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F R I D A Y OCTOBER 10, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 90

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

Campus life improvements could be reality next semester

www.browndailyherald.com

Mayor Williams wants to make D.C. “a city of democracy”

BY KRISTA HACHEY

The Undergraduate Council of Students submitted a report outlining plans for 24hour study spaces, universal card access and improvements to study spaces at a time when it has been granted unprecedented access to the Corporation’s October meeting. The Brown Corporation and University administration received the Report on Short-Term Campus Life and Student Services Improvements on Wednesday. Members of the Corporation met with the UCS Executive Board Thursday night and expressed a willingness to communicate about changes to the campus as they occur, said Sonia Gupta ’06, chair of the UCS Admissions and Student Services Committee, which worked with the Council’s Campus Life Committee on the project. “This document is one of the first major projects that UCS has accomplished this year,” Gupta said. According to the report, most of the recommendations could be implemented as early as next semester. The general theme of the document and its proposals is “late-night, all-thetime access,” said Chair of UCS Campus Life Committee Ari Savitzky ’06, adding that the report includes possible costs for the recommendations. The report recommends creating a non-residential 24-hour study space with computer and dining resources — the most feasible option being the basement of Faunce House. The building’s central location, computing capabilities and dining facilities made the building particularly attractive, the report states. As part of a larger plan to create recreational and study spaces with 24-hour universal card access, “mini-clusters” — each with six computers and a printer — could be added to study lounges, the report recommended. Only 16 of the 24 card access boxes on campus have the

BY KIRA LESLEY

Other mayors have failed to create a vision for community improvement in Washington, D.C., where some of the richest neighborhoods in the country border some of the poorest. But this is exactly what Anthony Williams wants to do. Mayor Williams delivered the keynote address of the Anton Lippit Conference Thursday evening to a crowd of about 100 people in Sayles Hall. This year’s conference, put on by the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, focuses on community building in the 21st century. In his address, which was titled “Community Building: Neighborhood by Neighborhood,” Williams described Washington’s unique history as a federal city, discussed some of the problems Michael Flaxman / Herald

DC Mayor Anthony Williams spoke about community improvement in Sayles on Thursday.

Queer Alliance camps out to stamp out hate BY ALEXANDRA BARSK

A circle of approximately 50 flickering candles, held by members of the Brown community, lit a dark Main Green Thursday night. Students and faculty members staged a Queer Alliance-sponsored campout to raise awareness of homophobia on campus. What started out at 9 p.m. as a small group steadily grew throughout the evening. The event began as an open discussion to address the presence of hate on campus. Several members of the administration, including University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson and David Greene,

see CAMPUS LIFE, page 5

U.S. continues sanction mistakes with Cuba, but cooperation is on the rise BY JONATHAN HERMAN

The United States has “a capacity to unlearn” lessons learned in the past with Cuba, said Jorge Dominguez, director of Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Thursday. “One can count on the United States to make very helpful, stupid mistakes,” he said. In a speech at the Watson Institute Thursday, Dominguez discussed how the U.S. policy has led to the current tenuous Cuban-American relationship. “There are moments when one

believes that the U.S. government will be able to act effectively, carefully and with an element of real insight,” Dominguez said, “followed by circumstance(s) when the same set of officials, the same president and the same secretary of state get it very, very wrong.” Dominguez used the Cuba Libre cocktail — a combination of Cuban rum and Coca-Cola — as a metaphor for America’s role in Cuban life. “Here is a celebration, a festive opportunity to toast Cuban independ-

interim vice president for Campus Life and Student Services, were present to show their support. Some students directed their questions and comments toward Greene. Those present discussed the recent alleged hate crime in the community as well as how smaller instances of homophobia should be treated. In the past, when there was an incident involving the writing of homophobic remarks on the whiteboards in Keeney Quad, Greene said the University sent out notes to all residents of the dorm, making them aware of the incident and citing the behavior as unacceptable. But, he said, the University must be cautious when sending out communitywide notifications because people can become numb to them and the notices may lose their impact. Ashley Harness ’05 welcomed the group, saying she wished the campout would serve to reclaim space and create a safe environment for people to share their hopes. She said she wanted the community to break down the stereotypes and labels that it attaches to one another in order to move forward. Harness opened the circle to further discussion by sharing a poem by June Jordan. Other students contributed by singing, reading poetry and an excerpt from a queer performance piece and sharing personal experiences and opinions. Students raised various issues, including whether the alleged hate crime would

see WILLIAMS, page 4

Former president of Brazil says democracy is of primary concern BY MICHAEL RUDERMAN

