Friday, November 2, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald F riday, N ovember 2, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 102

Documentary screening kicks off Asian history month

Simmons is a Glamour Woman of the Year — again By Michael Bechek Senior Staff Writer

President Ruth Simmons has been named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year for 2007, according to a press release Thursday from the popular women’s magazine. Simmons has received the honor once before, in 1996, when she was president of Smith College. Simmons will be featured in the magazine’s December issue, on newsstands Nov. 13, along with the three other female presidents of the Ivy League — Harvard University’s Drew Faust, Princeton University’s Shirley Tilghman and the University of Pennsylvania’s Amy Gutmann. The magazine notes that, with Faust’s election as Harvard’s president in Februar y, “Half of the Ivy schools are now helmed by women.” “There is a new order,” Simmons is quoted as saying in the magazine. Actress Jennifer Garner, author Toni Morrison and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., are among the 21 women the magazine chose to recognize this year. Simmons was not available for comment Thursday, said Marisa Quinn, assistant to the president. A crew from Glamour came in October for a photo shoot, Quinn said, to snap the shot that appears in the magazine along with a short video that will appear at a ceremony to be held on Monday in New York City. The crew tried out a number of locations but settled on 55 Power St., the president’s residence, Quinn said. Simmons plans to attend the awards ceremony, which will be

By Max Mankin Contributing Writer

Courtesy of Glamour

President Ruth Simmons has been named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year for 2007.

held in New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Quinn said. She most recently attended the Glamour Women of the Year ceremony in 2005, when she introduced a tribute to civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who had recently passed away. The awards ceremony will feature a “star-studded list of presenters,” according to the press release, and a special performance by singer Mariah Carey with the

African Children’s Choir. Honorees are nominated by Glamour’s Women of the Year Advisory Board, which is made up of former winners, the magazine said. The annual special issue celebrates “inspirational women who have made unprecedented contributions to the worlds of entertainment, business, sports, fashion, philanthropy, science/medicine, education and politics.”

Med school admission gets increasingly competitive By Hannah Mintz Contributing Writer

As first-years finally recover from the trauma of applying to college, some college seniors around the country and at Brown are duking it out for coveted seats at medical school. The already demanding process of applying to med school has become even more difficult in recent years. Nationally, the number of people applying to med school this year has increased by 8.2 percent from the year before, according to an Oct. 16 press release from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Nearly all applicants begin by filling out a primar y application online, which is then sent to the applicant’s designated institutions. Upon receipt of the primary application, med schools send secondary applications for prospective students to submit — while many schools send secondaries to all applicants, others are more selective. Admission offices then decide whether to invite the applicant to on-campus interviews. At Brown’s Alper t Medical

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Following a screening of her documentary “My America ... or Honk if you Love Buddha,” producer and director Renee Tajima-Pena spoke Thursday night in List 120 about her experiences as a social activist, filmmaker and Japanese American to kickoff Asian/Asian-American History Month. Thirty-seven more film screenings, discussions, speakers, workshops, ceremonies and dances celebrating Asian and Asian-American history will occur almost daily throughout November. The events are also part of a month of themed programming sponsored by the Third World Center, “Community at Odds: Looking Inward, Reaching Outward.” Tajima-Pena spoke of the 1990s, when U.S. immigration laws loosened and Asian Americans started emigrating from not-as-traditional countries, which created a more diverse AsianAmerican population. “The 1990s was a period of confusion, of wondering, ‘Well, who are we and how do we define ourselves?’ So, I decided to travel across the country and answer that question,” TajimaPena said. Now, she makes “social change documentaries about whatever pisses me off,” Tajima-Pena said with a laugh. Tajima-Pena became involved in social activism while in elementary school, when she was assigned a report for which she had to use primary sources. Because it was a topic with which her family was familiar,

Tajima-Pena interviewed her mother and grandmother about the JapaneseAmerican internment camps during World War II. When Tajima-Pena presented her findings to the class, her teacher yelled, “That’s not true — things like that don’t happen in America.” “I got angry,” Tajima-Pena said, “because my mother had shown us where they were interred for two and a half to three years. The truth can be dangerous.” As she got older, Tajima-Pena continued as a social activist for Asian-American causes at Harvard University. She said she had trouble deciding whether to “wield the camera or the picket sign. Sometimes, I was wielding both.” Tajima-Pena was also actively involved in protesting the Vincent Chin case during the 1980s, when Chin — an Asian American — was killed by two white men who were only punished with probation and a fine. Tajima-Pena pointed out the changing face Asian-American identity. “I grew up in the ’60s and ’70s. There was no info on Asian Americans then,” she told The Herald. “Things started closed off to Asian Americans,” Tajima-Pena said, including jobs and education opportunities, but “awareness has changed 180 degrees.” Janine Kwoh ’09, a co-programmer for the month’s events, said the events are about gaining “a better idea of what it means to be Asian or Asian-American. We have to be self

Panel questions impact of Teach For America

School, which enrolls 370 medical students, 2,599 secondary applications were completed last year, but only 93 offers of admission were made, in addition to places reserved for participants in the Program in Liberal Medical Education, according to the Med School’s Web site. In the past two years, the number of applications has increased by 63 percent, said Kathy Baer, director of admission and financial aid at the Med School. But Brown is a special case — the “standard” admission route was only implemented in 2004. Previously, admission had been limited to students from special programs, such as PLME students or participants in an early identification program for Rhode Island students. And as the Med School has expanded in size, more spaces have opened up. Not only are national applicant pools larger this year, but applicants have stronger qualifications than ever. “MCAT test scores and cumulative grade point average were the highest we’ve ever seen,” said AAMC President Darrell Kirch in

unpack this! Painting, sculpture and eyebrow plucking feature in a ARTS & CULTURE student group show curated by Ann Kidder ’08.

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Students attending the panel discussion on “the Teach for America Controversy” packed into Petteruti Lounge Thursday night. The event, sponsored by the Roosevelt Institution, a non-partisan student think tank, addressed the effectiveness and long-term impact of the Teach for America program. The panel included Professor of Education Kenneth Wong, Associate Professor of History James Campbell, Visiting Lecturer in Education Maureen Sigler, University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, Teach for America Recruitment Director Meredith Boak and Erin Brown ’08. Brown published a paper in the latest issue of the Brown Policy Review called “Why Temporary Is Not Enough: The Controversy Over Teach For America,” which ultimately led to the current panel discussion, said Camilla Hawthorne ’09, Brown Policy Review educational policy editor and co-organizer of the event. TFA’s mission is to ensure that “one day, all children in our nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education,” states Wendy

cut the candles Room inspectors found 22 hazardous situations created by excessive debris this semester.

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OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Chris Bennett / Herald

Professor of Education Kenneth Wong participated in a panel discussion Thursday night on the effectiveness of Teach for America.

Kopp, founder and chief executive officer of TFA, on the organization’s Web site. TFA is a nonprofit organization that recruits college graduates to teach two years in urban and rural public schools. The program is highly competitive — last year 18,000 individuals

man on the street Student dish about the good and the bad in offcampus housing on College Hill.

applied nationwide and approximately 2,900 were accepted. Over the past five years, 106 Brown alums have joined TFA, Boak told The Herald. In 2006, TFA accepted 25 Brown students, the greatest continued on page 8

12 SPORTS

football showdown The Bears head to New Haven, seeking a win against the Bulldogs to keep championship hopes alive.

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Friday, November 2, 2007

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But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

We a t h e r Today

TOMORROW

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partly cloudly 54 / 38

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Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Shepherd’s Pie, Hot Pastrami Sandwich, Apple Dessert Pizza, Vegan Vegetable Couscous, Manhattan Clam Chowder, Vegetarian Cream of Potato Soup

Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Rice Pilaf with Zucchini, Corn Cobbets, Raspberry Swirl Cookies

Dinner — Filet of Fish Florentine, Vega Sauteed Veggie with Sunflower Seeds, Rice Pilaf, Baked Acorn Squash

Aibohphobia | Roxanne Palmer

Dinner — Paella with Mussels, Grilled Chicken, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes, Sauted Broccoli with Garlic, Chocolate Cake

Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Octopus on Hallucinogens | Toni Liu and Stephanie Le

RELEASE DATE– Friday, November 2, 2007 © Puzzles by Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

C r o ssw o r d

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Rope 6 Supreme Court justice for 34 years 11 Pleasing opener 14 NFL Titan, once 15 It can pick up a plane 16 Momentous time 17 Theatrical vein? 19 Sneeze, cough, etc. 20 Gets out 21 Center 23 He prepared eggs for the Romanovs 26 Extravagant 28 Fall ground cover 29 Sacred place 30 Late bloomer 31 Offspring 32 Is for two? 35 “Man Plus” author Frederik 36 Speak derisively, and a hint to how this puzzle’s long answers were created 37 Musical ridge 38 It starts in Mar. 39 “Olé!,” say 40 It might be capped 41 Decide to quit 43 One of the Nelsons 44 Gary old man, e.g. 46 OshKosh B’Gosh wearer 47 Type of campus bldg. 48 Lofty nest 49 Grazing setting 50 Counter criticism? 56 Tenn. athlete 57 Please no end 58 Sour 59 Portland-toSpokane dir. 60 Wake up 61 Multitudes DOWN 1 Court strategy

