The Brown Daily Herald F riday, D ecember 5, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 124
Since 1866, Daily Since 1891
Top U. investment managers earn $2.6 million in 2007 Simmons’ pay up 13 percent over 2006
Chief Investment Officer Cynthia Frost topped the list of Brown’s highest paid employees in 2007 with a package of $1,351,639, according to the University’s most recent tax filings. Frost, who oversees the investment of the University’s endowment, took home 55 percent more during that fiscal year than she did in the previous fiscal year, when she earned $871,257, including benefits. President Ruth Simmons earned $775,715 during the same period, an increase of 13 percent from her previous year’s earnings of $689,007. Simmons’ compensation put her solidly above the median salar y of $527,172 for presidents of private research universities in 2007, according to data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education, but still below that of some highly paid Ivy League presidents such as Columbia’s Lee Bollinger ($1,411,894) and the University of Pennsylvania’s Amy Gutmann ($1,088,786). Simmons, who in 2006 trailed
Quinn Savit / Herald
Divided ‘Square Roots’ reaches its limit By Stephanie Pottinger Contributing Writer
After a two-year stay on the Front Green, Patrick Dougherty’s “Square Roots” will be dismantled and removed in January 2009. When the University’s Public Art Committee acquired the work in 2006, it envisioned an installation
of no less than one year, but there was “no agreed-upon amount of time” for the sculpture to remain,
ARTS & CULTURE said Committee member and David Winton Bell Gallery Director JoAnn Conklin. Dougherty said he is comfort-
able with the fact that the exhibition of “Square Roots” is nearing a close. He also expressed gratitude for the University’s efforts to keep it up in modified form even after last year’s damage — when the center portion was removed after being hit by a falling tree. continued on page 4
Cynthia Frost $1,351,639 $785, 880
Kenneth Shimberg
Managing Director, Office of Investment
Ruth Simmons $775,718 President
Edward Wing
$525, 488
Andrew Wert
$504,288
Chair, Department of Medicine*
Managing Director, Office of Investment
*Wing is now the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences. **Adashi stepped down as Dean at the end of the 2007-2008 academic year.
only Frost in total earnings, was Source: Internal Revenue Service edged out in 2007 by Of fice of Investment Managing Director Kenneth Shimberg, who earned $785,880 for overseeing investments in private equity. Andrew Wert, the managing director who oversees marketable securities for the investment office, earned $504,288. Also among Brown’s biggest continued on page 6
SPOTLIGHT
Scholarship, pulp and nudes in new Hay LGBT collection The Smith Collection won’t be open to the public for about three to four years, Cullen said, because of Known for its eclectic assortment of the time needed to properly catalog holdings — including a 500-volume the material. collection on the history of recreThe library has been specifically ational fireworks and 80 volumes re- collecting gay and lesbian works for covered from Adolf Hitler’s personal almost 20 years, Cullen said, and library — the Hay will add more than already boasts at least 5,000 LGBT4,000 volumes to its gay and lesbian related volumes as well as the papers catalog to form the Ronald Smith of several prominent figures from Collection, named after the gay and lesbian comthe donor. The collection munities. FEATURE includes more than 1,300 The 1991 donation of scholarly works, 2,000 works of fiction the sizeable Katzoff Collection providand 40 volumes of male nudes. ed the John Hay with its first primarWhy did Smith choose Brown as ily gay and lesbian collection. Since the recipient of his collection? “They then, the presence of that collection were willing to take it,” he said. Smith has attracted numerous related donasaid he worried that the Northeast tions, Cullen said. did not have a collection of this sort According to the Hay’s Web site, and “spent several years trying to the Katzoff Collection itself has been find a school or a public library ... that augmented by some 30,000 works of would provide a home for it.” gay pulp fiction from the 1950s and Smith contacted the public library 1960s. The Hay also features a collecin Provincetown, Mass., but he was tion exclusively containing gay and told the library was not equipped to lesbian pulp. It boasts such titles as acquire the collection. Fortunately, 1989’s anonymously authored “ComProvincetown’s librarian was in touch ing Cousins,” released by publisher with an informal network of people Gay Incest, and 1968’s “Those Holinterested in lesbian, gay, bisexual lywood Homos!” by Todd Martin. and transgender (LGBT) materials After receiving the Katzoff Coland was able to direct Smith to the lection, the Hay acquired the PresHay. ton Archives — the papers of John Smith “essentially found us,” said Preston, an author of gay literature, Rosemary Cullen MA’72, American erotica and nonfiction. As a result of literature and popular culture librarian at the Hay. continued on page 4
(FY2007) Includes compensation and benefits
Chief Investment Officer
By Gaurie Tilak Senior Staff Writer
“Square Roots,” Patrick Dougherty’s wooden sculpture on the Front Green, will be dismantled in January.
Brown’s Highest Paid
By Ben Schreckinger Staff Writer
Upright and Locked ‘The Thing About Air Travel,’ written by Max Posner ’11, ARTS & CULTURE opens tonight at PW
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www.browndailyherald.com
Courtesy of Susan Asselin
Susan Asselin — aka Mother Mystic — has seen a 50 percent increase in readings during the recent economic woes. She is nearly out of prosperity oil.
Psychics surprised by recession boon By Chaz Firestone Features Editor
Susan Asselin is one of Rhode Island’s most sought-after consultants. She runs a private business out of her North Providence home, sees up to 20 clients a week and has a pedigree including advisers stretching back a century. And
fungi be gone Professor David Cane is working to protect plants from the CAMPUS NEWS harmful effects of gray mold
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OPINIONS
with this week’s announcement from the National Bureau of Economic Research that the United States is officially in a recession, Asselin is full of advice for clients looking to climb their way out of a deep financial hole: “Coffins,” she says, “and a few drops of prosperity oil.” That’s because Asselin consults
A-OK Kevin Roose ’09.5 thinks Brown should just say no to grade deflation — sort of
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
with the spiritual realm before she meets with her clients. Asselin — or Mother Mystic, as she is known to those who seek her advice — is a psychic reader, reiki master and connoisseuse of “magickal oils.” And like many in Rhode Island’s spiritual community — including four other local readers who say continued on page 4
Winter Break This is the last issue of The Herald this semester. Check browndailyherald.com for updates. We will resume publication Jan. 21. News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com
T oday Page 2
Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
We a t h e r
Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim
TODAY
TOMORROW
partly cloudy 38 / 21
sunny 39 / 28
Menu Sharpe Refectory
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Vegan Vegetable Couscous, Onion Rings, Sausage and Mushroom Pizza, Hot Pastrami Sandwich
Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Raspberry Swirl Cookies, Baked Potato Bar
Dinner — Filet of Fish Florentine, Rice Pilaf, Apple Dessert Pizza, Vegan Saute Veggies
Dinner — Kareem’s Catfish, Grilled Chicken, Risotto Primavera, Cheesy Grits Souffle, Pineapple Carrot Cake
Free Variation | Jeremy Kuhn
Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Epimetheos | Samuel Holzman
Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley
© Puzzles by Pappocom
C r o ssw o r d
Alien Weather Forecast | Stephen Lichenstein and Adam Wagner
Brown Meets RISD | Miguel Llorente
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A rts & C ulture Friday, December 5, 2008
Production Workshop’s ‘Air Travel’ a wild ride By Rosalind Schonwald Staff Writer
A stewardess walks through the audience and passes out bar f bags. As she steps into the play’s
REVIEW set — a cross section of a plane’s interior between silver wings — a recorded message, like a pre-flight announcement, begins to play. The stewardess acts out the announcement with robotic peppiness. She also lip-syncs. This is no ordinar y trip. “The Thing About Air Travel,” written by Max Posner ’11 and directed by Sophie Shackleton ’09, opens tonight at Production Workshop. In an era in which the term “air travel” evokes discussion of the environment or shoe-bombs, the play was surprisingly personal. It recounts a family’s reaction to personal loss, through the hilarious, ridiculous and oddly delicate psyche of Marie, a wild child returning from time abroad in Africa. The cast of characters — a selfproclaimed “kinda Jewish family,” a repressed and bursting-at-theseams missionary, Marie’s undead dog-brother and a maniacally happy stewardess — are played to perfection by Lily Spottiswoode ’09, Lizzie Feidelson ’11, Sam Alper ’11, Colette Garrigues ’11, Dan Sterba ’08.5 and Jenna Horton ’09. This production is dripping with ever ything Brunonian. It’s creative, political and, at times, completely unhinged — a reflec-
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
tion of the students who made it and an audience who will undoubtedly love it. “Ever y aspect of this was made by Brown students,” Posner said in an inter view. After the run-through, director and writer, seemingly attached at the hip, sat side by side on what had been the back seat of an SUV. Describing the creative process, which began last winter, they made it clear that, although they have specific titles, their roles were very connected. Although rehearsals for this production started Nov. 5, Posner and Shackleton started planning early. “We were on the phone twice a week over the summer,” Shackleton said. Because this is the premiere of “The Thing About Air Travel,” the production will set a precedent for future performances of the play. Posner stressed the major contributions of cast and crew in developing the play, saying, “ever yone owns different moments.” On Thursday evening, 48 hours before opening night, Production Workshop was reminiscent of LaGuardia Airport, with a hustle and bustle of people, one wearing an incongruous police officer’s cap, lugging unidentifiable objects and shouting directions across the room. Cast and crew seemed hurried but delighted to be part of “The Thing About Air Travel.” “This is an awesome play,” said Alper after the run-through, while lounging on one of the airline seats. “And being a dog is really fun.”
