By Staff Reports
BALLOTS, BONFIRES AND BUYOUTS
The 2024-25 academic year saw a high-stakes presidential election, a monumental basketball season and the beginning of sweeping changes in higher education.
The year began in high spirits. In celebration of Duke’s Centennial, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran gave a rainy Founder’s Day performance to students and alumni in Wallace Wade stadium. Sheeran’s “Castle on a Hill" might have been an omen of the good to come, as the next day, Duke football rallied to a nail-biting last-minute win over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As the election season intensified throughout October, North Carolina emerged as one of the most contested battleground states. Duke saw prominent political figures on campus as eyes turned to the college-aged voter bloc, with then-Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz rallying students in the Bryan Center and former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney announcing in Page Auditorium that she would vote for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The election was ultimately called in favor of President Donald Trump, sparking mixed reactions across campus. Just days later, Durhamites who voted third party took to the streets to speak against the two-party system, with many pointing to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as a key factor in their voting decision.
The Israel-Hamas war remained a subject of activism on campus. Exactly one year after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel student groups organized vigils and demonstrations calling for the end of the “genocide” and the release of hostages, respectively.
The 2024-25 academic year in review
The start of the spring semester came with something Durham had not experienced in more than 1,000 days — snow! Duke campus was coated in white, turning Duke Gardens and Abele Quad into playgrounds for sledding and snowman-building.
That was not the only snow that Dukies saw. Another major snowstorm hit just as the Cameron Crazies were set to participate in the Race to the Secret Spots in hopes of securing a hite or e tent in K-Ville. The race proceeded despite the conditions, although Duke enacted its severe weather and emergency conditions policy shortly after the race’s end.
million in funding from the NIH alone, and professors who received such funding said that the policies will have a “chilling e ect on academia for ears to come Campus was fraught with uncertainty regarding the impact of Trump’s executive orders, which also included attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and academic freedom.
Duke has issued travel guidance to its international students, which remains unchanged even after the visa reactivation. The guidance included avoiding non-essential travel outside the country and a warning that students should “be mindful of their digital footprint and recognize its potential impact on their immigration status.”
On April 30, Duke drastically escalated its cost-cutting measures, announcing that it would offer eligible employees three-year buyouts, the first among its peers to do so. University administrators said the move was done in an effort to cut 10% of Duke’s total expense base. The rollout of the offers is set to begin May 7.
Over the last academic year, the Duke community mourned the loss of some of its members. The community lost graduate student Jiani Yu in December and undergraduate student Ian Hyun Kim in May.
Joel Fleishman, founder of the Sanford School of Public Policy and namesake of Duke’s Fleishman House, died in September. Fleishman, who also led Duke’s first capital campaign, is remembered as “a model for how to live life.” John Feinstein, sports journalism star and former sports editor of The Chronicle, died in March.
Following the uptick in student activism and rising political polarization on campus, Duke faculty organized to petition the University to adopt a stance of institutional neutrality and safeguard freedom of speech. As of April 18, 140 faculty members have signed the petition, although Duke has not yet publicly acknowledged it. The Chronicle’s April 2024 inaugural faculty survey found that over 60% of faculty respondents expressed support for the ni ersit to o ciall commit itself to institutional neutrality.
Despite the football season coming to a close and the basketball season just beginning, Duke still managed to make headlines in the sports world. At the end of 2024, Crystal Mangum admitted that she fabricated the infamous 2006 Duke lacrosse scandal in which she falsely accused students David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann of rape.
Tenting interest was at an all-time high this year, with record numbers of students packing Cameron Indoor Stadium to take the tenting entry exam. For those who earned a spot, their loc in in paid o , as the lue e ils thrashed the Tar Heels 87-70.
Both men’s and women’s basketball went on to become Atlantic Coast Conference champions. Duke men’s basketball went deep into the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Final Four after winning the East region. However, the team was defeated in a heartbreaking last-minute comeback from Houston. Women’s basketball fell in the Elite Eight.
rump too o ce in anuar , and subsequently initiated attacks on higher education institutions. The administration announced a slew of federal funding cuts to universities in February, including slashed funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the elimination of the United States Agency for International Development. Duke received around $194
That uncertainty began to materialize in March. Duke announced its first round of cost-cutting measures and a sweeping review of administrative efficiency March 13, which included a staff hiring freeze and the suspension of capital spending. A few weeks later, the Duke Center for International Development, which relied extensively on USAID funding, shuttered its doors, accelerating the University’s costreduction efforts. Administrators told The Chronicle that Duke is planning for a future “with a very different funding model [than] in the past.”
International students across the United States also felt the impact of the federal government’s crackdown. The Trump administration revoked visas for students involved in pro-Palestinian activism and activities that “run counter” to U.S. interests. The administration also threatened to implement a travel ban, prompting concerns from Duke’s international community.
Professor of Romance Studies Fredric Jameson died in September; Professor of Physics Tom Mehen died in December and Sayan Mukherjee, research professor of statistical science, died in March.
The University lost several professors emeriti including Professor Emeritus of Sociology Edward Tiryakian; Orrin Pilkey, James B. Duke professor emeritus of geology; Michèle Longino, professor emerita of romance studies; Richard Hays, George Washington Ivey distinguished professor emeritus of New Testament; Gerald Wilson, senior associate dean emeritus of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences; ValentinYves Mudimbe, Newman Ivey White distinguished professor emeritus of literature; and Jesse Cavenar, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
The visas of three Duke community members — two Duke graduate students and one alumnus on Optional Practical Training — were terminated in April. They were, however, returned to active status nearly a month later, after the Trump administration reversed its decision to terminate legal status for many international students.
As the year drew to a close, students leaders prepared to shape the University's future. In the Duke Student Government presidential elections, junior Tara Singh was chosen to succeed senior Heather Raslan. Senior Jax Nalley was selected as the Undergraduate Young Trustee and Austin Beason was selected to be the Graduate/Professional Young Trustee.
The year ended with a last day of classes concert headlined by “Unwritten” singer Natasha Bedingfield and supported by artists Penelope Road and Rich The Kid.
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Potential travel ban prompts international student concerns as administrators navigate political uncertainty
By Zoe Kolenovsky
March 28, 2025
Editor’s note: The Chronicle is committed to maintaining journalistic standards and credibility in our coverage. The Chronicle has elected to grant anonymity to one of the international students — referred to in the article under the pseudonym “John” — due to his uncertain visa status. The Chronicle has confirmed the accuracy of the quotes published through our own recording of the interview.
Amid reports that the Trump administration is considering implementing a ban on travel to the U.S. from dozens of countries, international students at Duke voiced concerns regarding student visas while administrators outlined e orts to na i ate shifting federal policy.
The New York Times reported March 14 that a draft list recommending varying degrees of restriction on travel from 43 countries had been circulated among rump administration o cials, compl in with a Jan. 20 executive order. Subsequent reports speculated that restrictions might be enacted as early as last week, though the administration has yet to make any o cial announcement
In the draft list of potential travel restrictions, countries ere identified as being on a “red” list, meaning all travel to the U.S. would be banned for their citizens. Ten additional countries were placed on an “orange” list denoting sharp visa
restrictions, and 22 countries were named on a “yellow” list and would have 60 days to meet the administration’s requirements before any limits are implemented.
