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University tables proposal for $55 million power plant Neelesh Moorthy The Chronicle The University has delayed a decision on whether to build a power plant on campus after heavy criticism of the proposal and a recent report issued by a subcommittee of the Campus Sustainability Committee. Last May, the University announced plans to build a $55 million, 21-megawatt natural gas-fired combined heat and power plant on campus in partnership with Duke Energy Carolinas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy. However, after public outcry from faculty, students and community members, Duke Energy asked North Carolina regulators to postpone the approval process until May 2017 in hopes that the University could consult with stakeholders. A subcommittee of the Campus Sustainability Committee released a report Monday evaluating the construction of the proposed plant. After receiving it, the University indicated it would not bring the proposal to the Board of Trustees in May, and that deliberations will continue into later semesters. “The [Campus Sustainability Committee’s] report was thorough, well informed and reflected a range of views,” wrote Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, in an email Tuesday. President Richard Brodhead and the administration in the past have defended the plant as an efficient way to support Duke Hospital in the event of an emergency or a

Han Kang | The Chronicle A subcommittee of the Campus Sustainability Committee released a report evaluating the power plant, and the University then announced it would postpone its final decision.

power outage. However, the report was unable to reach a consensus about whether the plant should be built. According to the report, some subcommittee members found it an efficient and low-cost option, whereas others wanted the University to further investigate alternatives and talk to shareholders. But the subcommittee—comprised of faculty, staff and students—did agree on several criteria that should be met if the University actually does build the plant. Now that Duke has postponed the decision, these factors will be important during future discussions. Particularly important provisions included requiring that the plant comply with

the Clean Air Act and allowing the University to exit the contract after 10 years if a better alternative presents itself. Using biogas—a renewable energy source fermented from organic materials— instead of fossil fuels was also a sticking point. The subcommittee recommended that the University obtain enough directed biogas through swine waste to “render the CHP plant carbon neutral in its first year of operation.” It added that the University should fully power the plant with directed biogas within five years of operation. Should these conditions prove impossible to fulfill, the report recommended the plant

proposal be scrapped, noting that future research on biogas feasibility is warranted. To conduct further research, postponing the decision might be the ideal scenario, said Tim Profeta, chair of the subcommittee and director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. “There was a projection of the greenhouse gas benefits that could be achieved through various different options and energy investments the University could make,” he said. “And to begin to use biogas to provide our hot water and steam needs is the biggest reduction the University could make.” Sophomore Claire Wang, president of the Duke Climate Coalition and subcommittee member, said she was pleased by the University’s decision. She urged Duke to be confident that it can meet these biogas criteria before creating the plant. She pointed to a prior University project in Yadkin County investing in swine waste technology at a farm as a potential precedent for the use of biogas. The University also needs to consider environmental justice concerns, she said. “The way that pork is produced is through concentrated animal feeding operations, which gather thousands of pigs in one location and of course produce a lot of waste,” Wang said. “This manure is typically gathered in lagoons and produces horribly noxious odors and gasses, which are an environmental justice hazard for surrounding communities, who tend to be lower-income and people of color.” See POWER PLANT on Page 4

Language departments could lose students under new curriculum Lexi Kadis The Chronicle

Neal Vaidya | The Chronicle The current proposed curriculum would only require students to take one semester of a foreign language.

Foreign language programs may face setbacks if changes to the foreign language requirement in the proposed Trinity College of Arts and Sciences curriculum are approved. Although the newest Trinity curriculum proposal has reinstated the foreign language requirement, it limits this requirement to only one semester. The current policy mandates between one and three courses depending on the student’s language abilities. This switch could be detrimental to Duke’s smaller language programs, said Luciana Fellin, associate professor of the practice of Italian and linguistics and director of the Italian language program. “Less commonly taught languages—not the big languages—are really going to suffer,” she said. Fellin explained that the proposed reduction to the foreign language requirement

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would cause students to default to languages they have already learned. “What is probably going to happen is that people are not going to engage [and] invest in discovering a new [language],” she said. Ingeborg Walther, the director of the German language program and a member of the Imagining the Duke Curriculum committee, noted in an email that enrollment in German language courses would “most certainly decline” if the proposal were approved. “I’ve spoken to many students in our language program, most of whom say that while they are glad they took German at least through the intermediate level, they likely would not have done this had they not been required to do so,” Walther wrote. In addition to Walther, Hae-Young Kim, professor of the practice in the department of Asian and Middle Eastern studies and the director of the Korean language program, also said the change to the foreign language requirement would lower enrollment in

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Korean courses. “We will lose a lot of students if there’s no requirement,” Kim said. “My projection is that we will lose about 40 to 50 percent of the current enrollment, and even more than that.” Kim expressed that she was “deeply concerned” about the proposed changes, referring to the one semester requirement as “inadequate.” Fellin was also concerned that students would not be able to gain “cultural literacy” from only one semester of a language. “Although the intent of the curricular proposal is to encourage students to follow up with their foreign language study through further coursework at Duke and/or abroad, I don’t think a lot of students will actually do this, unless they are required to do so,” Walther added. Walther has previously said that many students at Duke already speak multiple languages. “We are getting students coming to

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Looking back at Governor Roy Cooper’s first 100 days Bre Bradham The Chronicle While Duke students are wrapping up the semester and awaiting final grades, Gov. Roy Cooper is getting the first report card of his young term—the 100 day check-in. Cooper, who was sworn in Jan. 1 this year, is no stranger to Raleigh and the state government. The experienced legislator and former state attorney general has addressed a variety of issues during his time in office, including lawsuits on the extent of his executive powers that marked his first weeks in power. More recently, Cooper has been in the spotlight for his actions regarding the controversial House Bill 2. “There are a couple of things that come to mind when I think of his first 100 days, but the main one is House Bill 142,” said first-year Leah Abrams, referring to the recent compromise bill that made the news for modifying the original HB2. Abrams—the director of communications for Duke Democrats and a columnist for The Chronicle—phone-banked and canvassed for Cooper during his 2016 election campaign. She said, however, that she would summarize Cooper’s first 100 days as“disappointing” because of his decision to go forward with the compromise. “A progressive blue state had to fight to put a Democrat in the governor’s office, and they fought because they were expecting that there would be a full repeal of [HB2]—not just something to appease businesses, but a full repeal that would protect minorities in the state,” Abrams said. “Obviously, that did not happen.” Although HB142 does roll back significant portions of HB2, it still prohibits local governments from crafting their own

Chronicle File Photo After a contentious legal battle with incumbent Republican Pat McCrory, Democrat Roy Cooper took office January 1.

nondiscrimination ordinances until December 2020. For Democrat Mike Woodard, a state representative from Durham and Trinity ’81, this aspect of HB142 influenced his decision to oppose it. The compromise was struck in the shadow of a deadline imposed by the NCAA regarding its decision to allow sporting events back in the state, Woodard explained. The NCAA is now actively considering bringing events back to North Carolina. “The governor was convinced that it was the best deal he thought he could get at that time,” Woodard said. “We were clearly feeling the pressure of the NCAA decision on allowing games back in.” Junior Colin Duffy, president of Duke College Republicans, wrote in an email that he found HB142 to be a successful compromise. He noted that constituents should not

“vindicate their representatives for working with the other side.” “You know it is a fair and reasonable solution to the issue when both the far right and far left are not happy with the outcome,” he wrote. Like Abrams, Durham City Councilman Steve Schewel dubbed the compromise “disappointing.” Despite that, Schewel—who is also a visiting assistant professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy—said that he found Cooper’s term to be off to a solid start. He noted that Cooper’s efforts on Medicaid and his cabinet appointees have been some of the highlights of his young governorship. One of Cooper’s most lauded policy initiatives has been his push for educational funding. Abrams praised Cooper’s inclusion of a teacher pay increase in his proposed budget. “No matter your party, education is

important,” she said. “Compensating teachers fairly so that they will stay here is part of that.” Schewel—who previously served on the Durham Public Schools’ Board of Education for four years—similarly stressed the value of Cooper’s stance on education. He explained that it was “critically important” to ensure good schooling for children. Duffy also expressed enthusiasm for Cooper’s focus on education, arguing that some of Cooper’s stances were influenced by the administration of former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. “Cooper is essentially mirroring what McCrory and the [State General] Assembly had in mind all along when he was in power,” he wrote. “Education is paramount to NC growth. Sometimes however, the solution isn’t always spending more money, but spending the existing allocation more wisely.” Schewel acknowledged that the governor’s powers are limited due to the veto-proof supermajorities of Republicans in both chambers of the General Assembly. But he also said that there “are a lot of things that he will be able to do.” Woodard agreed, explaining that having Cooper as an executive check on the Republican-dominated legislature could improve the quality of state legislation. “He’s clearly going to dig in his heels and fight for those things that he values,” Woodard said. “With maybe two or three exceptions, Gov. McCrory just rubberstamped everything that the General Assembly sent to him. Gov. Cooper is not going to do that.” As a whole, Schewel and Abrams said that they were disappointed in the HB2 compromise but thought Cooper had shown promise in other ways. Woodard also said he had a very See ROY COOPER on Page 4

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‘Hamilton’ memes unite Greek Ally Week not Duke and UNC students happening at Duke this year seek to hit 100,000 followers within the year— that would be enough. The Chronicle It did not take long for the two to realize they needed to turn off the notifications for Although some Duke-UNC relationships Instagram on their phones. come to duels, sophomore Sara Shmueli and “If you had asked us a year ago, we would University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have probably thought this idea was so stupid,” sophomore Brooke Bekoff have made their Bekoff said. “But no idea is too stupid.” Instagram partnership thrive. Bekoff and Shmueli bounce ideas off The pair created an Instagram account of each other throughout the day and create memes about the hit musical “Hamilton” that their final posts on Photoshop. Some weeks has already attracted nearly 60,000 followers. are busier than others—they are both fullThe account—called “meme.me.inside” in time students—but they try to update the reference to one of the musical’s songs—has had surprising success, and the two were See HAMILTON on Page 4 willing to tell The Chronicle their story. “The response is incredible, and I think a lot of people consider us a friend almost,” Bekoff said. Natives of Boca Raton, Florida, Shmueli and Bekoff went to the same school from kindergarten to 12th grade and stayed close during college. When a friend showed Bekoff the soundtrack to “Hamilton” last year, she immediately got hooked. “You can figure out the entire story just by listening to the soundtrack,” Shmueli said. Shmueli discovered the soundtrack later that summer, and the two started sending each other memes they made about the musical. After creating an abundance of photos, the two decided to make an Instagram account to post them online. And they did not throw away their shot— with little initial effort, the account received Neal Vaidya | The Chronicle approximately 1,000 followers on its first day. Sophomores from UNC and Duke teamed Since then, the account has gained about 300 up to create an Instagram account featuring new followers each day. Shmueli and Bekoff “Hamilton” memes.

