November 29, 2005

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students GPSC discu sses fee increases, changes to charter at meeting

academics q_ \\QRHS Several courses offer field trips

sports

Nelson will be sidelined for 6toB f W weeks after having ankle surgery

The Chronicle^ to places around the world

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2005

THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST YEAR, ISSUE 63

Nixon letter donated to Duke

U.S. rep gives free speech award by

Neal Sen Gupta THE CHRONICLE

Rep. Walter Jones made his annual trip to Duke to honor Jordan Selleck, president of College Republicans at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for his efforts fighting liberal bias on campus. Jones, R-N.C., spoke Monday night at the College Republicans meeting in Von Canon B, where he presented the Walter B. Jones Campus Defender Award. The award, created in 2004, is named after Jones to honor his support for the freedom of speech of conservative groups, said John Plecnik, a third-year Duke law student who developed the award with Jones. “Congressman Jones is without a doubt the leader of freedom of speech on campuses, both in North Carolina and the nation,” Plecnik said. “He so embodied the principles of free speech that we wanted to create a permanent link between him and Duke College Republicans.” Jones said liberal bias in classrooms has been a serious problem. “For a number ofyears, at both the state and national level, I’ve been hearing complaints from SEE

JONES

ON PAGE 6

""M

by

Tiffany Webber THE CHRONICLE

as an Iraqi scholar and citizen. He said that one of the biggest casualties of the war in Iraq has been the flight of the academia. “The elite are leaving the country,” Jawad said. “It’s an urban jungle.” This is just one of the problems that Iraq faces at the moment, Jawad explained. The division of the country into sects and factions stands in the way of progress, he added. “Saddam Hussein deserved kicking out,” Jawad said, but he

Of the hundreds of letters Duke officials every day, the School ofLaw received one last week that likely will be remembered for its historical significance for years to come. Newsday Deputy Editor Jack Sirica, Trinity ‘76 and son of former federal judge John Sirica, presented an original letter penned by former President Richard Nixon, Law ‘37, to the school Nov. 21. Sirica said he was compelled to donate the letter—appraised at $35,000 —to the University out of gratitude, noting that his education has been invaluable. “Basically the school did a lot for me,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of cash to give to Duke. I wanted to at least give them one of the letters.” When Sirica’s father died in 1992, he received the contents of a safe deposit box that held

SEE SCHOLAR ON PAGE 6

SEE NIXON ON PAGE 6

sent to

PETER GEBHARD/THE CHRONICLE

Abdul Sattar Jawad, Dean of the College of Arts at Mustansiriyah University in Iraq, is serving as a visitingprofessor at Duke.

Iraqi proffinds refuge in Durham by

Christina Patsiokas THE CHRONICLE

As Dean of the College ofArts Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad, he had a library of 6,000 books. For now, though, visiting professor Abdul Sattar Jawad makes do with some borrowed books from the library and a few purchases from the Gothic at

Bookshop. After having his newspaper office bombed and enduring threats and intimidation at the university, Jawad left Iraq in June and accepted a fellowship

offered by Duke this fall. “The universities in Iraq are full of religious fanatics,” Jawad said. He added that clerics at the university had cancelled some classes because of their subject matter and threatened him personally. The professor, who has authored 14 books on literature and journalism and received his doctorate in London, has continued his research at the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies. Jawad has been interviewed frequently by American media

Oasis offers respite for stressed students by

Jane Herzeca

THE CHRONICLE

Monday marked the opening of the Duke University Student Health Center’s newest venture. Comfortable couches, flowing water

JOHN

PENA/THE CHRONICLE

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C, spoke about academic freedom and liberal bias in the classroom at a Monday meeting.

fountains and decorative artwork fill The Oasis—a room aimed at facilitating students’ general health needs. A quiet open space framed by large windows and marked by a soothing ambiance, The Oasis is located in the new Bell Tower Dormitory on East Campus. The center will be operated by Student Health’s Office of Health Promotion, which aims to promote the development of a campus community that fosters healthy physical and mental lifestyles. “It is a place to get away from your immediate environment,” said Franca Alphin, director ofhealth promotion. Many students found this escape particularly SEE OASIS ON PAGE 5

The Oasis,a new space in BellTower Dormitory operated by Student Health, provides a place for students to relax.


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