According to Duke’s most recent Open Doors report, there were 21 undergraduate and graduate students from the 11 “red list” countries enrolled in fall 2023, with 50 more from “orange list” countries and 12 from “yellow list” countries. In fall 2024, international students comprised 11% of the undergraduate student population and 35% of the graduate student body.
“We understand the uncertainty over the expected policy changes involving international travel is causing concern, especially regarding student visas and practical training,” wrote Frank Tramble, vice president for communications, mar etin and public a airs, in a hursda email to The Chronicle. He added that University stakeholders have been “meeting regularly” since last semester to prepare for policy changes and provide “timely guidance” to students.
Such guidance has primarily been funneled through the Duke International Student Center and Duke Visa Services. In a Thursday email to The Chronicle, Kevin D’Arco, senior associate dean of international students, noted that DVS sent two messages on Jan. 20 and Feb. 4 to international students providing guidance on how to navigate changes to federal visa policy and including a reminder that “U.S.
law has always required everyone who is not a U.S. citizen to carry evidence of their immigration status at all times.”
John, an undergraduate student from one of the “orange list” countries, spoke to The Chronicle on the condition of anonymity due to his uncertain visa status. e is currentl ta in a semester o from Duke because his visa is set to expire this spring, and he has been working on the renewal process for months while based in a third country.
John cited long wait times, high fees and di cult ettin appointments as obstacles he has already faced in that process. The recent announcement that the ma place si nificant tra el restrictions on citizens of his country could throw another wrench in his plans.
He noted that representatives from Duke have been “trying a lot” to assist him with acquiring and completing the required documents ahead of the deadline, after which point he would have to reapply for a new visa altogether.
“Getting that American visa, it is like winning a lottery,” he said. “… It is one of the hardest things you can get.”
John said he hasn’t lost hope, though, pointing out that his country is not “on the red list” — where citizens face a total ban.
Sophomore Georgia Lazarus hails from South Africa, which was not included on the draft list. However, she said she
has been “a little bit anxious” about how federal tra el restrictions mi ht a ect the renewal of her F-1 student visa, which expires during her senior year.
Lazarus also recalled being questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents “so much more” when returned from spring break than on previous trips.
Christy Parrish, director of Duke’s lobal ra el ce, rote in a hursda email to he hronicle that the o ce has been fieldin uestions about the safet of international travel amid the prospective ban, even though it primarily advises students and faculty who are leaving the country, not entering it.
“We [are] advising caution and making plans that are refundable because we’re in a ‘wait and see’ stance,” Parrish rote he added that if a ban a ectin individuals who have simply visited the listed countries is implemented, the o ce would encourage students and faculty to “reconsider” non-essential international tra el to a ected countries and ad ise them of the risks and likely our inability to assist should they be prevented from returning to the United States.”
For sophomore Gemma Tutton, a native of the United Kingdom — also not on the draft list — “free speech concerns” present a serious worry even for international students who are not from targeted countries, and she pointed SEE TRAVEL BANS ON PAGE 20
By Zoe Kolenovsky April 30, 2025
Duke to offer eligible employees voluntary 3-year buyouts as part of cost-cutting efforts
Duke administrators announced a voluntary separation program impacting hundreds of employees as part of the ni ersit s on oin cost cuttin e orts, becomin the first of its peer institutions to implement such buyouts amid federal funding threats.
The move may also be followed by a conditional involuntary separation pro ram and chan es to emplo ee benefits, such as retirement.
The rollout of the voluntary separation incentive program (VSIP) is set to begin a , ith all o ers e tended b a 21. Eligible employees will receive a financial incenti e and continuin health care coverage in exchange for a threeyear separation from the University, after which they are able to reapply for employment at Duke.
Eligibility for the program will be determined by department leadership and is limited to positions that departments and schools are prepared to eliminate for three years. Employees will have 45 days to accept or decline.
“These programs are meant to be intentional e orts to help miti ate the scale of an involuntary reduction in force,” said Antwan Lofton, vice president of human resources and chief human resources o cer, adding that the VSIP does not constitute a “broad-based retirement incentive program.”
The announcement came in a Wednesday webinar for faculty and sta featurin remar s from ofton and Executive Vice President Daniel Ennis, moderated by Frank Tramble, vice president for communications, marketing and public a airs t follo ed an pril ebinar here administrators first shared updates on the strategic realignment and cost-cutting plans announced in March.
Ennis noted that Duke had initially established a “very ambitious” total costreduction target of $350 million, which he said represents roughly 10% of the University’s total expense base.
According to Ennis, the University evaluated every “non-personnel dollar” for its “criticality,” but he acknowledged the cost reduction tar et is di cult to reach ithout si nificant impact on emplo ees
The announcement of the VSIP follows a sta hirin free e, as ell as a re ie of all vacant positions to determine whether they were “absolutely critical for the future of the University.” According to Ennis, hundreds of vacant positions will be eliminated by the end of that process.
Lofton noted that University leadership will know how many employees have accepted the VSIP buyouts by July 14. After that, administrators will decide whether additional involuntary separations are necessary, though Ennis characterized that path as one Duke is “working hardest to avoid.”
If involuntary separations are needed, schools will begin developing such plans in the weeks that follow July 14 and will conduct this reduction in force as outlined in the employee handbook.
The administrators also said that u e s emplo ee benefits pro ram is under review for possible cost cuts. Ennis said the children’s tuition grant program — which covers tuition expenses at any accredited college or university for the children of eligible employees — will not be a ected, but the retirement pro ram may see changes.
However, Ennis and Lofton both stressed that administrators understand the importance of “protecting the benefits pro ram s competiti eness to ensure Duke continues to “recruit and retain top talent.”
Ennis contextualized the announcements with the broader landscape of recent threats to higher education.
“Our institution is facing a threat to our essence, our core values. And it’s deeply troubling,” he said, pointing to institutional autonomy, academic freedom and traditions of shared governance. He asserted that the best way to maintain them is — “sadly” — by “ensuring the reatest financial e ibilit
Ennis said that the University’s finances are most si nificantl impacted by widespread reductions in awarded federal research grants, which he noted
have “dramatically slowed” compared to previous years, to the tune of 40% to 50% fewer awards. This lost funding presents a si nificant challen e for maintainin employment levels, as Ennis explained that tenure commitments to faculty create hi h fi ed costs that don t ad ust easil a ainst a dramaticall di erent level of sponsored funding.”
“What that means is our pipeline — our ability to support our research mission, to fund the facilities and administrative costs associated with that mission — are going to be dramatically reduced,” Ennis said.
When asked why Duke cannot draw extra funds from its endowment to support operational expenses, Ennis explained that the endowment is bound by strict legal regulations around how funds are used. They must be spent in pursuit of a particular oal identified b the donor, and onl a small fraction of the total endowment can be spent each year to ensure the fund continues to appreciate, remaining available for future generations. Ennis said Duke’s annual endowment spending rate rests around 4% to 6%.
“There’s no part of our mission, there’s no part of our enterprise that would not be impacted by what we have forecasted as potential loss in funding support,” Ennis said.
Duke Center for International Development pauses activity due to USAID cuts, accelerating University’s cost reduction efforts
By Ana Despa
March 28, 2025
The Duke Center for International Development has paused its activities amid cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), marking a major development in the University’s response to reductions in federal funding.
