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TUESday, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

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ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH YEAR, Issue 21

Graphic by Carolyn Sun | The Chronicle

Faculty find housing near campus Native

Neelesh Moorthy The Chronicle President Richard Brodhead and Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek might live on campus, but other faculty or staff live more than 50 miles away. Since the 1930s, Duke has worked to help faculty and staff find homes close to the University, often by buying tracts of land and developing houses later sold to Duke employees. Examples include the “Duke Homesites,” which are houses in the

Duke Forest built by the University, as well as 40 housing units developed in the Trinity Heights neighborhood near East Campus—a program that began in 1998 and ended in 2002. Currently, the University sponsors a Homebuyers Club designed to help lowerincome Duke employees find homes. “Duke has played such a large role in the renaissance of Durham that having that partnership between Duke and Durham is better fostered by having people from the University living there,” said Wasiolek, a prior resident of the Duke Homesites. In the early 1900s, it would have been

American association seeks growth Frances Beroset The Chronicle

difficult for the University to convince new talent from other prestigious universities to live in Durham, said Jeffrey Potter, director of real estate administration. To correct this, Duke began buying land near West Campus and selling it to employees, allowing them to pay it off over time like a student loan, he explained. By the end of the 1980s, Potter said, Duke had contributed to more than 100 different Homesites on streets just off of West Campus, such as Pinecrest Road,

Although North Carolina has the second-largest Native American population of any state east of the Mississippi River, Native representation among students and faculty is notably small. Native American students make up less than one percent of students at Duke as of 2014. Representation can be a challenge for a demographic that makes up approximately 1.7 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. This year, the Native American Student Alliance, or NASA, aims to increase the visibility of Native American students on campus. “When I say that I’m Native American—I introduce myself that way because I’m proud to say it—[people] say, ‘oh, you’re Native American! You’re the first one that I’ve ever met!’” said sophomore Ashley Claw. “I’m kind of proud to be that first person, but then again, that kind of makes me sad.” The most notable event organized by NASA is the annual powwow on the Main Quadrangle, which was first held in 2001 and features drum circles and dancers in traditional dress. Although

See HOUSING on Page 4

See NASA on Page 4

Duke scientists treat depression with intestinal worms Teresa Meng The Chronicle Eating intestinal worms may be a possible treatment for depression and other neurological diseases, according to a group of Duke scientists. The research of William Parker, associate professor of surgery, and Staci Bilbo, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, indicates that certain organisms, like intestinal worms called helminths, can exist inside the human body in a mutually beneficial relationship with bacteria in the gut. Parker

and Bilbo argue that modern society’s efforts to remove organisms such as helminths has resulted in increased rates of autoimmune diseases such as allergies. Helminthic therapy is an effort to rebalance the immune system and address a variety of disorders by putting the helminth worms back into the human body. Although the Food and Drug Administration has not currently approved helminths as a treatment method, some people have begun to treat themselves using the organisms and have reported positive effects. Parker and his colleagues are currently planning a clinical trial to investigate whether

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helminths could treat depression. “The goal here at Duke is to get helminths approved by the FDA so we can begin clinical trials,” Bilbo said. “The first target is depression because the condition is thought, at least for a significant subset of people, to involve the immune system having a proinflammatory signature, so the idea is, treat your gut and heal your brain.” These efforts have been prompted by reports from people who ingested commercially brought helminths to treat their own disorders, ranging from depression

See WORMS on Page 4

Serving the University since 1905

Special to The Chronicle Scientists are experimenting with organisms in the human body that can have mutually beneficial relationships with bacteria.

@dukechronicle

New registrar Blalark the keeper of academic data Janie Booth The Chronicle The Office of the University Registrar has experienced a lot of change this year with the appointment of new University Registrar Frank Blalark. Previously served in the same position at Purdue University, Blalark previously served in the same position at Purdue University and also serves as assistant vice provost at Duke. He replaced Bruce Cunningham Aug. 31. Cunningham retired after his tenure of almost 20 years at the registrar’s office. The Chronicle’s Janie Booth sat down with Blalark and discussed his plan to focus on cultivating a strong relationship with the student body in his new role.

on being the data custodian of the academic record. However, there are many subparts to such a vague highlevel role—such as administrative responsibilities. I supervise staff, and manage the operation of our systems. I also oversee academic records and operational system and data support. Overall, the systems are changing, in trend with the global shift in technology. Google is not the same as it was ten years ago, and neither is registration software. Student Information Systems are the same way—they have been around for a while now, but are starting to change the architecture underneath. New tools have emerged in registration, such as apps that help students better choose their course loads.

The Chronicle: What inspired you to become a registrar? TC: How has your background in Frank Blalark: I began my career mostly football influenced your career today? interested in teaching FB: Growing up I played serious history and returning to Las Vegas to coach See BLALARK on Page 12 track and football. Along the way, a few personal mentors encouraged me to pursue graduate studies and a professional career in higher education. I ventured down a student affairs path until an administrator noticed my knack for process and data analysis. This introduction ultimately pivoted my journey toward the Office of the Registrar at the University of Minnesota— where I also graduated with a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration.

Q & A

TC: What are the main responsibilities of your position? Special to The Chronicle FB: If I were to sum it up, I would Frank Blalark, registrar and assistant vice say that my main responsibilities focus provost, took over for Bruce Cunningham Aug. 31.

Get Ahead. Go to DKU. Apply by Oct 1.

For Program details visit  www.dukekunshan.edu.cn  or send an email to:  dkuadmissions@dku.edu

Duke Student Quang, who studied at DKU

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2 | tuesday, september 22, 2015

Students, admins critical of new College Scorecard Lucy Zhang The Chronicle The Department of Education’s newly released College Scorecard contains a wealth of information about universities nationwide, but Duke administrators and students have been quick to point out its shortcomings. The College Scorecard, unveiled earlier this month, provides data on a number of categories and allows for colleges to be sorted and compared. Duke performs better than the national average in almost all of the Scorecard’s categories, which include percentage of students paying off their debt, graduation and retention rates and average salary after attending. The only category in which Duke fares worse is average annual cost, in which the University exceeds the

national average by $11,269. According to the data, Duke has an average annual cost of $28,058, a graduation rate of 94 percent and an average salary after attending of $76,700. “More information is better than less information when it comes to making college choices, so the new government database is a useful addition,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. Schoenfeld, however, was skeptical of the idea that prospective students should rely on the Scorecard. “Reducing the college decision to a single number—whether a U.S. News ranking or earnings 10 years out—is simplistic and ultimately harmful to students and families who have to make important decisions,” he said. See SCORECARD on Page 12

