few people willing to man being: “No, you cannot be my friend”? Of plan events and do administrative work. There course, most SLGs face the parameter of a finite are many bad reasons, however, to choose one amount of empty beds, and generally, an excess person over another. We should become less amount of interest, but the traditional model of “selective”—and become more inclusive. “make first years go to parties and marketplace brunches and assign some likeability score to Elena Botella is a Trinity senior. Her column runs each one” is not the only way of resolving excess every Thursday. You can follow Elena on Twitter @ demand. The simplest alternative model would elenabotella.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 | 9

commentaries

A response to the Newtown, Conn. shooting

Tell me about yourself

our months ago, when the news reached me in Lon- physical sentiment, but I found myself crying loudly at don about the Aurora, Colo. shooting, I was greatly the end of that article. Picturing in my mind, as I couldn’t angered. As a lover of all things comic books, and an help but do, the vicious murder of 20 young children in addict of super hero movies, this tragedy resonated with such a sacred space as a school building—I found it overme more so than any other mass shooting whelming. “I don’t want to die. I just want that had preceded it in my life. The idea Christmas,” were the words of one girl that an arena others and I loved so much lucky enough to survive with the help of a could be transformed into a stage of evil—I heroine teacher. Surely there are no words found it hard to grapple with emotionally that could give voice to the senselessness and spiritually. of such a cruel wickedness, and thus imLater, when I was sitting in the lobby of pede the flow of tears dropping from the London’s largest movie theater, waiting to eyes of citizens across this world. go in to see “The Dark Knight Rises” itself, I The debate has already surfaced about daniel strunk tried to pierce through my many thoughts. gun control laws. It will surely continue in Moving to an empty seat in the back of the questions not asked the coming days. I hope to be a part of it. dark lobby, I sat down and tapped out on my I wholeheartedly support re-examining iPad a note that would never be published. Via the written the situation in which our country finds itself, where an word, I hoped to breathe life into the fury and confusion Aurora, an Oak Creek, a Portland, a Kansas City and now I felt at that time. Today, I wish I could say that my tapping a Newtown must be added to a long string of senseless fingers brought me to realize some sort of higher truth— deaths. If you would like to discuss gun control, sign me that I achieved at least a modicum of solace. But I’m afraid up for that discussion. that stating such a claim would simply be a lie. Beyond the But it is the painful emotions, and not the politics, that uncomforting fact that “evil exists in this world,” I have resonates with me now. And as someone who wrote colfound no encompassing consolation or calming rational- umns routinely in high school and does so now in college, ization for the needless deaths of those 12 individuals—or I like to think that I know, at least a little, how to give life for that matter those who were killed in Wisconsin, Oregon to emotions and pain via words. I feel it is my job to do and Kansas. I am not sure I ever will. so—to discover how I might represent the emotions of my Upon reading the first story of the Newtown, Conn. readership and myself. To give meaning to what we might shooting that came up on my Facebook newsfeed today, I have previously felt but never expressed. To say something said a prayer to God in heaven asking comfort for the fami- of value or to clarify where murkiness exists. This is my job, lies, Americans and all those who grieved. Continuing on, and I oftentimes take pride in doing it. however, I was thrown from my usual formality when enYet I worry I must fail in my job now. There are no gaging in such conversation with my Lord. Carried away in words I could type or ideas I could express that could cut very ineloquent but passionate utterances, I proceeded to through the bloody murkiness brought upon the people interject cries of disbelief about humanity. I lamented—and of Newtown. There is no grand solace to be found in this quite irately so. I decried that this evil might still exist in a event. Nothing that can erase the ache felt in the hearts of society that could surely prevent it. That humanity could let the fallen children’s parents, and the hearts of Americans such a tragedy occur. That our world, as we know it, could across the country. somehow turn the heart of that gunman black as coal. At times like these, all I can do is pray and hope. Pray I continued reading the news story. I read that a young that peace might be granted to those harmed. Hope that boy was carried out of his classroom by a police officer, one day we might find meaning in this tragedy that has bleeding from gunshot wounds. I read that kindergart- been so heinously exacted upon the people of Newtown. ners, busy learning in their reading groups, had to run It’s not much I know. But it’s all I can offer. Today, let’s and hide in bathrooms from the “hammering” that their endeavor to pray and hope together. Tomorrow, let us teachers told them was occurring—realizing (or maybe dream our prayers and hopes come true. not realizing) that the “hammering” was really discharged bullets and the “hammer” was really a gun, wielded by yet Daniel Strunk is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other another psycho who managed to get his finger around Thursday. This column originally ran on Dec. 14, 2012 in rea trigger. I am not someone usually prone to displays of sponse to the tragedy at Newtown.

