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ONE HUNDRED AND ninth YEAR, Issue 58

kings of the coastal

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27 DUKE

UNC 25

A season of growth comes full circle by Daniel Carp The Chronicle

ERIC LIN/The Chronicle

Redshirt freshman DeVon Edwards returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, giving Duke a huge momentum swing.

CHAPEL HILL—Eight games ago, it did not look like a trip to the ACC championship game was even going to be in the realm of possibility for Duke. With starting quarterback Anthony Boone sitting on the sidelines nursing a broken collarbone, the Blue Devils fell to Pittsburgh 58-55 in front of a sparse home crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke allowed nearly 600 yards of total offense in that Sept. 21 game as a late comeback attempt fell short. The loss dropped the Blue Devils to 2-2 on the season. Boone had no timetable for his return, and the Duke defense looked every bit as porous as the group that allowed 49.2 points per game in a five-game losing skid to end the 2012 season. It was the type of loss that could send an otherwise-promising season spiraling out of control. The opposite happened—more than two months later, the Blue Devils have not lost since.

“That’s when it really settled in for me that we have a great team,” redshirt senior cornerback Ross Cockrell said. “Even with all the ups and downs in that game, a lot of negative things happened for us. Defensively, we gave up a ton of big plays, but we fought to the very end of that game—a game we should have been out of, I think.” Despite all the negative takeaways on both sides of the ball, Cockrell said it was his team’s loss to the Panthers that showed the physicality and resilience that has led the team on its current eight-game winning streak. “I was talking to [head coach David Cutcliffe] after that game, and I said, ‘Even after all the bad things that happened to us, we still were only three points away,’” Cockrell said. “And that’s when I think I knew that we had a special team and that we had a special season ahead of us.” Slowly but surely, the Blue Devils built the pieces it would need to take the Coastal See football, page 8

ByTheNumbers 1

Duke advances to the conference title game for the first time ever, and becomes the first Triangle team to make an ACC championship game appearance.

Victories for Duke this year, becoming the first Blue Devil team to record 10 wins in program history.

The Blue Devils will head into next week’s ACC championship game riding an eight-game winning streak, the team’s longest since 1941.

4-0

Duke’s record in November this year. In head coach David Cutcliffe’s first five seasons, the Blue Devils were a combined 1-19 in the season’s final month.

10-0

Quarterback Anthony Boone’s career record as a starter. He is the first Duke quarterback in program history to win each of his first 10 starts.

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2 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

bass connections looks to North carolina NaacP petitions increase campus presence mccrory to expand medicaid by Sasha Zients The ChroniCle

The opening semester of Bass Connections has been largely successful, though the program’s unique format has posed a few challenges for the its first participants. The University-wide initiative, launched by a $50 million gift from Anne and robert Bass, is designed to provide the Duke community with opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and research. Starting this semester, students and faculty—divided into problemsolving project teams—are researching specific societal challenges. Although early participation has been higher than expected, with 251 participants total, Bass Connections is looking to increase its campus presence moving forward. “The program has gone as well or better than expected,” said Steve nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education. “Dozens of teams have formed, even though it hasn’t fully penetrated the awareness of students yet.” There are currently 37 project teams among the five themes—Brain and Society, information Society and Culture, Global health, education and human Development and energy—said Susan roth, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies. She noted that she had anticipated that they would start the semester with only a few teams. “We’re amazed and excited,” roth said. “We can’t anticipate what is going to happen, but when you have this kind of enthusiasm, you also have to be able to manage it.” roth said that aspects in the first semester of Bass Connections had been “anxietyprovoking.” She noted that one of the biggest challenges has been figuring out how to deal with problems that Duke has never had to address, due to the uniqueness of the program, such as how to grade the courses and how students might be able to represent the experience on their resumes. “The program is moving very fast,” roth said. “We have to keep our eye on everything that is going on and reflect on it so that we make things better where we can.” Martin Zelder, director of undergraduate

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studies for the initiative on education and human Development, said that one of the main challenges is the fact that the curriculum of Bass Connections classes and research “isn’t scribed.” “Faculty have been trying to determine the precise direction for research efforts and that has maybe been a little unsettling in some ways for students,” Zelder said. But because of this issue, students are getting a taste for the real-life uncertainties of a career in research and careers in general, Zelder noted. Student feedback has been largely positive so far. At the beginning of october, Bass Connections surveyed students and faculty involved with research teams, Zelder said. The survey asked what problems research teams had encountered and whether they anticipated improvement. on a 5-point scale, many responders to the survey gave a score above a four, Zelder added. “i was heartened by the results and how well faculty are doing, how intellectually challenging the program is and how much learning is going on across the board,” Zelder said. Junior ray li—undergraduate student representative on the faculty advisory council of Bass Connections and member of a project team in the education and human Development cluster—said the logistics of the program, such as the definition of participant roles, have improved over the course of the semester. li, who also serves as vice president of academic affairs for Duke Student Government, said the general feedback with most of the teams had been that students feel engaged with their projects and are building relationships with professors. he noted, however, that there has been variation among teams. “Teams might have gone a little slower because they have had to help the undergraduates catch up and to formulate ideas of what they wanted to do,” li said. “But some teams are really running with it.” Sophomore elle Gault—a member of

by Elizabeth Djinis The ChroniCle

The north Carolina chapter of the national Association for the Advancement of Colored People released a petition nov. 26 against Governor Pat McCrory’s plans to deny Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The document calls for a special state Congressional session to be held in order to overturn a Mar. 7 law denying nearly 500,000 low-income n.C. residents health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The letter is authored by four clergymen, rev. rodney Sadler, rev. William Turner, elder Carrie Bolton and rev. William Barber, president of the n.C. nAACP, and thus far has garnered over 3,000 signatures. The letter refers to many of the state’s legislative policies as “immoral” and uses a religious tone to communicate its message. “You have said that as you govern you are ‘not afraid to step on toes,’” the letter reads, referring directly to McCrory. “As you step on toes, we pray you will not step on God’s toes.

We pray you have the grace and wisdom to accept the federal funds for the Medicaid and unemployment insurance for those who are eligible.” The letter noted that north Carolina currently has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the nation and, as such, many residents would benefit from the federal government’s Medicaid help. it added that increased Medicaid funding would give enough money to allow those previously unemployed to seek work. “Meaningful employment and a living wage are necessary for human dignity,” the letter reads. “We believe everyone able to work, should work.” Adam Searing, director of the health Access Coalition for the n.C. Justice Center, said the letter is a step in the right direction in an ongoing battle. “it keeps the moral issue alive,” Searing said. “literally [there are] people who are not going to get life saving healthcare. it’s not a See MEDICaID page 12

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See baSS page 12

North Carolina residents petitioned against Governor McCrory’s plans to deny Medicaid expansion.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013 | 3

Students sound off on Thanksgiving traditions Duke students enjoyed the holiday festivities of Thanksgiving Break in different ways. The longest break of the school year so far, students had the chance to return home, possibly for the first time since the beginning of the semester. Whether it was staying on campus and gaming with friends or going home to be with family and celebrating traditions, several students found they were thankful for a chance to catch a breather and spend time with the important people in their lives. The Chronicle’s Tim Bai talked to students and staff to see what composed their Thanksgiving experiences this year.