Graphic by Dottie Kontopoulos | The Chronicle

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University hosts health hackathon for innovation Teresa Meng The Chronicle This weekend, Duke hosted its first Triangle Health Innovation Challenge—a health hackathon that brought together students, engineers, clinicians and business professionals to collaborate on complex medical issues. At the Triangle Health Innovation Challenge, or THInC, teams proposed novel solutions to some of the biggest issues in medicine, from post-traumatic stress disorder to diabetes. The pitch that earned the $4,000 grand prize was a device that tracks exercises done by physical therapy patients. “Our motivation behind this is there’s so much talent in the Triangle, but they’re groups of people that never get to talk to each other,” said Tanmay Gokhale, a Duke MD/Ph.D. student and one of the founders of THInC. He said he hoped the event addressed this lack of collaboration. THInC was inspired by a talk given last Spring by Lina Colucci, Pratt ‘12, who is now a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her talk, Colucci discussed an initiative that she previously codirected—MIT Hacking Medicine— which prompted the four founders of THInC to bring a similar event to the Triangle. Of the 127 participants at THInC, 89 percent were students of some sort— undergraduates, graduate students, medical students and business students

The team that designed the winning physical therapy tracking device— called Tiba—was composed of three Duke undergraduates, two UNC undergraduates and one Duke graduate student. According to the team’s pitch, 90 percent of patients are sent home to do physical therapy exercises, and doctors and insurers do not have a way of knowing if they are doing the exercises correctly—or at all. The team explained that Tiba will provide data that can be sent to physical therapists and insurers to improve treatment. Real-time feedback from the tracker can help prevent injury, noted Mihir Pershad, a senior at UNC. “It also gives patients incentive to practice exercises,” said Dhruv Patel, a Duke freshman, alluding to the success of similar devices like Fitbit in motivating people to exercise. The second-place prize of $2,000 was awarded to Breeze, a breathing exercise Special to The Chronicle device designed to help patients with Teams of students proposed solutions to global medical issues and competed for a $4,000 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, grand prize in the first Triangle Health Innovation Challenge. and the third place prize of $1,000 was awarded to Tornado Scheduling, a primarily from Duke, the University of them refine their problem statements product intended to decrease the wait North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North and products. time for patients when seeing their Carolina State University, Gokhale said. “It was really great that we had physicians. The other 11 percent were staff and mentors—that was probably the most Several participants emphasized that faculty from the universities as well as helpful aspect. We could sit down with the event was successful in connecting working healthcare professionals and them and bounce off ideas,” said senior students from across the Triangle. engineers in the Triangle. Kayla Falk. “It was really cool to connect The participants began pitching The teams then presented their with people with similar passions ideas Friday, then divided into 15 teams. solutions to a panel of judges experienced and to watch people from different During the Saturday and Sunday portions in business and medicine, who evaluated backgrounds come together on a single of the event, the teams met with clinical, the products based on their clinical project,” said THInC participant Emma technical and business mentors to help relevancy and business potential. Miller, Trinity ‘11.

The Fannie Mitchell Expert in Residence Program

Screening and Q&A with

John Doherty ‘07 and Charlie McSpadden ‘10 Thursday, September 24 @ 7pm Griffith Theater, Bryan Cemter The Fannie Mitchell Expert in Residence Program features accomplished professionals sharing specialized knowledge and providing career advice to Duke students.

4 | tuesday, september 22, 2015

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NASA from page 1 the event was not held last year due to a lack of membership, Claw and sophomore Taylor Miller, co-presidents of NASA, hope to bring it back this year. They also plan on presenting books by Native authors to the summer reading selection committee, “to get the word out to Duke that there are Native students here,” Claw said. NASA lists one of its goals as fighting outdated notions of Native American life and culture. “A lot of Americans and people around the world still either imagine Native Americans have disappeared or are riding around the Great Plains on horseback, hunting buffalo with a bow and arrow,” wrote Orin Starn, professor of cultural anthropology and former faculty advisor for NASA, in an email. Another challenge Native students face is the pressure to succeed, Claw said, which is amplified not only by the relative scarcity of Native American students at Duke, but by the low graduation rates at colleges throughout the country. “There’s not many Natives who go to college, or pursue higher education,” Claw said. “That’s something that’s always in the back of my mind, even though it really shouldn’t be. It pushes me to work harder.” Starn wrote that the low college graduation rate among Native Americans is partly due to “underfunded reservation schools that don’t adequately prepare kids for college.” Part of the problem lies with the lack of Native American faculty at Duke, he noted. “Unless this has changed in the last few years, there has never been a single Native American faculty member in Duke’s history,” Starn wrote. “It’s really embarrassing and reflects badly on us as a university.” Starn noted that some of Duke’s peer

WORMS from page 1 to allergies. Parker worked with Duke undergraduates to collect information about these self-treaters. The students interviewed providers, surveyed the web and sent out surveys. “The effectiveness of the helminths is substantially better from whatever effect they were getting from pharmaceutical treatments and the side effects are much less. It’s a pretty profound difference,” Parker said. Parker also reached out to Bilbo, a neuroimmunologist, and her research provided evidence that helminths can effectively prevent autoimmune reactions— which involve the immune system attacking healthy cells—in mice. “The number one job of helminths is to prevent [themselves] from being detected and expelled by our immune system, so they secrete all kinds of anti-inflammatory factors that calm the immune system,” Bilbo explained. Her studies with mice have demonstrated that the worms can prevent hypersensitive immune responses that affect the brain without compromising their immune systems. They also suggest that helminthic therapy in humans could be promising, although the beneficial effects could vary from individual to individual, Bilbo said. Mental health conditions like depression are among the hardest disorders to clinically treat, making helminthic therapy a better alternative to current drugs in the market, she added. “Now we don’t think everyone is going to benefit but if we can treat 25 to 30 percent of people with treatment-resistant depression,

Graphic by Ada Zhang | The Chronicle

institutions—in particular Dartmouth and Stanford—are more appealing to Native American students for a number of reasons, including more native faculty, higher percentages of Native students, and larger Native American Studies programs. Four percent of students in the class of 2019 at Dartmouth identify as Native American—compared to just 1.2 percent of the class of 2019 at Duke, according to NASA. “UNC does much better than Duke in Native American student recruitment, especially of Lumbee and other groups

from North Carolina,” Starn wrote. Two percent of the class of 2019 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is Native American. With more than 120,000 Native Americans according to the 2010 census, North Carolina has the eighth-largest population of Native American citizens among all states. “You would think that since North Carolina has a huge Native American population we would be stronger, but it’s really the opposite, which is kind of weird,” Miller said. NASA originated in 1992 as the Native

American Student Coalition and became the Native American Student Alliance in 2003. The organization had only three active members last year, Claw said. She added that more than 10 students attended this year’s welcome meeting, a sign that NASA could have a greater presence at Duke going forward. “It’s like we’re here but no one really knows we’re here, and that’s something [Miller and I] are really trying to fix— to get people to understand that we are here and we matter,” Claw said. “That’s our main goal for NASA this year, is to create a voice.”

it would be huge, and it will be extremely inexpensive and simple,” she said. “Just once a month you swallow a few of these larvae and that’s it.” In order for human helminthic therapy to be a scientifically sound and accepted treatment, Parker and his colleagues need empirical evidence from clinical trials. Parker and Bilbo are currently applying for FDA approval for clinical trials involving helminths. In the long run, Parker hopes that helminths will become an inexpensive way of balancing immune function. “In every aspect, it is much like a vitamin—it is an important part of the ecosystem of our body that we can’t live without,” he said.

