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The ChronicleT 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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH YEAR, ISSUE 47WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

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Keohane:

Chronicle File PhotosNan Keohane, professor of public a� airs at Princeton University and former president of Duke University, will return to campus � ursday eve-ning to participate in a political theory workshop at Paul M. Gross Hall.

Students raise concerns over compsci investigation“The circumstances surrounding the

whole situation were very unfair”

Grace WangHealth & Science Editor

The deadline for current and former Computer Science 201 students to turn themselves in for academic dishonesty passed Wednesday night.

A week since the computer science department launched an investigation into potential violations of academic in-tegrity in Computer Science 201, Data Structures and Algorithm, students re-

ceived an email Wednesday afternoon, reminding them to “come forward and be sincere.” The investigation was launched at the request of Tabitha Peck, former visiting professor at Duke and course instructor in Spring 2014. The investigation involves 217 students en-rolled in the class this semester and 208 in the Spring.

“The circumstances surrounding the whole situation were very unfair,” said a student who took the course in the Spring and wished to remain anony-mous. “It was almost like no matter what position you are in the class, you feel like you were coerced into coming for-

ward.”Ronald Parr, chair of the computer

science department, deferred all com-ment to the Office of Student Conduct.

Stephen Bryan, associate dean of stu-dents and director of student conduct, wrote in an email Wednesday that once the Nov. 12 deadline passes, he will be conferring with Parr and Jeffrey Forbes, academic dean who oversees the com-puter science department, to discuss next steps.

Owen Astrachan, director of undergraduate studies in the computer

See Computer on Page 3

Public Harry Potter readings draw curiosity Senior Robbie Florian wants

to keep the purpose behind his daily public readings a mystery

Jenna ZhangLocal & National Editor

Jenna Zhang | Th e ChronicleSenior Robbie Florian sits in front of the statue of James B. Duke and reads from the Harry Potter series on a daily basis.

As dusk begins to set, just before the Cha-pel bells ring to signify the day drawing to a close, the wind begins to carry whispers of the story of a boy in the wizarding world.

For the past week and a half, students have had their walk on the Chapel Quadrangle enhanced by a public reading of the Harry Potter series. Some preoccupied students pass by without stopping—others pause for a moment before moving on. Still others will stop and sit crosslegged on the lawn, lost in the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

No one seemed sure as to who was reading from Harry Potter or why, but most seemed to appreciate it anyway.

“Maybe he just wants to remind everybody how awesome Harry Potter is,” said

See Harry Potter on Page 3

Former president returns to campus � ursday to participate in workshop on political theory

2 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 www.dukechronicle.com The Chronicle

We are pleased to announce the Class of 2018 Baldwin Scholars

Anika AyyarElizabeth Barahona

Evan BellErin ButricoAnita Desai

Riyanka GangulyKatie Hammond

Samantha HolmesSydney JeffsAnna Kaul

Chloe McLainOgechi Onyeka

Chandler PhillipsShruti Rao

Mali ShimojoSammi SiegelCarine TorresAmir Williams

Q&A

Junior talks Ebola Innovation Challenge, future of diseaseJunior Karishma Popli wants

to continue developing ideas to solve global health issues

Karishma Popli, a junior, recently joined 160 other Duke graduate and undergraduate students in the Duke Ebola Innovation Challenge. Hosted by the Fuqua School of Business, the event prompted small groups of students to develop an idea that would help improve care for Ebola patients, enhance the capa-bilities of healthcare workers, and prevent the disease from spreading further. Duke will submit some of the best ideas—as determined by a panel of judges—to USAID’s national call to action. The Chronicle’s Kali Shulklapper conducted an interview with Popli on her experience with the Challenge and her goals for the future.

The Chronicle: Why did you decide to get involved with the challenge?

Karishma Popli: I’ve always been very inter-ested in different global health issues— espe-cially wide scale epidemics like Ebola because they have the potential to affect so many more in the future—unless we develop preventative measures and hopefully find a cure. I thought this challenge would be a great way to learn about the issue but also develop an innovative idea. It was also to hear more from students and faculty in this realm and collaborate with these different people from different back-grounds to help solve this wide-scale problem.

TC: Can you explain a bit about your own background and its relation to this project?

KP: I’m currently a junior and a double ma-jor in neuroscience & global health with a cer-tificate in innovation and entrepreneurship. I’ve always been committed to empowering students to affect change by developing inno-vative global health solutions and a part of that

has been that I’m the co-president of the Duke chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, which is an international organiza-tion that promotes access and innovation to essential medicines by mobilizing students to expand university contributions and commit-ments to innovative, accessible global health research. I also serve on the Student Advisory Council of the Social Entrepreneurship Accel-erator at Duke, which or-ganized the Ebola Chal-lenge event in response to the Grand Challenge posed by USAID.

TC: You mentioned that there were many dif-ferent backgrounds and different perspectives present during the chal-lenge. What was your ex-perience like in terms of interacting and learning from these other back-grounds and perspec-tives?

KP: That was made it such a unique experience because we had students of all different backgrounds -- our team was really interdisciplinary and diverse which allowed us to think really creatively. We had global health students, undergrads with science backgrounds, engineering students, from the Pratt school, Trinity, the nursing school, and the business school as well.

I think that just helped us be able to think more creatively because we all brought differ-ent skills to the table and—especially during the brainstorm sessions when we were origi-nally coming up with ideas—I thought we ac-tually had some pretty great ideas that didn’t

get submitted, which was just a result of a lot of different backgrounds.

It was definitely very influencing to hear from people from different backgrounds be-cause talking about the way they approach problems is very different and I think that re-ally helped. If I didn’t see one side of an issue, they saw something else—and it was great to have that back and forth and kind of holisti-cally solve the problems. The challenging part was to find a time to work because there was only a week to submit the innovation and ev-eryone has such busy schedules and from dif-ferent schools so matching up a time to meet was challenging. But in the end we all made it work because we were dedicated to the cause, even though some people had to call into the meetings. It was a very rewarding experience.

TC: Describe the innovation ideas you pre-sented? How do they work?

KP: Our innovation was called a mobile protective equipment tracker. It was using mo-bile technology for health workers to report their PPE or personal protective equipment and to document notes on a daily basis. One of the parts of this challenge was that they had workshops where they brought in speakers who work with these issues in the field. One of the people who came to speak developed a nonprofit which is a mobile platform that al-lows health workers to learn about Ebola and get updates about Ebola on their cell phones. One of the main things he said is that every-one is this area has a cell phone—so leverag-ing that technology was what we did to make sure we could monitor and detect PPE for these workers because they’re the most likely to become infected by Ebola by coming into contact with these patients and their bodily fluids. So we wanted to track where improper training was occurring or where there was a

Darbi Griffi th | Th e ChronicleIssa Rae, celebrated actress and writer, spoke to students Wednesday in a follow-up to the Black Student Alliance and the Duke Univer-sity Union’s viewing of “Dear White People” at Reynolds Industries � eater.

‘Dear White People’

shortage of supplies so we could correct these issues quickly and efficiently and prevent the spread of Ebola and make sure everyone took proper precautions.

TC: What direction do you see your inno-vation and ideas going in the future? How do you plan to apply them or put them into ac-tion? What are the next steps?

KP: We would obviously like to continue with this, but I’m not sure if this idea will be able to be applied in the future. We are explor-ing the opportunity to expand some of our earlier brainstorming ideas we found interest-ing and unique, but we are thinking about talk-ing to the speaker and adding our innovation onto the platform they already have. The next step for me personally is to continue learning as much as I can about the topics in the field and coming up with new innovative ideas that can help solve these global health issues.

The Chronicle www.dukechronicle.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 | 3

sophomore Carmen Pharr, shrugging.The man behind the fantastical reading is

senior Robbie Florian. And each day begin-ning at 4 p.m. he reads the Harry Potter books aloud in front of the statue of James B. Duke.

He began his daily reading Nov. 3, and is currently on the series’ second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

This is just the beginning for Florian, who plans to finish all seven books in the series.

The purpose behind his readings, howev-er, remains a mystery—just the way he wants to keep it. Florian declined to offer an expla-

HARRY POTTERcontinued from page 1

nation for his readings in order to give the people passing by freedom to find their own meaning in what he is doing.

“I’ve gotten a few people sitting down by the statue or in front of the statue listen-ing—which is fantastic,” he said. “It’s going to start getting colder soon, so it’s going to slow to a stop. But it’s good people walk by, hear-ing snatches of the story, cause that’s what I’d want to hear if I were walking around here. People just seem to be really into it, even though my accents are terrible.”

Florian is a self-sorted Slytherin but claims to be not evil, adding that he would be the “voice of reason” in the house.

“When Draco’s like, ‘Let’s go [mess] with Harry,’ I’d be like, ‘No, let’s not,’” he said.

Florian’s favorite Harry Potter book is the

Goblet of Fire—but added that he hasn’t read the first three books in a long time, so he re-tains the right to change his mind. Out of all the Harry Potter characters, he identifies the most with Neville, whose self-doubt he empa-thizes with.

For Florian, it has really been a trip to go back to the earlier Harry Potter books.

“It’s one of the better descriptions of grow-ing up, of going from this little kid who’s just this vague idea of a person to becoming the adult you will be,” he said. “It’s like they’re all just sweet little kids and then a few books later, Harry’s going to be yelling at his friends and having teen angst and throwing sh*t in Dumbledore’s office. It’s fun to trace the en-tire trilogy.”

When asked why he is reading the books

aloud, Florian laughed and said he gets asked “why” a lot.

“It strikes me as funny anybody would need a ‘why’ to read one of the most famous stories ever out loud—anywhere,” Florian said.

The best moments are usually shared with one other person, Florian said, recalling an occasion on which someone had stopped to listen to him read the Mirror of Erised pas-sage from the first book.

“There was construction on both sides, it was super loud, but it all kind of seemed to fade away when Dumbledore said, ‘It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,’ which is one of my favorite lines,” Florian said. “And it felt like it was just me and that person—for miles—just in the story.”

COMPUTERcontinued from page 1

science department, said some students approached him because they were unsure about coming forward. Astrachan, however, advised them to turn themselves in because of the leniency resolution.

The initial Nov. 6 email stated that students who had no previous infraction and voluntarily come forward will be offered faculty-student resolution. Stu-dents who enrolled in the course Spring 2014 would resolve the situation with the professor who taught them. Peck, how-ever, is currently a full-time faculty mem-ber at Davidson College.

