March 7, 2018

The Chronicle

See Inside Allen resists thought of boycott Page 8

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 66

Meet the students running for DSG President Sean Bissell

By Shannon Fang Staff Reporter

If elected president of Duke Student Government, junior Sean Bissell hopes to improve access and inclusion, equity, campus culture and intellectual engagement through well-researched, implementable and tangible ideas.

Bissell joined Duke Student Government

Jamal Burns

By Claire Ballentine Towerview Editor

First-year Jamal Burns is looking to shake up Duke Student Government and promote inclusivity on campus through his campaign for president.

He said he hopes to provide a unique perspective as a first-year student who has the longevity on campus to follow through

See HOBERG on Page 12

Transparency and representation are key issues that junior Yemi Kolawole strives to address in her campaign for Duke Student Government president.

Kolawole, who is currently the chief of staff, has worked alongside current DSG president Riyanka Ganguly in performing

At the heart of Sabriyya Pate’s campaign to be Duke Student Government president is her care for the school and the people within it.

“Every day I am in awe of the amazing people on this campus. Everyone here is going to be a leader in whatever they pursue,

logistical duties within the government. She notes that her first-hand experience on the daily activities of the president have prepared her to take on the role of president.

“I have helped Riyanka do her work and seen her engage with students, faculty, and administrators,” Kolawole said. “Outside of the projects and policy, I really know the ins and outs of tasks like writing a blast, engaging with administrators, emailing them, running See KOLAWOLE on Page 12

but I see the gaps in student life, and I’m disappointed,” Pate said. “I want to be a part of the effort to make sure students’ interests are being heard and acted upon.”

With leadership experience for multiple student groups on campus—including the Alexander Hamilton Society, Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research and American Grand Strategy Program Council—Pate has been an active

By Shagun Vashisth Health and Science News Editor

Junior Kristina Smith plans to prioritize affordability and accessibility on campus through Duke Student Government in her campaign for president.

She hopes to make use of her greatest asset—her active listening skills—to create concrete policy and action on behalf of the

From StudioDuke to screen students

with PAGE 6

Alec Lintz

By Bre Bradham Local and National News Editor

Alec Lintz doesn’t think he knows all of Duke’s problems.

That’s why the junior’s campaign for executive vice president is built around communication, collaboration and culture change—to amplify the voices of those who know the problems best, he said.

“I’m not saying that I know everything that is wrong with Duke, and so as EVP I would try to create an atmosphere where See LINTZ on Page 2

Kayla Thompson

By Ben Leonard

See PATE on Page 4

Kristina Smith

How Duke I&E pairs creative alumni in arts and media industries

Contributing Reporter

See BURNS on Page 3

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

By Deepti Agnihotri

with his potential projects.

“I recognized a need to go against the status quo,” he said. “I recognized the structure of DSG promotes a hierarchy that I wish to expel. A hierarchy at any system is inefficient because people’s voices tend to get drowned out.”

Burns is currently the president of the house council for Pegram residence hall and a member of NAACP executive board as well

By Sean Cho

By Kathryn Silberstein

See BISSELL on Page 4

Jake Hoberg Sophomore Jake Hoberg wants to redefine what it means to be executive vice president.

Hoberg is currently a senator for services and sustainability and served as a senator for Durham and regional affairs last year. As EVP, he would aim to increase access to student resources

Yemi Kolawole

Sabriyya Pate

during his first year on campus and served as a senator for academic affairs. He now serves as vice president of academic affairs, a role he has held since his sophomore year. Bissell is also a member of the the Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee, where he helps advise and provide input on the direction of Duke academics.

“I was really attracted to [academic affairs] because I really felt that it could

Here’s a look at the DSG EVP candidates

Staff Reporter

student body. Smith said she aims to broaden the reach of Duke students, both locally and around the world, and to change unhealthy parts of campus culture.

“In my last around three years in DSG and on campus, I have learned that Duke on its own will not provide everything that we as an undergraduate body need—not at least without a push from student leaders,” Smith said. “I want to be DSG president because I

Kayla Thompson doesn’t think Duke is accessible to all, so she wants to open its doors as Duke Student Government executive vice president.

The first-generation college student wants to increase opportunities for lowincome and rural Duke students and college applicants.

“It’s important to me because I’m a first

See SMITH on Page 3

See THOMPSON on Page 2

Blue Devils squash Spiders

Duke Housing continues on the wrong path

Duke lacrosse bounces back from loss of season with blowout of Richmond PAGE 8

Columnist Mitchell Siegel criticizes Duke’s decision to mandate random roommates for new class PAGE 11

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LINTZ

social media posts, in addition to working one-on-one with senators and vice presidents to publicize their projects and FROM PAGE 1 events. He established DSG’s communications team and started a “Senator of the Week” series to help students get to there is more collaboration so that senators can collaborate,” know their representatives.

Lintz said. “It’s not so much me pushing for what I want to do Lintz emphasized that being the bridge between the student with this position. The only thing I want to do is to give those body and their representatives has shown him how important senators the potential to do what they want, like I wanted to it is to re-orient DSG as a service-minded organization, as when I was a first-year.” opposed to a being a resume booster.

A junior public policy major with a political science “I think DSG needs to be recognized more as a volunteer minor and a certificate in markets and management studies, organization, and not an organization that looks good to Lintz became Duke Student Government’s director of employers or internships,” he said. “Because at the end of communications two years ago. He the day, it’s what you do at Duke also served as a senator for equity that matters, not the position that and outreach his first year and for I think DSG needs to be recognized you held. I think that DSG doesn’t residential life as a sophomore. recognize that.” more as a volunteer organization, Lintz added that the fact Coming from a religiously that the role of director of and not an organization that looks homogeneous high school in communications role was only good to employers or internships.

Houston, he wanted to help added two years ago showed the promote interfaith discussion on alec lintz campus. As a first-year senator, organization’s priorities.

DSG DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND “It’s been very internal—what he collaborated to help establish EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATE we can do for ourselves, not what we an interfaith prayer room on West can do for Duke. I think we need to Campus in the wake of the debate change that,” Lintz said. “So that’s the culture change I’m talking over whether the Muslim call to prayer should be sounded about.” from the Chapel.

In his current role as the director of communications, he Lintz emphasized the managerial aspect of the EVP role, helps the president design the weekly email blast and plans noting that the main focus of his campaign is helping others

THOMPSON FROM PAGE 1 generation college student on full financial aid,” Thompson said. “That is something that is a lot of times discussed, but important to have in a leadership position, because a lot of times, you need someone at the forefront to push those policies forward.”

A junior majoring in biology, Thompson is currently the vice president of Advocacy for Duke LIFE Low Income/First-Generation Engagement and previously served as vice president of social culture. She said she would push to eliminate application fees for firstgeneration and low-income applicants. Brown University, Trinity College and Bowdoin College have all done the same.

She also seeks to expand recruitment in rural communities. Thompson said Duke is lagging far behind peer institutions in terms of recruiting students from rural areas, even though it assigns admissions officers to target minority applicants.

She said the issue is also particularly close to her running mate, DSG president candidate Sean

Bissell, who is from a small rural community in southwest Virginia.

Thompson said addressing this issue would entail a mentoring program in which Duke students would serve as contacts for prospective students from rural areas.

