Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 29 | Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Endowment fell to $2 billion by year-end by Nicole Friedman Senior Staf f Writer

U.S. Senate

Former Sen. John Edwards

Edwards to speak Tuesday

Former senator cancelled fall date

The University’s endowment was valued at $2.01 billion at the end of 2008, a top administrator said at a faculty meeting Tuesday, offering a hard reckoning for the first time of the enormous losses suffered in the last six to eight months. Before the announcement, from Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper, the University’s only recent statement on the endowment had been a January e-mail from President Ruth Simmons. In

that message to the community, Simmons said Brown was working under the assumption that the fund would be worth roughly $2 billion at the end of June. The University had not provided an explicit estimate of the endowment’s current worth. The endowment hit a high-water mark of $2.8 billion last summer, but has lost almost 30 percent of its value since then. Despite the fact that six more months of market turmoil could make the University’s $2 billion continued on page 4

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News.....1-4 Higher Ed...5-6 Spor ts...7-8 Editorial..10 Opinion...11 Today........12

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Along with the revelation that the endowment had already fallen to the $2 billion mark administrators said would reflect the fund’s value in June, a top administrator provided details that explain the Corporation’s decision to demand deeper budget cuts than had been proposed. The Corporation had a more pessimistic outlook for the prospects of economic recovery.

Lt. Gov. Roberts ’78 setting her sights on top office By Emmy Liss Features Editor

By Ben Schreckinger Senior Staff Writer

Former Senator John Edwards will speak in Salomon 101 next Tuesday after cancelling a separate lecture here last fall. Edwards was scheduled to give the Gov. Frank Licht ’38 Lecture last fall at Brown. But after he admitted in August to having an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer, Edwards cancelled all speaking engagements until the November elections, saying in a statement that he did not want to distract from the presidential campaign. Professor of Political Science Marion Orr, who oversees the Licht Lecture series as director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy, said there was “mutual agreement” with the Edwards camp that the lecture should not go forward in light of the controversy. The Licht Lecture was rescheduled for April and will feature Democratic strategist Donna Brazile. Edwards spoke at Indiana University immediately after the election and at a private conference in California. But since then, the former senator has kept a low public profile. The upcoming lecture, sponsored by the Brown Lecture Board, is not related to the cancelled Licht lecture, Orr said. Andrew Chapin ’10, a president of the lecture board, said Edwards has not informed the board of “an official speech topic.” A vice president for the Harry Walker Agency, Edwards’ booking agency, declined to comment in an e-mail to The Herald. But a profile on the Harry Walker Agency’s Web site advertises Edwards’ standard speaking topic as “America: The Land of Opportunity,” about the

Guessing endowment returns Guessing endowment returns

When Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts ’78 was in college, had you asked her if she would ever run for public office, she said she “would have looked at you like you had two heads.” The first woman to hold the position of lieutenant governor in Rhode Island, the former human biology concentrator spoke to a group crowding the first few rows of MacMillan 117 yesterday about women in politics, finding an unexpected career path and her potential run for governor.

Kim Perley / Herald

Rhode Island’s Lieutenant Governor, Elizabeth Roberts ’78, spoke yesterday about women in politics and her days as a student.

Getting started By Rhode Island standards, Roberts said, she is not quite a Rhode Islander — she grew up near Washington D.C. and moved north to attend Brown. While in college, she volunteered at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which solidified her interest in health care and established her connection to Providence. Most of her classmates

went on to medical school, but Roberts was “fascinated” by the health care system itself. She earned her MBA in health care management from Boston University, attending school part-time while she worked at Pawtucket Memorial Hospital. Roberts got her first taste of local Rhode Island politics volunteering for campaigns, which she recommended as the best way to get star ted in politics and mull over electoral politics as a career. In working for races “you really care about,” she said, you have the opportunity to learn a lot and make a difference. Plus, she added, “It’s almost like summer camp.” Roberts worked doing issue research for a candidate in the early 1990s. Though the candidate lost, Roberts was next hired to be on Gov. Bruce Sundlun’s policy staff at the State House. But with two preschoolers and a minimal government salar y, Roberts only stayed for 14 months. continued on page 2

ResLife rejects video, but its creators aren’t surprised for various reasons. One student runs into trouble with the law, while another has his dorm taken over by a leopard — who has already eaten his roommate. Bleckner agreed with the decision not to allow the video. The director of the movie, Avery Houser ’12, said he thought it should have been allowed, but added, “I respect their decision.” “Brown tends to be ver y liberal in terms of what they allow,” Houser said. “I think that’s why we took that liberty.” In one scene, five male roommates share a bed with one female student. Later, one of the

roommates asks: “Which one of you guys impregnated my girlfriend?” That is not the video’s only sexual reference — one scene includes nude pictures — nor is it the only scene that pushes the boundaries of what administrators consider appropriate for the competition. Characters swear freely throughout the video, two underage students drink gin and beer in another scene and a student shoots a policeman after the officer finds narcotics in the student’s room. Residential Council Housing Lotter y Committee Chair Ben

Lowell ’10 said ResLife chose not to show the video at the Feb. 19 competition screening in Sayles Hall due to concerns that the content could make students uncomfortable. “When I was watching it with an administrator, I personally felt uncomfortable,” Lowell said of his initial reaction to the video. “If I felt that, I didn’t know how people who were just going to this competition just to see the videos would feel.” Lowell said he didn’t know if the students who made the video fully

Higher Ed, 5

Sports, 7

Opinions, 11

Juicy Campus 2.0 Men’s crew team is the subject of gossip on anonymous forum

Water Polo wins Women’s water polo team win ECAC championship

Not enough green? Boris Ryvkin ’09 says Brown can’t afford to go green

By Dan Alexander Staf f Writer

Residential Life rejected a video submitted to the housing lotter y “first pick” competition last month due to its sexual content, obscenity and drug and alcohol references. The students behind “Phyllis’ Baby” agree it pushed the limits of propriety. “I knew that the movie was going to be extremely inappropriate,” said cast member Zach Bleckner ’12. “And I loved it.” The six-minute video tells the stor y of five male students who have to move out of their rooms

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

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herald@browndailyherald.com

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Wednesday, March 4, 2009-

“I discovered something at mid-life I absolutely loved.” — Lieutenant Gov. Elizabeth Roberts ’78

Roberts leads way for women in RI politics continued from page 1 In the spring of 1996, she received a call from a state senator who said he was leaving the state and wanted her to run for his seat. At this point in her talk, Roberts referenced the two main points Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Lawless often makes about women in politics — when women run, they win, but people tend not to ask women to run — both of which prove to be true, Roberts said. The senate seat offer came right after President Clinton’s health care reform failed, leaving the topic — Roberts’s area of focus — to be dealt with on the state level. She said she thought, “Let’s see what happens,” though she acknowledges now that, “I had no idea what I was doing.” “No one’s qualified to run in a political race,” she said, and the system is built for bringing your own experiences, particularly in Rhode Island. Running for Rhode Island State Senate is “like running for City Council,” Roberts said — she raised minimal funds and spent most of her time knocking on doors. In a three-way primary and general election, Roberts won the seat and became the first woman elected in Rhode Island in 12 years. She said being a woman is an advantage when running for local office — people never hesitated to open their doors and share their thoughts and concerns with her. Moving on After being reelected to the seat five times, Roberts said she knew

she wanted to leave the state senate. There was little independence in the body and she “got tired of compromising.” Though she would vote against what the leadership wanted, there was “pressure not to do that.” The position of lieutenant governor offered the most flexibility because of its vague role. The fundamental role is constitutional, but “no one should vote for someone who is waiting to be governor,” Roberts said. In the majority of states, the position of lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor, making it an easy way to run as a female candidate. “It’s an easy way to diversify the ticket and say, ‘See? We have one,’” Roberts said. But in Rhode Island, the two are elected separately, and Roberts is in the somewhat unusual position of being in the opposite political party from the governor, Republican Donald Carcieri ’65, which makes the job frustrating at times — Roberts said she sees first-hand “things I want to change, but can’t.” Diverse influences The broader community doesn’t have faith and respect in government, Rober ts said, and young people tend to create a self-fulfilling prophecy by shying away from the political arena because of who is already in it. The reason Roberts stays with it is “because I believe I’m someone who can make a difference,” she said. Young women in particular often undervalue themselves when thinking about politics, Roberts said. Many of the women she knows in

