T H U R S D A Y APRIL 14, 2005
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXL, No. 49
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POST- COMMITS MORNING SEDITION Paul Levande interviews Marc Maron, perhaps the first liberal radio pundit ... to grace the pages of post-. INSIDE
Simmons presents fundrasing priorities at UCS meeting BY LAURA SUPKOFF STAFF WRITER
President Ruth Simmons presented an update on the funding priorities of the capital campaign and sought feedback at Wednesday’s Undergraduate Council of Students meeting. Simmons presented the campaign’s “table of needs,” a document that “details activities and facilities for which we need to raise money over the course of the campaign,” she said. It is shown to potential donors to pinpoint areas where their donations can be best utilized. The list of needs is divided into two categories. Category 1 needs are those that require immediate attention and are “so urgent we will do them whether or not we raise the money to do them,” Simmons said. Category 2 needs “we certainly would love to do, but if we don’t find funding for, we won’t support,” she said. Needs fall in the areas of endowment, facilities and current use, which is money that can be accessed now — endowments are not free for use “until you begin to earn income off the money,” Simmons said.
RAMS SLAMMED The softball teams ends its losing streak, scoring more runs Wednesday than in its previous five games. SPORTS 12
TODAY
TOMORROW
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Lawless to run on platform of education, health care and jobs Analysts see ‘uphill battle’ to unseat incumbent congressman Langevin BY BEN LEUBSDORF SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Jennifer Lawless, assistant professor of political science and public policy, announced publicly Wednesday that she will run for the U.S. House of Representatives. But political analysts warn she faces an uphill battle in her campaign to unseat Rep. Jim Langevin in the 2006 Democratic primary in Rhode Island’s 2nd District. “I believe that Rhode Islanders need someone who will fight for them in Congress,” Lawless said in a press release, citing education, health care and jobs as important issues. The Herald first reported she would run for Congress Wednesday morning.
Lawless
Langevin
Lawless could not be reached Wednesday for comment. According to Adam Deitch ’05, her campaign manager, Lawless decided to run after Langevin said he would not challenge U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee ’75, a moderate Republican, in the 2006 Senate race. “Congressman Langevin is a threeterm Democrat who was polling 13 to 20 points ahead of a Republican senator.
see UCS, page 5
Expo today will explore Biotech jobs, issues
see LAWLESS, page 4
Man robs bank on Thayer St.
BY ANNA ABRAMSON STAFF WRITER
The third annual Brown Biotech Expo is not just for career-oriented students, according to organizers of the event. The expo, which is a combined career fair and educational forum, will take place on the Main Green and in Sayles Hall from 1-5 p.m. today. The 17 companies represented at this year’s expo — which is jointly sponsored by the three-year-old Brown Biotech Interest Group and, for the first time, the Career Development Center — all fall under the biotechnology umbrella, but there is variation in their topics of interest and type of work. The term biotechnology encompasses much more than the “one track” image of big pharmaceutical companies, Biotech Expo Chair Lauren Dicola ’05 said. “People usually wouldn’t think that small startups would be a part of that,” she said. Dicola and Peter Cheifetz ’01, chair of BIG, said that biotechnology also includes nonprofits, consulting and intellectual property and patenting law. Some of the companies coming to Brown today include Aerotek see BIOTECH, page 9
Rhode Islanders were looking to him to run against Senator Chafee,” Deitch said. Lawless is running against Langevin because of his unwillingness to take political risks, as well as his anti-abortion stance, Deitch said. “Who is Langevin accountable to if he’s never challenged in an election?” Deitch said. Lawless is an expert on women in politics and has written several articles and an upcoming book, “It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office,” on the subject. Rhode Island ranks 35th out of 50 states in female representation in its state legislature, according to Lawless’ press release, and has no women elected to statewide or federal office. According to Deitch, the Lawless campaign currently employs three full-time staff members and has two senior policy advisors, Richard Fox and Sean Theriault, professors of political science at Union College and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively. The campaign has begun to raise money from Lawless’ friends and acquaintances, Deitch said. The campaign will focus initially on raising money from Rhode Islanders and will pursue national interest groups only after establishing itself as a serious campaign in-state, according to Deitch. He said they plan to run a “grassroots” campaign with support from Brown students and faculty, even though Brown’s campus lies in the 1st District. “We’re looking forward to recruiting a lot of volunteers from Brown,” he said. Lawless does not live in the 2nd District, where she is challenging Langevin for the Democratic nomination.
Ashley Hess / Herald
Ruth Wedgwood, professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns Hopkins, spoke in support of John Bolton in Wednesday’s debate.
Panelists clash over U.N. nominee BY SHAWN BAN STAFF WRITER
After the Senate Foreign Relations Committee concluded its third day of hearings on the appointment of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, about 200 scholars, students and members of the public filled Smith-Buonanno 106 to capacity Wednesday night to debate the nomination locally. President George W. Bush announced his nomination of Bolton to the post March 7. Bolton’s nomination has aroused particular interest at Brown and in the state because Sen. Lincoln Chafee ’75, R-R.I., is seen to hold a key vote determining whether the nomination makes it out of the Senate committee. The debate at Brown covered a wide range of topics from the nature of international law and the need for building consensus to Bolton’s character. Arguing the case for the Bolton nomination was Ruth Wedgwood, professor
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of international law and diplomacy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Speaking against the nomination was Mort Halperin, U.S. advocacy director of the Open Society Institute. Professor of Political Science Thomas Biersteker, director of the Watson Institute for International Studies, moderated the debate. Biersteker introduced the debate by noting the relevance of the topic to the Brown and Rhode Island communities. He highlighted Chafee’s “pivotal vote” and “maverick streak,” and he said the Watson Institute had special ties with the United Nations. “We have a real stake in the outcome of this decision,” Biersteker said. Wedgwood opened by stressing the new security challenges in the world and the need for reform in the United Nations. “In this case, in this time, in this place, it makes sense to put John Bolton in this job. He has pledged to see BOLTON, page 7
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
The Sovereign Bank branch at 272 Thayer St. was robbed Wednesday around 4 p.m. Detective Brendan McGrath of the Providence Police Department identified the suspect as “a white male approximately 40 years of age.” Providence Police, including detectives and the forensic unit, responded to the robbery, McGrath said. He declined to disclose any other details of the crime, including how much money was taken, but did say that the robbery “was not at gunpoint.” McGrath said a photo of the suspect may be released this morning. — Justin Elliott
Sara Perkins / Herald
The Thayer Street branch of Sovereign Bank was robbed Wednesday. News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com
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THIS MORNING THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 · PAGE 2 Coreacracy Eddie Ahn
WORLD IN BRIEF Lawsuits prepared in file-sharing cases BY FRANK AHRENS The Washington Post WASHINGTON — The entertainment industry’s effort to sue music pirates into submission is reaching into the next generation of the Internet with the filing of several hundred lawsuits Wednesday against college students using a faster version of the Web called Internet2. The Recording Industry Association of
America, the trade group of major music labels such as Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, found that students have been moving to Internet2 — a network created by universities and colleges for sharing research and other academic works — to illegally share songs after the RIAA began its lawsuit campaign against Web swappers in 2003.To date, the RIAA has sued more than 9,000 file-sharers.
