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The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
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ONE ONE HUNDRED HUNDRED AND AND EIGHTH ninthYEAR, YEAR,Issue Issuexxx 63
HDRL will not Students propose changes to India’s education change Central common rooms by Katie Becker The Chronicle
Despite previous uncertainties, independent common rooms on Central Campus are safe for now. On Dec. 6, 2013 independent students living on Central Campus were informed that their common rooms would be converted to student housing for the Spring semester. Residents received a second email Sunday, however, informing them that their common rooms would no longer be converted. “Fortunately, after much work by our assignments team, we were able to avoid using the common rooms as housing assignments,” said Dean for Residential Life Joe Gonzalez. “No common rooms are being used to house students.” MJ Williams, director of housing assignments and planning, explained that the difficulty in accommodating students for this semester stemmed from the fact that more students chose to live on-campus this Spring than in the past. “We had less vacancies on campus during the Fall semester, fewer students requesting release for the Spring See common room, page 4
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Gearing up, a team that proposed a bike-based learning style, won third place overall and the People’s Choice Award. by Carleigh Stiehm The Chronicle
While many undergraduates were preparing to move in for the Spring semester, 100 students contemplated solutions to educational challenges in India and the United States. This year’s Winter Forum, titled Rethink Education: The Innovation Chal-
lenge, featured speeches from two former North Carolina governors—Jim Hunt and Bev Perdue. The three-day forum—hosted by the Center for Child and Family Policy at the Fuqua School of Business—allowed students to work with experts in education to create proposals to eliminate common problems in the field. At its conclusion Tuesday, groups of about eight students
presented their solutions and winning teams were announced. “Globally, it is an important time in education. We are facing an opportunity to really push the forefront of innovation in education both in the United States and in India,” said forum coordinator Leslie See winter forum, page 3
Police arrest man connected to thefts who was living in Bryan Center by Danny Nolan The Chronicle
Duke Police arrested a man Monday after discovering that he had been living in the Bryan Center and was connected to thefts in the building. The man has not yet been identified. Associate Dean of Religious Life Christy Lohr found the man sleeping in the Religious Life office in the basement of the Bryan Center Monday morning. Duke Police responded to the scene and
made the arrest, said Vice President of Administration Kyle Cavanaugh, adding that the man is a suspect in thefts that occurred in the building. Chief of Police John Dailey said the male was “college aged” and was arrested for breaking and entering as well as for the theft of several items, including an iPad and laptop. “The fact that he was in an office rather than a prayer space I think is an important distinction,” Lohr said. “I think
part of the reason he was in an office rather than a prayer space is because the prayer spaces are open for folks to use, so it’s more public.” Early indications are that the man was also connected to other thefts in the Bryan Center as well. “We were able to identify several stolen items, notably a matched pair of AKG audio microphones belonging to SmallTown Records,” Manager of Duke Media Services Scott Wells said. “Repre-
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sentatives from Duke Technical Services recognized some other electronic equipment from their inventory.” A week ago, the University Center Activities and Events had several items taken from various desks and cabinets. “We found quite a few of the office doors standing open,” said UCAE staff specialist Myra Stallings, who filed a police report. “Several file cabinets
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Students sound off on returning to Duke in the harsh weather In the midst of record low temperatures, students sounded off on coming back to the Gothic Wonderland through delays and snowstorms.
“Coming back from California was pretty rough because I was at the beach every day. Coming back here, it was freezing and so I wasn’t quite prepared and kind of thrown right in to sorority recruitment. It will be a good semester so I’m optimistic.”
“The break was much needed. I had a stressful semester so the three weeks were really nice but it was much too short and I had a lot of issues getting back. My flight got delayed and everyone I was supposed to share a cab with left me because it was taking too long. But I’m here and it feels like another home. “
junior Lauren Teague
“Definitely harder to adjust coming back with all the changes going on. Its really nice to see all of my friends and I’m excited for classes and to get back to a normal schedule.” junior Kelly Suchman
“Winter break was good. I came back from studying abroad so it was nice to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a couple of month and also to spend time with family. I didn’t get to have too much fun because I started studying for the MCAT, so most of my break was consumed with getting my MCAT study.”
“Excited to get started with my last semester. It’ll be a bittersweet feeling for me since I’m going to graduate in May. I want to make the most of it. I’m working on my thesis in classics.” senior John Broadbent
junior John Davis
“There’s been a lot of changes on campus since May when I left—like no plaza to walk down—but it’s been good to see friends and reconnect with people who have been in huts all semester. It’s definitely cold. I’m from the DC area and my mom texted me a picture of three degrees in the car. I was excited to get back to sort of warmer southern weather, but maybe we will have to wait a few more weeks for that.”
sophomore Upasana Chandra
“We don’t actually really take a
“It’s great being back, except I never want to leave my room because it’s so cold. My friends can wait.” junior Nithin Pusapati
junior Natalie Geisler
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that’s year-long. One word to describe it would be productive.” Kevin Du, second-year Ph.D. student in business
“I was expecting the weather to be warmer here than it is in Michigan. It is actually warmer in Michigan. Other than that, I’m glad to be back.”