t’s foolish that as a complete stranger, you expect me to describe how incredibly talented, awesome and valuable I am in under two minutes. What is it exactly that you’re looking for? A reason to open my cover letter? An explanation for why my resume does not belong in the trash with the others? Why you should even consider offering me a highpaying position, for which I am more than likely underqualified? Are you looking for proof that I have a sparniva taylor kling personality or a variety the next big thing of applicable skills? Do you want me to have a life story that magically leads me to this exact position, and a natural connection to this industry that puts Blue Ivy’s musical potential to shame? So here I am, telling you what I assume you want to hear. First, there are the facts. I’m double majoring in biomedical engineering and visual media studies. (You make some comment about how that’s kind of interesting.) I go to Duke. (You tell me that our basketball team is good. I know our basketball team is good.) And then, I lie. I tell you that this internship is the perfect position for me because it combines all my interests. I tell you this is a company I respect and admire, and this position will give me the opportunity to make a difference and grow as a young professional. Truth is, I barely knew this company existed yesterday. I did some Bing-ing (don’t hate it ‘til you’ve tried it), and, well, it sounds decent. Now, I’m trying to convince you that this is my dream job. What I really want to tell you is: “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Gabriel Jim, a mechanical engineer, said it best in a New York Times letter to the editor: “To be an engineer, you have to be either brilliant or stubborn. If you’re neither, you’re going to change majors.” So let’s just get this out in the open now—I am not brilliant. And while we’re at it, allow me to address the elephant breathing heavily on the other line of this conference-call phone interview. I … Niva M. Taylor … am actually, in Duke terms … below average. (I understand if you need your secretary to shred my application immediately and run to the nearest sink and cleanse your hands of all the non-godliness it embodies.) If anyone’s still reading, then let’s start this over. Please allow me the ever-rare, often-undeserved second chance. I will not pretend I’m perfect, but I am pretty darn talented, awesome and valuable. I’m taking professor Lawrence Boyd’s course on biotech-based companies, in which each group develops and presents a business plan for a new technical product. Professor Boyd blurs the distinction between Pratt and Trinity by comprising each group with students of various backgrounds. Even with the aid of Wikipedia, I am by no means an expert at everything. (I may have cried when I realized I never would be.) Enter the importance of that over-used phrase: “team players.” With respect to the team professor Boyd assigned me, I know my strengths are my technical competency and ability to make a product sexier. But you want to know about this internship position, and I don’t know what to tell you. You want me to tell you about myself? I like drawing. I painted a 10-foot tall standing portrait of my brother on his bedroom wall as a prank. It’s creepy, but pretty realistic. I’m realllllly good at cooking. If I get this job, I’ll totally bring homemade hummus or granola-crusted nuts or insert-your-favorite-snack-here to the office. I love building things for people to use. Watching people I don’t even know use a product I designed gives me a childish happiness. I’ve been following commercial space exploration since 2000, and in a few years when I am offered the chance I will probably leave this position to join the first human mission to Mars. In the meantime, I’m sorry I don’t have five years of experience in this field. I’m sorry I can’t code in 10 different languages and that my Spanish is, unfortunately, not great. But, I won’t apologize if this didn’t happen to be your ideal cookie-cutter answer. As I realize my answer has well-exceeded two minutes, I hope I succeeded in convincing you that I will work well on this team. Because not only am I talented, awesome and valuable, but also passionate, curious and determined.

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Want to influence campus dialogue? The Editorial Board is accepting applications for new members. Email ktz@duke.edu for more information.

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Niva Taylor is a Pratt junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.

10 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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Praise, Protest & Power: 50 Years in the Making Rev. William C. Turner Professor of the Practice of Homiletics Duke Divinity School

Keynote Address MLK Sunday Service January 20, 3:00 pm Duke Chapel Duke University

Annual MLK Film Screening: “Soundtrack for a Revolution” Featuring performances by John Legend, Wyclef Jean, The Roots and others

Dan Sturman Director, Writer and Producer

Friday, January 18, 6:30pm Richard White Lecture Hall Q & A session and reception to follow

Duke MLK Million Meals Event Sponsored by the Office of Durham and Regional Affairs and the MLK Commemoration Committee

Monday, January 21, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm (meal packaging shifts from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm) Volunteers from Duke, NCCU and the Durham Community will gather to package thousands of meals which will be distributed worldwide through the Stop Hunger Now organization. Registration required: https://duke.qualtrics.com/ SE/?SID=SV_1LWNt6jxEspQEip

MLK Day Commemorative Sit-In and Open Mic Sponsored by the Duke Partnership for Service and Duke NAACP

Monday, January 21, 3:00 pm reception/t-shirt distribution in the Bryan Center Lobby 3:20 pm march to the Chapel Quad 3:35 pm sit-in begins on the Chapel Quad

Diversity, Integration, and Activism at Duke: Connection Past to Present (panel discussion) Sponsored by the Duke Partnership for Service and Duke NAACP

Monday January 21, 4:30 – 6:00 pm Old Trinity Room Engage with Duke Faculty in an informal panel conversation about diversity, integration, and activism at Duke.