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politics got involved not for political reasons, but “because they had a mission or a cause they cared about.” For Roberts, it was health care that put her on her unexpected road to the State House. Though her science background earns her credibility when she talks to doctors about health care reform, she said her undergraduate education has ser ved her less in curriculum-based ways, and more in what it taught her about learning. The New Curriculum taught her to set priorities, make decisions and manage herself, she said. “My organic science?” she joked. “Not that helpful to me.” Roberts said she is “not a huge believer in planning out your entire life,” a piece of advice she offered to current Brown students. “I discovered something at midlife I absolutely loved,” she said. “Had I been locked in, I never would have done this.” Being among the few women in Rhode Island public office — she is only one of two elected female Democrats in the state’s history — Roberts believes that a government that looks like the people it represents would be more respected. She said traditional paths of going through the “crowded pipeline” of candidates is harder for women, which is why elected women are more likely to find opportunities in the minority party. Accordingly, within the state legislature, partisan differences were less important among the women, she said. There was a “respectful collegial relationship” and the politicians avoided unnecessary fights. In an effort to diversify Rhode Island politics, Roberts tries to be personally supportive of local female candidates whenever possible. Roberts 2010? Carcieri’s term as governor will expire in 2010 and a “crowded pool” of Rhode Island politicians is starting to test the waters to take his seat, Roberts said. As of now, she is saying she is “ver y seriously considering running” and has started fundraising, but she noted that the election it is still 20 months away. When a student asked why she would want to be governor in such a tumultuous time, Roberts said, though the state is in a public mess, “it’s a moment of enormous opportunity” and an opportunity to “think about our state differently.” Students had the opportunity to ask Roberts questions about a broad range of topics, given the intimate setting. Herald Opinions columnist Jeremy Feigenbaum ’11 said he “appreciated her honesty” about ever ything from running for governor to the state of health care reform. “From start to finish, it was an easy-going talk that could broach any topic,” said Ali Wolfson ’12. Rober ts’ lecture was sponsored by the Sarah Doyle Women Center as par t of Women’s Histor y Month.

A scene in the disqualified video depicts a student with a suspicious powder.

Disqualified video includes binge-drinking ghost, porn continued from page 1 considered the context in which the video would be shown. “A few times when we were filming, one of us would be like, ‘Yo, this is outrageous,’” Bleckner said. “And another one of us would be like, ‘Yo, this is Brown.’” Lowell said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life, agreed the video was inappropriate for the Sayles Hall screening. The group that made “Phyllis’ Baby” received a form e-mail informing them without further explanation that they were not finalists in the competition. According to Lowell, “a few” other videos were banned because they were too long or were submitted after the deadline. Houser sent an e-mail responding to Lowell’s message, asking whether his group’s video was banned because of quality or inappropriate content. If the

video was indeed banned for its content, he asked if the group could edit and resubmit it. “I told them that because of the time limitation, I unfor tunately didn’t have time for them to edit and resubmit the video, but that they were welcome to enter the competition next year,” Lowell said. Bleckner and Houser said they were confident they would have done well in this year’s competition. “I don’t think we would have won,” Houser said. “But I think we would have gotten really positive feedback.” Houser created a Facebook event titled “Res Life Has Poor Taste in Film” and posted his video on YouTube, where it has gotten over 650 hits. “The fact that we were disqualified adds a really cool — what’s the word for it — an edge,” Bleckner said. “It makes us untouchable.”

‘Ruthless’ wins lottery pick contest The makers of “Ruthless,” a video about a bear attacking campus, will have a choice of any room on campus next year after earning the most votes for their video in Residential Council’s annual First Pick Competition. The video tells the story of a group of students being chased by a bear. At the end, Ruth Simmons is revealed as the mastermind behind the bear attack. Students voted on “Ruthless” and eight other videos both online and at a screening of the movies on Feb. 19. “We thought we had the best video,” said cast member Will Riedel ’12. “But we didn’t really actively campaign as much as other groups, so we didn’t know” if “Ruthless” would win. The movie uses camera effects, stunts and realistic props. In one scene, Riedel appears to be jumping off the spiral staircase at Graduate Center. “We built a person doll and threw it off of the Grad Center five or six times,” said “Ruthless” director Anish Sarma ’12. “It just took so long to get right but it was so worth it.” Sarma said he thought the cameo from Simmons helped. “I don’t think it single-handedly made the movie work, but it was definitely a key element and it also helped us get some publicity.” The ten freshmen have not decided where they are going to live next year. “We’re looking at a lot of places now,” Riedel said. “We really have no idea yet.” — Dan Alexander

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

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“(Contemplative practices) have no tenets of faith, other than the simple one that the practice will work.” — Jonathan Mitchell ’09

Fellows explore Judaism, modern life

on Tuesdays — each two-and-a-half hours long — two “Shabbatons” and a trip to New York City. Each Two weeks ago, Sarah Levy ’12 week, the group meets in Hillel to turned off her phone and computer hear Lurie’s hour-long lecture and for a day and gave herself the op- then listen to a guest speaker. “We try to bring in people who portunity to have a “full Shabbat experience.” Levy, along with 20 have an expertise in the world and other Brown students, enjoyed a who also value their Judaism and home-cooked meal in Rabbi Yitzhak show their insights on how to reLurie’s house followed late them together,” he said. by hours of singing and FEATURE Each guest speaker praying. “We had many meaningful con- touches upon a dif ferent topic, versations,” Levy said. “We ate a which have so far included environlot, and we enjoyed each other’s mental law and biomedical ethics. Lurie also offers “one-on-ones” presence without outside technology interrupting our lives.” in which both he and his wife, Julie, The “Shabbaton,” as Lurie calls meet with students. “We meet students individually it, is part of the curriculum of the Maimonides Leaders Fellowship at the coffee shop of their choice,” program. The program gives Jew- he said. “We discuss anything from ish students the resources and the what is love really all about to how time to fully learn about their cul- Judaism views men’s and women’s tural background and to understand roles in the world.” its relationship to modern issues, The students receive a $400 Lurie said. cash stipend after completing the “It’s an opportunity for college program, which should encourage students to take an in-depth look at participants’ commitment, Lurie the Jewish view on humanity and said. The funds come from Jewish the world,” he said. philanthropists “who see the value According to Lurie, the fellow- in Jewish wisdom” and would like ship is a semester-long program to give college students the opporthat consists of 10 weekly sessions tunity to explore it, he said. By Luisa Robledo Staf f Writer

Min Wu / Herald File Photo

The Brown branch of the Maimonides Leaders Fellowship meets weekly at Hillel to hear from guest speakers.

“Whether it is through charity, through building a Jewish library for themselves, or giving themselves the opportunity to go on an Israel trip, (the money) gives them a chance to manifest that education,” Lurie said. “If the students decide to use it for something else, we assume that it’s because they need it.” According to Lurie, for most of the current members the compensation is a “side point.” Ben Folit-

Brown Peace Corps volunteers up recently By Emily Rosen Contributing Writer

Brown ranked 15th in the number of alum volunteers in the Peace Corps among medium-sized colleges and universities last year, according to a list released by the organization this Januar y. “Brown students have a great view of the world and a great commitment to ser vice. That’s why they are such good candidates for the Peace Corps,” said Januar y Zuk, Peace Corps regional recruiter for Rhode Island and former volunteer, who has been recruiting at the University for three years. Sharing Brown’s ranking are the University of Pennsylvania and Binghamton University — all three schools contributed 24 alum volunteers each in 2008. In the rankings for 2007, Brown tied with Yale and Binghamton University for 22nd place in the medium-sized colleges and universities categor y, while two years ago Brown placed 17th. In addition to Brown and Penn, three other Ivy League schools made the most recent list. Cornell ranked fourth in the medium-sized universities categor y with 50 volunteers, Yale was 21st in the medium categor y with 21 volunteers and Dartmouth ranked 10th in the small colleges and universities categor y with 18 volunteers. The Peace Corps, which was founded in 1961, sends American