33 Catch up with 45 Ancient theater 2 Chest filler 3 __-mo again 46 Munchkin laugh 4 Where many 34 Passé gas 48 Isn’t oneself? geographical 36 Part of a 6-Down 51 UN workers’ measurements 37 Bosh group begin 39 No-goodnik 52 Letter from 5 Customer 40 What’s new Greece 6 Pad site 42 Air setting at the 53 Honest guy 7 Popular chips service sta. 54 It’s found at the 8 Hubbub 43 Passed slowly, end of a dog 9 Driving support? with “on” leg 10 Moscow 44 Split 55 Radical ’60s gp. landmark 11 Lowest kind of ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: bagel? 12 Notre Dame squad, familiarly 13 Like old sailors 18 Quipsters 22 Golfer Woosnam 23 Avian efforts 24 Noted storyteller 25 Bass in the tub? 26 Clutch performance? 27 College VIP 29 Provide recon, and another hint to this puzzle’s long answers 31 Search high and low 11/2/07 xwordeditor@aol.com

Classic Deo | Daniel Perez

Classic Deep-Fried Kittens| Cara FitzGibbon

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A RTs & C ulture Friday, November 2, 2007

“Unpack this!” with Kidder ’08

“Vampire” delivers midnight Halloween organ recital

“Unpack This!” — an exhibition of works by Brown undergraduate artists in a variety of media — opened last night on the second floor of the List Art Building. The exhibition was organized by Ann Kidder ’08

REVIEW as an independent study project in curatorship. It features not only painting and sculpture, but also photography, video, installation and music. “Unpack This!” will be on display until Saturday. The show’s title, Kidder said, began as a reference to one of her visual arts professors who used the word “unpacking” to describe the parsing of abstract theoretical concepts. At first, Kidder envisioned the show as a collection of works that “unpacked” their respective media in a reflective, experimental way. “I wanted it to be artists who are engaging in their process,” Kidder said. Jay-Gould Stuckey ’90, a visiting professor in the department of visual arts, was Kidder’s adviser on the project. Though Kidder had gained experience in the field by working in a contemporar y arts galler y, she had never curated a show of her own before “Unpack This!” Kidder said she assembled the show over the course of a month,

Chris Bennett / Herald

Multimedia group art show “Unpack This!” is on display at List Art through Saturday.

Dali, Verge make for varied PW fall lineup By Andrea Savdie Contributing Writer

From the outside, Theodore Francis Green Hall is a small building on Young Orchard Avenue with no outward display of creative activity except for its proximity to the Orwig Music Library and a simple sign outside that reads “Production Workshop est. 1960.” On any given day, the two performance spaces that Production Workshop occupies in the T.F. Green appear to be nothing more than ragtag black boxes with dusty floors and random props lying around. Yet according to Emily Silverman ’09, who acted in one of the five short plays that comprise the annual festival “3 Chairs, 2 Cubes,” once someone becomes involved in PW, they realize “there’s like this whole factory of fantasy” bustling inside year-round. Founded by a group of students in 1960, PW is the only completely student-run theater on campus. Students do essentially everything — they act, direct, build sets, design costumes, coordinate lighting, obtain equipment, maintain the building and often even write plays. PW produces three major plays in the fall, four in the spring and one special project or festival each semester in its downstairs space. The upstairs stage is smaller and can be reserved for any type of performance, including theater and music installations and fashion and magic shows.

played the popular saxophone melody on alternating reed stops. The piece was somewhat brief, Emerging out of a coffin dressed as however, as Steinbach did not play Count Dracula, University Organist the theme’s second section. A highlight of the concert was and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Mark Steinbach delivered “Pari Intervallo” by Estonian comthe annual Halloween Midnight poser Arvo Part. Introduced by Organ Recital to a full Sayles Hall Steinbach in a mock-Transylvanian Wednesday night. Steinbach played accent, the hauntingly beautiful a 45-minute program of works by piece made good use of the organ’s composers ranging from J.S. Bach flutes, and its delicacy contrasted with the rest of the program. to Henry Mancini. The evening began with pallSteinbach concluded the concert bearers carrying a coffin into the with Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in hall. Wearing a black velvet cape, D Minor,” almost certainly the bestSteinbach climbed out of the cof- known work in the organ repertoire fin, ascended to and a Halloween the organ loft classic. Steinbach REVIEW and started the played the toccata concert. at a fast tempo that seemed a bit The first piece of the night was rushed at times. His lively pace was “The World Awaiting a Savior” from better suited to the fugue — a type “Symphonie-Passion” by Marcel of piece that focuses around one or Dupre, a French composer known a few musical themes — with its for his organ works. Characterized intricate counterpoint, keyboard by staccato chords, the piece began runs and pedal solos. The deafenmysteriously, had a serene middle ing finale was a fitting end to the section and concluded with three enjoyable recital. Installed in 1903, Sayles Hall’s wrenching blasts before achieving resolution. pipe organ is the world’s largest Another French piece on the remaining instrument made by program was Leon Boellmann’s Hutchings-Votey. The Halloween “Suite Gothique.” The four-move- concert was the second of the sement work started with resounding mester, following the traditional orichords that exploited the organ’s entation week recital on Sept. 4. tonal capabilities. After a minuet In addition to his duties at and a flowing pastoral section, a Brown, Steinbach serves as organghoulish toccata — a type of piece ist and choirmaster at St. Paul’s that showcases the organist’s tech- Church in Wickford. Educated at nique — highlighted the piece’s the University of Kansas, the EastGothic nature. man School of Music and Vienna’s Steinbach shifted gears to play University of Music and PerformMancini’s catchy “Pink Panther ing Arts, he has given concerts Theme.” Concert-goers spontane- across the United States and in ously snapped along as Steinbach Europe. By Rafael Chaiken Contributing Writer

By Ben Hyman Contributing Writer

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The group has no formal membership except for its official board, which currently has 14 members. As the PW Web site states, “If you hear people talking about ‘PW people,’ they’re just referring to people they often see working on or attending PW shows.” “Many people see the theater world as being cliquey, but it’s not like that at all,” said Alex Rosenthal ’08, a board member. Because PW runs on a lower budget than mainstage productions on official University stages, Rosenthal said, their shows are often more experimental. “When we are choosing a show for PW, we are not looking for the same things (as mainstage),” said Charly Simpson ’08, who serves on the PW board and is also the chair of the Department of Theater, Speech and Dance’s Sock and Buskin board, which selects and runs mainstage productions. The theater department has different criteria, she said, taking into account factors like the maleto-female ratio of the cast and the educational value of the play. PW is funded almost entirely by the student activities fee, because admission to all shows is free. These funds are supplemented by audience donations placed in the “instant karma” box set up at shows, which is meant to instantly shoot out good karma when a donation is made, Simpson explained. “Mainstage audiences attract more of Providence as a whole,”

Rosenthal said. “PW is more comprised of the Brown community.” The PW board selects the plays for the downstairs space from a pool of student proposals. Any student wishing to direct a play can submit a proposal that includes their reason for selecting the piece, a synopsis of the story and a staff to participate in the show’s production. All chosen plays are required to run open auditions. “They cast the theater people, but also the random junior like me who’s never been in anything or the freshman who’s never shown his face,” Silverman, who recently acted in “3 Chairs, 2 Cubes” said. With its versatility, the black box performance space mirrors PW’s flexible and experimental character. “It’s so amorphous and you can really transform it into anything that you want,” said Andrew Evans ’09, who is on the PW board. “It’s very indicative of what we do in Production Workshop.” So far this semester, Production Workshop has presented two of the three plays selected for this semester ­— “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot” from Sept. 14 to 17 and “The Verge” from Oct. 12 to 15 ­— as well as its annual festival, “3 Chairs, 2 Cubes,” which took place Oct. 19 to 22. The third and last complete play of the semester, “Stone Cold Dead Serious,” will run from Nov. 16 to 19. With its poetic language and Gacontinued on page 4

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Dali and greenhouses feature in PW’s fall lineup continued from page 3 briel Garcia Marquez-style magic realism, “Dali,” written by Jose Rivera, instantly caught Simpson’s attention the first time she read it. “I immediately knew that I wanted to direct it,” she said. In “Dali,” Gabriela, played by Elena Lobo ’08, awaits her husband Benito’s return from war, uncertain whether they will still understand each other. During her husband’s absence, she escapes reality by becoming immersed in what board member Tara Schuster ’08 calls a “weird, supernatural, lusty world” represented by the moon, a cat and a coyote played by former Herald Opinions Editor Patrick Harrison ’08, Hollis Mickey ’10 and Aubie Merrylees ’10, respectively. Following Benito’s return, the play juxtaposes the married couple’s relationship with Gabriela’s surrealist interactions, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. “Rivera uses surrealism or magic realism,” Simpson said. “You can debate which one.” The set for “Dali” was abstractly composed of typical household items suspended in midair and played with inside-outside space, said Adria Katz ’10, who has worked on several PW sets. “They had sand and gravel leading into the house space, which meshed the lines between the inside and the outside,” she said. Directed by post- magazine Managing Editor Hillary Dixler ’08, “The Verge” was written by Susan Glaspell one year after the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the vote, was ratified. It tells the story of a woman in 1921 New England who works in a greenhouse and her efforts to escape society’s patriarchal constraints. “The set was great,” Schuster

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

said. “You were under an imposing steel roof and there were big green plants everywhere. It messed with the idea of an industrial space.” The annual “3 Chairs, 2 Cubes” festival is composed of five short plays written and directed by students. By limiting the set to three chairs and two cubes, the festival emphasizes the script and the dynamic between the writer and director. This year’s festival included two dramas and three comedies, Silverman said. “The plays weren’t really thematically related, but came together very successfully,” Rosenthal said. “Stone Cold Dead Serious,” directed by Adam Mazer ’08, will be presented in the downstairs space this month. The play is about a boy who tries to save his disintegrating family by competing in video games, Schuster said. When there isn’t a show going on downstairs, there is usually some kind of performance in the upstairs space, including a play or poetry readings or local elementary school shows. “The upstairs space is smaller and more intimate,” said J.D. Nasaw ’08.5, who recently directed a show there titled “Three.” Nasaw wrote the play throughout the three-week period during which it was produced and the people he cast inspired much of the script, he said. “I thought it led to a much more spontaneous, collaborative process.” It is that laid-back attitude that attracts students like Silverman who might not otherwise become involved in theater at Brown. “I had never done anything with PW before,” Silverman said. “I sort of tried out on a whim and was exposed to a whole new world of Brown that I never knew existed.”

