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(03/31/14 7:21am)
Peter Ohr, the NLRB director who issued the ruling, argued in his decision that the traditional student-athlete model is no longer consistent with the character and function of big-time college athletics. We agree. Not only do student-athletes prop up a commercial edifice that draws in billions of dollars in television contracts alone, but these players also devote more time to their sport (sometimes upwards of 50 hours a week) than many salaried employees commit to their work.
(03/28/14 7:27am)
For issues of gender, class, race and sexuality, Common Ground provides a valuable space for students to discuss and engage. In this editorial, we reflect on the profound impact the program has had on participants and in weaving the cultural fabric of Duke’s campus.
(03/27/14 7:01am)
Over seven million people have enrolled in Coursera’s online courses since the company’s founding two years ago, suggesting that the online education movement has gained rapid momentum. Many universities, including Duke, have experimented with iterations of the MOOC model. But these initiatives have been polarizing. Last year, faculty rejected Duke’s contract with online course provider 2U, and, yet, many at Duke continue to celebrate professor Mohamed Noor’s “flipped classroom.”
(03/26/14 9:05am)
By basic measures, the timely, March Madness-themed advertising campaign has succeeded in grabbing the attention of the young Americans whose enrollment is desperately needed to render the law a success. Indeed, multimedia marketing, coupled with affirmations from healthy athletic personas, is a proven marketing strategy. Watch any mainstream television channel during a commercial break and find yourself immersed in a montage of compelling, glamorous and edgy product promotions, often starring familiar public faces. It is no secret that millenials respond very well to multimedia advertising.
(03/25/14 7:39am)
AccessDuke, a group working to revise Duke’s admissions policies to provide more opportunities for undocumented students, is calling on the University to publicly support undocumented students and to treat undocumented applicants as domestic students. Given that undocumented students often lack the means to pay for a school like Duke and rarely have the ability to attend college in their country of origin, the current practice of considering undocumented students in the international applicant pool not only fails to account for these students’ unique situation, but also effectively denies them entry to Duke.
(03/24/14 6:14am)
Although we join head coach Mike Krzyzewski in congratulating Mercer for the great game they played, we also want to take advantage of the loss to do some soul searching. For better or worse, being Duke fans puts us in a unique position. For starters, we are part of the commercial behemoth that is not only Duke basketball, but also NCAA athletics. ESPN’s 24-hour college basketball coverage makes us players in a spectacle all its own, one that tries to monetize our reputation, tenting traditions and body paint. We have made Cameron Indoor Stadium legendary—and a terror for visiting teams. This season we went undefeated on our home court because, behind the incredible talent of our team, the Cameron Crazies stood and cheered.
(03/21/14 6:53am)
The college process is complicated and ridden with stress, uncertainty and confusion. Good advising can have immense impacts on college selection, recommendations, essay quality and even standardized test scores. At high schools on the fringe, where advisers are sometimes undertrained and often overburdened, navigating the college process becomes even more difficult, especially for first-generation applicants. Young, motivated, well-trained advisers can only have a positive impact. In some cases, they can change the trajectory of a student’s life. Duke’s participation in the CAC remains consistent with its mission to pursue knowledge in the service of society.
(03/20/14 7:56am)
The initiation rite known as fraternity pledging is tolerated far beyond its worth. Since 2005, many of the 60 fraternity-related deaths across the country have been freshmen pledges. This is no surprise given the brutal tasks pledging can sometimes demand from its new members. Surely there must be other ways to build brotherhood and strong character than requiring members to wade through vomit and endure other gruesome trials described in some high-profile cases.
(03/19/14 8:16am)
Earlier this month, the College Board announced sweeping changes for the SAT. Reverting to the old 1,600-point scale, the new SAT will eliminate the essay, outdated vocabulary words, the “guessing penalty” for wrong answers and complex math problems. The overhaul is designed to better align the test with high school coursework. According to the president of the College Board, the old SAT had “become disconnected from the work of our high schools” and will improve with these changes.
(03/18/14 7:44am)
This is, however, DKU's first year accepting applications. Not only are complications bound to arise, but the data set is also too small to determine whether or not the size and quality of this year's applicant pool accurately reflect the student demand for DKU's programs.
