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Monday, February 28, 2005

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M O N D A Y FEBRUARY 28, 2005

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 22 JAM FOR OXFAM Keeney musicians to bring Jam Session to the Hourglass Café Tuesday night A R T S & C U LT U R E 3

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891 THE MAINSTREAM SHOW Nicholas Swisher ’08: Conflicts of interest defang Jon Stewart’s “Daily” satire O P I N I O N S 11

THREE’S A CHARM Closing regular season with a pair of wins, w. icers upset No. 3 Dartmouth S P O R T S 12

TODAY

TOMORROW

snow 35 / 30

snow 38 / 21

Corporation accepts $35m in gifts, approves transfer aid Brown alums pay homage to alma mater on the big screen BY ERIC BECK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY ELIZA LANE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Most university graduates express appreciation to their alma mater by offering financial gifts — and, on occasion, donating a building or scholarship. However, many Brown alums — true to the University’s style — convey their sentiments uniquely: Brunonians in the entertainment industry have endowed the University with celebrity status. Countless Brown alums work as producers, directors, filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and the like. These alums are influential and may be the reason why so many TV shows and films today feature characters who attended the University. “Hollywood — and the entertainment industry, in general — are full of Brown alums, more than most people can imagine,” said Scott Anderson ’86, who works as a director and visual effects supervisor for At the Ocean Entertainment. “When I first started in the industry, the joke used to be ‘The Brown Mafia,’ because there were just so many of us.” Brown, it seems, does not attract these aspiring film and production moguls as much as it produces them. “Brown fosters creativity and encourages original problem-solving — no matter which discipline you choose. Certainly, with the upswing of the creative writing and playwriting programs, Brown is offering students courses that are readily applicable to filmmaking and entertainment,” Anderson said. Anderson is not alone in his estimation of Brown’s ability to transform students into creative thinkers who could potentially be successful in the filmmaking industry. “Brown is a creative place that encourages students to take risks in order to find themselves. The focus tends to be on exploring the nontraditional, trying something new — this is what filmmaking is all about,” said David Munro ’85. Munro co-founded Grottofilms and is currently screening his first full feature, “Full Grown Men.” The project is expected to premiere in the fall. “Some of my classmates are out there now doing really adventurous filmmaking. They’re challenging the norms and doing it their own way — redefining what forms are acceptable,” Munro said, citing Doug Liman ’88, who produced “Go” and “Swingers,” as an example. “The writers and producers of many shows and movies that reference Brown almost always have connections to the University,” Anderson said. There is a natural tendency, especially among those who are just entering the industry, to draw upon their own lives for material. Anderson produced a short film during his professional career that was based on his college experiences. An extensive list of TV shows feature alleged alums, including “The Simpsons,” in which burnt-out bus driver Otto Mann is an alum; “Will & Grace,” see HOLLYWOOD, page 7

At its February meeting, the Corporation set undergraduate fees above $40,000 for the first time in Brown’s history, increased funding for financial aid — introducing longawaited transfer aid — and accepted some $35 million in gifts, including donations to establish a 24-hour study space in the Sciences Library, support the Center for Computational Molecular Biology and fund the Humanities Center. A Brown education, including tuition and room and board fees, will cost undergraduate students $41,700 next year, according to a University news release. The Corporation increased tuition for undergraduate and graduate students by 5.2 percent, with a 4percent increase for medical students, the statement said. The Corporation endorsed a budget of

$608.4 million for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, an increase of 8.2 percent over this year’s budget. University officials say the budget increase will help support initiatives in the Plan for Academic Enrichment, including increased student financial aid, faculty expansion and improvements to facilities, infrastructure and academic and campus life. The budget includes provisions for financial aid for incoming transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students, earmarking $400,000 in financial support. Undergraduate financial aid will grow by $3.77 million, an increase of 9 percent. Tuition support for graduate students increases by $1.2 million under the new budget, in addition to an increase of nearly $1 million for stipends and health insurance. The funding allows base stipends for graduate students to grow from $16,000 to

CORPORATE RECEIVING Largest gifts formally accepted by the Corporation Saturday: · $20 million to support the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, including endowment of five profes sorships. · $5 million for a 24-hour study center in the SciLi. · Undisclosed amount to establish Cogut Humanities Center.

$17,000. Dean of the Graduate School Karen Newman told the faculty at a Dec. 7 meeting that the new stipend was necessary for Brown to remain competitive with its peers. The new budget also provides $3.7 million for faculty compensation raises and increases funding for library acquisition and see CORPORATION, page 4

Benefit raises over $7k in tsunami aid BY CHRISTINA KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

workers who had come from all over India and Southeast Asia to help. He met an official from Thailand who came to set up a blood bank even though his own country had also been affected. “In a way, it was like we were united in grief,” Iyengar said. Dias spent the days after the tsunami checking in on family members in other towns and helping distribute a truckful of supplies her friends had gathered. They drove to southwestern Sri Lanka, one of the worst-hit areas. Their first stop was at a military base in Weerwila where they talked with military officials about distributing the aid. However, “there were complications,” Dias said. “They wanted us to leave our stuff there, but we wanted to make sure it was getting into the hands of people.” Dias and her friends then went to a Buddhist temple where a priest offered to lead them further inland. With her guide, Dias reached isolated villages packed with people and was finally able to distribute the supplies.

The tsunami relief benefit, “Children of the Tsunami: Rebuilding Lives,” held Saturday in Alumnae Hall, marked the culmination of tsunami relief efforts on campus. Featuring Indian cuisine, a silent auction and live entertainment, the fundraiser took in over $7,600 in donations for UNICEF. Over 20 student groups sponsored the benefit. “I knew that SASA (South Asian Students Association) had to do something,” said Preethi Guniganti ’05, one of the organizers of the benefit. The tsunami hit areas of Southeast Asia in December right after students left campus for winter break. Some students worried about how the Brown community would respond because students were away. But as soon as students returned to campus, relief efforts began. Guniganti e-mailed student groups and administrators, seeking sponsors for the benefit. Starting with SASA, the benefit grew into a campus-wide effort involving students, faculty, administration and even Providence businesses. Faizah Malik ’06, another organizer, thought that a benefit would be a good idea because people would be able to enjoy themselves while giving to a good cause. “It’s something that really appeals to people,” Malik said. The semiformal benefit included a dinner catered by Taste of India, a silent auction, live music and dancing. As students dined on traditional Indian cuisine, a live jazz band entertained and images of the work by UNICEF were projected overhead. The silent auction featured over 50 items, including Trinity Repertory Company tickets, a lunch with President Ruth Simmons and tickets to an April reception for former President Bill Clinton. After dinner, rock band The Good Days performed. The evening concluded with dancing that included popular Indian music. The silent auction raised at least $1,000 on its own. The highest bid, $220, was for the lunch with Simmons. Throughout the evening, students were generous with their donations. One student won $52 in a raffle, then donated the money back to UNICEF.

see TSUNAMI, page 4

see BENEFIT, page 4

Zerlina Wong / Herald

Students who attended the Children of the Tsunami semiformal fundraiser for UNICEF enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing in Alumnae Hall on Saturday night.

Students recall tsunami aftermath BY LOIS SALDANA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Though it is often easy to feel helpless and unsure in the midst of a crisis, Thilakshani Dias ’05 was inspired to begin her own relief efforts after the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, which wreaked havoc on her hometown Colombo, Sri Lanka. Unlike most Americans, who saw the tsunami on television from the comfort of home, Dias and several other Brown students witnessed the shocking aftereffects firsthand in the familiar surroundings of their neighborhoods. The experience compelled Dias to start the Tsunami Relief Housing Project. “I never expected to see half the things I saw there,” Dias said. Arjun Iyengar ’05, who lives in New Jersey, was in Chennai, India, during the days following the tsunami, visiting family members and conducting research for his thesis. Chennai is a large city with over 4 million inhabitants located on the southeastern coast of India. Iyengar visited relief camps in Mahabilipuram and was impressed with the overall sense of unity among the aid

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THIS MORNING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 2 Coreacracy Eddie Ahn

WORLD IN BRIEF Winners at the 77th Academy Awards Best Picture

Best Director

“Million Dollar Baby”

Clint Eastwood,“Million Dollar Baby”

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Jamie Foxx,“Ray”

Morgan Freeman,“Million Dollar Baby”

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actress

Hilary Swank,“Million Dollar Baby”

Cate Blanchett,“The Aviator”

For more on the Oscars, see page 8

Jero Matt Vascellaro

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS SLAVERY IN AMERICAN MEMORY 7:30 p.m. (Salomon 001) — James O. Horton of the Organization of American Historians will speak on “Presenting America’s Most Un-American History,” and Lois E. Horton of George Mason University will present on “Avoiding History: Public Responses to the Jefferson–Hemings DNA Controversy.”

PANEL OF CARRIBEAN CONSULGENERALS 7:30 p.m. (Crystal Room, Alumnae Hall) — A panel of consul-generals from Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic and Jamaica will discuss AIDS in the Caribbean, US-Caribbean relations, the roles of Cuba and Haiti, CARICOM, and Caribbean Single Market Economy as part of Carribean Heritage Week.