“Having an admissions counselor go out in the fall of senior year isn’t going to do anything for them. At that point, your grades are done,” Thompson said. “You want to start that outreach early.”

Another initiative that would benefit students on financial aid that Thompson said she would push for would be a standard laundry allocation. Duke already includes an ePrint and recreation fee into the cost of attendance, so laundry should follow suit, she said.

Thompson also wants to improve the residential community for independent students. She said she hopes to change advertising for HDRL’s already-expanding linking program, in which first-year students can opt-in and continue to live with their firstyear dorm-mates after freshman year.

Another goal for Thompson is to create a Residential Model Review Committee,

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achieve their policy goals.

“I think an EVP needs to be a mentor and a friend to the first-year senators specifically, but basically any DSG member,” he said. “Part of that means that when you become EVP, you don’t have your own policy plans. I have a platform, but my platform is to allow collaboration to occur.”

Senior Tierney Pretzer became friends with Alec through their mutual involvement with Duke’s Center for Political Leadership, Innovation and Service, and became close with him when they both worked in Washington, D.C. over the summer.

She noted that his communication skills would be extremely important for improving DSG’s image to the student body.

“Not only can he help make policies, but he can help get them amplified across campus so that the people who are benefitting from them are actually aware of that,” she said.

Pretzer emphasized his hard work and commitment to all of his activities. She recounted the lengths he went to during the summer to meet her and go to a fireworks festival when the metro was down, including a long walk and an Uber.

But what really makes him stand out, she said, is his vision for leadership.

“I think one of my favorite things about Alec—unlike a lot of Duke students I know—is that he really sees positions of representation as positions of service,” Pretzer said. “He views being EVP as a way to channel his love for Duke and his ambition for what he sees Duke can be as a way of serving the community.”

comprised of students, administrators and executive vice president that has been on faculty to evaluate the state of housing and DSG’s executive board, Thompson believes provide recommendations moving forward. she has built the relationships necessary to She said it would be more of a long-term execute the policies she has proposed. During project that would not see results during her her time as vice president of social culture, one-year tenure.

Thompson successfully pushed to change “The best version of housing is when you Duke’s alcohol amnesty policy so that groups are happy to go back who call EMS for a student to the place you live. [Thompson’s] so confident at their event will not face That is something most disciplinary action. first-years feel—you and has so much experience Junior Iris Yang, who really feel a sense of in so many different realms has known Thompson community, even if you since orientation week aren’t best friends with at Duke. in her first year, said that everyone in your dorm,” Thompson is running for iris yang the right reasons.

Thompson said. “That’s JUNIOR something we want to “Kayla’s different from apply for all four years other people in that she’s of Duke.” running because she truly thinks she’s best Thompson opted to run with Bissell after for the position. It’s not about the title and seeing how current DSG president Riyanka not about the resume. If there was someone Ganguly and executive vice president Kushal else running that she thought was better Kadakia had different policy priorities, and she wouldn’t run at all,” Yang said. “She’s so ended up working separately on a lot of things, confident and has so much experience in so she said. many different realms at Duke. She will work As the only other candidate running for her hardest to represent anyone at Duke.”

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SMITH FROM PAGE 1 want to serve Duke as one of the student leaders that is pushing for those changes.”

Smith is a public policy major pursuing a minor in education and a human rights certificate, and currently serves as the DSG’s vice president of services and sustainability. Outside of DSG, she serves as co-director for the Common Ground retreat and as vice president for the Center for Race Relations. She is also a Project BUILD crew leader and works at Brodie Gym. Smith’s body of work at Duke has focused on policy, projects and partnerships.

Her policy work thus far has included collaboration with the Duke Disability Alliance and the Student Organization Financing Committee (SOFC) to introduce a ban of the use of the Languages Building as a meeting place for recognized student groups on campus, as it is the only non-wheelchair accessible building at Duke.

Smith explained that this policy demonstrates that she is “the one among the candidates that is able to make active listening turn into concrete policy and action on behalf of the

BURNS FROM PAGE 1 as a David M. Rubenstein Scholar. He also serves on the social and first-year committees for Mi Gente and will soon be a tour guide.

His platform revolves around three themes—expanding horizons, creating inclusivity and sowing sustainability.

Expanding horizons involves promoting more academic exploration through an extended add/drop period and less severe measurements to withdraw from a course. Burns also wants to create a reusable library for students who can’t afford textbooks.

Burns said he hopes to promote more inclusivity on campus by changing the structure of DSG to expel the hierarchy. Rather than having senators report to vice presidents who report to the president, he wants a more “flat surface” with everyone working as equals and with more interaction across committees.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 | 3

student body.”

If elected to serve as president, she hopes to increase sexual assault prevention training beyond Haven and outside of just Greek communities and social living groups.

Smith emphasized the creation of the Daily Devil Deals— meals under $5 at every on-campus vendor—as one of the most important projects she has worked on. She said the project was inspired by her goal to make eating on campus more affordable for all students and all staff members.

Smith plans to continue expanding the scope of her projects in the coming year, explaining that she would like to examine course cost transparency.

“I want to ensure that professors are labeling the total costs of their classes on DukeHub because students should not have to be blindsided by course textbooks and textbooks that are outrageously expensive,” she said.

Another focus area she plans to work on as president is building relationships between Duke’s campus farm and the Durham community.

“We are moving forward this semester with three more farmers markets with Sustainable Duke which brought on a partnership with Durham community members and farmers and bringing them to campus,” Smith said. “That’s such an

important relationship to build.”

In addition, Smith said she has worked during her time at Duke to establish productive partnerships within and outside the Duke community. If elected, she hopes to pursue more partnerships, including collaboration with North Carolina Central University, a university which she said has a “history of an activist culture that we are just not tapped into.”

Smith highlighted the importance of communication in the role of president being vital to building partnerships.

“I think that my body of work was entirely inspired by student experiences and student voices,” she said. “Moving forward, I really want to emphasize that Duke student government is listening to student voices, especially student voices that are underserved and underrepresented and bringing their concerns and bringing actionable, change and policy.”

Junior Maggie Haas, who met Kristina on move-in day during her freshman year, highlighted Smith’s passion in the projects that she pursues.

“She is truly relentless and such an unyielding individual, and I’ve been so floored by everything she’s been able to accomplish in the past three years,” Haas said. “She is inflamed by doing more to make this campus more affordable and accessible to all students.”

“There’s a diverse set of committees on DSG, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work together,” he said. “We can combine projects within committees that allow us to understand the intricacies of intersection.”

In addition, he wants to create a more environmentally sustainable campus through additional recycling and compost programs, as well as eco-friendly practices for food vendors.

Burns explained that he decided to run for DSG president at the encouragement of his friends, who recognized that he had the motivation and grit to make a difference.

His experiences on campus and involvement in student organizations have qualified him for the role, even though he hasn’t served in DSG, he said.

“Historically speaking, institutional structures are best attacked by people who don’t adhere to the status quo,” he said.

His status as a first-year will allow him to implement his plans in future years, something that the other DSG candidates will not be able to do as seniors. He’ll also have the ability to interact with more Duke students moving forward.

Burns noted that even though running for president as a

first-year is uncommon, his status on campus as a low-income, first-generation student of color is also against the norm.

“I faced a multitude of struggles to get to this point,” he said.

“I’m not going to accept the idea that I am inexperienced.”