The email sent out Wednesday clari-fied that the department is looking for “a full and honest account” of any potential wrongdoing.

The anonymous student, however, noted that the department did not clari-fy this in a timely fashion. Students who

took the course last semester, but could not remember precise details of their dishonesty, might have been forthcom-ing had the department been more clear from the very beginning.

“The tricky thing is, if you turn your-self in for two things, and they find that it’s actually ten things, then you are go-ing to be sent to student conduct and don’t have the option of faculty-student resolution,” they said, adding that the smart thing for students to do is to impli-cate themselves in every way possible. “If you even have a slight shadow of doubt to something you did, you should include that in your list, and let the department decide during its investigation.”

Anika Radiya-Dixit, a sophomore who was enrolled in the course last Spring, is confident that she has not violated the honor code. She noted, however, that many classmates are unsure about how they should approach the situation because their actions fall into the “gray areas.”

Some students complained of a lack

of clarity over what constitutes academic dishonesty, which was never explicitly explained in both the course policies and the subsequent emails sent out by the department chair. Using solutions from the internet is not unlike copying line-by-line from a solution manual in a math class, they added.

“The email said that people who re-ceive help from the undergraduate teaching assistants are not the people they are looking for, and I think I fall under that category,” she said. “But it is just concerning for everyone, even those who didn’t do anything wrong, because of the suddenness of the email, and the words they used were quite harsh.”

Radiya-Dixit added that the computer science department recently discovered a website that has solutions to most of the homework problems assigned in Computer Science 201.

“I never used the website, so I am con-fident that my codes look nothing like [the ones on the website] in any sense,” Radiya-Dixit said. “However, the home- Thu Nguyen | The Chronicle

work problems for our class are very common computer science problems that other schools have assigned and that Duke itself in the past has also [as-signed]. Students, even those who didn’t copy and paste, are likely to have looked at them or worked their solutions off them.”


**NEW—AMES 228: The Middle East Now: Politics and Culture TTH 11:45-1:00Revolution, protest, youth movements, war, conflict, imperialism, occupation, neocolonialism, oil, terrorism, religion, Islamism, Zionism, media, social media, culture, creativity, art, music, film, literature, women, gender, and sexuality. From Morocco to Egypt to Palestine and Israel to Iraq and Iran to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. A far reaching, but in depth exploration of the politics and culture of the Middle East today. X-listed POLSCI 222 Professor Ellen McLarney

**NEW—AMES 245: Introduction to Israeli Culture TTH 11:45-1:00What is Israeli culture? what is its relationship to traditional Jewish culture? What place do other religious and ethnic traditions occupy in it? And what is the relationship between culture and state? This course surveys of Israeli culture from the late 1940s to the present. It examines Israeli fiction, cinema, popular music, AND visual culture and explores the major themes that preoccupy cultural workers, including ethnicity, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, class, the Jewish Holocaust, religion and secularism. IT HIGHLIGHTS TH LINKAGES BETWEEN CULTURAL, LEGAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURES. X-listed JEWISHST 245 Professor Shai Ginsburg

**NEW—AMES 316S: Breakdancers, Vocaloids and Gamers: East Asian Youth Cultures NEW TIME TTH 10:05-11:20From breakdance crews in Seoul, video game teams in Shanghai, and skateboarders in Tokyo, youth cultures flourish and travel throughout East Asia and outwards across the Pacific Rim. This class tackles theories of youth identity while paying close attention the ways kids in Asia have changed their societies and reflected back larger political and economic issues. We’ll be thinking about how style, media, body practices (like breakdancing), concepts of romance and sex, and global communication are incorporated into the daily lives of young people and in turn make them a powerful and heterogeneous cultural force. X-listed CULANTH 316S Professor Dwayne Dixon

**NEW—AMES 320S: Refugee Lives: Violence, Culture and Identity WF 1:25-2:40This course will examine the reasons for and outcomes of Arab refugee movements of the past century. What does displacement mean? How have Palestinians, Sudanese and more recently Iraqis and Syrians coped in an environment where they are cut off from everything familiar? Art, literature and film will be integrated as key texts. The service-learning component of the course builds upon existing frameworks in Arabic language courses. The course will include invited speakers who will present their experiences working with refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and Haiti. Professors cooke and Houssami

**NEW—AMES 321 Rumi: Mysticism and Poetry W 4:55-7:55The poetry of Rumi is widely considered the zenith of ecstatic poetry in Islamic literature, and has given birth to a rich tradition of mysticism, poetry, music, and dance. This course examines the life, writings, and teachings of the famed Rumi. All material will be read in translation. No previous coursework is necessary. X-listed RELIGION 381 Professor Omid Safi

**NEW—AMES 332S: Storyworlds: The Art, Technology, and Pleasure of Narrative M 3:05-5:35Is “tell me a story” an universal imperative? Seminar examines storytelling practices across a broad span of histories and cultures, and the creation of storyworlds through multiple media, genres, and platforms. Topics include comparative oral traditions, Medieval story cycles, serial tales, textual poaching and fanfic, alternate reality gameworlds (ARG), social media, transmedia storytelling and transcultural fandoms. X-listed AMI 338S; ICS 333S Professor Eileen Chow

**NEW—AMES 352: Modern Hindi Literature in Translation MW 1:25-2:40A survey of Hindi literature from the early twentieth century to the present, with focus on the power of literary forms–poetry, plays, short stories, novels—to induce aesthetic experience and express cultural endeavors. Premchand, Nirala, Muktibodh, Rakesh, Vinod Kumar Shukla. No prerequisites. Professor Satti Khanna

AMES 413S: Vampire Chronicles TTH 1:25-2:40; M 7:30-9:45From Dracula to Buffy and beyond, this course will examine literary and cinematic representations of vampirism, focusing in particular on their implications for our understanding of sexuality and desire, gender identity and ethnic alterity. In addition to the Western figure of the vampire per se, we will also consider related traditions in other cultures, particularly in China. In particular, we will use the cross-cultural circulation of vampiric traditions as a starting point for thinking of vampirism as a symbol of circulation in its own right. We will also look more broadly at the circulation of blood through the body politic, and particularly modern economies of blood donation and blood selling. X-listed with AMI 217S, ICS 406S, SXL 231S and Womenst 231S. Professor Carlos Rojas

**NEW—AMES 532S: Contemporary Chinese Culture Tu 3:20-5:50Addressing how to conduct research and write about contemporary Chinese culture from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives; introducing the critical theory and comparative and interdisciplinary approaches; engaging students in current debates about the rise of China and its implications for social and human values and cultures. Prerequisite: advanced knowledge of Chinese. Professor Kang Liu

**NEW—AMES 541S Jews and the Ends of Theory M 6:15-9:15What role has Jewishness played in our conception of theory? How has the figure of the Jew (in his Jewishness) shaped Euro- or Americentric theory’s discourses on colonialism? And how do we think (implicitly or explicitly) or, more prescriptively, how should we think and talk about Jews, Jewishness and theory when the promises of European modernity lie in wreckage around us as around its former colonies? In this seminar we will examine these questions through the figure and writing of Walter Benjamin, who has become one of the figureheads of critical theory in the second half of the 20th century. Reading Benjamin alongside his commentators, we will think about Jews and critical theory now. X-listed JEWISHST 541S; LIT 580S; ICS 541S Professor Shai Ginsburg

**NEW—AMES 551S: Translation: Theory/Praxis W 3:05-5:35Examines theories and practices of translation from various periods and traditions (Cicero, Zhi Qian, classical and scriptural translators, Dryden, Schopenhauer, Benjamin, Jakobson, Tanizaki, Qian Zhongshu, Derrida, Apter, among others) and considers topics such as incommensurability, cultural exchange, imperialism, “Global Englishes,” bilingualism, and techno-language. Prerequisite: open to undergraduates, but all participants must have strong command of one language aside from English, as final project involves original translation and commentary. X-listed LIT 551S Professor Eileen Chow

Check out our Language courses too: Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian and Tibetan

Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Exciting NEW courses for Spring 2015

For more information please contact 668-2603


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RVOLUME 16, ISSUE 12 NOVEMBER 13, 2014

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Ching Chong Chinaman

Students perform play concerning Asian identity, page 8

Keanu ReevesOne man, one face, page 9

Contemporary RapA sampling of today’s most relevant rappers, page 7


recess

6 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 recess The Chronicle The Chronicle recess THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 | 7

Rrecess editorsLemurs ...

Meeting Dates & Locations:

All public meetings are held in ADA accessible facilities. Any individual who requires special assistance in order to participate in a public meeting is urged to contact Triangle Transit at 1-800-816-7817 at least one week prior to the first meeting to make such arrangements.

Todas las reuniones públicas se llevan a cabo en las instalaciones de fácil acceso de ADA. Toda persona que necesite ayuda especialpara poder participar en una reunión pública, debe ponerse en contacto con Triangle Transit al 1-800-816-7817 con al menos una semanade anticipación antes de la primera reunión, para hacer este tipo de pedidos.

Heard about Light Rail?Attend meetings for more information on the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project

Nov. 18

Nov. 18

Nov. 19

Nov. 20

Durham Station11am – 2pm515 Pettigrew St.Durham, 27701

UNC Friday Center4pm – 7pm100 Friday Center Dr.Chapel Hill, 27517

Marriott/Spring Hill Suites4pm – 7pm5310 McFarland Rd. at Patterson PlaceDurham, 27707

Hayti Heritage Center4pm – 7pm804 Old Fayetteville St.Durham, 27701

MIR

Ó IS

HE

RE

Miró: The Experience of Seeing is organized by the Seattle Art Museum and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Joan Miró, Femme, oiseau, étoile (Homenatge a Pablo Picasso) (Woman, Bird and Star [Homage to Pablo Picasso]) (detail), 1966/1973. Oil on canvas, 96 7⁄16 x 66 15⁄16 inches (245 x 170 cm). Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain. © Successió Miró / Arists Rights Society (ARS), New York, New York / ADAGP, Paris, France.

SEPT 14

FEB 22 through

nasher.duke.edu/miro

Share Your Holidays throughProject Share!

Join the Duke community in our efforts to support local seniors, children and families in need of additional support over the holidays.

