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TOWERVIEW > NOVEMBER 2015 | VOL. 17 | ISSUE 4

duke in autumn A P H O T O E S S AY

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

On view through September 18, 2016 Maya (Guatemala), Cylinder vase (detail), c. 600-850 CE. Polychrome on ceramic, 5 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄8 inches (14 x 15.6 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion. The New Galleries: A Collection Come to Light is made possible by Nasher Annual Fund donors with special support from Anita and John Schwarz.

nasher.duke.edu/newgalleries

TOWERVIEW

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2015 - VOL. 17 - ISSUE 4

CONTENTS FRANCES BEROSET

TOWERVIEW STAFF

EMMA BACCELLIERI

TOWERVIEW STAFF

NICK MARTIN

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS As Bill Bell prepares for his final term as Durham’s mayor, he reflects on a decade and a half of progress.

DUKE SIDEWAYS

ART, INTERRUPTED

AUTUMNAL

TALKING TACOS

DUKE & RACE

$3.25 billion is a lofty goal for DukeForward—how creatively could we use it?

A million dollar gift, an unexpected rejection and a tale of two museums.

Duke in fall, from behind the camera lens.

Looking for Durham’s best tacos? Towerview’s got you covered.

A conversation on one of the University’s most pressing issues.

ON THE COVER HAN KANG PHOTOGRAPHY Autumn scene on Duke campus

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

EDITOR’S NOTE

letter from the editors

towerview ’

the chronicle s news and culture magazine

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF nick martin and emma baccellieri

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR MATTHEW ROCK CREATIVE DIRECTOR THU VP NGUYEN EXECUTIVE EDITOR AMRITH RAMKUMAR

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Alex Deckey, Darbi Griffith, Yuxiang He, Jesus Hidalgo, Han Kang, Yuyi Li, Jack Myhre

Dear readers, During a time of year in which we students tend to be more concerned with simply surviving until Winter Break and passing our classes, we decided it’s about time to get into the holiday spirit and start thinking about the things that make us smile. It’s time to reflect on what makes us thankful for our past, present and future opportunities and, most importantly, the natty champ we just took home in April. It should come as no shock that we are thankful for sports. Sports are great. Sports give us overhyped football teams that fall flat against real competition, even if that real competition is your archrival. Sports also gives us basketball season, and thank God for basketball. Could you imagine if Duke wasn’t a basketball school? Could you? The answer is no, because that universe does not exist for at least another five years, then Coach K retires and we will fade into the sunset, joining UCLA and UNLV on a tranquil boat trip into mediocrity. (Just kidding, we have Jeff Capel. It’s going to be fine.)

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Frances Beroset, Jessica Williams

GENERAL MANAGER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR AD CREATIVE DIRECTOR BUSINESS MANAGER

Chrissy Beck Megan Haven Julie Moore Mary Weaver

@TowerviewMag

dukechronicle.com/ towerview

Towerview Magazine

towerviewletters@ gmail.com

Courts and fields and national titles aside, Duke students have a ton to be thankful for this year. The end of construction is in sight, although as seniors, we won’t be able to reap the benefits of our years of circumnavigating the scaffolding. The West Union will soon provide upgrades to campus dining, though it sadly won’t come with replacements for the beloved Armadillo Grill or Chick-fil-A. And in the short term, the unseasonably warm November has been wonderful, though it will only make winter seem that much harsher when it inevitably comes. Of course, there is much to be thankful for beyond the aesthetic, culinary and seasonal—a campus that, though far from perfect, is making meaningful steps forward and providing opportunities for us all to learn and grow. Stay thankful, Nick and Emma

Towerview is a subsidiary of The Chronicle and is published by the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Duke University. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration or trustees. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors. To reach The Chronicle’s editorial office at 301 Flowers Building, call (919) 684-2663 or fax (919) 684-4696. To reach The Chronicle’s business office at 103 West Union Building, call (919) 684-3811. To reach The Chronicle’s advertising office at 2022 Campus Drive, call (919) 684-3811 or fax (919) 684-8295. Contact the advertising office for information on subscriptions. Visit The Chronicle and Towerview online at dukechronicle.com ©2014 The Chronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C. 27708. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior, written permission of the business office. Each individual is entitled to one free copy.