Students interested in running for Editor of The Chronicle (2014-15 school year) should submit a resumé and a twopage essay on goals for the organization to the Board of Directors of the Duke Student Publishing Co., Inc. Applications should be submitted to: 301 Flowers Building Attention: Danielle Muoio Editor, The Chronicle
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winter forum from page 1 Babinski, a research scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy. Sophomore Wendy Burr’s team fo cused on the issues that plague the Indian educational system. The team highlighted the low graduation rates and the one to 47 teacher-to-student ratio as large setbacks to the success of Indian education. The group presented their system for improvement, TARA—the Hindi word for star. TARA is an acronym for teach, apply, retain and achieve. Much of the current learning focuses on memorization, the group said, but it is through problembased learning that students actually gain knowledge and master materials. These problems are not exclusive to India, Burr added. “Both the U.S and the Indian education systems focus a lot of time on just ensuring students pass end of the year tests,” Burr said. Every group that discussed India emphasized the problems with memorization dominating the classroom. “In India, the poorest 20 percent have an average of 4.2 years of education,” said senior Leilani Doktor, whose group developed a system for improvement called Project Roots. Many students are pulled out of school by their parents who need them to work for additional family income, she said. The forum attracted students from a variety of campus backgrounds—some were education majors who had already participated in DukeEngage programs that focus on education and others had no previous experience in issues of education. For some, like sophomore Eshita Singh, the problem of education in In-
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dia is a very personal issue. Singh recalled the monotonous memorization she faced during primary school in India. As a result, she said, she hated school. Babinski noted that a major success of this year’s forum was its ability to draw students from across the campus. “I was excited to see it was appealing to students from different years, different disciplines and different majors,” she said. “It wasn’t just the education students who thought this topic was important.” Senior Natalie Ferguson’s group focused on domestic educational issues by proposing solutions for underperforming low income students. The group emphasized the untapped possibilities of Massive Open Online Courses for elementary learning. The group suggested that by allowing elementary students to create educational videos based on real-world applications of classroom materials, students essentially become MOOC teachers. In doing this students learn through teaching, and other students learn through watching in a way that they can understand. “We are creating a YouTube-like online database of videos created by students, for students,” Ferguson said. Other groups targeted the prevalence of the summer slide, the phenomenon in which students lose a large part of their learning because of the lack of academic stimulation during the summer months in Durham. The top three groups as selected by a panel of judges and the one chosen as a favorite by the audience were awarded money for the nonprofit organization of their choice. The four judges were selected because of their experience in the field of educa-
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014 | 3
tion innovation. Katherine Haley, Trinity ‘00, is the assistant to the speaker for policy for education, workforce and social policy issues. Mandeep Dhillon, Trinity ’92, founded Togetherville, an online social community for families. Kim Hanauer, Trinity ’02, is the director of college and career readiness at Knowledge Is Power Program Through College. Stacey Parker-Fisher is the head of the learning differences program at the Oak Foundation. Parker-Fisher said that many of the proposals were up to the standard of those that she reviews professionally, saying that they were “all winners.” The People’s Choice Award went to a team called Gearing Up, who also won the third place overall award. Hanauer noted that the group’s bike-based learning style could be translated globally. The second place winner was Learning is my Job, which advocated for paying students in India to tutor younger learners. Haley noted that the group not only improved the classroom setting, but also allowed for young students to have mentors. The winner of the winter forum was a team that connected students in India with those in the U.S., titled StemPals. “Of all of the winter forums, this seems to be the one that students were most in to,” said President Richard Brodhead. “And that makes me happy.” As the fifth annual winter forum, this year attracted more than 200 applicants for only 100 possible spaces, Jones said. Applications were due Sept. 27. The 2013 forum saw a decrease in applications from previous years—about 150 compared to 250 in the past—but administrators attributed this decline to the forum’s location at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C. Throughout the forum, students attend-
ed a variety of lectures from experts and meetings with faculty mentors. Amid the many speeches, on Sunday the students heard from the founder of the Global Fund for Children, Maya Ajmera, that focused on the global responsibility to educate young people. She explained that all people will, at some point, realize a moment in which they are obligated to help make a change in the future of others. “How are you going to recognize your moment of obligation when it comes?” Babinski asked the students, referencing Ajmera’s speech.
THEFTS from page 1 and desks had been rifled through and opened, presumably to locate keys to gain access to more areas.” University employees with offices in the basement of the Bryan Center had been experiencing the strong smell of burning incense for several weeks. Employees thought that it might have originated from one of the Religious Life prayer rooms, located around the corner from our office, but that was never confirmed, Wells said. Lohr looked into the source of the smell and made signs to discourage the burning of incense in the basement, but found no sign of anyone living in the basement until unlocking the office today. Lohr claims this would not have happened during the school year. “It’s a low traffic area,” she said. “But during the year when the community is using those spaces for prayers, this wouldn’t have happened, because of the use of the space.” Danielle Muoio contributed reporting.
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common room from page 1 semester and the largest cohort of study away returning from abroad,” Williams said. Housing, Dining, Residence Life had to make several adjustments to accommodate the large number of students requesting on-campus housing, but was ultimately able to do so without converting Central Campus common rooms into housing. Although most students were able to be accommodated in traditional spaces, some were placed in rooms that were reserved as overflow or set aside as disability-friendy, Williams said. She noted that HDRL did not receive as many requests from juniors and seniors to live off-campus as they have in the past. Some selective living groups agreed to give up empty bed spaces in their sections to help provide housing for all students, Williams noted. “The housing assignments staff chased down every possibility and spent many hours working with students to identify space for our returning students,” Williams said. “It is through their efforts that we managed this challenge.” The biggest challenge that HDRL faced was completing assignments in a timely manner, Williams said. In past years, students could expect to have their assignments by Thanksgiving. This year, the last assignment was made on Dec.18. “Yes, it is stressful for my staff and the students seeking housing, but everyone was assigned prior to the start of the Spring semester,” Williams said. “Going forward, students can expect to have housing assignments completed prior to the start of the Spring semester. This means the assignments may be made in
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late December or even the first part of January.” Eleanor Mehlenbacher, an unaffiliated sophomore living on Central, was not worried about losing her common room space. “It’s great that HDRL provides common rooms on Central for every building, but it’s not something that I think is particularly necessary for independents,” Mehlenbacher said. “I’ve never used the common room in my building because there are plenty of other shared spaces on campus like the Bryan Center and Perkins where I can meet people and hang out with friends.” She did, however, express concern with the idea that independent students would have their spaces taken away while SLGs and greek organizations could keep theirs. She said unaffiliated students could be at a disadvantage for housing because greek students and SLGs have the nicest locations on campus, which are not available to independent students.
