Issuu

F R I D A Y FEBRUARY 11, 2005

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 13 ARE YOU BEING SERVED? Benji Samit ’06 adapts Trey Parker for PW’s stage, and ‘Cannibal!’ leaves audience laughing A R T S & C U LT U R E 3

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S PEN? Andrew K. Stein ’06 seems to have been BCC’ed in Simmons’ correspondence OPINIONS

BACK IN WHITE M. basketball returns to the Pizzitola Center this weekend after nine-game road stretch SPORTS 8

TODAY

TOMORROW

snow 35 / 22

partly cloudy 38 / 21

Publishers UCS committee suggests ‘pods’ as storage solution source of rising textbook costs BY CHRISTOPHER CHON STAFF WRITER

BY JUSTIN AMOAH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The rapidly rising price of textbooks has the Brown Bookstore and other outlets looking for alternatives and ways to reduce the burden on Brown students. “Rip-off 101,” a study published Feb. 1 by the State Public Interest Research Groups, shows wholesale publishers have increased the costs of textbooks by 62 percent since 1994, more than four times the rate of inflation for all finished goods. According to the study, publishers frequently put out new editions of textbooks without making any significant changes, considerably increasing the costs of textbooks for students. On average, new editions cost 45 percent more than used copies of previous editions, the study found. Bookstore and Services Director Larry Carr recognizes the financial burden on students. Each Brown student buys approximately $500 worth of course books per semester from the Brown Bookstore, Carr said. That figure does not include school supplies and books that students purchase elsewhere, Carr added. Carr said 70 percent of the money students pay for course packets goes toward copyright royalties the Bookstore pays to publishers. The Bookstore has implemented many cost-containment strategies in an attempt to lessen the increasing financial burden put on students by publishers, Carr said. “Our biggest cost-containment effort is to focus on used books,” he said. The Brown Bookstore sells used books for 25 percent less than new books. Thirty percent of the textbooks sold in the Bookstore are used books, a percentage that is higher than some of Brown’s peer stores, including those at Harvard, Duke and Princeton universities, Carr said. Carr said the Bookstore pays approximately $75 to a publisher for a new textbook that will sell for $100. The remaining $25 is allocated towards the cost of freight, store staff, operating and overhead expenses. The Bookstore also buys used books from wholesale publishers, which it typically purchases for 33 percent of the original price, the industry standard, Carr said. The Admission and Student Services committee of the Undergraduate Council of Students is focusing on how to reduce the burden on students, said committee chair Brian Bidadi ’06. In the spring of 2003, UCS asked the Brown Daily Jolt to create a textbook exchange forum on its Web site. The Textbook Exchange allows students to determine their own price for textbooks. “It’s a win-win for students,” Bidadi said. Currently, there are over 1,200 books listed for 350 different classes on the Textbook Exchange, 500 of which were posted in the last month. Of those, 150 have sold, Jolt staffer David Gomel ’06 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “We are planning on redesigning the entire Textbook Exchange over the summer to make it more functional and practical,” Gomel wrote. Itiah Thomas ’07 said she uses a variety

An Undergraduate Council of Students ad hoc committee believes it has a viable solution to bringing back free on-campus summer storage for students. The committee plans to present its proposal for approval to the University within the next two weeks. The proposal, which has yet to be finalized in writing, calls for a system of portable trailers, or storage pods, to be strategically placed prior to the end of the school year. These locations would include the Main Green, Wriston Quad and Pembroke

Campus. Students would leave their belongings in the appropriate pods, which would then be driven to University-owned warehouses approximately 10 minutes from campus, where they would remain untouched for the summer. If approved by the University, the system would be available beginning this summer, meaning that pods would be scattered around campus later in the spring semester. David Greene, vice president for campus life and student services, said he encouraged UCS to look into the issue and come up with creative solutions for student stor-

SCHOOL DESEGREGATION

Kori Schulman / Herald

Professor of Sociology John Logan spoke yesterday about the partial desegregation of U.S. public schools. Early studies suggested that efforts to desegregate schools might be neutralized by white flight to other districts. However, metropolitan-level school segregation has declined substantially between 1970 and 1990, he said.

age. Though he has yet to see the official “pods proposal,” Greene said he was willing to work with UCS to find a solution. “I would be very much in favor to find some way to make it easier and less expensive for students to store their belongings over the summer,” Greene said. “I understand there were problems before, but I’ve got to imagine there can be a system better for students, whether it’s the pods idea or what else.” Ben Creo ’07, head of the four-person UCS committee, said the idea of the pods received a positive response from Richard Bova, Residential Life’s director of housing. Bova would most likely be the administrator overseeing the project, according to Creo. “We don’t think this proposal will get rejected,” Creo said. “There is enough support from the student body and UCS to get this passed. We think the issue will be clearly articulated to relevant administrators, and we fully expect a stamp of approval and funding.” The goal is to give students a place to store their larger belongings for free over the summer. Last year, the University stopped providing on-campus storage facilities, leaving students with a variety of relatively unattractive alternatives — pay for space through a professional storage company, ship belongings home, store belongings in a friend’s house, or throw items away. With the close of the semester and final exams, the task of finding a place to store refrigerators, televisions and microwaves for the summer becomes an added burden, students said, particularly for those who live far away. “People who live far (away) or foreign students can’t take anything home,” said Jacob Wallenberg ’05, an international student from Sweden. “We have to put our entire rooms in storage unless we can find a friend’s house. Then again, if we don’t own a car it gets more complicated. Also, we have to catch flights which have been booked in advance, so it’s very tight with finishing up see STORAGE, page 3

of avenues to avoid the prices in the Bookstore. “I go to the library to see if they have any of the books I need, I use the InRhode catalog (to find books from other Rhode Island libraries), buy books online or ask friends that have taken the course if I could use their books,” Thomas said. This semester, Thomas, an urban studies concentrator, said she has paid a total of $138 for books for three classes. Her fourth does not require any textbooks because all the readings are online. “I would assume the textbook industry is a lucrative business,” Thomas said. According to Carr, the Brown Bookstore is in a break-even business. “We’re usually a little over 1 percent per year on the bottom line,” he said. Bidadi said students could further decrease the prices they pay for textbooks if the Bookstore were to make available the course adoptions list, an index of all the books and packets required for each course. “One could search for the cheapest prices online for all their books (if the list were easily available),” Bidadi said. Carr said that making the list available might hurt business, but in the future it may be a feasible possibility. “The Bookstore is looking at our textbook

Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3269

see TEXTBOOKS, page 4

Students abroad use blogs in lieu of letters home BY TSVETINA KAMENOVA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Micah Salkind ’06 has to travel 45 minutes to get to his first class each morning. “I can no longer roll out of bed in Slater and get in class five minutes later,” he said. Salkind, a former post- executive editor, is currently studying abroad in Barcelona, but his friends and family are privy to the daily details of his life, including his commute. Everything about his life in Spain can be found on his online blog, from where he lives to which bar he visited last week. For students back at Brown, these entries are a personalized introduction into a foreign world, as well as a letter home from a friend. An increasing number of Brown students studying abroad have blogs or LiveJournals. Most writers, like Salkind, think of blogging as “an alternative to the annoying and longwinded e-mails” that usually circulate as a way to keep in

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

touch and inform friends. “It’s a more democratic format,” said Emily Pudalov ’06, who is spending the semester in Sao Paolo, Brazil. “If someone wants to know what is up with me, he can look at it. If he wants to comment on it, then everyone can see it,” she said. Blog content for students studying abroad ranges from sightseeing lists and discussion of classes to funny anecdotes and complete essays, and of course, many pictures. Friends at home can contrast the experiences of their traveling correspondents. For example, former post- Editor-in-Chief Ellen Wernecke ’06 writes of living with a family in Madrid, Spain — where she said everyone but the dog adores her — but her friend Pudalov shares an apartment with an old woman and her maid in Sao Paolo. Students often write essays about the cultural difficulties they experience. “Apparently American culture, in most see BLOGS, page 5

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005 · PAGE 2 Coreacracy Eddie Ahn

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS ‘SPOKEN WORD FROM THE HEART OF THE BEAST: DC’S FINEST POETS’ 8 p.m. (Rites and Reason Theater, 155 Angell Street) — A night of poetry, spoken word and hip-hop stylings featuring John Murillo, Jason Reynolds and the Poem-cees, sponsored by WORD!

CHINESE NEW YEAR’S BANQUET 7 p.m. (Andrews Dining Hall) — Come celebrate the coming of the Year of the Rooster with Brown Chinese Students’ Association. INTERVIEWING WORKSHOP 12 p.m. (Leung Gallery, Faunce House) — Prepare yourself for successful job or on-campus interviews at this info session. Hosted by the Career Development Center as part of Career Week, the workshop will review interview techniques and allow students to practice answering typical questions.

‘PRACTICING BUDDHISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY’ 7 p.m. (2nd Floor Manning Chapel) — Shambhala Tradition teacher Ethan Nichtern ’00 addresses Buddhism’s relevance to the 21st century at this talk and discussion hosted by the Brown Zen Community.

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Vegan Paella, French Green Beans with Tomatoes, Vegan Lightburgerse, Onion Rings, Black Bean Gardenburgers, Manhattan Clam Chowder, Vegetable Soup, Shepard’s Pie, Mocha Angel Dessert. DINNER — Rainbow Stuffed Peppers, Rice Pilaf, Asparagus Cuts, Baked Acorn Squash, Baked Potatoes, Grilled Cheese, Breaded Pollock Fillets with Tartar Sauce, Cajun Apple Cake.

Jero Matt Vascellaro

Penguiener Haan Lee

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Vegetable Barley Soup, Chicken Okra Bumbo Soup, Jaimie’s Spiced Chicken Wings, Baked Manicotti with Tomato Sauce, Corn and Broccoli Casserole, Snickerdoodle Cookies. DINNER — Vegetarian Vegetable Barley Soup, Chicken Okra Gumbo Soup, Pork Chops with Seasoned Crumbs, Tofu Parmesan, Cranberry Wild and White Rice Pilaf, Fresh Vegetable Melange, Wax Beans, Focaccia with Mixed Herbs.

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

CROSSWORD y ACROSS 1 Preservation aids 10 Building units 15 Is relentlessly antagonistic 16 Dietary label 17 It usually has a lot of fruit 18 Goat god, perhaps 19 The Green Hornet’s sidekick 20 Yarn 21 “Who __ kidding?” 22 Original “Star Trek” studio 24 Relative of nuts 25 Made cutting comments 29 Important fin. yardstick 31 Compassion, initially 32 Texas’s state tree 33 “Parsley/Is gharsley” poet 35 Dodger’s forte 37 Performer 38 Revolves around 40 One with many parts 41 Discount letters 42 Without feeling 43 Opposite of contrasts 44 Cruising 46 Bud from way back 48 Suffolk sucker 50 Father of Eliphaz 51 Healer 55 No longer a minor 56 Retro style 58 Potpourri piece 59 Drill command 60 Take four of four, say 61 Certain Protestants

DOWN 1 Hide 2 Screen pet 3 It’s just an act 4 Sonja Henie’s birthplace 5 Ravens’ gp. 6 Stunned 7 Met expectations 8 System of gunbarrel grooves 9 “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” group 10 “Kiss me as if it were the last time” speaker 11 Ruling body 12 Lingering sensation 13 He played Poopdeck Pappy in “Popeye” (1980) 14 Handheld transports 22 Challenged the accuracy of 23 ID holder 25 Covert govt. force

xwordeditor@aol.com

26 1959 Sinatra film 27 Words of empathy 28 What was 30 Bring into play 33 Pitch phrase 34 Little chip 36 Double Delight snack 39 “Most likely...”

43 Olympic wreath 45 Antifouling chemical target 47 Western buds 49 Cry 51 NYC locale 52 Razor brand 53 Describe 54 Become involved (with) 57 Seam find

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

18 20

43 46

42 45

24 30

22 25

Raw Prawn Kea Johnston

02/12/05 10

Homebodies Mirele Davis

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD, INC.

