THE CHRONI[CLE
9. 2006
Rebounding from lacrosse It’s been a tough four months for change since Brodhead first outlined the Blue Devils. the University’s response to the More than eight weeks after rape lacrosse situation in his April 5 Letter allegations rocked campus, President to the Duke Community. Yes, the lacrosse season was canRichard Brodhead encouraged members of the Duke community to see celled—and then reinstated—and tailthe good in an otherwise gate was altered, editorial bad situation In addition, officials an“Only by facing up to nounced a plan to implethe challenges of this situation will we ment a loosely worded code of conduct get the good of these difficult times.” for student-athletes, and Brodhead will he wrote in his June 5 Letter to the now more actively oversee athletics. But Duke Community. even administrators have said the move won’t change the actual day-to-day opApdy put, President Brodhead. Tough times call for bold measures, erations of the athletics program. and Duke has been given the tremenTheseactions are simply not enough. dous opportunity to re-evaluate itself At a time like this, daring steps are and lead the way in addressing issues not just helpful but necessary. The of social life, town-gown relations and University needs to confront the big race relations—issues that colleges problems raised by the lacrosse situaacross the country have struggled to tion in a practical and concrete way. address for years. Obviously, there is no panacea to all Sounds great. Just one problem. of the complex issues raised during the Since allegations of rape first made past four months. headlines March 20, administrators That said, here are three practical have talked the talk but haven’t quite steps the University can take to start: walked the walk. We know change takes Alcohol and Social Life time, but we’re each only here for four It’s a fact—social (and, yes, unyears, so time is certainly of the essence. derage) drinking is inevitable on There has been little concrete most college campuses.
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As highlighted in various media stories, binge drinking is a problem that needs to be addressed at Duke. But it also needs to be addressed on campuses throughout the nation. President Brodhead should harness the national spodight and use it to spearhead- a very public effort to convene a commission of top college presidents to discuss alcohol issues. An environment in which alcohol can be enjoyed safely and sensibly should be the ultimate goal. Duke and Durham Town-gown relations are strained, although not nearly as badly as some people have made them out to be in recent months. Duke recentiy created a program to give all incoming freshmen $5O to
spend at off-campus restaurants. The idea is a great way to begin to address this problem, and following in its path, the University should set aside funds for a number of events in downtown Durham that promote student-city interaction. It will be a little bit expensive, but the University can afford to take the $3 or $4 million it makes selling houses off
Holding
ontherecord Nobody is trying to stop any gang problem. If they wanted to stop it, they could. Our black leaders have sola us out. Sheryl Smith, a Durham resident whose son was killed by a gang member last year. See story page 4.
Dear readers, “The Tower of Campus Thought and Action.” Before Coach K ruled Cameron, back when “Old Duke” still reigned supreme, those were the words that ran on the Chronicle flag. A lot has changed since those days. Our office looks much less like a “tower” and much more like an “attic” in West Campus’ Flowers (we Building sprung a leak last week) The Chronicle shrank to tabloid size, be fyail mCCar tneV came a daily and, from the editor's desk perhaps most imof all, portant added Sudoku (turn to page 37). The flag has changed, editors have come and gone, but our mission remains the same. In the months after I was elected editor of the 102nd volume ofThe Chronicle, a number of people asked me what big changes were in store for paper this year. Well, there are a number of things we’ve been working on, and I’ll talk about those in a second.. But when all is said and done, “big changes” in a newspaper aren’t worth anything unless they help to spark discussion, thought and action—that is our mission. Hold us to it. This year, we are committed to providing the Duke community with well-reported, well-written and well-presented news. In the words of former Chronicle editor Matt Sclafani “journalism is perhaps the only profession where you receive more criticism for doing a better job.” This is your paper, and we want to hearfrom you. So, what’s in store for The Chronicle this year? Glad you asked. Well, it begins with die Send Home Issue that you’re holding (or looking at online) right now. On our news pages, you’ll find a balance of hard news about the future of tailgate, news perspective on the evolution of die lacrosse case in the media and a story about Durham’s gang problem. For news updates, I encourage you to check out www.dukechronicle.com, which we’ve been updating throughout the summer. V;' •
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Editorial Page Department The Chronicle Box 90858, Durham, NC 27708
