Send Home News B 2025 by Duke Chronicle

The independent news organization at Duke University

Page 12 SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025

MEET THE 2024-25 CHRON15

This was a historic year for Duke in many ways.

We celebrated a centennial, cheered on a record-breaking basketball team, and witnessed a consequential election cycle. In the more recent months, we’ve seen Duke prepare for federal policies that could change the very fabric of higher education and withstand criticisms of its joint venture with Wuhan University, or as we know it, DKU.

But it’s also been a year of community. When I look back on the previous year, what sticks out to me is the support and resilience our Duke community has shown. I’m consistently amazed by the ability of my peers to embrace diversity in all its forms, and I think that inclusivity in an era of such division has defined this year.

At the end of each academic year, The Chronicle names five icons, five leaders and five pioneers. Nominated by our readers and selected by a committee of Chronicle staff, this year’s Chron15 members are both individuals and groups who have built community and rallied around a cause. They’re people who have dedicated themselves to making the Duke community a more welcoming place to be. They’re people

ICONS

Luis Alonso Juárez

Kevin Li

Luis Alonso Juárez is the beloved driver of the C1 “party bus” — students across campus know of the loud pop melodies that deliver them from West to East and back. Juárez has driven the C1 for six years, becoming a familiar face on campus through his moodboosting bus rides. However, his life in the United States began 30 years ago, when he immigrated from Honduras.

who have inspired us all, and they’re people who make Duke, Duke.

This year's icons, leaders and pioneers represent a wide array of viewpoints and talents. We’ve included star basketball players who took our team to victory, pediatric cardiac surgeons performing life-saving operations around the globe, and students who are leaving a lasting impact on the culture of the campus.

But they’re also people who archive Duke’s history, drive you from West to East Campus, or serve as the president of your frat. They’re Blue Devils, just like you and me, and serve as a reminder of what we can accomplish when we are in community with one another.

As you read the mini-profiles of these 15 people and organizations, I hope you will take the time to reflect not only on their contributions to Duke, but also on the people and groups who are not named on the list. The Chronicle can name only 15 winners — our readers can thank countless more for all they do to make our University a home.

Claire Cranford chaired the Chron15 2024-2025 committee. She is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle’s 121st volume.

He began working for a construction company, but then transitioned to Duke housekeeping and eventually to bus driving after obtaining his commercial drivers license.

Juárez plays a range of music genres on the bus to connect him to his passengers, and he says that he alternates between playing genres he thinks they’ll enjoy and songs that may be more unfamiliar during his daily rides between East and West Campus.

For Juárez, driving the C1 offers an outlet for creativity. He has made it his mission to create a fun environment for students, putting music on because, in his own words, “students enjoy themselves, and they’re young, and they like the music.” With long shifts being a regular part of the job, the music also helps Juárez keep his energy up on the road.

He said his favorite genres are “all of them,” calling out bachata and merengue in particular but emphasizing his affinity for “a little bit of everything.”

Now, he is pursuing his GED through evening classes offered at Duke and teaching English to other English language-learners — but he’s still brightening all of our days on the party bus.

-Chronicle Staff Reports

Amy Zhang

What can you say about Cooper Flagg that hasn’t already been said?

Entering his freshman season at Duke, Flagg was hyped up as one of the greatest basketball prospects of his generation. Before he even logged a minute on the court in Durham, Flagg became the first NCAA men’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade.

It goes without saying that the Newport, Me., native lived up to the hype and then some. He became the ninth player in Blue Devil history to win multiple national player of the year honors. His play was nothing short of a tour de force, featuring powerful dunks, outstanding playmaking and lockdown defense. Flagg set the Duke and ACC freshman record for points in a game and led Duke in every major statistical category — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He led the No. 1-seed Blue Devils to the NCAA Final Four, where the season met its end against Houston despite a brilliant performance by Flagg.

“The thing about [Flagg] that you love is he’s unselfish, so he’s always trying to make the right play,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “I just trust his competitiveness and his spirit and his intuition during a game to know what it takes to win.”

On April 21, Flagg declared for the NBA draft, where he is widely expected to be selected first overall. While the Blue Devils didn’t reach championship glory, Flagg’s one and only season in Durham will be remembered as one of the greatest in school history. He’ll be reminisced for years to come by the Blue Devils that witnessed his transcendent talent.

-Tyler Walley, v. 120 associate sports editor

Alex Long

When news broke of Mike Elko’s midnight flight to College Station, it would’ve been easy to imagine him taking the magic out of Wallace Wade, but that’s exactly what Nina King didn’t do. Enter Manny Diaz.

Diaz arrived with a chip on his shoulder after unceremonious departures from Texas in 2013 and Miami in 2021, eager to prove that he was capable of leading a Power 4 team to success. The task wasn't easy, as Diaz faced a depleted roster due to transfers and graduations.

Yet, in the biggest portal haul in school history, Diaz showed his recruiting wizardry bringing in 22 players, including star Texas QB Maalik Murphy, who would go on to break Duke records.

He instilled a sense of determination and grit into the team that produced some of the most iconic moments of the year. But perhaps the most iconic moment came against UNC, when Coach Diaz gave the team a rallying half-time speech that gave them the confidence to pull off one of the most stunning comebacks of the college football season, coming back from down 20-0 in just under 20 minutes — Duke’s first win against the Tar Heels since 2018. What made the win so much sweeter was Diaz finally defeating Mack Brown, the man who fired him all those years ago at Texas.