47 50 56

02/12/05

Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is published Monday through Friday during the aca-

Business Phone: 401.351.3260

demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and

Jonathan Ellis, President

once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box

Sara Perkins, Vice President

2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195

Ian Halvorsen, Treasurer

Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web:

Daniel Goldberg, Secretary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005 · PAGE 3

Audience eats up ‘Cannibal!’ BY JOEL ROZEN STAFF WRITER

Over the course of America’s legal history, hasty judicial procedure has led to the wrongful accusations, triREVIEW als and sentences of innocent men and women for crimes they may have never committed in the first place. Just ask Alferd Parker. In the 1870s, this gold prospector was canonized as the first and only American ever convicted of cannibalism –– and in retrospect, he probably wasn’t even a cannibal. Just when the sordid and embarrassing tale was about to become another for-

Storage continued from page 1 work for classes.” Prior to last year, students’ belongings were stored in the basements of dorms, but the growth of mold on and around items could not be controlled. There were also liability issues with regards to theft and students not retrieving and abandoning items. Creo said his committee’s proposal would not encounter similar problems because the pods would be self-contained, unlike the basements where water could leak from floors above. Also, once filled, the pods would be sealed for the entire summer, unlike the basements in Keeney Quad and other dormitories that several people could access during the sum-

gotten courtroom oddity, “South Park” creator Trey Parker decided to resurrect it as a musical. Welcome to the grotesque, twisted and sidesplitting world of “Cannibal! The Musical,” a satirical take on people who eat people, and the latest offering at Brown’s Production Workshop. Originally scripted for film (the movie version made it to theaters in 1998), the show has now been adapted for the stage by Benji Samit ’06, who also directed and produced. And what a show it is. A musical revue fashioned in the sentimental style of “Oklahoma!” but

with a little more tongue in a little more cheek, “Cannibal!” tells the tale of Alferd (Christian Luening ’05), a gold digger whose American dream consists of owning a ranch where he and his beloved horse, Leanne, can soak up the rays of a “sun as warm as a baked potato.” When he and a merry band of fellow miners embark on a quest for gold that will lead them from Utah to Colorado, they run into several obstacles, including an alienating and strangely competitive group of fur trappers, an American Indian tribe suffering an identity crisis and a

mer, according to Creo. Brian Bidadi ’06, another member of the committee, said the proposal should be approved because “most students” want to see the University provide some sort of storage space during the summer. “The reason this is a top priority (for UCS), and we have to make it a top priority, is because administrators have had trouble gauging how much of a priority for students it really is,” Bidadi said. “That’s because students don’t talk about where they are going to store their belongings until the time comes. We need to make it clear to the administration that this is a need that has to be addressed.” Sara Cunningham ’07 said she understands the University’s apprehension with possibly reinstating on-campus student storage space. “Actually, it makes a lot of

sense from both sides,” Cunningham said. “Obviously for the students, but also since the pods would be moved off of campus afterwards, from the University’s perspective: one, you provide students with oncampus storage, but two, you also remove some the liability that the University had when items were in the actual buildings the entire summer.” Cunningham said UCS’s planned proposal would be a viable solution for students and the University. “For the benefit of the people who aren’t willing to spend much money to get private storage facilities, it would be nice for the University to provide a bit of space,” Cunningham said. “But I understand the University’s concerns for insurance and security and all. After all, we have so many students here.”

see CANNIBAL, page 5

Def Jam poet, activist packs List BY CAMDEN AVERY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Suheir Hammad, a Palestinian-American poet, performer and activist, gave an innovative, percussive performance in List 120 Wednesday night. Met with cheers and applause, Hammad turned an apparent microphone test into her first poem, filling the packed room with her first intensely percussive string of words. In an event sponsored by 17 University organizations and departments, Hammad spent an hour reading and explaining her poetry, discussing her background — including her experience on the cast of Def Poetry Jam — and conversing with the audience. Despite the large crowd, the reading was more an intimate, dynamic conversation than a lecture. Her performance was marked by her animation and determinedness to interact with the audience. She paused after her introduction and first three poems to invite latecomers in the back to take the few open seats — and even asked the audience to applaud them for loving poetry. Hammad spoke about her experience performing on stage and workshopping for Def Poetry Jam in San Francisco. She said some people left when she introduced herself as Palestinian, and audience members held delib-

erate “coughing campaigns” to silence her poetry. Hammad was born in Jordan to Palestinian refugees and moved to Brooklyn when she was 5 years old. This experience, she said, was what led her to consider the importance of language being heard, and the failure of language to express the atrocities of warfare. She said this led to her poem “Beyond Words,” about torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. She addressed the intense political awareness of her work and her willingness to engage directly in political topics. “Why do I write?” she asked, after reading her first poem. “Because I have to. … Slavery persists, hunger exists and mothers cry.” The topics of Hammad’s poetry Wednesday night included the erotic exotification of women, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and political activists including poet June Jordan and protestor Rachel Corrie. One of Hammad’s poems was focused entirely on the story of Corrie, a 23-year-old U.S. college student who was killed in 2003. Corrie was run over twice by a bulldozer she was trying to passively prevent from demolishing the home of a Palestinian doctor. Like most of Hammad’s poems, this one was concerned both with national see HAMMAD, page 5

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005

Textbooks continued from page 1 automation system to make the course adoptions list available online instead of through printed materials,” he said. Other schools, including Princeton, make their lists available on the Internet. Adriana Bates ’06 said she had paid approximately $550 for books this semester. “The Bookstore has a monopoly on the students because the only other convenient book store (the College Hill Bookstore) closed down,” she said. Bidadi said he thinks the Bookstore should go non-profit, but Carr said that if the University were to begin subsidizing the

Bookstore, tuition costs would increase. Buy-back is one policy the Bookstore uses to help save students money. If a book is on the reading list for a class in the upcoming semester, the Brown Bookstore will buy it back for 50 percent of its original cost, Carr said. Carr said that last May the Bookstore paid out $150,000 to students for their used books. In December, it paid out about twothirds of that amount, he said. The Bookstore’s Web site has a listing of books that can be sold back for 50 percent of the original price for the semester. According to Carr, the Bookstore will consider extending

the buy-back period to a full year if it can get a commitment by professors to maintain their course readings and register them as soon as possible. Zachary Townsend ’08, a Herald copy editor and member of the University’s Bookstore Review Committee, said, “This is an issue that has been raised to the administrators, and hopefully will be addressed in the coming months.” “As booksellers and publishers we should be promoting books, their unique value and importance to education, instruction and learning, and to one’s personal self- education, thinking, development and awareness. In this sense, the value of the book is truly worth the price and a important resource that needs to be supported and maintained,” Carr said.

