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
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH YEAR, ISSUE 43
WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM
Nobel Prize bodes well for Duke by Gloria Lloyd THE CHRONICLE
When Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, James B. Duke professor of medicine and professor of biochemistry and immunology, became the first Duke faculty member to win a Nobel Prize two weeks ago, many students on campus were taken by surprise. But those close to Lefkowitz were not surprised by the Nobel Prize because his research has had a significant impact on the development of pharmaceutical drugs. Lefkowitz discovered and characterized G protein-coupled receptors, which are embedded in cell membranes. About 30 to 50 percent of pharmaceutical drugs on the market attach onto these receptors in order to treat a patient’s condition. Instead, some students and faculty were surprised that Duke, which is so committed to scientific research, did not have previous faculty members receive a Nobel Prize. “It’s surprising indeed,” Lefkowitz said. “Duke has risen to a point of prominence such that one might have anticipated they would have Nobel Prize winners, but for whatever reason, we haven’t.” SEE NOBEL ON PAGE 3
CHRONICLE GRAPHIC BY THU NGUYEN & RITA LO
DukeMail will transfer to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud system early 2013. The new system will have more storage space and better-connected email and calendars. by Elizabeth Djinis THE CHRONICLE
Duke is assuming an “out with the old, in with the new” philosophy concerning its email database. The University has chosen to replace the current DukeMail system with Microsoft 365 University—an offshoot of the cloud-based computer system designed specifically for academic institutions—beginning early 2013. The decision to switch was made after students and faculty expressed increased difficulty using Duke’s
current email database, and because the cloud technology offers improved security, said Cara Bonnett, Office of Information Technology managing editor. “The trend toward cloud-provided email began several years ago, but it’s only recently that the terms offered by one of the major cloud vendors contained the level of protections for Duke data that met our standards,” Bonnett wrote in an email Tuesday. “A move to the cloud will mean that time, money and effort previously spent running an
New Durham to Raleigh bus connects nightlife
SEE CLOUD ON PAGE 5
Coal ash residue leaves toxins in some NC water
by Jeffrey Cicurel
by Andrew Luo
THE CHRONICLE
THE CHRONICLE
The Bridge Bus, a locally owned bus company that runs between Raleigh and Durham, will begin running this weekend. The bus, which was created by 32-year-old John Parks, will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and is intended for people who want to access concerts and restaurants or commute to work. Parks is a Durham resident who said he was frustrated with the 30mile trek to Raleigh, where he used to work and frequently attends concerts.
Several North Carolina lakes and rivers contain high levels of toxic compounds, a recent Duke study shows. Researchers at the Nicholas School discovered that coal ash residue from coal-fired power plants contributes to high arsenic and selenium concentrations, among other toxic chemicals, in lakes and rivers. Coal ash effluents flow downstream from the power plants’ settling ponds to affect water sources. Researchers gathered more than 300 water samples from 11 lakes and rivers over an 18-month span. The contaminated sites include the Mountain
SEE BUS ON PAGE 4
on-campus email system can be used to provide other IT services to our students, faculty and staff.” Major benefits will include a more modern web interface, integration between mail and calendar functionality, and fewer email outages, Bonnett added. The system provides students access to Internet versions of common Windows productivity tools such as Word and Excel.
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
This weekend, the Bridge Bus will run its first route between Durham and Raleigh, catering to passengers who want to see Triangle area nightlife.
Island Lake, which is a primary water source for residents in Charlotte. Several other sites also contain high levels of chemicals that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for safe drinking water. The findings of the study may prompt greater regulation and monitoring of coal ash effluents, said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at the Nicholas School and coauthor of the study. “What we found in North Carolina is a case study of the effects of coal ash in the United States—we want to see if SEE ASH ON PAGE 5
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Panhel plans to invite a NC allocates $20M new sorority to campus for pre-K programs by Jeffrey Cicurel THE CHRONICLE
Duke Panhellenic Association announced Tuesday that it will be looking to add a tenth chapter. Panhel voted last Spring to create an exploratory committee to look into the possibility of expanding. The proposal for expansion comes in response to large recruitment numbers over the past five years. The committee has held weekly meetings throughout the Fall semester in the hopes that a new sorority will be on campus by Spring 2014. The committee is led by senior Hannah Hayward, vice president of recruitment and membership for Panhel, and consists of one member from each of the nine current Panhel sororities. “Essentially we’re just really big right now,� said senior Kelsey Woodford, president of Panhel. “We can’t even fit into rooms anymore during recruitment.� Woodford noted that Panhel was considering expansion even before she became involved with the organization last year. The exploratory committee accessed the data from recruitment, which showed that several of the pledge classes were at their maximum capacity. “I know a lot of girls that didn’t even make it into a sorority because they can only take 40 girls each,� said sophomore Cara Williams, who went through the rush process last Spring. “I think adding a new sorority is a great idea.� Last Spring, 504 women participated in Panhel sorority recruitment, but only 373
received bids, The Chronicle previously reported. Panhel is currently accepting applications for review from various organizations throughout the country. They plan to select three chapters to give presentations on campus in March and will vote to officially accept the new chapter to Duke this coming April, Woodford said. The new chapter will then begin recruiting members on an open basis by Spring 2014, with official recruitment with the other Panhel sororities starting in Spring 2015. One national sorority specifically interested in expanding is Kappa Delta, said Heidi Roy, director of communications at Kappa Delta national headquarters. “We look for universities that share our values,� Roy said. “I’m assuming that Duke would be a place that we would want to have a chapter.� Roy added that they look to add chapters in places within the vicinity of existing chapters, where there are alumni that can provide support. Kappa Delta recently installed a new chapter at University of North Carolina at Charlotte in January. Woodford cautions that no chapter will be given preference during the selection process. “We have no idea which chapter this is going be,� Woodford said. “We don’t even know which chapters are going to send us packets at this point, let alone which ones we’re going to choose.� Though there are still several logistical points to work out, Woodford said that Panhel is optimistic about expanding. “It’ll be really good for the community,� Woodford said. “We’re really excited about it.�
Online only: Visit dukechronicle.com for a conversation with awardwinning documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras. Poitras will hold a talk at the Nasher Museum of Art at 6 p.m. Wednesday as part of the Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel Visiting Filmmaker Series
by Georgia Parke THE CHRONICLE
North Carolina is now able to offer pre-kindergarten education to thousands of additional four-year-olds across the state. Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order allocating $20 million to the expansion of the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program last week, following a court decision mandating that the state cannot deny at-risk four-year-olds from enrolling in the program. The money will pay for 6,300 additional children to enroll in Pre-K throughout North Carolina by Jan. 1—though 1,000 of them should be able to enroll immediately. The $20 million for the program comes from projected unspent funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, as opposed to early education programs, according to a press release from the governor’s office. “This is about making sure fouryear-olds have access to preparation for their education. They’re only four years old once,� said Chris Mackey, deputy communications director for the governor’s office. N.C. Pre-K, previously called More at Four, is a state-funded program dedicated to school readiness, with approximately 25,000 children currently enrolled. The program runs 6 1/2 hours per day, 180 days out of the year. Mackey noted an Aug. 21 order from the North Carolina Court of Appeals as a reason for the additional funding. The Court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the state cannot deny at-risk four-year-olds access to the N.C. Pre-K program. “Simply put, it is the duty of the State of North Carolina to protect each and every one of these at-risk and defenseless children and to provide them... a sound basic education as guaranteed by the North Carolina constitution,�
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the ruling stated. Students who are members of low-income families, receive free or reducedcost lunches, have parents with low-level education or live in a single-parent household, among other qualifications, are considered at-risk and may qualify for the program. Other four-year-olds who are not currently enrolled in a preschool program may also be eligible to enroll. “Through good economic times and bad, North Carolina’s enduring commitment has been to educate our children,� Perdue noted in the release. “Now more than ever, as we sit poised for an economic recovery, any delay in preparing our kids to be tomorrow’s workforce is simply unacceptable.� The Durham Partnership for Children administers the N.C. Pre-K program in Durham County and operates about 20 classrooms for Pre-K students. “It directs funding for children to attend high-quality preschool programs, and they are also very helpful with teachers, assisting them in improving nutrition, going back to school and training them to become better teachers,� said Barbara Jentleson, assistant professor of the practice of education. “It’s win-win for everyone.� A member of the Durham Partnership for Children Allocations Committee, Jentleson noted the frequent need to cut the budget, despite the need to provide support to successfully prepare students for kindergarten. She praised the state government for the recent $20 million increase in funding for Pre-K education—on top of a $9.3 million grant in February—and its commitment to further provide high quality education for low-income children. “It is the best value for your dollar to invest in early education,� Jentleson said. “This will get us back on track for the funding we need.�
THE CHRONICLE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 | 3
NOBEL from page 1 Lefkowitz’s work has enjoyed such a strong reputation over the last few decades that many people probably already thought he had won the Nobel Prize, said Peter Agre, former vice chancellor of science and technology who won the Nobel Prize in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins—a type of protein—while serving as a professor of biological chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine “There are plenty of scientists at Duke doing work that are clearly worthy of a Nobel,” he added. “But it’s a very strong endorsement on the world level that Duke has major league science.” Coming into its own Considering that few Nobel prizes are awarded each year, and that they can be awarded to any researcher in the world, it actually is not that surprising that Duke had not yet won the prize, Dr. Nancy Andrews, dean of the School of Medicine, said. Duke is much younger than many other top East Coast universities it competes with in research, she added. Agre noted that Stanford, the university of Brian Kobilka, Lefkowitz’s protege and co-prize winner, counts dozens of Nobel laureates among its faculty. Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of Duke University Health System, actually recruited Kobilka to Stanford from Duke in 1989 when Dzau was chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford. Lefkowitz has spent his entire 40-year faculty career at Duke. In contrast, the University has come into its own as a research institution for only the last few decades, a rise that paralleled Lefkowitz’s career trajectory from young faculty member to world-renowned scientist, said Dr. Mary Klotman, chair of the Depart-
ment of Medicine at Duke. The Nobel Prize enhances the reputation of the University as a whole and will probably draw more people to look at the University as a place to do research, Klotman said. She noted she was recently at the medical school at Baylor University and people kept approaching her to congratulate her on Lefkowitz’s Nobel Prize, since she and Lefkowitz are in the same department. Dzau said the University’s current longterm approach to research funding encourages an investment in the best, young researchers and “unwavering support,” freedom and collaboration among other researchers. He added that this mission is validated by Duke’s first ever homegrown prize. Klotman hires about 50 new internal medicine staffers every year and is excited about the possibility of more researchers showing interest in coming to work at Duke. In the past, researchers have been drawn to the University because of Lefkowitz’s research, and the attention he has received as a Nobel Prize winner will only increase that, she noted. Researchers who are drawn to working under Lefkowitz are serious about science and their careers, and as an experienced scientific mentor, he knows how to guide them into a lifelong career in science, Klotman said. “The fact is, when you have someone who has that level of scientific excellence, then people want to be associated with that type of scientific excellence,” said Dr. Howard Rockman, professor of medicine and cell biology and Lefkowitz’s colleague. A homegrown prize Most top young scientists and researchers were probably already looking at the University prior to Lefkowitz winning the Nobel Prize, Agre said. But having a Nobel Prize winner walking among undergraduate students on campus will add something spe-
I Wouldn’t Be Where I A m T o d ay W i t h o u t :
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he Duke University Graduate School proudly presents the 2013 Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Mentoring to recognize the considerable efforts and accomplishments of faculty and graduate students who consistently serve as effective mentors. Designed to identify those in unityy the Graduate School community who embody both the letter and spirit of mentoring, these awards have taken D DEADLINE FOR R their place among the N NOMINATIONS: : university’s continuing November 15, efforts to cultivate a 2012 culture of mentoring.