All events are free and open to the public For more information (919) 684-8353 or visit mlk.duke.edu

Recess

volume 14 issue 15 january 17, 2013

(RE)LAY RACE

NEW

DEAL

Bill Murray stars as FDR in new film

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gangster squad

rock for roe

Gosling, Stone getting back together on big screen

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SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

christopher owens

local bands celebrate abortion rights

Ex-Girls frontman goes solo

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recess

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editor’sNOTE

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o some, film soundtracks and scores are like seatbelts, always in use but rarely necessary, only noticeable when they aren’t working quite right. Others might give them a bit more credit, comparing them to the underlayer of pigment on a watercolor, always perceived but never consciously appreciated. I prefer to think about them like spices in a great dish. In your stereotypical film score, salt and pepper are the strings, required to pull the discrete elements of a film together (say, meaty cinematography, starchy dialogue and veggie acting) into a palatable whole. Dashes of garlic, cayenne pepper or oregano are the winds and brass, an essential aspect of all but the most basic of soundtracks. Too much of any of these elements will spoil the whole meal. With this in mind, Jonny Greenwood, best known as Radiohead’s guitarist, toes the line of perfection with his score for The Master. Its absence from the Oscar nominations list is, for me, the snub of the year. Greenwood’s score complements the flavor of the on-screen drama without being trite, like strawberry jam on the perfect chicken biscuit (don’t knock it ’til you try it). It strikes the perfect balance between attentiongrabbing, stylistically interesting music and tonal scenery. In a film with several Oscar-nominated dramatic performances and the brilliant directing of Paul Thomas Anderson, the music was striking enough to warrant a paragraph in the review I wrote of the film a few months ago. But, like all good movie music, it knows its place in the film as a whole. For well over a decade, my mom has been gathering CDs to curate the ultimate road trip soundtrack. Most loved of the ev-

[recesseditors] what we’d call our cover band Michaela Dwyer..............................................Mob Illin’ Holly Hilliard.......................................................the hh Dan Fishman......................................................MozArt Ted Phillips............................................Flirty Rejectors Katie Zaborsky...................My Semi-Formal Romance Sophia Durand...................................Kings of Klingon Emma Loewe................................The Cha Cha Slides

er-evolving collection is Baz Luhrmann’s Something for Everybody, a compilation of remixed or newly-recorded versions of songs from Luhrmann’s plays and films that has lived in my mom’s round leather CD holder since before the new millennium. The tracks that comprise S.f.E. range from Holst’s “Jupiter” (from The Planets) to one of the funniest covers I’ve ever heard: someone named Snooper singing the Cardigans’ Lovefool. In all, it’s a damn good way to spend an hour on the highway. Until I was in high school, this album was all I could attribute to Baz, but then I saw his fantastic 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. I was impressed by his ability to give freshness to a story that seems to have been done a hundred times, from high school stages to Hollywood to Broadway. The soundtrack, which draws mostly from ’90s indie music, might be my favorite part of the film. With artists such as Garbage and Radiohead, it opened my eyes to an entirely new musical realm. And more importantly, the songs support the plot without feeling inappropriately obtrusive, receding behind dialogue and action while stepping forth during transitions, landscapes and Luhrmann’s opulent party scenes. Pop-song soundtracks carry a different set of challenges than orchestral scores. Rather than highlighting the elemental components and novelty of individual instruments playing original music, pop songs—already polished morsels—can’t help but carry their own connotations. To most listeners, “Talk Show Host” isn’t part of the R+J soundtrack—it’s a Radiohead song. Given the band’s fame, everyone has prior knowledge to color their perception. Composer Craig Armstrong added orchestral explorations of the track with “Introduction to Romeo,” lending threads of connectivity and less obtuse tracks to the film’s otherwise single-heavy song list. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey gives us an example of a soundtrack that oversteps its bounds, despite an otherwise excellent first installment of Peter Jackson’s new trilogy. The high-frame-rate presentation takes the immersion of 3D where it needs to go, and I loved the accuracy and completeness with which the source materials were used. But frankly, the soundtrack sucks. Howard Shore’s compositions for the first Lord of the Rings trilogy comprise one of the most recognizable soundtracks since Star Wars, and it lends an appropriate sense of scale and drama without obscuring the filmic excellence that appropriately swept the Oscars. For The Hobbit, Shore crafted such a cheesily dramatic soundscape that it somehow managed to spoil a plot I already knew. This is the atomic wing sauce of film scores, overpowering the basal elements on-screen: over-wrought dissonance ruined imminent down-

