Issuu

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD T UESDAY, F EBR UAR Y 6, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 10

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

RUF back on campus

Faculty to vote today on new Orientation schedule

BY SARA MOLINARO METRO EDITOR

Reformed University Fellowship, a Christian student group that was suspended in September, has been re-affiliated with the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, allowing it to resume its on-campus activities. RUF, whose parent organization is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of America, was suspended because of “non-compliance with University policy and procedure,” according to a Sept. 13 e-mail sent by University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson to RUF President Ethan Wingfield ’07. The email also stated that the chaplains’ continued on page 6

BY ROSS FRAZIER NEWS EDITOR

BY ABE LUBETKIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hundreds of Brown undergraduates received e-mails from military recruiters last month because the University released student contact information to the Department of Defense. A 1996 federal statute requires the Ofﬁce of the Registrar — and similar ofﬁces at other universities — to provide military recruiters with student directory information, even though the University’s nondiscrimination policy bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The mili-

When Isaac Haxton ’08 was a freshman, he spent winter break outside his native Syracuse, N.Y., playing poker at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino. He came away with a respectable $1,500. This year, Haxton spent part of the winter playing poker in the Bahamas, and this time, he ﬁnished $861,789 richer.

FEATURE

3 METRO

Facilities Management chases mice in dorms

Courtesy of Isaac Haxton Poker player Isaac Haxton ‘08

winnings into an online poker account and began playing online for about 20 hours a week, finishing the semester with a few thousand dollars in winnings. “I didn’t sleep very much that semester,” he said. “But I got all A’s.” Following his success, Haxton decided to spend the following summer living at home, playing online poker full-time. “My parents were pretty okay with it, “Haxton said. “It took some effort to convince my mom that it was real money, but once the first check showed up at the house, she believed me.” That summer, Haxton won $40,000. The next summer, he stayed in Providence and did the same thing, winning $100,000. Haxton said he has read about 30 books on poker. “I read everything I could find about the game,” he recalled. In addition to reading, he played the game a great deal and discussed poker strategy on an Internet forum. “The forum is just filled with

BY NICOLE DUNGCA STAFF WRITER

Facilities Management is playing a game of cat and mouse — with real mice. This semester, there have been mice sightings in Goddard House and Graduate Center, but the problem is not serious, said Donna Butler, the director of custodial services. The staff is promptly responding to calls about mice in dormitories, she said, but despite their efforts, the rodents still manage to make their way into students’ rooms. Monthly baiting in trash rooms and kitchens catch some mice, and a monthly contract with New England Pest Control brings an extermination team to campus on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, said Tony Batista, operations and services manager for Facilities Management. He said prevention efforts are under control, and on days that the exterminators are not on campus, he usually looks into the call within hours. “When Tony is made aware

continued on page 8

REEFER IN RHODE ISLAND A law permitting the use of medical marijuana is up for renewal in the state’s General Assembly Assembly, prompting a look at its pros and cons

www.browndailyherald.com

continued on page 4

Military e-mails conﬂict with U.’s nondiscrimination policy

BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA STAFF WRITER

INSIDE:

continued on page 4

Eunice Hong / Herald A military recruiting station on Weybosset Street in downtown Providence.

Haxton ’08 amasses $1.3 million playing poker

A member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, Haxton won the whopping sum when he placed second in the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in early January. He said his lifetime poker earnings now amount to approximately $1.3 million. This tournament, which drew 937 players, was one of a series facilitated by the World Poker Tour for a TV show that airs on the Travel Channel. “Filming for that was a surreal experience,” Haxton said. “I found out I had made the final table, and I get a stack of forms. … The first thing I see is ‘10:00 a.m.: play starts, 8:30 a.m.: makeup call’ … what?!” Haxton’s success in the world of poker has been growing steadily over the past four years, ever since he began playing when he was 17, during his senior year of high school. At first, he played only socially with friends but soon began frequenting Turning Stone, which is a 20-minute drive from his house. When he returned home for winter break after his first semester at Brown, Haxton played poker at Turning Stone almost every day. At the start of spring semester, he deposited his $1,500

tary’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy prohibits openly homosexual men and women from serving. The federal law, known as the Solomon Amendment, permits the U.S. Secretary of Defense to deny federal funds — including research grants — to any high school or college that does not disclose students’ e-mail addresses, permanent and on-campus mailing addresses, home and campus phone numbers and college concentrations or majors. “We have to comply with the federal law, even if it’s in conﬂict

The faculty will vote at a meeting this afternoon on whether to shorten next year’s Orientation schedule by three days, as recommended last month by a review committee and University ofﬁcials. If approved, Orientation would begin on Sunday, Sept. 2, and classes would begin Wednesday, Sept. 5. First-years would move in over Labor Day weekend, according to the plan. If the faculty rejects the proposal, Orientation would begin Wednesday, Aug. 29, and classes would begin Tuesday, Sept. 4, a schedule similar to previous years. The University’s academic calendar is part of the faculty rules and regulations, so any change requires a vote of approval by the faculty. The proposal to change Orientation from six days to three is a result of recommendations from a review committee formed last October by Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron and Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Russell Carey ’91 MA’06. Carey wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that he couldn’t predict how the faculty would vote on the proposal, but he added that “the feedback we have received so far from faculty on the review committee, department chairs and the Faculty Executive Committee has been favorable.”

5 CAMPUS NEWS

THE SILENT TREATMENT Renowned Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young led 60 participants through the basics of mindfulness meditation

Christopher Bennett / Herald

The Gate, right, and Urban Environmental Lab are among the campus buildings with traps for rodents.

of a mouse issue, he addresses it immediately,” Butler said. But mice are still scurrying into students’ lives. Last semester, Jeremy Stricsek ’09 discovered a mouse in his room in Goddard. Facilities Management responded by laying down traps and putting steel wool in holes in the room, since mice can get into rooms through holes as small as a dime, according to Stricsek.

11 OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

MARCH ON PROVIDENCE Kailin Clarke ’08 encourages you to join him at the Rhode Island State House tomorrow to demand publically funded elections

Stricsek didn’t notice any mice getting caught in the traps, but he assumed it wouldn’t be too much of a problem when he got back from winter break. But when he returned, he found large amounts of mouse droppings on shelves, the ground and other surfaces. He quickly requested tempocontinued on page 8

12 SPORTS

VAUL VAULTING TO VICTORY The women’ women’s track and ﬁeld team performed strongly at the Geigengack Invitational — especially Ariel Wright ‘10 and the pole vaulters

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

TODAY THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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WE A T H E R

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

WBF | Matt Vascellaro

TODAY

TOMORROW

mostly sunny 27 / 11

mostly sunny 24 / 13

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — Vegan Savory Plantains with Garbanzos, Philly Cheese Steak Calzone, Parslied Rice, Chicken Noodle Soup, Vegetarian Corn Chowder, Chocolate Cake with White Frosting

LUNCH — Vegetarian Spinach and Mushroom Soup, Chicken and Rice Soup, Beef Stew, Tomato Quiche, Italian Vegetable Saute, Cherry Tarts with Bavarian Cream

DINNER — Beef Stir Fry, Sticky Rice, Egg Foo Young, Ginger Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots, Whole Beets, Honey Batter Bread, Ice Cream Sundae Bar

DINNER — Baked Chicken Parmesan, Vegan BBQ Tempeh, Rice Pilaf with Zucchini, Baked Spaghetti Squash, Chocolate Cake with White Frosting

How to Get Down | Nate Saunders

SUDOKU Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Deo | Daniel Perez

12 Pictures | Wesley Allsbrook

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 In a fog 6 Memo letters for “I need it now!” 10 “Bonanza” brother 14 Like logical reasoning 15 Wedding shower 16 Moniker 17 “That’s not funny, young man!” 20 Draft choice 21 Comfort 22 Follows the advice of 23 More dweeblike 26 Mailer of many a promotional CD 27 Do a crime scene job 33 Boston hockey player 35 Oft-stubbed digit 36 Kind of salmon 37 Outplay 38 Lab personnel 42 It’s “the word” 43 Versatile vehicles 45 Lao-tzu’s “way” 46 Put up with 48 Give the “no go,” à la NASA 52 Wacko 53 Transfers to a larger computer 56 Frightening 59 Julie’s “Doctor Zhivago” role 61 Tyke 62 Fine-tune a written work 66 “Sorry to say” 67 Eve’s second 68 Singer Carpenter 69 Lion’s tresses 70 Like morning grass 71 Tempera painting surface DOWN 1 Nile dam 2 Complex decorative pattern 3 Marvelous 4 Opposite of WSW

5 “Much __ About Nothing” 6 Pound yapping 7 Poses 8 Throbbing pain 9 Little legume 10 Like a sleeping newborn 11 Have the nerve 12 In the thick of 13 Type of club or room 18 Stocking stuffers? 19 Norse god of thunder 24 One weaving on the rd., perhaps 25 “__ It Romantic?” 26 Mimic 28 10th-century emperor 29 __ v. Wade 30 Ones whose proposals are seconded 31 Fall sound 32 “__ Guys Have All the Luck”: Rod Stewart hit 33 A/C units 34 Campus mil. group

39 French state 40 Pointing Uncle 41 Breeze (through) 44 Daybreak 47 Ghostly greeting 49 Purchases 50 Word that may elicit the response “And don’t call me Shirley” 51 Mineral springs