Two ways to help! • Make a donation towards the purchase of the gifts. Cash/checks or on-line: https://community.duke.edu/duke-student- engagement/project-share-2/

• Adopt a family! On average it costs $50 to sponsor one individual

For more information and to request a profile, contact the Duke Community Service Center at 919-684-4377or [email protected]

Sample Profiles:

This disabled grandmother is a cancer survivor with additional health issues that greatly restrict her mobility. Despite her fragile health, she tries to stay positive. Her limited, fixed income provides for basic needs only. Your kindness will be a blessing to her this holiday season. (SYC #3070)

This visually impaired teen has aged out of foster care. He is only asking for a winter coat and a scarf and glove set. Will you help him? (SYC 3185)

This teen recently aged out of foster care after spending the last seven years without her family. She now resides in a group home and could use some holiday cheer as she adjusts to her new environment. Will you help her celebrate the holidays with gifts of clothes, socks and a camera? (SYC 3141)

Katie Fernelius ......... coquerel’s sifaka

Gary Hoffman ........................ aye-aye

Drew Haskins ...................coatimundi

Stephanie Wu ....golden bamboo lemur

Izzi Clark ...........................silky sifaka

Sid Gopinath ... golden-crowned sifaka

More Online

Check out the Recess online blog for more con-tent, including reviews!

A sampling from the state of contemporary rap

Rap music is in an interesting state of devel-opment--old enough to have classics, but new enough to maintain the mainstream interest. It seems to be caught between its own estab-lished image and its continuously evolving cul-ture. In a high-speed world full of a multitude of music-makers, most rappers are aware that, to the public, they are only as good as their last album. With upcoming releases from big names like Eminem, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Big K.R.I.T., it might be time for eyes of the mainstream to turn to some new artists. Consequently, this is a great time to get into rap music. With so many emerging artists waiting to dethrone the top, in a few years, your new favor-ite moderately successful rapper could be one of the biggest names in music. To help you out, here’s a sampling of the various names slowly emerging out of the contemporary rap scene. Of course, one list cannot encompass all of the different styles of a global hip hop culture, but familiarizing yourself with these artists is a good start to understanding the state of contempo-rary rap.

Danny Brown

Danny Brown has the most clearly original and individual style of rappers who are still ac-tive. Hailing from Detroit, he first gained atten-tion with his release XXX. The album combines mind-bending, awkward production with truly evocative and at times disturbing lyrics to illus-trate a character crazed by the streets of Detroit and driven to manic, self-destructive partying. One distinctive aspect of Danny’s style is a chop-py, high-pitched delivery. Sometimes, though, he drops into a low, more classic style. It can be

Gary Ho� manManaging Editor

difficult to imagine both voices coming from the same person. He followed XXX up with Old, an album basically split into two halves. The first half continues the abstract production style, but lyrically focuses more on surviving through illicit means on the streets. The second half returns to the party scene and brings in pretty typical trap produc-tion. Throughout his music, Danny Brown maintains a manic, unpredict-able character that can both deliver a powerful message and please the crowd.

Recommended Tracks: “Die Like a Rockstar,” “DNA,” “Wonderbread” and “Side B.”

Black Hippy

It’s quite a stretch to call Black Hippy an emerging group. Composed of Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock, the group has already made waves in both main-stream and underground music. From South Central, Los Angeles, they claim to be the succes-sors of west coast rap legends Tupac and Dr. Dre. While this may be true, their reach has certainly expanded. Kendrick seems to be featured on ev-ery other rap single released since 2012 when he proved his worth on good kid m.A.A.d. city, which has been widely accepted as a modern rap clas-

sic. ScHoolboy also garnered attention with his release Oxymoron, where he showcased his ability to combine social commentary without sacrific-

ing a genuine im-age. Throughout it all, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock seem to have been passed over. Ab-Soul partially ex-plains this when he raps: “They wanna see me wearing Polo drawers / Put two chains on and that ain’t wrong / But that ain’t me.” With his complex wordplay and sometimes heavy-handed messages, Ab-Soul refuses to tailor himself to the public crowd. Similarly, Jay Rock refuses to adapt his realistic, naturally

confrontational delivery to fit the public image of rap.

Recommended Tracks: “The Art of Peer Pressure,” “Hoover Street,” “The Book of Soul” and “Hood Gone Love It.”

Run the Jewels

Made up of El-P and Killer Mike, Run the Jewels combines noisy, yet groundbreaking production with a lyrical range that can eas-ily jump topically from typical punch lines to socially conscious rhetoric. For instance, they intelligently cover police brutality on “Early,” where Killer Mike raps, “I apologize if it seems

like I got out of line, sir / Cause I respect the badge and the gun / And I pray today ain’t the day that you drag me away / Right in front of my beautiful son.” At the same time, though, he can rap “tiptoe on the track like a ballerina,” and make it sound cool. El-P handles the pro-duction by seamlessly combining sometimes borderline avant-garde, electronic elements with hip hop sensibility. Together, the two make for a duo that in two years has already released two excellent records and shows no signs of let-ting up.

Recommended Tracks: “Sea Legs,” “Oh My Dar-ling Don’t Cry,” “All My Life” and “Early.”

Freddie Gibbs

Gibbs’ music is perfectly summarized in a video taken of him responding to YouTube comments on one of his music videos. The comment asked if Gibbs was trying to portray selling cocaine as cool. Gibbs responded by saying that it wasn’t cool, but it was a reality for people who lived where he is from–Gary, Indiana. While Gibbs’ rapping is not lyrically complex, his low, raspy delivery gives it an air of authenticity. Although he’s released a couple mix tapes and full albums, he gained a lot of at-tention with his collaboration record with pro-ducer Madlib released earlier this year. Gibbs’ technical prowess combined with Madlib’s lay-ered production created what could be consid-ered a classic.

Suggested Tracks: “Thuggin’,” “Real,” and “Knicks.”

Find the full article on the Recess online blog!

Special to the Chronicle.

In today’s world, we are absolutely inundated with images.

In the context of the wide-branching web of technology, which connects one corner of the world with another, images offer a way to partake in experiences which we cannot personally have.

Yet images, in their direct simplicity and universality, turn individual experiences into callous, far-removed representations. Perhaps most relatable is the way they have defined our perception of Africa as an expanse of hungry, stick-thin children with pot-bellies, an image that the media has developed to be the identity of all Africans.

That is not to say that these images and pictures are telling blatant lies. On the contrary, it is their intention to be a snapshot of reality—to act as an objective witness of a particular person or thing in a particular place at a particular time. But as objective as they are believed to be, they are not. Images do not capture the whole picture, nor do they tell the whole story. Elements of an environment are cropped away and left out by the limited aperture of the camera, and these environments come to be defined by only what is retained in the final image.

As an intermediate between textual representation and reality, images do

not offer the imaginative space which pure writing offers, nor do they allow us to experience the immediacy and rawness of emotion which reality offers. Images lack a space for personal, creative engagement.

Our obsession with the visual has led to a crippling dependency on images. We often treat pictures not only as mere depictions of reality, but as squatters within the space of reality. We rely on them as our central means of experiencing that which is real, allowing them to shape our experience and understanding of reality, unwittingly forgetting to remember that they are only representations of reality. For those of us (especially in developed countries) deeply entangled in the deceptive web of

media, images have come to be reality itself.

The problem with this shift is that the incredible saturation of images in our world is causing us to lose our flexibility: the muscles of our imagination merely atrophy as long as we continue to define our real experiences through images. This loss of flexibility, resulting from our reliance on the visual

as our primary means of experiencing reality, is pertinent to the creation of distinct identities—categories of identity shaped by and resulting from our dependency on images and appearances.

As a Chinese American, I am speaking

in particular to the Asian identity within the realms of film and theater: two industries in the arts most directly based on image (as opposed to music or painting, for instance).

Statistics have shown that even as Hollywood has begun diversifying by casting increasing numbers of Hispanics or blacks, Asians have seen no such change. The image of an Asian person, and the stereotypic baggage that it carries with it, has limited their ability to be cast into ethnically non-Asian roles. An Asian actor consistently gets cast only in Asian roles.

This inability to diversify and flex ethnic divisions is no recent phenomenon. In the 1965 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, British actor Lawrence Olivier wore blackface in order to visually portray the part of the Moor of Venice. Furthermore, fast-forward to the 2012 film Cloud Atlas, where Jim Sturgess played the role of Asian male Hae-Joo Chang. Our heavy reliance on the visual as the principal means of defining identity and experience has allowed us little room to stretch boundaries. We are confined by our desire to create images which are reality.

As we are constantly surrounded by images, our identification with the visual as the definition of identity comes as no surprise. Yet, even though we are increasingly connected with the corners of the world, technology has ironically also served to enhance divisions, as individuals come to be defined under an umbrella, not able to be liberated through imagination, but only represented by a singular image.

- Stephanie Wu

The problem with this shift

is that the incredible saturation of images in our world is caus-ing us to lose our � exibility.


recess


Rrecess editorsLemurs ...

Meeting Dates & Locations:

All public meetings are held in ADA accessible facilities. Any individual who requires special assistance in order to participate in a public meeting is urged to contact Triangle Transit at 1-800-816-7817 at least one week prior to the first meeting to make such arrangements.

Todas las reuniones públicas se llevan a cabo en las instalaciones de fácil acceso de ADA. Toda persona que necesite ayuda especialpara poder participar en una reunión pública, debe ponerse en contacto con Triangle Transit al 1-800-816-7817 con al menos una semanade anticipación antes de la primera reunión, para hacer este tipo de pedidos.

Heard about Light Rail?Attend meetings for more information on the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project

Nov. 18

Nov. 18

Nov. 19

Nov. 20

Durham Station11am – 2pm515 Pettigrew St.Durham, 27701

UNC Friday Center4pm – 7pm100 Friday Center Dr.Chapel Hill, 27517

Marriott/Spring Hill Suites4pm – 7pm5310 McFarland Rd. at Patterson PlaceDurham, 27707

Hayti Heritage Center4pm – 7pm804 Old Fayetteville St.Durham, 27701

MIR

Ó IS

HE

RE

Miró: The Experience of Seeing is organized by the Seattle Art Museum and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Joan Miró, Femme, oiseau, étoile (Homenatge a Pablo Picasso) (Woman, Bird and Star [Homage to Pablo Picasso]) (detail), 1966/1973. Oil on canvas, 96 7⁄16 x 66 15⁄16 inches (245 x 170 cm). Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain. © Successió Miró / Arists Rights Society (ARS), New York, New York / ADAGP, Paris, France.

SEPT 14

FEB 22 through

nasher.duke.edu/miro

Share Your Holidays throughProject Share!

Join the Duke community in our efforts to support local seniors, children and families in need of additional support over the holidays.