Jero Matt Vascellaro
TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS COFFEE TRAILS: PHOTO JOURNEY OF A NICARAGUAN COFFEE COOPERATIVE Noon (Salomon Center 203) — Blue Room Manager Leanne Evangelist shares her recent trip to a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua.
BROWN TIDE RISING: METAPHORS OF LATINOS IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN DISCOURSE 7 p.m. (Salomon Center 001) — Sponsored by Econ DUG and Brown Film Society.
BROWN BIOTECH EXPO 1 p.m. (Sayles Hall ) — Dr. Joshua Boger, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, featured in “The Billion Dollar Molecule,” will be the keynote speaker.
SOCK HOP 9 p.m. (Andrews Dining Hall) — Get back into springtime, ’50s style! Live music, lots of free food and a retro party to spice up a Thursday night.
Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker
MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Vegan Tofu Ravioli with Sauce, Vegan Tofu Pups, Brown Rice, Turkey and Wild Rice Soup, Vegetarian Cream of Pea Soup, Pasta Bar, Artichoke Pepper Calzone, Grilled Ham and Swiss Sandwich, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Cheesecake Brownies DINNER — Roast Turkey with Sauce, Mashed Sweet and White Potatoes, Stuffing, Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic, Carrots Vichy, Pasta Bar, Bean Lentil Loaf, Brown Rice, Chocolate Cake with Icing
VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Tomato Rice Soup, Minestrone Soup, Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Vegan Tofu Raviolis with Sauce, Summer Squash, Cheesecake Brownies
DINNER — Vegetarian Tomato Rice Soup, Minestrone Soup, Italian Meatloaf, Vegan Ratatouille, Vegan Rice Pilaf, Zucchini, Carrot and Garlic Medley, Mashed Butternut Squash, Italian Bread, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
How to Get Down Nate Saunders
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Aromatic compound 6 Part player 11 Bother 14 Techniqueteaching piece 15 French wine valley 16 Big name in soccer 17 __-eater 18 Loaf 20 Multi-quart cookware 22 Pages, e.g. 23 Yanks and Sox 24 “The racer’s edge” 25 Sad-faced vaudeville comedian 28 They’re found in 18-, 20-, 25-, 36(?), 42-, 45-, 52and 56-Across 32 Some tracks 33 Expression of discovery 34 Costs: Abbr. 35 Commute 36 “There is no problem __ it cannot be run away from”: Charles M. Schulz 38 Sermon ender 39 Social finish 40 Quite a lode 41 It may be blank 42 Steal wheels 45 Volatile type 47 Sort 48 Misrepresent 49 Type of talk 52 Part of a shake 56 Bearded mammal 59 He played Neo in “The Matrix” 60 Uncle Tom’s charge 61 One way to get information 62 Capers 63 Legal matter 64 Mythological libertine 65 Fitzgerald et al.
DOWN 1 Sniggler’s pursuit 2 Ancient portico 3 Layered skirt 4 Not beyond learning 5 Deals in, as used cars 6 “Earth in the Balance” author 7 Crotchety types 8 “__ I Kissed You”: Everly Brothers hit 9 Former California fort 10 Discount 11 In the center of 12 Cut into cubes 13 Acorns’ destiny 19 Fit for picking 21 A little, to Louis 24 Chase flies 25 Kind of acid 26 Show that won seven Tonys in 1980 27 Consumerist Ralph 28 T’ai __ 29 Biological bristles 30 Cavalryman in an oater, e.g. 1
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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: G O A D S S P C A B E G A N G I E P R O S O V U M S U R E E N O U G H S A L E P S A T E O N A T L A S S M O K E R S C O U G H S A L O O N S A E T N A E V A D E A N T I T A P R O S A B O U G H N I C E A N T P E A K L I O N S R O O S T D R A G N E T B R E A K T H R O U G H R I S K Y E N E T R A P I D O L B R E A D D O U G H M E R E R I F T O W N E D S T Y A P S E S L E D S
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CAMPUS WATCH THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 · PAGE 3
North Dakota bill pushes for greater English fluency in college instructors BY STEPHEN NARAIN STAFF WRITER
A North Dakota state representative sparked new debate on an old issue earlier this year when she introduced a bill pushing for increased English fluency of college instructors, especially international teaching assistants, before they enter the classroom. The bill, authored by Republican Bette Grande of Fargo, would apply to the state’s 11 public universities and originally provided that a student could withdraw from classes without penalty if instructors “did not speak English clearly and with good pronunciation.” If 10 percent of the class made similar complaints, the instructors could be transferred to a non-teaching position, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The bill immediately met national criticism. The provost of North Dakota State University said it may be competing with the university’s goal of preparing students for a more “global society,” according to the Chronicle. Since then, the bill has been debated and altered in North Dakota’s House Education Committee. The revised bill now focuses on exploring the nature of language barriers at the state’s public universities, Grande told The Herald. Don Rubin, a speech communication professor at the University of Georgia, told The Herald improving the language skills of foreign instructors or passing English language standards through state see ENGLISH, page 6
Under pressure from students, Harvard divests from PetroChina BY JONATHAN SIDHU STAFF WRITER
Harvard University announced April 4 that it will sell its shares of PetroChina, a China-based oil company with ties to the Sudanese government. Harvard student groups and national organizations have put sustained pressure on the university to divest from businesses cooperating with the Sudanese government’s acts of genocide in the Darfur region. PetroChina’s parent company, China National Petroleum Corporation, assists the Sudanese government in the production of oil in the country. The university’s Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility wrote in a public statement, “Oil is a critical source of revenue and an asset of paramount strategic importance to the Sudanese government.” As of Dec. 31, Harvard University held 67,200 shares of PetroChina — a holding currently worth $4.4 million — on the New York Stock Exchange. Both the U.S. State Department and Congress have called the situation in Darfur genocide. In February, former Harvard Undergraduate Council President Matthew Mahan and Harvard Black Men’s Forum President Brandon Terry, both seniors, wrote a letter to the senior class asking that they refrain from participating in the senior gift, which is a donation to the university, to boycott Harvard’s investment in PetroChina. “We used the senior gift as leverage to get Harvard to divest from PetroChina,” Mahan said. Mahan and Terry’s organization, Senior Gift Plus, asked Harvard seniors to instead donate to the Save Darfur Coalition, an affiliate of Doctors Without Borders. In the open letter to the class of 2005, Mahan and Terry wrote, “We believe that there is a clear moral imperative to withhold your donation until Harvard divests from PetroChina and any other companies as of yet undisclosed that are financially enabling genocide
by operating in Sudan.” “We’re really happy that Harvard divested from PetroChina,” Mahan told The Herald. “It sends the right message — that Harvard needs to be a responsible investor.” However, Mahan said that the Darfur Action Group, a coalition of students seeking to address the Darfur crisis, will not be entirely satisfied “until Harvard discloses it has holdings in other companies in Sudan.” Mahan also suggested that the Harvard Corporation was careful not to set a precedent for divestment amidst controversy. “They were more specific with PetroChina. I suspect that part of the reason was that they didn’t want to have to disclose or divest from other organizations,” he said. Mahan also outlined plans for the Darfur Action group in the future. “We’re going to start looking at state pension funds and at other campuses and use Harvard as an example of what (others) can do on their own campus,” he said. “We have a moral obligation to make sure we’re not enabling it.” Eric Reeves, professor of English at Smith College and an analyst of Sudanese affairs, organizes divestment efforts on a national level. Along with PetroChina, he said, ABB, Alcatel, Siemens and Tatneft are also commonly traded companies that are especially culpable for the genocide in Darfur. In addition to Harvard, Reeves said, several state pension plans are considering divestment. “Illinois’ state legislature is on the verge of divestment, (and) I’ve been contacted by Vermont and the state of New York as well as a few others,” he said. Reeves explained that “divestment drives down share prices and makes continued business intolerably expensive. “Clearly, we need to hold institutional shareholders responsible for looking at all the equities in their portfolio,” he said. At Brown, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Cynthia Frost said in an e-mail that the University is not invested in PetroChina.