d e ath and th e king ’ s hors e man
Courtesy of Brown Theater, Sock and Buskin
Jamie Lynn Harris ’11, who performs in “Death and the King’s Horseman,” which opens tonight.
Thanks for reading.
Page 4
4,000 gay and lesbian volumes added to Hay continued from page 1 Preston’s relationship with Anne Rice, who authored the “Vampire Chronicles” series, the Hay acquired her papers as well, Cullen said. Rice wrote erotic and sadomasochistic novels under the pen names Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure. Smith and Cullen both said they hope the gift will prompt still more donations to Brown. “My collection will not at all be the end” of the Hay’s gay and lesbian acquisitions, Smith said. The Hay’s gay and lesbian holdings also benefit from the occasional smaller gifts of a handful of donors with collections of their own. The most recent such donation featured several works from the “Romentics” series, including the novel “Spare Parts” about a mechanic and a man posing as a prostitute. Much of the fiction in these collections simply features gay and lesbian characters, Cullen said. She cited the sizeable body of mystery novels featuring gay and lesbian detectives. Examples include Greg Lilly’s “Fingering the Family Jewels,” a mystery of family intrigue set in North Carolina. For his part, Smith’s tastes run more toward the scholarly. His primary interests are biography and history, he said. Smith’s collection focuses on the history of the gay rights movement.
Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Smith first grew interested in gay and lesbian material in the 1950s, but relevant works were few and far between before the 1969 Stonewall riots, he said. Following the riots, widely considered the starting point of America’s gay rights movement, the volume of gay and lesbian literature increased dramatically and Smith said he began collecting to preserve a record of what he knew would be one of the major social movements of the 20th century. Smith said he built the collection by visiting used bookstores wherever he went and asking to see “the gay books.” At this, the employees’ “eyebrows would go up,” but he would frequently find a handful of new titles in a single store. Previously, students have used Brown’s LGBT collections for classes on both literature and social history, Cullen said. She said she hopes the collections will continue to be used for research. “The more you publicize it, the more (students) come in,” she said. Smith said he believes the use of his collection by students would be “a great service to the social movement.” And though the collection has been an important part of his life for half a century, Smith and his wife, Betty, are happy to let go. “We have room in our basement for the first time in years,” she said.
Art installation going down over break continued from page 1 In “Square Roots,” the wispy harmony of gathered branches are manipulated to form a bulbous structure that counters the hard edges of the larger shapes, keeping with Dougherty’s other work. The saplings of each box are parted to form an irregularly round opening that invites students to explore the innards of the sculpture. The Public Art Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Campus Planning and Design Board, is currently in between sources of funding and is not actively looking for new pieces at the moment. Conklin said the Committee chooses spots that are “good because they are prominent” and will not interfere with University events. Dougherty said he hoped that “Square Roots” would make “a destination of just a transition point on campus.” Dougherty’s experimentation with the medium of branches began while he was still in college, he said. The choice was initially due to the sheer abundance of scrapped twigs in surrounding areas. Over the years, the sculptor said he has come to the realization that “this was mankind’s first building material,” and has decided to stay true to the twigs for their visceral effect. For Dougherty, engagement with the saplings has elicited a remembrance of humanity’s hunter-gatherer past and of a childhood spent closer to nature. He said that the sculptures have garnered similarly
Quinn Savit / Herald
The “Square Roots” sculpture was damaged last year in a storm, but only the damaged parts were removed. The entire sculpture will be taken down over break.
positive reactions from “the Ph.D. in art history or the painter working on the house next door.” “Square Roots” uses Dougherty’s usual spectrum of wood materials, but differs structurally from the greater part of the sculptor’s oeuvre. It is an assemblage of maple saplings wrenched and tangled into several hollow, distinctly boxy structures that contrast the usually fluid, organic shapes that Dougherty builds. Dougherty said of this foray into a starker geometr y recalled the shapes of modern buildings. Toying with harsh shapes was interesting, but his shapes still reflect the fact that“sticks have their own ways.”
The artist urges that he aims to affect the viewer on a very human level, rather than on an art-critical one. “It’s about the strong sense of smell, the physicality of it,” Dougherty said, and the vast difference in scale and perception that one has from outside versus within. Sabine Zimmer ’09, who assisted in weaving the superstructure of “Square Roots” during her sophomore year, said that Dougherty’s works “all have movement to them.” Zimmer said of the sculpture’s gradual unraveling and imminent departure, “I feel like it’ll bring things full circle and that’s fine. That’s the nice thing about the material.”
In time of financial troubles, business is booming for local psychics continued from page 1 business is up — Asselin’s practice appears to be recession-proof. As stocks plunge and uncertainty surges, more and more people are rejecting ordinary sources of advice in favor of the extraordinary. Stocks fail, psychics prevail Since August, Asselin says she has seen an overall increase in business of more than 50 percent and even greater jumps in “anything job- or money-related.” Her top seller over the last few months has been “prosperity oil,” which comes in nail-polish-sized bottles and can be “sprinkled on job applications or resumes.” “Not only am I sold out of it, but my supplier is too,” Asselin says, pointing to her last vial — her “personal bottle.” Asselin isn’t the only Rhody spiritualist whose business is booming
as the economy busts. Michele Shull, manager of West Greenwich’s Sole to Soul Holistic Therapies, has seen an influx of clients to her practice and a change in the sorts of people and questions she encounters. “There has absolutely been an increase, but the biggest change has been in the type of people,” she says. “I’m having a lot of men taking my classes, which is very different.” In addition to reading tarot cards and astrology charts, Shull offers classes in reiki, whose practitioners say they manipulate “healing energy” with the palms of their hands. For $750, Shull will personally train a client to earn the title of “reiki master.” She also offers $299 hypnotherapy sessions for smokers, which she says have become more attractive “because people can’t afford to smoke.” But for Shull, the biggest jumps
have been in personal readings. “Tarot cards tell a story,” she says. “People want to know, ‘what’s in store for me?’” ‘People want answers’ Associate Professor of Sociology Gregory Elliott says there is a natural explanation for the rising popularity of the supernatural. Humans are “cognitive creatures,” he says, who do whatever they can to understand what goes on around them. But when uncertainty strikes, normal sources of understanding are tossed aside for more unconventional ones. “There’s a basic fundamental human need to understand the meaning of things,” Elliott says. “It gives us a good sense of security: Life isn’t going to be chaotic. It isn’t going to be random. It isn’t going to surprise me.” When times become more desperate, people lose their grip on meaning and do whatever they can to get it back. “When your ordinary sources aren’t working for you anymore,” Elliott says, “maybe it’s time to consult some extraordinary ones.” But why psychics over anyone else? “First of all, they have offices,” Elliott says. “They are not easily classifiable as crazy people, they have a legitimacy of sorts because they have a fixed place and obviously they are somewhat successful because they’re still there.” Elliott’s picture of human rationality isn’t lost on its beneficiaries. “It’s really amazing because you’d think people with less money would do this less often,” Shull said of her services. “People are doing this who wouldn’t even believe in it.” Ivy Nimley, who runs the Seventh House in Providence, says the shift in questions she is asked during readings is an indicator of her clients’ deepest concerns.