volunteers, many of whom are recent graduates, to over 70 foreign countries to improve their systems of education, health care, agriculture, technology and sustainable development, as well as other community factors. Samantha Kuo ’09, who will be joining the Peace Corps in 2010, is among the current Brown seniors who have decided to make the 27-month commitment to ser ve. Kuo said she will probably not have much say in where she will go or what she will do, but she is most interested in ser ving in the Middle East or North Africa. “I really want to go abroad,” she said, adding that she studies Arabic but has never had the chance to study abroad. “You get to volunteer and the Peace Corps takes care of ever ything for you.” The Peace Corps covers the volunteers’ travel fees, health care and other expenses during their ser vice and provides noncompetitive entr y into government jobs and a $6,000 benefit to volunteers when they return from ser vice. “You have to be ver y committed to the idea, because there is really not that much of an economic incentive,” Kuo said. Andrew Nager ’09 said he will most likely accept his Peace Corps nomination to work for the Water Sanitation Extension in Central or South America. Beginning his ser vice in 2010, Nager will work

on water resource engineering and water sanitation, he said. “I went to one of the information sessions at the Career Center and just decided to apply,” Nager said, adding that he is now “excited” by his nomination and likely participation in the program. The year-long application process for the Peace Corps is rigorous, Zuk said, requiring prospective volunteers to complete a 20-page online application, inter view, medical screening and security check. Traditionally, volunteers for the Peace Corps have been college graduates, but a college degree is not required for ser vice. “I think it’s impressive that so many Brown students are in the Peace Corps,” said Associate Professor of Anthropology Daniel Smith, who was a Peace Corps health care volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1984 to 1985. Smith said he thinks the primar y motivating factors for people to join the Peace Corps are curiosity and a “desire to do some kind of good in the world.” The people who work for the Peace Corps benefit as much or more than the people they are ser ving, he added. Kuo thinks the Peace Corps is a tr usted organization that will provide a safe atmosphere in which to ser ve the community. “I want to give back and do something while I’m young and don’t have a lot of commitments,” she added.

Weinberg ’09 was interested in the program before he knew about the money, he said. Like the rest of the fellowship members, Folit-Weinberg just wants to better understand the “Jewish mentality.” “This is a par t of my background,” he said. “I have been trying to learn more about the world from many perspectives.” According to Folit-Weinberg, the program has exposed him to several “sophisticated thinkers,”

some of whom he has kept in touch with. He has also been able to learn about topics he was curious about but didn’t have the time to pursue in class. “I’m grateful that they are offering this sort of intellectual resource,” he said. The fellowship program is also offered at a number of other universities, including Yale, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Chicago.

Thinking hard about your concentration? They are.

Contemplative studies an ‘emerging’ field meditation traditions,” said Matthew Sacchet ’10, a contemplative studies concentrator who focuses on neuroThinking about your concentration? science and psychology. “With mediSo were a few undecided undergrads tation, you’re very much dealing with — until they chose to concentrate on your own conscious experience. That their thinking instead. can appeal to people who find that Contemplative studies, an inde- the sciences can be removed from pendent concentration that currently what’s actually happening.” boasts five concentrators, takes a Meditation is just one example of hands-on approach to the explora- a contemplative practice, Roth said. tion of human consciousness and The methods used in contemplative self-awareness. studies courses “deal with self-analyThe concentration’s sis, encourage students foundational course, to apply their studies to FEATURE UNIV 0540: “Introductheir own lives … and tion to Contemplative Studies,” is so lead to increased self-awareness,” popular that it often has a waitlist he said. “It is a science refined over cenof over 50 undergrads. The class, capped at 20, encourages students turies and generations that makes to personally experience the contem- available to us one of the biggest plative practices they study, such as unexplored realms on earth: the humeditation, and exposes them to a man mind,” said Jonathan Mitchell new perspective on learning. ’09, whose concentration focuses on “It’s a newly emerging field the musical dimensions of contemthat studies contemplative experi- plative studies. ence across culture and time, from Roth said people outside the field scientific, humanistic and creative often misunderstand the significance arts approaches,” said Professor of of meditation in contemplative studReligious Studies and East Asian ies. “It’s perceived by some in reliStudies Harold Roth, who advises gious studies as no different than the five concentrators. forcing students to pray or accept Students concentrating in the Jesus as their savior, forcing them field tailor their coursework to their to buy into the truth of a religious academic interests, which include system,” he said. neuroscience, music, psychology Mitchell said he believed such and education. perceptions of meditation are in“It really interested me, the continued on page 9 crossover between academia and By Anne Speyer Staff Writer

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS Columbus Day proposal still in limbo A motion to change the name of Columbus Day to Fall Weekend was approved at yesterday’s faculty meeting, but not enough voting faculty members were present for the motion to officially pass. Therefore, the vote will need to be ratified at next month’s meeting. The University’s Course Announcement Bulletin, which goes to press on Friday, will include Columbus Day in its academic calendar. But if the motion is approved, the holiday’s name will be changed to Fall Weekend on all official online calendars. Not changing the printed calendar is “unfortunate,” but “we were pleased that we’re moving forward in this process,” Reiko Koyama ’11, who spearheaded the movement to change the name, told The Herald. “I’m glad eventually it will be changed permanently.” According to the rules of faculty meetings, a quorum of 100 voting faculty members is needed to pass a motion. After the vote on the Columbus Day motion, a faculty member requested a quorum count, which indicated only 43 faculty members were present. The movement to end the observance of Columbus Day at Brown reached the faculty meeting after supporters created a student petition and met with the Brown University Community Council, the Staff Advisory Committee and the Undergraduate Council of Students. The Faculty Executive Committee delayed a Feb. 10 vote on the motion but agreed to place a revised motion on the faculty meeting agenda at their Feb. 20 meeting. The FEC did not unanimously vote to place the motion on the faculty meeting agenda and so did not officially endorse the motion one way or another, said Professor of Philosophy Jamie Dreier, chair of the FEC. Koyama and Peter Hatch ’11 answered questions from the faculty before the motion went to vote. They defended the name change as a first step in initiating broader awareness of Native American history and culture on campus. Many different names were considered for the holiday to replace Columbus Day, including Tomato Day and Indigenous People’s Day, but Fall Weekend was decided on as a name that could “be celebrated by all,” Koyama said at the meeting. “Neutral and secular is really a positive step,” Hatch told the faculty. Since faculty meetings rarely achieve a quorum of 100 voting members, students will have to lobby faculty members to attend the next meeting if they want the vote to be ratified, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 told The Herald after the meeting. — Nicole Friedman

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

“We have to be prepared for worse” than what the Corporation has projected. — Exec. VP for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper

Corp. found U. plans too rosy continued from page 1

projection for June seem optimistic, Huidekoper said she still expects it to be accurate. “We were and still are expecting that the endowment will neither increase or decrease” between December and June, she wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “But who can forecast?” Huidekoper cautioned in her presentation to the faculty that it is difficult to estimate the size of the endowment with great precision because “our private equities and real assets” cannot be marked to market. Huidekoper also provided insight into the Corporation’s decision at its meeting last month to deepen budget cuts the administration had proposed. Simmons had presented a fiscal plan to the University’s highest governing body that included $60 million in reductions to planned budget increases by 2014. But the Corporation, feeling more pessimistic about the economy, left College Hill having asked for more reductions, and Simmons announced those cuts would be closer to $90 million. While the administration’s proposed budget had assumed that returns from the endowment would be flat in 2009 and return to 10 percent growth thereafter, the Corporation

recommended that the University plan for negative 5 percent returns in 2009 and 5 percent increases in following years. Huidekoper acknowledged that the Corporation’s outlook was “very grim,” but told the faculty it “easily could be worse.” The Corporation similarly lowered expectations for future revenue growth. The $550 million general budget that Simmons proposed to the Corporation assumed a yearly revenue growth of 3 percent, an estimate that was itself down from the 5 percent growth projected last May. But the Corporation encouraged the administration “to be more pessimistic than we had been,” Huidekoper said, and approved a new budget based on the assumption that revenue would increase at just 2 percent per year. Between this fiscal year and the next, total revenues are only expected to increase by about 1 percent, Huidekoper added in an e-mail. Using the Corporation’s reduced revenue assumptions, the University now projects revenues of $610 million by the fiscal year that starts in 2014. That is $60 million more than current levels, but “much of that will be eaten up by financial aid and facilities and inflation,” Huidekoper said. The Corporation rejected a plan to increase by 2 percent the annual

rate at which the University draws on the endowment, Huidekoper said. Brown’s current budget is structured to limit the rate at which it draws on the endowment to 5.5 percent annually, based on a threeyear running average of the endowment’s value. The approved budget maintains the current policy. Because of decreased market values, the endowment payout for the next fiscal year, which will be kept at 5.5 percent of the past three years’ average, will represent a 1 percent decrease in terms of its contributing to the operating budget from this fiscal year’s payout. If the University continues to base its payout on the three-year average, economic conditions indicate that endowment payouts will decrease for the next two years, Huidekoper said. The University should not “make decisions based on what you’re seeing right now,” Simmons said in response to a faculty member’s question about whether the Corporation’s projections were pessimistic enough given the poor status of the stock market. The S&P 500 has fallen 22.9 percent since January 1. “We have to be prepared for worse” than what the Corporation has projected, Huidekoper said , and also “hopefully be ready for better.”