First-year Omar Raymundo, who met Burns through the Rubenstein Scholars Program, said that Burns is passionate about advocating for Duke students and learning about new experiences.

“He wants to break the stigma of people being divided at Duke,” Raymundo said. “He wants to open up conversations among students.”

He noted that Burns always tries to advocate for others to give them a better position in life and is a “social butterfly.”

Although there are parts of DSG that he will have to become more familiar with if elected, Burns said that many aspects of his life have been a learning curve. In addition, his experiences in leadership roles on campus will allow him to transition well.

“I’m not fearful at all of a learning curve,” he said. “I’m excited to embrace the position wholeheartedly.”

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BISSELL FROM PAGE 1 really touch a lot of different areas,” Bissell said. “Housing has to do with academics, well-being has to do with academics, dining has to do with academics.”

Apart from DSG, Bissell is on the Duke ski and snowboard team. He is also a Duke Tour Guide and was an East Campus resident assistant his sophomore year.

Bissell noted that he believes change can be slow in academic affairs because the committee works with a variety of departments, individuals and organizations. However, he said the committee has had many accomplishments since he has been on it.

He said he was proud of DSG launching the syllabus archive, which provides many class syllabi and can assist students in course selection. Bissell also worked on reducing the length and adding more pertinent questions to course evaluations, and plans to cut the number of questions in half next year. He has also assisted with modernizing DukeHub and expanding Living

PATE FROM PAGE 1 member of the campus community and has experienced firsthand areas on campus that need improvement.

Her plans include creating a fund for students who want to attend conferences and improving communication between DSG and student leaders.

“We need transparent mechanisms for communicating with student leaders,” Pate said. “I’ve talked to so many different student groups, and there are so many who have a whole laundry list of how DSG can help them. Each identity group right now has a senator attached to them. For some, they say the senators have worked with them, but I want to expand it beyond identity groups.”

Pate decided to join DSG as a first-year when a report came out revealing a huge lack of diversity of international students, engineering students and people of color. She wanted to join to fix this issue because DSG should be serving all students, she explained.

Learning Communities.

In addition, Bissell is also helping launch the Grunch program, which allows undergraduates to invite graduate students to lunch.

“I really love being able to take an issue, break it down and try to work with others to fix it,” Bissell said. “I love the challenge of taking a lot of different inputs, looking at a project from different viewpoints and working with administration or faculty. I love being able to represent students and being able to say what is going on and voice concerns.”

Bissell hopes to promote access and inclusion by expanding outreach and college resources to rural communities, an initiative that has already begun through Coursera and online tours of the campus. Bissell noted that he is from a small farming community and recognizes the difficulty of access in rural areas.

As part of his platform, Bissell plans on making laundry a part of tuition and will encourage professors to use open textbooks that are free and online to improve equity on campus.

To promote intellectual engagement, Bissell is creating a course about identity, purpose and well-being, and he will work

to provide an Asian American Studies major at Duke.

“I think what excites me the most is probably expanding mental health resources. I think that this is something that will help this community in unbelievable ways,” Bissell said. “I think that everyone needs to have access when they have times of trouble.”

Bissell emphasized that he and his running mate, junior Kayla Thompson, work well as a team. Together, they are able to accomplish tasks efficiently because they are experienced and know who to talk to, Bissell said. He believes they will be able to recognize where DSG is failing students and create a coherent DSG where projects and policies do not get lost.

Senior Jun Jun Feng met Bissell when he was a first-year during business society Scale and Coin’s big-little pairing. She believes his best quality is his dedication, regardless of how small or big the issue is.

“Sean is the type of person where if you need something, he would drop everything he’s doing to attend to you because that’s just how much he cares. If Sean puts just even half as much effort in DSG as he does to the people he loves, the school is in perfect hands,” Feng wrote in an email.

Serving as the attorney general of DSG for two years, Pate has had the opportunity to work closely with two serving DSG presidents and see what roles they play in the community.

“A lot of the job is people-managing and corresponding with people,” Pate said. “Often, [past presidents] will have these ideas, and they have to delegate to senators and the vice president to accomplish them. That’s a big part of why I want to be president—I know I have the competency, vision and effective leadership to make sure DSG is working for students.”

Senior Matthew King, Pate’s AGS Program Council co-chair, affirmed her ability to collaborate with others effectively.

“Sabriyya has enjoyed a breadth of experiences on campus that make her a superb advocate for Duke students,” King said. “I think she is a rare combination of a person with strong convictions and someone who is willing to listen to and engage with a variety of perspectives. I think that is a great strength to her whether working with administration or students to make change happen on this campus.”

The change that Pate is most determined to affect revolves around reform for independent housing, an issue impacting every student on Duke’s campus, she said.

“It’s so important to be able to feel at home [at Duke] in order to take advantage of everything here,” Pate said.

“A sense of belonging is so important, and a lot of Duke students don’t have that sense of community in their independent housing.”

Through her experience as a resident assistant for two years, Pate has already had a hand in changing independent housing for the better. Last year, she organized “Kilgo Rush,” which offered an alternative to Greek and selective living group rush.

“Independent houses have the unique opportunity of diversity in academics and in backgrounds” Pate said.

“They’re fertile ground for community.”

After already playing a role in reform, Pate said she sees the opportunity to bring about broader changes through the position of DSG president.

“DSG needs a leader to hold it accountable,” Pate said.

“The president is in the position to create accountability and transparency, to act on the needs of minorities and to bring coalitions together to think about transformative solutions to issues.”

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This touring exhibit at the Nasher is a spectacular corrective, highlighting the African-diaspora abstract artists who refined this new way of seeing.

—Brian Howe, INDYweek

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On view through July 15, 2018 Presented by The Helis Foundation ABOVE: Kevin Beasley. Bronx Fitted (detail). 2015. © Courtesy of the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York; photo by Jean Vong.

Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection is presented by The Helis Foundation and organized by the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and The Baltimore Museum of Art. Contributing sponsorship is provided by The Lambent Foundation and The Holt Family Foundation.

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At the Nasher Museum, this exhibition is made possible by the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions; Ann Chanler and Andrew Scheman; Katie Thorpe Kerr and Terrance I. R. Kerr; Lisa Lowenthal Pruzan and Jonathan Pruzan; and Gail Belvett.

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VOLUME 19, ISSUE 66 | MARCH 7, 2018

studioduke Duke I&E program pairs students with alumni, page 6

repair cafĂŠ Community event comes to Pratt in April, page 7

spring break How students are spending it, page 7

R 6 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

recess editors Better movies than “The Shape of Water”?

Will Atkinson .....twin peaks: the return Nina Wilder ............. the florida project Georgina Del Vecho............bee movie Christy Kuesel ...............country bears Jessica Williams ................ shark tale

on the cover: Film prints at the Durham Cinematheque.

Photo by Jessica Williams.

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recess

Waking up in my new, full-size, Megadorm bed on the first day of classes this semester, the first thought I had was, “This is the first day of the rest of your life.” My second thought was, “I can’t do this.” Between a sleepy, not quite fully productive summer and a semester abroad where I did a lot of other things besides work, I felt like I was waiting to get back to Duke and start figuring out the rest of my life: namely, what I was going to do with an English major and a vague love of journalism and the arts.

And after months and months of waiting to come back to one of my favorite places on earth, I suddenly felt that I wasn’t ready.