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HOOD HANGS 27 AGAIN by Andrew Beaton THE CHRONICLE
For the second game in a row, Duke struggled against an inferior opponent. And once again, National Player of the Year candidate Jabari Parker wasn’t in peak form. Unlike the last game—a 79-77 loss to Notre Dame that dropped the Blue Devils out of the top 10 for the first time since November 2007—Parker’s teammates picked up the slack. After going into halftime up 34-33 against Georgia Tech, No. 16 Duke stormed past the Yellow Jackets in the second half for a 79-57 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. “We were dead in the first half,” said sophomore captain Rodney Hood, who led Duke with 27 points. “We didn’t play like we were just coming off a loss.” Parker finished with 12 points on 4-of12 shooting from the field—including 0-for-5 to start the game. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski credited Parker for his play early in the second half, when he hit two free throws and tipped in a shot off an offensive rebound. The freshman did admit that he feels a “a little bit” fatigued with the longer college basketball season. “It’s not too much or too bad where I’m totally exhausted,” Parker said. “It’s more mental fatigue.” Hood led the Blue Devils (12-3, 1-1 in the ACC) as they broke away in the second half, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 16. He hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions again with less than two minutes remaining, pushing the
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Redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood scored 27 points for the second straight game as Duke knocked off Georgia Tech for its first ACC win of the season. lead to more than 20 for the first time. All five of his treys came in the second period, which Krzyzewski attributed to an adjustment proposed by associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski, the lead scout for the game. “He made a great suggestion toward the last eight minutes to go into a set that incorporated Rodney going into a ball
screen and popping out,” Krzyzewski said. “He hit four threes from that.” Amile Jefferson, starting his first game since Nov. 24, paced the team with 10 rebounds, adding six points. Duke outrebounded Georgia Tech 3325, the first time the Yellow Jackets were beaten on the glass all season and their lowest rebounding output of the year.
“The rebounding was excellent,” Krzyzewski said. “Amile was outstanding in that regard.” Guard Marcus Georges-Hunt and center Daniel Miller were the only effective scorers for Georgia Tech (9-6, 0-2), combining for 32 points on 15-of-23 shooting. The rest of the team went 11-for-30 from the field. Sulaimon scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, also adding five rebounds in his first start of the season. He helped push the ball in the second half against the Georgia Tech defense, including one possession that set up Hood’s first 3-pointer of the evening. He also made the game’s most acrobatic play, an off-balance 3-pointer in the first half with the shot clock expiring. Jefferson and Sulaimon replaced Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton in the starting lineup, with the senior captains starting together for the previous eight games. Point guard Quinn Cook made only 4-of-10 shots, but led the team with five assists. Three of those assists set up Hood 3-pointers. Off the bench, Andre Dawkins added 10 points even though he finished only 1-for-5 from 3-point range. He made 5-of6 free throws, tying a season-high for foul attempts. The Yellow Jackets regularly fouled and Duke converted on those opportunities, making 22-of-25 free throws. Georgia Tech missed all six of its attempts from the so-called charity stripe. “I think wins in the conference are going to be tough for everybody,” Krzyzewski said. “Every one you could get you should be thankful for.”
Total team effort earns Duke its first ACC win by Jay Sullivan THE CHRONICLE
One man does not make a team. Rebounding from a disappointing loss in their ACC opener, the Blue Devils overcame a sluggish first half to cruise to a 79-57 victory Tuesday night. Though Rodney Hood scored more than a third of Duke’s points on the night, the story was not just about his individual performance, but how the Blue Devils as a team combined to earn the victory on both ends of the floor. Hood, Quinn Cook, Rasheed Sulaimon—who made his first start of the season Tuesday—and Jabari Parker were four of Duke’s five double-digit scorers on the evening. Playing early and often, Andre Dawkins accounted for all 10 of the Blue Devils’ bench
points in the game. The lone starter to not manage 10 points was forward Amile Jefferson, who added six points along with a team-leading 10 rebounds, a major factor in helping the Blue Devils become the first team to outrebound the Yellow Jackets this season. “Knowing that’s what the team needs— being able to help this team in any possible way—is what I’m willing to do,” Jefferson said. “Its not always going to be scoring. Sometimes it is not even going to be rebounding, but its going to be bringing energy, and if I can do that, all the guys have really good enthusiasm, we’re a really good team.” Jefferson’s classmate, Sulaimon, also made significant contributions to the See M. BASKETBALL, page 9
KEVIN SHAMIEH/THE CHRONICLE
Duke flourished in the second half against Georgia Tech when Andre Dawkins, Rasheed Sulaimon and Quinn Cook shared the floor for the Blue Devils.
