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CGI impact Bishop talks faith and LGBT life
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Bearing tidings of the demise of patri-
archy, the Rev. Gene Robinson spoke to
2007 report called for more sit-down eateries by
Julia Love
THE CHRONICLE
A week before Panda Express opened its doors, a batch of colorful handmade signs lit up the West Campus Plaza in place of the restaurant’s technicolor mascot. “Duke Engage: Have we learned nothing?” “Beware, this is a trend... ACES!” “Ask Students FIRST,” the signs read. The student arti left , lhc r
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David Graham THE CHRONICLE
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unsigned,
they weren’t
in the spotlight for long—the signs were quickly whisked away that day to the office ofDirector of Dining Services Jim Wulforst, where they still hung nearly a month later. The bitter maxims are puzzling to Wulforst, who said he has spent his career trying to satisfy students’ cravings. “I’m struggling with what it is [students] really want. Fdon’t have a magic wand,” he said. ‘When it feels like I’ve missed something, I want to resolve it.” The anonymous artists may not be the only ones on campus who wished for more from the new space. Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki noted that though he believes Panda Express has done much to liven up the Plaza, the 1,450square-foot restaurant cannot provide the sit-down dining experiences suggested by the Campus Culture Initiative. Sales figures posted by the restaurant in its first few weeks of operation, however, seem to tell a different story. After peddling a recordbreaking 1,100 meals per day during its opening week, Wulforst said sales at Panda leveled off to about 800 meals per day, though the figures are still on par with The Loop. Chowing down on chow mein between classes, seniorEllis Wisely said he welcomes the arrival ofPanda Express on campus. “The seating is so teeny, there’s no way you could hang out here,” he said. “It sure is tasty though.”
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Admin visions for dining With Subway, Chik-fil-A, Armadillo Grill and McDonald’s already in business, Panda Express is in good company. Administrators have long felt that fast food restaurants were overrepresented on West Campus—filling
LAWSON KURTZ/ THE
SEE BISHOP ON PAGE
Tis the seasonfor ele by
Soon
Rachna Reddy THE CHRONICLE
after the Durham Victory Office—the local GOP
headquarters—opened its doors, Joanne Beckman stepped in to offer her experience in public service.
Saturday, Beckman’s civic commitment called for her houses, canvassing for the Durham County GOP. She was equipped with a list of survey questions and the names and addresses of registered Republicans and Independents in a Durham voting precinct. “It’s fun, I think it’s fun,” Beckman said of going doorto-door. “It’s comfortable for me to meet people in their homes.” Beckman came to a well-wooded neighborhood, leaf-strewn lawns and pickup trucks parked along the road. A flag lapel pin punctured the white collar of her nautical-themed sweatsuit. to go door-to-door to 26
SEE CANVASSING ON PAGE 8 SEE CCI ON PAGE 6
CHRONICLE
The Rev.Gene Robinson, Episcopalian bishop ofNew Hampshire,spoke in a crowdedChapel Monday on the relationship between LGBT andfaith issues. Robinson is the first openly gay man to be a bishop in the church.
hundreds of students, faculty and visitors from across the state in two events in the Chapel Monday, the first day of his two-day stay at Duke. Robinson, Episcopalian bishop of New Hampshire, found himself at the center of a worldwide controversy when he became the first openly gay man elected bishop, and his election has led to bitter debate within the worldwide Anglican Communion. “At first look, it appears to be about homosexuality. Step back and it appears to be about Biblical authority,” Robinson said at a panel discussion Monday night. “If we step back one step further and notice this has way more power and energy than it ought to, my own opinion is that this is actually about the end of patriarchy.” One of the major focuses of Robinson’s visit, sponsored by the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life together with other campus groups, is the intersection of LGBT identity with faith. During the discussion, which also featured Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells and LGBT Center Director Janie Long, the Bishop was asked how he would counsel students who are concerned that coming out would make their sexual orientation the sum total of their identity. “Why is it, do you think, that Christians are surprised when doing the right thing costs us something?” he asked, referring to Biblical stories of Jesus’ suffering. “But
With a month before the election, Joanne Beckman goes door-to-door to canvass for something she believes in: the Republican Party.
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