T H U R S D A Y MARCH 18, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 35
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
U. EXAMINING TWTP’S MISSION, LEGALITY Simmons tells UCS that TWTP must be open to all BY KRISTA HACHEY
The Third World Transition Program should be open to all students who want to attend, said President Ruth Simmons at Wednesday’s Undergraduate Council of Students meeting. Simmons said that the most urgent priority is to make sure the program’s admittance practices are not illegal and do not bar students with legitimate interest from attending. “We must not segregate, we must fight with everything we have to prevent segregation, and the program should be open to anyone who wants to participate in it,” Simmons said, when asked whether TWTP unifies or segregates first-year students. Simmons also said that if a program like TWTP were to only allow white students to attend, the program would be illegal. TWTP is a pre-orientation program “primarily for students of color,” according to its Web site. At the UCS meeting, Class of 2007 representative Johnny Lin ’07 asked Simmons whether opening the program to all students would “jeopardize the notion of ‘comfort zone’ that TWTP is known for.” “Everything is suitable to investigation and modernization,” Simmons responded. “The name ‘Third World’ is puzzling and we need to decide on whether it is the appropriate term and what groups we are trying to serve.” During the meeting, Simmons also acknowledged problems with the University’s response to hate crimes, saying that current University processes for responding to hate crimes are “formalistic, opaque and time-consuming.” But she added that student concerns about the discipline system are often the result of the system’s attempts at fairness. “The victim feels like people don’t care and are minimizing the importance of the incident and its effects,” Simmons said, whereas administrators are simply trying to adhere to objective practices. UCS President Rahim Kurji ’05 proposed a campus climate committee to support victims of hate crimes, an idea Kurji said the UCS executive board had discussed with Simmons at a meeting last week. The purpose of the committee would be to help Brown “move from a culture of reaction to a proactive culture of embrace and pluralism.” see UCS, page 5
Spring Weekend lineup Thursday, April 22
Blackalicious Reel Big Fish Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Saturday, April 24
Jurassic 5 Sleater-Kinney Sui Generis
TWTP open to white students, but only students of color invited BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET
Though white first-years are not formally excluded from attending Brown’s Third World Transition Program, organizers say they will continue to invite only students of color, despite other universities’ recent announcements that white students are eligible to attend orientation programs previously limited to students of color. TWTP is primarily intended for students of color, according to the program’s Web site, although organizers say all firstyears are technically permitted to attend. “No student is forbidden from becoming a participant,” said Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity Brenda Allen. “The program does not limit participation based upon ethnicity.” If a white student were to call and request to participate in the program, “I can’t say (that student) can’t come,” said Third World Center Director and Associate Dean of the College Karen McLaurin-Chesson. But the program encourages students of color to attend and was designed to serve all non-white domestic and international students, she said. Promotional materials about the program are not sent to all incoming firstyears, Allen said. “What (TWTP) has historically done is dealt with the minority experience,” she said. “We’ve targeted our advertisement to individuals who likely have that concern.” This year, 175 first-years participated in TWTP, which has been in existence for nearly 30 years. McLaurin-Chesson said she could not recall a white student participating in the program. Last June’s Supreme Court decision upholding colleges’ legal right to practice affirmative action in admissions held that the schools must accept and reject see TWTP, page 4
Paul Levande / Herald
At a lecture co-sponsored by The Brown Daily Herald and the Brown College Democrats Wednesday evening,M.Charles Bakst ’66 told students to be interested in politics,despite possible corruption.