Democracy should be the fundamental issue for the world to address, not security. But the world is headed in the other direction, threatening the international order, said former President of Brazil and professor-at-large Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In the second lecture in the Global Security Seminar Series offered by the Watson Institute for International Studies, Cardoso spoke Thursday of the deterioration of the world order and its consequences for the spread of democracy. The global community is so focused on its security needs that it has stopped looking for prospects for development, he said. This shift from development to security is due in part to “a less cooperative world order,” he said. He said he believes the deterioration of the international community is fueled by institutions at the global level that are unable to solve the world’s problems. Cardoso offered the World Bank as one example. Run by Americans and Europeans, the World Bank is too “weak to cope with the worldwide necessities of development,” because it has limited funds. The World Trade Organization is also undermined by wealthy countries,

see CUBA, page 4 see QUEER, page 5

I N S I D E F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 0 3 Coming home to R.I., Pulitzer-Prize winning Jhumpa Lahiri reads from her first novel page 3

Six coals, three diamonds and two cubic zirconia make it a crummy week diamonds & coal,page 6

safeRIDE leaves columnist LittenbergBrown ’04 stranded and less safe, he says column, page 7

see BRAZIL, page 5

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Cross country runner DeCoste ’04 sees finish to year-long knee rehabilitation journey sports, page 8

Weather-plagued practices and tournament hinder men’s golf at Toski sports, page 8

cloudy high 73 low 48

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

W E AT H E R FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

High 73 Low 48 partly cloudy

High 71 Low 46 mostly sunny

High 69 Low 47 showers

High 68 Low 44 mostly sunny GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Three Words Eddie Ahn

MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Kale & Linguica Soup, Hot Turkey Sandwich with Sauce, Corn Souffle, Sugar Snap Peas, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cake, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

V-DUB LUNCH — Vegetarian Mexican Bean Soup, Lobster Bisque, BBQ Beef on a Bun, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Cauliflower, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

DINNER — Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Kale & Linguica Soup, Pizza Supper Pie, Stuffed Shells with Meat or Meatless Sauce, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Chives, Sunny Sprouts, Summer Squash, Yogurt Bread, Chocolate Krinkle Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cake, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

DINNER — Vegetarian Mexican Bean Soup, Lobster Bisque, Roast Turkey with Sauce, Vegan Roasted Vegetable Stew, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Whole Kernel Corn, Butternut Apple Bake, Yogurt Bread, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Greg Shilling and Todd Goldstein

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Cooking aid 5 Muscles 10 Was indebted to 14 Kyrgyzstan’s __ Mountains 15 Island gathering site 16 Like a mechanic’s rag 17 Start of a verse 20 “Midnight Cowboy” role 21 Slip 22 Proof word 25 Feathery throw 26 1959 Kingston Trio hit 29 More of the verse 34 Photo-__ 35 Oracle 36 Brings in 37 Office order 39 Oahu neighbor 42 Alpha-Bits maker 43 Thumbscrew ridge 45 Its atomic number is 30 47 Bonn pronoun 48 More of the verse 52 __ T 53 Patch, perhaps 54 Sphere opening 55 Not so hot 57 Four-star, in slang 61 End of the verse 66 Novelist Turgenev 67 “__ Kick Out of You” 68 Clanton foe 69 Kooky 70 Put at 000, say 71 Bar offerings DOWN 1 Retreat 2 __-Seltzer 3 Bluster 4 Eponymous engine 5 Deli request 6 Sign of support 7 Deep blue

8 Mustard family plant 9 Japan, in Japan 10 Slow movement 11 Real pro 12 Angular shape 13 Tint 18 “The great foes of reality”: Conrad 19 Custom 23 Dweeb 24 Service designation 26 Glum 27 Commonly removed tissue 28 It merged with Heineken in 1968 29 Solve the problem, with “out” 30 Ready for 31 Patriotic chant 32 Middle Eastern sect member 33 Coach’s unit 38 Chain-wearing “A-Team” actor 40 Opera that premiered in Cairo 1

41 Scientific org. 44 DVD reader 46 Jazz ensemble 49 Fix 50 Bit of emotion 51 Audio component 55 Like the awl snail 56 Finishes 58 Skirmish 59 Driver’s warning

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Raw Prawn Kea Johnston

Hopeless Edwin Chang

10/10/03

xwordeditor@aol.com

My Best Effort Andy Hull and William Newman

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: R O B E B I O S S C R I P L O P E M O A N S A B L E F O U L W A T E R F A M I L Y O R A N G E E L E C T E E B A N E B E L O R T H S H E L I N O P A L M S C O O P A T T A R A D O I T O O L D E N S M O K E S C R I M N A S A L T E D C H O U N B A V E R Y B A G S P A R C O H O A V O N I N C I T E V O W D I R E C T N I G H T F I R E A T O M E C C E I N U S E L Y R A B E A D Z E S T Y

60 It may precede a crash 61 Profession, casually 62 Sch. founded by Jefferson 63 Process leather 64 Southwestern native 65 Part of a repartee

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ganwyn has feelings too.

