Duke student organizations, faculty, staff and alumni ask Price to act on Durham-Orange Light Rail

Dear President Price:

We, the undersigned Duke organizations, faculty, staff and alumni, appreciate that Duke University has worked with GoTriangle to discuss its concerns regarding the Durham-Orange Light Rail transit project (DOLRT). The vitality of the Triangle region depends on an excellent public transit system, and this light rail is a crucial component. The benefits for Durham residents are numerous, including 1) affordable housing, 2) increased access to jobs, care, and education, 3) environmental benefits, and 4) return on investment. As an institution dedicated to increasing opportunity for all, it is the University’s moral responsibility to uplift our region by supporting the successful development of the light rail. President Price, will you contribute the necessary land to the Durham-Orange Light Rail and sign the cooperative agreement with GoTriangle by the end of February?

In the next 25 years, the Triangle region will grow by 1 million people. To meet that growth while simultaneously preserving quality of life, the Triangle will need to invest in transit systems that reduce traffic congestion. A light rail must be part of that solution if we are to match the practices of other growing metropolitan areas. Accessible transit is also essential for affordable housing. Seven out of every 10 homes owned by the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) are within a mile of a proposed light-rail station. The light rail’s high degree of accessibility allows the DHA to receive more funding for affordable housing from federal programs that value interconnected transit. Duke must be a part of increasing housing options for low and moderate income residents if it values the overall well-being of the Triangle area.

Second, the light rail will increase access to workplaces, health care facilities and education. The light rail is designed to pass through three of the top 10 employers in the state. Local communities, including the tens of thousands of Durham residents who do not own cars and have been geographically isolated from job opportunities, will now have much-needed access to employment. The light rail would also connect the UNC and Duke healthcare systems, thereby enhancing the region’s ability to provide excellent patient care to the maximum number of people. As one of the nation’s premiere leaders in healthcare, Duke University has the opportunity and obligation to stand at the forefront of a project that can dramatically improve health services.

Third, the light rail will allow the region to save 80 billion BTUs of energy every year that it operates. This technology will improve air quality and further the region’s commitment to finding low-carbon transportation solutions. Duke prides itself on its environmental leadership, both on campus and in the community, and the University’s support of the light rail serves as a tangible step in solidifying that legacy.

Finally, multiple studies have highlighted the profound economic impacts of the light rail. The light rail will support nearly 30,000 new jobs in Durham and Orange Counties alone. It will also bring $175 million in new annual tax revenues to the cities, counties, and state. The University is in the position to be a part of that growth, which will support generations of residents and businesses to come.

We recognize that as a Level 1 trauma center, Duke Health must consider the implications that construction may have on patient care and emergency access. GoTriangle has a list of 20 medical centers across the country with rail systems in close proximity that can serve as examples of how solutions can be found through cooperation. GoTriangle has also made good-faith efforts to carefully address Duke’s concerns by adjusting routes, altering construction activities, fundraising millions of dollars for changes, and offering to hire design consultants that specialize in health systems. To reduce any noise disruptions to patients, GoTriangle has agreed to meet the most stringent vibration thresholds presented by Duke Medical Center. All of these changes have been performed at Duke’s request as a means of greatly minimizing hospital disturbances and maintaining Duke Health’s high level of care. Now, it is Duke’s turn to be a good neighbor and support the light rail.

The purpose of the cooperative agreement between GoTriangle and Duke is to commit to working together to address any remaining issues. The UNC Healthcare System, another excellent provider of health services, has already signed its own cooperative agreement with the intention of collaborating further with GoTriangle to resolve any remaining concerns about patient care. This means that no single plan of design has to be finalized by the end of February. However, if Duke does not agree to donate its land by the end of February, the light rail will not be able to meet deadlines for crucial federal funding. Without Duke’s support, all of the affordable housing benefits, economic development and low-carbon solutions that the light rail offers will disappear. The 20 years of effort that city officials, transit authorities, and community members have invested in the project will go to waste. The University has a chance to prove its dedication to the vitality of our region and to demonstrate its genuine willingness for collaboration.

Duke faculty and staff:

1. Betsy Alden; Program in Education
2. Susan Alperts; Professor of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology
3. Eileen Anderson; Lecturing Fellow, Romance Studies
4. Carol Apollonio; Professor of the Practice, Slavic and Eurasian Studies
5. Daniele Armaleo; Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of Biology
6. Paul A. Baker; Nicholas School of the Environment
7. Amelia Beatty; Duke Health-NP
8. Elika Bergelson; Psychology and Neuroscience
9. Volker Blum; Associate Professor, Pratt School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
10. Katherine Brading; Duke Philosophy 
11. Gregory Brown MD; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Department of Medicine
12. William H. Chafe; Alice Mary Baldwin Professor Emeritus of History. Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
13. Elizabeth Jane Costello Ph.D.; Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, School of Medicine
14. Roberto Dainotto; Professor, Romance Studies
15. Susan Jane Dunlap; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Divinity
16. Michele M. Easter; Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
17. Robert M. Entman; Professor Emeritus
18. Alan E. Gelfand; Dep't of Statistical Science
19. Alexander Glass; Earth and Ocean Sciences
20. Wib Gulley; Professor of the Practice, Sanford School of Public Policy
21. Frances S. Hasso; Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies
22. Alison Hill, Ph.D.; Senior Lecturer, Duke Biology
23. Robin Kirk; Senior Lecturer
24. Peter Hubert Klopfer; Professor Emeritus, Duke Biology
25. Ryke Longest; Clinical Professor, School of Law, Nicholas School of the Environment
26. Gail R. Marsh; Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emeritus
27. Carolyn McAllaster; Clinical Professor of Law, Duke Law School
28. Daniel McShea; Duke Biology
29. S. Thomas Mitchell-Olds; Newman Ivey White Distinguished Professor, Dept of Biology
30. Kate Newman; Nasher Museum of Art
31. Ram Oren; Nicholas School of the Environment
32. Marcie Pachino; Communications Consultant, Pratt School of Engineering
33. Sheila Patek; Biology Department
34. Kenneth Reckhow; Professor Emeritus, Nicholas School of the Environment
35. Allison G. Robertson; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
36. Alex Rosenberg; R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy
37. William H. Schlesinger; James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Biogeochemistry and Dean Emeritus, Nicholas School of the Environment
38. Jonathan L. Sheline, MD, MS; Clinical Associate, Department of Community and Family Medicine
39. Drew Shindell; Nicholas Professor of Earth Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment
40. Kristen Shirey; Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine
41. Beth Silberman; Duke Health
42. Robin Smith; Office of News and Communications
43. Carol Stack; Professor Emeritus
44. Elisabeth C. Stagg; former Assoc. Dir. of Communications, Duke Divinity School 
45. Caroline Stinson; Professor of the Practice of Music
46. Marvin Swartz; Professor in Department of Psychiatry, Duke University School of Medicine
47. Jennifer Swenson; Associate Professor of the Practice, School of Environment
48. Jennifer Turi, MD; Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
49. Rytas Vilgalys; Professor, Biology Department
50. Sarah Weaver; School of Medicine
51. Skye Wilson; Student Affairs, Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