Housed within the Sanford School of Public Policy, DCID oversaw projects promoting sustainable development across the world through education, research and advocacy — many of which were funded by USAID. According to Edmund Malesky, DCID director and professor of political science, Sanford leadership paused the center’s activities “because [DCID] did not have an alternative funding model in place.”
“The closure of USAID was painful for us. We had a few projects that lost ongoing funding but also lost opportunity for future funding,” Malesky wrote in a Thursday email to The Chronicle.
e added that s sta and labor are being relocated to “other school priorities.” University administration and Sanford leadership did not respond to The Chronicle’s re uest for clarification on hether an sta or facult ould be laid o
The move follows a March 13 email to facult and sta from resident incent Price outlining cost reductions and a strategic realignment across the University.
“While we are evaluating targeted costsaving measures across the institution, due to the evolving federal funding landscape, we are planning for a future with a very di erent fundin model than in the past, wrote Frank Tramble, vice president for communications, marketing and public a airs, in a rida email to he hronicle This remains an ongoing planning process, and we are committed to keeping our community informed as it progresses.”
Manoj Mohanan, interim dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, wrote in a Friday email to The Chronicle that sta are continuing to work in support of Sanford’s joint missions of education, research and policy engagement,” adding that the school is reviewing its operations in line with ni ersit ide cost cuttin e orts
economic reform and a robust relationship with a new Southeast Asian trading partner: Vietnam.
The project — led by Malesky — was launched in 2005 by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry with funding from USAID. It introduced the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), which assesses business conditions, economic governance and administrati e reform e orts at the provincial level.
"We are planning for a future with a very different funding model [than] in the past."
The PCI helped inform Vietnamese partners on how to create a business environment that fosters development of the private sector.
The nation has been a unitary state under the Communist Party of Vietnam since the Vietnam War.
scientific research s ills to pro ide data that [partners] can use to make their own decisions, and I can draw on international experiences to tell them what has worked … in other locations.”
The PCI was integrated into Vietnam’s anti-corruption law as its primary method of assessment.
“It has been gratifying to see our recommendations for how to improve be enshrined in Vietnamese law, or to see the government use our initiatives in speeches when advocating for certain policies, or to see private businesses use our index when advocating for reforms with the Vietnamese government,” Malesky said.
Many of DCID’s projects were funded through USAID, including ones uantif in the e ects of climate chan e on internationally displaced people and examining political will in anti-corruption e orts ne of its lon est standin pro ects was also one of the most impactful in s histor , eneratin si nificant
Throughout the project’s tenure, Malesky made nearly 100 visits to Vietnam, or in directl ith pro incial o cials and business leaders.
“I will never know Vietnam as well as Vietnamese policymakers or Vietnamese businesses, and my job isn't to tell them what to do,” Malesky said in a March 18 interview with The Chronicle, prior to the pause of DCID’s activities. “But the way I see development is my job is to … [use]
Despite its impact, the project came to an abrupt halt this year when the U.S. government issued a stop order, followed by a cancellation order. The PCI’s corresponding webpage on the USAID site was removed, and the U.S. Department of State webpage detailing U.S.-Vietnam cooperation has been archived. The future of such initiatives remains uncertain.
“A lot of the things that we were doing, I think eventually that people are going to understand their value and they'll start working on them too, and maybe they'll be funded by other organizations,” Malesky said. “But at least, I think, for the next four years, I'm not anticipating them coming back.”
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Marine Lab library to close amid reduced demand for materials, librarian pivoting to climate-focused role
By Zoe Kolenovsky
April 10, 2025
The Pearse Memorial Library at the Duke University Marine Lab is set to close its doors this summer, and its primary librarian will transition to a new role focused on supporting the University’s Climate Commitment.
The Beaufort library is set to close July 1, and the materials held in its physical collections ill be mo ed to o site storage by the start of fall 2025, per a uesda email to facult , sta and students in the Nicholas School of the Environment from Joseph Salem, Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University librarian and vice pro ost for librar a airs
The closure was “hastened” due to the threat of si nificantl decreased federal funding support for Duke’s research and teaching mission,” Salem wrote. However, those involved in the decision foresaw the facility’s eventual closure, pointing to its physical deterioration and need to adapt to an increasingly digitized academic environment.
Salem stressed that there would be “no interruption or reduction in the essential library services and resources the Marine Lab community relies on.” These include material deliveries from the University’s Durham campus or through interlibrary loans, in-person and virtual research instruction and consultations, as well
as additional community “outreach and engagement” by a librarian “embedded” on site.
That librarian is Jodi Psoter, head of the Marine Lab library and librarian for marine science. In her new position as the “climate and sustainability strategist and librarian for marine science and conservation,” Psoter will continue to live and work in Beaufort but will also take on more responsibilities in Durham in service of research associated with the Climate Commitment.
While Salem acknowledged that the closure as a di cult decision, he noted that the library’s future had been an “open question” since he arrived at Duke in 2022.
The library, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of its dedication last year, has deteriorated over time. Its location on the coast means the facility has faced additional wear and tear from the elements — notably wind and salt — and Salem wrote in the email that problems with the HVAC system in particular “threaten the long-term usability” of its collections.
But outside of concerns over the physical space’s viability, the library’s purpose has also shifted away from its original intent over the years.
Today, the library primarily serves as a gathering space for students to study or interact socially, according to Psoter.
She explained that scholarly journals and government documents — which
constitute many of those on-site items — are increasingly digitized, reducing the need for a space to store physical copies.
Salem corroborated her account, noting that in fiscal ear , onl items were checked out of the library’s collection — roughly half of which he described as “popular and leisure reading.”
“How students use libraries, and more importantly, how students do research has changed,” Psoter said. “How faculty do research has changed. How researchers use information has changed.”
Although Salem and Psoter believe the decision is the right one for Duke, they acknowledged that the library’s closure will still be felt by many in Duke’s Beaufort community.
“We are disappointed that, after more than a half-century of support for the research and educational missions of the Duke Marine Lab, the Pearse Library will close this summer,” wrote Andy Read, Steven A. Toth distinguished professor of marine biology in the Nicholas School of the Environment and director of the Marine Lab, in a Wednesday email to The Chronicle. “… But we recognize that the function of libraries has changed in the modern digital era, and are very glad that the library services, on which we all depend, will continue in an uninterrupted manner.”
He added that a committee of faculty, sta and students ill be con ened to “make recommendations about the
future use of the library space” and that it will be available to students during both summer terms.
Despite “showing its age,” Read expressed his belief that the building “will continue to be a serviceable space for the coming decades.” Still, Salem wrote in the original email that sunsetting the library was already “likely to happen in the coming years,” noting that the timeline had been accelerated by threats to federal research funding.
Last month, University administrators announced plans to implement a series of cost-cutting measures to lessen the impact of expected federal funding reductions. In line with this goal, Salem explained that alongside other University departments and programs, Duke’s library system is evaluating its priorities to see where it can lower expenses and support the institution’s most pressing needs.
At the Marine Lab, Salem believes that means closing a facility approaching a state of disrepair and removing collections that see little use, while preserving the most vital component of the research operation it supports: Psoter herself.
“Jodi has made it a welcoming environment, and the community there is so strong,” Salem said, also praising her skills as a “hardcore science librarian.”
