October 20, 2017

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The Chronicle

See Inside Duke prepares for Countdown to Craziness Page 6

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, OCTOBER 20, 2017 DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH YEAR, ISSUE 25

U.S. SENATORS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION TO HONOR COOK By Bill McCarthy Contributing Reporter

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a resolution honoring the life of Samuel DuBois Cook, the first African American to hold either a regular or tenured faculty appointment at a predominantly white Southern college or university. Cook, who taught at Duke from 1966 to 1974 and was the University’s first black faculty member, died in May at the age of 88. The senate resolution recognizes Cook for breaking racial barriers among many other achievements. “The U.S. Senate’s recognition of Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook’s lifetime of accomplishments is a signal moment,” William Darity Jr., director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, wrote in an email. “It inspires us to work even harder to make Duke’s Cook Center a site where principled scholarship carries his remarkable legacy forward.” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced the resolution alongside North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. Sen. John Kennedy, also from Louisiana, has since signed on as a fourth cosponsor. The resolution has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. “Dr. Cook was a leader in education and social justice,” Warren said in a press release. “He helped open doors for educators of different backgrounds to enter academia and have a voice at colleges and universities.” Burr also signaled his appreciation for the long-time

Contributing Reporter

the Wuhan University of China. Kornbluth said the University is planning to create a full undergraduate liberal arts program at DKU, which would eventually confer Duke-DKU dual degrees to its students. “The folks at DKU and at Duke have been furiously at work trying to do everything you need to make a university,” Kornbluth said. She added that the university plans to accept its first undergraduate class in Fall 2018 with an initial enrollment of 225 students, of whom 170 will be Chinese. However, Francis said convincing Chinese students to apply has not been an easy task. “Recruiting in China is incredibly complicated,” Francis added.

Durham Mayor Bill Bell, who has held the office for 16 years, has formally endorsed mayoral candidate Farad Ali as his successor. Bell’s announcement came at a crucial time. Ali and City Council Member Steve Schewel, Trinity ‘73, will face off to fill Bell’s position in the general election on Nov. 7. The two were the top vote-getters among the original seven candidates on the mayoral ballot. In the primary, Schewel captured more than 51 percent of the vote and Ali received 29 percent. Bell’s decision to not seek reelection this year opened a vacancy that both Ali and Schewel are qualified to fill, he said. Nevertheless, Bell chose to endorse Ali, not only for his qualifications, but also for the consequences his election would have on the selection of Durham City Council. “By electing Farad, we would be assured that at least four persons on the city council will have had some form of city council leadership,” Bell said. “We’ve made too much progress in this community to leave the City Council in the hands of people who have no city council experience. That could happen if we don’t elect Farad as the mayor.” If Schewel wins, the City Council would have vote to appoint a replacement to his at-large seat, a situation Bell wanted to avoid, according to a press release from Ali’s campaign. It said the decision of who will comprise city council “will not be a decision of the people.” Instead, six current city council members—most of whom, Bell said, do not have city council experience—will vote to decide. The decision would also be delayed past November. Bell has firsthand experience working with both candidates on the Durham City Council. Ali was a council member from 2007 to 2011 and Schewel has served on the council since 2011. Bell said it was no easy choice for him to make between two longtime friends. He said he waited until after the primary election to make his endorsement to see whose names would be on the general election ballot. When he foresaw the effect Schewel’s election would have on the city council vote, he decided to take action. Ali has held various other leadership roles in the Durham community that Bell cited as additional reasons for his endorsement. Ali currently serves as chairman of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority and trustee of the Duke University Health System. Recently, Ali was also selected as co-chair of the task force assembled to bring the second headquarters of Amazon to Durham. Bell noted this in particular as

See COUNCIL on Page 5

See BELL on Page 5

Special to The Chronicle Samuel DuBois Cook, who died in May, was the University’s first black faculty member.

educator, saying that Cook’s accomplishments as a scholar and luminary at Duke “marked an important milestone for diversity in academia.” “I’m thankful that Dr. Cook called North Carolina See COOK on Page 4

Academic Council hears updates on DKU, votes on new graduate program Contributing Reporter

The Academic Council met Thursday to discuss updates to the Duke Kunshan University initiative, the proposal for a new Trinity-Pratt graduate program and the restoration of the council’s Student Affairs Committee. The council unanimously approved the proposal for the new graduate program in materials science and engineering (MSE). The multidisciplinary program, sponsored by Provost Sally Kornbluth and the deans of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the Pratt School of Engineering, would offer master’s and doctoral degrees in MSE to graduate students. Kornbluth and Jennifer Francis, vice provost for academic affairs, also gave updates on Duke Kunshan University, a joint venture between Duke University and

Mayor Bill Bell endorses Farad Ali over Steve Schewel By Maya Iskandarani

UNIVERSITY

By Sam Kim

LOCAL AND NATIONAL

TONIGHT Friday, Oct. 20

Duke Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Brown Duke Djembe and Afro-Cuban Ensembles, directed by Bradley Simmons Featuring guest artist Nicholas Payton, trumpet 8 pm Baldwin Auditorium Tickets: $10 General Admission; Students Free


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