OPINION

Embrace the elitism

By Reiss Becker | August 28, 2018

Because of their significant resources, influential alumni and academic authority, elite universities play an outsized role in influencing public discourse. Reflecting the importance of elite colleges in our culture, the general public lavishes them with praise, attention and, occasionally, anger. Primarily, the focus is on the actions and attitudes of the young adults who attend these institutions. This preoccupation not only calls our national priorities into question, but is also absurd. What other demographic in modern America is nitpicked like college students?  To date, I have not read an article about the dangerous ideas of McDonald’s employees. Obsession with higher education and its students stems from a powerful belief—a belief so powerful that it calls into question whether or not colleges are “secular” institutions.

---

OPINION

New year, same problems?

By Editorial Board | August 27, 2018

Chiefly, this incident represents an opportunity for us as a new campus community to explore the implications of racially-motivated acts at an institution that continues to struggle with strained race relations.  

---

OPINION

Older, wiser and still overwhelmed

By Ann Gehan | August 27, 2018

Welcome back to campus! Hope you’re feeling ready for that first beautiful view of the chapel, first super late night in Perkins, and first encounters with all of the bright-eyed, confused-looking first-years who are now on campus. With the start of a new school year comes the traditional deluge of advice, goal setting, and ‘we back’ Snapchat stories, so I figured I’d throw in my two cents. However, the first-years have had enough of people talking to them this week. They’ve already heard how amazing their Duke experience will be and to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities coming their way, so instead, this one is for the sophomores. I feel totally qualified to give this advice, since I myself am a sophomore (meaning I’ve got about ten days of not being a first-year under my belt) and have now been to O-Week twice, so obviously I know everything.

---

OPINION

Where is the line? Asking for a friend

By Amani Carson | August 25, 2018

I would like to pose a couple of questions to those members of the Duke “family” who believe the administration is doing enough to address issues of hate and discrimination on campus. Note the quotations, meant to illustrate how loosely a term can be applied as a mere buzzword where it does not belong. The inability of our administrative “parents” to protect and educate the children with which they have been entrusted seems antithetical to my understanding of “family.” Then again, maybe minority students at Duke are the black sheep of this family. Sobering pun entirely intended.

---

OPINION

'Sing, Unburied, Sing' and us: Duke Honor Council summer reading contest winner

By Carsten Pran | August 24, 2018

Acknowledging our roots as an intrinsically collaborative species, I wonder if it is entirely unrealistic to imagine a society in which individuals give and receive assistance readily, regardless of personal identity. When I reflect on society’s current status though, I realize we are moving in quite the opposite direction. It appears that though our web of diverse, global communities becomes increasingly connected every year, our personal regard for others diminishes in tandem.

---

OPINION

Fill the void: On the empty space outside the Chapel

By Ralf Michaels | August 24, 2018

In 2017, President Vince Price made a bold decision. At the height of protests against monuments commemorating the Confederacy, anonymous protesters damaged the sculptural portrayal of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the exterior of Duke Chapel. Without delay, Price had the statue taken down and promised a debate. The happy result: tensions did not escalate, and Duke demonstrated an institutional awareness of its historical baggage. (Compare that to UNC down the road, where protests against Silent Sam, the Confederate statue on campus, led to no resolution. Monday, the day before classes started, protesters took it down overnight, in a widely reported scene.) Three weeks after Duke’s statue was removed, Price set up a commission which began a long debate on what to do with the newly empty space. In 2018, President Price made a decision that was less brave, unfortunately. In an email last week he decided to follow a recommendation the commission made last December: to leave the space empty. The commission had recommended doing this for a year. President Price now apparently wants the space to remain empty indefinitely. The justification, borrowed from the Dean of the Chapel, is that the empty space may be seen to represent “a hole that is in the heart of the United States of America, and perhaps in our own human hearts—that hole that is from the sin of racism and hatred of any kind.” A plaque will explain this.

---

OPINION

Dear Noah: A letter to my brother on O-Week

By Grant Besner | August 22, 2018

Exactly three years ago, I stood where you now stand: on the doorstep of the rest of my life. It was my first day of college, and I had so many thoughts running through my mind. Who are my friends going to be? Will I find my passion? Is this prison cell of a dorm room really where I’m going to be living for the next nine months? I felt much uncertainty, and even more excitement, as I crossed the threshold into my future. What followed was an exhilarating first year at Duke, a series of highs and lows, of 3 a.m. conversations with soon-to-be best friends and unshakeable feelings of insecurity, doubt and fear.

---

OPINION

Need advice? Same!