the ability to invite students to one’s home are some of the benefits of living so close to the University, said Stephen Jaffe, Mary and James H. Semans professor of music composition. Encouraging faculty to live near campus fits with Duke’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint, Transportation Demand Manager Allison Carpenter wrote in an email. Employees living 3.9 miles from campus produced only 1,872 metric tons of carbon dioxide for a 48work week period—compared to the 16,944 tons produced by those living 35 miles from campus, she wrote. The average commute distance for Duke employees in 2014 was 12 miles, Carpenter wrote, according to data from the 2014 annual employee commute survey. Soon after Nan Keohane took over as University President in 1993, Duke began redeveloping the Trinity Heights neighborhood with the goal of creating an identity and forging a community near East Campus. Between 1998 and 2002, Duke built 40 units of new housing—25 houses and 15 townhouses—and sold them to various Duke employees, Potter wrote in an email. “It’s one of the few projects I’ve ever worked on that came out better than we imagined it,” he said. “We didn’t know if anyone would buy the houses and if they would stay pretty for the next 15 years, but whenever I go by there they look terrific.” Duke employees living in those houses are bound by a restrictive covenant that requires them to sell their house to another Duke employee, if and when they sell it, Potter explained. If an owner is unable to sell the house to a Duke employee after a year, the owner

must offer the house to the University for repurchase but can sell it to an unaffiliated individual if the University chooses not to buy it back, according to the Trinity Heights new home covenant. Homesites residents are not required to try and sell the house to a Duke employee, but they are required to offer it back to the University. In practice, however, Duke rarely buys the house back, Potter explained. Duke does not currently have a program designed to encourage faculty and staff to live closer to the University, he said, in large part because the city of Durham has become a much more attractive destination for prospective homebuyers. The University also offers a Homebuyers Club designed primarily to help lowerincome employees unable to afford homes on their own get situated, said Director of Community Engagement Sam Miglarese. The club initially stemmed from an arrangement between Duke and Durham to help with the redevelopment of the Southside neighborhood, but since its inception three years ago, it has helped seven individuals purchase homes in neighborhoods other than Southside. Although Duke has three employees living in Southside, they did not go through the Homebuyers Club, which will yield its firstever Southside resident in December. “I think it’s important that, as we provide information about housing for our faculty, we keep in mind that it’s an important balance issue,” Miglarese said. “We have employees at the University who are struggling to seek out the American dream.”

HOUSING from page 1 Cranford Road and Wrightwood Avenue, among others. The program ended around 1990 as demand picked up, and Duke was less able to purchase land at a reasonable price. Since then, Duke has stopped taking an active role in the Homesites, instead leaving them to be sold on the private market. Although Duke no longer takes a hands-on approach to the Homesites, the effort continues to pay dividends for Duke employees. Wasiolek estimated that, when she lived there, her street was split about evenly between Duke staff and non-Dukeaffiliated residents. Walks in the Duke Forest, the convenience of being so close to Duke and

The Chronicle spoke with Potter both by phone and by email.

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tuesday, september 22, 2015 | 5

the blue zone

Duke football player of the week sports.chronicleblogs.com

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women’s soccer

column

Quinn removed from fifa 16 Forgive me Father, but you’re an idiot

Ryan Hoerger The Chronicle Every time you boot up Madden or FIFA on your video game console, a familiar slogan blurts out: “EA Sports: It’s in the game.” Rebecca Quinn was going to bring literal meaning to that motto—until the NCAA put its foot down. Quinn, a junior defender for the Blue Devils who played for Team Canada at this summer’s Pan American Games, was slated to appear in FIFA 16, the latest installment of the popular soccer video game that was officially released Tuesday. But EA Sports announced Thursday that it would remove Quinn’s avatar—and the virtual representations of 12 other players—after the NCAA informed the game’s creator that the players could be risking their collegiate eligibility. Back on the field for Duke, Quinn said that she had heard discussions of NCAA rulings leading up to the decision, but that her status in the game was uncertain until the final ruling came Thursday. “To be honest, I play a lot of PS4—I’m quite a FIFA addict, so it’s disappointing for me and my friends to not be able to play against ourselves,” Quinn said. “But I’m sure there’ll be a time in the future, hopefully, that we’ll be able to.” According to NCAA bylaws, a studentathlete violates his or her amateur status if he or she “accepts any remuneration for or permits the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.” College football and basketball teams have previously been featured in EA Sports video games that used athletes’ likenesses, but not their names, leading to class-action lawsuits by former players. As part of the lead-up to the Pan American Games—which were hosted in Quinn’s hometown of Toronto— Team Canada traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, in early 2015, where they were met by hundreds of cameras to complete body scans and track their movements to accurately depict the players in the video game. Quinn was one of six members of Team Canada to be removed from the game. “We do not agree with this position. All rights were secured following standard protocol with national governing bodies and federations, and none of these NCAA student-athletes or potential student athletes were to be individually compensated by EA SPORTS for their inclusion in the game,” the company wrote in a statement posted to its website. “We believe this decision denies these

Outside of toiling away for The Chronicle—I kid, I kid (not really, please send money)—I work in the office of undergraduate admissions. And by work, I mean I do nothing for the most part of fourand-a-half hours. Sometimes I’ll sharpen a box of pencils, other times I’ll put together some visiting packets; all in all, my job is equal parts thoughtless tasks, equal parts reading articles online, and, today, equal parts writing this column. For my time (and effort, I guess) I get paid more than nine dollars an hour. Why am I telling you this? Because 12 days ago, in one of the more stupefying interviews I have ever had the displeasure of reading, The New York Times granted Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins the platform to say his piece in regards to college athletes getting paid. So now, much to the chagrin of everyone who hates fairness and all those profiting off the work of thousands of 18-22 year olds and the college system, I’m here to tell you why they don’t get paid, and why they should.

Nick Martin

Jesús Hidalgo | The Chronicle Duke junior Rebecca Quinn was one of 13 collegiate players to have their avatars removed from the latest FIFA 16 video game due to potential eligibility issues with the NCAA.

13 athletes the opportunity to represent their countries in the game, but we have removed them from FIFA 16 to ensure there is no risk to their eligibility.” EA Sports did not respond to a request for additional comment Monday. “We weren’t getting any compensation for it, but I can understand why the NCAA’s doing it. I think it’s a little different from football [or] basketball that I think the rules are designed for, but the rules are the rules,” Quinn said. “I wouldn’t say that they need to make any changes, because I understand why they’re making them—to not create a professional environment, because it’s supposed to be an amateur environment.” Those rules are in a state of flux, said Paul H. Haagen, a Duke law professor and co-director of the Center for Sports Law and Policy. Former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon won a lawsuit against the NCAA for the commercial use of his name and likeness without compensating him, but the NCAA appealed the decision and a final verdict has not yet been reached. In the aftermath, the Pac-12 conference has proposed allowing athletes to make money from the use of their names and likenesses, a shift away from the NCAA’s long-held defense of amateurism. The proposal will be discussed by the Power

Five conferences and could be voted on in January. Quinn’s case is an example of the arbitrary lines being drawn by the NCAA when it comes to amateurism, said Haagen. “Amateurism is more or less defined the following way—a person violates their amateur status if they take compensation in a way that we [the NCAA] haven’t approved. It’s not a principled definition—it’s an internal regulation definition,” Haagen said. “The basic requirement is an effort to protect the athlete from a certain kind of exploitation.... [But] they’re perfectly happy to use [athletes’] likeness and exploit it in connection with things that generate revenue for the institutions, the NCAA. They’re not giving away the Final Four. They’re attempting to increase interest in something that has very direct commercial value for the NCAA.” Duke head coach Robbie Church said he was not contacted directly about Quinn’s eligibility surrounding FIFA 16, but heard about the decision secondhand. “I guess if you’re going to keep equity across the board, then it has to go that way,” Church said. “We haven’t had a lot of players in that position before, [so] it’s a good problem to have.... Hopefully there’s no harm done.”

