Why we need scandal

If Shonda Rhimes’ Olivia Pope were real, her crisis management firm would list our university as one of its most loyal customers. From the 2006 lacrosse case to the 2010 Karen Owen PowerPoint the 2015 adhan cancellation to more offensive themed parties than I can count, the national spotlight has shone brightly upon the Gothic Wonderland and its students, faculty and staff time and time again. As my colleague Emma Baccellieri reported last month, the notion of controversial campus incidents morphing into true “scandals” is a phenomenon unique to Duke; Google Trends graphs created by both her and me show the phrase “Duke scandal” is far more common than “UNC scandal,” “Harvard scandal” or “Dartmouth scandal,” institutions that have all suffered indignities of their own in recent years. Until our trustees wise up and vote to dramatically expand our media relations budget, it seems we’re stuck with having a propensity for scandal matched only by the fictitious Fitzgerald Grant administration.

As a student who’s witnessed his fair share of West Campus bus stop protests and read more than enough Yik Yak arguments about social issues on campus, I’ve come to accept the Duke scandal as an unavoidable component of my time here. Sure, seeing the failings of my alma mater splashed across the pages of leading national newspapers has consistently reminded me of how much more work Duke needs before it can live up to its claims of being a progressive, equitable place of learning, but after awhile it became amusing to see a single college zealously used as a microcosm of larger societal issues. By my logic, the media obsession with Duke became a form of flattery; our school’s constant presence under the microscope was just another sign of how well known and admired it was. Nonetheless, even with that attitude I became tired of defending Duke from its detractors with cries of “not every frat party here is an instance of cultural appropriation!” and “the lacrosse case was a huge miscarriage of justice!” But then, the most recent scandal broke and forced me to reevaluate how I view such incidents.

When allegations that Executive Vice President Tallman Trask struck a parking attendant with his car and referred to her using a racial slur and Parking and Transportation Director Carl DePinto fostered a hostile work environment for black employees were first made public, I felt confident external media would pick up the story, an administrative investigation would discover the truth and justice would be served. I was wrong, however; to this day, only Gawker, USA Today College, WRAL and the Herald-Sun have published substantial articles about the incidents, a pittance compared to the number of pieces regarding Duke's chapter of Kappa Sigma’s “Asia Prime” party distributed by NBC, ABC, FOX and many other outlets. KSig was suspended two days after news of their choice of theme made national headlines, whereas Duke has yet to address the aforementioned issues beyond a statement that Trask is “an extraordinary servant of this university” and silence on the PTS claims.

I don’t deem this discrepancy in administrative responses a coincidence. The longer these injustices go unmentioned in the nightly news the longer key Duke officials have managed to remain reticent. To them, it seems, the demands of students can be left off the agenda of Board of Trustees meetings as long as they remain discussed only within the confines of this campus. Our scandals, I have realized, are more than merely an example of how the world loves to hate Duke; they are the only thing that can force the administration to move forward with progressive initiatives such as raising the minimum wage and firing an admitted felon and those who helped cover up his crime. Until the mainstream media brings misdeeds of Trask and DePinto into light and angry alumni begin to question why the recipient of their donations has become embroiled in yet another scandal will administrators deviate from their present course and address their students’ and employees’ grievances.

Just like the politicians and bureaucrats of Scandal’s depiction of Washington, D.C., the powers that be here in the Gothic Wonderland work best when a public relations fire is burning beneath their seats, and precedent tells us the best way to light one is by creating a national scandal. Let’s do just that.

Tom Vosburgh is a Trinity senior and the Editorial Page Editor.