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FAITH ROBERTSON/THE CHRONICLE
Dr. Robert Lefkowitz is the first standing Duke professor to receive a Nobel Prize. He was awarded the prize in chemistry earlier this month. cial to the atmosphere at the University, he noted. “Bob goes to basketball games, he goes to the campus diner,” Agre said. “He’s around. He’ll add a little special flavor.” The University, especially the Medical Center, is already so committed to scientific research that it is already spending whatever dollars it can on research, Lefkowitz said. Opinions differ among prize winners and campus leadership as to whether Lefkowitz’s Nobel Prize will impact the University’s external research funding at all. Some thought it would have no effect, since the University is near the top in research funding already, whereas others thought the prestige of the Nobel Prize can only help Duke receive more grants to Lefkowitz, his lab’s collaborators and other researchers at Duke. “It will be tremendously helpful in all areas of funding,” Klotman said. In the area of federal research dollars, the National Institutes of Health conducts a peer-reviewed process for its grants that probably will not be affected by the Nobel Prize, since the merit of his research was already apparent to the NIH peer reviewers, said Lefkowitz. Duke already ranks in the top 10 universities in research funding and
nearly any scientific metric one could think of, Rockman said. “I’d like to say it would [make a difference],” Kobilka said. “But I don’t really think it’s going to make that much of a difference. [Lefkowitz is] very well-funded.” The shine of the Nobel Prize could also help current investigators at the University, Rockman added. The buzz around the Nobel Prize at the University could lead other investigators to new collaborations with Lefkowitz’s laboratory or to new projects of their own. “That buzz and electric feeling around the school is amazing and delightful,” Rockman said. Several faculty members agreed that the allure of the Nobel could attract more private research dollars to the University. The timing of the Nobel is great for the Duke Forward capital campaign, Klotman said. “Maybe I’m being overly hopeful, but that there might be some philanthropic dollars that come to us by virtue of the prominence of a Nobel here at Duke,” Lefkowitz added. Agre noted that, ultimately, the impact that Lefkowitz’s Nobel Prize will have on Duke is not as important as the impact it will have on future scientific research. Lefkowitz said he is proud the University’s first Nobel Prize is a true home-grown achievement—it is common at many universities for professors to win the Nobel for work they accomplished at another university. That was the case with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Oliver Smithies, who won the 2007 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his work on gel electrophoresis. Smithies actually developed the technique while working at the University of Toronto. “I have the greatest sense of personal pride that this is our Nobel,” Lefkowitz said. “I did all this work here at Duke. Every bit of it.”
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THE CHRONICLE
BUS from page 1
Israel on the world stage
NICOLE SAVAGE/THE CHRONICLE
Tel Aviv journalist Adi Schwartz spoke about international media coverage of Israel Tuesday afternoon in an event sponsored by Duke Friends of Israel.
“Doing that commute everyday really drained me, and I think there’s a lot of people out there that feel the same way,” Parks said. “I’ve missed a lot of shows out of not wanting to get in my car and make that drive.” Parks thought of the idea for the Bridge Bus when talking with friends who shared this frustration. Two years later, his idea is reality. Parks left his job working in sales at Indy Week in order to create his company. He became officially licensed to drive the vehicle this summer, and he now runs the Bridge Bus with his wife, Molly. They conducted a trial run in September and will begin weekly operation this weekend. Now, Parks is looking to grow the company, and sees Duke as an integral part of making this happen. “Duke is such a big part of the Triangle and the Durham community,” Parks said. “I would love to have a symbiotic relationship where Duke gets as much out of the Bridge Bus as it can.” Sophomore Ryan McCabe said he will be traveling to Raleigh this weekend for Bounce Music Festival and is planning on using a bus provided by the festival in order to get to the concert. He said he had not heard of the Bridge Bus, and the Bounce van service is easily accessible for him. “[The van] was promoted by Bounce and it’s right on East Campus so it’s really convenient,” McCabe said. McCabe added that, had he known about the Bridge Bus, he would have been interested in taking it. Parks said he is open to partnering with festivals such as Bounce and making the Bridge Bus more convenient for Duke students. Other than services provided by festivals like Bounce, one competitor is Amtrak, which offers slightly cheaper round-trip tickets than the Bridge Bus, which charges $16. The Bridge Bus, however, specializes in transportation for night life in Durham and Raleigh. Amtrak does not run late at night, and on some days has no night trains, making it difficult for Duke students to use for concerts. Although the Bridge Bus will regularly leave from downtown Durham, Parks says he can offer stops at both East and West campuses, and get students to and from a concert in one night. Parks said he is also exploring the option of participating in the Duke-Durham Discount Program, created in 2005 and recently revived by sophomore Derek Rhodes, Duke Student Government vice president of Durham and regional affairs. The program promotes local restaurants and shops and offers discounts to students. “It would be a really cool venture to add more than just food vendors but also different service providers in Durham,” Rhodes said. After Parks gets the word out about his company, he hopes Duke students will be excited to travel to Raleigh. Parks, who graduated from Kenyon College—a small liberal arts college Ohio—said he knows what it is like for students to stay within their comfort zones. Parks does not think Raleigh will replace normal destinations such as Shooters and 9th Street, but rather provide new and interesting options to explore. As the company grows, Parks said he plans to establish both student and group rates, and also add days, times and stops to The Bridge Bus. For now, this weekend is most important for his company, he said. “It is going to be our real maiden voyage,” Parks said. “We couldn’t be more excited about it.”