NICK MARTIN 4

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

EMMA BACCELLIERI

FOR WHOM

THE BELL

TOLLs

STORY BY FRANCES BEROSET

“I can’t answer that,” Mayor Bill Bell said. “I don’t want to say.” TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

“

I can’t answer that,” Mayor Bill Bell said. “I don’t want to say.” I had asked Bell what his favorite Durham restaurant is. It’s Friday morning, and at the UDI Community Development Corporation, there are only three cars in the parking lot: Bell’s, the receptionist’s and mine. We meet in the conference room, which is cluttered with historical photographs, rolled maps of architectural plans, photographs of recent construction, shovels wrapped in ribbon for breaking ground and a large portrait of Julian Abele, the famous black architect who designed most of Duke’s West Campus. Bell is not known as a particularly fiery speaker. Bell’s tone has been described by some local media over the years as “measured”; by others, “watered down with plenty of qualifiers.” He is the type of person to respond to questions about his regrets as mayor with an explanation of crime indexes in the city over time, complete with data. I would best describe his speech as “careful.” Though an electrical engineer by training, and the current executive vice president and chief operating officer of Durham-based UDI Community Development Corporation, Bell has spent almost 50 years on the

“

I learned early on if you don’t define yourself, somebody else will do it for you.” — Bill Bell

city’s political scene—first as county commissioner from 1972 to 2000, with, he notes, one two-year period in which he lost the election, and then, beginning in 2001, as mayor. He has been in office ever since. In that time, the population of Durham has grown by more than 50,000 people and violent crime per 100,000 has decreased by 30 percent. He’s worked with the last four Duke University presidents—he lists them by name as “the late Terry Stanford, Keith Brody when he was in, Nan Keohane, and now Dick Brodhead”—and once appeared on Larry King Live during the Duke lacrosse scandal in 2006. He’s said that this term will be his last. “I don’t want to leave anybody with the impression that it’s all been done because of me,” Bell said when describing the improvements in the quality of life in the city over the past 15 years. “It’s been a real privilege to have had the opportunity to serve as an elected official in Durham over the years that I’ve been able to serve. I didn’t intend to serve as long as I have served as mayor when I got into it, because I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into. As I got into it more, I enjoyed it, and I’ve seen where we’ve been able to make some

accomplishments— and when I say ‘we’ I really mean ‘we’: the Council, the public sector and the private sector.” Though Bell has been in politics for 44 years, he said he isn’t particularly interested in discussing his own life. “You know what? I really don’t like to talk about me,” Bell said. “I really don’t, but unfortunately when you do this, you have to do a certain amount of that. When you’re campaigning you’re sort of forced to talk about you— I learned early on if you don’t define yourself, somebody else will do it for you.” Bell said he never considered being mayor as a kid growing up in the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem, or even when he first moved to Durham for a job at IBM in 1968. “No. No, no, no … I didn’t come here with the intention of getting involved politically, I came here to work for IBM,” Bell said. “[At IBM], you’d probably stay somewhere four or five years and then you got promoted somewhere else and you moved, so that’s the route I thought I would be on. No, I never thought about that.” But once he took office, Bell found plenty of motivation to continue. “I like to be involved in planning TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

something and seeing it come to fruition, and moving on to something else,” Bell said. “That’s what you’re fortunate to be able to do if you do things locally, whether it’s downtown or parks or streets or affordable housing—you can be involved in conceptualizing it, and hopefully you’ll be around long enough to see it come to fruition.” Though Bell said he’s “not an early morning person,” a typical workday for Bell spans more than 12 hours between his role at UDI, meetings as mayor and events in the community. “It’s just constant,” Bell said, “and you don’t count the time that you get the phone calls, you go through emails. My emails that are mayor-related go into the mayor’s office, and I can check them on my iPhone, but if I don’t get a chance to check on them my staff will look at them and forward them to me.” Bell said he has few regrets about his time in office. “There are always things you can look back over and say had

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

I known I might have done something different, I might have taken a different approach to it, but I can’t really say there’s anything I have regrets over,” Bell said. “I’m the type of person that I worry about the things I know I can control, and things I know I can’t control I don’t worry about. It doesn’t mean I don’t have the concern, but I just accept that it’s out of my hands and put my mind to things I can do something about.” Bell was again measured when asked about the best that’s happened to him as mayor. “I don’t know if there’s any one best thing,” Bell said. “It’s always gratifying to a certain extent to know that people have chosen to reelect me as mayor. Nobody made me run for this job, nobody made people vote the way they voted. It’s good. We’ve had some downtimes with everything, but that’s gratifying.” Bell is 74 years old and has five grandchildren. When asked

what’s next for him, he said “certainly not elected office.” “I’m serious when I said this was the last time I was running for any office. I’m here [at UDI], and I enjoy what I’m doing here. My wife and I now have five grandkids and they’re all in the area, so I’m at the point now where I’d just like to spend more time with them and see them develop,” Bell said. “I tell people, Durham for me now is by choice, not by chance.”