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Rosemary Portobello Sub Sandwich, Steak Fries, Clam Strips on a Bun with Tartar Sauce, Dateen Cookies, Blueberry Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Caribbean Black Bean Soup, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Cavatini, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Sauteed Zucchini & Onions, Dateen Cookies

DINNER — Vegan Jamaican Jerk Tempeh, Vegan Carribean Rice & Peas, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Ratatouille with Cheese, Batter Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce, Coconut Bread, Tropical Carrot Cake, Fresh Coconut Milk

DINNER — Jamaican Curry Chicken, Batter Fried Fish, Vegan Jamaican Jerk Tempeh, Vegan Caribbean Rice & Peas, Fresh Collard Greens, Fresh Sliced Carrots, Coconut Bread, Tropical Carrot Cake

How to Get Down Nate Saunders

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Turn out to be 6 Hits with a laser beam 10 Four times a day, in an Rx 13 __ and desist 14 Pitcher Martinez 15 Take advantage of 16 Shrewd bargainer 18 Words before loss or standstill 19 Canadian prov. 20 Omani money 21 Decide to remain 23 Intoxicating, as wine 25 Make a slight move 26 Ferocious and untamed 28 Where to find a couple of loafers? 32 Make jubilant 33 Detroit footballers 34 In addition 35 Chianti and claret 36 Military chaplain 37 Shameless promotion 38 “You __ here” 39 Lisa of “The Cosby Show” 40 “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank 41 Pacific waters near Australia 43 Annoy 44 A few bricks shy of a load 45 Pilgrim John 46 Global gadabouts 49 Siouan tribe 50 “I knew it!” 53 “Press __ key to continue” 54 Last year’s kindergartner 57 Stir-fry pan 58 Say without really saying 59 Put forth, as effort 60 Boise-to-Phoenix dir. 61 “Finding __”: Pixar film

62 Rounded felt hat

31 Whodunit writer’s award 33 Paths to the pins 36 When the horses come to the starting gate 37 Hors d’oeuvre spread 39 Large tuna 40 Official emergency level 42 Q and A part: Abbr.

43 Internet journal 45 ABA member 46 Spielberg blockbuster set at a beach resort 47 Seth’s son 48 Rug rat 49 Norway’s capital 51 Chef’s seasoning 52 Pretentiously showy 55 LP measure 56 Dismiss abruptly

DOWN 1 Canyon comeback 2 Bar sign gas 3 “Star Wars” villain 4 Sub letters 5 Earls, dukes, etc., collectively 6 Intense enthusiasm 7 Do simple math 8 Antifreeze brand 9 Troop movements ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 10 Wharf S H O O T S O F F S H A M E 11 :, in analogies L O S T A T S E A R O V E S 12 Campus bigwig A U T O M A T I C P I L O T S 14 Invoke God’s mercy, say T R E E T E N T H D I R E 17 Ocean motion C E R T E L I D E S 22 Singer Garfunkel S P I C E A N A T 24 Grub S E T I N M O T I O N C O N 25 Like the unlucky T R E A S U R E D M E M O R Y straw S U M U L T R A S O N I C S 26 Glacial ridge E R G S N O R S E 27 Oldsmobile model W A I T E R G E R E 28 Hit song on a 45- A L D A E R O D E Z E D S rpm record, F O L L O W O N E S H E A R T usually T H E I R I N N E U T R A L 29 2004 White L A S T T A N G O House candidate S A R A S 02/28/05 30 Harden xwordeditor@aol.com 1

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Homebodies Mirele Davis

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ARTS & CULTURE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 3

‘Funky’ Web site shares student art BY MERYL ROTHSTEIN ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Want to know what funk is? Don’t ask J.D. Nasaw ’08. He knows he loves it, but he just can’t define it. Luckily, he knows it when he sees it. Nasaw started BrownFunk.com, an online gallery space displaying photos, writing, drawings, short films and music, with technical help from friend Scott Norton ’08. The site, which describes itself as “a forum for experimenters, students, amateurs and soon-to-be professionals,” also includes news on concerts, films, books and whatever else Nasaw deems “funky.” Nasaw started Brown Funk to establish an artistic network accessible to his peers so they could share their art and inspire each other. “Seeing people my age do stuff … makes you want to do more,” he said. “It gives you ideas for your own art.” Sharing your work — and seeing other people’s — challenges you to continually improve, he said. Tade Abidoye ’08, whose digital photos are on the site, agreed. “It gives you the incentive to do more,” he said. “It definitely helps me see things that are worth taking pictures of.” “Giving people a voice makes them want to speak,” Norton said. Brown Funk’s online format makes it particularly flexible and encouraging, Abidoye said. Unlike most campus publications, you can contribute and view people’s work as frequently as you’d like without waiting for the next issue. Thanks to the site, Abidoye has also gotten some encouraging feedback — a few emails and Thefacebook.com messages — from people who have seen his work. see FUNK, page 7

Urban Bush Women dazzles crowd at PPAC BY STEFANIE SIMONS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dancer-choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar stood before 1,000 people on the Providence Performing Arts Center stage Saturday night. “Dance is my medicine,” she said, quoting Caribbean-American dancer-choreographer Pearl Primus. Primus’ writings narrated “Walking With Pearl — Africa Diaries,” the last of five pieces performed by Zollar’s Brooklyn-based, award-winning dance company Urban Bush Women. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Zollar’s founding of UBW, whose mission is to “engage a diverse audience by producing bold and life affirming work based on women’s experiences, African American history and cultur-

al influences of the African Diaspora,” according to the UBW Web site. After nine months of planning, Andre Thompson ’05 brought UBW to Providence. The visit marks the transition weekend between February’s Black History Month and March’s Women’s History Month. During a time when the nation is celebrating both black and female communities, Thompson said it is important to bring in this black female dance troupe that has survived longer than most of its performing peers. He got to know the company through a 2003 internship with UBW, where the “spaces of transformation and growth see DANCERS, page 4

Jam Session to bring students — and cowbells — to the Hourglass BY ROBIN STEELE STAFF WRITER

A series of impromptu jam sessions among student musicians living in Keeney Quadrangle inspired organizers to start the Hourglass Jam Session, a Tuesday event that will feature 16 musicians ARTS & CULTURE PREVIEW and performers and a wide variety of musiHourglass Jam Session The Hourglass Café, Faunce House cal genres. Tuesday, March 1 The show will span 10 p.m. - midnight genres including jazz, Free blues, rock and hiphop performed by five rotations of musicians and performers. Conor Kennedy ’08 and Spencer Amdur ’08 helped organize the show and are among the musicians who will be performing. “It’s basically just a big jam session/free live music thing

that we’re trying to put on because Brown does not really have a consistent venue for live music,” Amdur said. The Hourglass’ resources — sound equipment, a sound board, tables — make it the perfect space for nightly live music, he said. Jam Session got started after the unexpected success of a previous smaller show that Kennedy and others put together a few weeks ago at the Hourglass, Amdur said. The previous performance featured everything from eclectic rock to Latin music and reggae, he said. After the gratifying response they received, they decided to organize a second performance. Amdur met some of the featured musicians by opening up his room in Keeney to impromptu jam sessions. His location — his neighbors include a trumpet player, a drumsee HOURGLASS, page 8


PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005

Tsunami continued from page 1 The amount of aid that reached Sri Lanka was “shocking,” Dias said, but logistical problems prevented people from obtaining immediate access to it. In the following week, Dias and her friends made three additional trips to make sure that tsunami victims received the aid. During these trips, Dias realized that the “need for housing is unbelievable,” she said. Through her Tsunami Relief Housing Project, her goal is to raise money to construct six to eight houses for people who have lost their homes in the tsunami crisis. “I want to be realistic about what I want to do. (The goal) is manageable. It can be done,” Dias said. Dias said she has raised about $3,000 so far, enough money to construct three homes. She said she has received a large amount of support from family and friends as well as resources on campus including the Swearer Center for Public Service, the Third World Center and the Office of Campus Life and Student Services. Shai Muthana ’08 also witnessed the devastating effects of the tsunami. She was visiting her

home in Chennai when the tsunami occurred. Muthana said she was not immediately aware of the catastrophe when the first tsunami wave broke around 9 a.m., because she was asleep. It was not until later that morning that she realized something unusual had happened. “None of us knew what was going on. Initially, (my family and I) thought it was a small tidal wave,” Muthana said. To make matters worse, both the telephone lines and cable lines were cut, making it impossible to find out exactly what had occurred. It was not until the next day, when Muthana walked along the beach and through her neighborhood, that she became aware of the large amount of destruction the tsunami had wreaked upon the coast. “All the resorts and restaurants were completely destroyed. All the fisher folk were displaced,” Muthana said. Muthana’s house, only about 65 feet away from the beach, escaped similar destruction. “(My family and I) were lucky. ... The water destroyed everything around us,” she said. University officials said last month that no Brown students or alums were known to have been injured in the tsunami.

Dancers continued from page 3 … found in Urban Bush Women” were important to him as a gay black man and taught him about “being fierce — believing in yourself and overcoming obstacles,” Thompson said. The opening piece, “Give Your Hands to Struggle,” began in silence, marked with a spoken list of influential black women, including Primus and Shirley Chisholm. The soloist presented clean and vigorous choreography, but was limited to characteristic modern dance styles: slow, open arm and leg extensions with rapid rotations and turns. The dancer only moved left and right on a single horizontal plane, always gravitating back to center. As the showcase progressed, the pieces became more eclectic and unique. In “Walk with Pearl,” dancers celebrated “Mother Africa,” represented by a warm orange light shining at an angle on stage left. Dancers en pointe leaped and

