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Internationals on aid face special challenges DUU opts Students to refund shocks, tight budgets Radin tix by
Tina Mao
THE CHRONICLE
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Imagine seeing your family only once a year, packing for college with a two-suitcase limit and having to budget 150 minutes of cell phone use over the course of a week. These issues may never cross the mind of most other Duke students, but for junior Maria Daudji, hailing from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, these are just the facts of life. Daudji requested to be interviewed for this article in person because, with a limited cell-phone plan, a lengthy phone conversation could have been costly. “When I got a 'one freshman year, I did not know how es in the Unit'and I , calls using my cell phone and I got charged a really, really, really big bill,” she said, adding that she now uses a prepaid phone, email and text messages to stay in touch with family and friends. Daudji is one of 59 students who qualify for,financial al undergraduates at Duke, according to figures obtained from the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office and the International House. Although international students must adjust to the language, a new culture and other logistical challenges of working and studying in a foreign country, these problems are only compounded by the necessity to budget wisely for those who qualify for need-based aid. “[lnternational students’] expenses are way curtailed,” said Oindri Mitra, a junior from Jamshedpur, India. “Duke is a pretty expensive school, and I feel like a lot of times, our parents put pressure
by
Shuchi Parikh THE CHRONICLE
Tickets for the cancelled Joshua Radin show, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 18, will be refunded to all ticket holders, Duke University Union officials confirmed Monday. Radin’s agents said yesterday thatthe acoustic singer-songwriter could not reschedule to perform at Duke because of a busy agenda, said juniors Chamindra Goonewardene and Vincent Ling, co-chairs of DUU’s Major Attractions committee. Goonewardene, DUU’s presidentelect, said the committee decided to refund all tickets either Tuesday or Wednesday oflast week. .^As^-Monday-night, -tickethave not yet been notified by the Union that they had had the option to refund their tickets for almost a week. Several students with tickets to last Monday’s show said the committee should have informed ticket holders that refunding was an option as soon as it made its decision. “It’s definitely their responsibility [to keep us informed],” freshman Ghisly Echezuria said. “We bought the tickets —we should know what’s going on with them.” Goonewardene said the committee did not publicize the information because they wanted to confirm whether or not the show could be rescheduled. “We should have publicized it more, I agree,” he said. “I don’t think anyone was really put at a disadvantage by us not relaying that information.” Committee members are looking into subsidizing tickets to a show Radio will play at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, March 20, Ling said. The market price for tickets to the March show, at -
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Junior Maria Daudji, an international student from Tanzania on financial aid, said she is unable to bring many ofher belongings to Duke because she is limited to carrying two bags on an airplane. on us to save.” Daudji said she has worked since freshman year to help pay for room and board, and this year, she became a resident assistant in Gilbert-Addoms Residence Hall, a position that covers those expenses. Many international students also said they only go home over the summer, a common occurrence when long flights or expensive tickets pose problems. Daudji said packing for college with
only two suitcases—the standard baggage limit for international flights—is an added annoyance many face. “I just brought a lot of clothes and some of the basic stuff I needed, but then I had to get bedding and all of that stuff here,” she said. “I fit everything into two suitcases. It was fun. My mom helped me a lot.” In addition, international students encounter difficulties securing visas for SEE INTERNATIONAL ON PAGE 8
Survey says Duke crime among worst by
Jessica Lighter THE CHRONICLE
The shooting at Northern Illinois University has prompted internal and external reviews of safety procedure at schools around thenation.
SEE RADIN ON PAGE 8
In the past year, shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University have challenged the notion of an insulated college campus immune from danger. Reader’s Digest this month ranked U.S. colleges and universities based on the number ofcrimes reported on campus and on a survey conducted by the magazine of important on-campus safety measures. Sweet Briar College, located in Virginia, was at the top of the campus crime rankings, making it the safest school according to the survey. Duke, however, landed near the bottom of the survey’s list, placing 244th out of 285 schools. The magazine used data from a U.S. Department of Education compilation of Clery Reports, a report ofcrime statistic that universities are required to release each year by law. The crime rankings were based on the number ofcrimes reported per SEE SAFETY ON PAGE
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Students with ticketsfor the cancelled Joshua Radin performance will receive a refund.