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The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 72
Duke accepts 7.3 percent of regular decision applicants Staff Reports The Chronicle Duke admitted 2,255 high school seniors regular decision this year, the University announced Wednesday. The University received its highest number of applicants this year, with more than 34,400 students applying for admission. Almost 31,000 applied regular decision, and 7.3 percent were accepted—a record-low acceptance rate. Another 58 students who applied early decision—but were deferred— have now been admitted as well. “The Regular Decision applicants were so impressive, not just in their academic accomplishments but even more in their engagement in learning and in contributing to their communities,” said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions, in a Duke Today release. “Being able to admit only about 7 percent of them made the selection process particularly challenging for us. It was difficult to choose among the many exceptional young women and men who included Duke on their college lists.” Last year, the University’s regular decision acceptance rate was 8.7 percent. An additional 49 students who applied early and were deferred were admitted last year. The admission rate for early decision this year was 24.5 percent, which was the second most selective early decision process in Duke’s history. A record number of 3,516 students applied early decision and will make up 50 percent of the Class of 2021. Last year, 3,455 students applied early decision, and 813 were admitted—an acceptance rate of 23.5 percent.
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The University participated in the QuestBridge Scholars program for the first time this year. The program is designed specifically for low-income and first-generation college students, and 36 students admitted early decision are QuestBridge scholars. All admitted students are invited for Blue Devil Days, which will be held this year during the weekends of April 13-14, April 17-18 and
April 23-24. Some students on campus expressed their surprise at the acceptance rate, which is lower than when they were admitted. First-year Natalie Popowics noted that she felt bad for the qualified students who did not get accepted. “Sometimes I wonder if I were even like a year younger, would I not have gotten in?”
she said. The record-high number of applicants could result from more people knowing about high-ranking schools and being more willing to apply, explained first-year Thien Hoang. “People aren’t getting smarter,” he said. “You’re still getting the same caliber of people, it’s just you’re getting more people who are applying, so the rate of acceptance is lower.”
HB2 compromise signed into law, University responds Staff Reports The Chronicle
Chronicle File Photo Cooper and leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly struck a “compromise” measure to undo portions of House Bill 2.
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A deal to repeal House Bill 2 was signed into law Thursday afternoon. The compromise struck by Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and Republican leaders in the General Assembly removes the law but prevents municipalities from passing nondiscrimination ordinances to protect LGBTQ+ people and workers’ rights until 2020. Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, sent The Chronicle a statement from President Richard Brodhead. “We are pleased that the legislature has moved to reverse a misguided law that has caused significant harm to the state of North Carolina,” Brodhead said. “This compromise is far from perfect. We continue to urge the governor and members of the legislature to find common ground that
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ensures equal protection under the law for every member of our community.” The NCAA had given state leaders a deadline of Thursday to repeal the law before they would move all championship games out of the state until 2022. It remains to be seen if the compromise fully satisfies the association. The compromise passed in the Senate on a 32-16 vote and in the House by 70-48—the votes did not fall along party lines. HB2 provoked nationwide outrage since it was signed into law by former Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, last year. The NCAA pulled its championships out of North Carolina and many businesses have boycotted the state, citing its discrimination against transgender North Carolinians. Although the Democratic Party endorsed the compromise, liberal groups across the state have expressed displeasure with Cooper, calling the law a “HB2.0.” Some conservative groups have likewise
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panned the law, which they complain does not fully address their concerns. On behalf of Blue Devils United, incoming president Max Bernell, a sophomore, noted that the repeal was not a “compromise” but instead another attack against LGBTQ+ individuals. “Passed out of an attempt to meet the NCAA’S deadline to repeal HB2, this new bill came into existence as a closed door, backroom deal that included no input whatsoever from the LGBTQIA+ community,” he wrote. “While it repeals HB2 on paper, it in actuality replaces the old bill with one that prevents municipalities from offering legal protections to LGBTQIA+ people until 2020 and outright bans protections for transgender individuals in ‘single-sex spaces’ (i.e. restrooms) forever. This bill does not just perpetuate discrimination—it makes it illegal to protect against it.”
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