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Blog and Media Roundup - Friday, April 15, 2011; News Roundup
Topic Started: Apr 15 2011, 04:01 AM (940 Views)
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/12797442/article-Duke-denies-fraud-vs--lacrosse-players?instance=main_article

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Duke denies fraud vs. lacrosse players
The Herald Sun
04.14.11 - 11:41 pm
By Ray Gronberg

gronberg@heraldsun.com; 419-6648

DURHAM -- Duke University's lawyers have formally denied that the school's two top administrators, President Richard Brodhead and Executive Vice President Tallman Trask, committed fraud against members of Duke's 2005-06 men's lacrosse team.

The denials addressed claims that Brodhead and Trask in the spring of 2006 enticed team captains to talk to them about an ill-fated party -- against the advice of the players' defense counsel -- by promising a non-existent "student-administrator privilege."

Neither man made such a promise, or in any event relayed what he learned from the players to the Durham police who were investigating stripper Crystal Mangum's bogus claim that she'd been raped at the party, Duke lawyers said.

Duke's lawyers also denied allegations that Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek had initially urged players not to consult an attorney, or their parents, after they'd learned of Mangum's claims.

They admitted that Wasiolek eventually had offered up the name of a local lawyer, the since-deceased Wes Covington, as someone the players might work with.

But they denied allegations that Covington was working for Duke as a behind-the-scenes fixer for athletes and other students who faced legal troubles.

The school's legal team also admitted that a Duke police sergeant had given Durham investigators key-card data verifying the movements of team members around campus the night of the party.

But they denied that Duke officials had conspired with former District Attorney Mike Nifong to hide the disclosure from the players and their attorneys by cooking up a bogus subpoena for the information months later.

Administrators relayed to players a notice they'd received the subpoena, but did so in the honest belief that investigators didn't already have the data, the lawyers said. They didn't know at the time that the sergeant had already passed it along.

Thursday's filings, which covered 732 pages, answered two lawsuits against the school and the city filed by groups of players who escaped indictment in 2006. Duke settled out of court with the three players Nifong did originally indict on rape charges, David Evans, Colin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann.

Duke lawyers for the first time were addressing the facts of the case. The various parties until Thursday had traded briefs only on the potential legal validity of the claims the players had made.

U.S. District Court Judge James Beaty Jr. last month allowed some of the claims to go forward, including the fraud allegation against Duke.

Lawyers for the city are due to file an answer on the factual issues by June 14. They're dealing with three lawsuits, the additional one being from Evans, Finnerty and Seligmann.

Thursday's responses for the most part didn't go into any detail about the actions of the Duke University Medical Center nurse, Tara Levicy, who relayed the findings of a sexual-assault exam of Mangum to police.

Duke lawyers wouldn't discuss any particulars of the exam until and unless Beaty issues a court order releasing the school of its obligations under federal law to guard the privacy of Mangum's medical records.

They did, however, deny that Levicy had in any way misrepresented the findings of the exam to Durham police and to Nifong. Nor did she tailor her responses to their them to bolster the prosecution, Duke's lawyers said.

Beaty has allowed the players to pursue claims that Duke officials failed to properly supervise Levicy, and that they're responsible for any participation by her in a scheme with authorities to obstruct justice.
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/12796126/article-Crystal-Mangum-s-charges-unchanged-despite-death?instance=main_article

Crystal Mangum's charges unchanged despite death
The Herald Sun
04.14.11 - 10:18 pm
By John McCann

jmccann@heraldsun.com; 419-6601

DURHAM -- As of Thursday night, Crystal Gail Mangum had not been charged with murder.

But that could happen, and the news could come any time now that Reginald Daye, 46, of Durham -- the man Mangum is accused of stabbing -- has died.

Prior to Daye's death, Mangum was being held in lieu of $300,000 secured bond in the Durham County jail, charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

Her bond remained the same Thursday night according to a jail official.

In these situations, officials in the Durham Police Department and the Durham District Attorney's Office compare notes and then determine if an assault charge should be upgraded to murder.

A source close to the investigation said the DA could take the case to a grand jury to seek a murder indictment.

In 2006, Mangum, 32, accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her. But the players were exonerated, declared innocent by the state Office of the Attorney General.

Not quite two weeks ago, on April 3, police officers were called to 3507 Century Oaks Drive. They got there and found Daye, who had been stabbed in the torso with a kitchen knife, according to police. He was taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment.

Daye was said to have been Mangum's boyfriend.

In December, Mangum faced arson and related charges in Durham County Superior Court. Jurors found her guilty of three counts of contributing to the abuse and neglect of minors, resisting a police officer and causing more than $200 in property damage to the car of a man who was then Mangum's boyfriend -- not Daye.

Those guilty verdicts were on misdemeanor charges.