54 Prescribed amounts 55 Shorthand whiz 56 E-junk 57 Pepsi or Coke 58 Alda of “M*A*S*H” 59 Earring site 60 Once again 63 Was stricken with 64 FedEx dely. 65 “Norma __”

Jellyﬁsh, Jellyﬁsh | Adam Hunter Peck

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Homefries | Yifan Luo

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2/6/07

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University community since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the aca-

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

2/6/07

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Ofﬁces are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily. Copyright 2007 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

METRO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

NEWS

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

I N

BRIEF

R.I. brothels to become illegal Soliciting sex indoors, now legal through a loophole in Rhode Island law, may soon be banned. The law currently bans prostitution by prohibiting loitering for the purposes of soliciting sex but does not allow for arrests to be made if solicitation of sex occurs indoors. There are 10 to 11 “spas” in Providence where prostitution takes place, and the majority of workers are illegal South Korean immigrants who are forced into the practice, according to a press release by the General Assembly about the bill, which is sponsored by State Rep. Joanne Giannini, D-Dist.7. Giannini said the intention of the proposed bill is to protect these women, not to punish them. The bill would make solicitation of sex indoors a misdemeanor that would result in the same punishment as loitering outdoors for prostitution. There would also be equal punishment for “johns” who engage the services of a prostitute and for people who knowingly permit sexual solicitation on their property. — Sara Molinaro

Students to march to State House for campaign finance reform This afternoon, students in the Brown chapter of Democracy Matters, a national student group concerned with campaign finance reform, will march from Sayles Hall to a press conference at the State House to support proposed legislation creating a publicly financed election fund. They will join other supporters of ““clean elections,” including State Sen. Rhoda Perry P’91, D-Dist. 3, and State Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Dist. 3, the General Assembly representatives who are sponsoring the bill. Perry and Ajello, who both represent Brown’s ’’s campus, will file the bill today. Student leaders are hoping 50 Brown students will join the march to the State House, where about 20 Providence College students are expected to join them. The legislation stipulates that a candidate who chooses to participate in the public financing of his election must collect a certain number of $5 contributions to prove interest in their candidacy and refuse to collect any further private donations in order to qualify for a grant from the election fund. If the candidate runs against a privately funded opponent, the public financing fund will match the money spent by the opponent above the initial grant, capping monetary support at three times the amount of the initial grant. Organized with the help of Democracy Matters, the press conference is intended to show legislators that there is public interest in the bill, which has been introduced by Perry and Ajello for the past two years but has never left committee, said Jon Bogard ’09, a member of Democracy Matters. ““At the end of last year, having testified before the House and the Senate, we became aware of the fact that this wasn’t going to get anywhere unless legislators were delivered a strong public message,”” Bogard said. In March and April 2006 he testified in the Senate and House to help legislators understand how publicly funded elections would work. The press conference was ““cobbled together by our contacts and our brainstorming,”” he said. If passed, the legislation may inspire Brown students to lobby for similar laws in their home states, noted member Greg Anderson ’10. The press conference will begin at the rotunda of the State House at 3 p.m. — Simmi Aujla

Medical Marijuana Act up for review BY THI HO STAFF WRITER

Since the implementation of the Medical Marijuana Act last spring, Rhonda O’Donnell, a 44year-old former registered nurse with multiple sclerosis, has used marijuana to alleviate her pain without fear of breaking the law. O’Donnell, the ﬁrst person in Rhode Island to apply for the Medical Marijuana Program, praised the therapeutic effects of marijuana. “It’s instantaneous cooling of the burning,” she said. “I don’t need it that often, but when I do, it works for me.” O’Donnell is one among nearly 200 individuals who currently qualify to use medical marijuana in Rhode Island. The Medical Marijuana Act, which allows in-

dividuals suffering from chronic or debilitating conditions to use marijuana with their physicians’ certiﬁcation, will be evaluated this spring as legislators decide whether to renew the act. The act, which was passed last January, includes a sunset provision mandating its repeal on June 30. The Medical Marijuana Program began issuing registration cards last May, and 192 registration cards were issued by December, according to a report by the Rhode Island Department of Health. The report shows that nearly 57 percent of registered patients are suffering from a “chronic or debilitating disease or condition,” with the remaining patients suffering from Hepatitis C, cancer, HIV, AIDS or glaucoma.

The major concern the report raises is the availability of marijuana for registered patients. “The most frequent request to the department is for information regarding the purchase of marijuana,” the report stated. The act does not specify where patients can get access to marijuana. Patients can grow marijuana themselves, have caretakers grow it for them or buy it from the black market. O’Donnell said she gets marijuana for her pain from a friend who got it from a source unknown to O’Donnell. “I don’t know anyone who grows it,” she said. Jesse Stout ’06, the founder of Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, a network of Rhode continued on page 7

Federal judge appointment stalled for Flanders ‘71 BY ZACHARY MCCUNE S TAFF WRITER

Robert Flanders ’71 has been unsure of his future as a federal judge for almost a year. Former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee ’75, who is a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, recommended Flanders — an adjunct assistant professor of public policy at the University — for a seat on the First Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2006, but Flanders has not yet been formally nominated for appointment by President Bush. On Jan. 9, President Bush presented 30 names to be considered for judicial positions around the country. Flanders, a former Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice, was not included in the list. But the seat he was recommended for is still vacant. “(The candidacy) is really in

limbo,” Flanders said. “(The White House) has yet to act on this vacancy.” After the White House received Chafee’s recommendation, Flanders was interviewed by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House Counsel Harriet Miers in April 2006. That was the last Flanders heard from the Bush administration. “I was told not to call them, they would call me,” Flanders said. Chafee said the appointment has been unusually problematic, but he is unsure why. “I’ve had some conversations with many members of (Bush’s) administration,” Chafee said. “I don’t feel I’ve been dealt with squarely on this.” Flanders said the delay might have something to do with Chafee’s relationship with the president. “It’s very hard to get into an exclusive club when your sponsor is

Courtesy of Jim Feeney Robert Flanders ‘71 has been recommended for a seat on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals.

at odds with the admissions committee,” he said. “Senator Chafee and the president were at odds on continued on page 7

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

Military e-mails legal but conflict with U.’s nondiscrimination policy sor at Boston College Law School, led a legal challenge against the Solomon Amendment on behalf of several law schools, claiming it violated universities’ First Amendment rights. In March 2006, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against his organization, the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights. Last week Greenfield said Brown and other institutions are obligated to cooperate with the military, though he still believes the legislation is unconstitutional. “Any research institution worth its salt has to get federal funds,” he said, adding that forgoing federal money is “not really an option.” In early January recruiters from at least two branches of the military — the Marine Corps and the Air Force — e-mailed form recruitment letters advertising officer training courses to Brown students. A Jan. 9 e-mail from the Air Force touted a twelve-week-long basic officer training program, during which participants “will

continued from page 1 with our nondiscrimination policy,” said Michael Chapman, vice president for public affairs and University relations. Senior Associate Registrar Robert Fitzgerald said his ofﬁce gives student contact information only to the military, not to other organizations. Organizations wishing to formally recruit at Brown through the Career Development Center must sign a form that includes the University’s nondiscrimination policy, according to the CDC’s Web site. “We’re required to give (military recruiters) what they ask for,” Fitzgerald said, noting that recruiters don’t always ask for all the information they are entitled to collect. He said some recruiters do not ask for concentrations, but “almost all of them request email.” Recruiters request information for domestic undergraduates only — not foreign or graduate students. Kent Greenﬁeld ’84, a profes-

learn exactly what you’re made of and how committed you are to becoming the best.” Air Force Tech. Sgt. Larry Behrens Jr., a recruiter in Providence, sent the e-mail to a portion of his list of 5,408 Brown students — he sent out 1,800 emails, and roughly 900 bounced back. Behrens said he might e-mail additional Brown students if the response from his initial e-mail is strong, but he will not send additional e-mails to students who did not respond to his ﬁrst attempt. “Awareness is the key,” he said. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Victor Zavala e-mailed Brown students a recruitment letter on Jan. 4 inviting Brown students to a six-week-long platoon leaders class. The e-mail declared: “You will come away from this training with valuable leadership skills that will set you apart from your peers at Brown.” Zavala was out of his ofﬁce and could not be reached for comment.