By Frances Beroset | August 21, 2018

Over the past century, The Chronicle traditionally welcomes first-years (historically known as freshmen) to campus with a short editor’s note dispensing advice. It goes something like this: don’t forget that learning occurs inside and outside the classroom. Don’t overcommit yourself, but definitely do something. Thank your FAC because they don’t get paid. Try to be social but don’t try too hard. Give your roommate a chance, even if they’re different from you. Ask questions if you need help. Welcome to a new chapter in your life.

---

OPINION

Dear Duke freshman boy,

By Maxx Goldstein | August 21, 2018

Sexual assault is not only one of the most harmful actions committed on Duke’s campus, but it is also one of the most frequent. As one of many Duke students who did not understand the pervasive nature of sexual assault when I came to college, education on the subject has taken time. I am writing this column in an effort to start the discussion earlier, particularly for freshmen and sophomores at Duke, whose awareness could protect victims and prevent rape.

---

OPINION

Over 50 years of Chapel bells

By Bob Williams | August 20, 2018

It was in the gloaming at Duke University in late fall of 1966. There was a wet chill in the air, most of the trees were leafless, and a low cloud cover added to the gloom. I was trudging across West Campus from my freshman dorm to the library, overburdened with a load of books and overwhelmed by the pressures of a demanding university. My small-town school had not prepared me for the academic rigor at Duke, nor had my home life hardened me for living on a few hours of sleep a night. I was struggling, scared, worn down, and mindful that flunking out of school could result in a trip at government expense to the exotic landscape of Southeast Asia.

---

OPINION

Wait, can I really say the 'n-word'?

By Victoria Priester | August 20, 2018

In the music video for Chris Brown’s “Freaky Friday,” the white rapper Lil Dicky wakes up in Chris Brown’s body. Now, just because he’s black, he can throw the “n-word” around as much as he wants. If you want, watch the clip here (fast forward to 2:19).

---

OPINION

Study abroad in Latin America

By Grace Mok | August 1, 2018

Despite the best attempts of my high school teachers and college professors to emphasize the breadth of experience smushed into the terms “Latinx” and “Latin America,” before I studied abroad I could still only repeat their explanations blindly: “There’s a lot of diversity!” I also knew from a Pew Research report that Latinx is not how many “Latinx people” identify themselves first. Rather, many, especially foreign-born, identify first with their country of origin.

---

OPINION

Duke and Boston have me in common

By Ryan Williams | July 30, 2018

The end of my DukeEngage program is rapidly approaching. I have spent the past seven weeks in Boston, one of the most historically rich cities in the country. I’ve learned about the lives of the Founding Fathers, Boston’s controversial track record with segregation, and the cultural heritage that accompanies the Northeast all while working as a marketing intern at a mentoring-based nonprofit. Yet, as the program draws to a close, I have found myself reflecting more on the lessons I’ve learned at Duke and less on the experiences I’ve had over the past two months. 

---

OPINION

Chinese-American and Asian in Argentina

By Grace Mok | July 26, 2018

In high school, I wanted to study psychology, which made my dad panic. He didn’t know any Chinese psychologists. Whether I was chatting about my high school debate team, seeing a movie with friends or choosing universities, my parents and grandparents always ask if “there are any Chinese.” 

---

OPINION

'How was study abroad?'

By Grace Mok | July 20, 2018

Last semester I was abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a non-Duke program called “Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America.” With a group of 14 other American students, I have taken classes on comparative development, transnationalism and research ethics. Through the program, I went to Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Our program was affiliated with the Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social (Institute of Economic and Social Development), which is a research non-profit. Our program was not affiliated with any American university.

---

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter: Duke’s plastic ban isn’t as green as it sounds

By Claire Wang | July 16, 2018

Unfortunately, while the plastic ban is a step in the right direction, the reality is not as green as it sounds.

---

OPINION

We killed the Bull City Connector

By Leah Abrams | July 3, 2018

In refusing to ride the Bull City Connector, we inherently said something about its passengers and their worth. We decided that we weren’t “bus people.”

---

OPINION

North Carolina needs unions

By Cathy Shuman | June 14, 2018

On Thursday, a coalition of Durham worker’s groups will host a town-hall forum with elected officials and candidates called “North Carolina Needs Unions.” 

---

OPINION

Young Dolph-gate can teach us something

By Leah Abrams | June 8, 2018

The gravest error we could commit is to assume that simply firing Dr. Moneta would solve these problems. In the end, this discussion is not about Dr. Moneta—it’s not even about free speech.

---

OPINION

From "Why Duke?" to "Why, Duke?"

By Bre Bradham | June 6, 2018

In my two years here, I’ve been lucky to watch more Chapel sunsets than I can count—and there’s no better vantage point than an open window in The Chronicle’s offices in 301 Flowers. If there’s a breeze, I’ll lean out the window and just watch, trying to take in the tower of Hillsborough bluestone with the same fresh eyes as the rising high school senior whose breath it took away.