Asian-American history month kicks off continued from page 1 reflective and also reach out to other people within our community and also outside of our community.” To set this year’s events apart, the programmers are encouraging activity and action in addition to thought and discussion — part of the “Reaching Outward” of the month’s title. “The looking inward is something that we’ve done for many years now. There’s been a lot of reflection, but there hasn’t been that much of a follow-up in terms of practical ‘let’s do something,’ ” said Herald Photo Editor Rahul Keerthi ’09, the other coprogrammer for the month’s events. “What we wanted to do this year was actually just try things.” The programmers emphasized the collaboration between numerous student groups involved in the month’s events. Keerthi told the Herald he was most excited about the spoken word workshop this Saturday which will be a joint event with the Black Heritage Series’ programmers. “We talk a lot about Asian activism and black activism but not the similarities and interactions between the two,” said Kwoh. Kwoh, Keerthi and Tajima-Pena all independently pointed out the fact that the Asian-American activists are not fighting solely for social equality. “Justice is not just us,” Tajima-Pena said. “There is a whole history of Asian Americans demanding justice but not just for us.” “(This month) is not just for our community (of Asian Americans) but our community in the sense of the

Chris Bennett / Herald

Renee Tajima-Pena, a filmmaker and professor at the University of California-Santa Cruz, discussed her career path during the opening convocation for Asian/AsianAmerican History Month.

greater campus,” Keerthi said. Students received Tajima-Pena well. “She was really interesting,” said Amy Tan ’09 after hearing TajimaPena’s speech. “A lot of the stuff she showed made me really angry. She talked about how she was pissed off and I think a lot of the community activism and organizing we do here is because we’re pissed off, not because we want credit. I wish the whole campus was pissed off,” Tan said.

Emma Tai ’07.5 asked, “Where can we learn more about documentaries like this?” Tajima-Pena’s newest project is a film about latinos and Mexican Americans. “The TWC has been reaching out to the main campus. A lot of efforts (have been made) but we need to keep that up,” said Keerthi. All events of Asian/Asian-American History Month are free and open to the public.

Plucking up close in Kidder ’08’s show continued from page 3 contacting individual artists and putting out a formal call for submissions. From there, she winnowed the show down to 14 artists. As she proceeded to build the show, however, she discovered that, apart from “unpacking,” another unifying theme had emerged: Many of the works seemed to relate to the ideas of industry and machinery. Kidder said this seemed like a natural extension of her original theme — the process of creating art in varied media. The show’s title, then, plays with “unpacking” in the context of both artistic theory and physical manufacture. Tr ying to stay close to these themes while narrowing the show down to its current size wasn’t an easy task for Kidder. “I had some works that were submitted that were absolutely beautiful, but they didn’t fit the theme of the show,”

Kidder said. “I really wanted the works to go together as a group.” What is remarkable about “Unpack This!” is the extent to which it achieves this cohesiveness in spite of its breadth, though it might have benefited from an even narrower scope — as it is, the sheer volume of work can be over whelming at times. The most successful works exemplify the concept of “unpacking” by refusing to be boxed in or compartmentalized by genre. Standouts include David Watson Sobel’s ’08 breathtaking photographs, drawings by Alex Rosenbaum ’08 and Talia Rozensher ’09, Herald Opinions Editor’s Jacob Schuman’s ’08 “Red, Green, Blue,” which manipulates clips from Fox News into mirrored images that are balanced, but not fair and Samantha Cornwell’s ’07.5 squirm-inducing video “Pluck,” which documents, in shocking close-up, the artist tweezing her own eyebrows.

“Ever y time I see it, I feel it’s more engaging,” Kidder said of “Pluck.” She described how she had found the video almost impossible to watch at first, but continued, “It’s become one of my favorite pieces.” The opening also featured live music by Metropolis, a group that produces thrilling, experimental jazz and rock. Expansive sound works by Joshua Marshall ’08, a member of Metropolis, are part of the show, installed amid the photographs and paintings. “Unpack This!” isn’t the last show that Kidder, a visual art and international relations double concentrator, is planning. She hopes to mount an off-campus exhibition of Brown student work and is working to put together an international exchange show featuring pieces by students in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo as well as Brown students. All in all, “Unpack This!” is an incredible first draft for Kidder’s potential future as a curator. Stuckey, who praised Kidder’s “commitment and dedication,” put it perfectly: “This is really just the beginning of this force of curating shows that is Ann Kidder.”

enjoy the weekend

C ampus n ews Friday, November 2, 2007

Physics prof settles in as an associate dean of the College By Anna Millman Staff Writer

Professor of Physics James Valles, who holds the newly created position of associate dean of the College for curriculum, is particularly busy this fall. In addition to his regular teaching responsibilities, part of his new job includes helping to review the University’s curriculum. The position was created this semester to “bring together some of the groups that work on the same things to provide greater focus,” said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. Though Valles’ title is new, the Office of the Dean of the College still has the same number of deans. The only change this year is the specificity of the position. Previously, every dean in the Office was considered an associate dean, without tags specifying their particular responsibilities. In an effort to help students understand the different deans’ responsibilities, the office has been assigning specific titles to each dean, Bergeron said. Last year, Bergeron sent out a letter to the faculty asking for recommendations for the position of dean of curriculum. “There were many qualified people, but (Valles) came highly recommended,” Bergeron said. In addition to his responsibilities as a dean, Valles will continue to teach and conduct research as a faculty member. Because of this, he will be able to provide special insight into the curriculum, Bergeron said. “The (dean of the College’s) office has always had the presence of a faculty member. It was kind of a regular, rotating position. With that structure in mind, I wanted to preserve that,” Bergeron said. Bergeron said Valles is especially qualified for this three-year position because of his strong relationships with students. “He’s a highly competent teacher and a really devoted undergraduate mentor and a highly accomplished scholar,” she said. Valles said he will help expand the first-year seminar program, assist students with group and individual independent study projects and work with the College Curriculum Council’s screening committee. “I’m adjusting to the job, still,” Valles said. “I’m still fitting it into my schedule. In some ways it is a positive impact on everything, but on some days there are a few too many e-mails that come in.” For the past 15 years, Valles has taught and researched on College Hill. He took the dean position because he said he liked the idea of the faculty interacting directly with the deans. “This way, the deans can know real-time faculty points of view, and it gives faculty a direct alternative to contact the deans,” Valles said. Michael Stewart GS, who has worked with Valles for about six years, said he was not surprised Valles was offered the position. “I knew that he was passionate about helping students get the most out of their classes,” Stewart said. Though the deans in the office of dean of the College have always had many diverse responsibilities, most curricular aspects of the office

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were not always clearly associated with a single dean, Bergeron said. “None of the roles are new,” she said, “but what is new, for example, is to have the first-year seminar program separated from the first-year dean’s office.” Valles will oversee some deans who work with research and tutoring programs, sitting ex-officio on the College Curriculum Council screening committee. Valles said he enjoys the work, especially because he believes he can offer insight into the process of improving the curriculum. In addition to this position, Valles is continuing to do research in lowtemperature condensed matter physics on superconductors as well as biological physics on levitation using very strong magnets in order to study the effects of gravity on biological systems. Although the position brings with it many obligations, Valles said, “Honestly, priorities always clash for a professor at Brown, but now it’s no more so than before.” Valles said the position has been an “interesting challenge.” “I’ve always believed that the faculty really are compassionate and have not had any reason to think otherwise about the deans... the deans do really care about helping the students,” Valles said.