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

he University is a year and a half away from wrapping up Duke Forward—its most ambitious capital campaign ever, with a $3.25 billion goal. The funds will be split among Duke’s 10 schools, along with the libraries, athletics and the health system, and the overarching aims sound fairly sensible. Enriching the Duke experience, activating Duke’s power for the world, sustaining Duke’s momentum, medicine that changes the world—maybe these thematic goals are a little vague, but they’re ideas everyone can get behind. But what if the University decided to divert the money towards causes that are a little, shall we say, less practical? Towerview took a glance at just how far $3.25 billion can go (in some quirky directions).

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art, interrupted

A MILLION DOLLAR GIFT, AN UNEXPECTED REJECTION AND A TALE OF TWO MUSEUMS

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

STORY BY EMMA BACCELLIERI TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

t is easy to forget just how young the Nasher Museum of Art is. The modernist building is as much a campus landmark as any other building on campus, and the breadth of the collections would seem to indicate decades of curating and compiling. But the museum only opened in 2005, celebrating its 10th anniversary with a variety of festivities this year. Half a century ago, however, Duke came very close to building a different art museum—a museum showcasing the art collection of philanthropist William Hayes Ackland, who left more than a million dollars and all of his art to Duke when he died in 1940. But Duke’s Board of Trustees rejected the gift, going against the wishes of President William Preston Few, and after a lengthy legal battle, the donation went a little further down Tobacco Road. The Ackland Museum of Art opened its doors at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1958, and Duke’s first art museum did not come until years later. The Board of Trustees’ decision made quite a splash at the time. With the minutes of the September 1941 meeting sealed and no public statement made, no one knew why Duke had suddenly decided to reject what had appeared to be quite an impressive gift. “When Duke University, which likes money, wouldn’t have it—that’s a queer thing,” former North Carolina Governor Cameron Morrison told the Winston-Salem Journal in 1942. Decades later, the circumstances of the rejection are still a bit murky on the surface. A plaque at the Ackland describes the reasoning for the decision as unknown. But the papers were quietly unsealed in the University Archives in the 1980s—and the story they tell is one of a close friendship, a bitter power struggle and an intense debate over the University’s principles.

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‘A fine-souled man’ William Hayes Ackland was born just outside of Nashville, Tenn., in 1855. Although his family had enough money to send Ackland to Vanderbilt University, they were not extremely wealthy—but Ackland invested shrewdly after graduating and became quite rich, allowing him to begin traveling and collecting art. He was also passionate about literature, publishing a novel and several books of poetry. By the time he reached his late 70s, Ackland began to wonder about his legacy. He had no children and was not particularly close with his extended family. He wanted a permanent home for his art, he decided, and a southern university would be the perfect location. By donating the funds and artwork for a museum, he would not only contribute to the cultural enrichment of the South—a cause he took seriously—he would also ensure that his name and memory lived on. So in 1936, Ackland wrote letters to the presidents of three southern schools—Duke, UNC and Rollins College in Florida. He sent the following handwritten message on a half sheet of paper in his looping script to Few: “I am the owner of some valuable paintings and statuary and have thought of building and endowing a gallery in connection with a southern university. Before making my will, I should like to know whether such a gift would be acceptable and under what conditions the gift would be received? The style of architecture is to be in keeping with other buildings and the site I would expect the university to furnish. In regard to other particulars—which do not occur to me at the moment—I should be glad to be informed through the authorities.” Just a few months earlier, Few had asked Duke’s architect about ensuring that the art department had enough