“Watched a lot of TV, ate too much food, fell terribly behind on work.”

“I had a lovely turkey dinner with my mother, dog and multivariable calculus textbook.” Sophomore Max Staebler

Sophomore Mike Zhu

“Playing Family Feud on the iPad for hours with my cousins before being forced to go to dinner by their parents. We would have kept on going. Laughter kept us from getting hungry.’ Senior Iyanuoluwa Oke

“I spent Thanksgiving alone watching Despicable Me because my friends all went to play League of Legends.” Freshman Frank Wang

THANH-HA NGUYEN/THE CHRONICLE

“I’m on the football team, so I’ve been here over break practicing football and I went to the game [on Saturday]. I went to eat Thanksgiving dinner with a couple friends at the WaDuke.”

“As an international, this was my first Thanksgiving. I spent it at a friend’s home in South Carolina, laughing at the table and Junior Will Perrott learning how to stuff and roast a turkey. I felt like part of the family!” I have family all over North CaroFreshman Tierney Maray lina so I actually did a nice little triangle from Fayetteville to Charlotte, and I came back here [on Saturday].” Senior Jason Maher

I didn’t do anything special this year, but I Skyped with my sister for four hours.” Sophomore Chuka Obiofuma

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4 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

Researchers unearth new way to track arsenic exposure by Nisarg Dabhi The ChroniCle

researchers can now track a subject’s exposure to arsenic by examining nail clippings. A team of Duke researchers—lead by Avner Vengosh, professor of earth and ocean science—conducted a study in the rift Valley of ethiopia that detects arsenic levels in water. The new test has potential implications for tracking levels of arsenic exposure domestically. “Toxic contaminants are often measured in drinking and other dietary sources, however, biological markers such as urine, nails and hair are also good markers of human exposure to contaminants such as arsenic,” said Tewodros rango, a postdoctoral research associate in Vengosh’s lab. he noted that arsenic in nail and hair can provide an estimate of long-term exposure—unlike urine, which can only

JENNIE XU/THE CHRONICLE

Duke researchers have been able to detect arsenic levels in water by studying nail clippings.

indicate short-term exposure. This is the first study to examine the levels of arsenic exposure in the rift Valley, said Brittany Merola, a Ph.D student at the nicholas School of the environment. “There’s never been an arsenic assessment in the rift Valley, which is why it is so important,” Merola said. “The problem is there is not only contamination from toxins like fluoride, but also high contamination from arsenic in water.” Arsenic contamination of water supplies is a growing environmental issue and affects groundwater in diverse parts of the world, said Mark Jeuland, assistant professor of public policy and global health. he added that arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant, coming mainly from rocks beneath water sources. Arsenic exposure leads to many health risks and is very expensive to remove from groundwater supplies, rango said. “Cancer is the main disease manifestation on the skin and the internal organs of exposed populations,” rango said. The study not only had findings showing that arsenic is a huge problem in the rift Valley, but it also demonstrated the effects of nutrition on arsenic levels in the body, Merola said. “People with better nutrition had lower arsenic even if they consumed the same amount of water,” Merola said. “People know that individuals who have better nutrition have lower occurrences of certain arsenic effects, but we’ve never seen lower concentrations of arsenic in the body from better nutrition.” The study in the rift Valley is ongoing, as researchers are now testing how fluoride is impacting ethiopian water sources. Duke researchers are also currently conducting a case study in Charlotte where arsenic contamination poses a threat to water sources, Merola said. “We are actually working with the Union County Board of Public health,” Merola said. “They know they have arsenic in their water and this could be affecting the health of the people who live there.”

Giving thanks

THANH-HA NGUYEN/THE CHRONICLE

Students gathered with their families to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The Graduate School Distinguished Alumni Award The Graduate School Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to a graduate of a Duke University Ph.D. program who has distinguished himself or herself in service to their fields of endeavor, to Duke, and/or to the betterment of humanity.

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Nominees must:

• have received a Ph.D. from Duke University • be at least ten years from the awarding of their degree • have made a distinctive contribution to his or her field, or community, or to society at large. The recipient of the award will receive a citation and attend the Graduate School Hooding Ceremony. For complete information and the nomination form, please visit http://gradschool.duke.edu/about/alumni_award.php.

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the blue zone

making the grade: duke football vs. unC sports.chronicleblogs.com

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mondaY, deCember 2, 2013

FOOTBALL

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013 | 5

ON TO CHARLOTTE

Blue Devils continue to make key plays late by Nick Martin The ChroniCle

ChAPel hill— one of David Cutcliffe’s messages to his team at the beginning of the 2013 season was to play games to win, rather than playing to avoid losing. Ten victories later, the Blue Devil head coach’s words ring as true as the Victory Bell. Saturday’s 27-25 victory against north Carolina marked the fourth time this season Duke has entered the fourth quarter trailing and managed to fight back and secure the victory. Thanks to another big performance from DeVon edwards and a final stand from the defense, the Blue Devils answered everything the Tar heels threw at them and walked away from Kenan Stadium as Coastal Division champions. “Duke Blue Devils [are] not scared of any dogfight,” edwards said. “We were happy. We said on the sideline we were made for this—nobody else is made for this. We could fight all the way to end no matter who we’re going against so that’s just our type of ballgame. We’re going to bring it every time.” The first play of the second quarter resulted in Tar heel punter Tommy hibbard hitting a textbook coffin-corner punt that bounced out-of-bounds at the Blue Devils’ 2-yard line. But the Blue Devils stuck with their balanced attack and proceeded to churn out their longest drive of the year in terms of yards,

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eric lin/The ChroniCle

Sophomore running back Shaquille Powell picked up 57 yards on nine carries as the Blue Devils won their 10th game.