Sports continued from page 8 schools compete in the High Division of the Team Championships, to be played at Harvard next weekend. “The match we’ve really been gearing up for all season is Dartmouth,” Bailey said. For the women, Bruno has been ranked seventh all season. After losing last weekend at Yale, the country’s top-ranked team, Brown’s record stands at 6-5. A victory over the fifth-ranked Big Green would give the Bears a lot of confidence as they head off to Princeton to compete in the Howe Cup next weekend. — Phil Buffum

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Cannibal

Hammad

continued from page 3 continued from page 3 Confederate Cyclops. It’s an ominous road, and by the time the play has reached its only possible conclusion, the stage has been drenched in enough blood to supply several more remakes of Carrie. PW’s production is not to be missed for several reasons. Parker’s punchy, slapstick script calls for an ensemble that really works together. Director Samit’s cast features memorable turns from Adam Mazer ’08 as Indian Chief, who will not tolerate any non-member of his tribe; Cody Campanie ’08 as the sexually repressed Swan; and Douglas Benedicto ’08 as the trapper leader. The performance of the evening surely belongs to Luening, however, whose characterization of the tried man-eater brings both Chris Farley’s endearing lumpishness and Mel Brooks’ skilled timing to mind. The audience nearly lost it completely when Benedicto joined Luening onstage for a balletic dream sequence, complete with leotard and disturbing hand motions. Putting the frenzy together onstage must have been a daunting task, but Samit and his

Blogs continued from page 1 other countries, is just inherently offensive,” Pudalov wrote. While having dinner at a Brazilian friend’s house, Pudalov had offended the hosts by referring to her family back in the United States as white, thus bringing race into the conversation as a defining characteristic, which is considered distasteful in Brazilian culture. Salkind’s blog, on the other hand, is a project with two other

politics and with the politics of gender, and what it means to be a woman. Hammad’s poetry, in both rhythms and language, is a unique cross-section of racial and cultural dialects that correspond to the social conflicts she examines. Hammad said her style is influenced by “Arabic, Spanglish and Ebonics,” as well as U.S. vernacular and speech patterns she heard

growing up in Brooklyn. Her performance was punctuated by movement across the stage: her pacing, shoulder jabs, hand gestures, and the intermittent jangle of her silver bracelets. Her poems spoke with a distinct tone of defiant, aggressive dissatisfaction with the social ills she chooses as her subject matter. Hammad is the author of “Drops of This Story” and “Born Palestinian, Born Black.” She is a cast member of Def Poetry Jam on Broadway and the recipient of a 2003 Tony Award.

large crew don’t let on –– the staging is clean, original and quite professional-looking. Of particular note, the lighting by Spencer Collins ’05 and set design by Louisa Bukiet ’08 are both equally imaginative. If there is anything wrong with the production, in fact, it is probably the show’s length. At approximately an hour and a half, it’s too short. By the time the last collarbone is sucked dry, the audience can only hope there will be room for dessert. “Cannibal! The Musical” runs in the Production Workshop’s downstairs space between Feb. 11 and Feb. 14.

friends to chronicle their time abroad in pictures and provide descriptions of the main events, as well as the trivialities, of life. “Milestones include staying out all night until my train began running at 6 a.m. (and) dancing my ass off to great music with beautiful people,” Salkind wrote of one night. With entry titles like “Thievery, Jewelry and Debauchery,” the blogs make for a more exciting read than the scribbled reports found in the binders in the Study Abroad Library. Reading her friend’s online journal “makes me want to get out of here,” said Jessica Pan ’07.

Ad s w i l l a p p e a r i n T h e He ra l d o n Va l e n t i n e’s D a y, Fe b. 1 4 A L L A D S A R E P R E PA I D. D E A D L I N E I S F E B. 1 1

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Diamonds and Coal A long-overdue diamond to the induction of Fritz Pollard ’19 into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. His story should be better known than it is. Low-emissions coal to the suggestion that we cheat at Recyclemania. Don’t hate us because we’re so conservationminded that we don’t even have trash to recycle. A diamond to the observant student who, with the help of fleetfooted DPS officers, foiled thieves attempting to steal laptops from a room in New Pembroke. It’s not our idea of “community policing,” but whatever works. A cubic zirconium to the Rhode Island Senate’s discussion of delaying the expiration of Mr. Potato Head license plates. We love the lil’ spud, but aren’t there more pressing subjects that should be getting the state legislature’s attention? Coal to the Super Bowl halftime show. Not because it featured an aging Paul McCartney who now moves as fast as the Eagles’ offense did in the final minutes of the game, but because seeing McCartney lip-synch was more horrifying than anything that happened during halftime last year. A cubic zirconium to the University looking into legal music download services for students. It’d be great to have more music available than what everyone in the dorm has on iTunes, but isn’t the fun in downloading music that, well, it’s illegal? Coal to celebrating the start of the year of the rooster. For the sake of gender equality, shouldn’t we also be celebrating the year of the cat? A diamond to the men’s basketball team’s first home game since Dec. 21 tonight. Another diamond to the players for being such good sports about the whole “nine-game road trip” thing, but then again, they’re so young they probably don’t know any better. A diamond to last night’s activities fair, which gave students an opportunity to check out the various extracurricular opportunities on campus. But a coal to the fact that most of those joining new groups were supposed to be promoting their own.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Jonathan Ellis, Editor-in-Chief Sara Perkins, Executive Editor Christopher Hatfield, Senior Editor Lisa Mandle, Senior Editor Meryl Rothstein, Arts & Culture Editor Melanie Wolfgang, Arts & Culture Editor Justin Elliott, Campus Watch Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet, Metro Editor Stephanie Clark, Features Editor Kira Lesley, Features Editor Te-Ping Chen, Opinions Editor Ari Savitzky, Opinions Editor Chris Mahr, Sports Editor Ben Miller, Sports Editor

PRODUCTION Peter Henderson, Design Editor Katie Lamm, Copy Desk Chief Lela Spielberg, Copy Desk Chief Matt Vascellaro, Graphics Editor Ashley Hess, Photo Editor Juliana Wu, Photo Editor

BUSINESS Ian Halvorsen, General Manager Daniel Goldberg, Executive Manager Mark Goldberg, Senior Financial Officer Robert McCartney, Senior Accounts Manager David Ranken, Senior Accounts Manager Kathleen Timmins, Senior Accounts Manager Lisa Poon, Marketing Manager Ryan Shewcraft, Technology Officer Abigail Ronck, Senior Business Consultant Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Susan Dansereau, Office Manager POST- MAGAZINE Fritz Brantley, Editor-in-Chief Adrian Muniz, Executive Editor Sarah Gordon, Calendar Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Josh Cohen, Design Editor Marissa Hauptman, Photo Editor Ruthie Baron, Features Editor Jeremy Beck, Film Editor Paul Levande, Assistant Film Editor Jesse Adams, Music Editor