“Finances are the central part of almost every reading I do now,” she says. “That’s what’s on everyone’s mind.” And Nimley thinks she has the answers. She recalls a client who asked last month whether her job at financial services company Citigroup was in jeopardy. “I said I didn’t think so,” Nimley says, “and that was before the bailout.” But Shull, who says she “doesn’t profess to be a psychic medium,” concedes that accuracy may not be as important to her sales as confidence. “People want answers, and it doesn’t matter where they come from,” she says. “That’s why they always ask the questions, ‘What’s going to happen with my work? Do I need to go back to school to make more money? Am I going to lose my job? My home?’ That’s probably the most-asked question, about work and losing their homes.” Astro-economics The National Bureau of Economic Research says the recession began last December, but Nimley claims it started a bit earlier. And the invisible hand she sees manipulating the markets is no metaphor. “It really started back in 2005 or 2006, where — astrologically speaking — there was a Saturn-Neptune opposition in the sky,” Nimley says. “I saw this a while back. I used to tell people and they would laugh.” Neptune rules long-term financial investments like real estate, while Saturn rules restriction and is “the great taskmaster, the parent that makes you do your work.” The two planets have been at an unfavorable 180-degree angle lately, “so you can see how there might be problems,” Nimley says. “Anybody that did anything financially was gonna hurt.” But Nimley says that was only a
forecast, a sign of trouble to come. The source of today’s economic gloom is a recently demoted celestial body. “Pluto is why we’re feeling the financial crisis now,” Nimley says. Pluto, which rules banking, had been in Sagittarius, which rules gluttony, for nearly 14 years. “But now Pluto has just entered Capricorn, which speaks of taking responsibility, of cutting back,” she says. Asselin also blames more material forces like the news media, who she says hid vital information from the public. “The media covered it up in a veneer,” she says of the economic crisis. Asselin, Nimley and Shull agreed that a return to responsibility and a rejection of materialism is the only hope for humanity. “We need to get back to simpler times,” Shull says. “We’ve forgotten family.” Shull says she tries to spend as much time as possible with her husband and 11-year-old daughter doing more wholesome activities. “We need more hayrides, pumpkin patches, rides into the city and walking around and seeing the beauty of things,” she says. That, and some out-of-this-world stock tips. Asselin says she advises her clients to invest in “death-related jobs,” citing the “aging baby boomer population.” “It’s a little morbid, but coffins, funeral homes, those are really going to shoot up as the baby boomers, well, die,” Asselin says. In the meantime, the economy “hasn’t tanked yet” and still has a while to go before it can recover, Asselin says. And until then, no amount of prosperity oil or healing energy can save it. “I’d perform reiki on the economy if I could,” Asselin says. “But the economy is a concept.”
C ampus n ews Friday, December 5, 2008
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Hot on fungi trail, prof. wipes out gray mold By Sara Sunshine Senior Staff Writer
Eunice Hong / Herald
Daniel Halperin was among speakers at an AIDS symposium yesterday.
Panelists talk about AIDS prevention By Luisa Robledo Staff writer
Behavioral change, partner reduction and circumcision were the AIDS prevention options discussed yesterday during a symposium hosted by the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS. Commemorating World AIDS Day, the Brown University AIDS Program, among other campus and community groups, joined GAIA in welcoming three speakers — Daniel Halperin, a professor in the department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University; Rick Altice, director of the Yale University School of Medicine’s HIV in Prisons program; and David Thomas, from Nova Southeastern University. Anne DeGroot, adjunct associate professor of pediatrics and cofounder and scientific director of GAIA, said she chose the three speakers for their innovative approaches to impeding the spread of the disease and for their outstanding contributions to the field of HIV prevention. “We really want to shed a light on the need to stop the number-one killer in the world,” she said. “That is why are we are here today.” Focusing mostly on AIDS in African countries, Halperin began the symposium with an hour-long presentation, in which he explained the epidemiology of the disease and possible preventive measures. “Factors of spreading can be radically different from country to country,” he said. “Southern Africa is the wealthiest, most educated part and it has a 30 percent of HIV prevalence.” Halperin also discussed the use of condoms in Africa, stating that people were much more inclined to use one when having sexual intercourse with a sex worker than with their stable partner. “It is a human phenomenon,” he said. “It’s quite feasible to get people to use condoms when using prostitutes, but people go home to their regular partner — and most of them of them will not use one.” The underlying problem is that people who are in concurrent relationships with more than one partner — a married spouse and a lover — spread the disease. “In Lesothos, 55 percent of the male and 40 percent of the female population have more than one partner,” he said. “Over the last three years, more than two-thirds of the population was linked to the single chain of infection.” Halperin introduced ecological evidence to demonstrate the conneccontinued on page 6
With students caught up in final exams before rushing home for the holidays, odds are some students will return to school in January to find the leftovers in their refrigerators covered in mold. Luckily for them, scientists like David Cane, a professor of chemistry, are hot on the fungi trail. Cane collaborated with labs in France and Spain to identify the sequence of a toxin-producing gene in Botrytis cinerea, or gray mold. Gray mold is a widespread fungus that kills “both agricultural and ornamental plants” such as roses, cabbage and strawberries, Cane said. The mold poses a significant problem for farmers, Cane added, because it can wipe out an entire crop. “There is a constant chemical warfare going on between plants and microorganisms,” Cane said. Whereas human beings are protected by their immune systems and ability to walk, “plants are really stuck. A plant is a big glob of amino acids and sugar, and it’s rooted to the ground.” The international collaboration between Cane and French scientist Muriel Viaud, who have never met in person, first began about a year and a half ago when Cane found a genetic sequence of interest to him in the completed genome of Botrytis cinerea that Viaud had sequenced. A team in Spain that specializes in the analysis of organic compounds was also involved in the project. Together, the three labs were able to identify the specific gene cluster in gray mold that produces its plant-killing toxin and demonstrate that deleting the gene from the fungus eliminated its “ability to infect test plants” by stopping toxin production, Cane said. Cane’s lab demonstrated the
N e ws i n B r i e f
TWC planning commemoration
Courtesy of John Abromowski
Professor of Chemistry David Cane is studying the toxin-producing gene in gray mold. gene’s biochemical function by Although the identification of introducing the sequence into E. the gene implicated in gray mold’s coli bacteria and producing a pure toxin production was an important version of a protein the mold uses breakthrough, the discovery is “a to synthesize its toxin. long way away from commercial The work’s collaborative element application,” Cane said. brought the project to a “level of Still, “if you understand how a completeness” that the individual re- toxin is made, that gives you a numsearchers could not have achieved ber of potential tools for inhibiting alone, Cane said, because each lab its function,” he said, adding that had experts in a different subfield an agricultural product designed of science. to fight gray mold would need to Cane’s role in the project came be cheap and non-toxic. naturally, he said, because “chem“If it costs you $50 to protect a $3 ists are very good at answering the basket of strawberries, you are not question, how does this work?” going to (buy such a product).”
Forty years ago this month, a coalition of African-American Pembrokers and Brown students staged a walkout that became one of the most influential protests in the University’s history. The students were dissatisfied with the low number of African-American students on campus and demanded that the administration make diversity a priority. One of the students’ primary requests was that the class of 1973 be 11 percent African-American. This goal was not met, but the protest did result in the creation of what has become the Third World Transition Program. This pre-orientation program introduces students of color to Brown and “provides an introduction to the support structures and resources available to them,” according to the Third World Center’s Web site. To celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the historic walkout, the Third World Center is planning a commemoration ceremony to take place during Commencement this spring, according to Director of Regional and Multicultural Programs Myra Liwanag. Liwanag said Commencement would be the ideal time for the commemoration because alumni, including many who participated in the walkout, will be on campus. The Third World Center has made a survey available to students interested in planning the commemoration. She added that alumni who participated in the walkout will also contribute to the planning. — Rachel Starr
‘Boondocks’ screened at Animated Film Festival By Shara Azad Staff Writer
“The Boondocks” enthusiasts, Modern Culture and Media concentrators and even an aspiring engineer gathered last night in Salomon 101 for the Emancipation Presentation: Brown’s (Black) Animated Film Festival. A part of the Black Heritage Series, the film festival featured four animated clips. The sparsely attended event also featured a panel on African Americans in animation with special guests Brandon Schultz, president of ImajiMation Studios and Christopher Lehman, professor at St. Cloud University and author of several books on the subject. The night started off with a Yuletide-themed episode of Eddie Murphy’s “The PJs,” and was followed by an episode of “The Boondocks,” an animated television show known for its social satire of race relations. “‘The Boondocks’ was what brought me here,” said Calvin Main ’12. The clips screened spoke to how African Americans are depicted in the media and perceived by the global community.
