W E D N E S D A Y APRIL 10, 2002
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 47
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
U. to eliminate five on-campus storage facilities by semester’s end BY BETHANY RALLIS
Megan Lynch / Herald
Students and community members discussed the city’s affordable housing problem Tuesday.
Students, community members gather to consider E. Side affordable housing solutions BY CHRIS BYRNES
Students and Providence community leaders discussed how Brown students who live off campus contribute to the city’s affordable housing shortage problem Tuesday evening. The event, titled “Debunking the Myth,” sought to expose how students’ housing decisions affect lowincome families, said Cate Oswald ’04. Guests included Catherine Rhodes, a founder of People to End Homelessness; Noreen Shawcross, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless; Sister Wilma, who works at McAuley House soup kitchen; and Rev. Jack Fitzelle-Jones. Students signed a petition, which they will present to the University, stating that affordable housing is in high demand, and Brown students, who usually share apartments with each other, can afford to out-pay lowincome families living on single sources of income. “We were trying to bring community members … together with students to see what can be done to bring awareness of these issues,” Oswald said. Oswald said the group’s intention was not to criticize those choosing to live off-campus, but to pressure the University into playing a more active role in creating
affordable housing options for students. “If we had more on-campus housing, more people won’t be forced to live off-campus,” she said. Oswald said she will not live off-campus as a senior. Lori Leibowitz ’03 said the evening was a success, adding that advertising and table slips “definitely prompted a lot of discussion,” even for students who did not attend. Students proposed numerous solutions to the lack of housing options for juniors and seniors. High on their list was making better use of the Brown-owned building on Waterman Street behind the CIT, currently leased to Johnson & Wales students. But Kimberly Hendler ’03 said housing Brown students in this dormitory will push Johnson & Wales students into off-campus apartments, hardly solving the problem. The off-campus housing agreement that students must sign specifies that students cannot live in the Fox Point area, Hendler said. Unfortunately, many do not have any other choice. Fitzelle-Jones said a law permits the city to repossess see HOUSING, page 6
The University will eliminate at least five on-campus storage facilities by the semester’s end, reducing the total number of rooms used for storage to 32. The University plans to close storage rooms in Perkins Hall, Marcy Hall, Littlefield Hall, New Pembroke #3 and Caswell Hall. Though there will be both low and high-security storage available this summer, the Office of Residential Life is advising students to search for off-campus storage options. “This spring at the closing of school, there will be a limit to how many spaces will be open for storage,” said Thomas Forsberg, associate director of Residential Life. The University is eliminating the storage spaces in Perkins, Marcy and Littlefield because of past problems in the storage rooms with loose gaskets on water pipes and foundation leaks, said Andrew Lom ’02, chair of Residential Council. In past years, many students complained of property damage due to water leaks in storage rooms, Forsberg said. The University provides storage to students at the students’ own risk, he added. But in the past six months no complaints were filed about damaged property in storage, said John Noonan, associate vice president for Facilities Management. The University is also searching for additional on-campus storage for its own purposes, Noonan said. Marvel Gym, which the University used for surplus storage of furniture parts and extra beds, is to be demolished at the end of this year. The University must relocate the surplus storage to rooms on campus, Forsberg said, but would not specify possible storage locations. The beds and furniture have been removed from Marvel Gym and are temporarily being stored in trailers. The University considered contracting outside storage facilities to provide extra storage to students over the summer, but Forsberg said he was “not inclined to have the University enter into a contractual agreement on behalf of the students.” “We are not in the storage business,” he said. The closures will not affect on-campus high-security storage locations in Vartan Gregorian Quad and Wayland, but high-security storage in Emery-Woolley will be relocated to Champlin Hall due to renovations. Herald staff writer Bethany Rallis ’04 is a campus news editor. She can be reached at brallis@browndailyherald.com.
Legal expert:We must protect even distasteful speech BY DAVID KANG
Drawing upon his years of experience as a prominent first amendment advocate, Floyd Abrams spoke about civil rights during wartime yesterday in Sayles Hall. Abrams acknowledged that the threat to U.S. security is unparalleled in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 bombings. He said the country is in a unique time in its history, making the defense of first amendment rights even more important. Although he defended the actions taken by the government in response to the attacks, Abrams said increased power could lead to misuse of that power. “It has never been easier to tap someone’s phone line, monitor e-mails and incarcerate people,” Abrams said. Legislation that increases the government’s powers “in good part has been necessary, but dangerous,” he said. Recounting first amendment cases during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War, Abrams warned that wartime tests the nation’s defense of civil liberties. He recalled the U.S. government’s oppression of dissenting viewpoints during the Vietnam War, the impris-
onment of Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II and a billboard from his youth that read: “Loose lips sink ships.” People have a tendency to overreact in times of crisis, Abrams said. He spoke about two cases in New York City after the World Trade Center attacks that challenged freedom of speech. In one case, a man was arrested in a public park after he said, “it’s good that the World Trade Center was bombed” and “more firemen and cops should have died.” In another case, a man dressed in military fatigues in a public park was detained for wearing a sign that called the attacks revenge for the mistreatment of the Islamic people. Judges in both cases argued because of the special circumstances, the suspects could have incited the crowd to violence and were therefore in the wrong. When Abrams asked the audience of about 200 if this sort of speech should be protected despite the circumstances, the vast majority raised their hand. Only a few see ABRAMS, page 6
Marion Billings / Herald
The storage facility in New Pembroke #3 is one of at least five storage facilities slated to be closed by summer.
I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 0 2 Ivy League schools report lower acceptance rates for Class of 2006 page 3
Greek Council elects new leadership for 2002-2003 academic year page 5
U.S. News & World Report magazine ranks Brown Med School 39th in the nation page 5
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Carl Takei ’02 says suing Brown will only discredit slavery reparations movement column,page 15
Women’s lacrosse team scores big wins over Northwestern and Columbia page 16
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