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August 30, 2017

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Two more years

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Duke professors discuss the recent staff departures from 1600 Penn | Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 5

Students express distaste towards new West Union items Nathan Luzum The Chronicle The Chronicle had several students sample the new food options available at West Union this year. The new items include a sushi burrito from Gyotaku, Parma Rosa pasta from Il Forno and jjajang from Ginger and Soy. Sophomores Ian Levitan and Ana Belac and junior Anna Merr yman thought the Parma Rosa looked like soup, but they liked it best. The sushi burrito, however—they found it overpriced and just plain weird.

Sushi burrito Gyotaku added five new sushi burritos to their menu this year, all named after iconic buildings on Duke’s campus. The burrito sampled for this story was called the ‘Chapel’, priced at $11.50. It includes spicy tuna, crab salad, lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, avocado, tobiko—orange fish roe—and gochujang vinaigrette, a red chili dressing. Gyotaku also offers ‘Cameron,’ ‘Nasher,’ and ‘Levine,’ as other sushi burrito options. The Chronicle: What do you think of it? How does it look and taste? Ana Belac: It’s like a weird combo.

But then it tastes like Mexican food. It’s not bad, it’s just different. Ian Levitan: It fell apart in my hand. I personally don’t find the look appealing. Anna Merryman: I liked the colorful look, and it’s also neatly wrapped at least. I’m not really sure what the advantage of getting this over the sushi roll would be because the sushi roll you can at least eat with a spoon. TC: What do you think of the price? AB: Too much. IL: It tastes okay but not for $11. AM: I think the price is definitely a little bit too much. I would not spend $11 on that. TC: Is this an item you would get frequently? AB: I don’t think so. It’s pricey, and I think it’s a big portion for one person. Maybe selling one piece on the side would be better since it’s a lot of food. IL: I would much rather get a sushi roll over a burrito any day.

Joyce Er | The Chronicle Sophomore Ian Levitan was one of three students that tested West Union’s new items.

Parma Rosa Il Forno’s new pasta dish, the Parma Rosa contains grilled chicken, Parma Rosa—red and white— sauce, fettuccine, onions, peppers, spinach and Romano cheese. It costs $6.75 for a small portion and $8.75 for a regular-size dish.

Joyce Er | The Chronicle Parma Rosa is Il Forno’s new pasta dish that includes red and white sauce.

TC: What’s your initial reaction? How does it look, how does it taste? AB: It looks fine—it’s pasta. I don’t know what’s in it, but it tastes good. IL: It looked like soup—that was my initial reaction. But it tastes a lot better than it looks. AM: It looks really watery. I would say that it even tastes a little bit watery. Overall, it was pretty good. I liked the spinach and the vegetables that were in it—they gave a little bit more texture. I feel like it could also use more salt. TC: What do you think of the price? See WEST UNION on Page 16

Removal of Lee statue met with praise by community Lexi Kadis The Chronicle Students praised how President Vincent Price handled the removal of the Duke Chapel statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, noting that its removal makes the campus a more welcoming place. Price made one of his first major decisions as Duke’s new president when he had the statue taken down August 19. The move ended a week of growing tension about what to do with the statue after the deadly protests in Charlottesville, Va. earlier this month. Days before it was taken down, the statue was vandalized and several hundred alumni signed a petition calling for its removal. In an email announcing the news to all students, faculty, staff and alumni, Price said his decision “presents an

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opportunity for us to learn and heal,” adding that the statue will be preserved so that students can study Duke’s “complex past and take part in a more inclusive future.” This week, students have expressed their approval of how the University managed the situation and created the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center to help eliminate societal structures that perpetuate racism. “I think it’s really good that he decided to take action and remove the statue,” said sophomore Thien Hoang. “I know for a lot of people, myself included, that it represented a lot of negative things that we don’t want reflected in our university.” Sophomore Jessica Chen added that Price made the “right move” by removing the statue and creating the TRHT Center at around the same time. “I think that’s definitely a step that

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not only generates positive publicity but also makes a lot of sense in the context of Charlottesville,” she said. Other students, like sophomore Mackenzie DeLoatch, commented on how they appreciated the swiftness with which the statue was removed. Similarly, sophomore Gretchen Wright indicated that she appreciated how the statue was taken down “quietly... before anything could turn ugly.” Wright also appreciated the plan to preserve the statue so that members of the Duke community could remember why it was taken down in the first place. However, senior Gilbert Brooks III believed that the statue should have been removed sooner. “For black people—[the statue was] a symbol that [campus] wasn’t a place that you [were] meant to be in,” he said. “This wasn’t a space that was created out of equality for you.” Brooks also noted that he does not believe the statue’s removal will bring

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the student body together. “If [the statue’s removal] will actually make our campus come together? Absolutely not,” Brooks said. “It’s quite foolish to think so, but I do understand the removal.” Nonetheless, the removal of the statue has made Duke’s campus a more inclusive place for students of color, DeLoatch said. “It felt like our wishes were being respected rather than ignored,” DeLoatch noted. Robert Wright Lee IV, M. Div. ‘17 and a descendant of Lee, said he felt relief upon hearing news, praising Price’s decision. “I can be proud of my University for what they’ve done,” he said. “Many places are trying to discuss and just delay the response, when in reality we can move quickly. And it’s obvious that Duke has moved quickly to take care of this issue and speak out against white supremacy.”

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Duke professors discuss Alumnus discovers how White House dysfunction Confederate soldiers died Bre Bradham The Chronicle The Trump administration has seen the departure of a handful of important White House staff and the dissolution of two advisory councils within the last few weeks alone. Among those who have exited are Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon, National Security Aide Sebastian Gorka, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Press Secretary Sean Spicer. So what does this mean for Trump’s policy prospects, the White House’s inner-office prospects and Duke’s own Stephen Miller?

“All administrations undergo change in personnel over time— sometimes pretty substantial change— but this is a pretty remarkable set of top figures to depart so early in an administration,” said David Rohde, Ernestine Friedl professor of political science. “And of course, that in itself is a function of the fact that this is a very unusual administration.” Rohde explained that it is impossible to tell how significant the policy implications of so many innercircle White House staff leaving will be until it is clear who has replaced See WHITE HOUSE on Page 16

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons In the past month, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci and Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon have left the White House.

Claire Xiao The Chronicle According to research by a Duke alumnus, the eight Confederate soldiers onboard the H.L. Hunley— the world’s first submarine to sink an enemy warship—were killed by the submarine’s own weapon. In February 1864, the Hunley sank the USS Housatonic—a Union ship— in less than five minutes, using 135 pounds of black powder. Although the Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship, all eight crew members on board were killed. Researchers have since struggled to find an answer as to why, despite the discovery of the submarine’s remains in 1995. However, Rachel Lance, a former Ph.D. student in the department of biomedical engineering, performed explosive experiments on a scale model and found that the shockwave from the Hunley’s own weapon killed the crew. “It answers this question that has still been lingering about this story that occurred,” said Lance, who wrote the paper as part of her dissertation for her Ph.D. program last year. In the past, researchers have been puzzled by the fact that the eight crew members had no broken bones and the submarine was mostly intact, which suggested that the crew

Courtsey of Wikimedia Commons The remains of H. L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine, were discovered in 1995.

members made no attempt to escape. The predominant speculation was that the crew drowned or suffocated to death. Lance and her research team conducted a series of experiments to address this longstanding mystery. As a big history buff who is also in the U.S. Navy, Lance had been studying the effects of underwater explosives on unprotected swimmers and was intrigued by its application to the H. L. Hunley. Although she lacked access to the actual submarine, Lance used a scale See SOLDIERS on Page 16

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2017 A Cappella Jam

Jim Liu | The Chronicle The A Cappella Jam hosts Duke University’s a capella groups every year during the first week of school.

Jim Liu | The Chronicle Founded in 1980, Out of the Blue is Duke’s oldest female a cappella group and has performed in Carnegie Hall.


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The Chronicle

Law school panel talks removal of Confederate statues Bre Bradham The Chronicle The removal of Confederate monuments around the U.S. has spurred an ongoing national dialogue and physically manifested around the country, from Charlottesville, Va., to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus and Durham’s streets. This recent upheaval inspired an academic exploration of law, personal narratives and history at the Duke University School of Law on Wednesday. A panel of four Duke professors convened for the event—called “Statues and Symbols in the Wake of Charlottesville” and sponsored by the Program in Public Law—along with a crowd that left few open chairs in the 168-seat lecture hall. From sharing their personal encounters with white supremacy to recounting the

historical context of how Confederate monuments came to be, the professors provided insight into the effects that these relics have on society. “In a society where racial violence, hate speech and monuments to hate are ubiquitous, I do not feel safe,” said Trina Jones, professor of law at Duke. “My family members do not feel safe. Members of marginalized communities do not feel safe and we haven’t felt safe for some time now. We do not have the luxury to walk away, to yield to evil, to protest only when it is safe and convenient to do so.” As Jones shared her personal history and thoughts on activism, she noted that she was not speaking on behalf of Duke or in her role as a professor, but rather as “a black female citizen of this country...who is honestly struggling in this moment.” Jones grew up in Rock Hill, S.C., where she was introduced to racial tension at an early age.