“It’s a revolutionary show,” said Eve Blazo ’12. “There’s a huge difference between black people represented in cartoons versus in real life. And through comedy you can talk about political issues (in a) comedic way.” She added that though comedian Dave Chappelle may have addressed similar issues on his show, “The Boondocks” is able to comment on sensitive topics because, as a cartoon, audiences do not necessarily take its presentation of issues seriously. “The Boondocks” episode shown addressed the R. Kelly scandal of 2002, when the R&B star was indicted for statutory rape. After the episode, Schultz also screened a clip from a music video — commissioned by R. Kelly — in which an animated version of the singer tried to enter a church but was denied admission. Schultz credited the artist for his creative prowess despite the controversy surrounding the musician. “R. Kelly may be troubled, he may be a criminal, but he is a musical genius,” Schultz said. The panel then discussed past African American presence in animation. According to Lehman, there
Min Wu / Herald Chris Lehman, author of “The Colored Cartoon,” and ImajiMation Studios’ Brandon Schultz.
had not been any black animators before 1954, though African Americans had been depicted in several cartoons prior to that time. Lehman described the research process for his books on black representation in animation as difficult, but he defended past animators who may have depicted African Americans in an unflattering light in their shows. “They didn’t see themselves as being negative toward African Americans. Animators were just copying what they saw in pop culture, for animation is an imitative medium,” he said. Schultz said “The Boondocks” in particular was an important show for African Americans in animation because it was the first primetime
show with black animators focused on African American culture. When speaking of the upcoming movie “The Princess and the Frog,” which will introduce Disney’s first black princess, Schultz had mixed feelings. He said there was a lot of “animosity toward Disney” in the animation industry, though he also said he was excited that the director of “The Proud Family,” a Disney TV show about an African American family, would be on the film’s creative team. Schultz said shows like “The Boondocks” have an effect on the future of black animation. “‘The Boondocks’ is like Neil Armstrong on the moon. Space voyages can only go from here,” he said.
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Simmons third-highest paid Brown employee continued from page 1 earners in 2007 were top officials in the biomedical arm of the University. Edward Wing, who was then chair of the Department of Medicine, earned $525,488. (He became dean of medicine and biological sciences this summer.) Eli Adashi, then the BioMed dean, took home $499,699 in 2007. He announced his resigna-
tion from the post in December of that year, although he ser ved in that capacity through the end of the 2007-08 academic year. The salaries were repor ted in the University’s annual Internal Revenue Ser vice Form 990, which is publicly available because Brown files as a nonprofit institution. The financial statement covers fiscal year 2007, which ran from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Friday, December 5, 2008
HIV/AIDS: A national and global concern
Mexican legislators to reconsider death penalty
continued from page 5 tion between a lack of circumcision and the transmission of AIDS. There is biological proof, he said, that the foreskin of the penis is much more “permeable” than the skin in the rest of the body. Since “the foreskin is nine times more vulnerable to AIDS transmission than the cervical tissue,” Halperin said, there is a higher transmission of AIDS in sexual acts with an uncircumcised penis. Thus, male circumcision reduces transmission rates by 70 to 80 percent. In a statement released in 2007, World Health Organization/UNAIDS confirmed that “the efficacy of male circumcision in reducing female to male transmission of HIV has been proven beyond reasonable doubt.” Halperin finished his presentation by expressing the necessity, in light of this finding, of increasing the availability of “safe, voluntary, affordable male circumcision.” “It is unethical that poor men in these countries cannot afford the procedure,” he said, adding that some men are put on a six-month wait-list. After Halperin’s presentation, Thomas and Altice spoke to a more national concern. Their short presentation addressed their efforts to quell the spread of AIDS in American prisons, where some inmates who often don’t have condoms readily available have intercourse with one another. HIV is also spread when some prisoners share needles, they said, and they presented statistics showing that incarcerated individuals make up one of the groups with highest rates of HIV infection in America. While recognizing the global need for AIDS groups, Julie Caplow ’09, co-president of GAIA at Brown, said the disease is also a cause of concern in the U.S. “It is easy to think (of) HIV/ AIDS as a problem for the rest of the world,” she said. The goal of this week of events, she said, is that “students will realize that it is a problem that can affect them.” DeGroot agreed, adding, “We need every single one of you in the fight against AIDS.”
By Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles Times
MEXICO CITY — Anger and frustration over rampant murders and kidnappings have ignited an improbable debate here over legalizing the death penalty, a punishment that has been effectively banned in Mexico for nearly a half-century. Lawmakers agreed Thursday to hear arguments next week on a proposal to amend the Mexican constitution to allow for capital punishment in a narrow number of cases. The initiative from Gov. Humberto Moreira of the northern border state of Coahuila would allow the death penalty for convicted kidnappers who kill or mutilate their victims. As far as the people of his state were concerned, he said, the only issue is how to execute convicts, not whether to do so. It is highly unlikely, if not impossible, that the death penalty would be reinstated because of legal obstacles, experts say. But that is almost beside the point. Moreira has tapped into public panic over soaring crime that has created a climate of fear and made law and order the country’s top worry. Much of the bloodshed is related to Mexico’s ongoing drug war, as government forces crack down on powerful traffickers, and the traffickers battle among themselves over the lucrative trade. But violence is also spilling over into ordinary society. Two recent kidnappings of the children of affluent Mexicans — one turned up dead and the other has never been found — underlined the public’s vulnerability. As much as the crimes themselves, it is the fact that there are few prosecutions — impunity and no justice — that riles Mexican society. “If 98 percent of criminals escape prosecution for their crimes, it is clear that the population feels wounded and tends to support capital punishment,” said Gerardo Priego, a legislator from the ruling National Action Party (PAN). Moreira’s initiative received quick support from several other state governors from his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico through much of the 20th century. Critics, however, accused Mor-
eira of taking advantage of the public mood for political gain. Mexico City’s Human Rights Commission said a return to stateadministered executions would set the country back 200 years. “Behind this call (for the death penalty) is society’s desperation over the climate of insecurity we are living in,” said Alberto Herrera, head of the Mexico chapter of Amnesty International. “But the risk is it leads to calls for revenge. Times of desperation are the worst times to go for facile solutions.” Reinstating the death penalty is unlikely for legal and political reasons. The last execution in Mexico was in 1961 — coincidentally, in Coahuila. Capital punishment remained on the books but primarily within the military judicial system and unused until 2005, when it was abolished. In 1981, Mexico signed a humanrights treaty as part of the Organization of American States that dictates that the death penalty, once eliminated, cannot be reinstated. Furthermore, the PAN, which holds sway in parliament, says it opposes changing the constitution to allow capital punishment, even though some members, like Priego, favor debate. Recent public-opinion polls showed support for the death penalty surging to as much as two-thirds of the surveyed population. Miguel Carbonell, a constitutional law expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, said that despite public outcry, the chances of imposing the death penalty in this day and age and given the international treaties that Mexico is party to are “nil.” “We are all very worried about the security situation and want strong measures,” he said. “But the state cannot fall into the same criminal behavior as the criminals.” In separate action Thursday, Mexico’s lower house of congress approved a package of state-security laws aimed at strengthening the government’s ability to fight drug traffickers and organized crime. Key among the laws are provisions to prevent the widespread infiltration of police forces by criminals. The government’s “war on drugs” has been repeatedly undermined by discoveries that officials are allegedly on the payrolls of drug kingpins.
Passafuime ’12 talks team prep continued from page 12 What does the team have to do to get back on the winning track? Stay focused and be supportive and confident.
What are you looking forward to for the rest of the season? Being successful and continuing to grow as a team. What are the team goals heading into the break? Finish preseason games strong to prepare us for league play.
