A set of four unsigned newsletters entitled "The Crocker Sack," which lampoon specific Marketplace employees and mock demographic groups within the Duke community, have been circulating around East Campus for several weeks, prompting a judicial investigation and student action.
"They're just blanket horrible statements that are racist, sexist, classist, anything you can think of," said sophomore Nathanael Holley, the delegated spokesperson of a student committee that convened Friday afternoon and Sunday night to discuss the issue.
An e-mail sent Thursday to several student organization listservs by committee members and juniors Pavithra Vasudevan and Amy Faulring said the newsletters directly attacked specific female Marketplace employees by making fun of their physical features and implying sexual promiscuity. The e-mail, which advertised Friday's meeting for concerned students, included four excerpts from "The Crocker Sack."
According to the e-mail, the newsletters assail female students, saying the University should discontinue its "blind" admissions policy.
"We need to use both eyes in our admissions process," said the newsletter, according to Vasudevan and Faulring's e-mail. "Weed out those unpleasant Quasimodas [sic] that currently clog our common rooms and hallways with their abrasive loud noises and repulsive Oscare a British woman' cockney smiles!"
Kacie Wallace, associate dean for judicial affairs, said her office is conducting an investigation of the newsletters' publication and distribution, and that it is considering options ranging from judicial sanctions to an informal intervention.
"We don't typically regulate the content of speech, but we would follow up with a group that was disrespectful of another group or hurtful," Wallace said. "With that kind of case, it's important to gather as much information as possible and then decide on action."
Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said he held meetings Friday with employees to discuss the posters and show the administration's concern. He said the Office of Institutional Equity is also conducting an investigation.
"We want to make sure we convey to the employees that we find this as unacceptable as they do," Wulforst said. "This is the first time in five years that I've seen this."
Wulforst said an apology letter was found taped to one of the Marketplace cash registers Friday morning from the same people who published the original newsletters.
"The apology letter was seen as inadequate and sarcastic," Holley said. "[They] were just saying that they felt that it was just immature pranks... and that they came to the drastic decision not to continue with the newsletter."
The 15- to 20-person student committee met again in the Carr Building Sunday to plan a response to the newsletters.
"The intention of the meeting was to discuss logistics regarding having two sessions of dorm discussions on East Campus--what was to be discussed and who would be facilitating those discussions," Holley said. The dorm discussions are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, although the locations have not been determined.
Justin McBride, one of the concerned students and a spokesperson for the Student Employee Relations Committee, said the newsletters represent eroding relationships among administrators and students with University employees.
"This isn't a question of an isolated incident," McBride said. "This is reflective of a deeper problem within campus culture--problems of sexism and racism, particularly toward employees."
Neither the student committee nor administrators knew how long "The Crocker Sack" has been in publication.
Dave Ingram contributed to this story.
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