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RYAN MCCARTNEY, Editor ANDREWYAFFE, Managing Editor SAIDI CHEN, News Editor ADAM EAGLIN, University Editor IZA WOJCIECHOWSKA, University Editor DAN ENGLANDER, Editorial Page Editor GREG BEATON, Sports Editor JONATHANANGIER, GeneralManager JIANGHAI HO, Photography Editor nru RAO, City & State Editor SHREYA UCTCW urrnuMki MCGOWAN, u JASTEN Health & Science rEditor tairuAci r Managing Editor MICHAEL MOORE . Sports STEVE VERES, Online Editor ALEX WARR, Recess Managing Editor A, cv FANAROFF, ALEX ca hi a nr,rr tTowerviewEditor EMILY ROTBERG, TTowerview Managing Editor
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. SARAH BALL, Features Editor ......., JARED MUELLER, City & State Editor , r AD CTir Dn u 7 . ASTIGARRAGA, & Science Editor CAROLINA Health Editor WEIYI TAN, Sports Photography K . . LEXI RICHARDS, Recess Editor BAISHIWU, Recess Design Editor . SARAH KWAK, Towerview Editor r. CHANG, Photography MICHAEL Towerview Editor , a T 7 MEXBROWN.TowerviewManagmgPhotoEditor , y y '.. PELT, Supplements Editor MIKE VAN n nrD u DAVID GRAHAM, W/re Editor , rr, lr , GRIFFITH, Wire Editor .. LESLIE SEYWARD DARBY, Editpna ,r,Page Managing Editor MERTOL, Recess Photography Editor ,r.. IREM L w.m.A. 7 . VARUNLELLA, Recess Online Editor MEG BOURDILLON, Senior Editor . .r„ . , .„' . HORRELL, rSeniorEditor HOLLEY u umklr LIU, SeniorEditor r MINGYANG JULIE STOLBERG.Sen/ocfcJ/for PATRICK BYRNES, Sports Senior Editor n u,,n-,r LAUREN KOBYLARZ, Sports SeniorEditor n a aa ,■ Dm STARBUCK, Manager Production BARBARA CT Manager MARY WEAVER.Operations . ui i.mc cSupplements . YU-HSIEN HUANG, Coordinator STEPHANIE RISBON, DAWN HALL, Chapel Hill Ad Sales Manager MONICA FRANKLIN, Durham Ad Sales Manager The Chronicleis published by the Duke Student Publishing Company; a non-profitcorporation independent ofDuke University. The opinions expressed in this newspaper ore pot necessarily those of Duke University, its students, faculty, staff, administration pr trustees. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views ofthe authors. To reach the Editorial Office at 301 Flowers Building, call 684-2663 or fax 684-4696. To reach the Business Office at 103 Wesf Union Building, call 684-3811. To reach the Advertising Office at 101 West Union Building call 684-3811 or fax 684-8295. Visit The Chronicle Online at f
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2006 The Chronicle, Box 90858, Durham, N.C. 27708. All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication maybe reproduced in any form without the prior, written permission of theBusiness Office. Each individual is entitled to one free copy. ®
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East Campus to pay for events that will help bolster relationships on both sides of the wall. Take freshmen to American Tobacco or the Hayti Heritage Center and show them all that Durham has to offer. They’ll want to go back. Racial Relations The lacrosse situation has sparked an increased awareness of racial issues on campus. But genuine discussion is still missing. The University should create a number of classes on race relations—small, research-driven seminars taught
by engaging professors. Taking an “RR”-designated class should be required of anyone who hopes to change the course of our integrated world. Any university would struggle to get
its footing in tough times like these. Instead of simply riding out this socalled “perfect storm,” however, administrators must take the time to ensure they get things right. Don’t take the easy way out. And this is the year. The entire Duke community has been dealt a blow, and it’s time to rebound like true Blue Devils.
us to it Check out Sportswrap and get The Chronicle’s exclusive coverage on what life’s been like for unindicted members of the men’s lacrosse team. During the year, check out the sports section for in-depth reporting, game stories, columns and features on your favorite teams and players Read recess, The Chronicle’s weekly arts and entertainment section, and learn about Tennessee’s mega-music festival Bonnaroo while also getting some tips on how to save a buck while touring NYC or D.C. this summer. Take a look at Towerview, The Chronicle’s monthly news perspective magazine, and get all the background on the past, present and future of Tailgate (with a capital “T”). Also, check out the top 10 things you should keep an eye on in the year ahead. When daily production starts Aug. 28,1 am excited to say The Chronicle will launch an independent editorial board. For the first time in the 102-year history ofThe Chronicle, our editorial board will not be composed of the; paper’s top editors. Instead, a number of the top thinkers and leaders on campus have been charged with keeping abreast with what’s going on at Duke, in Durham and around the world, forming opinions, debating issues and writing editorials on the news that most directly affects you. We hope this will allow The Chronicle to truly represent the voice ofits readership. So welcome to the Send Home Issue, stay a little while. And welcome to The Chronicle’s 102nd volume-rwe expect great things this year, and aim to put out stories that challenge you to thought and action every day. Hold us to it.
Ryan McCartney is a Trinity juniorand editor of The Chronicle. E-mail him at editor@chronicle.duke.edu