Diaz continued this momentum, leading Duke to its biggest bowl game in over a decade and capping an incredible season. Beyond the field, Diaz immersed himself in Duke’s community, attending more Duke sporting events than even the most dedicated students. His shouts resonated from Cameron Indoor to San Antonio and the Final Four.

Long gone are the days of an empty Wallace Wade Stadium — Manny Diaz truly bleeds blue.

-Arya Korrapati, Trinity '27

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Cooper Flagg Manny Diaz

Pursue your passion and potential: Sign up for entry-level courses at the Nicholas School of the Environment.

ECS 101 The Dynamic Earth

ECS 103 Climate Change for Future Leaders

ENVIRON 102 Intro to Env. Sciences & Policy

MARSCI 201 Humans & Changing Oceans

MARSCI 202 Marine Biology & Ecology

EXPLORE MORE:

No matter your major, we have an entry-level class for you: NICHOLAS.DUKE.EDU/MAJORS

Rebekah Boyd

Courtesy of Rebekah Boyd

Senior resident Dr. Rebekah Boyd is a blend of surgical proficiency, global humanitarianism and academic leadership. She graduated from Columbia University’s medical school and is a former emergency department and Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit nurse.

At Duke, Dr. Boyd leads a Global Health Bass Connections project. Her project unites students from across many disciplines and personal backgrounds to solve the world disparities of pediatric cardiac care. Under her leadership, the team is working on the logistical, political, and ethical aspects of providing greater access to congenital heart disease procedures to children from conflict zones. Currently, she is leading Bass Connections research titled “The Impact of Conflict on Gazan Children with Heart Disease.”

Her commitment to service transcends the classroom and hospital. Driven by a genuine passion for global health, she has participated in surgical missions abroad, including performing pediatric heart surgeries for underserved communities in Guyana. While these experiences have a priceless impact on lives abroad, they also carry lessons that Dr. Boyd passes on to students as they prepare to take on the world themselves — and find their own place in it.

Dr. Boyd currently serves as Director of Research for the Global Thoracic Surgery Residents’ Association. Her awards include the Academic Achievement Award for outstanding performance on in-training exams, and she has co-authored research comparing global disparities in surgical education. Dr. Boyd represents the very best of Duke's mission.

-Fiza Khan, Trinity '27

Ed Sheeran

performances from the fall semester were more unforgettable than Ed

of the Centennial

at Wallace Wade, performing with just a guitar and a Loop Station. He crafted all of his backing tracks live, including for hits like “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You,” layering guitar riffs and vocals to create a one-of-a-kind concert experience.

More than just a concert, Sheeran’s presence transformed the rainy night in Durham into a magical centennial moment. From a surprise proposal in section 24 of the crowd during “Perfect” to an electrifying encore of “Bad Habits,” the rainy night was a core memory for Duke students, alumni and faculty alike. His presence elevated the entire weekend, which included a win over UNC football, fostering joy, celebration, and unity on campus. It was absolutely, as Ed would say, perfect. -Chronicle Staff Reports

LEADERS DGSU

The Duke Graduate Students Union has been an active voice on campus since 2016, advocating to improve working conditions for graduate students across the University.

DGSU represents all Duke doctoral students and was recognized as a local union of Southern Region Workers United by the National Labor Relations Board in August 2023. In addition to becoming Duke’s largest union, it was the first official graduate student union at a southern private university.

As an NLRB-recognized union, DGSU has engaged Duke in a yearslong process to establish an employment contract and has already reached tentative agreements on childcare, health insurance and visa and work authorization with the University, among other proposals. According to the union, previous public demonstrations have also led to improved funding guarantees and extended leave for childbirth or adoption.

DGSU has continued to advocate for increased financial support from the University, including greater assistance for international students, through bargaining sessions and other engagements.

Their top demand is a cost-ofliving-adjusted stipend. DGSU has been in negotioations with the University on this subject for years, although the outcomes of these talks have left DGSU members "disappointed." Still, though, they're not giving up. The union has held consistent rallies, protests and community-building activities to raise awareness about graduate students on Duke’s campus, and continue to advocate for students of all kinds in both Duke and Durham. -Chronicle Staff Reports

Kelly Perri

Kelly Perri has led the DTech Program for years; the undergraduate program empowers women at Duke pursuing technology careers in computer science, engineering, and other fields. In the 2024-25 academic year, DTech supported almost 600 students, offering a powerful mentorship and peer support network. This summer, the program named over 100 Duke students as DTech Scholars and is providing the cohort with opportunities like mentor-matching, one-on-one career coaching, company visits, and housing stipend assistance.

Perri, the interim executive director, oversees the program’s strategic direction and cultivates partnerships with industry leaders to expand opportunities for students. She champions “a self-reinforcing loop of generosity” that keeps the DTech community thriving and inclusive. In March, the DTech leadership team received a 2024-25 Presidential Award in recognition of their efforts.

But most importantly, she is uplifting and supporting the lives of every student she meets. She has touched the lives of countless students and will always pay it forward.

-Chronicle Staff Reports

At a time when civil discourse and ideological diversity have been at the forefront of discussions around campus culture, rising senior Zander Pitrus has been a leader for conservative voices at Duke.

Pitrus serves as president of Duke College Republicans, a club he revived last fall in the final weeks of a contentious election season, after its four-year hiatus.

In an interview with The Chronicle at the time, he explained he was tired of right-leaning students feeling ostracized on campus and wanted to create a space for students of a wide range of political affiliations to feel free to express their beliefs and “embrace those differences.” The group now has over 130 members and has hosted several high-profile conservative figures at

speaker events on campus.