space on the fledgling West Campus, still a work in progress at the time. He jumped, then, at the offer for an entire museum. “Duke University is greatly interested in developing here an art center and would be highly delighted to have the paintings and statues that you are thinking of presenting,” he responded. The two men exchanged letters for several months. In April 1937, Few invited Ackland to visit him in Durham, and their business relationship became a friendship. The two discussed plans for the museum, but also spent their evenings talking about art, literature and politics. Few later recalled how he became “strongly attached” to Ackland during that visit, and the appreciation seemed to be mutual. “You can be sure that the impression you left behind is as pleasant as any that you could have taken away,” Few wrote to Ackland after he departed. “Some active contacts with a young and strong institution like this would no doubt be stimulating to you. It is, indeed, a sort of fountain of eternal youth, I find. And those who drink of it either are or at least live like the young.” Indeed, Ackland became quite attached to Duke’s “fountain of eternal youth,” continuing to correspond with Few and his wife for years. Despite his connection to Duke, Ackland still visited UNC once. The verdict, however, was less than positive—he wrote to Few that he “was disappointed, and did not like public supported universities anyhow.” Ackland and Few devoted considerable time to negotiating the specifics of the museum. But the path was not straightforward. Ackland was insistent that he leave his money to Duke in the form of an endowed trust, with an appointed set of trustees responsible for investing the money and maintaining the museum on Duke’s campus. Few hesitated on this point. It would

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> WILLIAM PRESTON FEW be easier for Duke, he told Ackland, if the University could receive the money outright. “It is a policy of ours to make money given to us go as far and last as long as is humanly possible,” he wrote to Ackland, trying to convince him to donate the funds without any other stipulations. Ackland’s estate was valued at nearly $1,300,000 at the time, or more than $21,000,000 today.

‘Posthumous vanity’ If Few was hesitant to accept the funds under the proposed arrangement, some members of the Board of Trustees were fiercely skeptical—with William Perkins, the namesake of Perkins Library, leading the pack. “The will of Mr. Ackland puts his property in the hands of trustees who are to establish and maintain the memorial…. In this way, you see, if Duke University were selected it would have

TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

on its campus a building thus under the control of those not connected with the institution,” Perkins wrote to Few in June 1937. “Although the trustees would, in all probability, endeavor to make this dual arrangement work, yet an element inheres which, it seems to me, would seriously threaten its value to the University.” Discussions continued for several years. Although Few conceded that the arrangement was perhaps not ideal, he felt that the donation was more than worth the trouble. Perkins, however, did not budge. Regardless, Few assured Ackland that the memorial museum would be built. He would make sure, he said, that things would be straightened out with the Board of Trustees. Ackland passed away in February 1940, at the age of 84. His will read as follows: “My trustees shall cause to be erected a memorial building in the form of a gallery or museum, to be known as the ‘William Hayes Ackland Memorial’ and in which my trustees shall place and maintain on permanent exhibition all of my tangible personal property and effects reserved for that purpose in accordance with provisions hereinbefore contained, and such other objects of art as may be added thereto as hereinafter provided. As a part of or adjacent to such memorial building, I direct my trustees to have an apse erected, in which my remains shall be permanently interred in a marble sarcophagus beneath a recumbent statue…. I direct that said building or buildings be erected upon the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, or, if permission therefor cannot be obtained, then upon the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.” Few was “deeply distressed” at the death of his friend. Immediately, he reached out to Ackland’s estate manager, asking what Duke could do to best build the memorial

museum as Ackland wished. But it was not to be. The children of Ackland’s deceased brother were quick to take the matter to court, arguing that they should receive the money. And while Few was willing to fight for the museum, Perkins was ready to fight to block it. For Perkins, the matter was no longer just a question of Duke’s financial and managerial independence over the museum. It was also a question of respect. To bury Ackland on Duke’s campus as extravagantly as he asked—in a marble sarcophagus complete with a statue— would be to bestow on him an honor that Perkins did not think he deserved. The only people buried on the University’s campus at the time were members of the Duke family themselves, in the Chapel. What Ackland had requested was “much more of a prominent memorial and mausoleum to himself than any gift to Duke… posthumous vanity,” Perkins wrote to Few. “Gifts and art centers are both highly desired, but not at the cost of the principle here involved and with the establishment of a precedent that is most likely to prove embarrassing in the future.” Few responded with a long letter, six single-spaced pages, in which he fiercely maintained that Duke should fight in court to receive the money. The gift would allow Duke to advance far in the arts, he said— and it was also important on a personal level, as he could “not escape the conviction that I, at least, am under an obligation to him and his memory to do what I can to see that his wishes are carried out.” Few ignored Perkins and began

cooperating with the lawyers in charge of Ackland’s estate, preparing to bring the museum to Duke. But in October 1940, he died unexpectedly—and with him died Duke’s fight for Ackland’s wishes.

