R IVAL celebrating the Duke & UNC-CH connection
GREEK LIFE-
It’s one way to narrow down a large university and find friends with common interests. pg. 17
ORIENTATION -
GOING PRO -
Work with incoming freshmen next year by signing up to be an orientation leader. pg. 14
What teams are your favorite Duke and UNC athletes playing for now? pg. 21
Volume 9 •Issue 1 •Fall 2013
to our readers... a letter from the editor fall 2013
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here is a quote on my desktop that is a constant reminder of how I wish to spend my last year at Duke: “If the biggest thing we do in life is to extend love and kindness to even one other human being, we have changed the world for the better.” We are all aware of the students at Duke and UNC-CH who seem to want nothing more than to “leave their legacy” on campus. But while increasing the transparency of the Board of Trustees and eliminating the fee for riding the Robertson Bus (which, by the way, needs to happen) is wonderful and will probably change our campuses for the better, it is easy for seniors to forget that there are much simpler ways to transform the bubbles surrounding Duke and UNC-CH.
Editor in Chief UNC Managing Editor Photo Editor Design Director Social Media/PR Treasurer
while I’m not implying that grandiose contributions aren’t valiant efforts, I am insisting that we look beyond the large-scale attempts to change campus and start paying attention to the small ways we can shift our perspective towards helping others.
RIVAL MAGAZINE• VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1
Lauren Paylor, Duke Lisa LeFever, UNC Aleise Preslar, UNC Moira Gill, UNC Caroline Leland, UNC Eric Kline, UNC
UNC Writers
Lisa LeFever Caroline Leland Erin Colstad Mark Dawson
Duke Writers
Jake Klein Ryan Hoerger Emmie LeMarchand Anna Mukamal Rachel Fischell Jessica Lee Kristen Shortley
Photographers
So, seniors, while you’re anxiously In my last year at Duke, I’ve made it applying for graduate schools and a personal goal to bring a little more jobs, ask yourself: is every action happiness to campus in my own way. you take dictated by whether it will end up on your résumé? Once you Whether it’s encouraging a dining realize that this list of accomplishhall employee to apply for the new ments is just a piece of paper, you job she’s always wanted or sitting can look beyond changing your font with a nervous freshman as he eats alone in the Refectory, I’ve found that to changing someone’s life. these daily interactions don’t simply We hope you enjoy our fall issue! put a smile on others’ faces – they brighten my day as well. This way of living exerts much less effort than Sincerely, lowering the carbon footprint on Lauren Paylor, Duke Duke’s campus, yet I feel infinitely Editor-in-Chief happier and lighter regardless. And
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content
Aleise Preslar, UNC Kate Schenider, UNC Ellie Wilson, Duke Catalina Villegas, Duke Sarah Houck, Duke
Designers
Moira Gill, UNC Elise Bruguera, Duke Jessica Lee, Duke
Blog
Sherry Zhang, Duke
Cover Design Cover Photo
Moira Gill, UNC Kate Schneider, UNC
Rival is a joint publication between Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that seeks to reinforce and redefine the historic rivalry. Rival is independently recognized at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is also a member of the Duke University Publications Board. Funding for Rival Magazine was provided in part by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Student Congress and the Duke University Publications Board. All content, pictures, graphics, and design are the property of Rival Magazine ©2013-2014. All rights reserved.
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in this issue: Greek Life pg. 17
Improv: DUI & Chips pg. 8
Activist Art pg. 26
Members of the UNC and Duke Greek system show us that once the barriers of stereotypes are broken, Greek life can be a fulfilling way to spend time as an undergraduate.
It’s fun and games and hearty laughs. But what else is it? Improv at UNC and Duke is a lot about community and finding your place in it.
UNC’s Ackland Art Museum and Duke's Nasher Museum of Art are featuring exhibits on South Asian contemporary activist art.
Alumni Column pg. 24
Going Pro pg. 21
Former editor-in-chief Allie Barnes (‘11-’13) talks about life after graduation - the expectations, the challenges, and the lessons - in her piece “To Be an Island”
How have your favorite Duke and UNC athletes fared in the professional draft? Pretty well, it seems.
Orientation Programs pg. 14
Orientation Leaders at UNC in August 2013.
in every issue:
FACs and OLs are the campus leaders who make freshmen feel welcome before they start life on campus. Learn what it takes to become a leader of one of these programs
Pushpamala N., Motherland with Om Flag and Trishul, 2009, digital print.
Athlete's Corner pg. 23
Pregame pg. 4
Tar Tracks pg. 13
Take a look at the premiere hip-hop dance groups of UNC and Duke - Kamikazi and Defining Movement.
A UNC junior shares how her experiences abroad in Argentina have shaped a new way of seeing the world around her back at UNC.
Our sports columnist Ryan Hoerger outlines how the addition of three new teams this year will impact the ACC conference.
Top V pg. 6
Devil's Advocate pg. 12
Out of the blue pg. 25
Discover Duke and UNC’s top 5 research discoveries in the past 5 years - including the reduction of chemotherapy side effects and a forecast of how much energy the average American will expend in 2020.
A Duke senior details the frustrations of the inevitable “Senioritis”, and how difficult it can be to stay motivated until graduation.
In this column, we select two UNC and two Duke students who are doing great things on their campus and beyond.
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Duke Pregame: Defining Movement By Erin Colstand, UNC-CH Design by Elise Bruguera, Duke Photos by Elle Wilson, Duke
Duke’s premiere hip-hop group, Defining Movement, steals the show at President Brodhead’s Homecoming Dance.
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hen the beat drops, hearts start to pound, and the members of Duke University dance group Defining Movement spring into action. While moving their bodies to the pulsing rhythm of the music, the team, more commonly known as DefMo, displays their tremendous talent and expresses their enthusiasm and multiculturalism through their elegant movements. Created in 2001, Defining Movement exemplifies a blend of dance, passion, and diversity not matched on Duke’s campus. When the founders noticed the absence of a multicultural dance group, they took action to create a group themselves. Thus, Defining Movement was founded. The founders, Christina Chang, Fran Lebajo, Sonia Cheung and Jeff Wu, created the group as a way to unify the Duke campus and help culturally integrate the student population through dance. The president of the 2013 team Rebecca Pham says, “DefMo was founded as a way to combat racism, discrimination and cultural isolation.” They serve as Duke’s lead-
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ing multicultural dance group and strive to promote “acceptance, unity and diversity through art.” To accomplish this goal, Defining Movement encompasses many different cultural styles into their choreography. Since the members self-choreograph their performances, the dancers draw inspiration from their personal backgrounds and nationalities. One year, the members of the group included a princess from Nigeria, who choreographed a Nigerian dance routine. DefMo dances in styles originating from all over the globe. From Asia to the Caribbean, India to Africa, DefMo gains inspiration from many different countries, nations and ethnicities for their routines. By incorporating such unique styles into their dances, the student choreographers in the dance group create intricate masterpieces that capture the attention and fascination of the audience. Now in their 12th year of existence, DefMo epitomize the founder’s vision of a diverse dance family, for that is truly what DefMo is:
RIVAL MAGAZINE• VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1
a family. To keep this close family, the rules for the group dictate that DefMo cannot participate in competitions. Pham says, “Even though competitions would be fun, we want to focus more on family and closeness, instead of changing the dynamic by introducing competitiveness. We are a place to bring together family, not be competitive.” Since they are not allowed to compete, Defining Movement only dance in four events a year, including Duke’s Homecoming and DefMo’s Spring Showcase. Pham’s favorite event is Homecoming because “it is intimate, personal, upclose and energetic.” In addition to these events, the group hosts lessons and workshops throughout the year. In fact, they co-hosted a workshop this year with the Tar Heel dance group Kamikazi where they took turns teaching the participants different routines and dance moves. After graduation, many of Defining Movement’s dancers continue to dance as part of the group. Several alumni live in New York, so they regularly come together for Continuing Movement, or CoMo, workshops to reconnect and express their passion for dance. Some alumni, like Sarah McCaffery, are even dancing professionally. The class of 2013 graduate has danced for Alvin Ailey and is currently working for the Dance Theatre of Harlem. McCaffery was even a back-up dancer for Nelly. Truly, Defining Movement is a family of exemplary dancers who are filled with the passion and dedication to promoting diversity through dance. As the group continues to higher and higher grounds, they spread their message of unification and multiculturalism.
