That girl quoted in the article says it best: "because they're hot." That's all you really need to know about this story.

As I watched this story unfold, all I could think about was how most of the Duke girls who were supposedly in an uproar about this would have given their left arm to go to a "lacrosse party."

If no one would treat these privileged lacrosse wannabe-jocks like gods, none of this would have happened.

My comments below are related to the general Duke/Durham/Trinity Park issues

that have been brewing for years. The rape allegations are an larger and

different story.

One thing I would like to emphasize is that the actions in question are the

result of a VERY small number of Duke students. Every day I see Duke

students as my patients, my students, and volunteers. I think that these

students comprise the REAL Duke, not the stereotypes too often seen in the

media, and, unfortunately, seen drunk off of East Campus.

The events I detailed from last year do serve as a good example. Since the

"baby oil bunch" moved out, a new group of students has moved into that

house. These guys have been polite, interactive, and could serve as role

models for student behavior. They still have parties, they are still a

fraternity, but they pay attention to their neighbors and act like, well,

neighbors. Unfortunately, it is the Yahoos from last year who leave the

lasting impression and dictate the community's response.

The issues around responsibility I touched on are important: if individuals

are protected from consequences as children and teenagers by their parents,

and by administrators as adults, why should they act appropriately? The

good student neighbors I've had act appropriately because they simply know

it's the right thing to do, not because they are threatened or intimidated.

Now the hardest question is, how can the university help kids who didn't

learn this at home? How do they how to behave like adults now? I don't pretend to

have the answer.

Finally, I just have to reiterate that it is unfortunate that actions

of a few have caused such a stain on the Duke/Durham relationship.

"pick" a house near campus? this and his other statements like it clearly show the class divide involved here. to the duke student, poppa moneybags can just "pick" a house at any location. for some poorer residents, it's not that easy. but that point is of course lost on the privileged who have no real worldview outside of duke and it's walls. to them, durham should be thankful for duke's mighty yard-pissing and -puking presence.

He spent many years in the administration at Yale, which is in New Haven and which has had its share of town/gown troubles. New Haven's population is 123,000, 45% white and 37% black. Durham has 187,000, 46% white and 44% black. Like Duke, Yale deals with resentment of the lower, working class populations of New Haven compared to the Yale population and this has manifested itself in tough labor negotiations over the years. Like Duke, Yale is New Haven's largest employer. Those class and race differences make for a love/hate relationship.

The biggest difference between Duke and Yale is Duke's major Division I athletic program. Yale has athletes, but not so many who have come up with a coddling attitude of their handlers. If a rape is proved, expect Brodhead to deal with it firmly. Even if the woman is making a false accusation about the rape, once the dust settles I expect some additional action to take place. The lacrosse coach may be gone before next season. Brodhead no doubt values the institution's reputation as an education center; athletics are a pleasant, valuable sideline, but not the central mission of the university.

Most people who live around East Campus in Durham live there by choice. A large percentage are graduate students or others who are academically connected with the University. The residents who live in Durham that are not academically linked to the University generally don't live as close to the students.

I think this is a perfect example of those with little local knowledge blaming student snobbery for their ignorance.

Sorry, Ms. Bumgarner, but this situation has a lot more in common with the Kobe Bryant rape case, in which the races of the accused/victim were switched.

Being male is a privilege, at least in the physically-overpowering sense.

Being good-looking is a privilege--that woman in the article who said "Because they're hot," may have sounded dumb, but she was onto something major in our culture.

Being an athlete on the Division 1 or pro level is a huge privilege.

I don't think we need to bother with race here; in fact I think it will harm efforts to prevent these incidents from happening again if we focus on the least relevant aspect of the accuseds' privilege.

And as for them using racial epithets--well, it shows they are totally vulgar, but I imagine that rapes in which both parties are the same race involves equally vulgar, but not racially charged, language--more like misogynist language.

Hmm. Daddy Warbucks papa. . .elite prep school. . .acceptance at prestigious university (no doubt by virtue of stellar intellectual performance at said elite prep school). . .men-behaving-badly behavior with no untoward consequences (thanks to pater's clout). . .graduation from presitgious university having managed to learn nada. . .I believe we're talkin' future Republican president here!

I'll start this letter off with a disclaimer. The alleged actions of the Duke Lacrosse team are disgusting and those responsible should go to jail. More generally, the culture of privilege for athletes is pervasive at colleges and universities nationwide and university administrations are doing absolutely nothing to fix the problem. In that sense, I think the article is largely correct and well written.

However, I would like to respond to the comments in the article regarding problems those who live near campus have with drunk and/or rowdy students. I am an academic and I have lived in a series of college towns as a student and faculty member. Every one of these towns has a neighborhood near campus with rental properties intended for students. Students rent these properties in large groups to save on rent. Often they move "off-campus" to avoid the restrictive rules on alcohol and “visitors” on campus. However, sometimes it’s a matter of economics, on campus housing is usually a lot more expensive. In every college town I've lived in there are always noise and nuisance complaints from nearby local residents about the student rentals.

Why would anyone buy a property in close proximity to the student neighborhoods? 18-22 year-olds (not just college students) like to party and have a good time and a few complaints are not going to stop them. The residents who choose to buy these houses are just asking for conflict and unhappiness. The answer to this question is that the property values and quality of life near campus in college towns is higher than that of neighborhoods farther from campus. University employees want to live near campus. A five-minute walk to work is a really nice life. Nice restaurants and the good schools that professors demand are located near campus. However, these folks just do not want to take the bad with the good. Do you think I am wrong? What do you think Durham would look like without Duke? What would the property values of houses in that town fall to if Duke and nearby UNC Chapel Hill disappeared over night? The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area would be a hick-filled backwater without the universities and the research triangle development that has built up around them. How many jobs do these universities provide?

Of course, the situation with the "Lacrosse House" and the raped student are way beyond what should be tolerated by anyone. Those throwing parties have legal responsibilities towards partygoers and nearby property owners. However, it’s also important to consider the students' point of view in your discussion of "town vs. gown" issues. Supposedly privileged students are an easy target and the issue of race in North Carolina is a lot more complex than your article indicates.