Adam Beyer

Neelesh Moorthy The Chronicle Greek Ally Week will not take place at Duke this year. David Pittman, interim director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, confirmed that the event would not be hosted this year—in part due to the transition the office is undergoing with him as the interim director. Started in 2014, Greek Ally Week aims to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues and support LGBTQ+ members in Greek life. At the third iteration of the event last year, panel discussions included members of several Greek organizations— including the Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. “Right now we are focusing on finishing out this year and also planning for a new year,” Pittman wrote in an email. OSFL will be thinking about Greek Ally Week as it prepares for next year, he noted. Sophomore Max Bernell, one of two incoming presidents for LGBTQ+ student group Blue Devils United, forwarded The Chronicle a statement from their events and programming subcommittee. In the statement, BDU apologized for not being able to set up the event this year, citing resource constraints as well as a lack of coordination between various groups. “The events and programming subcommittee of Blue Devils United has regrettably been unable to allocate time and

resources to collaborate in the organization of this year’s Greek Ally Week,” the statement read. “With the rotation of our executive board and various illnesses, some major events were unable to come to fruition in both Fall and Spring semesters. As Greek Ally Week is a collaboration with affinity, identity and Greek groups, we apologize on our behalf for the neglect of interaction between all of the governing bodies.” Abby Larus and Tyler Nelson, both Trinity ‘16 and co-directors of Greek Ally Week 2016, noted that they are incredibly disappointed that the event will not happen this year. “The event has traditionally been a collaboration between BDU and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life,” they wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “We, as alumni, are not sure what the barriers are this year. However, in the past, Greek Ally Week has required collective effort from both student groups, who are often unwilling to work together.” They explained that Greek Ally Week is meant to challenge the gender binary and heteronormative assumptions prevalent in fraternities and sororities. “If the event does not take place, we’re incredibly sad on behalf of LGBTQ+ or questioning members of Greek life who will be missing this celebration of their identities,” they wrote. Bernell told The Chronicle that BDU is hard at work making sure the event happens next year so that this year’s absence is just an anomaly. The statement added that BDU is See GREEK ALLY WEEK on Page 4

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LANGUAGE from page 1

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Duke now who are more diverse than ever. We have more international students, students from various backgrounds and minority students,” she said at December’s Arts and Sciences Council meeting. “We are trying to take into account designing structures for students to meet them where they are when they come in.” Despite professors’ concerns, first-year Vivian Chen indicated that the proposed requirement would “make life a lot easier” for her and other students on the pre-health track. “It would really lighten the work load for people who need to take three semesters [of a language],” she said. However, Chen also said that she recognized the benefit of speaking another language, noting that the change could be “detrimental” to students who did not have the opportunity to learn a foreign language in high school. “I think nowadays it’s almost expected that you speak another language in certain professions,” she added. The Arts and Science Council has postponed the vote on the proposed curriculum until Fall 2017.

Both the report and Wang also emphasized that better communication in this process and other similar endeavors can play an important role moving forward. In a prior forum about the plant, one speaker described the consultation process as “flawed from the start,” and transparency has been a concern ever since the plan was announced. “[The subcommittee] recommends that any investment with a significant greenhouse gas impact on Duke’s operations be brought to the Campus Sustainability Committee for discussion very early in its consideration, and that the CSC engage in stakeholder dialogue,” the report stated. Likhitha Butchireddygari contributed reporting.

GREEK ALLY WEEK from page 3

applying “constant pressure” to the events and programming subcommittee to make sure that is the case. Pittman similarly encouraged people to focus on the future direction of IFC, instead of one event not being hosted. “We have a new president of IFC, and I think there’s more news in what [junior James Bradford, IFC’s president-elect] has in the planning versus one event we weren’t able to make happen this year,” Pittman wrote. Bradford did tell The Chronicle that IFC will “absolutely participate” in Greek Ally Week next year, and that his executive team is looking into improving fraternities’ participation. For example, he said that he wanted to see more chapter-level engagement with the event. “I can speak as a chapter president and a member of IFC last from page 2 year, I was not always engaged with the IFC’s agenda and the things that the IFC as a body was putting on and promoting,” positive view of the new administration’s early litmus test. he said. “I was not pushed to do that, but I would like to push “His first 100 days, I think, has been really strong,” chapters and fraternity men as a whole to participate and Woodard said. engage more fully in Greek Ally Week.” Among his main goals for next year include sexual assault prevention, promoting diversity and hosting events to connect IFC with the broader community. With regards to sexual assault prevention, he said his goal was to ensure that all incoming fraternity members undergo “Prevent. Act. Challenge. Teach.” training from the Women’s Center. Bradford has also been working on a related project for the IFC sexual assault prevention team. He said he has been holding focus groups with newly inducted, PACTtrained members to “continue the conversation,” because he noted that one training session alone is insufficient to address sexual assault. He was also cognizant of the lack of diversity in IFC, noting that the organization was not representative of the student body. “We’re conscious of the fact that generally speaking, if you look at the diversity of Duke’s campus as a whole, the IFC is not representative of that diversity—racially, ethnically, socioeconomically,” Bradford said. To tackle this problem of a lack of diversity, Bradford said he wants to host events in the Fall for students to better interact and learn about Greek life. He suggested a forum-type event held in East Campus dorms allowing students to ask current Greek members “what it means to be Greek.” He noted that although the majority of fraternity members might be white, not everyone is and everyone should be able to share their experiences. Claire Ballentine contributed reporting.

ROY COOPER

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page regularly. Shmueli said the most popular posts are their memes about the Super Bowl and International Women’s Day. Although there are other “Hamilton” meme accounts, Shmueli and Bekoff said they are satisfied with theirs because it is unique and keeps people coming back. “It’s not like another ‘Hamilton’ account you’d see since all the content is completely ours,” Shmueli said. Their account also seeks to capitalize on events in the news. Bekoff said she enjoys handling some of the more politically-oriented posts. For example, some feature President Donald Trump and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. Shmueli and Bekoff have even monetized their account by launching an online store with “Hamilton”-related merchandise. They have also expanded to Facebook and Twitter. And they have not been helpless to figure out what their followers want. They know them like they know their own minds. Using Instagram analytics and feedback from friends, they try to target their posts to their audience, which is largely composed of teenage girls. “Our followers are amazing,” Bekoff said. “We wouldn’t be here without them. It’s just really interesting to see how deeply we’ve connected with them.” Bekoff noted that she has seen the show with its original cast on Broadway. Some of the cast even follow the account. “I still talk about it as the best day of my life,” she said. “Honestly, it was just so incredible.” Shmueli still has yet to see the live show. However, the two plan to see the show’s run in Durham during the Durham Performing Arts Center’s 2018-19 season. Although they are not sure whether the venture will transition into a full-time pursuit after they graduate, they explained that it has been a learning experience for them so far. “One big entrepreneurial lesson I’ve learned is don’t hesitate,” Shmueli said, noting that they could have launched the store earlier but eventually got the job done. “Don’t wait for it,” Bekoff interjected.

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recess

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 24

APRIL 12, 2017

Duke Arts Festival

Weeklong festival showcases student art, page 8

A conversation with Will Ye Elusive Ye talks about his celebrity status, page 8

Full Frame Coverage

‘Quest’ documentary tackles life in North Philly, page 7

R recess editors LDOC pick?