UNC Pregame: Kamikazi
By Erin Colstand, UNC-CH Design by Elise Bruguera, Duke UNC’s hip-hop dance team, Kamikazi, show what they’ve got in SASB plaza.
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amikazi, named after the Japanese word for “divine wind”, serves as a breath of fresh air in the college dance world because of their ingenious and creative dance routines. Founded in 1996 by Chi Dang, the group was the first coed dance squad on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since the creation of the team, Kamikazi have grown into a perennial powerhouse dance team, consistently ranking high at dance competitions, and blowing away the audience with their diverse and imaginative dance routines. Kamikazi incorporates a wide variety of dance styles into their choreography, from hip-hop to jazz to breakdancing. Since the group comes up with their own choreography, the moves express the group’s individual personalities and add an extra sense of fun and enjoyment. “I choreograph by listening to the music a lot before even starting to dance,” says Charles Realubit, Kamikazi’s secretary and treasurer. “I make sure that I know all the beats, sounds and words my body wants to move to. After listening,
Photo courtesy of UNC Kamikazi)
I will freestyle to a song until I find moves that stick.” These free-flowing and expressive movements add dimension to the modern music. With the synchronized actions and smooth transitions, Kamikazi consistently dazzles the captivated audience. Throughout the year, Kamikazi puts on about fifteen to seventeen performances, from small shows to large showcases. In addition to these performances, the group hosts workshops that are available to the community. Some of these workshops are put on through collaborations with other universities. Realubit says, “We’ve worked with Duke’s DefMo, as well as other universities in North Carolina and Virginia,” Realubit says. One of the major components of Kamikazi’s reputation comes from how they excel at competitions. Over the past few years, Kamikazi has won first place in multiple competitions. “We have won 3rd place in Prelude Carolinas the past two years and we won 2nd place in Talent for Education last semester,” Realubit says. For the future, the group
hopes to improve even more and rank first once again. However, Kamikazi is about more than competition and winning trophies. For these dedicated dancers, the ultimate goal is to express their passion and zeal for their craft. “At the end of the day, everything that our team does is inspired by our love for dancing,” Realubit says. “We put hours into choreographing, blocking, rehearsing, and performing for the huge satisfaction we get after giving 100% at a show. We all come from different dance backgrounds and styles, and we want to be able to share our craft with people in the community.” The accolades that Kamikazi has received over the years mean little when compared with the rush the dancers receive from perfecting and expressing their craft. Ultimately, Kamikazi is one of the best dance groups on the Tar Heel campus, and some of the Kamikazi alumni have even gone on to dance professionally in cities like Los Angeles. But, Kamikazi is more than that: it’s a group of passionate dancers dedicated to each other and perfecting their dance skills.
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By Jessica Lee Photos by Elle Wilson, Duke, David Haring, Duke, and Kate Schneider, UNC-CH Design by Jessica Lee
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Photo credit David Haring, Duke The Brannon lab is conducting a cognitive study involving lemur participants. (By Elle Wilson, Duke)
DUKE
In 2012, Duke’s Professor Roberto Cabeza published the differences between the brain hemispheres of older and younger adults. He discovered that as adults age, frontal lobe functioning declines. University students’ prefrontal cortexes are at the optimal level before functioning declines so make use of your brains now. In 2011, Duke’s Professor Miguel Nicolelis demonstrated that two monkeys were able, through brain activity alone, to move an avatar hand and recognize various textures of virtual objects. If this technology is further developed, paraplegics may acquire robotic exoskeletons, needing only brainpower to move. Although their bodies would still be unable to function on their own, they would be able to experience motion again via neurotechnology. Professor Seok-Yong Lee is the senior author of a Duke research team that discovered in 2012 a way to reduce chemotherapy’s side effects. By determining the structure of a molecule that
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Top V in the past
can carry drugs to cells, they may be able to create more effective drugs that have less negative effects on healthy tissue. In 2013, the director of the Duke University Sleep Clinic, Andrew Krystal, realized that by studying the brain patterns of hibernating lemurs, which are genetically similar to humans, we can discover how to induce hibernation in people. If astronauts need to travel distances in space over several years, hibernation would allow them to reach their destination while alive. Additionally, recovering patients whose bodies need to heal could potentially
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hibernate through that recovery period. In 2013, researchers at Duke Medicine identified a nervous system receptor that could help prevent epilepsy after a prolonged period of seizures—either a single continuous seizure lasting longer than five minutes or recurring seizures without regaining consciousness for more than five minutes in between each. Professor James McNamara authored the findings, which could lead to the prevention of the onset of epilepsy through drug development rather than just managing symptoms, as current epilepsy medication does.
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Photo credit David Haring, Duke The sleep lab is observing how fat-tailed dwarf lemurs hibernate in order to consider the possibility of inducing hibernation in humans. (By Elle Wilson, Duke)
Photo credit David Haring, Duke Graduate Student, Sheena Faherty, monitors a torporing fat-tailed dwarf lemur who can be seen hibernating on her computer screen. (By Elle WIlson, Duke)
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RIVAL MAGAZINE• VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1
Research Discoveries
Yang, social isolation may contribute to chronic inflammation. In 2012, Yang examined biomarkers in blood samples and found elevated levels in people who were socially isolated. These signs of a dysfunctional immune system lead to health problems. In 2008, a biologist died from the Black Plague after autopsying a mountain lion. Afterwards, UNC-CH’s William Goldman discovered that the plague depends on a plasmid to multiply. They are continuing to research how to slow infection so antibiotics will have time to work if people are exposed. In 2012, UNC-CH professors Shu Wen Ng and Barry Popkin discovered that since 1965, the average American’s physical activity has decreased by 32 percent and sedentary behavior has increased by 43 percent. They predicted that by 2020 we won’t expend much more energy during our waking hours than if we slept 24 hours a day.
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UNC
In September 2013, UNC-CH associate professors Mark Zylka and Ben Philpot discovered that topotecan, a chemotherapy drug, can cause autism. Further discoveries may help doctors better medicate expecting mothers. Even if prenatal exposure to topotecan causes autism in only one or two percent of everyone with the disorder, autism, with its countless possible causes, is so complex that
By Kate Schneider, UNC-CH Research done by Zylka and Philpot could help better advise pregnant women about dangerous medications.
more knowledge about the potential effects of topotecan would still be significant in reducing the risk of autism. In 2012, professor Rachel Noble at UNC-CH found a faster method to measure pollution in beach water by detecting DNA. Noble hopes to make the entire test portable in the future, thus allowing it to be performed even faster than its current rate of four hours. According to UNC-CH’s associate professor Yang
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By Kate Schneider, UNC-CH UNC-CH professors and students have been hard at work making research discoveries that could change our lives.
By Kate Schneider, UNC-CH Rachel Noble of UNC-CH determined a faster way to test beach water.