www.dukechronicle.com
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 | 5
CLOUD from page 1 The University was encouraged to make the change after observing successful cloud systems at other universities, such as Dartmouth College and Cornell University. OIT expects to officially notify students of these changes later this Fall or in early Spring after the concrete schedule for implementation is put in place. Users of the University’s email database will have to make minor configuration updates to their mail client in order to switch to the new system, Bonnett said. Duke students have expressed mixed feelings on the current email system, fearing a dramatic transformation but noting the troubles they have had with DukeMail in the past. “It kind of worries me that I’m going to have to go through a whole bunch of changes,” said freshman Casey Tissue. Sophomore Erin McInerney said she enjoyed the organizational aspects of the current layout. “I like being able to make folders,” McInerney said. “I’m an organization freak, so it’s very convenient that it’s easy for me to stay organized.” Although she is concerned about the impending makeover, Tissue said that she has had issues accessing email on her phone, since the mobile screen cuts off the full interface. McInerney, happy with the system herself, said she has heard peers express dissatisfaction. “Most people don’t like our email system,” she said, adding that many of her classmates automatically forward Duke emails to their Gmail accounts. Bonnett said that individuals who forward their Duke emails to a separate system, such as Gmail or Hotmail, will still have the ability to keep those settings. Ultimately, McInerney said that she is willing to make the switch as long as she can maintain her Internet privacy and keep some of the same utilities. “As long as my functions remain the same, I don’t really care if there’s a difference,” McInerney said. “As long as my privacy is protected and I can still read my email, that would be great.”
Tastes of the harvest season
BRIANNA SIRACUSE/THE CHRONICLE
Members of the Duke community tasted food from local farms at the Divinity Refectory’s Celebrate the Harvest event Tuesday.
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ASH from page 1 any regulation arises from this data,” Vengosh said. According to the study, approximately 600 U.S. power plants generate 130 million tons of coal ash residue annually, making it one of the largest industrial waste products in the country. But there is still little monitoring on coal ash residue since most regulatory measures—such as the Clean Air Act—have focused on reducing power plants’ emissions into the air, Vengosh noted. The Clean Air Act is a federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level to protect the general public from exposure to airborne contaminants. “The real issue is that there is no regulation of coal ash in the United States, and factories are not doing anything about it either,” Vengosh said. “We are saving the sky, but we are making the contamination in the water more severe.” The breadth of the data allowed closer analysis of the effects of coal ash, said Heileen Hsu-Kim, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and co-author of the study. Samples were collected monthly from the Hyco and Mayo lakes for a year, which gave a sense of temporal variability in the chemical concentrations in the water. High contaminant levels pose more of an ecological health concern, rather than a human health concern, Kim said. There are certain physiological changes that can arise in various fish organisms, such as deformation of the spine and effects on reproductive capabilities. The contaminants may cause subtle changes that change the makeup of the lake or river. Vengosh has started working on a new project to find the source of the contaminants in the water. “We are using isotope fingerprints to build the ‘smoking gun’ and to see the source of the contamination.” Vengosh said. “For example, if there is someone who says the contamination is coming from a different source, we can confirm it.” Laura Ruhl, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, could not be reached for comment. The study was funded by the North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute.
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Admission is free to Duke students. ABOVE: Keith Haring (Collaboration with LA II), Untitled, 1982. Acrylic and ink on fiberboard, 113/4 x 233/8 x 3/4 inches. Collection of Jason Rubell. Keith Haring artwork© Keith Haring Foundation. LA II artwork© Angel Ortiz.
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Sports
>> THE BLUE ZONE
The Chronicle
WEDNESDAY October 24, 2012
Too caught up on Duke’s win to follow this weekend’s ACC action? Visit the sports blog to catch up on everything else that happened and its effect on Duke.
www.dukechroniclesports.com
MEN’S SOCCER
Why stop Donovan downs Davidson here? by Paul Pisani THE CHRONICLE
Six wins down, but how many to go? Last weekend in thrilling fashion, Duke made it to the promised land of bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994. And while that accomplishment created one of the greatest football memories in school history, it also shifts expectations moving forward. All season long this team’s goal was to make it to six wins, and now Daniel that they’ve done that the real question is: can they get more? The celebrations following Saturday’s exhilarating win against North Carolina were more than well deserved—not only did this team gain bowl eligibility for the first time in 18 years, but Duke also overcame its history of struggles against the Tar Heels after losing 21 out of their last 22 matchups. The Blue Devils defeated North Carolina at home for the first time since 1988, and did so in front of a sell-out crowd that included more than 3,500 students—twice the size of the student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium and a greater student attendance than LDOC last year. Now that six wins are a thing of the past, we must realize that although this milestone means Duke gets to strap up its bowling shoes come December, it also would fail to meet the
Carp
On Football
SEE ON FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8
With just a handful of games left in the regular season, every match is important for the Blue Devils, who need to finish the season at .500 to be eligible for an NCAA tournament bid. That certainly showed at Koskinen Stadium last night, as Duke knocked off 0 DC Davidson 2-0, led DUKE 2 by junior Will Donovan’s two tallies. “We have three games left, and every one of them is important,” Donovan said. Just seven minutes into the first half, a quick flick from sophomore Riley Wolfe found teammate Jack Coleman out wide. Coleman, a sophomore, sprinted up the sideline, crossing the ball into the 18-yard box after beating his defender. Donovan was waiting on the other end and volleyed the ball into the far corner of the net to put the Blue Devils up 1-0. Duke (6-7-1) continued to look dominant for the next 20 minutes. Wolfe and other Blue Devils controlled the tempo, passing the ball around confidently. This started to change later in the half, as the Wolfpack (69-1) found its feet on the offensive end. The ball swung back and forth, with a number of dangerous chances for both teams, but neither squad could convert. “The first part of the first half, we were playing like a playoff team,” head coach John Kerr said. “We knew that if we didn’t
CHRIS DIECKHAUS/THE CHRONICLE
