Forming new definitions for Duke

HOI AN, Vietnam -- What defines Duke? I suppose that is a loaded, multi-faceted question. On the one hand, there are the admissions-office-brochure answers: good academics, good basketball (ok, great basketball) and a diverse student body.

Then there are the student-given answers: an average if not sometimes weak social scene, interesting classes-some challenging, some a breeze--and overall, a pretty great college experience.

But this March, the general public was introduced to Duke's new and now most recognized defining factor: the lacrosse rape scandal.

When I came to Southeast Asia in June, it became blatantly apparent to me that what did, or did not, happen on the night of March 13 in that house on Buchanan Boulevard is what most people think of when they hear the word "Duke."

Sure, we at Duke were all aware the mess was a huge deal from day one. How could we not, what with the media descending on campus by the satellite-truckload? I remember knowing how out of proportion the whole thing was going to get when the week after spring break I had The New York Times calling my office begging for a faxed copy of the initial search warrant.

But sitting in the Bangkok airport June 2, meeting for the first time a handful of young people I would be living with for the next several weeks, it became clear to me that what defines Duke now to the rest of the country, and perhaps the world, are the words lacrosse and rape.

One girl in the terminal looked at me quizzically and asked, "Don't you go to Duke? Haven't I seen you on TV about that rape stuff?" I gave an embarrassed nod.

When I told another of the fellow volunteers I went to Duke, her immediate, wide-eyed response was, "Oooooh, scandal, scandal!" A few weeks later, she told me that in her tiny Michigan town, Duke lacrosse was a staple on the nightly news for months.

"You go to Duke? That's a great school," she said, munching on rice. "I bet you work hard."

Fork almost to my mouth, I stopped and nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I do--most students do, I think. It's a pretty intense academic environment."

And the mealtime chatter for the next 10 minutes was about nothing but Duke's merits--from classes to basketball, the business school to the average graduating GPA. I was thrilled to answer what I could, and even more thrilled to not utter the word lacrosse.

The conversation made me realize more than ever that the lacrosse scandal is at best ephemeral--a phenomenon that was largely created by, and will be destroyed by, the media. What matters about Duke are its people, those who create the academic statistics, the athletic scores and the outcries for certain aspects of campus life to improve.

My hope now is the rape scandal will become a launch point for new Duke-defining factors. It will forever be a part of the school's history; that fact cannot and should not be avoided. But if addressed correctly and tangibly by students, committees, administrators, et al., the scandal can help open eyes, ears and minds so at least some things that need to change on our campus can, well, be changed.

When I look back on my time at Duke and at The Chronicle, lacrosse and rape will forever come to mind. But I know that will not be true for everyone, especially those who learned of it only through bad news broadcasts and misleading magazine articles. I also know that eventually both I and they will be able to see Duke for what it really is.

Seyward Darby is a Trinity senior and former editor of The Chronicle. She is now the managing editorial page editor.