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DUI and CHiPs:
By Rachel Fischell, Duke Design by Elise Bruguera, Duke Photos provided by DUI
The Heart of the College Experience 8
RIVAL MAGAZINE• VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1
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eegan Cotton was spawned from the depths of the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 1993 when the Cocos and Caribbean tectonic plates collided along the coast of Mexico. Legends were told throughout the country of the “Chupacabra” – Spanish for “extremely good-looking Irish boy” – that alarmed the Mexican government. His superpowers were locked away within his body and now Cotton lives his life as an above average teenage boy studying at Duke Uni-
versity. He has joined Duke University Improv with the hopes that they can assist him in regaining his abilities, realizing his full potential, making people laugh and ultimately getting his revenge against the Mexican government. Miles “Fancy Snacks” Bonsignore studies acting and wishes to become a professional waiter, preferably at a place that “sells really good vegan food, but isn’t super douchey.” He likes drinking too much coffee, yelling at everybody, and biking around on his “totally sweet bike.” Furthermore, he has shaken Brian McElhaney’s hand and was once two feet away from Amy Poehler. He is a currently working toward a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Dramatic Art and is a member of the Chapel Hill Players. Can you imagine if these two met? Chupacabra and Fancy Snacks are members of Duke University
Improv (DUI) and the Chapel Hill Players (CHiPs), respectively. DUI and CHiPs are parallel organizations that work to entertain and bring the joy of laughter to their campus communities at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. DUI got its start after an East Campus Extravaganza held in 1996, where each dorm was expected to showcase a talent. In the basement of the Gilbert-Addoms (GA) Dormitory, more commonly known today as GA Down-Under, ten dorm members came together to create a mock a cappella group that would sing parodies of Speak of the Devil and Pitchfork songs. That night, hits like “Breakfast at the Marketplace” won them a pool table for GA. Shortly thereafter, in February of 1997, DUI was born. DUI performs between 30 and 40 shows in a school year with the biggest of them being the cleverly named “Big Show” at the end of the
year. A typical show will include 10-12 short form improv games as well as some long form improv, scripted sketch comedy and videos. DUI has generously donated about $10,000 to the Scott Carter Foundation every year solely from proceeds from shows (although many are free). Throughout its 17 years of existence, DUI has managed to raise over $100,000 on and off Duke’s campus. The members of DUI love their organization and for many it is a defining experience in their Duke careers. Many members find a family in their fellow comedians. “[DUI] has opened me up socially and mentally and has helped me understand who I am and how I relate to others on a personal level,” sophomore Jed Bradshaw says. “The comedic aspect of it is great and is a much-needed creative outlet for me, but nothing at Duke is more important to me than the
DUI performs one of their improv games for a crowd in Page Auditorium.
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people that compose the group and my relationship with them.” Jonathan Wilkins, a senior at Duke, “can’t imagine his life without DUI.” He and another senior, Devon Cottle, claim many of the same sentiments about the friendships they’ve formed through the organization, but add that DUI has also allowed them to gain confidence and useful life skills such as public speaking and thinking on their feet. Cottle knows that regardless of where his post-graduation track takes him, “DUI [will] always be at the heart of [his] college experience.” Not surprisingly, many of the 53 alumni from the iconic Duke organization continue to perform after graduation. Regardless of the career they pursue, they are united by one thing – a passion for making people laugh. Some alumni are members of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, while others are members of the Second City and iO in Chicago, while still others incorporate the skills they developed into their everyday lives. CHiPs, also a student-run organization, was founded in 1995 at UNC-CH and performs sketch comedy in addition to improv. A typical show, quite similar to a DUI show, will consist of short form improv games, written sketches and long form improv montages. One major difference between CHiPs and DUI is that when a potential new member auditions for CHiPs, they are actually auditioning for CHiPs INCs, an incubator improv training program taught by current CHiPs members. Once accepted into the INCs program, students are trained for a semester before they perform in a show at the end of the semester. Students who suc-
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cessfully complete the program can then try out for CHiPs the following semester. Ali Fischer is a Junior Chip as well as the Co-Captain for the INCs. Although she is currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy, she maintains that nothing has affected her life in college as much as CHiPs. Sound familiar? Many of the CHiPs members, like DUI members, have found a family in their improv group. “I believe that the majority of improv is learning to trust your scene partner and thus your group as a whole,” says Fischer. “In improv, you have to put yourself out there and you can’t be afraid to fail miserably.” From these failures, Fischer has gained incredible confidence. CHiPs has also helped her realize the extent of her passion for making others laugh. Like DUI alumni, the alumni of CHiPs also proceed to do incredible and variable things with their lives, while continuing to use the skills they developed through improv. A few alumni work together to produce a YouTube satire show called
“The State of Us”, while others are writing for television and still others are acting in New York or LA. Looking closely at these comedy troupes, it seems as though the members of both organizations gain many of the same skills and share the same amorous sentiments about improv and their respective comedy families. In terms of performances, both groups are incredibly flexible – they perform at venues ranging from shows on stage in front of hundreds of people to birthday parties, fundraisers and various other events with as few as two or three attendees. Members of both groups are drawn to comedy because of the joy it brings to others; the venue is irrelevant as long as they are making people laugh. To be truly funny is no small task, especially on the spot. All of the members of both DUI and CHiPs are incredibly talented individuals who simply love to make others happy. DUI and CHiPs typically put on an annual joint show for prospective Robertson Scholars, but maybe we’ll be lucky enough to see a joint show open to the public in the future.
DUI 2012 poses for a group photo after one of their performances.
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By the Book: Magazine Journalism By Anna Mukamal, Duke Design by Jessica Lee, Duke
In our By the Book section, we compare the syllabi of two similar courses – one from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and one from Duke University. This issue we take a quick at magazine journalism classes at each university.
Duke University
UNC-Chapel Hill
course name:
Magazine Journalism
Magazine Writing & Editing
course number:
PUBPOL 366S (cross-listed as VMS 306S and DOCST 356S)
JOMC 456
professors:
Robert (Bob) Bliwise
Linda C. Brinson, adjunct instructor
offered in spring 2014?
yes
yes
required books:
none
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (a recent edition)
number of quizzes:
0
0
number of exams:
0
0
course grade:
• two stories (profile and trend story), including draft versions – 45 percent (20 percent and 25 percent) • class participation (including group project and peer reviewing) – 35 percent • response papers to magazine stories, magazine anatomy paper, art-observation paper – 20 percent
participation (a large part of grade) • 2 out of class writing assignments • also graded on quality of individual writing and editing • class-wide magazine assignment • articles for iPad and print magazine
attendance policy:
mandatory
mandatory
beyond the classroom:
trip to Nasher Museum of Art for tour and art-observation paper; class-wide magazine development project
producing a class-wide magazine via collaboration with a design class
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SENIORITIS because of hard work, much of my homework now feels like activities set to keep us busy in the evening. s the October flu sweeps its There is nothing more frustrating way across campus, infect- than working yourself to the bone ing professors, students during the day, running between and workers alike with compulsive classes and cramming in meetsneezing and sore throats, I find ings and tutoring sessions, only myself plagued with something to finish the day not in the solace a lot more serious than a disease that your home should be, but in requiring an excessive number of a long-lost corner of the library, tissues. I live in my sweatpants, I facing the wall and banging your drink too much coffee, and I stew head against the table in time with painfully over my papers whilst that incessant humming caused I sit in the corner of my soft, by absolutely nothing, as far as squishy, snuggly, warm, welcomyou can tell. You’d like to think the ing, homey, comfy sofa. I have noise is just your brain panting been struck down by a serious from all its hard work but then you case of Early-Onset-Senioritis. realize you’ve been staring at the Coming off the back of a sumbeige wall for the past 20 minutes mer in the city working a full time and you have a handprint on your internship, senior year feels a little face. Now that you think of it, the like returning to haunt the halls of beige isn’t dissimilar to the color high school after graduation. With- of those irresistible lemon slices in out trying to sound “over it”, I’m, Von Der Heyden cafe, or a weak well, over it. I’m over the formulaic cup of tea, or milky coffee, or red and frustrating French grammar bull… and it’s obviously time for a exercises I put myself through “well-deserved” study break. every day and I’m not interested in Every evening, as I spill Wheat math problems about apples and Thin crumbs on my computer oranges and fast-moving trains. and plan out the next day’s coffee I grind out readings for English schedule, I mull over the weakclasses in which I have a genuine ening effects of senioritis on my interest as though I am reading soul and think how I can’t wait to pages and pages of the small print be a “real person”; a real person of some irrelevant business deal. with a job and an apartment and For many seniors, the most responsibilities more significant paralyzing symptom of senioritis is than remembering to email the irritation. It isn’t that interest in group back about our meeting class topics has waned; it is more time tomorrow. But then, as I try that after a summer of seeing and fail to squash the empty Wheat genuine, physical results play out Thin box into our overflowing bin, By Emmie Le Marchand, Duke Design by Moira Gill, UNC-CH
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Emmie Le Marchand is a Duke senior majoring in Englush with a minor in French. She is a varsity athlete on the Field Hockey team and a native of Worcester, England.
