Thursday, March 12, 2009

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 34 | Thursday, March 12, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Harambee survives recruitment scare By Mitra Anoushiravani Senior Staff Writer

Courtesy of Leann Barnes

Zeta Delta Xi will open its Spagfest event to the public again this Spring Weekend, but it hopes the event this year will resemble 2000’s more sedate affair — seen here — and not the raucus food fight that broke out in 2007.

Spagfest: Come one, come all By Kelly Mallahan Staff Writer

This year’s Spagfest, hosted by Zeta Delta Xi, will be open to the public, which may be good news for students who were disappointed when the annual Spring Weekend spaghetti party was restricted last year to members and friends of the co-ed fraternity. But Zete members hope this year’s Spagfest will not devolve into an alcohol-fueled food fight like 2007’s party, said Zete President

Katie Lamb ’10. Two years ago, Lamb said, Spagfest “kind of exploded a little bit,” as intoxicated students threw spaghetti at one another and spilled out of the party’s outdoor tent. Things got so out of hand that “people kept comparing it to Sex Power God when Bill O’Reilly came,” Lamb added. Though Lamb said Zete didn’t get into any trouble with the University for the incident, it decided independently to tone down Spagfest last year. “Safety is our first priority,” she

said. “When you are using spaghetti and garlic bread and alcohol as an arsenal, it can become unsafe.” This year’s party co-coordinator Sara David ’11 said Spagfest two years ago was “a disaster,” and that last year’s party, which was limited to Zete brothers, alumni and guests, was “solely for ourselves” and didn’t help promote Zete’s presence on campus. “We basically want to find a middle road between the two,” continued on page 2

Alum reaches youth with musical education

inside

musicians came together through Community MusicWorks, a nonprofit organization started in 1997 By Caroline Sedano by Sebastian Ruth ’97 as a way to Senior Staff Writer transform an urban community through musical education. Ruth Sitting on the very edge of her seat, and the other members of the back straight and violin tucked Providence String Quartet played snugly under her chin, 17-year-old and taught music in Providence, Sydney Argueta plays the sharp laying the foundation for an organiopening notes of Mozart’s Quartet zation that would later expand into in G Major, K. 156. She messes up much more than Ruth’s initial via little bit, slumps her sion. CMW now enrolls back and frowns. The so many students that FEATURE other three members it required the formaof her quartet tease her some, and tion of a more advanced ensemble their teacher, Chloe Kline, rolls her of players — the quartet Argueta now plays in. chair over to help. “Guys, we have to be serious,” The quartet’s young members Argueta says, jokingly reprimand- were forced to find a new outlet for ing the other teenagers, who chat their musical interests after budand laugh while she works on the get cuts left their schools without sheet music. music programs about eight years Despite the giggles, jokes and ago. For them, CMW does not just the occasional car honk outside, the members of the group takesthe provide after-school music lesmusic seriously. They discuss the sons — it gives them a network notes, sing their parts’ melodies of support they would not have and play the same bars over and otherwise. over. This quartet of dedicated young continued on page 4

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A situation of complacency According to Nikkisha Smith ’10 and Fedna Jacquet ’10, both former Harambee House heads, one of the reasons the house struggled to survive was the ebb and flow of membership. “I think it really depends on the personality of the freshman class,” Jacquet said. Smith said she noticed a decrease in first-years at club meetings that use Harambee’s lounge and at Harambee sponsored parties. “With Harambee, we have so many continued on page 2

Cicilline ’83 to seek third term

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Despite briefly being in danger of losing its program house status, Harambee House, which offers housing to those interested in African culture, has managed to increase its membership for the next school year to 39 people — 17 more than the 22-person minimum it needs to survive. Over the past year Harambee’s membership dwindled and the condition of its space in Chapin House deteriorated to the extent that days before the March 3 deadline for program house applications, Harambee did not have enough people planning to live their next year. At one point, the program house definitively had only four returning members, and 11 members in total, said Terry Addison, Harambee House faculty liaison and associate dean of Student Life. But a large recruitment and refurbishment effort has saved the house from probation or disbandment. A program house needs 22 members, of which at least five must be returning. If it does not, it is put on probation, which includes loss of some lounge and kitchen privileges. In order to save Harambee, House Heads Marc Howland ’11 and Lindsay Priam ’11 intensified their

recruitment efforts. “Once they started counting heads and understood that they would be at a low number, Marc and Lindsay really took it upon themselves to put on an aggressive marketing campaign,” Addison said. “I give them all the credit in terms of getting the word out.” By the deadline, Harambee had recruited 28 freshmen for next year, Howland said, adding that the firstyears were instrumental in “getting the word out” and networking on Facebook. “It’s great for Harambee because we need young leaders,” he said. There is currently a waiting list of students wanting to live in the house.

By George Miller Metro Editor

Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83 announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election to a third term in 2010, ending speculation that he might run for governor.

METRO Announcing his decision in a YouTube video, Cicilline said he had brought $3 billion in new investments to the city, attracted new businesses and reduced crime. But he acknowledged tough economic times and other challenges ahead. “I know that continuing our work is the key to putting Providence in the strongest position possible, poised for exciting new opportunities when the recession ends,” he said. Cicilline, a Democrat, said improving schools, redeveloping land along the planned I-way corridor and improving public transit were on his agenda for a third term. “I started this job to clean up continued on page 6

Eunice Hong / Herald File Photo

Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83, seen here speaking to students in Petteruti Lounge, will not run for governor of Rhode Island.

Inside

Metro, 5

Opinions, 11

reviews student activism at Brown and goes to Downcity on a Monday night.

Rice wars Providence Place food court restaurants spar over the right to sell rice

spring forward Jeanne Jeong ’12 prepares for Spring Weekend with the help of Wikipedia

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