Duke defeated Davidson 2-0 Tuesday night at Koskinen Stadium, led by junior Will Donovan’s two tallies. win, we could be knocked out of the tournament. For much of the first half, we did a really good job. Davidson decided to step up their tempo and adjusted their lineup, putting more players into the midfield and attack. We went into a little bit of a lull there.” The second half proved eerily similar to the first. A rejuvenated Duke squad came
out strong, again managing to score just seven minutes in. This time, the scoring play began with a low and slow cross from freshman Zack Mathers. In a bizarre sequence of events, a ball that looked like it would be cleared with ease became a scoring opportunity, as two Davidson defenders SEE M. SOCCER ON PAGE 8
Transforming a losing norm into a Gatorade storm David Cutcliffe’s career at Duke began in a thunderstorm. Eight months after he took the head coaching job, the Blue Devils were finally prepped to take the field in their 2008 season opener against James Madison when the lightning started. The game was my first as a student, and I waited Chris out the nearly-90 minute delay as most of the Tailgaters sobered up and left—along with many of the paying fans. And who could blame them? It was an inauspicious start for a coach who had spent most of the summer rebranding Blue Devil football around the Triangle, not only promoting a new level of competitiveness on the field, but solidifying that goal by guaranteeing an ACC championship for the Blue Devils—quite the challenge for a team with just one win in its last two seasons. Seniors had seen just one home victory in their first three years on campus: a 45-7 victory as freshmen against the Virginia Military Institute, an FCS team that hasn’t had a winning record since 1981. And they didn’t even know that Cutcliffe thought the team he’d inherited was the “softest, baddest football team” he’d ever seen, as he said earlier this season. To put it in perspective, students threatened to storm the field after the eventual 31-7
Cusack
FAITH ROBERTSON/THE CHRONICLE
In his five years at Duke, head coach David Cutcliffe has turned the nation’s worst program into a bowl team. victory against James Madison—highlighted by a frantic dismantling of the closest goal post by the grounds crew—but eventually didn’t because there were fewer than 100 people left in the section. This was not a Stanford-esque turnaround that Cutcliffe, his staff, and his players faced. The Cardinal had John Elway
and John Lynch, plus a history of gridiron success that spans nearly a century. Jim Harbaugh didn’t raise Stanford to new heights so much as return them to the level to which they felt they belonged. Northwestern is perhaps a more fitting analogy, but even the Wildcats have never been as consistently bad as the Blue Devils.
Duke has not had a program in the modern era that could sustain success between head coaches, and the decade before Cutcliffe was especially abysmal. The program officially hit rock bottom a week after the 2008 opener. Earlier in the year, Louisville had filed suit against the Blue Devils for backing out of a proposed four-game series, but Duke lawyers argued that the school was only subject to the $150,000 termination fee per game if the Cardinals couldn’t find a team of “similar stature” to Duke. This would mean the Blue Devils were as bad or worse than all other FBS and FCS teams and thus could serve as an apt substitute. “Duke is probably the worst football team in Division I football,” Duke’s counsel said in the hearing. “Everybody knows that. That’s no secret. The longest losing streak, the inability to ever win games…. That’s well documented.” The judge ruled in favor of the University, agreeing that any other team is of similar stature to the Blue Devils because the “threshold could not be any lower.” But somehow, some way, in less than five years, Cutcliffe has already rebuilt the Blue Devils—and Walt Disney could not have scripted Saturday’s bowl-clinching win any better. Through almost three quarters, it was SEE CUSACK ON PAGE 8
8 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012
THE CHRONICLE
M. SOCCER from page 7
ON FOOTBALL from page 7
whiffed, and the ball was instead collected by Duke. With the keeper still out of his box, Donovan had little troubling notching his first two-goal game of the season. “It’s great to get two goals when it really counts, in a setting like this,� Donovan said. The rest of the half was closely contested, but a two-goal margin allowed the Blue Devils to relax slightly. Two late chances for the Wolfpack proved inconsequential, as Duke held on for the win. Goalkeeper James Belshaw notched his fifth shutout of the season and the 18th of his career, notching six saves. The Blue Devils will look to build on last night’s success as they return to conference action against Virginia Tech Saturday. “If we want to play in the postseason, we have to get wins,� Kerr said. “Another ACC win on Saturday is a must. It won’t be easy going to Virginia Tech, but we showed tonight that we’re up for the challenge.�
standards set forth by other teams at this university. If the Blue Devils finished this season with six wins, they would be nothing more than a .500 team. This is not meant to take anything away from the great strides the program has made this year—keep in mind the team head coach David Cutcliffe inherited had amassed just four wins in its last four seasons—but rather to remind us that Duke athletics does not typically settle for .500 teams. It strives to be champions. Any other .500 team at this school would quickly drift into irrelevancy along with its struggles, which makes it perplexing that many students would still consider this season a great victory if the Blue Devils did not have another victory for the rest of the year. If the men’s basketball team were to finish as a .500 team, Krzyzewskiville would likely go up in flames. But even if the Blue Devils did not win another game this season, six wins would still be considered a resounding success by most. But it’s very possible Duke won’t be celebrating just a .500 campaign when this football season draws to a close. There is still a legitimate conversation to be had about this Duke team, but the nature of this conversation has shifted drastically since the beginning of this magical season—gone is the argument of whether or not the Blue Devils can be a bowl team. Now we’re left wondering if this team is capable of competing for an ACC Championship. With four games remaining on its schedule, Duke has tough challenges ahead, namely back-to-back games against Florida State and Clemson, the ACC’s top two teams, beginning this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. But this team has proven that it is capable of competing with and beating anyone in this conference. Keep in mind that the Blue Devils’ lone ACC loss came by blowing a 20-point first-quarter lead on the road in Blacksburg, Va.—one of the toughest home environments in college football. Duke closes its season with two very winnable games against an underachieving Georgia Tech squad and Miami. If the Blue Devils can defeat the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, they will likely face the Hurricanes in the final week of the season with the ACC’s Coastal Division crown on the line. This matchup will take place at home, where the Blue Devils are a perfect 5-0 this season. Even if it loses its next two games,
CHRIS DIECKHAUS/THE CHRONICLE
Goalkeeper James Belshaw recorded his fifth shutout of the season, notching six saves against Davidson.