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CAMPUS NEWS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 3

For Pulitzer-winner Lahiri, it’s home sweet home BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET

Sara Perkins / Herald

Thursday night marked a homecoming of sorts for author Jhumpa Lahiri, who read from and answered questions about her new novel “The Namesake” to a packed Salomon 101. After a month of delivering similar lectures around the country, Lahiri returned to her native Providence and remarked, after a burst of applause, “I’m so happy to be home.” “The Namesake,” Lahiri’s first novel, is the follow-up to her much acclaimed collection of short stories, “Interpreter of Maladies.” Released in 1999, this work quickly received accolades from the literary world and enhanced her reputation as a new voice in fiction. This praise eventually led to the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, along with the PEN/Hemingway, O. Henry and The New Yorker Debut of the Year awards. Her notable success was enhanced by the fact that short story collections are not traditionally considered for such prizes. “‘The Namesake’ showcases skills for which Lahiri is known,” said Susan Schlesinger, a Brown University Bookstore representative who introduced the author. “In her ability to reveal and elucidate the immigrant experiences of both assimilation and alienation … Lahiri strikes a powerful emotional truth.” The novel chronicles the life of Gogol Ganguli, a U.S.born South Asian whose parents moved to Cambridge, Mass., from Calcutta in the late 1960s. Throughout the book, Ganguli struggles to balance his Indian heritage and American lifestyle. In the half-chapter Lahiri read to the crowd, common themes of identity and family background emerged as Gogol attempted to understand how his unorthodox name fit in with both American and Indian cultures.

Jhumpa Lahiri read from the third chapter of her new novel,“The Namesake,” in Salomon 101 on Thursday night.

see LAHIRI, page 5

ARTS & CULTURE REVIEW

Nervous reading belies confident prose BY LELA SPIELBERG

In a slightly nervous voice, Jhumpa Lahiri detailed the first day of kindergarten for Gogol Ganguli, the main character of “The Namesake,” her first novel. While deftly and sometimes humorously describing the typical American kindergarten — naptime, snack time, story time — Lahiri portrayed the discomfort Gogol and his Bengali family felt as they adjusted to a new life in New England. Lahiri’s chosen excerpt from “The Namesake” represented her writing style perfectly. Her prose was light and comfortable, her characters genuine, her story enlightening and heartfelt. As Lahiri read from her chosen passage, the audience was almost able to forget that the author is a beautiful, fashionable woman in her mid-30s. She captured the formation of personal identity spectacularly by lingering on important details, such as the difference between American and Bengali nicknames and the pleasures felt by Bengali children when buying American grocery store food (in particular, Shake ‘N’ Bake and individually-wrapped cheese slices). It was these details that created a vivid picture for many of her see REVIEW, page 5

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003

Cuba continued from page 1 ence,” he said. “But it is not possible to think of a Cuban independence … about the very nature of being Cuban, without thinking about the United States. “It is very hard to disentangle the sense of being a Cuban from the sense of the relations of the United States,” Dominguez added. Dominguez said confidencebuilding measures have made it possible for both countries in the “highly militarized and highly contentious” area of Guantanamo Bay to cooperate. Allegations that Cuba has been developing nuclear and biological weapons and harboring foreign terrorists have impeded détente, Dominguez said. He said most of these claims have proven false.

“Cuba finally did sign the two most pertinent and wellknown non-proliferation (of nuclear weapons) agreements,” he said. Despite strict economic sanctions and stressed relations, America is one of Cuba’s top 10 trading partners and the country’s principal academic partner, according to Dominguez. “If you ask what some of the relations that work best in U.S.Cuban relations, the list will surely be short,” he said, “because most things don’t work very well in U. S.–Cuban relations.” Yet, Dominguez said, cooperation on migration and drug trafficking would make that short list. He said the two nations also cooperate daily on security issues. Dominguez called one policy a mistake — the Helms–Burton Act of 1996, which he called “wholly inoperative.” The act

formalizes U.S. sanctions against Cuba and includes the right to deny American visas to executives and majority shareholders and their families of companies that have invested in property belonging to American companies before the Cuban Revolution. Because enforcement of Title 3, which allows Americans to sue to reclaim their seized property, is nearly impossible, Dominguez said it has been regularly waived since it was passed. “It was waived by President Clinton, it was waived by President Bush,” he said. The lecture, “The Past, Present and Future of U.S.Cuban Relations” was part of the Watson Institute’s Director’s Lecture series on contemporary international affairs. Herald staff writer Jonathan Herman ’07 can be reached at jherman@browndailyherald.com.