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Black magic? The case of the Blue Devils’ cursed uniforms After the men’s basketball game between Duke and Arizona on Nov. 29th, I went straight to Twitter. “Duke’s black jerseys: look great, can’t win in them.” The Blue Devils were back in black to kick off 2014 on the road. After the team dropped its ACC opener to a rebuilding Notre Dame squad, dropping Duke out of the top 10 in the AP Poll for the first time since 2007, I took to the Twittersphere again—this time with a harsher tone. “A note to Duke Basketball: Stop. Wearing. Black. Jerseys.” The Blue Devils started wearing black jerseys right around the time I first started becoming a fan. On Nov. 21, 1996, in a 89-to-60 victory over unranked Saint Joseph’s, the Blue Devils donned the infamous jerseys for the first time. Hopes were high at this point. Let’s be honest, those jerseys look good. Personally, if I’m picking based on looks alone, hands down going with the black jerseys. Unfortunately, it’s not based on looks alone. You have to win games as well.
Danny Nolan
Which is why I have been leading a personal vendetta against the black jerseys for years now. It seems like every time the Dukies put those god forsaken, yet exquisitely beautiful, black jerseys on, they lose games. Well I looked into the statistics and, while it is not as bad as many think, there is clear evidence that Duke has played worse in the black jerseys. Let’s start with the overall wins and losses. Since the Blue Devils first donned the black jerseys, the team is 508-98, winning roughly 83 percent of their games. Duke played in black jerseys in 68 of those contests, winning about 60 percent of the time. Right off of the bat we see that wearing black jerseys has been significantly less successful. However, the first important distinction to make with the black jerseys is that they’re only worn on the road or in games played at neutral sites, with the exception of the very first game played 18 years ago. When playing away from home, Duke is 180-60, winning roughly 75 percent of their games. When they play in any jersey but the black, their winning percentage improves to 81 percent. Even when the Blue Devils play in games on the road or at neutral sites, they win more often in the blue and white. But how about against ranked opponents? Duke has played 144 ranked opponents during the past 18 seasons, posting an overall record of 96-48, winning 66.7 percent of those matchups. Overall, the record
DARBI GRIFFITH/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Duke’s road loss to Notre Dame came when the team wore its black alternate uniforms, which have coincided with a number of upsets during the past 16 seasons. is solid, but when the Blue Devils wear black, their winning percentage against ranked opponents drops nearly 17 points, posting a record of 11-11, wining 50 percent of the time. To be fair, I’ll point out, again, that the black jerseys are only worn on the road or in neutral site games, so every home win against a ranked team in the past 18 years has come in blue and white. However, winning nearly 17 percent fewer games against ranked teams in one jersey warrants a wardrobe change. I know what you’re thinking: if Duke plays ranked opponents, of course the team’s record will dip. But what about unranked teams? This may be the strongest indicator of all that the Blue Devils should stop wearing the black jerseys. Since the start of the 1996 season, Duke has lost 36 times to unranked teams. In 16 of those 36 losses, the Blue
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Devils have donned the black jerseys—44 percent of Duke’s losses to unranked teams have come from a jersey that is worn in only 13 percent of the team’s games. The black jerseys are a beacon of hope to underdog opponents, essentially inviting upset opportunities! I’ve been fortunate enough to take a statistics class at Duke, so I understand that correlation does not imply causation. Are these numbers random? Maybe. Is the color jersey really impacting the games that Duke plays? Who knows. But would you rather go into a game with good karma? Absolutely. The stats don’t lie—the Blue Devils have fared better when they play in blue and white. The black jerseys look good, they really do. But the perfect jersey needs to be more than just looks. It’s time to break up with the black jerseys.
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Sophomore Rasheed Sulaimon made his first start of the season against Georgia Tech and scored 11 points.
M. BASKETBALL
from page 7
game. His first shot was not how head coach Mike Krzyzewski drew it up—heaving a desperation shot from beyond the arc as the shot clock expired, which bounded high into the air off the rim before finding the bottom of the net. Sulaimon’s struggles have been well-documented, yet against Georgia Tech he showed signs that he is on the way to becoming the dynamic player he was during Duke’s successes last season. “I’m still on the road to get my confidence back, but I fell like I’m on the right track,” Sulaimon said. “It starts with my preparation, and every practice I’ve been coming sudoku_408A to practice and practicing hard and it’s been translating
into the game. I just feel like if I stay on this course I’ll continue to do well.” Although Duke relied heavily on Parker and Hood to carry the scoring load during its nonconference schedule, the team’s greatest success has come when its supporting cast has stepped up. Two of the keys have been Sulaimon and Jefferson, who were both bright prospects at the close of last season but hit an early sophomore slump, struggling to earn playing time and produce consistently. The Blue Devils’ supporting cast showed glimpses of its true potential during a second-stretch where Sulaimon, Cook and a revitalized Dawkins spearheaded the team’s three-guard attack. Playing power forward, Hood had the opportunity to stretch the floor and hit back-toback 3-pointers in two separate two-minute spans to help put the game away. “Rasheed and I bring different things to the offensive end,” Dawkins said. “He’s more of a driver, and I’m more of a spot-up shooter so its hard to defenses to lock in on one thing because we bring so many things to the table. With both of us on the court, it brings an added dimension to our offense, and it gives Hood the chance to play the four which creates a lot of matchup problems.” When players like Jefferson and Sulaimon first entered the Blue Devil program, the team had the benefit of consistency from senior leaders such as Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry. One year later, the tables have turned, and it is two newcomers in Parker and Hood that are expected to shoulder the scoring load consistently during conference play. With Parker struggling to regain top form, Duke will look to its more experienced players to make up for a drop in the freshman’s production. Although the 18-year-old’s ups and downs have led to two tight games to open ACC play, Krzyzewski noted that forcing the team’s veterans to step up could be to the team’s benefit when his freshman phenom regains his form. “This is a work in progress, and I want to coach Jabari that way without putting extra pressure on him,” Krzyzewski said. “Our veterans are still establishing themselves.”
sports
Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented by Will Shortz
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Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. (No number is repeated in any column, row or box.)
