Senior Year '11-'12

Members of the Black Student Alliance march to the Allen Building with a list of demands regarding concerns of the black community.
Members of the Black Student Alliance march to the Allen Building with a list of demands regarding concerns of the black community.

The Class of 2012 graduates from Duke after concluding a senior year characterized by flux in policy on and off campus.

Under the house model set to begin Aug. 2012, administrators granted residential space on Central Campus for all nine Panhellenic sororities, marking the first time Duke has granted houses for individual chapters. In April, following months of discussion, University administrators also officially committed to a West Campus gender-neutral housing option for the Fall 2013. This new housing option follows the adoption of gender-neutral housing on select Central Campus areas this past Fall.

The Class of 2012 lost one of its own when senior Matthew Grape passed away in a car accident in September. Grape was remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his family and friends.

In January, an unpublished study suggested that affirmative action maska an academic achievement gap between racial groups, drawing protests from minority students. Shortly after, the Black Student Alliance called on administrators to fully address the concerns of the black community—including the relocation of the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture.

In its continuing drive toward research, the University expanded its medical care offerings by opening the Duke Cancer Center in February. The $230-million facility will emphasize multidisciplinary communication and increased support services through a space that can accommodate roughly twice as many patients.

In the months leading to the May 8 primary, Duke, often labeled as politically apathetic, became a major source of opposition to Amendment One, which aimed to define marriage as between one man and one woman in the North Carolina constitution. The University reiterated its support for the LGBT community, and Duke Together Against Constitutional Discrimination hosted rallies on campus. Seventeen days of early voting in the West Union Building drew thousands of ballots.

Despite widespread opposition to the amendment at Duke and other areas, North Carolinians voted overwhelmingly in in favor of the measure, making North Carolina the 31st state to ban gay marriage in a constitutional amendment.

The University increased its global presence. For Duke Kunshan University, administrators approved a Master of Management Studies degree program offered by the Fuqua School of Business. Nonetheless, both construction and pending Chinese Ministry of Education approval have delayed the opening of DKU to Fall 2013. Administrators and faculty also approved a new MMS degree program to be offered in the United Arab Emirates, similar to an existing Durham-based program.

Despite a buzzer beater win win against North Carolina in February, the men’s basketball team lost to the Tar Heels in their effort to claim the ACC regular season title and was eliminated by Florida State in the ACC tournament. Duke, a No.2 seed in the NCAA tournament, was upset by No.15 Lehigh in the first round.

Despite a lackluster season, men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski passed his mentor Bob Knight to become the winningest coach in NCAA men’s basketball, reaching 903 career wins after defeating Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.

Women’s basketball lost their title as reigning ACC champions after an upset by N.C. State. The team then lost to Stanford in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Senior Year '11-'12” on social media.