Hiding candles “pathetic,” ResLife official says By Max Mankin Contributing Writer

Although the Office of Residential Life says it’s taking yearly health and safety inspections of residence halls as seriously as ever, students are questioning their effectiveness. Residence hall inspections are conducted by two ResLife employees who knock on doors, enter each room in a residence hall and “look for violations per a checklist” in order to “seek out and correct potentially dangerous situations before they cause injury or damage,” according to ResLife notices posted in dorms. If residents are not present, the inspectors enter the room with their own master keys. Inspections, which began Oct. 16, are conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ultimately, every dorm room on campus will be inspected. The notices posted in dorms also include a sample of the checklist used by inspectors. Violations include the presence of halogen lamps, evidence of smoking, tampering with fire safety equipment and possession of pets or unauthorized appliances. According to Senior Associate Dean of Residential Life Richard Bova, the inspections use the same standards regardless of residence hall or the class of the residents. Some students, however, still doubt the point of the inspections. “(My roommate and I) failed, and we have no idea why,” said Tristan De Rond ’10. According to De Rond, his inspection report indicated that

his power strips did not comply with regulations. He was puzzled, however, because he bought his power strips at the University Bookstore when he moved into his room in September. “Just now we received an e-mail from Reslife. We have a disciplinary hearing scheduled now, because we failed to remedy the violation. We still have no idea what we’re actually doing wrong though. It’s ridiculous,” De Rond wrote in a follow-up e-mail to the Herald. “Also, the hearing is with the community director, so I won’t even get to talk to someone from ResLife and ask what it is that we’re doing wrong.” De Rond isn’t alone in questioning the effectiveness of the inspections. Because ResLife officials can only cite students for violations in plain sight, it’s easy for students to hide illegal items. “You can throw whatever you want in a drawer,” said Morgan Wedgworth ’11. The first round of inspections ran from Oct. 16 to 26 and covered 14 residence halls, where officials found numerous violations. Inspectors uncovered 78 power strips without a circuit breaker, 63 wall decorations larger than 1600 square inches, 32 cases of tampering with fire safety equipment such as smoke detectors and sprinklers, 22 hazardous situations created by excessive debris or trash, 21 prohibited appliances (usually for cooking), 16 obstructions of egress, 15 instances of evidence of indoor smoking, 14 halogen lamps, 10 homemade bed lofts, five candles, five cases of

evidence of pets, two instances of excessive paper on doors, one occurrence of a flammable material and one piece of lounge furniture taken and not returned. These statistics are “pretty standard,” Bova said. To the dismay of ResLife, the $100 per candle fine has made possession of candles a widespread joke among students interviewed by The Herald. One junior, who preferred to remain anonymous, joked, “Room inspectors are coming — hide your alcohol bottles under your candles.” In response, Bova said,“It’s pathetic that students think that hiding candles is a fun thing to do.” Bova defended the steep fines. “The number one cause of fires in residence halls is from open flames. So why are the fines so high? Because that’s where most residence hall fires come from — candles that are knocked over,” he said. The resolve behind the prohibition of candles was strengthened by the Boland Hall Fire in 2000 at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. Three students died and 58 more were injured as a result of a blaze started by an open flame in the residence hall’s lounge. “It’s important to realize that we do health and safety inspections for the protection of the community. And when students in any one particular room choose to disregard proper safety and fire instructions, they’re putting their entire hallway and potentially the entire building at risk. Fire and health and safety inspections are just no laughing matter,” Bova said.

www.browndailyherald.com

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Friday, November 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Two sisters, lost and found By Denise Flaim Newsday

NEW YORK —— The waitress at Le Gamin, a grungily hip bistro in rapidly gentrifying Prospect Heights, lights a single candle stuck in a chestnut-creme-filled crepe. The two women, celebrating the first day of their 39th year, lean past the bottles of mineral water and empty cups of cafe au lait, sing “Happy birthday to us” a bit selfconsciously, then blow out the solitary taper. A birthday crepe is not exactly a conventional idea, but when it comes to each other, Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein can never reasonably expect the commonplace. Separated soon after birth by a Manhattan adoption agency that was helping researchers study the influence of nature and nurture, the identical twin girls, born to a patient at a mental hospital, went to metropolitan area families — Schein’s in Suffolk County, Bernstein’s in Westchester. Though they were dropped from the study because there was a lag between their adoptions, the families were never informed that their babies had an identical sibling. It is impossible to mourn that which you don’t know you have lost. So, unaware of their mirror selves, Schein and Bernstein grew into young women who had their challenges — both struggled with depression, something they now know was a biological legacy — as well as their passions — both love film and were drawn to careers in and around that industry. For Schein, though, something was missing. Her family left Long Island for Oklahoma after her adoptive

mother’s death from spinal cancer when she was 6, but she returned to attend Stony Brook University. In her early adult years after film school in California, whenever she felt adrift, “I used to say, I feel like I am missing my twin,”’ recalls the writer and filmmaker. “I thought it was a common metaphor.” In 2004, Schein, who was living in Paris (which explains her fondness for any eatery that serves creme fraiche), wrote to Louise Wise Services, the adoption agency that had placed her and was just about to close. Eventually, the correspondence led her back to New York, where she learned from an agency staffer, with all the casualness that one orders a Happy Meal, that she had an identical twin. “There was no question we were twins, but I was not sure we were sisters,” says Bernstein, who compares getting the news with a slab of cement falling on her chest. At first glance, her red hair and round glasses mute her obvious similarity to Schein, sitting across from her with dark hair and square frames. “There was an immediate intimacy that was misleading,” she continues. “But we still had to figure out the boundaries of our relationship.” The vehicle for that is their new book, “Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited” (Random House, $25.95). Underscoring their individual voices within their shared identity, the book is first—person squared: The sisters take turns describing how their story unfolded. Along the way are uncomfortable questions, mourning for the shared childhood they were denied, bitterness over having their lives — and

Courtesy of Newsday

Twin sisters Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein share memories of growing up apart before discovering each other in 2004.

reality — uprooted. Schein says she struggled over fundamental questions of self, and how she might have turned out in a “hypothetical life”: “Would I be who I am if I was Paula Bernstein?” she wonders aloud, imagining that she was the twin who headed to the northern suburbs instead of east to Mount Sinai. She thinks back to those moments in her life when friends said, “You look just like my friend” — were those just coincidences, or did she fail to see she had brushed up against her sister’s life, missing the chance for a reunion decades earlier? As the “found” twin, Bernstein bridled at the intrusion on her neatly ordered life as a wife, mother and freelance writer. “We both led lives we loved and didn’t want to leave that. I felt very possessive of the life I’ve led.” Writing the book, she says

with a laugh, “saved us a fortune in therapy.” They began writing it six months after they met and completed it in two years. When they sent the outline to the publisher, the last chapters were simply question marks. Bernstein’s central question was whether she truly wanted her instant sibling to be an integrated part of her life. “There were definitely moments where I feared hurting Elyse,” she admits. “And I knew from the beginning she was ambivalent,” Schein interjects. “But from the beginning I was confident the book would bring us together. Schein’s belief in process paid off. Together, the two sisters hunted down the researcher whose project caused them so much belated pain; when he finally granted an interview, they found an unapologetic nonagenarian bereft of remorse and tight—lipped about the details of his findings. Piecing together the fragments of the study, which never was published, they developed a strong hunch that the study was also examining the hereditary effects of mental illness such as schizophrenia, with which their mother had been diagnosed. Finally, they discovered the fate of their birth mother (suffice it to say it was not a happy ending, and their father’s identity is unknown), and remnants of her family, however unenthusiastic the reception. But most important, they found each other, and ways to incorporate a not-so-perfect stranger into their hearts. Today, Schein and Bernstein live in nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods,

meeting every couple of weeks for a tuna melt or a cup of tea. Voracious readers, they swap books and compare notes on favorite films. Sharing the same petite frame and waspwaist, they have started shopping together, and though they gravitate toward the same kinds of clothes — wrap—around dresses are a favorite — in the end they make subtly different selections. While it seems from the book’s research that nature has the upper hand in determining who we are — from our mannerisms to our preferences in soda and footwear — nurture can hardly be discounted. Though Schein and Bernstein started out with identical DNA, they have evolved individual strengths and outlooks. “I’m more the dancer,” Schein volunteers. “And I’m better at math.” Since meeting her twin, Bernstein has had a second daughter, and Schein, who is single, delights in watching the two. “I think of them as a part of me, because I have the same genetics as their mother,” she says. “But I don’t have to pay for summer camp,” she ad-libs. Beneath the jokes remains a daunting task: how to continue to bridge a gulf of time and experience that neither wanted, but both now have to deal with, at an age when they planned to be settling into their final adult identity, not rethinking it. “There’s no handbook on how to be a twin,” Schein muses, much less an identical one miraculously reunited after three and a half decades. To that end, “Identical Strangers” is as close as they come.

Clinton’s connections to Jolie and Madonna revealed By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Startling new information suggests a secret connection between Hillar y Rodham Clinton and our era’s most controversial, charismatic and polarizing women: Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Camilla Parker-Bowles — they’re all her cousins. Not that they’ve hung out at many reunions together. Clinton and Madonna are 10th cousins, who share the same great-greatgreat-great-great-great-great-greatgreat-grandparents, according to research by Washington genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner. The Democratic front-runner is ninth cousin once removed to Prince Charles’ wife, while Jolie is

her ninth cousin twice removed. Reitwiesner is the Librar y of Congress employee whose research formed the basis for our blockbuster stor y on how Fred Thompson and Elvis Presley are eighth cousins once removed (explains a lot) and made headlines with the discover y that Barack Obama is descended from slave owners. He declined to comment about the Hillar y kin, but made his work available on his Web site (www.wargs.com). Clinton’s connection to all three women comes via 17th century French ancestors who made their way to Quebec before drifting south. Speaking of Canadians: Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette — Clinton’s tenth cousins once removed. Though when you go back that far, we probably all are.