Pitrus also founded the University’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter this year, and he previously shepherded Juris — Duke’s law magazine for undergraduates — through its transition to the Duke Undergraduate Law Review, where he serves as co-editor-in-chief.

-Chronicle Staff Reports

Courtesy of Chloe Decker

Chloe Decker's commitment to Duke shines through in every aspect of her campus life, as she has consistently dedicated herself to building stronger communities on campus. As the chair of Duke Votes during the 2024 election cycle, Decker headed the push behind student civic engagement on campus. Whether greeting students on BC Plaza or energizing followers on the Student Affairs Instagram, she made voter registration accessible and exciting. Under her leadership, Duke Votes registered more than 3,000 students, a remarkable achievement that speaks to her leadership.

Even after the 2024 election, Decker's dedication to democracy continued as she took on the Duke Student Government attorney general role. In this role, she directed the board of elections, ensuring the smooth and transparent running of the 2025 DSG election.

Decker's contributions this year went beyond the voting sphere, emphasizing advancing student success. She served as president of the Public Policy Majors Union, where she advocated for her peers and fostered community through events. As a teaching assistant for Public Policy 155, Decker taught undergraduates, offering guidance and support as they navigated policy studies. The Sanford School of Public Policy recognized her leadership with the prestigious Terry Sanford Leadership Award, a testament to her impact on campus.

Chloe Decker's dedication to leadership at Duke has left behind a legacy of service. As she switches to Carolina blue for law school, the Duke community will miss her deeply.

-Josie Van de Klashorst, Trinity '25

Chloe Decker

Zander Pitrus

Sion James

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Few

Sheeran’s headlining

Founders’ Day Celebration and Concert on Sept. 26. Sheeran brought his personal, stripped-down style to the stage

Courtesy of Madeleine Collier

Courtesy of Kelly Perri

Courtesy of Zander Pitrus

Amy Zhang

WELCOME (BACK) TO CAMPUS!

HOUSING & RESIDENCE LIFE

ANTICIPATED MOVE-IN DATES*

*Dates may be subject to change.

Saturday, August 17: First-Year Move-In East Campus

Friday, August 23:**

**Upperclass move-in continues thru Sunday, August 25

Upperclass Move-In Swift and West Campuses

Additional information about move-in will be emailed later this summer.

QUESTIONS ABOUT FALL HOUSING?

What is my room assignment?

Who is my roommate?

What are my building/quad amenities? Who is my Residence Coordinator? More questions? Email housing@duke.edu

BECOME A RESIDENT ASSISTANT

A few spots remain for the life-changing leadership opportunity!

•Free single bedroom and partial meal plan

•Open to upperclass undergraduate and graduate students

•Stipend, paid quarterly

•Work that matters

Email question to rlselections@duke.edu

CONTACT US:

Housing Assignments: 919-684-4304; housing@duke.edu

Swift (300, 301, SmartHome): 919-684-5813; rlhs-eastswift@duke.edu

East Campus: 919-684-5320; rlhs-east@studentaffairs.duke.edu

West Campus: 919-684-5486; upperclasscampus@duke.edu

Duke HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE

Basketball is not hard to come by at Duke, but it is rare to see someone use it quite like Sion James did during his only season as a Blue Devil.

After a prolific undergraduate career at Tulane, James took his talents — and his unwavering positivity — to Durham. Ask a Duke student who their favorite player on the 2024-25 men’s basketball team was, and chances are they’d say James just for his positivity alone. That energy was visible off the court, as his namesake foundation raised around 1,800 toys for Durham children in need in December. His charitable personality comes from his unorthodox approach to basketball, as a way to serve others.

The Sugar Hill, Ga., native was crucial for the Blue Devils’ Final Four run, as his entrance into the starting lineup Dec. 4 helped propel Duke’s offense from its Achilles' heel to one of the most productive in NCAA history. While the Blue Devils had no official team captain, James might as well have been one, doing whatever was necessary for Duke to win on multiple occasions. His physicality made him a force to be reckoned with at the rim, and his disciplined guarding earned him ACC All-Defensive honors at the regular season’s end. He also emphasized the “student” in student-athlete, becoming the first Blue Devil in nine years to earn Academic All-America honors.

Like every player in Duke’s starting lineup, James declared for the NBA draft and has a strong chance of hearing his name called in New York on day two. Despite just one season as a Blue Devil, his devotion to community service in

Durham and his unbreakable, positive spirit made him stand out as a leader. His time at Duke will be remembered with admiration, both for his selflessness and his strong performance on the court.

-Tyler Walley, v. 120 associate sports editor

PIONEERS

Shave and Buzz

of Nate Drebin

Alex Schlessinger and Nate Drebin served as co-presidents of the 10th annual Shave & Buzz Club fundraiser, leading the effort to raise over $266,000 in support of fertility preservation and psychosocial programs for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients within Duke’s Teen & Young Adult Oncology Program. Under their leadership and a revitalized publicity strategy, the event surpassed previous fundraising totals by more than $50,000.

The Shave & Buzz fundraiser was created in 2016 by members of Pi Kappa Alpha to support their fraternity brothers, Mark Schreiber and Bobby Menges, following their simultaneous cancer diagnoses. While Schreiber beat the disease shortly afterwards, Menges passed away in September of 2017. The fundraiser has been held ever since in collaboration with the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation (INDY), formed in Bobby’s memory by his parents.