Deepa Galaiya, Night Editor Katie Lamm, Lela Spielberg, Copy Editor Senior Staff Writers Camden Avery, Alexandra Barsk, Eric Beck, Mary-Catherine Lader, Ben Leubsdorf, Jane Porter, Stu Woo Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Zachary Barter, Danielle Cerny, Christopher Chon, Stewart Dearing, Gabriella Doob, Amy Hall Goins, Dana Goldstein, Kate Gorman, Jonathan Herman, Leslie Kaufmann, Meryl Rothstein, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Stefan Talman, Jane Tanimura, Melanie Wolfgang, Anne Wootton Sports Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Phil Buffum, Stephen Colelli, Ian Cropp, Justin Goldman, Bernard Gordon, Katie Larkin, Matt Lieber, Shaun MacNamara, Chris Mahr, Ben Miller, Eric Perlmutter, Jilane Rodgers, Marco Santini, Charlie Vallely Accounts Managers Steven Butschi, Rob McCartney, John Nagler, David Ranken, Joel Rozen, Rukesh Samarasekera, Ryan Shewcraft Project Managers In Young Park, Libbie Fritz Design Staff Deepa Galaiya, Allison Kwong, Jason Lee Photo Staff Marissa Hauptman, Judy He, Matthew Lent, Nick Neely, Bill Pijewski, Kori Schulman, Sorleen Trevino Copy Editors Chessy Brady, Jonathan Corcoran, Eric Demafeliz, Leora Fridman, Allison Kwong, Suchi Mathur, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young

SHANE WILKERSON

LETTERS Physics student skeptical To the Editor: As a male concentrator, I find that the evidence that the physics department and community treat women unfairly (“U. Striving To Improve Academic Climate For Women,” Feb. 2) is questionable, at least based on the reporting done in last week's article. It is silly to think that anyone, male or female, could know the motive for a professor's negative action or disparaging comment, especially when one is not directly privy to the interactions of professors with other students. Barring outright statements of gender bias by professors (none of which were alluded to by the students in the article), one cannot conclude anything about the department's treatment of women with any real degree of certainty, and definitely not strongly enough to build a newspaper

story around the idea. Where were similar anecdotes from male students? They undoubtedly exist. I have been in a number of physics courses that were about half female students, and I have yet to see anything that implicates the department. A range of impressions from a range of people gives the best picture of the situation.

Eric Perlmutter ’06 Physics Concentrator Feb. 10 The writer is a Herald Sports Staff Writer studying abroad in London.

Passover or not, concert falls on the Sabbath To the Editor: “Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days you shall work and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Sabbath to the Lord, your G-d.” — Exodus 20:8-10. While I appreciate the genuine, if belated, concern of the administration and Spring Weekend planners over the whole Passover issue (“U. grapples with Sping Weekend conflict,” Feb. 9), I find it ironic that all the problems are focused only on Passover, when the Ben Folds concert is also on the Sabbath. I am troubled not by the planners, whom I applaud for actually getting one of my favorite performers of all time to play at Brown, but rather by the fact that the concert being on the Sabbath matters less to the Brown Jewish community than the fact that it coincides with the eve of Passover. The warning lights turn on when the Weekend interferes with a holiday that is celbrated by so many

assimilated and unaffiliated Jews for mere cultural heritage and family get-togethers, rather than as a Biblical commandment from G-d to remember the exodus from Egypt. But year in and year out these concerts have been scheduled on Saturdays and only a few have sighed and skipped it in order to properly celebrate the Sabbath. Even if the Spring Weekend organizers were somehow able to move the concert away from Passover, it would no doubt be another Saturday, and it would no doubt barely matter to the majority of Brown Jews, a fact I am saddened by G-d commanded that the Sabbath be set aside for rest and holiness; sadly, if Ben Folds is in town, nary an eyelash is batted and barely a Sabbath is observed. Akiva Fleischmann '05 Feb. 10

C O R R E C T I O N S A Feb. 10 article, “RISD Team to Build Solar House,” misidentified a speaker as Alex Bowman ’05. The student quoted was Stephen Pepe ’05, who founded Engineers Without Borders, not Bowman. A Feb. 10 article, “Spring Weekend planners continue to discuss scheduling conflict,” incorrectly stated that the Brown Concert Agency scheduled Spring Weekend. BCA scheduled concerts for Spring Weekend without knowledge of

the Passover conflict, but did not determine the date of Spring Weekend. The first paragraph of a Feb. 10 article, “Split squad for w. track takes second at URI,” incorrectly stated that the women’s track team had won two weekend meets. The team’s record — a secondplace finish at the University of Rhode Island Invitational and a good individual showing at the Armory Invitational — was correct later in the same story.

CO M M E N TA RY P O L I C Y The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns and letters reflect the opinions of their authors only. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2005 · PAGE 7