A friend of mine said that when she came back from studying abroad, she felt that the Duke Chapel wasn’t as tall as she had remembered it. When I stepped onto West Campus for the first time in eight months, I had to admit I felt the same way. All around me, campus seemed to be moving at a hundred miles a minute and I was standing still, trying to make sense of it all. It seemed like everyone had a plan — if not a life plan, then at least a plan for the next semester or summer or year. The Chapel, which once excited me with all its possibilities, now just scared me with whether I could live up to its expectations.

As January faded into February and February into March, that feeling of being overwhelmed didn’t go away, but it at least manifested itself into action, into throwing myself into my classes and my extracurriculars in the hope that I’d figure out what I was doing along the way.

If everyone else had a plan, it was time I figured one out for myself too.

The biggest shock of coming back to campus after being away for so long was not that they redid Mad Hatter’s in my absence, or that 300 Swift is the cool place to live now. It was the realization that being at a school like Duke wouldn’t make my plans work out for me; it was up to me to do that. Even as a junior, graduation seems right around the corner, and with that, the scary concept of finding a job and a passion and a life. And it’s time to start getting ready for that.

staff note Four years often doesn’t feel like enough time to figure out all my life dreams and goals, but as I’m coming closer and closer to the finish line, I’m realizing that it’s okay not to have everything figured out. Coming back to Duke was scary, but it also reminded me of what I love about this grand old university: writing for The Chronicle and getting to interview passionate, talented people, walking through the galleries at the Nasher and seeing the most beautiful art made out of old Yankees baseball caps — even just sitting in the Gardens and watching the ducks swim by. Duke

is overwhelming at times, but it also has shown me what I love, even if I’m still trying to figure out what to do with these newfound passions. Being back at Duke didn’t make the rest of my life fall into place, but it did give me a starting point for how to go about figuring that whole “life” thing out.

In what is shaping up to be a semester of self-discovery, I’ve learned the value of balance. Of staying up the extra hour to work on internship applications but also taking the time to play card games with old friends. Of not putting off that email that you have to send but maybe watching the latest episode of “Buzzfeed: Unsolved” in the background while you do it. Of watching the Duke-UNC game in your friend’s dorm while frantically editing your assignment due at midnight and submitting it just in time to see us start winning the game.

So do I have a plan for the rest of my life? No. Do I have a plan for the summer? Maybe. Did I finally figure out where the printer is in my dorm? Yes. Sometimes, it’s the small victories that count the most.

We at Recess try to be quite the pop culture-obsessed bunch, but I’ve always liked referencing poetry and books more than albums or movies. So I’ll leave you with a quote by one of my favorite poets, Richard Siken: “We are all going forward.

None of us are going back.”

It’s been a long semester, and it isn’t even halfway over. But we must keep moving forward, even if we’re not quite sure where our destinations are.

—Christy Kuesel

campus arts

StudioDuke pairs creative students with seasoned professionals

By Ashley Kwon Staff Writer

Partnering with other on-campus groups, including DukeArts and DEMAN, Kip Frey, director of the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, launched the StudioDuke program this year. The program enables students with arts-related projects to interact with alumni professionals in the entertainment industry for mentoring and evaluation.

Previous arts-related programs at Duke have been focused on giving students opportunities to build their networks or introduce them to different forms of art. However, StudioDuke is tailored to students with specific art projects to get feedback from professionals. The interest of students participating in the program ranges from screenwriting to artificial intelligence, representing diverse fields in the arts and entertainment industries.

When the program began to receive applications last year, most students submitted projects that they had already been working on either as individuals or a a part of their classes.

“The assumption of StudioDuke is not that a student comes to I&E and we help them come up with an idea,” Frey said. “This is really for projects that are far enough for professionals to be able to evaluate and help with them.”

After the program committee selected students based on projects that they had submitted, the students were with alumni members in the arts and entertainment industries according to their shared interests.

Frey recalled that alumni were very willing to contribute to the program as mentors.

“The alumni in the entertainment industry are extremely loyal to Duke and are very anxious to be helpful in ways like this,” Frey said. “It was quite easy to recruit a very impressive list of mentors.”

Beginning this semester, students in the program have been communicating with their mentors to develop their projects further.

Senior Jacqueline Monetta has been working on her project, a screenplay titled “Escape from Tehran,” with Ryan White, Trinity ‘04, a director and executive producer of several films and series, including Netflix’s “The Keepers.”.

Monetta’s script is based on a book that her grandfather, a former Iranian government official imprisoned during the Iranian Revolution, published a few years ago as well as on conversations with her grandmother and mother. Monetta said her grandfather met her grandmother, an American woman from Minnesota, while attending college in the U.S. The couple, with their two children, moved to Iran, where Monetta’s grandfather served as vice Courtesy of Duke I&E minister of health before being arrested during the revolution. After escaping from jail, Monetta’s StudioDuke pairs students with industry professionals to work on arts-related projects and receive mentoring. grandfather wrote a book based on the notes that he had taken on his conversations with other college,” he wrote. several Duke professors. As a member of the imprisoned government officials, passing them Meanwhile, junior Robin Wang is working StudioDuke program, he is now working with to his wife through the laundry. on a science fiction and mystery film called Mark Vahradian, Trinity ‘89, who works as a film Monetta is turning her grandfather’s story into “SWITCH.” He got the inspiration for the producer at Paramount Pictures, on pitching his a film. With the help of Jody McAuliffe, professor film, which is about a professor who becomes film to studio executives. of the practice of Theater Studies, Monetta was ill and hires an artificial intelligence assistant Vahradian wrote in an email that he is able to write a draft of the script. Meeting with to teach his students for him, from his linear also helping other Duke students establish White during DEMAN Arts & Media Weekend, algebra class in his freshman year. One day, connections in the film industry.

Monetta discovered their shared interest in films he and his classmates had “a beautiful, young “The film and television business is a hard that spark political and social action. Through the female teacher” that replaced their respectable industry to crack even if you went to an incredible StudioDuke program, they met each other again but elderly professor whose lectures they often undergraduate or graduate film school, because and began to polish Monetta’s script further. found confusing. you need to know people here to break in,” he Communicating with Monetta over the “Her teaching was so lucid that we just wrote. “I got involved in the [StudioDuke], phone, White, who lives in Los Angeles, gives her wanted her to stay with us from then on,” he DEMAN and Duke in L.A. programs ... to share advice on how to pitch her film in an accessible wrote in an email. “Then I had an idea: Could my knowledge and contacts with students who way to the public. White wrote in an email that he she be an artificial intelligence created by the want to break in.” was willing to help undergraduate students not older professor, while he is somewhere else Both students and mentors in the program only develop interest in creative industries, but monitoring how we would respond to his saw it as a great opportunity outside of classes. also learn the practical sides of them. experiment/creation?”

“There are so many amazing people out there “I want them to have creative growth It took more than a year for Wang to write that graduated from Duke that are willing to help but also learn practical skill and knowledge his screenplay, shoot the film and work on you,” Monetta said. “StudioDuke concentrates that could aid them in a creative career after its post-production under the guidance of that into your interest.”

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campus arts

Pratt’s upcoming Repair Café empowers people to pick up their own tools

By Selena Qian Staff Writer

Last year, Sophia Santillan, a professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, saw an NBC News clip about Repair Café. Now, she’s working with the North Carolina chapter to bring Repair Café to Duke.