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turns in the plot while sickly-sweet major progressions foretold success. Background music became foreground music in all the wrong ways, and all I wanted was to taste the chicken. Shore mercifully kept beloved motifs from LotR, especially “Concerning Hobbits,” but these reworks feel like tainted versions of the originals. The only new material I enjoyed was the Dwarvish folk music, made by setting Tolkien’s lyrics to new musical themes. The tonality and arrangement align perfectly with Tolkien’s Dwarvish culture; big, open intervals remind us of their resonant under-mountain homeland and deep vocal pedal tones demonstrate their massive testosterone levels (have you seen those beards?). These songs, full of flavor but elegantly simple, are a hearty shepherd’s pie hidden in Shore’s grotesque Vermonster of a score. Most of you have probably seen previews for Luhrmann’s next film, The Great Gatsby. Two of the trailers that have been released so far feature dark covers of long-standing classics: U2’s “Love is Blindness” (1991) covered by Jack White and The Turtles’ 1967 hit “So Happy Together” covered by Filter. The song choices for the trailers both worry and excite me; they signal a return to Baz’s formula for R+J and S.f.E., but repeating the same process could deny any opportunity for originality. One difference between Gatsby and R+J is that the score will be written not by an orchestral composer but by the collaborative efforts of Jay-Z and The Bullitts. A film set during the Jazz era backed not by Ellington and Gershwin but instead a rap king and a funky electronic group might be enough of a cognitive dissonance to prove off-putting, or it could work brilliantly. Baz’s track record suggests the latter. By asking Jay-Z to score his latest film, Luhrmann has added to the lengthening list of new-school musical minds scoring major films. In the past few years, original motion picture soundtracks have been composed by Grizzly Bear (Blue Valentine), Daft Punk (Tron: Legacy) and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (The Social Network). Two justifications for the trend jump to mind: using an artist with proven appeal provides both appealing music and an established fan base. Those feel like cynical reasons, and I’d really like to think production teams choose such musicians for more artistic reasons than pandering to mass audiences. Greenwood, Reznor, Daft Punk and Grizzly Bear all produced effective, noteworthy and sometimes award-winning scores, so maybe Hova will provide us with delicious cinema, too. Musically intriguing soundtracks should be the norm, not the exception, and we should have enough taste to enjoy their succulence. —Ted Phillips

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hyde park on hudson

DIR. ROGER MICHELL DAYBREAK PICTURES

 Hyde Park on Hudson masquerades as a presidential biopic, but really it’s just a film about a naive spinster. Bored of caring for her aging mother, Daisy (Laura Linney) is thrilled and terrified by the prospect of visiting the president, a fifth cousin— of which she continually reminds us—when his mother invites her to call on him at their estate, Hyde Park. Soon after, however, the two become romantically entangled, and Daisy is pulled into a life she isn’t sure she can manage. It’s common knowledge now that FDR had polio, but rarely do we see it depicted as unflinchingly as we do in Hyde Park on Hudson. We expect to see him sitting in a wheelchair or clutching a podium to stand during an important speech (as in Warm Springs), but Hyde Park goes further. With countless shots of the president being carried in the arms of the secret service and wincing at the smallest movements of everyday life, we see FDR’s weakness much more than his strength.

gangster squad

DIR. RUBEN FLEISCHER LANGLEY PARK PRODUCTIONS



The police chief (Nick Nolte) in Gangster Squad warns Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) that there are two things a person can’t take back: “bullets outta your gun and words outta your mouth.” Well, I’d like to amend that list because I very sincerely wish to take back seeing this movie. Imagine the most stereotypic gangster movie: the clothes, the violence, the way of speaking. Imagine Scarface, but without the credit of any level of originality, and you might have conjured up an accurate picture of Gangster Squad. The film follows the reign of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a Capone-style kingpin who’s taking over Los Angeles, and a group of unofficially/ officially commissioned misfit cops who join together to stop his evil plot: the Gangster Squad. The problem is that nothing in this movie lives up to its potential. Advertisements had suggested that the romance between Ryan Gosling’s character and Emma Stone’s would be a major subplot—even a driving force—but the scenes that progress the relationship are chaste and can be counted on one hand. The violence, chock-full of Tommy Guns, isn’t dastardly enough to be worthy of the R rating. Nor are the love scenes,

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This, in part, is because the film focuses much more on personal relationships than it does on politics. Nearly all of the events revolve around King George VI (Samuel West) and his wife, Elizabeth (Olivia Colman), visiting Hyde Park to discuss the United States joining in the war effort against Hitler, under the guise of a social visit. However, most of the political talk is over the implications of the king and queen eating hot dogs at an American picnic. Despite his illness, FDR can charm anyone, from women to kings. Bill Murray, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance (Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical), charms the audience as well. He uses his polio to connect to George about his speech impediment, he knows what to say to placate nervous Daisy and he can always play off a serious moment with a witty joke. However, the president is depicted as arrogant and manipulative, while remaining physically and emotionally dependent on those close to him. When confronted by his mother about alcohol consumption in their normally-dry home, Murray yells, “I am the President!” in a manner reminiscent of Frank Langella’s Nixon, further demonstrating the President’s instability. In capturing the multi-faceted and troubled FDR,