Through the significant funds raised by Shave & Buzz, the Duke Cancer Institute has been able to offer innovative and specialized care options for AYA patients. In partnership with INDY, Duke established a Nurse Navigator position dedicated to guiding young patients through complex treatment decisions. This includes access to unique fertility preservation therapy, a critical and often overlooked concern for young cancer patients. Beyond clinical care, the fundraiser sustains monthly social programming that fosters community among AYA patients. It also supports Bobby’s Coaches, a peer-topeer counseling initiative that helps patients balance the transition between treatment and student life, a struggle Bobby himself experienced.

Thanks to strong leadership from students like Alex and Nate, the Shave and Buzz Club will continue to grow its impact and Bobby’s spirit of resilience and compassion will inspire students and support young cancer patients across campus and beyond.

-Jack Regan, Trinity '27

Ani Karagianis

As Duke’s Centennial celebrations took center stage across campus this year, one person worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring moments from 100 years of University history to light.

Ani Karagianis serves as centennial archivist at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, a role she assumed only a year after completing her graduate program. She has worked at Duke Libraries since 2022.

When not manning the desk in Rubenstein Library’s reading room or teaching students how to conduct archival research, Karagianis spent her time over the past two years combing through University records to find materials for projects celebrating Duke’s 100th anniversary.

Karagianis edited hundreds of articles spotlighting previously hidden pockets of Duke history, and her work was integral in the development of the “Permanent Good” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Courtesy

Courtesy of Ani Karagianis

documentary and the Centennial book “Duke University: The First One Hundred Years.”

She also served as project manager of the “Our Duke” exhibit in Perkins Library, supporting student curators in designing the display, in addition to helping faculty members develop their own Centennial exhibits and providing guidance to numerous academic courses drawing on University history.

-Chronicle Staff Reports

Ryan Antiel

Courtesy of Duke Surgery

Pediatric surgeon Dr. Ryan Antiel is leading a paradigm shift in how surgical trainees at Duke prepare for a life both inside and outside the operating room. In a field known for its intensity and hierarchy, he has created The Good Surgeon, a model of small group gathering focused on moral formation, practical wisdom and the discovery of the good life.

Meeting monthly over shared meals, surgical residents and faculty engage enduring questions of life and practice, often

absent from formal curricula: “What am I aiming for? Who are my people? How do we live with failure? How do we respond to brokenness? How should we then practice surgery?” This setting — intentionally separate from clinical evaluation — cultivates friendship, community and mentorship across levels of training.

Rather than offering a checklist approach to wellness or a quick fix to burnout, The Good Surgeon provides what residents need: time, space and trusted relationships that support honest reflection on who they are becoming and who they want to be.

The Good Surgeon will expand next year, featuring partnerships with institutions such as the University of North Carolina, Rutgers University, Wake Forest University, the University of Pittsburgh and Washington University in St. Louis.

Thanks to Antiel’s leadership, Duke is setting a new standard for how surgical education can shape not just skilled, but also grounded and enduring surgeons.

-Bindu Thota, Theology, Medicine and Culture Fellow at Duke Divinity School

Mary Frances Luce

Mary Frances Luce, interim dean of the Fuqua School of Business and Fuqua ‘94, is paving the way for women in leadership.

In August 2024, she became the first woman and the first alumna to serve as interim dean of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She currently serves as a member of the Duke Kunshan University Board of Trustees and as the Robert A. Ingram professor of business administration.

Luce's leadership journey doesn’t end there. She also spent six years as associate and senior associate dean of faculty at Fuqua, where she oversaw faculty development and academic affairs. She has centered interdisciplinary research at Fuqua and served as associate vice president at Duke’s Office of Research & Innovation, where she focused on supporting scholars in the social sciences, humanities and arts. Luce also served as president of the Association for Consumer Research and co-editor of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Beyond administrative roles, Luce is an expert in behavioral marketing, particularly in the impacts of negative emotions on decision-making.

-Chronicle Staff Reports

Jack Regan

Jack Regan is fighting to reshape how Duke University approaches sexual culture. As co-director of Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention and Education (SHAPE) and as president of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Regan has taken charge of the

conversations and culture on campus surrounding sexual assault.

Regan advocated for the University to conduct a comprehensive campus-wide survey on sexual culture and student experiences, which it launched in March 2025, becoming the first survey on sexual misconduct at Duke since 2018. This survey aimed to translate student perspectives into hard data, which SHAPE hoped would be impossible for University leaders to brush aside. Regan has also worked closely with senior University officials, including Mary Pat McMahon, vice provost and vice president of student affairs, Alex Whicker, associate director of gender violence education & outreach, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Adrienne Allison, with the goal of collaboration between students and administration.

Regan continues to work in his positions to fight for a safer and healthier sexual culture on the University's campus with a goal of holding a stronger presence for SHAPE, until there is no need for the club at all.

‘Faculty fatigue’ or students ‘just getting better?’ Professors

share mixed perspectives on grade inflation

By Lucas Lin

April 21, 2025

Despite the rise in grade point average cutoffs to earn Latin honors and Dean’s List recognitions over the past two decades, Duke faculty are grappling with how — and whether — grade inflation has impacted the University’s grading practices.

While some expressed concerns over the prevalence of rising grades, other faculty said they believe the problem is overstated, suggesting that students may actually be deserving of such high marks.

“We've entered a new world where students see an A- as a kind of a punishment,” said James Chappel, Gilhuly family associate professor of history, who has taught at Duke for 12 years. Reflecting on his time at the University, he noted that while students were not necessarily getting Cs and Ds 12 years ago, getting A-s and B+s “was much more common,” and students “complained less about them.”

For many students, achieving high marks is critical as they face an increasingly competitive job market and graduate school applicant pool. But whether faculty are responsible for being more lenient to students is a question many faculty continue to grapple with.