Dillon Fernando ....... Louis C.K.'s wife

Christy Kuesel ......legend Mike Posner Drew Haskins ............... Ed Sheeran!!! Tim Campbell .......Comedy Bang Bang Kirby Wilson ............. cast of the Aneid Aditya Joshi .............................SXSW Jessica Williams ......... the von Trapps Georgina Del Vecho........... house kitty Will Atkinson ................. Albert Camus Nina Wilder ................. ghost of Bowie

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Recently, I’ve found myself listening to more and more podcasts, to the point where they’ve edged out music as my favorite thing to listen to in many situations. Given how neat they are, and how many of them exist, I’m constantly surprised to find that many people don’t listen to any podcasts, or even know where to find them if they want to. I think that some combination of a lack of exposure, a belief that podcasts are all just recordings of boring radio shows and a degree of impatience in finding new podcasts stops many people from trying out the genre, despite the diversity and quality of many shows that are available. Within the panoply of podcasts that are out there, my favorites are all comedy shows; so, with what little power this editorial gives me, I’m going to suggest a few of my favorite comedy podcasts, and explain what makes them so good. “Hello from the Magic Tavern” HFTMT is a serialized, Chicago-based show hosted by Chicago native Arnie Niekamp, who in the show claims to have fallen into a magical portal behind a Burger King into the fantastical, magical land of Foon, which is basically a parody version of Narnia or Middle Earth. The show claims to be a serious documentary about Foon, and Arnie and his co-hosts Chunt (a talking badger played by Adal Rifai) and Usidore (an incompetent, blustering wizard played by Matt Young) interview a new magical guest every week as part of the documentary. However, the show is anything but serious; Arnie, Matt and Adal are all veteran improvisers, as are most of the guests on the show, and the show will usually unfold into hilarious comedic situations. The show’s humor is diverse and includes constant satire of fantasy tropes (such as one episode featuring a skeleton named Clax, who is the first enemy encountered in a dungeon),

well-placed banter between the hosts and tons of puns that seem to break the fourth wall while still maintaining the reality of the show. This last part is truly what makes the guys on HFTMT unique: even though the show is filled with fast-paced jokes and features comedians who seem to relish in forcing a laugh out of each other, the hosts do an amazing job of (mostly) consistent worldbuilding, with details from previous episodes being brought back up weeks later to help justify a joke or story. This is truly my favorite podcast right now (if you couldn’t tell), and I highly suggest you listen from the beginning––the full back catalogue is currently available on the Podcasts app on iOs devices.

editor’s note “Comedy Bang Bang” If you like comedy, you should listen to CBB. If you like podcasts, you likely do listen to CBB. If you like comedy podcasts and don’t listen to CBB, what are you doing? This show is legendary. The format is not entirely unlike HFTMT; CBB host and creator Scott Aukerman begins most episodes by interviewing a guest, often another comedian but also frequently a musician or actor. Then, after a break, Aukerman and the guest will be joined by additional “guests,” who are in fact characters played by frequent contributors to the podcast. The character-guests will usually upset the interview process in some way, and hilarity ensues. Some of my favorite guests are Gino the intern, the selfeffacing Jersey Italian played by Jon Gabrus, and Al A. Peterson, the “smooth criminal,”

a completely hair-free man played by Paul F. Tompkins. But these are just the tip of the iceberg––CBB features an ever-evolving wheelhouse containing dozens of colorful characters. Aukerman himself is also hilarious, and does a great job of playing the straight man and keeping the show on track as his guests’ antics frequently drive it off the rails. But seriously, if you like comedy at all, you have to listen to this show––it’s like a funnel that collects comedy talent and siphons it directly into your ear. “Harmontown” This one might not be for everybody, but if you’re a fan of either “Community” or “Rick and Morty,” you’ll probably love it. What do three of these shows have in common? Dan Harmon, the writer who helped to create them all. Harmontown is essentially a weekly variety show that, depending on the lineup each week, can feature improv, interviews, Harmon’s rants or banter between Harmon and his co-hosts Jeff B. Davis (of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) and Spencer Crittenden (of SeeSo’s “Harmonquest”). Some of my favorite guests on the podcast have been the Duffer brothers, the Durham natives who created “Stranger Things,” and Kumail Nanjiani, who is known for “Silicon Valley,” in addition to many other projects and appears semi-frequently on the show. However, underneath it all, the X-factor that makes this show great is Harmon himself. He’s an alcoholic, he rambles and he’s certainly not the easiest person to run a podcast with, but he’s also hilarious, charming, thoughtful and incredibly quickwitted. I really can’t explain why I like this show any better, so you’ll just have to try it for yourself. And if you like Harmon’s other work, there’s a good chance that you’ll thank me if you do. ––Tim Campbell

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Campus Arts

Full Frame: Interview with cast and crew of ‘Quest’ Nina Wilder The Chronicle

Filmed over the span of 10 years, “Quest” is an intimate portrait of the Rainey family as they deal with both the trivialities and tribulations that their life in North Philadelphia has to offer. The emotionally gripping documentar y was shown Saturday at Full Frame Documentar y Film Festival and won the festival’s Grand Jur y award. The Chronicle sat down with director Jonathan Olshefski, producer Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, editor Lindsay Utz and stars Christopher “Quest” Rainey, Christine “Ma” Rainey and P.J. Rainey to discuss the film. The following inter view has been edited and condensed for clarity. The Chronicle: How did the relationship between Jon and the Rainey family begin? Quest Rainey: The way Jon and I met was through my brother. My brother was attending a photography class in the neighborhood and he pretty much told Jon about my studio and asked him if he wanted to come over and meet me. He came in, told me that he was taking pictures and I asked him if he would mind taking pictures of the guys in my studio and he said, “Sure, why not.” And it kind of went from there. TC: How long, exactly, did you film “Quest”? Jonathan Olshefski: The photo project began in 2006, we did that for a year and a half. In the fall of 2007 we started filming and we were still gathering footage in the fall of 2016. So we filmed for almost 10 years. TC: Was there a certain point when you realized that this was going to be something more longfor m, or was the documentar y always going to be that way? JO: At first the idea was to just to do a short little piece about Quest’s studio and the paper route [he worked], kind of a nice, easy, visually interesting thing. But working on that I got to know the Rainey family more and their backstory, and I went, “Wow, these guys have been through a lot,” just in the daily routines. So I felt like maybe I should go a little deeper, that there was something more there, let’s push a little further. TC: How did you decide to end the filming process? JO: In the earlier years, there was no external pressure. There was no studio that was going to support us, so it was really about the passion. It was probably 2014, eight years into this thing, when we were accepted into the IFP Documentary Lab and they basically said, “There’s really something here, but you need to get a team and some funding.” Which was pretty encouraging but pretty stressful, cause once you get money coming in, the clock does start ticking. T C : H o w w e i rd o r h a rd o f a d e c i s i o n w a s i t to allow someone to come into your home to film you? QR: When Jon came in, it mostly felt like he was doing us a favor because he was taking photos of the guys in the studio and we were also helping him with his project. For me, it was very normal, very comfortable. It was weird the first couple of days because every time you turned around the camera was right there. At first, when he spent the night, I thought, “Okay, he’s going to follow me on my paper route.” I didn’t know he was going to film me getting out of bed. [Laughs] So that part was a little strange, but other than that, it was alright. Christine Rainey: I got used to it in time. In the beginning, I was just helping a friend out. And then he wasn’t in the way, so I had nothing negative to feel about him being there. Sometimes I might’ve felt like, “Not today.” But it was alright. It was a little weird sometimes, but when you’re friends with the person who’s following you, it’s okay. P.J. Rainey: When I was younger, I thought it was cool at first. I had no problem with it. But as I turned into a teenager, I started thinking, “This isn’t going to be a movie so why are we recording?” [Laughs] It was a little annoying, but now, I appreciate everything because of what it turned into. This inter view has been condensed in the print issue.The rest of this inter view can be found online at dukechronicle.com/section/recess.

Special to The Chronicle The emotionally gripping documentary “Quest” focuses on the experiences of the Rainey family over a 10 year period.

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Campus Arts

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Weeklong Duke Arts Festival showcases student talent Christy Kuesel The Chronicle This week, an old painted piano is reclaiming its spot on the Bryan Center Plaza. This instrument is a sure sign that the annual Duke Arts Festival has returned. The Duke Arts Festival, which began April 7 and will conclude April 14, aims to bring the arts to all students on campus. Duke University Union hosts the event in collaboration with many other arts groups on campus, including a capella groups, dance groups and other arts boards. The festival also serves to showcase student work in all different art forms. “It’s meant to show what Duke students have been doing, what they’ve achieved and what they’ve accomplished,” duARTS President Nicole Payne said. This year, duARTS aimed to increase the scale and visibility of the Arts Festival by adding more activities catering to those who do not usually do art. “I think our focus this year throughout the year for duARTS is to bring art to people who aren’t necessarily thinking about art,” Payne said. DuARTS has expanded its event calendar by hosting events like Second Fridays and painting workshops at the Loop Bar throughout the year, and the Arts Festival is no exception to this expansion. The festival is comprised of over a record 36 individual events, ranging from small pop-ups to artist lectures and art making events. While

Special to The Chronicle The Duke Arts Festival is a weeklong festival showcasing student achievement in the arts.

many of these arts events were already taking place this week, duARTS organized the planning among all of the different arts groups. “We’re not trying to take over anything, but we want to be able to use our resources and our demographic to publicize the great work that’s already being done,” duARTS Vice President Charlotte McKay said. To aid in visibility, duARTS has set up a number of small pop-up events throughout the week. Some of these events are centered around performances by student groups, while others feature giveaways. DuARTS has been giving out small buttons with words like “singer,” “writer” or “musician” on them that students are able to wear to show what kind of art they create. “It’s a fun way for people to think about themselves as artists and also rep their art,” said Payne.

One stand-out event of the festival was the Night at the Arts Annex hosted Monday night, which featured three different art making events hosted by Duke Create, Nasher MUSE and Arts Theme House. The event was packed with people of all different levels of arts ability, fulfilling Payne’s hope that the night would bring people to the Annex who did not usually go there. The Duke Arts Festival has been held in the fall in the past, but duARTS decided to move the event to the spring in order to showcase art that students had been working on all school year. The event now coincides with many other spring showcases, such as the DefMo showcase and the Duke Symphony Orchestra’s Senior Night. “We really liked the showcase and accumulation feel of it,” Payne said. The festival’s placement in the

spring gives students a much-needed break from studying for midterms and finals and an opportunity to take advantage of the warm weather. “Since it’s around finals time, people just need this escape from all the academics to do something artistic, something fun,” said DUU VisArts co-chair Della Tao. The festival kicked off last Friday with the opening of the DUU VisArts student showcase. This event, also traditionally held in the fall, was moved to the spring to include art that students had produced in fall art classes. Students submitted pieces to the VisArts committee, who selected the best pieces to be shown in the Brown Gallery and around the Bryan Center. Although all pieces outside of the Brown Gallery will be taken down at the end of this week, those in the Brown Gallery will stay there until the last day of classes. The festival will conclude on Friday at 5 p.m. with Small Town Records’ student showcase concert on Clocktower Quad. DuARTS will be supplying Loco Pops and balloon darts and DUU VisArts will set up a tie dye station. The Arts Festival brings individuals from different backgrounds together. Payne recounted walking across the BC Plaza and seeing an alumnus giving an impromptu piano lesson to a child at the painted piano. Moments like this are why the Arts Festival is so important on Duke’s campus. “You always see the most interesting interactions going on with the most interesting people,” Payne said.