He and others involved in the decision
MARINE LAB ON PAGE 20
By Abby Spiller
October 24, 2024
‘Blue Devils for Harris-Walz' Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz holds GOTV rally at Duke
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke on the Harris-Walz campaign’s promise of a “better way forward” in a Thursday “Get Out The Vote” event organized by Duke Democrats.
The Bryan Center Landing, adorned with a sea of “Blue Devils for HarrisWalz” signs and overlooked by Secret Service agents, hosted over 150 community members to hear the vice presidential pick speak on the importance of voting in North Carolina this election. Walz visited the swing state just last week alongside former President Bill Clinton to kick off the early voting period.
“We see [Vice President] Kamala Harris with a to-do list for this country that is the to-do list that Americans want, [but] we see Donald Trump with a grievances list,” Walz said, adding that “the contrast” between the candidates “couldn’t be greater.”
He further emphasized Harris' intention to “be [a] president for all Americans,” and implement policies that benefit all her constituents, re ardless of which candidate they voted for.
"We're not talking about the next four years … we're talking about the next 40 years."
“Right now, we're not talking about the next four years,” Walz said of the election’s impact. “We’re talking about the next 40 years.”
Throughout his eight-minute speech, Walz touched on policy issues including reproductive rights and climate change and underscored the dangers of a second Trump presidency.
Harris underscored this approach herself during a Wednesday CNN town hall in an effort to engage with undecided voters.
“There are 12 days to choose dignity, integrity and kindness,” Walz said. “… It is not about our ideology … [but] about the people [and] the policies that work.”
e specificall stated the campai n s intention to restore the protections provided under Roe v. Wade, claiming that policies implemented by the Trump administration put women’s lives “at risk.”
Walz continued by emphasizing the historical si nificance of this ear s election
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“[When you’re my age], you’re going to be asked … ‘what did you do?’” he said. “And your answer is going to be ‘every damn thing possible.’”
Walz was introduced by Duke Democrats President Annika Aristimuno, a junior, who spoke on the energy of young voters in the election.
“We’ve all been told that our generation will shape the future,” she said. “… Well, now is the time … It is going to take all of our collective action to organize our community to make sure that Gov. Tim Walz goes from being Kamala Harris’ running mate to the next vice president of the United States.”
Aristimuno also called on students to head to the polls to cast their ballots.
Students can vote early at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center up until Nov. 2. Same-day registration is available during the early voting period.
On Election Day, students who are already registered in North Carolina can vote at their designated polling location.
Ahead of the event, the University announced that there would be restricted access and increased security in the Bryan Center. Only those with DukeCard access were permitted to enter the building, and all entering the building were subject to bag checks.
Following his speech, Walz headed to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where he met with Nina King, vice president and director of athletics, and Jon Scheyer, Duke men’s basketball head coach.
Walz concluded his fourth visit to the state with stops in Greenville and Wilmington.
“This election will run right through North Carolina,” Walz said. “And if North Carolina … goes for Kamala Harris, we win this election.”
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Duke faculty members urge changes to Pickets, Protests and Demonstrations policy
More than 130 faculty members have signed a petition calling on Duke to revise its Pickets, Protests and Demonstrations (PPD) policy, arguing its registration requirement undermines the nature of protest, and its ban on “disruptive or disorderly conduct” lacks clarity.
The petition, which faculty began circulating in early March, urges the University to uphold freedom of speech on campus and foster discussion between administrators and faculty to amend the policy.
“We are concerned that this policy, if left as is, will chill protest at Duke,” the petition states.
The new PPD policy was introduced in September 2024 as part of updates to the Community Standard as universities nationwide enacted a wave of tightened rules following an uptick in campus activism due to the Israel-Hamas war the year prior.
The policy mirrors a previously established appendix in the Faculty Handbook, but introduces a prior registration requirement, which means that all such assemblies must be registered as an event through DukeGroups. Outdoor events must be requested at least 15 days ahead of time, while indoor events re uire fi e da s notice
The events can only proceed with
approval, and students are required to bring a valid Duke ID and present it to any ni ersit o cial ho re uests to see it
Those who violate the policy face potential disciplinary action, including expulsion.
According to a Monday email from University leadership to The Chronicle, “Duke believes all voices in our community should be heard — expressed within policies that are in place to keep everyone in our community safe and prevent the disruption of our academic mission.”
When asked whether Duke would consider reevaluating the policy as called for by the petition, University leadership pointed to the recent formation of an ad hoc committee to review the PPD policy in Appendix I of the Faculty Handbook, which is set to be presented before Academic Council in December. The Appendix, however, does not include the registration requirement, and University leadership did not specify any additional actions being taken to address the petition’s concern regarding the requirement.
Concern over registration requirement
In the petition, faculty noted that protests typically take place as “immediate responses” to policies and actions, making the policy’s prior registration at times impossible. They further voiced that the requirement shows the University’s “paternalistic” attitude by assuming that students “are
not capable of reasoning adequately for themselves.”
James Chappel, Gilhuly Family associate professor of history, and one of the initial signatories of the petition, said the registration requirement “could be chilling to free speech at Duke” and that the notion that speech needs to be submitted to the University for approval restricts students’ freedom of expression.
Other faculty shared similar views. Eric Mlyn, distinguished faculty fellow in the Kenan Institute for Ethics who has not signed the petition but “[agrees] with the thrust of the petition,” emphasized that the advance notice requirement is “almost anathema to the political strategy of protest, which is to respond in kind at the moment.”
‘The wrong way to think about free speech’
The PPD policy further prohibits disruptive conduct that interrupts the University’s operations and “the substitution of noise for speech,” but the petition argues that noise and disruption are a part of free speech rather than “antithetical” to it.
Robin Kirk, professor of the practice of cultural anthropology, co-director of the Duke Human Rights Center and one of the initial signatories of the petition, identified some unruliness as an element of freedom of expression regarding discourse on contentious issues.
“We need to have our rules for protests re ect the fact that sometimes e ents can be lively … and that liveliness should not be the object of any sort of sanctions or investigations,” Kirk said.
Chappel contended that the current policy creates a campus atmosphere that stokes fear among students.
“We’re in a strange moment where the defense of free speech now often means we have to rigorously police student speech,” Chappel said, adding that the approach is “the wrong way to think about free speech.”
He added that Duke students know when they are disrupting University operations as opposed to engaging in respectful free speech but that the policy “is not written in that way.”
Faculty members call for clearer boundaries
Faculty also raised concerns regarding the policy’s vagueness and subjectivity regarding what constitutes a violation of the rules. According to the petition, the polic lac s a clear definition of noise and “disruptive or disorderly conduct.”
Chappel says the policy should clearly define boundaries of hat is permissible and not, arguing that if students were given a “roadmap” of what is and is not acceptable, they would follow it.
Chappel referenced a similar 1968 policy that regulated pickets and SEE PETITION ON PAGE 20
THE CHRONICLE'S INAUGURAL FACULTY SURVEY
Nearly half of faculty members think Duke is putting ‘too much’ emphasis on DEI
By Jazper Lu and Audrey Wang
October 24, 2024
or its first ear, he hronicle surveyed Duke faculty members about their thoughts on the University’s di ersit , e uit and inclusion e orts
We found that faculty members had varied views on DEI, with nearly half of respondents indicating that Duke placed too much or somewhat too much emphasis on it. Tenured faculty respondents were more likely than others to share this perspective, as were more conservative respondents.
