Professor claims mischaracterization

In an Oct. 25 article in The Chronicle, "Faculty Push For Voice in Culture Talk," a reporter grossly mischaracterized comments that I made in the town hall meeting that was the subject of the article. I never said that trustees and alumni encouraged the drinking culture at Duke. Nor did I say that the trustees and alumni "need to get moved along or left behind." What I did say was that based on my experience as a member of the Lacrosse Ad Hoc Review Committee, I believe that the nostalgia for "Old Duke" on the part of some trustees and alumni made it difficult to deal with the drinking culture on campus. I said that I learned that past efforts by the administration to curtail excessive drinking had been met with "push back" from alumni and trustees, and that we needed to either "bring" them along or leave them behind in our efforts to change the culture at Duke. I was surprised to read the reporter's characterizations of my comments, but even more surprised when she and her editor refused to correct the record.

Kerry L. Haynie

Associate Professor, Political Science