FAITH ROBERTSON/THE CHRONICLE
Jamison Crowder’s catch against North Carolina sealed Duke’s bowl berth, but Duke fans might get even more than that, Carp writes. Duke could still end its season with two victories and find itself in the ACC Championship game, competing for a BCS bowl berth. Duke’s record is not the only reason why this is a different brand of football than we’re used to seeing in Durham—this team is finally playing with a winning mentality. Maybe you doubt the Blue Devils’ ability to even split their last four contests, but they sure don’t. This team’s newfound confidence is the key to its success. “There’s a lot of swagger about a lot of guys. I’m seeing a lot of confidence in guys I didn’t see much confidence in before,� redshirt sophomore tackle Takoby Cofield said. “And even in myself, just knowing that we have the ability to win every single game we play. At the end of the day, I just see us taking it week by week and it’s very much a reality you could go 4-0 to end the season.� This team has been competing the entire season with the immense pressure of ending nearly two decades of disappointing futility. Think about what Duke can do now that the pressure is off. “We have that big old monkey off our back,� sophomore linebacker David Helton said. “But now we’ve created an idea in our mind that we have a four-game season, and this fourgame season will determine what happens afterward.� Who’d have thought we would ever see the day where six wins wasn’t enough for Duke football? It looks like we may have arrived.
CUSACK from page 7 Are you or someone you know: A Ĺ” 4USFTTFE Ĺ” .PEFSBUFMZ PWFSXFJHIU Ĺ” 8JMMJOH UP NBLF MJGFTUZMF DIBOHFT If you are a healthy non-smoker who does not currently have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you may qualify for the Awareness of Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Diabetes Research Study. Participants will be compensated up to $450. 16540
as unlike a Duke football game as I’ve ever seen—the Blue Devils were unstoppable on the ground and the Tar Heels, who plain outmuscled Duke in their season-ending matchup less than a year ago, looked like they were out of answers. Most surprising, though, were the more than 3,000 students still standing in Wallace Wade even as the Tar Heels began to mount a late rally—and it became late enough to think about getting ready for Shooters. They even stayed in their seats after the most bizarre loose ball chase of the college football season. Ross Cockrell’s body shield-
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ed the ball from the student section for just enough time for one collective, pre-celebration inhale, but then it was loose again, and soon the Tar Heels had taken a four-point lead with just three minutes to play. But the fans stayed, albeit with lots of muttering and eye-rolling for a minute, before Sean Renfree found Conner Vernon over the middle on the same slant pattern that has become their staple over the last four years. Eleven plays later—and on fourth down, of course—Renfree fired a bullet off his back foot to Jamison Crowder, who held onto the ball as he flipped over a Tar Heel defender. The Gatorade bath rained down on Cutcliffe moments later—and it must’ve felt better than that August rainstorm five years ago.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 | 9
Diversions Shoe Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins
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10 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012
The Big Four Duke students talk about the overwhelmingly array of it informally all the time, interests, passions and talents but at the Career Center exhibited by Duke students. it has a special name. Wil- Why would a collection of liam Wright-Swadel, Fannie individuals seem so diverse Mitchell executive director upon entering a university, of career servicbut mostly funes, and his staff nel into only editorial call it “The Big four narrow caFour”—lawyer, doctor, con- reers upon exiting? sultant and banker—the We must examine both small set of careers that Duke sides of the job search process: students seem to deem ac- the desires of the individual ceptable. student and the options preA whopping 24.6 percent sented to him or her. of 2011 graduates from First, on the student side, Duke pursued finance. Sub- the issue of prestige weighs tract similarly high numbers heavily on our minds. As of pre-med, pre-law and, in- Wright-Swadel puts it, Duke creasingly, pre-consulting stu- students never met a contest dents from the overall Duke they did not like. In other student body, and there are words, Duke students are not many students left. inevitably attracted to jobs The Big Four phenome- that, for whatever reason, non is odd when you consider are also attractive to other
people. “Duke students will enter a competition for a prize they don’t even want,” Wright-Swadel says. It is hard to walk away from the prizes awaiting students at the end of these arduous contests— for example, the long and intense interview process of management consulting, which is occurring this month. The combination of prestige and the “sunk cost” of having already competed for these jobs draws students away from careers not encompassed by the Big Four. Second, students looks to the Career Center’s career fairs for possible job opportunities, but these career fairs give a limited and distorted impression of the diversity of jobs that exist in the real world. This is the result of a
onlinecomment
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The facts can only hurt Duke. ... Let the facts come out, and let Duke be duly disgraced, so they can learn a lesson instead of hiding the truth. —“Justicium” commenting on the story “Judge rules that KC Johnson, Duke lacrosse case author, must hand over records.” See more at www.dukechronicle.com.
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coordination problem. Given the Big Four phenomenon, many non-Big Four employers cannot successfully recruit Duke students. Take an engineering firm, for example, who might consider on-campus recruiting worthwhile for 40 or so graduating mechanical engineers— except half of them have defected to pursue finance and consulting. The remaining 20 mechanical engineers are not worth the company’s time and money to recruit. It is a vicious cycle: The Big Four phenomenon wards off alternative employers—engineering firms, advertising agencies, retail companies and other promising places to launch one’s professional life—from career fairs, which then fools students to think-
ing these alternative career paths do not even exist. How does a Duke student navigate the Big Four phenomenon? First, understand that career fairs cannot be your only paradigm to gauge the job landscape, which is large, diverse and constantly evolving. Second, do not let prestige, money or the thrill of winning accolades— none of which are shameful desires—prevent you from choosing an interesting career that encourages you to grow and arcs toward the life you want to lead decades from now. Third, be reflective about your educational and professional goals throughout college, not just in your last year. This last suggestion will be the focus of Thursday’s editorial.