Chappel explained that although he does not give out all As, he feels compelled to give his students As in order to not leave a “blemish on their record.” To him, having a tense classroom environment where students are constantly

stressed about their grades “makes teaching really hard.”

On the other hand, Greg SamanezLarkin, Jerry G. and Patricia Crawford Hubbard professor of psychology and neuroscience, said he has not experienced significant differences in grading standards since beginning to teach at Duke in 2013.

Samanez-Larkin views rising GPAs less as a reflection of faculty leniency and more as a result of selective admissions requirements.

“You selected all-A students, and now they expect As, and they get As,” he said. “I don't see what's crazy about that.” David Banks, professor of the practice of statistical science, similarly thinks there are good reasons to believe students “are just getting better.” He highlighted that thanks to a number of digital tools, students have a number of learning resources to take advantage of — primarily pointing to recorded lectures, which allow students to “revisit the material on their own time.”

However, Kisha Daniels, assistant professor of the practice of education, noted that grade inflation may instead be a reflection of “faculty fatigue.”

“Maybe faculty have so much that they're doing … that it is the temptation … to say everybody did well, so I'm going to give everybody an A,” she said, citing professors’ additional research responsibilities.

Regardless of whether students are actually improving intellectually, Chappel said he thinks students’ expectations

to earn top marks have led to a “stressful class environment” where students fear that “the professor might take something from them if they screw up.” He added that students have little incentive to produce exceptional work when merely “good” work is enough to earn an A.

He added that certain departments may also create incentives for faculty to be lenient with grades. In fields with declining enrollment, Chappel speculated that grade inflation may be used to attract more students.

On the other hand, Daniels noted that since different departments aim to evaluate certain skill sets, there may inherently be variation in grading practices across the University.

Ultimately, Samanez-Larkin pointed to how students have learned to be “strategic” by building their schedules with courses that maximize their GPA.

“Students are looking for classes where they're going to succeed, and how can you possibly blame them for doing that?”

Samanez-Larkin asked. “It's wise. It's rational.”

Both Samanez-Larkin and Banks believe students who are primarily focused on achieving a 4.0 may not take courses that are “out of [their] depth.” SamanezLarkin emphasized that although students might reap short-term benefits from taking less rigorous classes “to get the grade,” they miss out on the opportunity to learn and explore new ideas.

Since Duke has no University-wide grading policy, Chappel believes Duke’s

-Chronicle Staff Reports

trend of grade inflation is based on students’ desire to receive high grades and faculty’s willingness to give them.

While schools across the country have attempted to adopt policies to curb the prevalence of grade inflation, efforts to quell the practice have still faced skepticism.

In 2004, Princeton University adopted a grade deflation policy that set numerical targets mandating each department to assign no more than 35% A-range grades. This policy was repealed 10 years later after faculty overwhelmingly voted to end it.

In 2013, Yale University established an ad hoc committee in response to rising grade inflation. However, the committee’s proposal to shift from letter grades to numerical grades and create non-mandatory grading guidelines received little faculty support.

According to a January 31 email to The Chronicle, Deborah Reisinger, dean of undergraduate education for the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Trinity “faculty, departments, academic deans and students” are reviewing the college’s grading practices “to foster a culture that prioritizes deep learning.” She further pointed to the new Trinity curriculum passed in April 2024 as “a reflection of these values.”

“It would take a lot of political will for Duke as a university to create new guidelines here, but I do think that unless they do, this problem is not going to be resolved in any other way,” Chappel said.

Courtesy of the Fuqua School of Business

Courtesy of Jack Regan

Your On-Campus Technology Solution

Welcome New & Returning Students

The Duke Technology Center (DTC) is your on-campus technology solution. Located on the lower level of The University Store in the Bryan Center on Duke’s West Campus, we are your one-stop destination for all things tech-related.

Visit oit.duke.edu for your software needs, including Microsoft Office, at no charge.

Purchasing a computer through Duke University Stores provides your student with a loaner during any computer repair service. We work in conjunction with the OIT Help Desk located at The Link in Perkins Library.

Click on the logos for access to each reservation site.

Use the QR Codes for mobile access. OR visit our site at https://duke.is/DTC

Why Buy from Us?

Five Top Reasons to Buy from The Duke Technology Center

•Access to a loaner device whiles yours is being repaired

•Lowest prices on most current models

•Computers designed to get you through your 4 years at Duke

•Access to on-campus service and support

•Your EDU. Your Choice. Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Microsoft

Mauritius, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands The trio of ‘tax havens’ fueling Duke’s endowment

By Ana Despa February 9, 2025

In fiscal year 2023, Duke reported financial ties with Mauritius, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands — but why would a university invest in such places?

The answer is taxes (and tax breaks).

Duke and Mauritius might seem like an unlikely partnership. The 788-squaremile island off the coast of Africa lies nearly 9,600 miles away from Durham and boasts a population of just over 1.2 million. The same goes for Bermuda and the Cayman Islands — British Overseas Territories of a similarly small size and little apparent relation to the institution’s educational or health care-related interests.

Of the three islands, Mauritius appeared most frequently in Duke’s portfolio. The institution reported relationships with five corporations with a legal domicile in the country, which all have a primary activity of “investments” and are sourced to the ninth floor of the Orange Tower — a commercial office building in Ébène Cybercity, Mauritius, a high-tech office community located just outside the island’s capital.

Duke, like many elite universities, funds most of its operations through the profits generated by investing funds held in an endowment. At the end of fiscal

year 2024, Duke’s endowment totaled $11.9 billion.