With relentless pass rush on North Carolina’s final offensive drive, Duke’s defense forced a turnover to seal the victory.

time and plays. The drive, which covered 95 yards on 17 plays in 8:26, resulted in a ross Martin field goal. “it’s just a mentality that the team has grown to get. if we’re down, we just always have that mentality to fight back,” Crowder said. “We knew it was a crucial ballgame and we knew what was on the line, what was at stake, so anytime we got down, we just felt like we needed to make plays and we were able to do that both offensively and defensively.” edwards has been the big-time finisher for Duke this season. After scoring three touchdowns against n.C. State to cement the victory, the redshirt freshman showed up again when Duke needed him most Saturday. After north Carolina scored and converted a two-point conversion with 1:30 left in the half, the Tar heels seemed poised to enter the locker room with a 10-7 lead. But edwards had other plans, as he took the kickoff 99 yards to the end zone to put Duke back in the lead just 11 seconds later. “i feel like we shocked them [on the kickoff return] because they thought we were going to fall over like Duke has done in the past,” edwards said. “i don’t think they were ready for the new nation of the Blue Devils.” it was the final six minutes of the game that really proved that this Duke team is different from those of years

past. on the drive following a north Carolina field goal that signaled a 10-0 run and gave the Tar heels a 25-24 lead, Anthony Boone felt the blitz coming and found Jela Duncan out of the backfield on second-and-10 from the Blue Devils’ 38-yard line. The sophomore running back took the ball 29 yards to north Carolina’s 33-yard line. The drive would conclude with ross Martin’s go-ahead field goal with 2:22 left in the contest. “This team’s mantra all year has been to finish,” harding said. “We knew that we were capable of that and we expected that. We knew that the offense had to put together a huge drive in hostile territory against a very good defense and we did what we had to do to win.” on the following north Carolina drive, a facemask penalty against Duke gave the Tar heels a fresh set of downs at their own 25-yard line. Then on fourthand-5, Williams dropped back, eluded the rush and picked up a first down with a 10-yard scramble into Duke territory to breathe new life into his team’s comeback hopes. But this Blue Devil defense was determined not to make the mistakes they had in the past. on second-and-10 from Duke’s 49-yard line, pressure from defensive end Jordan DeWalt-ondijo forced Williams’ pass to sail over his receivers’ hands and into the arms of edwards, securing the win and the divi-

eric lin/The ChroniCle

sion crown. “it went back to all three phases,” Cutcliffe said. “The offense got it down there, we had to kick an extra point, we had to cover a kickoff, we had to get out there and play defense. All three phases in that last three, four minutes of the game had to step up and make plays to enable us to win.”

kevin shamieh/The ChroniCle

Duke quarterback Anthony Boone completed 23-of-34 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina.

6 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

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volleyball

TOBACCO ROAD THRILLER

Blue Devils down Tar Heels in 5-set comeback to take ACC title by Delaney King The ChroniCle

Despite facing two match points, Duke refused to fold to its arch rival, topping north Carolina in a thriller to win the ACC championship. The no. 15 Blue Devils edged out the no. 14 Tar heels Friday in a five-set barn burner at Cameron indoor Stadium. After losing two of the first three sets and UNC 2 trailing by as many DUKE 3 as eight points in the fourth, Duke fought back to win 3-2 in front of the home crowd on Senior Day and secure an automatic berth into this year’s nCAA tournament. “i’m really excited for our team, really happy for our seniors, happy for our whole team, because they’ve been a true team this year,” head coach Jolene nagel said. “[They’ve] pushed each other every single day, supported each other, and i think that’s what got us through today.” neither team gained more than a twopoint advantage in the decisive set, and there were five lead changes. north Carolina (274, 16-5 in the ACC) had back-to-back match points at 14-12 and 14-13, but an attack error followed by a kill by senior Chelsea Cook sent the Blue Devils (27-4, 18-2) ahead 15-14. With each team grappling for the two-point margin that would give them the win, the cross-town rivals traded kills back and forth until Duke managed consecutive kills by junior outside hitter Jeme obeime and sophomore middle blocker elizabeth Campbell to claim the victory 21-19. “We just said, ‘let’s not worry about the score.’ We really just needed to play point-forpoint,” senior defensive specialist Ali McCurdy said. “it was a great overall team effort to come out and be able to finish [the game] in the fifth set.” looking to keep Duke out of sole possession of the conference’s top spot, north Carolina dominated the first set, taking its first lead at 6-5 and cruising to a 25-17 win. The differ-

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The Blue Devils fought off two match points and captured the ACC title with a five-set victory against arch rival North Carolina. ence in play stemmed from attack errors—the Tar heels limited themselves to three errors en route to a .297 hitting percentage, and Duke struggled, ending the first set with nine errors and a hitting percentage of .064. “our timing was a little bit off…. our communication was a little lax, too, and we really needed to bring that stuff up,” nagel said. “i can’t explain this team and their ability to work through when we’re not especially playing our best.” Duke fought back to win the second set by a narrow two-point margin. The Tar heels closed in on a five-point Duke lead to cut the score to 24-23, but a north Carolina service error ended the set 25-23 and evened the set

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score at one apiece. Play remained just as tight in the third set, this time in favor of the Tar heels. Stopping Duke’s attacking effort with five team blocks, north Carolina held on to win 25-22 and take the 2-1 lead. “They definitely pushed hard against us, and we just had to step up and push back. They really got us, especially in that third game,” senior middle blocker Chelsea Cook said. “We just kept saying that we’re going to have to fight, we have to keep fighting, we have to keep pushing back—give it all that we have.” With the match on the line, the Blue Devils did not claim a lead in the fourth set until the final two points of play. Down 22-14, a kill from obeime began what would be an 11-1

run for Duke. Campbell ended the set 25-23 with back-to-back kills, sending the match into the fifth and final set. Duke ended its regular season with an undefeated record in Cameron indoor Stadium, a guaranteed spot in the nCAA tournament and its first ACC title since 2010. The Blue Devils will await their nCAA tournament seeding Sunday, but they could host their first two postseason matchups if they are granted a high enough seed. “honestly, it probably couldn’t have gone any better,” Cook said. “Carolina on senior day for the ACC Championship—our team showed incredible fight today, and it was just an incredible victory.”

women’s soccer

Hokies halt Duke’s College Cup dreams by Ryan Hoerger The ChroniCle

Duke was 13 seconds away from heading to the locker room tied. instead, a late firsthalf goal for Virginia Tech dealt the Blue Devils a blow from which they would never fully recover. The top-seeded hokies tacked on two more goals in the second half, defeating Duke 3-0 in an elite eight DUKE 0 matchup Friday in VT 3 Blacksburg, Va., to advance to the nCAA semifinals. The loss marked the second consecutive season that the Blue Devils have fallen one win short of the College Cup. “The whole game completely changed on the goal with 13 seconds left,” Duke head coach robbie Church said. “i thought we were playing really well. We knocked a couple off the post. i think two things happened. When we got the ball, we got nothing out of

our attacks, we were getting off the post, off the crossbar. When you get good opportunities you’ve got to finish in this game.” The goal by Virginia Tech’s Katie Yensen late in the first half put Duke in a position it hadn’t faced all nCAA tournament: a deficit. But more important than the 1-0 flashing on the scoreboard was its timing. “i think we were angry, we were like, ‘Thirteen seconds, really?’” Blue Devil goalkeeper Meghan Thomas said. “our mindset definitely changed. it’s different going to half in 0-0 or up 1-0. Going in down 1-0, it’s hard, especially in an elite eight game where goals are hard to come by.” After playing a strong 44:47 of first-half soccer, Church said he felt as though the goal toyed with the team’s psyche and affected their play in the second half. “We could feel it in the locker room as coaches, it was hard to get everybody back [mentally],” Church said. “A lot of people