Two ways to help! • Make a donation towards the purchase of the gifts. Cash/checks or on-line: https://community.duke.edu/duke-student- engagement/project-share-2/

• Adopt a family! On average it costs $50 to sponsor one individual

For more information and to request a profile, contact the Duke Community Service Center at 919-684-4377or [email protected]

Sample Profiles:

This disabled grandmother is a cancer survivor with additional health issues that greatly restrict her mobility. Despite her fragile health, she tries to stay positive. Her limited, fixed income provides for basic needs only. Your kindness will be a blessing to her this holiday season. (SYC #3070)

This visually impaired teen has aged out of foster care. He is only asking for a winter coat and a scarf and glove set. Will you help him? (SYC 3185)

This teen recently aged out of foster care after spending the last seven years without her family. She now resides in a group home and could use some holiday cheer as she adjusts to her new environment. Will you help her celebrate the holidays with gifts of clothes, socks and a camera? (SYC 3141)

Katie Fernelius ......... coquerel’s sifaka

Gary Hoffman ........................ aye-aye

Drew Haskins ...................coatimundi

Stephanie Wu ....golden bamboo lemur

Izzi Clark ...........................silky sifaka

Sid Gopinath ... golden-crowned sifaka

More Online

Check out the Recess online blog for more con-tent, including reviews!

A sampling from the state of contemporary rap

Rap music is in an interesting state of devel-opment--old enough to have classics, but new enough to maintain the mainstream interest. It seems to be caught between its own estab-lished image and its continuously evolving cul-ture. In a high-speed world full of a multitude of music-makers, most rappers are aware that, to the public, they are only as good as their last album. With upcoming releases from big names like Eminem, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Big K.R.I.T., it might be time for eyes of the mainstream to turn to some new artists. Consequently, this is a great time to get into rap music. With so many emerging artists waiting to dethrone the top, in a few years, your new favor-ite moderately successful rapper could be one of the biggest names in music. To help you out, here’s a sampling of the various names slowly emerging out of the contemporary rap scene. Of course, one list cannot encompass all of the different styles of a global hip hop culture, but familiarizing yourself with these artists is a good start to understanding the state of contempo-rary rap.

Danny Brown

Danny Brown has the most clearly original and individual style of rappers who are still ac-tive. Hailing from Detroit, he first gained atten-tion with his release XXX. The album combines mind-bending, awkward production with truly evocative and at times disturbing lyrics to illus-trate a character crazed by the streets of Detroit and driven to manic, self-destructive partying. One distinctive aspect of Danny’s style is a chop-py, high-pitched delivery. Sometimes, though, he drops into a low, more classic style. It can be

Gary Ho� manManaging Editor

difficult to imagine both voices coming from the same person. He followed XXX up with Old, an album basically split into two halves. The first half continues the abstract production style, but lyrically focuses more on surviving through illicit means on the streets. The second half returns to the party scene and brings in pretty typical trap produc-tion. Throughout his music, Danny Brown maintains a manic, unpredict-able character that can both deliver a powerful message and please the crowd.

Recommended Tracks: “Die Like a Rockstar,” “DNA,” “Wonderbread” and “Side B.”

Black Hippy

It’s quite a stretch to call Black Hippy an emerging group. Composed of Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock, the group has already made waves in both main-stream and underground music. From South Central, Los Angeles, they claim to be the succes-sors of west coast rap legends Tupac and Dr. Dre. While this may be true, their reach has certainly expanded. Kendrick seems to be featured on ev-ery other rap single released since 2012 when he proved his worth on good kid m.A.A.d. city, which has been widely accepted as a modern rap clas-

sic. ScHoolboy also garnered attention with his release Oxymoron, where he showcased his ability to combine social commentary without sacrific-

ing a genuine im-age. Throughout it all, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock seem to have been passed over. Ab-Soul partially ex-plains this when he raps: “They wanna see me wearing Polo drawers / Put two chains on and that ain’t wrong / But that ain’t me.” With his complex wordplay and sometimes heavy-handed messages, Ab-Soul refuses to tailor himself to the public crowd. Similarly, Jay Rock refuses to adapt his realistic, naturally

confrontational delivery to fit the public image of rap.

Recommended Tracks: “The Art of Peer Pressure,” “Hoover Street,” “The Book of Soul” and “Hood Gone Love It.”

Run the Jewels

Made up of El-P and Killer Mike, Run the Jewels combines noisy, yet groundbreaking production with a lyrical range that can eas-ily jump topically from typical punch lines to socially conscious rhetoric. For instance, they intelligently cover police brutality on “Early,” where Killer Mike raps, “I apologize if it seems

like I got out of line, sir / Cause I respect the badge and the gun / And I pray today ain’t the day that you drag me away / Right in front of my beautiful son.” At the same time, though, he can rap “tiptoe on the track like a ballerina,” and make it sound cool. El-P handles the pro-duction by seamlessly combining sometimes borderline avant-garde, electronic elements with hip hop sensibility. Together, the two make for a duo that in two years has already released two excellent records and shows no signs of let-ting up.

Recommended Tracks: “Sea Legs,” “Oh My Dar-ling Don’t Cry,” “All My Life” and “Early.”

Freddie Gibbs

Gibbs’ music is perfectly summarized in a video taken of him responding to YouTube comments on one of his music videos. The comment asked if Gibbs was trying to portray selling cocaine as cool. Gibbs responded by saying that it wasn’t cool, but it was a reality for people who lived where he is from–Gary, Indiana. While Gibbs’ rapping is not lyrically complex, his low, raspy delivery gives it an air of authenticity. Although he’s released a couple mix tapes and full albums, he gained a lot of at-tention with his collaboration record with pro-ducer Madlib released earlier this year. Gibbs’ technical prowess combined with Madlib’s lay-ered production created what could be consid-ered a classic.

Suggested Tracks: “Thuggin’,” “Real,” and “Knicks.”

Find the full article on the Recess online blog!

Special to the Chronicle.

In today’s world, we are absolutely inundated with images.

In the context of the wide-branching web of technology, which connects one corner of the world with another, images offer a way to partake in experiences which we cannot personally have.

Yet images, in their direct simplicity and universality, turn individual experiences into callous, far-removed representations. Perhaps most relatable is the way they have defined our perception of Africa as an expanse of hungry, stick-thin children with pot-bellies, an image that the media has developed to be the identity of all Africans.

That is not to say that these images and pictures are telling blatant lies. On the contrary, it is their intention to be a snapshot of reality—to act as an objective witness of a particular person or thing in a particular place at a particular time. But as objective as they are believed to be, they are not. Images do not capture the whole picture, nor do they tell the whole story. Elements of an environment are cropped away and left out by the limited aperture of the camera, and these environments come to be defined by only what is retained in the final image.

As an intermediate between textual representation and reality, images do

not offer the imaginative space which pure writing offers, nor do they allow us to experience the immediacy and rawness of emotion which reality offers. Images lack a space for personal, creative engagement.

Our obsession with the visual has led to a crippling dependency on images. We often treat pictures not only as mere depictions of reality, but as squatters within the space of reality. We rely on them as our central means of experiencing that which is real, allowing them to shape our experience and understanding of reality, unwittingly forgetting to remember that they are only representations of reality. For those of us (especially in developed countries) deeply entangled in the deceptive web of

media, images have come to be reality itself.

The problem with this shift is that the incredible saturation of images in our world is causing us to lose our flexibility: the muscles of our imagination merely atrophy as long as we continue to define our real experiences through images. This loss of flexibility, resulting from our reliance on the visual

as our primary means of experiencing reality, is pertinent to the creation of distinct identities—categories of identity shaped by and resulting from our dependency on images and appearances.

As a Chinese American, I am speaking

in particular to the Asian identity within the realms of film and theater: two industries in the arts most directly based on image (as opposed to music or painting, for instance).

Statistics have shown that even as Hollywood has begun diversifying by casting increasing numbers of Hispanics or blacks, Asians have seen no such change. The image of an Asian person, and the stereotypic baggage that it carries with it, has limited their ability to be cast into ethnically non-Asian roles. An Asian actor consistently gets cast only in Asian roles.

This inability to diversify and flex ethnic divisions is no recent phenomenon. In the 1965 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, British actor Lawrence Olivier wore blackface in order to visually portray the part of the Moor of Venice. Furthermore, fast-forward to the 2012 film Cloud Atlas, where Jim Sturgess played the role of Asian male Hae-Joo Chang. Our heavy reliance on the visual as the principal means of defining identity and experience has allowed us little room to stretch boundaries. We are confined by our desire to create images which are reality.

As we are constantly surrounded by images, our identification with the visual as the definition of identity comes as no surprise. Yet, even though we are increasingly connected with the corners of the world, technology has ironically also served to enhance divisions, as individuals come to be defined under an umbrella, not able to be liberated through imagination, but only represented by a singular image.

- Stephanie Wu

The problem with this shift

is that the incredible saturation of images in our world is caus-ing us to lose our � exibility.


recess


BS or BA?What about

NS? QS? SS?

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AAC Peer AdvisingOffice Hours

Sunday, 5-7 pmMonday, 7-9 pm

at the Academic Advising

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located on East Campus, behind Brown Residence Hall

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Publication: Chronicle Size: 6.625” x 5.125” Job Number: 864-4012 Run Date: September 2, 2014 Dana Communications 609.466.9187

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tpd_draft4.indd 1 10/29/14 1:38 PM

Students perform play focused on Asian identity

In Young Jean Lee’s play Songs of the Dragons Rising to Heaven, several of the characters deliver a torrential speech in unison critiquing “unfashionably angry minorities” but continuing: “The truth is, if you’re a minority and you do super-racist stuff against yourself, then the white people are like, ‘Oh, you’re a “cool” minority,’ and they treat you like one of them.”

To this day, those lines have stuck with me as a particularly vitriolic expression of an internal dilemma, the often paradoxical relationship between critiquing and including those who are being critiqued. The challenge for ethnically charged and socially conscious theater is how to play the identity politics game without broadly alienating its audiences yet still remaining true

to one’s original message. How does one build ethnic identity without becoming exclusionary? How does one empower one group but not at the expense of another?

Enter Lauren Yee.The young playwright, now based in New York,

began writing her first play Ching Chong Chinamanas her senior thesis at Yale University in 2006. Fast forward eight years, and the play has been performed all over the world. This Friday, Duke Asian American Theater will bring the play to Duke. Ching Chong Chinaman will be the group’s first full production since its inception.