Jurors failed to reach consensus on the major charge, arson -- a felony -- and Superior Court Judge Abraham Jones declared a mistrial.

Mangum was sentenced to time already served, 88 days. The Durham County District Attorney's Office decided not to pursue the case further.

Police said Mangum had threatened to stab the boyfriend in that case.

However, she was not charged with stabbing him.
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/12796706/article-Scores-march-to-protest-violence--honor-loved-ones?instance=main_article

Scores march to protest violence, honor loved ones
The Herald Sun
04.14.11 - 10:57 pm
By KEITH UPCHURCH

kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612

DURHAM -- With tears running down cheeks, more than 100 people marched near Durham police headquarters Thursday night to protest violence and remember their slain loved ones.

Many marchers carried photos of sons, brothers, daughters or sistesr, who in many cases died at the end of a gun.

"It's a sad way to bring the community together, because we're here for a sad purpose," Deputy Police Chief Loretta Clyburn said. "But I think it's an excellent way for us to unite and recognize National Crime Victims' Rights Week, and to gather in an effort to reduce crime."

The annual march, sponsored by the Durham Police Department and other groups, brought out Diane Jones of Durham for the 14th time. Jones, a leader in the Durham chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, lost her 24-year-old son, David Bullock, in 1997 when he was shot in the head. His case remains unsolved.

"It stole my life away, because I was scared to go out of the house," she said. "I didn't know who had killed him, and now, even 14 years later, I still have a fear, because I don't have any answer to why. This kind of grief tears at your soul."

Jones said her son was on drugs, and "it was assumed" that his death was drug-related.

But she said he was "a loving young man who loved me dearly. He was very family-oriented. He was our protector."

One of her top goals is to make people aware that violence damages families, "and if you don't heal the family, it will only cause more problems. So I try to tell other families to learn about what grief is, and how it affects you, so that you can find healthy ways to process it."

Another marcher, Ivy Thornton Williams of Oxford, lost her 21-year-old son, Marko Thornton, when he was shot to death in Durham on March 22, 2010. Police charged a man with his slaying, and his trial is pending. She believes he was a gang member.

"I'm here to show support for my son in hopes that they will get the gang-bangers off the street," she said as tears spilled down her face. "It's so easy for anybody to just get a gun and go out here and commit a crime. There's too much violence."
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http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20110415/NEWS01/104150325/1002/Officer-resigns-draws-DA-s-attention

Officer resigns; draws DA's attention
11:00 PM, Apr. 14, 2011 |
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Written by
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com

A criminal investigation is pending against a former Breaux Bridge Police Department detective who resigned Tuesday.

Raymond Calais resigned Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the City Council was set to discuss his employment, said Breaux Bridge Chief of Police P.J. Hebert.

"He just said he wanted to move on, that it was time to do something else," Hebert said.

Calais had been on administrative leave since March 24 as the department investigated whether he lied under oath while testifying during a hearing regarding an armed robbery case.

Hebert said Calais had been with the department for about 10 years.

Chester Cedars, assistant district attorney for the 16th Judicial District, said his office is aware of the situation.

"Our office is fully cognizant of what appears to be a false statement given by the detective under oath. We feel the matter must be fully and completely investigated," Cedars said.

However, that investigation will likely be transferred to a state agency because of possible conflicts of interests, since the DA's office works closely with local law enforcement, including the Breaux Bridge police.

"We intend to take all the steps necessary to see if appropriate agencies are involved in the investigation of this matter, and any other matter which might be disclosed," Cedars said. "We are looking at this very closely. We're fully cognizant of the severity of false testimony."

The situation began in September, when a Breaux Bridge convenience store was robbed. A suspect, Stephen Barker, was apprehended soon after, and detectives interviewed him at the station. During the course of the interview, the clerk who was working at the store at the time of the robbery came to the station, saw Barker on a monitor and was told that the man was the suspect in the robbery.

The clerk later identified Barker during a photo lineup, but defense attorneys argued that the identification was tainted.

During a hearing, Calais testified that he didn't know how or why the clerk came to the station and that it was a coincidence. However, the clerk later said that Calais had called him and drove him to the station and showed him the suspect on the monitor.

"It's a serious misstatement and appears to be something intentional," Cedars said. "You just don't forget that you did something like that."

Barker has maintained his innocence and has since been released from jail on bail.

A woman who answered the phone at Calais' home identified herself as his wife and said Calais would have no comment on the matter.
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http://dukechronicle.com/article/duke-uva-face-again

Duke, UVa to face off again
ACC tourney position on line
Caroline Rodriguez/The Chronicle : Duke and Virginia faced each other in three intense games last year. Their rivalry is renewed Saturday afternoon in Koskinen.

Caroline Rodriguez/The Chronicle

Duke and Virginia faced each other in three intense games last year. Their rivalry is renewed Saturday afternoon in Koskinen.
By Dawei Liu [4]
April 15, 2011

ACC tourney position on line

For the Blue Devils, this may be the most important game of the season.