Where exactly the institution procures these funds can be hard to track down. However, since Duke is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, it is required to file 990 tax forms each year. In these public forms, nonprofits report information about “related organizations,” which Duke’s ties to Mauritius, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands fall into.

A 2017 New York Times investigation revealed that Duke and many higher education institutions use these related organizations to profit from a loophole, allowing them to evade federal taxes by investing endowment funds in offshore entities located in “tax havens” around the world — countries with low or nonexistent tax rates for foreign investors.

Administrators did not respond to the report at the time, citing the University’s longstanding policy of not commenting on investment practices.

According to leaked documents obtained by The Times, Duke and many of its peer institutions have shifted away from primarily domestic holdings to avoid facing what is known as an Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT). This tax prevents nonprofits from competing unfairly with for-profit businesses,

since they are not subject to taxation for activities that pertain to their central mission.

For universities, that’s education.

But since UBIT was introduced, any additional money generated through activities that do not have a direct educational tie, such as most endowment and investment earnings, are subject to federal taxation.

To avoid facing that tax, many universities have turned to what are known as “blocker corporations” to host their endowment investments.

tax haven countries instead of the U.S., that burden is exceedingly low — much lower than universities would face if they invested their funds in assets subject to a U.S. tax rate.

The practice of using “blocker corporations” has been perceived by many as tax breaks benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of developing nations.

The practice of using “blocker corporations” has been perceived by many as tax breaks benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of developing nations.

University administration did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for comment about the nature of its financial ties to Mauritius, Bermuda or the Cayman Islands in time for publication.

These corporations act as an intermediary between the endowments providing funds and the private equities and hedge funds they are investing in, effectively “blocking” any investment returns from flowing directly to the endowment. As a result, these middleman corporations assume the tax burden for those profits, not the university. And because they’re typically located in

Mauritius: The endowment gold mine

Mauritius holds one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world at just 15%, compared to 21% in the U.S. But in many cases, corporations located in Mauritius can further reduce their effective tax rates to as little as 3%, thanks to a partial exemption regime for global businesses. The country has also established double

tax avoidance agreements with numerous nations, and it offers an eight-year “tax holiday” for certain corporations involved in “innovation-driven activities” — making it exceedingly attractive for foreign investors.

Combined, these practices have established the small island as a tax haven for corporations.

Notably, Mauritius serves as a gateway to the Indian stock market, which has seen sustained growth in recent years and has become a popular target for investors. Due to the double taxation avoidance agreement between Mauritius and India, profits from Indian investments made by Mauritius-based companies are only taxed in Mauritius. Thus, investors from foreign nations often set up businesses in Mauritius solely to invest in Indian stocks, allowing them to benefit from the South Asian country’s growing market and the island nation’s favorable tax regime simultaneously.

These transactions are difficult to track, but in 2018, GHI Holdings Mauritius — one of the Mauritius-based corporations listed on Duke’s 990 form for FY 2023 — invested the equivalent of $1.66 million in an Indian e-commerce platform, HealthKart. Two years prior, five entities including three other Mauritius-based corporations related to Duke — GHI LTP Ltd., GHI ERP Ltd. and GHI HSP Ltd. — bought the equivalent of $17.3 million in equity shares from Balaji Telefilms Ltd., an Indian digital venture

company.

Despite being favored by corporations for its low tax rates and access to profitable markets, Mauritius has faced backlash from other governments due to its lack of financial transparency. The nation was blacklisted by the European Union in 2020 and was listed as one of the worst tax havens by humanitarian nonprofit Oxfam in 2016 for fueling poverty and inequity by diverting tax funds from countries in need.

Duke held its five corporate investments in Mauritius in both of those years.

This image, however, is one that Mauritius is seeking to shed. The nation has since reformed its transparency practices and cut down on money laundering, and a change to its double-tax treaty with India in 2017 led to a significant decrease in its investments in the South Asian nation. Mauritius was subsequently removed from the EU blacklist in 2021.

Still, the island appeared in October on a Corporate Tax Haven Index maintained by the Tax Justice Network, a global research and advocacy group based in the United Kingdom. As of October, Mauritius ranked 15th on the list of countries “most complicit in helping multinational corporations underpay corporate income tax.”

Bermuda and the Cayman Islands: The endowment silver streams

The Cayman Islands and Bermuda ranked second and third on the tax haven index, respectively. Both islands were also mentioned in the 2017 Times investigation as tax havens commonly used by universities.

In FY 2023, Duke reported relationships to two corporations in the Cayman Islands and one in Bermuda. The institution has maintained its connections to both nations for over a decade.

In the Cayman Islands, Duke maintains ties to a fund called Marathon Blue, a hedge fund with $3.78 million in assets under its management. The fund falls under the control of the broader Marathon Asset Fund, L.P., which is based out of New York City.

Financial activities on the island were also sourced to a Duke investment fund called Gothic Corporation.

According to The Times’ report, the corporation participated alongside Dartmouth College, Stanford University and Colgate University in a private equity partnership in the Cayman Islands. Records show that Colgate explicitly “elect[ed] to invest through the blocker.” While it’s unclear whether Gothic Corporation made the same choice, the arrangement underscores its close association with blocker entities. Duke continues to manage and maintain the fund, which is based in Durham.

In Bermuda, Duke reported ties to Durham Casualty Company Ltd., which

appears to be a source of investment to insure the health system that provides similar tax benefits.

Public perceptions

While legal, blockers have been increasingly frowned upon by the general public.