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“When I was about five or six years old, the Klan marched down Main Street,” Jones said. “I don’t recall the exact imagery, but I do remember the agitation and worry it wrought among the older members of my family, the people I turned to for protection. It was a sense of vulnerability, of intimidation, that permeated the family and that filtered down to me.” Jones explained how when she heard that the Ku Klux Klan was planning to march in Durham, she felt compelled to join the counter-protestors despite the potential risks. “Five-year-old me was powerless to do anything in Rock Hill, but middle-aged, middle-class me could do something on August 18 in Durham,” she said. “I could join with my fellow community members and say, ‘Not here. Not now. Not on my watch. In Durham, N.C. in 2017, white supremacists will not parade unchallenged.’” Thavolia Glymph, associate professor of history in African and African American studies, shared that she also hails from South Carolina and is a descendent of slaves. Glymph explained how the discussion of Confederate symbols recently gained steam, tracing its evolution from the controversy about the presence of a Confederate flag at the South Carolina State House, up to the recent death of Heather Heyer at the Charlottesville protest. Glymph also elaborated on the history of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., and delineated how the shooting that took nine lives there became a turning point in the national dialogue on white supremacy. “[That massacre] served as a long overdue wakeup call to the problem, not only of physical violence against African Americans, but also of the violence of statues named for Confederate generals and soldiers and politicians,” Glymph said. H. Jefferson Powell, professor of law at Duke, dove even farther back into the history of Confederate symbols. He discussed the context of and motivations for secession. Then, he explained the historical context behind the creation of monuments to the Confederacy. “The creation of permanent Confederate symbols correlates very highly with periods of racial tension,” Powell said. Powell discussed how Confederate symbols tended to spike in popularity at three specific times in U.S. history: during the 1890s, under Jim Crow laws and the disenfranchisement of African American men, between 1915 and 1935, when the KKK reinvented itself as a “nationwide racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, nativist organization,” and throughout the period of the civil rights movement and desegregation, between the late 1940s and late 1960s. Neil Siegel, David W. Ichel professor of law and codirector of the Program in Public Law, encouraged law student attendees to think of Confederate monuments from a “means-ends analysis” perspective. He said that their underinclusive representation of American history should lead students to question why the monuments were created and by whom. Siegel, who had the idea for Wednesday’s event, noted the importance of uniting to face challenges that may lie ahead. “We may be in for a difficult year. There may be more Charlottesville’s. There may be events that are far worse than Charlottesville,” he said. “I hope that when events do arise, we will be able to, as a community, face them responsibly together.”

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Bre Bradham | The Chronicle Thavolia Glymph, associate professor of history in African and African American studies, contexualized the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.


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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 5

recess

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 5

AUGUST 30, 2017

Recess reviews the Class of 2021 reading Blanco memoir explores childhood, page 7

Duke Players return

‘For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,’ page 9

Heatwave concert

Are campus concerts overrated? page 10


R 6 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

recess editors What did you make Taylor Swift do?

Will Atkinson ............................. who? Nina Wilder ............ forget how to sing Georgina Del Vecho.............go insane Dillon Fernando ..............profit off me Christy Kuesel ...........become a snake Jessica Williams .....become irrelevant Likhitha Butchireddygari.............. cry

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Email inquiries to william.atkinson@duke.edu.

WHAT’S YOUR

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dukechronicle.com recess

I don’t remember much from orientation week except that it was devastatingly hot. I was familiar with North Carolina’s stifling humidity—being a Raleigh native, I had to be—but the steamy, uncomfortable climate was a bit too representative of my mood for my liking. Just as the heat seemed bound and determined to smother me, so did my forthcoming freshman year at Duke. I probably can’t recall the minutiae of O-Week because I was either inebriated or occupied most of the time, scurrying from RA meetings to frat parties and every event in between. If anything, it felt wrong that I was so full of despair. The signals were everywhere that I was supposed to be having the greatest week of my life—that the friends I made would be the best I’d ever have, that partying is exciting and fun and fulfilling, that Duke chose me and I’d always choose Duke. There was no room for doubt and very little space for fear. But I was utterly terrified. All of my interactions with others seemed superficial; I wasn’t sure if I’d ever forge genuine friendships. The whiplash transition between orientation week, a seven-daylong romp of hedonistic pleasure, and the first week of classes was severe. Loneliness followed me around relentlessly, and I made the 30-minute pilgrimage back home to Raleigh often. Moving into college felt as though I was incurring an incredible loss. I was no longer proximate to my friends, I didn’t have the comfort of my home and

I missed my family dearly. And though O-Week wouldn’t necessarily turn out to be the worst week of my freshman year, it certainly wasn’t the easiest. That’s what the RAs and FACs never really tell you, I suppose— that it’s okay not to be okay. To be sad, even, or lonely, or depressed or anxious or uncomfortable. To realize that you’re actually terrible at dealing with change, or bad at making friends, or not as excited about college as everyone hoped you’d be. Maybe the transition into Duke triggered the bouts of anxiety and depression that had

editor’s note been suspended inside of you for so long (it absolutely did for me), and maybe you’re not exactly sure how to internalize that, to deal with it, because everyone seems determined to pretend those crueler emotions don’t exist. Here’s where my platitudes and clichés begin: it does get easier. By the sheer force of time, you will begin to feel better. I don’t dare say happier, because that’s relative and vague, but a few months from now (weeks, even), you will find your niche. The weird feelings will pass. You’ll have to grit your teeth and

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bear the discomfort, and knowing that there’s very little you can do to augment the situation is incredibly frustrating, but I promise that by winter break you’ll despise having to leave Duke for almost a month. It just takes time. I don’t have many regrets about how my freshman year panned out. If anything, I’m overwhelmed with nostalgia for all of the nights spent in my dorm, surrounded by the interesting and exciting people I’m lucky enough to call my best friends, still unsure and nervous but somehow at peace. I have no doubts that I left freshmen year a more complete person than I entered it. There are infinite resources on Duke’s campus to help calm the adjustment period—from CAPS to various student organizations—and you should never feel discouraged from seeking them out. In many ways, orientation week is a terrible representation of what life at Duke will actually be like—and, in other ways, it’s a pretty accurate portrayal. The most liberating part of it all, I suppose, is that you get to dictate your time at Duke however you please, be it partying often or rarely leaving your dorm. Each path has its drawbacks and attractions, of course. But those are your choices to make and learn from, and at the end of the day, no one can take that away from you. So, although everything may seem out of your control at the moment, you’ll figure out how to survive your upcoming freshman year. I certainly did. —Nina Wilder


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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 7

Campus Arts

‘The Prince of Los Cocuyos’ explores the complexities of childhood Kezia Matson The Chronicle

Three-fourths of the way into “The Prince of Los Cocuyos,” I put it down, feeling like it wasn’t leading anywhere. The memoir, chosen as the recommended reading for the Class of 2021 Common Experience, follows the childhood of poet and author Richard Blanco as he navigates his place in his household and city. As a child, surrounded by Cubans, Blanco feels uncomfortable not being as “American” as his elementary school classmates. He tries to change this by incorporating more conventionally American food and habits into his everyday life and squirming away from his parents’ broken English in public. Yet, as Blanco ages, he begins to feel guilty for not being “Cuban” enough—not knowing how to salsa, not being able to share in memories of Cuba that his family has, not wanting to participate in machismo activities. The memoir also follows Blanco’s confusion and difficulty with discovering, and later accepting, his own sexuality, along with his search of acceptance outside of himself. This summer I’ve been trying to catch up on classics such as “The Grapes of Wrath” and “The Sun Also Rises,” along with some modern favorites like the works of Khaled Hosseini and Barbara Kingsolver, mostly because I knew I wouldn’t get any time for leisure reading in the school year, and partly just so I could feel somewhat productive. So I decided to finish off the summer by

reading “The Prince of Los Cocuyos.” Expecting something more factual, my only frame of reference being the Class of 2020 summer reading, “Just Mercy,” I thought Blanco’s memoir would be a good transition back into academia. And yet, as I tried to find the lesson, the “aha!” moment, the wow factor that would have made this book important enough to be chosen as the Common Experience reading, I couldn’t. What I found interesting, though, was that I was always called back to the memoir. Without realizing it, between being lost and then found, I was actually making steady progress through the novel. I’d sit down and become immersed in the life of this little boy trying to find his place in what seemed to be a two-dimensional world. Not only that, but the vibrant colors, smells and sounds described in the memoir seemed to pull me through the pages and into Miami, viewing the fading but glorious Copa, hearing my own shoes clack down the aisles of El Cocuyito, smelling the pine and roasted pork El Farito. Intrigued once again after a weeklong hiatus, I picked up the memoir and finished it in one sitting, with tears in my eyes and not a thought of Duke in my head. So no, “The Prince of Los Cocuyos” does not follow the same rules as Steinbeck or Hemingway, nor does it create the thought-out characters and symbols present in the works of Hosseini or Kingsolver. And though “The Prince of Los Cocuyos” doesn’t See PRINCE on Page 10

Special to the Chronicle Author Richard Blanco explores his difficult upbringing in “The Prince of Los Cocuyos.”