Campus Arts

Who is Will Ye? A conversation with Duke’s 'meme guy’ Will Atkinson The Chronicle Finding a picture of Will Ye is a difficult task. The first-year student, who in his short time at Duke has amassed something of a cult following through the Facebook meme-sharing group “Duke Memes for Gothicc Teens,” has made invisibility a defining feature of his online presence. His profile video, a blurry childhood photo that alternately gyrates and zooms in on itself in a dizzying, infinite loop, has taken on iconic proportions within the group. For those who don’t know him personally, it’s the only evidence of a human behind the prolific sharing. When I met Ye to talk about his modest celebrity status, I was struck by the humility of his demeanor in comparison to his online persona. The element of mystery, he explained, is a conscious choice—it keeps the Internet world separate from the real one, the way it should be. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, he declined to provide a photo of his face for this feature.) “Once you take memes and you make them real-life, it’s kind of awkward. It’s not as funny. If you mention memes out loud, it’s kind of weird, actually,” Ye said. “I don’t want people recognizing me outside and being like, ‘Hey, are you the meme guy?’—and it happens often enough. I just want to keep that down to a degree, try to be really low-key outside of Facebook. I want to maintain that. It’s pretty funny how people don’t know who I am.”

Ye, a computer science major skilled at programming and video-editing, earned his reputation long before coming to Duke. His first forays into the bizarre world of memes came in the form of editing so-called montage parodies, a brand of video that throws various elements of pop culture and gaming into a single, whiplashinducing production. In high school, he became known as the “meme guy” thanks to his hobby. He managed to get Snapchat to accept a geofilter reading “House of Memes” that he created as a joke. Even his essay for the Common Application centered around an absurd online prank: Ye programmed a bot that automatically retweeted any Tweets that mentioned, of all things, garlic. Hoping to create an outlet for his passion once at Duke but, as a freshman, wary of causing a stir, Ye was instrumental in getting the Facebook meme group off the ground along with sophomores Molly Chen and Yoon Ko. Early on, Ye said, the group consisted largely of reposted content. But by explicitly tailoring posts toward the Duke experience, he aimed to set a standard for original, Duke-specific content on the page. Consequently, he has felt less of a need to consistently post new memes—two months ago, posts by the mysterious “Will Ye” were nearly ubiquitous. These days, a steady group of contributors offer content that rivals Ye’s. “Now, people think of memes when they see an event, and I think that’s pretty cool,” Ye said, mentioning popular subjects like Pratt’s E-Ball

and the recent inchworm infestation on campus. “I’m happy that our meme group’s kind of self-sufficient. I could probably disappear forever and we’d still have really funny content.” But even as the rest of the group has risen to match him, Ye’s output has hardly disappeared. “Waiting on Will Ye to post a new meme” has itself become a meme of sorts, and his posts still gather many hundreds of reactions on a regular basis, a feat few others can claim. “[People] always ask me: ‘So do you actually go to class? Do you have hobbies or something?’” Ye said. “Truth be told, I don’t spend as much time on memes as people think. I feel like when I try to think of a meme, it kind of forces it. Meme ideas should be out of the blue, something that hits you.” It’s worth noting that so much of Ye’s popularity is predicated on the

fact that no one knows his actual face—if the opposite were true, the cult of Will Ye would be no cult at all. Ye’s online brand is so imbued with the trappings of the memes he creates as to be indistinguishable from them. And like them, his moment could pass just as quickly as it began. (The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away.) Whether or not his presence remains a force on Duke’s corner of Facebook, his legacy there remains intact. He has helped establish memes on campus as a mode of expression that, in 2017, stands as one of the few ways to collectively express the in-jokes, the grievances, the ridiculousness of life at Duke—a place that, for all its self-serious splendor, could afford to be laughed at. An abbreviated version of this article appears in print. To view the full article, visit dukechronicle.com/section/recess.

Special to The Chronicle Will Ye runs the Facebook meme-sharing page “Duke Memes for Gothicc Teens.”

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Louis C.K. is sharpest he’s ever been in latest special Dillon Fernando The Chronicle

The first time I ever heard a Louis C.K. joke, I shat my pants. Sorry… to be more politically correct, I “sharted” my pants—you know, that rare hybrid. In my defense, it was about seven years ago. I had food poisoning and was resting in bed, trying to pass the gruesomely stomach-contorting time by hauling though an endless series of recommended YouTube clips. The joke was from one of his early half-hour HBO gigs, where a sweaty, infuriated and somehow altogether charming Louis C.K. delivered a bit about how he and his wife have to pretend that their daughter doesn’t suck at hide and seek when she decides to hide in plain sight. To entertain his daughter’s terrible hiding skills, Louis C.K. playfully suggests alternative places she could be hiding: “Maybe she’s in the linen closet?” What begins as cute game turns into a fight with wife about the fact that linens aren’t kept in that closet and that it would be ridiculous for a child to hide in a closet with shelves. Meanwhile, their awful hider of a daughter still stands right in front of them. Trust me, it’s way funnier when Louis C.K. says it. I mean, I laughed so hard, I sharted in approval. So when I watched Louis C.K. perform in Greensboro, N.C., last summer, a stop on the tour that formed the material for his latest Netflix special "Louis C.K.: 2017," it was a given that his set would be funny. Even the last special he released, 2015's “Live at the Comedy Store,” was hilarious, but the hour lacked the idiosyncratic element of provocation and offense that I’d grown to love in the comedian. In “Live at the Comedy Store,” C.K. was getting big laughs not because he was saying anything

visceral or challenging but because he was skilled enough to know what permutations of words, ideas and timing to string together to make people laugh. That was fine and entertaining, but it was deviation from the Louis C.K. brand. My main concern that night in Greensboro was whether C.K.’s latest iteration would evolve into something edgier and more thought-provoking or follow the trend set up by his last special. There are about five or six good reviews out there about C.K.’s latest Netflix special “Louis C.K.: 2017” that come to a common consensus in answering my question. Here’s the SparkNotes version of all of them: the special tackles controversial and morbid topics with hilarious finesse, Louis C.K delivers wisdomfilled punchlines like he’s Carlin reincarnated, he’s wearing a suit (Letterman would be proud.) C.K.’s reigning title as comedy’s resident provocateur comes as no surprise. With Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle on hiatus for so long, Louis C.K. (closely followed by Bill Burr) unknowingly took advantage of the vacuum left by their absences to become among the voices pushing comedy further over the bounds of what is politically correct. It's a feat even more remarkable in this current renaissance of comedy, when it seems like everyone and their mom is getting a Netflix special and some veteran comics have lost the essence of themselves that made them so great and relatable to begin with—*cough, cough…looking at you A. Schu.* Where I find C.K. triumphs the most in this latest special is not just shying away from being vulnerable but fully embracing it as a part of the bit. To be fair, any time a performer walks onstage, they make themselves vulnerable. But to open your performance with a bit on the polarizing issue of abortion automatically drags C.K. to a deeper

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Louis C.K. tackles sensitive issues in his latest Netflix special “Louis C.K.: 2017.”

level of judgment and vulnerability, where the odds of audience approval are already stacked against him. The way C.K. maneuvers the audience, especially in the abortion bit, is by playing both sides: the pro-life and pro-choice. By devising clever and funny rationales for both perspectives, he puts on display a repartee where we can openly judge him. Question him. Laugh with or even at him—not because what he’s saying is simply shocking, but because he’s tapped into that forgiving nature of humans to excuse off-color things, if they’re funny. Plus, if you laugh at something, you probably acknowledge it’s true. What these types of bits depend on isn’t the humorous analogies that rule much of current comedy but instead the ability to create jokes that use witty logic and evident truths to reach a killer punchline. C.K. has transitioned from bits on

family life and hypotheticals—for example, what if we closed our eyes to saving ever yone with a peanut allergy to rid the world of the disease?—to comments on problems in society that no one really talks about—like how being a public school teacher is awful or how bald people must be unsatisfying ISIS beheading victims. His current material is ever ything but preachy with these sensitive issues. One aspect of C.K.’s comedy I do sorely miss is the higher frequency of anecdotes. (Who doesn’t love the tale of Jizanthapus and what C.K. would do with his dad?) The part of stand-up comedy that goes sorely underrated is how comics take ideas, thoughts and situations we all experience and ruminate on them a funny way to make people happy. And if you’re a really good stand-up, you’ll make a brown kid somewhere laugh so hard, he sharts.

