August 23, 2019 by Duke Chronicle

The Chronicle

See Inside Women’s soccer wins opener Page 17

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

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019 DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 3

Apartments ‘An entire universe of knowledge’ deny students Price connects the dots at convocation for Class of ‘23 leases due to their age One lawyer argues the practice should be considered illegal By Ben Leonard Features Editor

Michelle Tai | Features Photography Editor The Class of 2023 packed into Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday to hear speeches from President Vincent Price, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Chrisoph Guttentag and DSG President Liv McKinney.

told the class that there’s nothing wrong with not sticking to a chosen course. “When you lose your line, when you veer off course and become Most of the Class of 2023 moved in yesterday, and they may disoriented, it’s not necessarily cause for concern,” Price told the not yet know their way around campus. Luckily, President Vincent first-years. “You may just discover places you’d never imagined, Price gave the first-years a geography lesson at convocation people you’d never expected to befriend, ideas that help you get Wednesday morning. back on course.” It was another hot and humid day in Durham as newly Lines can connect as well, serving as “links between disparate arrived first-years gathered in Cameron Indoor Stadium for their points,” Price explained. First-years should extend their own convocation. Duke Student Government President connections by learning from those Liv McKinney spoke first, followed by Dean of who test them, he recommended. When you lose your line, when Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag This way, the incoming students and President Vincent Price—a set of speakers you veer off course and become can link a range of disciplines from that have become a time-honored tradition. their interactions with their peers, disoriented, it’s not necessarily cause Price centered his speech around the 36th professors and others they will parallel north, a circle of latitude that runs for concern. You may discover places encounter at Duke. through Duke’s campus along Campus Drive. you never imagined. He also pointed out that Along the same parallel also lies Tehran, Iran; lines are used to divide and draw Aleppo, Syria; the Jiangsu Province in China— boundaries—the 36th parallel was where Duke Kunshan University is found—and vincent price in fact the line used for the Missouri Nashville, Tenn. PRESIDENT Compromise, which allowed slavery The Greek geographer Eratosthenes tried to south of the parallel and banned it measure the circumference of the Earth in the to the north. third century BCE, Price explained, and the line he projected became However, Price advised the class to not get boxed in by artificial the 36th parallel. boundaries. They should explore new ideas and areas of study to “In the centuries since, that line has guided untold travelers, broaden their worldview, he said. dreamers, and explorers—and now, it has brought you here to Duke,” “Here before you at Duke, along that imaginary line that traces the he added. road between East Campus and West, an entire universe of knowledge He used the line, and what lines can do, to illustrate his words awaits your exploration,” Price said. of wisdom for the first-years. Lines can map and chart courses, Before Price, Guttentag addressed the first-years, whose admissions and the Class of 2023 will soon be charting their course of study, See CONVOCATION on Page 13 extracurriculars, research and friendships, Price said. But he also By Jake Satisky

Editor-in-Chief

When Tessa Gote came to Duke for graduate school from the Netherlands, she quickly faced a problem: she couldn’t find housing. Almost 21 at the time, she wasn’t accepted to Duke until April 2018, so some apartments were full when she started looking. The Heights at LaSalle had vacancies, but the complex didn’t take her because she wasn’t old enough. She had to be 22 to lease. “It’s crazy that I’m a grad student and I can’t rent an apartment,” she said. She said she understands why the complex may have implemented the rule after hearing that parties often take place, but thinks that such behavior should be dissuaded in a different way. Her father Joe Gote, an attorney, argues that apartment buildings like The Heights at LaSalle are discriminating based upon age, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. A Harvard Law professor thinks Joe Gote’s claim is not totally invalid but unlikely to be accepted were he to file suit. Duke should be doing something about it, he says. A Duke administrator argues that apartment age restrictions are the government’s jurisdiction, and many students typically find housing with no problem. Two Duke seniors also told The Chronicle they were unable to rent at The Heights at LaSalle apartment complex due to their age. Undergraduates at Duke are guaranteed housing for three years and “generally” a fourth year if rooms are available, according to the Student Affairs website. Graduate students are not guaranteed housing. Roughly 85% of Duke undergraduates live on campus. But that figure includes underclassmen, who are for the most part required to live on campus for three years. Based on those calculations, roughly a majority of seniors live off campus. Many of those seniors face apartments with age restrictions that could prevent them from leasing—in Durham, at least The Heights at LaSalle, Berkshire Main Street, Station Nine, Trinity Commons, Solis Brightleaf and 810 9th Street all require tenants to be 21 or 22. Not all rising seniors are 21 or 22 when they sign leases. “It limits the availability of apartments. See APARTMENTS on Page 11

Pitchforks is back and (partly) renovated

Nolan Smith talks upcoming fundraiser

Introducing the Community Editorial Board

The popular eatery’s interior has been updated, but students will have to wait for an outside expansion. PAGE 2

The current director of basketball operations will be at his third annual Hoop-a-Thon. PAGE 17

The newly-minted Community Editorial Board explains its independence from the Chronicle staff. PAGE 14

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