Despite efforts, m. hoops loses continued from page 12 “We did a better job in the second half moving with and without the ball, setting screens and getting each other open,” Sullivan said. “We were a little bit stagnant in the first half. We were all standing around waiting for one person to make a spectacular play rather than all working together to get a great shot.” Sullivan, who entered the game
as Brown’s leading scorer, was held to just four points in the first half, but he scored 12 in the second half to finish with a team-high 16. But it wasn’t enough to make a significant dent in the Friars’ lead, and PC finished with a commanding 86-62 victory. The Bears will return to action this Saturday, when they go on the road to take on the University of New Hampshire (2-3).
W orld & n ation Friday, December 5, 2008
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Toymakers settle lead lawsuit with Calif.
aw e som e blossoms
By Marc Lifsher Los Angeles T imes
Herald File Photo
Flowers from long-lost warm days on College Hill. In other College Hill news, Herald staffers Dan Alexander ‘12, Brigitta Greene ‘12, Anna Jouravleva ‘12, Scott Lowenstein ‘10, Anna Migliaccio ‘12, Luisa Robledo ‘12 and Ben Schreckinger ‘12 are winners.
Episcopal bishop says defections nearly over By Duke Helfand Los Angeles T imes
LOS ANGELES — The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church predicted Thursday that an initiative by hundreds of conser vative congregations to form their own church in Nor th America had largely run its course and would not trigger further large-scale defections from the denomination, long divided over issues related to homosexuality. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, making her first public comments since a coalition of breakaway congregations declared their intention Wednesday, said the departures were personally painful but would have little effect on the 2.4-million-member Episcopal Church. The new Anglican Church in North America represents about 100,000 people. “I think we’re on the downhill side,” Jef fer ts Schori said in a meeting with Los Angeles Times reporters. “I think by far the majority of those who are going to seek a spiritual home elsewhere have done it. I don’t see any other diocesan leaders on the sideline about to do this. I think we’re past the worst of it.” Along with other Protestant de-
nominations, the Episcopal Church in recent years has struggled to hold together theologically disparate factions at odds over issues involving sexuality and Biblical authority. The current crisis in the church was sparked by the ordination of an openly gay priest as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Jef fer ts Schori said that she tried to persuade leaders of the newly formed church not to break with the Episcopal Church but that the traditionalist bishops showed no interest in the overtures. She said that four former Episcopal dioceses, including one in California’s San Joaquin Valley that one year ago became the first to secede, had stopped contributing to the national church, in some cases years ago. The Episcopal Church is the American arm of the 77-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion. “They are no longer Episcopalians,” she said of those who left. “They have made that ver y clear in their departures. “Those who were formally bishops in the Episcopal Church are no longer understood to be bishops in the Episcopal Church,” she added. “They are free to associate with whom they wish.”
That’s all, folks!
Jef fer ts Schori emphasized that all are welcome in Episcopal churches — “if they want to be part of a diverse church. The doors are open and the porch light’s on, and we’re ready to welcome people home. But the expectation has to be that we are not a single-issue church. We’re not a church that says you have to believe this one thing in this one way and there is no room for difference of opinion.” The Episcopal leader added that, although those who chose to leave the church were free to do so, they were not free to take its property with them. The national church and its dioceses have filed numerous lawsuits over church buildings and other proper ty claimed by breakaway parishes. A key case, involving several Southern California congregations, is before the California Supreme Court, with a decision expected by early Januar y. “The proper ty that belongs to the Episcopal Church, to congregations and to dioceses is the product of legacies of generations before us, given ... in the name of the Episcopal Church,” the bishop said. “Leaders in the church do not have the right to give it away for other purposes.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mattel Inc., its subsidiaries and other toymakers Thursday agreed to pay $1.8 million and drop the levels of potentially toxic lead in consumer products to settle an environmental lawsuit brought by California and the city of Los Angeles. State Attorney General Jerr y Brown, who filed the complaint against Mattel and 16 other toy manufacturers a year ago, said he was pleased to resolve the case in time for most of the holiday shopping season. “These consumer protection agreements will safeguard California’s children from lead-contaminated toys this Christmas,” he said. “Putting these agreements into ef fect immediately is absolutely critical because so many toys are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas.” The settlement was reached under a state initiative approved by voters in 1986. Thursday’s agreement concluded a lengthy investigation and legal battle that followed recalls of toys, lunch boxes and novelty items imported from China and other developing nations that contained unsafe levels of lead, the attorney general’s office said. The agreement requires the companies to reformulate their products to ensure that lead levels remain below a series of thresholds set by federal laws that are scheduled to take effect early next year. Mattel said it “worked cooperatively” with the state “to further
enhance children’s safety” by meeting safety standards “that go beyond current requirements.” Since 1987, California has listed lead as a toxic material that damages the nervous system and other organs. Toys are recalled if lead levels exceed the legal limit of 600 parts per million. “Scientists have determined that there is no safe level of lead,” said Rocky Delgadillo, the Los Angeles city attorney. “It is toxic even in even the smallest amount.” According to the settlement terms, nine companies began complying with the new federal lead standards Dec. 1, more than two months earlier than the Feb. 10 deadline set by Congress. The companies as a group also must pay $550,000 into a fund to test toys for lead and improve outreach during future recalls; $460,000 to reimburse government agencies for environmental enforcement activities; and $548,000 in civil penalties and additional attorneys’ fees. The settlement covers Mattel, its subsidiar y Fisher-Price Inc., RC2 Corp., A&A Global Industries Inc., Cranium Inc., Eveready Batter y Co., Mar vel Entertainment Inc., Toy Investments Inc., Kids II Inc. and Amscan Inc.. Eight other major toy makers or retailers continue to be the target of ongoing lead-related lawsuits, the attorney general’s office said. They include Costco Wholesale Corp., KB Toys Inc., Kmart Corp., Michaels Stores Inc., Sears, Roebuck & Co., Target Corp., Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Launch of SUV-sized Mars rover delayed By John Johnson Jr. Los Angeles Times
The launch of NASA’s SUV-sized, next-generation Mars rover has been delayed two years because of continuing technical problems and cost overruns, the space agency announced Thursday. Originally set to launch late next year, the mission now is scheduled to take place in 2011, officials said at a news briefing at National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C. “We ran out of time,” Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Laborator y in La Canada Flintridge, Calif., where the rover is being built, said in a phone interview. The new rover, known as the Mars Science Laboratory, is one of the most challenging projects NASA has ever undertaken. The craft will carry an instrument payload 10 times heavier than the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed on Mars in 2004. With a 43-inch-high deck, MSL will be able to drive over obstacles that deterred earlier generations of rovers. The mission is designed to explore the planet’s habitability, both now and in the ancient past. Mission
scientists are looking at several potential landing sites where orbiting spacecraft have spotted evidence of wet conditions. Because of its size, the craft employs a complex landing system that uses a hovering rocket to lower the 2,000-pound rover on a tether as it nears the surface, similar to lowering a piano from an upper-story apartment. But it was a mundane set of problems that forced the delay. Problems developed in the design and operation of 31 actuators — combination motors and gearboxes that control the mechanical parts of the craft, including the steering mechanism, the robotic arm and the drill that will bore into Martian rocks. For a time, Elachi said, JPL engineers hoped they could solve the problems and still make the 2009 launch date. But mission managers finally decided they couldn’t take a chance with a venture as complex and costly as MSL. “We want to avoid a mad dash to launch,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “Failure is not an option on this mission.” Missions to Mars can launch only when the two planets are in proper alignment, which happens every two years.
San Jose Sharks keep Bay Area fans hopes afloat continued from page 12 But the loss of some key players, including floor leader Baron Davis, to the Clippers in the offseason has made the Warriors’ future uncertain. They started their 2008-2009 season with a bleak 5-13 start, and fan interest in the team is already declining. But while football, baseball, and basketball teams fail to entertain Bay Area audiences, one team has risen to the call of duty. The San Jose Sharks have burst into the new NHL season with explosive energy. Bent on redemption after barely missing the western conference finals last year and led by a new head coach, Todd McLellan, the Sharks have started out with an astonishing record of 21 wins, 3 losses, and 1 overtime loss. During the off-season, the Sharks acquired Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, and Brad Lukowich, to add support on the defensive end of the ice. The Sharks are undefeated at home and lead the NHL with 43 points on the season. They captivate fans with constant pressure on their opponent’s goal and an unbeatable defense. They have racked up 95 goals in 909 attempts and lead the NHL in both these categories. Bay Area locals have graciously welcomed the recent success of the Sharks. It is very easy for these fans to cling on to the Sharks when all the other major sports teams in the area can’t produce positive results. If the Sharks continue to tally up wins, fans will continue to support them. The success of the Sharks not only increases the team’s fan base, but also increases the NHL’s fan base as a whole and spreads popularity of the sport.