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Recess reviews: Joey Bada$$, ‘All-Amerikkkan Bada$$’ Brooklyn Bass The Chronicle

Though hip-hop fans waited until the clock struck midnight April 7 to find Kendrick Lamar delaying the release of his highly anticipated album for another week, they were pleased to find that Joey Bada$$ delivered on his promise. Bada$$’s newly released album, titled “ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$,” is another impressive addition to a body of work that boasts incredible lyrical ability. This is especially refreshing considering the absence of stellar lyricism in today’s mainstream rap soundscape. Filled with politically charged lyrics, Joey Bada$$ makes it clear that this album is created in the spirit of “F.U.B.U”: For us, by us—a concept and brand coined by CEO Daymond John to empower black Americans as they were being excluded in mainstream society. In other words, the album reaches a black listener by appealing to a shared black experience that crosses lines of class, gender and sexuality. “FOR MY PEOPLE” encapsulates this message with soothing melodies that melt the hardest heart. This is not to say that non-black listeners will not be able to appreciate Bada$$’s latest

release. That is, if these listeners are not the racist Americans to which Bada$$ expresses disdain throughout the project. Non-black listeners will be able to appreciate the themes and depth the album offers. The album begins urging Americans to wake up with “GOOD MORNING AMERIKKKA” and plunges into expressions of desperation and helplessness with the tracks “TEMPTATION” and “LAND OF THE FREE.” He progresses later into “DEVASTATED,” an uplifting anthem thematically reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” From there, Bada$$ struggles to reconcile with a general feeling of non-acceptance by fellow Americans in “Y U DON’T LOVE ME? (MISS AMERIKKKA)” to expressing anger and resentment against systemic racism in “RING THE ALARM.” In the end, he directly speaks to black Americans as he urges them to continue the resistance against white supremacy with his last track, “AMERIKKKAN IDOL.” As usual, Bada$$ sticks to signature boom-bap beats remindful of classic ‘90s hip-hop. Also like any of his other albums, Bada$$ pays homage to his Caribbean roots with “BABYLON,” a fusion mix of jazz and dance hall vibes. What distinguishes “ALL-AMERIKKKAN

BADA$$” from Bada$$’s other work is a highly concentrated melodic component not present in previous albums. As a result, Bada$$’s songs will resonate with larger audiences and improve crowd engagement during live performances. It is also complete with exciting features including ScHoolboy Q in “ROCKABYE BABY” and J. Cole in “LEGENDARY.” Each guest appearance will whet the appetites of hip-hop listeners who are particularly addicted to following the catalogues of these superior lyricists.

Those who choose to give Bada$$ a listen will find it very clear that Bada$$ intended his latest project to be very black, provocative and smooth. During an era in which racial tensions are especially high and social inequalities are being publicly discussed more than ever, Bada$$’s ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ proves to be very relevant without sacrificing the musical excellence for which he has garnered critical acclaim. For this reason, Bada$$ will be continuously on repeat until Lamar shakes the world April 14.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Joey Bada$$’s “All-Amerikkkan Bada$$’ is another impressive addition to Bada$$’s music.

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Announcement of Nominees

Congratulations to the following students, organizations, faculty, and staff, who have been nominated to receive Duke University’s most prestigious campus-wide honors for student leadership and service. Award recipients and nominees will be celebrated at In The Spotlight on April 20, 2017 5pm, Arts Annex. The event is open to to the Duke community.

Alden Award

Got Caught Leading Award

Christina Williams Kristen Larson Erin Brooks

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award Lauren Harper Betty Chen Adia Coley Martha Addison Cady

Forever Duke Student Leadership Award Ravenne Aponte Margaret Booz Tori Caldwell Avery Carmichael Namita Kansal Allie Kenny Justin Losciale Chase Moyle Rachael Nedrow Leighanne Oh Elaine Pak Casey Powers Lauren Rosen Madeline Rusch Beth Sercombe Lauren Shum Katrina Slemmons Thamina Stoll Nathan Walker Lacey Wheeler Saintedym Wills Sam Yin Mary Caton Lingold Uzoma Ayogu Sebastian Baquerizo Marcus Benning Emily Boehm Diego Calderon-Arrieta Marie Allende Cornejo Gil Brianna Elliott Dalmacio Flores III Lauren Hagedorn Anjelica Hubbard Abbe LaBella Luis Martinez-Moure Chidinma Nnoromele Jarrett Nobles Hunter Rudd Robert Sinyard Steven Soto

Matthew Kaplan Hope Acuri Charlotte McKay Katherine Perlman Cara O’Malley Madeline Stambler Claire Alexandre Akash Patel Chinemerem Nwosu Gerhard Steven David Frisch Anya Bali Nadia Ford Cole Wicker Mia Carlson Jasmine Syed Ashwin Prakash Brigid Burroughs Isabella Paez Richard Phillips Tanner Lockhead Tommy Klug Kelby Welsh Chelsea Liu Gabriela Asturias Leyla Ates Suman Bajgain Sandra Batakana Brooke Beason Vidit Bhandarkar Ziqi Deng Xinyu (Lucy) Li Chin Jie Lim Jersheng Lin Chelsea Liu Elaine M’Nkubitu Manish Nair Elsie Odero Amanda Sear Adiva Shah Shreya Shankar Maria Suhail Joseph Tan Mathilde Ooi Ashley Claw Taylor Miller Aashna Aggarwal

Julie Anne Levey Memorial Leadership Award Vinit Parekh Jake Hoberg Tyler Wenger Jake Gerard Ivan Robles Maryam Asenuga

Sarah Mumbert Kevin Solomon Yusef Sabra Lucia Helena Mees Elle Deich

Lars Lyon Volunteer Service Award John Bollinger Callan Loflin Spencer Flynn Snehan Sharma Chelsea Liu Anahita Sehgal

STAR Advisor Award Nancy Kelly Jenn Handel Kiah Glenn

Student Affairs Distinguished Leadership and Service Award Jay Rathinavelu Andres Camino Richard Phillips Shivram Chandramouli Dayton Grogan Christina Oliver Gautam Chebrolu Alexandria Miller Robert Vann Lindsey Hallingquest Manish Nair Brittany Mixon Nivedita Karki Sam Yin Sophia Khan

Student Org Line Up

Latin American Students Association Student of the Caribbean Association (SOCA) Singapore Student Association The Girls Club Arts Connect Duke Students with Interracial Legacies (Duke SWIRL) Duke Amandla Chorus Duke Francophone Society Swimming with the Blue Devils Biomedical Engineering Society Graduate Section

Develle Dish National Society of Black Engineers Smart Woman Securities Lambda Omega Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated Center for Race Relations J-Street U Duke DICE (Diverse & Inclusive Community for the Environment)

The William J. Griffith University Service Award Nisarg Shah Nur Cardakli Sydney Speizman Richard Phillips Manish Nair Abigail LaBella Meghan Fox Ocoszio Jackson Natalie Knox Christina Oliver Steven Soto Hala Daou Sonali Biswas Chinyere Amanze Michaela Thornton

Unsung Heroine Mumbi Kanyogo Sabriyya Pate Anya Ranganathan Glenda Dieuveille

WomC Campus

Impact Award Rachel Rubin Elizabeth Barahona Liz Kennedy Mumbi Kanyogo Jessica Van Meir Lauren Sibley Sarah Darwiche Julia Roberts Vihasa Govada Maralis Mercado-Emerson Tangela Blackwell-Stoner Sandra Martha Batakana Alexandria Miller Duke Students Against Gender Violence NC Organizers, Women’s March on Washington Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education

For more details, visit https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/ucae/leadership/leadership-service-awards

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CAMPUS SPORTS

KUNSHAN KRAZIES

Sports have taken hold on Duke’s China campus since Fall 2014 Amrith Ramkumar The Chronicle

COLUMN

The NBA’s black eye

Kunshan University, there needs to be an element of Duke as well to create what the culture is going to be. I thought sports would be a perfect way to do that.” Denis Simon, DKU’s executive vice chancellor, wrote in an email that the first rendition of the Jiangnan River rivalry led to a similar basketball friendship game against Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. Osuobeni and other students helped organize a hiking trip and 5,000-meter run that still occurs each semester, with cycling, badminton and table tennis among the other activities currently available to students, Simon wrote. In addition to competing with other schools in basketball, DKU also currently plays opponents in

In a year that has seen Russell Westbrook and James Harden captivate the eyes of the basketball world with two of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history, fans have had little to complain about. But a black eye for the league this season—and one that will continue to sting if left unattended— has been a rampant spread of resting players, especially in nationally televised games. With the exception of lockout seasons, the NBA has stuck to an 82-game schedule since 1967-68. Although it has become a matter of tradition, the number 82 is entirely arbitrary, with no underlying argument that makes it better than perhaps 76 or 66. The regular-season resting strategy was once something people only believed head coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs used for older players. But more teams and coaches have turned to the plan this season, for both veterans and younger players, in an effort to manage minutes for star players and stay fresh for the postseason. Although it undoubtedly crushes the souls of fans who purchase expensive game tickets to catch a glimpse of visiting stars, it’s hard to criticize teams that can afford to rest their stars for doing so. Injuries to some of the best players in the game, such as Kevin Durant this season or Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis last year, are capable of

See KUNSHAN on Page 12

See RESTING on Page 13

As Duke President Richard Brodhead navigates his final semester, The Chronicle has been examining changes that have occurred in athletics during his tenure with a series of articles, concluding with one about how sports are becoming part of the culture at Duke Kunshan University. Read about Brodhead’s bond with men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, his role in hiring football head coach David Cutcliffe, his decision to hire Kevin White, vice president and director of athletics, and how sports affects the University’s image online. When Tarela Osuobeni was one of the first Duke undergraduates to attend Duke Kunshan University in Fall 2014, it was like working at a startup company. Although the academic framework was set with university professors teaching courses and there were some programs for students, construction delays to Duke’s satellite campus meant that students were housed in a hotel for their first few months and given a blank canvas to craft the new university’s student culture. “I felt like there hadn’t been deep planning and an understanding that student life was going to be important at DKU,” Osuobeni said. “It just felt like there wasn’t much of a framework for what student life would look like. It felt like we had to make that up from scratch.” With few opportunities for students to engage with one another outside of classes, Osuobeni worked with fellow students to launch DKU Varsity, a recreational student group that offered basketball, soccer, running and weightlifting on different days