Murray gives by far the best performance in Hyde Park. In the film, FDR is an avid stamp collector, but he is a collector of women as well. His brash wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) lives apart from him, “in a house with other women.” At first unbeknownst to his doting mistress Daisy, the president is also seeing his secretary, Missy (Elizabeth Marvel), who later instructs Daisy in her “duty” to share FDR. In director Roger Michell’s pre-war America, all important men need more than one woman, and those women need just accept that as their place. Aside from Murray’s performance, Hyde Park is relatively unremarkable. Most of the film is narrated by Daisy, but her character is so flat and dull that the best scenes are all those in which she isn’t present. When she is in a scene, she’s the butt of every joke, and the sad thing is that she thinks she’s powerful. You keep hoping for Daisy to become more than a saltine cracker that gets passively tossed around and stepped on by every other character. You keep hoping for her to grow a pair. But she doesn’t.

seeing as there are none. Also, Mickey Cohen’s schemes are greed-driven, and while the character is violent in nature, his success would not mean the imminent destruction of lives and civility, just the loss of money. So while he is definitely an evil villain, he’s not very interesting and it’s hard to be invested in his downfall. There’s a talented cast in place, a few of whom were responsible for my wanting to see the movie. But they all play characters the average audience has seen many times before. Either they’re one-note and shallow or have an unoriginal complexity like the bad-boy with a heart of gold. The blame lies largely with the uninventive screenplay written by Will Beall, whose sparse IMDb credits indicate his limited film-writing experience. There is never enough at stake and far too much awkward dialogue, such as “Who’s the tomato?,” uttered by Sgt. Jerry Wooter (Gosling) when inquiring about Stone’s redheaded character. Sure, people die and families are ruined, but nothing about those supposedly dramatic scenes are emotionally moving; maybe the blame is equally shared with the director Ruben Fleischer. Unfortunately, it’s not even the type of bad you find yourself giggling over—I laughed more in Twilight. Flat all around, Gangster Squad is simply a lackluster story wrapped up in predictable and cliché direction.

a$ap rocky

—Jamie Kessler

—Megan Rise LONG.LIVE.A$AP RCA



A$AP Rocky’s much-anticipated sophomore album Long. Live.A$AP dropped Tuesday, a full year after his debut drew attention from Drake and other high-profile rappers. His second LP doesn’t disappoint. His style has certainly changed— there are even samples of Rocky’s non-rap vocals—and the tracks, especially those featuring Santigold and Florence Welch, are more introspective and more melodic than anything on his debut. There are still plenty of hard-hitting tracks, however. Singles “Goldie” and the “F*ckin Problems” (the ubiquitous 2Chainz performs on the latter) are sure to appeal to fans of Rocky’s old style. His choice of Skrillex’s remix of “Goin’ In” to back his verses on “Wild for the Night” have already raised some eyebrows, but Rocky dominates the insane beat. His versatility on the album is unparalleled, and this track is louder than any hate from rap purists or those who would question Rocky’s talent. Long.Live.A$AP’s new direction is appealing: its trip-hop aspirations don’t disappoint and Rocky’s codeine-dripping SEE A$AP ON PAGE 6

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January 17, 2013

L

Duke celebrates 50 years of desegregation

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Nasher collection challenges stereotypes by Anna Koelsch THE CHRONICLE

Even though most of the traffic in the Nasher leads to “Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters,” a smaller exhibit tucked away next to the visitor’s desk is the musuem’s newest installation, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first black undergraduates enrolled at Duke. The collection spans many media—including painting, paper work and sculpture—and it represents a broad spectrum of artists with nationalities as varied as South African, Swiss and American. Trevor Schoonmaker, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art, said the selection of works from artists with diverse backgrounds was intentional. “While the works are by mostly AfricanAmerican artists to serve a collaborative purpose with the Duke anniversary, we always want to expand the dialogue to make it more inclusive and global,” Schoonmaker said. “Collecting works by artists of African descent is a priority for the Nasher, so many of the works recently acquired are a good fit with Duke’s anniversary.” Many of the pieces directly challenge black stereotypes and provide a multifaceted answer to the question of what it means to be black. Kehinde Wiley’s Ivelaw III (Study) depicts a black man with a neutral expression flanked by bright flowers and scrolls of

leaves. Motorcycle Riders by Henry Clay Anderson shows a young black couple perched on their custom-made motorcycle, highlighting the oft-forgotten presence of the black middle class that existed from the 1940s to the 1970s. The obvious centerpiece of the installation is an 8-foot gold necklace with a CNN pendant. The necklace, created by Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, is a commentary on the 24-hour-news cycle that perpetuates hollow meaning and sensationalism. It is constructed from non-traditional materials including cardboard, foil, plastic and gold wrapping paper. Schoonmaker said that although the range of works is certainly diverse, their physical placement in particular was a deliberate effort to spark conversation and draw comparison. “Works by Radcliffe Bailey and Robert Pruitt, for example, are completely different from one another formally, but they both have a transcendent spiritual quality about them that speak to the ability and desire to transport oneself to a better place,” Schoonmaker said.