The survey was administered from April 8-19, 2024. A total of 776 faculty members fully completed the survey, and 132 faculty members answered at least one question. Only complete responses were analyzed.
We compared our survey participant demographics with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System’s reported data for Duke.
Among full-time faculty, those who are tenured and tenure-track are overrepresented in our survey, while nontenure-track faculty are underrepresented.
Full-time faculty members who identified e clusi el as hite or lac African American are proportionately represented hose ho identified exclusively as Hispanic/Latinx are slightly underrepresented, and full-time faculty ho identified e clusi el as sian are underrepresented. In contrast, full-time facult members ho identified ith t o or more races are overrepresented relative to their proportion in the broader population.
Among full-time faculty members, those ho identified as either male or female were proportionately represented in the survey.
Duke faculty views on DEI
We asked Duke faculty members whether the University was putting too much or not enough emphasis on DEI in hiring, curriculum, student life and campus activities generally. Respondents could either answer too much, somewhat too much, just enough, somewhat not enough and not enough.
A plurality of respondents — 30.67% — indicated that Duke was placing just the right amount of emphasis on DEI, while 24.36% of respondents felt there was too much emphasis, 21.01% said somewhat too much, 15.46% believed it was somewhat not enough and 8.51% thought there was not enough emphasis.
A May 2023 Gallup poll found that 54% of employed U.S. adult respondents think their workplace is placing the "right amount" of attention on increasing DEI, compared to 30.67% of Duke respondents who believe Duke is putting "just enough" emphasis on DEI. 14% of Gallup respondents replied that they think their company pays "too much" attention, compared to Duke's 45.37%, and 15% responded that they're paying too little attention, compared to Duke's 23.97%. About 17% of Gallup respondents were unsure, and the Duke survey did not include this option.
Across schools with at least 15 respondents, faculty members from the School of Law were most likely to say either the emphasis was not enough or somewhat not enough (47.37%), followed by the Sanford School of Public Policy (42.11%). Faculty members from the Fuqua School of Business were the most likely to say that the emphasis was too much or somewhat too much (59.26%), followed by the Pratt School of Engineering (50%).
hen rouped b three ma or fields of study, Trinity faculty respondents
Audrey Wang
involved with arts and humanities were least likely to answer that Duke was emphasizing DEI too much or somewhat too much , and those a liated with the social sciences were most likely to answer in this way (54.24%).
Notably, 13 out of the 32 social science respondents who answered “too much” or “somewhat too much” are from the economics department. When excluding economics, only 47.5% of social science faculty answered this way.
From most to least likely to respond that Duke’s emphasis on DEI was not enough among racial categories with more than 30 respondents, the order was: Black or African American (28.57%), Hispanic/ Latinx (17.14%), Asian (11.96%) and white (6.09%). Male faculty were more likely to think Duke’s emphasis was too much, while 40.88% of female faculty thought there was “just enough” emphasis. Tenured faculty members were more likely to believe that the emphasis on DEI was too much.
When disaggregated by political identification, the more liberal a facult member identified themsel es as, the more likely they thought the emphasis was either not enough or somewhat not enough. Only 18.33% of faculty members ho identified themsel es as er liberal said they thought the emphasis was either too much or somewhat too much. None of the facult ho identified themsel es as very conservative said they thought the emphasis on DEI was “not enough” or “somewhat not enough.”
Respondents who answered that they believed Duke spent ‘too much’ or ‘somewhat too much’ emphasis on DEI were less likely to respond that the state of discourse on DEI at Duke was healthy.
When asked to describe the state of discourse on Duke’s DEI emphasis within the Duke community and i en a definition of health discourse, onl 5.15% of respondents said it was very healthy. Of the remaining respondents, 24.36% said it was somewhat healthy, 22.42% said it was neither healthy or unhealthy, 27.06% said it was somewhat unhealthy and 21.01% said it was very unhealthy.
The more conservative a faculty member identified themsel es as, the more likely they thought the state of discourse was either somewhat or very unhealthy.
Respondents who answered that they believed Duke spent ‘too much’ or ‘somewhat too much’ emphasis on DEI were more likely to respond that the range of acceptable views on DEI at Duke was narrow.
When asked to describe the range of views on DEI that can be expressed publicly within the Duke community, a little over half of respondents answered that it was very or somewhat narrow. Only 5.93% described it as very wide, while 16.37% described it as wide, 27.32% as medium, 24.74% as somewhat narrow and 25.64% as very narrow.
Editor's note: This story is part of a series based on a survey of Duke faculty conducted by The Chronicle from April 8-19, 2024. It combines sections on methodology and DEI findings and has been edited and condensed for print.
You can read all of our survey coverage at dukechronicle.com, including survey insights on institutional neutrality, affirmative action and the Israel-Hamas war.
Audrey Wang
'Give us a shot'
A note from The Chronicle's editor-in-chief
The Chronicle has been around for 120 years, decades before Duke even had its name. We launched Dec. 19, 1905 selling weekly Tuesday print editions for a nickel. No social media, no breaking news alerts — just ink, paper and a desire to tell the stories of Trinity College which later became Duke.
That very first edition covered a lecture given on campus by a North Carolina businessman, a meeting of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and a review of faculty members’ holiday plans.
In January 1906, the paper established its inaugural board, composed of eight students tasked with overseeing its operations.
“This paper shall be the organ of the student body,” the inaugural board
wrote. “It shall aim to give true and accurate reports of college news and to afford an open medium for the expression of the sentiments of the student body.”
Since then, The Chronicle has grown to a news organization with more than 100 active members, publishing around 60 stories a week during the academic year. Our mission has expanded and changed a bit — our coverage goes beyond the student body and we now cover the local Durham community. But our commitment to seeking the truth and reporting it has not waivered.
To maintain our editorial independence, in 1993 we became financially independent from Duke. The Chronicle is now established as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that solely relies on money from advertisements, donations and investments.
This model allows us to publish any story on any topic that meets our standards. No one at Duke reviews anything that we publish, rather the editor-in-chief is responsible for all editorial content.
In an era of digitalization where everything online lasts forever, the media faces growing pressure from those who want to control the narrative — at Duke, that is often administrators but can even be students and faculty.
Not everyone is happy when a story comes to light.
The Chronicle stays committed to reporting the truth and maintaining its independence. As a former editor-inchief, Jake Satisky, once said, “Student journalism is here to tell it as it is, to the best of our ability.”
My tenure as editor-in-chief has just begun. I came staggering into The Chronicle’s office in 301 Flowers as an engineering major a bit less than two years ago, finding that my passion for inquiry that drives me to pursue my major also drives me to pursue journalism. I took over the reins to the “publish” button April 24. But I have learned a few things over the past month — “a capella” has two “ll”s and we, as a paper, could be doing a lot better explaining who we are.
So, since our senior editor and print maestro Ryan Kilgallen saved half a page for this note, fi ured ould use the in to relay a few things I would like readers to know about The Chronicle:
We train our reporters before they write their first story for us, but anyone — even those with no prior journalism experience — can pick up a story for the paper. Our stories go through an editing process before they are published where they are assessed for fairness and accuracy. Anyone can write an opinion
Looking
guest column for us, although there are standards that must be met as decided by the opinion editor. We make intentional commitments to uphold journalistic independence and integrity.