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The Medici’s Painter

CARLO DOLCI

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and 17th-Century Florence

Carlo Dolci, Poetry (Poesia) (detail), late 1640s. Oil on panel, 21 1⁄4 x 16 1⁄2 inches (54 x 42 cm). Galleria Corsini, Corsini Palace, Florence. The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence is organized by the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and curated by Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, recently named head of the European art department and Elizabeth and Allan Shelden Curator of European paintings at the Detroit Institute of Arts. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. At the Nasher Museum, this exhibition was made possible by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, with additional support from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation; the E.T. Jr. and Frances Rollins Family Foundation; Patricia Roderick Morton; Katie Thorpe Kerr and Terrance I. R. Kerr; the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation, in loving memory of Jenny Lillian Semans Koortbojian; Lisa Lowenthal Pruzan and Jonathan Pruzan; Kelly Braddy Van Winkle and Lance Van Winkle; Caroline and Arthur Rogers; and Karen M. Rabenau and David H. Harpole, M.D.


8 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

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Playground

August music roundup: Brand New, Grizzly Bear and more Will Atkinson The Chronicle This summer brought a number of big album releases that Recess didn’t get to cover, with new albums from Lana Del Rey and Arcade Fire, among others. In particular, the last month brought in a flurry of records from established acts and up-andcomers alike. Here’s a sampling of what came out in August. Grizzly Bear, “Painted Ruins” At this point, it’s hard to gauge where Grizzly Bear stands among the current indie landscape. Once a titan of baroque-inflected art rock, the fourpiece has joined a growing legion of late-2000s capital-B Bands whose brand of measured, arty pop falls just outside of the cultural zeitgeist in 2017, where the cults of personality surrounding solo artists dominate the pop landscape. When it comes to their music, however, Grizzly Bear seems content to remain detached from these arguments, and the result with “Painted Ruins” is a natural progression from the stately arrangements of 2012’s “Shields.” Now with an added layer of electronics bubbling on the surface, Grizzly Bear succeeds at what it does best. The band has always prided itself on being a truly democratic collaboration, and listening to the interplay between co-lead vocalists Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen, drummer Christopher Bear and bassist and producer Chris Taylor makes discussions about the band’s relevance seem trivial. Though the dominant mode rarely escapes the pleasant chamber pop that has always defined the band, some unexpected moments of levity rise to the top on tracks like “Losing All Sense.” For Grizzly Bear, consistency is key, and “Painted Ruins” is, if nothing else, consistent. Brand New, “Science Fiction” What makes Brand New special? With a dedicated following that has developed since 2001’s “Your Favorite Weapon,” the Long Island group remains one of the few “emo” bands equally adored by indie and critical circles. Perhaps it’s the fact that Brand New makes music that’s equally suited to both adolescent angst and quarter-life crises—unlike some of its peers, Brand New is the type of band that can remain in your library even after middle school ends. The brand new Brand New album “Science Fiction,” then, took the Internet (or, at least, some sections of it) by storm with its surprise release this month. At their recent shows, the band had taken to selling merch with the message “Brand New 2000–2018,” indicating the long-awaited fifth LP would be their last. The epic proportions of “Science Fiction” alone deliver on that hype, with 12 tracks that amount to over an hour. It’s cathartic, heart-on-sleeve, inspirational stuff, if not always subtle; it’s emo with an eye for aesthetic, which, it should be noted, doesn’t make it great. (But hey, Pitchfork likes it?) Listen at your own discretion. Downtown Boys, “Cost of Living” If ever there was an album that reflected the state of the world in 2017, it has to be “Cost of Living,” Downtown Boys’ Sub Pop debut. Led by vocalist Victoria Ruiz and boasting a blistering saxophone that recalls the winning formula of X-Ray Spex, the

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Clockwise from top left: Grizzly Bear, Brand New, Downtown Boys and Alice Glass came out with records in August.

Providence, R.I. group believes that art is inherently political: an artist can choose either to speak out or to remain complicit in their silence. Downtown Boys choose the former, with great defiance; on the first track, “A Wall,” Ruiz chants, “A wall is just a wall!” (It’s not hard to guess which wall she’s referring to here.) The album strikes a similar chord to Priests’ excellent debut “Nothing Feels Natural,” but where Priests often channeled their anger into sardonic humor, there’s little to laugh about on Downtown Boys songs like “Violent Complicity.” Much of the discussion surrounding “Cost of Living” has to do with its production, which was helmed by Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and marks a departure from the lo-fi of 2015’s “Full Communism.” Fans might argue the larger scale diminishes the group’s in-the-red energy, but for the most part it only improves the band’s sound. These are big songs, and Downtown Boys finally has

the means to give them the space they deserve. Alice Glass, “Alice Glass EP” Nearly three years after a rather acrimonious departure from noisy electronic duo Crystal Castles, Alice Glass returned this summer with her first EP of solo material. Sonically, it’s not a far cry from her former project’s work, juxtaposing jagged blasts of electronic distortion with candy-coated pop melodies. Even the track titles, which include “Blood Oath,” “The Altar” and “Natural Selection,” recall Crystal Castles’ near-comical obsession with graveyard iconography. The EP’s pace makes its 18 minutes feel exhausting, but it’s a promising preview of what Glass could do with her reclaimed career, after being denied so much credit for the genius of Crystal Castles by ex-bandmate Ethan Kath. Even if this material doesn’t touch the heights of albums like 2010’s “(II),” it’s refreshing to hear Glass’s vocals twist and turn once again.


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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 9

Campus Arts

Duke Players parody ‘The Glass Menagerie’ in orientation show Will Atkinson The Chronicle

Along with “The Great Gatsby,” “Hamlet” and “Fahrenheit 451,” Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” is a nearly inescapable element of most high school English curricula. The play, originally produced in 1944, centers around the story of Laura, a sickly and shy daughter obsessed with her collection of glass animals, whose mother Amanda seeks to find her a “gentleman caller” with the help of Tom, Laura’s brother. Duke Players, the student-run production group of the Theater Studies department, presents a rather skewed take on Williams’ classic with their free Orientation Show “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” which began its run at East Campus’s Brody Theater last weekend and finishes with two shows Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. The choice of a comedy for Duke Players’ first show was a conscious choice: For first-year students who attend the show, it’s a lighthearted take on a work they may have agonized over in high school—and a welcome respite from the occasional chaos of orientation. “There’s enough crying during O-Week,” director Meredyth Albright, a junior, joked. “We don’t need any more.” With the cheekily titled “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” playwright Christopher Durang, known for his brand of absurdist parody, turned a humorist’s eye on Williams’ play. When he read “The Glass Menagerie” as a child, Durang had always considered himself sympathetic to Laura, the reclusive daughter. But as he got older, he realized that, as Albright put it, “she’s kind of annoying.” In Durang’s

version, Laura’s character is replaced with Lawrence, and Laura’s glass animals are swapped out for Lawrence’s collection of glass cocktail stirrers. The “gentleman caller” is now a hardof-hearing “feminine caller” named Ginny, and the mother Amanda’s motivation is simply to get her adult children to leave the house. Where “The Glass Menagerie” was marked by its characters’ repression, “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” builds its humor on the lines that characters may have been thinking but wouldn’t have said. And though it’s a comedy, the play bears a measure of relevance to current notions of identity with its gender swapping and role reversals. “A lot of the themes are about gender identity and sexuality,” Albright noted. “So it’s funny because when Durang wrote it, it would have been a new subject, he would have been broaching this new topic, but for us it’s like every day.” For this first show, Albright and executive producer Sophie Caplin, a senior, had to put together a cast of four before the summer began in preparation for a dense rehearsal period of two short weeks in August. The timing posed some unique challenges—like an eleventh-hour scramble for an actor to play the lead male, Lawrence—and meant that actors essentially had to be off-book before returning to campus for rehearsal. For those unfamiliar with the various theater groups on campus, Duke Players carves out a unique niche. In contrast with an independent organization like Hoof ‘n’ Horn, which puts together three student-run musicals each year, Duke Players is funded by the Theater Studies department and makes up its student-run branch. The group prides itself on a workshop-like approach to

Special to the Chronicle The Duke Players kick off their fall season with “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls.”

theater production, honing the skills of writers, directors and producers along with actors and aiming to be as accessible as possible for students interested in theater. If a student is a theater studies major or minor or has participated in two productions by the department, they’re automatically part of Duke Players. “At a lot of colleges and universities, coming in as a freshman it’s really hard to get into certain theater departments—like you can never be in a show as a freshman, it’s hard to get into the classes. But we want people to know it’s very accessible,” Caplin said. “If you have an idea for something that you’re really passionate about, we can make it happen.” The Duke Players fall season continues with a musical titled “Once on this Island,” which features an all-

black cast along with music from Duke’s Amandla Chorus and choreography from dance professor Ava LaVonne Vinesett. Along with the musical, the group was commissioned for a staged reading in the psychology department and puts on a series of senior distinction projects in the spring. Even for students who bear little interest in studying theater, Duke Players aims to present a show for everyone with “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls.” Far from overstaying its welcome, the one-act comedy runs roughly thirty minutes, and each performance includes free pizza at Brody Theater prior to the production. If nothing else, Caplin said, “It’s a good date.” For more information about “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” including showtimes, visit theaterstudies.duke.edu.

