Sophomore Year

The Class of 2008's sophomore year was filled with memorable highs and lows, including events that opened up dialogue on issues such as race, community relations and the University's priorities for the next five years. From the Rolling Stones' concert to the lacrosse scandal, the Duke community was rocked in more ways than one. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans before most students had settled into their dormitory rooms. But Duke responded quickly, announcing that it would make space available to Gulf Coast students who were from North and South Carolina or had ties to the University. Student groups on campus responded in their own way, holding fundraising campaigns by selling shirts and CDs, arranging for donations to be made on FLEX and holding benefit concerts and parties. Meanwhile, running errands on West Campus became just a little bit harder, as students were forced to find detours to reach the Bryan Center. Beginning in August, workers began to demolish the old Bryan Center Walkway. A new plaza took shape gradually over the course of the year. Fall semester also saw Duke welcome a few esteemed visitors. On a warm Saturday night in October, Mick Jagger and his quartet of sexagenarians electrified 40,000 fans who had packed into Wallace Wade Stadium. A month later, former Secretary of State Colin Powell brought another crowd to its feet as he delivered the keynote address in the dedication of Rubenstein Hall. On the academic side, administrators formulated the strategic plan that would guide the University for the next half-decade and continued to lay the groundwork for the complete overhaul of Central Campus. The spring semester was a tumultuous one as students returned from Spring Break to allegations that members of the men's lacrosse team raped a black exotic dancer at a party held at 610 North Buchanan Blvd.-an off-campus property rented by three of the team's captains. The national media descended on campus, casting the scandal as a "perfect storm" of race, class and gender issues. The cancellation of the team's season, resignation of head coach Mike Pressler and indictment of two sophomore players-a third was indicted just after his graduation in May-intensified the spotlight put on the University. Numerous panels, forums and protests were held in response to the charges and the issues they brought to the surface. As the school year wound down, the rape case remained unresolved but the issues it brought to the forefront-including town-gown relations and campus culture-would continue to be discussed and dissected. The party where the alleged rape occurred, some critics claimed, was just one example of an off-campus social scene that has gotten out of control. Although neighborhood activists commended the administration's decision in February to purchase 15 properties off-East-including the 610 North Buchanan Blvd.-with an intention to sell the rental properties into owner-occupied residences-many students denounced the move as an effort by the University to restrict the social scene. In sports, both the men's and women's basketball teams entered the season ranked No. 1, and both teams faltered on the road to the national title. Despite suffering a Sweet Sixteen loss, the men's basketball team cut down the nets at the ACC championships once again. Senior J.J. Redick broke both the Duke all-time scoring record and the NCAA all-time 3-point shooting record, winning numerous National Player of the Year honors. The season's other highlights included Shelden Williams being named the national defensive player of the year again and Sean Dockery's buzzer-beating, 3-point shot, which allowed Duke to avoid an early season defeat by Virginia Tech. The women's basketball team lost to Maryland in the NCAA title game, suffering the same fate that Duke's field hockey team had earlier in the year. The women's cross country and golf teams and the men's tennis and soccer teams were all crowned ACC champions.