Williams continued from page 1 currently facing the city and outlined his plans for dealing with these problems. Williams described Washington as a city designed with “audacity, ambition, inspiration.” He referred to Thomas Jefferson’s attempt to move the Prime Meridian to Washington, which would have made the city the world’s “commerce capital,” as an example of the bold spirit upon which the city was founded. Williams said he sees three major priorities for Washington: education, public safety and investment in the economy, all of which should result in expansion of opportunities for District citizens. The population is deeply stratified in relation to all three of these areas, he added. Williams noted that, while the city can boast that it has one of the country’s most educated populations on average, in reality, “white kids are some of the best performing students in the country and African-American and Hispanic students are at the opposite end of the spectrum.” He also said 40 percent of District residents read at a third-grade level. To address this issue, Williams said he has invested $200 million in the city’s school system during his two terms as mayor. But in a move he described as unusual for a Democratic mayor, Williams said he is also implementing a school voucher system designed to help about 2,000 students in the short term. He said, though critics questioned whether school vouchers were in keeping with the political ideals of the Democratic Party, he supports them, at least on a trial basis, because “we need different options.” Williams described public safety in Washington as another issue of extremes. Some neighborhoods in the city are among the nation’s safest while others

are among the most dangerous, he said. “Every year in these neighborhoods 200 people die,” he said, “I call that a disaster.” Williams also discussed his role in getting the District’s longstruggling local economy moving. Although the city was in steep decline from the early 1970s onward, the District has shown the best post-Sept. 11, 2001 recovery of any city in the United States, he said. With normal economic growth, jobs will come, but citizens need to be educated in order to be ready for these jobs, he said. “There’s no training in the world that can get people from a third-grade level to high-tech,” he said. “We can get you the training, but it isn’t going to do any good without education.” When asked whether Washington would ever have voting representation in the U.S. House and Senate, Williams said the credibility he’s brought to the city, he feels it is a real possibility. Williams said he felt critics in the past opposed Washington’s attempts to create a more autonomous local government because they viewed the city as a “wreck.” He described Washington’s lack of full congressional representation as “outrageous” and noted that District citizens pay the third highest federal income taxes per capita of any state. He said he hoped bringing the first 2004 presidential primary to Washington would raise the candidates’ awareness of the representation issue. Williams said he sees a bright future for the District and for American cities in general. He noted that although there is much work left to be done, he feels he has been reasonably successful in achieving his goal to “bring people in (and) lift people up.” With the right vision and management, Washington can be “not just a collection of monuments to democracy but a city of democracy in all its living, breathing forms,” Williams said.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Lahiri

Brazil

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The crowd reacted with both an obvious appreciation of Lahiri’s message and an ability to enjoy the subtle humor of her writing, as reflected in several brief eruptions of laughter. In a question-and-answer period following the reading, many of the audience’s questions focused on Lahiri’s status as an ethnic writer and the influence this has on her content. Several audience members inquired about Lahiri’s creative process and what advice she would have for aspiring authors. “There really is no rhyme or reason to how a story gets written. They can start in all sorts of strange ways,” Lahiri said on what inspires her to write about the topics that resonate throughout her work. She emphasized that her South Asian heritage in no way prevented her from becoming a published author and that she faced few setbacks because of her minority status. “My advice to an up-andcoming South Asian writer would be my advice to any upand-coming writer, which is just to write the best book you can,” she said. “When you think it’s ready, show it to someone … and see what happens.” Lahiri said that she felt no pressure to conform to what the publishing world expects of an ethnic writer, adding that she prefers topics that deal with ethnicity because of their personal relevance. Other members of the crowd wanted only to praise Lahiri for her uncanny ability to accurately portray the minority experience in America. “When I read her first book, I felt like I could connect with a lot of the characters, so I feel like I’m part of the story when I’m reading it,” said Manu Lohiya ’06. The crowd responded enthusiastically to both the content of “The Namesake” and the topics that Lahiri addressed in her introduction. “She was an excellent speaker and also very interesting,” said Dianne Thyret, who said she was drawn to the presentation because of her respect for “Interpreter of Maladies.”

including the United States, that choose to block free trade for their own self-interests, he said. Cardoso said that the U.S. intervention in Iraq is an example of how the United States also does not support the mechanisms in place for solving international disputes. Even so, he said he does feel that the opportunity in Iraq may provide “a new window for cooperation and development.” Establishing democracy there will require a moral element in addition to cooperation, he said. He also said values are necessary to handle the diversity in the world and thus foster cooperation. One cannot “expect to have a concrete homogeneity” in the world, but must “recognize the validity of other views,” he said. Respecting other viewpoints in the global arena has been a recurring topic of increased importance since the 1945 San Francisco Conference, which established the groundwork for the United Nations, he said.

Herald staff writer Robbie CoreyBoulet ’07 can be reached at rcorey-boulet@browndailyherald.com.