Brown to host former Sen. Edwards continued from page 1 moral imperative to offer all members of society access to the American dream. Edwards grew up in poverty and became a prominent trial lawyer before entering politics. “He’s always had a mission, and his mission … is to promote economic quality,” Associate Professor of Political Science Wendy Schiller said of Edwards. “My guess is that he’s hoping to deliver that message.” “He won’t be critical of the administration at all,” Schiller predicted.

Edwards is known for his populist rhetoric, while the federal government has bailed out large financial institutions with hundreds of billions of dollars in recent months. Schiller said she believes Edwards is motivated by issue advocacy rather than any attempt to return to higher office. “I don’t see an electoral role for him at all in the near term,” she said. Free tickets to the event will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the J. Walter Wilson mail room.

Higher Ed The Brown Daily Herald

“We’re no longer posing any serious threats.”

Catholic group fights ‘Monologues’ By Gaurie Tilak Higher Ed Editor

Though a group of Brown students staged three sold-out performances and an encore of “The Vagina Monologues” this past weekend, attempts to produce the show at Catholic schools across the country have been resisted by a conservative Catholic advocacy group. The Cardinal Newman Society, which has been campaigning against the show since 2001, recently issued a statement claiming that their efforts had reduced the number of Catholic schools hosting the production from 32 in 2003 to 15 in 2009. According to an online press release, CNS considers the play to be “a sexually explicit and offensive play that favorably describes lesbian activity, group masturbation and the reduction of sexuality to selfish pleasure.” V-Day, a national organization founded by “The Vagina Monologues” playwright Eve Ensler, owns the rights to the play and advocates its performance in the United States

to spread awareness of violence against women. In 2009, the organization will host 912 events at colleges and universities nationally. V-Day Director of Communications Susan Swan called CNS “a fringe group,” adding that many schools perform the show every year. “In V-Day’s view, ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is not explicit,” Swan said. “It is a work of art that is very educational and liberating.” She said the number of schools that have performed the play is much smaller than those that actively oppose it. Every year, CNS sends a letter to the presidents of Catholic schools nationwide that are planning to host performances of the play, according to David Costanzo, communications and marketing director for the organization. He said the letter serves to notify each president that a performance is scheduled at the school and states CNS’s concerns with the production. CNS’s efforts have been met with mixed reactions, Costanzo said. “We’ve had presidents directly

contact us to let us know that they were not aware of a performance taking place and they plan to cancel it,” he said. On the other hand, he said, “we’ve had some contact with presidents that say they are aware but aren’t canceling it.” Nevertheless, the number of performances at Catholic schools has steadily declined over the past six years, Costanzo said. The organization has received support from bishops around the country and in the Vatican “who have spoken in favor of” banning the performances from Catholic campuses, he said. CNS promotes “alternative activities” at Catholic campuses to raise awareness of women’s rights and domestic violence, offering advice, suggestions and financial support for colleges that pursue other projects related to these issues, Costanzo said. “There is no academic value to a third-rate, vile play presented to celebrate lesbian activity, objectify women and sell tickets, no matter how worthy the cause,” CNS continued on page 6

CollegeACB picks up where Juicy Campus left off By Suzannah Weiss Contributing Writer

Some scream into pillows, others confide in their cats, some see therapists and others use CollegeACB.com to vent when they need to get something off their chests. CollegeACB — or Anonymous Confession Board­­— is a public Web site where college students from all over the country post anonymously about themselves and one another. Aaron Larner and Andrew Mann, recent Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins University graduates, respectively, founded CollegeACB while still in college. But the Web site did not take off until recently. Larner and Mann handed control

of their Web site to Wesleyan freshman Peter Frank three months ago because they did not have enough time to run the site, Frank said. “I thought it would be fun to be in charge of something that a lot of people use,” he said. Frank paid the owner of Juicy Campus — a similar site that recently shut down — to redirect traffic to CollegeACB. The Web site subsequently saw a surge in visitors. Currently, CollegeACB has over 25,000 unique users, according to Frank. Frank oversees the Web site with the help of fellow moderator Philip Hall-Partyka, a first-year at Wesleyan, and technical assistant Eli Fox-Epstein, a Wesleyan sophomore, who is in charge of security

and optimization. There is potential for conflict on an anonymous board where students can gossip about one another, Hall-Partyka said. But the overseers tried to avoid damaging anyone’s reputation. “If (the site) includes somebody’s name and has something negative about them, we’ll probably delete that,” he said. Frank said he doesn’t recall ever removing a post from BrownACB, Brown’s area of the site. But one doesn’t have to search CollegeACB for long to come across rumors about students. Matthew Wheeler ’09 was recently told by a friend that an anonymous posting on BrownACB called Wheeler continued on page 6

— Emily Stainkamp, NYU protestor Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | Page 5

higher ed in brief

NYU protesters suspended after 40-hour protest slows University operations One week after barricading themselves inside a New York University dining room and sparking a 40-hour protest that stalled operations at the university, 18 students were handed probation and week-long suspensions. The protesters, who were affiliated with a group called Take Back NYU, pledged to stay in the dining room until a list of 13 demands, including budget transparency and donations to Palestinian Alexis Johnson / Wash. Square News causes, were met. Students took over a room in On Feb. 20, the remaining NYU’s Kimmel Center Feb. 18. students — who had dwindled to 18 from about 65 — were escorted from the building and suspended, pending judicial action. While suspended, the students lived in alternative housing instead of their dorms and were not allowed to use their meal plans, go to classes or work at university jobs. According to the Washington Square News, NYU’s student newspaper, the students were offered deals on Feb. 25 by the university that extended these suspensions through Feb. 27. Past that date, the students would not be permitted to be members of university-recognized student groups until May or to hold leadership positions on campus until next March. In letters — signed by Mark Wais, vice president of student affairs at NYU, delivered to the students and obtained by WSN — the university outlined the charges against the students, their punishment and the damages sustained by the university. According to the letter, the protest violated university rules by disrupting university operations, interfering with the rights of other students, causing damage to university property and entering non-public university space without authorization. The letter also said that preliminary estimates placed the cost of the protest above $80,000. Emily Stainkamp, a sophomore who was involved in the protest and subsequently suspended, said she believed the punishment was harsh. “I don’t understand how it benefits university life to be depriving 18 kids of their housing, labor, education and food all at once,” she told The Herald. “I understand that we were a threat to the function of the university when we were occupying — that’s the point — but we’re no longer posing any serious threats.” But Stainkamp, who said she has fallen behind in her classes as midterms loom next week, decided to take the punishment instead of appealing it. “I didn’t like it, but it would have been a waste of time to fight,” she said. NYU spokesperson James Devitt said the administration was prohibited by federal law from commenting on the matter. — Ellen Cushing

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

“If you can’t say something to someone’s face, you shouldn’t be writing about it.” — Allison Glasgow ’11

New college gossip site hits the Web continued from page 5 “way more talk than action,” and said, “Male rowers just aren’t that great in bed.” Wheeler said he was surprised but not offended. “I’m just really curious who posted it,” he said, hypothesizing that it was a “frustrated sorority girl” with whom he wouldn’t perform a particular sexual act. According to Frank, he and HallPartyka delete posts if they receive complaints but try to avoid excessive censoring. When informed of an anti-gay post on Wesleyan’s forum, Frank said he didn’t plan to delete the post, because offensive or bigoted statements “have their place in terms of promoting positive discussion.” Posts with questionable veracity can be the most fun and useful, Frank said. “Somebody asked if I was single, then somebody said, ‘Obviously he’s single,’ then someone claiming to be me said that I was single, then someone else claiming to be me said that I wasn’t,” said Fox-Epstein, who doubts most people take such rumors seriously.