Ching Chong Chinaman is a fantastical kind of play, set in a dream space but conversely occupied by prosaic and sometimes very mundane characters. There is the undeniable presence of critique: Jin Qiang, or “Ching Chong,” is a Chinese immigrant

drawn to America by his dream of becoming a dancer. He is able to come to America, but only because he is hired as a full-time servant for a whitewashed Asian American family who, despite their outward similarity to Jin Qiang, share none of his cultural background.

In a Monday evening conversation with DAAT and other audience members, Yee explained that the inspiration for the play came from a temporary obsession with World of Warcraft, which her brother had introduced her to. She quickly found out that gamers would sometimes employ gamers in other poorer countries where wages were much lower to play particularly tedious or difficult portions of the game for them. This practice of “gold farming” quickly caught her attention. “What if someone actually brought that person here? That was the seed,” Yee explained, for Ching Chong Chinaman.

Kathy Zhu, the president of DAAT and an actor in the production, explained that the play’s nuanced engagement with sensitive material “addresses and deconstructs many stereotypes about Asians and Asian Americans (especially Chinese/Chinese Americans) in a clever, interesting way.”

Such deconstruction begins with the name of the production itself. Ching Chong Chinaman–normally a racist slur–forces the audience to consider the social construction of identity and prejudice.

“Through the play, we can pose questions about who has the right to define identity, belonging and agency—and who, if anyone, has the right to use these pejorative, racial terms,” Claire Conceison, a professor of Theater Studies at Duke and DAAT advisor, said. “In some ways the play asks us not to take ourselves too seriously, but in other ways it demands that we do.”

The disjuncture between people who look the same but act very differently created an interesting foil from which Yee eventually wrote a play which explores constructed social identities, stereotypes and self-perception. Jin Qiang and the Asian American family who adopts him look the same but are nothing alike, and their hopes and expectations clash and dovetail simultaneously in tragic but often comedic ways.

Using this foil, Yee cleverly sidesteps the conundrum of writing a socially aware play revolving around issues of ethnicity without falling into the “angry minority” trope. She utilizes yet also critiques the concept of a “banana” Asian, a person who looks “yellow,” or Asian, at skin level but is truly “white” inside through the characters of her Asian American family. In doing so, Yee reclaims these pejorative terms by using them as means for questioning other similar stereotypes and slurs. It’s an adroit way of criticizing without excluding or alienating the average audience member.

Along the way, people can have fun too. Production director and DAAT vice-president Harmony Zhang expressed her wishes for the upcoming performances: “I hope that everyone who comes to Ching Chong Chinaman will receive an entertaining night of theater that brings to light important topics in a new, enjoyable and fun way.”

Ching Chong Chinaman was performed Nov. 7 through Nov. 9 at Brody Theater on East Campus.

Emily Feng� e Chronicle

� e man of one face: A Keanu Reeves retrospective

With the recent release of the Rotten Tomatoes-”Certified Fresh” action-thriller John Wick, many seem to be asking if Keanu Reeves is back. The polarizing yet money-making machine will be put to the test in this article to determine if, in fact, he is returning to former glory or if his criticizers are correct in emphasizing his lack of acting abilities. In order to do so, we must delve into the heart and mind of the time-traveling, red-pill-blue-pill, back-breaking, speedster that is Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves did not always dream of movie stardom. Originally, he struggled a great deal with schooling as a result of his dyslexia, and thus the Canadian native dreamed of becoming a prominent hockey player. Unfortunately, a career ending injury sent him spiraling down another path, one even he had never expected: acting. Though he would never go on to receive a high school diploma, he would take pride in doing what most actors do at the start of their careers: incredibly cheesy commercials.

Youngblood in 1986 would be Keanu’s first official film, but, more importantly, right after his turn as a Québécois goalie, he would acquire Erwin Stoff as his manager and agent. As a result, he began to receive larger roles in teen films such as River’s Edge, The Prince of Pennsylvania and Dangerous Liaisons. But, then came a plot so ridiculous, so obscure, so exxxccceeeellllleeent that he just couldn’t turn it down. That’s right, you guessed it: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The odd tale of two boneheaded goofballs who travel through time to create the perfect history project gave us a new way of appreciating Socrates, pronounced So-Crates, and Napoleon. Even the sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, which centered on the two cheating death and saving the world through rock-and-roll (because is there any other way to save the world?) served as an entertaining follow up.

Now, this is up for debate, but I would argue that right about now we hit K.C. Reeves’, a nickname that I feel close enough to him to call him, best film. Point Break is the pinnacle of what Keanu Reeves can do–well, until The Matrix, but we are definitely not there yet. Johnny Utah, a young, ambitious detective, infiltrates the charismatic, bank-robbing, ex-president surfers led by the late Patrick Swayze (rest in peace). The enthralling plot, existential dialogue and overall badass-ery raised Keanu Reeves to a new level no one had ever seen before. He was trapped being type-cast as a mindless teenager until Point Break showed that Reeves truly had acting chops. One criticism that began to arise though was his lack of facial expressions, I mean just look at the guy.

To cap off his successful run, he led Speed as Jack Traven, a young cop who must stop a bomb from exploding on a moving bus by keeping the bus going above 50 miles per hour. The film’s financial and critical success immediately shot him to the top as an action hero sensation.

But Keanu Reeves is strange, my friends. I’m not trying to judge him here, so I guess a better word is unconventional. As in, he straight-up rejected a reported $11 million payday for a Speed sequel, so he could tour as a bass guitarist with his grunge band Dogstar, only to then release a load of misfires from Johnny Mnemonic to Chain Reaction to Feeling Minnesota. Find me five people who have seen that film the whole way through and I’ll give you $20, I swear. Thankfully, The Devil’s Advocate guided him out of his horrendous slump, but even that was not enough to change critics’ minds. Questions such as: “Why does he never show any emotions?” “Why does he always use an unnecessary dramatic pause before spitting out lame, contrived dialogue?” “Why is he even in this film?” became very popular. Still, like all true stars, he would overcome the existential questions of what his true purpose in the film world is with the release of The Matrix.

The Matrix was a game changer for Keanu because it marked his first commercial and critical success in a long time. Keanu took over the classic Jesus allegory playing Neo, a computer hacker turned fully-realized savior in a dystopian future filled with humans and machines. The film and Keanu became synonymous with slow-motion action, hand-to-hand combat and an unforgettable all black outfit that many would (unsuccessfully) attempt to recreate. My only question is how much talent did it really take for Reeves to do a few choreographed fight sequences, blankly stare into the camera with some indistinct dialogue and then collect a massive paycheck? Don’t get me wrong; I’m a major fan of the series, I just wouldn’t exactly write it up to the likes of Keanu Reeves.

Now, I feel a bit guilty for ripping on Keanu for he’s been through tragedy that one would never wish upon their worst enemy. Shortly after the release of the first Matrix film, his

girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn girl eight months into her pregnancy. A year and a half later Jennifer herself would pass away in a fatal car crash. Keanu was torn up inside and spent some time to grieve. In spite of such misfortune and suffering, Reeves would eventually release The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolution after a two-year hiatus from filmmaking. In an attempt to move on with his life, he came forward and stated that “other people need happiness to live, but I don’t.”

Keanu appeared to be on his way back up with the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give and the financially successful Constantine, but he struggled to find a true rhythm in his films. Thumbsucker and The Lake House both received negative reviews, which highlighted that, again, Reeves appeared stoic in films meant to be emotionally charged. Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still only deepened the notion that Keanu Reeves has the same acting range as Kristen Stewart, a.k.a. the same range as

a soulless feline.Nonetheless, if we step outside acting for a minute, I’d

like to take a quick digression to discuss a front in which Keanu Reeves is killing the game. In the past few decades, it’s unfortunate to say that though the number of special effects driven films has exponentially increased, the pay for these visual effects specialists has not. Reeves gave $194 million of his earnings from The Matrix films to the special effects and makeup staff.

Adam Schutzman� e Chronicle

More Online

Read more about Keanu Reeves at the Recess online blog!


recess

10 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 recess The Chronicle

The Sanford School of Public Policy presents

The 2014 Crown LeCTure in eThiCS

@DukeSanford #KushnerDuke sanford.duke.edu

a conversation about

ArT & PoLiTiCSTony Kushner

Author of “Angels in America” & the screenplay “Lincoln”

Philip BennettProfessor of the practice of journalism and public policy

PLAywrighT

Monday, Nov. 17, 20145:30p.m. | Fleishman Commons

Sanford Building | Free and open to the Public


sports

THE BLUE ZONE

2014-15 PLAYER PREVIEW:AMILE JEFFERSONsports.chronicleblogs.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 www.dukechroniclesports.com

SportsThe Chronicle

Ryan Hoerger Beat Writer

Men’s Basketball

Football

Jesús Hidalgo | The ChronicleFreshman Jahlil Okafor and the Blue Devils will make their regular season debut Friday.

Izzi Clark | The ChronicleSophomore cornerback Breon Borders will look to build on last week’s two-interception performance Saturday against the Hokies.

It was a long offseason, but now it’s time for the real fun to start.

After winning its two exhibition contests by an average of 48.5 points, No. 4 Duke will open

the regular season against Presbyterian Friday at 6 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Friday’s tilt is the first leg of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, an event that culminates next

weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Blue Devils will also host Fairfield Saturday at 8 p.m. in another Coaches vs. Cancer Classic contest.

Duke’s quartet of highly touted freshmen has been the center of attention thus far and made the transition to the college game appear seamless in the team’s two exhibitions. Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Grayson Allen each reached double-digits in both exhibition contests for the Blue Devils, and point guard Tyus Jones recorded 17 assists in the two games.

“You look at our team and there’s no one that looks like [Okafor], no one,” Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel said. “Justise, Tyus and Grayson are all very talented; they seem like they’re a bit more mature for a freshman class.... Grayson, he was under the radar, at least initially. He’s not one of those

See M. Basketball on Page 12

Nick MartinSports Editor

Last season, the Blue Devils made the trip up I-85 to take on a then-No. 16 Virginia Tech team, and few gave them a chance to win. A lot has changed in one year.

As the story played out, Duke upset the Hokies 13-10 and went on to win its next

four games and the ACC Coastal Division. Heading into Saturday’s contest, the national perception of both teams has made a complete flip, as the No. 19 Blue Devils play host to a struggling

Virginia Tech squad at Wallace Wade Stadium at noon with hopes of winning their second-straight game against the Hokies for the first time in head coach David Cutcliffe’s tenure.