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 | 11

Sameer Pandhare

Photo Courtesy of Dylan Crow, NYU Shanghai Students from DKU and NYU Shanghai first came together for competitions in men’s basketball and women’s volleyball in Spring 2015.

to facilitate more relaxed interactions. Even after Osuobeni left following her semester at DKU, the club sports opportunities flourished. Less than two years later after DKU Varsity began, the school’s Jiangnan River rivalry with New York University Shanghai began with competitions in women’s volleyball and men’s basketball. Although DKU’s sports culture has a long way to go to catch up with the atmosphere on Duke’s Durham campus—an announcement for DKU’s April 2015 matchups with NYU Shanghai estimated that 80 fans in blue would cheer on DKU—the Kunshan University’s athletic exploits have already brought it closer to Duke in just a few short years. “[I was] bringing a deeper understanding of American student culture at a university that’s sports and passionate—that’s a part of what Duke is,” Osuobeni said. “If it’s Duke

CAMPUS SPORTS

Club sports enjoying another successful year Ben Leonard The Chronicle With 126 ACC championships and one of the most prominent men’s basketball programs in the nation, Duke has made it easy for varsity athletes to earn their moment in the spotlight. But some of the Blue Devils’ most successful athletes can also be found competing on club teams. With funding from Duke Student Government, Duke Recreation and Duke Athletics, club sports boasts 1,220 members on campus and is sending nearly half of its 36 teams to nationals in the 2016-17 academic year. Among the notable storylines are a rugby player earning a professional contract offer, a cross country runner winning nationals

and growth for club squash and the Dancing Devils. “Our student government is phenomenal with us,” Duke Director of Club Sports Mike Forbes said. “We’ve tried to make a conscious effort to grow involvement instead of numbers. If you have 40 members and they’re all involved, it’s better than having 85 members where half of them can’t do anything. We’ve tried to get away from growing numbers just for the sake of numbers and moved towards growing in quality.” Rugby star offered professional contract Although Blue Devil varsity athletes frequently receive professional contract offers, Duke never had a club sports competitor earn that See CLUB SPORTS on Page 12

Photo Courtesy of Adam Hockaday Physical theraphy graduate student Adam Hockaday was recently offered a professional rugby contract by a team near Denver.

12 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

Chronicle File Photo Opened in Fall 2014, DKU currently offers semester-long programs for undergraduates in addition to its graduate programs.

KUNSHAN from page 11 badminton and table tennis. “The first game with NYU Shanghai generated a lot of excitement not only in the game itself, but also a great deal of

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enthusiasm in Duke basketball (e.g. watching the Blue Devils in action and March Madness on televised broadcasts),” Simon wrote. “In China, collegiate ‘competitions’ are considered as ‘friendship games’ and the concepts of ‘varsity’ vs. ‘[intramural]’ are not as clearly distinguishable nor applicable as in the U.S., sports are part of campus life.” Although Osuobeni said she was concerned other students might not be able to keep DKU Varsity as an integral part of campus life because of a lack of continuity, it has continued to grow and unite a student body with a mix of Chinese and international students. Simon wrote that as part of DKU’s future strategy, Student Affairs is planning recruitment for a full-time athletics director. Sports facilities will be a key component of future construction planning. “The Chinese are an aspiring nation, and they know they start from a very backward position. They are coming to understand that sports and education can be developed in ways that reinforce each other. That was not a tradition there. That is a lesson you

can learn from Duke,” Brodhead said. “The model of education we’re bringing there is a model of total engagement with every part of your faculties, not simply the use of your academic muscles.” Deborah Huang, a student who grew up in China and attended DKU in spring 2015, wrote in an email that even though the young university is faced with a lack of prestige, helping to build its athletic culture enriched her experience. Huang was one of the leaders of DKU Varsity during her time there. “Our sports culture there was to establish a harmonic community by pursuing a responsible, healthy life,“ Huang wrote. “We developed connections that bonded together students from different countries and different nations through all kinds of sports activities. We provided them chances to make friends faster.” The concept of using sports to build relationships is nothing new for the Chinese, who have been using friendship games to facilitate more positive interactions with the

CLUB SPORTS from page 11 distinction—until this year. Second-year physical therapy graduate student Adam Hockaday was extended a professional rugby contract offer by the Glendale Raptors, a team based near Denver. Hockaday still has another year of school to finish before deciding whether or not to accept it when he earns his degree. “It was very humbling,” Hockaday said of receiving the offer. “Obviously, you set goals to achieve them, but to actually see it happen and see the hard work pay off, not only for yourself but for everyone who supported you, it was a very humbling experience.... I’m looking forward to accepting it. Obviously, things have to line up right regarding academic and family life. I want to use my degree, but yes, I look forward to accepting it.” A physical specimen at 242 pounds, the 6-foot-4 player ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at his most recent rugby combine. With his size and strength, Hockaday excels in tackling and rucking—a crucial aspect of the game to retaining possession. “I’m very good at being a nasty player,” Hockaday said. “It’s doing the dirty work on the field. I don’t do the flashy scoring a lot or the fancy kicks, but I do the fundamentals of rugby well.” Eventually, Hockaday hopes to become a physical therapist and work in healthcare policy. He played Division-I rugby as an undergraduate at N.C. State, leading the team to a top-25 ranking and an American Collegiate Rugby Bowl championship, per his LinkedIn. The former body-building champion has led the Duke club team to the NSCRO 7s National Championship in early June in Chester, Pa., after an undefeated run in the qualifying tournament March 4. With more international students who have played rugby for their entire lives than at N.C. State, Hockaday felt that Duke’s style of club rugby was more fundamentally sound. “N.C. State was a bit more physical, but Duke has been more pace and efficiency,” Hockaday said. “We have more skillful players here. We play not necessarily harder, but smarter.”

The Chronicle U.S. for decades. Duke’s women’s soccer team visited China last summer as part of the annual Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, and the Blue Devil men’s basketball team took a similar trip in 2011. Although Osuobeni said it seemed like there was not much of a framework for student life when she first arrived at DKU, Simon noted that recreational sports and fitness programs have been a priority from the start, a trend that he wrote will continue. And as Brodhead prepares to leave the president’s office, changes in the controversial partnership between Duke and the Chinese are just part of the transformations he has overseen. “Sports are an essential part of the Chinese education experience throughout the school and/or college years,” Simon wrote. “Duke Kunshan University Student Affairs intends to develop a sports program that is sustainable, owned by the students, and an endeavor that current students and the Duke Kunshan alumni will be proud of.” like, ‘Okay, we can do this.’”

Photo Courtesy of Katelyn McCracken Katelyn McCracken won an individual national championship for Duke club running, setting the nationals record in the 6,000 meters in the process.

From burnout to national champion Senior Katelyn McCracken had not run cross country competitively since high school before joining club running last fall. A few months later, she won nationals. After finishing fourth in the state her sophomore year of high school, McCracken finished second in Virginia in the 6,000 meters as a senior but felt “burned out” as a three-sport athlete. McCracken continued to run at Duke by herself but felt the itch this fall to run with others. Despite her time away from a team, McCracken finished fourth in her first competitive race and won every other race the rest of the fall—including regionals and nationals. McCracken clocked a 23:08 in regionals before setting a new nationals record with a 22:10 time in the 6,000 meters. “Honestly, it still really hasn’t hit me,” McCracken said. “It was an awesome feeling but I didn’t go into it expecting to win. I didn’t think there was a possibility to win. It’s overwhelming sometimes.” Club squash on the rise When Aaron Jung arrived at Duke in Fall 2013, creaky wood and a musty stench defined the University’s squash courts and were a main reason the club often struggled to field the nine players needed to compete officially. But the current senior worked with

Duke Recreation to fundraise for new regulation courts when he was the club’s president in 2014-15. Construction began in February 2015 and the two courts were completed by the start of the 2015-16 school year, allowing the club to take off. “By then, we had an incredible amount of participation with just the sheer number of players that were registered with the club and being able to take a full team of nine to compete with us at tournaments,” Jung said. “The change has been pretty drastic but has been gradual and taken a few years to develop, but I’m glad we’re finally here.” Increased participation quickly translated into team success, as the group captured the College Squash Association’s national team championship in its division in 2016 with a dominant 8-1 win against Vanderbilt. Forbes said club squash now has 29 active members, and even with Jung—a top-35 player nationally—set to depart, the Blue Devils seem to have enough depth now to stay competitive. Duke knocked off Fordham’s varsity team 7-2 Jan. 28. “As we’ve gotten better results, we’ve had to get our players to recognize that we can do huge things,” said junior Charlie Niebanck, the club’s current president. “When we were standing there with the [national championship] trophy, it started to sink in. People were

Dancing Devils expanding their influence Like squash, the Dancing Devils have taken off, expanding from roughly 10 members to 17 with a strong freshman class and earning full-time status with the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The dance team travels to competitions and has a stronger relationship with the men’s basketball team, now standing next to the band and getting a designated timeout every game to perform at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The group also performs in the portals near the top of the arena, providing more opportunities to connect with fans. The club finished fifth in the nation at the National Collegiate Cheer & Dance Competition as recently as 2010 but had taken a two-year break from nationals in order to focus on involvement at the school. The Dancing Devils planned to go to nationals this year, but a snowstorm forced their choreographer’s flight to Durham to be canceled, preventing them from preparing because they could not reschedule. Nevertheless, the group is looking to continue its growth in the next few years and beyond. “I’m so proud to be on the team and see it grow,” co-president and senior Haley Boling said. “We’ve gone through a lot of changes these past few years, but we’re on a great track to be involved and a full-time spirit squad at Duke as well as competing on a really high level nationally.”