W orld & n ation THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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Conflict with Turkey squeezes Iraqi Kurds

Use of munitions by Iraqi insurgents is down, U.S. says

Friday, November 2, 2007

By Borzou Daragahi Los Angeles T imes

ZURKAN, Iraq — The two Kurdish guards at a checkpoint near the base of northern Iraq’s forbidding mountains were assigned to blockade movements by rebel Kurds from across the Turkish border. They said they’d gladly give their blood to defend their homeland, fight al-Qaida and even protect American forces. But both paused when asked Thursday if they would fight the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK guerrillas. “If the leadership orders it, I guess I would fight them,” said Bakhtiar Khedeir, a member of the Iraqi Kurdish security force. But his friend minced no words. “I wouldn’t,” said Kayfee Kareem. “They’re Kurds.” As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gathers with her regional counterparts in Istanbul on Friday, the disparate views of Kurdish border guards illustrate the intractability of the bloody conflict between the PKK and Turkish government, and the difficult task ahead for diplomats searching for a peaceful solution. Iraqi Kurds have been unable or unwilling to fight their own, and many resent what they see as Turkey’s continued suppression of Kurdish civil rights and cultural identity in that country, where Kurds make up about a third of the population. “The Kurds are not ready at all to fight other Kurds,” said Kendal Nezan, a president of the Kurd-

ish Institute of Paris, a think tank. “Even if there were orders from the Kurdish leaders, the peshmerga wouldn’t do it.” The prospect of outside intervention is unlikely. U.S. troops already are overstretched in Iraq and remain hard-pressed to maintain security in Baghdad and the Anbar province. Dispatching Iraqi soldiers to broker peace also is politically unfeasible. The last time the regular Iraqi Army was here was 1996 under Sadam Hussein, when it opened fire on insurrectionist Kurds. In 1991, Saddam’s helicopters mowed down fleeing Kurdish refugees. Without intervention by the Iraqi Kurds, the Turks may feel forced to take action, say analysts. On Thursday, Turkey moved to impose economic sanctions on groups who support the PKK, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan heads to Washington this weekend for more talks. The PKK’s cross-border attacks on Turkish forces have left scores of soldiers dead and sparked domestic demands for tougher action by the Ankara government against the rebel group, which both the U.S. and Turkey regard as a terrorist organization. Many see the Iraqi Kurds themselves as the main reason for the PKK’s resilience. The Iraqi Kurds oversee security and matters of state in the mountainous border region in northern Iraq that has become a safe haven for the Turkish rebels, and the Iraqis have been unable or unwilling to quash the separatist group. Turkey’s turbulent domestic

Clinton group, Wal-Mart join in green technology effort in cities By Abigail Goldman Los Angeles T imes

An environmental group led by former President Clinton gave a nod to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Thursday, announcing that it will work with the world’s largest retailer to help cities around the world spend less for green technologies such as energy-efficient street lamps. The Clinton Climate Initiative also said it will extend its programs and purchasing consor tium to 1,100 cities represented by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “Climate change is a global issue that we must address immediately if we are to reverse its catastrophic effects,” Clinton said in a statement to the mayors group, which was meeting in Seattle. “Together, I hope that we can have a measurable impact on greenhouse gas emissions around the world.” Wal-Mar t said the new par tnership will examine technologies such as energy-saving LED lights for street lamps and parking lots and more ef ficient building and heating and air conditioning systems. The combination of the cities and the giant retailer means lower costs and more incentive for manufacturers to produce environmentally friendly products and systems, said Wal-Mart’s Andy Ruben, who helped develop the partnership. “Whether you’re talking about

better design or putting volume together to create more scale, it drives the technology we’re looking at, which means savings for the planet and savings for our business,” Ruben said. The Arkansas-based retailer, which has ties to Clinton dating back to his days as governor of the state, pledged in 2005 to spend $500 million annually to reach specific environmental goals including doubling the efficiency of its truck fleet by 2015 and cutting greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2012. Since then, Wal-Mart also has worked to bring a green message to the 130 million customers worldwide who visit its stores ever y week, touting the cost and energy savings of Compact Fluorescent Lamp lightbulbs and expanding offerings of organic cotton apparel. Clinton’s group since 2006 has worked with a group of 40 of the world’s largest cities that pledged to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiencies. “This shows what can be achieved when business, government and the nonprofit sector work together on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today,” Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott said in a statement. “By combining our resources, we can help drive innovation, create new technology markets and ultimately reduce this countr y’s dependence on foreign oil.”

politics, which has pitted a surging Islamist government led by Erdogan against a secular opposition eager to depict him as flawed, has inflamed Ankara’s long-standing worries about the regional ambitions of Kurdistan leaders in northern Iraq. But Kurdish officials in Iraq point out that Turkey has tried for more than two decades to stamp out the PKK without success. Iraqi Kurds have in the past joined forces with Turkey against the group, again without being able to deliver more than a momentary blow. They say Ankara must forge a political compromise with the group, beginning with granting that country’s Kurds more cultural and political rights. “The reason for this conflict is the Turkish government, which doesn’t want to solve the Kurdish issue in Turkey by peaceful and democratic means,” said Zerak Kamal, an Iraqi Kurdish politician. Kurds, mostly inhabiting a mountainous and watery region that traverses Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, have struggled for decades for national recognition and civil rights against their stronger Arab, Persian and Turkish neighbors. Iraq’s three-province Kurdish region, with its own parliament, ministries and foreign policy, is the first sustained experiment in Kurdish self-rule in centuries. Militarily, the PKK is a notoriously difficult target. Its ranks include seasoned fighters, men and women, who move in groups of no more than 15, ferrying AK-47s continued on page 9

By Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel Los Angeles T imes

WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense officials said Thursday that Iraqi insurgents have sharply curtailed the use of their most powerful roadside bombs, weapons American officials repeatedly have charged are being smuggled into the war zone from Iran. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it was too soon to tell if the decline in the use of the munitions resulted from an Iranian pledge to stem the flow of weaponry between the two countries. Tehran has denied it is providing munitions to Iraqi insurgents. The bombs, known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, are a favored weapon of Shiite militias and can pierce the toughest armor the U.S. Army has fielded in Iraq. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the day-to-day military commander in Iraq, said 53 EFPs were found planted on Iraqi roads in October -- 30 that detonated and 23 that were found before they exploded. That is down from 99 in July and 78 in August. In September, 52 either exploded or were found before they detonated. The decline in EFP attacks, Odierno said, coincided with a drop in the number of military casualties, civilian killings and overall deaths. “I believe we have achieved some momentum,” he said. “Although it is not yet irreversible momentum, this positive momentum has set the conditions for political accommo-

dation, economic development and basic services to progress.” Gates, in a news conference later, refused to say that the developments indicated the U.S. now is winning in Iraq. The Los Angeles Times reported in September that Iraqi Minister Nouri al-Maliki has secured a pledge from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to help cut off weapons, funding and other support to militants in Iraq. “It is my understanding that they have provided such assurances,” Gates said, confirming the deal. “I don’t know whether to believe them. I’ll wait and see.” State Department officials have blamed the Iranian government for allowing weapons to be shipped into Iraq. Gates said again Thursday that he had no direct evidence that top Iranian officials have knowledge of the smuggling, although he suspects they do. “My guess is the highest levels are aware,” he said. The military said EFPs have been used by a range of sects but are most closely associated with Iraqi militias that have ties to Iran, such as elements of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Madhi Army. Odierno credited the overall decline in violence in Shiite areas to the U.S. military’s success in capturing or killing leaders of militia groups, as well as a cease-fire that al-Sadr declared in August, halting attacks by his militia against Americontinued on page 9

Chad accuses French volunteers of kidnapping By Achrene Sicakyuz and Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles T imes

PARIS — Are they a group of French do-gooders who believed bending the rules was justified in the interest of saving African children? Or are they a gang of opportunists with dark motivations who planned to use the children, or their bodies, for profit? The African nation of Chad on Thursday was holding 16 Europeans in connection with what Chadian authorities say was an attempt to kidnap 103 boys and girls under the age of six and transport them to Europe. Six French citizens who are members of a charity calling itself Zoe’s Arc have been charged by Chadian authorities with attempted kidnap and fraud, along with three French journalists who accompanied them on what the French team said was a rescue airlift. A seven-member Spanish flight crew from the aircraft that Zoe’s Arc chartered for the mission has also been charged as accomplices. They could all face long prison sentences at hard labor if convicted. The incident is fast evolving into a test of international diplomacy. The prime ministers and foreign ministers of France and Spain have intervened, gingerly condemning any effort to remove children from Chad illegally but also seeking the release of their nationals. Television pictures beamed

back to Europe show the French and Spanish detainees sitting on a floor, looking dejected and disheveled. The Spanish airline attendants, still in their uniforms of white blouses and navy skirts, look especially bewildered and frightened; some are weeping. Representatives of Zoe’s Arc defended it as a legitimate charity that was attempting to transport orphans from the conflicted region of Darfur to homes in France where they would be given refuge, but not adopted. Families in France each reportedly paid thousands of dollars to be able to take in one of the orphans. But Chad police stopped the Zoe’s Arc workers Oct. 25 as they attempted to board a flight in Abeche with 103 children, stating that no paperwork had been filed that would allow removal of the children. Chadian officials say they believe the children were being trafficked into networks that would supply them to pedophiles or blackmarket adoptions. The story became stranger as it was revealed that Zoe’s Arc had not followed the standard protocols for the adopting or international transportation of children, and had been warned by French government officials months ago of the steps it should take to comply with the law. And then, once the children were rounded up and questioned, it emerged that they were not from

Darfur nor, in many cases, were they orphans. After interviewing the children, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a joint statement that 91 of the children spoke of having come from family environments “with at least one adult in a parental role.” Camps along Chad’s border with Sudan are a blighted world of fuzzy borders and landless refugees. Zoe’s Arc officials insist they were acting in good faith when they attempted what they call a rescue of the children. Especially hapless in all this is the Spanish flight crew, who work for the Barcelona-based Girjet charter company. They say they were merely hired to fly from Chad to France and had no knowledge of what the passengers may or may not have been up to. One of the Spanish pilots, still in his gold-brocaded uniform, can be seen in television footage telling the president of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, that he and his crew were innocent. “We are Spaniards!” he says. But the president responds: “You are par t of a pedophile ring!” Spanish officials scrambled to the defense of the flight crew. “If this was a matter of child trafficking, Spain fully condemns it,” said Bernardino Leon, Spanish secretar y of state for foreign affairs. “But there is no evidence that the Spaniards were involved.”