P R O P O S E D O R I E N TAT I O N S C H E D U L E , AU G . - S E P T. 2 0 0 7 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

EXISTING O RIENTATION

FIRST DAY OF CLASSES NOW

P ROPOSED O RIENTATION 2007

PROPOSED FIRST DAY OF CLASSES 2007

Proposed Orientation schedule goes to faculty vote continued from page 1 Carey said last month that in order for administrators to implement the new Orientation schedule this year, the faculty must approve the calendar change at today’s meeting. If the faculty rejects the proposal today, a new Orientation schedule could not be implemented this fall, he said. The committee also recommended that incoming ﬁrst-years be assigned required summer reading but only brieﬂy discussed the possibility of some type of communitybuilding, service-oriented or artsbased pre-orienta pre-orientation program, citing cost concerns. The committee also declined to change the schedule for the Third World Transition Program, a four-day pre-orientation program geared toward students of color, which will now be longer than the general Orientation. “The committee did not feel the

need to spend a great deal of time on the issue of the TWTP as this has been the subject of much debate in the past and was reviewed in January 2005,” the committee’s report said. “The overall feeling of the committee was that the TWTP should be revisited in the future to see how well it relates to the new configuration of Orientation.” Officials have cited several reasons why a shorter Orientation would benefit the College, including lower costs, less unscheduled time in which students might consume alcohol, a more convenient move-in schedule and greater faculty involvement in advising. Administrators say the increased advising would be facilitated by an organized “First Weekend” — the first weekend after Orientation — which would include departmental open houses and cocurricular activities that were previously included in the full six-day Orientation. Also, most faculty would be needed on-campus on the Saturday and Sunday after Labor Day weekend instead of the Thursday and Friday before, meaning a short-

ened Orientation could extend professors’ Labor Day holiday. The Undergraduate Council of Students’ executive board discussed the proposed changes several times, and the issue came up once at a general body meeting, but ultimately UCS decided not to plan any action supporting or challenging the changes, said Brian Becker ’09, chair of the UCS Campus Life committee and a member of the Orientation review committee. “I don’t think most students who are here already will really care because it doesn’t affect them. I do think it will create a better atmosphere for the first few weeks of school,” Becker said. But some students say a shorter Orientation would reduce firstyears’ opportunity to build confidence by acquiring some measure ownership of the campus. “I really don’t think a shorter Orientation is a good idea because it’s imperative that we have time to get used to the campus and each other,” Kara Segal ’10 said. “It helps develop a strong sense of what it means to go to Brown.”

www.browndailyherald.com

C AMPUS N EWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Students meditate at silent retreat BY JONAH FABRICANT C ONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tai Ho Shin / Herald Though CH 35: “Organic Chemistry,” pictured here, does not have a shortage of teaching assistants, some professors of large courses have voiced complaints about ﬁnding enough grad student TAs.

Change in Grad School policy won’t alter TA numbers, ofﬁcials say BY CAITLIN BROWNE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Despite some professors’ complaints about the availability of graduate student teaching assistants this semester, University ofﬁcials say the overall number of grad students serving as TAs has not changed. Some professors worry that the number of grad TAs will take a hit when the Graduate School implements a new grad student funding policy next semester. But Dean of the Graduate School Sheila Bonde told The Herald that the total number of grad TAs has remained similar to the numbers from the last two years and that no signiﬁcant impact is expected from the funding change.

Each semester, grad students receive a specific type of financial support, such as a teaching assistantship or a fellowship to work on their dissertation. Currently, the Grad School gives each department a set amount of money based on department size, and departments divide the funds into teaching assistantships and dissertation fellowships. But under the new policy, which was announced last semester, the Grad School will no longer allocate funding based on department size but will instead assign funds for each doctoral student for a total of five years per student. Departments will still divide the funds among teaching assistantships and fellowships as they choose, Bonde said. continued on page 6

Instead of holing up in the Rock on Saturday afternoon, some students kicked off their shoes and joined a silent meditation retreat sponsored by the Contemplative Studies Initiative. Renowned Buddhist meditation teacher Shinzen Young led 60 students, faculty and community members through the basics of mindfulness meditation on Saturday at Brown Hillel, and about 30 participants who registered for the two-day retreat returned for further meditation on Sunday. Mindfulness meditation helps a person focus on his or her internal sensory experience by building concentration, Young said. “All forms of meditation build concentration power, the most universally applicable skill a human being can attain,” he said. “In mindfulness you use the concentration like a microscope to observe the ﬁne structure of your sensory experience.” On Saturday morning participants gathered on meditation cushions and listened as Young explained basic meditation positions and the importance of proper posture for meditation. He also described exercises designed to make participants more aware of their bodies. “I had people analyze what

part of (their experience) is physical touch and what part is emotional feeling,” Young said. As participants meditated, Young answered questions but asked the students to avoid unnecessary social chatter. “External speech scatters our attention,” Young said. “When you ﬁrst learn to drive a car, you start in a simpliﬁed environment like an empty country road. You start meditating in silence to simplify the process in the same way.” Over a silent lunch, participants tried to increase their awareness of the sensory eating experience. “(It was) a chance to have a different experience and get out of our normal habits,” said Seth Izen ‘08, an event organizer. Those who registered for the two-day retreat returned on Sunday and spent the day focusing on their mental experiences, which Young said involves analyzing the visual and verbal elements of their thinking. He said dividing the retreat up in this way allowed participants to take a close look at both the physical and mental experiences that constitute all of human experience. “The goal is to help students understand the nature of their own conscious experience,” said Harold Roth, professor of religious studies and East Asian studies and an organizer of the event. “We learn a lot about the external

world at Brown, but one of the most important dicta about how to live a fulfilling life is to know thyself.” Roth directs the Contemplative Studies Initiative, a faculty initiative that seeks to establish “contemplative pedagogies” by sponsoring relevant courses and hosting events like the weekend retreat. Interest in the contemplative studies has grown due to recent “advances in research on the cognitive effects and also clinical applications of contemplative practices,” Roth said. Mindfulnessbased stress reduction is used to treat a wide variety of ailments such as high blood pressure and depression, Izen said. The fundamental meditation technique behind these clinical applications was taught to participants during the retreat. The retreat was the first Contemplative Studies program for many of the participants. “It’s great that they’re making it accessible and affordable to the Brown community,” said Vanessa Little, house staff officer in family medicine. Before he left campus, Young also gave a lecture comparing mindfulness, Zen and Vajrayana meditation practices on Monday night and visited UC 54: “Introduction to Contemplative Studies,” in which students are reading his works.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Despite policy change, TA numbers won’t change

Reformed University Fellowship back on campus

continued from page 5 Though most doctoral students will receive five years of funding, some students will be eligible for a sixth year of funding. Bonde said the procedural change in how grad students are funded shouldn’t affect the number of teaching assistants. Some professors of large lecture courses, including Senior Lecturer in American Civilization Paul Buhle, have voiced complaints this semester about difficulty finding enough grad student teaching assistants for their courses. Buhle said his understanding was that “due to complex decision-making by the Graduate School … it’s no longer possible to get enough graduate student TAs for the number of students who want to take the class.” But many department administrators interviewed by The Herald, including those in classics, sociology, biology and medicine, cognitive and linguistic sciences, comparative literature and geological sciences, reported using the same numbers of grad student TAs this semester as in the past. The perception of a decline in the number in TAs may stem from the policy changes made last fall. The long-term effects of the new funding policies are still unclear. Professor of History Engin Akarli, who serves as the graduate adviser for the history department, expressed concern about the pressure on grad students to finish their degrees in five years. Finish-

ing a dissertation in five years is difficult for history students, especially those working with foreign language sources in their research, Akarli said. The need to finish in five years means that grad students have to dedicate time and energy to their dissertations when they might otherwise have been able to serve as teaching assistants. Although availability of grad student teaching assistants is not a problem this semester, it “will be a problem in the coming years,” Akarli said. The overall number of teaching assistants in the department, 26, is the same this semester as in the fall. However, since there are more large courses offered in the spring, the department is two teaching assistants short of its desired number. AF 16: “Twentieth-Century Africa,” taught by Associate Professor of History Nancy Jacobs, and HI 163: “Modern Latin America I,” with Associate Professor of History James Green, are each missing one teaching assistant, Akarli said. Akarli said he worries that unavailability of grad student teaching assistants in the history department may force professors either to run more discussion sections themselves, which could decrease the amount of time they spend conducting research, or allow sections to be larger than usual. According to Akarli, however, the problem lies not with the grad school’s policies, but with a larger issue. “The University is not devoting enough resources to graduate students,” Akarli said.

continued from page 1 office would consider reinstating the group for the 2007-2008 academic year. The group, which was not allowed to reserve meeting space on campus or recruit new members during its suspension, has already held two regular Sunday meetings on campus and is currently attempting to reserve space for its more popular Friday evening meetings. An e-mail to Wingfield from Associate Protestant University Chaplain Allen Callahan, stated that RUF was suspended because it filed necessary paperwork late, lost the sponsorship of Trinity Presbyterian Church and maintained a “culture of contempt and dishonesty.” But Wingfield disputed the University’s claims. He acknowledged that the group filed paperwork late, but he said the Trinity Presbyterian Church never withdrew its support and that the chaplains’ office refused to clarify their allegation of a “culture of contempt and dishonesty.” Cooper Nelson, who previously declined to comment on RUF’s suspension, told The Herald yesterday that the suspension of RUF — the first suspension of a religious student group in the 17 years she has worked at the University — was due to