were thinking about how it broke down and what happened to break it down. Virginia Tech, like any good team, they knew we would be thinking about that at halftime, they knew how important that goal was. [in the second half] we were still thinking about it, our reactions were slower, and they just came at us in waves in the second half.” With a second-half lead, many teams might be content to put defenders behind the ball and clog up Duke’s chances of evening the score. Virginia Tech had no such ideas, applying more pressure to the Blue Devil defense. The hokies controlled the ball for much of the second half—when Duke (9-9-6) was able to gain possession, it struggled to keep it and string together enough passes to mount a comeback bid. needing to score to stay alive, Church tried to change up the Duke formation, but the only goals that came were for the hokies (19-4-3). Shannon Mayrose upped the Virgin-

ia Tech lead to 2-0 in the 65th minute, and Jazmine reeves knocked home her 11th goal of the season to seal the victory. in the first meeting between the two teams this season, played in Durham, Duke was able to fight to a 1-1 draw against the hokies Sept. 29. Virginia Tech stumbled into postseason play, losing two of its final three matches. Since then, the hokies have caught fire, defeating two ranked teams before falling in the ACC tournament championship to Florida State. Virginia Tech also defeated no. 12 West Virginia and no. 9 Santa Clara—advancing on penalty kicks—to reach the elite eight. “They’re playing better right now,” Church said. “obviously with the run that they’ve had, they’re more confident, they’re playing at home. They’ve been so consistent all year.” entering the tournament as an unseeded team, the Blue Devils were considered a See w. soccer, page 9

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013 | 7

men’s basketball

Arizona deals Duke another November loss by Bobby Colton The ChroniCle

neW YorK—Jabari Parker and the Blue Devils just could not get their shots to fall. on a night that Parker struggled, no. 6 Duke fell to the balARIZ 72 anced attack of the DUKE 66 no. 4 Wildcats, losing 72-66 in the championship game of the niT Season Tip-off at Madison Square Garden. ”it was a physical game,” Duke senior guard Tyler Thornton said. “i think we matched their physicality and their intensity. They hit big shots and we didn’t hit shots. They were able to open the game up and once they opened it up we weren’t able to get back into it.” Playing at the World’s Most Famous Arena in a game that was delayed nearly an hour due to the triple-overtime marathon played by Alabama and Drexel in the third-place game, the two powerhouse programs traded blows throughout the contest. The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes in the first half alone. Arizona (7-0) took its first lead of the second half with 8:58 left to play on a tip-in by forward Brandon Ashley, then proceeded to stretch the lead to nine points with 6:21 left to play after a three-point play by forward Aaron Gordon and a 3-pointer by guard nick Johnson. “They hit some tough, tough, tough shots—then they hit some big free throws,” junior guard Quinn Cook said. “All credit goes

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Freshman Jabari Parker struggled against Arizona, failing to crack 20 points for the first time in his collegiate career. to those guys.” Duke (6-2) made one more run when a pretty Cook feed found Parker for an and-one under the basket to cut the lead to five with 1:46 to play, but the Wildcats held on to secure the victory. Although Duke and Arizona posses two of the best freshmen in the country, Parker and

Aaron Gordon weren’t particularly impressive in the first half. Gordon attempted just three shots, scoring two points to go along with three rebounds. he was plagued by foul trouble, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the period. Parker, usually an efficient scorer and a 60.0 percent shooter, struggled to get any-

thing going early. The Chicago native started the game 1-for-7 before four late hoops gave him 11 points for the half. Gordon ended the night with 10 points and seven rebounds. Parker failed to reached the 20-point mark for the first time this season, pouring in 19 points, but on 7-of-21 shooting. With Gordon and Parker kept under wraps in the first half, both teams needed a different player to step up. For Arizona, that man was Ashley. The sophomore had his way in the opening period, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting. Ashley entered the game averaging just 10.7 points. Duke’s offensive spark came from its point guard, Cook. The junior had the touch early in the half, scoring eight points on 4-of5 shooting in 13 minutes of action. he would take just four more shots in the game, most with the contest all-but-over. Duke got the best of the Wildcats at the start of the second half, holding Arizona without a field goal for the first 6:33 of the period, a streak that was broken when rondae hollis-Jefferson finally put home the first hoop for his squad. But the Blue Devils were unable to manufacture a significant lead, letting the Wildcats tie the game on a nick Johnson triple with 11:10 left to play. A little more than two minutes later, Arizona was on top for good. “Some shots that we took went out that could have pushed the lead up, and Gordon hit a big three to cut it to one and we went See m. basketball, page 9

women’s basketball

Blue Devils crowned champions at Paradise Jam by Kate Pantano The ChroniCle

Duke commanded the paint and tied a season-best defensive performance as it demolished Kansas to complete its perfect 3-0 run at the Paradise Jam. no. 2 Duke routed Kansas 73-40 Saturday afternoon at the University of Virgin islands Sport and Fitness KU 40 Center in St. Thomas. DUKE 73 The Blue Devils had three players finish in double digits and held a 44-10 advantage in points in the paint to roll past the Jayhawks. The first half did not come easily for the Blue Devils (8-0), who struggled to take care of the basketball on offense, turning it over 14 times in the game’s first 20 minutes. “i think we did a lot to slow down the pace of the game,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We had too many turnovers. our defense was consistent but the first half was tough because we were sloppy with the ball, which caused an ugly first half for us.” The Blue Devil defense managed to make up for their offensive shortcomings and held Kansas (4-3) to just 20 points in the first half. Kansas saw a short window of opportunity with 3:29 left to play in the first half when a 3-pointer by Markisha hawkins cut the score to 26-18. But that was the closet the Jayhawks got for the rest of the game. After a slow first half, the Blue Devils dominated the second frame, scoring 17 of the first 21 points. Sophomore guard Alexis Jones led the run with five points and three steals and Duke pushed the lead to 46-24. Kansas strug-

sports

gled on offense the remainder of the game, shooting only 20 percent from the field in the second half, which gave Duke plenty of opportunities to stretch the lead. “We learned a lesson on how to focus and execute,” McCallie said. “The second half we got to play like Duke basketball. We shot 55 percent and were much more ourselves.” elizabeth Williams and Tricia liston led the Blue Devils offensively. Williams scored 17 points on the game and added four blocks. liston, who earned MVP honors of the tournament, finished with 19 points—she scored in double-digits each game of the tournament— and eight rebounds. “Tricia is consistent in scoring but she’s also aggressive on the boards,” McCallie said. “When she is rebounding she is incredibly dangerous because it gives her the opportunity to be on the ball that much more and not have to wait and get it. She goes and gets it.” Along with liston’s consistent scoring, Williams’ formidable defense managed to silence Kansas’ leading scorer, junior forward Cheslea Gardner, the entire contest. Gardner, who came into the contest averaging 17.5 points per game, finished the night with just two points and four fouls. “We definitely wanted to frustrate her, double her, limit her touches and be aggressive in defending Gardner,” McCallie said. “elizabeth is quite a presence. She did a great job, along with the team, to stop someone of her caliber.” Despite missing senior forward haley Peters, the Blue Devils were able to play at a high level throughout the tournament due in large part to the team’s depth. Duke has