Hammad problematic GUEST COLUMN BY NATALIE SMOLENSKI I came away from Suheir Hammad’s performance Wednesday night having broadened my perspective. The Palestinian-American poet truly shines, in my opinion, when she plays with identity. Suheir identifies herself with many peoples: with Palestinians, with blacks, with Hispanics, with Muslims, with the poor, with artists, with day laborers, with refugees. Her recent book, “Born Palestinian, Born Black,” is a testament to her desire to transcend racial and ethnic boundaries. In an interview with Nathalie Handal, she paraphrased the famous African-American poet Audre Lorde as saying that “being black” is a political as well as a cultural identity. In excluding race as a criterion for “blackness,” Hammad could be a truly postmodern example of American multiculturalism. But there was a problem with Hammad’s presentation, which I felt detracted from the ideals of human unity and love that she professed. She entreated people — men, Americans, whites, Israelis — not to see and treat her as an “other.” But behind her request was a barely concealed hostility, that accused and generalized in a manner similar to the broad-brushing she decried. There is no doubt that Hammad is angry with the United States and Israel, two countries she sees as representing the worst of empire and racist oppression. Indeed she carries the flyers that were handed out before her performance, titled “Down With American Empire!! Divest From the Apartheid State of Israel,” wherever she goes. It was this anger that left the most lasting impression after she stepped down from the stage. Anger can be beautiful and constructive, but it can also consume the very work it creates. When Handal asked her what she meant when she wrote, “Longing for a land I have yet to feel under my feet,” Hammad replied, “It is an association that I was born with. I don’t know what Palestine looks like, what Palestine tastes like, but it is something that is in your blood, and we all carry ancestry around with us.” Unfortunately, Hammad’s politics vis-à-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict disparage the very type of ancestral identity she describes. Her “Journal from Palestine,” an account of her visit to the Occupied Territories, is revealing in this regard. Leaving for Jordan, Hammad is stopped at a checkpoint and interrogated by a member of the Israeli Defense Forces. He asks her why she had visited Jerusalem. Hammad writes, “Who is this soldier in front of me, with his Russian ancestry and heavy tongue, to ask?” The apparent irony of this line struck me. Who is this soldier? Someone who, like Hammad, longed for a land he had yet to feel under his feet. Someone who carried Israel in his blood — in his ancestry — for about 2,000 years. One can call the tenacity of the soldier and his predecessors anything, but it is certainly identity. For an author who appropriates blackness as a second skin, how can it be so hard to understand a man who has transformed from Jew to Israeli? Later Hammad mentions two Arab-Israeli women who are flirting with Israeli soldiers. She says: “(They) are dressed as ... well ... they got the slutty look.” Now, for a self-described passionate feminist whom I just saw onstage asking for women’s freedom from categorization, this line struck me as incoherent. Eliminating the virgin/slut dichotomy has long been a staple of feminist discourse. Yet Hammad appears comfortable categorizing women who act sympathetically towards her enemies. Her poetry Wednesday night was eye-opening, but the shortcomings in Hammad’s message left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. At one point during her time onstage she instructed us all to “be critical” and “don’t believe me.” I hope she will forgive me for taking her advice. Natalie Smolenski ’07 is a Middle East Studies concentrator.

ANDREW K. STEIN

Memos from Ruth Simmons To: Gretchen Willis, director University Dining Services

G-Dub, Along with Sidney E. Frank’s $100-million “Jägermeister” gift for financial aid, the Office of the President received shipment of 1,763 handles of Grey Goose Vodka. (Dean Armstrong volunteered his office to store it.) Before we hand it over to Slavic Studies, let’s see if we can’t lighten the load for the campus movers. Could you pick up some mixers during lunch? Ruthie

out from laughing so hard. Yeah, that was an awesome night. Da Boss To: Armando Bengochea, associate dean, freshman studies Arm-Ben, Isn’t it funny how first-years always hang posters of the same stuff every year? Blues Brothers, The Simpsons, Jim Morrison. It’s like: “Wow, man. You’ve got a poster about beer. You’re such a rebel.” “Ruth 66”

To: Brenda Allen, associate provost and director of institutional diversity

To: Beverly Ledbetter, vice president and general counsel

Hey Brenda, You know who I don’t see a lot of around here? Swedes. Swedish people. People from Sweden. You should recruit some. Get some Swedish Studies action going on. We could go cross-country skiing. And don’t you love Swedish Fish? I thought Jo’s had them, but they must have run out. Bummer. “The Ruth”

Bevs, Just a thought experiment. Go with me here: Could we sue Cornell? You know, for bringing the Ivy League down? They’re kind of like dead weight. School of Hotel Administration? The Prez

To: David Greene, vice president for campus life and student services Hey Dave, Remember that time back at Smith College when you ate, like, 6 hot dogs at once? I swear Brenda was gonna pass

To: Paul Armstrong, dean of the college Dear Stretch Armstrong, If I can get Facilities to fix the presidential toilet, I’m having a small house party this Saturday from 10 to drunk o’clock. Could you pass this info on to the “cool” deans? You know who I mean. Thanks, dude. “Raise the Ruth”

To: Janet Cooper-Nelson, university chaplain Coop, What’s up with “In Deo Speramus”? In God We Hope? What’s that about? Sounds pretty weak to me. The other Ivies have mottos about truth and light, and here we are doing our weenie little hope dance. “The Gospel Ruth” To: thedeansquad@yahoogroups.com Subject: Fwd: check this out Hello Friend, This is a good luck memo. Now that you’ve started to read it, you must forward it or you will receive bad luck. This is not a joke! President Gee ignored this memo and was forced to leave Brown for an inferior school! Don’t break the chain! If you send this memo to 1 - 3 deans, you will have good donor meetings for a whole month. If you send this memo to 4 - 9 deans, your crush will ask you out. And if you send this memo to 10+ deans, your campus will be racial- and homophobic-incident-free for an entire year! If you want good luck, send this memo right away!

Andrew K. Stein ’06 is a member of St. Anthony Hall, the co-ed literary frat.

NEALE MAHONEY

OK, so... Last week I got a double dose of speeches — on Tuesday, Ruth Simmons delivered her “State of the University,” and on Wednesday, George W. Bush gave the State of the Union. I know these speeches are highly politicized events. The speakers use broad generalizations to paint rosy pictures, they address issues that play to their advantage and ignore dangerous ground, they select evidence that fits their position and pretend counterarguments don’t exist. I didn’t expect anything profound. But despite my low expectations I was still disappointed. Every minute or so I found myself leaning over to a friend and saying, “OK, that’s well and good, so what about this,” or “OK, good point, so what about that.” I liked Simmons’ speech, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t bothered by the lack of creativity (she gave almost the exact same speech at Convocation four years ago). Ruth spoke about balancing intellectual freedom with civil discourse, and I found myself nodding along with her. OK, so what is your opinion, Dr. Simmons, of Harvard President Lawrence Summers? Where does his provocative statement on women’s innate disadvantage in the study of science and math fall when one draws the line between intellectual freedom and damaging discourse? I know you shouldn’t talk about him, I know an inappropriate quote could damage your career and Brown, but I wasn’t satisfied. We both agree that there’s a line between intellectual freedom and destructive discourse, so did Summers cross it? Later in her speech, President Simmons spoke about and how learn-

ing should be discomforting and not familiar, and my head started nodding again. OK, I agree, so what’s your stand on Ward Churchill, the University of Colorado at Boulder professor whose controversial comments about the Sept. 11 attacks provoked a witch hunt by the Colorado government? Churchill called the World Trade Center victims “little Eichmanns,” contrasting them with the “gallant sacrifices” of the al-Qaida “combat teams.” Where does Churchill sit on the scale of academic discomfort, Dr. Simmons? Hamilton College withdrew a speaking invitation to Churchill, citing death threats as the reason. Not

