HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Duke mum on whether it apologized for calling Tibet a country. “If Duke University’s engineering department emailed an apology to students and faculty for calling Tibet a country separate from China, it isn’t admitting to it. On January 27, director of We the Hongkongers and pro-democracy activist Frances Hui tweeted a screenshot purportedly from the diversity department of Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. In the email, the school apologizes for a previous email announcing ‘Lunar New Year Paint Night’ that categorized Tibet as an independent country.”