Playground

The War on Drugs returns with album ‘A Deeper Understanding’ Aaron Paskin The Chronicle

Several artists throughout history have pushed to the frontier of musical innovation by inventing new genres, inspiring scores of musicians to emulate their sounds. Kanye West established the modern incarnation of hip-hop. Bob Dylan founded American folk rock. The Beatles reinvented basically every other type of rock. Philadelphia alternative rock band The War on Drugs is not one of those artists, and not only do they know it, but they embrace it. Among all the artists who try to combine the sounds of their pioneering influences to create something unique, perhaps no one does it better than The War on Drugs. This is elegantly proven on their new album “A Deeper Understanding.” Founded by guitarist and vocalist Adam Granduciel and guitarist Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs launched their career with “Wagonwheel Blues,” a fresh enough take on Americana that isn’t nearly as clichéd as its title suggests. Since Vile’s subsequent departure, Granduciel has been shying his band away from the constant Springsteen and Dylan comparisons in favor of a subtler, more texture-driven sound. With each album the production has grown

increasingly brilliant, until the band finally arrived at their sonic opus “Lost in the Dream” in 2014. With half of its songs clocking in at over six minutes, “Lost in the Dream” created a massive soundscape that combined the indie art rock of Arcade Fire with the dream pop elements of Slowdive. Now, The War on Drugs returns with “A Deeper Understanding,” an album that only slightly falls short of the production wonders of its predecessor while implementing even more influences and styles. “Up All Night” leads the album and perhaps best embodies all of the sounds that follow. Driven by a piano melody reminiscent of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the song also brings to the forefront elements that are unexpected and refreshing for The War on Drugs: ’80s synths and drumbeats. Halfway through, Granduciel’s phenomenal guitar work shreds through the track, while his voice remains ever so perfectly off-tune and passionate, retaining his Americana roots. “Pain” follows, flawlessly blending acoustic and electric with guitar solos that resemble the Edge’s stadium presence. “Holding On” brings the synths again and is only bogged down by a glockenspiel melody See WAR on Page 10

Courtesy of Kmeron The War on Drugs released their new album “A Deeper Understanding” Aug. 18.


10 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

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The Chronicle

Campus Arts

Heatwave and the dismaying tradition of campus concerts Nina Wilder The Chronicle When Duke University Union announced last week that rapper Sage the Gemini would headline this year’s Heatwave concert, I was miffed. The annoyance arose partly because I had no idea who he was before a cursory Spotify search revealed that Gemini was the mastermind behind such songs as “Gas Pedal” and “Red Nose.” Mostly, though, I was frustrated that Duke’s long-standing tradition of bringing has-been, one-hit wonders to campus for a raucous concert on West Campus would remain intact. I couldn’t expect much more, especially given that previous Campus Concerts headliners have included the likes of Sean Kingston (his one hit being “Beautiful Girls”), Vanessa Carlton (“A Thousand Miles,” anyone?) and Lil Jon (who, admittedly, has a bit more notoriety). But still—was anyone that excited about Heatwave? Or Sage the Gemini, for that matter? I stopped a freshman named Steven Herrera as he exited Marketplace, and I began my line of inquiry. I asked him point-blank: “Do you know who Sage the Gemini is?” “No,” Herrera responded. I prodded a bit more. Was he excited, at least, for the Heatwave concert? “I’m not excited,” Herrera admitted. “I don’t really like that kind of music— it’s really bad. I don’t plan on going.” Later that day, on a bus to West Campus, I chatted with freshmen, sophomores and juniors on a whim. The overwhelming consensus among my peers, it turns out, is that no one is really that enthusiastic about Sage the Gemini or Heatwave in general. A few individuals divulged that the concert is, in essence, a great backdrop for binge drinking the night away, reliving the years of adolescence when the words “slow down, grab the wall” would thump through a pair of speakers, inciting everyone in the immediate area to wiggle like… well, you know. The discussion surrounding Campus Concerts—which includes Heatwave, Old Duke (specifically designed to bring forgotten artists into recent memory) and LDOC—begins to broaden when looked at through

PRINCE from page 7 provide the immediate emotional impact that Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy” did, through its individuality the novel is able to convey other messages too often overlooked: the validity of confusion, the earnestness of childhood, the struggle of not being able to name your struggle. While I grew up in southeastern North Carolina. in the 2000s in a small family with Irish roots, I still found I could relate to Blanco in one way or another, just as I’m sure most other readers can. The fundamental experiences he describes, such as wanting and shame and frustration, are universal, even if they manifest themselves in the desire to buy Easy Cheese or in not wanting to “dare disturb the universe” by making the move toward a first kiss. The novel acknowledges the intricacies of childhood, and the complexity of one’s story.

Bre Bradham | The Chronicle Tory Lanez headlined last semester’s LDOC festival, the latest in a string of one hit wonders featured in campus concerts.

a more critical lens. Certainly, Duke is not alone in its efforts to create a campus-wide environment reminiscent of large music festivals. A quick Google search reveals articles entitled “The 10 Best College Music Events in the Country” and “Best Upcoming Spring Concerts at Colleges Around the Nation,” lauding schools such as Cornell, the University of Southern California and, of course, Duke for throwing concerts that allow students to “celebrate the end of their semesters of hard work by attending a concert with major names in music.” If anything, the transformation of college campuses from academic hearths into Coachella-wannabes each semester is both perplexing and alarming. It’s perplexing because, although college is a place to be social and have fun with friends, it’s not a playground. Does Duke need to spend tens of thousands of dollars each year

to plan extravagant concerts for the student body? Of course not—many of the functions orchestrated at Duke can be classified as excessive, but perhaps that’s one of the perks of going to a school with our so-called “quality of life.” However, just because Duke can put so many resources toward these events doesn’t mean it should. Undeniable are the more concerning aspects of events like Heatwave and Old Duke. Our university has a responsibility to ensure that students’ partying is safe and monitored, that the necessary infrastructure is in place to ensure the responsible consumption of alcohol (because, let’s face it, underage drinking will occur whether Duke knows about it or not). What troubles me, however, is that this isn’t simply Duke requiring SLGs to have educated party monitors or tweaking the alcohol policy to be less punitive. These concerts have essentially become

facilitated excuses for binge drinking, set to lyrics like “I’ma forget your age soon” and “If she don’t go crazy then she walkin’ on the highway.” It’s not as if Sage the Gemini ever claimed to be an eloquent feminist, but his brazen way of referring to women and their bodies probably isn’t ideal for such a setting. That’s not to say Duke should abolish concerts on campus altogether—for many, Campus Concerts may be the only way of engaging with live music or more inaccessible (read: overpriced) artists. Rather, there should be a more concerted effort to create an enjoyable environment at these concerts. Maybe that means turning away students if they’re visibly intoxicated or searching for musicians that students are more liable to enjoy (without the aid of alcohol). Regardless, I think every Duke student can agree with me on this: “Red Nose” is a truly terrible song.

The Class of 2021 is currently wrapping up their childhood and embarking on the next part of their lives. This semester, they’re going to meet hundreds of people they may only be able to touch the surface of, with questions like “Where are you from?” and “What’s your major?” And while it may not feel timely or appropriate to jump into life stories moments after meeting, it is important to understand that there is always much more about our friends and acquaintances that we may never know. For the longest time, I felt like the book wasn’t making a point to wrap up, like many of the classics do, following the most basic plot diagram, and this unnerved me. At 18, I want to feel some completeness, but as with Blanco, that isn’t the case. The end of his childhood doesn’t function as a closing but as a beginning, just as this fall is for many students on campus. And hey, if you’re not comfortable enough telling your own story at the moment, you can at least bond over his.

WAR from page 9

With just a couple minor misfires, “A Deeper Understanding” somehow implements even more musical influences on The War on Drugs than any of its predecessors. It is remarkable how seamlessly Granduciel is able to amalgamate Americana, stadium rock, art rock, noise rock and dream pop without sacrificing his band’s distinctive sound. In anticipation of this album, I hoped that The War on Drugs would begin to look forward, to experiment and innovate from within rather than from past influences. “A Deeper Understanding” demonstrates that they don’t need to pioneer new genres and sounds in order to fortify their unique sound.

all too similar to Springsteen’s most clichéd songs. The remaining seven songs either play like stadium ballads, continue to explore The War on Drugs newfound interest in 80’s synth rock or do both. “Strangest Thing,” which shows similarities to Slowdive’s recent hit “Sugar For The Pill,” hits home as one of the stronger ballads The War on Drugs has released. The following track “Knocked Down,” however, is not unique or interesting enough to support the emotion with which Granduciel sings, and “Thinking of a Place,” while extremely well put together, is far too long. The synth-heavy “Nothing to Find,” on the other hand, is a wonderful tribute to New Order (see their recent album closer “Superheated”), and yet it never strays too far from The War on Drugs’ indie rock feel, which pervades the entire album.