CollegeACB has value as a safe space to “talk about personal things and ask for advice,” Hall-Partyka said. But Wesleyan senior Lisa Reade, who reported on CollegeACB for the Wesleyan Argus, said “everyone knows that it’s just to talk shit about people.” The only possible positive use for the Web site, Reade said, is “if you lose a scarf or something.” “As soon as people have this anonymity, they start saying these terrible things about people,” Reade said. Hall-Partyka said he has used WesleyanACB to ask questions about classes, but that its popularity mostly comes from the simple fact that “people like to gossip.” “If the site weren’t around, people would still do it,” Fox-Epstein said. Wesleyan has “one of the more tame ACB’s out there,” used primarily for discussion about campus events, cultural issues and relationships, Frank said. It is also the most popular. By contrast, Brown’s CollegeACB forum is in the 40th percentile in popularity among all schools’ forums.

The schools that use it most often, after Wesleyan, are Johns Hopkins, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University and Adrienne College, according to Frank. At Brown, many students hadn’t heard of CollegeACB, but had visited or heard of Juicy Campus. One also cited the message boards on the Daily Jolt, a Web site for campus news and announcements, as a place where Brown gossip is aired, often anonymously. Allison Glasgow ’11 is one student who’s not a fan of the concept, although she wasn’t alone among those who spoke to The Herald. “If you can’t say something to someone’s face, you shouldn’t be writing about it,” she said. “I hate them,” Mayo Hotta ’11 said of anonymous message board sites, adding that those who read and post on them are “antisocial.” Ben Bonyhadi ’11 was among those who said he hadn’t visited Juicy Campus or CollegeACB. “I like to be out of the loop because it lets me avoid drama and not have to pick sides when there’s drama with my friends,” Bonyhadi said.

‘Monologues’ controversial for Catholic group continued from page 5 President Patrick Reilly said in the release. “The proper way to bring about renewal and understanding about our sexuality is to look at John Paul II and his theology of the body,” according to which the body is a creation of God and deserves respect, Costanzo said. “His love is far more intimate than the most intimate love between a man and a woman.” But not all Catholic schools consider the play objectionable. Fordham University, a Jesuit school in New York, performs “The Vagina

Monologues” each year, typically for free or for a minimal charge, according to Fordham Theatre Program Production Manager Kai Brothers. Brothers, who has worked on a Los Angeles production of “The Vagina Monologues,” said he disagreed on many levels with Reilly’s position. He characterized the work as “sexual,” but not “pornographic,” and noted that it has “received immense critical acclaim.” “The need to stamp it out entirely doesn’t make sense to me from an educational standpoint,” Brothers said, agreeing that the goal of the work is to create dialogue about violence against women. “I have a hard time believing that that agenda is not part of any religion that promotes higher education,” he said.

read fold wear

SportsWednesday The Brown Daily Herald

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | Page 7

Lied to me?

Women’s water polo captures ECAC title

“Hard To Believe.” That was the headline on ESPN. com the day Alex Rodriguez met with the media to answer questions regarding his use of performanceenhancing dr ugs. The four accompanying phoTom Trudeau tos showed Tru Story Rodriguez’s facial expressions ranging from contempt to guilt to shame. We can only speculate what triggered these emotions or whether they are indications that the game’s biggest star was once again not telling the truth, but if you’re the New York Yankees, there are several reasons to be concerned. Perhaps Fox executives were in cahoots with Selena Roberts, who first broke the story of Rodriguez’s PED use for Sports Illustrated, when they launched their new series, “Lie To Me.” The pilot debuted just in time to help the average person make sense of A-Rod’s dubious shoulder twitches, eye contact, lip movements and eyebrow furrows. As for the experts, Dr. Paul Ekman, the human lie detector on whom Tim Roth’s character “Lie to Me” is based on, correctly pointed out A-Rod’s fib in his interview with Peter Gammons on Feb. 9 that he didn’t remember which drug he took. Going back to A-Rod’s “60 Minutes” conversation with Katie Couric in 2007, Ekman pointed out A-Rod’s slight, but very noticeable, head nod “yes” when answering “no” to the question of whether he had ever taken any PEDs. Ekman also noticed several involuntary shrugs, generally used to convey something to the effect of “I don’t know,” that didn’t match what he was saying. “I’ve never had a real-world case that I’ve worked on in which, if that’s shown, the person wasn’t lying,” said Ekman. As for the most recent press conference that left many insiders skeptical at best, logic would say that A-Rod probably told the truth. After all, he was caught, so why wouldn’t he take the opportunity to tell the whole truth, which would give him a clear conscience from here on out and put the issue to rest? That has to be what most normal people would. But Alex is far from normal. Never mind the fact that he sees a therapist — Tony Soprano and every privileged kid with a concerned mother has spent some time in therapy ­— Alex’s ongoing battle against himself is painfully noticeable. While reports of his struggles in the clutch range from overblown to incorrect when examined empirically, no one who has watched Rodriguez during his four years in New York can deny that he can psych himself out in spite of his immense talent. Those of us privileged enough to see A-Rod play on a daily basis usually agree that he’s the most talented player we’ve ever seen, and yet there are times when he looks completely lost and

By Meghan Markowski Contributing Writer

continued on page 8

The women’s water polo team beat Marist 10-8 in overtime this weekend to win the ECAC Tournament Championship title. Brown’s offense was led by Sarah Glick ’10, Rory Stanton ’09 and Lauren Presant ’10, while goalie Stephanie Laing ’10 anchored the defense. Laing was voted the tournament’s Outstanding Player. Brown took on the tournament’s No. 1 seed Marist in an exciting battle on Sunday to win the championship. Marist burst out of the gate with a goal 11 seconds into the game, but the Bears weren’t intimidated. Brown responded by answering quickly after each of Marist’s three goals in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Bethany Kwoka ’12 added a goal early on to give Brown its first lead. Brown got into foul trouble, and Marist earned two man-up possessions but was unable to convert them into goals. Brown held the lead at halftime, 5-3. Marist fought back and scored a goal late in the third quarter. Stanton extended the lead to 6-4 with 1:10 left, but Marist was able to sneak in a goal with 14 seconds left, ending the third quarter down 6-5. Again, Brown scored right away in the fourth quarter to take a twogoal advantage. With less than five minutes left, Marist scored two quick back-to-back goals to tie the game. They went on to score one more goal and gain the lead.

“Our team is so small and we only have two subs off the bench, so most of us tend to get tired towards the end of game, especially after a long weekend,” Glick said. “Also, the pool is shallow-deep, which means the goalie can stand up, so when you are at the shallow end, you are at an advantage, and they had that second half. Not that this is an excuse for catching up, but they did have a slight advantage.” Brown had its last chance to tie it up on a 6-on-5 possession, and Glick scored on this last play to force overtime. “I thought it was my fault that they scored the goal, so I thought it was my duty to score the goal back and bring us to overtime,” she said. In overtime, Kwoka scored

Brown’s first goal, and Presant added the second goal with 32 seconds left. Brown won the ECAC Championship game, 10-8. “I think we overcame a lot of things to win our first ECAC title,” Head Coach Felix Mercado wrote in an e-mail to the Herald. “Their performance was relentless and defensively, we play great.” The Bears’ run to the tournament title began on Saturday with a game against Siena College, an 8-6 win for Brown. Stanton led the team with three goals, while Presant had two. Kwoka, Rita Bullwinkel ’11 and Herald Metro Editor Joanna Wohlmuth ’11, each had one goal. The Bears were up 6-3 at halftime and continued to control the game continued on page 8

Women’s swimming finishes seventh in Ivies By Andrew Braca and Katie Wood Sports Editor and Assistant Sports Editor

The women’s swimming and diving team finished the season with a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Ivy League Championship over the weekend. The meet took place last Thursday through Saturday at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y. “We know that this place was not a true representation of our team’s abilities,” Kelley Wisinger ’11 said. “Despite the finish, this team has a lot of talent and a lot of spirit.” With several swimmers battling illnesses, the team totaled 627 points, far ahead of Cornell and but three points behind sixth-place Dartmouth.