Queer continued from page 1 have garnered a different response had it involved race, class or sex instead of sexual orientation and whether a hierarchy of discrimination exists in the community. As the discussion progressed candles were passed out to everyone present and the group eventually rose to form a circle on the grass.

Campus life continued from page 1 capacity for universal access. After meeting with Card Access Systems Manager David Cardoza, UCS determined that updating all the boxes would cost around $79,000. Although many fitness improvements seem more feasible in the long-term, Savitzky said the joint committee hopes to soon see dorms furnished with fitness equipment. “Critics may call this document and the ideas it contains a Band-Aid solution,” he said. “This is not a Band-Aid solution. The administration often focuses on long-term projects and we need to make improvements that can be enjoyed by the people graduating in two years.” “(The report) has provided a terrific blueprint for making immediate improvements to campus life,” wrote Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene in an e-mail to the Herald. Greene shared the report with senior administrators of the University, faculty committees, campus life

The conference resulted in “an ambiguous charter about the future of mankind after World War II,” but laid the foundation for a world order of cooperation. The 1944-45 Bretton Woods Conference, which established the World Bank and International Monetary Fund also gave way to new hopes for globalization, he said. The Cold War thrust the issue of heightened security to the fore, intertwining the spread of democracy and the need for security. The current agenda in the United States, he said, is more concerned with security than development now that there is a war on terrorism. He advocates making the United Nations Security Council more effective. Cardoso said that it is easy to think of solutions and put them on paper but hard to implement them. There are intricacies of politics that make it difficult to shift the global focus on security back to one of development, he said. The next lecture in the series is “Weapons, War and Strategy: Nuclear Proliferation in the Bush Administration” on Oct. 21 at the Watson Institute.

department heads and faculty who have connections to campus life, such as faculty fellows. Greene said he met with UCS officers Thursday to discuss ways to include comments on the report from other students, especially those in dorms that would be affected by the changes. UCS will remain open to student input throughout the planning and implementation process, said Savitzky, who will also post a copy of the report on the UCS Web site. He said students could then give suggestions on the report. Members of the Council’s campus life and admissions and student services committees constructed the report, conducting hearings with the administration, compiling student opinion and including realistic objectives, Savitzky said. “We made a point to talk to as many administrators as possible to get a real sense of what is feasible and what isn’t,” he said. Herald staff writer Krista Hachey ’07 covers the Undergraduate Council of Students. She can be reached at khachey@browndailyherald.com.

Review

Although her protag-

continued from page 3

onists are usually

readers, often first generation immigrants themselves. Although her protagonists are usually Indian immigrants, Lahiri’s writing is not intended for any specific demographic. “I write about characters who inspire me. They are mainly South Asian because those are the best people I know best, but I don’t write for a particular audience. I just write stories I am compelled to tell,” Lahiri said. Lahiri said she feels her stories can reach out to anyone because they all deal with broader issues such as culture and identity. “Everyone has a culture they are trying to hold on to or come to terms with or shed. Everyone has some family,” she said. Lahiri brought her family on “The Namesake” tour with her and was accompanied by her husband and baby son throughout most of the trip.

Indian immigrants, Lahiri’s writing is not intended for any specific demographic. An audience member asked Lahiri if she ever felt unsettled, being part of both Indian and American cultures. Lahiri responded, “I wish sometimes I could be one thing or the other thing. I grew up with parents who knew where home was, even if they weren’t physically there (in India).” As the Rhode Island native warmly greeted the audience, she said, “I’ve been touring for a month, and I’m so happy to be home.” Looks like Lahiri has found her home after all.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Diamonds and coal A diamond to the chocolate-covered strawberries at Ruth Simmons’ backyard senior study break. But coal to the fakers who used the old “bathroom emergency” excuse to get a glimpse of the president’s boudoir. Coal to trying to repave all the cross-streets at the same time. At 6 a.m. During midterms. Coal to the general slummification of Minden. Johnson and Wales kids don’t live here anymore, silly robbers. No cash here! We only carry our platinum cards. So please leave us alone, okay? A diamond to Allan Siegal, who totally did not “suck.” Or, as the New York Times would say… Wait. We’re not quite sure. But it wouldn’t say, “f***ing awesome.” Coal to UCS for not knowing its own Listserv policy. We don’t want to say, “We told you so,” but… Coal to lanyards. C’mon people, are you fourth grade latchkey kids or something?

ANDREW SHEETS

A cubic zirconium to Columbus Day. We’re pro-long weekend, but the massacring of native peoples ain’t so hot.

