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FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 DUKECHRONICLE.COM
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Divinity School faces questions regarding its treatment of African-American, LGBTQ+ students
By Shannon Fang Staff Reporter
Bre Bradham | Associate Photography Editor In the wake a protest at a State of the School address in March, the Divinity School is facing complaints about its treatment of students from marginalized communities.
A long history of issues around Duke protest built up against the administration’s Divinity School’s treatment and relationship inaction to get it removed. Additionally, with LGBTQ+ and African American John Blevins, who was an openly gay students has left some students frustrated Baptist student, was told to drop out of about what the school is doing to address school by two professors because he was their concerns. gay and would never be ordained, WebbThe Divinity School has also faced Mitchell said. complaints about its treatment of students In 2000, President Nannerl Keohane with marginalized sexual orientations and made the decision to allow same-sex unions gender identities. to take place in the Those grievances came In the end of the day, we felt chapel. Although there to a head at a protest were many supporters, at a State of the School silenced. We felt like our the article stated that address in March. the Duke Conservative needs were not being met. The school says Union did not support jasolyn harris the decision because it that it is committed SECOND-YEAR MASTER’S STUDENT IN THE undermined the rights to the importance of DIVINITY SCHOOL diversity and “seek[s] of religious students. to build a diverse and Additionally, Bishop inclusive community,” according to its Marion Edwards of the North Carolina website. A statement on the importance of Conference of the United Methodist diversity from the Divinity School reads Church said in the article that the decision that a diverse faculty, staff and student conflicted with the church’s official stance body contributes to broader and deeper on homosexuality. understanding of theology. More recently in 2014, former Divinity The University also has a School Dean Richard Hays stated in a nondiscrimination statement that prohibits panel on diversity at the Divinity School discrimination based on race and sexual orientation that students must be aware of orientation, among other categories. the Church’s position on homosexuality. He However, the Divinity School is a United read from the Book of Discipline that “the Methodist Church-affiliated school, whose practice of homosexuality is incompatible official stance on homosexuality is that with Christian teaching.” LGBTQ+ individuals are allowed to attend In a lengthy letter to the Divinity School, worship services, but “self-avowed practicing Hays explained that his statement was homosexuals” cannot be ordained. misinterpreted. “We in the Divinity School are in the The Past business of actively seeking reconciliation Reverend Brett Webb-Mitchell, who with our communities…while at the same served as an assistant professor of Christian time respecting the complexity of our nurture in the Divinity School from 1993- traditions and their engagement with biblical 2003, recently wrote an opinion article in and theological resources,” he wrote. The Herald Sun that dates LGBTQ+ issues Hays stated that he read the concluding back to the late 1980s. words in the Discipline in full, which urges He claimed that there was a time when families and churches to not reject lesbian anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti in the bathrooms See DIVINITY on Page 2 lingered there for months until a small
Juniors Kushal Kadakia, Claire Wang named Truman Scholars By Shagun Vashisth Health and Science News Editor
Two Duke students were named 2018 Truman Scholars Thursday. Juniors Kushal Kadakia and Claire Wang were chosen to receive to be a part of the cohort of 59 students across the nation. Founded in memorial to President Harry Truman, the Truman Scholarship is a fellowship extended to individuals pursuing careers as public service leaders. Scholars receive $30,000 to fund their graduate studies. Kadakia and Wang are both part of the meritbased Angier B. Duke Memorial program. Kushal Kadakia Kadakia is studying biology and public health at Duke. He plans on pursuing an M.D and an MPP after graduating. Kadakia found out that he had received the scholarship when President Vincent Price told him in person. “I thought I was meeting with President Price for a DSG project, and he ended up surprising me about the Truman,” Kadakia said. “It was an incredibly special moment, and
I’m really honored and grateful for all of the support I’ve received from this university.” He noted his passion for healthcare policy and implementing change during his time at Duke. “I would think the unifying factor is my efforts in healthcare policy—the way that I’ve been able to tie in my research at the bench with my service at the bedside, through later doing advocacy in the boardroom,” he said. “I hope to continue my career at this intersection of science and policy through graduate school and beyond.” An example of his work has been his effort to make Duke a smoke-free campus. “Understanding the science and having the leadership to bring campus stakeholders together, and also knowing the policy to navigate different institutional administrators and leadership has been really valuable,” Kadakia mentioned. “It’s a project that I’m really proud of.” At Duke, Kadakia serves as executive vice president of the Duke Student Government, and is chairman of the Honor Council. He has served on the Board of Trustees for two years, focused on academic affairs during
his sophomore year and on institutional advancement this year. “Beyond university service, I’m really active on research on campus,” he said. “I work in
the department of radiation oncology in the Kirsch Lab in the School of Medicine. I’ve also See TRUMAN on Page 2
Special to the Chronicle Juniors Claire Wang and Kushal Kadakia, both Angier B. Duke Scholars, were two of 59 students awarded Truman Scholarships.
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