The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, S eptember 23, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 76
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
Mailroom to be back on track soon
Sen. targets prof ’s ties to big pharma
By Christian Martell Staff Writer
Psych chair told to disclose payments
While many students have received late packages and had to wait in long lines to trade in their blue slips recently, the mail room expects to be caught up on orders by Wednesday. “Currently, the mail ser vices staff is processing the packages delivered on Saturday and this morning, and expects to be completely back on track by Wednesday of this week,” said Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president of financial and administrative services, which oversees mailservices. Regular mail continues to be sorted and placed in mailboxes as it arrives, but the processing of packages — including the recording and writing of mailbox notifications — has been delayed because of the move across the street, Gentry said.
By Chaz Firestone and Chaz Kelsh Features Editor and Senior Staff Writer
Harrison Kreisberg ’10 sent to the group’s mailing list. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, Reed, who is up for reelection this year, is a member of the Senate’s Armed Services; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Appropriations committees. In his 20-minute speech, Reed addressed the nation’s diminished “economic, aspirational and militar y powers” undercutting its standing in the international community. He lauded Sen. Barack Obama as the candidate to vote for this
Investigators from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee are scrutinizing Brown over disclosure of conflicts of interest in clinical research, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 confirmed Thursday. Though University Inside spokespeople Research would not disputed: comment on Prof’s study the details of a letter of inquiry may have from ranking hid drug’s committee suicide link member Sen. See page 6 Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a source familiar with the investigation has confirmed that the letter names Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Martin Keller, the chairman of the psychiatry department at the Alpert Medical School. Grassley has sent letters to more than 20 academic institutions asking that specific researchers disclose all financial ties to drug companies. The letter from Grassley is the latest in a years-long string of questions that have been raised over Keller’s clinical research and his relationships with the drug companies who sponsor it. The research and relationships have been lambasted in medical journals, the popular press and, more recently, an inflammatory book. The Herald contacted Keller several times starting Sept. 10, but he said he was unavailable for comment before press time. Keller has gained notoriety for authoring a controversial clinical study
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Kim Perley / Herald
Students wait, blue slips in hand, to retrieve packages at the mail room. Services are set to be caught up by Wednesday.
“The complications of the move so close to the start of the semester and the ongoing construction added a dimension of complexity that was not well understood initially,” Gentry wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “This made establishing a
smooth processing system in a new physical environment that much more complicated.” Five temporary mail clerks and a student worker have been hired, while a staffer from Gentry’s office was relocated temporarily to aid the
usual 16-person mail room staff, which has logged overtime to address the problem, Gentry said. There are about 5,800 student mailboxes and another 500 faculty continued on page 4
Reed discusses national politics at Dems’ series By Paula Kaufman Contributing Writer
Min Wu / Herald
Ladies from Brown’sTones a capella sings under the MoChamp arch earlier this year.
After the audition, a cappella groups court new members Students strut their stuff, then await ‘drunkapella’ to decide their fates
campus Thursday night, marking the culmination of a more than week-long a cappella audition and selection process. With over a dozen a cappella groups, Brown has one of the most By Kyla Wilkes vibrant and active collegiate a capStaff Writer pella communities, said Jonathan Aronchick ’09, a member of HarLate last Thursday night, an excited monic Motion and the “Czar” of group of seven girls crept quietly Brown’s “Intergalactic Community down a hallway on Pembroke Cam- of A Cappella,” an umbrella organipus. “We have to be quiet zation for all the groups like ninjas — we want it that sing without instruFEATURE to be a surprise,” Kim ments on campus. Gemme ’09 heard one of her coThis year saw a record number conspirators whisper. of students audition, said Allison The girls knocked sharply on Schneider ’10, a member of the Naomi Heilweil’s ’12 door. When Chattertocks. Schneider said 60 to it swung open, all seven — mem- 70 girls showed up over two nights bers of the Brown’sTones a cappella of auditions for her group alone. group, of which Gemme is president Matt Bauman ’10, musical direc— burst into song and enveloped tor for the Bear Necessities, said Heilweil in hugs. his group was also “blown away” by This wasn’t an isolated incident continued on page 4 — such festivities happened across
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METRO
Ripping into RIPTA Students for a Democratic Society stage a “sit-in” on RIPTA buses to protest fare hikes
www.browndailyherald.com
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CAMPUS NEWS
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., spoke to a half-full Salomon 101, addressing and fielding student questions about the economy and international strife Monday afternoon. Reed, the senior senator from Rhode Island, was the second speaker in the Brown Democrats’ “Better Know Your District” series. The Dems hope the series will help Brown students learn more about local and state districts and their representatives, according to an e-mail Brown Democrats President
Alum favored to win Del. governor race By Lauren Pischel Staff Writer
Even when Jack Markell ’82 was at Brown, his friends thought he would go into politics. “It was not if, but what year, is Jack going to become president,” said Pamela Petro ’82, a classmate and friend of Markell. After a decade in politics, Markell is now likely to become the next governor of Delaware. Markell won the Democratic primary for governor on Sept. 9 with record-setting voter turnout, defeating Lt. Gov. John Carney by 1,700 votes. He will face former Superior Court Judge Bill Lee, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 general election. “Carney did not even have a los-
ROCKIN’ THE SKATING RINK Ben Folds brings his pianoplaying skills to the Bank of America Center in Providence
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OPINIONS
Courtesy of Jack Markell for Governor
Jack Markell ’82, who studied economics at a fundraiser.
ing speech prepared, so this is really a stunning victory on Markell’s part,” said Gretchen Bauer ’82, professor and chair of the University of Delaware Department of Political Science and International
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY Graham Anderson ’10 advocates helmet use and safe bike habits — it’ll save your life
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
12 SPORTS
Relations. The primary was likely a more challenging election for Markell than the upcoming general election continued on page 8
TIE SOME, LOSE SOME Women’s soccer records a tie and a loss on their recent trip to Minnesota
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