Photo Courtesy of Charlie Niebanck Duke’s club squash team won nationals in 2016 before taking down its first varsity opponent earlier this year.

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RESTING from page 11 ruining entire seasons. Perhaps the biggest supporters of the fan point of view have been a group of former players who managed lengthy careers even with 82-game seasons. But it’s hard to side with them if one considers how the game has changed. The NBA’s deep pool of talent includes players bigger and faster than ever. If you disagree with this, take a moment to watch bigs like Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus Cousins handle the ball on the perimeter like guards. The move away from isolation-heavy basketball means players are traveling farther distances on defense in an effort to rotate to a bevy of 3-point shooters. With guards getting quicker and quicker seemingly by the year, the speed at which the game is played makes it almost hard to believe that more players haven’t gotten injured. Seriously, watch Westbrook go coast-to-coast five times a night and consider just how long he can do that without getting hurt. Putting players on the court more and more only increases the risk of these injuries happening. Basketball is probably the only sport in which the stars of the game hold a voice that can truly resonate with the league office. If this is any indication, even future Hall of Famers such as Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki have voiced their support for shorter regular seasons. Mind you, these are two players that slogged through almost 20 seasons apiece realizing that the game and its demands on the body are entirely different today. By both cutting between five and 10 games and stretching the regular-season by another week, the NBA could effectively prevent

teams from playing on back-to-back nights or facing four games in five days—stretches that place a tremendous toll on even the most conditioned athletes’ bodies. Even the thought of fewer games may cause revenue-hungry owners’ stomachs to churn. But shortening the regular season inherently increases the importance and interest of each game. With the best players on the floor instead of wearing their nicest street clothes, the level of competition and parity in the would increase—similar to how it reigns in the shorter 16-game NFL season. Maybe the Warriors take a few extra games to clinch the best record in the league, or perhaps the Lakers wait 10 more games to begin tanking. With the league drowning in historic levels of cash and talent, now is not the time for the NBA to take a step back for the sake of a few million dollars—especially for an arbitrary tradition of 82 games. The NBA is not alone in that it faces a major problem that could threaten the success of its product. In fact, it checks out as better than some of its counterparts. The NFL is dealing with a concussion and player safety dilemma that has many reconsidering whether kids should even be playing the sport. The MLB has entered recent offseasons looking at pace of play measures after realizing that games can boring and take far too long for average fans. Under the leadership of commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA has grown immensely in terms of revenue and popularity. The league showed its willingness to go against tradition by adding advertisements to jerseys ahead of next season and it needs to do so again by shortening its regularseason schedule.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 | 13

Jack Dolgin | Chronicle File Photo The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams that have drawn criticism for resting their best players, including Kyrie Irving, at times this season.

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14 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

‘All of the Above’ goes above and beyond

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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“

hose on west campus last weekend, probably noticed it was jam-packed with more activities than normal. The older crowds clutching Duke Store bags signaled that Alumni Weekend events were in full swing. The brightly colored garb and dancing on main quad drew people milling around in the balmy April weather into a powwow hosted by the Native American Student Alliance. And, to the point of today’s editorial, one of Duke’s premier theatrical productions, All of the Above, performed on East Campus in White Lecture Hall. All of the Above is an annual performance of monologues about the multifaceted experience of being female at Duke, written and acted out by female students. The event is not alone in trying to shine a light on the female experience at Duke, but it is special in how it does so. Groups with similar foci often seek to hold brightly themed events or bring big-name speakers to campus. Their reasoning for doing so is sound. If they can announce that Arianna Huffington is headlining an event, students will flock to it and the group hosting the event will be able to propagate their message to a wider range of people. But a week after Arianna Huffington has delivered an address, her words will have faded from the memories of all but the most

attentive. That is not because those who listened to her do not care about the meaning of her words, but rather because they lack tie-in and grounding for those words. Events like All of the Above fulfill that same mission, but also manages to create such tie-in. Instead of relying on big names or provocative titles, the All of the Above draws on intimate student testimonials and stories. Its power comes from connecting its audience to the deeply emotional and personal stories of their peers. When an actress

Editorial performs a monologue about how an asexual female student feels like she is being left out of the Duke student experience because her friends fail to understand her circumstances, the actress forces audience members to acknowledge that that scenario exists in their community and hopefully lights a fire in them to resolve it. Storytelling through monologues is an exceptionally powerful medium for transmitting messages, and All of the Above does well to use it so. Unfortunately, because the messages focus on the experiences of a distinct subset of the Duke

onlinecomment “They literally hire people who IN THEIR OWN WORDS put their agendas ahead of their actual jobs. If you do that, and then the product is seen as sub-par, of course that is the first place blame is going to go, and it isn’t ‘sexism’ or ‘misgoyny’ or ‘racist’ or ‘homophobic’ to call it out.

”

— Matthew Guy Nielsen, responding to “ ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’: a failed social justice project?” published April 10, 2017

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community—women—they tend not to be heard by members of the community not in that subset—in this case, men. Considering the importance and mottled status of gender relations on campus, that ought to be resolved. We hesitate to call for the organizers of All of the Above to further burden themselves by directing outreach and marketing for their event towards men, but believe doing so would well serve the goal of the show—promoting a widespread understanding of the multifaceted female experience at Duke. There are other ways to expand the audience of the show, though. When Me Too Monologues was getting of the ground, the production paired with the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the Center for Race Relations; by aligning itself with established, well-known institutions, it was able to quickly take off and become a campus institution itself. All of the Above could easily do the same. Regardless of how the producers, organizers and actresses of the show proceed in the future though, they ought to be congratulated and thanked for their service to the university. Through years of performance, they have given voice to the quiet on campus and broken through the false veneer of the feminine mystique.

The police of the world

ne week ago, President Trump ordered the complete eradication of a Syrian military airfield in response to incontrovertible evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad authorized a chemical weapons attack against his citizens. Trump made the call from within the walls of the “Southern White House”—his beachside residence at Mar-a-Lago—prior to his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump has inherited varied reaction from both sides of the aisle for this bold maneuver. Democrats and Republicans alike have praised him for executing a necessary humanitarian intervention, while members of both parties also have criticized him for abandoning campaign promises as well as potentially catalyzing further conflict in the region. Amidst all the clamor surrounding Trump’s decision, one phrase has consistently been mentioned in both laudation and condemnation: “world police.” Proponents of Trump’s decision to exert America’s authority as the “world police”—to the tune of 59 cruise missiles descending upon Al Shayrat Airfield—have expressed admiration. Simultaneously, opponents have doubled down on the mantra: “We are not the policemen of the world,” which was popularized by Bernie Sanders—

Consequently, acting as the “policeman of the world” has become critical to the United States maintaining its status as the premier world power. America’s desire to promote order across the globe distinguishes it from peers like Russia and China, which are military equals but remain ethically inferior. As the leader of the free world, America has an obligation, and a political incentive, to intervene when instances of gross human rights abuses occur. Trump’s authorization of the coordinated strike on Al Shayrat Airfield marked a departure from a U.S. foreign policy approach to Syria that deprecated American global authority and has been a humanitarian catastrophic. The images of Syrian children gasping for air, as vapor from deadly nerve agents dissipates overhead and bloodied children dusted black from rubble, had become associated with U.S. inaction. The world began to view America as a nation incapable of exercising its authority, either because of weakened physical strength or, more likely, compromised moral fortitude. Such a perception was in itself a national security threat, which supplemented the national security threat inherent to the harm done to global security by the Assad regime. The transformation from Jeffersonian to Wilsonian is one that does not easily occur, as evidenced by the 142

Jacob Weiss NOT JUMPING TO ANY CONCLUSIONS

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and to an extent, Trump himself—during the 2016 campaign cycle. The difference between an interventionist and isolationist stance is a fundamental understanding of America’s role on the global stage. Yet images of the victims of Assad’s chemical attacks have the power to shake even the staunchest isolationist resolve. The fact of the matter remains that U.S. intervention is oftentimes the only way to put an end to crimes against humanity. As the sole nation with the military and moral capacity to counter any threat to global security, America is thrust into a situation in which passivity is synonymous with complicity. Each time news of a human rights abuse has broken, sights have always focused on America with expectation of a response. For the past five years, a glance at Aleppo has always been followed by a look towards Washington D.C. This look has had the length and intensity of a gaze from an opponent in a staring contest, as the entire world waited for America to act. Previously, America had looked right back into the eyes of the global world order, signaling—at least in the case of Syria—that it would not respond. Thursday, America recognized the juvenility of this practice and did what only it could do: take a stand against injustice. If America did not act against the Assad regime, the atrocities simply would have continued to occur because no one else would have intervened. By default—and like it or not—America has become the “policeman of the world.”

years separating the two foreign policy ideologies. It took upwards of 500,000 deaths and countless violations of the Geneva Protocol for America to shift paradigms, but eventually the decision to save lives and reclaim our rightful position in world affairs was made. The implications of involvement in the ongoing conflict in Syria, which features the Russian-allied forces of Assad fighting against the rebel forces of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), are indeed precarious and constitute another established threat to national security surrounding ISIS. However, the cost of inaction is much higher. The threat the Assad regime poses to global security is comparable in magnitude to that of ISIS, and opposing Assad does not mean supporting ISIS—especially given U.S. military abilities. Furthermore, submitting to Russian authority in the region allows for the continued promotion of a world order in which human rights violations occur in Syria and U.S. national security interests are threatened. Given the ability to respond and provided with the opportunity, America had no choice but to take action against the Assad regime. Because if not America, then who? Because if not now, then when? America is the only nation capable of serving as the “policeman of the world,” and if it does not wear that badge, no one will protect peace and liberty against the forces of evil. Jacob Weiss is a Trinity junior. His column, “not jumping to any conclusions” runs on alternate Wednesdays.

