Home, but not far away

The setting sun was scolding the back of my neck as I approached my ball, a good distance from the tee box and well within range of the 18th green. A three iron, I decided, would suffice. After taking my habitual practice strokes, I gave the ball a nice smack that, much to my surprise, sent it straight over the green, right toward the club house and the putting green that lay in front of it. This was bad.

With my friends laughing in the background, I sprinted to the cart, hopped in and sped down the path to make sure no one was hurt. Although I had yelled "fore," I knew that doing so rarely did any good; some of the older people probably have trouble hearing a person standing next to them, let alone someone two hundred yards away. When I arrived, I was elated to see that no one was lying flat on the ground. But much to my embarrassment, I did notice someone from my church, a neighbor and retired judge, putting right in the middle of my shot's target line. He beckoned me over, but it turns out he hadn't noticed the ball at all.

Instead, he wanted to talk about the rape case in Durham.

You see, upon my return to Virginia, I looked forward to a brief respite from all things Duke. And while the past few weeks of golf, movies, light reading and catching up with high school friends have certainly provided me with some much-needed rest, so far I have found it impossible to escape. Indeed, because my neighbors assume that I am some sort of expert on the matter, at home I have participated in more discussion about the rape case than I did at Duke. People ranging from doctors, lawyers and stockbrokers to teachers, coaches and students have all posited their unique theories. Opinions vary greatly, but without exception, everyone has one, and they all want to share it-with me.

Some of these people really irritate me. To my dismay, some graduates of rival universities-the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina, Virginia Tech, etc.-have delighted in Duke's collective suffering. For these thoughtless few, the case is like a sporting event, with the Blue Devils losing every night on Nancy Grace. Fortunately, there are more people who realize that lives and reputations are at stake and that one must afford this subject sufficient gravity.

Among the latter lot are former high school teachers who, like several of my professors in Durham, have provided stimulating discussion and exceptional insights. Going beyond the facts of the case, they prefer instead to delve into matters like campus culture and Duke's relationship with Durham. Sympathetic toward the three defendants, whom they consider in all likelihood innocent, my teachers have nonetheless been harsh in their criticism of the lacrosse team's behavior.

Meanwhile my dad, a lawyer and Duke alumnus, has discussed this incident with me more than anyone else. And while the greater implications of the case interest him, he cannot resist giving me daily briefings on the latest developments. To his credit, he is probably more knowledgeable than anyone else I know. From Day One he has said things like "What about a boyfriend?,"and "Why would the captains say 'unequivocally' if they weren't innocent?"

Pretty much all my acquaintances believe the lacrosse players are innocent. In their opinion, the behavior of some may have been inane, tasteless and possibly racist, but while that is horrible, it is not criminal. Though some in my community, including complete strangers who approach me because I wear Duke apparel, adamantly believe the defendants are guilty, such people are clearly in the minority. To be honest, I am pretty tired of the tit-for-tat about timelines, DNA tests, receipts and whatnot. But as my first few weeks home have shown, I cannot escape the issue, and I probably will not be able to for several years. No matter how much I may wish to avoid it, this case is now deeply intertwined with the reputation of Duke University-and thus for us all.