With universities in particular, the increasing cost of college has fueled the public’s negative attitude. Within the past decade, Duke has increased its net revenue from tuition and fees by 49.4%, while its endowment and investments have also benefited from substantial growth — 63% and 67.8% increases, respectively.

The most recent successful challenge to universities' tax avoidance methods came in 2017, when Congress passed a 1.4% tax on endowments of certain private universities, including Duke. Offshore investments, however, remained largely unaffected.

In fact, the law may have made evading federal taxes through offshore investments easier in an effort to incentivize firms to return their profits to the U.S. It eliminated an existing policy of taxing foreign investments that are repatriated to the U.S., meaning profits are only taxed in the country where they are earned. The law did impose a one-time tax on the existing stock of offshore holdings that applies regardless of whether earnings are repatriated, which can be paid over eight years.

Explore Cultural Anthropology

Our undergraduate programs give students powerful tools for making sense of society and culture, and an appreciation of both di erent cultures and hierarchies and inequality in the 21st century. This broad training in understanding culture and society is a perfect foundation for a wide array of careers, from medicine and law to art and politics. As a discipline, anthropology combines the rigor of science with the creativity and improvisation of art; it endeavors to evoke the real spirit, the true picture of human life in all its complexity, context, and contradiction.

Cultural Anthropology students can adopt a broad course of study of many places and communities, or they can focus on a particular area of the world or topic. Either way, the discoveries you make in your Cultural Anthropology training are widely applicable. Our alumni work in human rights, tech, law, medicine, media, nonproﬁt sectors, and more.

CHEROKEE 101.01 Cherokee Language 1

CULANTH 101.01 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

CULANTH 115CNS.01 Deathcare in the World Today

CULANTH 151CNS.01 Sports and Society

CULANTH 190S.01 Politics of Science

CULANTH 210.01 Global Culture

CULANTH 253S.01 Science, Society, and Disability

FALL 2025 FEATURED COURSES

CULANTH 302.01 Fieldwork Methods

CULANTH 308S.01 Imagining Human Rights

CULANTH 290S.01 Archives, Culture, Music Technologies

Learn more at culturalanthropology.duke.edu, and sign up for a course from our award-winning professors.

CULANTH 346S.01 Memory Bandits

CULANTH 360S.01 Global Apple

CULANTH 390.01 Labor and Social Inequality

CULANTH 390.02 Native American and Indigenous Voices

CULANTH 419S.01 Global Environment and Politics of Nature

CULANTH 530S.01 Atlantic Worlds

Meet Keith Upchurch and Gold, the two brightest smiles on Duke campus

By Mia Taubenblat and Ariella bl Maroni

April 7, 2025

Some campus icons wear basketball jerseys. Others lead classrooms. But one, with a gleaming smile and familiar tail, never fails to bring joy.

For students rushing between classes, running into Gold, the beloved golden retriever of Keith Upchurch, Trinity ‘72, is a cherished treat. Gold and Upchurch visit campus nearly every day, usually sitting on the elevated platform right next to the Brodhead Center on the Bryan Center Plaza.

Upchurch hopes that interactions with Gold will cheer up passing students, even if it’s a brief respite. As a Duke alumnus, he understands the academic pressure students may encounter, which is clear from the tension on their faces.

“I’ll see [students] sometimes coming down the walkway and from a distance. Before they see us, they look stressed and kind of unhappy,” Upchurch said. “And when they see her … they usually start smiling.”

And smile they do. Gold’s welcoming and calm demeanor attracts around 100 fans each day, according to Upchurch. She eagerly accepts any form of pets and is continuously searching for her next visitor, and students naturally reciprocate.

king who turned everything he touched into gold. His second, Nugget, was inspired by a golden nugget.

When Gold was exactly eight weeks old, Upchurch picked her up and brought her to campus the very next day.

Upchurch and Gold have always had a strong bond — after Nugget’s passing in May 2022, students wondered if Upchurch would bring another companion to campus. He got the chance when a breeder offered him a puppy that had originally been claimed by another

owner.

Upchurch wanted to name his third golden Oro, the Spanish word for gold, but ultimately settled on a one-syllable name that would not have to be explained.

Like the students, Upchurch worried about the welcoming nature of his new puppy.

“I really didn’t think I could find another dog that would be as strong a magnet as Nugget was,” he said. “I was wrong about that.”

ality] runs the whole spectrum,” Upchurch said. While seemingly full of energy, her intensity is quickly subdued back home after a long day on campus.

As Upchurch’s third golden retriever, Gold’s name naturally followed a pattern set by his previous two. His first golden was named Midas, the Greek

Returning to campus with Gold was a simple decision for Upchurch, as students had grown close with Nugget and missed their visits. Gold not only filled the “void” left by Nugget but also allowed Upchurch to continue brightening students’ days.

Although her golden joy never seems to fade on campus, in reality, “[Gold’s person-

Gold, like the students at Duke, is full of hidden talents. Upchurch excitedly described Gold’s passion for skateboarding, which she taught herself to do. He recalled how a skateboarder passed by one day, and Gold immediately tried to follow suit.

“She got on the skateboard, and [put] two of her legs on it, and she used the other two to push herself off,” Upchurch said. “She flipped the skateboard over and started chewing on the wheel.”

Gold knows basic tricks, including how

Amy Zhang

to shake, which only took her about 30 seconds to learn. She can sit and stand up on command, but she has not yet learned to roll over.

After Upchurch’s time at Duke, he began a 40+ year career at The Herald Sun, Durham’s local newspaper, where he covered essentially everything except sports.