I realize how serious life really gets out there in the real world. I know it is hard to believe that work could possibly be any harder than orgo, or that a commute could be more tedious than the game of sardines that happens on the buses between East and West Campuses, but really, it is. A wrong turn out there in the real world will make conditions a lot more severe than a poor architectural structure in K-Ville during tenting season. So maybe being a student isn’t too bad, after all? Senior year is a hill, but one just steep enough to restrict the view of the working road ahead. It’s all uphill from here. Senior year, then: party hard, enjoy the lemon slices and keep jumping through those hoops. And the decision for what to do after college, well, I might have just put more thought into that than whether the walk to Twinnies is worth that extra-large cup of Starbucks coffee.
"Nos Vemos" [a farewell] By Caroline Leland, UNC-CH Design by Moira Gill, UNC-CH
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y favorite phrase that I learned in Argentina this summer was “nos vemos” — a standard farewell that basically means the same as the American expression “see ya.” The American version is short for “I will see you later.” But the Spanish version, translated literally, means “we see each other.” We see each other. Present tense. Reciprocative. We see each other now. Maybe it extends to, we see each other always. It means that we part on the same level. We part, seeing each other the same way. I think we all need more of this. America needs Argentina’s “nos vemos.” What do you see when you look at someone? You might see a bus driver, a professor, a punk kid, a waitress. But how often do you really see a person? I remember being surprised once, at the beginning of my sophomore year at UNC, when a dining hall employee sat down at my table and told me her story. She was an incredibly strong woman who had left her abusive husband and spent the last three years living in a homeless shelter, fighting for custody of her children. Thinking about her later, I hated how surprised I had been to hear her story. I had glanced at that woman and immediately, subconsciously, wrote her off as insignificant to my life. Whether I judged her for her standard food services uniform or because her skin was darker than mine, I saw that woman as unimportant to me and
I looked through her almost as if she didn’t even exist. I hadn’t really seen her at all. She saw me; she sat down and talked to me personally and openly and honestly. But I hadn’t seen see her. At first glance, there wasn’t reciprocity in our brief relationship. It takes stories for people to truly see each other. I didn’t see that woman in the dining hall until she told me her story and reminded me of the vulnerable, beautiful, vibrant humanity that we all share. We all share it, but when do we take the time to recognize it? And what about when we’re not looking at people but problems? What about when we see images of starving children, when we look at videos of natural disasters, when we read about stranded refugees from bloody warfare? What about when we see injustice? Somehow we convince ourselves that if we look away, we don’t have to deal with it. Ignoring it makes it less real. Out of sight, out of mind — right? I know it exists, and I know that I have the power to make change, yet I focus on myself and my own privileged life instead. And people around me affirm that. I’m a go-getter, they tell me. I’m driven; I’m ambitious. And they celebrate my selfishness. But what is it worth, if all I’m doing is promoting myself and my own insignificant life? It’s too easy to carry on with my passive pursuit of a distorted definition of success. Broken people and broken families and broken societies are all so
UNC junior Caroline Leland is a journalism major who has written for Rival since the beginning of her freshman year.
shockingly easy to ignore. But how can we? How can we live our daily lives ignoring the people and the injustices around us? How is that okay? This isn’t just about about power and privilege. It’s about any two people. Classmates. Fraternity brothers. Rivals at a UNC-Duke basketball game. People are people are people. I wish I did a better job of respecting that. I wish my automatic, subconscious reaction to a glance at someone was not casual disregard but instead genuine compassion. I wish my first thought was to wonder, “What’s their story?” Who is that, who loves her, what bruises is he hiding, what secrets is her smile hiding? I don’t know what people see when they look at me. I can’t know, because I am limited to my own narrow scope on life. But I can direct that scope to shape the way I see other people. When you make eye contact by chance with someone on the street, you can’t know if they see you. But only you can control whether you see them. Nos vemos.
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FACs and OLs:
Photo credit UNC “Carolina Kickoff” A Carolina Kickoff counselor holds a sign outside the Campus Y as first-year students begin to arrive at UNC-Chapel Hill. (By Catalina Villegas, Duke)
Orientation Programs at Duke and UNC-CH
By Kristen Shortley, Duke Design by Jessica Lee, Duke Photos by Catalina Villegas, Duke, UNC “Carolina Kickoff,” and Duke Photo
Nothing is as defining of a moment for freshmen at Duke Uni-
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versity and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as their first steps onto campus for orientation. Up until that point, college wasn’t a reality. Prom pictures had been posted to Facebook, gradua-
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tion had come and gone, and the football fields were left with an eerie feeling of nostalgia. College, although imminent, always seemed like something far in the future. But on this day, college hits like
Photo credit Duke Photo Gilbert Addoms’ FACs jumping in joy as they welcome the Duke Class of 2017 on move-in day. (By Catalina Villegas, Duke)
a brick wall. One might say these “kids” are being thrown to the sharks – completely uprooted and left to their own devices. Some freshmen are eager to shoo their family away and get down to social business, while others linger in this defining moment that transitions from childhood to adulthood. Either way, they are not alone. In the car ride over to Duke’s campus, anxiety and excitement are common feelings. Freshmen make nervous small talk with their parents in a failed attempt to make the day seem like any other. However, all of this ceases for a brief moment when the car pulls around to their new home and is greeted by a mob of upperclassmen in brightly colored shirts cheering their lungs out like their lives depended on it. Suddenly they surround the car asking for the student’s room number and before one can say “Class of 2017,” everything that took over an hour to arrange in the car is in these strangers’ arms and being carried off to their new home. Official-looking individuals urge the student out of the car to get room keys. Parents
reminds me every day why I am proud to be a Blue Devil.” The praise for FACs does not end there. “These students embody the best of the leadership qualities and dedicated spirit of Duke students,” Maddie Jothimurugesan of Duke’s New Student Programs says. “They are constantly energized and enthusiastic.” These FACs assist with navigating the freshman experience during orientation week, which takes place immediately before classes start. The timing of this debacle is due to simple statistics – 85% of students come from look around in amazed confusion, outside of North Carolina, from coast to coast and even over seas. suddenly childless and left with According to Dr. Larry Moneta, an empty car. When parents dare Vice President for Student Affairs lift a finger for those few lingering bags left hidden at their feet, these at Duke, it would be impractical to cheerleaders, sweating in the thick it would be impractical to ask that these students travel to visit for North Carolina summer heat, are only a few days in order to comquick to say, “Don’t worry about taking that, we’ve got it.” Under any plete orientation. First-Year Counselors underother circumstances, it would have been hard to believe this statement, go an application process in late March and receive a decision in but something about their smiles April that notifies them of the oozed sincerity and reassurance. dorm they will be advising for. It was evident that they loved their school, and if they loved it so FACs move into their residences for the year about five days before much, the freshmen were reasfreshmen move in, where they sured that they would too. undergo intense training for about These crazy individuals are eight hours a day until the new stuknown to Duke students and faculty as FACs – First-Year Advisory dents arrive. Head FACs, advisors who have counselors. Valentine Esposito, one already had at least a year’s experiof the two FAC Board Co-Chairs ence in the program, teach via the for the 2013-2014 school year, “FAC Pack” on how to facilitate remarks, “The FAC Program is everything that I love about Duke. conversations and discussions, become up-to-date on resourcThe passion the FACs bring to the es available on campus, how to program, the abundance of Duke handle certain personalities, and pride, and the peer support nethow to be a friend to the freshmen work that we create is incredibly without overstepping boundaries. special in my eyes. I realize as CoOnce this training is over, FACs are Chair of the program I may be a awarded with a colorful T-shirt in little biased, but the FAC Program
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a rainbow spectrum of shades, one color per dorm. At this point, they are finally ready to receive their own personal group of about six to eight first-years. On the flip side, UNC–Chapel Hill has Orientation Leaders (OLs) to assist with the smooth transition into college. UNC-CH specifies that OLs assist with First Year, Transfer and Parent/Family Orientation. They also participate in the Week of Welcome activities as well as Family Weekend. These students offer words of advice on the community, peers, faculty and “what it means to live and learn in the diverse Carolina community.” Hannah Fussel, a former Orientation Leader claims that the OL program “was the best thing [she’s] ever done in [her] experience at Carolina thus far.” “It gets them in gear: they are reminded to read the summer reading book, they register their classes, they learn the ways of Carolina and they make lasting friendships that make [them] feel good about the big year ahead,” says Fussel. OLs, standing in two lines with arms outstretched to create an arch, are eager to get the students out of the car and shoo the parents
Photo credit Duke Photo Kenai McFadden, head FAC of Jarvis Dorm, happily juggles quite a luggage for a fellow Dukie. (By Catalina Villegas, Duke)
away to start this new chapter. Like Duke’s FAC Program, the training for Orientation Leaders is similarly intense and involved. These leaders are admitted to the program in December and starting in the spring semester undergo weekly training sessions, then a workshop over Spring Break, later a leader retreat and finally two more weeks of training at the start of the summer. Once they have completed this training, they are officially ready to start the program and don their polo and
Photo credit UNC “Carolina Kickoff” Counselors from Carolina Kickoff pose in their costumes at the Old Well before first-year students begin arriving at UNC-Chapel Hill. (By Catalina Villegas, Duke)
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nametag for the freshmen. “There were many early mornings and many long days, but it was great to work with so many people that were enthusiastic, encouraging and friendly,” says Kenny Kang, a former Orientation Leader. “The team was a family.” UNC-CH orientation takes place during 15 different sessions during the summer over a two-day, onenight period, where the groups of 20 rising freshmen and their Orientation Leader all reside in the same dorm. Kang attributes this to practical reasons – with about 4,000 entering freshmen each year, it is easier to split them up rather than use up more housing and hire more leaders. Whether it is at UNC-CH or Duke, whether it is Orientation Leaders or First-Year Advisors, these incoming students are privileged to have mentors guide them through this defining time in their lives. At a time when everything seems foreign, it is a comfort to freshmen to recognize a friendly face and have an experienced student nudge them towards success.