Repair Cafés are places where people can bring their broken items and work with repair specialists to fix them. Martine Postma organized the first Repair Café in Amsterdam in 2009, and there are now nearly 1500 Repair Café chapters in over 30 countries.

Repair Café @ Duke will take place April 7 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone in the area can sign up online to bring items for a free repair. Some of the items organizer and founder Don Fick has seen in his time with Repair Café NC include lamps, jewelry, toys and furniture.

Repair Cafés in the United States typically operate like pop-ups, with repair events on a regular basis. Each of these events is staffed by volunteer repair specialists. There aren’t any specific requirements to become a repair specialist, and most of them are not repair professionals. In fact, most are self-taught, tinkering with items in their homes.

Caitlyn Hill, a Duke OIT systems administrator, has volunteered as a repair specialist at all eight of Repair Café NC’s events at the Cary Arts Center so far. She plans to continue to volunteer at these monthly events, as well as at the Duke Repair Café. The only professional repairs she has ever done were on computers, before servers became virtual. But Hill wrote in an email that she has always “been inclined to take apart something broken, to see how it worked.”

While Hill isn’t sure exactly where she first heard about Repair Café, she wrote that it was

likely related to the Scrap Exchange, Don’t Waste Durham or a Makerspace. She supports one of its main goals: reduce waste by encouraging repair over replacement. Santillan is also particularly interested in this waste reduction aspect.

“I just have this image in my head of all the stuff I’ve thrown away just sitting there for years and years and years, way past my lifetime,” Santillan said.

Part of the motivation for hosting a Repair Café at Duke was the desire to expand the reach of Repair Café and expose more people to its goals. Senior Schuyler Debree first heard about Repair Café directly as a result of this outreach.

A student in the Sustainability Engagement Certificate program, Debree is passionate about eliminating waste streams and changing our current system of consumption, and she wants to spread that passion to others.

“I’m excited that people will hopefully be learning a bit more about embracing the mindset of fixing things as opposed to just throwing them out,” Debree said.

Fick takes a more philosophical view of Repair Café. He worked in print publishing for a while, and the printed magazine felt enduring, like it would stand the test of time. However, he then shifted to online, which he felt was much less permanent.

“Very little, if any, of the work I did 15 years ago still exists. It’s all been disassembled or rearranged or broken down in some way,” Fick said. “So over the years I’ve really chased at the idea that nothing that I do lasts.”

Fick turned to fixing items to find a way to make his work last. He had always done repairs around his home and enjoyed the satisfaction he felt when he restored an item’s functionality.

Repair Café aims to bring that sense of satisfaction to other people. Unlike a repair

Courtesy of Duke Repair Café Duke’s Repair Café, which takes place April 7, held an interest meeting Monday in The POD (pictured).

service, Repair Café NC encourages owners who bring their items for repair to stay and work on fixing it with the repair specialist.

“This is a collaborative effort,” Santillan said.

“You don’t drop your stuff off and walk away.”

The repair specialists collaborate both with the item owners and the other repair specialist.

Each volunteer has different areas of interest and areas of expertise, so they regularly consult each other. Another tool they make good use of is YouTube, since many of the repairs they see are ones that other people have tackled and posted videos about already.

Repair Café NC succeeds in fixing about 70 percent of the items people bring. To attain that success rate, Fick said people need three things: motivation, tools and knowledge. The people who bring in broken items supply the motivation while the repair specialists supply the tools, and they work together to find any knowledge they may not already have.

Fick sees Repair Cafés as something that could make a big difference for communities that have fewer means to purchase new items.

He and his co-founder, Tom Karches, have discussed the idea of a “cascade of events,” where one small broken piece can lead to a significant shift in a person’s life. For instance, if a car refuses to start and the owner doesn’t know how to jump-start it, they may be unable to go to work. This could potentially lead to job loss and further financial difficulties because they couldn’t do a small repair.

“If we can break down the mystery of repair, if we can empower people to pick up a tool and engage with the world around them and improve upon it, then hopefully we can help them avoid that disastrous chain of events,” Fick said. “And as we look toward growing Repair Café in the Triangle area, trying to reach communities of people where that makes a significant difference in their lives is a big motivation for us.”

student life

Spring break is a welcome relief, whether at the beach or on campus

By Sydny Long Staff Writer

The midterms have been taken, the rivalry game has been played and the weather has taken a turn for the better — spring break is nearly here. Arriving just when students need it most, spring break is a week-long respite from the unremitting stress of class and commitments.

Some use their vacation to travel to exotic locations, others as an opportunity to go home and catch up on some much-needed sleep and still others as a chance to stay on campus and get some work done. What sets this break apart from its first semester counterparts is the culture attached to it: Spring break is a cornerstone of the traditional college experience. Students across the country will doubtlessly use the brief liberation from responsibilities as an excuse to party the week away or at the very least cut loose and enjoy themselves — and Duke students are no exception.

“I think people need to do what they need to do,” sophomore Madelyn Winchester said. “By the time spring break rolls around, students are usually feeling super overwhelmed, so I’m not judging anyone for the way they choose to blow off some steam.”

Winchester’s perspective seems to be shared by many students on campus: After being dragged through a spirit-crushing series of exams and assignments, students deserve to celebrate their freedom as they see fit.

For some, this means staying on campus.

While it feels like almost everyone has plans for the upcoming break, there is always a

handful of students and faculty who decide to spend their holiday at Duke. These individuals usually choose to stay behind due to traveling expenses that can make a trip back home outrageously expensive or to stay on top of important projects and assignments. It might seem ill-advised to stay on campus when spring break should be a well-deserved recess from college life and the anxiety attached to it, but most students trust their peers to maintain their wellbeing over break.

First-year Rebecca Leggett said those who stay on campus won’t have any advantage over their vacationing peers.

“I think it will be about the same,” Leggett said. “Both students who leave and stay will

have gotten out of their usual routine. Getting back into the routine of classes, going to the library and office hours … will be harder for some than others, but probably more dependent on their personality.”

Staying on campus won’t be too lonely.

Several events will still be offered, from neurobiology lectures to religious events to sports games, and a few dining options will stay open over spring break (although first-years will either have to stock up on food soon or dish out some food points to eat on West Campus, as Marketplace will be closed over the duration of spring break). Perhaps best of all, students on campus will be able to enjoy some peace and quiet, and explore aspects of Duke and its

Chronicle File Photo Spring break brings warmer weather and spirits — and usually a few more visitors to the Duke Gardens.

surrounding amenities that they don’t have time to check out when classes are in session.

For those who are leaving campus, spring break is a chance to have fun at home or on the road — sometimes both.

“I will be going home the first weekend, and then I will be meeting with some friends in Miami,” Leggett said. “I’ve never been to Miami, so I’m excited to explore and hang out on the beach!”

Leaving campus does not necessarily entail the sort of opulent trips or parties that popular media presents as the quintessential spring break experience. Because of Duke’s relative affluence, it can sometimes feel as though a large majority of students have the means to travel and go on lavish vacations, especially to students who cannot even afford to go home.

There is such a pressure to have a certain kind of fun over break, to have an Instagram-worthy vacation, that those who can only afford to go home or stay at Duke might feel left out of this marketed “experience.”

However, the students at Duke seem to have successfully avoided buying into this idealistic sort of break.

“I think a lot of students feel pressure to go somewhere ‘cool,’ which is silly,” Leggett said.