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005
Lawless continued from page 1 Deitch said she is in the process of moving to the 2nd District from her current home in the 1st District in order to challenge Langevin. The 1st District is represented by Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy. “She’s willing to do whatever it takes … to defeat (Langevin),” Deitch said. Langevin was elected to the U.S. House in 2000 after serving six years as Rhode Island secretary of state. He is considered a moderate and popular Democrat. “We want to welcome (Lawless) to Rhode Island, and once she moves to the 2nd District we will welcome her as a constituent,” said Kristin Nicholson, Langevin’s chief of staff. “We look forward to a vigorous debate on the issues that matter to Rhode Islanders.” Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, a former Rhode Island attorney general who is running for Chafee’s Senate seat, said he was surprised by Lawless’ candidacy. “It’s going to be important (to see how) a person who has only lived in Rhode Island for two years will be viewed,” he told The Herald
during a campus visit Wednesday night. Langevin and Kennedy will serve as Whitehouse’s campaign co-chairs. Deitch said Lawless will not take a leave of absence during the 2005-2006 academic year. She is scheduled to teach two courses in the fall and one in the spring. Deitch called it a “personal decision” reached in consultation with the Department of Political Science and the dean of the faculty. “She has every intent of fulfilling her duties as a professor of political science at Brown,” he said. Political analysts say Lawless’ chances for victory are slim. “That’s a pretty daunting challenge, in going after a sitting congressman who seems to have no problems with his base,” said Amy Walter, House editor for the Cook Political Report in Washington. “I just don’t see Langevin as particularly vulnerable in a primary. She has to be able to make the case that he has let the 2nd District down in some way.” Darrell West, professor of political science and director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy, was more optimistic. “Jennifer is smart, vivacious and passionate. She’s a young Paul Wellstone,” he said. “I think
she’ll do well among young people, because she is a very compassionate person. … She has a following on campus,” West said. But he added, “It’s always an uphill battle taking on a House incumbent,” especially one like Langevin, who “is popular and well-known and well-funded.” Stu Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the Washingtonbased Rothenberg Political Report, agreed that taking on Langevin will be difficult. “I think it’s safe to say it’s difficult to take out an incumbent House member. She’s going to have to raise a lot of money, find a couple of wedge issues and spend a lot of time campaigning. … Most college professors I know aren’t sitting on a huge wad of cash, so she’s probably not going to be able to fund her campaign” herself, he said. “It looks like one of those Don Quixote-like efforts,” Rothenberg added. “Sounds to me like either a true believer thing or it’s research for a book.” But Deitch, while admitting it will be difficult to defeat Langevin, said the Lawless campaign hopes to prevail. “We think Congressman Langevin and other entrenched incumbents need to be challenged regularly. Beyond that, we’re hoping to win,” he said. Lawless might learn some lessons in running as an academic from Sandy Maisel, professor of government and director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Maisel ran for Congress as a professor in 1978, finishing last in the Democratic primary in Maine’s 1st Congressional District. “I involved a lot of students in my campaign,” he said, including having a graduating senior as his campaign manager. He said studying politics was “a very good preparation” for running for office, and said he was proud of his “by-the-book” campaign, which finished only 8 percent — 1,300 votes — behind the victor in a field of four candidates. “I think I pretty much maximized the number of votes I could have gotten in that election,” Maisel said, and added that he discovered he enjoyed teaching much more than campaigning. “The best piece of advice I took upon myself is, keep it all in perspective,” he said. —with additional reporting by Jonathan Herman
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5
UCS continued from page 1 The broad categories of undergraduate financial aid, research and instruction, enhancing excellence through diversity and building a shared sense of community covered the many needs described in the plan. Many of the requested financial aid increases are part of an effort to continue to fund need-blind admission. “We want to be able to include … the financial aid reduction in loans,” Simmons said. “The idea is to try to endow as much of the financial aid program as possible.” Faculty expansion, seminar programs and advising fall under the category of research and instruction. The plan calls for a full endowment of the Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship program and an endowment for the firstyear seminar program, which was started “without funding, and we now need $30 million to fund it,” Simmons said. Advising is also a priority because it has been a “serious issue at Brown for some time,” she said. The University will attempt to enhance excellence through diversity by asking for an endowment for the Target of Opportunity hiring program “to be able to attract faculty in a targeted way, including minority faculty and women … because there will always be money available for positions,” Simmons said. Building a sense of community is also considered an important goal, and the table of needs covers several approaches to working on this area of the Brown experience. One such approach is “support for a new integrated residential-academic living environment,” Simmons said. Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene said that so far the University is “thinking about a fuller range of services in residence halls.” “Most of our big projects ... require a unique donor with a very substantial gift,” Simmons said. Such projects include a fitness and wellness center, renovation of the Sharpe Refectory, a campus center and a large public forum space. The table of needs helps donors understand the University’s needs when deciding where to give their money. “Thus far, the donors we’re approaching really are following our lead,” Simmons said. “If the donor really cares about the University, most of the time they’re going to (fund the things it needs most),” she added.