Going
Greek
UNC-Chapel Hill sororities and fraternities have off-campus houses that provide select members with a place to live, and a place for the entire group to congregate.
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By Anna Mukamal, Duke Photos by Kate Schneider, UNC-CH Design by Moira Gill, UNC-CH
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here is no statement truer than this one: college is replete with choices. In the academic world alone, students at Duke University study topics ranging from Earth and Ocean Sciences to Romance Studies. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, undergraduates can major in any subject from Dramatic Art to Management and Society. Possibilities abound in the classroom, but this is not to mention the plethora of organizations and extracurricular clubs pursued tirelessly by students at both universities. With all these options from which to choose, it’s overwhelming—if not terrifying— for freshmen to find their niche on campus. The truth is that sophomores, juniors and seniors appear self-assured, confident and poised to tackle ceaseless challenges. For a sizeable portion of the student bodies at Duke and UNC-CH, Greek life fosters this sense of security. Duke has 41 sorority and fraternity chapters, while UNCCH has 56. The Greek system appeals to many freshmen because of the vibrant sense of community these chapters offer students at Duke and UNC-CH. “It’s one way to break down a big school,” UNC-CH freshman Ali Alford explains. “I was looking for a good way to meet people, especially older girls, and I think being in Chi Omega will add consistency over four years to my life here.” While Alford has always been interested in joining the Greek
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scene in college, it was “never an obsession” for her. She reflects on the hidden fact that not everyone has a clear-cut plan for college from the get-go. However, like UNC-CH senior Eric Kline of Zeta Psi Fraternity, some students have been dead-set since high school on going Greek. “I related to people in fraternities and joining a fraternity was always the plan,” he says. Meanwhile, Alford admits that she “still feel[s] a little nervous about her decision to rush,” which derives mainly from the rounds and rounds of conversations of varying lengths that made the process of joining Chi Omega less than a month ago so hectic. The frenzy also has to do with the timeline of the rush process. While Duke rush occurs after winter break, rushing at UNC-CH takes place in the first semester every year. Many students at Duke and UNC-CH alike find the process not only time-consuming, but also mentally exhausting. “It was definitely hard, because we’d only been here for about a week when it was time to get started,” Alford explains. “It’s really overwhelming because it takes a lot of time on top of schoolwork.” Yet Alford also cites a huge positive aspect of the early rush period at UNC-CH. “Some of my friends at other schools are still fumbling with making friends, but Chi Omega has already helped me with that. So that’s a real benefit,” she says. “A good compromise between the Duke and UNC-CH system could be reached if rushing happened later in the first semester at UNC-CH,” Alford proposes.
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Flora Muglia, a senior and the Executive Vice President of the Panhellenic Association at Duke, feels that the second semester rush policy is a positive aspect of Duke’s Greek system. “It allowed me to establish a Duke identity outside of my sorority,” she says. “I had more confidence going into recruitment because of that.” Nick Strelke, a Duke junior and the president of Chi Psi fraternity, echoed Muglia’s sentiments. He thinks the second semester rush period at Duke is a benefit since “it shows freshmen there’s no harm in rushing, because you don’t have to commit.” He recalls feeling more comfortable in the process because he already had a group of friends from outside the Greek world. Strelke also emphasizes the Greek system’s role in establishing his network of Duke friends. “I had no intentions of joining a fraternity when I came to college,” he says. “But when I went to the open house at Chi Psi, I realized it was a group of people I really enjoyed hanging out with and wanted to live with.” A native of the distant state of Texas, Strelke was looking for a home away from home. Here lies another structural difference in the Greek system at Duke and UNC-CH: select members from Duke sororities and fraternities live in sections of dorms on West and Central campuses, while select members from UNC-CH sororities and fraternities live in off-campus houses. “I go back and forth on whether or not I like the idea of living on campus or having an off-campus house,” Strelke says. “I think the
A few of the Chi Omega sisters sit down to enjoy dinner together, offering time to bond and build a smaller community within UNC.
immersion with Duke students keeps the Greek community as a part of campus. It helps us to introduce ourselves to people who wouldn’t normally meet us so we’re not as exclusive.” Exclusivity is a common complaint that non-Greek students have about the rush system. “I think the selection process is stressful on both sides,” Alford says. “You feel like you need to impress people, and on the other end, the leaders want to choose girls who will best represent their sorority. That’s where a lot of the exclusivity stigma comes from.” Even so, most sorority sisters and fraternity brothers at UNCCH and Duke feel that stigmas and stereotypes of the Greek community are unwarranted. Greek students on both campuses belong to groups centered on community service and social events. There are
sororities and fraternities focused on all types of initiatives including professions, religion and culture. “Our sorority is a huge supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Alford says. “Last year, Chi Omega raised enough money to send a girl to Disney world, and the sisters invited her to our house to have a princess-themed party.” Most sororities’ and fraternities’ philanthropic events are simultaneously social in nature, so their purpose is not only to build community on the campuses of Duke and UNC-CH, but also to contribute to communities off campus through involvement in nonprofit organizations or local associations. Kline says he wouldn’t change anything about the Greek system at UNC-CH or about Zeta Psi. It is for this reason that he is currently brainstorming ways to combat the “negative stigma amongst non-
Greeks.” Alford agrees, explaining that it’s necessary to be wary of “certain instances and one-time events that can give the whole sorority or the whole Greek system a bad name.” “In Chi Omega, there’s a huge focus on being a well-rounded community member,” Alford says. She believes there are a lot of stereotypes about Greek life, such as the claim that all sorority girls fit into a certain cookie cutter category. “My Chi Omega sisters form such an eclectic group of girls, so this is obviously a misconception,” she says. Muglia cites another reason why stereotyping sorority girls is unfounded. “These are some of the strongest and smartest women on campus,” she claims. “Among Duke sororities, there’s no average GPA under 3.5, while most are in the 3.6-3.7 range.”