I liked President Simmons’ speech, don’t get me wrong. that I wish to hear him speak, but how would Brown respond to a Ward Churchill? Would Brown side with the Boulder faculty and support Churchill’s freedom of expression, or side with the Colorado House of Representatives, which approved a resolution stating that Churchill’s comments were “an evil and inflammatory blow against America’s healing process?” The State of the Union started with words that might have had me bobbing my head in approval. “Over the next several months,” Bush said, “let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and our grandchildren.” Wow, I might have thought (had I no expectations about what would come next), this is a speech with a long-term view. Had I not known that it was a setup for his eco-

nomic agenda, I would have nodded my head along with him. Mr. Bush cares about leaving a better world for our children and grandchildren, I couldn’t agree more. OK, so what about the future of our world? What about global climate change, the issue of concern for the future of the world. What about the HIV pandemic? When Bush spoke on the election in Iraq (again and again and again), I had to agree. The election had been a success, perhaps because of rock bottom expectations, but still a success. OK, the world gained a “democracy” this week, so what about Nepal? Didn’t we lose one as well? With King Gyanendra’s decision to sack the government, aren’t we even, tied 1-1 in the democracy counting game? The “State of the University” and State of the Union left me feeling almost cheated, like a kid who eats his spinach only to be denied the ice cream. Solomon 101 was half-empty on Tuesday night and, according to The Herald, few students tuned in to the State of the Union. I think I know why. Ruth Simmons and George Bush make difficult choices everyday. They draw lines and set priorities with their decisions. Once a year, they’re given an opportunity to draw lines and set priorities with their words. Ruth and George, you had an opportunity to argue your positions on tough issues, but you squandered it. Next year, have the courage to go one step further, the courage to pass judgment on the hard cases. You have the stoplight, you have our attention. Don’t leave us saying, “OK, so … .” Neale Mahoney ’05 is a bit picky.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS WEEKEND FEBRUARY 11, 2005 · PAGE 8

Underclassmen show talent in weekend split for m. tennis

Ashley Hess / Herald

Co-captain Adil Shamasdin ’05 led the way for the men’s tennis team this past weekend by posting two wins each at No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles. BY MATT NICHOLSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The men’s tennis team, now 7-1 on the spring season, broke even this weekend as Saturday’s dominating victory over Colgate University, 7-0, was followed by a close 4-3 loss to North Carolina State University. Bruno handled Colgate easily, winning the doubles point by a margin of at least three games in all three matches, then building on that success by taking all six singles matches in straight sets. Saurabh Kohli ’08 managed to subdue Colgate’s No. 5 by two games in a 7-5 second set. Kohli’s opponent was, in fact, the only opposing player to win five games in a singles set against Brown. Michael Scherer ’08 also played confidently, dolling out two lopsided sets, 6-2 and 6-1, from the sixth spot. Head Coach Jay Harris lauded the efforts of the rotating group of younger players, “a group of four to six guys that are interchangeable, but all very inexperienced.” Harris stressed the importance of playing time for this group, adding that the Colgate match allowed him “to get these guys the exposure needed to add toughness to their

on-court persona.” Harris said the first six matches of the season have been instrumental in grooming the younger portion of the squad. “These first six matches have been a great chance for those guys (to gain experience),” said Harris, “because we have played all those matches without our number one player, Nick Goldberg (’05).” Harris said the situation “has forced everyone on the team to step up and play better and work harder.” Against NC State, Kohli suffered a close defeat, 6-4, 7-6 (1), from the sixth spot, but was not the only one who struggled. Both Luke Tedaldi ’06 and Phillip Charm ’06 also dropped close matches from the third and fifth spots, respectively. The two standout performances of the singles competition were handed in by captain Adil Shamasdin ’05 from the second spot and Richard Moss ’06 from the fourth. Shamasdin earned a tough 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over freshman Nick Cavady, while Moss earned a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (2) win over junior Will Shaw. Harris praised Shamasdin, who “won a match against a (player) who hadn’t lost a set yet in his career … To hang around until the end of a match and then just grab the win … was very impressive.” Harris also cited the efforts of Moss, who “was equally impressive as he fought through so much adversity to win what was probably the biggest match in his college career.” In recognition of Moss’ age, though, Harris added “there will of course be bigger ones in his future.” The problem in Harris’ eyes was most likely mental preparation. Harris confessed that he “was a bit surprised by how (Brown) responded initially to the challenge of playing NC State. We over-respected them a bit in the doubles and didn’t play as confidently as … in previous matches.” The doubles debacle proved to be Brown’s undoing. “That was really only the second doubles point we have lost in our last 35 matches over a two-year span, so to come out and play with a low level of confidence … was disappointing.” The dou-

After seven weeks on the road, m. hoops glad to finally be home BY SHAUN MCNAMARA SPORTS STAFF WRITER

Men’s basketball co-captain Luke Ruscoe ’06 is looking forward to donning the Bears’ white home jerseys this weekend. “It’s good to be back. The familiarity of being home is great, and it’s nice not to be in a hostile away environment,” said Ruscoe. This season, the road has taken the Bears all over. Last weekend, the team wrapped up a nine-game stretch of away contests that began in December. In fact, the stretch would have been 10 games had Brown’s Ivy League season opener at Yale not been postponed due to last month’s blizzard. An intense travel schedule can often interfere with course work and academic obligations, but veterans like Ruscoe and co-captain Jason Forte ’05 are used to walking the difficult line of balancing a heavy travel schedule with performing well in the classroom. “You’ve got to make the transition from basketball to school life and then back to basketball. You’ve really got to prioritize what you’re doing,” Ruscoe said. Forte echoed his teammate’s sentiments. “You’ve got to give the same effort on the court and in the classroom,” said Forte. “You can’t let one of them slip. You don’t want to find yourself on the bench, and of course, you don’t want to put yourself in danger of failing out.” On the court, Forte has been his usual self. His 18.3 points per game leads the Ivy League, and his 4.25 assists per game ranks third. He has been deadly from the

bles competition is vital to Bruno because securing that point takes a certain degree of pressure off of the less experienced singles players. In the match against NC State, the lost doubles point was enough to put Kohli in the uncomfortable tie-breaker position at the sixth spot. Harris declared mental toughness necessary to tilt future close calls in Brown’s favor. “There comes a point in the season when you have to start feeling that the

