Freshman year: 2011-12

Duke opened a $230-million in February 2012 capable of accommodating almost twice as many patients—one of the many highlights of freshman year for this year's senior class. | Chronicle File Photo
Duke opened a $230-million in February 2012 capable of accommodating almost twice as many patients—one of the many highlights of freshman year for this year's senior class. | Chronicle File Photo

Freshman year was characterized by a series of policy changes on and off campus that drove a wave of student activism.

Administrators announced in October that they would grant residential space on Central Campus to all nine Panhellenic sororities as part of the new housing model, marking the first time Duke assigned houses for individual chapters. Following months of discussion, the University officially committed in April to providing a gender-neutral housing option on West Campus for Fall 2013 . This housing option followed the adoption of gender-neutral housing on select Central Campus areas the previous Fall.

In September, senior Matthew Grape was killed in a car accident near the intersection of Academy Road and Duke University Road. Grape was remembered for his compassion and unwavering loyalty to his family and friends.

Chronicle File Photo

Members of the Black Student Association protested in January after an unpublished study suggested that black students maintained similar GPAs to white students because they are more likely to switch to easier majors. Later that month, BSA called on administrators to fully address the concerns of the black community—which included relocating the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, improving the social climate for black students on campus and increasing the diversity among faculty and administrators.

With its continuing focus on research, the University expanded its medical care offerings by opening the Duke Cancer Center in February. The $230-million facility emphasizes communication across multiple disciplines and increased support services in a space that can accommodate roughly twice as many patients.

In the months leading up 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 being between one man and one woman in the North Carolina constitution. The University reiterated its support for the LGBTQ community, and Duke Together Against Constitutional Discrimination hosted rallies on campus. Early voting in the West Union Building—which lasted 17 days—drew thousands of ballots.

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

The University also worked to increase 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 delays receiving Chinese Ministry of Education approval postponed the opening of DKU to Fall 2014. 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. That program was later suspended due to difficulties securing local partners for scholarships.

Chronicle File Photo

The Cameron Crazies witnessed a year of mixed results in basketball. Freshman Austin Rivers delivered a buzzer-beater to complete a memorable comeback win at North Carolina in February, but the men’s basketball team lost to the Tar Heels with the ACC regular season title on the line in March and was eliminated by Florida State in the ACC tournament. Duke, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, suffered an upset loss at the hands of No.15 seed Lehigh in the Round of 64.

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

On the women's side, the Blue Devils lost their title as reigning ACC tournament champions after they were upset by N.C. State in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Duke then fell to Stanford in the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

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