A heartbroken documentary community seeks answers

We, members of the Center for Documentary Studies community, are profoundly disturbed by the treatment of the CDS staff, faculty and community at large over the past 18 months by the new director with the approval of the CDS board. Instead of listening, observing, and carefully seeking to understand the various functions of CDS and how they might be improved, the CDS we all know and love has been rejected almost entirely. Seven staff were recently laid off on the heels of nine who voluntarily left over the last year. We understand that not only were these staff members laid off but also that their positions have been eliminated, essentially erasing many core functions and attributes of CDS built up over 34 years. We are all left wondering how the programming and classes we have all benefited from could possibly be saved.  

Recently CDS held a “State of the Union” meeting attended by the Director, CDS staff and faculty, some board members, and some individuals from the Duke administration. We have heard from many attendees that the vision the director presented at the “State of the Union” meeting was vague, confusing and not reflective of any of the programming that has characterized CDS over the past 34 years. At a moment when documentary film, podcasts and other forms of documentary arts are thriving globally, instead of being built into an even stronger leader in the field of documentary work, CDS is being dismantled. The documentary community we are hearing from across the country is appalled and heartbroken. What has made CDS a unique and attractive institution — its ability to bring together Duke students and faculty, the Durham community and national and international partners — will no longer be possible if the recent trends continue.

We are asking President Price, interim Provost Francis and others to comprehensively review what has occurred at CDS over the past 18 months — including the staff that have resigned and been laid off. This review should be done anonymously and in a way that protects current and former employees. Without this approach, a true picture of what has transpired at CDS cannot be understood. All eyes are on Duke as we wait to see if CDS, and the staff members who tirelessly worked to sustain it, are given the respect they deserve. 

Signed,  

Members of the CDS community 

Andrea Patiño Contreras
BA ‘12
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow ‘12-’13
Independent Video Journalist 
Boston, MA  

Karissa Tu
BS ‘20
Medical Student 
Bozeman, MT 

Melissa Carrico
BA’18, Documentary Studies Certificate
Marketing Specialist 
Durham, NC 

Carol Thomson
Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS) ‘05
CDS Course Instructor
Documentary Filmmaker
Durham, NC 

Pilar Timpane  
MTS ‘13 
Documentary Filmmaker
Durham, NC 

Alec Zuercher Reichardt
BA ‘09, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Assistant Professor
Columbia, MO 

Danielle Mayall
BA ‘15, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Clinical Research Specialist
New York, NY 

Mariana Calvo
BA ‘17
PhD Student in History
Stanford, CA  

Josh Stillman
BA ‘12, Certificate in Documentary Studies
English Teacher
New York, NY 

Bren Cukier 
BA ‘15 Certificate in Documentary Studies 
Film director 
Los Angeles, CA 

Natalie Minik
MFA ‘13, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow ‘13-’14
Lecturer, Film and Media Studies, Tufts University
Cambridge, MA 

Katie Jane Fernelius
BA ‘16 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Journalist and Producer
New Orleans, LA 

Darbi Griffith
BS’16 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Sr. Clinical Research Specialist/Freelance Photographer 
Chapel Hill, NC 

Brian Wright
BA '07 Certificate in Documentary Studies
High School Teacher
Maastricht, the Netherlands  

Emma D. Miller
BA ‘12, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Documentary Filmmaker & Creative Executive
Los Angeles, CA 

Deborah Aronin
BA ‘08 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Graduate Student in History and Museum Studies 
Durham, NC 

Michelle Lotker
BS ‘08 Certificate in Documentary Studies, Continuing Education 2011-2012
Producer, Videographer, Editor
Durham, NC 

Marina Kukso
BA ‘06, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Artist/Programmer
Hawaii Island 

Michaela Dwyer
BA ’13, Certificate in Documentary Studies 
Writer & educator 
Durham, NC 

Emily MacDiarmid
MFA ‘22, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Film Archivist
Los Angeles, CA 

Erika Simon
Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS) ‘05
CDS Course Instructor, Continuing Studies ‘03-’11
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow ‘09-’10
Multimedia Producer
Boston, MA 

Coco Wilder
CDS Youth Advisory Council 2014-2015 
Writer and Analyst 
Durham, NC 

Sara Gomez
BA ‘00 I
Hart Fellow ‘00-’01
Storytelling & Global Health Consultant
Tivoli, Italy 

Kelsey Koenig
BA ‘09, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Film Executive
Brooklyn, NY 

Andrea Kim
B.A. 2018, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Annenberg Fellow, PhD Student, USC School of Cinematic Arts
Los Angeles, CA 

Marina Poole
B.A. 2017, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Video Editor
San Francisco, CA 

Elliott Golden
B.A. 2018, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Junior Research Scientist/Photographer
Brooklyn, NY 

Eddie Wu
BA ‘12, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Software Engineer
Los Angeles, CA 

Elena Rue
Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS) ‘06
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow '06
LTP Program Coordinator '07-08
Lewis Hine Fellow Director '10-14
Producer, Editor, Director
Hillsborough, NC 

Kari Vaughn
BS ‘15, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Actuary
Brooklyn, NY 