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Frazier’s ph explores ra by Michaela Dwyer THE CHRONICLE

Levi’s advertisements proclaiming “Go For written commentary that responds with “No W photographs of protestors holding signs that rea care, not Wealthcare.” Film footage of an elde detailing her physical illness: these images don broadcast “Commemorating 50 Years of Black S Duke.” But, then again, they’re not supposed t Ruby Frazier’s photo exhibit Campaign for Hospital (Save Our Community Hospital), which last year at the Whitney Museum Biennial a rently on view in the Kreps Gallery on the m of Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies, but powerful complement to Duke’s year-lon tion of racial integration at the University. It a alone as a complex meditation on community and race. “Because LaToya is relatively young, she’s a radical new point of view and asking new about documentary work,” said Courtney R exhibitions director at the Center for Doc Studies. “I think that also relates to the idea o black students to matriculate at Duke. I thin conversations that people at Duke and in Dur had about town-gown relationships are not t moved from the issues she’s confronting in th lar piece.” Braddock, Pennsylvania, a working-class Pittsburgh, is both Frazier’s hometown and th subject of her art. The eponymous hospital— healthcare provider and employer for the tow as the series’ central conflict. Approximately h zier’s photos depict citizens’ anger after the

The exhibit will be on display at the Nasher Museum of Art until Apr. 21.

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Life photos examine inequality by Matt Barnett THE CHRONICLE

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of black students at Duke is what would have been the 100th birthday of arts pioneer Gordon Parks. Though he helped found the still-running Essence magazine and was the first black artist to direct a major Hollywood film, Parks is best remembered for his work in photography. First working with the Farm Security Administration and later as Life magazine’s first black staff photographer, Parks used photographs as a weapons against inequality. Housed in the one-room Lyndhurst Gallery at the Center for Documentary Studies, the exhibit is comprised predominantly of enlarged spreads from the 1956 issue of Life magazine where the photos were originally featured. The incorporation of the original text and advertisements that ran with Parks’ photographs provides fascinating context—alongside Parks’ photos of poverty in the Jim Crow South are advertisements (not one of which includes a black citizen) for luxury goods aimed at Life’s mostly white audience. The text of the article, with bold headers like “A Separate Way of Life,” high-

lights the way blacks went about their everyday lives despite the social and economic hardships imposed by segregation. Parks’ photographs speak for themselves, though. His skill behind the lens is clear, and his portraits strike a balance between depressing and inspiring. One of the most powerful photographs captures kids playing in a muddy street as their neighborhood slowly erodes around them. Noting that the black students who entered Duke in 1963 were likely familiar with Parks’ work, CDS Exhibitions Director Courtney Reid-Eaton said that Parks’ photographs are as relevant today as ever. “It’s important for young Americans to understand that, not that long ago, it was truly unimaginable that we could have an African-American president,” Reid-Eaton wrote in an email. “Gordon Parks’ strong, persistent, visionary presence contributed to shaping the unimaginable into reality.” The Restraints: Open and Hidden is on exhibit at the Center for Documentary Studies through Mar. 2.

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hoto series ace, class

Exhibit charts Duke’s racial history by Kathy Zhou THE CHRONICLE

rth”; handWay.” Shady ad “Healtherly woman n’t directly Students at to. LaToya r Braddock h debuted and is curmain floor is a small ng celebraalso stands y, industry s bringing questions eid-Eaton, cumentary of the first nk that the rham have that far rehis particusuburb of he primary —a primary wn—serves half of Frahospital’s

controversial demolition in 2010. The other photos, excerpts from a Levi’s ad campaign shot in Braddock, are full of furious annotations that contradict the advertisements’ chipper tone. One of the latter photos features the slogan “Everybody’s work is equally important,” rendered in all-caps across a sky of billowing clouds. Frazier has crossed out “is” in black pencil and asserted that the words are a misappropriation of Jenny Holzer’s Truisms. She finally adds a rejoinder beneath the ad: “If everyone’s work is equally important then why weren’t local residents and small businesses allowed a share in the profits from the demolition process of the aluminum, bricks, and windows from UPMC Braddock?” Statements like these represent a hypothetical dialogue between the townspeople of Braddock and big industry. In effect, Frazier’s oeuvre, which also includes a video work featuring her own mother, presents and comments on the socioeconomic concerns of real, living, racially diverse people in the town of Braddock. Frazier argues that failing to engage with these concerns is not just irresponsible; it’s socially disastrous. “For me, in our country, race and class have always been conflated,” Reid-Eaton said. “[Frazier’s exhibit demonstrates] class is the contemporary race issue.” Campaign for Braddock Hospital: Save Our Community Hospital is on view at the Center for Documentary Studies until Feb. 23. Frazier will give a talk at the Center on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. There is a reception beforehand at 6 p.m.