While you still can
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et’s admit it: We’re all overachievers here. arguments. Instead, these organizations should We worked hard to get here, and we work stop taking things too seriously and remember hard now that we are here. I would even that they are putting on a show for students’ ensay that we work too hard. Rather than treat col- joyment. If the group is enjoying itself, the aulege like they do in classic movdience will enjoy the show way ies like “Animal House” or “Van more. Third are semi-competitive Wilder,” we schedule lunches like organizations, to which I have to we’re already in the real world. say, working harder won’t make It all boils down to one quesyou win. It will only waste more of tion—a question that I’ve asked your precious college time, causmyself before writing every coling you to lose out on way more umn. Why so serious? As writer than just a debate trophy or club Brendan Gill tells us, “Not a sports championship. Learn the drew everson shred of evidence exists in favor lessons the organization is trying in remembrance of the idea that life is serious.” to teach you without allowing it Ask any alum about his or her to take over your life. Duke stories. Their experiences are nothing like Then there is politics. We drive each other ours: shooting fireworks across the quad. Burn- crazy, shouting about the national hot-button ing furniture to celebrate a fraternity getting issues (most of which will be embroiled in the kicked off campus. Driving to UNC to pick up status quo as a result of this passionate debate random girls to drive back to epic parties where where both sides are so inflexible that they can’t nobody was yelling, “Get in rooms!” Tailgate with come to a consensus). Oh, and the small fraction cars! Life just sounded more fun and less serious of the Duke population that actually cares about back then. campus politics takes it way too seriously. No, these days we’re so stressed out that we I am not against passion or hard work. We just need a special branch of student health to deal need to realize that everything we do in college with it, like The Oasis in Bell Tower, a room with must be taken with a grain of salt; college is just massaging recliners and fish tanks in the bottom one stage of our life, and an early one at that. of a dorm. We’re so wound up we could really Duke is about preparing and learning to enuse a drink. Oh wait, that’s illegal for most of us. ter the global community and make an impact. Many blow off stress by going to the gym. But Don’t be afraid to be young and stupid while we even in the gym people aren’t usually trying to en- work towards graduation. Enjoy college, because joy themselves, they are just trying to reach some life just might get real after we leave the Gothic end of attractiveness. That’s not very relaxing. Wonderland. Whatever you do, don’t ever, ever Then we have student groups that take them- take life too seriously. selves way too seriously. First are the service organizations. I’m all about helping people, but your Drew Everson was a Chronicle columnist from Fall organization cannot save the world. Chill out and 2008 to Spring 2009. This column originally ran April enjoy helping those people; you may learn some- 9, 2009 and was his final column for The Chronicle. thing from them. Second are the entertainment We have reprinted this column on the second anniverorganizations. These organizations get anxious sary of Drew’s tragic passing in loving memory of his about putting on a show, causing tension and contributions to this paper and our campus.
mike shammas fairly unbalanced
Online only today!
mike shammas fairly unbalanced
“Malala vs. the Taliban: reason vs. rage” by Mike Shammas Read at dukechronicle.com/opinion
THE CHRONICLE
The voting fetish
A
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 | 11
commentaries
s the next presidential election draws oppose, if only on an individual and philocloser and closer, those who are pas- sophical basis. She may simply feel that the sionate about voting will almost cer- political considerations of the country reptainly intensify their efforts to promote the resent a burden in which she—having no act of voting and increase voter turnout in substantial or identifiable part in their makgeneral. As with any election year, I suppose, ing—would prefer not to share, and she it will not be uncommon to hear advertise- may choose instead to frame her approach ments for all variants of the vote—early, to living in society around her own individuon-campus, absentee or otherwise—and es- al efforts, and not the other way around. pecially to witness an aggressive campaign The last of these is, perhaps, the most in against voter abstinence. Such abstinence need of defense. (Most voters will admit, if will itself be elevated as an issue of central reluctantly at first, that the refusal to vote can importance, and is likely to be surrounded serve as a heady weapon of protest and diswith solutions involving everything from ed- content; they will be more hard pressed to ucation to identification, fiduciary incentives concede, however, that no individual should to mandated participation, even registration be forcibly burdened with the dubious politito legislation. cal dichotomy that constantly endeavors to These efforts, however, rest on a faulty wedge its way into her life). The fact that a premise. They rest on the premise that those citizen has the right to vote, however, logicalwho do not vote necessarily do so out of ei- ly implies that she also has a right not to vote, ther apathy or ignorance, and, furthermore, thereby affirming on the basis of natural that these citizens can be induced to vote if rights a philosophically legitimate position only they can be made aware of non-voting on the part of of the issues at stake. Aside the individual. It also comes from the inherent arrogance down, simply, to the fact of this position, though, its that she should have a preproponents also fail entirely rogative to prioritize her own to take into account any of personal needs and interests the other possible motivaabove the fool’s errand of trytions a citizen might hold for ing to delineate the meager abstaining from the vote. difference between two men chris bassil In their rush to celebrate like Barack Obama and Mitt human action the vote, for example, cheerRomney. leaders of American bipartiAs if this were not enough, san democratic elections fail to consider that it also has to be noted that not all votes tallied some non-voters might in fact also recognize in a given year should be counted as blanket the act of voting as a civic duty, and one that victories for the American democracy qua facilitates a crucial interaction between citi- democracy. I suspect that many voters exerzen and state. It could be the case, then, that cise their right to vote not out of a sense of some non-voters willfully spurn this duty as duty, but rather out of a sense of defensive a means of communicating a highly aware necessity driven by the impulse to ward off and politically informed message of protest. societal predations on their property. In fact, It would thus be a mark of the most pro- as the American lawyer and political philosofound ignorance to hastily, universally and pher Lysander Spooner noted in the years unquestioningly mischaracterize as a failure after the Civil War, an election itself is someto vote an act that might explicitly have been thing like a battle: Just because a man who intended as a refusal to do the same. is dropped between two warring factions will In a related scenario, a citizen might also take up arms in order to defend himself, it refuse to vote based on a moral objection to cannot rationally be said that the battle is any given element of the election itself. A one of his choosing. In other words, voting citizen may feel, for example, that the scope as an act of self-defense itself should not be of the election—which this year will impose misinterpreted as consenting to or approvconsequences on all aspects of American ing of any given democratic system. life—is unjustified in some way. A citizen Whether or not these voting behaviors may hesitate at the idea of invoking state are rational—i.e., whether they can be expower as a method by which to bend the pected to achieve their desired outcomes—is behavior of the population to her own pref- a separate issue. It should be plain, however, erences. She may recognize that, despite that not all non-voters simply need (or want) the negligible weight her vote will hold to be persuaded to vote, and that not all of against her fellow citizens, the sum weight those who vote do so out of a democratic imof theirs will bear down on her a consider- pulse toward civic engagement. In the end, able burden. She may be of a political per- the “voter apathy” bogey is, at its best, a consuasion that eschews coercive measures of venient but intellectually bankrupt position conflict resolution for those that rely only to entertain—and that is to say nothing of on the voluntary individual express consent the jubilant advertisement of it that is sure of all involved parties. She may be unwilling only to intensify in the coming weeks. to cast a vote which, though it would be of no particular significance to the outcome Chris Bassil, Trinity ’12, is currently working of the election, would in her own mind for Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. represent the concession of her consent to His column runs every Wednesday. You can follow a political apparatus that she would rather Chris on Twitter @HamsterdamEcon.
