The ChronicleThe independenT daily aT duke universiTy

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH YEAR, IssUE 64www.dukechronicle.com

Blue Devils survive Winthrop test in NCAAs, Page 6

onTherecord“When my daughter was taken, my eyes were opened.”

—Uganda CPA co-Founder Angela Atyam on conflicts in Africa. See story page 3

Career change Fuqua alumnus to open clothing boutique on

West Main street, PAGe 3

Section selection postponed

by Lindsey RuppThe chronicle

The section shuffle for selective living groups and fraternities has been postponed.

Administrators and students involved in the residential group assessment process must further discuss issues raised at the Wednesday night meeting with stakeholders, Associate Dean for residential life Joe Gonzalez said at the campus council meeting Thursday.

Gonzalez said he is not sure when the se-lection process, originally intended to take place Sunday afternoon, will be rescheduled.

“The group that’s talking needs some more time to figure things out some more,” he said. “i guess one of the things we’re do-ing is sort of pushing the pause button.”

officials from residence life and hous-ing Services, Student Affairs, campus coun-cil and the residential Group Assessment committee met Wednesday night until al-most 3 a.m. and again Thursday afternoon to discuss concerns and future plans.

At their Thursday night meeting, campus council members also heard updates on liv-ing communities including sophomores on central campus, substance-free living and east meets West.

Athletics confronts budget shortfall

simeon law/ChroniCle file photo

Injury-laden Duke hopes for a better result against Miami than it managed last year, a 49-31 loss at Wallace Wade Stadium.

by Harrison ComfortThe chronicle

With two games left in its season, Duke can still attain bowl eligibility, needing victories in its final contests to realize this tremendous feat.

The next step for the Blue Devils to maintain these aspirations comes Saturday at 12 p.m. against no. 21 Miami (7-3, 4-3 in the Acc), a team that is the fastest and most athletic Duke (5-5, 3-3) will face all year.

And adding in all the injuries that have recently plagued the Blue Dev-ils, weathering the storm against the hurricanes will not come easy.

“Bowl teams have to beat good teams to get to that point,” head coach David cutcliffe said. “You are supposed to be a good team to

have the reward of playing in a bowl game.… You have to beat a team like Miami somewhere along the way.”

The most glaring setback for cut-cliffe’s squad occurred at quarter-back in the team’s blowout 49-10 loss to Georgia Tech when backup Sean renfree tore his Acl late in the third quarter.

renfree’s absence has stirred con-cerns for the Blue Devils, especially with regard to the depth at his posi-tion. Behind senior Thaddeus lewis, who did not practice earlier this week due to a leg injury, the team’s other two quarterback options are true freshman Sean Schroeder and red-shirt freshman Alex King, neither of

See football on pAGe 8

Bowl hopes dwindling for shorthanded Duke

See campus council on pAGe 5

CaMpuS CounCIl

by Naureen KhanThe chronicle

Director of Athletics Kevin White and several other administrators addressed the Academic council Thursday about the challenges and opportunities facing the athletics department.

The presentation touched on a num-ber of issues regarding the changing

landscape of the athletics program at Duke and around the country. one of the most significant challenges is the budget-ary constraints imposed by the economic downturn, White said.

“it’s really become quite a pretty im-portant focus for an intercollegiate pro-gram to become fiscally responsible,” White said. “We’ve made inroads but

there’s a lot to do.”The Duke Athletics budget has grown

exponentially in the last two decades. Ac-cording to federal documents submitted in compliance with the equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, expenses for the depart-ment totalled $9.9 million from July 1995

See athletics on pAGe 4

Caroline rodriguez/the ChroniCle

Director of athletics Kevin White discusses the department’s budget challenges at the academic Council meeting Thursday. In addition to an expense increase from $9.9 million in 1995-1996 to $60.3 million in the current fiscal year, athletics has seen falling donations and weakening financial support from the university.

aCaDeMIC CounCIl

DUKE vs. MIAMIMiami, Fla. • Saturday • 12 p.m. • ESPNU

2 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 ThE ChRONIClE

worldandnationlondon — the european union

wants to become a more influential and higher-profile alliance, but its leaders picked a pair of relative unknowns thurs-day to represent the continent on the in-ternational stage.

herman Van rompuy, the prime min-ister of Belgium, is to become the eu’s first full-time president Jan. 1, filling a post aimed at helping strengthen and streamline the alliance. Known as an ef-fective mediator and a composer of hai-ku, including a widely circulated poem on hair loss, Van rompuy will move from one office to another in Brussels, the seat of both the Belgian government and eu headquarters.

Catherine ashton, a Briton who is the eu’s trade commissioner, was chosen as the bloc’s new foreign minister, the no. 2 job. her appointment was seen as a

concession to Britain, which had lobbied unsuccessfully for former prime minister tony Blair to be named president.

the unanimous choices came after just a couple of hours of discussion by the leaders of the 27 eu member nations at a dinner meeting in Brussels.

analysts had expected a protracted, possibly all-night horse-trading session, but support for the two winners appar-ently crystallized quickly as acceptable compromises to eu leaders juggling the demands of big countries versus small ones, east versus west, left wing versus right wing and issues of gender balance.

however, the choice of two people so little known outside their own coun-tries—and, in the case of ashton, even within it—raised questions of how the eu expected to boost its profile on the world stage.

“ ”Of all afflictions, the worst

is self-contempt.— Berthold Auerbach

ToDaY In HISToRY1971: U.S. performs nuclear test

at a Nevada test site

KaBul — taking the oath of office in a solemn ceremony in his locked-down capital thursday, president hamid Karzai set an implicit timeline for a drawdown of foreign forces, expressing hopes that by the end of his five-year term, afghani-stan would see to its own security.

in his inaugural speech, the afghan leader, whose reputation has been pum-meled by allegations of corruption with-in his government, also vowed to fire any officials connected to drug trafficking and “end the culture of impunity and vio-lation of the law.”

the swearing-in ceremony took place in a high-ceilinged white cham-ber inside the heavily guarded presi-dential palace, before an audience of hundreds of afghan and foreign digni-taries, including u.s. secretary of state hillary Clinton.

UCLA protests continuelos angeles — a second day of pro-

tests roiled the university of California, los angeles, campus thursday as the university of California system regents prepared to approve a 32 percent in-crease in student fees.

groups of uC students from several other campuses arrived in los angeles to join a noisy demonstration against the fee hike, and a group of protesters was occupying a uCla classroom building.

uCla officials declared Campbell hall, where the sit-in continued, closed for the day. inside, 40 to 50 students had chained the doors shut shortly after midnight and were issuing e-mail statements.

