W E D N E S D A Y NOVEMBER 5, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 107
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
Southerners at Brown proud of heritage
Master Plan and capital campaign discussed at meeting
BY KIRA LESLEY
With former Southern specialties like Krispy Kreme donut shops opening in locales from Portland, Ore., to Cranston, R.I., the MasonDixon is becoming less and less of a dividing line for American culture and cream-filled pastries. But Brown students with southern roots say they strongly identify with the culture of Coca-Cola and “Gone with the Wind.” The number of Americans who consider themselves “southern” has decreased over the past decade, according to a recent Vanderbilt University study. The study found that from 1991 to 2001, the number of people living in the South who identified themselves as “southerners” decreased 7.4 percent, to 70 percent. But many Brown students who hail from the southern states are bucking this trend. When asked if he would describe himself as a southerner, Kent Haines ’07 of Birmingham, Ala., said without pause, “Definitely.” Joshua Cohen ’07 of New Orleans, also responded enthusiastically. “I certainly would. I think it’s nice,” he said. Many Brown students from southern states claim that being a southerner is a way of life, and Haines said beyond geographical boundaries, being southern means having “an emphasis on decorum and being polite.” Cohen says southern identity is made up of “a lot of little things,” like traditional manners and pace of life in daily activities. “Up here, people move faster. They walk at a faster pace, even if they don’t have anywhere to go,” Cohen says. Some students who strongly identify with southern culture also recognize variations in this identity. Quinney Harris ’06 of Holly Spring, Miss., says that as an AfricanAmerican southerner, he’s had a different experience from that of white southerners. African-American southerners experience what author W.E.B. Du Bois called a “double consciousness,” meaning they are always aware of their identity both as African Americans and as southerners, he said. Vidya Putcha ’07 said her experience as a minority in the South was different from the experiences of her white friends. Some southern students say they encounter regional stereotyping at Brown. Putcha said people at Brown are often surprised to find out she is from the South. Non-southerners expect people from the South to be slow, uneducated and naive, she said. Harris said that in some ways being a southerner on campus is like being a minority because “if you’re a southerner, you have to prove yourself.” But not all the stereotypes southerners encounter at Brown are negative ones. Haines says he enjoys being thought of as a “good southern gentleman.” Many southern students say New Englanders lack an awareness of southern culture and southerners are equally unfamiliar with New England culture. “No one — very few people — knew where Brown was” at his high school, Cohen
www.browndailyherald.com
BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
Trustman’s question was one of the lighter moments in a debate where candidates addressed issues such as racism, gay rights and the continued role of the United States in Iraq. Several of the candidates used the event to continue to pressure front-runner Howard Dean regarding a statement that appeared in the Nov. 1 Des Moines Register that he wants to be “the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks.” “You are not a bigot, but you appear to be too arrogant to say, ‘I’m wrong,’
The leadership of Brown’s capital campaign has secured several major gifts and will announce them within the next month, said President Ruth Simmons Tuesday at a faculty meeting. Simmons and other campaign leaders have been meeting with potential donors "on a daily basis," she said, necessitating constant travel on her part. The process has been "taxing but exhilarating," Simmons told faculty members, especially after she confirmed a particularly substantial gift this week. "I was walking on air," Simmons said, of leaving the donor’s office. "I think this is going to be a great, great campaign." Also in Simmons’ report to the faculty was news of last month’s Corporation Weekend. The Corporation approved architect Frances Halsband’s Master Plan, which lays out basic principles for the University’s physical growth. The plan, which will be on the Brown Web site within the next two weeks, according to Executive Vice President for Planning Richard Spies, suggests in particular the return of houses owned by the University to their original use, Simmons said. Of the 233 buildings Brown owns, over 100 of them are houses, she said, and many of them remain unused. A number of these houses may be available for sale to faculty and staff in the near future, Simmons said, with provisions that the University may also buy them back. The Corporation also approved plans for the Life Sciences Building and for the recently purchased 70 Ship St. building, both currently under construction. Discussion in the Corporation’s
see KERRY, page 6
see MEETING, page 7
Krista Hachey / Herald
After the America Rocks the Vote Democratic forum in Boston, Brown students got some face time with presidential candidate John Kerry.
Pot and PCs: Presidential candidates debate BY KRISTA HACHEY BOSTON — Macs or PCs? Brown’s contri-
bution to the CNN-sponsored America Rocks the Vote Democratic forum in Faneuil Hall, featuring eight presidential candidates, may already be destined for the sort of infamy once reserved for the “boxers or briefs” grilling Bill Clinton took in 1992 at a similar forum. “Handheld, wireless,” Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut replied with a grin to Alexandra Trustman ’07, as other candidates chose one or the other before moderator and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper moved on to weightier issues.
Prof. examines radical faith BY JANE TANIMURA
Paul Buhle, senior lecturer in American civilization, urged students to consider the political and spiritual potential of radical faith at the convocation of Faith in Action month, sponsored by the Faith-Based Activism Coalition. Buhle opened the convocation, held in Faunce House, by playing a song by reggae artist Jimmy Cliff. The simplicity of Cliff’s music belies its great spiritual energy, which is also at the core of all religions, Buhle said. In his lecture, Buhle examined the dominance of the “American empire” and its influence on religion. “An empire doesn’t just want money and power. It also wants our souls,” he said. Later on in the discussion, Buhle predicted that faithbased organizers will have a larger societal role in the future because the secular left is not doing well. Buhle also examined the institution of religion from the High Middle Ages to the present. He noted the significance see BUHLE, page 7
Sara Perkins / Herald
“It may be that spirituality is not the guidance for most of you,” said Paul Buhle, senior lecturer in American civilization, at the convocation of Faith in Action month. But he still urged students to,“think about it, work on it, talk about it.”
see SOUTH, page 7
I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 0 3 Racist quote rocks Brandeis; newspaper editor resigns in protest campus watch, page 3
A $1.8 million mistake: Boston University fires new president campus watch, page 3
The United Nations useless and hurts U.S. interests, Beale says column, page 11
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Underage drinking should not be top priority of Providence Police column, page 11
Men’s cross country pulls off historic win at Heptagonal League Championship sports, page 12
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