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

a lack of communication from the group. Cooper Nelson said her office did not receive the annual application required of all religious student groups from RUF until February, long after the August deadline. She called this non-communication “not a minor failure” and said the chaplains’ office tried numerous times to communicate with the RUF leadership before deciding to suspend the group. All religious student groups must renew their affiliation with the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life annually, a process that allows the office to approve of the advisers that each group chooses. According to Cooper Nelson, these advisers are usually “young professionals” unaffiliated with Brown. She said this approval process was necessary to maintain “current knowledge and regular relationships” with groups and to ensure that the advisers understand that they are “being asked to support the University’s policies and structures.” Cooper Nelson said the relationship between the group and the chaplains’ office before the suspension “didn’t bring us to a place where we felt we had an understanding,” though she said “we hold ourselves accountable also.” The suspension was not meant

to be a punishment, Cooper Nelson said, but rather a “time for correction” for the relationship between the chaplains’ office and RUF. She said she and Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, interim vice president for campus life and student services, met with RUF leaders in September to warn them of RUF’s upcoming suspension and tell them that they were “eager to work with them to remedy the situation,” but neither Wingfield nor other RUF leaders ever contacted her for a meeting following the suspension, Cooper Nelson said. Callahan’s claim that RUF had a “culture of contempt and dishonesty” was “his description,” Cooper Nelson said, adding that his words were chosen to convey “a sense of the situation, which was serious.” Now that the group has been reinstated, Wingfield told The Herald that RUF “never did get an explanation” about the causes of its suspension. But he said, “At this point, all RUF wants is to exist on campus as a student group.” Cooper Nelson emphasized that the suspension of RUF was due to the group’s non-compliance with policies, rather than any religious or doctrinal differences. “It’s not okay at Brown ever for any opinion to be silenced,” she said.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Bush plan expands military, trims domestic Court hears beginning of Libby grand jury tapes spending, aims at balanced budget WO R L D

I N

BRIEF

WASHINGTON (Washington Post) — Lewis “Scooter’’ Libby told a grand jury in 2004 that Vice President Dick Cheney did not encourage him to provide information about an undercover CIA officer to the media, but also said he did not believe the information was secret and had to be safeguarded, according to audiotapes of Libby’s testimony played in court Monday. Testifying to the grand jury in the probe that eventually led to criminal charges against him, Libby, Cheney’s then-chief of staff, said he remembered Cheney telling him in June 2003 that the wife of a prominent war critic worked at the CIA. Libby said it was the first time he had heard that, but that Cheney said it in “sort of an offhand manner, as a curiosity.’’ Libby also testified that he “could not recall’’ details of events and conversations he had that summer with Cheney and other administration officials regarding the war critic, former ambassador Joseph Wilson. Wilson that summer accused the administration of twisting intelligence he had gathered about Iraq’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program as the White House launched the invasion of Iraq and sold it to the public. The eight hours of audiotapes, most of which are to be played Tuesday, are intended to back up the government’s claims that Libby lied to investigators about his role in disclosing the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame, Wilson’s wife. Prosecutors have alleged Plame’s name was leaked as part of a campaign to discredit Wilson by spreading the idea that his CIA-sponsored trip was the result of nepotism.

BY MICHAEL ABRAMOWITZ AND LORI MONTGOMERY WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — President Bush took aim Monday at domestic spending as part of a plan to balance the budget in five years without raising taxes while increasing funding for the Iraq war and permanently expanding the military. With the $2.9 trillion budget he submitted to Congress, Bush signaled he would attempt to squeeze spending on health care, education, housing and other domestic programs important to the Democratic majority for the duration of his term. Overall domestic spending would be held below the rate of inflation in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 and frozen thereafter.

MOSCOW (Washington Post) — Russian prosecutors have leveled new charges against imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and one of his partners, accusing the fallen businessmen of money laundering and embezzlement in the theft of $20 billion from Yukos, the company they ran. Khodorkovsky called the charges “insane and absurd,” according to one of his foreign attorneys, Robert Amsterdam. In a conference call with reporters, Amsterdam said the charges are an attempt to keep Khodorkovsky in prison through presidential elections in early 2008 and legitimize the state’s seizure of Yukos’ remaining assets. The defendants, already serving eight-year terms, pleaded not guilty at a hearing Monday in Siberia. If convicted of the new charges, they could be sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison. Khodorkovsky and his partner, Platon Lebedev, were eligible for parole this October. The very slim chance that they might have been released has now vanished, Amsterdam said.

Flanders ’71 awaits judicial nomination continued from page 3 many policy matters.” The position Flanders hopes to fill on the first circuit — which hears cases from Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico — was vacated by Bruce Selya. Selya reached senior status on the court, a form of semi-retirement. Despite the delay, Flanders’ nomination may not be on hold forever. On Jan. 4, Miers offered her resignation, leaving both Chafee and Flanders to wonder whether the appointments process will be affected. “Maybe the new (counsel) will look more favorably on the Flanders nomination,” said Chafee. If formally nominated as a candidate by President Bush, Flanders would require confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Though Flanders is a Republican, he is popular on both sides of the aisle. According to Chafee, Rhode Island’s current Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are supportive of Flanders’ bid. “Justice Flanders is a solid pick and a worthy successor to Judge Selya,” Reed said in a press release when Flanders was first recommended last year. “He has a keen legal mind and has demonstrated an understanding of the law’s role in society.” As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Whitehouse will play a role in judicial appointments. “Senator Whitehouse is working with his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee and with Senator Reed … and hopes that

Rhode Island’s federal court vacancies can be ﬁlled expeditiously,” wrote Whitehouse’s spokesman Alex Swartsel in an e-mail to The Herald. Flanders’ popularity across party lines is one of the reasons Chafee believes the former R.I. Supreme Court Justice is an obvious pick for the President. “I would think that the President would want someone who would have smooth sailing in the Senate,” Chafee said. Thanks to this bipartisan support, Flanders’ candidacy can remain under consideration following Chafee’s defeat by Whitehouse in the 2006 midterm elections. “I didn’t want to see Senator Chafee lose,” Flanders said. “But if he did lose, I’m happy he lost to someone as qualiﬁed as Sheldon Whitehouse.” According to the Providence Journal, Chafee’s decision to recommend Flanders upset U.S. District Judge William Smith, another Rhode Islander who was interested in the position. “I just don’t see his resume, at least on the merits, as good as Flanders’,” Chafee said of his choice not to recommend Smith over Flanders. Chafee had sponsored Smith as a U.S. District Judge in 2002. Still, even after months in limbo, Flanders remains optimistic and willing to serve if appointed. “I’m hopeful, but it’s also of concern that it’s taken this long. I’ve had no contact with the White House for a long time,” Flanders said. “I would be honored to be nominated by President Bush.”

fice, immediately denounced the plan as an irresponsible attempt to make permanent costly tax cuts for the wealthy and to finance the war by shortchanging children, the elderly and the nation’s long-term fiscal health. “It is disingenuous for the President to suggest cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that he knows the Congress will not support,’’ said House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. “It’s not going to happen.’’ Some Democrats questioned the president’s math, saying his budget plan relies on a series of rosy economic assumptions to transform the nation’s $248 billion deficit into a $61 billion surplus by 2012. Even continued on page 9

37 die in Baghdad as U.S. readies security crackdown BY JOSHUA PARTLOW WASHINGTON POST

Russian tycoons who opposed Putin face new charges

The new Bush budget would also seek to reduce the rapid rate of growth in Medicare and Medicaid, trimming $101 billion from the two programs over the next five years by reducing payments to health care providers and forcing wealthier seniors to pay more for physician services and prescription-drug coverage. It would provide additional funds for a children’s health insurance program, but not enough to maintain the same enrollment over the next five years, according to independent analysts. Bush said his plan would bolster national security while “keeping the economy strong with low taxes and keeping spending under control.’’ But Democratic leaders, who will control the budget process for the first time since Bush took of-

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Bombs and mortar shells killed more than 37 people in Baghdad on Monday, as U.S. ofﬁcials said that the command structure for the new security crackdown in the capital was ready. In the deadliest attack, a small truck rigged with explosives was detonated near a gas station in the Bayya neighborhood, killing 15 people and wounding 58, according to Col. Fakher Hussein of the Interior Ministry. A car bomb that exploded in an industrial area of central Baghdad took the lives of 13 people, he said. The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have for months been preparing a mas-

sive security initiative aimed at quelling the daily killing in the capital. A spokeswoman for the U.S. military, Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, said Monday that the command structure and personnel leading the effort have now been established. Iraqi forces in the capital will be led by Lt. Gen. Abboud Gambar, a former naval commander in the military of deposed president Saddam Hussein. Gambar was taken prisoner by U.S. forces during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. A Shiite from the southern city of Amarah, he will report directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose viability as Iraq’s leader hinges on his ability to temper the violence in Baghdad. The selection of Gambar, a rela-

tively unknown officer, was greeted with skepticism by some Iraqi and U.S. officials. But an aide to al-Maliki said the prime minister remains confident in his choice and that Gambar has the support of coalition commanders. During a meeting last month between al-Maliki and the senior British general in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, Lamb pronounced Gambar a “good man,’’ the aide said. Gambar will have deputies in charge of the east and west sides of Baghdad, which is divided by the Tigris River, and will oversee the nine security districts recently established in the capital. President Bush has pledged an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, and thousands of them have already arrived in Baghdad.

Medical Marijuana Act to expire this year continued from page 3 Island groups supporting medical marijuana, said the proposed 2007 renewal should include a clause on the availability of marijuana, but he doesn’t think it will happen. “Ideally, there should be state-funded programs to get marijuana,” Stout said. Trevor Stutz ’07, former president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Policy, also believes a government-controlled source of marijuana isn’t a realistic goal right now. “Dispensaries were deﬁnitely considered but at this point don’t look like the best model given the nature and size of Rhode Island and the active patient groups,” he said. “It seems like organizing through the patient groups informally and through RIPAC may be the best model,” Stutz added. Although she doesn’t need to obtain marijuana often, O’Donnell said it would be “nice for safety and consistency’s sake” if there were regulated dispensaries. The report listed only one incident of abuse of marijuana by a registered patient. Steven Trimarco of Exeter was arrested last October and charged with 19 counts of delinquency with a minor, three counts of possession of narcotics with intent to deliver and two counts of possession of ﬁrearms or armor-piercing bullets. Though patients are allowed only 12 plants under the act, police took 72 marijuana plants from his home.