“we choose to fight back, to resist, where we find ourselves, the place where we live and work, our university,” their statement said. Campus police surrounded the class-room building, but no arrests were made.

todaY:

6749

saturdaY:

6140

European Union selects first president of Europe

Karzai promises change in his inaugural address

andrew higgins/the washington post

Fires that were intentionally set to clear forests for cultivation have grown uncontrollably and are becoming dangerous in a region near Taruna Jaya, Indonesia.

ThE ChRONIClE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 | 3

by Elizabeth SpauldingThe chronicle

A new clothing boutique opening in West Village will offer stylish and afford-able apparel to Durham women.

The owners of Magpie, Tad Schwen-dler, Fuqua ’03, and his wife po-Ming Wong, hope to open the store by the first week in December. in July, Wong left her position as director of treasury operations

in Duke’s Department of Treasury and cash Management to begin her entrepre-neurial venture. Despite having trepida-tions about opening a business in the cur-rent economy, Wong said now felt like an opportune time.

“We actually thought about opening last fall and held back—we feel the tim-

RELIGIOUS DIRECTORY

Come explore faith with us:

Sunday Worship and dinner 4:00pm

Wednesday Bible study 7:00pm (Link Classroom #2)

All are welcome!

505 Alexander Ave. (Off Campus Dr.) www.episcopalatduke.org

Resisting Simplistic Theology since 1789

Imagine a religion... that welcomes your questions and makes

room for your beliefs!!!

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that believes in the inherent worth of every person, the authority of reason

and conscience in religion, freedom of religious belief, and a faith that is

manifested in justice and love.

Join us in your spiritual quest for truth and meaning!

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke

www.duke.edu/web/uu

Trinity United Methodist Church

In the heart of Downtown Durham Between Mangum and Roxboro Streets

215 N. Church Street

Sunday Early Worship: 8:45 a.m. Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Duke Lackey, Senior Pastor

E-mail: church@trinitydurham.org Web Site: www.trinitydurham.org Phone: (919) 683-1386

Come as you are— leave different!

HINDU STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

Come Join Us For Weekly Gita Discussion • Diwali Puja • Shivratri Puja • Temple Trips • Hinduism 101 • Yoga • Ram Navami

• Garba • Meditation • Open Discussions and Speakers on issues that deal with campus life and

Hinduism and many other events!

November Events 1) Weekly Sunday Discussion, 12pm, Graduate Student Lounge - Gray Building

(2nd floor) 2) Bhutanese Empowerment Project - tutoring every Thursday 5:30-9:30pm 3) Open Exec Meeting every Wednesday at 8:30pm in OSAF. We’re looking for

new people to brainstorm and plan new events, so stop by if you’re interested! ALL members of the Duke community are welcome to join HSA

If you have any opinions regarding the recent merger of the MCC and IHouse and want them to be represented at future meetings,

please email them to ym15@duke.edu. Email ym15@duke.edu to RSVP for these events

Join our Facebook Group: Hindu Students Association @ Duke University or visit our website: www.duke.edu/web/hsa for frequent updates!

Temples in the Area we visit: 1.) HSNC Temple 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560 2.) Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple 121 Balaji Place, Cary NC 27513

Honor God. Love the Community.

Live like Family. Sundays at 5pm

Downtown Chapel Hill (919) 360-4320

www.greenleafvineyard.org

Sunday Mass Schedule

11am Richard White Lecture Hall, East Campus

9pm Duke Chapel

Daily Mass Schedule

Monday 5:15pm Goodson Chapel, Duke Divinity School

Tuesday 12 noon Duke Hospital Chapel (6th Floor)

Wednesday 5:15pm Duke Chapel Crypt

Thursday 11:30am Yoh Football Center, Team Meeting Room

Friday 5pm Fuqua School of Business, Seminar B

catholic.duke.edu (919) 684-8959

037 Duke Chapel Basement (office) & 402 N. Buchanan Blvd.

Everyone Welcome!

Morning Meditation

When: Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:30 - 9AM

Where: Chapel Crypt (stairs left to altar)

evening Meditation & dharMaZen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

When: Monday from 7-8:30pmWhere: Multicultural Center in the

Bryan Center

www.duke.edu/web/meditation

The Muslim Students Association at Duke University is a place where students can learn about and discuss the

teachings of Islam. We serve to spread knowledge of Islam to non-Muslims who are interested in the religion and

sponsor a wide variety of social events and educational forums throughout the year-ranging from lectures and

discussions to artistic demonstrations.

Muslim Student Association & Muslim Life @ Duke.

Jumu’ah on Campus--Join us for our weekly Friday Service: 12:45 in the York Room; refreshments will be

served after the service.

11/20 Friday Meeting 6:30 at Center for Muslim Life

Sisters’ Discussion Group: Thursdays at 9 in the prayer room

Volunteering Opporunity: Project Downtown Durham 12/6

NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR MSA SPOKEN WORD NIGHT! Contact nsk7@duke.edu for more info

Join MSA Listserv to find out more about these and other events in the future

Center for Muslim Life: 406 Swift Ave. OPEN TO ALL!

www.dukemsa.org ~ Duke Search: Muslim Life @ Duke

Leaders examine Africa’s urgent medical needs

by Sonia HaveleThe chronicle

health, education and religious repre-sentatives from Africa convened at the Di-vinity School Thursday to discuss modern approaches to improving health and pro-moting peace across the continent.

Angelina Atyam, co-founder of the con-cerned parents Association in Uganda, Mau-reen nafula, an adviser with the Kenyan Min-istry of Medical Services and paride Taban, emeritus bishop and founder of the holy Trinity peace Village in southern Sudan, shared their personal experiences with vio-lence, war trauma, health care and spirituality to further educate students and faculty about Africa’s need for international assistance.

Dr. peter Morris, medical director for Wake county human Services, led the pan-el, which was co-sponsored by the Divinity School, the Fuqua School of Business and the Global health institute. The discus-sion covered a broad range of topics from health care reform to the role of religious ministers in countries struggling with eth-nic and religious violence

“each [representative] spoke to the sys-tems of thinking of individual health and global health institutions,” Morris said. “i hope we’ll see an effect at the individual

and institutional level.”Atyam spoke of the terror and anguish

she experienced when her daughter was abducted at age 14 and held captive for almost eight years by the anti-government rebel group, the lord’s resistance Army.

