There are lessons to be learned in the midst of this crisis, they say. Never in so short a span of time was a truer phrase more oft-repeated.
Lessons in tolerance, lessons in compassion, lessons in respect, patience and fairness. Depending on who you ask and where their sympathies lie, you'll get a decent dose of lessons-from innocent until proven guilty, to sexual assault awareness-and of course the accompanying tidal wave of outrage stemming from alleged or corroborated violations of various codes of human decency.
But encompassing all of the above, a single somewhat less abstract, less inspiring, largely unsung lesson has arguably hammered home hardest as Duke continues to be pummeled in the national spotlight.
A lesson in responsible consumption.
On the surface, the theme rings simply; the press has soundly reeducated Duke students on the merits of absorbing supposedly credible reporting with a critical eye and ear.
Because perhaps like me, you realized somewhere within the first few weeks of the scandal that the Duke described over the internet, in the papers and on the radio in the months to come would remain unrecognizable to the standard "plantation" dweller.
And so, critical and cynical defenses on standby, we've skimmed opinions and ostensible facts pouring in from across the country-from The Boston Globe to The Chicago Tribune to The Los Angeles Times-about our University, the second home we sought out one, two, or three years ago, presumably for compelling reasons beyond perky pink tulips and tan-conducive climate. We've read columns that posit questions, problems and analyses from our coevals at The Daily Pennsylvanian and The Harvard Crimson and The Yale Daily News. We've imbibed news briefs on the latest developments before tuning in to the numerous outlets readily commentating on their implications.
As some ponder the effect the nationally syndicated "Duke Lacrosse Scandal" may have on the fall matriculation rate, I can't help but wonder, just for a second, whether I would have hesitated 365 days ago to accept Duke's offer of admission had media mayhem redefined then what the University seemed to represent. Hailing from just outside Chicago, having had little to no contact with actual students, I would have certainly been less able and perhaps less willing to navigate through the press circus to find the kernels of truth pertaining to Duke's core.
I like to think that I would have been able to hold fast to my reasons for coming. But in retrospect, I realize that whatever my expectations upon arrival, as a tiny freshman with too-big carryon in tow, Duke is in actuality something entirely removed from my preconceptions, misjudgments and even hopes.
I picked up my free copy of The New York Times today in ritualistic fashion with my lunch-to-go. I thumbed through USA Today and of course, perused The Chronicle one-handed on the bus, simultaneously clinging to steel pole for dear life.
What I didn't see in print was anything resembling my day today, as a freshman going about her business on a day like any other day at Duke.
Today was about walking past a group outside Edens passionately debating the merits of universal healthcare. Today was about jumping in on a brainstorm on eliminating socioeconomic barriers to a college education. Today was about meeting up with old classmates and preeminent professors for a slice of pizza by way of an off-the-cuff FOCUS reunion. Today was about strolling into my dorm after dinner and being completely caught off guard by the ridiculously talented members of Running Lights, rocking out Wilson without warning.
By all means, read the news. Keep up with current events, shine light into the dark crevices of your mind; allow yourself curiosity, doubt, anguish, vindication, hope and enlightenment as you take in international reports and world events, community briefs and Duke developments.
Read it on the bus, in the Gardens, before class and on the quad.
And then do the truly responsible thing: respond.
Take in everything around you as, contemplating what can be improved, what you can do, on this campus and on whatever road you choose to take during your time here. Take in the wealth of opportunities and information to create what you want to experience.
Take it in; take it all in. Take in the good and bad of the here and now, the university you chose to help define your future and the campus you chose to help define.
Take it in; the time is now; the gates are open, screaming "Please consume!"
Responsively.
Jane Chong is a Trinity freshman. This is her final column.
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