The history of Duke’s desegregation is becoming more eminent, but what came before and after? Showcased in the Rare Book Room Cases in Perkins Library, “The Road to Desegregation at Duke” chronicles the campus’ diversification when it admitted its first five black undergraduate students in 1962. The exhibit begins with “Duke During Segregation,” starting with Julian Abele, the black architect who designed Duke’s campus and a West Union blueprint where the viewer can discern which rooms were designated as “Colored.” The only blacks present on Duke’s campus at the time were construction and staff workers, a fact noted along with particularly striking photographs of a segregated Christmas party. While segregation was not a legally codified practice, it was the custom— the Divinity School was first to petition for desegregation in 1948 and Duke saw its first interracial basketball game in 1951, but until 1961, the Board of Trustees did not meet to make any developments. “Desegregation didn’t just happen overnight,” said Valerie Gillispie, a university archivist who co-curated the exhibit. “It was first students, then faculty – a small but continuing policy change.” The second display case, “The Long

Process of Desegregation,” delves into the decades-long progression of blacks at Duke first as faculty, then Divinity and law students, then graduate and medical students, and finally as undergraduates. “The story didn’t end with desegregation, however,” said Gillispie, “So we wanted to look at what new things happened after.” “After Desegregation: Finding a Voice” covers the remarkable student activism on campus: a “study-in” protesting a segregated country club, a spontaneous vigil for Martin Luther King, Jr. that doubled as a demonstration for fair workers’ pay, proposals for an African and African-American Studies program, and the Allen Building sitin. The exhibit concludes in 1983 with the founding of the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. “The Road to Desegregation at Duke” is a compelling three-display exhibit, informative and full of evocative photographs and documents. Starting in the 1920s and ending in the 1980s, it details the immense journey of desegregation and the influence and work of the black community to shape the university. The exhibit runs until Mar. 3. More information and online exhibit available at http://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/ show/desegregation.

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christopher owens LYSANDRE TURNSTILE MUSIC



Christopher Owens released his first album as the frontman for Girls in 2009. The album had a ’70s rock vibe with harsher edge and showcased Christopher Owens’ now-iconic vocals. Beyond the music, the wild story of his childhood—from his former membership in the cult Children and God and busking travels all over Europe to his plush San Francisco songwriter life with his tall blonde girlfriend—became well-known to his ardent fans. He’s grown into his unexpected stardom and clearly knows his own genius, but he has always been self-conscious about his rough voice. He has even tweeted at Justin Bieber asking if he could write songs for him, presumably because he’d rather Bieber sang than him. In July, Owens shocked fans with the news that he was leaving Girls to pursue a solo career, and this is the first music we’ve heard from Owens since. With Lysandre, Owens’ voice becomes somewhat smoother and the album loses the harsh energy in Girls’ albums. “Just a Song” was Owen’s favorite track after the last album, and Lysandre builds off of that tone. It’s nothing that will appeal to fans of the song “Die,” but the soft romantic vibe of Lysandre has its merits. The album is narrative in all senses of the word. The tracks neatly map a quintessential story of love and loss: the relationship’s initial excitement, its ups and downs, its melancholy end and nostalgic epilogue. If that wasn’t Shakespearean enough, its title alludes to one of the characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and opener “Lysandre’s Theme,” has a single line from a flautist might as well have come from the Renaissance era and that repeats throughout the album. Imagine

January 17, 2013

Christopher Owens, the troubadour, serenading 16th-century Florence, making references to some yet-to-exist NYC punk life, and you’ll get something like Lysandre. “Here We Go” introduces the album as a love story, and, as is true with some of his earlier work, Owens’ writing is somewhat sappy: “And if your heart is broken, you will find fellowship in me.” Some of the tracks on the album (“Here We Go” in particular) could be written off as corny James Taylor-like, been-there heard-that songs in the worst sense. This doesn’t really worry Owens. “What if everybody just thinks I’m a phony/ What if nobody ever gets it?/ Shouldn’t care what people think,” Owens sings, demonstrating his unabashed joy in writing simple love songs for their own sake. There is a part of ‘phony’ rock that many of us cling to even when it’s kitschy and cliched, and Owens somehow makes me feel less bashful about enjoying them. “A Broken Heart” is a great song to cure dejection and heartbreak: it might be better for that purpose than any song from Girls. Although tracks are often predictable, they are catchy and resonant. “Here We Go Again” may sound like it could be played at a 1950s Grease-type senior prom, but that’s not so bad a thing. Owens isn’t afraid to sound like other artists, as he articulates beautifully in “Love is in the Ear of the Listener”: “Well, everything to say has been said before/ That’s not what makes or breaks a song.” His love songs—especially “Lysandre’s Epilogue”—evoke feelings of regret that are universally relatable. He’s repurposed and repackaged ideas that have been said thousands of times before in a way that audiences can still latch onto throughout their own Lysandre-esque stories.

