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THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
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Alum extols Plnsky pontificates on poetry, the past leadership, by
Patrick Baker
THE CHRONICLE
compassion by
Sam Choe
THE CHRONICLE
Being both an Angier B. Duke scholar and a Rhodes scholar is impressive enough.
But Eric Greitens, Trinity ’96, has also been a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, international humanitarian worker, documentary photographer and boxing champion. He said in a speech at the Terry Sanford Institute Tuesday night that the keys to his accomplishments were courage, friendship and compassion. At Greitens’ speech, “The Culture SEE GREITENS ON PAGE 8
CHASE OLIVIERI/THE CHRONICLE
Eric Greitens, Trinity'96,says and compassion helped him tobecome a Rhodes scholar.
Students, professors and lovers of poetry filled the intimate Doris Duke Garden Visitors Center Tuesday evening to hear Robert Pinsky, former U.S. poet laureate, read selections from his recent works. The poet, essayist, literary critic and translator, who initiated the Favorite Poem Project—a call for Americans to share and submit their favorite poetry —discussed topics ranging from jazz to current events between reading poems. Pinsky began by reminding the assembled crowd of the importance of passing on the accumulated knowledge of the past. “Thank you for making me feel that I succeeded in giving you something that I got from all the poets I’ve read and the teachers I’ve had—that it is in good hands,” he said. ‘You have made me feel useful.” Among the collections of poetry Pinsky read from were “First Things to Hand,” in which each object the poet touches becomes the subject of a poem. He also read several selections from his latest book, “Gulf Music.” “A lot of this book is concerned with forgetting,” he said. “I mention a lot of proper names, but don’t go to Google, don’t go to the encyclopedia—let it run over you. A lot of these words are in here for their quality of forgetfulness, a very unstable relation to meaning.” Pinsky also read poems such as “At Pleasure Bay,” “Samurai Song” and “ABC”—a poem about death in 26 words, each beginning with the next letter of the alphabet. Discussing his jazz-influenced poem “Ginza Samba,” which describes the history of the saxophone, Pinsky noted that
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although the instrument was invented by a European, it is culturally American. “It’s a black American instrument,” he said. “Why? Because it was made so by geniuses.” Pinsky opened the floor for questions and requests in the middle of the reading. An audience member asked for advice for students of poetry.
“You must find what you think is mag-
nificent—not just pretty good —and stick with it,” Pinsky replied, urging students to find a “personal anthology... a definition by example of what you mean by the word poetry.” The poet was introduced by President
ringing athletics to Alle by
Nate Freeman THE CHRONICLE
Placed on opposite sides ofWest Campus, the Allen Building and the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center act as the headquarters for the two sides of Duke’s coin—academics and athletics. President Richard Brodhead, however, has taken steps to mend the divide by initiating the development of a strategic plan for athletics to be presented to the Board of Trustees in February. Along with the announcement of the strategic plan, Brodhead unveiled a revamped mission statement and a revised structure for the Athletic Council at an Academic Council meeting in September. Brodhead said the larger themes of the mission statement will be echoed in the athletics strategic plan, which the Atjiletic Council said it
GUERRERO/THECHRONICLE
Former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky reads from his work at the Doris Duke Center Tuesday night.
expects to have completed by February’s Board ofTrustees meeting. “We’re not waiting for the strategic plan to be done to bridge the gap [between athletics and academics],” Brodhead said in an interview with The Chronicle. “I don’t feel that chasm on campus these days.... Athletics is not something separate at Duke.” Michael Gillespie, Athletic Council chair and professor of political science, said he is working with other members of the Athletic Council to complete the strategic plan by February, but added that he wouldbe willing to delay its release until he is confident it will be effective. “The hope is that it will be presented to the Board ofTrustees in February,” he said. “People are working very hard to do that, but we want to make sure it gets a thorough venting from students, faculty and alumni so there is some SEE ATHLETICS ON PAGE 9
SEE PINSKY ON PAGE 7