April 13, 2006

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Blue Devils defeat Tar Heels, 43, at home Wednesday, PAGE 9

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The Chronicle

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2006

THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

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ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST YEAR, ISSUE 133

DA Nifong faces criticism, cameras D.C. lawyer by

to support

Victoria Ward THE CHRONICLE

With fewer than three weeks left until the District Attorney primary May 2, challengers have begun to criticize incumbent Mike Nifong’s handling of an investigation of sexual assault allegations made against several members of the Duke men’s lacrosse team. Candidates Freda Black, former assistant district attorney, and Keith Bishop, local defense lawyer, have accused their Democratic counterpart of rash actions and inappropriate decisions that have in essence allowed the media to convict the accused before charges have been filed. “He has pursued it miserably,” Bishop said. “Whenever a prosecutor has information of allegations he has to be reasoned and judicious. As a result, he can’t jump into the media before [he knows the facts] and guarantee arrests.” Nifong has defended the way he has handled the case, and several other local lawyers think he has behaved appropriately or are supporting his candidacy. “I have supported him in this campaign,” said Bill Thomas, a defense lawyer in the case and a close friend of Nifong. Despite serving as members of the defense team in the case, Butch Williams appears in one of Nifong’s campaign advertisements, and Kerry Sutton has a Nifong sign in her yard as of Tuesday. Nifong began speaking with the press at the inception of the case, when a female student from North Carolina Central University claimed she was raped by three members of the men’s

lax families by

Andrew Davis

THE CHRONICLE

With the May 2 primaryapproaching, Durham DA Mike Nifong hasbeen the subject of media sgutiny lacrosse team at a March 13 party. He frequently granted interviews throughout the early stages of the investigation, when he required 46 of the 47 teammates to give DNA samples and had police search a residence and a dormitory room. Nifong has since stopped speaking direcdy to die press. Nifong, who served as an assistant district attorney in Durham before he was appointed district attorney by Governor Mike Easley in April 2005, declined to comment for this article.

At a forum Tuesday at NCCU, Nifong dismissed the idea that the case is related to his political campaign. “As the district attorney, you do not get to choose what crimes occur or when they occur,” he said. “This is not about the election. This is about doing justice.” But Bishop said Nifong’s actions in the case and media presence are politically motivated. “It was amateurish, it was poorly coordinated, and it casts a long shadow of SEE NIFONG ON PAGE 6

A group of people close to the Duke lacrosse team has hired Bob Bennett, President Bill Clinton’s former lawyer, to help defend their confident belief that members of the team did not sexually assault an exotic dancer at an off-campus party March 13. Bennett, a former federal prosecutor and Washington attorney, represented Clinton in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. He is now representing the Committee for Fairness to Duke Families, a group concerned with the allegations made against the lacrosse team. “It is unfortunate that members of the Duke community, players and families are being judged before all the facts are in,” Bennett said in a statement. “A lot of innocent young people and the families are being hurt, and unfortunately this situation is being abused by people with separate agendas. It is grossly unfair.” Prior to taking the case, Bennett also recently represented Judith Miller, a former New York Times reporter, in an investigation into the leak of a CIA agent’s identity. He has joined the collection of people SEE BENNETT ON PAGE 4

Rape allegations, media With mixture of depts will head to Central fallout rankle community ,

by

David Graham

THE CHRONICLE

When it comes time to leave the cozy confines of the Languages Building, it will be a bittersweet day for the Romance studies department. “Most human beings are pretty tied to the space where they’ve been living,” said Professor Margaret Greer, chair of the department. “This is an old building with large offices, but there aren’t enough of diem.” Romance studies is one of the 11 departments and facilities expected to move to Central Campus under the $240-million Phase I of renovations to the space, slated for completion in Fall 2008. Chairs of several of those departments said the move is a boon for their faculties, many of which—like Romance studies—feel cramped or are spread out over several buildings on different campuses. But some of the excitement is tem-

pered by unease about what to expect in the overhaul, the details of which are still uncertain. “We’ve been campaigning for many years for more space,” Greer said. She added, however, that the danger is in the potential for isolation—a present concern among departments on East Campus. She said being close to the other Language, Literature and Culture departments may be beneficial, but she also hopes to be near facilities such as the John Hope Franklin Center and the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies to “have a real intellectual core.” Associate Professor Leo Ching is chair of the department of Asian and African Languages and Literature, one of the four LLC departments moving. The departmental offices are currently SEE CENTRAL ON PAGE 6

by

Neal SenGupta THE CHRONICLE

Students, faculty and community members gathered to channel the heated emotions stirred up by rape allegations made against the men’s lacrosse team into a useful conversation Wednes-

day night. The audience of about 60 met at a forum —tided “Thinking About This Social Disaster” and sponsored by the African and African-American Studies program—to discuss the long-term effects of the alleged crimes and the media attention they have drawn. “Whatever happens with the court case, people are asking that the everyday change,” said Wahneema Lubiano, associate professor ofAAS and literature. She said students could and should SEE DISASTER ON PAGE 7

IREM MERTOL/THE CHRONICLE

Activist Serena Sebring, a graduate student, talks about race relations at a panel Wednesday night.


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April 13, 2006 by Duke Chronicle Print Archives - Issuu