The Providence Journal reported Jan. 17 that Trimarco had two Myspace.com pages showing him posing amid marijuana plants. The article cited police reports stating that Trimarco smoked marijuana on multiple occasions with at least four teenage girls, ages 13 to 15. Aside from inquiries over access to marijuana, the report stated there has been “minimal community response to the implementation of the medical marijuana program.” An Oct. 2006 poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research of Washington, D.C., showed that 79 percent of Rhode Islanders support the legislation. The poll had a 4 percent margin of error. “Passage (of the act) is itself a big success. Nothing’s really gone wrong,” Stout said. “Inclusion of the sunset clause is the biggest failure of the law.” Stutz also called the legislation a relative success so far. “There have been no problems with the legislation itself. The cost of implementing it has been very low. Patients are being protected from arrest, which is the ultimate goal,” Stutz said. O’Donnell called the bill “compassionate.” “It’s a relief for people who are suffering already from pain. It’s just one less thing they have to worry about. They’re suffering enough,” she said. The new medical marijuana act will go to the floor of the General Assembly this spring,

according to Stout. Currently, the patient advocacy coalition is building support for the passage of the bill. “We’re building a grassroots network of people who are interested in supporting the bill, including patients, doctors and nurses,” Stout said. “Given the 79 percent of public support and the success of the program, it was a good idea then and a good idea now,” Stutz said. Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, a national marijuana policy reform organization, said although overall response to the bill has been positive, some people still have reservations. “People just aren’t over their fears yet. This is something that will happen over time as this becomes more a part of people’s daily lives,” Mirken said. But the bill will likely pass because of support in the legislature, he added. For her part, O’Donnell said it would be unfortunate if the bill does not pass again because lobbyists for the legislation would have to start over. “I’m hopeful. I think it should ﬂy no problem because it had so much support last year in both the House and the Senate,” she said. Jeff Neal, press secretary for Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65, did not return calls for comment. Carcieri vetoed the initial legislation but was overridden by the General Assembly in January 2006.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Mice plague some campus residence halls continued from page 1 rary housing and was able to move into Hegeman. The room was cleaned in less than two days, but Stricsek was still unhappy with the situation, and though his roommate has remained in the room, he has moved out. “If it were someplace else, I wouldn’t care so much. But it’s my home, so it’s different,” Stricsek said. Stricsek said other friends in the same area of the dorm have also noticed mouse droppings, but Batista said no one else has moved from their rooms this year speciﬁcally because of problems with mice. Grad Center Tower C had similar problems in some rooms because a former resident did not remove food from her room before she moved out, according to Batista. Students leaving food out is one of the main reasons mice are attracted to rooms, he said, adding that al-

though some of the rooms he visits for mice inspection are very neat, many of the rooms with mouse sightings tend to be messier and often have food left out in the open. But despite those incidents, there has been no signiﬁcant increase in the number of problems this year, according to Facilities Management staff. “We’ve been luckier than usual because we have less construction on campus,” Butler said, noting that construction often increases the number of mice that end up in the dormitories. Last year, Hope College had problems with mice because a burst pipe required work that disturbed the mice’s underground nest, Butler said, and when the Shell Station on Angell Street was demolished last semester, a number of mice were spotted in the Brown Ofﬁce Building, next to the construction site. Cold weather generally drives mice into the dorms,

Butler said, but that has not been as much of an issue in recent years due to a series of mild winters. Though the mice are an annoyance, Facilities Management says there is no way to totally eliminate the problem. “I don’t really think there is a way to prevent every mouse from entering. There’s no way you can seal every opening in a house,” Batista said. Batista said residents can avoid gaining furry roommates by using rubber containers for leftover food and by taking out the trash regularly. “Students not regularly taking out the trash is one of the biggest reasons there are mice in rooms,” Batista said. Stricsek said he wished he had gotten that advice earlier, and he had a number of his own suggestions for those facing a rodent invasion, including reporting it immediately. “Also, wash the (soiled) clothes in hot water,” he said.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

Haxton ’08 wins $1.3m playing poker continued from page 1 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids who have made millions of dollars playing poker. … There will be posts like, ‘I made $100,000 dollars this month, which of these cars should I buy?’” At the end of his junior year, feeling burnt out by school, Haxton contemplated taking some time off from Brown. When legislation was proposed this past August that could soon make online gambling in the United States illegal, Haxton made the decision to take the year off to play poker full-time and cash in while he still could. He has been living in an apartment in Boston and continues to play poker online. Live tournaments are still fairly new for Haxton, who only became eligible to play this past September after his 21st birthday. He said they are very different from the online poker to which he has grown accustomed. “When I’m playing online, I wake up at three in the afternoon, have a cup of coffee, play for about

three hours, then hang out, have dinner, watch some TV, play for another three hours, and that’s a day’s work,” he said. “When I go to a tournament, play starts at some ungodly hour, like 11 or noon.” Haxton said live poker tournaments consume much more time because the cards are dealt manually, meaning a competitor can play fewer hands in an hour. “A day of playing a tournament is minimum nine, sometimes up to 14, 15 hours a day, and the tournaments can be up to six days long. … There’s barely enough time to sleep — certainly not enough to eat three meals a day.” The World Poker Tour Web site, which classifies Haxton as one of today’s “Young Guns of Poker,” also states that one of his most striking skills is his “chill factor,” the ability to maintain calm during the game. “It’s nothing that complicated,” Haxton said. “Keeping calm in those situations has always come fairly easily to me.” Haxton has recently been nicknamed the Lizard King after Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors. He got the name after PokerStars.com noted Haxton’s physical resemblance to the late rock star in a photograph caption. With a new nickname and an upcoming appearance on the Travel Channel, Haxton has found himself increasingly in the spotlight. After the Poker Stars tournament, Haxton was approached at the casino’s restaurant by a few waiters who had heard about his victory. They wanted him to sign dollar bills. “I think they were just hoping that in five years I’d be famous and the autographs would be worth something,” Haxton said. A few weeks later, at a tournament in Atlantic City, a fan asked Haxton to autograph his own photograph. “He goes ‘Yeah, Isaac Haxton, the Lizard King!’ … I didn’t know what to do. Do I sign it to someone? ... It was surreal. He had planned to find me. He said ‘I’m going to go find Isaac Haxton’ and printed a photograph of me.” But Haxton said he maintains his signature “chill factor” both at the poker table and away from it. “The attention is directed more at the character that World Poker Tour is marketing as a character on their show than it is attention directed at me,” Haxton said. He added that fans like the man in Atlantic City often care only about his capacity as a poker player. “He just wants me to look cool in my sunglasses and sign the thing,” he said.

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PAGE 9

Bush plan expands militar y, trims domestic spending, aims at balanced budget

M. swimming and diving fall to Columbia in last dual meet of season

continued from page 7 if the plan is successful, Democrats noted, the president would only be restoring the country’s fiscal condition to the surplus he inherited when he took office in 2001. “This budget is filled with debt and deception, disconnected from reality and continues to move America in the wrong direction,’’ said Senate Budget Committee

Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. While the spending blueprint met resistance from Democrats, it appeared to shore up the president’s position with conservatives in his party, who have been deeply unhappy with the growth of federal spending over the past six years. In comments to reporters Monday, Bush emphasized his desire to reduce the number of congressional pork projects, known as

earmarks, and acquire a line-term veto — favorite initiatives of ﬁscal conservatives. Extending Bush’s ﬁrst-term tax cuts, a collection of rate reductions and tax credits that has kept more than $1 trillion in taxpayers’ pockets since 2001 would cost the Treasury an estimated $374 billion between 2008 and 2012, according to the administration. Most of the cuts are scheduled to expire in 2010.

W. track shines at Geigengack Invitational continued from page 12 03.75 to place third and fourth, respectively. “The women’s pole vault was really exciting,” Lake said. The Bears also had strong performances in the sprints. Naja Ferjan ’07 recorded a personal best of 1:13.89 in the 500-meter dash, good for second place. Meanwhile, Thelma Breezeatl ’10 placed second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.68 and sixth

in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.00, behind fi fth-place finisher Nicole Burns ’08, who clocked in at 24.96. “Nicole Burns ran really, really well in the 200,” Lake said. Burns also competed in the 400-meter dash, placing third with a time of 56.15. The Bears took home more third-place finishes in the four by 400-meter relay, with a time of 3:48.99, and in the shot put, when Alex Hartley ’10 recorded a 41-10.75 throw. In the weight

throw, Sam Kuo ’09 took sixth place with a throw of 44-09.50. Lake was impressed by the squad’s performance. “A lot of them are running personal bests,” she said. “We’ll have a lot of strong individual performances in the Ivy League Championships.” The Bears’ next competition, the St. Valentine’s Invitational, will take place Feb. 9 and 10 at Boston University. “We’ll be focusing on putting in good times,” Lake said.