Upchurch had a strong interest in journalism from a young age and wrote for The Chronicle for four years after arriving at Duke. He was also a writer and editor for his high school paper.

Upchurch experienced long and stressful reporting days, sometimes covering murder trials for eight hours followed by transcribing notes and writing up stories late into the night. He believes that having a dog definitely helped alleviate that stress.

Retired from journalism for eight years now, Upchurch believes that coming to visit Duke with Gold is the best use of his time — and that the best part of retirement is not having deadlines anymore.

Besides spending time with his pup on campus, Upchurch enjoys swimming and photography.

During the pandemic, requests came pouring in from students who were stuck at home asking for photos of Nugget. Taking daily pictures of Nugget and sharing them with students became a habit for Upchurch, representing a philosophy of generosity that continues with Gold to this day.

“I like to share her with people,” Upchurch said. “[It’s] therapeutic.”

MINI CROSSWORD

by Ben Matz Across

1. Sound of something dropping into water

5. ____ land

6. Confuse

8. "So this isn't the full truth..."

9. Monopoly cards

Down

1. Common pajama pattern

2. Soup spoon

3. It's often said to be a goodie

4. Lost color

7. Sheeran and others

Enjoyed this crossword? Check out our website for even more puzzles!

March 3, 2025 Answers — 1 across: plop, 5 across: la la, 6 across: addle, 8 across: I lied, 9 across: deeds, 1 down: plaid, 2 down: ladle, 3 down: oldie, 4 down: paled, 7 down: Eds

By Michael Austin

January 11, 2025

“Work hard, play hard” has long been a mantra of the Duke student body. But this weekend, during Durham’s first measurable snow in over 1,000 days, it was all play.

Though Friday’s blanket didn’t quite amount to the anticipated three inches, it was the first time many Blue Devils saw their Gothic campus dressed in white.

“It’s somehow prettier in the snow,” said sophomore Oscar Twining.

East Campus, Friday 6 p.m.

Dozens of students filed out of Brodie Recreation Center, which had been shuttered early in anticipation of the winter weather. Students skipped on the sidewalks adorned in thin white dust, their subtle imprints soon hidden by the falling snow.

Any moods dampened by a truncated workout were lifted by the crystals swirling through the air.

Duke Chapel, 6:30 p.m.

‘First time I’ve ever seen snow’

been left behind by passer-by Blue Devils. Muddy paths lead up to fat spheres of snow, where undergraduates have begun to build a student body of snowmen. Those who weren’t sprawled out making snow angels or chucking snowballs posed before Duke’s iconic stone architecture.

“I really like the way that it looks on the rooftops,” said sophomore Alexis Ashley of the snow.

Abele Quad, 8:30 p.m.

Dozens of students were scattered across Abele Quad, most wearing thick winter coats. As a snowball fight broke out in front of Kilgo Quad, many students were pelted — some happier about it than others.

Duke’s hallmark stretches of luscious grass now gleamed white. It was not pristine, though. Hundreds of footprints had already

Sophomore Sahil Patel watched from nearby, so far spared from the icy projectiles. He’s from Wilmington and said he hasn’t seen snow in North Carolina since he was young. Patel remained a bystander, but admitted that there would likely be some snowballchucking in his future.

Across the frozen quad, two friends were crouched down packing snow. It was seniors Hanna Lavi and Liel Ezroni, who, keeping busy with their gloves in the snow, described campus as “a winter

CONSIDER CODE+, A TEN-WEEK COCURRICULAR CODING EXPERIENCE THAT PROVIDES VALUABLE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE.

Students participate on small project teams and receive mentorship from IT professionals and graduate students.

Rising sophomores and juniors with little to no experience in tech will gain exposure to industry tools while working with each other, IT leaders at Duke, and industry experts to create a solution for a real-world challenge at Duke or beyond.

Build technical and communications skills to prepare for industry internships.

wonderland.”

Minutes later, their creation was complete: a “snowwoman,” they called it.

Duke Gardens, 8:30 p.m.

By 8:30 p.m., Ashley, who hails from Florida, had been walking around outside for hours.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen snow,” she said. “… It’s really gorgeous. I was not expecting it to actually stick today at all, so I’m really happy that it did.”

She was snapping photos and building snowmen, she said, when her friends “ambushed” her with snowballs. In her fifth hour in the snow, Ashley and her friends said they planned to go sledding.

was as sunny as could be, but it looked like it was raining. Kilgo’s magnolia trees — its blossoms the likeness of the Kilgo Quad arch — dripped icy residue. Together, the falling icicles sounded like a chime.

Duke Gardens, 11 a.m.

The sledding festivities continued. Countless grassy tracks cut through the ice-caked hill in the gardens. Most were straight, but some veered to the side — likely wipe-outs.

Junior Shivam Jain and his friends seemed to have mastered the slopes, wielding a plastic sled, complete with handles and a paint finish.

Meanwhile, Twining took in the sights of campus around him and the community brought together by the snowfall.

“I love how everyone is outside and together,” he said. “… I’m really enjoying it.”

Twining also spent his evening sledding. His toboggan of choice? Large cardboard boxes found behind Perkins Library.

Kilgo Quad, Saturday 10:30 a.m.

The snow began to melt quickly. It

“It’s pretty cool to be able to have this snow day here in Durham,” he said. “We built a lot of snowmen and we [had] a lot of snowball fights, [which] was a lot of fun.

They planned to head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to catch the men’s basketball game against the University of Notre Dame. There, much of the remaining snow would melt while red-hot Cooper Flagg set the ACC freshman scoring record.

AnaDespacontributedreporting.