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Number of students applying to med school is on the rise continued from page 1 a recorded press teleconference posted on the AAMC Web site. The percentage of applicants who have experience in research labs and community service in the medical field has also increased over the past five years, according to the AAMC Web site. But Brown students applying to med school don’t seem particularly concerned about the growing competition for admission.

“I didn’t even know the numbers had jumped up,” said Kevin Hug ’08, a current applicant. “There’s really nothing I can do about that. I’m trying to play my own game.” Andrew Simmons, associate dean of the College for health and law careers, said he doesn’t see the increasing applicant pool size as a “big problem right now.” He said there is “always a level of anxiety, always a sense of worry about how competitive and difficult” the process is.

That anxiety, Simmons added, “is as old as the hills.” “It’s hard to get into medical school regardless,” said Eve Hoffman ‘09, a PLME student. “I have not been aware of any increasing concern about getting into medical school because of larger applicant pools, per se. But, I think that, in the future, this may add to the stress of the process.” The national trend of increasing med school applications seems to hold true at Brown. Simmons said

applicants from Brown — including both seniors and recent graduates — have increased from the low 160s when he arrived in 2005, to 172 applicants this year, including applicants to dental and nursing schools. That number doesn’t include PLME students who choose to attend Alpert Medical School instead of applying to other institutions. Some Brown students applying to med school are dealing with the competition by applying to a greater number of schools. Although Simmons recommends students apply to 10 to 15 schools, some apply to many more. The Health Careers Office sends a maximum of 25 committee packets per student. Samuel Kim ‘08 applied to 19 schools. “I thought I would have more options if I applied to more schools,” he said. He said his list of potential schools “definitely ex-

panded” when he considered the difficulty of the process. The increase in the number of applicants happens at the same time that concerns about future physician shortages are mounting. Baer said she thinks the increase in population nationally is leading to “a greater appreciation for the need to have physicians.” Media reports about the growing and aging U.S. population have “sent a very clear message to prospective students that there is a need for physicians,” Baer said. But Simmons warned that pre-meds — and their advisers — shouldn’t focus too much on national trends. “If you spend too much time worrying about trends, you are making yourself crazy,” he said. “You may not be taking advantage of what Brown has to offer.”

Panel tackles question of TFA’s effectiveness continued from page 1 number of Brown students yet, she added. At the event Thursday evening, the panel was asked to comment on the effectiveness of TFA and whether it significantly improves the educational experiences of students in underprivileged schools or just serves as a temporary solution to a complex problem. The discussion — held the day before TFA’s second application deadline, which is today — began with Wong, chair of the Department of Education, acting as the discussion’s moderator and giving a brief overview of the history and evolution of TFA and its context within the larger movement of education reform. He asked the panel members to describe their backgrounds and opinions on TFA’s effects on public education. Panel members Sigler, Campbell, Boak and Nelson all served as educators at some points in their careers, and both Sigler and Boak are TFA alums. Sigler and Campbell emphasized that TFA is a short-term solution. “It represents a Band-Aid which we put onto serious structural problem in our society,” Campbell said. Boak emphasized that 65 percent of TFA corps members stay in education. She added that TFA alums working in the business, law and policy-making communities continue to address the education reform problem and contribute to

long-term solutions. “This is not an ideal solution, (but) it is effective,” she said. Both Boak and Nelson emphasized that solutions to America’s failed education system needed to come from the within the classroom. They cited the enthusiasm of new teachers as a powerful force in solving the education problems in America. “TFA is not the panacea for teaching in urban and rural settings,” Nelson said, adding that the trouble in school systems needs to be addressed by people who are “fired up” about teaching. After 45 minutes of discussion about the panel members’ various perspectives on TFA, Wong opened up the discussion to audience questions. Audience members primarily asked the panel to discuss the long-term effects of TFA on schools and its ability to address the need for structural reform in America’s educational system called for by the panelists. Alice Nystrom ’08 asked a question about sustainable enthusiasm as a solution to problems in the education system, prompting perhaps the most telling comment of the night on the problem of TFA’s effectiveness. Campbell, in response to her question, described how he decided when he was working as a high school teacher that “I’m working way too hard” and chose instead to go to graduate school and become a college professor.

Don’t forget to savor that daylight-savings hour

friday, november 2, 2007

Conflict with Turkey squeezes Iraqi kurds continued from page 7 and rocket launchers in and out of hidden caves and snow-covered crevices in mountains towering two miles high. “In places not even a goat can pass, the PKK can pass,” said Khedeir. But even Iraqi Kurds themselves acknowledge they could do more to hurt the PKK’s supply lines, reduce their mobility and single them out for arrest. Kurdish villagers say the PKK militants, easily identified by their Turkish accents, often visit towns to buy food and gear. To many, Turkish Kurds fight only for what the Iraqi Kurds have already attained in the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq. “The PKK has a wide public base and makes a good case, and also has strong financial capabilities,” said Sherko Abdallah, a Kurdish lawmaker. Even those Kurdish villagers here most affected by the fighting

and shelling, including barrages of Iranian rockets that have displaced scores of families in the middle of this year’s harvest, say they feel sympathy for the PKK. “As long as they have been here they have been nothing but trouble,” said Musa Ibrahim, a broadshouldered Kurdish farmer in his 30s. “Otherwise, their concerns are valid. To be honest, we believe in their cause.” The allegiance of the Kurdish people, both culturally and politically, make it even more difficult for Kurdish leaders to oppose their rebel brethren to the north. For decades Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, was a bitter rival of Massoud Barzani, the president of the three-province Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq and scion of a Kurdish nationalist family. Both men have ambitions of leading the world’s 25 to 40 million Kurds, believed to be the world’s largest ethnic group without a

country. “Barzani will only damage himself politically to take action against the PKK at this time,” said a former U.S. diplomat based in the Middle East for 30 years, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “perhaps not so much inside Iraq, but in terms of his broader objective, to become the Kurdistan-wide Kurdish el Supremo.” Iraqi Kurds say they have worked hard to convince the Turks and Iran that they pose no threat, even enticing them with pieces of northern Iraq’s growing financial riches. But turning their guns on the PKK is one compromise they say they’re unwilling to make. “The PKK doesn’t threaten the security of the (Kurdistan) region,” said Jabbar Yawir, a spokesman for Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, which handles social and other services to former Kurdish warriors who fought against Saddam. “This struggle is none of our business.

Iraqi insurgents using fewer munitions continued from page 7 can forces . U.S. military leaders have debated the reasons behind the decline in violence by Shiite militias, and a senior Defense official said the Pentagon leadership has yet to determine whether Iran is behind the reduction. The official said that in addition to possible Iranian moves, the Pentagon has been looking closely at the Mahdi Army for signs of change or a shift in tactics. The U.S. military has announced the discovery of bomb-making factories inside Iraq. But American officers have maintained that the most dangerous and largest EFPs have been smuggled in from Iran. The military has presented only limited evidence publicly of the smuggling, and some critics have questioned whether very many ex-

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plosives are brought from Iran. A senior Pentagon official said Thursday that providing more detailed evidence could inadvertently help smugglers elude capture or better disguise weapons. In addition to the explosives found planted on roads, Odierno said his forces in recent weeks uncovered “staggering” caches of EFPs that had yet to be put in place. Over the past two weeks, Odierno said U.S. forces have found 136 fully assembled EFPs and materials to make another 359 of the armorpenetrating roadside bombs. But he added that such findings did not necessarily mean Iran was continuing to ship weaponry across the border. He said there was evidence that the recently discovered cache was originally delivered in January, before Iran is said to have made its commitment to curtail such shipments.

Growing tension between Americans and Iranians over Iraq, coupled with hostile rhetoric from the Bush administration over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, has heightened fears about a possible military clash. Sen. James Webb, D-Va. , sent a letter to the White House, co-signed by 29 other senators, condemning recent administration statements and reminding President Bush that “no congressional authority exists for unilateral military action against Iran.” But Gates reiterated Thursday that he favors non-military solutions. “Everybody is agreed that the United States’ approach to dealing with the Iranian problem now is to focus on economic sanctions and on diplomacy, and I don’t think there is any difference within the government on that principle,” Gates said.