Lions tame Bears in w. swimming’s ﬁnal home meet continued from page 12 three-meter dive to bring some hope for the Bears. The 400-yard freestyle relay team, which comprised Brandstetter, Brush, Meredith Cocco ’07 and Kowalsky, won the ﬁnal event of the meet with a time of 3:35.87. Though both of these efforts were impressive, they were too little, too late, and the Lions prevailed. Diving coach Guy Pollino felt that the divers’ performance at the meet was satisfactory. “The six of them (the diving team) put together a solid effort,” he said. “They know what tricks they do well, and they are doing them.” He also commented about how the team needs improvement. “The divers know they need to

clean up some things, like toe points and legs together — they look better,” he said. “Sometimes it’s better to look good than to feel good.” Diana Caskey, the Columbia coach for the past 15 years, was very proud of her Lions. “We are working on swimming fast away from home,” she said, “We never really swam really well at Brown, so I’m excited that we did the job.” Although the Bears were not victorious, they are looking forward to the remainder of the season and will be shifting most of their focus to preparations for the Ivy Championship in the next six weeks. Underclassmen Jessica Williams ’09, Baily Langner ’10 and Katie Olko ’10 seem to hold the

Women’s hockey loses ground continued from page 12 its second goal just 57 seconds after its ﬁrst tally. Likewise, on Saturday, less than two minutes after taking the lead 5-4, Quinnipiac struck again to increase its advantage to two goals. “We’re a very young team, so we often have to put four freshman players on the line,” Murphy said. “When one bad thing happens, they don’t bounce back as a team full of seniors would, because many of these girls don’t have a lot of experience playing in games where their team is behind.” The Bears had hoped to secure wins at Princeton and Quinnipiac. After losing the ﬁrst nine games of the season, Brown enjoyed a remarkable 7-3-2 stretch entering the weekend, dating back to its Nov. 24 upset victory over Providence College for the Mayor’s Cup. The stretch included several improbable wins over such teams as Boston University and Yale. The weekend saw more strong play from Moore, who, with an assist at Princeton and two goals at Quinnipiac, extended her point streak to 11 games. Murphy said that Moore, who is

slated as a future U.S. Olympian, is “deﬁnitely the future of our team.” Murphy also praised Olewinski’s play, noting that she has “really stepped up to the plate this season,” and lauded the leadership of the senior captains. The losses were even more disappointing, since the Bears have an extremely difﬁcult schedule for the rest of the season. On Wednesday they face University of Connecticut, whose 15-10-2 season includes wins over Dartmouth and Harvard, currently the top two teams in the ECACHL. The Bears then face Union College on Friday and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, both at home. Finally, they will close out the regular season on the road the following weekend, battling Dartmouth and Harvard, currently ranked No. 3 and No. 6 in the nation respectively. “All of the games are winnable,” Murphy said. “Hockey is a game of momentum swings, and I’m going to try to instill enthusiasm in our team, because every time you step out of the gate wearing that Brown jersey, you should play with pride.”

most promise for the future. According to Pollino, “They are really giving the upperclassmen a run for their money.” Brown gets back in action on Feb. 15-17 when it travels to defending league champion Princeton for a pivotal dual meet.

continued from page 12 O’Mara placed second in the 100-yard breast, swimming a time of 59.04, with Ray Grant ’10 finishing just behind him in third with a time of 59.42. Richard Alexander ’09 took second in the 200-yard fly, leading the Bears with a time of 1:53.74. Kelly followed suit in the 50-yard free, checking in at 21.22 for another second-place finish. David Koweek ’09 finished just behind Kelly, recording a time of 21.62. “It was disheartening to get second place in so many close events,” Volosin said. “It really crushed us.” Although the Bears realized their chances of winning the meet were bleak by the time the first dive break got underway, Brown’s performance on the one-meter board sparked the team. William Kai Robinson ’09 won the event with a score of 285.89. C.J. Kambe ’10 took third in the event, recording a score of 258.44. After the first diving event, Kelly nabbed first place in the 100-yard free with a time of 46.17. Trent Huxley ’10 took third in the event posting a time of 47.27. Hug was Brown’s top finisher in the 200-yard backstroke, swimming a time of 1:55.54. Grant led the Bears in the 200-yard breast, taking third place with a time of 2:10.54. Christopher Elsworth ’09 then took fourth in the 500-yard free, clocking in at 4:48.52. Rick-

etts earned second in the 100yard fly with a time of 51.34, while Alexander finished right behind him, checking in at 51.64. Robinson was also the Bears’ top performer in the three-meter dive, finishing in second place with a score of 282.90. Matthew Freitas ’07 took third, recording a score of 273.08. O’Mara won the last individual event of the day, posting a time of 1:55.56 in the 200 IM. Brown then took second in the final event of the meet, with the 400-yard free relay team of Huxley, Hug, Ricketts and Kelly recording a time of 3:08.22. Despite the Bears’ valiant efforts at the end, it was not quite enough, and the Lions prevailed. After his win, O’Mara summed up his last meet at the Smith Swim Center. “It was exciting but sad,” he said. “It was a good opportunity to give it one last go.” The Bears will all give it one last go when they compete at the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships Feb. 22 to 24 in Princeton, N.J. In the upcoming weeks Brown will taper its yardage and focus on refining the little things such as their starts, turns, finishes and relay handoffs in order to ensure their success at the most pivotal meet of their season. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work this season and we still have a lot of business to take care of before Easterns,” Brown said. “I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”

E DITORIAL & L ETTERS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

STAF F EDITORIAL

A premature proposal A its meeting this afternoon, the faculty will make a seemingly At minor decision — whether to push back the beginning of the academic year by a single day. Yet if approved, the vote will have lasting ramifications for a decade of future Brunonians. The vote would allow a restructured Orientation program starting this September. Though the proposal was released only 12 days ago, it could determine how new students are introduced to Brown for many years. Professors shouldn’t take this vote lightly. We encourage the faculty to reject the change to the academic calendar. The proposed changes raise real concerns. The new schedule collapses first-years’ introduction to the Brown curriculum — that momentous first meeting with a faculty adviser and Meiklejohn peer counselor — into a single day before classes begin. Some Orientation programs, such as departmental open houses and cocurricular events, would move to the so-called “First Weekend” after classes start. Students may be forced to dive into the chaos of shopping period — an experience that’s all the more overwhelming at Brown, where first-years have almost total control over their course load — without enough preparation. And given that Banner will overhaul shopping period, it may make more sense to rethink Orientation after we’ve seen the impact of the new registration system. We support the idea of shortening Orientation if the new schedule prepares students academically and leaves them with enough unstructured time to have experiences only possible during the first few days of college — exploring a new home and starting a new life. But though we agree that Orientation needs to be changed, we can’t condone the administration’s hurried attempt to win over the faculty in under two weeks on a matter that will have lasting import for the Brown experience. Though the committee was undoubtedly diligent and included deans, faculty and students, their carefully constructed agenda lacked the creative input that broad student reaction could provide. Administrators committed to redefining Orientation for the next decade should canvass the campus for opinions about what works and doesn’t work — a task that certainly can’t be accomplished in 12 days. The administration needs the faculty’s approval today to have a different Orientation ready for September, and we acknowledge that the administration could tackle specific concerns later. But we worry that voting to change the academic calendar will be seen as broad approval of the new Orientation plan. It’s too early to move forward on the Orientation committee’s recommendations. They have hardly been vetted, and few voices outside the committee and administration have been heard. The Orientation experience for the class of 2011 lies in the hands of the faculty simply because the proposed Orientation schedule requires changing the beginning of the academic year by a single day. We hope the faculty will use the power they have and reject this premature proposal.

T HE B ROWN D AILY H ERALD Editors-in-Chief Eric Beck Mary-Catherine Lader

Executive Editors Allison Kwong Ben Leubsdorf

Senior Editors Stephen Colelli Sonia Saraiya BUSINESS

EDITORIAL Lydia Gidwitz Lindsey Meyers Stephanie Bernhard Stu Woo Simmi Aujla Sara Molinaro Ross Frazier Jacob Schuman Michal Zapendowski Peter Cipparone Justin Goldman Sarah Demers Erin Frauenhofer Madeleine Marecki

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PHOTO Eunice Hong Christopher Bennett Jacob Melrose

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General Manager Mandeep Gill General Manager Ally Ouh Executive Manager Darren Ball Executive Manager Dan DeNorch Laurie-Ann Paliotti Sr. Advertising Manager Ofﬁce Manager Susan Dansereau PRODUCTION Design Editor Steve DeLucia Copy Desk Chief Chris Gang Graphics Editor Mark Brinker Graphics Editor Roxanne Palmer Web Editor Luke Harris POST- MAGAZINE Hillary Dixler Melanie Duch Taryn Martinez Rajiv Jayadevan Mindy Smith