Bay Area fans realize that the tables can easily turn during the course of the season, but for now they sleep well and dream of securing the Stanley Cup.
Marcus Gartner ’12 thinks the Sharks’ Zamboni driver could be a more accurate passer than Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell.
Winter teams prepare to play continued from page 12 of the day as Ryan Kukuchi ’11 collected three victories and Daniel Ricketts ’09 added two. Ricketts holds four school records and will look to build on his dominance in the pool this season. The Bears will also be lead by tricaptain Richard Alexander ’09, who represented his country in the Canadian Olympic Trials this past summer. Ricketts also swam in the Olympic Trials representing the United States. The Bears head to Princeton this weekend looking to build momentum for the rest of the Ivy League season. Women’s Swimming and Diving The Bears opened up the season with a convincing 164-136 win over Dartmouth. Allyson Schumacher ’12 has already established herself as a competitor in the Northeast, breaking a Dartmouth pool record, 1:52.25 in the 200 Free, that had stood since 1995. Bruno also recorded a one-two sweep of the 1000 Free as captain Ainsley McFadgen ’09 finished in first (10:27.31), while Schumacher followed closely behind in second. The women’s team will follow the men to Princeton where it faces top-10 power Florida. The meet will count as a dual with Princeton.
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E ditorial & L etters Page 10
Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
S t a ff E d i t o r i a l
Diamonds and coal Diamond to the strange and wonderful characters we’ve come across this semester, like the professor who sells insect delicacies, entrepreneurial psychics and feminist sex shop owners. And we had thought finance was where it was at. Diamond to Students for a Democratic Society. You can pick up that ice at University Hall, comrades. Coal to the 52 freshmen who slipped in during an “uncertain” admissions year. You know who you are. Coal to the new mailboxes being harder to open than the Faunce gender-neutral bathroom’s condom vending machine. That’s the Brown we know! A diamond to the students who had a “Doomsday Preparation Party” in anticipation of potential world destruction from the Large Hadron Collider. The naysayers laughed at you, but if upside-down Sarah Palin blowup dolls aren’t a sign of the apocalypse, we don’t know what is. Cubic zirconium to the football team for winning the Ivy Championship. Your naked runs and triumphs in below-freezing temperatures give new meaning to fourth-and-inches. Coal to Harvard, which just lost $8 billion off its endowment. Poor things — that’s about two-and-a-half Browns. ADAm ROBBINS
A diamond to mass campus elation on the night of Nov. 4. We hope you’re as stoked for Palin-Jindal ’91.5 in 2012. We sure can’t wait to see what those RISD kids will do with the Bobby Jin-dolls.
Letters
Coal to the mayor of Houston for only annexing DTau’s Olney House. We got another few frats on Wriston you can take off our hands.
What the Health Services fee pays for
Diamonds to The Herald staff. Whether scavenging for sources or a capella soloists, you inspire us.
To the Editor:
119 diamonds to the new edit board / your term is something we’re looking toward / you fill the newsroom with cheer / when that wears out, you can resort to beer / so good luck to you and you’ll never be bored!
T he B rown D aily H erald Editors-in-Chief Simmi Aujla Ross Frazier
Executive Editors Taylor Barnes Chris Gang
Senior Editors Irene Chen Lindsey Meyers
editorial Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Matthew Varley Alex Roehrkasse Chaz Firestone Nandini Jayakrishna Scott Lowenstein Michael Bechek Isabel Gottlieb Franklin Kanin Michael Skocpol Ben Bernstein James Shapiro Benjy Asher Amy Ehrhart Megan McCahill Andrew Braca Han Cui Katie Wood
Arts & Culture Editor Arts & Culture Editor Higher Ed Editor Higher Ed Editor Features Editor Metro Editor Metro Editor News Editor News Editor News Editor News Editor Opinions Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor
production Production & Design Editor Steve DeLucia Chaz Kelsh Asst. Design Editor Kathryn Delaney Copy Desk Chief Seth Motel Copy Desk Chief Adam Robbins Graphics Editor Web Editor Greg Edmiston
Business Darren Ball General Manager Mandeep Gill General Manager Shawn Reilly Office Manager Alexander Hughes Sales Director Emilie Aries Communications Director Jon Spector Finance Director Claire Kiely Local & National Sales Manager Ellen DaSilva University Sales Manager Philip Maynard Local & Recruiter Sales Manager Katelyn Koh Asst. Finance Director
We would like to respond to Jared Lafer’s ’11 recent column (“Make the Health Services Fee Optional,” Dec. 4). Lafer very accurately describes what the Health Services fee covers: unlimited appointments for primary care, dermatology, EMS, 24-hour Nursing Services, medical advice, health education, nutrition and appointments at Psychological Services. UHS also offers advice and guidance regarding public health issues that may affect the entire community (infection control, pandemic planning, compliance with immunization requirements, etc.). Many of the health issues facing college students are not predictable or planned for. For example, a student who has unprotected sex has easy, affordable access to emergency contraceptives at Health Services. A student who drinks too much will be cared for by EMS and have a confidential follow-up appointment to help him
or her stay safe in the future. We don’t want students to hesitate to get care in these and many other situations (acute infectious illness, acute injury, etc.) that are commonplace for college students. This fee — among many other things — serves the collective good by drastically improving access to care. Students know they can come to Health Services or call for advice whenever they need us and are not making decisions based on financial or logistical concerns. To view the fee as purely a fee-for-service neglects the myriad of services it provides that are often unseen, unappreciated or unanticipated. Edward Wheeler, Medical Director Lynn Dupont, Assistant Director Frances Mantak, Director of Health Education Amy Sanderson, Director of EMS Dec. 4
photo Meara Sharma Min Wu Justin Coleman
Photo Editor Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor
post- magazine Matt Hill Rajiv Jayadevan Arthur Matuszewski Colleen Brogan Kelly McKowen Patrick Martin-Tuite Bob Short Monica Huang Kristen Olds
Managing Editor Managing Editor Features Editor Features Editor From the Hill Editor Film Editor Music Editor Layout Editor Layout Editor
Dan Alexander, Brigitta Greene, Anna Jouravleva, Scott Lowenstein, Anna Migliaccio, Luisa Robledo, Ben Schreckinger, Winners Anna Jouravleva, Seth Motel, Rachel Isaacs, Copy Editors Ben Hyman, Nandini Jayakrishna, George Miller, Joanna Wohlmuth, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Mitra Anoushiravani, Colin Chazen, Chaz Kelsh, Emmy Liss, Brian Mastroianni, George Miller, Melissa Shube, Anne Simons, Sara Sunshine, Gaurie Tilak, Caroline Sedano, Jenna Stark, Joanna Wohlmuth, Simon van Zuylen-Wood Staff Writers Zunaira Choudhary, Leslie Primack, Sydney Ember, Connie Zheng, Christian Martell, Alexandra Ulmer, Lauren Pischel, Samuel Byker, Anne Deggelman, Nicole Dungca, Olivia Hoffman, Cameron Lee, Debbie Lehmann, Sophia Li, Hannah Moser, Seth Motel, Kyla Wilkes, Juliana Friend, Sarah Husk, Jyotsna Mullur, Chris Duffy, Brigitta Greene, Amit Jain, Shara Azad, Rosalind Schonwald, Emma Berry, Matthew Klebanoff, Luisa Robledo Sports Staff Writers Peter Cipparone, Nicole Stock Business Staff Maximilian Barrows, Thanases Plestis, Agathe Roncey, Allen McGonagill, Ben Xiong, Bonnie Kim, Cathy Li, Christiana Stephenson, Corey Schwartz, Evan Sumortin, Galen Cho, Han Lee, Haydar Taygun, Jackie Goldman, Jilyn Chao, Kathy Bui, Kelly Wess, Kenneth So, Lee Chau, Lyndse Yess, Margaret Watson, Matthew Burrows, Maura Lynch, Misha Desai, Stassia Chyzhykova, Webber Xu, William Schweitzer Design Staff Marlee Bruning, Jessica Calihan, Rachel Isaacs, Jessica Kirschner, Joanna Lee, Julien Ouellet, Maxwell Rosero Photo Staff Alex DePaoli, Eunice Hong, Kim Perley, Quinn Savit Copy Editors Rafael Chaiken, Ellen Cushing, Younhun Kim, Frederic Lu, Lauren Fedor, Madeleine Rosenberg, Kelly Mallahan, Jennifer Kim, Tarah Knaresboro, Jordan Mainzer, Janine Lopez, Luis Solis, Ayelet Brinn, Rachel Starr, Riva Shah, Jason Yum, Simon Liebling, Rachel Isaacs, Geoffrey Kyi, Anna Jouravleva Web Developers Jihan Chao, Neal Poole
Corrections A recent Herald article (“U. hoping renewed tax law aids donors’ giving,” Nov. 20.) stated that a $10,000 gift to Brown could be invested in the university’s endowment. These smaller donations are actually held by a company called State Street Global Advisors. An article in yesterday’s Herald (“Corporation members, UCS discuss campus life issues,” Dec. 4) credited Mike Da Cruz ’09 with questioning whether the Corporation was doing enough in terms of financial aid. In fact, Mael Vizcarra ’09 brought this up during the UCS meeting.