The Chronicle recognizes that trust in the media is at a historic low. A Gallup poll published last October had the media ranked last on a list of democratic institutions ranked in order of public trust.
As a student-run publication reporting on Duke, we are in a unique position. lthou h e a oid direct con icts of interest with our writers, we are Duke students covering Duke. We have direct access to the people and policies we report on and institutional knowledge from being so deeply embedded within the community we cover.
That makes The Chronicle different from other news organizations.
And while we know that we have made mistakes, The Chronicle has also been a place for accountability, relaying important inforamtion, and spotlighting campus figures.
Dig through our archives, and my only hope is that you can give us a shot.
I would like to credit Vol. 115 editor-inchief Jake Satisky, Vol. 116 editor-in-chief
Matthew Griffin and Vol. 120 news editor Zoe Kolenovsky, whose columns this note heavily relied upon.
By Ana Despa June 1, 2025
TRAVEL BANS
FROM PAGE 5
to students at other universities who have been “threatened and actually … deported for having certain views.”
Still, Tutton acknowledged experiencing “passport privilege” as a student with a European passport.
Trump enacted a similar travel ban durin his first term, bannin citi ens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. in a March 2017 executive order.
At the time, Duke joined 30 other uni ersities in filin an amicus brief opposing the ban, arguing that it threatened their “ability to attract the best students, facult , sta and scholars from around the world.” The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in June 2018 to uphold a later ersion of the ban a ectin fi e of the original countries, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.
Duke administrators did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for comment on whether the University might take a similar stance if a new travel ban is issued. However, at a Duke Graduate and Professional Student Government meeting last week, Chris Simmons, vice president for government relations, suggested the University would “continue to push back legally and legislatively” against such a move in support of its international community members.
In the Thursday email, D’Arco noted
that students with questions about visarelated matters should contact their DVS departmental liaison, who are Duke’s desi nated school o cials roles that fulfill a o ernmental re uirement for compliance with federal immigration law.
MARINE LAB
FROM PAGE 11
to close the library think Psoter will be able to better support Marine Lab researchers’ needs in her new position, where she will not bear “the additional responsibilities of single-handedly managing a physical library space.”
“Our hope is that by keeping Jodi engaged with the campus but deemphasizing the physical space, [researchers at the Marine Lab are] going to get their highest priority needs [met] in that partnership from her,” Salem said.
As another motivating factor for the decision, alem identified the limate Commitment as one of few strategic priorities for the University that does not have a lead librarian to assist with research. Psoter will meet that need without requiring Duke to allocate additional funds to support an entirely new role.
“In those situations where you can’t grow or just build, you have to think about how best to steward your resources, the University’s resources at the end of the day,” Salem said. “And so the real
consideration was … how do we meet this huge strategic need for the University ithin our current sta n
Salem noted in the Tuesday email that a “farewell reception” will be scheduled sometime before the closure.
PETITION
FROM PAGE 16
demonstrations in the aftermath of civil rights and anti-war protests on campus. He added that the policy explicitly stated the actions that constituted violations, namely impeding access to buildings, offices and classrooms and disrupting the flow of traffic.
Both Chappel and Kirk highlighted Duke as “a campus that celebrates its history of activism” and the role Duke students have played in driving change.
Kirk pointed to the 1968 silent vigil — once a controversial call for civil rights and desegregation — as an example of student activism that is now celebrated, adding that today’s pro-Palestinian protests should be given support by Duke.
“Duke students have made us so much better in so many ways and really challenging us to be a better university as a whole,” Kirk said, noting that Duke’s policies should support students participating in peaceful protest instead of subjecting them to disciplinary action.
he facult petition is not the first time Duke community members have scrutinized the policy.
Upon the policy’s introduction, student groups expressed mixed reactions, with some viewing it as ensuring safer, more organized protests and others voicing concerns about the ambiguity of what the policy considers acceptable.
he polic also came under fire durin an April 17 National Day of Action rally organized by Duke community members to defend higher education and free speech amid federal threats. Protesters called for Duke to abolish its PPD as one of their fi e main demands
In a speech during the protest, Professor of Literature Michael Hardt, a petition signatory, said that the event drew a smaller crowd because “many felt fear about coming out to protest and that's in part due to the University's own policies.”
University leadership wrote that they “welcome opportunities to disagree” and “have been providing opportunities for our community to listen to one another and respectfully debate world events.”
Kirk and Chappel say that Duke should open dialogue with faculty and students to arrive at a policy that “[makes] sure that everyone feels empowered to speak” and aligns with the mission of the University.
“We believe in First Amendment ri hts, and at u e that is our first priority, is to protect those rights while simultaneously protecting the safety of students,” Chappel said.
DUKE MARINE LAB: CAMPUS FOR
Live, learn and explore alongside a close-knit community on the North Carolina coast. Take advantage of small classes and hands-on learning while fulfilling major requirements.
Protecting student journalism: Rümeysa Öztürk and the tilting risk-reward equation of free speech
Two weeks ago on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, I was preparing an op-ed by one of my writers for publication. The piece — which, in my unbiased opinion, was beautifully written — analyzed the targeting of international students by the current administration. The writer drew on their experiences growing up in an authoritarian country, illustrating parallels between current moments and their upbringing.
Over the past year, I spent considerable hours working with Duke community members — both guest contributors and Chronicle staff — on columns covering a variety of contentious issues. When there was one that I thought would spark an important, even if it was uncomfortable, conversation, I felt excited to click the “publish” button.
This time, I was instead hit with a pang of anxiety. Just months ago, the notion that penning an op-ed in a student newspaper would put someone at risk of deportation would have seemed inconceivable, or at least of minimal possibility.
LETTERS POLICY
That no longer feels like the case. The story of Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University who was arrested off the street, has been widely reported. According to Öztürk’s friends and colleagues, her only known activism was coauthoring an op-ed in Tufts’ student newspaper.
The aforementioned author I was working with was an international student. On top of losing educational opportunities, they would face tremendous personal harm if forced to return to their home country. The probability of deportation as a result of this specific op-ed is indeterminable, but recent news cycles convey that it is now nonzero. Even if the author’s name was anonymized, anecdotes anchoring the article possessed identifying information — removing the author’s identity would have erased the article’s meaning.
After several conversations with the writer, we decided not to run it. This example is all but an incredibly small instance of a nationwide chilling
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effect. Editors from a range of campus publications reported seeing increased requests to take down articles and anonymize names, due to concerns about being associated with pieces “that could get them in trouble.” In an email yesterday, Duke cautioned international students “to be mindful of their digital footprint and recognize its potential impact on their immigration status.” On April 4, a collection of student press organizations released an alert “never before issued.”
Ultimately, I’ve noticed what seems to be a fundamental issue of free speech exercise within our media environment: the dramatic asymmetry in the risks and rewards of expression.
Speech feels as accessible as ever through the digital sphere. Consumer-generated content has grown: As Elon Musk famously declared, “You are the media now.” Accessibility, though, is distinct from reach. The chances of spontaneous virality have grown with digital platforms, but news cycles have quickened and fragmented.
