M O N D A Y SEPTEMBER 15, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 71
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
Students protest racial profiling since Sept. 11
Underground will reopen as a bar in October
BY LOUIS TEE
BY LISA MANDLE
“On September 12, United We Stand,” read the first placard raised by members of Brown’s South Asian Women’s Collective, which staged a silent demonstration Friday against racial profiling. Ten students from the 30-member group congregated on the steps of Faunce House for almost two hours to urge support for racial minorities, who group members said have been mistreated since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “I personally know people who were physically and verbally assaulted” following Sept. 11, said organizer Neha Mehrotra ’05. Hearing their stories prompted Mehrotra to organize the protest, which was planned for a day that “symbolizes the aftermath of 9-11,” she said. Amita Manghanhi ’03, who co-organized the protest, said SAWC principally objects to the “unconstitutional deportations and detentions” with which the U.S. government responded to Sept. 11. Protesters also criticized the October 2001 Patriot Act, which expanded the intelligence-gathering powers of federal authorities. Demonstrators said the Patriot Act threatens the rights and privacy of people living in America. “I disagree with the direction the country is headed,” said demonstrator Bharati Kalasapudi ’07. “It’s becoming a ‘Big Brother’-like state.” Fears of diminishing civil liberties provoked a number of onlookers to join the protest. Matt Hamilton ’05, a member of Faith-Based Activists, said he chose to take part because his group focuses on diversity and liberty. “I’m worried about the slow erosion of religious freedom” in the United States, he said, citing the intimidation that has prevented some Muslims from worshipping in mosques since Sept. 11. Hamilton said Faith-Based Activists now plans to work with SAWC to raise awareness about religious and racial discrimination.
The Underground will reopen as an 18and-over pub on Friday and Saturday nights by the beginning of October. The Hourglass Café will use the space for the remaining nights of the week beginning this month. Previously a popular bar in the lower level of Faunce House, the Underground was closed by the Office of Student Life last October amid concerns of underage drinking. It reopened in March as a 21and-over pub but has remained closed so far this fall. Once again, the Underground will be licensed as a “private club,” allowing it to serve beer and wine to members of the Brown community, said Director of Student Activities David Inman. The Underground will reopen by the first weekend of October when it finds someone to serve as overseeing manager, said Leslie Friedman ’04, general manager for the Underground. “The University feels having (a manager) who is not an undergrad will get rid of concerns about underage drinking,” she said. The overseeing manager will be someone with five years of bartending experience and an undergraduate degree, Friedman said. An undergraduate degree is necessary because they want a managLouis Tee / Herald
Recent U. grads work for John Edwards BY PHILISSA CRAMER
More than 1,200 miles separate James Katz ’03 and Andy Golodny ’03, but they are working for the same man — Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, one of nine Democratic candidates for president. Katz is a regional field coordinator for Edwards’ campaign in northwestern New Hampshire, and Golodny is a database manager in Edwards’ Iowa office. Katz works to sign on new Edwards supporters, who he said range from
see PROTEST, page 4
“Buddy” still in the media spotlight BY SUV BOSE
Even incarceration can’t keep former mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci out of the spotlight. “The Prince of Providence,” a book by Providence Journal reporter Mike Stanton, has been a fixture on the New York Times bestseller list since its release in August. There’s even talk of a Cianci-inspired movie. Stanton spoke about the infamous former mayor and read from “The Prince of Providence” Saturday afternoon in Starr Auditorium. An account of true stories and integrated perspectives, Stanton’s book examines the life of Cianci, who was
convicted of racketeering in June 2002. “The book tells the good, bad and the ugly of Providence,” Stanton said. “Providence was a smudge on the highway to Cape Cod,” he said, reflecting on his childhood memories of the city. Stanton’s audience laughed with him as he read passages from his book, illustrating the duality of a man considered by locals to be both a villain and a hero. “He offered unemployed men jobs in his office and helped the elderly cash their social security checks,” Stanton said. Yet he was also imprisoned in the 1980s for assaulting his estranged wife’s lover. see BUDDY, page 4
everyday citizens to state assembly representatives. “It’s the most basic grassroots level of politics,” he said. And Golodny is building and maintaining a list of voters and activists who can be called on for support. Both men had significant experience working for political campaigns in the past. Golodny worked for Bill Bradley during his 2000 run for the Democratic presidential nomination and for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 senatorial race. Katz said he researched potential Democratic candidates in one of Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller’s seminars last year. He came to the conclusion that only Edwards could unseat the current presidential administration. “That isn’t a reason to work for someone,” Katz said. “It’s a reason to vote for someone.” But when Katz heard Edwards speak in support of New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Jean Shaheen in 2002, the senator’s ability to bring a crowd of 600 “Democratic faithfuls” to their feet inspired him. Golodny also said he decided to work for Edwards’ campaign after careful consideration. “I was attracted to his youthful image,” he said, as well as a proposed policy that would subsidize students’ first years at
I N S I D E M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 0 3 Lack of guidance leads to call for search of Native American faculty member page 3
see UG, page 4
Student members of Brown’s South Asian Women’s Collective protested racial profiling.
First Dump and Run sale over the weekend features 400,000 discarded items page 3
Brian Rainey ’04 says LGBT communities must fight backlash to gay rights advances column, page 7
public colleges and universities in return for service. Katz was active in Brown College Democrats, serving as acting president for one semester, and worked on several campaigns in Rhode Island. But he said his work as rush chair for Alpha Epsilon Pi gave him the best experience for his current work. “The work of selling an idea to people is a unique skill that I wouldn’t have otherwise learned,” Katz said. Katz said Edwards’ leadership is magnetic, pointing to an outdoor rally two weeks ago where 200 participants — four times the number expected — showed up. Even though it was dark and cold, Katz said, nearly 50 people stayed after the speech to talk about what they had just seen. “That was when I knew we were doing something special,” he said. Golodny was also originally assigned to work in New Hampshire but was switched at the last moment, a move he said has allowed him to experience a new region. “We have nothing like the Iowa State Fair in the Northeast,” he said. Golodny said his experience brings to life his studies as a political science concentrator at Brown. “(The office is) very War Room-like, or see EDWARDS, page 4
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T M. soccer claims weekend of victories, defeating Stanford and Wisconsin sports, page 8
Field hockey wins first games of the season against the Big Green and BU sports column, page 8
partly cloudy high 77 low 63