speCial To The ChroniCle

Winning three games in three straight days, Duke captured the championship at the Paradise Jam. relied heavily on freshmen oderah Chidom and Kendall McCravey-Cooper and redshirt freshman Amber henson to manage Peters’ absence and Saturday’s contest proved no different. Chidom helped jumpstart the Blue Devil offense in the second half with seven points and 14 rebounds. her dominant presence on the glass—she grabbed nine defensive boards—held the Jayhawks to seven second-chance points. “it is so great to see oderah step up with 14 rebounds today. She was a difference-maker. She’s all over the boards and she plays with a lot of confidence for a first year,” McCallie

said. “oderah, Kendall and Amber all offered their different strengths. oderah really rose to the occasion with the absence of haley.” Kansas never got closer than 20 points for the rest of the second half as the Blue Devils finished an impressive three-day run at the tournament. “We got better. There were three games and we learned from each game. There was a lesson from each one. We worked hard in watching film and being prepared,” McCallie said. “We reinforced the idea of how to focus. it’s great to be away as a group to have some shared experiences. it’s a nice reward for working hard and staying focused.”

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8 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

ChampionshipGameTickets Want to see the Blue Devils take on Florida State? Any undergraduate or graduate student may place orders for the ACC championship game in Charlotte with their DukeCard on Monday Dec. 2, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Duke Ticket Office inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Student tickets are $70 apiece, which includes a free Duke football student shirt to wear on Saturday.

FOOTBALL

from page 1

Division crown. After eking out an ugly win against Troy on Homecoming weekend, Duke began to look like a different football team. Boone returned, but the redshirt junior struggled, leaving the defense to grind out low-scoring affairs. Instead of jumping out to 20-point first quarter leads like the Blue Devils did last season against Virginia Tech, Duke fell behind early in games and had to claw its way back into contests. Turnovers turned into points— points turned into wins. Cutcliffe often harps on the three phases necessary to winning a football game—offense, defense and special teams. During this eight-game winning streak, the Blue Devils have won games with only one or two of these phases playing efficiently. Fittingly, it took plays from all three phases to beat North Carolina and wrap up a season for the history books. Duke’s offense moved effectively through the air and marched down the field—just like it had in wins against N.C. Central, Navy and Miami—en route to the game-winning field goal. The Blue Devil defense came up with a

turnover to seal the victory, just like it did in wins against Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. And an opportunistic play on special teams by redshirt freshman DeVon Edwards gave Duke the spark it needed to prevail, just like it did four weeks ago against N.C. State. “It went back to all three phases,” Cutcliffe said. “All three phases in that last three, four minutes of the game had to step up and make plays to enable us to win. So how appropriate is that?” Saturday’s win was about more than just the first 10-win Duke team ever. It was about more than a trip to the ACC championship game or earning respect from other big-time college football programs. It was about bringing a journey full-circle—the culmination of a roller-coaster ride that ended with the realization of a dream Cutcliffe brought to Duke six years ago. “We’ve never really been expected win,” Boone said. “It’s like a shark, once you taste blood for the first time, you know you just have to keep doing it. That’s our mentality right now. We know how to win and we’re going to go out there and do what it takes to win the game.”

MONDAY

P UNDAY

sports

ERIC LIN AND KEVIN SHAMIEH/THE CHRONICLE

Key plays on both sides of the football propelled Duke to victory against North Carolina and a Coastal Division title.

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M. BASKETBALL

from page 7

back and forth from there,” Cook said. “Nick Johnson hit some tough ones and they kind of took over from there.” Rodney Hood would not let Duke go away quietly after the Wildcats made their move. In addition to a three-point play shortly after Arizona took the lead, Hood buried a triple with 6:19 to play to stop the 20-5 Arizona run. Hood led the team in scoring with 21 on 8-of-14 shooting and added a team-best eight rebounds. Increased defensive tenacity late and a couple of timely hoops kept things interesting inside the two-minute mark, but the deficit was too large for the Blue Devils to overcome. The Blue Devil defense—much ma-

ligned after the team’s near-loss to Vermont last week—continued to show improvement along with the team’s rebounding. Arizona’s starting backcourt of Johnson and T.J. McConnell shot a combined 6-for17, and big man Kaleb Tarczewski managed just two field goals all night. “If we could take a positive from this loss—this weekend—I’d definitely say our defense and our defensive rebounding is improving,” Thornton said. Ultimately, the difference in the game came down to which team made shots. The Wildcats made tough shot after tough shot, but Duke couldn’t get its looks to go down. “The offense was fine,” Thornton said. “We got the looks that we wanted that we’ve been hitting all year. We just didn’t hit them tonight.”

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013 | 9

W. SOCCER

from page 6

surprise team to advance to the Elite Eight, securing two of its three tournament victories via gritty performances and clutch penalty kicks. Thomas said she feels the team can build on a strong postseason during the offseason, despite the loss of several standout seniors who played their final collegiate games Friday. “We fought this whole season,” Thomas said. “We had some ups and downs but through it all we were together, we were a team. I think we should look back on this season with nothing but pride and happiness. We got to the Elite Eight, nobody expected us to do that, but we expected ourselves to do that. We needed to prove that to the world and I think we put a stamp on the Duke program going into next year.”

CHRIS DIECKHAUS/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Falling to Virginia Tech, Duke’s season ended one match short of the College Cup.

sports KEVIN SHAMIEH/THE CHRONICLE

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T h e i n d e p e n d e n T d a i ly aT d u k e u n i v e r s i T y

The Chronicle

“

Giving thanks Thanksgiving weekend is a time to think, reflect and celebrate what we are thankful for. At Duke, there are things that immediately stand out—like DukeEngage, a division champion football team and the beauty of the Chapel—that warrant our appreciation. Some of the most meaningful aspects of the Duke experience, however, are things we often take for granted. We want to take some time to examine some of the positive aspects of Duke that often go overlooked. The University has worked hard to build a strong student community at the school. It has supported events before football games, worked to improve residential life through the introduction of the housing model and created a strong community for freshmen so that they feel welcome at Duke. Facilities such as the Smith Warehouse, the Arts Annex and the renovated Gross Hall are not only pleasant places to work, study and learn, but they are also spaces in which students can pursue a variety of non-academic interests. Duke’s vast resources allow student organizations like Duke University Union to

onlinecomment Too often, there is unwarranted criticism of athletes and athletics at Duke, and I’m glad to see you dispel the ignorant notions that are too often displayed on these pages.