“Students should just do what’s best for them and what will give them a relaxing, enjoyable break. Spring break is all about de-stressing and seeing friends and shouldn’t be about anything else.”

Winchester agreed: “Whether it’s going home, going to the beach or visiting friends, if you’re going to feel better prepared to be back at Duke afterward, then do your thing.”

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

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“

Vote Smith for president Tomorrow and Friday, Duke undergraduates will elect a new DSG president to helm the organization for the 2018-19 academic year. Students will be tasked with choosing from a pool of five extremely talented and zealous peers: juniors Kristina Smith, Sean Bissell, Sabriyya Pate and Yemi Kolawole along with first-year Jamal Burns. Their respective platforms and visions for the University encompass everything from combating sexual assault to working towards structural reforms within DSG itself. After strongly considering the specifics of each candidate’s platform, we strongly encourage the student body to rank Kristina Smith, current Vice President for Services and Sustainability, first when voting this week.

Jamal, while an outsider candidate because of his comparative youth and enthusiasm for radical change within DSG, came off as overly theoretical and less policy-oriented in his platform than his competitors. His campaign has instigated crucial conversations around badly needed institutional reforms within the undergraduate representative body, but the Board feels he lacks the organizational knowledge to navigate both the University and the inner machinations of DSG. Hierarchy and seniority—for better or for worse—are innately

embedded within the daily functions and structure of student governments, and we strongly encourage Jamal to work with DSG in affecting change on campus if he is not elected. Yemi’s general ideas and platform areas were agreeable and easy to get behind, but we felt she lacked a necessary specificity required to put them into action. Unfortunately, her campaign promises felt more like generalized aims that all candidates could support, but did not represent a unique or practical vision for concrete implementation.

Editorial Board Sabriyya’s emphasis on housing reform in her campaign is no doubt extremely relevant given the current wave of support around the restructuring of the residential model. However, given the amount of mobilization around the issue of housing, change will likely come regardless of whoever holds the role of president next year. The wheels are already in motion and will likely progress outside of closeddoor DSG meetings with the administration. Sean’s platform is full of exciting new ideas, but appears too idealistic and deprioritized given the time

”

“Blaming the big, bad frats for the obviously and unfortunately poor crisis preparation of BOTH DUPD and the Line Monitors is a pretty lame take.”

—Andrew Bates, responding to “Kill the Walk-up Line,” published on March 5, 2018.

LETTERS POLICY 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.

constraints inevitably faced by each president.

Additionally, his choice to do a joint campaign, while unique and beneficial in some regards, makes it difficult to vote for him as a stand alone candidate because of how much his goals are connected to his campaign partner, Kayla Thompson.

The Board ultimately decided to endorse Kristina Smith for a number of reasons. Her demonstrable and rhetorical commitment to collaboration was refreshing and genuine. Furthermore, the specificity of her policy goals were clear and indicative of a breadth of institutional knowledge and insightful bureaucratic experience. Too often, DSG presidential candidates latch onto either extremely theoretical, or extremely impractical and specific campaign goals that cannot be met within the short span of one academic year. As someone who has listened and credited individuals within the campus community for helping her to affect concrete changes as VP— such as implementing the Daily Devil Deals and a career closet for undergraduate interviewees—we are confident that Smith will be the most promising DSG president if elected. Consequently, when ranking candidates this Thursday and Friday, we strongly encourage undergraduates to rank Smith first.

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M

ost people have someone that they chat with on the way from the bus to class— someone to say hi to in West Union and ask questions to about class assignments. But that’s about it. You are friends with this person—maybe you’ve exchanged anecdotes and complained about life together—but you would never hang out outside of class.

I call these convenience friends. They exist all around Duke.

Camille Wilder COLUMNIST Rush is a great breeding ground for convenience friendships. Who knows if they’ll end up in the same SLG or sorority or frat as you? But it’s great to have someone to talk to and go to events with, so you have a conversational crutch when your small talk abilities wane. You are only friends when it is convenient to you—to both of you, for that matter—but fail to move beyond the stage of niceties and commonalities that reach beyond your immediate setting.

Convenience friends can be a starting point for a true friendship. Perhaps you burst through the superficiality of your relationship and become truly good friends. Perhaps you both get bids to the same organization and are given the proper setting and time to connect. Meeting people in classes should be effective because you share academic passions (or a desire to make lots of money upon graduating). But often times these people fall away when the semester or rush ends and you rarely see them again.

The function of convenience friends is that they prevent us from being alone. Imagine walking into class and having no one to protest about the difficulty of your outrageous assignments and how little sleep you got and how your days away from dropping out.

This would be a travesty. Because no matter how disconnected you feel from the person beside you, they do a fine job filling the void that is your social appetite. If you’re alone it means you’re not good at making friends, not worthy of conversation and complaints. You want to push out your worries in front of you and digest your concerns together. Being alone means you have to be introspective, as opposed to avoiding problems with socializing. Convenience friends are like a bandaid for the wounds that solitude opens up.

Yet, it is highly unpleasant to always feel like a convenience friend. Unequal dynamics in friendships often exist, where one individual places more emphasis on the relationship than the other. But to

chronically feel as though one’s friends spend time with them only because you share a similar situation hurts. The kind of 1,000+ Instagram followers, quality-over-quantity social atmosphere that currently exists at Duke encourages the formation of these convenience friendships. Instead of creating deep connections, people focus on meeting as many people as possible.

Anthropologist Robert Dunbar created a concept called “Dunbar’s number.” This is a measure of the maximum amount of meaningful relationships a person can have at one time. Even with the increase in social media, this number is just 150 people. To some that may seem high, to others low, but regardless most humans cannot be really close to hoards of people.

What even is a meaningful relationship? Dunbar further expanded his theory to include layers of intimacy. The first layer consists of five people, then 15, 50, and 150 people. Introverts and extroverts had different numbers of friends, but the same layers of intimacy. Most people crave close relationships more than the casual, small-talk oriented ones. Intimate relationships are not created when there is a barrier like the low level of connection and effort a person puts into convenience friendships.

Convenience friends are not inherently bad; nor should you stop trying to meet people in classes and other activities. However, it is important to be cognizant of whether you truly connect with the people you spend time with or are just unwilling to be alone or put more effort into budding relationships.

Going through an entire day, talking to many people, and not feeling a connection to any of them feels kind of hollow. Similarly, only being a convenience friend is unfulfilling as well.

Serial socializing has become the norm for most people. Having a large amount of friends indicates high social worth. Engaging in behavior like this is not questioned; it is praised. But people are not generally fulfilled by having a huge quantity of friends, rather by some close friendships. Convenience friends naturally arise from the structure of new classes every semester.

It is important to evaluate whether you are friends with people based off an unwillingness to be alone or actual connection. It is also important to consider whether you make your convenience friends feel like they are placeholders, rather than actual friends.

Duke’s current social climate prioritizes having a large amount of friends, though it is impossible to be close to all of them. The next time you cycle through West Union, throwing out “Hey! What’s up?” and a dozens waves to familiar faces, assess whether these less-invested interactions are truly satisfying, or they’re merely what’s convenient.

Camille Wilder is a Trinity first-year. Her column runs on alternate Wednesdays.

