Gerrymandering is undoubtedly contentious and rightfully so. However, an imbalanced political infrastructure does not deserve the entirety of the blame. Often, we disenfranchise ourselves because of our apathy.
Taking our interest in politics beyond Page Auditorium and social media pages, and to the ballot boxes in local elections that have real consequences for the city we live in, is what we as Duke students should strive for. Rather than being spectators within the Duke bubble, we should seek to be active participants in the democratic process—no matter how “bland” waiting in line to vote may seem.
Greitens’ fall from grace illuminates our perceptions of power and the reckless decisions we tacitly accept as means to an end. Given Greitens is the latest on a list of Duke affiliates to make national headlines for alleged or proven improprieties, we attempt to understand what leads some among us to embark on the wrong path to success.
It is clear that the North Korean threat is complex. It demands nuanced approaches that favor de-escalation, rather than saber-rattling tweets. If our ultimate goal is to prevent any possibility of nuclear annihilation and to instead resolve these fears at their root, we cannot continue down this path of ham-fisted bravado.
As a prominent national university that claims to stand behind inclusivity and diversity, Duke has the chance to draw the line against the anti-immigrant narrative emanating from Washington—a narrative that has for too long skirted human lives for the sake of political expediency.
A fundamental reassessment of Duke’s housing system is clearly long overdue. With the deadline of Central Campus’ closure in summer 2019 growing ever closer, Duke’s current housing transitions could signal a perfect time to address needed reforms.
Here at Duke, the experience of being a student on campus is by no means an easy one. Along with finding friends, keeping up with club commitments, maintaining one’s GPA, evading the sexual assault epidemic on campus, fighting mental illness—all the while maintaining that façade of “effortless perfection”—the Duke bubble can often leave us speechless and at a loss for words.
The Editorial Board has decided to alleviate some of that strain by collecting the wish lists of some prominent campus groups. As the collective voice of the student body at Duke, the Editorial Board has subsequently submitted these wish lists to the office of President Price for further consideration.
To do anything less reinforces underlying hierarchical class dynamics at play on campus and reaffirms the unfair notion that poor students should have to work twice as hard to get even a fraction of what their wealthy peers enjoy.
Rather than pursuing memberships in a wide variety of organization and failing to become meaningfully contributors to any one of them, students should aim to be involved in a few core activities during their Duke experience and dedicate themselves fully as members and leaders.
It is especially important during this time of the year, as well as other stressful times during one’s Duke experience, to seek proper mental health treatment, and to recognize the normality of mental health issues on-campus. Moreover, in light of recent complaints over CAPS and other treatment options on-campus, the University is obligated to renew its commitment in providing easily accessible and proper mental health resources to students.
The new tax reform represents a victory in eyes of conservative leadership, but it is nonetheless a Pyrrhic one that will likely reap serious consequences.
It is not enough to be outraged whenever another presidential faux pas by Trump seeps into the media headlines. We should also critically examine the ways in which we may also be ignorant or misinformed. Native American history is American history, and these legacies should be included within the national mainstream.
With the current political climate, it is more imperative than ever for our media, from the Times to the Chronicle, to contextualize our reporting within a nationally-conscious moral compass that avoids normalizing dangerously un-American ideologies such as Nazism.
Most of us have never experienced an internet that isn’t an open, virtual library. While indefinitely loading web pages and buffering videos are common, we haven’t faced these inconveniences because our internet service providers had a stake in our usage. If this proposal is passed, the internet could look like a vastly different place.
In the aftermath of these allegations against some of popular culture’s most iconic figures, it is important that we as consumers critically examine their work in a more nuanced light beyond just simply boycotting them outright.
How Duke chooses to respond to the allegations against Rose will be indicative of how committed the administration truly is to creating a safe and inclusive campus, even if it means speaking out against alumni.
The merit scholarships that Duke offers are undoubtedly successful in creating amazing scholars, but it is dishonest to frame these opportunities as divorced from larger systems of inequality.
Caldbeck’s presence on campus as well his post-scandal behavior is especially shameful as an alum who is clearly professionally benefiting off of his previous wrongdoings. Moreover, instead of using the Caldbeck case as an example of “It can happen to you” in order to deter sexual assault/harassment on campus and in the professional realm, we should aim to instead ameliorate the structural, cultural causes of such behavior in a way that recognizes the fundamental human right of every student and employee to feel safe.