Corporation continued from page 1 computing services. The University’s budget is first proposed by the University Resources Committee and approved by President Ruth Simmons before official action by the Corporation. All gifts to the University of $1 million or greater must be formally accepted by the Corporation. This weekend, the Corporation accepted donations to renovate the Sciences Library, support the new Center for Computational Molecular Biology and establish the Cogut Humanities Center. The SciLi will be renovated to offer a 24-hour study space, thanks to a $5 million gift from Susan Friedman ’77 and Richard Friedman ’79, a University news release said. The Susan and Richard A. Friedman Study Center, funded by $4 million of the donation, is expected to offer some 14,000 square feet of study space on the first three floors of the building. Mark Nickel, director of the News Service, declined to speculate on a timeline for the project, though he said that it was “not a matter of years” because the infrastructure is already in place. Russell Carey ’91, vice president and secretary of the University, told The Herald that Simmons and Provost Robert Zimmer have made the creation of more 24hour study spaces a priority. The Department of Facilities Management solicited student feedback about possible SciLi renovations in October 2004. Michael McCormick, director of planning for Facilities Management, told The Herald in October that SciLi improvements became possible after the University transferred rarely-used materials from the library to an offsite storage facility. A University news release said some volumes currently located in the SciLi will move to the Library Collections Annex, which opens March 1 about four miles from campus. Some administrative areas will also be relocated, the statement said. The largest gift accepted by the Corporation Saturday was a $20 million donation from an unnamed trustee to support the

shimmied in choreography that referenced ballet, West African dance, the Ethopian Shoulder Dance and even yoga. Loose sheer shirts, wrapped skirts and flowing pants all reinforced the wide spinning movements and jumps. “Batty Moves” featured six muscular dancers of various heights and builds in small spandex outfits proudly rapping at center stage. Each rap was different — one addressed motherhood and another made reference to Kelis’ song “Milkshake.” The dancers lined up with their backs to the audience and shook, gyrated and did the Cha-Cha. Midperformance the house lights went up and the dancers encouraged “Big Mamas” with “batties,” a Caribbean term for buttocks, to stand up. Thompson said he loved the piece, choreographed by Zollar as a reaction against the “holdin’ (and) tuckin’” of the ballet world. “A warrior came out in me,” he said. It reinforces the company’s see DANCERS, page 5

multidisciplinary Center for Computational Molecular Biology. Five professorships in fields related to the CCMB will be endowed using $16 million of the gift. The remaining $4 million will be used to fund research and teaching programs, according to a University statement. “The gift is a significant commitment to the work and research of the faculty involved in the Center who are engaged in applying the data-processing tools of mathematics, statistics and computer science to key questions about human development, aging and evolution,” Simmons wrote in a campus-wide e-mail Saturday. The Humanities Center will become the Cogut Humanities Center and move to a renovated and expanded Pembroke Hall. The Corporation officially accepted the lead gift from Deborah Cogut and Craig Cogut ’75, a Brown trustee, and approved the appointment of historian Michael Steinberg as its director. The Corporation also agreed to a renovation and expansion of Pembroke Hall to house it. Nickel said the amount of the Coguts’ gift was not being released, but Simmons said at a Dec. 7 faculty meeting that the lead donation for the Humanities Center was expected to be $5 million. Steinberg, currently a professor of modern European history at Cornell University, will become a professor of history and music at Brown in addition to directing the Cogut Humanities Center. The $10 million renovation to Pembroke Hall will refresh its exterior and interior and add a multistory addition on the north side. The new Pembroke Hall will also house the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women, now based in Alumnae Hall. Pembroke Hall currently houses several classrooms and the Career Development Center. “The Cogut Humanities Center will support faculty members in the various humanities departments and multidisciplinary programs at Brown by generating new resources for their research and creating forums for the dissemination of their work,” Simmons wrote in her e-mail. In other business, the Corporation selected the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to design Sidney E. Frank Hall.

Benefit continued from page 1 The benefit was the largest campus-wide tsunami relief effort, with 250 people in attendance for dinner and at least another 70 people attending the concert and dance. Some students also chose to raise money on their own. Zahara and Shereen Kassam, both ’05, sold Indian jewelry in the post office. Both sisters arrived in India for a vacation the day after the tsunami hit. While staying in the country, they were horrified by tragic images of the disaster. “It was really tough to be on vacation and not do anything,” Zahara said. They began collecting Indian jewelry to sell back at Brown, including authentic Indian bangles and earrings. They earned over $1,500 for Focus Humanitarian Assistance, a relief agency based in India that provides aid for countries hit by natural disasters.

Frank last year donated $20 million for the approximately $30 million building, which will house the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, the Brain Science Program’s administrative offices and a 350-seat auditorium and classrooms. Frank’s donation was the largest gift for a building in the University’s history. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill regularly tops news headlines with its landmark projects — including the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, the Bank of America World Headquarters in San Francisco and AOL Time Warner Center in New York. The firm is currently designing Freedom Tower on the World Trade Center site in New York. The firm has also done work on college campuses around the country — it recently designed the master plan for Harvard University’s north campus. Frank Hall is a part of the $155 million the University plans to spend on construction over the next two years — including $86 million for existing projects and $69 million for new works. The other facilities incorporated in this sum include the Life Sciences Building, the Nelson Fitness Center, the Friedman Study Center and the Cogut Humanities Center. Additional physical expansion may be in Brown’s future, as the Corporation endorsed plans to solicit $30 million for a creative arts building to provide new performance and exhibition spaces, multimedia labs and production studios. This weekend the Corporation also approved two new professorships in pediatrics and computer science and accepted a gift of $2.5 million from a former Corporation member and his wife to endow an environmental studies professorship, increase the library endowment and sponsor undergraduate teaching and research assistantships. A separate gift of $2.3 million from an unnamed Corporation member will establish an endowment for the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. Michael Chapman, vice president for public affairs and University relations, told The Herald that the Corporation did not reject any proposals this weekend.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

CAMPUS NEWS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 5

‘I’d like to thank the University...’

Bike and Build: pedaling against poverty

Professors win WebCT awards

BY MARIA KREZIA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BY CHRISTOPHER CHON STAFF WRITER

To provide students a visual respite from readings and texts, Associate Professor of History Nancy Jacobs spent last summer working with Brown’s Instructional Technology Group to create an TECHNOLOGY animated in the classroom map that showed all the wars and political changes in Africa from 1885 to 2002 in varying colors and moving images. Last fall, Jacobs posted the map on her WebCT site for AF 16: “History and Africana Studies.” Students could click on the map and, in less than three minutes, watch a rough overview of the continent’s political progression over the last century. Jacobs, Associate Professor Ross Cheit (PS 10: “Intro to Public Policy”) and Professor Kathryn Spoehr (CG 48: “Human Thinking and Problem Solving”) earned the first-ever Computing and Information Services “Best of WebCT” awards. “WebCT is important to deliver information that is otherwise inaccessible — to allow a lot of people to learn in ways other than reading,” Jacobs said. “It’s really useful for delivering information for students in these different types of media.” An online resource that helps professors organize course materials and communicate with their students, WebCT provides faculty means of posting syllabi, grades, readings and other visual and audio aids. Early in 2002, Vice President for Computing and Information Services Ellen Waite-Franzen began searching for an easier way

for more professors to get their courses online. After a brief evaluation of several commercial products, the University decided to use WebCT, billed by its distributor as “the world’s leading provider of elearning systems for higher education institutions.” Brown’s version of WebCT became available to students in the fall of 2002, with about 20 pioneering professors posting information about their respective courses on the site. In the fall of 2003, the number of courses using the site jumped to 274. Today, roughly 50 percent of all courses offered by the University are complemented with a site on WebCT. Daily hits to the site range from as low as 100 to as high as 5,000 to 6,000 during an academic semester. According to WebCT Inc., thousands of institutions in over 70 countries use WebCT. Brown, however, is the only Ivy to use the site. Other colleges and universities in the northeast using WebCT include Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island, Boston College and Bates College. Associate Director of Computing and Information Services Eileen Palenchar said the simplicity of the site makes it attractive for both students and professors. Once professors feel comfortable with the site’s offerings and options, “they are often inspired to do new and different things with it,” she said. The materials professors have posted on their course WebCT sites have ranged from an audio recording of Tennessee Williams reading his “The Glass Menagerie” to radio broadcasts in different see WEBCT, page 7

On June 2, 2005 — four days after Commencement — 33 local students will begin a 3,861-mile adventure. They will be biking from Providence to arrive in Seattle on Aug. 6. On the way, they will contribute funds and manual assistance to building low-income houses while raising awareness about affordable housing. The group is part of Bike and Build, a program started last year by Yale graduate Mark Bush and Joshua Champagne ’05 to raise awareness about poverty housing in the United States while biking across the country. There are over 11,000 people living in very poor conditions in the United States, according to trip coordinator Austin Vandergon ’07. Groups will bike four different routes this summer: from Virginia Beach, Va. to Cannon Beach, Ore.; Portsmouth, N.H. to Vancouver, British Columbia; Annapolis, Md. to San Francisco; and Providence to Seattle. The groups will bike across several states, providing

Dancers continued from page 4 “vision of black women helping each other toward a common truth,” while still acknowledging that everyone has her own experience, Thompson said. He knew the event was a success when those who were neither black nor female “still got it,” he said. One student, Vanessa Huang

funds to affordable housing organizations and participating in community events, Vandergon said. In addition to cash contributions from individual fundraising, riders will dedicate some days to helping out in the construction of housing. The Providence-Seattle trip will include 31 Brown students, one Rhode Island School of Design student and a high school senior. Vandergon, Amanda Garfield RISD ’07, post- Photo Editor Marissa Hauptman ’05 and Hunter Bergschneider ’05 organized and will lead the trip. All four are impatient to begin the trip after all the time devoted to organizing it, Vandergon said. “There might be challenges on days where the hill is too steep or the heat is too harsh, but when you get to the finish line, the emotional reward of what you have accomplished relieves you and gives you a satisfaction like no other,” he said. No experience is needed in any sector. “Even if you don’t know how to ride a bike, we will teach you during the two days of orientation,”

Vandergon said. Past bikers remember their trips as life-changing. “Everything we experienced while biking through amazing landscapes cannot be put into words. The sensation was phenomenal,” said Madeline Rake ’07, a member of last year’s trip. Fellow participants Cari Mailloux ’07 and Reid Hopkins ’06 agree. A lot of group bonding occurs through all the difficulties of such a physically demanding trip, and everyone makes sure to motivate one another, they said. For example, Champagne got up early one morning and painted a trail of encouraging words on a steep hill in order to keep everyone going, Rake said. Community groups and churches provide housing for the bikers along the way. The people who provided last year’s accommodations really cherished the group’s effort and inspired them to do their best in everything, Rake said. One pastor biked with the group from his town to the state’s border, surprising the group with

’06, left the performance singing a song from “Batty Moves” and wishing she had more opportunities to see dance, she said. To Thompson, the experience was a “revolutionary” celebration in community. During their residency, UBW also performed at Providence’s Black Repertory Theater and taught Brown dancers as well as Hope High School students. Thompson made over 200 free tickets to Saturday’s perform-

ance available to Providence youth groups, along with the help of Kath Connolly ’89, senior associate director of the Swearer Center for Public Service. Thompson said he would have preferred that the Brown campus had a performance space to facilitate the UBW performance but said he was happy the PPAC location got students off of College Hill and “made people (outside of Brown) feel more welcome.”