The System Is A Sham The first and most prominent issue of why colleges and the NCAA are so against paying athletes actual salaries like the employees they are is because of the convoluted system they have created. What colleges have done is actually kind of genius; while jacking up the cost of attendance at a private university to a mindnumbingly outrageous $60,000-plus per year, colleges have somehow made you and I believe the experience and the education is worth that much. I mean, really, how do you put a price on education? Well, it would appear you keep notso-gradually increasing tuition, hide behind financial aid numbers that (rightfully) benefit those of less privileged backgrounds, leave the middle out to dry and take the rich ones for all their worth. Then, when you’ve established yourself as a top-10 university, you tell yourself, your students and their families, that this is whole experience is probably actually a bargain. And so once that money-wringing plan is established, you can look at the athletes who make you even more gobs of money See COLUMN on Page 9

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CONGRATS 2015 DukeEngage Photo Find Awards

to the winning participants in the first annual DukeEngage Photo Find Awards. During their summer of service in the U.S. and abroad, DukeEngage group and independent project participants were invited to submit their best photos in five categories: immersion, partnership, reflection, gratitude and photographer’s choice. The following 10 images and artist statements were selected as winners because they best represent the DukeEngage mission and values. Please visit the DukeEngage website (http://dukeengage.duke.edu) to view a slideshow of all photographs submitted.

Independent Project Winner: Immersion Photographer: Henry Warder, Ecuador

Group Program Winner: Kolkata - Immersion Photographer: Freddie Camerlynck Artist Statement: Bryan Somaiah is joining in on a game of ‘Kabaddi’ with the children of Future Hope, engaging in a traditionally South Asian game and bonding with the kids. They are joyful, energetic and ever inspiring to be around. Working with Future Hope has been an unforgettable experience.

Artist Statement: Working with the amputees at the Range of Motion Project has taught me the true meaning of mobility. This picture is of two patients who are learning how to use a specialized running prostheses. In just a few short hours, one of the patients had learned how to use the new technology and was doing laps up and down the street outside our clinic. I’m so lucky to have met the people that I have and am in constant awe of the tenacity and strength that I saw on a daily basis.

Independent Project Winner: Partnership Photographer: Carolyn Cresci, Tanzania Group Program Winner - NYC: Partnership Photographer: Raissa Yang Artist Statement: Sai Panguluri and Raissa Yang met Amber and a friend in Washington Square Park while on the Feminist Scavenger Hunt that led them all over the city in search of feminist and radical movement landmarks. Amber is a rape victim who has been chalking up streets and parks all over New York City for the past year spreading awareness on sexual violence and working to reduce the stigma around speaking about sexual violence publicly. Amber shared her story with Sai and Raissa and discussed the issues surrounding anti-feminist beliefs.

Artist Statement by Jocelyn Vargas, pictured right: Partnership can be achieved without sharing a common language. Between gestures, observation and minimal Swahili, I was taught the process of washing dishes at the school dining hall. I was gifted a crate to be seated on comfortably as we scrubbed in one basin and rinsed in a second basin throughout the morning.

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Group Program Winner - Tucson, AZ: Reflection Photographer: Marissa Lazo

Artist Statement: This photograph was taken in Nogales, AZ, in front of the border wall that separates the U.S. from Mexico, dividing the community of Nogales. After reading from Fuku, Almost at the End, we sat and meditated on borders and on the wall. Some of us were inspired to write our own poems, some of us drew pictures and some of us sat motionless. (L to R: Kimberly Eddleman, Da Eun Lee, Elizabeth Barahona, Lina Palancares.)

Independent Project Winner: Gratitude Photographer: Mrittika Basu, India

Artist Statement from Eliabeth Kim, pictured: After two months, I thanked all the students at VidyaGyan Academy for changing my life.

Group Winner - S. Korea: “The Unexpected” Photographer: Ling-Ling Zhou

Artist Statement: Walking to the lunchroom on the first day of teaching, we suddenly found ourselves pulled into the kitchen. Two minutes later, donning bright orange aprons, caps, and gloves, we were transformed into lunch servers. Though unexpected, lunch serving was an exciting time when we could chat with the students as they passed through the line. “More meat, less vegetables.” That was how we grew closer. (L to R: Vivian Hao, Josh Lovett, Hannah Kim, Julie Hong.)

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Independent Project Winner: Reflection Photographer: Jackie Chipkin, Bolivia

Artist Statement: Every day as I walked home from work at Fundación Arco Iris in La Paz, Bolivia, I thought about the stories I had collected and documented among patients at the hospital. Amidst poverty and despair, each inspired hope and strength. As the sun set in La Paz, I would reflect on the people I had met and all the lessons they could teach me.

Group Program Winner Vietnam: Gratitude Photographer: Mario Kahlil Artist Statement from Julianne Dalhman, pictured: I have never left America in my life before DukeEngage. After a long day of exploring in July, I was finally able to sit down and fully take in Vietnam. I was actually there. A small-town girl from South Carolina was halfway across the world building a playground and teaching English to 25 amazing 8th graders. I will forever be grateful.

Independent Winner: “Teamwork” Photographer: Connor Guest, Rwanda

Artist Statement: The bridge created a tangible difference in the communities of Rwamahwa and Cyohoha. It should last for 30 or more years, which will help save lives from floods, increase access to education, facilitate religious and cultural gatherings, and improve the economy through access to markets. On the inauguration day of the bridge our team was especially grateful to the community of Rwamahwa for welcoming us into their lives and for exposing us to things we had never experienced before.