“When my daughter was taken, my eyes were opened,” Atyam said. “ other people that were suffering did not know how to overcome the grief.... The lord taught me the hard way to forgive.”

in speaking of the cycle of violence that has taken over Uganda and other strug-gling African nations, Atyman, along with the other representatives, emphasized the need to forgive and let go of grudges in or-der to move forward.

“Forgetting the past and moving forward is something we need to preach,” nafula said.

The leaders also spoke of their experi-ences helping those fighting in the wars. They unanimously noted that in helping soldiers and rebels, no patient is refused treatment. Despite repercussions from gov-ernmental authorities, all three panelist said their patients are given help regardless of the side the wounded are fighting for.

“i’ll give you clothes, not because you

James lee/the ChroniCle

po-Ming Wong (left) and her husband Tad Schwendler (right), Fuqua ’03, plan to open Magpie, a local bou-tique offering unique, affordable clothing this December. The store will be located on West Main Street.

Fuqua alum to open local clothing boutique

See africa on pAGe 5 See magpie on pAGe 4

4 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 ThE ChRONIClE

to June 1996. in the current fiscal year, the Department of Athletics is attempting to balance a $60.3 mil-lion budget, said Mitch Moser, as-sociate athletic director for business operations.

This year, the Athletics Depart-ment faces unique hurdles in gen-erating revenues than in years past. The iron Dukes—the fundraising arm of Duke Athletics—shattered records in fiscal year 2009, raking in $12.6 million in contributions, iron Dukes executive Director Jack Win-ters said in an interview earlier this month. This year, they are tracking $1 million behind where they were last november.

The cost of funding athletic schol-arships alone is more than $13 mil-lion, according to the eADA report for 2008-2009.

revenues from all sources are down about 7.5 to 8 percent, Mo-ser said at the meeting. he said in an earlier interview that the ath-letics endowment has also taken a hit as a result of the recession, going down in market value from $150 million in June 2008 to $113 million at present.

At the same time, the Univer-sity has reduced its annual subsidy to the athletics department from $15 million in the last two years to $14.5 million this year, Mo-ser noted, with further reductions planned for next year.

“We’re working very, very hard to weather the financial storm like other athletic departments,” Moser said. “We’re doing everything to con-

tain our costs without impacting the student-athlete experience.”

To that end, White convened an executive Budget committee last August made up of senior-level ath-letics administrators to look at specif-ic areas where the budget could be trimmed. So far, Moser said Athletics has cut expenses by 5 percent.

Administrators have also been looking at additional sources of rev-enue. They have signed a deal with nike for apparel and equipment as well as international Sports proper-ties, inc., a Winston-Salem based sports marketing company.

Duke is not the only Division i school whose athletics depart-ment is showing signs of strain in confronting a new financial real-ity. Facing layoffs and a $8-million budget cut, Stanford University’s athletics department is consider-ing doing away with one or more of its 35 teams. Athletics at the University of california, Berkeley also finds itself in turmoil with some faculty demanding more

oversight of the department’s bud-getary operations and an end to institutional subsidies.

White said, however, that there is reason to be optimistic about the state of athletics at Duke.

“The most significant challenge in higher education and certainly in athletics is retaining the appropriate balance between academics and ath-letics,” he said. “i think at Duke, we have a great history of maintaining that balance.”

Brad Berndt, associate director of athletics who oversees academic affairs, said the most recent statistics released by the national collegiate Athletic Association Wednesday—showing a 97 percent graduation rate among student athletes at Duke—is an indication of the department’s commitment to providing a top-notch education to participants.

“The student athletes at Duke gush about the place if you sit and visit with them,” said White, who has been meeting with the cap-tains of Duke’s 26 teams since he arrived at the University last year. “They are savvy consumers. They make the Duke decision in terms of intercollegiate athletics because of the world-class academics and to play at the highest level that you can play.”

craig henriquez, chair of the Academic council and professor of biomedical engineering and com-puter science, commended the ath-letics department for its improved relationship with the rest of the Uni-versity.

“in the last 40 years, the divide between academics and athletics has narrowed considerably,” he said.

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Join members of the Duke Chapel Choir for a sing-along of:

HANDEL’S

MessiahSunday, November 22, 2009

7:00 p.m.Duke University Chapel

Rodney Wynkoop, ConductingDavid Arcus, Organist

Admission is freeScores available to borrow and purchase

MessiahSing-Along.indd 1 11/13/2009 10:59:08 AM

aTHleTICS from page 1

ing is now right with all the momentum downtown as more and more restaurants and retail stores open their doors,” she said.

Schwendler and Wong chose Suite D of the Walk-er building on 601 West Main Street for their loca-tion, which neighbors West end Wine Bar. West end manager Kevin eastin said he is optimistic about Mag-pie’s opening, stating that the owners seem nice and the clothing stylish.

“i think this will be really good for our business,” eas-tin said. “At our old loca-tion in chapel hill, a lot of customers from the neigh-boring retail store Uniqui-ties stopped in the bar after finishing their shopping.”

Students said they were excited about a new cloth-ing store opening within walking distance from east campus.

“it’d be really convenient to have a clothing store nearby,” freshman lisa chi said. “even though we have Southpoint and northgate, it’s still nice to have some more options that we can walk to.”

Magpie and West end share the renovated Walker tobacco warehouse, origi-nally built in 1897. current-ly, the building features 27-

foot high ceilings, skylights and much of the original architecture.

The couple said having two minds working togeth-er will help the business run more smoothly. While Schwendler will handle the financial side of the bou-tique, Wong will use the skills she gained from work-ing at Duke to streamline the business’s operations.

The apparel targets a broad age range of custom-ers, from college students to older women.

Wong has traveled exten-sively and uses style inspira-tion from other cultures to give Magpie a unique and diverse selection, ranging from established brands to emerging and international designers. The clothing will incorporate both daytime and evening wear.

“The clothes are versa-tile—many of them could be worn to an interview, but would also work in a social atmosphere,” Wong said, noting that the store will also offer jewelry, body care and home ac-cessories.

like many of their friends, the couple chose to remain in Durham after Schwendler finished his studies at Fuqua.

“We wanted to provide the Durham community with a retail service,” Sch-wendler said.

MagpIe from page 3

“We’re doing every-thing to contain our

costs without impact-ing the student-athlete

experience.” — Mitch Moser,

associate athletic director for business operations

ThE ChRONIClE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 | 5

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chill with your friends

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Not going home for Thanksgiving?

Don’t feel like cooking?

Students, faculty, staff and guests are invited to start a new tradition with a home-style Thanksgiving meal at Duke.