“Is it possible we will let a person walk away with $35 million if they won’t give to what we want? No. But we’re going to lean on them very hard,” she said. The current value of the University’s needs is $1.3 billion, which is computed by adding up all Category 1 needs. This number will be refined by the Corporation when it receives the document. Donations received beyond what is required to cover Category 1 will be dedicated to Category 2 projects. UCS members were able to address Simmons with their concerns about the document. Many members said a campus center, which is ranked as a Category 2 priority, is more important than a fitness center, ranked Category 1. A campus center “would create that community centralized space, maybe even some community spirit, that I think Brown really needs,” said Emily Blatter ’07. Representatives said they consider club sports funding, currently a Category 2 priority, a very important issue, and showed Simmons their initiative to move club sports under the umbrella of the Department of Athletics and Physical Education. The initiative, passed later in the meeting, would additionally create a club sports council to aid and organize teams. A representative from the American Sign Language program also voiced concerns about the priorities of the table of needs. She said the fact that ASL is not a department, is losing its program status and is being placed in the continuing studies program should warrant funding earmarked for creating a department. Michael Morgenstern ’08 asked Simmons to prioritize some shortterm projects for the benefit of students currently on campus. In other business, David Beckoff ’08, a UCS representative who is leading the winter Jterm committee, reported on the committee’s progress. Its current plan would offer threeweek not-for-credit courses beginning as early as next year. “We will have financial aid to enable students to come back” from winter break early, Beckoff said. “That’s why we’re prepared to say these not-for-credit courses are acceptable at this point.” The next step is determining the classes to be offered. “We have to see what professors are actually interested in teaching,” Beckoff said. The pledge class from Alpha Epsilon Pi made a surprise appearance at the meeting, charming members with their rendition of Mandy Moore’s hit “Candy.”
PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005
English continued from page 3 legislatures will not completely solve the problem. “We all harbor cultural stereotypes, negative expectations. If students have negative expectations, this can affect the way they perceive their instructors,” he said.
One study conducted by Rubin suggested that, in some cases, the very foreignness of non-native English instructors fed into North American students’ expectations that these instructors would be “unintelligible.” In addition, international instructors face severe cultural shifts entering the U.S. classroom that compound communication difficulties. “I need(ed) to really make an
effort to establish legitimacy and credibility as a teacher — it’s not a given here,” Min Liu, a Chinese doctoral student at North Dakota State University, wrote in an email to The Herald. Currently at Brown, as well as at the University of Georgia and NDSU, instructors must pass an English proficiency test before entering the classroom. Here, a panel evaluates international instructors in a mock classroom setting, said Barbara Gourlay, coordinator of the English for International Teaching Assistants program. Pedagogical techniques contribute to successful communication between teachers and students and can help to break down the barrier of accent, Ruben said. “By teaching effectively, students can forget you have an accent. Interactive teaching (is) what really stimulates the North American student.” He added, “Of all the things the United States imports, the most important (is) smart people. … If we want to facilitate the flow of intellectual capital, we can’t promote xenophobic policies.” As for Grande, she said she wants to dispel any misconception that her motivations are xenophobic. “Many people (whom) I’ve come across accept that it’s not a matter of being against foreign students. My issue is straightforward — we need to make sure (instructors) can communicate in the best way and students can be in the best learning environment possible,” she said.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7
Bolton continued from page 1 work with (U.N. Secretary General) Kofi Annan to fix problems of reform,” she said. She pointed to an understaffing of offices and a lack of transparency at the United Nations as just some of the problems faced by the institution. “There were only 10 people in the office overseeing the elections in Iraq,” she said. “There is a need for some ‘tough love,’ and at times it does pay to say things plainly and clearly.” Halperin argued that Bolton did not have a suitable temperament for the position. “We need someone who can sit down and work a consensus, and then come back to Washington and work with Congress. John Bolton is not a diplomat, he has not shown diplomatic skills and he has shown an impatience to work with others,” he said. Halperin said that “in the case of Libya, we only got a deal when the Libyans insisted that Bolton was taken off the case.” Halperin then attacked Bolton’s views of the United Nations, citing two of Bolton’s more controversial public statements. In 1994, Bolton expressed his view that “if the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” In 2000, Bolton said on NPR, “If I were redoing the Security Council today, I’d have one permanent member (the United States) because that’s the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world.” Halperin said that Bolton “has said many times that the U.N. is not central to American security” and has shown “enormous disdain for international law.” Wedgwood defended Bolton, saying he is “smart as aces” and would adapt to the job. “Would you speak differently as a diplomat than on a talk show? Of
course. John Bolton knows as much about this institution as anyone else, and I would not dismiss him lightly,” she said. Halperin repeatedly said Bolton’s views are fundamentally incompatible with the nature of the position. “The ambassador to the U.N. has to believe that international institutions and international law over time make America more secure. Bolton believes that is fundamentally wrong. The person who has that view cannot be an effective ambassador to the U.N.,” Halperin said. The panelists made references to political theorists Georg Hegel and Leo Strauss while also relating personal anecdotes about alleged screaming incidents at Washington insider meetings. However, the debate was not without its lighter moments, particularly when the panelists directly addressed each other. At one point Halperin asked, “Don’t you agree that John Bolton would not agree with everything you’ve said?” “I don’t answer questions with double negatives,” Wedgwood replied. Biersteker concluded the debate by thanking both panelists and noting the encouraging attendance, saying “it shows that people in Rhode Island do care about politics.” Members of the audience praised the debate. “It was a very interesting debate. Both of them were very articulate,” said Professor of Computer Science Franco Preparata, who added that he still opposes Bolton’s nomination. “It was fascinating. (Halperin) was very entertaining, but I agreed more with the second speech. ( Wedgwood) made a valid point that you need someone with leverage with the Bush administration to reform the U.N.,” said Stephanie Morin ’05. The event was sponsored by Campus Progress, the campus division of the Center for American Progress, in associa-
tion with the Watson Institute, Democracy Matters, Americans for Informed Democracy and other campus groups at Brown. In Washington, the Senate committee vote was tentatively scheduled for today, but has been postponed until next week under pressure from Democrats, the Associated Press reported. If the committee confirms Bolton, the nomination will move to the Republican-controlled Senate.
PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005
W. polo continued from page 12 Brown’s defense was solid to begin the match, but offensively, the Bears were going up against a solid goalkeeper in Vivian Liao, as well as an overall defense that was clearly better than that of Connecticut College. “We could have easily been up four or five goals in the first half had it not been some good saves by the goalie,” Gall said. “We had a chance to put it away, but she kept them in the game.” In the second quarter, Harvard was able to execute more effectively on offense. At one point, Harvard was able to grab a 5-4 lead before Karlyanna Kopra ’07 lofted a nice touch goal over Liao to even the score at intermission. The Bears went on the attack after halftime as Wyatt scored twice to give the hosts a 7-5 lead. Yet Brown again failed to expand the lead, and Harvard outscored the Bears 2-1 for the rest of the period as Brown clung to an 8-7 lead after three. “Defensively, I thought overall we did a great job,” Gall said. “The shots came from the positions that we wanted them to come from, but unfortunately they still went in.” After Harvard knotted the score at eight early in the fourth quarter, both teams played tight defense into the final minute. With three seconds left, Livermore had a chance to win it, but her shot went just high and wide right. “We had a play set up for Diana to take a seven-meter shot and she just missed,” Gall said. With one second left, Harvard set up a tip drill play in front of the
Brown net. Liao lofted a high-arcing shot on net, and a teammate deflected it past Deggelman to give the Crimson a 9-8 win. “It was one of those plays that they couldn’t do it again if they tried it 20 or 30 more times,” Gall said. “We should have been more aware to bat that ball back toward the other goal, and we should have been the ones to get to the ball first and knock it down.” Despite the end result, Gall seemed pleased with the efforts his team made on defense. “We stuck to our defensive game plan really well,” he said. “I felt that we got more high-percentage shot opportunities than they did and had better looks at the cage than they did. They just happened to shoot a higher percentage.” The loss could have been crippling to the team, as it was Brown’s third defeat to Harvard in four games against the Crimson, but the team has retained its positive outlook. “Even the next day, everyone was positive. People don’t think we don’t have a chance to beat Harvard,” Gall said. “No one’s giving up on the season.” “Harvard was a tough loss with a few questionable calls,” Livermore said. “It’s frustrating to lose that way but oddly encouraging. I don’t think we should lose to them again.” The Bears have a shot at redemption at the Northern Championships, April 23 and 24 in New London, Conn. If the Bears win their first two games of the tournament as expected, they could meet Harvard in the semifinals. “I’m going to be pretty fired up. We know we can beat them,” Livermore said.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9
Softball
Baseball
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and a sacrifice fly. Berkes flirted with a shutout until the fifth inning, when two walks and an error loaded the bases. After a run scored on an infield single, the right-hander got some help when shortstop Seid ran down a flare to short left field to end the inning. After Berkes shut down the Rams in the sixth inning, the game was called for darkness, and she picked up her second win of the season. Berkes was quick to credit her defense for the victory. “I felt really good about my defense,” she said. “It’s so much easier to pitch a game when you know there’s a good defense behind you.” Berkes also gave credit to her offense, which scored more runs on Wednesday than it had in its last five games. “We got our bats going,” she said. “It’s been something that’s been missing in the past few games.” Head Coach Pam McCreesh said she was pleased with her team’s performance in the doubleheader. “It’s always good to go out and win two games,” she said. “They’ve been working hard all season, and it paid off today.” This weekend, the Bears play two doubleheaders in the Empire State. Brown travels to Cornell on Saturday in a matchup of last year’s regular season Ivy League champions and faces Columbia in New York City on Sunday.
but we didn’t make the (necessary) adjustments.” It was all Maine the rest of the way. The Black Bears scored two in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of a Nichols error that kept the inning alive. In the sixth they exploded for five runs off cocaptain Chris Davidson ’05 to push the lead to 11-2. The Bears finished the game with only four hits and just as many errors. Silverman suffered
Biotech continued from page 1 Scientific, Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks P.C., TGA Sciences and Lahive & Cockfield LLP. Axon Sleep Research Laboratories, founded by Brown students and alums, will also be at the expo. “It’s a great opportunity to network with companies hiring for internships or looking for students to work in a nonprofit, or for jobs for future years,” Dicola said. “Our mission is twofold,” Cheifetz said. “It’s a career fair, but it’s also a way to educate, to get biotechnology out there and learn what opportunities lie there.” Associate Director of Career Development Barbara Peoples emphasized what a “strong pull” alums are, calling them “very supportive and instrumental in getting their companies to come back
the loss, giving up four runs in two innings of work and dropping to 1-1 on the season. The Bears face off against Sacred Heart University tomorrow in Bridgeport, Conn. Robert Wood ’08 takes the mound for his first collegiate start in a tune-up for two weekend games against Ivy rival Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. Coach Drabinski hopes that his team can get back on track tomorrow. “He wants us to have a little more focus than we did today,” Silverstein said. “And get a win tomorrow and carry that into the weekend.” to campus, and then to promote their companies (at Brown).” During the Expo, representatives will give presentations on “the more general biotech industry and major controversies, the breaking news,” Dicola said. Contentious topics such as stem cell research and cloning tend to be of more interest to Brown students, she added. Presentation titles this year include, “Reverse Osmosis, Deionized Water and Distilled Water Systems ‘Today!,’ ” “Cell Labeling and Tracking” and “Minimum Essential Information: Harnessing the Economy of the Immune System.” Peoples will present “Networking Tips and Strategies for the Biotech Expo.” Peoples said she plans to offer students advice on approaching employers, making a positive “first impression” and how to follow up on those connections.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 · PAGE 10 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
King of clubs In 2002, Brown’s varsity athletic program was named one of the top 20 such programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The 37 varsity teams fielded by Brown constituted the third most in NCAA Division I at the time. The women’s crew team won the NCAA Championship last year. To put it simply, Brown’s varsity athletics program, as a whole, is top-notch. But often overlooked are the University’s club sports teams. The sailing team finished last season ranked No. 1 in the country, and the ultimate Frisbee teams are often quite successful at national tournaments. With teams including lacrosse, hockey and rugby, club sports offer students the opportunity to compete at an intercollegiate level without the massive commitment that comes with being on a varsity team. The current financial situation for some club sports teams is poor. The club lacrosse team’s funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board is currently a $90 per semester social budget — this for a team that must pay $75 per game to have a trainer on site. While the students who play club sports are those who would be dedicated enough to accept some financial burdens, the mounting costs of some sports — including equipment, facilities, travel expenses and fees for officials and trainers — make a $90 social budget petty. But other, better-established teams like men’s rugby have endowments that ease the cost of participation. These teams, in a good financial position, have concerns that a move to the Department of Athletics, proposed by the Undergraduate Council of Students, would mean among other things less freedom in spending their endowments. While the players on the team still contribute yearly dues, buy their own uniforms and cleats and pay airfare for long trips, they would rather not be held accountable to the athletic department. With such diverse interests all under the umbrella of “club sports,” UCS’s proposal to create a club sports council is a good idea, whether or not the teams are transferred over to the Department of Athletics. Some teams would benefit from the larger pool of funding available from the athletic department (currently, club sports draw from Undergraduate Finance Board funds, which are drawn from the student activities fee), but others want to retain their autonomy. Providing a body to unify these varying interests could be a boon to all club sports teams. Different as a group from both other student groups and varsity athletic teams, the council could be a valuable coalition for discussion and as a lobbying body.
