It's official. Even Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong has succumbed to the reality that many Duke students knew all along. The members of the men's lacrosse team did not rape a Durham stripper March 13.
Sadly, this means very little for the rest of Duke.
Although the rape charges are off the table, the lacrosse scandal is far from over, and it's partially our fault. In the dwindling throes of what has become the biggest sex scandal at a major university, as Duke students we still feel indebted to-connected to-these "big men on campus." But the lacrosse players, despite the fact that they wear the Duke name on their chests at games, feel no connection or responsibility to Duke University.
I've watched in wonder at how aggressive and angry Duke students, past and present, are to accusations of the lacrosse team. As someone who feels neither indebted nor connected to the lacrosse players, I'm curious: How did the lacrosse team become representative of Duke as a whole, or of Duke students in general? How did their negative, rude and hard-partying image become our negative image as well? And is the media to blame? Or are we?
For one reason or another, as students we've come to represent and define ourselves through each other. Duke students know very little about themselves (as individuals) apart from the group-apart from the monolithic whole of Duke University. We see this reflected in "Innocent #6, #13, #45" wristbands students wear, in over-zealous student blogs and in the bumper stickers students post (ad nauseum) on their cars, in an almost "Support the Troops" type fashion. After all, who are we if not, first and foremost, Dukies? And as Dukies, don't we have an obligation to stick together?
Not necessarily. Although we now know that a rape did not happen on March 13, the truth is, as students and passersby, we owe the lacrosse team nothing, not even a toast or celebration in honor of their now official innocence. In the days since the party, we've connected ourselves so closely to the image of the lacrosse team and the embarrassing Duke 500 that we've fooled ourselves into believing an innocent verdict will clear our name.
Has it? No, and I should hope that we feel a little foolish. Were we really so na've as to think that our name-the coveted Duke name-could be scrubbed clean? The damage, as far as we're concerned, was done in March. and April, and May, and into the summer, as CNN camped out on West Campus and used our DSG president-Jesse Longoria-and Chronicle editor-Seyward Darby-as talking heads. Let's face it: Our integrity, our pride, our boastful reputation and pseudo-Ivy League status, it was all already jeopardized.
And still, as the "Duke three" underwent DNA tests and watched the reelection of Nifong, we still wore the wristbands, and even started the following Facebook groups: "I Support Duke Lacrosse," "Duke Defense Fund" and my personal favorite, "For every 100 people that join I'll donate $5 to Duke lacrosse defense fund." The latter boasts more than 2,000 members.
It surprises (and to an extent, disgusts) me that we have remained so loyal to a group of men that have shown very little loyalty to Duke, to the student community or to Duke's reputation. Have we so soon forgotten the lacrosse team's sloppy tailgate habits? Or their "I am man, hear me roar. and chug a bear" reputation with women?
Indeed, the original uproar of students in the wake of the lacrosse accusations reflected a common concern among Dukies-Dukies who normally stick together in defense of their school and their Blue Devil honor-that the lacrosse team, although now exonerated, was capable of such an act; and that it's just like these men to nonchalantly dishonor Duke.
For the players, the fight to prove their innocence looks to be mostly over, as is the need to prove themselves as "good" guys. But for us, as an institution, a student body, a campus and a culture, it's only just beginning.
It frustrates me to graduate in four months and tell future employers that my undergraduate years were spent at Duke University. I can imagine it now: The employer will shrug and mention something about how disappointed he was to hear that Duke has such a deplorable campus, while I ineffectively insist that Duke really, truly is great. Upon graduation, Joe Lacrosse Player, on the other hand, will have the following conversation with his future employer: "Poor guy. That must have been a terrible ordeal for you and your teammates. Let me cut you a break."
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