The Socialites
The quarter-life crisis
A
few days ago I went to UNC. Cue the crystallized by this point and I can take in booing, hissing and newfound pas- no further information, like how to navision for football. I’ve never actually gate new class numbers. More importantly, had anything against Chapel Hill. I think I CANNOT FIND THE BACK BUTTON. baby blue is a perfectly palatable color, I I have been stuck on the same page for 20 don’t really understand the point of college minutes, afraid that if I hit anything I’ll acrivalries, and I have a strange love for all cidentally withdraw myself from all of my things sheep-related. So, perhaps because I classes. How am I expected to have time to am disloyal and un-American, I went to an figure this out when it’s bingo night at the info session for UNC’s public health gradu- YMCA?! ate school. A panic attack and a change of My social life isn’t exempt from my pants later, I came to a gut-wrenching real- quarter-life crisis. Like some of my fellow ization: I am having a quarter-life crisis. elderly people, my life has been marked by So what is the quarter-life crisis? It’s best sheer social ineptitude. I jumped past “craexplained as exiting teenager-dom and zy cat lady” and went straight to “crazy cat,” crossing into a magical land where you which I accomplish by meowing and purrhave to know what you’re doing with your ing regularly. At the UNC game I dressed in life. This leads to the terrifying realization Tailgate gear, only to discover that spandex that YOU HAVE NO IDEA superhero is NOT the look WHAT YOU’RE DOING the cool kids are going for WITH YOUR LIFE. It’s an these days. And, to top it all alarming hyper-awareness off, I have become one of that we are getting older, THOSE people who sends approaching a time when unwanted SnapChats to evwe have to make real, eryone they know whenevimpactful decisions. Usuer they get bored studying ally, as a coping mechaor order food that looks lillie reed nism, this causes people Instagram-able or just feel wumbology to scramble for some tanlike demanding the attengible change to show that tion of all their friends for they’ve grownup. A new relationship, a three to 10 seconds. breakup, a sudden interest in extracurricuAnd now that I’m an upperclassman, lars (I f***ing LOVE leadership!), getting I’m expected to have some grasp on what a job, converting to Buddhism, tattooing a I want to do with my life. But after looking pterodactyl across your back … what have into it, I think I’m more likely to spontaneyou. Whatever your big change is, it’s a sure ously become a unicorn than I am to get sign that you’re in your quarter-life crisis. into a post-grad program. Did you know For whatever reason, I thought I was you need three letters of recommendation? immune from the typical challenges of a THREE?! After spending my first two years recent 20-something. I think it’s because of college taking giant intro classes, I don’t I expect to never grow up. I take pride in think I remember three of my professors’ being a small child in every way except size names. And even if they remember me, it’s and age—although with nicknames such likely not by my name but by some definas “Dwarf,” “Hobbit” and “Stubby,” age ing feature, like “Comically Unprepared may be the only feature distinguishing me Carmen” or “Didn’t Do the Reading Debfrom a 5-year-old. Half of the things that bie” or “Obviously on Facebook Olivia.” come out of my mouth are “Spongebob” However, in the midst of my crisis, I realquotes, I non-ironically call every animal ized something. I am still really young. May“kitty,” and I have a turtle-shell backpack. be in the Middle Ages turning 20 was cause A TURTLE-SHELL BACKPACK I SAY. Do for a freak-out, but these days it is barely the I sound like a mature human being who beginning. A quarter-life crisis is just a new has her life together, or a preschooler tryna way of taking yourself too seriously. Trying harness some TURTLEPOWER? to have ourselves and our lives completely However, recent events have shot me settled by the end of our teenage years or into pure, unadulterated quarter-life crisis even the end of college only causes undue mode. For example, the fact that bookbag- stress. So instead of dissolving into a quarging is happening right now cannot be ter-life crisis, I’d rather embrace the uncerreal life. It’s not only a plague on all pro- tainty ahead—and my new old lady status. I ductivity that I hoped to have this week, hope some of y’all will join me—preferably but it’s also a constant reminder that I am in time to catch the Sunday buffet at the almost done with college. Bookbagging is a Golden Corral. See you there! grotsky little bee-yotch, making me realize that I’m now an old hag who should start Lillie Reed is a Trinity junior. Her instalcrocheting and choosing my favorite flavor lation of the weekly Socialites column runs on of mothball. How is someone my age sup- alternate Wednesdays. You can follow Lillie on posed to understand ACES? My brain has Twitter @LillieReed.
Mariah Hukins is a Trinity senior. You can follow her on Twitter @thehukes.
12 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012
THE CHRONICLE