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8 | TueSday, tuesday, SepTember september 22, 2015

The Chronicle

men’s basketball

Former PG Amaker continues career beyond Duke After spending time in the ACC and Big Ten, Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker has transformed the Crimson into a trendy Cinderella pick in March. A four-year starter at point guard at Duke from 1983-87, Amaker graduated as the program’s leader in single-season assists and career assist-to-turnover ratio. He was an assistant under head coach Mike Krzyzewski until 1997 before head coaching stints at Seton Hall, Michigan and Harvard, where he has been since the 2007-08 season. The Chronicle’s Ryan Hoerger spoke with Amaker about the upcoming season. Below is a condensed version of their conversation: The Chronicle: Siyani Chambers, one of your best players, will be missing the upcoming season due to an ACL injury. How are you and the rest of your program prepared to move forward from that? Tommy Amaker: Well it’s devastating for Siyani, first and foremost. Being a senior and having a season-ending injury and certainly one that is going to require surgery—that’s a very tough blow for him, and obviously it’s a huge blow for us and our program and our prospects for this season. He’s our best player and our leading returning player and a captain and a three-time all-conference player, all the things you

Q & A

know about him. And he’s in everything. He’s our most important player....In order to get the final year back of eligibility, he would have to withdraw from school, and he’s planning to do that. It’s a voluntary withdrawal that he’s taking, so he will return in the following season and have his final year. TC: Since you’ve been at Harvard, is there a singular moment that stands out to you as a point of change, or has it been a more gradual process where the success has built on itself? TA: We’ve been a program that, in some ways, I think has emerged on the scene pretty rapidly in terms of reputation and relevance for our program. I don’t know if it’s been one moment. You have to be lucky, you have to be good and lucky enough and I think we’ve been both. We’ve had some wonderful moments, like our first-ever Ivy League title, but we’ve won five in a row now. The first one was such a significant one because we had never ever done it before in the history of our school, and that’s kind of amazing to say that and think that at the time. Since then, we’ve been able to reel off five in a row which now puts us in a position of I think Penn is the only other program in the history of the Ivy League that has done that. TC: Given that Harvard, due to its Ivy League membership, cannot offer athletic scholarships, what is your recruiting pitch like to recruits you are trying to draw to Harvard? TA: Our league is structured differently. It’s a need-based financial aid, is how it’s referred

ASK US YOUR QUESTIONS. GIVE US YOUR OPINIONS.

to. If you need the money to go to school here and are still qualified and accepted to go to Harvard, then we’ll give it to you and that’s how things are structured and it’s very generous and we’re very proud of it. We’re very proud of how much money we have actually utilized for financial aid for the undergrad kids. So we have found that it is a major hurdle.... So we do feel like we have a strong brand and the success of our basketball program have made things very, very attractive for a kid who’s interested in this type of situation. We have certainly put ourselves in a position to be a strong contender for those types of studentathletes that are out there. TC: Before Harvard, you coached at Duke and Michigan, two prominent basketball programs with very storied pasts. Has there been any difference in the type of kid you recruited at those schools and the kids you recruit at Harvard? TA: Honestly, there’s not any difference. At those other schools and certainly here at Harvard, we’re trying to do the same thing. We’re trying to find the best player, the best kid and the best student. That hasn’t CourteSy of harvarD athletiC changed. So we have CoMMuniCationS been fortunate to be able to find a number of kids that have fit that bill for us and that have come on board and helped

us grow our product and our brand and our program to the level where it is now. So there’s no change in that regard. Obviously, the Duke recruiting—it’s Duke and the Golden State Warriors, that’s a whole different stratosphere with Duke and Kentucky and programs of that sort. But certainly if a kid is breaking for an elite academic school and wants a high-level basketball program, that we can interest that kid enough to take a hard look at Harvard. TC: There seems to be a trend of Duke assistant coaches moving on to head coaching positions at schools that are very similar to Duke—relatively small private schools with a strong academic reputation and a big basketball tradition. Do you think there is any reason for this? TA: I do think there probably is something to that. That profile and that type of environment is definitely a part of who we actually are and I’m sure we can, not to speak for anybody else but to speak for myself, we can certainly connect with that. I’ve benefitted from that. I’m a beneficiary of that and I’m a product of that environment. I believe in that, so maybe there is something to that. We always talk about, for a kid who’s a prospect, to look for something in a school or a program where it fits, where it makes sense and it’s the right feel. Well, maybe this has something to do with that as well for us as individuals, as coaches, as teachers and leaders on these respective campuses that it fits, and that’s certainly something I have recognized that’s worked well for me.

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COLUMN from page 5 and point at that big $60,000 and say, “Well, no, we’re not paying you, but look at all this money you’re saving! You should be welcome that we’re providing you with such a fine education for no cost—except your body and your time.” You see, universities try to hide behind the facade they’ve built that fools you into thinking a college education is worth a specific dollar amount. And since it is a service, it seems the industry—because at this point, it’s what it seems like—has agreed to continually jack up prices and lead students to believe that with the increase in price comes an increase in quality of education. And to an extent, that’s true. (Then again, tuition has been raised a few thousand dollars and campus has gotten worse each year and none of my classes have really gotten better, so maybe not.) But to think the education you provide grants you an out of paying people who work for you or sharing the profits you make off every No. 5 jersey sold is heinous and actually, in the real world that college apparently does not exist in, illegal. ‘Here’s how they gon’ come at you’ Like Hov told Drake (correctly, I might add—RIP Meek), I shall now tell you how the detractors, like our dear old Father Jenkins, will try and shoot down the mere thought of—gasp!—paying people for their work. They will say, “Yeah, but what about Olympic sports? They lose us money, so most of our profits have to go to pay their

expenses.” For sure, man, for sure. That’s an inadequate excuse because colleges and the NCAA are looking you dead in the eye and trying to draw on your sympathetic heart strings by bringing up the poor Olympic sports and how, without using the leftover funds on them, we simply couldn’t afford them. Well, and this is just a thought, but I bet that rowing house, the one ex-head coach Robyn Horner had to spend 15 (!) years fundraising to get built, probably could have been built a bit faster if Duke didn’t drop a cool $9 million on Coach K every year. And again, we come to another systemic issue. There is no way whatsoever that anyone can talk to me or any other clear-minded person and bring up how the Olympic sports don’t have the money when you’re dropping millions of dollars per year on a guy to coach a basketball team the NCAA and college system agree shouldn’t be paid. At least not until they leave after a year to, you know, do what they came here to do and actually make money. ‘Nobody Is Really Getting Rich’ This column could presumably go on for another 1,000 words, and I could explain to you why taking a player’s jersey they made popular and selling it is unethical and how not all athletes—mostly non-Olympic ones actually!—are granted full scholarships and have to pay for their education anyways and how despite this being the obvious way things should not be, nobody wants to upset the status quo