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“Greek life gets a lot of criticism, and I want to help improve its reputation to make it a more welcoming community” Going Greek doesn’t preclude Duke or UNC-CH students from pursuing other interests on campus, from achieving academic goals or from seeking membership in a variety of nonGreek groups. “Sorority life can be everything you do in college, or it can just be one aspect,” Alford says. “I definitely want to be more multifaceted and contribute positively to the sorority scene at UNC-CH.” Muglia also has ambitious goals for her impact as part of the Duke Panhellenic Association. “Greek life gets a lot of criticism, and I want to help improve its reputation to make it a more welcoming community for all who are involved in it,” she says. One of Strelke’s long-term objectives in leading Chi Psi at Duke parallels Muglia’s spirit. He wants to show “what fraternities are meant to be and what they are.” “Because of the stereotypes of fraternities, a lot of potential brothers don’t realize they’re missing out on us,” Strelke says. “Unlike most people would think, my job
as President is to help our members learn things you can’t learn in the classroom, such as how to handle yourself in a social atmosphere.” One way Chi Psi accomplishes this is through its faculty dessert night. Professors are invited into the dorm section to enjoy desserts and hors d’oeuvres prepared by the brothers. “It’s very classy,” Strelke says. However, Strelke was forthright in admitting that everything isn’t always harmonious. “We have unifying interests (a desire to reverse stereotypes, a desire to cultivate ourcommunication skills and a desire to develop a brotherhood), but the diversity of the brothers inevitably creates friction sometimes,” Strelke says. Yet Kline captures the essence of what brings a diverse group of brothers together: “pure brotherhood, which is basically what we thrive on in Zeta Psi.” Kline fondly describes recent brotherhood bonding events such as tailgating with local alumni at the Zeta Psi fraternity house
The sororities and fraternities at Duke are incorporated in the dorms, breaking down barriers between Greek and non-Greek students.
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and watching a big boxing match together. “We have a chef, Lenny, who cooks meals throughout the week which all the brothers enjoy at the house,” Kline says. “The house is kind of the center of the universe—a defining symbol for our fraternity.” While the house is really only home to about 17 sophomore brothers each year (“it’s a lot like Duke’s model in that regard, with people more spread out,” Kline says), it is where all the fraternity’s social events are held. “Chi Psi doesn’t have a chef,” Strelke says of his parallel Duke fraternity dining experience. “But we frequently eat together in smaller groups. That way, I have different conversations with different brothers on different days.” It’s a chance to get to know people on a deeper level, and to maintain those connections over time. For Strelke and Muglia at Duke as well as Alford and Kline at UNC-CH, Greek life is all about building community. Going Greek is one way to find a niche in a large student body, and these students can attest to the pros and cons of their system. It’s safe to say that their memberships in sororities and fraternities add substantially to their college experience. Strelke makes this point very well when he says, “The best part of Chi Psi is the relationships I’ve built that will last beyond college.” Students at both Duke and UNC-CH feel that the Greek community is a vital part of their respective campus. It’s the excitement of finding your group—be it during the fall or the spring semester. It’s the memories made while living together—be it in a house or in section. It’s all part of going Greek.
Going PRO By Jake Klein, Duke Design by Elise Bruguera, Duke
By Duke Photography Wide receiver Connor Vernon, now an Oakland Raider tries to shake a defender in a game against Virginia.
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ith the first issue of the 20132014 academic year, Rival Magazine selects to look at how athletes from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill fared in the summer’s amateur drafts. As usual, a new generation of Blue Devil and Tar Heel basketball players has been added to NBA rosters. However, this year’s sleeper picks were the football and baseball players, who might have actually outperformed their basketball brethren. Football In the weeks leading up to the NFL draft, three players from UNCCH were graded as potential firstround picks. One of them, Jonathan Cooper, was invited to the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, almost guaranteeing he would be off the board in the first-round. Cooper, a senior offensive guard ranked by draft expert Mel Kiper as the top player at his position, and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, a junior, were selected with the 7th and 28th picks, by the Arizona Car-
dinals and Denver Broncos, respectively. The third prospect, redshirt sophomore running back Giovani Bernard, was taken with the fifth pick of the second-round (37th overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals. Two Tar Heels hadn’t been taken in the first-round of the NFL draft since 2002, when defensive linemen Julius Peppers and Ryan Simms went off the board in the first ten picks. This was only the third summer in that span in which UNC-CH produced more first round football players than basketball players. In total, NFL teams drafted five Tar Heels: Cooper, Williams, Bernard and offensive linemen Travis Bond and Brennan Williams, who went to The Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans, respectively. Additionally, seniors Erik Highsmith (Minnesota) and Kevin Reddick (New Orleans Saints) were signed as undrafted free agents. The 2013 draft was historic for Duke as well. Between seniors Sean Renfree and Conner Vernon (the ACCs’ all-time leading receiver)
odds were high that Duke would have two NFL draft picks for the first time since 1996. However, only Renfree was drafted, going in the seventh-round to the Atlanta Falcons. The quarterback was the first Blue Devil drafted since 2004, when the New York Giants selected offensive tackle Drew Strojny, also in the seventh round. Renfree was also the first Duke quarterback drafted in over 20 years, the last being Dave Brown, who was also picked by the G-Men in 1992. Vernon signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent, but was cut at the end of the preseason. He has yet to find a team.
By Aleise Preslar Now a Cincinnati Bengal, Gio Bernard accepts the CFPA Punt Returner Trophy for the 2012 season at the 2013 UNC spring football game.
Baseball 2013 was also a good year for Tar Heel baseball players. After being named a finalist for the Golden Spikes award for best amateur baseball player in the United States, junior third baseman Colin Moran, was drafted sixth overall by the Miami Marlins. Moran joined the likes of Matt Harvey, Dustin Ackley, Brian Roberts, and the 13 other Tar Heels to be drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball
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Basketball Duke and UNC-CH alumni being drafted to the NBA is nothing new. In total, over 180 members of the Duke and UNC-CH basketball teams have now been drafted, including a Major League Baseball MVP, Dick By Aleise Preslar Groat, and a Pro Bowl Bullock, now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, defensive lineman, Ju- Reggie attempts a jump shot against Shaw. lius Peppers. Duke senior big men Mason Plumlee (22nd pick) and Ryan Kelly (48th overall) were selected by the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. Junior wing Reggie Bullock (25th pick) of UNC-CH was fittingly drafted by the Lakers’ cross town rivals, the Clippers. It was the third time since the 2006 implementation of the infamous “one-and-done” rule, which made high school players ineligible for the NBA draft, that more Blue Devils were drafted than Tar Heels. By Dave Bradley In that span, UNC-CH The Brooklyn Nets gained Mason Plumlee, has had more players who is seen here dunking the ball. drafted than Duke four Wrap Up It was a busy summer for Duke times, and only once has neither school yielded a and UNC-CH athletes. Blue Devils and Tar Heels left the Triangle for draft pick. The third member cities from New York to Los Angeof Duke’s talented trio les and Miami to Milwaukee. Two By Aleise Preslar of seniors, Seth Curry, athletes, Strickland and Frank, who Colin Moran, now a Miami Marlin, goes up to bat against St. joined his older brother was drafted by the Toronto Blue Johns. Stephen on the Gold- Jays, left the country all together. A year after Marcus Stroman be- en State Warriors after previously The Jays, the Falcons, and two difcame the first Duke baseball player going undrafted. UNC-CH senior ferent Cardinals each added a Blue selected in the first round, no Blue Dexter Strickland was on the Port- Devil or Tar Heel this draft season. Devils were selected in this past land Trailblazers’ Las Vegas Sum- And somewhere in between all of year’s draft. However, former Blue mer League roster but didn’t earn this, a two decade long drought was Devil first baseman Nate Freiman a spot on the team. He is currently snapped. As usual, a new wave of had a respectable rookie season playing basketball overseas with SO athletic talent has moved on from with the Oakland Athletics, making Maritime Boulogne of the second Duke and UNC-CH. They just their postseason roster. tier of France’s Le Ligue Nationale. didn’t all go to the NBA. amateur draft. In total, UNC-CH had six players drafted this summer: Moran, along with fellow juniors Kent Emanuel (pitcher), Brian Holberton (catcher), and Hobbs Johnson (pitcher), as well as seniors Cody Stubbs (first baseman) and Chaz Frank (centerfielder). The Tar Heels lost a lot of their offensive production. Moran led the team in home runs and RBI’s, Stubbs was their leading hitter, and Frank was the team’s top base stealer. Last year, the departing players combined to hit 34 of the team’s 49 home runs. On top of that, Emanuel and Johnson were valuable members of the weekend rotation. UNC-CH also lost left-handed pitching recruit Rob Kaminsky, who was a first round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Another recruit, right-handed pitcher AJ Bogucki, was drafted in the 31st round by Minnesota, but opted to honor his commitment to UNC-CH instead of signing with the club.