A tale of two museums Few’s successor as president, Robert Flowers, was not as invested in the museum. There were some members of the Board of Trustees who felt the University should continue the legal battle—including George Allen, an alumnus who was a prominent official at the Department of State. “Duke University is under moral obligation to accept the bequest, out of respect for the memory of Dr. Few if for no other reason,” he argued. The Duke family themselves would have supported the “relatively small but important” Ackland memorial as part of the much larger gift, and “the people of North Carolina and the South would regret exceedingly to know that the Trustees of Duke University had deprived them of the opportunity of adding a notable contribution to the cultural “SOME ACTIVE C O N TA C T S development of the State.” But Allen was not convincing enough. WITH A YOUNG AND STRONG Perkins successfully lobbied the other Trustees, and in September 1941, Duke INSTITUTION LIKE THIS WOULD officially rejected the gift. N O D O U B T B E S T I M U L AT I N G To those outside the Board of Trustees, the decision seemed like a TO YOU. IT IS, INDEED, A SOR T sudden reversal, and newspapers across the state reported the unexpected turn OF F O U N TA I N OF ETERNAL of events. Ackland’s estate lawyers were YOUTH, I FIND. AND THOSE WHO shocked. Though some trustees drafted a statement explaining their choice, D R I N K O F I T E I T H E R A R E O R AT Perkins was adamant that they not release LEAST LIVE LIKE THE YOUNG.” it—saying it would “produce greater trouble than any that now exists.” — WILLIAM PRESTON FEW For decades, then, the history remained secret. Ackland’s lawyers contacted UNC, who were more than willing to take the gift and fight the legal battle against Ackland’s descendants. The university ultimately won, and in 1958, the museum opened its doors in Chapel Hill—complete with a marble sarcophagus for Ackland. In the 1960s, Duke opened a comparatively modest art museum on East Campus. Nearly 40 years later, the University received $7.5 million from alumnus Raymond Nasher, the largest of several donations that went toward building the new museum on Central Campus. Today, the Nasher and the Ackland collaborate regularly. The story of the donation is an interesting quirk of their history, rather than the foundation of any sort of rivalry. “It doesn’t sting,” said Wendy Hower, director of engagement and marketing for the Nasher, who recently researched the story for the museum’s 10th anniversary book. “It doesn’t sting because we, as a staff, really admire and respect the Ackland…. The bottom line is that there’s room in this area for several art museums.” William Ackland—“a man of culture and refinement” who “could hold his own with cultivated men anywhere,” in Few’s words —would likely agree. TOWERVIEW MAGAZINE

AU T U M NA L A T O W E R V I E W F A L L P H O T O E S S AY 18

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fall

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This month, Towerview headed out to find at the best taco around town. Check out our top picks below. Chubby’s Tacos

Note: Chubby’s Tacos has changed its name to Guacamaya Fresh Mex, but as it is Chubby’s and not Guacamaya that the author fell in love with, he will be referring to it as Chubby’s for the duration of this article. Also, Chubby’s is more fun to say than Guacamaya. Any Duke student or faculty member worth their salt and with at least an ounce

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of love for delicious Tex-Mex in their veins has been to Chubby’s. Hell, you’re probably there right now, aren’t you? Good for you. The small restaurant, tucked away in between Metro 8 and Banh’s Cuisine on Ninth Street, located right behind East Campus, greets you with a calming salmon-painted outer exterior. The sign sports a simple but memorable design,

featuring bold, black letters proclaiming, “CHUBBY’S TACOS” paired with an obese (or big-boned) sombrero-wearing mouse chowing down on a taco you wish you had instead. It doesn’t necessarily scream great taco shack from the outlook, but it is inviting and warm enough to get you in the door. And once that happens, you’ve already lost the war. Chubby’s is one of the few Durham