C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
O pinions Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
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Is there justice at Brown? BY DANIEL PATTERSON Guest Columnist The Brown I’m attending now is not the same as the one I met while we were courting in info sessions and pamphlets, long before applications and committments. On Oct. 18th, many students from Students for a Democratic Society, myself included, armed with a petition signed by over 1,000 students and strong coffee, rallied outside of the Saturday morning meeting. We asked politely to be allowed in and presented letters to Corporation members as they arrived. There was no acknowledgment from any Corporation member that they were interested in reading or responding to the letter. They simply folded it, put it in their pocket and went on their way. After months of letters, petitions and rallies, the meeting of the Corporation was blocked and barricaded, with DPS Officers guarding the entrances and stationed within, and only a glimmer of hope that a seven-month campaign was even acknowledged by the members of the Corporation. Occupation of University Hall has been a successful hallmark of student activism at Brown. Eventually, after holding signs, giving speeches and playing music, we decided to realize this tradition and enter a meeting of the Corporation. Of the many students who managed to enter the building, eight made it upstairs where the Corporation was on coffee break. According to the witness testimonies sent afterwards, students negotiated first with Senior Vice President for Corporation Affairs and
Governance Russell Carey ‘91 MA’06, and later with Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76, about what level of participation the students could have in the Corporation meeting. Responding in the same way that they have in the past, Carey and Tisch refused to allow student participation and so students presented their petition and left. On that day, more than any prior or any since, I believed that Brown embraced activism and that I wouldn’t be punished for trying to improve my University. According to
And so the honeymoon lasted for a little while. But then certain students began receiving vague phone messages that they needed to set up urgent appointments with the Office of Student Life to discuss undisclosed matters. “Packages,” as they were referred to by the Office of Student Life, were deposited in students’ mailboxes with grainy security footage stills that supposedly identified them as present within the building. One of the students identified never set foot on the steps of University Hall — while he was
One of the students identified never set foot on the steps of University Hall — while he was supposedly inside, I was having a conversation with him and a DPS officer behind the building. testimony for the disciplinary proceedings from a DPS officer and all present students, testimony that was seen by many SDS members including myself, Russell Carey did not even ask for student IDs, making it apparent that students would be able to present their opinions to the Corporation with the tacit approval of the University, even if it meant running into a closed building and past DPS Officers. He testifies that he did indeed ask for identification.
supposedly inside, I was having a conversation with him and a DPS officer behind the building. I can verify that another later ‘identified’ student wasn’t present at the protest at all. The tactic of the day seemed to be divide and intimidate, trying to force the students to submit and accept the status quo; to drive into them that by challenging the University to live up to its progressive reputation, the students had crossed the line. The selected students were charged with
injuring officers, but there has been no clear evidence of which students, if any, are responsible for the injuries. Students were charged with disturbing the University community, but no University administrator could elaborate on who was disturbed and no testimonies were presented on the issue. As the judicial process continued, more and more holes developed. After the charges were delivered, many students, myself included, met with members of the administration, mentioning the fact that the vast majority of charged students were never identified in the evidence presented to them. In response, the administration concocted identifications dated the day after that meeting, with Associate Dean of Student Life Terry Addison calling said evidence “supplemental.” The idea of “Due Process” seemed to have slipped their minds. There should actually be proof that students had violated rules, not just a grainy security photo compared to a years old photo on facebook, with all the missing details like responsibility and guilt in between assumed. Regardless of how one feels about SDS’s actions, it is impossible to understand how any student can sit idly by, while their peers are subjected to such a twisted and unjust judicial process. Moreover, the Corporation’s silence on this matter speaks volumes about how they conceive of their relationship to the student body — and our role in defining our school.
Daniel Patterson ‘12 is a math concentrator from Vermont.
The case for the A BY KEVIN ROOSE Opinions Columnist If newspaper columns were given letter grades, I’m pretty sure this one would get an A. How could it not? A’s The Herald reported yesterday, a full 75 percent of the letter grades given in Brown’s humanities departments last year were As, with the number of A’s in other disciplines ranging from 58 to 63 percent. As an English concentrator, I took this as good news. While, as of this writing, it is not technically impossible to earn a bad grade in a Brown humanities class, the window of opportunity is closing quickly. (For what it’s worth, I was going to call this column “Things I Could Do To Get Cs In My English Classes,” but I ran out of ideas after “Move to Europe,” “Write All Papers in Blood,” and “Insult Professor’s Cankles.”) Ever y few years, the topic of grade inflation at America’s top colleges comes up for discussion, and ever y few years, the proand anti-inflation camps trot out the same arguments. On one side are those who don’t consider grade inflation a sign of weakened academic standards or pushover professors, who assert, as Professor of Biology Ken Miller ’70 P’02 did in yesterday’s Herald article, that students may simply be better prepared than they used to be. On the other side are those who argue that students aren’t getting smarter, that severe grade inflation makes it impossible to separate the true whizzes from the merely capable, and that grade inflation in the humanities will drive less motivated students away from science and math courses. These people ask us to imagine two recent col-
lege graduates inter viewing for the same position, one of whom earned a 4.0 just for showing up to histor y lectures, while the other spent long nights in the librar y to eke out a 3.5 in biochem. “Who will get the job?” they ask. Well, for starters, neither one of them. Have you watched CNN lately? There are no jobs. Moving on, it’s not hard to see why the idea of grade inflation rubs many people the wrong way. It smacks of injustice, of undeserved rewards and unrewarded excellence. It threatens our embedded Democratic ideal.
eton letter grades), it’s reasonable to assume that Brown’s academic bigwigs are at least considering the possibility of following Princeton’s lead and deflating our grades in the not-so-distant future. (Breathe. Ever ything’s going to be okay.) Grade-deflation policies are well-intentioned, I’m sure, but setting a grade quota at Brown would be a mistake for several reasons. First, Brown’s S/NC option at least partially nullifies one of the supposed benefits of a grade-deflation policy — the theory that,
While grade-deflation policies might allow professors to distinguish between excellent work and merely good work, it’s not clear that those distinctions ultimately matter. It proved enough of a threat to Princeton’s gatekeepers of academic integrity that, in 2004, the university adopted an across-theboard grade-deflation policy that encouraged professors in all departments to give As to, at most, 35 percent of their students. Given that Brown’s current grade imbalance dwarfs Princeton’s (even before implementing the grade-deflation policy, A’s only accounted for 47 percent of all Princ-
if you set a 35 percent limit for As in a class, the members of that class will work harder than they would other wise. But at Brown, only a portion of the students in a given class are actually seeking letter grades, which effectively derails the competition. In a class of 100, you might only have 60 students competing for those 35 A’s. With no way to tell which of their classmates were taking the course S/NC and which were shooting
for an A, grade-grubbers wouldn’t know who to sneer at during exam periods. And what fun would that be? Second, while grade-deflation policies might allow professors to distinguish between excellent work and merely good work, it’s not clear that those distinctions ultimately matter. In the years following Princeton’s successful grade-deflation, the university boasted that its job hire and grad school placement rates remained at their pre-deflation levels. Which proves what, exactly? That employers and admissions committees aren’t really looking at grades? That other factors — test scores, personality, extra-curricular accomplishments — are more important? Opponents of grade-inflation argue that giving out too many A’s will make high GPAs meaningless. But what if they already are? Ultimately, schools like Princeton are drawn to grade-deflation policies for one reason only: They’re embarrassed. A’s a prestigious university, having to explain that more than half of your students receive a grade that is supposed to designate “excellent” work isn’t particularly comfortable. It reeks of foul play, of old-boy cronyism and the “gentlemen’s A.” But Brown should (and may indeed) know that there’s nothing embarrassing about the work its students do. There’s nothing to apologize for when we bust our balls on a paper and are rewarded with an A. Dealing with our 75 percent A-rate in the humanities by imposing quotas might be tempting, but we have to stave it off. At least until I graduate.