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Athlete's
Corner By Ryan Hoerger, Duke Design by Moira Gill, UNC-CH
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elcome to the new ACC. With the additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame (with the excepion of Irish football), the conference has taken dramatic steps to secure its place as one of the nation’s premiere athletic conferences moving forward. And the competitiveness of the conference may only improve. Maryland’s departure to the Big Ten means a lot of valuable conference history will go by the wayside. But the ACC is replacing the Terps with Louisville in 2014, which many consider to be a marked improvement. In the 2012-13 academic year, the Cardinals won the Sugar Bowl and the men’s basketball national title, advanced to the women’s basketball Final Four and made baseball’s College World Series. Not a bad replacement. Let’s take a look at how the arrival of the Panthers, Orange and Irish will impact the ACC landscape: Football: Syracuse has been to bowl games in two of the past three years and won both of them, while Pitt has been to five consecutive bowl games. They may not be the perennial powerhouses of college
football, but the Orange (win-loss so far in the ACC) and the Panthers (win-loss so far in the ACC) will certainly bolster the middle of a conference that has a tendency to be top-heavy. Notre Dame football remains independent of the ACC, because the Irish have their own TV deal. However, Notre Dame will now be required to play a greater number of ACC opponents year after year. This is beneficial for the conference because when you play Notre Dame, you get two things: national exposure (when is Notre Dame not on either NBC, ESPN or ABC?) and an excellent resume-building opportunity. The Irish were national runner-ups in 2013, and are consistent contenders on the national stage. Basketball: Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame were three of the Big East’s power schools, and will fit right in to a basketball-crazy conference. Syracuse’s Carrier Dome can fit upwards of 35,000 fans for basketball, which could threaten Duke and UNC-CH for the ACC’s best in-game atmosphere. When Louisville joins next season, the ACC will have Krzyzewski, Williams, Boeheim and Pitino pacing the sidelines on a nightly basis (that’s 3,204 wins, 29 Final Four appearances and nine national championships between them). Pittsburgh and Notre Dame boast storied basketball histories as well, but the addition of Syracuse looms largest, and not just because the Orange advanced to the Final Four last season. Tapping into the New York market means the ACC could steal a primetime location for the ACC Tournament in a few years. The Greensboro Coliseum will host the tournament for the
next two seasons, but could a 2016 ACC Tournament at Madison Square Garden be in the cards? The Big East has effectively dissolved, and many of its successful programs have joined other leagues. New York commands a primetime spectacle and the ACC could provide just that. Women’s Basketball: Adding Notre Dame to the fold means another perennial title contender will join Duke and UNC-CH in the conference. Even though the ACC will miss an always-talented Maryland program, the loss will be offset by the addition of the Irish this season and the Cardinals in 2014, together comprising half of the 2013 Final Four. Lacrosse: Duke already has a budding rivalry with Syracuse – the Blue Devils defeated the Orange to win last year’s national championship, and both Duke and UNC-CH have played both the Orange and the Irish as non-conference opponents in recent years. Pittsburgh does not field a lacrosse team. Expansion has diversified the geography of the ACC as well. While this gives the conference the opportunity to extend its reach into new states, it also complicates the travel schedule. The ACC is no stranger to this phenomenon – it added Boston College and the University of Miami at the extreme north and south of the eastern seaboard – but adjusting may take some trial and error, especially for non-revenue sports. Through conference realignment, the ACC solidified its membership, and fans up and down the Atlantic coast will now reap the rewards of a talented, much-improved conference in sports across the spectrum.
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I
remember my senior year being stressful: the classes, the preparation for the ever-approaching Life After College, the push to do my college “lasts” in style. I remember it being fun: the parties, the new (and old) friends, the general 21-year-old freedom. But most distinctly, I remember feeling restless: tired of the same meaningless drama, exhausted from the rat-race and practically disgusted with what I deemed as “the shortcomings” of my peers. In a reality that I never anticipated, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University were no longer what I needed. I wanted to feel a twinge of sadness when I left Perkins Library at Duke for the last time in early May, but if I did, I couldn’t tell. I wanted to be nostalgic as I ate my all-time-favorite chicken Parmesan sandwich from Artichoke and Basil on Franklin Street before I graduated, but I was mostly appreciating the fact that it was my first real meal after a week of exam hell. (I would have felt the same if I had been at Panda Express.) What I dared not utter to my fellow seniors, who avoided the topic of post-grad life as if it were the plague, was that despite my truly amazing time as an in-betweener at Duke and UNC-CH, I was disenchanted. Broken. And ready to be alone. Almost uncontrollably drawing away from friends and family, it hit me how easy college was. Everything is manageable- no matter the degree of incredible stress in certain moments, the deadline passes. The semester finishes. There is always an end in sight. Plus, college is a catchall
“safe zone”. It’s saturated with the experiential mentality that morals don’t matter, allowing the denial of any responsibility of questionable (or outright terrible) decisions while simultaneously undermining the good ones because of the wide girth of the safety net. To say college was easy doesn’t mean I didn’t work hard, because I did. I sacrificed my social life and some friendships to maintain excellence in my classes, academic hobbies and jobs. But all of the
To be
campuses. I wanted to be self-sufficient. I wanted my life to be hard. So, I moved to Santiago, Chile. I became an island. I’m spending this year as an au pair for three lovely girls, ages 6, 4 and 2. I didn’t know the family I’m working for before I came here (I had only met them once before), I’d never been to South America, I don’t know Spanish and almost two months in, I haven’t met anyone my age. I’m a loner, for the long term, and it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But for the first time in a long time, I’m able to focus on myself without a mountain of academic or other resume-building responsibilities. Without the clutter of my life in the U.S. or the judgment of friends, I am purposeful in thinking and determining my goals for the future and what I want from life. In essential isolation, I’ve had the time to come to peace with my past decisions and articulate the lessons I learned from broken hearts, personal failures and mastered challenges. And I’m starting to define for myself what joy is, what strength is and what my standards for myself actually are. I think it’s in solitude where we grow the most, where we find that missing link that makes everything make sense. When we have no one to face but ourselves, no lies that can fool anyone, clarity slowly sets in. Being an island can be excruciatingly lonely at times, but the return may be well worth it. The best thing we can do for our future selves is to work and demand excellence from our present selves.