The Faculty Commons in West Union11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26

The $13.95 all-you-care-to-eat buffet features:

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Pay with cash, debit or credit card, food points or FLEX.

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Oysters $7/dozen • Friday 2-6pm $1 Mini Mexican Beers Every Night.

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The largest selection of fresh seafood, vegetables and BBQ.

CaMpuS CounCIl from page 1

Junior ryan echternacht, a member of the policy com-mittee, said interviews and surveys revealed that sopho-mores living on central are happy with their living ar-rangements and would enjoy living there again.

The major complaint from sophomores—echoing the complaints of upperclassmen—was that the availability of transportation to and from the middle campus is inconsis-tent, echternacht said. he added that residents suggested adding amenities like study spaces to central and that many did not know the status of renovations.

Gonzalez said Mill Village, currently under construc-tion, should be completed in February 2010 and will in-clude a small computer lab.

But echternacht said he is “troubled” by what he heard from residents of the east meets West sections in Kilgo and Few Quadrangles. eighty percent of students surveyed in the section said their primary motivation for applying to the block was the desirable location or to stay on West campus.

“What’s really scary is that people weren’t lying,” ech-ternacht said. “They could easily say, ‘oh, [i wanted] to meet new people, that sounds good,’ but they didn’t, so i actually found those results very troubling.”

in other business:

Junior John pryor, facilities and services committee chair, updated the council on ongoing and future proj-ects. he said there are plans to reduce the computer labs, implement an online laundry tracking program, improve handicapped access to residential features and install a reverse vending machine in Wannamaker Quadrangle in January. The machine will cost about $11,000 to install.

melissa Yeo/the ChroniCle

president Stephen Temple considers feedback on Central Cam-pus living conditions at Thursday’s Campus Council meeting.

are a soldier, [but] because you are in need,” Taban said.nafula made several statements on the quality of the African

health care system, noting that Kenya spends approximately $27 per capita on health care compared to the $7,500 spent by the United States.

June Tibaleka, a second-year medical student, was among the many students and faculty in attendance. Tibaleka, who was born in Uganda, commented on American attitudes toward im-proving the African health care system. She noted that in order for the African system to improve, it is important to recognize that Africa is very different from America both ethnically and culturally.

“Getting an African perspective in an American setting is re-freshing,” Tibaleka said.

The meeting closed with the reiteration of Africa’s need for inter-national human aid and resources, especially from America’s youth.

“i believe that the young people are so strong,” Atyam said. “They are full of wisdom and energy, and they are ready to trans-form the world.”

aFRICa from page 3

by Dan AhrensThe chronicle

After bookending the first half with beautiful goals and dominating play in between, Duke (13-6) seemed poised to coast to a first-round victory over

Winthrop in the ncAA tourna-ment. A surprise second-half goal by the eagles reversed the tide, however, and a senior’s first-career score was needed to

propel the Blue Devils to a 3-2 victory Thursday at

by Vignesh NathanThe chronicle

The Blue Devils were not about to fall victim to two big upsets in one week, but they did not perform to their ex-pectations last night against Georgia Southern.

no. 11 Duke (2-1) defeated the eagles 69-42 Thursday in cameron indoor Stadium behind a dominant first half. The second half, though, was disappointing, especially considering Duke’s lofty national ranking.

The Blue Devils only trailed the eagles (1-1) once during the entire game, after Georgia Southern’s Ja-

mie navarro sank a 3-pointer to make the score 5-4 in the open-ing minutes. Then Duke went on a 16-0 run, led by a tremendous effort by senior Joy cheek.

cheek scored 10 of Duke’s first 20 points on 4-of-7 shoot-ing, including one basket beyond the arc. She also contrib-uted five rebounds. in addition, fifth-year senior Keturah Jackson put up 11 points, one shy of her career high.

“i wanted to step up and be a leader,” Jackson said. “i just owe it to the team to be aggressive, no matter what part of the court i am on. it’s all things that i know that i can do, so in the game, it’s natural.”

The Blue Devils had their defense working. After a

by Harrison ComfortThe chronicle

Few teams will measure up to the Blue Devils’ size this year, with the Duke ros-ter featuring four players over 6-foot-10 in what will amount to one of the team’s tallest squads in recent memory.

The player with the biggest presence on the court this season, however, is none oth-er than a lanky, high-energy forward who carries himself as if he were well over seven feet tall.

lance Thomas, who was named cap-tain along with fellow

senior Jon Scheyer in the offseason, enters his most involved role on the team in his four years at Duke. And as far as his team-mates are concerned, Thomas is more than ready for his new leadership position.

“[Thomas is] unbelievable,” senior cen-ter Brian Zoubek said. “he’s definitely one of, if not the, best leader i’ve had since i’ve been here. i’m in the same class as him and have grown up with him for four years. he has just stepped it up a notch this year, both as a person and a player.”

The 6-foot-8 forward worked extreme-ly hard this offseason, especially in the weight room. Through numerous strength and flexibility workouts, Thomas added between 10 and 15 pounds of muscle to

bulk up to 225 lbs. With Mason Plumlee, a projected

starter, out with a broken wrist, Thomas has reprised his starting role, and often guards the opposing team’s biggest offen-sive threats due to his athletic ability and extremely determined style of play. And though Thomas is not one of the Blue Devils’ most flashy players, he has solidi-fied himself as a strong leader on the team who knows what is expected of him both on the court and in the locker room.

“i need to be a vocal leader,” Thomas said. “i need to be able to guard the oppos-ing team’s best player. i need to be able to finish and hit open shots. Basically, adding off of what the defense gives me and in re-turn guard the other team’s best player.”

Throughout his career at Duke, Thomas has demonstrated his abilities as a resourceful defender, guarding every position on the floor. his versatility is es-sential to the team’s success because the Blue Devils do not possess another player who can effectively guard as many posi-tions as well as Thomas can.

As a leader, Thomas began his emergence as early as his sophomore year. he always had one of loudest voices on the team, constantly encouraging teammates during practice.

last season, Thomas not only ex-panded his vocal presence on the team, but also learned the ability to lead by ex-ample. The latter skill came easy to the senior captain, who always puts forth his

Men’s basketball The CapTains, parT 2 of 2

Thomas embraces role as most vocal leader

best effort and pushes his teammates to reach their full potential.

Thomas’s charisma and extrovert-ed nature enables him to mold nicely with Scheyer, who was also a captain last season. The senior guard has found that sharing the leadership re-

sponsibilities with Thomas has assisted him greatly in his own captain role.