Athlete of the Week: W. soccer’s Yellin ’10 continued from page 12 keeper? I’ve been playing goalkeeper probably since I was 10. ... Our coach at the beginning of practice used to say, “Who wants to be goalkeeper, who wants to be goalkeeper?” And everyone used to raise their hands because everyone wanted to play goalkeeper. I guess I was decent at it, so they kept me in there. For a goalkeeper, you’re not especially tall. Has that ever been a hindrance? I don’t consider it a hindrance to myself. A lot of people do, but I kind of use it as motivation — the people who think I can’t do it. I suppose, then, that you have what they call “mad hops.” (Laughs) I don’t know if I have mad hops, but I can definitely touch the crossbar, which isn’t that high, so it’s not too difficult. I guess I can jump an okay amount. What’s your favorite thing about playing goalie? I like the pressure. Most people say, “I could never be goalie because of the pressure,” but I like the pressure. How does it feel to win these Player of the Week awards? I guess it feels good. I don’t quite understand why it keeps happening.

It feels good to be recognized, but it’s weird because the games are such a team effort, so you never want to be singled out. But I think because we’re winning big games, and because the goalkeeper position is the one that’s often spotlighted — that’s why I’m getting the recognition the team should be receiving. But it’s just a reflection of how well our team is playing. This Player of the Week Award is your second of the season. Does it feel any less special the second time around? I don’t think so. To be honest, I don’t take any of it too seriously. It’s the same. What’s your favorite part about playing with the team? I think just the camaraderie in general. My best friends are on the team; we always hang out together. I probably spend 15 hours out of the 24 with girls on the soccer team. What made you decide to come to Brown? To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to come here. I came to camp here my junior year. I thought it was a longshot for me to come to Brown — I was mostly looking at (Division) III schools. But I came to camp and met (Head) Coach Phil (Pincince) and we started talking. I really liked Brown, I liked the soccer team and I liked the program. I decided it was a good fit.

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E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Friday, November 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S t a ff E d i t o r i a l

Diamonds and coal A diamond to the Sustainable Food Initiative’s new calendar, Ripe 2008. We’re fully supportive of any student-led effort that involves nudity and fresh fruits and vegetables and doesn’t end with a night in a Providence Police Department cell. A coal to the thieves who recently stole President Simmons’ purse and unsuccessfully tried to make purchases on Thayer Street with her credit card. Simmons joked that Brown students are smarter than that, and it’s true — we would have funded that new swim center, or at least hit up our favorite Wickenden Street shop, before blowing that popsicle stand. A bewildered cubic zirconium to Brad Levy ’81, founding chef of the upscale San Francisco restaurant Firefly. We’re confused how Ratty dishes — in your case, the fish sandwich with coleslaw and cheese — could inspire anyone to greatness. Hot ham and bulky roll doesn’t make our hearts swell with rhapsody. But, hey, whatever works. Coal to lights out in the Ratty in honor of Halloween and one employee’s spooky warning that students should enter at their own risk. What, were you serving hot ham and bulky roll? Coal to the dead air on BTV, which has yet to broadcast anything this semester. “Unlike Spice Girls, BTV is committed to making a successful comeback,” one of the student leaders, told The Herald. Last we checked, the Spice Girls have a Greatest Hits album coming out this month and are planning a worldwide reunion tour for December, but we have yet to see our longtime BTV favorites — like that completely silent version of “Mean Girls” — on the air anytime soon. A diamond to comedians-turned-politicians. Al Franken stopped by Blue State Coffee this week, and if Stephen Colbert had targeted Thayer’s Starbucks crowd he might just have made it on the ballot. As far as we know, Franken’s running for real.

P ete fallon

Letters

Coal to the inflation that seems to hit campus when parents descend en masse. A whopping $8 for a cappella concerts that we could see under an arch for free any other time? You don’t need any of our diamonds. A skeptical cubic zirconium to the upcoming test of the new campus siren system. Anything that loud, disruptive and terrifying is sure to win over skeptical neighbors, though it does promise to be at least mildly amusing. Great plan to get the city’s approval, folks. A good luck diamond to the 0-16 field hockey team, which faces Yale this weekend in its final game. It’s the effort that counts. And Yalies are ugly. Yeah, we went there.

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O pinions Friday, November 2, 2007

Page 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Overheard on College Hill By Spencer Amdur and Jacob Izenberg

What do you think of off-campus living on College Hill?

Nathaniel Sloan ’08.5 I’ve lived at Preston Street, and currently I live on John Street. It’s been the perfect experience in both cases. It’s an opportunity to feel, at least fractionally, more like a real person. It feels good to be responsible and not have some faceless janitor cleaning your bathroom. You have some sort of responsibility for yourself that the dorms don’t give you. There haven’t been any negative aspects that I wouldn’t have had in any living situation. The mice — I react like a little girl to the mice. I scream and I go under the covers and it’s pretty shameful. Our landlords have been altogether accessible. Our landlord on Preston was actually a sound engineer who claims to have worked with the Jackson 5, but Google search hasn’t turned up anything. He also promised us that our band would have one of its songs played as instrumental music during the FX show “The Field,” which never seemed to turn into reality. I think by far the biggest challenge is the summer sublet situation. Most leases start in June, so if you’re not here in the summer it can be an unwanted to challenge to have to find a subletter. We sort of had an impulse buy with our apartment, which we later realized doesn’t have one 90 degree angle in the entire two floors. You walk uphill to the living room. You have to scale the heights.

Sejal Jhaveri ’09

I wanted to live off campus because I lived in a house over the summer with a couple friends, and it was an awesome experience. I was so ready to be out of the dorms and off campus. My experience this far has been pretty mixed. It’s been kind of hard finding a place. We have a couple of leads right now that we’re looking into but as of now I don’t have a definite place. I’ve met a couple landlords who just seemed really mean and didn’t want to deal with students, so I don’t know why they’re trying to rent to students. I’ve had a couple that have been fantastic. They’re like “We know we’re dealing with students renters, we’ll do everything we can to work with you if you have any problems.”

Serena Dollive ’08

My experience living off campus has been going well. It’s a different environment. I feel quasi-adult-like cooking four nights a week with a bunch of guys. People seem to be really impressed when we show up to Sam’s Club and buy fruits and stuff like that. Since it’s Brown off-campus housing— it’s very convenient. They kind of take care of everything. This is my first year off campus. I would recommend it to seniors—it gives you a different perspective.

John Molina ’08

I like living off campus a lot. I feel there’s a lot more independence, although you sometimes do miss living in a dorm room. I live in a Brown-owned apartment on the corner of Thayer and Bowen. Brown has been pretty responsive with all the repairs. A stove exploded and they cleaned up the place pretty quickly. The exception is heating, but a lot of buildings around campus are having heating problems, so we’re in the queue. Compared to most of my friends, off campus the maintenance is much better (in Brown -owned apartments) from what I’ve experienced. But the rent is a lot higher, so it’s kind of a trade-off. We kind of got the apartment as a spur of the moment thing. I’m happy to be living off campus. The apartment itself is much bigger than, say, a normal suite in Young O.

Guatemala: ¿Pais de la Eterna Corrupcion? BY JEFFRY ESQUIVEL Guest Columnist Guatemalans face a tough decision as the upcoming Nov. 4 presidential election nears. Electing a leader is not easy, as people put their hopes and future in one person — especially in an economically very unequal country, where 56 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Guatemalans are presented with two options: Former General Otto Pérez Molina of the Patriotic Party and Álvaro Colom, current leader of the centre-left National Union of Hope). Pérez Molina, a School of the Americas graduate, is offering a “mano dura” (firm hand) on crime if elected president. Given his military background and accusations of exterminating several villages during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, many are concerned about a return of extrajudicial killings. GuatemalanAmerican novelist Francisco Goldman, in his nonfiction book, “The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop,” directly accuses Molina of masterminding the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi — the impetus behind the project for the Recovery of Historical Memory, which documented many of the atrocities committed during the armed conflict. The bishop was murdered on the night of April 26, 1998. Two days earlier he had participated in the report’s final presentation, “Guatemala: Never Again.” Interestingly, Molina’s official biography

does not mention the fact that he attended the School of the Americas. It may be that Molina suffers from amnesia and cannot remember this period of his life, but it is probably because some of Guatemala’s worse human rights violators attended this school as well. Álvaro Colom is not a saint either. He has been accused of having drug lords finance his campaign, including El Cartel de Zacapa. Many members of UNE, the party which Colom heads, have also been linked to corrup-

One former UNE member and Congressman, Manuel Castillo, is being investigated for the murder of three Salvadoran congressmen to the Central American Parliament and their pilot. Castillo is also thought to have links with organized crime. On Oct. 11, José Carlos Marroquín stepped down from his position as UNE’s political strategist. He and his family have received threats since his father accused César Fajardo (UNE’s reelected congressman), of ties to organized crime, as well as

This Nov. 4, Guatemalans have two options: to choose an alleged human rights violator or the friend of drug traffickers. tion. This summer, I went to Guatemala and drove by La Reforma, Huite, the town where this cartel is located, and witnessed the power they exercise on this town and the lifestyle they live. They own palace-like mansions, have their own army and countless numbers of cars and move around the country by air. There were Colom’s campaign pamphlets in almost every corner of this impoverished town.

being the person behind the attack on Marroquin early last year. Marroquin’s father’s statement came after Fajardo voted against the creation of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. The commission’s purpose is to support the institutions in charge of the investigation and persecution of crimes committed by illegal bodies and clandestine secu-

rity apparatuses. The CICIG is meant to be an independent institution whose commissioner will be appointed by the UN Secretary General, and it will employ international and national personnel, and the International Community will fund it. The Guatemalan recognized that the country has a high fever of corruption and impunity and asked the United Nations for help since there is not a doctor in the country that can cure such a disease. On Nov. 4, Guatemalans have two options: to choose an alleged human rights violator, Pérez Molina, or the friend of drug traffickers, Álvaro Colom. They must choose the lesser evil. Moreover, neither candidate has presented voters with a real government plan. So far, instead, they have focused on denigrating each other. Voters are waiting to hear their proposals, and as a result about 30 percent of Guatemalans are still undecided on how to vote only days before the run-off presidential election. Whoever manages to capture the trust of the Guatemalans must put aside his personal interests. Substantial changes are necessary in the country to allow its citizens to achieve their hopes and aspirations. Given that no party has managed to win more than one term in the presidency during the country’s 21-year old democracy, a leader that works for the welfare of the people is necessary to restore their confidence in politicians.

