T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
The Chronicle
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012
Duke adding Campus Drive arts building
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH YEAR, ISSUE 134
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Pulling strings
by Charlie Haley
Presidential candidates debate issues
THE CHRONICLE
by Anna Koelsch
Soon, student arts groups at Duke will no longer have to scrounge for space to practice their craft. Duke will open a new student arts building on Campus Drive this Fall after efforts fueled by student groups, faculty and administrators. The new space, created from a renovated property near Smith Warehouse, will act as a muchneeded gathering point for student arts organizations on campus to hold meetings and rehearsals. “There’s so much going on both within and beyond the curriculum that dance, theater, music and visual arts are bursting at the seams,” Keval Khalsa, associate professor of the practice and director of the dance program, wrote in an email Wednesday. “This project will help relieve some of the rehearsal space pressure.” A 10,000 sq.-ft. renovated medical storage facility on Burch Avenue and Campus Drive, which the University Center Activities and Events office acquired last semester, will house the new space. The space is currently under construction and will be a common space for students to gather and work in the arts, said Vice Provost for the Arts Scott Lindroth. The warehouse will feature a dance studio, theater rehearsal space, a visual arts studio, meeting space and a central lounge area. The visual arts studio will have a large work sink—convenient for students working with paints—and the building will also have spaces to display student art work. Its opening comes at a particularly appropriate time with the recent decision to convert the Crowell Studio—a rehearsal space on East Campus—into classrooms and the student arts groups’ long-standing desire for more rehearsal space, Lindroth added. Rehearsal spaces are consistently overbooked. “We definitely need more space on campus..... The school does a much better job of supporting arts departments rather than student groups, which is unfortunate,” said senior Kim Solow, director of arts advancement for Duke Student Government and an instrumental player in planning the arts warehouse. “Many people in the arts enjoy it as a hobby and do not want to take a class, but that does not mean they should be punished for it by not having access to rehearsal spaces.” SEE BUILDING ON PAGE 6
Duke falls to North Carolina, Page 7
THE CHRONICLE
TRACY HUANG/THE CHRONICLE
The Duke Symphony Orchestra performs “Abundant Anniversaries Redux” Wednesday night in Page Auditorium.
The three candidates for Duke Student Government president went head to head Wednesday night in a debate that highlighted next year’s house model, West Union Building renovations and the lack of student communication with both DSG and the administration. Juniors Chris Brown, external chief of staff; Alex Swain, vice president for Durham and regional affairs; and Strat Waldt, a senator for residential life and dining participated in the debate led by junior Cory Adkins, chair of The Chronicle’s independent editorial board. Sophomore Patrick Oathout, who is running unopposed for DSG executive vice president, also took part in the debate. Oathout currently serves as a senator for athletics, services and the environment. The election to select DSG’s president and executive vice president is today. Many of the questions and answers prodded at the student body’s relationship with Duke’s administration, mostly criticizing administrators for leaving students out of critical decisions. All three candidates pointed out the alterations to next year’s house model, the planning and execution of Football Gameday and the looming relocation of the Mary SEE DEBATE ON PAGE 12
DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT
DSG discusses SOFC annual budget by Patton Callaway THE CHRONICLE
Duke Student Government debated Student Organization Finance Committee’s annual budget for next year at its meeting Wednesday. The Senate discussed the SOFC annual budget for the 2012-2013 academic year and expects to approve the budget next week when it can reach quorum. In total, SOFC allocated $479,535.97 in its annual budget, a $3,547.77 decrease from the 2011-2012 budget. The annual SOFC budget funds capital expenditures and major events that require early planning for chartered student groups. SOFC’s programming fund covers smaller-scale events during the year that are not accounted for in the annual budget. Most of the 50 groups that applied for funding were sufficiently satisfied
with their allocations in the proposed budget. SOFC only received two group appeals for additional funds, which were from the Black Student Alliance and United InnoWorks Academy, a studentrun science and engineering initiative for middle school students from disadvantaged backgrounds. “The fact that we only had two appeals shows that groups really received the funds that they most wanted,” said SOFC President Amy Li, a senior. BSA requested $10,000 to bring civil rights activist Cornel West for a speaker event next year along with other capital expenditures that totaled $16,385 after the appeal was approved. The total was a significant increase from the $1,320 allocated to the group last year. “It’s not unusual for budgets to go up SEE DSG ON PAGE 5
TYLER SEUC/THE CHRONICLE
DSG President Pete Schork speaks during the Senate meeting Wednesday evening.
ONTHERECORD
“...in an effort to go out with a bang, let’s talk about male-on-male discomfort.” —Travis Smith in “On Dartmouth, hazing and misunderstanding.” See column page 10
Blue Devils blow by High Point, Page 7