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STORY BY NICK MARTIN

restaurants I find myself frequenting at least once every few weeks, and that sentence is as true now as a senior as it was four years ago, when I was kicking it in pre-renovated GA3 just looking for some nachos to break me out of my Marketplace routine. I know that we’re supposed to be talking tacos here, but Chubby’s nachos are my muse. Objectively, I acknowledge that these nachos are far from the best I have ever had, but still, when I need my fix, I know where I’m going. Even if I’m going to hit up Heavenly Buffaloes or Pompieri Pizza for a quick bite, just knowing that Chubby’s nachos are there just in case grants me a sense of order— and the occasional stomach rumble. The creative geniuses behind the boards stack a pile of chips impossibly high with your choice of meat—I usually go with the ground beef or chargrilled chicken— black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and, of course, melted cheese. It’s a damn work of art (Ed. Note: Not really) and should you ever be starving, suffering from the munchies or looking to split a bite with your friends, the nachos should forever and always be your first choice (dismount illogical soap box). Now, their tacos, namely their shrimp taco—although already suffering from not being nachos—are indeed delicious. Like all real tacos, Chubby’s serves their delicacies on corn tortilla shells. The difference, however, from the rest of the places I’ve been is that instead of one measly shell, they double wrap their taco, which, for a slob such as yours truly, is a blessing in disguise. The shrimp—which is included under seafood, a food group I usually stay away from—is tender and

delicious, as the juiciness of the meat paired with the double-shell technique and fresh onions and cilantro manages to win over even the starkest of seafood haters. ---------------

Nanataco

Nanataco knows what Durham craves, and it gives the foodies of this town exactly what they want. In a town looking for exquisite, fairly-priced food in a trendy setting, Nanataco fits the bill about as well as any other place in the area. Unlike Taqueria la Vaquita and Chubby’s, Nanataco is not a modestlyhoused taco shack. Rather, it is an extremely clean, dimly-lit, brightlycolored restaurant, topped with a sign

supporting a metal iguana outside, that serves fresh food with a smile and has a decent neighbor in Q-Shack Barbecue. At the suggestion of the cashier—who was easily the most pleasant of the those working at the three restaurants—I went with the oyster taco, which, like the taco at Chubby’s, comes with a side order of chips and salsa. As I said earlier, I’m not so big on fish or fish-like food, but he made it sound like it was pretty great, so I tossed out my taste buds’ faulty opinions and gave it a shot. And per usual, I found out how dreadfully wrong I had been to deny myself seafood tacos for 21 years of my life. The taco, served on a corn tortilla, was brought out to my table after about five minutes by another pleasant employee. Knowing there was fish on it, I took a

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moment to survey the technically-sound dish. It was presented in a red basket with a thin paper covering along with my order of chips. The oyster, which was fried, was coated with the perfect amount of breading to add the desired crispiness but not to an extent that makes you forget there’s actually meat in there. As soon as my teeth cut through to the meat, I understood why my new buddy at the register had been so high on it. Nanataco’s oyster was delicious,

welcome sight. If you do make the trip, just make sure to plan your trip smartly because Durhamites love Nanataco. You want to see madness? Go there, any day of the week, at 7 p.m.—what the manager referred to as “the witching hour”—and see what I’m talking about. People can’t get enough, and I can’t blame them: Nanataco is delicious and definitely worth hitching a ride with that one friend with a car to try out.

unique, all three being integral parts to constructing the ideal taco shack. A banging taco helps too, but building a quaint restaurant is a good start. One of the most redeeming qualities about Taqueria la Vaquita is that there is no indoor seating. In some cases (see: rain, snow, etc.) this can really hamper a restaurant and end up being more annoying than cutely campy. But for this taco shack, the covered picnic tables right outside work just as well as any enclosed

“You want to see madness? Go there, any day of the week, at 7 p.m.,—what the manager refer red to as “the witching hour”—and see what I’m talking about.”

working alongside the fresh onions to give off a juicy feel but managing not to leak all over my pants as tacos are generally wont to do. I’m not saying you should definitely get the oyster taco if you go—Nanataco has more than its fair share of excellent meat and veggie options—but you should definitely at least go. Of the three, Nanataco is more suited toward a trendy crowd and is far and away the best-run and best-looking restaurant of the three I visited. Personally, ambiance doesn’t matter that much to me when it comes to getting tacos as much as it does for a sushi trip, but still, the efforts made to create a family, sit-and-stay atmosphere are a

