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
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, ISSUE 44
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Irving commits to Duke
Terrapin trial for surging Blue Devils
Dawkins: ‘We did not know anything about that recall’
by Gabe Starosta THE CHRONICLE
High school senior Kyrie Irving, Scout. com’s No. 6 player in the country, committed to Duke yesterday, locking up one of the Blue Devils’ most prominent targets. Irving is a 6-foot-1, 165-lb. guard from Elisabeth, N.J. who plays mostly at the point. “When I went on my official visit, it felt like home and the place for me,” Irving said on ESPNU’s Recruiting Insider. He also cited close relations with head coach Mike Krzyezewski and the coaching staff as contributing factors to his decision. Irving had been rumored to be leaning toward joining Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, and SportsNet New York’s Adam Zagoria even reported as much Tuesday night. Irving, however, refuted that claim via Twitter the same night. Despite rejecting Zagoria’s initial report—which cited three anonymous sources with knowledge of the recruiting process—Irving did indeed chose Duke over Kentucky and Texas A&M, the other two schools to make his final list. Irving and his father, Drederick, were unavailable for comment Thursday. With Kyrie Irving’s announcement, the
Bus fire exposes recall error by Julia Love THE CHRONICLE
CHASE OLIVIERI/THE CHRONICLE
Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and the Blue Devils look for their second straight ACC win against conference bottom-feeder Maryland. The contest kicks off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium.
A bus that caught fire last week and three others in Duke’s fleet should have been recalled, Vice President for Campus Services Kemel Dawkins confirmed. Based on the results of a preliminary investigation, administrators have concluded that the Oct. 14 C-1 bus fire resulted from a problem with the electrical wiring near the vehicle’s wheelchair lift, Dawkins said. A batch of Bluebird school buses manufactured in the late 1990s were found to have electrical wiring problems in the same location and recalled by the manufacturer, he said. Administrators did not learn of the recall until Wednesday afternoon. “We did not know anything about that recall, and we were not notified,” Dawkins said, adding that he did not know when the recall was announced. The charred bus—which caught fire shortly after pulling away from the East Campus bus stop—is no longer in service. The Department of Parking and Transpor-
SEE IRVING ON PAGE 15
SEE BUSES ON PAGE 6
Top int’l officials study at Duke Early retirement Sanford’s custom program seen as ‘win-win’ for both sides by Matthew Chase THE CHRONICLE
BETSY BOXBERGER/THE CHRONICLE
Many foreign senior government officials have studied at Sanford since 2001. Sanford’s customized programs bring in faculty from a variety of departments to teach participants about different aspects of public policy.
decision looms for salaried workers
On Tuesday afternoon, in a corner room of the Terry Sanford School of Public Policy that is regularly filled with students, a group of Chinese government officials were participating in a mock debate. These officials, including members of different Chinese ministries and a member of the Chinese Supreme Court, were deliberating the merits of last year’s American auto bailout. As a part of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs program, this group has attended programs at Sanford for the Fall, and will continue to do so until mid-December. This is the sixth year that Chinese officials have studied at Duke. SAFEA is part of the Duke Center for International Development’s Executive Education programs. Joe Tham, Executive Education co-director, said Duke works with countries to design programs that suit the officials’ needs. He said the initiatives bring in faculty from departments such as political science and economics to educate the officials. “This is a chance for us to teach senior government officials about public policy issues,” Tham said. “I think it’s
Susan Ashley Wilson, program coordinator for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, has worked at Duke for 32 years. When an early retirement incentive package arrived in her mailbox Tuesday evening, Wilson said she saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave her career and try new things. Wilson said she will consider accepting the incentive although she may have to find another position because she is too young to draw Social Security benefits. “One can never be certain what the future is going to bring,” Wilson said. “In this economic climate, one takes what is there, and with the incentive at least there is something interesting that provides you with some options.” The University mailed 198 early retirement packages
SEE SANFORD ON PAGE 8
SEE RETIREMENT ON PAGE 9
ONTHERECORD
“I think it’s a great idea for the president to speak to the faculty—I have no desire not to speak to the faculty....” —President Richard Brodhead to the Academic Council. See story page 3
by Lindsey Rupp THE CHRONICLE
Field Hockey: Buckeye Bound Blue Devils take on Ohio duo on second straight road weekend, PAGE 18
Church upset after loss to Cavs, Page 14