Managing Editor Managing Editor Managing Editor Features Editor Features Editor

Steve DeLucia, Designer Catherine Cullen, Lauren Levitz, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Rachel Arndt, Michael Bechek, Oliver Bowers, Zachary Chapman, Chaz Firestone, Kristina Kelleher, Debbie Lehmann, Scott Lowenstein, James Shapiro, Michael Skocpol Staff Writers Susana Aho, Taylor Barnes, Evan Boggs, Alissa Cerny, Irene Chen, Stewart Dearing, Nicole Dungca, Hannah Furst, Sarah Geller, Thi Ho, Rebecca Jacobson, Tsvetina Kamenova, Hannah Levintova, Christian Martell, Taryn Martinez, Zachary McCune, Jennifer Park, Nathalie Pierrepont, Kam Sripada, Robin Steele, Spencer Trice, Sara Walter, Allissa Wickham, Max Winograd Sports Staff Writers Amy Ehrhart, Kaitlyn Laabs, Eliza Lane, Kathleen Loughlin, Megan McCahill, Marco Santini, Tom Trudeau, Steele West Account Administrators Emilie Aries, Alexander Hughes Design Staff Aurora Durfee, Christian Martell Photo Staff Stuart Duncan-Smith, Austin Freeman, Tai Ho Shin Copy Editors Ayelet Brinn, Catherine Cullen, Erin Cummings, Karen Evans, Jacob Frank, Lauren Levitz

ROXANNE PALMER

LETTERS Carbon offsets are a moral commitment To the Editor: We, the members of the emPOWER campaign, are grateful for The Herald’s continued coverage of our efforts to promote sustainable energy policies and climate neutrality on campus. We would, however, like to clarify our position on the role that carbon offsets should play in a comprehensive response to climate change. emPOWER recognizes that the purchase of carbon offsets — the investment in renewable energy projects off-campus that neutralize our carbon footprint — is not the only strategy Brown should undertake. As we have consistently articulated, the purchase of carbon offsets should be made in addition to, not instead of, the institution of on-campus energy policy reforms. Our goal is to convince the University to reduce its own emissions as much as possible and, in the meantime, to completely offset the contribution it currently makes to global warming by investing in renewable projects off-campus. We believe that immediately becoming climate neutral, while continuing to reduce on-campus emissions, is the only way that Brown can take full responsibility for its contribution to climate change. When properly pursued, carbon offsets do not merely serve to “assuage moral guilt,” as a recent

Herald editorial suggested (“Freezing Energy Costs,” Jan. 31). Rather, investment in off-campus renewable energy projects represents a moral commitment by the University to look beyond its own gates and act as a social leader in the effort to curb climate change. Moreover, investing in additional sources of renewable energy on our national grid will make a quantiﬁable reduction in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and can help lower the cost of clean energy in the future by promoting growth in the industry. As The Herald recently reported, Brown received a “B” on its Sustainability Report Card from the Sustainable Endowments Institute. While it fared better than several participating institutions, it can hardly call itself a leader in the ﬁeld. Brown has the opportunity to claim a leadership role by committing to climate neutrality now, and it also has a responsibility to the global community to consider. As students of this historically innovative and forward-thinking University, we should expect no less.

Jonathan Magaziner ’07 The emPOWER Campaign Feb. 5

Quigley ’10 wrong on civil liberties To the Editor: I regret that Sean Quigley’s contribution to Friday’s point-counterpoint (“Three cheers to President Bush,” Feb. 10) failed to address the most important question in the debate over controversial tactics in the War on Terror. Most Americans accept the premise that this struggle requires new and extraordinary measures to be effective. But given the costs of those measures — both in terms of their impact on legal precedent and the blowback that they generate when made public — their use should not be a foregone conclusion. Their use should be contingent on their proven efﬁcacy and unique value (that is, that they accomplish something that conventional measures could not). Quigley provided an interesting historical and legal defense of current administration policies, but he has done nothing to prove that they are necessary.

On a separate note, Mr. Quigley’s invocation of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks was ill advised. Vivid and indignant memories of that day do not lead inevitably to a preference for one stance or another on this complicated matter. Plenty of family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are at the forefront of efforts against the programs that Mr. Quigley defends. They believe that a system that errs on the side of extending too many rights is the best long-term strategy in the struggle against regressive fanaticism. To dismiss them as civil liberties “radicals” (perhaps the wrong term for those seeking to maintain the status quo) when they, too, are motivated by their loss is equal parts wrongheaded and tacky. David Dryer ‘07 Feb. 4

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. COMMENTAR Y POLICY 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. ADVER TISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

O PINIONS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 11

Cut the power off at its source — help Democracy Matters storm the State House BY KAILIN CLARKE OPINIONS COLUMNIST

I am overwhelmed by options. Every day I’m given new and better ones — stores offer me new products, Brown offers me new classes and activities and my TV offers me new issues and people to care about. In the hypermedia, hyper-representational, hyper-connected world of today, I am catered to. Of course, such “optionality” has side-effects on which normative judgments are up for debate: First, I’ve learned to see myself as the star of my own show, entitled to pick whatever options I choose. Second, I’ve been known to go instinctively numb when options are numerous and noisy. It was in this context that I got involved with Rhode Island for Fair Elections. I wasn’t much of a social activist up until last year, for precisely the above reasons. This isn’t profound — many an opinions column has contemplated students’ relationships to social activism in the context of those phenomena. The point of this article is to tell you that, even if you’re like me, even if options and opportunities have subdued you in the past and left you with tinges of selﬁshness and numbness, there is one unique political opportunity on the table this year that even you should be interested in: Fair Elections. Stated simply, Fair Elections would sharply reduce the inﬂuence of money on Rhode Is-

land state politics by creating a system of full public ﬁnancing of candidates’ campaigns. It has worked in Maine, Arizona, Connecticut and several other states, and even political economists give it credit as the one kind of campaign ﬁnance reform that has actually changed politics in general. It has been so successful that it’s even getting some attention in Congress. Now, you can try to frame “money in politics” as another option, another issue, but it

Why does it work? Because Fair Elections isn’t naive like the 2002 McCain-Feingold Bill, which eliminated certain kinds of contributions and limited others. That kind of reform makes a dent, but it doesn’t address two fundamental paradoxes: In the longest-running democracy of the modern period, (a) politicians almost always need to have money or know people with money to get their voices heard and (b) politicians are public servants forced to raise private con-

Campaign financing is not the only determinant of governmental priorities — but it’s probably the first one that needs fixing. just doesn’t work. Money is the power that flows through so many other options, so many other issues. Health care laws, environmental standards, education reform — they’re all affected by political contributions from wealthy individuals, corporations and unions who exploit a weakly regulated system of campaign financing in order to gain influence in the halls of the State House. That’s why I liked the campaign. I wasn’t picking a particular option, but handling all of them at the same time. And while campaign financing is not the only determinant of governmental priorities, it’s probably the first one that needs fixing.

tributions. So Fair Elections goes one step further. By going door-to-door and collecting a speciﬁed number of $5 contributions, candidates prove their electability and receive grants that allow them to run competitive campaigns. That’s it — no real fundraising. The public buys the system back for itself. And the investment comes with returns — taxpayers save money when lobbyists’ and special interests’ ideas are judged on their merits. Today at 3 p.m., Brown’s Democracy Matters and a broad coalition including Common Cause Rhode Island and League of Women

Voters Rhode Island will hold a press conference in the State House as the bill is introduced. I think you should come, and not just because you’ll have some delicious hot chocolate. You should come because it’s not just “one more option.” And that’s the real problem today: politics has become one more option for the consumer. When politics takes the aesthetic equivalent of channel surﬁng — think blogs, niche advocacy groups, Google news alerts, RSS feeders — they’re molded into a blueprint for option-presentation and option-surfing that makes them seem, well, pretty optional. This shift has us all reacting to issues instead of making an afﬁrmative commitment to change. It is only when we make these kinds of commitments that the powerful actually lose power instead of merely adjusting to reactive demands. The Fair Elections bill won’t bring complete justice and harmony to this tiny state — how could it, when no one can agree on what that would mean? — but it will be a real change to how politics are run, and that’s why it has a rare alliance of politicians, corporations and unions in an uproar. Are you free on Tuesday afternoon? Do you think governments and democracy matter? Are you looking for the all-encompassing opportunity? Then come help us cut the power off at its source.

Kailin Clarke ’08 asks you to meet Democracy Matters at Sayles Hall at 2:15 p.m. today, descend College Hill and rock the State House to its foundations.

