The Class of 2011’s senior year was characterized by periods of positive global attention on the University mired by episodes of tragedy and negative scrutiny.
In October Duke’s social and sexual culture came back into question nearly five years after the infamous lacrosse case. Karen Owen, Trinity ’10, created a PowerPoint detailing her sexual experiences with 13 current and former Duke varsity athletes. Owen said the PowerPoint was meant to be shared only with friends, but the presentation went viral and caught the attention of national media outlets such as NBC’s Today Show and The New York Times.
Owen’s PowerPoint led to a more general discussion on campus concerning gender issues and the subjugation of women. Over Halloween weekend, someone plastered flyers across West Campus that featured crude and degrading party invitations sent to women by various fraternities via email. Although some students acknowledged that the emails were meant to be humorous, other students were stunned by the sexist language used in the invitations.
The end of October was marked with tragedy as the Class of 2011 lost one of its own with the death of senior Drew Everson. Everson suffered two collapsed lungs and a severe head injury after falling down a set of stairs behind the East Campus Union. The South Carolina native, who served as a line monitor and as a member of Duke Debate and Inside Joke comedy troupe, among other activities, was celebrated for his incredible wit, sense of humor and curiosity about the world around him.
Disaster continued to define the Fall semester when Tailgate was canceled in early November after a minor was found unconscious in a Porta Potty. The incident led the University to cancel Tailgate in its current form, which led to disappointment from some of the student body.
The University gained back positive national recognition in November when senior Jared Dunnmon was selected as one of 32 recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship. Dunnmon is the 43rd student in Duke’s history to receive the scholarship. An Angier B. Duke scholar, he plans to use his scholarship to study energy policy and mathematical modeling.
Just one full year after Duke began to consider its expansion into China, the Board of Trustees approved preliminary funding in December for the construction of the first phase of Duke’s campus in Kunshan, China. An initial investment of $5.5 million was needed for design, consulting and construction oversight. Administrators estimated in March that $70.5 million—between $5.4 million and $15.6 million each year for six years—will be needed to cover the campus’s operating costs.
Despite initial excitement concerning the proposed campus, some faculty members expressed concern in March and April over the details of the project’s funding, its impact on the environment and the degree of local support in China for the proposed university. Some administrators stressed the benefit of establishing a global presence through the China campus.
March ended in disappointment for senior Cameron Crazies, as the men’s basketball team failed to maintain its status as national champions. The Blue Devils lost in the Sweet 16 round of the tournament to Arizona after a strong Wildcat squad trounced Duke and ended the collegiate careers of Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. Duke prevailed, though, with the women’s team securing its second straight ACC Championship with a win over North Carolina.
The end of the Spring semester was defined by the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A successful operation led by a small assault team of American forces found and killed the terrorist in Pakistan. President Barack Obama said in a speech May 1 that “justice has been done,” over 10 years since the Sept. 11 attacks killed approximately 3,000 Americans.
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