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Taqueria la Vaquita

Taqueria la Vaquita is such a quiet little place that if it wasn’t for the giant bull statue standing proudly atop the roof, you just might miss it on your first go-round. But if you want the best taco in town, you’d be wise to drive slowly as you cruise down Chapel Hill Road. Whoever constructed Taqueria la Vaquita had a specific vision in mind, and that was of the perfect taco shack. The wooden store is indeed a literal shack, sporting the bull up top and an openbut-covered porch out front. And that’s about it. It’s simple, it’s inviting and it’s

structure. Of course, I went on one of the few beautiful days remaining in 2015, but still, the environment is very quaint— the fact that they serve a mean taco is an added bonus. The pollo taco, like those of the other two restaurants, is made with a corn tortilla shell, and is about as authentic of a taco as you’re going to snag in Durham. Topped only with meat, onions and cilantro, the tender chicken and flexible-but-crisp shell burst with flavor upon the first bite, as the meat oozes saliva-inducing juices the moment you sink your teeth into the shell, leading to a second, then a third and then sadness because it is gone. My biggest regret that week was not missing my once-

a-week class or my inability to buy Fallout 4, rather it was the fact that I only ate one Taqueria la Vaquita taco. (Having Fallout would be nice, though.) Hailing this lovely store as the best taco spot in Durham wasn’t easy, as it faced stiff competition from Chubby’s and Nanataco. But the authenticity, paired with the simplicity of the setup and freshness of the materials make for an overall wonderful experience, and one that should be shared with your friends as you grab a bite on a slow Saturday afternoon. Note: One thing I didn’t realize when I visited Taqueria la Vaquita is that this place is more of a quick lunch spot than a dinner destination. I was the sole customer in sight, even having to ring the bell a few times after it appeared no one was behind the counter. Again, I should have swung by about five hours earlier, but I can’t say I was complaining about no line. ---------------

Bonus: The Salsa Bar

Unsurprisingly, Chubby’s is my favorite of these three taco joints. It’s not just because the food is filling and delicious (it is) or because it’s fairly priced (it is), but because unlike any other place around, Chubby’s has a real, honest-toGod, spectacular salsa bar. This is what sets Chubby’s apart from every other taco, burrito, Mexican, TexMex, etc., restaurant in Durham. Unlike how we all know Chipotle is objectively better than Moe’s Southwest Grill but still debate the two because of queso— seriously Chipotle, get with it, we want cheese!—Chubby’s vast salsa selection more than makes up for any shortcomings

the restaurant may have. So, now that I’ve properly hyped it, let’s talk about The Salsa Bar. The bar sits at the back of the store, past the free-refill drink machines— which is one of the few machines in the area to boast Cheerwine in its lineup— and cooking station under one of the restaurant’s two televisions. The treasures all rest under a glass divider presumably there to keep customers from just diving into the guacatillo. Oh? What’s guacatillo, you ask? Some would respond, “Huh??” Others would instantly blurt out, “Liquid gold!” Until I looked up how to make it, I would usually offer a combination of both responses. Guacatillo, to put it simply, is a smooth dip that is a mix between verde salsa and guacamole, and the best part about it at Chubby’s: unlike the guac, it’s free. In addition to the green liquid gold, Chubby’s boasts six other salsas, including a deliciously fresh house salsa and, for the brave, a flaming Habanero sauce. What makes the bar so special is an amazing

combination of the surprising freshness of each option along with the fact that you can have as much of the seven salsas that you want! You just pick up a cup and start scooping. That’s the easy part. Stopping, now that is a true challenge. Now, I’ll go ahead and spoil the rest of this section for you: Nanataco does not have a great salsa bar. It has pico, yes, and a couple of other options, one with a smokier taste, but that’s about it. And maybe I’m just a curious creature, or maybe I just love salsa (probably both), but their pico, though extremely fresh and quite good, pales in comparison to the creativity and effort that Chubby’s presents. Taqueria la Vaquita doesn’t have a salsa station. If you’re ever looking to take your time and enjoy a meal, I recommend you head down to Chubby’s and give all seven salsas a shot. Just be careful: there is, cruelly, such a thing as too much salsa on your tacos. (Just kidding, drown that taco in guacatillo until you can’t see the meat.)

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DUKE & RACE: A CONVERSATION

STORY BY NICK MARTIN

fter a year that produced more than its fair share of hate-based scandals both on and off Dukeâ€™s campus, tensions between minority groups and the University administration have been slowly building, though no direct action has been taken against any administrators as was seen at the University of Missouri earlier this month. With this in mind, Towerview asked Kerry Haynie, associate professor of political science and African and African American Studies, a series of questions regarding the current status of race relations and the Universityâ€™s handling of the various incidents.