The Chronicle

and say something about it. The closest anyone has come is Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe, who said this back classified advertising in 2013: www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds “Nobody is really getting rich off of this; rates we’re operating an athletics department off All advertising - $6�00 for first 15 words 10¢ (per day) additional per word of all this. Do you understand how much 3 or 4 consecutive insertions - 10 % off it costs to operate an athletic department? sudoku_489A 5 or more consecutive insertions - 20 % off We have 26 varsity sports and recreation. A by Will Shortz lot of facilities and a lot of people are in Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented deadline 12:00 noon 1 business day prior to place here to make it better for the student5 6 8 publication athlete. That’s a lot of money to operate all 7payment 4 1 of that.” I truly admire Coach Cut, but in this Prepayment is required 2 9 Master Card, VISA, Discover, American Excase, I believe him to be wrong. I also press, cash or check 2 6 3 believe he and I have a drastically different definition of what “rich”, in monetary 1 7 4 ad submission terms, might mean. online: www.dukechronicle.com/classifieds This isn’t about players trying to get email: advertising@chronicle�duke�edu rich in college—that’s what the pros fax to: 919-684-8295 9 phone 4 2 orders: (919)-684-3811 are for, at least for men’s basketball, No refunds or cancellations after first insertion deadline baseball, soccer and football players. It’s 3 your advertisement for errors5on the ADVERTISERS: Please check about the sentiment that one should be first day of publication. If you find an error, please call 919-6843811. The 8 Chronicle only accepts responsibility for1the first incorrect properly compensated for their work. Just day for ads entered by our office staff. We cannot offer make-good489A Distributed New York Times syndicate runs for errors in ads placed onlineby byThe the customer. like I expect to be paid for sharpening (c) PZZL.com Solution sudoku_489A a pencil, athletes should expect to be paid for their time and effort. People 4 2 1 9 5 6 7 3 8 like Father Jenkins—who makes bank at Notre Dame—scoff at the thought of 8 6 9 7 3 2 4 1 5 college athletics functioning as the minor leagues; he scoffs at the belief that players 7 5 3 1 4 8 9 6 2 are entitled to anything more than an 9 4 2 8 6 3 5 7 1 education that the majority of scholarships don’t fully cover. 1 3 6 5 7 4 8 2 9 Well, Father, like I get paid to open 5 7 8 2 9 1 3 4 6 PowerPoints and pre-med students get paid to kill rats in labs, athletes, too, deserve a 3 9 5 6 1 7 2 8 4 slice of the pie. And by my count, schools 2 1 4 3 8 9 6 5 7 and the NCAA have plenty of pie to go The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation around. That’s my “north star”.

6 10018 8 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, September 22, 2015

sudoku_489A Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented by Will Shortz

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4 2 1 9 5 6 7 3 8 8 6 9 7 3 2 4 1 5 The Chronicle 7 5 3 1 4 8 9 6 2 Thoughts on summer being officially over: 9 4 2 8 6 3 5 7 1 closer to basketball: ��#amrithisnotimpressed stay inside with a new computer: �� wutangclan seahawks 0-2: �� 1 3 6 5 7 4 8 zhangsta 2 9 new staffbox names:��beyerbeware still baseball season: ��pollackwannacracker 5 7 8 2 9 1 3 sanjeev 4 6 30 year old photos: �� learning rap verses: �� jackofalltrades 3 9 5 6 1 7 2 8 4 Bell Gothic:��Wire Barb Starbuck: ��Barb 2 1��Alyssa 4 3 8 9 6Coughenour 5 7 Student Advertising Manager: Account Representatives: �� John Abram, Megan Bowen, TJ Cole, 8 Tyler7Deane-Krantz, 4 2 Davis5English, 1 Philip 9 Foo3 Maria6 Alas Diaz,

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Crossword ACROSS 1 Complain loudly 5 “Proud” ones with cigars 10 Cheek 14 Iridescent stone 15 Prince Valiant’s love 16 ___ Reader 17 *Left the flock 19 Greek earth goddess 20 Kind of test for newborns 21 “___ Bangs” (Ricky Martin hit) 22 ___ Sea, victim of Soviet irrigation projects 23 *Walk out 27 Tenor Carreras 30 Catcher’s catch off a batter’s bat 31 Part of an oval 32 Competitor’s lament 33 Kyle ___, “The Terminator” hero 37 *Like baking dough

39 *Sumptuous spreads 40 Crashes, with “out” 41 Got by word of mouth 44 Word that, spelled backward, can be a clue for itself 45 Stalemate 47 Prefix with diluvian 48 *Half of a brother/sister dance duo 52 Laze 53 Inits. for Windy City commuters 54 Loosen, as a knot 58 Leon who wrote “The Haj” 59 World hot spot … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues 62 Labyrinth 63 “That’s ___” 64 Mass-market furniture company

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61 French article

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords.

T h e i n d e p e n d e n T d a i ly aT d u k e u n i v e r s i T y

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“

Ask ‘Who am I?’ with purpose

n yesterday’s editorial, we touched on several different spaces for mental health issues on campus, emphasizing the importance of peer support and institutional readiness to assist. Today, we turn to a more general exploration of how students come into their own in their University careers. College is no doubt an exhilarating time, but at some point or another, we are all faced with academic difficulties, social anxiety, identity confusion or any of the other conceivable causes for concern with which our age group grapples. Whether it is a competition of who has more work on a given day or fear of being alone, moments of crisis can be taken as disguised questions of purpose. Surviving them and then uncovering and answering these underlying questions requires us to do something we do not normally do: articulate a self-image. Duke students supposedly have it made inside and outside the classroom. We succeeded in high school with enough flair and merit to earn a place at one of the top universities in the country. But as the standardized testing and high school organizations fade away, we turn frantically to start doing something, anything to stay busy. It can be

onlinecomment

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“Different careers just coincidentally lead to women being paid less? [D]id I miss the part where salaries are handed down by God? The fact that women’s career choices are systematically valued less than men’s is a pretty big social injustice.” — “problematic_fav” comment on the Sept. 17 article “College Scorecard shows gender gap in alumni earnings”

Letters PoLicy The Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form of letters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purposes of identification, phone number and local address. Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact the editorial department for information regarding guest columns. The Chronicle will not publish anonymous or form letters or letters that are promotional in nature. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length, clarity and style and the right to withhold letters based on the discretion of the editorial page editor.

Est. 1905

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www.dukechronicle.com commentary

10 | tuesday, september 22, 2015

Direct submissions to: E-mail: chronicleletters@duke.edu Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708 Phone: (919) 684-2663 Fax: (919) 684-4696

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Inc. 1993

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scary if you do not already look like you know what you want to do but equally damaging if you acknowledge that fact and merely resign yourself to it as reality. What is important is that none of us are finished works, and nobody expects us to be, even upon graduation. This point is easily extendable to our social, spiritual, cultural and other dimensions of self. In each, we are focused on finding and pursuing

Editorial

interests with our peers, but more time needs to be spent thinking about how we want to interact with the relevant communities on campus and with the world after Duke. We are awfully silent when it comes to this kind of explanation. If asked to explain why you enjoy your major or like to tutor with the Emily K Center or work on cases with the Consulting Club, oftentimes the initial answer would be without substance, describing the details of the work or the organization’s purpose. In short, articulation is lacking. A push is needed to think of the Duke experience as a positive feedback cycle where the University’s

offerings work to expand and prune students’ interests that in turn bring into focus the person taking up those opportunities. Talking, sometimes literally, through this dynamic adds value to your experience in the same way a literature circle on Shakespeare provides far more knowledge than a solo read of his works would. In this way, you can come to set realistic goals and make intentional choices about who you are and what you like doing. The questions asked today are ones that cut deep. This is because our Duke experience fundamentally transforms our identities, and that is a trauma of sorts for better or worse. Identity brings to mind classic spaces like gender and sexuality but also extends to all aspects of ourselves. No graduate leaves Duke looking anything like the 18-year-old who graduated high school four years earlier. The journey is full of frenetic pressures and myriad academic, social and other opportunities that push us to our limits. In order to make our time here as productive and meaningful as possible, we simply ask that students ask “Who am I, and why?” because occasional but regular introspection works to both smooth and illuminate the way forward.