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Duke housing continues on the wrong path

T

he intense debate taking place over the past several months regarding housing reform has sparked controversy. As ideas about a residential college system float around meant to undermine selective living and bolster the experience of those in independent

Mitchell Siegel TRUTH BE TOLD

housing, many on Duke’s campus are getting prepared for some significant changes. This past week, things got even more complicated as Duke continues to try to artificially re-engineer the social dynamic on campus.

In a recent letter, Vice President for Undergraduate for Student Affairs Larry Moneta and Dean and Vice Provost Steve Nowicki made sudden changes to the roommate selection process for freshmen in the Class of 2022. Next year’s incoming class with not have the option of requesting roommates. The survey that takes into account lifestyle preferences and living habits will remain, according to the letter.

This policy defies common sense and is just an example of elites telling students how to live their lives. With all due respect, the condescending notion that Vice President Moneta and Dean Nowicki know what’s best for students based on research that they didn’t cite nor explain is absurd. More than likely, it will lead to more conflict than is necessary, and the letter acknowledges that “compatibility

A

challenges” are very possible. I won’t feel sorry for the HRL when it imposes its own selfinflicted wounds. A policy that forces people to coexist in the in the same room should be thought out much more carefully.

“In the last few years, we’ve seen increasing numbers of students who have pre-selected roommates, often with very similar backgrounds to their own,” the letter read. “While this may make the transition to college seem somewhat easier, we’ve also seen that this can work against your having the best educational experience in the long term.”

What the letter doesn’t mention is Duke’s aggressive shift over the past few years to push their concept of diversity into every possible aspect of life. Maybe the increasing numbers of pre-selecting roommates is a retaliation to this push. It’s possible Vice President Moneta and Dean Nowicki’s abrupt attack on the housing policy may not be addressing the root cause of the issue, whatever it may be.

It’s not like they asked for any student input.

Furthermore, instead of completely dictating social interactions and living situations, Duke should look to balance preferences, comfortable living and challenging experiences, rather than seeking to completely and consciously abolish some of these elements.

The mandate seems more like a politically correct marketing technique to embrace multiculturalism that is neglectful of the various concerns minority students may have.

In fact, some, including vice president of the Black Student Alliance Ryan Briggs, indicate that there is a disconnect between Duke administration and its students.

In a series a Twitter posts, Mr. Briggs noted, “As much as I love the idea for increased education of cultures and modes of thinking, this is at the detriment to students who simply do not feel comfortable living in a room where institutionally a roommate holds much more power over them…One thing America and Duke love to pander to when students apply to college is that they have so much control over their life, but now they do not get to choose a roommate: unacceptable.” Although I disagree with some of the content of Mr. Briggs’ sentiments, I think he makes a valid point. This policy that aims to benefit minorities by fostering diverse interactions doesn’t necessarily take into account the possibility that minorities themselves may not prefer it either.

Duke seems intent on restricting the liberty and individual autonomy of its students by basing its decision on gross exaggerations that living with someone who you are similar with is not beneficial for the college experience of exploring identity and embrace diversity. So much for college being about choices.

It also assumes that through other experiences—such as enrolling in certain classes, joining clubs and doing other social activities—Duke students will not gain enough exposure to those who are different from themselves. Just because your roommate(s) (the one, maybe two people you live with) is similar to you does not mean that you will not be getting out of your comfort zone during your four-year experience. Additionally, who is Duke to determine whether or not your roommate

is similar to you. What’s next? Should we randomize K-Ville tents too?

Furthermore, the randomized roommate process already exists for people who choose to participate in it. Why impose costs on those who want to choose their roommate for no extra benefit? We can simply leave it to those who want to go random to do so and allow those who would rather pick their own roommate to do as they please.

I am not suggesting that going random is bad. In fact, it often works out beneficially. But restricting choice is simply more detrimental to the group of students who want to choose a roommate while it provides no extra benefit to the students who want to go random.

Duke is forcing the impossible. Some people simply don’t want to associate with certain others. Social pressures and human nature will often guide people to hang with others who share their interests, backgrounds and experiences, and it is naive to think otherwise. The fact is that those who want nothing to do with people different from them will continue to act the same way, and this policy interferes with natural and spontaneous social relationships.

I stand by the fact that challenging yourself is vital to a valuable college experience. But if a university really wants to stand by its students, it should put their preferences before its own agenda when reasonable.

Mitchell Siegel is a Trinity sophomore.

His column, “truth be told,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.

The moral responsibility of the oppressed

s a child, I learned this lesson in Sunday School, where we studied the painful history of the persecution of Jews from Egypt to the Roman Empire and through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Europe. These lessons helped shape my worldview and informed the way I viewed inequities facing other marginalized groups. My support for African Americans confronting the ugly legacy of slavery and Jim Crow is rooted in my faith, as well as the history of my ancestors.

My support for policies that enable young immigrants to stay in the U.S. rather than be deported from the only country they know is similarly rooted in my faith. And the history of Jews as refugees is why I oppose the U.S. travel ban on Muslims.

Like many, I am troubled by growing nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and Europe that emphasizes building walls and curtailing refugee admissions over humane solutions. Despite this global movement towards closing borders, I never expected Israel to follow this deeply troubling trend of intolerance. A country founded by the descendants of European persecution had an obligation to take in refugees—whether Jewish or not. However, the same nation that was founded out of the ashes of the Holocaust seems to have lost its way.

Last month Israeli authorities began distributing deportation notices to thousands of African refugees and migrants.

Asylum seekers have until April 1 to leave for an unnamed African country (likely Rwanda) in exchange for $3,500 and a plane ticket. They face imprisonment if they do not leave. Between 2006 and 2012, roughly 60,000 migrants, primarily from Eritrea and Sudan crossed into Israel, many of whom were fleeing persecution and war. Many of the migrants have expressed fear of being sent to another country and have instead said they prefer jail in Israel.

The Israeli government justifies its crackdown by claiming that most of these migrants are looking for work. However, human rights advocates maintain that these migrants are fleeing harsh political conditions in Eritrea, or genocide and civil war in Sudan. Even though Israel has ratified international treaties concerning refugees and refugee rights, the country has accepted

character of a diverse and highly sophisticated nation of 9 million.

Particularly troubling are the dog whistles of Israeli leaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to the migrants as “infiltrators” and one government minister has even called these migrants and asylum seekers a “cancer.” Another has said that “Israel is not Africa’s employment agency.”

As a Jewish American, I am troubled by the rhetoric of leaders like Netanyahu who seem to have forgotten the history of our ancestors.

Max Labaton columnist

less than 1 percent of refugee claims, among the lowest rates in the western world. In contrast, European countries grant asylum to refugees from Eritrea and Sudan about 90 percent of the time.

Israel’s government argues that it does not have the resources to sustain an influx of refugees, and that migrants steal jobs from hardworking Israelis. Yet, there is little evidence that Israel cannot accommodate its fair share of refugees, particularly since the country boasts one of the world’s highest living standards and has among the world’s lowest unemployment rates. Economic arguments in favor of deportations ignore the fact that Israel’s unemployment rate is so low that the country is short of labor. The claim that refugees will irreparably damage Israel’s social fabric is similarly specious. It is hardly conceivable that a few thousand African migrants could dramatically alter the

ironically coincides with Passover, an eightday holiday that celebrates the successful journey across the Sinai Desert from bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.