Coming off two losses against the last two ranked opponents it has faced, No. 9 Duke is looking for some much needed confidence against the streaking Cavaliers. While the Blue Devils (9-4, 2-0 in the ACC) have lost to No. 1 Syracuse and No. 7 Denver on consecutive weekends, No. 6 Virginia (8-3, 1-1) beat No. 10 North Carolina 11-10 in overtime last weekend.

The match also happens to be the final conference game of the season for both teams and will be the deciding factor for each team’s seeding in the ACC Tournament. With so much on the line, both Virginia and Duke need this victory.

“We respect their program so much. We respect their coaching staff and their players,” head coach John Danowski said. “For us, we want to measure ourselves against the best.... It’s really easy for us to get our guys to be focused for [this] game.”

Both squads are powerful offensively, with Duke’s scoring offense ranking fourth in the country—three spots behind the Cavaliers’ NCAA-best 13.18 goals per game. The game will most likely be an offensive duel as both teams will look to score early and often.

“Virginia is an extremely talented team. Every year it seems like they have the best recruiting class in the country,” Danowski said. “We need to compete.”

The Cavaliers boast two consensus preseason first team All-Americans in Shamel Bratton and Steele Stanwick. They return seven starters, and nine of the top ten scorers off their prolific 2010 team. Nevertheless, Virginia lost a few games early in the season and has not fulfilled the media’s lofty expectations.

In contrast, Duke had a relatively inexperienced team this year, with their second and third leading scorers on the team being freshmen. After losing many of the team’s key players from the national championship campaign, Duke began the season ranked No. 5. The loss of such key leadership did lead to an early season swoon, as the team fell all the way to No. 15.

“I think we overachieved. I think we surpassed expectations for a young team when going on that streak,” Danowski said. “We’re playing so many young people. This may be the part of the season they get tired.... We’re playing seven freshmen and eight sophomores and this is just a pace they’re not used to.”

For the seniors on the Virginia squad, victory has been the only thing they’ve been used to, except against Duke. Boasting a 53-12 overall record, half of their losses have come against the Blue Devils. Last year, as the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers were defeated by the Duke in the national semifinals. Incidently, prior to that match, the only loss Virginia suffered in 2010 had also been to Duke.

Playing at home, Duke should come into the game with an advantage, as it tries to secure the number one seed in the ACC Tournament, which will also be held at Koskinen Stadium next week. With two teams so closely familiar with one another, the game promises to be one full of emotion and passion, but according to Danowski, his team is simply preparing to make another postseason run.

“It’s like the basketball season,” Danowski said. “You can lose some games at some point. As long as you learn from those losses, you’re going to be a better team at the end. That’s the hope.”

With both teams again at the crossroads, each squad will look to finish the ACC season strong.
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http://dukechronicle.com/article/students-must-work-positive-gender-relations

Students must work for positive gender relations
By Editorial Board [3]
April 15, 2011


It is no secret that troubles surrounding gender relations at Duke are deeply entrenched in campus culture. Yesterday we discussed how federal guidelines are impacting gender equity at our nation’s universities. Today we turn to the root of the problem: students and their interactions with one another.

Student organizations, not the administration, must direct the conversation about gender issues. At Duke, initiatives led this year by the Panhellenic Association illustrate the power that student organizations have to bring positive change to campus culture. Nevertheless, Panhel does not yet possess a fully developed advocacy voice. They and other student organizations still have much work ahead of them in the arena of gender relations.

Panhel, which represents the nine National Panhellenic Conference sororities on campus, has become more vocal this year in response to a number of disturbing gender-related incidents. First, Panhel strongly condemned the sexist fraternity emails that emerged last November. Soon thereafter, they started a petition to ban fraternity progressive parties. And most recently, Panhel has begun a campaign that aims to disassociate Duke from the gossip web site College ACB, an online hub for often offensive and venomous anonymous comments.

Panhel has the power to influence campus culture in the way that administrative bodies, such as the Women’s Center and CAPS, simply cannot. As the largest student organization and a mouthpiece for the female greek community, Panhel can significantly impact the way students interact in the social world.

Panhel’s next move should be to broadly encourage women, particularly greek women, to join the conversation. In the past, sorority women have remained silent about sexist practices for fear of being ostracized. This aspect of campus culture must change. Instead of holding an open forum on gender relations, Panhel should go from sorority to sorority, attending chapter meetings. Having a member of their own peer community lead the discussion would make sorority women much more open and honest about their own experiences.

Panhel is by no means the only student organization that should take a more active stance on gender issues. The Interfraternity Council in particular has untapped power to change attitudes about gender in the sphere of Duke social life where change is needed most. Under pressure from Panhel, fraternities have already begun to adjust their social event planning. However, changes in attitude are just as important as changes in practice. Real improvement in gender relations will come from heightened awareness and a shift in values, not a fear of exposure.

