Many people have randomly asked me, based on the content of my columns over the past three semesters: "Elliott, why do you hate Duke so much?"
And based on the content of my columns, it is a fair question.
Those who have followed them can attest to the fact that I have taken a decidedly negative, critical and cynical tone throughout my tenure as a columnist. I wrote two columns criticizing the Financial Aid Initiative (of all things), five columns trashing dining in some shape or form, seven columns criticizing student affairs and/or its leadership and many others that took jabs at everything from Residence Life and Housing Services to Campus Council to Duke Student Government.
One of the few events I cast in a positive light was the turmoil surrounding the 1969 invasion of the Allen Building by 50 to 75 members of the Afro-American Society, the precursor to the Black Student Alliance.
But, now that this is my last column as a Chronicle columnist (at least as I move on to my new position in DSG), I want to put this out there:
I love Duke.
I sincerely appreciate everything Duke has done for me, and there is no place that I would rather be. It has been an amazing ride as a columnist and student at Duke, and so far these two years here have been the best of my life.
Those people who know me personally do not need to be reminded of that, but that's the one thing that has not come through in my columns.
The reason why I have taken such a critical tone is simple: I had an agenda in what I wrote. My goal was to make authoritative, direct and often arrogant statements to get my point across and bring about change-not convey my true voice as Elliott Wolf.
In trashing ARAMARK Corp., I wanted them out of Duke (wahoo); in criticizing the Financial Aid Initiative, I wanted it to actually augment financial aid; in going after student affairs, I wanted more freedom for students and a less paternalistic environment conducive to the exercise of personal responsibility; in going after DSG (and taking it over), I wanted it to actually have a spine when dealing with the administration.
But the biggest part of my "agenda" has been what I have titled this column since it first began.
Transparency is defined as "the full, accurate and timely disclosure of information," and if Duke did not release information in a "full, accurate and timely" manner, I did my best to do it myself. Duke is not without its problems, and one of the biggest ones is its notion, as expressed by multiple administrators, that Duke should release no more information than is in its "institutional interest" to do so.
Given Duke's secrecy, the snippets I have been able to "obtain" do not even come close to making a dent in the massive amount of information that the University keeps from members of the community. As a result, much of what I have been able to uncover and publish has provided an incomplete picture of what was being addressed, and Duke's lack of transparency often forced people (including me) to assume the worst.
But the conspiracy theories are not necessarily true. ARAMARK was not necessarily a conflict of interest; the Financial Aid Initiative is not an underhanded attempt to shuffle money around; in the end, student affairs does care dearly about the welfare of the students (then again, so do my parents, but that doesn't mean I want them here with me).
And most importantly, our administrators do have both our best interests and the institution's best interests at heart when making decisions. But as students, it is our job to ask questions and not just take their word for it. Respect for one's position should never translate into deference, and no administrator, from President Richard Brodhead on down, is above questioning.
Luckily, most of them agree with that sentiment and have been ready and willing to meet with me through the course of my research (although sometimes they have not been willing to provide as much information as I would have liked). As a somewhat timid freshman, I met Executive Vice President Tallman Trask shortly after writing my first column last year. Since then, I have met with Brodhead, almost every vice president, many of the major academic deans, various directors, trustees and other members of the administration.
And despite my disagreements with many of them, I thank them for spending so much time with me. My experiences with them, and the rest of The Chronicle staff, have made staying up until the wee hours of almost every Sunday night actually worthwhile.
I love Duke, and I'm going to miss The Chronicle.
Elliott Wolf is a Trinity sophomore. This is his final column.
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