Letters PoLicy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address. Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

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

The Chronicle

Inc. 1993

Danielle Muoio, Editor Sophia DuranD, Managing Editor raiSa chowDhury, News Editor Daniel carp, Sports Editor Sophia palenberg, Photography Editor Scott briggS, Editorial Page Editor caSey williaMS, Editorial Board Chair jiM poSen, Director of Online Development kelly Scurry, Managing editor for online chriSSy beck, General Manager eMMa baccellieri, University Editor elizabeth DjiniS, Local & National Editor anthony hagouel, Health & Science Editor julia May, News Photography Editor kelSey hopkinS, Design Editor lauren feilich, Recess Editor eliza bray, Recess Photography Editor MouSa alShanteer, Editorial Page Managing Editor aShley Mooney, Towerview Editor jennie Xu, Towerview Photography Editor kriStie kiM, Social Media Editor lauren carroll, Senior Editor anDrew luo, News Blog Editor Matt barnett, Multimedia Editor rebecca DickenSon, Advertising Director Mary weaver, Operations Manager Megan Mcginity, Digital Sales Manager

host events. Indeed, all events funded by the student organization finance committee are free and open for all undergraduate students, which helps to give students options to meet peers without the financial pressures of offcampus meet-ups.

Editorial We are also grateful for Duke’s students and staff. Professors at Duke not only teach their subject matter, but also offer life lessons. Many go above and beyond to guide, challenge and offer advice to students. Mentor figures can change the trajectory of college or even a life path. Duke’s employees, from the bus drivers to the late-night cleaning staff, work tirelessly to ensure that our community is clean and safe. Many employees work behind the scenes, in offices that Duke students almost never see, to make sure that everything continues running smoothly. On the student side, resident assistants do a good job of not only taking responsibility for their residents, but also genuinely caring

carleigh StiehM, University Editor georgia parke, Local & National Editor tony Shan, Health & Science Editor eric lin, Sports Photography Editor rita lo, Design Editor jaMie keSSler, Recess Managing Editor thanh-ha nguyen, Online Photo Editor Matt pun, Sports Managing Editor caitlin MoyleS, Towerview Editor Dillon patel, Towerview Creative Director julian Spector, Special Projects Editor chelSea pieroni, Multimedia Editor glenn rivkeeS, Director of Online Operations yeShwanth kanDiMalla, Recruitment Chair julia May, Recruitment Chair barbara Starbuck, Creative Director

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 2022 campus Drive call 684-3811. to reach the advertising office at 2022 campus Drive call 684-3811

about them, despite often being placed in uncomfortable situations in which they are obligated to shut down parties or write students up. Students have made Duke into a place where community members are not afraid to voice their thoughts on controversial topics, from last year’s protest against the Asia Prime party to this year’s heated debates about Charles Murray. Although certain attitudes or behaviors might be more prevalent at Duke, no topic is barred from discussion. Our peers challenge us intellectually, but we appreciate them the most as friends: people who are there when we are stressed about a midterm or frustrated about a breakup or just having a rough day. Duke is by no means a perfect place. There are many aspects of Duke with which students have serious and legitimate complaints, and students’ criticisms are healthy and help make the institution a better place. As Duke students return to campus from the annual holiday of giving thanks, though, we should remember that it is good to be thankful every once in a while for both the big and little things in life.

it’s an inside joke

will never be Miss Congeniality, homecoming queen or the girl with 200 likes on her profile picture. I have accepted that. But acceptance is a very different animal than complacency. And I have never been one to be complacent. Back in the days of teal and black, falcons and prom, I wanted to be that girl—that “it” girl. I would sit awkwardly as friends, peripheral and close, would blurt out a word or two and burst out with laughter. I wanted in. I wanted to know what was so hilarious about this inside joke or that. I wanted to have been there. I had FOMO before FOMO became a thing. But once I mostly outgrew this “need to know” phase, I started to think that perhaps I was in on a little inside joke of my own. While some of my peers would goof off and say how stupid school was or how our high school was like a jail, I would work that much harder. I would smile and know that in a few years my non-complacency would pay off. I knew that some of these people were buying themselves a one-way ticket to our local community college, and I had a shot at escaping what was so “stupid.” These days, though, I think an entirely different group was in on one of life’s most important inside jokes. And well, my own had some ugly caveats. Competitive, hungry for greatness and eager to learn, I was oblivious to the liberating knowledge that was already their own. You see, while I poured my heart and soul and emotion into my work, I left no room for self-exploration or questioning what teachers and textbooks told me. As I obsessed over each word, number and detail, others reserved meticulousness for only the most important of occasions. The joke goes something like this: There once was this girl who spent her entire life gathering knowledge about the world that she would never take her time to know. What’s more, this girl wasted any extra energy she did have towards wanting to fit in, when she was one of the lucky ones born to stand out. It took 22 years for her to see that the smart she that she was had been played a fool. Not a knee-slapper, I know. Sorry to disappoint. But here’s the kicker. When you’re born to stand out, in whatever weird, subtle or small way that might be, you must accept all that you are and all that you are not. You must, that is, if happiness is what you seek. Our culture is pretty terrible about fostering

” edit pages

—“ConcernedFacultyMember” commenting on the column “For my sisters.”

Est. 1905

The Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com commentary

10 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

this idea, though. For me, I guess it all began with line leaders. Since kindergarten, our malleable minds are marinated in the idea that we must be leaders, not followers. The highest of pedestals

Gracie Willert introspeculative are reserved for captains, class presidents and star athletes. As we grow older, the rules change, but we play the same game. Money, respect and doing interesting things are the new moves. But the joke is on us. Because it’s just a game. Those of us who are so busy chasing dreams that we have lost sight of who we are and what we care about in our heart of hearts. Those of us who fail to see that our lives are just as much a human construct as the money that makes our world go round. I used to be one of those who bought the bulls--- that we must pour our hearts into our work or else come up short. I used to be one of those who bought the logic that we must sacrifice most moments of the present for the promise of future gain. I say all this as someone so-long-snookered. We are taught to harbor outrageous ambition and pursue it. We are encouraged to bleed, to sweat and to cry for success’s sake. Sweat I can do. But I will bleed and cry no longer. This life is far too beautiful, our days too numbered and our souls too curious to live this way. Even things that can’t be chased are phrased as such: “pursue happiness,” “search for love,” “strive to find inner peace.” We are taught that breakdowns are OK, but only if transient and laden with new insight and direction. We frame every tribulation, every hiccup as part of our larger story. We are taught that we must accept ourselves, but always try to be better. But when all is said, all is done, all is achieved, all is used, all is succeeded, the joke is on us. Hey! Psssssst. As we chase these dreams of ours, we must accept our shared fate with more pauses without apology. We must never ever mistake acceptance for complacency. Gracie Willert is a Trinity senior. Her biweekly column runs every other Monday.

Visit http://www.dukechronicle.com/section/opinion/ for more Opinion content.

The Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com commentary

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013 | 11

Want to contribute to campus dialogue? The Spring 2014 columnist and Monday, Monday applications are now available. Send an email to sab59@duke.edu for more information.

Mean Boy’s guide to being mean

ust in case coming back from Thanksgiving to finals wasn’t enough, you will be happy to know construction is taking the Bryan Center Plaza away for two years. Luckily, Duke was kind enough to wait until we were all gone before instating a slat of plywood more fearsome than the Berlin Wall to separate us from our favorite place to chill and eat by those misters that make the Plaza feel like Jurassic Park.

Duke students. I wasn’t writing sheer ludicrous opinions. I wrote from the mean side in all of us. Monday, Monday is not an anonymous position. For a majority of the semester, no one has any idea who you are. But the scary part of being Monday, Monday is writing article after article, knowing whomever you criticize will eventually know your name—and likely

Homecoming

nstinctively, I retreated to my room. It wasn’t really my room—just the place where piles of not-yet-readyto-discard possessions accumulated, a dumping ground in a house I only visited. Getting from the door to my bed was like playing a game of Minesweeper. Several thousand dollars’ worth of science textbooks lined my desk, and MCAT and USMLE test prep materials intermingled in boxes on the floor. Photos from my older brother’s graduation and my senior prom flanked my

Monday Monday

Benjamin Silverberg

mean boy

urban grizzly

As we wave goodbye to the skateboarders constantly eating s--- and the incessant “awareness raising” from the Plaza hippies, we can also bid adieu to my publicized babbling. Yes, Mean Boy is coming to an end. So now I’m supposed to attach some meaningful statement to my last article. Here goes nothing. I did not choose to be Monday, Monday. I didn’t even apply at first. Rather, I was approached—an engineer who barely scraped through Writing 101—because I go on funny rants when I’m drunk. When I applied and took the position, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After writing my first few articles, I quickly learned how harsh anonymous commentators can be online. Every style I tried was condemned. I was either too mean or not mean enough. I didn’t make a clear point, or my point was too specific. With anonymous commentators complaining about an anonymous writer, both were simply hurling stones and insults from the shadows. It was easy to be mean behind a screen. I was bitter about my critics throughout most of the semester until one sobering moment. While on a road trip with a friend, I decided to tell him I was Monday, Monday. After a few seconds of disbelief followed by laughter, he told me he had been one of my harshest online critics. We proceeded to talk about the differences in our opinions, and he offered constructive criticism for my writing, which I gladly accepted. It didn’t matter if he didn’t think my writing was spectacular, because he was giving his opinion as I gave mine. As we laughed about the anonymous disagreement that now seemed so useless, the major issue at Duke I’ve wanted to tackle all semester became even more clear. We are all mean, especially when we are anonymous. Not just when we’re posting online, but also when people are not aware of what you are saying about them. We have all talked behind someone’s back, made a mean joke at someone’s expense or even made a bitchy tweet every now and then. It’s easy to berate someone when they don’t know you’re the one doing it. People commit such secret treasons all the time—I know, because I based my writing on it. To write most of my articles, I would simply sit on the Plaza and eavesdrop on actual conversations for ideas. Many of the things I wrote came straight from the mouths of other

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think negatively of you. When I release my name as Monday, Monday, I take personal credit for not just the character I spent a semester creating, but also all the offense associated with it. I wrote for four months and will be judged for the persona I created. Four months of being mean. Looking back, there were definitely some things I wouldn’t want attached to my name. But that was my writing, and I need to take credit for it, just as we all should take credit for what we say. I applaud the Chronicle columnists who put their opinions out for the entire campus and attach their names to their writing. They put their thoughts on paper and have subjected themselves to the judgment of the entire student body, not to mention an onslaught of anonymous critics searching for a reason to tear them apart. As someone who has been one of those writers, it is terrifying to know people on this campus have opinions about you—many negative— and not only can you not address these opinions, but often you have no idea who holds them. You might not agree with what the writer says, but at least you know who you’re arguing with. As a parting word of wisdom from someone unwise, I pose this question: If you weren’t anonymous, how would you act? Would you berate that girl on an online group discussion board, insult that guy because of who he hung out with or condemn someone because they were better at Quidditch than you? In a moment of catharsis stuck halfway in between a Nicholas Sparks protagonist and a mediocre Jack Johnson song, I realize now how easy it is to dismissively insult someone and not take responsibility for your actions. We can and should critique each other because constructive criticism is the only way people improve. For my final farewell, I urge all of you to critique something. Write an article review, give an honest opinion or simply tell someone they suck as a person. Be mean, but do it personally. Some might even thank you for the advice. Keep it mean, but only if you are willing to own up to what you say. Stay mean, stay classy, Rob Vogel Rob Vogel is a Pratt sophomore and an avid believer in bitchy tweets.

favorite non-fiction from Atul Gawande and Sudhir Venkatesh, and a couple of Khaled Hosseini’s books sat quietly between my high school and college yearbooks and now-obsolete cassette tapes. Mousey, my creatively-named favorite stuffed animal from when I was a kid, leaned against the Macintosh Performa 550 I got in middle school, and red, white and blue pennants from the Red Sox’s 2004 and 2007 World Series victories (I still need to buy one for 2013) cozied up against framed and unframed diplomas that, like my personal bookstore, represented years of over-education. It was like a threedimensional scrapbook of the last 18 years, dislocated in place and time. Early in my sophomore year of college, my mother purchased the house, giving me barely enough time to say goodbye to my childhood home over the Fall break. This was home now, but it wasn’t. I sat on my bed, clicking the keys on my laptop in a thousand false starts to this, my final column for The Chronicle in my final semester of graduate school. “The War on Thanksgivukkah” was going to be a satirical piece about the uniqueness of this combination of celebrations— one, according to Chabad, that would not occur again for tens of thousands of years—and how Black Friday’s ever-earlier sales seemed to blunt the holidays’ significance. But after typing “hashtag Darwin” in response to a smattering of Facebook repostings of sales-related scuffles at Walmart, I realized I didn’t have Jonathan Swift’s wit. “To kill a virgin” was inspired by my efforts to talk an acquaintance out of hiring a prostitute to help him lose his virginity. A more benign approach might have been simply to talk about first times, something that seemed appropriately sentimental at the end of the semester, before the holidays. I couldn’t shake the would-be references to religion, though (the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene provided a fitting parallel), and to avoid inadvertently alienating my readership through allusion, I tabled the idea. My words were vagabonds, and my ideas were homeless, yet to find their place in this world. My muse inspired me, but my story remained out of reach. I thought about North Carolina. “You can never go home again,” writer Ella