see BIKE, page 8


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Hollywood continued from page 1 in which the title characters met during their time together at Brown; and “24,” the dramatic action series featuring a character who, according to the show’s official website, allegedly received a master of arts degree — with a specialization in public policy — from Brown. A few shows, such as the adultoriented animated comedy “Family Guy,” in which the Griffin family is from an imaginary suburb outside of Providence, incorporate references to the University to a far greater degree. The family’s speaking dog, Brian Griffin, is a Brown graduate, and he discusses his days at the University in several episodes. Meg, the family’s oldest child, describes Brown as her first choice when looking at colleges. In one episode, the family tours the campus and can be seen standing in front of the legendary Van Wickle Gates. An abundance of movies include in their scripts fictitious Brown alums and potential students. In theaters now, “The Wedding Date” is a romantic comedy in which the female protagonist’s date to her sister’s wedding is a respectable male escort and freelance journalist — as well as a Brown graduate. The underdog quarterback in “Varsity Blues,” Johnny “Mox” Moxon, aspires to gain acceptance into Brown at any cost, placing that goal above all else. In the independent film “Kissing Jessica Stein,” the main character is a journalist with a degree from Brown. Sometimes references to Brown are obscure: In “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” the main female character wears a Brown T-shirt, and “Dreamcatcher” includes a scene in which a Brown diploma — specially requested by the film’s producers — hangs on the wall of one character’s office. License to shoot Isabelle Hunter, Brown’s director of publications and projects, decides how the University’s name and resources are used — and by whom. “My job is to OK all outside organizations that want to use the Brown name, logo or whatever else. … I have to look at how the name is going to be used and if giving permission will be detrimental to Brown’s image,” she said. “Even students who need to film something on campus — say, in an academic building or in Faunce (House) — as part of a thesis project usually come to me first, especially if they need access to the building during off hours,” Hunter said. Hunter typically grants requests, regardless of their source. An organization seeking

permission from the University to use its name or resources in a way that might tarnish its reputation usually realizes that its request will be denied, and therefore refrains from asking, she added. “A few years back, I received a request from a filmmaker who wanted to shoot a movie on our campus, and the main character was supposed to work as a gigolo. Obviously, when I found this out I turned the idea down. It wasn’t going to be positive in terms of Brown’s image,” Hunter said. Before making each decision, Hunter researches how the University’s resources will be used and frequently asks to see a script. Requests to shoot a movie or television scene on campus are not as common as requests to use Brown apparel or the University’s name — but when they are made, they require serious thought before any decision is made. Primarily, Hunter must ensure the filming will not disrupt the academic life at the University. “If a shoot is going to interfere with students’ progress on their way to class, then it just cannot happen,” Hunter said. A commercial enterprise is almost invariably prohibited from using the University’s Main Green as a setting. Front Campus, near the Van Wickle Gates, is a more feasible option. The most frequent requests for use of Brown’s campus involve photo shoots. “The campus is a natural choice because of the beautiful quads and the general Ivy League feel of the environment,” Hunter said. A few years back, an Acura commercial was shot in early fall in front of the John Hay Library. According to the George Street Journal, the architecture provided an ideal backdrop for the commercial. The Acura commercial was not an enterprise approved by Hunter — she was never approached with a request to use the area, and was not even aware the commercial existed until recently. “There are probably plenty of instances where people don’t come to me for permission. Brown’s administration doesn’t really care that much unless the final product is damaging to school’s reputation, so these are the only instances where there might be ramifications,” Hunter said. Hunter allowed a character in the TV show “Joan of Arcardia” to wear a Brown T-shirt in an episode, and she permitted one of the figures in “Christmas with the Kranks” to wear a Brown sweatshirt. She also arranged for an altered Brown diploma to be sent to the set of “Angels in America.” “I have to be really careful if I send out a diploma, because the character can have the same name as an actual Brown alum. With ‘Angels in America,’ there was a problem with names. The diploma they got was changed slightly to differentiate it — but it

looked close enough,” Hunter said.

Funk

Worth 1,000 words Some of the requests come to Hunter directly through alums, while others come straight from the studio. Regardless, many of the projects seeking to be tied to Brown through some prop or character involve the help of an alum. But the network of alums in the entertainment industry is not the sole reason for Brown’s prominence on the Hollywood scene. Regardless of the number of alums in the industry, Brown would not have gained such popularity among filmmakers and TV producers were it not fitting for the context. “The University is an original place, and the New Curriculum reinforces this image. Essentially, saying somebody is from Brown is shorthand for saying they’re a creative thinker, an artistic person who thinks outside the box and has something unique to offer,” said Lowry Marshall, professor of theatre, speech and dance. This impression is what leads producers to use Brown as a means of defining a character. “In filmmaking, if you can say in two words what you could otherwise say in 100 words, it’s better to keep it short. The connotations and associations linked to Brown’s image let producers use a simple phrase to express precisely who a character really is,” Marshall said. Frequently, producers want a character to come across as an Ivy League type. Their choices, then, are numerous. What is it about Brown that makes the University more appealing than the alternatives? “I think Harvard, Yale and even Princeton have different connotations than Brown does. You get a knee-jerk reaction from the audience when you use one of those. Brown, however, is less narrowly stereotyped because it’s such a diverse, liberal place. Right now, Brown is such a hot school. It’s viewed as the place to be. This quality can signify something about the student body — the type of person that goes to Brown — as well,” Anderson said. All of this publicity seems to be serving the University well. It is, as Anderson says, one of the trendiest universities in the nation and acceptance letters are in high demand. The countless references to the University increase public recognition and Brown’s overall prestige. Furthermore, it does not seem Hollywood’s fascination with Brown is going to change anytime soon, as the aspects of Brown that cultivate creative thinkers — those prone to success in the entertainment industry — are becoming more deeply embedded in the school’s self-conception and identity. After all, this is what a liberal education is all about.

continued from page 3

Interested in writing for sports? Come to the Spring Sports Meeting TONIGHT 7 p.m. 195 Angell Street

Nasaw became interested in creating the site last year, when he saw Norton’s personal Web site with his graphic design work. The two met last year after being accepted to Brown. But the ultimate inspiration for creating the site came from being at Brown, he said. “People here are so artistic. Everybody here is doing something,” Nasaw said. Many of his friends are talented artists, but he never knew what they were working on, he said. Nasaw is quick to note that Brown Funk is a work in progress. The site’s operators are considering adding a message board and

WebCT continued from page 5 languages. Just last semester, WebCT scanned over 7,000 visual slides. “So many faculty (members) have really taken the ball and run with it with what they’ve done with the courses,” Palenchar said. “Students are spending more time with course materials than they would have if there weren’t these other resources available.” The site is not solely used for courses, however. Student organizations have used WebCT to organize group materials and plan events. Last summer, incoming first-years could sign in to the site to learn trivia about the University. Palenchar said she was impressed with many professors’ efforts to use WebCT to provide their students with alternative methods of learning course material. “It’s amazing how many people have really put in a significant amount of time to use

are always looking for new material and new contributors. Thus far, most of the artwork currently on display is from Norton and Nasaw or Nasaw’s friends from high school and Brown, and their current recruitment strategies are less than foolproof. “If you bug people enough, they’ll put it up,” Nasaw said. Currently, work gets posted by e-mailing Nasaw through a link on the site. Nasaw serves as a “filter” — not a “dictator” — in selecting what goes on the Web, he said. With the exception of a few pieces that weren’t at the “funk level,” Nasaw said he’s open to anything and everything. “It’s relaxed,” said Norton, who, like Nasaw, is from the San Francisco Bay Area. “This is NorCal.” WebCT,” she said. “It has really become a catalyst to rethink the way they teach their courses.” Jacobs said having visual and audio aids on her WebCT site for AF 16 was important because of the lack of sources for the course. The different forms of media on the site also made the course material more “accessible” for students, she said. “In an introductory-level class, I knew this would be the first and last class most students would take on Africa,” she said. “I wanted to give them a wide variety of understanding, so I used images, photographs, paintings — all of these layers of understanding that can come through different forms of media.” Palenchar said she hopes professors will continue to use WebCT. “It’s such a credit to Brown faculty that they have taken to this,” Palenchar said. “There is a love of teaching and students. It’s very impressive to see them get excited about it and to rethink, ‘How can I make this course material more engaging for my students?’”


PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005

Hourglass continued from page 3 mer and a saxophone player — is perfect for such collaborations, he said. “We just start playing in my room and the sound carries pretty well and anyone who hears just comes in and plays. We just have a lot of friends who are great musicians and somehow we’re just lucky enough that they span all these different genres and so we’re just inviting them all to come play,” he said. The show will feature acoustic guitar, bongos, saxophone and keyboard as well as some less traditional instruments. Stephen Celluci ’08 will play the tabla, an Indian drum, and Arthur Kim ’08 will play the electric violin. “I really want to see if they can pull out some crazy stuff while jamming with people,” Kennedy said In addition to drumming, Kennedy will provide his own unique contribution. “I have two cowbells that I’ll be busting out on Tuesday night. You always need more cowbell, just like Christopher Walken said,” Kennedy said. The show will also include two performers rapping over a beat provided by live music. While there will be a loose structure to the show, for the most part it will be jamming and improvisation, Kennedy said. Kennedy and Amdur said they think their show will be a good addition to Brown’s music scene. “Brown brings in good speakers, but they don’t really bring in big music acts. It’s just kind of an area where the scene was a little

bit lacking, so this is at least one attempt to change that,” Amdur said. Kennedy is more concerned about student musicians, who he said often don’t make music enough of a priority. “(The scene) hasn’t flourished much, but that’s the students fault, not the administration’s. This administration has given us every possible chance to follow wherever creativity takes us, but it is up to us to make that effort,” he said. “I haven’t jumped into the music scene as much as I thought I would,” said Charlie Custer ’08, a rap artist who will be performing two songs. “It is cool when stuff like this happens.” The initial Hourglass show was arranged after Kennedy and Alex Hogg ’08 contacted the Coalition of Bands at Brown, which Kennedy credited as “pretty much the only driving force behind any kind of student run music at Brown.” Kennedy called a few friends and put together a small group to play. “We just got together and started playing and people just started showing up to this thing. Before we knew it there were twenty people out on the dance floor. It was just great,” Kennedy said “It was just packed. By the end of it everyone was up and dancing. (The Hourglass) brought in a lot of money for Oxfam that night,” said Hourglass Event Coordinator Julie Flynn ’08. The musicians are incredibly talented and work off each other well, she said. The show will be free, but the Hourglass’ proceeds go to Oxfam America, an organization that helps fight hunger.