“lance is naturally very vocal, which helps me out a lot,” Scheyer said. “in practice you always hear his voice. it al-ways takes a lot of pressure off me—we compliment each other very well.”

lawson kurtz/the ChroniCle

senior lance thomas is known among his teammates for his oversized personality and versatile defense.

WoMen’s basketball

Cheek helps No. 11 Blue Devils avoid upset bug

DUKE 69

GSU 42

Men’s soccer

McDaniel’s goal keys Duke escape

DUKE 3

WINT 2

dianna liu/the ChroniCle

senior ryan McDaniel’s first career goal, Duke’s third on the night, gave the blue Devils an insurmountable lead against Winthrop.

SATURDAY, 3 p.m.Cameron Indoor Stadium

Radford

No. 9 Duke

vs.

Koskinen Stadium. For the match’s first 57 minutes, Winthrop (11-6-4)

did not manage a shot on goal. Then freshman Said Abdi posted up a Duke defender just outside the Blue Devil box, received a pass, turned quickly and surprised goalkeeper James Belshaw with a shot into the bottom corner. About ten minutes later, Belshaw redeemed himself with a fan-tastic reaction save on a point-blank Winthrop header to keep the score steady at 2-1.

Just as the eagles seemed poised to level the score, a Duke corner kick squirted out to the top of the box, where senior ryan McDaniel was waiting. McDaniel calmly gath-ered the ball and carved a left-footed shot into the top cor-ner for the game-winning tally.

“i guess it’s a little dramatic but i’ll take it for sure,” Mc-Daniel said. “i had a terrible first touch to be honest with you and kind of had to rescue myself.”

“he’s been a stalwart for us all season long in the mid-field,” head coach John Kerr said of McDaniel. “it’s a spe-cial night for him to step up and score the winning goal in probably his last game here at Koskinen.”

Despite the surge of momentum from McDaniel’s goal, Duke still couldn’t hold off Winthrop. With 14 minutes left in the match, Stephen nsereko hit a bicycle kick that bounced across the face of the Duke net. cameron Alksnis ran onto it and drove a header past Belshaw into the far corner, pulling the eagles back within one.

Winthrop only generated one more dangerous chance, however, and its last shot flew over the crossbar.

“This was the worst second half we’ve played this season,” Kerr said. “We’re normally a good second half team.”

“it got a little frantic in the end,” McDaniel said. “The

See m. soccer on PAGe 8See w. basketball on PAGe 7

SportsThe Chronicle

www.dukechroniclesports.com

FRIDAYNovember 20, 2009

>> FIELD HOCKEY Five Blue Devils, including seniors Lauren Miller, Amie Survilla and Rhian Jones (left), were named to the NFHCA All-South Region team Thursday

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volleyball

Duke welcomes Tar Heels in search of revengeAbout a month ago, Duke was upset

by north carolina in front of a large crowd at the Dean e. Smith center in chapel hill, as the volleyball match led right into “late night with roy,” the Tar heel basketball program’s annual sea-

son curtain-raiser. This weekend,

the Blue Devils hope to give north carolina a taste of its own medicine.

Duke hosts the Tar heels Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in cam-eron indoor Sta-

dium immediately following the men’s

basketball team’s 3 p.m. game against radford. in the past years, the two teams have met with students already gone for Thanksgiving break, but head coach Jolene nagel said she hopes for strong crowd support this weekend.

The Blue Devils first host n.c. State, the worst team in the Acc, Friday night at 7 p.m.

Duke (24-5, 14-3 in the Acc) needs to win both matches to stay in contention for a conference title, though the odds of reaching the Acc summit at this point in the season are slim. The Blue Devils trail Florida State by two games in the stand-ings with just three to play.

Unforunately for nagel’s squad, the

Seminoles own the head-to-head tie-breaker, though, having beaten Duke twice this year. The Blue Devils would have to win out and have Florida State lose all three of its remaining contests to earn the conference title.

The Blue Devils’ defeat in chapel hill is one of the reasons the Blue Devils fell off the pace the Seminoles have set all year. The Tar heels (15-13, 11-6) are fifth in the conference and have no chance of winning the Acc, but have registered some quality wins thus far. The Wolfpack (7-25, 0-17), on the other hand, have had a miserable year, and Duke swept n.c. State oct. 17.

—from staff reports

SATURDAY, 7 p.m.Cameron Indoor Stadium

UNC

Duke

vs.

Caroline rodriguez/ChroniCle file photo

Head coach Jolene nagel and Duke face n.c. state Fri-day before a showdown with north carolina saturday.

Christina pena/the ChroniCle

senior Joy cheek was one of five blue Devils to score in double figures in Duke’s 69-42 home win over Georgia southern thursday night.

disappointing loss to Texas A&M, in which they allowed 95 points, Duke stepped it up against the eagles. They brought the full-court press frequently and efficiently, of-ten frustrating Georgia Southern’s offense. The Blue Dev-ils forced 24 turnovers, including 10 steals.

indeed, the Blue Devils were hardly challenged early Thursday. All five of Duke’s starters scored in double digits, and the Blue Devils were a more physical, talented team.

however, Duke’s offense was sloppy later in the game. cheek, after being so effective in the first half, was inef-fective in the eight minutes she played during the second period. She did not score any points or pull down any re-bounds, nor did she force any turnovers.

in addition, Georgia Southern played 40 minutes of zone defense, which caught the Blue Devils off-guard and forced them to take contested shots. Duke shot poorly from the pe-rimeter, but held on to its double-digit lead the whole way.

The Blue Devils were 4-of-21 from 3-point range, in-cluding a 1-of-6 performance from sophomore Kath-leen Sheer. Jasmine Thomas, who was recently named a naismith Player of the Year candidate, was held to 1-of-5 shooting from three-point range.

“There’s no doubt that their zone slowed us down,” head coach Joanne P. Mccallie said. “Just because some-body plays a zone doesn’t mean you have to fire.”

Another problem plaguing the Blue Devils this early in the season was its performance from the free-throw line line. Duke shot 61.1 percent from the line last night.

in the coming games, the Blue Devils will have to pick up the pace on offense. last night’s contest was a learning experience for Duke, and the Blue Devils expect a sharper performance the next time out.

W. basketball from page 6

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Answer to puzzle

CLASSIFIEDS

whom has ever played a down under center.Though lewis will start Saturday against

the hurricanes, cutcliffe and the rest of his staff have come up with a contingency in the event that lewis has to come out at any point during the game.