LETTERS

Coal to the little ditty George wrote for Laura. Frankly, there’s got to be something wrong with a marriage when you refer to your wife as a “lump” and feel threatened sexually by Jacques Chirac. A cubic zirconium to Senior Class-sponsored speed dating. A nice idea or an opportunity for people who shouldn’t be dating to interact with others? You decide. Coal to the voters of California for electing Arnold to the Governor’s Office. Go secede with Quebec, you fascists. A diamond to the Vermonster. That sickly-sweet sludge is the tastiest way to spread mono.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Elena Lesley, Editor-in-Chief Brian Baskin, Executive Editor Zachary Frechette, Executive Editor Kerry Miller, Executive Editor Kavita Mishra, Senior Editor Rachel Aviv, Arts & Culture Editor Jen Sopchockchai, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Campus Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor Philissa Cramer, RISD News Editor Maggie Haskins, Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, Sports Editor

BUSINESS Jamie Wolosky, General Manager Joe Laganas, Executive Manager Joshua Miller, Executive Manager Anastasia Ali, Project Manager Jack Carrere, Project Manager Lawrence L. Hester IV, Project Manager Bill Louis, Project Manager Zoe Ripple, Project Manager Peter Schermerhorn, Project Manager Elias Roman, Human Resources Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Elyse Major, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

PRODUCTION Zachary Frechette, Chief Technology Officer Marc Debush, Copy Desk Chief Yafang Deng, Copy Desk Chief Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Sara Perkins, Photo Editor

POST- MAGAZINE Alex Carnevale, Editor-in-Chief Dan Poulson, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Senior Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Senior Editor Micah Salkind, Features Editor Ellen Wernecke, Features Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor Jason Ng, Music Editor Colin Hartnett, Design Editor

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 7

Stranded by safeRIDE How the new safeRIDE system is actually making us less safe My friend was standing out here, thankfully not alone, at 12:45 a.m., waiting for a promised ride home that was not materializing because all the escort drivers were either a) not doing what they were supposed to be doing or b) on a break. what they were doing or why they were taking so long to complete routine stops. Furthermore, he informed me one of the drivers was on break, so they were short one van. At this point I was too shocked to say much, to think that my friend was standing out here, thankfully not alone, at 12:45, waiting for a promised ride home that was not materializing because all the escort drivers were either a) not doing what they were supposed to be doing or b) on a break. It was at this point that she decided to walk home. Here’s another problem with the safeRIDE shuttle service — I thought it was supposed to decrease the waiting time along the route. Instead, this year I have found myself on numerous occasions waiting for a good five or ten minutes at the Rock at two in the morning to catch the shuttle back to Machado, only to eventually give up and walk. Furthermore, has anyone actually figured out what the actual shuttle routes are? Apparently there are five routes, but the shuttles always seem to be headed in the wrong direction. So I find myself thinking about the old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and wondering why Brown decided to “fix” our old shuttle service.

I have a proposition; instead of the five confusing routes nobody understands anyway, we should just have the shuttle service go between Faunce and useful places in Providence. For instance, how about a shuttle down to the mall? I’m sure Brown students spend large amounts of money at Providence Place, so much that I bet we could even get the mall to subsidize the shuttle service, cutting back on our expenses. The safeRIDE service could thus be both cheaper and more useful. Also, while the shuttle is heading down the hill, maybe it could also drop us off on the weekends at some local dance clubs, or maybe even continue on to Broad Street so I can finally get some decent Dominican food. I can’t say I am completely familiar with the safeRIDE service, but I can say it has failed, and, I imagine, will fail us again. Ironically enough, when I got back to my room Monday night at around 1 a.m., I called a friend of mine who informed me there was a safeRIDE escort van waiting at the exact corner where I had waited for 45 minutes. It seems the service is working after all; as long as you don’t expect to be where you need to be on time and have friends who are willing to wait on deserted street corners in the biting cold.

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I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO WRITE tion with the lateness of the escort would about the recently proposed Personal have been enough stimulus for this article, Responsibility and Individual but previous observations and the outcome Development for Everyone bill. But, after a of last night’s debacle have further inspired cold and frustrating 45 minutes waiting for me. I was sitting in Antonio’s on Sunday night the safeRIDE escort Monday night, I cannot when I noticed a safeRIDE think of any better way to use shuttle parked in front of the this bully pulpit than to decry College Hill Bookstore. the incompetence and absurdity Strange, I though to myself, of the new safeRIDE system. My why isn’t this shuttle running friend, on campus for a lateright now? I decided to ignore night dance practice, lives off it until I saw another campus, so she called the escort safeRIDE van pull up in front service at 11:40 p.m. to pick her of Antonio’s. I watched the up. The dispatcher told her the driver get out of the minivan escort would pick her up at midand walk right past me inside night. Given the early phone call to get a slice of pizza. Now and promised schedule, I did MICHAEL LITTENBERGthis was very strange, I not hesitate to wait a few minBROWN thought, if two of the utes with my friend for the TO BE ANNOUNCED safeRIDE vans were parked escort to pick her up from the right here in front of Antonio’s deserted street corner. To our on Thayer Street, then clearly immense frustration, by 12:45 a.m. the escort had still not arrived, so my they are not making their scheduled rounds or pick-ups around campus. This must be friend decided to risk the walk home. The first problem is the unexplainable 45 why the shuttle service is so erratic, driving minute delay. If it had not been for the few around campus without any consistent of us who waited, this friend would have schedule — they are leaving friends such as found herself waiting alone on a street cor- mine standing on deserted street corners ner for an escort that never came. Given the late at night so the drivers can grab a slice of numerous crimes reported to Brown police, pizza. I was not totally convinced of the incomone would think the shuttle and escort service would be particularly attuned to petence of the new system until last night. keeping to a tight schedule (in order to After 30 or 35 minutes, I decided to call the avoid leaving students standing on desert- escort service and ask why the van was so ed street corners late at night). My frustra- late. Trying to contain the frustration audible in my voice, I asked the student dispatcher why he had told my friend at 12:05 Michael Littenberg-Brown ‘04 wonders a.m. the escort would be arriving “within what would happen if Ruth was left waitfive minutes.” The student replied that he ing for 45 minutes by safeRIDE. had no idea where the escort vans were,