Kevin Roose ’09.5 wrote this column in blood.
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Friday, December 5, 2008
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PC trounces men’s hoops at the Dunk
San Jose Sharks keep hopes afloat These days, many San Francisco Bay Area sports enthusiasts are having a hard time finding a team they can root for. In Marcus Gartner Sports Columnist recent years, most of the local teams have seen poor results and failed to captivate fans. It becomes hard for fans to support teams that are continually racking up losses. The San Francisco 49ers’ last playoff appearance was back in 2002, and unfortunately this season doesn’t look any more promising than the last few. The 49ers are already on their second head coach of the season, and their current record of 4-8 is an embarrassment for one of the most successful football franchises in NFL history. Fans devoted to football might attempt to turn their focus to the Oakland Raiders. But with Al Davis already having fired former Head Coach Lane Kiffin this season and the Raiders sporting a measly 3-9 record, even life-long Raider fans are having trouble keeping their faith. Baseball fans also can’t find any relief, as neither the Oakland Athletics or the San Francisco Giants have been able to achieve a winning record over the past two years. Bay Area basketball fans have had it a little better lately, as many became addicted to the sudden success of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors caught the attention of fans during the 2006-2007 season by not only making the playoffs for the first time since 1994 but also by eliminating the West’s top seed, the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round. Their unique, primarily offensive style of play also kept fans tuned in. continued on page 9
By Benjy Asher Sports Editor
Justin Coleman / Herald
The men’s basketball team fell to crosstown rival PC last night 86-62 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Bears look to bounce back in New Hampshire Saturday.
(and athlete) of the week Hannah Passafuime ’12 was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week in women’s basketball last week for her strong performance at the Dead River Company Classic. Passafuime had five points, six
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK rebounds, and two assists against the University of Maine to lead the Bears to their first victory of the season. Brown advanced to the tournament’s championship game against University of West Virginia, where Passafuime came off the bench to contribute a season-high 16 points and one assist. She shot 6-of-12 from the field, while also knocking down three three-point shots. She is now second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.2 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. For her exceptional play, The Herald has chosen Passafuime as our Athlete of the Week. Herald: When did you start playing basketball and why?
By Katie Wood Assistant Sports Editor
Passafuime: I started playing in second grade. My sister was in fourth grade and had just joined a team with some of her friends and they let me practice with them.
As most Brown students head home for the semester, many athletes will instead remain on campus for Winter Break and continue training in hopes of Ivy League glory at season’s end. This fall, the football team secured its second conference title in the last four years. Many of the teams at Brown hope for the same results in League supremacy. Here’s a preview of the Brown teams that are just starting to kick off their seasons.
What has been the hardest part of your transition to college basketball? The college game is played at a much faster pace. Do you have any superstitions or pregame rituals? I will always have a rubber band or hair tie around the back of one of my shoes. Why did you choose Brown? I got along very well with all the girls on the team. I wanted to come to school on the East Coast, and I like the Brown curriculum. Did you expect to make such an impact on the team so quickly? I came in with little expectations other than to work hard and do the best I can. continued on page 6
continued on page 6
Winter sports preview
Passafuime ’12 is rookie By Nicole Stock Sports Staff Writer
Despite coming into the game riding back-to-back wins, the men’s basketball team (3-4) looked overmatched on Wednes62 day night in Brown Providence 86 an 86-62 loss to Providence College (5-3) at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. From the game’s outset, the Friars, who play in the powerful Big East Conference, dominated the Bears, quashing any hope of an upset. “We knew it would be a tough game coming in, and we knew we would have to play extremely well,” said tri-captain Peter Sullivan ’11. Sullivan was the top-scoring Bear with 16 points, and tri-captain Chris Skrelja ’09 led the Bears on the glass with eight rebounds to go along with his seven points. Center Matt Mullery ’10 scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in the loss. Marshon Brooks led the Friars with 22 points, while point guard Sharaud Curry contributed 14 points and 8 assists and big men Jonathan Kale and Randall Hanke each finished with 13 points. As a team, Brown shot just 33.3 percent from the field, compared to PC’s 51.5 percent, which included 8-of-20 shooting from behind the arc. Early on, Brown fell behind 12-5 but cut the Friars’ lead to 14-11 on back-to-back three-pointers from Adrian Williams ’11, who finished with 15 points. From there, though, the Friars began to dominate, going on a 17-4 run to open up a 16-point lead. PC got a spark off the bench from Marshon Brooks, who knocked down three shots from behind the arc and scored 17 points in the first half en
route to a game-high 22. The Bears were unable to contain the Friars’ offensive attack and went into the half with a 48-25 deficit. “They had a lot of uncontested shots because they were getting a lot of drive-and-kicks,” Sullivan said. “We need to play better on-the-ball defense so other guys don’t have to jump in to help and leave their guy wide open.” The second half began well for Bruno, as Williams knocked down three free throws after a foul behind the arc and Sullivan scored to cut PC’s lead down to 18. But the Friars quickly quelled any hopes of a Brown comeback, taking advantage of offensive rebounds and open jump shots to go on an 11-2 run to open up a 27-point lead. PC dominated on the boards all night, out-rebounding the Bears 40-22, including a 14-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points for the Friars. “We need to play more physical, and stress how important it is to get every rebound,” Skrelja said. “Whether it’s a center or a point guard, everyone has to … be more hungry on the glass.” Morgan Kelly ’11 sparked the Bears’ offense with two jump shots, and Skrelja scored on a put-back to bring Brown back to within 21, but the Friars once again pulled away, widening their lead to 30. Brown got things going on the offensive end towards the end of the game, scoring 37 second-half points after a frustrating first half. The Bears’ slow start was almost identical to the team’s game against Northwestern on Nov. 22, when they fell behind 48-26 at the half but exploded for 38 points in the second frame with the result no longer in doubt.
Justin Coleman / Herald
Hannah Passafuime ’12 is the second leading scorer for the women’s basketball team. The Bears look to add to their one win on the season this weekend at the Brown Bear Classic against Long Island and UMass.
Women’s Track and Field The track team opens up its season at home Saturday at the Alden Invite. The women’s distance squad looks to compete with the likes of Princeton and Columbia after its third-place finish at the conference meet this fall. Thelma Breezeatl ’10 returns to the track for the first time since she suffered a hamstring injury at the Indoor Heps meet last season that put her out for the rest of the year. She runs the 60m and hopes to return the Ivy League’s fastest woman crown to College Hill. Nicole Burns ’09 looks to defend her indoor and outdoor League titles in the 400m. Brynn Smith ’11 threw a personal best of 51’10” in the shot put at the NCAA outdoor regional meet last year and hopes that in the
indoor season she will pick up where she left off. Danielle Grunloh ’10 in shot put and Molly Hawksley ’09 in weight anchor the throws squad this season. Natasha Smith ’11 once again looks to repeat as conference champion in the Pentathlon. The Bears finished second at last year’s Indoor Heps meet and hope to overcome the rest of the pack and take home first this season. Men’s Track and Field On the men’s side, Steve Chaloner ’09, Sean O’Brien ’09 and Duriel Hardy ’10 look to push the distance squad into scoring contention at every meet this season. Bryan Powlen ’10 in shot and Eric Wood ’09 in weight will be a dominant force in the throwing circle for the team. The men’s first meet of the season will also be at home this Saturday as they look to improve upon their seventh place finish at last year’s Indoor Heps. Men’s Swimming and Diving Bruno opened up its season in solid fashion, splitting a tri-meet with a 183-117 win over Dartmouth and a narrow 155-131 defeat against host Navy on Nov. 22. Brown won eight of the 16 events continued on page 9