‘Million Dollar Baby’ is knockout winner BY JOHN HORN AND SUSAN KING LOS ANGELES TIMES

HOLLYWOOD — It had heart, controversy, a tragic twist and oldfashioned craftsmanship, and in the end Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama “Million Dollar Baby” emerged as the winner in Sunday night’s Academy Awards, taking four Oscars — best picture, director, actress and supporting actor. In an evening when the Oscars tried for a younger, hipper image with cocky new host Chris Rock, Sunday’s 77th annual awards were mostly evenly divided between the works of two veteran filmmakers — Eastwood and “The Aviator’s” Martin Scorsese — who between them have nearly 85 years in show business. “The Aviator” won five trophies, the most of the evening, although the influential director was once again shut out of the best picture and director races. But ultimately it was Eastwood’s night. At age 74, Eastwood became the oldest director to earn the top honor. He previously won the directing trophy for 1992’s “Unforgiven.” Eastwood directed his first film three years before its Oscar-winning star, Hilary Swank, was even born. “I’m just a kid,” Eastwood said in accepting his award. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to do yet.” Jamie Foxx, who seamlessly blended his own piano playing with Ray Charles’s vocal tracks, collected the best actor Oscar for starring as the legendary rhythm and blues singer in the biopic “Ray.” In a sometimes emotional speech, Foxx thanked Charles, who died last June, and Foxx’s late grandmother, who taught him to be both an actor and a “Southern gentleman.” “She still talks to me, but now she talks to me in my dreams,” Foxx said. “I can’t wait to go to sleep tonight, because we got a lot to talk about.” Foxx also was nominated for best supporting actor for “Collateral,” but lost that statuette to “Million Dollar Baby’s” Morgan Freeman, who played the ex-boxer who managed Eastwood’s gym. It was Freeman’s first win in four nominations, and it proved to be a crowd pleaser, winning the veteran actor a standing ovation. Freeman said backstage that he wanted to become a movie actor at the age of 15. “This is the fight I’ve been fighting all of my life. This isn’t serendipity, in terms of being here.” The two victories for the black actors comes three years after African-American performers Denzel Washington (“Training Day”) and Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) won the top acting prizes. Foxx is only the third black to win

Bike continued from page 5 his speed and ultimately beating them all. In addition to biking and building, the members participate in activities such as whitewater rafting, Hopkins said. Each participant must raise $4,000 in order to participate in the trip. Fundraising will occur on campus during the next few weeks. The funds not spent on traveling costs and contributions during the program will

the best actor trophy. But it was “Million Dollar Baby’s” evening. “I’m just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream,” Swank said from the podium, describing both her life and that of her “Million Dollar Baby’s” rags-toriches character. This was Swank’s second best actress Oscar; she won five years ago for “Boys Don’t Cry.” Oscar producer Gilbert Cates tried to jazz up the event by bringing in standup comedian and actor Rock to emcee the ceremony. The show’s ratings have been stalled for years, and when nominations were announced, this year’s five best picture selections had the smallest cumulative boxoffice gross of any field since 1986. The often raunchy Rock, who has hosted MTV’s “Video Music Awards” but is not an established movie star, took over from last year’s host, Billy Crystal. Rock immediately fell into his trademark urban, take-no-prisoners patter, telling the assembled black-tie audience of Hollywood royalty, “Sit yo asses down.” Rock spared few in his fiveminute opening monologue, assailing actors Jude Law, Tobey Maguire, Colin Farrell and Cuba Gooding Jr. for not being real movie stars. Seconds after saying “I’m not going to bash Bush tonight,” Rock then launched into a critique of the president. His main target through the evening, however, was Hollywood itself. In one skit presented later in the show, Rock interviewed patrons of the Magic Johnson Theatre in south L.A. to point out how out of touch the Oscars were with audiences. Most of them had not seen any of the best picture nominees but heaped praised on popcorn fare like “White Chicks” and “The Chronicles of Riddick.” Censors for ABC, which broadcast the show, objected to numerous lyrics in a cheeky song to be performed by Robin Williams as part of the presentation for the animated feature award. Cates said backstage Sunday that the songwriters quickly revised “seven or eight” of the lyrics that mocked the concerns of some Christian conservatives about alleged gay characters and influences in animated films, following ABC’s complaints. But Williams never sang, instead riffing on the sexual orientation of some cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck. In another twist in this year’s show, all the nominees in some categories were invited on stage, and some Oscars were presented in the audience. The goal was to give the faces of all nominees even brief screen time, but it was be donated to Habitat for Humanity or to other lowcost housing projects in Providence, Champagne said. Last year, unspent funds were put into the building of a lowcost house in Providence. Anyone can participate — whether to support the cause or to discover new places, Vandergon said. Traveling by bike makes you more friendly, interesting and approachable and assists in raising awareness, he said. Further information is available on the Web site at www.bikeandbuild.org. Bike and Build also holds information sessions in the fall semester.

reserved for lesser categories such as art direction, animated short, visual effects and makeup. It may not have revolutionized the broadcast, but it helped speed the show along, as it clocked in a comparatively brisk 3 hours, 14 minutes. “Next time, they’re going to give Oscars in the parking lot,” Rock joked. While the show may have been fast, “Million Dollar Baby’s” path to the screen was anything but. At an early stage in the film’s development, Arnold Schwarzenegger was being considered for the role of the boxing coach ultimately played by Eastwood, and Sandra Bullock was once contemplated for Swank’s part as a scrappy boxer in search of a mentor. Warner Bros., Eastwood’s longtime studio home, initially declined to participate in the film, worried that boxing movies weren’t commercially viable. The rejection came even though Eastwood’s film cost only $30 million and after his “Mystic River” became one of 2003’s bestreviewed films and a box-office hit for Warner Bros. Tom Rosenberg’s Lakeshore Entertainment agreed to bankroll “Million Dollar Baby,” and after other studios passed, Warners relented and agreed to share the film’s cost. Unlike most movies that are put through endless rewrites, Eastwood filmed the first and only draft of screenwriter Paul Haggis’s “Million Dollar Baby” script in just 37 days, and finished the movie so quickly that Warner Bros. was able to move up its opening from a planned 2005 debut to Dec. 15. “Million Dollar Baby” also withstood a barrage of criticism from conservative critics, who objected to the film’s handling of euthanasia. But the controversy failed to resonate with Oscar voters. Even though it would appear that this year’s awards strengthened the return of studio dominance to the Oscars, only one of the best picture nominees, Miramax Film’s “Finding Neverland,” was fully financed by a major studio. “The Aviator” was funded by financier Graham King, “Ray” was backed by billionaire Philip Anschutz, and “Sideways” was made by Fox Searchlight, the specialty film division of 20th Century Fox. Two critical favorites won in the writing categories. The winesoaked road movie “Sideways,” which had won the majority of awards from critics’ organizations and swept Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, received best adapted screenplay, for Jim Taylor and director Alexander Payne. The best original screenplay Oscar went to the team behind the quirky romance “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth. For a while, it looked like it was going to be Scorsese’s first visit into the winner’s circle; in the show’s first half, “The Aviator” won all but one award — best supporting actor — for which it was nominated. For her depiction of a young Katharine Hepburn in the film, Cate Blanchett won the best supporting actress award. Hepburn, who died in 2003, holds the record for the most Oscar wins for a performer, with four Academy Awards for best actress.


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

M. hockey continued from page 12 Mulhern ’96. The extra-man goal also ended a major drought for Brown’s power play unit. “We’ve been in a bit of a downward slide, but we’re relieved that the playoffs start and we can put it behind us now,” Swon said. Regular season results go out the window in March. Last year, Brown finished third in the league and earned a first-round bye, only to fall at home to

W. hoops continued from page 12 on back-to-back threes from Kelly and Ashley King-Bischof ’07. The lead eventually ballooned as high as 11 before the Big Green got back into the game. For the second year in a row, it was the Bears who played the spoilers against a previously undefeated Ivy team, having last year knocked off then-7-0 University of Pennsylvania, 8575. The win also marks the second year in a row that Bruno has defeated all seven other Ivy teams. The next night, the Bears took on Harvard before a record crowd of 2,034. The Bears had previously defeated the Crimson (17-7, 9-2 Ivy), 78-63, on Feb. 11, attributed in large part to holding senior center Reka Cserny to just 11 points, well below her league leading average of 19.9 per game. This time around, Cserny exploded for 31 points on 9-of-14 shooting. “Defensively, we know (Cserny) is First Team All-Ivy,” Burr said. “We let her get her confidence and stride, and it spread to her teammates. Her

W. hockey continued from page 12 where many other teams had failed. After losing first place in the league to Harvard the night before, the Big Green did not have its best team on the ice. Points leader and Kazmaier Award finalist Cherie Piper was recovering from an injury and sat out the game entirely, and Katie Weatherston, first on the team with 33 goals, only skated a couple of shifts. The big Dartmouth team was a challenge for the Bears, but Brown responded well to the physicality and skated around them to a 3-1 win. The Bears played with energy and obvious excitement, especially on the part of the seniors, who were likely playing their last game at Meehan Auditorium. “We were pretty excited because Dartmouth was ranked, and it was Senior Night,” said co-captain Katie Guay ’05. “It was the first time we swept both games in a long time, and it was a good win going into the playoffs.” Lindsey Glennon ’06 put the opening goal behind Dartmouth’s Kate Lane at 3:20 of the first period. Glennon, who usually plays defense, was on a

Harvard in two straight. “We think it’s important for a lot of our young guys to start out the playoffs at home,” Swon said. ECACHL playoffs begin Friday, March 4 at Meehan Auditorium. Brown will host 11th-seeded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a bestof-three-series. RPI finished 1420-2 (6-15-1 ECACHL), but went 1-0-1 against Brown in the regular season. The series’ winner will face third-ranked Colgate in the conference quarterfinals. Swon was confident that a win in the home series could lead to a turnaround for the Bears.