The reward of putting your thoughts out into the world, beyond the intrinsic value of speech, has become highly uncertain. What has become certain, though, is that the advent of digital media has rapidly increased the ease of surveillance — granted, the apparatus for monitoring speech activities was developed far before this year. However, the way that the current administration has chosen to deploy these tools has meaningfully magnified both perceived and actual risk.
Here is the problem in concrete terms: Sure, it has gotten easier to publish, say, an op-ed you wrote for the campus newspaper through the internet. But how many people will actually read it?
And what is the probability that the United States government is the one that does and decides to take issue with it? It’s becoming less and less worth it to take that chance, for anyone. And, if dissent is an indispensable component of democratic
In the eye of the hurricane
Nestled in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, bordering the Pisgah National Forest, lies a small community named Celo. Defined by its Quaker values, the community collectively shares about 1,100 acres of land among 60 families. It also owns a summer camp I’ve attended for the last 10 years of my life.
After attending the camp for six years as a camper, I came back for four more as a staff member. There, I helped in every conceivable way to give the campers the same experience I remembered from my camper years — I led backpacking trips, cooked home-cooked meals and emceed camperled performances. The countless hours I’ve put into this camp have shaped me: working with kids and out in nature has a funny way of enabling you to embrace your authentic self.
Years later, one moment from my years as a camper still forms my view of Celo. On a midcamp morning, a trumpet poked through the flaps of my tent — bright brass melodies escaped from its horn. Every staff member at Camp Celo seemed to gather outside my tent, performing their once-every-three-weeks wakeup: a hopeful,
enterprise, that’s a problem — especially for student journalism.
This is a precarious moment in higher education where every university desperately needs a witness. Regardless of whether they are read, student newspapers are crucial bodies of historical information for universities. Through first-person op-eds or interviews in news articles, they provide consistent and formalized ways of documenting the perspectives of community members. If students believe it is no longer worth it to share their thoughts in a documented capacity — due to the prospect of being deported, detained or otherwise punished — we simply cannot do our jobs.
However, threats to the existence of student newspapers are not unique to this Trump administration: It has also come from the very universities they are part of. Two months ago, Appalachian State administrators ordered The Appalachian to clear out their storage room of newspapers, threatening the existence of archives. Last December, University of Southern California administrators reduced The Daily Trojan’s print schedule and eliminated pay for staff members — without consulting the paper’s leadership. Due to financial instability, college papers across the country have struggled with independence, which can negatively impact campus transparency.
I don’t expect universities to resolve fundamental flaws with our speech environment, but I do expect universities to recognize student journalism as a critical ally — rather than a nuisance — in reckoning with modern threats. Some student newspapers, like The Chronicle, have been here longer than the universities themselves. We were there for all of the unprecedented times that the University has lived through. This is a reminder that it might need us to navigate — and document — this one.
“ Speech feels as accessible as ever through the digital sphere. Consumer-generated content has grown: As Elon Musk famously declared, ‘You are the media now.’
Accessibility, though, is distinct from reach.
—Alice Qin
heartwarming song called “Postcards from Italy.” I still treasure that feeling, the community and the beauty permeating each moment of the song.
Regardless of my deep connection to Celo and the people I’ve met there, the community feels deeply isolated. Trapped in a valley between towering peaks and 25 minutes from the nearest town, it seems like nothing can touch the peaceful, simple life of Celo. Last weekend, that isolation transformed from a defining feature of the community to another cause of its devastation.
On Saturday, I began to understand the true impacts of such isolation. I hurried to the tailgate, decked out in my personalized Duke jersey and bright blue face paint. Mindlessly, I opened Instagram, swiping from story to story, my feet autonomously moving forward. Yet stumbling upon a story of my close friend’s sister, everything
CONTINUEDON PAGE 13
Alice Qin (T’25) | Jan 14
Adam Levin (T’28) | March 31
seemed to stop. My feet halted in their path. The pop music blasting through my AirPods paused. My excitement for the game vanished.
Until I opened that story, I didn’t really understand what Hurricane Helene had meant for North Carolina — sure, we can complain about the storm drains on East or the longer bus routes, but our experience with the storm was entirely distinct from the Western half of the state. The Instagram story explained that my friend’s sister had not been able to contact her family for days, that severe flooding had occurred in her hometown, and that she was not sure who was alright or what was going on.
Reckoning with a crushing fear about the safety of a friend while tailgating for a football game isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Luckily, soon after, she texted that she was okay — that she finally had
Harvard and MIT are making more students tuitionfree. What about Duke?
access to WiFi but that every other service was still gone. I still remember her words: Celo is destroyed. And the next few days, trapped in a state of limbo — glued to the consistently horrifying news in Appalachia while living the normal “college experience” — made me realize that here at Duke, the world always seems to go on. The grind never stops. While the worst storm since Katrina inundated an area so far inland it was formerly seen as a “climate refuge,” Ed Sheeran and UNC both visited to help us celebrate our centennial. As Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency because of Hurricane Helene, the university declared that the concert would go on ‘rain or shine’.
And even though images of the disaster are plastered on the front pages of the New York Times, it’s still hard for us at Duke to understand the extent of the catastrophe that occurred in Western North Carolina this past week. Eily Rule, a member of the Celo community who’s been assisting with the relief effort, explained to me that “the media and the rest of the US is still not grasping the severity of our situation here.” When a firefighter was asked about a GoFundMe for Pensacola, an area near Celo, Rule recalled that, “a GoFundMe link has not even been thought of yet, their focus is consumed by trying to get people out alive.”
Shambhavi Sinha (T’27) | March 31 “unbreakable” barriers, their existence alone on this campus redefines what it means to be a Duke student. We bring our unique lived experiences to the intellectual discourse on this campus, reflect our identities into social activities, and innovate based on notions that someone with economic privilege might have never thought about.
Harvard College recently announced that it will be “free for students from families with annual incomes of $100,000 or less and tuition-free for students from families with annual incomes of $200,000 or less.” MIT also announced that students whose family income is under $200,000 a year will be attending tuition-free 2025-26 onwards.
Not much prior, Duke’s Board of Trustees approved a 5.93% increase in the undergraduate cost of attendance for the 2025-26 academic year. It is not problematic for a university to increase its cost of attendance, of course. Even a simple economic viewpoint necessitates keeping up with inflation and other costs. However, for several years now, Duke has reported the third-highest tuition in the Ivy+, trailing behind only Columbia and the University of Chicago. While recent initiatives like the expansion of financial aid for low-income students from North Carolina and South Carolina should be celebrated, these must be contextualized as a toddler’s first steps when placed next to the miles other universities are walking. Duke remains one of the few institutions of its kind not to make engaged efforts to join the fray of fully need-blind admissions: a process that emphasizes a university’s belief in accepting students of merit, not just of means.
It remains one of the least socioeconomically diverse undergraduate institutions in the bracket. This is reflected in social activities and academic interests here on the daily. From flying to Europe on a whim for spring break, to dropping thousands to find friends in Greek Life organizations, many activities that make the “Duke Experience” are outcomes of mind-boggling wealth and connections. And while the “infamous” New York Times article was written in 2023, even two years later, the truth holds: the DukeLIFE room, nested in the third floor of Perkins, the floor of frat and finance bros, remains empty. Its emptiness shines the continued shame and lack of acceptance on this campus to associate with such identities. It seems like economic diversity became a blind spot in the other countless diversity measures that Duke was targeting. This is even though the notion of economic diversity continues to be a bipartisan haven in an era of rapid polarization and stigmatization of any word even close to diversity.