Harvard led the team standings with 1583.5 points, followed by Princeton, Yale, Penn and Columbia. “The competition at Ivies was really strong this year,” Ainsley McFadgen ’09 said. “Harvard and Princeton have been the top two schools in the Ivy League since my time at Brown, but, putting them aside, our team definitely felt going into the meet that we were in the same playing field as the other five schools. “It’s a fast meet, but we have some pretty outstanding athletes on our team who shouldn’t be left off the radar,” she added. Day one Thursday was marked by a controversy over the 200 Free Relay. Brown, Harvard and Yale were the only teams to finish cleanly with-

out disqualifying. Other coaches lodged a protest, but a review upheld the results. The tandem of Candice Sisouvanvieng-Kim ’11, Sarah Goodman ’09, Kristen Caldarella ’12 and Susannah Ford ’10 finished in 1:35.42 to take third. Katie Olko ’10 picked up Brown’s top individual finish of the meet, scoring 253.45 to take fourth place in the 1-Meter dive. Allyson Schumacher ’12 placed 10th in the 500 Free with a time of 4:53.89. Bridget Ballard ’10, Jamie Firth ’12, Natascha Mangan ’11 and Caldarella swam the 400 Medley Relay to close out the day. They posted a time of 3:51.86 to finish sixth. Overall, the Bears sat in fifth place after the first day of competition.

Day two

Bruno slipped to sixth place after Friday’s events. The day began with Ballard, Firth, Mangan and Goodman finishing eighth in the 200 Medley Relay in a time of 1:46.40. Mangan notched the Bears’ top finish on the day, clocking in at 56.55 to secure seventh in the 100 Fly. Schumacher finished eighth in the 200 Free in a time of 1:51.42. Schumacher, McFadgen, Caldarella and Stephanie Pollard ’11 finished the day by taking fifth in the 800 Free Relay in a time of 7:31.69. Day three and beyond McFadgen jumped into the pool first for the Bears on Saturday, swimming the 1650 Free. She battled through the long distance continued on page 8

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S ports W ednesday Illnesses drag down women’s swimming continued from page 7

and finished in 11th with a time of 17:01.73. “I had set some high expectations for myself,” McFagden said. “I knew this was my last chance to compete, and I didn’t want to leave anything in the pool. I wanted to score well, for myself and for the team.” In the 200 back, Wisinger put together a solid race in her first Ivy final. Her sixth-place finish in a time of 2:02.66 was the Bears’ best of the day. Last year, she just missed out on swimming in the final heat, coming in ninth. “I didn’t want to let that happen again,” Wisinger said. Caldarella paced the Bears in the 100 Free, finishing in 52.21 to earn 14th place. The young squad continued to swim well, as Mangan put together a 12th-place finish in

2:04.25 in the 200 fly. “We tried not to let the names of the schools on the swimmers’ caps affect how we competed against them,” Wisinger said. “We knew we had to compete with whoever was next to us in every race, no matter who it is was.” In the final swimming event of the meet, Brown’s 400 Free Relay team — consisting of Caldarella, Goodman, Sisouvanvieng-Kim and Pollard — finished in 3:26.98 to take sixth place. On the diving side, Olko placed 12th with a score of 224.05 in the 3-Meter to close out Brown’s seventh-place finish. The senior class of Goodman, McFadgen, Helena Sullivan ’09 and Jessica Williams ’09 swam in their last collegiate meet, leaving behind a promising young group of returning underclassmen led by seven juniors. McFadgen said that

the team showed grit that bodes well for the future. “Despite the misfortunes we had at the meet with some of our girls falling ill, we didn’t really lose faith throughout the weekend,” McFagden said. “We did our best to keep our team spirit high.” “I think this experience will only make our team stronger next season,” she said. “The girls who were sick still got up and gave it their best. This just shows how strong we really are, which will no doubt be seen next year.” With better performances during the regular season, the Bears will look to harness that momentum for the championship meet next year. “We performed well during the dual meet season this year,” Wisinger said. “Next year, we will work on carrying that over into a championship meet format.”

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

“The girls who were sick still got up and gave it their best” — Ainsley McFagden ’09

A-Rod’s future after steroid scandal uncertain continued from page 7 unsure of himself. But beyond being a little bit crazy (and anyone who is that good at something has to be a little bit crazy), why would he lie? The man already has a lot on his plate, and I don’t mean a job, a few classes and a thesis. Think the most competitive and talented player on the highest profile team in baseball, playing in the most demanding sports city in the country. His $275 million contract makes him the highest paid athlete in American professional sports (not counting endorsements). So how could Rodriguez add the daily fear that he’ll be exposed for lying to his list of things to obsess over? A-Rod is incredibly image conscious and cares deeply about his legacy. He has a chance to become the all-time home-run king and break sports’ most prestigious record, which gives him something of a motive to lie. If he eventually hits home run number 763 and passes Barry Bonds, many people could forgive him for three years in Texas when he used a drug called “boli.” After all, there is a big difference between the steroids that turned Bonds into the incredible Hulk and the high powered uppers that Rodriguez claims is all he ever took.

Add, say, two years of doping as a Mariner and one more as a member of the Yankees and that potential forgiveness is gone. Lying or not, what are the implications of A-Rod’s PED use on his future performance? Even if you ignore anecdotes about the way the body breaks down after steroid use, Alex has plenty of hurdles to overcome. He was already among the most hated athletes in sports prior to the PED news, thanks to one part jealousy and one part being a complete jerk. Now he must deal with even more boos and hecklers. He’ll have to ignore critics who say every homer he belts is tainted. If he struggles, he’ll have New York’s merciless media speculating that every out he makes is a result of his diminished talents without the help of PEDs. What if, on top of all that and all his existing insecurities, he’s also wondering if he’ll ever be exposed for lying? Well, if you’re an A-Rod and Yankee fan like me, you just have to thank God/Cap’n Jeter that he’s really, really, ridiculously good at baseball. A-Rod blew off Tom Trudeau ’09 four times in the summer of ’06.

Brown dominates water polo tournament, wins title continued from page 7 with help of the defense and Laing, who registered five saves. Brown’s defense also dominated in their second match against Wagner, allowing only 12 shots. Wagner opened up a first quarter lead, but the Bears roared back to end the half with a 6-3 lead. The second half was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams producing two goals in the third quarter and one in the fourth. Brown ended on top, 9-6, and ad-

vanced to the championship game. The Bears will play again this weekend at Marist for the Red Fox Invite. “We want to keep getting better. While winning the ECAC tournament was a great accomplishment for the team, we know that we still have work to do to achieve our goals for this season,” wrote Mercado. “I would love to make it to the semifinal of the Eastern Championship and see if we can qualify for the NCAAs.”

wednesday, March 4, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Page 9

“Twenty years ago, women’s studies was where contemplative studies is today.” — Professor Harold Roth

Contemplative Studies gives independent concentrators something to think about continued from page 3 correct. Contemplative practices “have no tenets of faith, other than the simple one that the practice will work,” he said. According to Mitchell, the field’s scholars consider meditation “a totally earthly practice, like push-ups for your attention.” Three current undergrads have declared independent concentrations in the field of contemplative studies, and two more are waiting for their concentrations to be approved. Because the University does not recognize contemplative studies as an official concentration, students who wish to pursue it must declare an

independent concentration. Elizabeth Baron ’10.5 is one of those awaiting approval. She has proposed a concentration in contemplative studies with a focus in education, she said. “At times, it was very frustrating because it took a lot of time,” Baron said about submitting her proposal. “But it was actually a rewarding process because it helped me vocalize what it is that I’m studying.” Roth and his advisees said they wished to see contemplative studies become a recognized concentration with its own department and a major research lab. “I think it’s a very legitimate area of study, and I would like it to be an

official concentration,” Baron said. But Roth said the main obstacle to obtaining a lab for research in contemplative studies is financial. “If the funds were available, it could happen tomorrow,” he said. Roth said he is not giving up. “Twenty years ago, women’s studies was where contemplative studies is today,” he said. “I think people are really thirsty for self-knowledge and learning that is transformational,” said Seth Izen ’08, one of three alums who concentrated in contemplative studies. “Instead of just learning data, people want education to provide them with wisdom, guidance and the self-knowledge that (they) crave.”

Willoughby Britton, a postdoctoral research fellow in psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School, has uncovered other possible benefits that meditation may bring. Britton, who is affiliated with the initiative to obtain official recognition for the concentration, is currently studying the effects of meditation on brain function in Brown undergrads and sixth graders at the Moses Brown School. Britton’s study compares brain activity related to emotional processing, memory and attention in subjects who meditate to those who do not. “The non-meditating group developed a much higher instance of

thoughts of killing or hurting oneself,” Britton said about the results of the study on the sixth graders. “Psychological stress is related to huge numbers of diseases,” Roth said. “It affects your body and mind in ways you may not even be aware of. Contemplative practices take people out of it, at least for a time.” Izen said he felt the positive effects of meditation first-hand when he spent three months after graduation on a meditation retreat in Massachusetts. “I feel like I found out a lot about myself. I feel like I can deal with life a little easier and deal with my reactions to things a little easier,” he said.

Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Wednesday, March 4, 2009

e d i to r i a l

Avoiding tenuous tenures

The Watson Institute for International Studies won’t be offering tenure anytime soon, according to recent Herald coverage. We feel that the rule restricting tenured positions to existing departments should remain in place for the time being. When the Faculty Executive Committee evaluates the proposal to let non-departmental programs offer tenure, we urge them to consider its many disadvantages. Admittedly, Watson and other programs at Brown would be able to attract better faculty with tenured positions. But changing the University’s tenure standards is more likely to diminish the overall quality of the faculty. Under current University policy, only departments can offer tenure — interdisciplinary programs and institutes cannot. While tenured faculty would be in charge of the tenure process at the Watson Institute, we believe that departments offer other advantages that Watson cannot provide. Departments are the main conduits for research at Brown. A committee from the economics department is more qualified to assess an economist’s credentials than any ad hoc interdisciplinary panel, and the same can be said for all other departments affiliated with the Watson Institute. Departments can evaluate candidates along every dimension, including their ability to work well with graduate students. The departmental tenure process also promotes cohesion within departments by encouraging interaction between up-and-coming professors and others in their discipline. Some faculty have expressed concern that tenured positions at the Watson Institute would be used to lure expensive, high-profile lawyers lacking in traditional academic qualifications. By channeling appointments through departments, the University can ensure that all tenured faculty are held to a high standard. If Brown wants to draw in someone with name recognition, but without a strong academic background, it’s unclear whether a tenured position is an appropriate mechanism. Tenured positions might harm the Watson Institute by limiting its flexibility in hiring. The proposal garnered resistance from some members of the institute’s faculty. Topics in international relations fluctuate in importance based on unpredictable geopolitical shifts. Had the Watson Institute offered tenure in the late ’80s, their program might now be saddled with lifetime appointments for experts on the Soviet Union, Japan or other regions that have since waned in international relevance. Under the current system, the Watson Institute can offer temporary positions that better meet its needs. We support the current regulations on the institute’s ability to offer tenure and we hope the University does not seriously consider granting them that privilege in the near future. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief Steve DeLucia

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ALEX YULY

Honeymooning in Kabul BY JONATHAN TOPAZ Opinions Columnist Here are a few fun headlines from the past couple months: “James Jones: Obama’s National Security Surprise.” “Obama Continues Bush Policy on State Secrets.” “Obama air strikes kill 22 in Pakistan.” As our post-election and postinauguration euphoria subsides, we find ourselves with a president who has begun directing his foreign policy largely from the center. From his cautious demeanor, his propensity to carefully listen to others and even his background as a constitutional law professor, President Barack Obama has made it clear that he is not an ideologue, but very much a pragmatist. And now, as the honeymoon period winds down, the typical Brown student is left conflicted between Obama and the idea of Obama. Ultimately, many Brown students are infatuated with the idea of Obama as the iconic progressive — a guy who inhabits “Hope” murals, ushers in a new type of politics, identifies with a younger, more accepting and liberal generation and takes it to those old white guys in Washington. Deeply embedded in our love for Obama is a bizarre, projected sense of nostalgia, a wistful identification of our president with the 1960s (summoned by kids like me far too young to even remember the decade). In many ways, we have constructed the Obama myth — synthesizing our love for Obama the celebrity and Obama the progressive. In our creation, Obama is part John Kennedy, part Tom Hayden, part laid-back intellectual, part fiery orator, part sex symbol

and part radical. At a university with a long-standing love affair with revolutionaries and activists, it appears that Obama has assumed our unconditional adoration as our brilliant, inspiring, emblematic liberal. Now, it appears that our reverence has blinded us to another headline, a major story that has been largely overlooked by the media: “Obama to Send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan.” Seen here is an eerie similarity to President Bush — the furthering of a Middle East strategy that lacks in empathy and furthers our path as a nation consumed with militarism. With the economy bordering on irreversible collapse and so many of our resources still being occupied in Iraq, now is not the time to pour more blood and treasure into another war. (On a side note, G.O.P. Congresspeople will call it “pork” if you try to fund education, but are more than happy with wasteful military spending, but I digress.) And, of course, moving 17,000 more troops — when we already have 170 military bases all over the world, have lost thousands of lives in the Iraq war, are dealing with much more difficult terrain and a much less credible government than Iraq’s and don’t have a distinct diplomatic strategy — recklessly endangers the brave men and women in our armed forces. Further working here is a culture of empire, an imperialistic tendency more explicitly put forth in the Bush Doctrine but still somewhat present in Obama’s decision. According to Rory Stewart (Afghanistan expert and visiting senior fellow at the Watson Institute), imposing our version of democracy on a people who may or may not subscribe to it “inflame(s) Afghan nationalism because Afghans are more anti-foreign

than we acknowledge.” Regardless, what lingers here is the lack of buzz around campus. Surely, much of this is due to economic problems, both at our university and the country at large, dominating discourse at Brown. However, the question arises — are we, as a community, as skeptical with our current, beloved President as we were with former President Bush? As we Brown students swoon over Obama music videos and naively expect a sweeping, progressive agenda, we have to recognize the graver problem at hand: our president furthering former President Bush’s militaristic rhetoric and our country’s continuing obsession with empire. Obama’s immense popularity at Brown seems to dangerously impede our ability to judge him accurately and fairly. It has become a widely accepted notion that righting our wrongs in Afghanistan is important, and stabilizing the region is vital in our fight against global terrorism. But will we be able to be truthful with our president and ourselves? With the economic crises of the University and the country at the forefront of every Brown student’s mind, will we merely accept the prevailing logic that Afghanistan is the “right war”? Will we be as honest with President Obama as we were President Bush? As we send 17,000 individuals off to a misguided battle, will we stand by and cling to our abstract conceptions of hope and change, or will we have a legitimate dialogue and end this honeymoon once and for all? Jonathan Topaz ’12 is a first-year from New York. He can be reached at Jonathan.Topaz@gmail.com.

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 editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page 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 clarity 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.

Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | Page 11

Don’t feed the environmental troll BORIS RYVKIN Opinions Columnist What do the Congressional stimulus package and the Brown budget have in common? They both seriously misallocate resources in the name of going green. In the case of the stimulus, there is everything from $300 million to subsidize “green” vehicles for federal employees to the roughly $70 billion going toward a green economy. Brown’s budget, with an endowment in a state of crisis, will continue to allocate or guarantee millions of dollars for energy and lighting efficiency programs. The hubris of the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress (Benedict Arnold Republicans included) is understandable, given the distance between them and the taxpayers. “Doing something” is considered politically correct, notwithstanding the inflationary pressure and deepening of the recession that will most likely result. It is also convenient to draw a direct parallel between 2009 and 1932 and, instead of letting the market determine where investment should be sent, give a shot in the arm to everyone’s favorite economic sector: infrastructure. On top of that, you can add a little progressive ideology to the mix to show the international community, and the whopping 41 percent of Americans, in a poll of 1,500,

who consider global warming a top priority, that we are doing good by the planet. Yet I expect more from the Brown Corporation. We are a much smaller community and our dollars, together with those of alumni donors, have clearer addresses. The University has instituted hiring freezes in administration and staff, opted to stretch wage increases over a longer period and cut back on substantive capital projects. We have already seen a “modest” tuition increase. This news, coupled with Brown’s finan-

exacerbating our shortfall with a $5 million loan for an energy efficiency program, pushing ahead with this scheme? During this time of crisis, we should value students’ financial interest over crackpot environmental alarmism. The Graduate School office handling paychecks ought to be looked at and reformed after the pain it caused. Middle class students on financial aid could use some emergency relief and a boost in their rewards, which could make larger tuition increases in the future more

During this time of crisis, we should value students’ financial interests over crackpot environmental alarmism.

cial aid reform, means greater strain on the middle class attendee who is considered capable of paying a parental tuition contribution if one of his parents earns more than $100,000. Then there was that filing mishap, that led to graduate students getting late paychecks. With this tragic state of financial affairs, why are University officials still going to spend $2 million on a lighting efficiency program? Why is Facilities Management, after

palatable. Last semester, some campus environmentalists came out in favor of a monitor in every room to record student energy use and punish bad behavior. Now they are revitalizing efforts to reduce Brown’s carbon footprint. The overestimation of Brown’s importance to climate change in these activists’ minds astounds me. Whether man’s intervention on this issue is needed at all, or we are undergoing a cyclical warming peri-

od that happens every few millennia, is one thing. But how big of an effect does Brown really have on the global climate? The Corporation, by allowing these environmental projects to go ahead, is generating a cost that far exceeds the potential benefit. Worse, there might be no real financial or environmental benefit to speak of at all. Students come and go, including the ecogroup participants who seem to have a very underdeveloped sense of rational expectations. But the financial burden of the programs they encourage stick around. It is uncertain when the University will resuscitate its endowment and restart everything it has decided to put on hold, but now is no time to experiment. From Washington to College Hill, bureaucrats are wasting our money. The Obama administration put ideology ahead of prudence when it funneled billions to underproductive and cost-inefficient green jobs as part of the goliath stimulus package. Brown will not eliminate useless environmental programs at a time when its budget and endowment face dire straits. Fortunately, I won’t be around when the costs of these misallocated investments come back to haunt Brunonia.