SLGs and, when they arrive, house councils also have a responsibility to contribute to the student dialogue about gender. Across the board, gender relations should be reconceptualized as an important issue for students of all genders and affiliations.

The moment is ripe for more positive gender relations on campus. This push for change is coming from many sides, including the administration, the trustees and the media. However, true change must come from students themselves. It will take courage and honesty on the part of student organizations and leaders to make this happen.

Gender relations are a nebulous concept, but with effort and honesty, we can improve them by changing the way we treat each other.
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http://dukechronicle.com/article/sororities-petition-against-duke-college-acb-forum


Sororities petition against Duke College ACB forum

Melissa Yeo/The Chronicle : Members of the Panhellenic Association sororities on campus have signed petitions to remove College ACB’s presence in Duke student life.


Members of the Panhellenic Association sororities on campus have signed petitions to remove College ACB’s presence in Duke student life.
By Yeshwanth Kandimalla [4]
April 15, 2011


The nine sororities in the Panhellenic Association have initiated petitions among their members to end Duke’s affiliation with the gossip website CollegeACB.com.

Panhel President Jenny Ngo, a junior, said members of the group’s leadership have learned that their counterparts at other institutions successfully removed their schools’ forums from the site earlier in the academic year. After Ngo became president in January, many sorority members began searching for ways to curtail the site’s presence, which they consider detrimental to Duke student life.

Ngo said Panhel aims to have the majority of members in each chapter sign petitions and then present them to Student Affairs. As of now, she said there are two options to remove Duke from the website: blocking the site internally—which Ngo said she does not think is feasible—or attempt to take some sort of legal action. Panhel will continue to explore options as well, she said.

“It has affected our chapters on a collective level,” she said. “It fuels a social hierarchy that leads to competitiveness between our sororities.”

Ngo added that she knows members of sororities who have deactivated their sorority membership or withdrawn from Duke based on negative posts on the Duke forum of the site.

Each chapter is distributing its own petition, she said, though a number of the petitions consist of similar wording.

One such petition obtained by The Chronicle is an online form that reads “College ACB has become a negative forum for hurtful gossip that should no longer be associated with this school. Campus organizations have come together to petition against Duke’s affiliation with this site. Sign the petition and help demonstrate to our administrators that we do not want to be exposed to College ACB any longer.”

Ngo said students at Cornell University and Tulane University are also attempting to remove their schools’ forums from the site, but Panhel chapter presidents are still researching which schools have already had success disassociating themselves from the site.

“We have the capability to educate our members, and we’ve already done a lot of that,” she said. “Now the question is, ‘What can the administration do to support us?’”

Interfraternity Council President Zachary Prager expressed support for Panhel’s efforts and said that IFC has been working “to start the conversation” among its members.

“It’s an issue that affects all greek life at Duke,” he said. “We got the ball rolling at our [most recent] meeting with Panhel.”

Ngo plans to open a broader dialogue about College ACB with other greek organizations, including the National Panhellenic Council and Inter-Greek Council.

“It’s very rare to find a person who isn’t in support of [the petition],” Ngo said, noting that a forum held last year on Internet gossip drew a diverse crowd of greeks and independents who objected to the content on College ACB and similar websites.

Ngo said that Panhel leadership met with University officials such as Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Moneta and Zoila Airall, assistant vice president for student affairs, to discuss their concerns about the web site.

Moneta said that he considered some of the posts on the website “disgusting” and said the University should actively try to understand what aspects of the social culture at Duke motivate students to anonymously post negative comments about others.

“The long-term solution is... to raise awareness of the outrageousness of the comments on this site to the Duke community,” he said.

Airall said that students will raise concerns about free speech if Duke’s forum is removed from the website. She said she too believes in free speech and added that an effort to confront hateful speech would require legal considerations.

Ngo also anticipates objections but noted that the anonymity of the posts does not hold individuals accountable for what they write.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/15/1130825/mangum-case-may-get-harsher.html

Modified Fri, Apr 15, 2011 12:24 AM
Mangum case may get harsher
BY AMY DUNN AND STEPHANIE SOUCHERAY - Staff Writers
Published in: Durham County
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HARRY LYNCH - hlynch@newsobserve

Mangum

DURHAM Prosecutors and police will meet today to discuss whether to upgrade the charges against Crystal Mangum after the man she was accused of stabbing this month died Wednesday evening.

Durham District Attorney Tracey Kline said Thursday that she could not comment on possible additional charges against Mangum but said a decision could be made at today's meeting.

Mangum, the woman at the center of the Duke University lacrosse scandal five years ago, is in the Durham County jail facing a charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. Her bail is set at $300,000.