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8 4 5 7 4 1
3 8 1 (c) PZZL.com
7 8
6 9
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Distributed by The New York Times syndicate
Solution sudoku_408A
Find the answers to the Sudoku puzzle on the classifieds page
9 5 3 8 2 6 1 4 7 7 2 6 1 3 4 9 5 8 The Chronicle Second1semester with a7vengeance: 4 FNOP, 8 5back 9 3 6 2 Always back from abroad: ....................................................... duranddurand Two feet, zero metal 6detectors: 3 ........................................................Mr. 7 9 4 1 8 2 Teeth 5 Slept through it: ..............................................................................chowchow Already planning to burn some bridges: .........................................Magicarp 9 2 ........................................................esu 6 8 5 7 3 1 Already searching 4 for a replacement: Irrelevant: ............................................................................................linsanity Already searching 8 for a minion: 1 ............................................................mouse 5 2 7 3 4 9 6 The future victim of a diabolical scheme: ......................................... Mr. Jorts Barb Starbuck knows no vengeance: .......................................................Barb 2 6 9 3 1 8 5 7 4 Student Advertising Manager: ..................................................James Sinclair Account Representatives: 3 8...................... 4 7Jennifer5Bahadur, 2 Shannon 6 1Beckham 9 Peter Chapin, Caitlin Chase, Courtney Clower, Alyssa Coughenour 5 Chris 7 Geary, 1 Liz4Lash, Hannah 6 9Long, Parker 2 Masselink 8 3 Tyler Deane-Krantz,
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New year, new Duke Today, students will crisscross campus, braving the cold, on their way to their first classes of the semester. For those returning to Duke from study abroad programs or study away opportunities in the U.S., today marks the first day of Duke classes in over a semester. These students will encounter a campus brimming with changes. The major construction projects dotting the campus, and impeding access to certain areas, are only the most obvious of these transformations. Shifts in policy, programming, and campus culture have swept Duke, initiating changes both minor and profound. Construction projects underway on the West Union and Perkins library promise to deliver major infrastructure improvements in the coming years. Although restrictions to the Bryan Center plaza have proven inconvenient—and current students are unlikely to reap the rewards—the long-term benefits of the projects will help improve campus life and foster community for future generations. Students should continue to monitor the progress of these construction projects to ensure that they proceed smoothly and with the best interests of students in mind. Construction has also proceeded at Duke
You won’t see true market conditions effecting health care until you determine what should fairly and reasonably be called “true market conditions.” So long as you have a system with a middle man negotiator, the consumer never sees the power of his or her own checkbook in the process.
Editorial to expand globally, and Duke community members should continue to scrutinize its academic offerings as students begin to flow into its looming steel-and-glass classrooms. This semester will, in all likelihood, also bring an announcement of the new Provost. Provost Peter Lange is retiring after this year, and a search committee has spent the last few months vetting possible applicants, hoping to make a recommendation to President Brodhead this year. The Provost position is an extremely important one for the University, and the new Provost will help shape the University’s academic priorities for years to come. Students should continue to monitor Duke’s new academic programs and initiatives. This year
Letters PoLicy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address. Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.
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pring has sprung at Duke, to the usual consequences. You’ve surely realized how big of an uninvolved, oversexed idiot you were first semester, made a resolution to stop going out so much and start signing up for extracurriculars—by Febru-
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—“cc72” commenting on the column “Our climbing health care costs.”
Lillie Reed
Direct submissions to: E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696
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Danielle Muoio, Editor Sophia DuranD, Managing Editor raiSa chowDhury, News Editor Daniel carp, Sports Editor elySia Su, 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
Kunshan University. Although DKU has been riddled with delays, complications and concerns about academic freedom, the University is currently accepting applications from interested Chinese students hoping to form its first cohort. DKU will remain a focal point of Duke’s attempts
marks the second semester of Bass Connections— the University’s new interdisciplinary learning initiative—and the first cohort of Global Health majors will graduate in May. New academic programs, like the Language Arts and Media Program, will take shape, and online courses will continue to be debated and tested by faculty and administrators. The Spring semester also signals the beginning of Greek and Selective Living Group rush. With the addition of one new sorority and fraternity, and the proliferation of independent houses, first years will enjoy a range of new living options for next year. As usual, Duke Student Government and Young Trustee elections will unfold in the early part of the semester, giving students an opportnty to select new student leadership. Furthermore, Duke has elevated its athletic programs to a new level. Duke finished the summer with a National Championship in Lacrosse and then fortified our standing as a twosport school with a near-win in the Chick-fil-A bowl just a few days ago. These successes hold important implications for Duke’s future and our ongoing debate about our place as both an academic and athletic institution.