“If we play our simple game — putting shots on net, playing strong in our zone — we’ll do well. We can see a pathway to the final four,” he said. The league’s open playoff format matches the parity of its competition. But the intensity on the ice heats the competition up to a new level. “All the little plays are magnified,” Swon said. “There’s no time for mistakes, no time for learning, for looking over video the next day. At the same time you want to be playing loose. I want our guys to go out there and have fun.”

walking off our home court with 31 points was the game.” Harvard jumped out to a 3521 lead late in the first half and looked to turn the game into a blowout. Enter King-Bischof, who scored eight points in the last two minutes of the half, including a tip-in at the buzzer, that cut the Crimson lead to 3731 at intermission. “When I went back in for the second time, I had missed my last two shots, and I felt that someone from the bench had to step up,” King-Bischof said. “I felt a sense of urgency.” King-Bischof continued to show the hot hand in the second half, scoring 15 points to give her a career-high 24 for the game. She also grabbed four offensive rebounds, all in just 25 minutes on the court. “She always comes off the bench with fire and hustle,” Conrad said. “She did everything she could tonight. It was the best game I’ve ever seen her play.” The Bears slowly battled back, taking a 64-61 lead on consecutive threes from McAfee and King-Bischof with 4:34 remaining. The Crimson, however, tied the game and then took the lead from the free-hrow line. A three from guard Katie Murphy put the Crimson up 6964 with 1:57 left. Brown pulled

to within two, 71-69 with 30 seconds left, but Harvard went 8of-8 from the free-throw line in the closing minute to claim victory. The Bears out-rebounded the Crimson 45-33, but as Burr pointed out, too many of those boards came off Bruno’s misses. “We wanted to out-rebound them, and we did, but it came off our offensive boards,” Burr said. “It is amazing to not come out with the win with 23 offensive boards, but we were not converting.” For the second night in a row, Robertson turned in a doubledouble, racking up 13 points and 14 rebounds. Hayes also turned in a good performance, recording 14 points and eight boards to go along with five assists. Before the game, the Bears honored their two seniors, Robertson and Conrad, who were playing their last home games. “They are excellent basketball players,” Burr said of her seniors. “They are two of Brown’s finest, and they have had a huge impact in leading the team to the top of the Ivies.” The Bears will close out the regular season this weekend when they take on Columbia and Cornell.

forward line this weekend with Link and Keaton Zucker ’06 in the place of the injured Krissy McManus ’05. Five minutes later, defenseman Ashlee Drover ’06 scored her first goal of the season on one of five power plays that Brown had in the period. The second period was marked by an injury — Dartmouth’s Caroline Ethier left the ice with a hurt leg — but there was no scoring. McLaughlin padded the Brown lead to three early in the third when a rebound went into the net off of her skate. With about 10 minutes left in the game, Dartmouth’s Cheryl Muranko scored on a shorthanded goal, but that would be the Big Green’s only tally. Bruno’s defense fiercely staved off Dartmouth’s attempt at a comeback, and O’Hara Shipe ’08 was solid in net, making 28 stops. After the game, a ceremony celebrated the college careers of Link, McManus, McLaughlin, Guay and Kerry Nugent ’05, the graduating seniors. Guay was presented with the annual Panda Award for her commitment to the team. The Bears will have a week to prepare for the ECACHL quarterfinals, which start on March 4 at St. Lawrence.

M. hoops continued from page 12 Harvard raced to a 15-4 lead and coasted to a comfortable seven points up at the half. The Bears made a run to open up the second half and claw their way back into the game. They closed the deficit to 41-39 behind a Marcus Becker ’07 three-pointer and five points from Forte. The Crimson responded by scoring the next four points and eventually opened up a double-digit lead on a layup by Jason Norman. Sam Manhanga ’07 expressed the team’s frustration with its inability to catch the Crimson in the second half. “We felt like we had gotten the game under control again, so it was very frustrating for it to happen like that,” Manhanga said. “I think we had just gone on a little run and then to have back-to-back turnovers was very frustrating. If we make two shots on those possessions, we’re right back in the game. They broke our rhythm right there.” Despite the loss, Bruno put four players in double figures. The seldom-used Manhanga made his presence felt by

scoring 16 points in only 16 minutes of playing time. “I was just trying to help the team win,” Manhanga said. “I was doing my best to score and contribute. I don’t get a whole lot of playing time lately, so when I get in there I’m trying to impress the coaches a little. You want to prove to them that you deserve to be in the starting lineup. My whole mentality was to do anything I could to help the team but we came up a little short.” Ruscoe and Becker joined Manhanga and Forte in double figures with 11 and 12 points, respectively, and the Bears went 20-of-23 at the free-throw line against Harvard. Manhanga was a pleasant surprise from the line as the career 55 percent shooter went 8-of-8 against the Crimson. “I’ve actually been really bad from the free throw line but I’ve been working hard to get better at it,” he said. “The whole teams been concentrating on it because we’ve been struggling a little bit shootingwise. Everyday before practice everyone’s been working on their free throws, so I guess it paid off a little.” Brown returns home this weekend to host Cornell and Columbia.

Want to write sports? Come to the Spring Sports Meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at 195 Angell Street


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 10 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Continuing aid Was this weekend’s tsunami benefit — taking place two months after the initial disaster — a case of too little, too late? We think not. Too often, disaster victims receive a flood of support as the media is saturated with images of destruction, only to have it dry up as the world moves on, its heartstrings pulled by newer stories. Worries that campus support would falter because the tragedy occurred while most students were home for winter break — or because fundraising efforts took time to organize — proved needless. “Children of the Tsunami: Rebuilding Lives,” sponsored by over 20 student groups, raised over $7,000 Saturday night for UNICEF. Another Brunonian has raised around $3,000 to rebuild homes for tsunami survivors. From selling bracelets in the Post Office, to delivering truckloads of supplies to villages cut off from aid to quietly donating, to relief organizations of their choosing, students are finding their own ways to contribute to the effort. Faculty, staff and administrators have supported the cause as well with money and logistical support. The effort on campus has been mirrored by the swell of support globally. After an initial pledge to provide a paltry $15 million, President George W. Bush increased his support to $350 million on Dec. 31 and then to $950 million earlier this month. The United Nations estimates that international humanitarian assistance has totaled more than $6 billion. Whether students have been motivated to contribute based on compassion for the affected, the desire to own a new bangle or the hope of lunching with President Ruth Simmons is immaterial. What is most remarkable is the creativity that students have used to tap into the generosity and resources of the Brown community. And the Brown community, in turn, has responded with another instance of putting those in need ahead of itself. It is fortunate that no casualties among Brown students or alums were reported, but many of those who donated to relief efforts did not need to know personally someone directly affected by the tragedy. When the world is broken — figuratively or literally — the Brown community is there to help. There is no end to the causes that would benefit from the enthusiasm, energy and ingenuity of Brown students. We hope that even as the tragedy of the tsunami fades from our daily consciousness, Brown students and alums will continue to make such productive use of their talents from the Main Green to beyond the Van Wickle Gates.

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 Stephanie Clark, Focus Editor Kira Lesley, Focus Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet, Metro 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 Lisa Poon, Marketing Manager Abigail Ronck, Senior Business Consultant Rob McCartney, Senior Accounts Manager David Ranken, Senior Accounts Manager Kathleen Timmins, Senior Accounts Manager Laird Bennion, Senior Project Manager Elias Roman, Senior Project Manager Ryan Shewcraft, Chief Technology Officer 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

Rivers Cuomo, Night Editor Allison Kwong, Sonia Saraiya, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Camden Avery, Alexandra Barsk, Eric Beck, Mary-Catherine Lader, Ben Leubsdorf, Jane Porter, Stu Woo Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Justin Amoah, Zachary Barter, Danielle Cerny, Christopher Chon, Stewart Dearing, Gabriella Doob, Kate Gorman, Jonathan Herman, Leslie Kaufmann, Aidan Levy, Allison Lombardo, Joel Rozen, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Robin Steele, Laura Supkoff, Stefan Talman, Jane Tanimura, Anne Wootton Sports Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Stephen Colelli, Lexi Costello, Ian Cropp, Justin Goldman, Bernard Gordon, Katie Larkin, Matt Lieber, Shaun MacNamara, Chris Mahr, Ben Miller, Eric Perlmutter, Jilane Rodgers, Marco Santini, Charlie Vallely, Brooke Wolfe Accounts Managers Alexandra Annunziato, Zaneta Lei Balantac, Steven Butschi, Jennifer Kuo, Ashfia Rahman, Joel Rozen, Rukesh Samarasekera, Mitch Schwartz Project Managers In Young Park, Libbie Fritz Design Staff Deepa Galaiya, Annie Koo, 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, Katie Lamm, Suchi Mathur, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Lela Spielberg, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young

DANIEL L AWLOR

LETTERS Current transfers will still lack financial aid To the Editor: I am extremely disappointed to learn that current transfer students will not be eligible for financial aid next year. Current transfer students are the ones who have been asking for financial aid since I’ve been at Brown. As of today’s Corporation meeting, we have learned that only incoming transfer students will be eligible for the $400,000 put aside. Shouldn’t the students who have asked for financial aid all along be the first

to receive it? How is it fair that current transfer students will again have to pay over $40,000 next year that they don’t have? While making incoming transfer students eligible for financial aid is a step in the right direction, it’s ridiculous that Brown continues to discriminate against certain students who evidently matriculated at the wrong time. Elizabeth Thorndike ’06 Feb. 26

Palestinians and Israelis both support a twostate solution To the Editor: If Anti-Racist Action and its supporters are truly concerned with the welfare of the millions of Palestinians and Israelis who suffer from the tragic conflict on a daily basis, rather than with relentlessly promoting an impractical and naïve ideology, then it should look no further than what the majority of the Israeli and Palestinian publics are saying: two states for two peoples. In fact, the latest joint poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, both respected independent polling organizations, has shown that 63 percent of Palestinians and 70 percent of Israelis support the notion of mutual recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people and Palestine as the state of the Palestinian people after the settlement of all issues in dispute. Furthermore, 54 percent of Palestinians and 64 percent of Israelis polled

showed support for a comprehensive peace agreement based on the tenets of the Geneva Accord. A one-state solution is not in the best interests of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and who can know better than the people who are affected day after day. To think otherwise is tantamount to calling for continuing violence and bloodshed since these would be the inevitable consequences from abandoning the two-state solution framework. It is especially important that given the conflict’s protracted history and the daily hardships and mistrust on the ground that we do advocate for a just and negotiated peace process that will allow both peoples the right to independent self-government, dignity and security. A onestate solution runs counter to these long sought after goals and, in turn, counter to the hopes and dreams of the majority of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. Mike Rozensher ‘05 Feb. 25

C O R R E C T I O N A Feb. 25 Arts & Culture review, “‘Measure’ innovative but flawed,” misspelled the name of a character in Shakespeare’s original “Measure for Measure.” The name is Lucio, not Lucius.