She was accused of stabbing her boyfriend, Reginald Daye, during an argument April 3. Daye, 46, died at Duke Hospital, Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said.

"The case remains under investigation, and we do anticipate upgrading the charges," Michael said Thursday morning.

Police were dispatched to 3507 Century Oaks Drive at 3:15 a.m. April 3, and found Daye stabbed in the torso.

Five years ago, Mangum accused members of the Duke lacrosse team of sexually assaulting her while she was working as a stripper for an escort service. The accusations were eventually labeled as false, and the case was dismissed by state Attorney General Roy Cooper, but not before garnering nationwide attention.

Since the spring night in 2006 when Duke lacrosse players hired her to strip at a team party, Mangum has been in and out of courtrooms and social services offices.

"She can't get a job because people know who she is, and if she does get one they fire her once they figure it out," said Vincent Clark, Mangum's friend and co-author of her memoir, "The Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story."

2010 convictions

Mangum made headlines again last year when Durham police charged her with felony arson, child abuse, vandalism and resisting a law-enforcement officer. In February 2010, police accused Mangum of slashing the tires of her boyfriend, Milton Walker, smashing his windshield with a vacuum cleaner, and setting fire to a pile of his clothes in a bathtub while the police and her three children were in her apartment.

Mangum was convicted of child abuse, vandalism and resisting an officer.
amy.dunn@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4522
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http://dukefactchecker.blogspot.com/2011/04/brodhead-in-china-peter-provost-zips-up.html

4/14/2011
Brodhead in China ||| Duke's lax lawyers pile it on with 732 more pages of paperwork ||| Peter the Provost zips up on faculty retirement incentives
✔ Fact Checker here. Welcome Fellow Dukies, to the blog that is the first thing read every morning on the 2nd floor of Allen Building.

✔✔ A group of three senior professors in the Arts and Sciences is putting final touches on a petition demanding a formal faculty investigation into the Kunshan Initiative. The timeline is to get faculty to sign on, and present the petition at the next meeting of the faculty senate -- Academic Council -- on April 21.

The first paragraph in the current draft sets the tone quite well, quoting from the minutes of the December, 2009 Council meeting:

“... the Academic Council is not prepared to endorse future plans... until the faculty have had more time to understand fully what it means in terms of cost and other commitments to establish high-quality educational programs in China..."

The petition organizers say the Brodhead Administration has just steam-rollered over faculty and other stakeholders with no strategic plan or participation.

There is particular fear that Kunshan -- and other international initiatives -- are eating into the Arts and Sciences budget on the Durham campus. The generalized statements by interim A and S Dean Alvin Crumbliss on Thursday about a balanced budget did not address these concerns at all.

The petition will pose again a question that has been kicked around since the word Kunshan became part of our vocabulary: is this the best that we can do? Why?

There apparently is a second, similar petition in Fuqua, addressed to Dean Blair Sheppard, and we are urgently trying to pin down information. We are indebted to our Loyal Readers for their continued confidence in giving us so much vital information. Duke.Fact.Checker@gmail.com

✔✔✔ A Duke news release -- personally from the Brodhead Administration's mouthpiece, Michael Schoenfeld, and not
from the news bureau which is the usual formula -- reveals Brodhead is in China for two days of the annual Boao Forum.

Huh? That's what we said, until we used that research tool which Dean Sheppard introduced us to, Wikipedia, to check out Boao. Sometimes Bo'ao. This Forum, apparently put together by bankers and others seeking to do business though-out Asia, likes to identify itself (in the second sentence of the Duke news release) with Davos, the annual Swiss gathering that draws economic heavyweights. This is akin to talking about the Super Bowl and an intramural football game in the same breath.

We checked this news release very carefully, recalling that in 2008 Schoenfeld touted Brodhead's "address" to a "plenary session" of a New York "summit" of leaders concerned with volunteerism. Turns out, this was a Time Magazine publicity stunt, and Brodhead was one of seven speakers plus a five member panel crammed into lunch hour. He spoke for two minutes, 23 seconds. Back in Durham, the Dean of the Arts and Sciences breathlessly told the A and S Council that at that very moment, Brodhead was briefing candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, together, about DukeEngage. No briefing. No together. By about 2,000 miles.

From the Duke PR handout on Boao: Brodhead was invited as a panelist for a Friday session entitled “Rethinking Education: University Presidents vs. Corporate CEOS,” featuring "leaders from business and educational organizations in a discussion of the challenges of educating the next generation of the world’s workforce."

Well, that's what it's about in Schoenfeld-speak. Here's what the official program says: "millions of university graduates cannot find jobs each year." And the panel will explore "should the education system be changed" to address this.

More context: this is one of four conflicting events at the same time, including a reception for the forum heavyweight, former Goldman Sachs honcho and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, rabbi for Duke's own erstwhile board chair Robert King Steel. See, all these people reinforce each other and invite each other around.