The end, but not really

ately, it seems like everyone around me is going through an existential crisis. Particularly in the senior class, there seems to be a collective panic that our days are numbered and, consequently, we should have a definitive life plan within the next few weeks. The onslaught of info sessions, coffee chats and the career fair have further solidified the unacceptability of uncertainty—we should know what we

But as a senior, this theme of boundless opportunity no longer seems to apply to me. Rather than “You can do anything,” I feel the increasing pressure of “Choose one thing and run with it and that will define you forever.” After three years of trying a little bit of everything, it’s time to choose the one thing I’ve presumably been working toward my entire undergraduate experience. It is terrifying. And while I should feel

Michelle Menchaca a work in progress want to do, and act upon it quickly. In a typical fashion, there emerges this pressure to not just be good but to do something great — obtaining the best job, the highest salary, the most prestigious grad program. We internalize these narrow metrics of success that, while easily quantifiable, don’t speak to the motives behind why we want to be successful in the first place. And so everyone seems to be able to list off what they’re doing but not particularly why they’re doing it. It’s strange to witness a cohort of students scrambling to do the same things because, for the past three years, we’ve been told that we can do anything. College has always been presented to us as a time to explore and discover and challenge in what is a relatively low-risk environment. We can conduct research in Guatemala, volunteer with a nonprofit in Ireland, join a startup in San Francisco— Duke would support us through nearly any endeavor. Even on campus, the opportunities for engagement feel almost boundless—we can go see a YouTube star in Page Auditorium, have lunch with a world-renowned journalist or listen to a panel of experts speak on police brutality in America. One of the most intimidating things when I arrived at Duke was that fact that there was almost too much to do, too many opportunities to take advantage of—not a bad problem to have as an 18year-old college freshman. And while I maybe haven’t been able to do ever ything I wanted, I have never felt like a door was entirely shut. If there was something I wanted badly enough, then there was an avenue to turn my vision into reality.

empowered and hopeful for everything the future has to offer, I can’t help but feel that with every job I don’t apply to or opportunity I don’t accept, I am watching one door after another shut close. Life almost seems smaller, this critical first decision all the more paramount. I don’t feel like I am merely deciding what to do next year but determining my entire life trajectory. And so that nagging feeling remains: what if I make the wrong choice? I am scared of limitation, and I wonder if life after Duke will be rife with limits as my peers and I settle into stable jobs, consider families, make long-term plans. Duke feels like the end, but is it really? I feel confident about my career goals and broader aspirations, but if I do happen to be wrong, is that really the end? The scary part about all these real life decisions is the fact that it feels so confining while also being riddled with uncertainty and the pressure to make the “right” choice. Of course, it would be fantastic for life to turn out exactly the way we want it to. But whatever path we choose, it does not mean we are forever trapped along that trajectory. We are still so young, and I want to believe this is not it for us. We still have the whole world in front of us, ready to be shaped and moved and transformed. Choosing a definitive path may give us focus, but it is not the end-all and be-all. We were told when we got here that we could do anything. I hope we hold this as truth even long after we leave. Michelle Menchaca is a Trinity senior. Her column runs on alternate Tuesdays.

The the Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com commentary

Why so intolerant?

s it just me, or does there seem to be a lot of hatefulness floating around in the national media? On Sunday, a United States presidential candidate appeared on national television and said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” He then openly stated that Islam is not consistent with the Constitution. Meet presidential candidate

Just recently, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed from suburban Dallas was arrested for bringing in a digital clock he built at home. His English teacher thought that it looked like a bomb, and he was then interrogated by police, handcuffed and taken to a juvenile prison. Seem like a gross overreaction? That’s because it is. Massive public outcry came in response and the hashtag #IStandwithAhmed flooded social media

Strictly good energy

he idea that positivity is more powerful than negativity seems like something most people can get behind. Words of encouragement mean more than subtle slights, and I know that I would rather be fueled by the good things in my life than by the bad. This past week, a friend and former fraternity brother returned to campus for professional recruiting. As a senior

Shruti Rao

Caleb Ellis

taming of the shru

more or less

Ben Carson, the “nice” guy in this election. Carson is a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon and has always been thought of as an outsider. However, his comments on NBC’s “Meet the Press” continued down a bigoted rabbit hole. When asked whether a candidate’s religion should be a factor in a voter’s decisions, Carson said, “I guess it depends on what that faith is… If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem.” But Mr. Carson, what does it mean for a religion to be consistent with the Constitution? Article VI of the Constitution clearly states, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” I feel silly even giving a real Constitutionally-based response to his absurd statement. When Carson says, “I guess it depends on what that faith is” he is really saying “nothing other than Christianity.” Ben Carson’s uninformed proclamation about Islam comes on the heels of Donald Trump’s latest antiMuslim incident. In a town-hall meeting last Thursday, a Trump supporter said, “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims.” If that’s not bad enough, the anonymous man went on to say, “You know our current president is one. You know he’s not even an American.” Both of these incidents made national headlines and were met with disgust and bewilderment from political leaders, especially Democrats who were eager to throw in their shots. I find it deeply alarming, though, that our society has come to a place where comments of such ignorance and hate are part of the daily ebb and flow of the news. Sure, Hillary Clinton or the White House Secretary might have a biting tweet or an edgy quip, but I think it’s time for a greater discussion about how we treat Muslim Americans. Hateful comments like Mr. Carson’s are met with eye-rolling and are even treated as entertainment. But the reality is that comments like this build hate and prejudice into our national dialogue.

with many citing Islamaphobia as the reason for the school’s dramatic and unnecessary treatment. Not everyone is convinced that Islamaphobia was at play in Ahmed’s case. A Wall Street Journal column challenged the fact that Ahmed’s religion had anything to do with his arrest and instead pointed to the large number of juveniles who have been accused of being dangerous for relatively minor infractions under the “zero-tolerance” standard adopted by many schools after 9/11. The column points to some great examples of children from all backgrounds being suspended for menial, harmless things like playing with paper guns. I agree that Ahmed’s arrest is a reflection of a broken school safety system that is quick to overreact and has unfairly punished plenty of kids from all backgrounds. But it would be foolish to think that Ahmed’s racial or religious background had absolutely no influence on the way he was treated, especially in the case of a simple clock being mistaken for a bomb. Why? Because no matter what, we cannot deny that there is a prevalent anti-Muslim sentiment in this country that is suspicious of the Islamic faith and its followers. Just look at the way that presidential candidates and their followers talk about Muslim Americas. The language is violent, de-humanizing and deeply accusatory. This is the language that lays the foundation for a prejudiced system to put a 14-year-old child in hand-cuffs as a reward for his ingenuity and passion. It’s not good enough to have Ahmed invited to the White House or Facebook or MIT. It’s time for us, as Americans and human beings, to recognize that the constant, relentless flow of anti-Muslim dialogue in our politics, media and communities is unacceptable. I am not Muslim. But I am an American and a human being, and I believe that when we stay quiet in the face of such narrow-mindedness and discrimination, we chip away at our individual humanity.