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS FRIDAY OCTOBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 8

Week 6 degrees of Kevin Faulk THESE PICKS HAVE BEEN MADE against the Skybook odds and, as always, are for recreational purposes only. This week’s picks are dedicated to “the Governator” and moving one step closer to fulfilling the prophecy of “Demolition Man.” (Home team in CAPS) Last Week – 5-81 Season – 40-30-4 Lock of the Week – 4-1 Giants (+2.5) over the PATRIOTS – Jim Fassel is undefeated in games following JOSHUA TROY weeks in which, on SPREADING THE LOVE consecutive days, the New York Post and New York Daily News both suggest he should be fired. The Giants also brought in Matt Bahr for a kicking tryout. He was retired for eight years and working as a pizza deliveryman, but as an NFL kicker, you aren’t retired until you are dead. REDSKINS (+3) over the Buccaneers – Laveranues Coles is suffering from “Keyshawn Johnson Disease,” the inability to score touchdowns despite averaging over 80 receiving yards. Fortunately for Washington, Tampa Bay should still be hung over from its devastating Monday night loss and the first leaping penalty in 50 years. BROWNS (-3) over the Raiders – Did the Raiders just wake up one morning and realize they were old? Was it that they started driving 45 on the highway, the AARP membership or Jerry Rice’s decision to wear his pants at his bellybutton? Losing to the Bears in this day and age is like getting below a 400 on the SATs: it should be impossible. COLTS (-5) over the Panthers – Two undefeated teams enter and one team leaves. While in an imaginary jungle the panther would eviscerate the colt, in the NFL, Jake Delhomme is not fit to carry Peyton Manning’s runner-up Heisman trophy. If “the Edge” plays, this one will be a blowout. Chiefs (+1.5) over the PACKERS – Dante Hall is a P.I.M.P. in every sense of the word, and would come close to rivaling 50 Cent if not for the huge disadvantage in gunshot wounds. If Priest Holmes starts finding the end zone again, this team may not lose until the AFC Championship Game. As for Green Bay, it doesn’t take a magic eight ball to tell you that Brett Favre is due to throw at least two interceptions. Texans (+10) over the TITANS – Tennessee has embraced the wave of the future, one player who can kick and punt. If Craig Hentrich could play running back and safety, he would redefine the nickname “Slash.” Don’t get me wrong, the Titans will win this game – just not by 10 points. Dolphins (-3) over the JAGUARS (LOCK OF THE WEEK) – In case you do not watch E!, Ricky Williams is set to spoof “The Predator” in “Scary Movie 3.” Sadly, Arnold and Jesse will not be playing themselves in the film. Ricky will be filming the role this week, since Miami could beat Jacksonville with a dolphin at running back. SAINTS (-5.5) over the Bears – At least this week, New Orleans is also a favorite over Val Kilmer’s “The Saint.” Chicago was the beneficiary of the “Perfect Storm” and somehow pulled off the win last week. That will end up being the Bears’ only win of the season.

DeCoste ’04 conquers doubters, injury in return BY GRANT SMITH

Sara Perkins / Herald

Michael DeCoste ’04 overcame serious knee problems to rejoin his teammates.

