Duke’s COVID-19 response reflects a broader disregard for graduate students
Duke University’s response to COVID-19 has left many with unanswered questions. On Tuesday evening, March 10, President Price sent an email declaring “all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who are currently out of town for Spring Break should NOT return to the Duke campus if at all possible.” This line left many graduate students returning from travel wondering what they were supposed to do. Sure, it made sense for undergraduates living in close quarters, but what about graduate students who live independently and are paid to work on campus? A week later, there remains much confusion, and the lack of information betrays a disconnect between Duke administration and the realities of day-to-day life for Duke’s diverse graduate student body.