“It was huge for us a year ago,” Cutcliffe said. “Our guys were elated. I mean, that’s a team

that we have admired and respected.... To be able to get a win at their place at such a critical time for us to kind of keep our season moving forward was a great momentum boost for us.”

Heading into the season, many expected Duke (8-1, 4-1 in the ACC) to be solid in its defensive backfield, but few could have predicted the dominance it has displayed thus far. The Blue Devils are currently tied for first in the nation for passing touchdowns allowed with five and 10th in opponents’ completion percentage at 52.0 percent.

Through the first half of the season, redshirt junior Jeremy Cash stood out as Duke’s premiere secondary defender. But he has been far from being the only standout the group—which refers to themselves as “The Cheetahs”—has to offer.

In last week’s 27-10 victory at Syracuse, sophomore cornerback Breon Borders snagged two interceptions—his first multiple pick performance since last season’s ACC Championship Game.

guys that’s talked about and recruited at a high level for a long time, so he’s a worker. He’s a guy that gets after it with hard work.”

Friday’s regular-season opener marks the start of a busy stretch for Duke, which plays five games in an eight-day span to open its non-conference slate. With so many games in such a short stretch, the Blue Devils’ depth will be crucial in navigating through the packed schedule, particularly in applying the full-court press Duke employed throughout its two exhibition games last week.

“One of the things we talk about is that we don’t want to pace ourselves, we want to set the pace,” Capel said. “We feel like we have 10 guys that can play, so when their number is called they can come in and be very positive

for us.... You have to constantly be ready and be engaged and be ready to come in, and one of the ways [to keep] applying constant pressure is to have guys that are fresh and guys who can play really fast.”

Through the exhibition slate, head coach Mike Krzyzewski has stuck with the same starting lineup of Okafor, Winslow, Jones, sophomore Matt Jones and junior Amile Jefferson. An unchanged rotation would make Friday’s game the first regular season contest in seven years to feature a Blue Devil starting lineup that included three freshmen. The last time that happened, current Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer took the court with classmates Gerald Henderson and Brian

FRIDAY, 6 p.m.Cameron Indoor Stadium

Presbyterian

No. 4 Duke

vs.

SATURDAY, noonWallace Wade Stadium

Virginia Tech

No. 19 Duke

vs.

No. 19 Duke to host Virginia Tech

Blue Devil rookies ready for debut

Facing numerous unknowns and with the lingering bitterness of the late season collapse a year ago, the Blue Devils could not be happier to get the regular season underway.

No. 7 Duke will do just that Sunday at 8 p.m. when it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala.

to face Alabama at Foster Auditorium. As opposed to the senior-laden teams of years past, this Blue Devil squad is much younger and enters the season with a chip on its shoulder after

being picked to finish 2nd in the ACC behind No. 3 Notre Dame.

“We’re just growing everyday in practice,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We’re getting better and maturing and understanding the kind of intensity it takes to be a great team.”

New faces—with some old faces in new places—highlight the Blue Devils roster leading up to the Alabama game. In addition to more prominent roles in the starting lineup for seniors Ka’lia Johnson and Amber Henson, redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell and junior college transfer Mercedes Riggs, along with four new freshman from Duke’s third-ranked recruiting class, will take the court as Blue Devils for the first time in their careers.

With such change, it would appear that a road game to begin the season would be the last thing Duke would want, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I love the fact that we’re on the road,” McCallie said. “It’s beneficial for us as a team from the experience point of view, and we’ve got some great senior leadership. So it’s a nice combination.”

Despite the massive change on the Blue Devil roster, there is one aspect that remains the same: the presence of three-time All-American center Elizabeth Williams.

The Virginia Beach, Va. native is projected to have yet another monster season, as she leads Duke for the last time in her illustrious career. Following this season, Williams is expected to be one of the top selections in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

“I want her to have an aggressive, dominant mentality,” McCallie said. “She’s one of the best student-athletes in the entire country and there’s nobody as dedicated to academics and basketball as she is. She is an extremely special person competing at a very high level.”

Through two early exhibition games, the

See W. Basketball on Page 12See Football on Page 12

Women’s Basketball

Duke to face Alabama in opener

SUNDAY, 8 p.m.Foster Auditorium

No. 7 Duke

Alabama

vs.

Sameer PandhareBeat Writer


sports

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CLUES

1 Corn or cotton

2 Rhyme scheme for “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

3 Have the lead

4 Blood: Prefix

5 Western wear

6 Letters that don’t go to the post office

7 Canada or Jordan preceder

8 Bygone brand in the shaving aisle

9 Where the Pilgrims first landed in the New World

10 Came to

11 Animated

12 Record over, say

13 Put on a scale

14 Many a fête d’anniversaire attendee

15 Homer Simpson’s workplace

16 Subject of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius

17 Quaint wear

18 Parkinson’s disease drug

19 Engage in an extreme winter sport

20 La starter

21 First name in children’s literature

22 Mil. mess personnel

23 Sixer rival

24 Sing like a bird

25 Feature of Polyphemus from “The Odyssey”

26 Word origin

27 Dessert often made with cream cheese frosting

28 Not up

29 Tear apart

30 Correct, as a manuscript

31 Comic Cenac formerly of “The Daily Show”

32 Half of a vote

33 Red as ___

34 “Sure, go ahead”

35 White’s counterpart

36 Great work

37 At nine and a half months, say

38 Architect Louis

39 English county closest to Continental Europe

40 Places where wheat is stored?

41 Org. with an antipiracy stance

42 Swirl

43 Meaningful sets, for short?

44 New U.N. member of 2011

45 Resolution unit

46 Some preppy shirts

47 Lab item

48 Alternative to a fade-out in a movie ending

49 Didn’t stay put

50 Deep black

51 Israel’s Barak

52 “An old silent pond / A frog jumps into the pond / Splash! Silence again,” e.g.

53 Hold up

54 Seven-time Rose Bowl winner, for short

55 Offerer of package deals, in brief

56 Buffalo hunters, once

57 Firebug

58 Leader of a race?

59 It’s a snap

60 Store sign

61 Skirt

62 T.S.A. requirements

63 Be unsuited?

64 Currency of Laos

65 Recovers from injury

66 Diving position

67 Be a fall guy?

68 Ben & Jerry’s alternative

69 2014 N.B.A. champ

70 What a prophet may look for

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“Breon has a knack. I’m surprised he hasn’t had more [interceptions] to this point,” Cutcliffe said. “He has great, great ball skills. He can catch anything. I think he is just touching the tip of what he can ultimately end up being for his sake.”

The Blue Devils will have another opportunity to take advantage of a mistake-prone quarterback this weekend in Virginia Tech’s Michael Brewer. The redshirt junior has tossed 11 interceptions—tied for 10th most in the nation.

But Duke is still not taking the Texas Tech-transfer lightly.“He’s got quick hands, spreads the ball around, has got

great weapons,” Cutcliffe said. “As he gained experience in the Virginia Tech system, he’s become more and more comfortable. He’s had some huge games. He’s elusive, mobile.”

At the rate Duke’s contests have been going lately, the game may not even be decided when a quarterback is on the field.

The Hokies (4-5, 1-4) have been renowned for their special teams efficiency throughout the years, but this season, Duke has made a concerted effort to close the gap between other elite return and coverage teams.

Redshirt sophomore DeVon Edwards returns kickoffs for the Blue Devils and has lived up to his nickname of Mr. November once again this season. He ranks fifth in the nation with 29.1 yards per return and has returned one kickoff for a touchdown. He had a second last week against Syracuse, but the play was called back for holding.

Senior Jamison Crowder has handled punt return duties for the team, and although he has not put up huge numbers due to punters angling their kicks away from him, he still managed to break out for his first return touchdown of the season last week against the Orange.

On the kicking end, junior Ross Martin is one of only two kickers in the nation that still holds a perfect field goal percentage, as he is 13-of-13 on the season. Redshirt junior Will Monday ranks 19th in the nation in punting average, booting the ball 44.1 yard per punt.

With the combination of an efficient kicking game and lethal return group, the Blue Devils rank seventh in the nation

in special teams efficiency, as opposed to the Hokies who rank just 53rd.

“We worked hard on [special teams] in camp. I thought coming out of camp we were going to be special. The punt return, again, a lot of that is people are being very cautious with Jamison,” Cutcliffe said. “Hopefully that’s something that will continue to really help us try to be successful in November. It’s been a big part of the last two games. It’s a shame that DeVon didn’t get his second return. I think he’s without a doubt a first team All-American as a kickoff returner.”

Add in an efficient running game and a passing attack that is increasing its productivity with the reemergence of redshirt senior receiver Issac Blakeney, and the Blue Devils seem poised to extend their eight-game home winning streak Saturday.

The contest will kick off Duke’s three-game homestand to finish the regular season, as it will have a short turnaround and face North Carolina Thursday Nov. 20 and Wake Forest Nov. 29. If the Blue Devils win out, they will earn a spot in the ACC title game for a second-straight year.

Zoubek against North Carolina Feb. 7, 2007.Presbyterian returns all five starters from last year’s team,

one that suffered through a dismal 6-26 campaign and a 2-14 ledger in Big South play. But among its veteran roster are three players who scored in double-figures last season. Leading the pack is redshirt senior Jordan Downing, who scored at a 20.2 point-per-game clip in his second year with the Blue Hose after transferring from Davidson.

Capel compared Downing’s skill-set and talent to that of former Blue Devil Seth Curry, who, like Downing, transferred schools after beginning his college career at Liberty.

“Watching him on tape, he reminds me a little of when Curry was at Liberty, a kid that you say, ‘You know, this guy should probably be at a different level,’” Capel said. “He can really, really shoot the ball. He knows how to get his shot off, he can shoot with range and they do a great job of springing him for shots.”

Containing Downing will be a top priority for Duke Friday, especially in transition, where the Blue Hose do a good job of finding the 6-foot-5 guard for open shots.

Down low, Okafor will have to contend with 6-foot-8 center William Truss, a senior who nearly averaged a double-double last year at 10.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. On the perimeter, the Blue Devils’ platoon of guards will have to slow down Austin Anderson, who Capel said is the Blue Hose’s most versatile player, capable of playing anywhere from point guard to power forward.

“You see some of the things they can do on tape and you’re a little surprised at what their record was last year because they have some guys who are really talented,” Capel said. “Obviously they’re not happy with how their record was last year, and they’re going to come in here and try to execute. We have to do a good job defensively of not letting Downing have a big night.”