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Sports

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 11

THE BLUE ZONE

JUSTIN ROBINSON EARNS A FULL SCHOLARSHIP sports.chronicleblogs.com

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MCCALLIE EXTENDED THROUGH 2021 The Blue Devils are just a year removed from a program investigation

Staff Reports The Chronicle A year after putting a program investigation behind her, Joanne P. McCallie appears set to stay in Durham for the long haul. In a release Monday afternoon, Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White announced that McCallie will remain with the Blue Devils through the 2020-21 academic year. The extension adds two more years for McCallie, who is currently entering her 11th season with the Duke women’s basketball program. “We are ecstatic that Joanne will remain as the leader of Duke Women’s Basketball through the 2020-21 season, at a minimum!” White said in the release. “Without question, Joanne is an elite women’s basketball coach whose studentathletes have excelled on the court, in the classroom and in the Durham community. This extension was earned with a track record that includes winning nearly 80 percent of her games as a Blue Devil head coach, while maintaining the academic success exemplified by Duke student-athletes across the board.“ The extension was also one of the first major athletic decisions made under new University president Vincent Price, whose term began July 1. “For the past decade, Coach McCallie

Chronicle File Photo Joanne P. McCallie signed a two-year contract extension Monday that will keep her in Durham through the 2020-21 season.

has inspired and guided her players to excellence both on the court and in the classroom,” Price said. “I am thrilled that she will continue her winning ways as a Blue Devil, and I look forward to her teams’ continued successes this season and beyond.” After Duke missed out on the NCAA tournament in 2016, the Blue Devils had one of their better seasons in 2017. McCallie helped Duke to a 13-3 record

in ACC play as the Blue Devils finished second in the league standings as well as the conference tournament before making a second-round exit in the NCAA tournament. Earlier this month, the Blue Devils went 2-1 on an exhibition trip to Italy and will be looking to make a second straight NCAA tournament appearance this season. McCallie’s recruiting class—a group that was the eighth-best

in the nation, according to ESPN— features four freshmen, led by guard Mikayla Boykin. That recruiting class opted to come to Durham just a season after missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than 20 years in 2015-16. Following that season, rebounder Azurá Stevens transferred to Connecticut and point guard Angela Salvadores opted to play professional ball in Spain after others had left the program in recent years. After the duo left, the university investigated McCallie’s program for alleged mistreatment of players and coaches. Fourtime All-American Elizabeth Williams, who had played under McCallie from 2011-15, complained about a negative atmosphere around the program in a letter to the administration, according to the Durham Herald Sun’s Steve Wiseman. After nearly a month of investigating the program, White announced he would keep McCallie on as head coach. Earlier this year, White declined to comment on the details of the investigation in an interview with The Chronicle. “I’m not going to get into that because I will take us back into drama,” White said. “We’re drama-free. Drama at this point is not in the best interest of these kids that are coming back, because they’re beyond that. That’s yesteryear for these kids, and the lion’s share were not part of that yesteryear mentality anyway.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Point Guard U: Duke floor generals star in WNBA Ben Leonard The Chronicle Some coaches have a distinct brand of basketball. Joanne P. McCallie is not one of them, generally keeping the Blue Devils among the ACC’s best programs from year to year with teams that have few similarities. But one thing has almost always remained consistent: elite point guard play. McCallie’s floor generals have gone on to succeed en masse after Duke— former Blue Devil Jasmine Thomas started in last month’s WNBA All-Star Game for the East, while fellow All-Star Chelsea Gray, who is in the midst of a breakout season, came off the West’s bench. And Alexis Jones, who played for Duke for two years before transferring to Baylor, was also a first-round pick in this year’s draft. With all of that recent success, has McCallie turned Duke into Point Guard U? Graduate student guard Lexie Brown

thinks so. “I think that’s fair,” Brown said. “When I was at Maryland, I go to Duke and didn’t realize how many point guards we had in the WNBA and overseas. Coach P does a really good job at instilling her values into us on and off the court.” The 25-year coaching veteran has had teams with three point guards on the floor at once, a strategy she took all the way to the 2005 national championship game with Michigan State. It would not be a surprise to see her use the tactic again this season with Brown, Kyra Lambert and freshman Mikayla Boykin. But McCallie has also had taller rosters, like her 2014-15 team anchored by 6-foot-6 forward Azurá Stevens and All-American center Elizabeth Williams. A former guard herself at Northwestern, McCallie has been able to recruit and facilitate strong two-way point guard play to bring her teams together. “She lets them have total control of

Juan Bermudez | Chronicle File Photo Lexie Brown headlines an elite backcourt this season that will also include Kyra Lambert and Mikayla Boykin, with all three capable of running the point.

the floor,” Brown said. “If you’re the point guard, you’re also the heart and soul of the defense. Some coaches let the point guard run the offense, but don’t want them to do too much on defense.

Coach P wants me to do it all, and she’s always pushed her point guards.” Brown finished fourth in the ACC in See W. BASKETBALL on Page 13


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FOOTBALL

Daniel Jones locked in as Duke’s starting quarterback Ben Leonard The Chronicle When Thomas Sirk was lost for the season before it even started last year, Duke was faced with the task of replacing its senior leader—and leading rusher. But Sirk’s Achilles injury gave redshirt freshman Daniel Jones an opportunity to shine. Jones was immediately thrust into the starting role and had some early growing pains, but flourished down the stretch. His play in Duke’s final six games led to optimism that the Charlotte native can continue to develop into one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks in his redshirt sophomore season. Jones is just one of two returning starting quarterbacks in the ACC Coastal Division, and if he takes the next step, he could help open up the Blue Devils’ running game that floundered last season. But Jones and Duke will face another daunting schedule this fall, including preseason No. 3 Florida State. Key player lost: Thomas Sirk The sixth-year graduate student transferred to East Carolina this offseason after Jones established himself as the starter. However, the move did not come without some controversy. ESPN analyst and ex-Blue Devil Jay Bilas criticized Duke in an interview with The Chronicle for not allowing Sirk to transfer to schools that were on its schedule this season. “They may not even play at all, yet,

if Thomas Sirk chose to give up football and take a job at the University of North Carolina as an assistant coach, he could give the entire playbook to North Carolina. He could write a book and detail ‘The Duke Way’ if he wants to. But boy, he can’t go play somewhere else,” Bilas said. “That’s laughably absurd and it’s an extreme rationalization of an excuse for doing the wrong thing. Any restriction on a player as to where they go is just wrong.” Projected starter: Daniel Jones With his late season surge, Jones left no doubts that he will start his second season for the Blue Devils. In his first season, Jones broke the school’s freshman record for passing yards, along with tying or setting 22 other program high watermarks. What made him so successful? It certainly didn’t all come together at first for Jones, who threw five interceptions against Virginia and eight in his first four games against FBS competition. But once the strongarmed 6-foot-5 signal-caller settled in and adjusted to the speed of the college game, he threw just one interception the rest of the season, improving his accuracy and pocket poise. He also could move and make plays outside of the tackle box, racking up 486 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. At the pace Jones sustained for his last six games—against Duke’s top opponents—his 77.1 QBR would put him right next to Heisman contenders Deondre Francois and Mason Rudolph, if he kept it up for an entire season. The Blue Devils are continuing to hone

Juan Bermudez | Chronicle File Photo Daniel Jones closed the season last year throwing 173 straight passes without an interception, the longest streak in the nation.

Jones’ deep passing ability, which could open the running game that was futile last season. Dark horse: Quentin Harris Although Jones is certain to see nearly every snap this season barring an injury, Harris, the clear-cut No. 2 after an Aug. 12 scrimmage, could give the Blue Devils a different look. A redshirt sophomore, Harris has not seen meaningful game action, but perhaps could see more time on the field this year in blowouts or if Cutcliffe merely wants to mix things up. A dualthreat signal-caller, Harris was a threestar recruit who some scouts thought was a project-type player for Cutcliffe. Harris

has the raw athleticism to be a dynamic play-maker, but scouts said before he came to Durham that he would have to work on his throwing motion. No. 3 quarterback Parker Boehme, who follows in the mold of the big, strong Sirk at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, could get some snaps as well. The redshirt senior is listed as the No. 3 signal-caller on the roster after serving as Jones’ backup last year. In 18 career games, Boehme has thrown for 625 yards on 89 attempts while racking up 259 rushing yards and six scores. Before Jones emerged in summer camp to take the starting job last season, Boehme was slated to take the starting role in the spring.

FOOTBALL

Linebacking corps ready to lead Blue Devil defense Ben Feder The Chronicle In a defensive unit full of question marks, Duke’s linebackers are clearly its strong suit. Although defensive coordinator Jim Knowles only plays a limited number of linebackers in his trademark 4-2-5 scheme, Ben Humphreys and Joe GilesHarris flashed their speed and size all over the field for the Blue Devils last season. Although Humphreys underwent shoulder surgery over the summer, he is back at full health for the start of the season. But at times, the duo was forced to do too much and was worn down by the defense’s overall inability to get key stops on third down. However, current sophomore Koby Quansah impressed in limited opportunities, and senior Zavier Carmichael has proven to be capable as well. The Blue Devils should enjoy expanded depth at the position this season. Redshirt junior Tinashe Bere—who was an honorable mention freshman AllAmerican—will be back after suffering a torn meniscus in Duke’s fourth game of 2016, and redshirt freshmen Brandon Hill and Xander Gagnon have drawn solid reviews this offseason.

