Duke Lacrosse scandal stirs town-gown debate

Julia Fiore Guest Writer

Katie Mae Unruhe Guest Writer

The recent Duke University lacrosse scandal has spurred many discussions around the Vassar campus. It is a particularly compelling issue for us because we grew up in Durham, attended school several blocks from the house that is at the center of the controversy, and are very familiar with the resentment many Durham residents hold towards Duke and its students.

A woman alleged that she had been racially insulted, raped, beaten, and sodomized by three white men at a party held at the Duke University lacrosse team captains’ house on March 13. She was hired with another woman as an exotic dancer for the party. She is a 27-year-old black woman, a mother, and a college student at nearby North Carolina Central University (NCCU). After the allegations, the only members of the team who talked with the police were the three captains, who claimed the allegations were false. Medical examinations of the alleged victim were in line with her descriptions of the assault. Based on this evidence, 46 of the 47 team members—all of the white players on the team—were taken for DNA testing. Last Tuesday, two members of the team were arrested and indicted for rape and kidnapping.

According to defense attorneys, the results of a simple DNA test showed no links to any members of the lacrosse team. Unfortunately, this seems to be the most astonishing aspect of the case thus far. The fact that the alleged victim’s story did not surprise many Durham residents or the national media points to deeper problems.

Relations between Duke and Durham have been strained for some time, a result of many factors. The alleged location of the attack is situated in a historic, residential neighborhood that is frequently disturbed by loud Duke parties. Much like Vassar, Duke is an elite school, with a small population of black students, 11 percent (according to ESPN.com). Durham’s population is 43.8 percent black. Duke’s tuition of $44,000 per year is $3,000 more than the mean annual income of a Durham household (ESPN.com).

Relations are so strained, in fact, that after the alleged rape, some Duke students reported being afraid to leave the walled campus. This fear of Durham among Duke students, although not universal, began before this incident, perhaps as a result of race and class differences.

This reminded us of the sentiments some Vassar students have towards Poughkeepsie. Although not as extreme, there is a feeling that Vassar is not a part of Poughkeepsie. This can lead to Vassar students’ lack of involvement in the surrounding community. We bring a great variety of talent and resources to the campus, but often do not share them with the greater community. Although we are only four-year residents of Poughkeepsie, we have a responsibility to contribute to the community. We can enrich the surrounding area and our education by fostering good relationships outside the Vassar walls.

The town-gown relationship is only a small, yet important, part of the larger controversy. Many in Durham are also upset because they feel that had the victim been a white Duke student, and the perpetrators been black NCCU students, the consequences would have been immediate and harsh. NCCU is a historically black public university, which has led to heightened racial tensions in Durham following the allegations. These tensions have been further fueled with the disclosure of a 911 call made that same night by a black woman stating that racial insults were shouted at her from the same house where the alleged attack occurred.

We would like to think that, as educated students, we do not have to deal with the problems of racism and classism anymore. However, these issues, whatever roles they play in our individual lives, are present in society and must therefore be addressed by all of us. Durham mayor Bill Bell told the press that Durham is not the only place with these types of problems. He said, “If you go into any town, any state, across this nation, you’ll find the same type of issues, even on college campuses. What we’re dealing with is a national issue.” Here at Vassar, we can confront these issues individually by evaluating the stereotypes we hold towards different races and classes and how those are related to stereotypes of Poughkeepsie. We can also get involved in the area by doing field work, community service, political action, or anything that takes us outside the Vassar walls.

It is a problem when a Duke student is afraid to step off of their campus, just as it is a problem when a black woman is afraid to walk in front of college student housing. While we are not suggesting that the situations at Vassar and Duke are exactly the same, we can draw parallels that will help us learn from the events at Duke and address the issues of race and class that make this such a large controversy.