Regardless of what unfolds this weekend, the Blue Devils have already punched a ticket to Brooklyn for the semifinals and finals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Duke will meet Temple Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m. and either Stanford or UNLV Nov. 22.

M. BASKETBALLcontinued from page 11

FOOTBALLcontinued from page 11

Blue Devils have been nothing short of dominant, posting victories of 67 and 55 points versus Limestone and Armstrong State respectively. The Crimson Tide—predicted to finish last in the loaded SEC conference—will not pose the stiffest challenge for Duke. However, as a Division I team, they will be better suited to deal with the Blue Devils talent and size. Duke features the tallest team in school history and in the NCAA this season, with seven players standing 6-foot-3 or taller.

But, under McCallie’s guidance, the Blue Devils have refused to look past any opponent no matter the skill level.

“We like to take a business-like approach,” McCallie said. “Readiness for defense, readiness for rebounding, readiness for the things you can control is where you want your team to be focused. Everything else will take care of itself.... It’s time to get challenged and find out what we can do.”

W. BASKETBALLcontinued from page 11


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Some Duke students claim they only leave campus to go to Shooters and Chipotle. Although Chipotle sets the bar unfairly high,

I don’t think that generalization gives credit to the many Duke students who do take advantage of Durham. Whether that entails seeing a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center or taking your parents to Revolution, students have responded well to a constantly improving downtown Durham. However, even students who claim only a burrito can lure them away from the recesses of the library may have overlooked the one off-campus spot every student visits—Raleigh-Durham International Airport. For many, the temporary relationship we have with Durham makes it difficult to see it as home. However, if we reap the benefits of Durham, we have some responsibility to the challenges Durham faces.

Not only do I rarely leave the comfortable confi nes of Duke’s campus, I’ve done embar-rassingly little to give back to the Durham com-munity. Without excusing my inaction, I believe some of this stems from the lack of connection I feel with Durham. Or even worse, my lack of awareness about the issues Durham faces. I get the feeling that many Duke students don’t real-ize that the issues that concern them globally —poverty, unemployment, crime —have a devastat-ing presence in certain areas of Durham.

This past weekend, I had lunch with Duke alumnus Dan Hill in East Durham, one of Durham’s more troubled areas. We ate at Joe’s Diner on the corner of Angier and Driver, and I got a chance to talk to Joe Bushfan himself. He pointed me outside to an intersection that, to me, looked like any other intersection. But to Joe and the residents of East Durham, the brand new intersection looked like a $4.8 million renovation project and a testimony to how far the neighborhood has come. Before the Angier-Driver corner was home to Joe’s famous 1 lb. hotdog, it was home to gang violence and prostitution. In a moving account, Dan described how Joe deliberately opened his diner in a neighborhood bloated with poverty and crime in an effort to help the area. Confronted by Joe’s tough attitude and linebacker physique, the gang members who once ruled the street gradually left and opened potential for the area to grow.

I’m impressed that Joe, a native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, took on such great responsibility for a struggling community that was not his hometown. More so, I was disappointed in my own unawareness about this problematic section of Durham and the origin of its issues. I learned that East Durham used to be a self-suffi cient, working-class community but when the tobacco and cotton jobs left, so did all semblance of prosperity. The area was soon considered toxic to businesses and the surrounding poverty rate resides around a depressing 60 percent.

Having hopped on the Durham Freeway to get there, Joe’s Diner felt like any other poor neighborhood I might encounter. Sad and unfair? Yes. But not necessarily my responsibility (excuse the bad attitude). In a conversation with Joe’s son and manager, Mackey, we learned

that we attended the same elementary school. I couldn’t believe we both went to a school in the same neighborhood in Massachusetts and then ended up in the same town. That’s when I realized that we did live in the same town. No matter how different the Driver-Angier block might be from the lush Duke University campus, they are both Durham and right now, Durham is my home.

Dan tells me many organizations are finally starting to work together to revitalize the community. Habitat for Humanity has already built 11 houses just a few streets down from Joe’s Diner. The Durham’s Children Initiative has done a remarkable job in the past four years of building the trust of both the community and non-profits. There are plenty of opportunities for Duke students who want to get involved. Perhaps, that’s a lot to ask. At minimum, consider grabbing some friends on a Saturday and taking the short, four-mile drive to Joe’s Diner. Ask Joe about his diner’s role in pushing the community forward. Maybe you’ll also learn something about good hot dogs. We have some basic responsibility to at least understand the issues Durham faces. In this case, buying a burger would do more than just support a diner, it would support a community —our community.

Kyle Harvey is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Thursday.

Home not so sweet home

Kyle Harvey GOLDEN BOY

Freshmen year I accompanied a friend to a campus ministry meeting. He was interested in joining because he wanted to find a community of people who shared his beliefs on campus. However, after the first

meeting we never returned and I never felt an ounce of guilt about it. In fact, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea to distance myself from God while I was at college. Religion didn’t really seem like a part of the college experience anyways…at least not the liberal college experience.

Being Christian, specifi cally being religious, gets a bad reputation in liberal places like Duke. If you don’t believe in the most open-minded type of Christianity where Jesus loves everyone no matter what, then you most certainly are looked at as a bigot. Proponents of the religion like Westboro Baptist Church certainly don’t help, although I must mention their ideas are a gross interpretation of what the Bible says. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re going to practice a religion, being Christian is the best religion you can be in this country. That’s not based on my opinion, but rather all the systems in place that reinforce the idea that Christianity is superior to other religions. However, in a

place like Duke—or most liberal college campuses—being religious is often portrayed as backwards and antiquated.

As someone whose beliefs very much line up on the left, but who has a religious background, I fi nd it hard myself to condemn people who take their religion seriously. On one hand, yes, women have reproductive rights and everyone deserves love, but on the other hand who am I to tell you what to believe in? Just like no one has a right to make decisions on someone’s life choices, I don’t feel like I should make judgments on people who disagree with those life choices.

Growing up, God was always part of my life. I believed Jesus died for my sins and that everyone could ask for forgiveness. I also believed in the “Golden Rule” and respect and understanding for all. There were two sets of ideologies ingrained in me, but they weren’t disjointed. One taught me who to believe in, and the other what type of person to be and how to treat others. And although the two never came into confl ict at a young age, one set of beliefs did not strengthen the other.

As a child, when I encountered people different than me, I never felt disdain for them because I knew that all people were equal. On the other hand if people were practicing things that didn’t line up with my beliefs, for instance, premarital sex, I also didn’t make excuses for them. They were committing a sin in the eyes of God, but that was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

So although my standing with God isn’t as strong as it used to be, I understand why people have certain views about abortion or marriage that tend to be more conservative. If you really believe in something, then nothing—not even what your liberal peers might think of you—should make you waiver on your beliefs. Maybe that’s because to me sinning was sinning and nothing more. For others it was sometimes seen as a dirty thing, something to criticize people about, but at the end of the day, what someone does with their life is no one’s business but their own.

There is a fl ip side. Religion doesn’t give you a free pass to humiliate and demean people and it certainly doesn’t give you the right to make choices that affect people’s lives. If we’re sticking to the teachings of God, we know that it is no one’s place but his to judge anyone. So using your religion to make people’s lives harder or deter them from certain lifestyles isn’t something I agree with either. I think everyone should have a chance to live their life the way they deem fi t.

I’ve had a lot of discussions about the dichotomy that exists between conservative religious views and the liberal, tolerant ideology. How do you reconcile what you believe is right in the eyes of your God, with what you believe is just morally (and legally) right ? It seems as though whether secular and liberal or conservative and religious, there are narrow points of view on both sides. Being religious means upholding what you believe is right. But does that mean making people feel any less loved? Whether you think someone is doing something wrong or not, we’ve all done wrong and it isn’t religion’s place to infl uence our legal system. On the other hand, being liberal doesn’t mean no one should care how other people live their lives. I care, you care and we should all care that people are doing the best they can under their circumstances. And just because my defi nition of doing well for oneself doesn’t line up with the other guys, it doesn’t mean either of us is wrong. The line is really drawn when you start making decisions for people who don’t adhere to your belief system.

I grew up believing in God and the Bible. I am also so far left on every issue that I am basically at the edge of being right (no pun intended). Those two things don’t have to be in confl ict with each other. Just like different people with different beliefs don’t have to be in confl ict. Instead, we can all practice respect for one another and learn that, while we may not agree with each other, we all have a right to value what we believe in.

Brianna Whitfi eld is a Trinity junior. Her column runs every other Thursday.

We must show enough of our own vulnerabilities that others don’t feel the need to hide their own. So here we go.

My whole life I’ve felt like I had to ask for permission to do anything and everything. Actually, I don’t even think I asked for permission. I just made a line in my head of what I thought my parents and teachers and coaches would think was permissible and did my best to stay as far on the right side of it as possible. As a quintessential people pleaser, my sense of self was based off of how much validation I could get from others.

We’ve all heard this story enough times to know such a mindset doesn’t work. Eventually you realize you will never be truly happy if you place your locus of happiness outside yourself and become dependent on the opinions of others. Because, in doing so, you

give up your agency and ability to defi ne yourself. It’s taken me four years of college and a lot of unlearning, but I think I’m beginning to have that part somewhat fi gured out. Not because I chose to fi gure it out, but because I was forced to. Battling an eating disorder and experiencing a major depressive episode will do that to you.

Don’t assume that information means you now have me all fi gured out or that those two things in themselves can give you an accurate depiction of what it means to be me. My life narrative is not a sob story. It is one of empowerment and a drive for deeper understanding. It consists of perhaps a little too much over-analysis and an irrepressible fascination with the human existence—the manifestations of which have been a personal plot line with ups and downs more extreme than those of most people.

The hidden blessing in living life at slightly greater extremes is that you come to really important realizations much faster. You let things happen, you take in what they mean for you, then you act accordingly. You come to terms with no longer wanting to remain complacent with issues that “aren’t bad enough” to warrant asking for help. Because they inevitably do become bad enough and, when you fi ght through and make changes, the one low moment was well worth gaining back the expansive stretch of time you would have spent haphazardly battling under the radar.