“if [lewis] were to be lost for a brief mo-ment, we would go with King to get us through a series or a play or two,” cutcliffe said. “if we lose Thad, then Schroeder will play.”

Despite his lack of game experience, Schroeder saw extensive time at quarter-back this offseason when lewis did not practice due to injuries. King, the team’s starting punter after an injury to starter Kevin Jones, also brings versatility to the quarterback position and participates in the team’s weekly quarterback drills.

“Back during camp when we lost Thad… Schroeder was running with the [second team],” cutcliffe said. “i kept telling [offen-

sive coordinator Kurt roper], ‘This is great. it’s force-feeding him and us to have to teach him and put him on an accelerated path.’”

in recent weeks, the Blue Devils have expe-rienced other significant losses on both sides of the ball. on offense, left guard Mitchell lederman had season-ending foot surgery Monday. The team’s entire receiving corps is also banged up, but with the exception of Johnny Williams, all will play Saturday. run-ning back re’quan Boyette, who has been hampered by injuries all year, is also out.

Duke’s defense has not fared any better. linebackers Abraham Kromah and Vincent rey have both sustained leg injuries and will play through pain against the hurricanes. Standout defensive tackle Vince oghobaase, though, will miss his second straight game with a more severe leg injury.

The Blue Devils already face tremen-dous challenges in attempting to defeat the more athletic and experienced hurri-canes. having key players not at 100 per-cent physically just adds another obstacle for Duke, but it is one that the Blue Devils have to overcome if they have any chance of keeping their bowl hopes alive.

Since injuries and other setbacks make it unlikely that the Blue Devils will defeat Miami on physicality alone, it is clear that Duke must win mentally by taking advantage of every op-portunity and not making costly mistakes.

“When i get on that plane, i want to be-lieve that we are going down there not with the hopes of winning, but planning to win,” cutcliffe said. “The most powerful thing you have is your mind. if you put all of us out there on that field and you put the same number of lions and tigers out there on the field with us, the only chance we have is our mind.”

And though cutcliffe’s squad will not have to play any wild animals, possessing the mental strength of one is the only way his team can overcome the physical chal-lenges it faces against Miami.

Football from page 1

faith robertson/the ChroniCle

With sean renfree out, the inexperienced pair of sean schroeder or alex king could see time against Miami.

difference between this year’s team and last year’s is that we were able to keep our composure and we were able to hold them off in the end.”

Following first-round ncAA tour-nament losses the past two years, Duke started the match determined to avoid another early exit. The Blue Devils de-livered in the beginning with arguably their best half of the season.

only two minutes into the match, ju-nior nick Sih dribbled up the right wing, faked a back-heel pass and beat two de-

M. soccer from page 6

fenders into the corner. From there he crossed the ball into the box, where ryan ruffing shielded his defender and let the ball roll through to freshman ryan Finley. Finley ripped a shot far post and gave Duke the lead only 2:33 into the game.

“it gives us another dimension when [Sih] gets forward,” Kerr said. “he’s a con-verted forward, he’s got a good eye for space and serves a great ball.”

The Blue Devils continued their solid play and peppered the eagles’ goal for the rest of the first half, and finally Win-throp broke down.

With two minutes remaining in the pe-riod, freshman Andrew Wenger lofted in a high, bending cross from about 35 yards out. Senior Trae harrison found space at the top of the six-yard box and made no mistake in heading the ball home.

“Anytime you’re in a win-or-go-home game, it always helps to go up early,” Finley said. “We pretty much dictated the first half but not so much the second.”

Thanks to its fantastic peformance at the beginning of the match and McDan-iel’s heroics, though, Duke survived its mistakes to play another day. And in the ncAA tournament, that’s all that matters.

larsa al-omaishi/the ChroniCle

several blue Devils mob trae Harrison (center) af-ter he scored Duke’s second goal in a 3-2 win over Winthrop in the ncaa tournament’s first round.

The ChroniCle FriDAY, noVeMBer 20, 2009 | 9

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We do not know our own strength, and no one dares to tell us. This week, we began to feel that strength in our bones.

It began when the University announced its first public layoffs, following months of attrition through early re-tirement. It came as no surprise that those first layoffs were an attack on people of color on Duke’s campus—the merger of the Multicultural Cen-ter and Interna-tional House and the termination of two of the Multicultural Center’s staff, Juanita Johnson and Julian Sanchez.

Public outcry, and a petition signed by about 500 students—our first show of strength—forced the administration to backpedal somewhat, delay-ing the merger and creating a task force “to exam-ine how to meet the needs of minority and inter-national students at Duke.” The two staff positions will still be eliminated, though, and the adminis-tration has said they are not negotiable as part of the task force’s mission.

To put it bluntly, nothing is non-negotiable when we begin to know our strength.

If we want to defend the autonomy of the Mul-ticultural Center and International House, if we want to keep the two staff positions so vital to us, we cannot let our struggle end with the creation of this task force.

The proposed task force will certainly allow students to provide their input into this process. But input is not enough. We should be more con-cerned with exercising real power, and in that sense, we should see this task force not as a sincere response to our demands, but as a stalling tactic. Every day we spend debating and discussing with-in the confines of this task force is a day lost. While a few of us get caught up in its machinations, the rest of us should be talking to our fellow students, handing out fliers, organizing informational pick-ets and thinking about other ways we can exercise our power in a way the administration cannot sim-ply dismiss, but must acknowledge, respect and make concessions to.

Zoila Airall, assistant vice president for student affairs, deserves special mention in this process. She has told us not to be distrustful, to let the process happen. In negotiations with the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan was fond of saying, “trust, but verify.” Our position should be similar—trust the administration while at the same time organiz-

ing ourselves to exercise our collective strength. Through this we can verify that they are taking concrete steps to meet our demands.

Airall also advised us to think big. We could do worse than follow this advice when formulating our demands. We should demand a written agree-ment that the Multicultural Center and Interna-tional House never be merged. We should further demand that the two staff positions be reinstated. We should not accept their dismissal as non-nego-tiable. Nothing is non-negotiable when we know our strength and are willing to use it.

When asked how much money the University would save by dismissing Sanchez and Johnson, the two staff members whose jobs are at stake, Airall callously demurred, saying that she, no less than the assistant vice president for stu-dent affairs, didn’t know. I don’t know about you, but I would personally prefer her to verify that statement before I trust it.