Jeffry Esquivel ’09 is looking for campaign donations for the 2024 Guatemalan presidential campaign.

S ports W eekend Page 12

Friday, November 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Football looks to get physical against undefeated Yale By Stu Woo Sports Editor

Jimmy Tull ’08 has heard the talk. He knows Ivy League football fans are already looking forward to the season-ending Harvard-Yale game as the match-up of the year, as the battle of the undefeateds that will decide the league title. Tull doesn’t like that talk — especially since Yale first must beat the Bears on Saturday to keep that record unblemished. “A lot of people may be looking past us,” the offensive lineman

said. “We’re kind of using that as motivation.” The Brown football team (3-4 overall, 2-2 Ivy) will travel to Yale (7-0, 4-0) tomorrow to face a very physical Bulldog team. Yale has run to the top of the Ivy League behind the strength of its star running back, Mike McLeod, who leads all of Division I-AA with 182.4 yards per game. If the Bears are to keep their championship hopes alive, they’ll have to stop McLeod and a Yale offense that averages 34.9 points a game — tops in the league.

“Their strength is definitely the run game,” Tull said. “They haven’t done much from their passing game from what I’ve seen.” Brown will have a great chance to win, Tull said, if the defense plays like it did last week against the University of Pennsylvania, when it made several big hits on Quaker ballcarriers. But as the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, and the Bears will counter Yale’s with an almost equally potent one. Brown, which averages 31.3 points per game, will rely on the arm of Mi-

chael Dougherty ’09, who leads the nation with 326.1 passing yards per game. At the Yale Bowl, Dougherty said he expects the Bulldogs to play mostly in a zone defense that might neutralize the speed of wide receivers Paul Raymond ’08 and Buddy Farnham ’10. As a result, he said he will try to pick apart the defense with short- to medium-range passes. “They don’t really get beat deep, but there’s a lot of opportunities,” Dougherty said. “We’re just going to take what they give.”

M. soccer turns Scarlet Knights blue with 2-0 victory

M. Ice hockey at Union College Volleyball at Cornell

SATURDAY, November 3 Football at Yale M. Soccer at Yale W. Soccer at Yale Field Hockey at Yale M. Water Polo: Northern Division Championship (at MIT)

At 5 feet 4 inches, Steffi Yellin ’10 is probably one of the shortest goalkeepers in the countr y, but that hasn’t stopped her from being one of the best. After the Bears’ dismal 0-5-1 start to the season, Yellin’s terrific play in the net has helped the women’s soccer team’s remarkable comeback, which leaves Bruno with a 6-8-1 record and a shot at the league title.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Herald: Your team had a rough start to the season, going winless in your first six games. But since then, you’ve gone 6-3. How does it feel to turn the season around? Yellin: It feels really good. In the beginning of the season, we were playing a lot of really, really good teams. Playing those teams, it’s hard to get into a winning rhythm, but once we started to get some goals in and get some wins, it becomes easier. After you win one, it becomes a lot easier to win the second one. It feels very good. Did the team ever get down because it wasn’t winning? No, we never got down. We just tried to stay focused and keep doing what we were doing. There was never a negative attitude on the team. We just keep chugging, and if we keep working hard, we’ll get the results. How long have you been a goalcontinued on page 9

Sports in Brief Corey Schwartz ’11 named Player of the Week Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Kevin Davies ’08 is leading the men’s soccer team in scoring.

broke through in the 53rd minute. After the defense pulled Rutgers offside deep in the Brown zone, cocaptain Stephen Sawyer ’09 played a quick restart to Britner, who had space in front of him. He carried the ball until he spotted Davies making a run toward the net and laid the ball right in his path. Davies beat VanOekel to the ball and onetimed it by the goalie to put Brown

sp o rts schedule FRIDAY, NOvember 2

By Stu Woo Spor ts Editor

After shutting out first-place University of Pennsylvania last week, Yellin was named the Ivy League’s Player of the Week for the second time this season. But now, Yellin has earned a far more prestigious distinction for her efforts: She is The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

By Jason Harris Assistant Sports Editor

Even though the men’s soccer team went outside its rigorous Ivy League schedule in Wednesday night’s matchup against Rutgers University, the result was more of the same. The No. 6-ranked Bears defeated the Scarlet Knights 2-0 in Piscataway, N.J., to improve their overall record to 12-1-1 (4-0-0 in the Ivy League). The win was Bruno’s sixth in a row — the second time this season Brown has won six straight. Though the game began with promise for the Bears, the first half turned out to be a stalemate. In the opening minutes, forward Kevin Davies ’08 had an excellent chance to score, but Rutgers goalkeeper Matt VanOekel made a strong save. After the first few minutes, neither team was able to generate significant scoring chances in the first half. “The backline played very well,” said Head Coach Mike Noonan. “But the midfield and forwards couldn’t find their footing. We would put two or three passes together, but the fourth pass was just off.” The pitch was dry, but many players were slipping for some reason that the team could not figure out. “I don’t know if it was the sprinklers or what,” said co-captain Matt Britner ’07.5. “Lots of players lost their footing, and the ball was skipping pretty well.” The strange field conditions led to many turnovers, which made for a fast-paced first half. Neither team could sustain an attack long enough to create a scoring opportunity, so most of the play was battled out in the midfield. Going into halftime, Bruno knew it had to step up its play. Despite Rutgers’ mediocre record, it has historically been a good team, so the Bears expected a challenge. “They are a Big East team from a power conference with a good tradition in the program,” Britner said. Coming out of halftime, Brown picked up its intensity and finally

Yellin ’10 stands strong in net for w. soccer

W. Ice Hockey vs. Yale, 2 p.m., Meehan Auditorium M. Ice Hockey at Rensselaer Volleyball at Columbia Fencing at Big One (at Mt. Holyoke) M. Tennis at Big Green Invitational (Hanover, N.H.)

SUNDAY, NOvember 4 W. Ice Hockey at UConn M. Water Polo at Northern Division Championship (at MIT) M. Tennis at Big Green Invitational

up 1-0. “I saw some space in the front line and saw Kevin put his hand up,” Britner said. “All the rest was Kevin.” The goal was Davies’ ninth of the season — leading the team, just one ahead of fellow forward Dylan Sheehan ’09. Brown carried the 1-0 lead late into the match, when Rutgers turned up the pressure. The Scarlet Knights had a few opportunities to score late in the game, but goalie Jarrett Leech ’09 and the rest of Brown’s defense prevented the equalizer. “We had a good game plan and did what we wanted to do,” Britner said. “We didn’t give them many quality chances. When we did, guys made plays when they had to. We had a ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality.” Brown scored an insurance goal in the final minute on a counterattack. When Davies beat his man in

the right corner, he was left with a three-on-three situation because Rutgers pushed most of its team forward to try to equalize. Davies attacked the net and slid a pass across for David Walls ’11, who netted his first goal of his collegiate career to put the game out of reach. Though the win was not Brown’s prettiest, it was a testament to the team’s attitude. “The team has a winning mentality,” Noonan said. “In a tight game away from home, you find a way to win.” Britner was also happy with Brown’s ability to pull it out in the end. “I think it was a scrappy performance,” he said. “We were missing a little sharpness, but I was proud that we were able to compete.” The Bears will be back in action tomorrow, resuming their Ivy League schedule at Yale at 4:30 p.m.

After scoring a goal in suddendeath overtime to give the men’s water polo team an 8-7 win over Harvard last Thursday, Corey Schwartz ’11 has won the College Water Polo Association Player of the Week Award. Off a pass from Hank Weintraub ’09, Schwartz’s score ended the game, which had already lasted two overtime sessions. The goal gave Brown a win over rival Harvard, even as the Bears played with defender Brandon Yoshimura ’11 as goalkeeper due to last week’s suspension of goalie Kent Holland ’10. Schwartz, a Los Angeles, Calif., native, also led the team with two goals in a 10-7 victory over Mercyhurst College the next day. For the season, Schwartz has scored 22 goals in 25 games, good for sixth on the team. Schwartz will look to increase this total when Brown plays in the Northern Division Championships this weekend. — Peter Cipparone