Winter once told playwright Thomas Wolfe (a Carolina graduate). The line had inspired him to pen a story by the same name, one of its main themes being that though you may return from away, life has gone on without you, and things just aren’t the same. It was a depressing message, but throughout the long holiday weekend, between bites of pumpkin-related foodstuffs, I wondered how many back-from-college students felt the same inner conflict. My nearly two years away should have

given me plenty to catch up on, but I felt strangely out of place, a visitor in my hometown and in my mother’s house. Having lived—independently— in five different cities since high school, the slow process of breaking ties with my roots had come to bear a strange, empty fruit. “Home” was no longer my home. My small family was there, but the happiness I felt was in seeing them, not in returning to New England. Reflecting on my two only-imagined articles, it was clear to me that I was nonetheless mulling over the notions of family tradition, whether gathered around a menorah or a shopping cart, and haunted by the milestones of growing up, first counseling on the birds and the bees or welcoming a newborn into the world. In trying to make sense of my philosophical crisis (I wasn’t sure if I was pondering questions of existentialism, metaphysics or simply contending with writer’s block), I mentioned the subject of this column to someone in cyber-conversation. His response was disappointing: “Old friends, old smells, bad memories, good memories. What is ‘home’? Blah, blah.” It seemed so trivial to have my deeply personal journey reduced to a text message summary. I stayed up the rest of the night, thinking. At sunrise, tracing my index finger in the condensation on a window pane, I realized I had neglected part of the equation: Though everyone still went about their daily routine once I left, I did the same in my new home. Preoccupied with the changes in my own life, I didn’t notice the progression of time until I saw this Yuletide snapshot. Coming home for the holidays was a subtle reminder that it’s not just our home that has changed, but us, too, while we were away. It’s a mirror telling you that you’re different now. It’s a jarring revelation, but the only way to ground yourself again is, truly, through reflection. Where I sleep at night may have changed, but when I close my eyes, my memories bring me back. I had finally come to understand the old cliché, “home is where the heart is.” Benjamin Silverberg is a second-year graduate student and practicing physician. This is his final regular column of the semester. Send Ben a message on Twitter @ hobogeneous.

www.dukechronicle.com

12 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

medicaid

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decision made purely on the politics—we hate Obama and we hate Obamacare, so let’s not do it.” Following the Mar. 7 legislative decision to deny federal Medicaid funding, McCrory released a statement noting the state’s desire to reform the effectiveness of its current Medicaid programs before accepting additional funds. “The federal government must allow North Carolina to come up with its own solutions,” McCrory was quoted as saying in a press release May 17. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger noted in the press release that the costs of Medicaid obstruct the state’s ability to spend taxpayer money on other facets of society, such as education, transportation and the judicial system. House Speaker Thom Thillis emphasized Berger’s sentiments, adding that problems with Medicaid have contributed to issues with the state budget. “We cannot continue to have frequent unplanned Medicaid shortfalls that wreak havoc on the budgeting process,” Thillis said in the press release. “Medicaid must stop being a budgetary time bomb.” Despite the legislature’s reasons for denying Medicaid funding, the N.C. NAACP has not been the only organization to criticize the choice. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities released a document detailing the effects of Medicaid expansion on North Carolina, should the state accept the funding. The document notes that there are currently 720,000 uninsured adults eligible for Medicaid if the state were to expand following the Affordable Care Act. If the state were to expand, 587,000 of these uninsured adults would be newly eligible for enrollment while 133,000 are currently eligible but not enrolled.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine also released a study breaking down the costs for newly eligible Medicaid income groups. The brief concluded that North Carolina should expand Medicaid so those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible. Searing added that there has been pressure from other state governments to accept the funding, most recently with the election of Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe in Virginia. The proximity between Virginia and North Carolina could incentivize residents of North Carolina to move to Virginia. Searing noted that McCrory may be in favor of Medicaid expansion, but the legislature is not. “The governor would like to [expand] but the hiccups will be more in the legislature,” Searing said. “If the governor could show some leadership on this, we’d at least have a 50-50 chance.” McCrory has continuously spoken out in favor of reforming the Medicaid program rather than expanding it. In an Oct. 28 press release, he stated that he does not plan to hold a special session. “I will not sacrifice quality care for the people truly in need, nor risk further budget overruns by expanding an already broken system,” McCrory said in an Oct. 28 press release. “Calling a special session to further expand Obamacare in North Carolina is out of the question.”

bass

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the “Exploring the Intersection of Energy and Peace-building through Film” research team—said that her experience thus far has been “phenomenal.” Gault and her teammates are responsible for viewing documentary footage from all over the world and cataloguing it. “One bump in the road is the sheer

amount of footage we have to catalogue,” Gault said. “But we are definitely making progress and we have more direction than the beginning of the semester.” Deborah Jenson—co-director of the “Brain and Society Theme” and co-leader of a project team on trauma and timing—said that the interdisciplinary nature of the program is a challenge in addition to being an asset. “My colleagues and I have learned that interdisciplinary scheduling is a bear,” Jenson wrote in an email last Wednesday. “We are working on new logistics of scheduling from within Bass Connections.” Jenson also noted that over the course of the semester, there have been unanticipated outcomes within projects. “Projects may splinter off to individual faculty-student mentored research trajectories initially, but then re-coalesce around a group project as growing expertise yield new priorities,” Jenson said. Zelder said that the Spring semester of Bass Connections would include refinement and continuation of the program of the Fall. The teams and student composition will stay more or less the same, though teams are currently taking applications for a limited number of students to join teams in January, he noted. “The work will pick up and it will be more of a challenge, but students have impressed me,” Zelder said. “They’re really up to it.” Jenson said that as students gain depth in their research, they become increasingly valuable colleagues in the field. “I wouldn’t point to any weakness yet, because it is too early,” Nowicki said. “One challenge we see is to get students from the professional schools more involved.” He noted that professional students enhance the research output and the educational environment that affects undergraduates, but it is difficult to attract graduate and

The Chronicle medical students because they have less flexibility in their academic tracks. “One of the goals is to have vertically integrated teams that do not just include faculty and undergraduate students, but also professional students,” Nowicki said. Nowicki said that Bass Connections has had no trouble getting undergraduates involved in research teams and the various curricular offerings. He believes that it will be only a couple of years before Bass Connections gets to be as fully a part of the Duke undergraduate experience as DukeEngage has become. Bass Connections is making an effort to reach out to the Duke community via social media—specifically through Facebook, Twitter and a YouTube channel. “We revamped our social media using mostly Facebook and Twitter,” said Wendy Walker, assistant director of administration and communications. Walker said that she and Hallie Knuffman—director of administration and program development of Bass Connections— have reached out to members and team leaders of projects to find out what they are doing and how they would like it to be presented to the public. “The student advisory council and [Li] have been really helpful as well in terms of outreach for us,” Knuffman said. “They help inform the broader community.” Knuffman noted that Bass Connections is still in “start-up mode” in terms of its administration and is looking to previous programs, such as DukeEngage, as a model for spreading the word. “A lot of people are finding out from professors, which is definitely a very effective way of grabbing kids,” Li said. He added that in future semesters, academic advisors would mention Bass Connections to advisees, which will cast a broader net across the student body.