I’ve come to realize that some of my most diffi cult moments were gifts, too, because of what they taught me. I’ve discovered it’s one thing to know your parents would do anything for you, but it’s another to actually see it in the eyes of your father as he holds your head in his lap while you cry and shake because you are so very scared of the contents of your own consciousness. I’ve learned that thankfulness is a discipline, and it’s the little things in life that become the big things. That just because something is familiar—the sky, the movement of ripples across water, the taste of dark chocolate, the comfort of hearing your mother’s voice–doesn’t mean it is not a miracle in its own right. I’ve learned that in order to fi nd magic, one must fi rst believe it exists. I’ve learned that though life has

suffering in it, life itself is not suffering. That “the heart of life is good.”

I do not wish to glamorize pain. Hard times can make relationships and belief systems stronger, but they also have the power to tear them apart. That which doesn’t kill you doesn’t always make you stronger. I think it’s iniquitous that suffering should ever be allowed to become beautiful, but I cannot deny that it sometimes does. Because these moments hold the potential to deepen our understanding of the human experience, by pushing the emotional scope of what we thought it was possible to feel.

Above all, these moments have blessed me with a most incredible privilege— the ability to be there for people whom most don’t know how to help. Because most times people don’t want to be helped or “fi xed,” they want someone to be with them, to feel with them, to understand. They want someone who can say, “Me too, love, I’ve been there.” You can only empathize with someone to the extent that you have also experienced what they are experiencing. People who are hurting want proof that it is possible to go through these jolting realizations about the nature of our unpredictable and sometimes overwhelming world— to fall into black holes— and come out the other side as more than fragmented bits that no longer resemble anything but a tragedy. They need someone to say to them, “You are not the things that have happened to you. And if you cannot place your trust in the universe right now, at least trust me to trust for you that you will be okay.”

For those of you reading this article from that hard place right now, I want you to know— life gets confusing, but you just have to keep going. I offer to you the most valuable piece of information I possess, the following words spoken by Gary Glass (a poet, philosopher, psychologist all in one): “You can never label a moment as a good moment or a bad moment because that would imply fi nality.” As we continue adding more context to the narrative of our lives, specifi c moments often shift and morph their meanings all together. What may have felt like the worst thing that ever happen to you while it was occurring, could one day be the best. Like the way in which my depression strengthened my relationship with my parents to a point I didn’t think was possible, not to mention my relationship with my internal self. Or the way my eating disorder taught me the importance of being present in the moment because it’s the only moment in which we can experience what it means to be alive— feel our lungs breath, our hearts beat, our emotions wash through us. I fi nd such serenity in the unfathomable possibilities created by this notion.

Who I am today is the product of those possibilities. I hope to always feel connected to the 22-year-old girl I was when I wrote this article. I know that whoever I become from this moment on will come from who she is right now. And I love this girl. She has worked so hard to get to where she is. I hope you and she both will remember to doubt the fi nality in moments of struggle—resting within an affi rmation of the beautiful potential life has to offer, to change meaning, to pull you deeper and make you fall in love with your own existence.

Cara Peterson is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.

Dedicated to those who need this article the most

Christian in a liberal place

CaraPetersonIT’S CALLED A “VICTORY LAP”

BriannaWhitfi eldRAISING MY HAND

Evaluating the food point systemWe’ve all had the conversation before. It starts

with, “Hey, want to get something to eat?” and then transitions to trying to fi gure out where to go on campus. The choice of where to eat is oftentimes based on the next question in the conversation: “How many food points do you have?” As we near

the end of the term, and as students are deciding whether to add more food points to their meal plans or funds to their Flex accounts, we should look at what value food points bring to campus. What are the issues with the system as it currently exists?

An important aspect of this conversation con-cerns the new tax charge on food points. In the past, food points used on campus were exempt from taxes. Last year, however, this policy changed. Students who use food points on campus are now subject to an additional tax charge. For students who are on fi nancial aid, this charge is covered by grants provided by the institution. Otherwise, this tax is a separate charge to students in addition to the price of the meal plan. With this additional tax,

is it be more benefi cial to do away with food points and just allow students to pay for everything using their Flex accounts?

In the opinion of the Board, food points are necessary and serve an important role for the student body. Access to food should not be some-thing that students question during their time in college. Yes, the way that people budget their food depends upon their ability to pay and budget for meals, and we recognize that students have differ-ent levels of fi nancial resources, but it is the job of the institution to provide stable eating options for its students.

Issues with the system as it exists require the administration to acknowledge that enforcing stu-dents to enroll in a plan that, at minimum, costs ap-proximately $1500 for students who live on campus is problematic—especially when it is the case that excess points do not role over per year. This is, for many students, considered a waste of money when they also feel as though there are not many options worth spending their food points on.

Additionally, a common sentiment throughout the student body is that a student’s ability to choose among various dining options is limited for a vari-ety of reasons. For instance, the hours of operation

at the Market Place force some fi rst-year students to spend their limited food points on West Campus and waste swipes. Despite the availability of a vari-ety of dining options on campus, the location and price of those options is an extremely important consideration. When these issues are taken into ac-count, food points seem unnecessary at times.

However, by enforcing students to invest in a system that is solely for food, Duke is, in a very di-rect way, ensuring that its students eat. While some may take issue with this approach, it is good for maintaining students’ ability to obtain food. Rep-licating the dining hall buffet experience and pro-viding more access to actual groceries are ways in which the administration may address the concern of waste. The goal of the institution should be to make sure its students have access to food and a way to adequately pay for it.

Editorial

Letter to the EditorDuke Students for Justice in Palestine would like to

bring to the attention of the Duke community an event that is taking place this Friday, titled ‘Israel Shabbat: Bedouin Style’. We are deeply offended in the framing of Israel Shabbat as “Bedouin Style” and see it as blatantly offensive cultural appropriation. Not only were there were no efforts made to incorporate Arab voices, but the elements that were intended to portray Bedouin culture are “Bedouin” tents, blankets and a rented camel. Such actions, no matter how well-intended, treat Bedouin culture as a gimmick rather than a historical and nuanced culture and people. Notions that can perpetuate damaging stereotypes are already apparent in the language used in the event’s advertisement:

“What is Bedouin-style you may ask? Well, it means

that we will be enjoying our dinner on the fl oor with comfy pillows and blankets just like a real Bedouin tent!”

The Bedouins are in fact a group of nomadic Arabs spread across the Middle East who have faced impoverished conditions and political alienation for many generations. In Israel, particularly, the Arab Bedouins are a minority within a minority who face state policies that result in dispossession, displacement and forced relocation that has prompted condemnation from governments, organizations and human rights groups worldwide.

*See full letter online.*

Duke Students for Justice in Palestine

Follow The Chronicle @DukeChronicle


This message is brought to you by the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Center for Documentary Studies, Chapel Music, Duke Dance Program, Duke Music Department,

Master of Fine Arts in Experimental & Documentary Arts, Nasher Museum of Art, Screen/Society, Department of Theater Studies with support from the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts.

ami.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule

November 13 - 18

November 13-15 & 20-22 at 8 pmNovember 16 & 23 at 2 pm

Sheafer Theater, Bryan Center, West CampusGeneral admission $10, students & senior citizens $5

tickets.duke.edu theaterstudies.duke.edu

“An explosion is the most lasting thing in the universe.” ~Joseph Conrad

EXHIBITIONSCity Under One Roof. October 27 thru January 24. Center for Documentary Studies, Juanita Kreps Gallery. Free.

Rauschenberg: Collecting & Connecting. Thru January 11. Nasher Museum of Art. Free.

Miró: The Experience of Seeing. Thru Feb. 22. Nasher Museum of Art. $12 General Public; discounts for Duke faculty and staff; Duke students Free.

Traces of the Past. Oct. 12 thru November 30. Smith Warehouse, Bays 10-11, second floor. Free.

EVENTSNovember 13MA+S Rendezvous. Nicola Lercari (AAHVS): “3D-Digging at Çatalhöyük: From Digital Documentation to VR Visualization in Archaeology.” 4:30 PM. A266, Bay 10, Smith Warehouse. Free.

Cafe Miró. Enjoy a special Spanish dinner (menu) in the Nasher Museum Café, before or after a visit to Miro. Reservations strongly recommended. 5pm - 9pm, Nasher Museum Café.

The Perfect Detonator. Professor Jody McAuliffe directs this play which she also adapted from the Joseph Conrad novel, The Secret Agent. 8pm, Sheafer Lab Theater. $10 Gen Admin; $8 Duke Employees; $5 Students, Sr Cit, Youth.

November 14VFF: The Hunt Library: A Storytelling Building. Discussion about creating a permanent portfolio of content for public video walls that is crowdsourced from a campus community. 12pm, LSRC D106. Free.

Salon. Featuring poetry readings of notable faculty including Professors Nathaniel Mackey, David Need and Deborah Pope, and students. Food and refreshments are provided. 6:30pm, von der Heyden - Perkins Library. Free.

Film Screening. Undocumented and Unafraid. Southern Documentary Fund director Rachel Raney moderates a conversation with the director Charlie Thompson. 7pm, Full Frame Theater. Free.

The Perfect Detonator. (see Nov. 13) 8pm.

Concert. Clara Yang, piano: Works by Chopin, Schumann, Muczynski, Andres, and Phil Young. 8pm, Nelson Music Room. Free.

November 15Sketching in the Galleries. Newly invigorated sketching program. All levels welcome! 10am, Nasher Museum. Free with admission.


Swing! Swing! Swing! Duke Opera Workshop and Duke Jazz Ensemble perform hits from the golden era of swing music. 8pm, Baldwin Auditorium. $10 Gen Adm; $5 Sr. Cit; Students free.

November 16Swing! Swing! Swing! (See Nov. 7) 3pm.


November 17Concert. Hsiao-mei Ku, violin, and Gabriel Richard, violin. 8pm, Nelson Music Room. Free.

November 18Panel. “From George Wallace to New Orleans After Katrina: Southern Race and Politics on Film” 4:30pm, Freedom Forum, Carroll Hall-UNC Chapel Hill. Free.

SCREEN/SOCIETYAll events are free and open to the general public. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are at 7pm in the Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center. (N) = Nasher Museum Auditorium. (SW) = Smith Warehouse - Bay 4, C105. (W) = Richard White Auditorium. (ATC) = Full Frame Theater, American Tobacco Campus. All events subject to change.

11/13 Hats of Jerusalem (W) Special Event - 6:30 pizza reception. Q&A w/ producer Orna Raviv

11/17 Ecumenopolis: City without Limits Reel Global Cities Film Series – discussion to follow

11/18 The Turin Horse [35mm screening] AMI Showcase--European Cinema Series

Adapted and directed by

Jody McAuliffefrom the Joseph Conrad novel

The Secret Agent

141113 news issuu

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