NICK SCHADE
LETTERS Stop sales to criminals To the Editor: After reading “Day of Action Against Caterpillar: Stop the Bugs!” on April 13, I was amazed that there was someone out there who shared a similar opinion. However, it is my feeling that the scope of the article, which criticized Caterpillar Inc. for selling bulldozers to Israel, was far too slight. There are so many companies out there whose products are used inhumanely or illegally, such as Trek Bicycles. Their bikes are constantly used as getaways for purse grabbers on the streets of Tel Aviv and are even sometimes ridden without a helmet. It’s time to start a massive mail campaign against them. Also, El Al, the Israeli Airline, deserves to be boy-
To the 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 Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Manager Susan Dansereau, Office Manager POST- MAGAZINE Fritz Brantley, Editor-in-Chief Adrian Muniz, Executive Editor Sarah Gordon, Calendar Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Josh Cohen, Design Editor Marissa Hauptman, Photo Editor Ruthie Baron, Features Editor Jeremy Beck, Film Editor Paul Levande, Assistant Film Editor Jesse Adams, Music Editor
Meenah Khan, Night Editor Katie Lamm, Lela Spielberg, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Camden Avery, Alexandra Barsk, Eric Beck, Jonathan Herman, MaryCatherine Lader, Ben Leubsdorf, Jane Porter, Stu Woo Senior Sports Writers Bernie Gordon, Jilane Rodgers Staff Writers Anna Abramson, Justin Amoah, Shawn Ban, Zachary Barter, Danielle Cerny, Christopher Chon, Stewart Dearing, Gabriella Doob, Leslie Kaufmann, Aidan Levy, Ari RocklandMiller, Stephen Narain, Joel Rozen, Chelsea Rudman, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Robin Steele, Kim Stickels, Laura Supkoff, Jane Tanimura, Anne Wootton Sports Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Ian Cropp, Justin Goldman, Katie Larkin, Matt Lieber, Helen Luryi, Shaun McNamara, Chris Mahr, Madeleine Marecki, Ben Miller, Matt Nicholson, Eric Perlmutter, Marco Santini, Charlie Vallely 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 Geolani Dy, Deepa Galaiya, Gianna Giancarlo, 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, Leora Fridman, Allison Kwong, Katie Lamm, Suchi Mathur, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Lela Spielberg, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young
Mike Kadin ’08 April 13
Brown’s future, Brown’s past
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 Stephen Colelli, Asst. Sports Editor
cotted. El Al provides air access to Israel, which in turn permits people to become citizens and eventually join the army. Moreover, Israeli electrical company Solel Inc., which produces clean, solar energy in the Negev desert, should be shut down. This company provides electricity, which is used in the homes of the construction workers who might use the Caterpillar bulldozers. It’s time to get active, people. Get off your ass and support the boycotting and protesting against legitimate corporations because their products can be used to do what they are designed for.
The Herald’s article on Brown’s future campus (“Challenges in store for College Hill expansion,” April 13) raises a valid point: What will change do to our perception of our school? What it did not take into account are the problems that our campus, as we know and sometimes love it, poses. There are not enough classrooms, and classes meet in different areas all around campus. Academic departments are also scattered throughout campus without any organization. Student organizations face greater problems: There is not enough space for all of them to meet, and sometimes no space for them at all. We lack a central student center, where students can study, eat, throw parties and hang out all together. Lectures, concerts, panels, activities, performances and exhibits are held in all different places around campus, because there is not enough space to hold them in a central place, thus making it harder for the Brown community to take advantage of them. The most acute problem is perhaps residential life: first-years are scattered throughout the campus instead of being united in a central area as at other schools, and
upperclassmen lack almost any community whatsoever. Morriss-Champlin is also below other universities’ standards (in terms of aesthetic quality and amenities), and many sophomores and even some juniors must live in doubles. While it may be disorienting for us now to lose some of the buildings we are used to, this cost will not outweigh the benefit of gaining new, better buildings that can address these problems. In addition, Frances Halsband’s plan only suggests possible demolition of buildings that do not add greatly to the Brown experience, such as Grad Center or the Prince Lab. Just because we are used to Brown in its current state doesn’t mean it shouldn’t change for the better. Any prosperous, growing university, as Brown is, faces the issue of expansion, and it has to be dealt with in one fashion or another. Change is necessary, though occasionally deplorable, to ensure continued success. If Brown had never expanded past University Hall, we wouldn’t all be here today.
Sarah Geller ‘08 April 13
C O R R E C T I O N In an April 11 article, “Summer renovations planned for 22 U. buildings,” The Herald incorrectly reported that all Wriston Quad dorm rooms would receive new windows over the summer. The windows will be painted and refinished, but not replaced.
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 THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005 · PAGE 11
Catching hell in Providence GUEST COLUMN BY EDDIE AHN “Ching Chong Chang Yang.” Three kids in a car screamed at me in a mock foreign language as I walked along Thayer Street at night. Their tinkling laughter faded as the car roared away, and I began sorting through my emotions for damage. This casual incident of racism that occurred at the end of last semester does not even spark immediate rage in me anymore. I simply lost track after the 10th time. Once, when I worked a cash register in the campus market, a grandmotherly-looking woman sneered, “You should go back to where you came from.” Handing back her money, I tried to keep the emotion out of my voice as I shot back, “Sorry, we don’t serve racists here.” “What? I’m a racist?!?” The women exploded as she stormed out in a huff. The other students in the store, all white, had frozen in their tracks. They later grinned with embarrassment and offered their sympathies after the woman had left. Chink, gook faggot, rice boy — I have heard these racial epithets while working various jobs and in local governmental offices outside of College Hill. Yes, even in Rhode Island, considered one of the greatest strongholds of the Democratic Party and a bastion of liberalism, you would be shocked at the sheer frequency of discrimination and racism. I am not even talking about Asian stereotypes such as being good at math, mildmannered, awesome at martial arts, etc.; I am talking about racist language that many people supposedly disavow in America. Even our community at Brown has difficulty addressing and communicating race issues with nuance and respect. I socialize in many circles, and I have noticed several debilitating trends at Brown that indicate obstacles to a progressive race dialogue throughout America. For instance, an underdeveloped sense of context and overdeveloped sense of political correctness have killed a progressive race dialogue. Eating dinner with three Brown students, one white friend, Jerry (the name has been changed for obvious reasons), said to another white friend, “You’re such a nigger.” Awkward silence ensued for a couple moments, and I glanced at my other Asian friend who simply stared at his food. Finally, I asked Jerry why he had used that word. He shrugged. “Because I think it’s a funny word.” After I tried to explain to him the historical context of the
word for a few minutes, Jerry cut me off, “OK, fine. I just won’t use that word when you’re around.” In my opinion, this was the worst possible outcome. Instead of uprooting it, I had only succeeded in driving casual racism beneath the surface. Political correctness had thus become an unwieldy and dangerous club in killing frank discussions of race. More importantly, this instance reveals Jerry’s simple disconnect with reality. I later realized that Jerry already knew the historical context of the slur, but he could not empathize with my hatred for racial slurs. In other words, Jerry refused to acknowledge any wrong because he had never heard the slur in a derogatory context. Racial minorities may be familiar with epithets like “nigger,” “chink” and “spic,” but most whites cannot relate with their own expe-
Kinds of Stupid Brown Conversations” (March 11). Sometimes, such pokes are good-natured, but many times, a deeper resentment lies underneath such assumptions. No Brown student likes being automatically excluded from a victimized group and automatically labeled an “oppressor” or “privileged.” As a result, many students find it difficult to acknowledge that ethnic pride may arise as a means of self-preservation against oppression and not merely from selfishness. To put it simply, in a nation that refuses to accept them as Americans now, many racial and ethnic minorities want to preserve at least the “Asian” part in being Asian-American, the “African” part in being African-American and so on. Most “racial cliques” do not form from hating white people, but from the old practice of celebrating a part of their multicultural identities. Still, the misunderstandings and rhetorical sniping continue to build the distrust even within our own relatively tolerant community at Brown. One way to stem the hemorrhaging of our progressive race dialogue is to reframe the debate. Too much misdirection and too little nuance exist in our discussions of race. Instead of only pointing out systemic forms of racism, victims of discrimination need to utilize personal narratives to persuade and connect people without those experiences. Instead of abstractly and broadly criticizing whites for bearing “knapsacks of privilege,” we could focus on each person’s individual responsibility to fight against the casual racism and stereotypes that often well up behind closed doors, around lunch tables and amongst homogenous groups of friends. Every individual and every action (or inaction) leads to a gain or loss of ground. Finally and most importantly, we must recognize that my anecdotes in this column are not unique by any means. Everyday while living in America, racial and ethnic minorities are judged, shouted at and slapped around due to their different skin tone or the slant of their eyes. Only by seriously acknowledging and discussing these experiences can we connect to the struggles of others and restart a progressive race dialogue in America.