tuesday, september 22, 2015 | 11

when my pledge class matriculated into the fraternity, he knew only a handful of the current brothers, but he prioritized getting to know the younger guys. It’s meaningful to know that there are networks within Duke that will help you, but it’s an entirely different affirmation to see them so actively reach out. Stories were shared, football was watched and a few nights out left everyone involved feeling a little nostalgic. This visit was not limited to casual fun, however. Our fraternity institutes a national character development and support program known as LEAD —a resource that aims to enhance the social, academic and emotional success of every individual brother. At our LEAD chair’s behest, our visiting alumnus led this year’s kickoff LEAD session, a pretty stark departure from the pamphlets and lectures the program usually consists of. As I’m sure most students realize — and have likely experienced — gathering for a group wellness session on a Friday afternoon ranks pretty low on the list of priorities. Being asked to attend, participate and invest is no small order, yet LEAD only gives to its participants what they individually put in. For all the skepticism some of the younger members might have had, last Friday’s session illustrated exactly the kind of effect that some prescribed introspection can have. Our friend spoke passionately about his journey at Duke, abroad and as a young professional, articulating many of the difficulties and successes that are surprisingly resonant. He reminded us that all too often we forget that the pressures and failures experienced at Duke and afterwards are the same ones that our peers experience too. Taking the time to look around and, more importantly, to talk about that reality produces more than enough evidence. This column isn’t unique. Students both at Duke and across the country continually emphasize the idea that stepping outside the tunnel-vision a Shruti Rao is a Trinity sophomore. Her competitive environment fosters often yields a sigh of relief and a realization column runs on alternate Tuesdays.

that, ultimately, things will almost always turn out for the better. Nonetheless, it’s refreshing to see that reality in action. Since leaving Duke, our friend has seen success that we never found surprising. He did, however, cook up a new lifestyle motto, movement and manifesto: Strictly Good Energy (SGE). Derived between some mixture of his high school slang and international colleagues, SGE stands for everything

the name might suggest. Yet, in his words, it represents something a little more: vigorously being your best self each and every day. After he spoke, we had the opportunity to pair up and talk about three things that you really value or admired in your partner. In following the theme, the commentary was, strictly speaking, good energy, and having someone else paint a positive picture about yourself brings to the forefront many of things you think but don’t always believe. In summary, it’s nice to have your friends tell you how awesome you are. In an effort not to recap all the mushiness that transpired last Friday, I’d emphasize only one last thing. Our distinguished alumnus also asked us to write down four things: something you enjoy following, one way you express yourself, something you want to do in the future and something you were good at in high school. The next step —and I promise it is the last—was to sit on those thoughts. This was literally prescribed introspection, but it led my mind to a few places it had not been in a while. I have not taken Psych 101, and I will not pretend that I watch Dr. Phil, but I would recommend going through these exercises—particularly the last one. In order to vigorously be your best self, it helps to take some time and identify who you really are. It’s definitely cliché and almost always corny, but I had not thought about what topics I liked to follow in a long time, let alone what defined my high school self. What might have been the best part of last week’s LEAD session was that everyone bought in. It’s not always easy to be real with your peers, regardless of how much you trust them. Breaking down those barriers brings out your best self, and your best self is the one most likely to spread good vibes. That, in and of itself, is what exactly it means to be SGE. Caleb Ellis is a Trinity senior. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.

The Chronicle

www.dukechronicle.com

12 | tuesday, september 22, 2015

SCORECARD from page 2 The Scorecard is also missing key data, Schoenfeld said. The data is based only on an analysis of students who receive federal financial aid, he explained, which may skew the data. Students have noticed that the Scorecard, though it emphasizes the economic returns from a college education, fails to present contributing factors behind many of the numbers. For example, many schools with high alumni earnings are engineering or business schools, which is irrelevant to students who are not interested in going into those fields. “While it has some good Mike Schoenfeld information, and it’s nice that some places have high salaries, I think it’d be better to find the salary that corresponded to the major or career path

you’re interested in,” said freshman Alexandra Uribe. Uribe added that she would probably use the Scorecard “about equally or less” than other rankings available, such as the annual educing list published by U.S. News the college and World Report. The Scorecard overlooks decision to a the many different career single number paths students can take, is simplistic Schoenfeld said. Salary data is gathered 10 years after and ultimately graduation, thus failing to harmful. account for students who attend medical, law or — Mike business schools within 10 Schoenfeld years of graduating. This may lead to a lower average salary figure even though those students were not actively seeking jobs upon graduation, he explained. Some Duke students also questioned the validity of placing so much

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emphasis on postgraduate earnings. “If income earnings are that significant of a factor in rankings, why aren’t we ranking associate degree programs or trade schools?” asked junior Conrad Jeong. “We’re pushing this paradoxical narrative of ‘if you don’t go to a four-year college, you’re dumb, but if you don’t make money after graduating from a four-year college, you’re still dumb’—which doesn’t really make sense, considering how many different pathways there are to making money.” The College Scorecard also points out the high tuition of private universities. Duke’s $6,280 average tuition for students on financial aid is considerably higher than many of its counterparts—including Columbia University at $5,497, Harvard University at $3,386 and Stanford University at $3,895. “Colleges primarily serve as places to become educated and learn to think critically about the world around them,” Jeong said. “Of course, that can’t happen when 20-year-olds go into debt for the rest of their lives trying to become more educated.”

BLALARK from page 2 sports. I came from a wrestling family, and I played baseball, football and track. I went to college to play football and I also ran indoor track. In particular, football is a team sport, and it really helped me to develop certain roles and responsibilities. As a defensive player, I learned how to help others out. For example, as a defensive back, if I am covering a receiver as a running back, I have to leave my receiver and collaborate with others to make a tackle. As a registrar, I have to think about how I can help others and improve their environment, whether that is with security, financial aid or any other office. TC: What has surprised you about Duke so far? FB: I have not been here long enough to be surprised. It’s all still so new and exciting. However, I can say that everyone in the community has been welcoming and committed to improving various aspects of the academic and social community. As the saying goes, “We are Duke!” What you don’t get to see on the student side is there are a lot of us ‘under the hood’ trying to figure out ways to make things better. TC: Last year, ACES was “hacked” by a group of senior Duke students, allowing them to register early for classes. What are your thoughts on this issue? Have modifications been made to the program? FB: I’ve heard very little about this situation, so I can only comment on what I know thus far. I can’t imagine that unauthorized and unsupervised hacking of such a large and complex system was greeted with praise. However, I would be interested in knowing what was going through the person’s mind at the time that they developed the “hack.” During my tenure, I hope to develop a strong relationship with the student body. Through this relationship, I would also hope that we can collaboratively find creative solutions to various process and/or system deficits. I’m excited for the unique solutions we might be able to create together. If there are a lot of folks that are technically savvy, I would rather bring them in to help me figure out what is wrong with the system, like beta-testing, as opposed to me saying “Here’s how it is, there’s no way to change it.” Students might tell me “there is a different way to do this now, I just learned about this in class, in the hacker/development community.” I would like to meet with them and have them help me help them. TC: Are there any changes to the registration program this semester? FB: I don’t imagine that there will be any changes this semester, but I will make it a priority to review internal registration related processes and reach out to a wide group of faculty, staff, and students to learn more about the pain points. TC: What advice do you have for students registering for classes in November? FB: If you can, think about the courses you are going to take before registration day. Have options and alternatives, and be ready to change. You don’t want to get caught right away if a course fills up.