“The first night of Passover, Jews around the world, including the Netanyahu family, will recite the same line during the Seder: ‘In every generation we are obligated to see ourselves as though we personally went out from Egypt,’” she wrote.

Some may suggest that other countries are more repressive. However, I judge Israel not by the values of other countries, but by the values that make it both a Jewish and a democratic state —freedom, equality, the dignity of each individual, and minority rights.

As someone who had his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, I feel a deep spiritual and moral attachment to Israel. But, like some of my colleagues, I have at times questioned how lessons I learned in Sunday School—about valuing every individual and empowering the downtrodden—square with the policies of an increasingly nationalistic state whose laws apply inequitably to Jews and Arabs.

While the claims by Israelis and Palestinians stretch back thousands of years—and the seemingly intractable conflict revolves around a complex amalgam of religion, politics, and power dynamics— Israel’s decision to expel refugees fleeing genocide and political violence is hardly as complicated. Rather, this policy is intended to appeal to an increasingly reactionary political base. In deporting those whose only crime is fleeing horrendous atrocities, the Israeli government is violating every lesson I learned about Jews’ obligations to remember our history by welcoming those fleeing persecution.

Citing the fact that 20,000 refugees have left Israel, Netanyahu declared that “the mission now is to deport the rest.”

As a Jewish American, I am troubled by the rhetoric of leaders like Netanyahu who seem to have forgotten the history of our ancestors.

Some of mine came to this country to escape the pogroms and marginalization that were far too prevalent in Eastern Europe around the turn of the twentieth century. They came knowing no English and with little more than some clothes stuffed in a knapsack. The story of my ancestors is not unique. Many Jews in the United States have grandparents or greatgrandparents who came to this country to flee European persecution.

As Susan Silverman, an Israeli rabbi and the founder of the Miklat Israel campaign to save these refugees from deportation, noted in Max Labaton is a Trinity sophomore. His a recent New York Times op-ed, the deadline for these migrants to leave Israel cruelly and column runs on alternate Wednesdays.

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com

12 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

KOLAWOLE FROM PAGE 1 an exec meeting, taking notes, [and] putting up an agenda.”

Besides her role as DSG chief of staff, Kolawole has been a resident assistant for the past two years, first staying in Gilbert Addoms and now 300 Swift. She noted that her involvement as an RA has been pivotal in helping her learn how to build interpersonal skills and manage her time. Yemi also serves as cohead of content for The Bridge, sits on the president’s council for black affairs, takes part in the Office of Student Conduct Advisory Group, and has a job as a digitalization assistant at the Duke University Libraries.

Kolawole also shared her belief that students are disengaged with much of DSG’s activities, and said that she hopes to take student feedback more into account when considering policies to enact.

“I’m a firm believer that the DSG president should be a mouthpiece for students. Of course, I want to discuss housing and really think critically about what is best for our student

body. However, I want to be focusing more on what students want rather than pushing my own agenda.”

When discussing her motive for initially joining DSG, Kolawole said that she did not feel that she was empowered or had the agency to speak up while in DSG Senate, and hopes to make more profound change as president after seeing the positive impact DSG can make through her year as chief of staff.

“I’ve always been critical of DSG, and I’ve never been satisfied with what we’ve accomplished. I think there is a large capacity to move forward, and that sets me apart from the other candidates...I definitely want to make a change, and I want people to be satisfied with the student body that is representing them.”

Junior Mia King, a friend of Kolawole, shared her own excitement regarding the campaign and noted that she believes Kolawole can effectively navigate through roadblocks that may arise.

“Yemi is a born leader, and she’s worked to become an informed leader as well,” King said. “I think anyone who wants to run DSG has to really be conscious of what students want in constant time, and she has lots of ideas about putting

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out certain input measures and factors so that students can state their opinions and DSG can take that input into when and how to pursue projects.”

King noted that she personally hopes that Kolawole can address the fractionality existing between different groups and somehow find a way to bring organizations of different interests together.

“I think that Yemi’s platform and her dedication in DSG and many other areas of Duke speaks for itself. She’s been an RA since sophomore year and she understands the need to support students from their transition periods and I think that those periods don’t stop when you’re a freshman, and so now as DSG president I think she would hope to keep helping students through those hard transition periods and make sure that Duke is an inclusive and diverse space, especially in the DSG environment.”

HOBERG FROM PAGE 1 and improve campus culture. Hoberg noted that his previous experiences in DSG show that he can accomplish the goals outlined in his platform.

“The fact that I’ve been pretty effective at working multiple projects while I’ve worked for DSG...means that I’m enabled more to do this kind of work,” he said. “The institutional efficiency that I have proven over my past two terms shows that I’m going to be really efficient in getting those projects done.”

During his time in DSG, Hoberg has worked on expanding recycling in the Bryan Center and the Brodhead Center. He is currently working to get labelled recycling bins in the Saladelia Café in Perkins.

Hoberg was also involved in getting a more discreet system for STI testing at student health. Currently the test is directly billed to insurance and can be visible to parents.

Starting this year, the role of executive vice president has changed from an internal and procedural focus to center more on external affairs and policy. Hoberg said he wants to take advantage of the shift and redefine what the executive vice president does.

“It should be I don’t think that the dorm one of the roles room is the most important that has the greatest connection to the place to build community. student body,” jake hoberg Hoberg said. “One SOPHOMORE AND SENATOR FOR of the biggest things SERVICES AND SUSTAINABILITY I want to do is create more initiatives like Fix My Campus, but [institutionalize] them so students can submit concerns about larger issues on campus like racial bias or accessibility.”

Hoberg’s goals include providing financial assistance for students over breaks, promoting interaction between affiliated and non-affiliated students and diversifying how DSG allocates funding. “[Duke] lacks a lot of things. Despite paying $75,000 a year… there are still a lot of things Duke doesn’t provide for students,” Hoberg said. “I want to be the student leader that pushes these concerns to the administrators’ desks and says ‘these are the issues we need to deal with.’”

Hoberg could not go home for Thanksgiving break last year due to financial reasons and struggled to make ends meet while staying on campus.

“Nothing was open. I had to use my own money to buy all this food, and my own money was already sparse so it really broke the bank for me,” Hoberg said. “I ended up eating Raisin Bran out of a red Solo cup on Thanksgiving.”

Additionally, with all upperclassmen eventually moving to West Campus after Central Campus is demolished, Hoberg aims to improve cross-community interaction.

“I don’t think that the dorm room is the most important place to build community,” Hoberg said. “I think it is an important place, but we need to provide more opportunities for [students] in SLGs and fraternities and independents to interact with each other.”

When it comes to funding student groups, a large proportion of DSG funding goes towards prominent minorities. Hoberg wants to redistribute funding more evenly so smaller cultural groups can get funding and host events as well.

“We have such a rigid definition of what diversity means, but I think we need to expand on how we look at that,” he said.

For example, rather than giving money to ‘black students’ as a whole, Hoberg said DSG could focus more on specific groups such as the Haitian Student Alliance or SOCA, which have black identifying students, but also have an added cultural focus.

Sophomore Maryam Asenuga, senator for equity and outreach, spoke to Hoberg’s work ethic and praised his passion.

She said Hoberg would help change DSG’s reputation of “not doing anything.” “[Hoberg] understand his privilege,” Asenuga said. “He as a white man can’t understand the issues I go through, but he takes the time to understand. He’s not doing this to look good. He’s doing this because he cares.”