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Running for DSG, unaffiliated

his past Friday I received a phone call around 3 p.m. I had lost in my DSG election for a committee’s vice president. Though disappointing, this news was not at all surprising. Duke Student Government inherently favors affiliated students. I ran as an independent. This is my experience. When you run as an independent student in any contested Duke election, you expect to lose. For independent students trying to break into campus politics, there is no greater challenge that highlights this plight than running for a DSG position. Even though we do a lot of good, DSG presents a host of problems when it comes to accurately representing the student body. This year, DSG has made significant efforts to combat representation problems when it comes to race, major and socioeconomic class. However, once again, not a single unaffiliated student was able to win a contested election for committee VP. When the current president, senior Tara Bansal, was probed last year about independent students’ lack of representation, she responded,

impossible to get a group of 120 independent students in a room on a Sunday afternoon for a 3-minute stump speech—but it is possible to gather affiliated students. Furthermore, students do not have access to knowledgeable endorsements. This year, The Chronicle’s Editorial Board cancelled its endorsement meeting with all candidates running for committee VPs. Although the Editorial Board has not had much effect on results for committee chairs (last year, all the candidates they endorsed lost), it still instigates debate and sheds light on candidate platforms. At least in presidential elections, students rely on these endorsements to make educated decisions. The current trend is that the presidential winner is the one who gets the most endorsements. The past three DSG presidents—Riyanka Ganguly, Tara Bansal and Keizra Mecklai—all won the majority of endorsements. Therefore, we need more endorsements to increase representation,

Emerging tech and smart policy

hile we might be far off from artificial intelligence at the caliber and malice of the worldending “Skynet” from the Terminator universe, A.I. and other innovative technologies are moving right along. Certain applied usages of machine learning, neural networks and other conceptions of artificial intelligence are revolutionizing transportation, changing how we use big data and altering how we interact with information more generally. As A.I. gets “smarter,” we will need to consider how to address this from a policy standpoint. When discussing artificial intelligence, it is important to distinguish between general intelligence and specific intelligence. General intelligence is exactly what it sounds like: a general intelligence that has the common sense and thought process abilities to execute basic tasks. Specific intelligence, on the

Monika Dharia

David Wohlever Sánchez

GUEST COLUMN

SIMPLE COMPLEXITY

“I would emphasize that this conversation is not meant to discourage independent students from joining DSG—rather a call to action for more independent students to run and vote.” I heard this. I ran. You should not need to rush a social organization to be able to represent your peers in DSG. I am proud to be an independent student. Thanks to my independent status, I live in a community where selectivity has no home and where I am fully able to pursue relationships with a diverse array of people from all areas of campus life. We need more independent students in DSG because they bring this unique and encompassing perspective. It is hard for DSG to represent the true interests of the student body if it is not fully aware of certain viewpoints. Since shifting the housing model in 2012, DSG has long tried to equate the experience of living in a selective group’s housing to living in an independent’s housing. However, DSG has not had an independent student in the VP of Residential Life position since 2013. So, why are independent students unable to penetrate the executive board of DSG? The first reason is Facebook. Social media is a visible manifestation of the inequities that exist between the privileges afforded to affiliated students. Sure, you will vote for and support your friends. This is okay. The problem arises when people blindly share photos to help endorse members of their affiliated groups. For example, it is a common practice for first-year students to be “encouraged” to vote for and endorse particular candidates. In last year’s presidential election, according to Chronicle reporting, 82 women were awarded a merit point by their Greek organization for changing their cover/ profile photos to support a candidate in their organization. Annie Adair, the independent student who ran against this affiliated student, lost by only 51 votes. Although supporting members of an affiliated group is a common and not necessarily unethical practice, unaffiliated students naturally do not have this privilege of automatic support on social media campaigns. It creates a huge obstacle that is virtually impossible for us independents to overcome. The second reason is that reaching independent student voters is a difficult task. Any candidate running in a DSG election will tell you that that candidates focus largely on SLGs, given their central accessibility. It is

especially for committee VPs. Equipped with these educated opinions, students can make true and informed decisions. In turn, this would increase representation on campus. People are tired of DSG. We spam your newsfeeds, occasionally spend money irresponsibly and take your consulting jobs. But considering that DSG manages your money from the student activities fee and serves as the liaison between administrators and students, it really does have immense power to shape the student experience. Overall, the purpose of this article is not to criticize Greek Life, selective living groups or DSG. These are all organizations and groups that try and do make the Duke experience better for a lot of students. The purpose of this article also is not to say that the candidate who beat me did not deserve or earn her win. I have worked closely with her and I truly believe she can bring change to Duke’s campus. I simply am bringing to attention the fact that independent students are trying to represent their peers on this campus. Independent students care. We are voting and fighting for a better Duke that benefits all of us. If we want all voices on this campus to be heard, we need to start thinking about ways to make DSG more representative. The first step is to encourage independent students to run. One way we can do this is to change the campaign process itself by focusing on platforms as opposed to friendships. By collaborating with student groups, we can change the campaign process to be more about direct student outreach as opposed to popularity. We can continue to enhance outreach campaigns similar to the efforts of Riyanka Ganguly and Will Hardee, who reached out to students in fun and unique ways while also bringing awareness to the issues. Through social media, we can share ideas faster than ever. Let’s share websites instead of profile pictures. Let’s share candidate visions instead of cover photos. We cannot break this endless cycle of affiliated students comprising the entire executive board unless we participate in the system. Even if we lose nine elections out of ten, at least we won one. And if you want to see change on campus but do not want to be so bold as to join DSG, the solution is even easier: vote. Monika Dharia is a Pratt sophomore.

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other hand, is rooted in some sort of specific ability or skill. For example, a chess app might have a very powerful algorithm that could beat even the very best chess player in the world. However, a toddler would be smarter than this specific A.I. at pretty much anything in the world besides chess. The algorithm has specific intelligence for chess, but has no notion of general intelligence and no intuition about the world or how to interpret it. Smart policy will be necessary for regulating both general intelligence applications and specific intelligences. The immediate questions are rooted in specific applications of A.I. (think self-driving cars, kidney distribution algorithms, privacy issues, etc.), and the more long-term questions are rooted in the development of general intelligence (think neural networks, brain emulations and other pathways to seed general artificial intelligences). For now, one compelling policy area is transportation technology policy, specifically regarding self-driving cars. There are plenty of mind-bending questions to consider. Who is responsible when an accident happens—the car company, or someone else? Should the cars be designed to save the most lives or protect those in the car, in emergency situations? If a driverless car malfunctions, is the car company always liable? In the realm of self-driving cars, we as a society also should reconsider our organ donor networks. It is a morbid but important fact that a huge share of organs donated to those who need them come from automobile accidents. There is already a shortage of kidney donors as it is. When self-driving cars become the new norm, the number of accidents will converge to zero, putting unbearable weight on our already struggling kidney donor network. If we truly want to question the ethics of self-driving cars, we also must reconsider the ethics of organ donation and perhaps legal organ markets, as has been suggested by economists and ethicists alike. To be clear, I am not endorsing this suggestion, but rather am listing it as a proposed policy response. These questions are becoming more

and more relevant to the real world every day. Uber recently started testing selfdriving cars in Pittsburgh. Google, Tesla and others also have impressive projects underway. Philosophers like Duke’s very own Professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Professor Vincent Conitzer are already doing work in this area. Wider work from more researchers and more fields is necessary to better understand where we stand with specific applications of A.I. The sooner we figure these questions out, the better. Although a little more far off—though not as far off as one might think— policymakers and industry leaders must take much more seriously the methods by which we move towards artificial general intelligence. Since the potential value of this system is so large, private researchers and corporation R&D departments will be in a race of sorts. If it is assumed

that one could reach general A.I. more quickly by cutting ethical and safety corners, then it is likely that a “race to the bottom” could develop, driven by the prisoner’s dilemma setup. While it would be socially optimal for all of the research teams to take precautions and ensure ethical guidelines, this is less likely to happen when everybody is in a race. This dangerous Nash Equilibrium makes the race to seed general intelligence something to take seriously, from a safety and policy perspective. This race, believe it or not, has already begun. One organization, Open A.I., is attempting to mitigate the risk of this “race to the bottom” by encouraging researchers to use ethical standards in their developments. While private efforts are to be encouraged, they might not be strong enough. This is where policymakers could step in and set smart legal guidelines for what people can and cannot do in A.I. research. Policymakers must learn from experts in the field to better understand the timeline towards more robust artificial intelligence, and to consider ethical and safety guidelines to which researchers must adhere. These policies should be set such that research teams do not feel that they are being disproportionately disadvantaged in the “race” to general intelligence by adhering to safety and ethical considerations, thereby mitigating the risks posed by reckless research that codes first and asks questions later. While it might sound very abstract or “out there,” there is a strong need to pose these sorts of questions. We need to collectively decide what role we want artificial intelligence to play in our lives, and in the lives of our children. Policymakers, researchers, nonprofits and corporations should all have a seat at the table to determine how to most effectively move forward. Author’s note: This piece is a modified version of my Duke Political Review column published on Apr. 3. David Wohlever Sánchez is a Trinity sophomore. His column, “simple complexity” runs on alternate Wednesdays. s.

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