Bakst ’66 urges students not to be disillusioned by corrupt politicians
Right?" in a sensual exploration of femininity by Sarah Burns ’04 and Audrey Lan McIntyre ’05. The next they are dressed in red and black, performing "Let It Bump!" choreographed by Clifford Voigt ’04, to a medley of hip-hop music. The celebration of cultures continues with "Beware of Qetesh," choreographed by Laura Nave ’06, a Middle East-inspired piece complete with gold belly chains and belly dancing. "Doundounba," by Kani Romain ’04, presents dancers in African dress in a traditional dance from Guinea. "Stomp the Pain" by Adriana Lopez ’04
for reducing corruption. “He used to say to me, ‘You’re going to miss me when I’m gone,’ and I never thought I would,” Bakst said. “And I don’t.” Current Mayor David Cicilline ’83 sets a tone completely different from Cianci’s, pushing Providence towards a new era, Bakst said. “He has a more hands-on and honest approach. He visits schools to get a handle on what is actually going on there. There is a sense of excitement still but no suggestion of corruption,” he said. Bakst also noted that the diversity of Cicilline’s staff and advisors shows a noticeable change in government policy and outlook since Cianci left office. Recently, voters have been especially concerned with the political ramifications of legalizing gambling, Bakst said. The state legislature is currently examining a bill that would allow the Narragansett tribe to run a casino in Rhode Island. Bakst said he believes tighter disclosure requirements and a more effective Ethics Commission could assuage voter skepticism and weed out political corruption. Bakst also urged Brown students to get involved in any issues they feel strongly about. “There is a terrific opportunity here to get involved in politics with much more effectiveness than in other states,” he said. He particularly encouraged liberal students to speak out in face of a conservative majority. For instance, Bakst highlighted the heated debate about legalizing single-sex marriages as an issue that particularly needs more liberal support. The majority of Rhode Island voters and democratic leaders, as well as Gov. Don Carcieri ’65, all oppose same-sex marriage, he said. Bakst urged politicians to make themselves more accessible to the public and praised the few he said try to do so. Bakst also discussed the role journalism plays in exposing political truths to the public but advised muckraking journalists to keep their readers in mind. "You want to give people a variety of issues and tones. If every column is angry, people won’t want to read it," he said.
see FUSION, page 5
see BAKST, page 4
BY STEWART DEARING
Despite a certain degree of corruption in Rhode Island and Providence government, Brown students should eagerly involve themselves in politics, according to the Providence Journal’s senior political columnist M. Charles Bakst ’66. Bakst reflected on the state of local politics and his experience as a journalist in a lecture cosponsored by the Brown College Democrats and The Herald on Wednesday night in the Chancellor’s Dining Room at the Sharpe Refectory. Bakst cited the state’s history of political corruption as a central problem with local governance. Former Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci, whose corrupt political tactics were exposed in detail in a 2002 federal trial, is part of this legacy, he said. In the past few years, two chief justices of the state’s Supreme Court have resigned, and both Cianci and the former mayor of Pawtucket have been imprisoned due to ethical issues. “Whatever the specific merit of a case, whenever there is an ethical case in Rhode Island, it adds to a legacy and rekindles public cynicism about politics,” Bakst said. Bakst said losing Cianci as a dynamic local personality was a small price to pay
Fusion’s cultural blend hits the mark again with annual show BY STEPHANIE CLARK
Hip-shaking, hand-clapping and the traditional call of "Fu-fu" "Sion!" all mark Fusion Dance Company’s 21st annual spring show, which the group is performing in Ashamu Dance Studio this week. The 18-piece show is a celebration of diversity and a rejection of societal labels. Infused with energy, passion and creativity, each piece is different from the next, highlighting different cultures and dance styles. One minute the Fusion dancers are dressed in black dresses and sequined garter belts and performing a jazz dance to Amy Irving’s "Why Don't You Get It
W E AT H E R F O R E C A S T
I N S I D E T H U R S D AY, M A RC H 1 8 , 2 0 0 4 Polish animation festival gives viewers taste of Eastern European film risd news, page 3
Tejumola Komalafe RISD ’05 wins grant for work with sign language risd news, page 3
Jonathan Liu ’07 says more is wrong with the New York Times than Jayson Blair column, page 7
The ghosts of slavery still haunt the campus, according to Will Tucker ’04 column, page 7
W. water polo loses weekend Ivy League tournament to Harvard University sports, page 8
THURSDAY
snow high 32 low 26
FRIDAY
snow / wind high 36 low 25