An open letter to rushing freshmen
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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
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ary deciding your Shooters VIP Club membership is just as impressive as any other resume stuffer. Spring means a campus filled with newly stateside juniors and second-semester seniors who are simultaneously nostalgic and panicking. And, perhaps most obnoxiously, it means the beginning of rush. For freshmen, rush can be difficult to talk about. As people start getting (and not getting) bids, the topic can seem almost offensive. For “potential new members” of Panhellenic sororities, this problem is exacerbated, as during rush, we sorority folk aren’t allowed to speak to you. This is, of course, barring rush itself, and the latenight, slyly worded descriptions of other sororities as “The sorority I would have chosen if I hadn’t chosen MINE” or “Nice, but kind of weird/lame/socialclimby/unsanitary” or “I guess they’d be fun if you like human sacrifice.” Although my knowledge is largely limited to Panhellenic recruitment, I can’t imagine for freshMEN that it’s any better. IFC rush seems like all the same schmoozing but with a lot more boozing. And SLG rush is especially confusing, since SLGs probably haven’t been on a gossip website all semester. How are you supposed to know who’s hot and who’s not?! But don’t fret, freshies. Despite all the terrible things you may have heard, you can actually enjoy recruitment. In fact, I’ve always loved rush—and not just boy’s rush, which, for girls, is a time of free alcohol and no f---s given. So, for those feeling lost in this game, I’ve forgone my usual pointless column to compile a list of actual advice on how you, too, can rush like Limbaugh. 1. Ditch expectations. It’s inevitable that every freshman friend group will have that one kid who “knows” everything about rush before it even begins. They’ve memorized the “hierarchy” and know which parties are “worth it.” They speak Greek better than your average classical studies major and know everything about every group on campus—because the internet, duh. Well, I’m sorry: All that information is useless. I’ve yet to find a selective group that actually fits its alleged reputation. It’s human nature to group things and assign them arbitrary characteristics, but if you go into rush thinking that a certain group is a certain way, it could stop you from really getting to know those people. The only time you should pre-judge people
based on the internet is in online dating, because that’s for self-preservation. You don’t want to end up out with someone who dabbles in making human centipedes, so by all means, judge away. 2. Rush is a resource. When else are you going to have an endless pool of upperclassmen that are obligated to talk to you? Exploit them for your personal gain! Find out fun classes they took, where they went abroad, what clubs they’re in and if they know any gypsy magic. If you get nothing else out of rush, at least you’ll become more college savvy (and potentially have the power to control animals’ minds). 3. Be true to you. In my opinion, the best way to guarantee your happiness in any group is to know you. It’s easy to get confused about your wants and opinions when every friend, rushee, selective group member and internet commentator has something to say. Be honest with yourself about what you want and where you feel you fit. There is no universally correct answer to rush. It’s about what’s right for you. 4. Talk about whatever the hell you want. I know there are rules about what you should talk about during rush—or, for girls, what you shouldn’t talk about. No boys, booze, bank accounts, Bibles, boob jobs, Bavarians, Beatlemania, bears, beets or Battlestar Galactica. Yet all these rules can lead to uptight and repetitive conversations. The first time I went through rush, I got so bored talking about myself that I decided to make a conscious effort to have the weirdest, most random conversations possible during recruitment from then on. This was probably the best idea ever conceived while overdosing on M&Ms and girl flirting. Since then, I’ve had an entire conversation in fake Lil Wayne lyrics, discussed how turtles are better than people, made up a secret handshake and planned out amenities for a moon colony. Hell, 30 seconds into a conversation last year, my new friend and I were belting the Dragon Tales theme song. For some reason, she did not join my sorority. My point is, rush doesn’t have to be boring or superficial. Don’t be afraid to let your real self out, because that’s the only way you’ll know if an organization is ready for your jelly. It’s unquestionably stressful to go through a process as contrived and inherently judgmental as rush. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, things don’t work out. But freshmen, understand this: Even if you don’t get everything you want out of rush, things will be OK. What you are or aren’t affiliated with doesn’t change who you are or what you’re worth. Now get to rushin’ freshies. And for God’s sake, let loose! It’s rush, not the Hunger Games. Enjoy it! Lillie Reed is a Trinity senior. Her column is part of the weekly Socialites feature and runs every other Wednesday. Send Lillie a message on Twitter @LillieReed.