The conference is on an island in the South China Sea, southwest of Hong Kong, east of Hanoi, nowhere near Kunshan and we do not know if Brodhead will swoop on by his pet project.

✔✔✔ As it does every year, Duke is milking the loopholes in federal income tax law that allow it to file its returns late. (Yes, non-profits have to file even if they pay no tax.) We are talking about returns for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010, and we want to see Form 990. That's the portion that must be made public.

Fellow Dukies, make sure you understand this. The numbers we are waiting for are almost a year old. Duke's auditors (KPMG) signed off on them last October 6th. Executive Vice President Trask used them later that month in his annual report, which leaves out all the good stuff.

We cannot help but believe Duke delays the Form 990's hoping they will go un-noticed. Or perhaps that they will be "stale news" that no one will cover.

Loyal Readers, you must be chuckling by now. You know me too well!!

While limited in scope, Form 990 does yield additional, useful information. It was the source of discovery that Duke paid one lacrosse defense lawyer -- Jamie Gorelik -- $2 million in one year! It also was the source of our expose last year that some administrators were getting h-u-g-e bonuses even though the rest of the campus was experiencing cutbacks and layoffs.

The Academic Council grilled President Brodhead on this, and in a convoluted explanation, he claimed the payments are not bonuses at all. Rather, he said they were "at risk," to be awarded for good performance and withheld if goals are not achieved. If that's not a bonus, then I'm not Fact Checker.

Oh yes, the Form 990's themselves use the word "bonus."

Fellow Dukies, FC has you covered.

✔✔ Buried on Duke PR's website, a hint that Duke may yet cut its gold-plated fringe benefits -- although they are safe in the year ahead. There's only so much money in the pot, explained Kyle Cavanaugh, vp for human resources, and the need to increase salaries may require trimming fringes in the future. "We are pleased that this year, we can once again offer the option for performance-based merit increases, but this is a balancing act that we will continue to face in future years."

Our question is how administrators determined to put the beans in fringe benefits rather than base salary. Was this based on input from employees? Were there surveys? Were there focus groups? Or was there just the Imperial Administration?

A student working in Perkins Library has wondered how the end of the two year wage freeze will affect work-study. Answer: good question. The starting wage in the library system has been $8.25 per hour at the circulation desk, $8.75 in the stacks. There is no word on whether this will change.

President Brodhead -- in the preliminary announcement of the end of the freeze, effective July 1 -- stated "It is appropriate that the whole Duke community should benefit from our improving financial circumstances."

No no no. Not the whole community at all. It will be interesting to see how many people do get raises, as it is based upon evaluation of job performance.

Brodhead will appear for one hour before 200 of Duke's 35,000 employees who manage to get a seat in Reynolds Theatre. Noon on April 27. The royal staff is collecting questions in advance so they can be very carefully screened. FC working on a list of questions to be submitted, even though we are not Duke employees.

Hey Dick, is the new system for awarding pay hikes any different from the one in place three years ago?

You are reading Fact Checker Too. Shorter articles in addition to our traditional in-depth essays. Duke.Fact.Checker@gmail.com


✔✔ The Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award flies under the radar for the most part. It was started generations ago by a New York lawyer (founder of the esteemed Sullivan and Crowell) throughout the south with the original intent of honoring people who work toward racial harmony. Over the years this has broadened to a new definition: "when one goes outside the narrow circle of self-interest and begins to spend oneself for the interests of humankind."

This year's winners at Duke: Sarah Woodard from the office of the chief human rights officer at Duke Medicine, and Barbara Lau, director of the Pauli Murray Project in the office of the Duke Human Rights Center. Both are involved in much more.

✔✔ In the last edition of Fact Checker Too, we told you about eight-month-old Seth Petreikis, coming to Duke from Indiana for life and death thymus transplant surgery. Duke... because it's the only place in the country where this is attempted.

Seth was not able to travel on Monday because of a fever. Doctors are not sure what's causing this because there are not the usual signs of infection. He has no immune system, and the transplant is designed to correct this.

This is big news in the Midwest. We have you covered here too.

✔ The Wall Street Journal headline was "Doctors May Heal Themselves Differently." A report on a study by professors at Duke and the University of Michigan. OK here goes.

The first hypothetical involves colon cancer. 100 people. One treatment option cures 80, 16 are not helped and will die in two years, and four percent will go through hell with a chronic diarrhea and other unpleasantries.

The other option cures 80 people without any complications, but 20 percent will die in two years.

A second hypothetical involves avian flu, with similar choices: a lower risk of death, a higher risk of complications.

The study shows that doctors pick the option of the higher death risk for themselves, but recommend just the opposite treatment for patients. Duke's Peter Ubel: "When you put on the doctor hat," it changes how you decide.