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>TOWERVIEW: Duke seems to currently be stuck in a six-month cycle, as the “death to all fags” message scrawled in East Duke residence hall is the latest hate crime to hit our campus in the past year. As a member of the Duke community that has been around for more than the usual student’s time of four years, are incidents like the hanging of a noose or the verbal and racial harassment of a student or the defacement of a Black Lives Matter sign as abnormal as they seem? And how, or can, Duke break out of this cycle and keep it from becoming the norm if it isn’t already?’ >KERRY HAYNIE: Unfortunately, it is much more than a six month cycle, and incidents like these are not abnormal occurrences on our campus. While they are not the norm, they happen with too much frequency. For example, in recent years a photo of a Duke student athlete in black face was posted on an Athletic Department website, fraternities have sponsored racist social events with titles like “Pilgrims and Indians” and “Asia Prime”, and the leadership of an academic unit planned and hosted departmental luncheons they labeled “Wok and Roll” and “PiE Fiesta,” at which there were PowerPoint presentations depicting faculty and staff in stereotypical ethnic dress. These are just a few of the ones about which we know. There are more, and I suspect there are similar events that happen underground or at off-campus venues. >TV: Any time there is an oncampus disturbance, students can rely on receiving an email from either Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, or President Richard Brodhead admonishing the behavior of those hoping to direct fear and hatred. Both have vowed to make Duke’s campus a safer, more accepting place after each incident. From your perspective, is the University fulfilling its duties and is there anything more it could do to protect its students? >KH: I think senior administrators take seriously their responsibility and

obligation to keep the campus safe, but they tend to be reactive rather than proactive, and it often seems the first impulse is to manage public relations rather than attend to the incident at hand and to those who may have [been] harmed by it. I know it can be difficult to make immediate sense of some of these incidents and that senior administrators have multiple concerns and interests to balance when faced with them, but we can and should do a better job of lessening the likelihood they will occur in the first place. This requires us to take a comprehensive “let the chips fall where they may” review of some of our institutional practices when it comes to marketing, recruitment, admissions, orientation, housing and campus life in general. There seems to be reluctance on the part of some administrators to do this hard, but necessary work. >TV: Following the noose, the flyer and the homophobic slur, students came together at the Chapel to rally and put forth new ideas and demands in order to prevent future attacks. Do you feel that the campus has shifted its culture or moved toward a more open and tolerant environment in the past year as a result of these rallies and the ideas cultivated at them? >KH: I think there is more awareness of student vulnerability and discontent, but I do not think there has been a positive change in the campus culture. >TV: Much of the focus following these incidents has been on the students and their reactions to them. How have you, as a faculty member and member of the Duke and Durham communities, processed and handled the past year’s on-campus events? >KH: This is an important question. Universities tend to respond to these incidents as though only students are affected. The concerns of faculty and staff are often overlooked. This is especially the case for staff, as faculty have more opportunities and freedoms to make their views known. The administration tends to employ remedies and responses that

KERRY HAYNIE Associate Professor

POLITICAL SCIENCE, AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

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correspond to the student life-cycle. That is, they attempt to manage and contain student reactions and unrest until the student body experiences turnover and loss of student institutional memory. This approach to crisis management leaves potential underlying problems largely untouched and ignores the workplace environment for staff and faculty who tend to inhabit campus for longer than four-year cycles. It should not be surprising that we have this same conversation every three to four years. >TV: University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe resigned this month as a result of the University’s inaction following several incidents of verbal and emotional racial harassment and the subsequent actions of #ConcernedStudent1950. Although different in action and response, what, if anything, can Duke students and administrators take from the events at Missouri? >KH: One lesson Duke can take from this is the importance of being proactive and not waiting for simmering issues to come to a boil. Another lesson is the institution has to take seriously the complaints and concerns of members of the community who feel harassed or aggrieved. Acknowledging does not mean or imply acceptance or agreement, but

it does indicate a willingness to do due diligence to insure that our community is welcoming and hospitable. The University must also be more willing to listen to and learn from staff and faculty who engage students daily and routinely. >TV: Do you have any final thoughts or advice for the Duke community on how to better itself and become a more open environment? >KH: I think it is past time for a comprehensive review of our institutional practices that affect student-to-student and student-to-faculty interactions. We’ve kicked the can down the road for too long. It is a disservice to all of Duke— students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni—for the current leadership to pass these issues along to the next regime without making a serious effort to address them. I hope our students can find or create opportunities and spaces to engage one another in sincere and meaningful ways, so as to build some trust and mutual understandings. Faculty can and should be partners in this endeavor. Students should not wait on the administration to take such steps. Duke should not be afraid to ask any question or fear any answer.

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TOWERVIEW NOVEMBER 2015

the chronicleâ€™s news and culture magazine