CORRECTIONS POLICY The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. 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, letters and comics 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. ADVERTISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 11

How the ACCRI works GUEST COLUMN BY JAMES DEBOER AND ZACHARY TEUTSCH Recently some students referring to themselves as Anti-Racist Action submitted a proposal to President Ruth Simmons that recommended the University divest from companies doing $5 million or more in business in Israel per year. Their list included a few hundred companies, such as America Online, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Ben & Jerry’s, Pfizer and Royal Crown Cola. ARA’s request was delivered to the Office of the President, among other places. On issues of socially responsible investing, the president maintains an advisory committee made up of students, faculty and alumni — the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing, on which we serve as the undergraduate student representatives. Ultimately, the investment committee of Brown’s Corporation decides where to invest in consultation with the president, whom the ACCRI advises, and the University’s Investment Office. We are hoping that the current discussion over divestment from Israel will be an educational opportunity for our campus. To that end, we want to briefly explain what the ACCRI is and how it works. The ACCRI’s charge can be found on pages 30-32 of the faculty rules and regulations, which can be downloaded at: http://www.brown.edu/ Faculty/Faculty_Governance/rules.html. In short, the committee is charged with making shareholder proxy voting recommendations (voting our shares) and examining issues of “social harm” while balancing those issues with the mission of the university and its values. We also can recommend divestment when appropriate and give the president advice at her request. President Simmons asked for our advice on the proposal for divestment from Israel, and we have made a recommendation to her, as is our responsibility as a committee. We anticipate that President Simmons will consider our advice as she determines how to respond to the divestiture proposal. In the time we have served on the committee, we have recommended the divestiture from tobacco companies in directly held assets (the stock the University owns directly, as opposed to mutual funds we simply invest in). This recommendation was supported by the President and approved by the Corporation early in the fall of 2003. To date, we have always considered any recommendation offered to the committee and/or president such as that the ARA presented. We are thrilled with the increased interest in how the University invests money. We on the committee have been trying to think of creative ways to create a positive change in the world without adversely affecting Brown’s ability to offer the best services, learning and financial support to its own students. We want feedback, ideas and support. Currently we are encouraging the Corporation to establish a new part of the endowment fund dedicated to socially progressive investing, possibly to be called the “social choice” fund. We are hopeful that with enough support and creativity this new fund can be established and will advance the cause of socially responsible investing. If this issue leads you to think more about Brown’s socially responsible investing, I encourage you to work with us to help launch a “social choice” fund within our endowment. If you would like more information on the ACCRI or how to structure a proposal to our committee please get in touch with us. James DeBoer ’05 and Zachary Teutsch ’05 represent you and your roommate.

ROB SAND

Optimism on global warming I sat down to write another column decrying the Bush administration’s disregard for the needy and downtrodden. I started writing about the disappearance of “compassionate conservatism.” David Kuo, the deputy director of Bush’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for most of his first term, stated “There was minimal senior White House commitment to the faith-based agenda…(they) never really wanted the ‘poor people’ stuff.” John J. DiIulio Jr., director of the same office, quit for the same reason seven months after Bush took office, telling Esquire the White House was “obsessed with the politics of the faith-based initiative but dismissive of the policy itself.” You get the point — compassion, like everything else, was a Bush sham. In fact, Bush admitted on tape that he smoked pot, but would deny it so that he would not set a bad example for kids. Good work, Mr. President — now kids can use your actions to justify smoking pot and to justify lying about it. I don’t need 700 words to show how the Bush administration can’t be trusted. So let’s forget about him, just like the rest of the world has in deciding to act to mitigate climate change. It may be too late to stop it completely, but the world has decided, wisely, not to wait for our President. For starters, the Kyoto Protocol went into effect just weeks ago. The landmark agreement, though excluding the United States, Australia and developing nations, mandates that 141 signatories reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent by 2012. Though the emissions of the excluded countries are large, Kyoto will reduce overall global emissions. And doing so doesn’t have to be bad for the economy. AnNational Resources Defense Council study found 500,000 jobs would be created in the next 10 years by implementing the Climate Stewardship Act. The bipartisan bill would create a market-based credit system to encourage emissions reductions. This market-based system would require more minds to innovate, and energy savings would translate into increased consumption of service sectors by manufacturers and consumers. While the bill failed by just six votes last year, this new report tying it to job creation may bring it enough support to pass. Emissions reduction might be achieved not only through government regulation, but via market forces as well. Big

investors are finally realizing that the long-term health of their portfolios might be disrupted when California is lost under the waves of the Pacific. As such, 143 major institutional investors, under the umbrella of the Carbon Disclosure Project, have demanded not only greater transparency from corporations regarding their carbon emissions, but also annual progress reports on emission reduction. CDP’s investment will depend upon emissions reductions. If corporations don’t listen to government or science, perhaps the $20 trillion these 143 investors control will get their attention. It’s easier to get your message across when you speak your audience’s language. There are signs that corporations might also face greater scrutiny by law enforcement for environmental scandals outside of global warming. Their CEOs might finally face criminal charges, as the evil W.R. Grace and seven of his associates are now for their role in blanketing the town of Libby, Mont. in asbestos. Evil might be a strong word, but I don’t know how else to describe someone who would knowingly donate asbestos-contaminated gravel to an elementary school to line an ice-skating rink, and to a high school to create a running track. Finally, we have stepped beyond slapping corporations with fines and regulations and are calling criminal environmental negligence what it is: a crime. But back to global warming: We also can count on having more trees to take in excess carbon dioxide. Leaders of seven African nations have signed a treaty to protect 772 million square miles of tropical rainforests in and around the Congo basin. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathai will be the ambassador of the program. Her involvement will bring increased international attention, discouraging some corrupt African officials from doing anything but what they are supposed to: end the illegal trade in bushmeats, end illegal logging and develop a certification program to track the origin of lumber. Bush may not care about African forests, and he doesn’t care about global warming. Fortunately, there are many people who do, and they are doing something about it. Rob Sand ‘05.5 admires Les Skramstad. Google him

NICHOLAS SWISHER

Modern satire loses its bite By the end of his short life, Lenny Bruce’s stage show was the stuff of legend. Equal parts obscene, profound and rebellious, the comedian's groundbreaking act entertained thousands of fans while concurrently piquing the interest of the FBI. In the years leading up to Bruce’s death in 1966, the FBI accrued a hefty criminal file detailing the comedian’s many charges of public obscenity. Are pioneering satirists like Lenny Bruce still viable in 2005? Is anything shocking to Americans anymore? Are there any more boundaries for satirists to push? If we consider recent history, such boundaries do still exist. Wal-Mart recently banned the New York Times bestseller “America,” written by Jon Stewart and the writers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, citing the book’s “pornographic imagery.” ABC rushed to make a public apology for a scandalous opening segment to Monday Night Football featuring a nearnaked Nicollette Sheridan jumping into the arms of Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. And certainly we still feel the effects of Janet Jackson's “Nipple-gate.” Intolerance for the taboo continues to thrive. Americans still find some things patently offensive - and their sensibilities seem decidedly sillier than they did in the 60s. Why, then, has no one stepped up to take the throne of Lenny Bruce? Why are no satirists ruffling feathers and warranting FBI files? Why is modern satire so toothless that it barely has any effect on the status quo? In the early 1960s, Mad Magazine was growing fast in popularity among teenagers. The underground magazine circulated high schools, being read as an adolescent rite of passage. Despite Mad’s popularity, publisher William Gaines rejected all advertising proposals for his satire magazine. He wanted to avoid a conflict of interest if he ever felt the urge to poke fun at one of his potential advertisers. However, Gaines’ death in 1992 heralded a decade of declining sales until, in 2001, Mad finally accepted advertisements. For the first time in its 50-year run, Mad has glossy, colorful, ad-filled pages instead of their standard pulpy black-and-white. It now lacks the intelligent satirical edge it once possessed, opting instead for uninspired gross-out humor in 150-color DPI. Today, advertisements for T-Mobile, AOL and Toyota line the website of The Onion, the popular New York-based satiric newspaper. By accepting ads, The Onion inherently minimizes its abil-

ity to effectively satirize. Could they lampoon those companies without losing ad revenue? Corporate advertising is not the only thing legitimating satire these days. A trend of politicians profiting from satire’s popularity is also emerging. For much of the past five years, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” has stood as an example of successful, intelligent satire. Nightly, Jon Stewart sat behind his desk and wryly criticized political hypocrisy and media bias. Comedy Central gave the writers near-complete creative control. In the past two years, however, a troublesome trend has arisen. Beginning with Sen. John Edwards announcing his Presidential candidacy on The Daily Show, Stewart’s guests are now comprised primarily of political bigwigs. In the last six months, Stewart has interviewed Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John McCain, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett. Politicians are itching to show that “they’re in on the joke.” As with Mad Magazine, “The Daily Show” writers now face a conflict of interest. On one hand, prominent political guests bring higher ratings, more ad revenue, and higher sales rates for their book, the aforementioned “America.” On the other, how can Stewart effectively skewer a politician sitting on the couch adjacent to him during an interview? During a recent appearance on CNN’s “Crossfire,” host Tucker Carlson attacked Stewart for soft-questioning Senator Kerry during the candidate’s Daily Show interview. “Why not ask him a real question, instead of just suck up to him?” asked the bow-tied Republican pundit Carlson. He concluded by referring to Stewart as Kerry’s “butt-boy.” While I lack a critique as tasteful and professional as Carlson’s, he has a point. By hosting such prominent guests, “The Daily Show”’s ability to satirize is highly diminished. Though his show is billed as “Fake News,” Jon Stewart now has the responsibility of a network anchor. Once considered acceptable only on the fringes of society, modern satire has become completely legitimate and mainstream. For satire, legitimacy is the kiss of death.