✔ The latest version of the federal budget -- which will guide us through six months until the next fiscal year -- shows substantial cuts in areas that would seem to impact Duke.

We stress this is only one version -- the $40 billion or so compromise -- likely to get worked over a bit more by that wonderful institution we call democracy.

National Institutes of Health, cut $260 million.

National Science Foundation, cut $53 million.

Americorp (Teach for America) cut $23 million, narrowly escaping extinction.

Pell Grants saved at $5,550 max, but students who have managed to double-dip are out of luck.

✔ We've heard plenty about the federal debt, something like $14.26 trillion and growing since you started to read this sentence. Well the New York Times reports that for the first time, student debt for college loans has hit $1 trillion. In the article, a husband and wife who both borrowed, and their monthly payments exceed their mortgage.

Here's the problem, not necessarily at Duke: the more loans that are available and the higher Pell grants go, colleges and universities feel they can continue to suck up all the new cash with tuition increases far in excess of inflation. It amounts to a giant transfer of wealth -- from poor students to middle class and upper middle class faculty.

✔✔✔ From a Deputy Fact Checker: We had high hopes for Peter the Provost when we first heard him pledge "transparency" during the fiscal crisis. In fact Duke's TV cameras captured his words, transmitted them via the internet, and they are on file in the FC database.

Couple, please, this pledge with the incentive program for senior faculty to retire, to make possible hiring of new blood that would not otherwise occur with tight budgets.

The Chronicle tried several times (as did FC) to get details. Each time Peter ducked, saying the full program was not yet in place.

This seemed odd, since professors were getting offers simultaneously with the Provost's assertion he did not know the dimensions of the program.

Move forward. This semester Fact Checker again has asked Peter for details. We have one report -- we are not able to confirm -- that some professors walked off with $1 million and more.

Peter the Provost has zipped up, becoming Peter the Silent. Members of the Brodhead Administration ignore e-mails that they think will result in essays that are not favorable to them. Notice I said to them, not to Duke.

We do not think Peter, the PR department, the Dean of Fuqua and the others should try to censor people who speak with differing conclusions, by refusing to provide information.

Peter, we had expected better from you. Shame.

✔✔✔ Defense lawyers representing Duke in the continuing lax litigation apparently didn't hear the judge two weeks ago when he said keep it simple from now on.

On Thursday, Duke's lawyers filed 732 more pages of legalese in two of the lacrosse lawsuits. Hell, when I'm being paid by the hour, I write long stories too.

For the first time, Duke is contending that its leadership did not know a Duke police sergeant gave Durham cops key-card data showing team members movements around campus after the party with stripper Crystal Gail Mangum.

Just so happens, disgusting disgraced dishonest D A Michael Nifong issued subpoenas for the same information months later. The players lawyers say Duke cooked up this strategy (conspired is the word) with Nifong to hide the original disclosure.

Duke told the judge it wanted a court order before releasing medical records of Miss Mangum (now resident of the Durham jail, floor four, awaiting murder charges). These are relevant to the conduct of Rape Nurse Trainee Tara Levicy. She concocted her own medical scenario to support Mangum's false claim of rape.

732 pages. We told you Duke's tactic is to wiggle, delay, obfuscate and try to wear out the plaintiffs. It is spending H U G E sums of money on these lawsuits.

Bottom line: we want Brodhead and former Trustee chair Bob Steel under oath, under subpoena, bringing records, testifying in depositions about their roles.

✔ Promotion from within. Tim Walsh has been named Vice President for Finance, replacing Hof Milam who departed for a senior position at his alma mater, Wake Forest. Walsh has been an assistant VP and university controller for six years. Graduate of Notre Dame, MBA Virginia. Staff: 375 people.

✔✔ There's no end to the turbulence abroad. In Cairo -- which Duke says is OK for students and teachers again -- extreme violence rocked the main Tahir Square. That's very close to the Egyptian Museum with its King Tut treasures and the best tourist hotels along the Nile.

In China, the repression grows, though we all know Kunshan will be an island of illumination. The latest: violent arrests of hundreds of people who tried to pray in public after their unauthorized Christian church was seized.
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http://floppingaces.net/2011/04/14/dont-you-wish-that-you-had-jesses-girl-reader-post/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dont-you-wish-that-you-had-jesses-girl-reader-post

Don’t you wish that you had Jesse’s girl?
By: DrJohn

Reginald Daye has died after suffering stab wounds in Durham, North Carolina on April 3. His alleged assailant has been identified as Crystal Mangum.

Jesse’s girl.

Crystal Mangum is the woman who accused members of the Duke Lacrosse team of assaulting her sexually five years ago. KC Johnson began a blog called Durham-in-Wonderland in 2006 to follow this case and has done a superb job with it. A case narrative can be viewed here. The bottom line was that the three Duke Lacrosse team members were falsely accused.