(03/17/14 7:31am)
We come back to campus this week heavy-hearted, mourning the loss of our fellow student, Rebecca Denardis. On Friday we all received the sobering news, reminding us how quickly and unexpectedly a life can be taken away. Becky died in a car accident in Florida while on a canoeing trip with the Outdoor Adventures Program. Her death is shocking and deeply saddening to us all. She was a member of the selective living group Round Table, where she held several close friendships. She was very active in the community, and her presence was both uplifting and lively. She was supportive, loving and selfless, always placing the best interests of others over her own. Friends say she would pick them up in the middle of the night if they needed help—no questions asked. She was so kind that she never asked for anything in return. Round Table is mourning her passing together. The group has already made a memorial on its bench and in its hallways. It is important for communities that shared and cherished Becky's presence to grieve together. Becky touched the lives of so many and so many feel her loss. Becky exemplified Duke's mission. She excelled in academics and demonstrated a genuine desire to use her knowledge to improve the lives of others. Uncommonly bright, Becky was a math and computer science double major, a Braxton Craven Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa—the United States' oldest academic honor society.
(03/07/14 10:11am)
In just a few short weeks, Duke Polytechnic Institute for the Vocational Arts and Practical Sciences will send acceptance letters to students across the nation.
(03/06/14 9:31am)
Less than a week after executive vice provost for finance and administration Jim Roberts announced in a National Public Radio article that the cost of Duke is a discount, President Brodhead attributed the tuition increase to the University’s continued investment in student education. While this investment is reflected in many University expenses, from the expansion of non-faculty staff to multimillion-dollar construction projects, the substantial risks of an increasing price tag cannot be overlooked.
(03/05/14 8:13am)
The importance of the provost cannot be overstated. The provost is the school’s strategy architect and implementer. While often invisible in public, the provost puts his/her fingerprint on most University policies. According to the Office of the President’s description of the position, the provost’s duties will require Kornbluth to “develop the next strategic plan that maintains Duke’s trajectory, distinction and values,” “maintain focus on improving the student experience,” “guide and implement global initiatives” and “encourage scholarly innovation in the midst of the ongoing digital revolution.” We can hardly imagine a decision at Duke that does not fall under this umbrella.
(03/04/14 7:36am)
Sunder has served in DSG for almost two years, and her success with past initiatives, knowledge of government processes and rapport with administrators will allow her to operate the DSG machinery well enough to make improvements to student life. But Sunder is conventional, and her proposals are uninspired. She glosses over issues with a practiced charm, but her platform is too broad. DSG presidents spend most of their time addressing only a small fraction of their policy priorities. Sunder’s priorities are not only unrealistic, but troubling. In our meeting, Sunder identified dining and tailgate as next year’s most pressing issues, choices that reflect, in our view, a misreading of student concerns.
(03/03/14 11:20am)
Sanka, in line with the internally facing role of EVP, proposes several internal reforms that would be beneficial. He envisions a new Facebook page to post upcoming legislative items that students can comment on. He would also like to expand access to administrators for rank-and-file senators. These two changes would both engender more civic participation and empower senators to more effectively solve campus problems.
(02/28/14 9:51am)
But lest we applaud too soon, we should consider the new initiative in the context of North Carolina’s recent record on education. Last July, North Carolina became the first state to quash supplements for teachers with master's degrees. In the 2012-2013 academic year, the national average for teacher pay stood at $56,383; in North Carolina, it was just $45,947. Accordingly, the state ranked 46th in the nation for teacher pay. In the wake of these financial realities, many teachers have opted to leave for more viable prospects in other states. Although the proposed pay raise may alleviate some of the financial burden on teachers, it may not be enough to retain the best.
(02/27/14 11:21am)
The 40 Percent Plan will be put to a vote as a ballot measure on March 4, during DSG elections. If passed, the measure would amend DSG bylaws to allow students to decide how to allocate 40 percent of student programming funds. In the days leading up to the election, the architects of the 40 Percent Plan have begun reaching out to candidates running for DSG office, offering campaign support in return for candidates’ endorsement of the ballot measure. Allegations that this kind of political maneuvering resembles Super PAC tactics are overblown, but the comparison raises the question—are the campaigning tactics surrounding the 40 Percent Plan any different from the usual politicking that accompanies student elections?
(02/26/14 7:54am)
Although this plan has not yet passed, it has started a conversation at St. Mary’s about the disparity between executive compensation and staff pay. We do not propose a reduction in President Richard Brodhead’s salary, but think that students should consider whether or not high executive pay is warranted at an institution committed to public service.
(02/25/14 8:39am)
Duke’s campus is an 8,470-acre legal exception. Students rarely have to confront the legal consequences of crimes like underage drinking or mild drug use, and the Duke University Police apparatus shields students from the law more often than it subjects them to unpleasant legal realities. As associate dean Tom Szigethy declared four years ago, “On campus, if you are drinking underage... no one is going to say anything.”