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infected prescription
The high costs of a GeD diploma
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an. 1, 2014 marked an extremely difficult day for the 1.3 million people who lost their unemployment benefits, but this wasn’t the only new legislation targeted toward those living in poverty. In North Carolina, the GED test, which was formerly administered by the nonprofit American Council on Education
Adrienne Harreveld as if is now under the control of a public-private partnership with Pearson VUE, the largest for profit testing agency in the United States. The changes in administration will prove to present many difficult obstacles for North Carolinians trying to take the GED test—most of these low-income, minority citizens. Access to postsecondary education is commonly recognized as the most viable way to establish middle class earnings. A GED diploma is an important tool for advancing education and technical skills, leading people to better opportunities. Here is what taking the GED test looked like before the legislative changes: The former cost was $35 total for a series of five tests taken with pencil and paper at 72 locations throughout the state. Later in 2013, people had the option of taking a computerized version of the test at the cost of $24 per test. The system wasn’t perfect, but it was reasonable, especially considering the rate of North Carolinians without a high school diploma. There are currently 800,000 working-age adults in North Carolina without a high school credential, which is the 13thhighest percentage in the nation. Hispanics account for 44.8 percent of this population. These are the facts behind some of the challenges our state is facing, and rather than incentivizing people to take the GED test, the General Assembly has chosen to make it more difficult for people of color and low-income citizens. Rather than $35 for a series of five tests, the price tag is now $120 for only four tests, which equates to $30 per test. The North Carolina Justice Center asserts “there are concerns about the higher cost of computerbased assessment and future increases due to the for-profit nature of the new GED testing service.” We cannot underestimate the potential harm of the $85 cost increase, considering many adults without a high school diploma are low-wage earners. I am skeptical of why the legislature is prioritizing the profit of a private corporation rather than the betterment of its residents. Perhaps the state is receiving some financial benefit from this process, but I don’t understand why this would be the method of choice for padding the state’s budget. The state should be encouraging people to acquire more education, rather than creating expensive obstacles. Under this new system, any tests taken within the five-test series without completing the entire series in order to obtain a GED diploma prior to Dec. 31, 2013 will be
completely void. For example, if I had taken three of the required tests prior to the start of this year, but did not finish my last two exams, I would have to start over completely with the new system. During the 2012-13 fiscal year, 25,971 North Carolinians took at least one of the five tests within the current GED series. Of these students, 15,717 have attained a GED diploma. As of Sept. 1, 2013, 10,254 of the nearly 26,000 students had not yet passed all tests necessary to attain a GED diploma. For many test takers, not only will this be mentally discouraging, but it will be expensive and require a large amount of time. The cost and structure aren’t the only changes under the new system. In the past, computer tests were offered to test-takers with disabilities who could not complete the pencil and paper version. From now on, all GED tests will be computerized. This may seem like a step in the right direction for those of us with adequate computer literacy, but many without a high school diploma don’t have the luxury of a technological skill set. There are many disparities between demographic groups and technology competency. National data show that adults living in households earning less than $30,000 per year are by far the least likely income group to have access to desktops or laptops. Not only might this discourage people without adequate computer skills from taking the test, the state may also see significant challenges in ensuring all test-takers have the computer proficiency necessary to complete the electronic test. Additionally, now that all tests are electronic, the GED tests will only be offered at locations approved by Pearson VUE. All existing testing centers must now have the sufficient capacity and equipment in order to offer the computerized test. Currently, the test will only be offered at community colleges. This limits accessibility for test takers who may not have sufficient transportation methods. Beyond administration, the actual content of the test is changing as well. The test will now rank results on a two-tier system, one level being “high school equivalency and college readiness,” the other result being just simply “high school equivalency.” It is unclear how employers will gauge this different set of results and whether or not they will preference candidates who also achieved “college readiness.” It is also not clear whether those who were simply awarded “high school equivalency” will be discouraged from applying to postsecondary education programs. The profitization and privatization of GED test taking is just another attack on the poor coming from the General Assembly. If our legislators want students entering STEM fields, and if they want to increase the amount of research and technology jobs in this state, they should be prepared to provide better access to education for all residents, rather than prioritizing private, for profit machines.
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Adrienne Harreveld is a Trinity senior. Her column normally runs every other Monday. Send Adrienne a message on Twitter @AdrienneLiege.
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S
he told me that I had an infection. That my body surrendered as a bacterial pathogen quietly fought its way in. That my unremitting back pains, my perpetual fatigue, my loss of appetite were all merely symptoms of its invasion.
Leena El-Sadek (dis)eased (re)presentation She told me I had an infection. Similar to how Mississippi students are infected by low literacy. How the Deep South is infected by “deep” obesity. How our black boys are infected by a cycle of imprisonment. You witness the effects, but the causes—the pathogens—are hidden deep, deep within. Eyes fixed on the monitor and fingers racing across the keyboard, she told me I had an infection. But the only thing infecting my body was her apathy and her inability to search beyond her medically prescriptive dictionary. I was with my doctor at 12:05 p.m. I was back in my bed by 12:23 p.m. And all I could think about was how she got it all wrong. Unfortunate as it is, “getting it all wrong” will not be new to Duke students. Duke is at the vanguard of social and scientific innovations and breakthroughs. With a few Nobels under our belt, we think we have a good sense of how the world operates, literally down to the atom. And there’s good reason for this. Duke is a warehouse of knowledge, providing students with Tom Ford glasses to see the world. No, but like actually see the world. With over half of students abroad at some point during their Duke experience, we think we have a strong, clear and right idea of what the world looks like. But at a maximum of five months studying on foreign land, the classrooms must fill in the experiential gaps. Academic departments facilitate discourse that introduces students to new countries, religions, policies, disparities and innovations. Mother Blue Devil guides this discourse, so that we can identify problems. Mother Blue Devil then trains us with evidence-based methods to solve the problems we “discover” in these “new lands.” And then She tells us, “Young Blue Devils, these methods have proven helpful time and time before, so you must continue to follow the methods.” I get it: This traditional scientific approach is seductive. This approach is also not new to me (nor is it new to most people on campus). My father is a chemical engineer, my mother a math teacher, and before Duke, I went to a boarding high school, the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. So, yeah, I get it. There are problems in the world waiting to be discovered. Then, there are solutions to those problems. And there are scientific methods to finding that solution. And oh, do we radiate with golden halos once those problems are solved. Our designer education has sculpted another perfect solution. Empirical knowledge is seductive in that way. But empirical thinking doesn’t tell us the full story. It highlights the products and reactants while blurring the intermediates, catalysts and physical environments. It creates the West, ignoring the Rest’s influence on its development. It creates infected bodies with infected parts, stifling the body’s voice. It creates the developed world, ignoring the struggles of the disenfranchised in the developed world. (Because let’s be real, some regions and subpopulations within America share more similarities with the Third World than the First World.) Empirical thinking engenders answers, without asking all of the questions. That’s why there’s more to poverty than structural violence, as there’s more to obesity than lack of healthy dietary choices, and as there’s more to illiteracy and black boy imprisonment than broken homes. And that’s why my doctor stopped at bacterial infection, although my symptoms hinted otherwise. The pathogen didn’t fight its way into my body. I opened the door for it, as my exhaustion, anxiety and lack of focus physically blockaded any mental or physical rest. My body was speaking what my mouth could not say. That’s why I was in her office at 12:05 p.m. and in my room at 12:23 p.m. And that’s why she got it all wrong. We are a premiere research institution with a very fine brand name—and with a reputation deserving of such. But maybe we can be more. Maybe we can do more. Let’s use our privileged designer shades to push the boundaries of our conversations. To jump ahead of the competition’s status quo. To advocate and guide a more comprehensive, critical way of thinking, instead of the reactionary vision some disciplines currently take. And if one group is best poised to initiate this conversation to be more inclusive and preemptive, it’s students. We rIepresent a vast background of orientations and stories, and our diversity is the greatest asset to including the right questions in our methods. The disempowered in the communities we left behind to attend Duke are depending on us to have these conversations. Our education is for more than us. Ditch the answers. Pose some questions. Fog your Tom Ford glasses. Because learning should not be comfortable, and learning should not be about finding answers. Especially when some communities, like Mississippi’s illiterate, obese and imprisoned black boys are begging to ask their own questions to us. Leena El-Sadek is a Trinity junior. Her column normally runs every other Monday.