Chink, gook faggot, rice boy — I have heard these racial epithets while working various jobs and in local governmental offices outside of College Hill. Yes, even in Rhode Island, considered one of the greatest strongholds of the Democratic Party and a bastion of liberalism, you would be shocked at the sheer frequency of discrimination and racism. riences or even experiences from their friends of color. Consequently, racism has become a sort of cliché, a concept with no individual impact or meaning to someone not similarly victimized. I have seen many eyes glaze over at the mere thought of listening to another “race diatribe” about the systemic levels of racism. After all, formal segregation does not exist anymore and lynchings do not occur on a day-to-day basis. In fact, I am surprised by how many students deny the existence of real racism because of the lack of overtly racist laws. As a result, they sneer at “overly racially sensitive” people or expressions of ethnic pride — see Andrew Stein’s “Three
Herald Cartoonist Eddie Ahn ’05 didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, but he’s still an American.
Sh*t and run GUEST COLUMN BY BETHANY GERSTEIN AND DANIEL GREENBERG I have this annoying habit. Whenever I have to write a paper, I need to drink massive amounts of water as a way of procrastinating. The downside, however, is that the water builds up, and has to come out somehow. So
Sunday morning. In a school that prides itself on its commitment to community, its mature student body and its stand-up-for-the-people attitude, does this seem a little self-absorbed to anyone else? In truth, these acts of what amounts to vandalism have the most impact on the support structures that enable Brown, as a community, to operate. Brown students disrespect, almost everyday, the network of Brown employees, from Facilities Maintenance workers to Ratty cashiers. The people of these networks spend their day engaged in vital functions that enable Brown students to fulfill their goals, in education or on the field. If Brown students had to clean their own bathrooms, cook their own food, vacuum their hallways, mow their lawns and wash their dishes, how much time would be left for us to learn, to compete, to discuss, to live the lives of college students? Yet too many of us too often — in our selfabsorption — take for granted both those who support us and the basic tenets of a community. In our use of the word community, we don’t mean to sound trite like your high school guidance counselor. Rather, we would like to highlight how little it would take to reinforce our school’s reputation as a socially-responsible Ivy League institution. We understand the pressures involved in attending and participating in Brown, and how difficult these pressures make it to think of others. But what kinds of adults would Brown be producing if its graduates were unprepared to recognize some of life’s most basic responsibilities?
Whether it be outside a Keeney bathroom or on the floor of Josiah’s, vomit and its sisters reign supreme on Sunday morning. there I was in the CIT, four Nalgenes and three pages into my essay, when my bladder informed me of its limits. Crossing and uncrossing my legs, I quickly saved my essay and locked down my terminal. Then, clutching my crotch and hobbling to the bathroom, all thoughts of my paper fled from my mind as the pain of a bursting bladder consumed me. I clutched the door and yanked it open, stepping hurriedly into the CIT’s first floor bathroom. Halfway through, in cartoon banana peel fashion, my feet slipped out from under me and I landed jarringly on the tiled floor. Coming out of my concussive daze, I blearily looked around, only to discover that my floor-mate was a recently delivered mound of excrement. And not one of those cute ones, like Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo, but rather a large, steaming product of gastro-intestinal chaos. As much as the above anecdote probably made you want to hurl, such examples of strewn excretions are far from atypical at Brown. Brown students sh*t and run. Whether it be outside a Keeney bathroom or on the floor of Josiah’s, vomit and its cousin reign supreme on
So let’s become adults; let’s build a community. Next time you’re in the dining hall, take some time to say hello to Gail, Fatima and especially Jose with his games of flip-card; ask Luis in Olney how his day was or Carlotta in Machado, and take the time to meet the members of your hall. And then next time you’re about to take ten shots of Bacardi 151 or play a rousing game of Edward Forty Hands during a night culminating in washing down the walls of a bathroom stall or a hallway in vomit, belligerently breaking exit signs and toilet-paper dispensers, writing on the walls in dry-erase marker or peeing on your neighbor’s door, take the time to consider the impact of your actions on people like Luis and Carlotta. Students at Brown are involved in organizations designed to benefit the wider world, such as Habitat for
Take the time to consider the impact of your actions on people like Luis and Carlotta. Humanity, Key Club, Brown Democrats and environmental efforts to save the rare flesh-eating pot-bellied tiger shrimp. Perhaps with just a little redirection of this focus, we could improve living conditions for our fellow community members, appreciate our support structure for what it does and live up to Brown’s reputation as an ethically upstanding University-College. Bethany Gerstein ’07 and Daniel Greenberg ’07 think that “poop and run” just doesn’t get the message across.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS THURSDAY APRIL 14, 2005 · PAGE 12
Patience at plate, pitching helps W. polo goes 2-1 on homestand softball put end to losing streak Beats Conn. College twice but drops tough one to Harvard BY STU WOO SPORTS STAFF WRITER
After managing just four runs in four games last weekend, the softball team plated nine runs in a doubleheader sweep of the University of Rhode Island (4-26) on Wednesday, snapping a fourgame losing streak and improving its record to 6-11-1 (0-4 Ivy). Coming home after dropping doubleheaders at Harvard and Dartmouth, the Bears looked much sharper both at the plate and on the mound. The offense strung together some clutch hits and took advantage of the Rams’ defensive lapses, and starters and cocaptains Uchenna Omokaro ’05 and Marissa Berkes ’05 each gave up only one run en route to two complete
Ashley Hess / Herald
In the first game of Brown’s doubleheader sweep over Rhode Island, Mary Seid 7’06 went 2-for-3 with an RBI and the final run scored in Brown’s three-run fifth inning.