Key players lost: None Duke has plenty of talent and more than enough youth at the position with no offseason departures—only Carmichael is a senior. Giles-Harris is a redshirt sophomore and Humphreys is a junior, and it seems as though everything is coming together for 2017 to be the best season yet for the linebackers. Projected starters: Ben Humphreys and Joe Giles-Harris Humphreys will man the middle and relay the plays from the sidelines, as he did last season, and Giles-Harris will be featured at the weakside position. Quansah will back up Humphreys and Gagnon will play behind Giles-Harris. The depth this season will be key for the linebacking corps. With Quansah, Bere and Carmichael all having game experience under their belts, Humphreys and GilesHarris should be able to get more rest this year. Giles-Harris and Humphreys led the team in tackles last fall by a large margin with 107 and 106, respectively, and combined for 9.5 sacks. Expect the duo to receive the bulk of the playing time together, as Giles-Harris’ speed and size combined with Humphreys’ overall talent

gives Knowles the ability to play them against any formation. Dark horse: LB Brandon Hill Although Hill likely will not see the field often barring any major injuries, the Orangeburg, S.C., native has impressed this offseason and is another

big body at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. His high-school tape was impressive enough for him to receive offers from Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee and Notre Dame. The redshirt freshman clearly has the talent to make an impact in the middle if he continues developing and is given the chance.

Chronicle File Photo Ben Humphreys was a third-team All-ACC selection last year and was second on the team in tackles behind fellow linebacker Joe Giles-Harris.


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W. BASKETBALL from page 11 scoring and third in steals last season, exemplifying the dual threat that McCallie searches for. At the top of the Blue Devils’ ACC-best scoring defense, the Suwanee, Ga., native sparked a team that missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994 a year earlier to make the biggest jump in the ACC standings ever for a team that finished in the top three. When paired with fellow floor generals Boykin and Lambert—who reportedly could be ready to return in October from a torn ACL she suffered during the NCAA tournament in March—Brown could help Duke have an even faster-moving offense than it had last season. “Coach P always makes references to

the Golden State Warriors,” Brown said. “She just wants us to run and score, run and score—and then of course defend. But having three point guards on the floor.... It makes it easier to get into an offensive flow.” A five-star recruit, Boykin has the potential to take the Blue Devil offense to the next level this season. With physical strength that McCallie says could eventually equal Thomas’ topnotch power and a lethal outside shot, Boykin could be the next in a long list of great point guards at Duke. While she was being recruited, the Clinton, S.C., native looked up to Gray, who was taken in first round of the 2014 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. “She was one of the best point guards ever at Duke,” Boykin said. “When I was coming up, I always wanted to do things that she did.”

Chronicle File Photo Jasmine Thomas was a WNBA All-Star starter last month and led the Blue Devils to two Elite Eights during her career.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 13

Chronicle File Photo Chelsea Gray is thriving in her third WNBA season and was in the national player of the year discussion as a senior at Duke before she fractured her kneecap.

That sets the bar high for Boykin played at Duke from 2007-11 and took to follow—Gray was one of the best the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight as passers in school history from 2010-14 a junior and senior, has established and was in the running for the Wooden herself as one of the best guards in Award her senior year before missing the league in her seventh season. the second half of the season with a She scored eight points for the East Saturday, including a dazzling pass over fractured kneecap. McCallie has watched Gray closely four West defenders to set up a lay-in and stayed in touch with her in her third for Jonquel Jones. With Brown appearing to be on track WNBA season. After spending most of her to join the duo in the WNBA, McCallie is time on the bench in her first two years proud of her team’s growing tradition at in the league, Gray has scored 15.9 points the position. per game for the Los Angeles Sparks and “We’re the most unique place to be a shined in Saturday’s All-Star Game with point guard, or one of them because of 11 points and four assists. the academic demands,” McCallie said. “Look at her now—people said she “Some kids go to college and don’t have would never do that after an injury that academic demands, so they just focus on seemed so unfair at the time,” McCallie basketball. They’re setting themselves up said. “She deserves everything coming The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation for success because they’ve had to manage to her. She’s worked her tail off and 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 so much. But we’re one of the very best now is flourishing.” For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 Thomas, For a For lights-out scorer who universities for point guards.” ReleaseWednesday, Tuesday, August Release August29, 30,2017 2017

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Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.


T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

The Chronicle

“

New year, new wages

T

he start of the semester has brought more changes this year than just new classes and construction projects. In recent days, Duke announced plans to roll out a series of minimum wage increases for contracted workers and employees on campus. Beginning July 1, 2017, the new baseline pay will be $14 which will be raised another dollar per hour the following year. This wage boost can mean a lot of things for employees and it’s important to understand the historical and political context that this decision exists within. Economic inequality in the United States has been a prominent issue over the course of several generations, garnering countless hours of study and analysis. Research from Berkeley economist Emmanuel Sayez and his colleagues suggest that from the 1980s onward, the wealthiest Americans have seen far greater gains in economic growth than the bottom 99 percent. While individuals from all corners of the political spectrum have debated endlessly the causes for income disparity, one thing that’s difficult to dispute is how glaring the gap in income is in the United States.

onlinecomment “Thanks for spreading some positivity dear author! I too find the best way to start the school year on the right foot is writing sour articles under a pen-name criticizing community service.” —Jack Bassett responding to “DukeEngage inspires gratitude, not much else,” published August 29, 2017.

LETTERS POLICY

”

Direct submissions to:

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

Est. 1905

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

The Chronicle

Inc. 1993

LIKHITHA BUTCHIREDDYGARI, Editor HANK TUCKER, Sports Editor SAM TURKEN, Managing Editor KENRICK CAI, News Editor VIR PATEL, Digital Strategy Team Director ADAM BEYER, Digital Strategy Team Director IAN JAFFE, Photography Editor JACKSON PRINCE, Editorial Page Editor ALAN KO, Editorial Board Chair SYDNEY ROBERTS, Editorial Board Chair CHRISSY BECK, General Manager ISABELLE DOAN, University News Department Head BRE BRADHAM, Local & National News Head SHAGUN VASHISTH, Health & Science News Head WILL ATKINSON, Recess Editor SUJAL MANOHAR, Recess Photography Editor MITCHELL GLADSTONE, Sports Managing Editor CARLY STERN, Editorial Page Managing Editor JAMIE COHEN, Social Media Editor CLAIRE BALLENTINE, Towerview Editor NEELESH MOORTHY, Towerview Editor ABIGAIL XIE, Investigations Editor CAROLINE BROCKETT, Recruitment Chair SHAGUN VASHISTH, Recruitment Chair KAT BERKO, Senior News Reporter LEXI KADIS, Senior News Reporter JULIE MOORE, Creative Director

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com commentary

14 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

JOYCE ER, University News Department Head NATHAN LUZUM, Health & Science News Head JIM LIU, News Photography Editor NINA WILDER, Recess Managing Editor SANJEEV DASGUPTA, Sports Photography Editor LEAH ABRAMS, Editorial Page Managing Editor NEAL VAIDYA, Audio Editor JEREMY CHEN, Graphic Design Editor JUAN BERMUDEZ, Online Photography Editor NEELESH MOORTHY, Investigations Editor CAROLYN CHANG, Towerview Photography Editor CLAIRE BALLENTINE, Recruitment Chair SARAH KERMAN, Senior News Reporter SAMANTHA NEAL, Senior News Reporter MEGAN HAVEN, Advertising Director

The Chronicle is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 1517 Hull Avenue call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 2022 Campus Drive call 684-3811. One copy per person; additional copies may be purchased for .25 at The Chronicle Business office at the address above. @ 2017 Duke Student Publishing Company

Additionally, the clear racial and genderbased disparities that are associated with opportunities for economic mobility and wealth accumulation are prominent and impossible to explain away. While it would take far more than a few more dollars added to paychecks to truly solve this systematic inequality, there’s no doubt that Duke has the resources and capacity to help alleviate some of the economic insecurity a lot of its employees face. As one of the largest employers in North Carolina, the university

Editorial has a moral obligation and an ethical duty to make sure it is doing it’s best to compensate the workers that make this campus run every day. Arguments against wage increases that center around students bearing the brunt of higher paychecks fall flat when one examines how Duke allocates its spending. According to a 2014 NPR article, the university only spent 8% of its annual budget on staff compensation whereas 25% of the budget

was spent on faculty compensation. This translates into the average student’s tuition largely going towards facilities like West Union or renovated dorms. Additionally, over the last few years, tuition has already risen 4% consistently anyways. Cost of attendance is now resting at approximately $70,000, with no minimum wage increase to blame the price gouging on. Often, Duke students view integral staff as cogs of the greater Duke machine rather than as people with the same basic needs as anyone else. While random acts of kindness from students like cakes or cards are appreciated, they aren’t enough to balance out financial precariousness among workers on campus. Continue to greet and chat with the janitorial staff in your dorm or the cooks in West Union, but also advocate alongside them for better working conditions and benefits that they deserve. The income raise is welcome news and will hopefully be the first step on a longer journey towards workers at Duke being treated like the valuable and indispensable part of the community that they are.