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Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Exciting courses for Spring 2014 For more information please contact 668-2603 AMES 322/REL 263/ICS 323
Mystical Literature
This course aims at exploring and examining the tradition of mysticism in literature of world, British, and American writers. The objective is to introduce graduate and undergraduate students to numerous genres and literary works that manifest a deep religious attitude or experience as a way of life and cross-cultural phenomenon. Professor Abdul Sattar Jawad
AMES 335/HIS 228/AMI 337/ICS 336
Chinatowns: A Cultural History
Explores the intersection of space and ethnicity through the myriad ways Chinatown has circulated as memory, fantasy, narrative, myth, in the dominant cultural imagination, and how lived realities of overseas Chinese communities, Asian American history, and changing conceptions of “Chineseness” have productively engaged with real and phantom Chinatowns. Research will emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches, such as urban history, architecture, ethnography, economics; or engagement in a creative project. Professor Eileen Chow
AMES 339/REL 386
Local Islams
A hands-on introduction to the Sufi, Salafi, Sunni, Shia, and Nation of Islam Muslims in the area and to the diverse locales, ethnicities, and practices of the Muslim community at large. A scholarly examination of Islam in America, African American Islam, mosque and school, interfaith and pluralism, and Islamic feminism. Includes field trips and group projects in the local community, films and literature about American Islam. Students will forge local relationships that will deepen and enrich your intellectual understanding of Islam, Muslims, and America. Professors Ellen McLarney and Abdullah Antepli
AMES 410/CULANTH 366/AMI 410
Trauma in Asia
In the aftermath of WWII, the map of Asia was radically redrawn. The old imperial powers were forced to give up most of their colonial possessions. As new nation states were established, new colonial powers sought to replace the old European powers. One of the main tools employed by the international community in carving these new political entities and in dividing areas of dominance was territorial partitioning. The latter was anything but peaceful, and exacted a high psychological toll, both individually and collectively. It was, in other words, traumatic. This course explores how this traumatic experience was represented in documentary and narrative films in Asia, from the Pacific to the Mediterranean. Professors Nayoung Aimee Kwon and Shai Ginsburg
AMES 422S Arab
Women Writers
Through fiction, film, autobiography and new media, students will read the writings of women from Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, the Arab Gulf and Egypt. Arab women have long intervened in public debates, yet their writings were not seriously critiqued until the end of the 20th century. Claiming rights they know Islam gives women, they have demanded justice, freedom and equality and thus demonstrated that feminism is not a Western ideology. They have written about their experiences in war, an arena that women were said not to know and thus could not describe. They have written openly about their love and desires. They have experimented with style and subject. The Arab revolutions are shaping a new reality and discourse around the roles of women in war, marriage, and Islam. Professor miriam cooke
AMES 439/CULANTH 335/WOMENST430/LIT 429/AMI 439/VMS 439
Queer China
This new course will examine queer-themed Chinese cultural phenomena, particularly literary and cinematic works from twentieth century China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. We will examine how the shifting configurations of identity and desire reflected in queer texts are informed by an array of socio-cultural, legal, and practical considerations. Readings will also include historical, anthropological, and sociological writings, as well as works in queer theory and gender studies. The undergraduate and graduate sections of this course will cover similar material, though the graduate section will pursue the material in more depth. Professor Carlos Rojas
AMES 482 The
Arabian Nights in the West
The course aims at introducing the student to the most popular world literature in the West, The One Thousand and One Nights (alf layla wa layla). This collection of Oriental frame tales captured the imagination of generations of Western readers and prominent writers. The Arabian Nights presents in both classical Arabic and vernacular- fairy tales, romances, fables, legends, parables, anecdotes, erotica, debates, and adventures in which the main narrative is embedded within a preliminary narrative. The Night’s narrative techniques have appeared in the works of other English and European writers in a steady stream up to the modern times. Professor Abdul Sattar Jawad