Great survey or greatest survey? BY JOSH TEITELBAUM GUEST COLUMNIST

The Department of Public Safety, as part of the accreditation process for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, is conducting a survey to measure community opinion and collect feedback. They run such a survey every three years. Surveys are an interesting means for gathering information about a community. In a best-case scenario, a survey works because its questions and response choices have been carefully crafted, information about its existence is made widely available and the information gathered is ultimately used responsibly. Even when all of the aforementioned conditions are met, however, a survey’s appropriateness still comes into question when its purpose is to poll for majority responses to issues that primarily affect those in the minority. A poll of a largely white audience, for instance, does not necessarily reﬂect the experience of other segments of the population. This fact might prove problematic for the DPS survey, since the segment of our community most likely to have negative experiences with the police are men of color. Still, ignoring any questions as to the validity of using surveys of this kind to shape policy and frame discussion, it remains apparent that this survey has been set up to fail from the beginning. One of the questions on the DPS survey asks, “based on your experiences with the Department of

Public Safety Officers, how would you rate officers’ attitudes and behaviors towards members of the Brown community?” On first glance, that seems legitimate, until you look at the possible response choices given: extremely respectful, very respectful, respectful, fairly respectful and disrespectful. Reading those response choices should give any respondent an uncanny flashback to an episode of “The Colbert Report” in which

if this year’s response rate isn’t any higher than three years ago. Running surveys in this fashion is an example of DPS and the administration’s reluctance to sincerely engage the issue of public safety and the instances of racial proﬁling, lack of accountability and lack of transparency that have been created out of the desire to maintain an insular campus. If the use of questionable survey meth-

The last time a similar poll was given at Brown, only 4 percent of students and 3 percent of faculty and staff responded. Stephen Colbert asks his guest if our president is a “great president” or the “greatest president.” Other questions have equally biased options or unclear gradations between answer choices, and few allow for the choice of “none of the above,” which would be crucial for developing a survey of actual statistical signiﬁcance. Worse yet, the last time a similar poll was given at Brown, only 4 percent of students and 3 percent of faculty and staff responded. This year’s poll has only been announced once in Morning Mail — by a link that does not take users to the survey itself, but instead to a Web site that is a page away from the actual survey. Chief of Police Mark Porter and Vice President for Administration Walter Hunter shouldn’t be surprised

odology leads to findings of a clean bill of health for the campus police, such findings are sure to be held up as proof that there is “no need for improvement,” as has been the case before. In 2002, the University commissioned a group led by former New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton to review policies and procedures in the area of campus safety. The resulting report famously recommended that the campus police be armed. In supporting its position, the report on campus police also found “no signs of institutional racism.” Despite the unlikely odds that such a finding could be accurate, there exists even greater cause for concern with respect to the University’s quickness to champion the study’s findings.

As the New York Times reported in 1996 following Bratton’s resignation as NYC Police Commissioner, “While the department under Mr. Bratton increased arrests by 25 percent, there was an increase of more than 50 percent in civilian complaints about police misconduct and brutality in the minority communities where the drops in violent crime were sharpest.” William Bratton was also responsible for the authorization of new 15-round clips to replace 10-round clips for the NYPD’s 9-millimeter semiautomatic handguns. These fast-firing weapons are now responsible for so-called “contagious firing” incidents, like that of unarmed Sean Bell, who was shot at 50 times by five officers in Queens last fall on the morning of his wedding. Bratton is now the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Surveys set up to fail and subsequent study reports of “no racism, misogyny, or homophobia” and “no need for improvement” are by their very nature incompatible with community complaints of wrongdoing and student pleas for investigations into the actions of potentially negligent administrators or officers. What levels of sexual assault, discrimination or police violence is it going to take before Brown begins to speak the same language as the community on which it is built? As of last winter break, the campus police have been armed, but our officers carry guns instead of Tasers. Let’s not let Brown’s wake-up call be the shot of a gun.

Josh Teitelbaum 08 would like to shout out to Professor of Political Science Alan Zuckerman and Catherine Corliss GS for teaching PS 50: “Foundations of Political Analysis.”

S PORTS T UESDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

Women’s hockey drops games to Tigers, Bobcats BY BENJAMIN ASHER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The women’s ice hockey team had an unsuccessful weekend, losing 4-1 at Princeton Friday and 7-5 at Quinnipiac University the following day. The twin losses put the Bears at 7-15-2 overall, 4-13-1 in the ECACHL, and they stand in 10th place overall. The losses came as a disappointment because the team had hoped to continue the success it enjoyed at the start of the season’s second half. In Friday night’s game, Brown held the Tigers scoreless until the Tigers took advantage of a power-play opportunity to score the game’s first goal. The Tigers’ Lizzy Keady found Dina McCumber to set up a one-timer at 14:50 of the first period. Just 57 seconds later, Princeton struck again when Kim Pearce slammed home a rebound to increase the lead to 2-0. In the second period, Princeton continued to dominate, with goals by Alison Ralph at 7:50 and Stephanie Denino at 16:35 putting the Tigers ahead of the Bears 4-0. Bruno finally got on the scoreboard when it took advantage of the power play at 11:51 of the third period. Sasha Van Muyen ’10 deflected a pass from Co-captain Hayley Moore ’08 past the Princeton goaltender to cut the lead to 4-1 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Brown couldn’t mount any more offense, and the game ended with the score still 4-1. Brown Head Coach Digit Murphy cited the team’s failure to score with the player advantage as one reason for the loss. “We had power plays early and didn’t capitalize,” she said. “Had we capitalized, momentum would have been slung our way.” In Saturday’s game at Quinnipiac, the first period ended with the score tied at two goals apiece, but the Bears came out firing in the second period. After winning the draw, Rylee Olewinski ’08 led an attack up the ice and Van Muyen found the net for the second consecutive game to put the Bears ahead 3-2 just seven seconds into the period.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Lions tame Bears in w. swimming’s ﬁnal home meet of season BY MEGAN DANSBY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Despite a valiant effort against Columbia on Saturday, Brown could not withstand the Lions’ attack, losing to Columbia 190-110. Brown had a difﬁcult time fending off the Lions, only winning two events on the day. The wins came in the three-meter dive and in the 400-yard relay. Each event was close and the Smith Swim Center was teeming with whoops, whistles and applause from avid Bears and Lions fans as the two went head-tohead. The 200-yard medley team comprised of Kathleyn Brandstetter ’07, Emily Brush ’07, Aly Wyatt ’08 and Lauren Zatorski ’08 kicked things off by placing in second in the relay with a time

of 1:49.37, a mere second shy of the Lions. Second-place finishes were a trend for Brown throughout the day. Becky Kowalsky ’07 placed second in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles, clocking in with times of 54.23 and 1:54.88, respectively. Brush had similar performances to Kowalsky in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke with times of 59.02 and 2:07.42 respectively. Wyatt placed second in the 100yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.26, and Dana Meadow ’07 rounded out the second-place finishes for Bruno in the one-meter dive with a score of 245.02. Despite defeat, the Bears still went out with a bang in the final events. Amy Latinen ’07 won the continued on page 9

W track shines at Geigengack Invitational BY ERIN FRAUENHOFER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Co-captain Hayley Moore ’08 netted two more goals over the weekend for Brown. Her points streak is now at 11 games.

The game looked promising for Brown when Moore increased the lead to 4-2 at 10:22 in the second, but in the second half of the period Brown’s defense collapsed. Quinnipiac scored four times in a span of just over seven minutes to ﬁnish the second period leading 6-4. Though Moore would ﬁnd the net once more in the third pe-

riod, it was too little, too late, and Bruno lost its second game of the weekend 7-5. In both games, the Bears were hurt by allowing multiple goals in short spurts, placing them in difﬁcult situations. In Friday night’s game, the Princeton team scored continued on page 9

The women’s track and field team did not need a team score to know it gave a strong performance at Yale’s Geigengack Invitational over the weekend. The Bears pulled off three first-place finishes in the unscored competition against Ivy League rivals Yale, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, among other schools. “We did really well,” said Director of Cross-Country and Track and Field Craig Lake. “We had a lot of really strong individual performances.” Ariel Wright ’10 had Brown’s standout performance of the day, winning the 5,000-meter run by over a minute. Wright’s time of 16:59.74 earned her the fi fth slot on Brown’s top-10 list of indoor track performances.

“Ariel Wright ran really, really well,” Lake said. “She was running this event for the first time ever. She’ll be quite competitive in the Ivy League in the upcoming years.” The Bears took home another victory when Emily Bourdeau ’10 placed first in the 1,000-meter run, finishing in 2:57.25, nearly one second ahead of Harvard’s Kelsey Lebuffe. Meanwhile, Smita Gupta ’08 earned fourth place in the onemile run with a time of 4:51.03, a personal record. Brown’s top performance in the 3,000-meter run was an eighthplace finish by Brooke Giuffre ’10 in 10:04.19. Kristen Olds ’09 dominated at the pole vault, jumping 11-09.75 to win the event. Keely Marsh ’08 and Tiffany Chang ’08 both jumped 11continued on page 9

M. swimming and diving fall to Columbia in last dual meet of season BY KAITLYN LABBS SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The excitement and anticipation of Senior Day at the Smith Swim Center Saturday afternoon was not enough to help the men’s swimming and diving team prevail over Columbia, as the Bears fell to the visiting Lions 175-125. Brown could only muster four wins on the day, and Columbia completed a weekend sweep in the class of 2007’s last home meet before a packed house of alumni, family and fans. “I feel that we competed reasonably well, but we didn’t do the little things,” said Head Coach Peter Brown. “In this sport, races are won and lost by hundredths of seconds. When you don’t do the little things, you take yourself out of the position to win close races.” In the ﬁrst of many close races of the meet, Kevin Hug ’08, Mike O’Mara ’07, Daniel Ricketts ’09

and Brian Kelly ’08 bested the Lions by a mere 0.02 of a second in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:33.94. However the Lions dominated the rest of the meet, bouncing back to win the next six events, preserving a sizeable lead for the rest of day. Captain Peter Volosin ’08 placed second in the 1,000-yard free, clocking in at 9:41.13. Ricketts was Brown’s top finisher in the 200-yard free, finishing second with a time of 1:42.46. Hug led the Bears in the 200-yard backstroke, placing second with a time of 52.71. Volosin attributed the Bears’ shortcomings in the events to their inability to finish their races. “We came out strong in the beginning of a lot of our races,” he said, “But they just kept passing us in the end.” continued on page 9

Katherine Phillips / Herald The men’s swimming team could only muster three wins against Columbia. The Lions beat the Bears in its ﬁnal dual meet of the season, 175-125.