Corruption in the Senate

O

ne of the most important, albeit underreported, political stories of the year is that of Robert Menendez, the senior Democratic Senator from New Jersey who has served in Congress since 1993. Next week, Menendez will arrive in federal court in Newark, New Jersey to face charges of corruption, bribery and fraud brought forward by the Obama Justice Department in 2015. According to his indictment, Menendez implicated himself in a quid pro quo with Salomon Melgen, an ophthalmologist and personal friend of the Senator. In a scandalous storyline that would fit nicely in the television show House of Cards, Menendez allegedly used his status as a Senator to benefit Melgen through a port security deal and the acquisition of visas for Melgen’s girlfriends in exchange for luxurious vacations and political donations. Melgen will appear as a co-defendant with Menendez, but in an unrelated case, he has already been convicted on 67 counts of defrauding Medicare of over $100 million and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Ian Buchanan LET FREEDOM RING If Menendez is removed from office or resigns, the New Jersey Governor, currently Republican Chris Christie, will appoint a temporary replacement. However, Christie’s term ends on Jan. 16, and recent polling suggests that Phil Murphy, a Democrat, maintains a 20 point lead over Republican Kim Guadagno, and is likely to assume the governorship in January. The political implications of the case are enormous. Currently, Republicans maintain a 52-seat majority in the Senate but have been unable to consistently whip the necessary votes to maintain a governing majority and pass legislation. In July, their attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed by just one vote in the Senate after Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted no, and John McCain dramatically returned from cancer treatment to vote down the bill on the Senate floor. A Christie appointment would likely add another member to the Republican caucus and present the opportunity for another vote on healthcare, which could now pass even with three Republican dissensions. Republican Senate Leadership would likely jump at the opportunity to reintroduce the bill that would fulfill a long-awaited campaign promise. An interesting wrinkle to this case is that even a criminal conviction would not automatically remove Senator Menendez from office. As reported by The New York Times, Menendez will remain in office until

he voluntarily resigns or is removed by two thirds of his colleagues, which would require bi-partisan support from Republicans and Democrats. For Republicans, the Menendez case is certainly a boon, as it presents the possibility of increasing their majority in the Senate while embracing the moral high ground by rebuking corruption. If Menendez is eventually convicted, he is unlikely to find many allies in the Republican caucus, many of whom will undoubtedly call for his resignation. From Democrats’ perspective, Senator Menendez’s trial presents a political challenge and a moral imperative. Politically, losing Menendez’s vote in a closely divided Congress could be severely detrimental to the Democratic agenda, especially on healthcare. However, if Menendez is convicted, Democrats have a moral obligation to call for his immediate resignation as well, no matter who holds the governorship of New Jersey. The day that a man convicted of corruption or bribery remains a United States Senator to influence a political vote is a sad day for American democracy. If Menendez is eventually convicted, some may argue that keeping him in office is a necessary means to prevent the advancement of a Republican repeal of Obamacare. This claim warrants some consideration, for it does seem resolutely undemocratic that one temporary appointee to the Senate could decide on the American healthcare system for generations. Nonetheless, it is irresponsible to endorse this course of action, for at a time when America is so bitterly divided, it descends into rank partisanship and blatantly ignores the importance of the rule of law and political integrity as pillars of American civic life. There are many possible solutions to the problems America currently faces, but it is difficult to argue that more partisanship is one of them. Just as in the Russia investigation, every American, regardless of political affiliation ought to hope for the same result in Menendez’s trial: that it reveals the truth and administers justice so that the nation can proceed accordingly. If Senator Menendez is indeed innocent, may his day in court fully exonerate him, and if he has erred, may the court’s decision condemn his mistakes. In describing the United States Senate, the body in which Menendez currently serves, Tocqueville lauded its members as “a large proportion of the most celebrated men in America.” Similarly, in Federalist 62, Madison stressed the importance of “stability of character” in the members of Congress’s upper chamber. If the allegations against Senator Menendez are true, he is undeserving of the honor of serving in one of America’s most venerable political institutions. Ian Buchanan is a Trinity sophomore. His column, “let freedom ring,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.


The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com commentary

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | 15

A PSA to first-years Vineyard Vines: clothing

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SA to first-years: one of the items on the Chronicle’s 101 things to before you graduate is “go to the activities fair as a freshman, sign-up for 10+ clubs, and get spammed with emails for the next four years.” The activities fair is today. Go out on the quad and enjoy all the resources that will only be available to you for four years. Also, another piece of advice: Don’t do too much. Don’t be so stressed, so busy, that you can’t actually enjoy your four years here. These were the conflicting messages that I first recall hearing during O-week, but have continued to hear– that we should make maximum use of the resources (particularly those outside the classroom) available to us but at the same time, not overcommit. Over the summer, I met with a cousin who was born and raised in the UK and was currently enrolled in a public university in the UK. During our conversation comparing our college university experiences, I had trouble justifying two things: Duke’s tuition, and the pressure to do non-academic things outside of class. The first point is nothing new. In the Chronicle alone, alumni, parents, and the

participate in extracurriculars in high school, then it shouldn’t be a surprise that those same kids will want to meaningfully participate in extracurriculars in college. If one were to ask if it were okay to take a normal course-load and only be involved in a handful of extracurriculars, to eat a meal alone and just unwind, to just be… a nerd, the polite, non-judgmental answer would be “Yes, of course that’s fine. You do you (and other people, if that’s your thing).” But when confronted with the reality, when everyone else seemingly wants to be this busy, when people both at and outside of Duke praise the resource-rich environment, when large empty blocks on my Google Calendar worry me, can’t we acknowledge that stress and busyness aren’t some sort of status symbol, and that it’s actually just… kind of stressful? On the Davidson Institute’s website, J. Webb writes, “It is such existential issues that lead many of our gifted individuals to bury themselves so intensively in “causes” (whether these causes are academics, political or social causes, or cults).” A Washington Post article talking about

brand or character flaw?

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n a hot Carolina summer afternoon, in the shadow of a slowly deteriorating barn, a sea of pastel ripples like a field of Dutch tulips in a light breeze. And call me Ishmael, because this sea is full of whales. Vineyard Vines is to Duke what an unneutered dog is to your local park: f***ing everywhere. The whales swim the corridors of West Union, come up for air in the main quad and hunt the floors of frat houses. You may even find them sitting in a pack in your Econ lecture or waving their hands in the air whilst sitting atop the highest possible peak at a darty. But what exactly are these mysterious creatures and how did they come to be so ubiquitous? Vineyard Vines is an upscale clothing brand inspired by the culture of New England vacation island Martha’s Vineyard. Everything about the brand

Amy Fan

Sami Kirkpatrick

FANGIRLING

COLUMNIST

Editorial Board have spoken out against tuition hikes in past years. For some perspective, Duke’s recent commitment to a $15 minimum wage by 2019 means that an employee working 40 hours a week at minimum for 52 weeks a year makes $31,200, before taxes. Compare that with the cost of attendance. But this second point is also nothing new. In “The Organization Kid”, an essay in the Atlantic published 16 years ago (in 2001!), David Brooks talks about his experiences talking with Princeton students at the time and states that student schedules sounded “like a session of Future Workaholics of America” The Wikipedia page on extracurricular activities itself warns that the article may have too much of an American perspective. If Wikipedia is the sacred source of all information, then are extracurricular activities really a ‘Murican construction? And where did this pressure to be involved originate from? The most obvious link is to the process that led all of us to Duke. If the admissions process rewards kids who meaningfully

adults— not just college students—being “busy” all the time quotes Ben Hunnicutt, one of the few leisure scholars, as saying: “Work has become central in our lives, answering the religious questions of ‘Who are you?’ and ‘How do you find meaning and purpose in your life?’” Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the reasons many Duke students are “busy” are different from those of a large proportion of college students nationwide. 40% of undergraduate students in the US work at least 30 hours a week alongside classes (Duke caps work-study at just under 20 hours), and a quarter of undergraduates are single parents (I doubt statistics are needed to convince people that the proportion is significantly less at Duke). Drawing this contrast seems to discount the magnitude of the problem at Duke, but whether that eases the difficulty of deciding how to balance everything is debatable. Best of luck. Amy Fan is a Trinity sophomore. Her column, “fangirling” runs on alternate Wednesdays.

Move-In excitement

Cartoon by Daniela Flamini.

screams sailing, fishing and waiting for the grandma that never hugged you to die so you can get your portion of the inheritance. The brand was founded in 1998 by two white dudes named Shep and Ian who like to put quotes on their website like “We had plenty of doors slammed in our faces, but it’s like they say: When one door closes, go in through the window” or “We weren’t selling our ties. We were selling our stories.” The two brothers grew up in Connecticut and spent every summer in Martha’s Vineyard. In the late nineties, they grew tired of their Manhattan desk jobs and decided to, as they put it, “trade in our business suits for bathing suits by selling ties so we wouldn’t have to wear them.” Cool. They started out by selling colorful ties depicting “icons of the good life” (sailboats, martinis, cigars, etc.) and over the next twenty years grew the company to have approximately 70 locations across the United States. As Drake once said: “Started from the upper-middle now we’re here.” Jokes aside, as far as I can tell Vineyard Vines seems to be a morallyrun company with the wholesome motto of “Every day should feel this good.” But what the company intends its reputation to be is completely different from what it has become in the context of Duke (and other universities for that matter). When I think of Vineyard Vines, I think of East Coast money, entitlement and elitism. Additionally, since so many of those who choose to wear Vineyard Vines are also involved with Greek Life on campus, it has come to be heavily associated with that subculture and its many problematic practices. Vineyard Vines is by no means the only upscale clothing company to embody an elitist culture. All brands make a statement, all brands have a reputation. But no brand makes a louder statement than Vineyard Vines. It’s pretty hard to not notice someone wearing a Vineyard Vines shirt when there’s a giant pink whale plastered across their back. Even the shirts with smaller logos are impossible to miss because no other clothing company would dare to put so many aggressively bright and clashing