Jesse Jackson flew to Mangum’s side to defend her as the episode unfolded. Johnson notes that as the DNA test came back negative, Jackson had this to say:

Something happened on the night of March 13th—something so compelling that Durham District Attorney Michael Nifong was prompted to say, “This case is not going away.” Indeed, he asserts that the lack of DNA evidence “doesn’t mean nothing happened. It just means nothing was left behind.” The District Attorney is putting the case before a grand jury.

Johnson then noted Jackson’s “moral” certainties:

“These facts,” continued Jackson, “are not in dispute.”

* “This was the first time [Crystal Mangum] had been hired to dance for a party.”

* “The one African American on the team wasn’t there.”

* “We know that the two women were abused.”

* “What happened? We don’t know for sure because the Duke players are maintaining a code of silence.”

All were false.

Jackson promised that his Rainbow/PUSH organization would pay for Mangum’s college tuition. As suspicions of a hoax grew, Jackson promised he’d pay for Mangum’s tuition even if the incident was proven a hoax.

Mangum also enjoyed the support of NOW, the Black Panther Party and the notorious “Gang of 88.”

The “Gang of 88″:

88 members of Duke’s arts and sciences faculty signed a document saying “thank you” to campus demonstrators who had distributed a “wanted” poster of the lacrosse players and publicly branded the players “rapists.”

No due process necessary. The “Gang of 88″ was quite active early on.

Just when it seems like we’ll see nothing worse emerge in this case, Cash Michaels has just posted an article asserting that he:

* was told by Karla Holloway,
* who overheard a call to John Burness,
* who was told by a Duke police officer,
* who overheard a Durham Police Officer
* say that a Mystery Witness told him or her . . .

that one of the lacrosse players used ugly racial epithets at the start of the party.

Some would call this sixth-hand slander.

Eventually the players were granted a reported eight figure settlement.

Then in 2010 Mangum was arrested for assault. She was accused of assaulting Milton Walker, setting his clothes on fire and threatening to stab him.

She served 88 days for child abuse. Mangum felt she was getting a bad rap:

“I am being unfairly treated due to preconceived notions that people had about me concerning another case,” Mangum said.

That would be the Duke Lacrosse affair.

Daye was apparently warned about Mangum:

A man who said he was Daye’s nephew called 911 to report the stabbing, saying it occurred while Daye and his girlfriend were arguing about rent money. The caller said police came to the apartment complex earlier while the couple argued, but the stabbing occurred after the officers left.

When asked for a description of the girlfriend, the caller said, “It’s Crystal Mangum. THE Crystal Mangum.”

He then added, “I told him she was trouble from the beginning.”

North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper declined to prosecute Mangum in the Duke case.

You have to wonder what Reginald Daye thought of that. You also have to wonder when Jesse Jackson will have an announcement about his next scholarship.
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Lots of comments here.

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/then-false-rape-allegation-now-murder.html
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Comments killed on NandO article.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/15/1130825/mangum-case-may-get-harsher.html

I had just earlier posted that the article contained a serious factual error. In the story, the two authors claim: "Since the spring night in 2006 when Duke lacrosse players hired her to strip at a team party, Mangum has been in and out of courtrooms and social services offices."

I posted that Crystal's problems predated the events of March 14, 2006, when she tried to frame innocent people. I noted that had the reporters done the least bit of research, they would have known this and reported it, rather than what they did report.

I think I shall try and contact Executive Editor John Drescher later today and point this out to him personally.
(919) 829-4515
john.drescher@newsobserver.com
Edited by abb, Apr 15 2011, 05:35 AM.
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John,

Today’s piece “Authorities consider upgrading charges against Mangum” by Amy Dunn and Stephanie Soucheray contains a material error.

The statement “Since the spring night in 2006 when Duke lacrosse players hired her to strip at a team party, Mangum has been in and out of courtrooms and social services offices,” while accurate implies that the events of March 13/14, 2006 began Crystal Mangum’s problems with the law and society.

This is completely misleading, as her problems long predated that event. See here the North Carolina Department of Corrections website.

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0801264&SENTENCEINFO=yes&SHOWPHOTO=no&numtimesin=1

There was also a 1996 false rape allegation.

http://dukechronicle.com/article/dancer-made-prior-allegation

You and your editors know this and have reported of her past history, yet allowed today’s error to be published. This is not good journalism.

Walter Abbott
http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/
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Joan Foster

Bless you, ABB! Never afraid to stand right in the front lines!

:bd: :bd: :bd: :bd: :bd: :bd:
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Quasimodo

Quote:
 
Crystal Mangum's charges unchanged despite death
The Herald Sun
04.14.11 - 10:18 pm
By John McCann


I wonder how McCann feels at also having enabled Crystal for so long?

(Ditto for the rest of the staff at the HS?)
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