Mother Nature not doing any favors for young m. golf team BY ADAM ROYSTER

The week before the Toski Invitational in Amherst, Mass., the men’s golf team knew its chances of finishing in the top seven of a 25-team field for consecutive years had diminished. A nearly all freshmen event, the Sept. 28 and 29 invitation was washed out due to poor weather. Having placed 10th in the 19-team Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 20 and 21, Head Coach Ed Hanley said he and the team knew younger players would have to step up for its first Ivy League golfing event. Except for Lanny Benson ’07, none of the other three freshmen played in the season-opening Dartmouth Invitational. Heading into last weekend’s Toski Invitational, the team was without a tournament where it gains valuable experience. Nearly two weeks of straight practicing — some weakened by undesirable weather — could make a team overanxious for an upcoming event. At last year’s ECAC Championship in Hamilton, N.Y., Brown had its best finish, rounding out the top five. When Saturday rolled around, the golf team hoped to open up the tournament with a score that would better last year’s. But then it rained. The first day of play was cancelled, forcing the teams indoors. “It just didn’t work out for us,” Hanley said. “The first day we spent all day in the hotel.” Hoping Sunday wouldn’t force a second rainout in a row, the anxiety increased. Luckily, play picked up and

the tournament was cut in half to just one day. It was evident the team had not played 18 holes in nearly two weeks. The team placed 14th and last, ending with a total of 325. Harvard was Brown’s closest Ivy League competitor at ninth with a 313 total, while the only other Ivy Leaguer, Dartmouth, finished tied for fourth at 309. Individually, it was no surprise Captain Jason Ricketts ’04 and freshman phenom Benson led the Bears with 79 each, putting them in the middle of the pack at 33 of the 70 golfers. Hitting the links for their inaugural appearances at the Ivy League stage were first-years Aaron Telch ’07 and Greg Werntz ’07. Telch finished his first 18 holes three strokes behind his other two teammates with an 82, while Werntz had a rough first outing ending Sunday with a 95. “The effort was there. The guys were trying to put it all together, but the weather just did not cooperate at all,” Hanley said. Their solid performance back at Dartmouth reflected the team better, he said. The team’s ability to average daily totals between 300 and 310 will give it a better shot of competing. “But hitting 325,” he said, “is just not what you want to do.” The team’s next competition — the New England Championship — is not for another two weeks. For now, range balls and the occasional nine or 18 holes will have to be enough for the team as it waits for the next tourney — weather permitting, of course.

As Michael DeCoste ’04 stepped up to the starting line for last week’s cross-country race, he saw the finish line of a yearlong journey. It began in October of 2002, when he was told he had calcium deposits in his knee and that surgery was needed for their removal. After the surgery, DeCoste was informed that the calcium had broken up and turned to arthritis. Doctors also told DeCoste that his rehabilitation would be lengthy and uncertain. “I was never directly told I would not run again, but the doctor said we would have to wait and see how it felt,” DeCoste said. “He was very skeptical.” So, DeCoste did what he was told, but refused to take his fate lying down. DeCoste worked on his quadriceps, swam laps and kept up his endurance by pedaling a stationary bike. “I had a couple of teammates who were injured at the same time,” DeCoste said, “and they helped keep up my morale.” A month after the surgery, DeCoste attempted to test the progress of his rehabilitation by going for a run. “I made it maybe 10 steps and I was shot,” DeCoste said. “That was tough. The doctor had told me to wait and see how things felt and things were not feeling well.” DeCoste held a meeting with his coach and decided he would continue trying to get back into running condition. “Even though he was not running, DeCoste was our biggest cheerleader,” said Matt Emond ’04. “He would come to every race even though for a time he was not on the roster due to his injury. He would stay in hotels and pay for everything himself.” DeCoste was told by a runner from his hometown that a doctor in Boston might be able to help him with his injury. He looked up the doctor and was fitted with a pair of orthotics designed to alleviate the pressure on the inside of his knee by displacing it elsewhere. After three months of rehabilitation and with the aid of the specialized orthotics, DeCoste decided to give running another shot. “It was New Year’s Day and I took off and ran for maybe two or three minutes and felt good,” DeCoste said. He was then convinced he could run competitively again and increased his training so that in the spring of 2003 he found himself as a competing member of the track team. As summer came DeCoste moved to Washington, D.C., where he lived with teammates Chad Buechel ’03 and Mike Keefrider ’04 and trained for his return to cross-country racing. “Everyone realized how serious DeCoste’s injury was, but we all knew he would do anything it took to come back,” Emond said. “DeCoste is dedicated to running — we lived near each other in high school and would meet for runs in the woods during the summer. He once told me that after the runs he would go home and do nothing but wait until our run in the afternoon.” On Sept. 27, DeCoste made his debut, finishing third for the Bears and twentyfourth overall at the Van Cortlandt meet in New York. “It was the most nervous I had ever been before a race,” DeCoste said. “For Mike to come back and have a great performance like he did took a lot of guts and courage,” said Assistant Coach John Gregorek. “Not a lot of runners would be willing to take the chances that he did.” The bittersweet truth is that in two months DeCoste will cross the collegiate finish line for the last time. DeCoste swears to maintain a post-collegiate relationship with running since, he said, he knows now how close he was to never competing again. “Mike lives and breathes running,” Emond said.