This leads us to a bigger problem. The Univer-sity absolutely refuses, and will continue to do so until we demand otherwise, all attempts to make transparent the decisions that vitally affect stu-dents, staff and faculty. It refuses to keep us in-formed about employment decisions. It refuses to make its endowment transparent. It refuses to discuss its investments in Israeli apartheid or any other investment decisions it makes. Unaccount-able, irresponsible and unethical—these words best describe how the administration operates. If we need money to supplement budgetary short-falls, these words give us a clue where to look.

To solve such big problems, we should again take Airall’s advice to think big. We should de-mand students, staff and faculty decide collective-ly on all these issues—how and even more impor-tantly whether layoffs will happen, and we should demand full access to Duke’s budget, along with the right to decide how our money is invested.

As we begin to discover our strength, what we are capable of when we work together to achieve common goals, we have a unique opportunity to make these demands a reality.

However, the danger of refusing to exercise that strength is great. If we settle for this task force as the only avenue of our struggle without getting more concrete concessions out of the University through a demonstration of our strength, we can be certain that when we show up in the fall, the merger will be an accomplished fact. Like thieves in the night, under the cover of summer vacation, the administration will carry out the merger, and we will be powerless to stop it.

Michael Stauch is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in history. This is his final column of the semester.

commentaries10 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 thE chRONIclE

the c

hron

icle

The

Ind

epen

dent

Dai

ly a

t D

uke

Uni

vers

ity

editorial

Last week, staff at the Mul-ticultural Center and Interna-tional House were informed that their organizations would be merged and two jobs at the MCC would be elimi-nated. Adminis-trators stated that budgetary considerations were just one of several factors playing into the decision.

Within days of the an-nouncement, after a notably outspoken backlash from students, faculty, staff and alumni, the administration announced that the merger had been postponed and that a task force, composed partially of student repre-sentatives, will convene to determine the future of the Multicultural Center and In-ternational House. The em-

ployee layoffs, however, are nonnegotiable.

While University officials should be commended for putting the merger on hold,

this debacle serves as a clear lesson

that, especially in financially troubled times, unilateral and opaque action is unac-ceptable and will garner re-sistance.

In general, student reac-tion to the announcement of the merger was justified. The Multicultural Center and the International House both fulfill important roles on campus, and any admin-istrative action that has the potential to adversely affect the services they deliver should be openly communi-cated to students.

That the administration justified the merger on the grounds of integrating of-fices with similar purposes is also particularly concerning. The International House and Multicultural Center serve different constituen-cies in different ways, and regardless of its intent, the suggestion that they have overlapping missions has the appearance of marginalizing culture and diversity.

And even worse, the con-tentious debate following the merger’s announcement heightened tensions among students and divided leaders of cultural organizations.

In the end, whatever rec-ommendation it puts forth, the task force examining this issue should strive to protect the missions of both entities

while recognizing that the hard work and dedication of students, supported by Uni-versity resources, are what ultimately make campus or-ganizations successful.

More importantly, for ad-ministrators, this situation is the perfect example of how not to make cuts.

It’s no secret that the intended merger was expe-dited and driven by financial reasons. And in reality, this is only the beginning of many budgetary decisions that will directly affect students.

In the future as adminis-trators make further cutbacks in areas that touch students’ lives, communication should be paramount.

For the most part, students are reasonable, and they rec-ognize that changes are inevi-

table given the budget shortfall the University is up against. As long as the process by which the University formulates and implements these changes is transparent and fair, all par-ties involved will more readily accept the outcome.

Conversely, when admin-istrators act in secret without considering input from im-portant stakeholders, they will inevitably encounter opposi-tion and foster divisiveness.

This time the administra-tion recognized its own mis-take, reversing the merger in light of a strong student re-sponse. But in the future, by being open and honest when making tough financial de-cisions, the University can weather its budget crisis in a way that respects all those involved.

Nothing is non-negotiable

A lesson learned after merger misstep

”“ onlinecomment

The name “Kyrie Irving” also comes to mind....

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michael stauchspread the embers

commentariesthE chRONIclE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 | 11

Like many people, I tend to find most classic 19th-century British novels stuffy and a tad boring—interesting social critiques, at times, but often too

preoccupied with the disconnects that arise out of stilted courting techniques, and with the long-term effects of bri-dled, upper-class women. I need more than that.

But at the Gothic Bookstore the other day, one of these books hap-pened to catch my eye. It was clearly one of those old British novels that I have so successfully avoided, yet something was different: While the man on the cover did have on his perfect red Napoleonic-era coat and vest, with his frilled shoulders and his hilted sword, there were also scaly and pulsating octopus tentacles growing out of his face. The book was called “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters, and I bought it immediately.

I was, however, a bit curious about one thing: who, exactly, is this Jane Austen lady? She’s listed on the cover before our soon-to-be poet laureate Ben H. Winters—the man who is credited with “co-writing” the novel, which we can only assume means “ghostwriting.”

So I flipped to the “About the Author” section on the back cover, and found out that she, too, has some legitimate claim to literary celebrity. The blurb reads: “Jane Austen is coauthor of The New York Times best-seller ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.’” And, indeed, a quick Google search revealed that this Jane Austen per-son is actually a popular writer: The zombie book she co-wrote has been a best seller for about 30 weeks, described in The New York Times as “the classic story, retold with ‘ultraviolent zombie mayhem.’”

Wait—the classic story? Is this a canonical zombie novel that I am somehow unaware of? I took to Google once again and found out that, in fact, “Pride and Preju-dice and Zombies” is adapted from a real novel by Jane Austen, and so is “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Mon-sters.” But, unlike the new ones, the originals didn’t have a single instance of rampaging Zombie slaughter, floating mid-air Kung Fu ninja death battles or flesh-eating submerged fang beasts.

So I didn’t bother with the old books. Instead, I took to my recent purchase, the epic of disgusting sea

creatures and antiquated social commentary and, upon opening it to a random page, found an illustration with the following caption: “The guests began a screaming stampede for the exit, shoving and fighting past one an-other to get out of the path of the death-lobsters.” Sure enough, in the picture, the death-lobsters are chopping off the limbs of the well-dressed guests, their bodies ma-ligned in the sharp grasp of the giant red pinchers.

Everyone loves gratuitous blood and gore, but the novel’s true genius lies in the way it uses this ultraviolent tentacled mayhem to reinforce the utter despondency that arises when these corseted women realize there is no way to communicate their pent-up adoration to would-be suitors, as is the case with Marianne’s yearning for the dashing and dangerous John Willoughby.