charity stripe, as his 82 percent free-throw percentage puts him in third place in the league. His career-high 36 points at Cornell and game-winning shot at Columbia earned him Ivy League Player of the Week honors Monday. Forte is very much looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd this weekend. “I’m a senior and I’ve never played nine road games in a row. It’s been tough, but we’re looking forward to getting back to the house,” he said. The Bears’ overall record sits at 9-9, as the split at Cornell and Columbia left them 2-2 in Ivy play. The University of Pennsylvania is at the top of the Ivy standings at 5-0. With perennially weak Harvard and Dartmouth coming to Providence, Ruscoe and the Bears are aiming for a pair of wins this weekend. “We’re looking for a sweep. We’re ready to get going at home and take care of Dartmouth and Harvard,” Ruscoe said. “Once again, our defense will be extremely important. We’ve got to make them take difficult shots. If we hold them to a low shooting percentage, then we should be in good shape.” Ruscoe has been solid all year for the Bears, as he ranks second on the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game, first in rebounds with 5.6 and first in steals with 1.83 per game. For the next two weeks, the Bears will stay in the comfortable confines of College Hill. Home weekends make the balancing act of academics and basketball much easier, Ruscoe said. “It’s always nice to be able to attend a class on a Friday.”

work the team has put in during practice and conditioning … has given them the experience it takes to go out and be a hardnosed, blue-collar type of unit that refuses to let any team to be in the same vicinity,” he said. Brown hopes to accrue a sizeable portion of experience in the weeks ahead as they prepare to do battle at Navy on Feb. 19. WEEKEND SPORTS SCHEDULE Friday, February 11

Late season games key for four Bruno teams WEEKEND SPORTS PREVIEW SPORTS STAFF REPORTS

The men’s basketball team will return to the Pizzitola Center for the first time since before Christmas on Friday, but there will be plenty more sports action on campus. Here’s what else Brown sports fans can look forward to this weekend. The women’s ice hockey team returns to Meehan Auditorium Friday for the first of two games against No. 7 Mercyhurst College (18-6-2, 7-0-1 College Hockey America league). The Lakers are led by senior goalie Desirae Clark. Clark, who has a .935 save percentage and 1.32 goals against average, is a finalist for the 2005 Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best Division I women’s hockey player. Bruno is coming off a win against the University of Vermont and a disappointing loss to No. 3 Dartmouth. While the Bears currently stand just above .500, Head Coach Digit Murphy believes the team made great strides last weekend. “I’m very encouraged,” said Murphy. “If we continue on our mission to play Brown hockey and execute our very simple game plan (we’ll beat Mercyhurst).” — Helen Luryi

The gymnastics team will face strong competition this weekend, taking on Southern Connecticut State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sunday at 2 p.m. With some tumblers returning to form after fighting injuries and newcomers finding their niche, Bruno looks formidable. But Brown will have to look out for MIT’s star, senior Merritt Tam. “Merritt Tam is MIT’s top all-arounder, and she could be a threat to our all-around competition,” said Head Coach Sara CarverMilne. Despite the reputations of Southern Connecticut’s and MIT’s squads, CarverMilne believes that her team is strong and deep. “I don’t see why we can’t beat both teams,” she said. — Madeleine Marecki The wrestling team will be looking for revenge this weekend as the Bears host Columbia and No. 12 Cornell. The two-time defending league champion Big Red come into the weekend with a 16-match winning streak in Ivy competition. Columbia comes into the match 1-2 in Ivy competition, with the Bears looking for revenge after a 21-19 loss last year.

“Last year was a match that we let drop, so this weekend with Columbia is more of a revenge match and one we want more than other matches,” said co-captain David Saadeh ’06. The Bears will have to wage an uphill battle to get their revenge, though, as they are missing several key starters. Co-captain Mike Pedro ’06, Heath Lohrman ’05 and Sean Cully ’05 are all out for this weekend. According to Head Coach Dave Amato, while the injuries do set the team back, they should not allow that to be an excuse. — Bernie Gordon The men’s and women’s squash teams will complete their regular seasons this weekend with showdowns against Cornell on Saturday and Dartmouth on Sunday. Cornell and Dartmouth are both ranked in the College Squash Association’s Top 10, and victories in these matches could result in Bruno climbing in the rankings. “That’s obviously what we want,” said men’s co-captain Breck Bailey ’06. “But winning just one would move us up to eight.” The significance of being in the top eight at the season’s end is huge, as the top eight see SPORTS, page 4

WRESTLING: Cornell, 3 p.m., Pizzitola Center WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY: Mercyhurst College, 7 p.m., Meehan Auditorium MEN’S BASKETBALL: Harvard, 7 p.m., Pizzitola Center MEN’S SQUASH: at Cornell, Ithaca, N.Y. WOMEN’S SQUASH: at Cornell, Ithaca, N.Y. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: at Harvard, Cambridge, Mass. MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: at Union, 7 p.m., Schenectady, N.Y. MEN’S TRACK: at Fast Track Invitational, Boston, Mass. WOMEN’S TRACK: at Fast Track Invitational, Boston, Mass. Saturday, February 12 WRESTLING: Columbia, 11 a.m., Pizzitola Center WRESTLING: Sacred Heart, 3 p.m., Pizzitola Center MEN’S SWIMMING: Cornell, 12 p.m., Smith Swim Center WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY: Mercyhurst College, 4 p.m., Meehan Auditorium MEN’S BASKETBALL: Dartmouth, 7 p.m., Pizzitola Center WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Maryland at Princeton Invite, Princeton, N.J. WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Bucknell at Princeton Invite, Princeton, N.J. MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: at Renssaeler, Troy, N.Y. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: at Dartmouth, 7 p.m., Hanover, N.H. SKIING: Boston College Carnival, Ascutney Mountain, Vt. Sunday, February 13 GYMNASTICS: Southern Connecticut with MIT, 2 p.m., Pizzitola Center WOMEN’S WATER POLO: George Washington at Princeton Invitational, Princeton, N.J. WOMEN’S WATER POLO: Princeton at Princeton Invitational, Princeton, N.J. WOMEN’S TENNIS: at Syracuse, Syracuse, N.Y. MEN’S SQUASH: at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H. WOMEN’S SQUASH: at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H. SKIIING: Boston College Carnival, Ascutney Mountain, Vt.