Nicholas Swisher ’08 has a near-complete collection of Mad Magazines.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS MONDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2005 · PAGE 12

W. hoops beats Big Green, but falls to hot Crimson BY BEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s basketball team played two thrilling games this past weekend, knocking off previously undefeated Dartmouth 68-64 on Friday before falling 77-69 to Harvard the next night. The split leaves the Bears in third place in the conference at 8-4 (16-9 overall) but makes it nearly impossible for the Bears to claim the league title. On Friday night, the Big Green (14-9, 10-1 Ivy) came into the Pizzitola Center having won eight straight, including a 63-48 victory over Bruno on Feb. 12. After leading for most of the second half, Brown’s double-digit lead slowly disappeared in the face of a daunting Dartmouth full-court press. With the game tied at 62 with less than two minutes left, the momentum seemed to have shifted back in the Big Green’s favor. That all changed when Colleen Kelly ’06 nailed a three-pointer from well behind the arc with two seconds left on the shot clock to put the Bears up 65-62. “I always feel that if the ball is in (Kelly’s) hands, and the clock is ticking down, something good will happen,” said Head Coach Jean Marie Burr. “She’s smart with the ball and makes plays.” After a missed Dartmouth jumper, Kelly grabbed the defensive board and was fouled. She converted on one free throw to put the Bears up 66-62. A basket in the paint by Dartmouth’s Elise Morrison cut the lead in half, but Lena McAfee ’07 hit a deep jumper to seal the upset. “We had an unbeaten team come on our court with a chance to play for an Ivy Championship,” Burr said. “The team faced the pressure and met them head on. I’m very proud of them.” Early on, the Bears went over four minutes without a field

Ashley Hess / Herald

Andrea Conrad ’05 was one of two seniors who played their last home game this past Saturday. goal, falling behind 15-9. Yet Brown’s fortunes shifted quickly when co-captain Andrea Conrad ’05 was reinserted into the lineup and hit a jumper to narrow the lead to four with 9:02 remaining. That basket sparked an 8-0 run that gave Brown its first lead on a layup by Holly Robertson ’05 with 6:29 remaining. Dartmouth rallied to end the first half trailing by one, 2726. Bruno’s first-half success was partially due to its use of fullcourt pressure. “The press really rattled them,” Conrad said. “By the time they were ready to set up, the shot clock had already run down. They also did not have many transition baskets.” Bruno started the second half with a bang as co-captain Sarah Hayes ’06 picked off an errant Dartmouth pass and raced past the 6’3” Morrison for the layup and a foul. Later in the half, the Bears started to get things going see W. HOOPS, page 9

W. icers upset No. 3 Dartmouth Brown ends regular season with sweep BY HELEN LURYI SPORTS STAFF WRITER

With two commanding wins over the University of Vermont and No. 3 Dartmouth, the women’s ice hockey team closed out its regular season this weekend and secured the sixth seed in the upcoming ECAC Hockey League playoffs. Next Friday, the Bears will travel to Canton, N.Y. to take on third-seeded St. Lawrence University in a best-of-three quarterfinal series. The wins brought Bruno’s record to 11-8-1 in the ECACHL and 14-13-2 overall, disappointing for the traditionally dominant team. The Bears had the ability to finish higher in the standings, said Head Coach Digit Murphy, but their full potential only became evident this weekend. “I’ve been waiting for this team to show up all year,” Murphy said. “We proved this weekend that if we show up and execute our game plan, we

The men’s hockey team lost to University of Vermont and Dartmouth this weekend, closing out regular season play in sixth place in ECAC Hockey League conference standings and fifth in the Ivy League. The weekend road losses left the team’s record at 14-12-3 (9-112 ECACHL). “We wanted to go in and play some good hockey against two of the top teams in the league,” said winger Chris Swon ’05. “We saw this weekend as a stepping stone to the playoffs, so yes, it was disappointing.”

The 2-1 loss to fourth-place Vermont came courtesy of a last-second Catamounts goal. The following day, the Bears were blitzed 6-2 by fifth-place Dartmouth. “Friday against Vermont, we played well for two periods, then they scored a goal in the last second,” Swon said. “Against Dartmouth we made some mistakes in our end, and our (team) defense broke down. Swon added: “(Goalie) Adam D’Alba (’08) played great. We kind of let him hang out to dry on Saturday.” A freshman who has stepped up to notch eight wins this year,

puck and fired it in top-shelf. Moore clinched the win with another goal late in the third period, bringing her season total to 11. Dartmouth (23-5-0, 16-4-0 ECACHL) had been the team to beat in the ECACHL, and the Bears succeeded on Saturday see W. HOCKEY, page 9

Ashley Hess / Herald

O’Hara Shipe ’08 stopped 28 shots in Brown’s 3-1 upset over No. 3 Dartmouth.

M. hoops swept, drops to 3-8 in Ivies BY STEPHEN COLELLI SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The men’s basketball team suffered two more setbacks this weekend, losing 66-64 to Dartmouth on Friday and 80-68 to Harvard the following night. Jason Forte ’05 led the Bears with 28 and 23 points, respectively, but the team’s recent shooting woes continued to plague them as the team combined to shoot only 33 percent from the field against Harvard and made only 13-of-38 three-point attempts in the two games. With the two losses over the weekend, Brown fell to 3-8 in the Ivies and 10-15 overall. The Dartmouth loss was an especially trying defeat. The Bears had a chance to tie the game at 66 with Forte at the line

Losing streak hits three for m. icers BY MATT LIEBER SPORTS STAFF WRITER

win. We proved that last week against St. Lawrence, too.” Bruno dominated the ice on Friday night against a weak Vermont team, winning the game 3-0 while out-shooting the visiting Catamounts 31-5. The final score would have been higher if not for the stellar play of Vermont’s decorated goaltender Kami Cote. Cote is a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given yearly to the best player in women’s college hockey. But Cote’s 28 saves were not enough to stop the Bears’ offense. The first goal came halfway through the second period with a Vermont player in the penalty box. Jessica Link ’05 scored her 14th goal of the season after a mad scramble in front of the net, with assists by Margaret Ramsay ’06 and Amy McLaughlin ’05. Brown doubled its lead three minutes later when Hayley Moore ’08 got control of the

D’Alba has seen more pucks get through recently than during his mid-season hot streak. “A lot of the components are there — we’ve demonstrated that — but it’s tough to put it together well for 60 minutes. If you let up for a few minutes against this competition, that’s all it takes.” Two positive notes came when Les Haggett ’05 assisted on Mike Meech’s power play goal to open the Dartmouth game. The assist was Haggett’s 100th career point, making him the first Brown player to pass the mark since Ryan see M. HOCKEY, page 9

with three seconds remaining on the clock. Forte, an 80 percent shooter from the charity stripe, missed the first attempt and had to intentionally miss the second to give the Bears a chance to tie. Even though Damon Huffman ’08 was able to collect the rebound, Brown was unable to force overtime. “We’ve run a similar play for Jason before at the end of games,” said forward Luke Ruscoe ’06. “It’s a 1-4 setup with everyone on the baseline and Jason one-on-one, and he penetrated and got fouled. We got what we wanted out of it.” Bruno’s shooting woes hurt the team periodically throughout the game. Despite shooting a healthy 45 percent in the first half and holding Dartmouth to only 11-of31 shooting, the half ended with the score tied at 24. Brown attempted only 20 shots in the half and went the final 5:52 without a field goal. At the beginning of the second half, the teams traded buckets until midway through the period, when Dartmouth opened up a 10-point lead after a 12-2 run punctuated by a three-shot foul by Huffman on junior guard Michael Lang. Lang sunk all three attempts to increase the Big Green’s lead to 54-46. Forte scored 12 of Brown’s final 14 points to keep the outcome in suspense until the final whistle, but the late rally came up just short. The sweep of the season series by Dartmouth was a marked turnaround from last season, when the Bears took both games by an average of 21 points.

“It’s just disheartening to get so close and lose,” Ruscoe said. “It’s also disheartening because we know we are not playing as well as we should. This whole year has been a real learning experience for this team.” A familiar story unfolded the next night in Cambridge, as the Bears found themselves playing from behind in the early going. see M. HOOPS, page 9 WEEKEND SPORTS SCOREBOARD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Women’s ICE HOCKEY: Brown 3, Vermont 0 Women’s BASKETBALL: Brown 68, Dartmouth 64 Men’s ICE HOCKEY: Vermont 2, Brown 1 Men’s BASKETBALL: Dartmouth 66, Brown 64 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Women’s ICE HOCKEY: Brown 3, No. 3 Dartmouth 1 Women’s BASKETBALL: Harvard 77, Brown 69 FENCING: 9th place — men, 11th place — women (ECAC Championship) Men’s ICE HOCKEY: Dartmouth 6, Brown 2 Men’s BASKETBALL: Harvard 80, Brown 68 GYMNASTICS: Yale 191.525, Cornell 189.075, University of Pennsylvania 188.525, Brown 186.050 SKIING: 5th place (ECSC Regional Championships) Women’s SWIMMING: 3rd at Ivy Championship EQUESTRIAN: 2nd at Wesleyan, Middletown, Conn. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Women’s TENNIS: Boston University 4, Brown 3 SKIING: 2nd place (ECSC Regional Championships) Men’s SQUASH: 9th place (ISA Team Championship) Women’s TRACK: 4th at Heptagonal Games Men’s TRACK: 6th at Heptagonal Games

Want to write sports? Come to the Spring Sports Meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at 195 Angell Street


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