And the deft juxtaposition of the two modes of story-telling is simply brilliant, especially in the death-lobster scene: “‘Go to him, Elinor,’ Marianne pleaded, insen-sible of the immediate peril.... With one claw the beast mauled Mr. Carey, carving large gashes from his torso, while simultaneously, with the other claw, it snapped off Mrs. Carey’s feet and hands with four snaps. ‘Force [Willoughby] to come to me. Tell him I must see him again—must speak to him immediately.’” Marianne’s anguished plea to her sister parallels the life-or-death situation of Mr. Carey. The scene elegantly proves that there are two forces vicious enough to rip off append-ages: love, and lobsters.

In a Sept. 15 article in Slate entitled “This Scene Could Really Use a Man-Eating Jellyfish: How I wrote Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,” Ben H. Win-ters explains the process of collaborating with Austen to increase the number of bone-crunching leviathans in the new version of the novel, and how he went to great lengths to maintain the authenticity of the biological monstrosities that appear in the text. “Poring through my Roget’s, I arrived at the appropriately eloquent and disgusting phrase to describe the slimy stomach of an oversize hermit crab just before it smothers someone to death: mucocutaneous undercarriage,” he writes. Not only does the new version of the novel contain scores of grotesque creatures of the deep, they’re described in scientifically accurate terms. I’m in awe.

So, in short, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is a masterpiece that completely outshines the original. Can’t wait for “Jurassic Mansfield Park!”

Nathan Freeman is a Trinity senior. His column runs every Friday.

My time abroad has taught me a lot about first im-pressions. My initial opinion of fellow students, which has already done a complete 180, immedi-

ately comes to mind as a good example.I don’t think it’s a trait particular to the country (my first

impressions of many of my best friends at Duke weren’t that great either). Regardless, the short length of my stay here in Japan has forced me to reflect on the beginning a bit sooner than expected, as the end slowly and surely creeps closer.

The boy I thought was a total jerk in the beginning I now like a little too much. The girl I thought I was going to be best friends with is now just a mere acquaintance. The boy I thought was cool turned out to be a loser. The girl I wanted to slap across the face the first time I met is now my best friend in the program.

The country itself has also been a bit of a surprise. My first impression of Japan was absolute rapture —after my first month here, I wanted to grab on to a tree, cling on and never go back to America. And if I absolutely had to leave, I wanted to throw the country in my suitcase and take it with me.

Now, though, after almost three months, I am starting to see that a negative side does exist.

Japan likes its homogeneity. People here pride them-selves in being Japanese, and in being absolutely and totally “unique.” They are not particularly fond of foreigners, a fact that doesn’t take too much effort to figure out—just look at Japan’s laws and social practices.

Most landlords will not rent rooms to foreigners because they think foreigners will be unable to keep up a proper apart-ment. Job ads will clearly state that they do not want to hire foreigners because of the “language barrier.” Police also have the power to stop foreigners on the street simply because they “look foreign,” and demand their alien registration card or passport. If found without either, the “foreigner” faces arrest.

Those kinds of discrimination and various other forms are very easily experienced if you stick with the right peo-ple, those “Westerners” that look foreign.

One time at a club, a Caucasian male friend asked an employee where the bathroom was. Although he had asked the question in perfect Japanese, the woman simply squeaked at him, and rushed off to find another employee who could “speak” English.

In another incident, I went shopping with a very blonde and blue-eyed girlfriend. While using the dressing room, my friend went first and spoke to the salesperson in almost fully fluent Japanese. The woman, however, did not respond to her and attempted to communicate with my friend in a mix of broken English and hand signals. When it was my turn, although the salesperson had seen me blatantly conversing with my friend in English and probably knew that I was not Japanese, she spoke with and treated me like any other “native” customer.

Although my Asian appearance has removed me from personally experiencing the more damaging side of any-thing like those two incidents, I have to admit that seeing these things happen to my friends and hearing about them is saddening. After all, I do not want to leave with my last impression of Japan as discriminative.

On the flip side, I’ve actually found it useful to be with a Westerner-friend at all times while I am out in Japan, because it allows us to play the “foreigner card.” Basically, we are allowed to do stupid things in public and Japanese people will not care because to them, “it’s what foreigners do.” These indiscretions include and are not limited to eat-ing on any form of public transportation (actually prohib-ited), being loud and obnoxious in public and pretending to hump deer for a good photo-op (not me, I swear).

It’s the ridiculous experiences that I’ve shared with fellow students (not just Americans, but those from Australia, Thai-land, Indonesia, France, England, etc) that will be worth re-membering about Japan. Although I hate endings, my time in Japan is almost up. And when collecting my scattered memories of the country, it’s those friendships created from absurd situations that will matter the most in the end.

Someone once told me that I had my whole life to go to Japan, but only four years to be at Duke. I didn’t take the advice. I definitely don’t consider my one semester here a waste. In fact, leaving Duke and realizing that another other worlds exists beyond the borders of West and East Campus was in the end so necessary that I now consider it an essential part of my so-called “Duke experience.” How’s that for a final impression.

Lisa Du is a Trinity junior. This is her final column of the semester.

ImpressionsUltraviolent Jane Austen mayhem

lettertotheeditorHumans cannot be ‘illegal’ immigrants

On Sunday night, Nov. 15, someone wrote over the statement “No Human Being is Illegal” on the East Campus bridge with the allegation that some humans are indeed “illegal.” The statement was writ-ten over the previous sentence and read, “Some hu-man beings are illegal—i.e. Pedro.”

At Duke we pride ourselves as an institution com-mitted to excellence. We form a diverse community with people from many different religious, socioeco-nomic and ethnic backgrounds. To write a statement that alleges that a sub-caste of humans exist in the United States and (more shockingly) to assume a particular race is tied to that group, “illegals” known as “Pedro,” is a racist smear to what this University represents. At Duke, we should foster discussion in beneficial avenues rather than simply scrawling hate

on the East bridge.All humans are worthy and dignified individu-

als. No human being is illegal. Illegal would suggest that some people are simply nonexistent or invalid. How can a person be invalid? A human being may enter the U.S. without documentation and is there-fore “undocumented” but he or she does not simply lose humanity by crossing a line. Moreover, what can be said about the individual who believes all men named “Pedro” are unworthy of respect? At Duke we are better than this, we cannot support blanketed and prejudiced statements against innocent people. We cannot stand for racism in our community.

Lucy ZhangTrinity ’10

Founder, Duke Students for Humane Borders

nathan freemangood night, and

good luck

lisa dumoshi moshi

Make your voice heard.Columnist, cartoonist and blogger

applications are available forthe Spring semester.

E-mail Shuchi (sp64@duke.edu)for an application.

12 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 thE chRONIclE

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