A$AP from page 3 verses flow throughout the entire album. The step further away from A$AP’s New York roots is subtle and sets the album apart. Even with the changes, he never strays from his southern influences: “LVL” and “Hell” both nod to Houston and its notorious syrup-slowed flow. The album also features a single with Drake, an original supporter of Rocky’s career, as well as collaborations with the likes of L.A’.s Kendrick Lamar, southern rappers 2Chainz and Yelawolf and fellow New York rapper Action Bronson. The song “1Train” best capitalizes on this diverse assortment of talent, with a volley of verses that I haven’t heard since Drake/ Kanye/Eminem/Wayne’s “Forever”. The song lives up to the hype. Each rapper kills it in an brutal old-school mix reminiscent of Wu-Tang Clan. A$AP Rocky hasn’t been afraid to step outside the expected boundaries of the Harlem rap scene. His style has earned him some very dedicated fans, and he’s unexpectedly marketable. He is well-documented on the internet and his memorable style helped to rocket him to fame almost overnight. RCA has banked on the success of Rocky’s image, and he has made good on that investment. He didn’t do this all on his own: he’s had help from hip hop legends who also fully expected to be rewarded when Rocky made it. With his sophomore album finally out, it’s now up to Rocky to make it the rest of the way to the top. —Reilly Gorman

—Adrienne Harreveld

Pinhook celebrates 40 years of Roe v.Wade by Lauren Feilich THE CHRONICLE

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1920 1/2 Perry St. at Ninth Street Just a block from East Campus Also serving from Chick-Fil-A on Campus

In 1973, the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade defined the choice to have an abortion as a fundamental right for women in the United States. This Sunday, 40 years later, it’s time to rejoice. On Jan. 20, the Pinhook in downtown Durham is hosting Rock for Roe: 40th Anniversary Celebration. The show will benefit North Carolina’s chapter of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL). Duke’s radio station, WXDU, an affiliate of Duke University Union, is sponsoring the event. “The event is an opportunity to honor the decision in Roe and raise awareness about current attempts by our state government to erode the rights we’ve been working for decades to protect. North Carolina is facing one of the most extreme and conservative legislative climates in recent memory,” said Suzanne Buckley, executive director of NARAL NC, an organization that lobbies and advocates for pro-choice North Carolinians. “The tremendous response we’ve received for this event demonstrates what we already know—the majority of people believe that women should have access to what’s needed to care for their health and their lives.” Buckley described the evening’s performers as “strong believers in a woman’s right to make informed reproductive choices” and praised them as “pro-choice champions.” Classic rock favorites are the specialty of Blooz Travellerzz, a group that consists of members of Mount Moriah, a Triangle favorite, and Hiss Golden Messenger, who performed at last year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. Creedence Queerwater Revival, a cover band in the best possible way, is made up of members of Midtown Dickens and Trip Knight. WXDU DJs will be spinning records between sets to keep the good vibes going. John Darnielle, the lead singer, guitarist and often solo performer of The Mountain Goats, will be lead a self-described “rare-thesedays old-school just-John hesher-neck-snap take-requests style set.” Darnielle, who moved to Durham ten years ago, has a history of involvement with local politics. He has partici-

pated in other NC benefits, such as the Protect NC Families Benefit at Motorco in Apr. 2012 in protest of Amendment One, a bill that strictly limits the definition of a valid domestic union and threatens the rights of both homosexual and heterosexual couples. His Twitter account is a stream of consciousness rife with references to dragons, death metal, and most importantly, pro-choice and pro-women ideology. Darnielle also has “a good relationship” with WXDU, according to Jake Cunnane, general manager of the station and Trinity junior. “WXDU doesn’t do specific political advocacy. We don’t take positions on issues, but we’re very pro-Durham. This is a big event and we’re excited to be involved with people we’ve done things with in the past, people who we really like,” said Cunnane. The collaboration between the Pinhook and WXDU has been emerging since the Pinhook’s establishment four years ago, and the two are “a good fit” according to Pinhook owner Kym Register. “[The Pinhook] doesn’t necessarily have a political agenda, but we have a safe space in which to be political,” said Register, who is also a member of Midtown Dickens. “XDU’s got their hands on a few great things going around town, so I think it was a natural connection. Everyone’s really willing to help each other out with this, too. It’s a benefit. A bunch of people getting together to use their skills and time for an organization that kicks ass.” For those who managed to get tickets, it will be much more than a celebration of good local music. The night will be an opportunity to reflect on the constant fight to achieve and maintain rights for women. Register believes that the promise of an entertaining show will give NARAL NC the publicity it deserves. “I hope that at this event, big music heads will come to see The Mountain Goats, and then realize that they’re there for the NARAL cause,” Register said. “That’s the really important connection between music and politics. It’s a connection that we need to preserve.” Pinhook presents Rock for Roe this Sunday at 7 p.m. The show is sold out.