an island [by allie barnes]
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things I did I was already good at- I had, for years, already been deemed talented as a student, as a journalist, as a babysitter. And while I undeniably improved in those areas, I’m not sure I ever focused my efforts on something that I didn’t already have a natural predisposition for. I knew my next step in life had to be by myself. I didn’t want to do a program, like Teach for America or the Peace Corps, where there is already a curriculum, a set program, a higher power that does the difficult legwork. I didn’t want to go to a place where I had the luxury of already knowing people, like I did the first moments I stepped onto both UNC-CH’s and Duke’s
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Out of the Blue
Beatrice Pepera
Beatrice Pepera has taken no time leaping into campus life. A 19-year-old freshman from Ghana, Pepera is used to taking risks. In the first few weeks of school she earned a spot on one of Duke’s all female a cappella groups, Lady Blue. But that’s not all - between studying and practices, she has also managed to rush Scale and Coin, a selective business organization. Balance is nothing new for Pepera who left Ghana to attend an all-girls high school in England where she had to juggle studies, long-distance family relationships and extracurricular activites. Her philosophy is to try out anything she might like and “if you love it, you will make it work.” At Duke she is ready to take on a full schedule and pursue a major in electrical and computer engineering, all while retaining her close ties to her roots in Ghana. By Sarah Houck, Duke (photo self-submitted)
Meredith Reynolds
UNC-CH senior Meredith Reynolds is often found at UNC-CH’s Campus Recreation Center leading a class of 60-100 in a cardio dance fitness class called Zumba. This Business Administration major from Charlotte has taught for four years to become the longest tenured instructor at UNC-CH. “I like to help people… Zumba allows me to keep people healthy,” Reynolds says. Why Zumba and not Crossfit? “Dance is better. It takes your mind off the actual work because it’s fun,” she says. Despite Zumba’s Latin roots, Reynolds uses hip-hop to appeal to UNC-CH’s younger demographic. After visiting Italy freshman year, she solidified her desire to double minor in Spanish for the Professions and Italian to eventually work internationally. However, this charismatic bella isn’t a lackadaisical tourist. “I’m a business student. I like math, I like numbers, I like money…I want to work for a company that’s expanding internationally and use my language skills in the future,” Reynolds says. By Eric Kline, UNC-CH
Mary Alice McMillan
Mary Alice McMillan, a junior majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications at UNC-Chapel Hill, has truly given back to her Carolina community. She has spent the past two summers devoting her time to supporting members of the western North Carolina community through her work with Cross Carolina Connection. As a camp counselor, McMillan empowers children to provide free home repairs to those who can’t afford them. She not only designs projects behind the scenes, but also works on site with the campers on projects such as building wheelchair ramps. When she’s not getting her hands dirty, McMillan also performs with and conducts UNC-CH’s oldest co-ed a capella group, the Tar Heel Voices. By Kate Schneider, UNC-CH (photo self-submitted)
Anthony Alvernaz
Anthony Alvernaz may only a freshman at Duke, but many of his accomplishments seem worthy of someone much older. Alvernaz, a self-taught computer programmer, is currently working towards a degree in computer science. A native of Silicon Valley, California, it was difficult for him to not be involved in the burgeoning technology community there. During high school, Alvernaz began several marginally successful start-up companies in addition to snagging a position at Google in software development and beta testing. You might recognize Alvernaz around campus by his distinctive Google Glass, a Google technology that integrates the capabilities of a smart phone into the everyday. While he certainly misses the techie atmosphere of Silicon Valley, Alvernaz is excited for the opportunity to formally learn about programming and hone his skills for the job market while at Duke. By Sarah Houck, Duke (photo self-submitted) Design by Jessica Lee
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Interior of performance tent, Safdar Hashmi Memorial, The Making of India, January 1, 2004.
Activist Art By Anna Mukamal, Duke Design by Moira Gill, UNC-CH Photos courtesy of the Ackland Art Museum
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t the very confluence of art and culture is “The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989” at the Ackland Art Museum at UNC-Chapel Hill. The museum searches for “exhibitions that have interesting relationships with [its permanent] collection,” said Carolyn Allmendinger, Ackland’s Director of Academic Programs. “We have a substantial amount of South Asian art from much earlier centuries,” she explained. “But, the ‘Sahmat Collective’ gives our visitors a chance to appreciate some much more modern Indian art.” The exhibition is highly socially and politically charged, chronicling a significant cultural, political and artistic movement spanning more than two decades. In fact, “The Sahmat Collective” is what Delhi-native and MIT professor Arindam Dutta deems “the larg-
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est-ever voluntary collective of artists coming together to share a single political platform.” Of course, by its definition and sheer historical essence, art has always been an effective and dynamic avenue for personal expression. Yet modern-day museumgoers that mentally confine artwork to the apotheosis of creativity are in for a wake-up call. Challenging that longtime ideology of art’s purpose is none other than a Delhi-based activist art group: Sahmat. The duality of its name alone attests to Sahmat’s deep cultural understanding of the dissonance between anti-secularism and neoliberalism in modern-day India. Short for the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, Sahmat also means “in agreement” in Hindi. Thus, it is fitting that the artwork in “The Sahmat Collective” speaks as a unified voice, vigorously protesting political violence, religious fundamentalism and anti-democratic forces.
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Clearly, this exhibition transcends the conventional stereotype of art. It is much more than a collection of assorted yearnings of heart, expressions of individualistic will or musings of introspection. Emily Bowles, Ackland’s Director of Communications, attested that “beyond being visually interesting objects to look at, the pieces in the exhibition really underscore how art has the power to engage, motivate and move people. It makes sense that this group, thinking about broader issues that impact its country, uses art to bring people together.” The distinctive historical basis of “The Sahmat Collective,” and of Sahmat in general, is the driving force behind its leadership in the worldwide activist art arena. Of primary importance is the significance of the date in the exhibition’s name: 1989. This year marks the politically motivated street murder of Safdar Hashmi, an esteemed egalitarian, democracy-promot-
er and artist across genres. In the wake of his untimely death, Hashmi became an unforgettable symbol—if not a martyr—for the ideals of secularism and freedom of expression. In this violent cultural crucible, an incendiary national reaction began; the anti-censorship and pro-tolerance Sahmat was a notable product. Allmendinger highlighted one particular piece in the exhibition, ‘Husain @ 95,’ as “a powerful example of that [reaction]. The idea is that Husain, one of India’s greatest modern artists, was subjected to so much criticism and harassment for the works of art he made that he decided to leave India. When the artist’s community wanted to honor him on his 95th birthday, he physically couldn’t be there… So ‘Husain @ 95’ shows his image as a cardboard cutout in only two dimensions.” Paralleling the main theme of “The Sahmat Collective” is “Lines of Control: Partition as a Productive Space” at the Nasher Museum of Art. Through South Asian artwork, the Nasher exhibition analyzes literal and metaphysical borders. “Some of the same artists are featured in both of the exhibitions, so there’s not only overlap in whose work is represented, but also in terms of conceptualizing the partition between India and Pakistan,” said Allmendinger. “In some of the Sahmat work, that religious difference and the associated cultural differences come up very explicitly.” Two unique student-focused events celebrate these sister exhibitions. Students will have free entry to Crossing Blue Borders on November 7 and 14 at the Nasher and the Ackland, respectively. Allison
Portnow, Ackland’s Public Programs Manager, “would like to have students from both universities attend both museums, crossing the borders between Duke and UNC.” In tandem, Ackland’s “The Sahmat Collective” and Nasher’s “Lines of Control” serve a distinct and profound role in out-ofthe-classroom education not only for students, but also for lifelong learners from every corner of the globe. Portnow, who has been coordinating programs related to “The Sahmat Collective,” said, “It’s all about these collaborative ventures, which is nice because [my work] is in the spirit of the collection itself.” Bowles elaborated that the Ackland’s overall mission intersects with “The Sahmat Collective.” She stated, “As a university art museum, we have an obligation to bring art exhibitions that engage people in social and political issues around the world. Certainly, India is not the only country being divided by different ethnic and religious groups; Sahmat is just a case study. But this is an exhibition for people sharing messages about
Pushpamala N., Motherland with Om Flag and Trishul, 2009, digital print.
harmony and the common good, [even if only] within their own neighborhood.” She is a firm believer that “The Sahmat Collective” visually and emotionally answers the verbally elusive questions that activism combats daily in India and elsewhere. “The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989” opens at the Ackland Art Museum on September 13 and runs until January 5. “Lines of Control: Partition as a Productive Space” opens at the Nasher on September 19 and runs until February 2. For more information and a calendar of events, visit http://www.ackland.org.
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