Boris Ryvkin ’09 is an economics and political science concentrator from New York City. He can be reached at boris_ryvkin@brown.edu.

Elitism and access at Brown BY IVY CHANG Opinions Columnist In choosing Brown, students are picking a school that promises world class faculty, numerous libraries, a gifted student body and myriad educational and vocational resources, on top of a well-respected name. Attending such an institution is a privilege, and many Brown students are well aware of it. In that regard, Anish Mitra ’10 was right to remark in his column (“A little elitism goes a long way,” Feb. 27) that “choosing Brown means choosing to be elite, in some way or another.” But Mitra’s point depends on what is meant by the term “elite.” On one definition, elitism is the knowledge and understanding that one belongs to an elite, and I would bet that many Brown students are guilty of elitism by that standard. We know that we attend an Ivy League school and strive to take advantage of its resources as best we can. But elitism has another definition — the belief that a select group of society has the most important views and should hold the most power — that doesn’t apply as well to undergraduates here, and that leads many to label elitism and elitist groups as “non-Brown.” Brown should not strive to preserve its “aristocratic, elitist roots.” By fostering an increasingly diverse, progressive environment the University can strengthen its image and build its endowment. Mitra’s fears about the dilution of the student body are reminiscent of a broader

historical trend advocating the exclusion of new groups from academia. The reluctance to admit women into universities in the 19th century comes to mind. The recently commemorated walkout of 1968 — motivated by concerns about minority representation on campus — was a reaction to Brown’s unsavory elitist past. Brown’s peers have traditions of elitism that are, in many cases, not worth emulating. In the early 1920s, Harvard implemented se-

in dealing with setbacks. The suggestion that the University reduce the total number of admitted students in order to increase the value of a Brown acceptance is analogous to luxury brands increasing prices to ensure that undesirable customers won’t be able to afford the brand. An Ivy League education should only be considered a luxury in a meritocratic, rather than aristocratic, sense. Some might also wonder whether Brown

Brown should not strive to preserve its “aristocratic, elitist roots.” By fostering an increasingly diverse, progressive environment the University can strengthen its image and build its endowment. lective admissions practices for the express purpose of decreasing the number of Jews admitted. Administrators viewed the growing population of Jewish students as damaging the university’s image. At Princeton, applicants were rated on personal aspects such as appearance in order to ensure better identification of “undesirables.” In light of Brown’s fragile position in the rankings, it makes sense to worry about the University’s image. But there is more to be gained from looking forward for new ideas

should try to court more “wealthy and powerful applicants.” Brown is one of a privileged few schools that can afford to meet students’ full demonstrated financial aid need. While other colleges accept a larger cohort of wealthy students when the economy falters, Brown does not need to compromise its commitment to supporting students from all backgrounds by aggressively targeting the most advantaged applicants. Morton Schapiro, president of Williams College, reported in an interview with the

Boston Globe that now is a good time to be a “smart, rich kid. And at some schools, you don’t need to be as smart as you did before.” If the caliber of an institution is measured by the academic merits of its undergraduates as opposed to their wealth, this is a disturbing trend, and one that Brown should actively avoid. Many students chose Brown over other schools in part due to its atmosphere of acceptance and equality of opportunity. It is not ignorance, but awareness of Brown’s “historically elite nature” that drives students away from selective organizations on campus. Being a privileged member of society does not entail that one must actively exclude others in order to maintain that privilege. As for “organized elites” such as the secret societies and eating clubs prevalent elsewhere, there may simply no longer be any need for such organizations on campus. Even attending class or a discussion section allows students to meet a variety of their peers including, if they are so inclined, the wealthy and powerful. Brown University is indeed an elite institution, but it does not have to cultivate an elitist image. Doing so to draw in wealthy and powerful students ignores the other types of students who contribute to the University’s status.

Ivy Chang ‘10 is a human biology concentrator from Los Angeles, California. She can be reached at ivy_chang@brown.edu.

Today The Brown Daily Herald

5

Catholic group battles ‘Monologues’

7

Socrates | Luke Jeffrey

The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb

c a l e n da r Tomorrow, march 5

4:00 P.m. — Women in Iran: A Screening of ‘Persepolis’ with an Introduction by Professor Jo-Anne Hart, List 120

11:00 P.M. — Marrow/Peripheral Blood-Forming Cell Donor Drive, Sayles Hall

7:30 P.M. — President Simmons at UCS, Petteruti Lounge, Faunce House

2:00 p.m. — A Reading with Peter Carey, Salomon 101

menu

Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Vegetable Egg Rolls with Duck Sauce, Chicken Chop Suey, BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Stir Fried Rice

Lunch — Italian Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Frosted Brownies

Dinner — Cheese Quesadillas with Salsa and Sour Cream, Egg Foo Young, Rotisserie Style Chicken

Dinner — Chicken Chimichangas, Vegan Ratatouille, Mashed Butternut Squash with Honey

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Los Angeles Times Crossword Puzzle c r o sDaily swo rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Use “colorful” words 5 Disappearing word 9 Shade-loving plant 14 Condo, for one 15 Skating gold medalist Kulik 16 Making more guns and less butter? 17 Cajole 19 Ideal, as potting soil 20 Sequel title words 21 Mariners 23 Bargain clothes bin abbr. 24 Hailed vehicle 26 Rink surface 27 Motormouth’s “gift” 30 Actress Cannon 32 Hard-to-accept consequence, metaphorically 35 Manicurist, at times 37 “Like it __ ...” 38 Dirty joke feature 42 Aconcagua is its highest peak 43 Substantial 44 Fox’s conclusion, in an Aesop fable 47 Genesis creator 51 Cobbler’s tool 52 Wilder’s “__ Town” 53 “__ & the Women”: 2000 Gere film 55 Zip 56 Some brick houses 59 Hang on the line 61 Delivered a line 63 They help distinguish the beginnings of 17-, 32-, 38- and 44Across 65 Walk all over 66 Walk all over 67 Rages 68 Frenzy 69 Word spoken with a hand on one’s forehead, maybe

70 Day’s “will be” DOWN 1 Dracula weapon 2 Not careful 3 __ Nevada 4 “Let it stand” 5 In an unfortunate way 6 Suffix with pay 7 Some Van Gogh works 8 Look relaxed when you’re nervous, e.g. 9 Arrive at through strenuous effort, as an agreement 10 Oklahoma tribe 11 Rakish 12 Prof’s aides 13 7-Down, e.g. 18 First X or O 22 Bandage brand 25 Jessica of “7th Heaven” 28 Lotion ingredient 29 Three-part sandwich 31 Gridiron pro 33 He shared spaghetti with Lady

34 Appeals to a deity 36 “This will help our image” 38 Los Angeles weather surprise 39 Big fan 40 Food or water, e.g. 41 Utility bill details 42 Snug-bug connector 45 Massage

46 Musical Franklin 48 Last 49 Support beam 50 Actress Milano 54 Lace up 57 Floor sample 58 Jib or mizzen 60 Clutch hitter’s stat 61 DOJ enforcer 62 Fine wine word 64 Jamaican music

Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Classic Freeze-Dried Puppies | Cara FitzGibbon

xwordeditor@aol.com

03/04/09

Classic Deo | Daniel Perez

By Don Gagliardo (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

03/04/09

31 / 14

39 / 21

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

comics

TODAY, march 4

to m o r r o w

W. water polo wins ECAC tournament

the news in images

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to day

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