colors on one polo. That brings me to another equally frustrating conclusion. If you’re going to spend seventy dollars on a polo shirt, why buy one that looks like it was designed by Dr. Seuss? I’m not one to buy into ridiculously priced clothing regardless, but at least brands like Chanel and Gucci have some claim to it being high fashion. In my opinion, Vineyard Vines…actually scratch that. Vineyard Vines clothing is objectively ugly. For this reason, I only see one explanation as to why so many people choose to wear Vineyard Vines, and that is to advertise—be it truthfully or falsely—that they come from money. Some may do this consciously, others more subconsciously, but I highly doubt anyone at Duke just happened to stumble into a Vineyard Vines store and buy a polo because they thought it

looked cool without knowing anything about the brand or its reputation. It’s hard to blame people who do this. For many people coming into Duke, Greek life is the end-all-be-all when it comes to having a social life. Greek life rewards fitting in, not standing out, and as much as Duke has increased its diversity over time, the upper echelons of its social hierarchy (if you choose to buy into that notion) remain primarily a playground for the rich. All this is not to say that anyone who wears Vineyard Vines is a bad person. As tempting as it can sometimes be to judge a book by its cover, just writing this I’ve been thinking about all the great people I know who choose to wear Vineyard Vines on occasion who I might need to have an awkward conversation with if they happen to read this article. At the end of the day what you choose to wear says next to nothing about who you really are as a person. This is also not a call to action to burn all of your Vineyard Vines clothing. Wear whatever you want. I’m just one overly opinionated college sophomore with a column making a statement. A statement that is far less obnoxious and sh*tty than owning 3 mint-colored, whale-themed long-sleeve tees. this program, Duke wouldn’t be producing so many students who care about sharing their priviledg blessings with others. Remarked one recent Duke graduate, “DukeEngage has stayed with me even now—I still tell stories about it to my colleagues at McKinsey. It was just the perfect way for me to get out there and take part in the voluntarism I’d talked about for all those years.” When asked about her favorite service experience in Durham, she declined to comment. Sami Kirkpatrick is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs on alternate Wednesdays.


16 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

dukechronicle.com

SOLDIERS from page 2

Jack Dolgin | The Chronicle In the past month, four prominent presidential advisory councils have dissolved, including ones on manufacturing, economics, infrastructure and arts and humanities.

WHITE HOUSE from page 2 the departed individuals’ influences on Trump. “It’s really hard to tell [what policy changes will result], because the most important driving force in an administration is the president himself,” Rohde said. “What effect these have is going to depend largely on whether the president alters his patterns of behavior or persists in them. We don’t know who is going to replace these people—I don’t mean in their specific offices, but in interactions with the president. So, the changes could end up being only cosmetic and changes in the names of players, or it could lead to some significant changes in outputs of the administration.” Rohde noted that the departure likely to have the biggest effect on Trump is that of Bannon. Bannon had a “special relationship” with the president, his exit being the “most important,” according to Rohde. He noted that if the president has other “extremely conservative, populist figures” to take the place of Bannon and Gorka’s influence, then the impact of the changes will be minimal. However, if their departures leads to his reliance on less extreme individuals, then there may be a large effect. “But again, that’s the key to it— how all of this affects the president,” Rohde said. He explained that John Kelly, Priebus’s replacement as White House Chief of Staff, is not a very political person, and that him replacing Priebus keeps the “nature” of the national security group intact. This means that the policy area most likely to be effected by the personnel changes is domestic politics, instead of international interests. How much affect the changes have had on Trump’s personal style is not easy to determine. “There does seem to be some evidence on some occasions since the personnel change that the president has taken a less flamboyant, less confrontational approach in certain public appearances,” explained Rohde. “But then in other public appearances—like the one in Arizona— it’s as extreme as it’s ever been. It’s hard to say.” David Siegel, associate professor of political science, said that there are two ways of viewing the personnel shakeups in the Trump administration. The more cynical view is that the changes are “palace intrigue” designed to distract people, while

model of the Hunley that she built. Lance said that she believes the results would not have been different even with the actual submarine. “You can perform explosive experiments by scaling them down in size and we blasted the scale model in two different ways,” she explained. The first experiment used compressed gas to simulate the effects of the explosions without using actual live explosion. Subsequently, scaled black powder charges were used. After placing the model submarine in a pond and exposing it to scaleddown charges based on ones the actual Hunley would have used, Lance then measured the pressures inside the submarine and outside in the water. The pressures allowed her to calculate how much of the blast was being transmitted across the water. According to her results, the torpedo used by the Hunley exploded while it was underwater. Since water transmits blasts well, the pressure wave from the explosion was transmitted to the hull of the boat. Crucially, and unlike modern submarines, the Hunley had a remarkably thin hull, which proved fatal for the crew within. “[The pressure wave] caused a really sharp, really fast deformation in that hull. And that little motion was enough to create a secondary pressure wave inside the boat,” Lance said. “That secondary pressure wave inside the boat was of sufficient amplitude that it would’ve caused lethal blast traumas to the crew inside.” Lance said that the blast injuries would have caused immediate fatal lung trauma, also known as “blast lung,” which could explain the lack of apparent injuries on the crew’s skeletons. Although Navy researchers involved with the official examination of the Hunley expressed doubts about her blast wave theory, Lance noted her carefulness in taking the measurements from confirmed sources and using multiple reference points. “There were two measurements that really mattered,” Lance said. “The first one was the thickness of the hull, which had been published in multiple sources. And the second one was the distance from the charge, which was very evident from the fact of where the remains of the charges were found.” Lance’s blast research received monetary support from a variety of sources. This included the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation

The Chronicle Endowment Fund at Duke, the Department of Defense SMART Scholarship Program, the U.S. Army MURI program and an Exploratory Research Grant from the Hagley Library’s Center for the History of Business, Technology and Society. “[The Hunley is the] only case study of people having [a] fatal blast injur y while inside a vessel, or a protected vehicle, and it proves that this phenomenon is possible,” Lance said.

WEST UNION from page 1 AB: It’s okay for the pasta—it’s not overpriced. IL: I think it’s okay. It’s reasonable compared to other places. AM: The price is definitely reasonable. TC: Is this an item you would get frequently? AB: It’s definitely an item I would get often because I eat pasta almost every day, and it tastes good. IL: I think so, yeah. AM: I personally don’t eat a lot of pasta, so I probably wouldn’t get it that often.

the administration accomplishes its policy goals—such as the dismantling of Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Siegel analogized it to the palace intrigue commonly seen in authoritarian regimes. “The non-cynical version of this is that Jjajang it could be realignment in the sense of there has not been a very strong policy Ginger and Soy’s new offering is a output from the Trump administration Korean noodle dish, which includes and there might be perception that they black bean paste, pork and onions. It is priced at $8.95. need some actual concrete outcomes to happen, and most of their goals—the Obamacare repeal and so on—have TC: What’s your initial reaction? not succeeded,” said Siegel. “So you IL: Yeah, I don’t like it. It tastes okay, might imagine that clearing the deck but I don’t want it to have that same taste for the whole bowl. I wouldn’t of people who have not helped achieve like to eat the whole thing of that—I policy goals might be a natural way to feel like I’d get sick or something. The kind of do that.” Members of Trump’s inner-circle color is gross. are not the White House’s only recent AM: At first glance, it doesn’t look very appealing since it’s kind of all one departures. His manufacturing council color. I got like a bone or cartilage, and economic advisory council were which was not a great experience. dissolved on August 16 after a wave Overall, it’s not bad. You can’t really see of members departed due to the what’s actually in it. president’s comments on the events in Charlottesville. TC: What do you think of the price of William Boulding, Dean of the Fuqua School of Business, wrote in an email this Ginger and Soy item? IL: That’s expensive. I would that there are risks associated with a always choose Il Forno over that for CEO taking a political stand, like leaving an advisory council convened by the the same price. AM: I feel like that’s okay if it’s president. He said that business leaders tend to act when a political action really good, but I’m not sure it’s worth the $8.95. threatens to harm their business model, hurt their employees, undermines their company’s values or conflicts with their TC: Is jjajang an item you would get frequently at West Union? personal ethics. “Some CEOs were genuinely hopeful AM: I don’t mind eating it, but I probably wouldn’t get it again. that they could advocate for reforms they felt would help the business IL: Maybe if it were a smaller portion, I would do it. community at large and that by having a voice at the table they could help affect change,” Boulding wrote. “However, I think many CEOs have been struggling to reconcile affecting change with condoning the President’s behavior in some contexts.” Despite the mass exit of business leaders from Trump’s administration coinciding with the departures of his high-level staff, Siegel said he does not see the two as being connected. Considering all the recent personnel turmoil, how does Duke grad Stephen Miller’s job security fair? “I have no idea,” Rohde said. “No idea. You can imagine that those forces that—again, most probably Kelly— who helped to engineer some of these departures want to continue. On the other hand, Miller is someone—given these other changes—the president may want to hang onto. I would say that his degree of job security depends now very, Joyce Er | The Chronicle very much on his personal relationship Jjajang is Ginger and Soy’s newest dish. A Korean noodle dish, jjagang combines black bean paste, pork and onions. with the president.”


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August 30, 2017 by Duke Chronicle - Issuu