Duke is at a crossroads." A friend of mine said those words to me the other day in the midst of a discussion about the upcoming semester, and I can't think of a more appropriate way to describe the University's current state.
Our great school is sitting on a convergence of forces.
There is the obvious force (obvious thanks to crazed, sensationalist national media outlets)-the ongoing "lacrosse rape scandal." This is a force like no other, carrying with it public scrutiny, legal strings and plenty of anger, hurt and confusion.
The scandal, however, is also the source of other forces, namely an investigation into Duke's social atmosphere and drinking culture. (Rumors of a major crackdown on alcohol in the next few weeks are floating around-we'll have to wait and see where that goes). Committees have been formed, and people are gearing up to figure out if and where our problems exist and then fix what they think needs fixing.
But there are other forces in play at this moment in Duke's history-hence, the crossroads.
Central Campus, a behemoth of a construction project, looms in the near (well, depending on who you ask) future. A new strategic plan, which guides all of the University's priorities, is soon to be in play. Turnover of top brass in the graduate and professional schools, an athletics department with some serious administrative issues, heightened concerns about Duke-Durham relations-the list goes on and on.
Yep, Duke is sitting on what could prove to be a landmine or a huge opportunity, depending on how it manages all the forces colliding and pushing at its Gothic greatness.
But why am I rambling about "Duke's current state," the reality of the current moment? You're thinking thanks, ma'am, I could've figured that out myself.
Well, the answer to the "why" question is simple: to set the stage for what readers will see on the editorial pages in the coming months.
As editor of this beloved campus rag last year, I and several staff members worked to transform our editorial board, which generates the editorial seen in the upper lefthand corner of these pages each day. We have let readers know this change was coming by way of editors' notes over the past few months, but now, the change has finally arrived.
As of the launch of daily production, The Chronicle has for the first time an independent editorial board comprised not of our own staff (as it was in the past) but of some of the best thinkers and doers on this campus.
All students. No two alike. All inspired. And, as a group, all ready to take on the precarious crossroads we Dukies are facing.
Because we know what's at stake.
At perhaps no time in Duke's recent history has student opinion mattered so much. If the University is going to take this crossroads head on and students want the paths taken to be of their liking, they had better speak up and speak out-and not have any qualms about it.
Our editorial board is primed and ready to do a whole lot of speaking, to be movers and shakers in what I hope will be a barrage of student input and activism.
It's as though The Chronicle's major change of forming an independent editorial board crossed paths with Duke's own crossroads (a complicated image, but work with me). And it is a fortuitous meeting, as knowledgeable student opinion is so vital to guaranteeing Duke's health in the future.
We as an editboard won't be shy.
We will be critical.
We will be informed.
And we'll always be present-five days a week, right here on these pages.
You may not always agree with us, but we hope you will read what we have to say and respond, whether through your own words and actions in the greater Duke community or in letters to the editor. Both, from our end, are encouraged.
Under the leadership of our editorial page editor, Dan Englander, I'll be helping manage the new editorial board. If you have questions or comments about the board's opinions, feel free to contact us (dbe@duke.edu, sld22@duke.edu).
So here at the crossroads we sit-we meaning Duke, we meaning students and we meaning The Chronicle's new editorial board.
We're looking forward, hoping for the best but acknowledging that hope isn't enough. Thought, word and action are needed.
Our editorial board hopes to provide some of that thought and word and to inspire action.
We'll be here all year. Be in touch.
Seyward Darby is a Trinity senior and editorial page managing editor of The Chronicle.
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