Every time I try to renew books or just check my account online, it takes several minutes for me to find the My Account login. The Circulation page takes me to a form that sends an e-mail request, but why not a link to the My Account page? As an alumnus and a professor, I find the library resources invaluable to my research. But as an out-of-town user, I find the difficulty of getting account information frustrating.

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Hmmm. On the library’s home page (http://www.lib.duke.edu/)–always a good place to start–there is a link at the bottom of the screen: “your library account.” It takes you directly to the login screen for your account.

Now, if they would only put Answer Person’s link on the home page!

Why do they water the astroturf on East Campus? I’ve seen it with my own eyes….

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Just because it isn’t thirsty, doesn’t mean it doesn’t like a refreshing shower once in a while! Actually, the sprinklers (or water cannons) soak the turf a few hours before games to soften the field. You have probably heard about football injuries associated with hard artificial surfaces; well, this is a field hockey field, and the players (armed with sticks, hitting a hard ball, and most without any protective padding) appreciate this added safety feature.

Do you know of any concepts or beliefs associated with the symbol of a circle circumscribed about a triangle?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Well, in architecture and electrical engineering they believe it serves as a symbol for certain kinds of steel supports or motor/generator wiring. Ad de Vries DICTIONARY OF SYMBOLS AND IMAGES (Perkins Ref. 291.3703 V982D) ascribes a whole range of uses: man and woman, the Plain of Truth (the area within the triangle), unity and the trinity. This last is a very common Christian religious use (also as a circle within a triangle, and, of course, a plain triangle). Until 1993, it was used by Alcoholics Anonymous as their symbol, with the words “Recovery, Unity, Service” around the triangle.

What is the process for receiving tenure? I have heard it is rigorous, but wonder about the details. Is it harder at Duke than at other universities? Thanks

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: The process varies at the different schools at Duke. A good place to see the details is the Faculty Handbook (http://www.provost.duke.edu/fhb.pdf).

Actually, the basics are about the same at most universities and colleges. Obviously, standards will vary according to the institution; thus, as a major research university, standards at Duke may be higher than for many other schools. On the other hand, you have to factor in things like an institution’s interest in upgrading its image, the focus on teaching against research, etc.

When did manufacturers begin naming car models as opposed to just using letters and numbers (Model T)?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Answer Person you assumes you mean other than “that d@#n” as the inventors struggled with the new technology. Actually, first commercially available car appears to have been the “Duryea,” manufactured by Duryea, in 1895. So names did come first.

You say you hope the committee does its job in picking the next president of Duke. But is the committee composed of the right members? It has very little student input, with just one undergrad and one grad student. Is this typical of search committees at Duke, past and present? And do such committees at other elite universities include more students?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: It is a very typical presidential search committee at Duke. In 1992 the members were:

John W. Chandler, Committee Chairman, Washington, D.C.
Philip Stewart, Committee Vice-Chairman, Prof. of Romance Studies
Allison Haltom, Executive Vice-Chairman and non-voting member, University Secretary
Philip J. Baugh, Nicholasville, Ky., trustee rep. and member ex-officio as Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Sara S. Beale, Prof. of Law, faculty rep.
Richard M. Burton, member ex-officio as Chairman-elect of the Academic Council, Prof. in the Fuqua School
Jerry D. Campbell, Univ. Librarian
Julie C. Esrey, Shawnee Mission, Kansas, trustee rep.
John M. Falletta, faculty rep., Prof. of Pediatrics
Bertram Fraser-Reid, faculty rep., Prof. of Chemistry
Craufurd Goodwin, faculty rep., Prof. of Economics
Graduate Student rep.
Edward M. Hanson, Rockville, Maryland, President-elect of the Duke Alumni Association
Fitzgerald Hudson, Charlotte, NC, alumni rep
William A. Lane, Miami, Fla., trustee rep.
Dorothy L. Simpson, Mercer Island, Washington, trustee rep.
Jean G. Spaulding, Durham, NC, community rep.
Daniel Tosteson, Boston, Massachusetts, trustee rep.
ASDU President, as a student rep.
Secretary of the Committee, Mary Jane Crossno

As to other universities, yes, it is typical to have just one or two student reps. Some have none.

They seemed to have a done a good job last time–Answer Person is hopeful that there will be a satisfactory outcome this time as well.

Was the war with Iraq just? Does it meet the qualifications for a just war?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Justness of wars, as with the assignment of blame for war crimes, usually resides in the hands of the victors. Well, we managed to defeat a poorly equipped army (and air force?) with nothing more than vastly overwhelming arms and technology; we seem to still be looking for those fearsome weapons of mass destruction that were the prime justification for the invasion (and now we hear it may take a year to complete our search for them); we stood by while one of the great centers of western civilization was looted of its heritage (and we could have prevented that); and we have overseen the tragic crippling of Iraq’s infrastructure as the “coalition” struggles to develop a rebuilding plan after the war is over. Need we even mention the damage to US foreign policy throughout the world? Yes, Saddam is gone, probably, but could we have accomplished the goals without the invasion? Could the $80 billion+ spent on the war been used at home to save our struggling economy, educational and health systems, and the homeland security efforts that are seriously under funded at the state and local levels? You be the judge.

Answer Person, who do you think should be the next president of Duke University?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Would you be surprised if Answer Person told you he/she already knows who the next president will be? No decision has been made, but sometimes a clairvoyant AP just knows.

As to the person AP would like to be the next president? It would be unfair for AP to upset the process with personal preferences. Let’s all just hope that the committee does its job well, and that the university community will be well served by its choice.

Why when you turn off the TV, is there sometimes a green dot in the middle, or a green stripe accross the screen?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: The dot or line is not always green, but they are always watching you, no matter the color.

Actually, the images on a TV screen are created by an electron beam hitting colored phosphors. The beam (actually, three beams of red, green and blue), obviously, moves very, very fast. When you turn off the TV, what you are seeing is the final discharge from the beam as the system cools down. The dots are so sensitive that they still react to the declining energy.

At least, that is what they want us to think.

What is the best restaurant in Durham/Chapel Hill? And the best for under $10? Extra points if you don’t use Magnolia Grill, just because I already know about that.

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Best restaurants, like TV shows, movies, bands, books and salad dressings, are matters of personal preference. Answer Person personally feels several local Mexican restaurants offer great meals at unbelievably reasonable prices. No, AP isn’t going to reveal the favorites–got to watch these subtle attempts to discover my real identity! But there is a website that lets you limit by city/town and price range: http://aol.digitalcity.com/raleigh/eat/. Enjoy–maybe I’ll see you one of these nights!