An additional two faculty signed who did not wish to be listed in the public release of the letter. 

Duke alumni:

1. Cavett Hamilton French, Class of 1962
2. Betsy Alden, Class of 1964
3. Brent Blackwelder, Class of 1964
4. Ninian Beall, Jr., Class of 1968
5. John Charles Boger, Class of 1968
6. Elizabeth Hastings Conroy, Class of 1968
7. Arnie Katz, Class of 1968
8. David M. Henderson, Class of 1968
9. Sharron Bailey Parker, Class of 1968
10. Margaret H. Small , Class of 1968
11. Donna J Hicks, Class of 1969
12. Julia Borbely-Brown, Class of 1970
13. Wib Gulley, Class of 1970
14. Jean M. Cary, Class of 1971
15. Robert M. Entman, Class of 1971
16. John Valentine, Class of 1971
17. Stephen Maynard Cameron, Class of 1977
18. Jeanette Stokes, Class of 1977 (Divinity)
19. Harlan Joel Gradin, Class of 1978
20. Pamela Hoge, Class of 1978
21. Stephen Pomeroy, Class of 1978 (MHA)
22. Nancy Baker Dietrich, Class of 1980 (Nursing)
23. Laurie Fox, Class of 1980
24. Christine A. Cupido, Class of 1981
25. Martha Klopfer, Class of 1981
26. Jenny Warburg, Class of 1981
27. Donna Blagdan, Class of 1982
28. Deborah Burkart, Class 1982
29. Meredith Emmett, Class of 1982
30. Rebecca Stith, Class of 1982
31. Betsy Barton, Class of 1983
32. Andrea Klausner, Class of 1983
33. Gia Scarpetta, Class of 1983
34. Marcie Pachino, Class of 1983
35. James Scott Carter, Class of 1983 (BS), 1984 (MS)
36. Daniele Armaleo, Class of 1984
37. Thomas Beckett, Class of 1984
38. Erica Rapport Gringle, Class of 1984 (PhD)
39. Kenneth Dalshiemer, Class of 1985 (Graduate School)
40. Blandy Fisher, Class of 1985
41. Marcia A. Angle, Class of 1984 (MD), Class of 1987 (HS)
42. Les Field, Class of 1987 (PhD)
43. Matt Hapgood, Class of 1988
44. Ann Bebe Guill, Class of 1993 (Divinity)
45. Barbara Maclay Cameron, Class of 1994 (MA)
46. Susan Rita Cohen, Class of 1997 (Nursing)
47. Deborah Lawrence, Class of 1998
48. Brian James Cornell, Class of 2000
49. Sol Osterkatz, Class of 2000
50. Kathryn Fenn, Class of 2002
51. Robin Smith, Class of 2005 (PhD)
52. Garver Moore, Class of 2006
53. Johnny Blades, Class of 2007 (Trinity)
54. Chelsea Barnes, Class of 2008
55. Cynthia Current, Class 2011
56. Kate Newman, Class of 2012
57. Annie McDonough, Class of 2013
58. Lane Wallace, Class of 2014
59. Brittney Balser, Class of 2015
60. Leah Catotti, Class of 2015
61. Mona Dai, Class of 2015
62. Matthew Grossman, Class of 2015
63. Rhonda Klevansky, Class of 2015
64. Ashley Pollard, Class of 2015
65. Malena Marguerite Price, Class of 2015
66. Julian Xie, Class of 2015
67. Gregory Brown, Class of 2016 (HS)
68. Neal Pierre-Gatke, Class of 2016
69. Sarah Rowan, Class of 2016
70. Mindy Douglas, Class of 2017
71. Elizabeth Anne Brown, Class of 2018
72. Julia Kaufman, Class of 2018
73. Anica Nangia, Class of 2018
74. Jonathan Osei, Class of 2018
75. Gloria Aldana, Class of 2018
76. Lauren Mechan, Class of 2018
77. Bobbi Lesser, Class of 2018
78. David R. Tucker, Class of 2012
79. Sarah Sanford, Class of 2018
80. Justin Pearce, Class of 2017 
81. Neil Matouka, Class of 2015

An additional three alumni signed who did not wish to be listed in the public release of the letter.