Megan Moskop-Toler
BA ‘08, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Middle School Teacher 
Brooklyn, NY  

Kaitlin Rogers
BA ‘10, Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS)
LTP Duke Engage Program Volunteer ‘08-10
Writer and photographer
Chicago, IL 

Gabriela Díaz Arp 
Documentary Filmmaker
Atlanta, GA  

Ashley Alman
BA ‘13, Certificate in Policy Journalism & Media Studies
Marketing 
Los Angeles, CA 

Addie Navarro 
BA ‘15, Certificate in Documentary Studies 
Documentary Filmmaker 
Durham, NC   

Alexandra Bateman
BA ‘19, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Full Frame Fellow ‘16-19
Web + Online Course Designer
Omaha, NE 

Christine Delp
BA ‘15, Program II in Ethics & Documentary Studies
Documentary Filmmaker
Minneapolis, MN 

Sarah Masters
Director of Media Impact
Auburn
New York, NY 

Anne Rhett
‘09 BA English and Visual Studies
Literacy Through Photography Volunteer ‘09-’11
Photographer
Charleston, SC 

Alex Cunningham
MFA ‘16, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Lewis Hine Fellow, ‘19-20 
Artist
Reno, NV 

Kirstie Jeffrey Tuben
‘11 BA Media Studies & Doc Studies Certificate 
Literacy Through Photography Alumni
Photographer 
Washington, DC 

Aaron Canipe
MFA ‘15, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Photographer and Digitization Specialist
Mebane, NC 

Bhumi Purohit 
BA '11 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Postdoctoral Researcher
Philadelphia, PA 

Jen Kozin Halls
BA ‘10, Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS)
Design Director and Photographer 
Boston, MA  

Adrian Gariboldi
BA ‘10, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Attorney
New York, NY 

Dani Smith
MFA ‘19, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Reno, NV 

Marissa Seuc-Hester
BA ‘08, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Faith Leader
Boulder, CO 

Benedict Pagac
Certificate in Documentary Studies (CDS) ‘12
Entomologist
Annapolis, MD 

Aamir Azhar
Certificate in Documentary Studies ‘18
Software Engineer
New York, NY 

Logan Hasson
BA ‘12, Julia Harper Day Award
Software Engineer
Brooklyn, NY 

Diane Bock
Certificate in Documentary Studies ‘12
Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Therapist
Journalist/Documentarian
Santa Barbara, CA 

Michelle Fang
BS 2010, Certificate in Documentary Studies 
Policy Manager 
San Francisco, CA  

Maya Flippen
BA ‘15, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Business Manager
Singapore 

Shining Li
BA ‘12, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Innovation / Design Strategy 

Hollen Reischer
Certificate in Documentary Studies ‘06
Assistant Professor
Buffalo, NY 

Zachary Faircloth
BA '18
PhD Student, American Studies
Chapel Hill, NC 

Sarah Riazati
MFA ‘19, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Durham, NC 

Allyn Damman
MA (UNC-CH) 2005, Folklore, American Studies, Lehman Brady Coursework
Project Leader
Durham, NC 

Indaia Whitcombe
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow ‘11-’12
Folklorist/Documentarian
West Tisbury, MA 

Gwendolyn Oxenham
BA ‘04, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Writer, Journalist
Dana Point, California 

Ryan White
BA ‘04, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Filmmaker
Los Angeles, CA 

Rebekah Fergusson
BA '07, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Documentary Filmmaker
Durham, NC 

Noel Kat
BA ‘12, Minor in Photography
UX Designer
Seattle, WA 

Lisa Satterwhite
Instructor of Photography, CDS ‘04-’15 
Faculty, Duke Civil and Environmental Engineering
Durham, NC 

Abby Birrel
BA ‘17 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Clinical Research Coordinator
Greenville, SC 

Harry Liang
BS ‘21, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Irvine, CA 

Adelyn Wyngaarden
BA ‘14, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Arts and Education
MI 

Victoria Fleischer
BA ‘10, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow ‘10-’11
Video Journalist
Washington, DC 

Elizabeth Kim 
BA ‘17 Certificate in Documentary Studies
Behavioral Scientist 
New York, NY 

Lauren Mueller
MFA ‘17, Experimental and Documentary Arts
Lewis Hine Fellow, ‘17-‘18
Film Producer 
Portland, Oregon 

Caitlin Johnson
BA ‘12, Certificate in Documentary Studies
CDS Digital Arts and Publishing Intern
Children’s book editor
New York, NY 

Kamal Badhey  
Exhibitions Intern 
Literacy Through Photography, Tanzania Program Coordinator 
Certificate of Documentary Studies 
Lewis Hine Fellow 
CDS Courses Instructor 
Instructor Preparatory Academy Facilitator
Documentarian, Educator and Researcher 
Brighton, UK  

Alice Kim
BA ’13, Certificate in Documentary Studies
Los Angeles, CA 

Malakha Mathama Bility
BA ‘14 Certificate in Documentary Studies
New Haven, Connecticut  

Carey Averbook
BA ‘13
Oakland, CA 

Lydia Hendrick 
BA ‘20, Certificate in Documentary Studies 
David M. Rubenstein Scholar 
Oxford, NC