Of course, Duke is diverse in many ways: I have met a variety of people from countless identities and cultures. Yet there is one thing apart from our Duke education that connects most students: economic wealth. So when this connection is broken by students who’ve crossed these
Yet even amid devastation, the community and the resilience of the same community that once played “Postcards to Italy” outside my tent flaps has not disappeared. The Celo community has banded together to bring each other food, water, gas and medical supplies. One local posted, “It’s a weird combination to be utterly devastated and deep in our soul grateful. The outpour of love and support from so many from Charlotte, to Asheville, is overwhelming.”
As members of the broader North Carolina community, it is our responsibility to offer the same support. If it is within your means, I implore everyone reading this article to send even a little financial support to communities in Western North Carolina.
Because my greatest fear is that, in a few weeks, everything will go back to normal. The little concern that existed at Duke and outside of Western North Carolina will disappear. As the executive director of Spruce Pine, a town a few miles down the mountain from Celo, explained when Helene hit, “Appalachia is so frequently forgotten ... We just don’t have the bodies or the resources to prepare for something like this.” Don’t forget, and don’t let your concern be washed away by the daily rhythm of Duke life.
“While working as a Duke employee, I have also witnessed racial bias throughout my career.
—Lee Brodie
By admitting students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, Duke has the potential to change the trajectories of entire families. When it continues to gatekeep itself as an education exclusively for students with economic means, it loses the opportunity to be changed and redefined by magnificent, intellectually driven and curious students whose only misfortune was not being born with a silver spoon and a trust fund.
In the newest and “most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history,” Made For This, Duke claims that it has audacious goals for the future: with pillars in science and technology, student experience, climate and health. This campaign is the first of its kind since 2017, and is unique in the sense that no campaign goal is publicly announced, unlike the $3.25 billion target of Duke Forward (which was exceeded by $0.6 billion). The student experience pillar of the campaign emphasizes “encouraging rich exploration across disciplines,” creating the “highest level of academic excellence,” and ensuring the “best and brightest students” thrive at Duke.
The commitment to improving student access to a university slowly inching to a $100,000-peryear cost of attendance is not as central as it should be, instead emphasizing the (long due) update to the curriculum and expectedly, QuadEx. This is disheartening, especially considering some of the university’s major donors, like David Rubenstein, were from working-class backgrounds and had scholarships that made their Duke experience possible. If the students Duke has invested in years back are now returning their investment in countless multipliers, why is there such a hazy focus on investing more to improve access? If Duke wants its students to innovate and flourish like Harvard, or the other Ivies, why doesn’t it voice or even target the same commitments that these institutions are making?
Brown fully covers tuition for families earning $125,000 or less with typical assets. Princeton covers tuition, room and board for families that earn up to $100,000 annually. These examples are not anomalies, because there are countless other institutions better than and on par with Duke’s caliber providing these offerings. When other universities deliver on promises to level the playing field, create broader experiences and meaning to
Workers at Duke deserve better wages, conditions and support: My story
Lee Brodie | April 22
I am Lee Brodie, a Durham native. I have been employed with Duke’s Facilities Management (FMD) for almost seven years. Within my position as a heavy equipment operator, I am responsible daily for maintaining the horticulture and grounds of West Campus. Through methods of operating heavy machinery, mowing, bed edging, weed eating, backpack blowing and litter collection are daily tasks. Taking pride in my work is a thrill, receiving compliments while on campus makes the work worthwhile.
For generations, my family has worked with Duke. My great grandmother, grandmother, mother, father, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins have been a pivotal part of Duke’s work culture. What brought me to Duke was not only my family, nor the fact that I was an avid Duke basketball fan. It was knowing the opportunity would allow me to provide and create a family of my own.
”their student bodies, it hurts.
Does Duke not value the students who have crossed the many disparities brought on by class, income, and lifestyle? Do they not deserve to have a larger hold in shaping what is the “Duke Experience?” Or should we all just stay mum, locked up in our dorms over spring break? Or should we spend what little we have on overpriced merch and the running expenditures of tenting? Or go into debt to be in Greek Life, just to fit in socially? And if you say that is not what the Duke Experience is about, then what is?
Even beyond the sociocultural scene that molds the Duke Experience, academic life here is also shaped by socioeconomic experiences. When I was applying to college, it was incredibly reassuring to me to see financial aid information like this from institutions I dreamed of. It signaled their want for students of all backgrounds, not just those who could regularly afford to pay a five-digit sticker price every semester, especially one that is now increasing at almost twice the rate of inflation.
When I was accepted to Duke, I was overjoyed and grateful for its financial support. But how does one make up the ease of academic pursuit fueled by years of personal attention, private school counseling and college consultants? I felt like my peers had everything and more figured out, while I struggled to shove myself into the mold of being a Blue Devil. And this is not just a singular experience: students from middle-class families suffer even more, grappling with the lessthan-generous financial aid that compels them to finance their endeavors through multiple on and off-campus jobs. You hear these struggles in muffled whispers and mutters in the corners of Vondy because sometimes, it feels like not being rich here is simply not an option.
Duke desperately needs the lives and lived experiences of a variety of students. It also needs to commit itself to empowering the students who make it what it is. There are Blue Devils and their parents who are working hard to finance the educational opportunity of a lifetime, and there is so much more that we can do to support them. If we want Blue Devils to change the world, we need to give them the resources to do so.
Within the FMD department, ground workers — which we are often called — consist of Black and brown employees. Just like my own family, generations of their families have also worked throughout Duke. Many of these employees possess more than five years, if not decades, of seniority in their positions. Unfortunately, these employees are not being paid a sufficient wage. Investing years of life to earn less than $20 hourly is not reasonable, nor does it assist with the increased cost of living.
While working as a Duke employee, I have also witnessed racial bias throughout my career. In my experience, this has created conflict and separation between employees and employers. For example, in the first year or so into my career at the University, I overheard a white coworker call another Black coworker a racial slur. As a Black man, this made me feel incredibly disrespected and hurt, and I continued to have tensions with that coworker and my supervisor. The incident, among others, was reported to management. Due to lack of response, I also contacted the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) and Human Resources (HR). In the end, I’m not aware of any disciplinary action taken for that specific incident.
Throughout my career, I have contacted HR, OIE, and Staff and Labor Relations, from issues such as timecard errors (causing loss of pay), to other conflicts, including a physical confrontation that I had with my supervisor. When I have expressed my concerns, investigations which were open have since been closed.
Community involvement is pivotal in supporting workers in these times. I understand that it is not the duty of students, staff or alumni to correct this. We are only seeking support in this time of need. Many Duke employees hold union positions, when wages are discussed, they are often deflected. Employees are told to direct those issues to our union leadership. A new union bargaining contract will be signed in May, which will determine the wages, hours and overall responsibilities of union workers for the next three years.
Workers are currently operating on a 2017 bargaining wage scale. Since 2017, the cost of living has risen tremendously, unfortunately our wages have not. We must find a remedy to resolve the overall treatment of employees and the poor actions of management. My hope is that future generations who enter Duke’s work environment will never have to face the type of experiences which we are presently facing at this time.