games. The first game started as a pitchers’ duel between Omokaro and Rams starter Jill Anderson. The game was scoreless until the fifth, when the Bears scored all three of their runs. Melissa Ota ’07 led off the inning with a walk, and after a sacrifice bunt by Liz Anderson ’07, Ota took second and third after she realized that no one was covering the bag. The aggressive baserunning would pay off as she scored on a high fly to short right field from Rachel Fleitell ’06 that landed safely in front of the Rams’ right fielder after she appeared to lose it in the sun. After stealing second, Fleitell came around to score on a Mary Seid ’06 single. Jaimie Wirkowski ’06 would drive in Seid with a single of her own. The Rams managed one run in the top of the sixth, but Omokaro, who scattered five hits and two walks, settled down and earned her fourth win of the season. After the game, she credited the Bears’ offense for her victory. “All of us stood out as a team today as far as putting hits together,” she said. “This was definitely a team effort.” In the second game, the Bears scored six runs on only three hits thanks to the wildness of the Rams’ pitchers. URI starter Jaime Hughes and reliever Katie Halcomb walked 10 batters and gave up six runs, three earned, in just four innings. Catcher Cheryl Barnes was thrown for a loop by their wildness, allowing three run-scoring passed balls. Fleitell led off the game with a walk and would come around to score on Barnes’ first passed ball. Ota opened the second inning with a free pass as well and scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Seid. The Bears scored one more run that inning after Berkes came home on another passed ball. The Bears broke the game open with three runs in the fifth, plating runners after a passed ball, a bases-loaded walk see SOFTBALL, page 9
Ashley Hess / Herald
Goalkeeper Anne Deggelman ’08 recorded six saves and allowed only two goals in Brown’s 12-2 victory over Connecticut College on Wednesday night. BY CHRIS MAHR SPORTS EDITOR
In its final home match of the season, the women’s water polo team downed Connecticut College 12-2, Wednesday night for the second time to finish a three-game home stand. Wednesday’s victory came on the heels of an up-and-down weekend that saw Brown hand a first defeat to Connecticut 19-2, then drop a last-second heartbreaker to rival Harvard, 9-8. In their second victory over the Camels in five days, the Bears played several nonregulars. Although the offensive execution was much less crisp than on Saturday, Brown eventually put the game away. “We have a very deep bench, and everyone’s capable of playing at a high level,” said Head Coach Jason Gall. “They work hard in practice and it pays off.” Defensively, little was different from
Errors doom baseball against Maine BY CHARLIE VALLELY SPORTS STAFF WRITER
The baseball team’s six-game winning streak came to an end yesterday at Aldrich Field, as the Bears (11-13, 4-2 Ivy) lost two seven-inning contests to the University of Maine. Brown ran into a tough Black Bears lineup that banged out 25 hits in their 124 and 11-2 wins. The Bears also beat themselves by committing five errors and numerous mental mistakes. “We were pathetic in both games,” said Head Coach Marek Drabinski. “It looked like our first time playing outside. (Maine is) a good team, but we didn’t show up. … You can’t make eight or nine errors” and expect to win. While the day was discouraging, it started on a good note. Game one starter Ethan Silverstein ’07 retired Maine in order in the top of the first, fanning the first two batters he faced. The Bears then plated a run in the bottom of the inning when Matt Kutler ’05 ripped a single through the right side on the first pitch he saw, driving in Paul Christian ’06 from second. It would be the Bears’ first and last lead of the day. “It seemed like we came out in the first inning of both games and strung together a few hits,” said Christian. “But after the first inning we just went to sleep.” Maine took the lead in the next frame
when Joel Barrett hit a two-run home run. They tacked on four more runs in the third, which would be all they needed. The Bears responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half, as Christian scored again when Kutler hit a tailing line drive that bounced off the rightfielder’s glove. Kutler came home from second when Eric Larson ’06.5 stroked a single to center to make it 6-3. Maine added three more runs in each of the next two innings, capitalizing on the Bears’ fielding miscues. With two out and a man at second, Silverstein got Greg Creek to pop up behind home plate, but catcher Devin Thomas ’07 could not handle the routine fly. After Creek got on, the next batter hit a three-run home run. “They obviously took advantage of our mistakes,” said Kutler, who moved within two hits of the school record of 226 set by Bobby Deeb ’04. “(But if) you come out and make an error, you’ve still got to play. We should have been out of that inning, but you’ve got to move on and try to make the next play.” The Bears had a chance in the bottom of the fourth to cut into the six-run deficit, loading the bases with only one out. Brown failed to convert, however, as second baseman Bryan Tews ’07 popped out to second and Christian grounded out to third.
Brown scored their final run in the seventh when Kutler hit a sacrifice fly to left, plating Tews. The second contest was more of the same, as the Bears kept it close in the early going, only to make costly errors that allowed Maine to put the game out of hand. After Maine scored three in the first off starter Alex Silverman ’08, the Bears came back with two of their own, taking advantage of two Maine errors. Christian led off by roping a single to left field and advancing to second on a passed ball. Co-captain Jeff Nichols ’05 then lined a single to the shortstop, whose errant throw to first allowed Christian to score his third run of the day. Larson drove Nichols in a batter later with a hard hit single back up the middle. The Bears also had a chance to do damage in the bottom of the third. Christian began the inning with a deep drive to the base of the center field wall for a double. Nichols was then hit by a pitch, but after Kutler advanced Christian to third on a fielder’s choice, Larson grounded into a 46-3 double play to end the inning. “We definitely didn’t hit the ball great, and we should have,” Kutler said. “The pitchers we saw were definitely hittable … see BASEBALL, page 9
Saturday as the hosts again held the Camels to two goals. Caitlin Fahey ’07 recorded three steals and Anne Deggelman ’08 recorded six stops in goal. “Anne’s been pretty consistent all year,” Gall said. “Tonight, she was well focused and tracking the ball real well. Her outlet passing is also improving.” Paige Lansing ’07 led the Bears with three goals. Against Connecticut College on Saturday afternoon, the Bears asserted themselves right from the start. Captain Diana Livermore ’05 opened the scoring off a pass from Ally Wyatt ’08, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. Before the quarter ended, Brown had notched five more goals, three from Elizabeth Balassone ’07, one from Wyatt and one more from Livermore. The second quarter proved nearly identical to the first, as Brown put up four more goals courtesy of Livermore, Alexis Blaxberg ’08, Emily Schwartz ’08 and Evan Gill ’05 to go into halftime with a 10-0 lead. On defense, the Bears clogged the Camel passing lanes, forcing two shot clock violations in the period and making things easy for Deggelman. Although Connecticut College got on the scoreboard twice in the second half, it was not nearly enough to overtake the hosts as Brown netted nine more goals en route to a 19-2 whitewashing. The game was particularly sweet for seniors Gill and Ailey Crow ’05, two non-starters who combined for three goals in the game. “Being seniors, you want to go out with a bang,” said Livermore, the only senior starter on the team. “It was nice to share the pool with them at home one last time” during the homestand. Against Harvard later that night, things went the Bears’ way in the first period as they outscored the Crimson 2-1 on Livermore’s fourth and fifth goals of the day. see W. POLO, page 8 BROWN SPORTS SCOREBOARD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 BASEBALL: Maine 12, Brown 4; Maine 11, Brown 2 SOFTBALL: Brown 3, URI 1; Brown 6, URI 1 W. WATER POLO: Brown 12, Conn. College 2 THURSDAY, APRIL 14 BASEBALL: at Sacred Heart GYMNASTICS: USAG Nationals (at Cornell)