Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 44 | Friday, April 3, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Some admit illicit use of stimulants By Seth Motel Staff Writer
Nearly 8 percent of students have illegally used prescription stimulants — such as Adderall, Dexedrine and Ritalin — during this academic year, according to a recent Herald poll.
THE HERALD POLL Among the students surveyed, 7.9 percent said they had used prescription stimulants that were not prescribed to them once or more during that time period. Of those surveyed, 3.1 percent said they used stimulants only one time, 3.7 percent said they used them “a few times” and 1.1 percent said they used them more frequently than that. 89.8 percent said they had not used them this year and 2.2 percent chose not to answer. The results are similar to the national average estimated by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia (CASA), which found that 6.7 percent of college students used prescription stimulants illegally during the 12-month period studied. Doctors generally prescribe such medications to people who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Most of the admitted illicit users in the CASA study said they used the medications to help them study, but nearly a third said that getting high was at least one factor. The study found that white males most frequently used those drugs illicitly, and said research has found Greek membership to be another positive correlate with illegal use nationwide. CASA reported that at least 43 pharmaceutical Web sites sell stimulants without requiring a prescription. Still, the most common method for college students to obtain these drugs was through friends. One Brown sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous, has bought Adderall “3-4 times this year,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “It was real easy,” he wrote.“All I had to do was ask a friend to get some.” The student, who added that he has given the drug to friends, wrote that he did not fear getting in trouble. A first-year, who also asked not to be named, said he has been taking Adderall since a doctor diagnosed him with ADHD in fourth grade. Because he takes the prescribed medication only when he feels it is necessary, he has possessed surplus pills that he has given to some of his
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Two missing students safe in Trinidad
By Ben Schreckinger Senior Staf f Writer
Kimberly Hays ’11 and Sophia Roy ’10, who had been declared missing after they did not return from a spring break trip to Trinidad, are now safe at a hotel there, Steven Hays, Kimberly’s father, said Thursday. “They’re all right,” he told The Herald in a telephone inter view last night. Hays did not elaborate on what happened to the two students except to say that he had spoken to Kimberly briefly and that “one of them may have been drugged.”
Officials at the FBI and the State Department confirmed earlier Thursday that both agencies were investigating the students’ disappearance. The University had announced in an e-mail to students late Wednesday night that two unnamed students had not returned after break. Friends of Roy and Hays said Thursday that the two had been expected back from their trip by Monday, the day classes resumed. But Steven Hays said the two missed their Delta Airlines flight off the island, and the students’ friends told The Herald that, to
their knowledge, no one had heard from either of them since they left the country. An ATM withdrawal was made in Trinidad from Kimberly Hays’ bank account on March 30, Steven Hays said, and law enforcement officers had attempted to use security footage to determine who had made the withdrawal. The pair had planned to return before that day, friends said. Two students who live with Hays said two FBI agents, accompanied by a Department of Public Safety officer, had questioned them and searched Hays’ room on Wednesday night.
Steven Hays said his daughter was being inter viewed by State Department officials in Trinidad Thursday night. Nat Rosenzweig ’11, who said he is a friend of both students, said he had planned to travel to Trinidad with Hays over spring break but, for personal reasons, decided not to go. Roy went on the trip with Hays instead, he said. “I don’t think there was any specific itinerary for the trip,” Rosenzweig said. The two departed from New York on March 22 after originally continued on page 3
Anxiety, relief as first rooms fly off the board By Mitra Anoushiravani Senior Staff Writer
Quinn Savit / Herald
Students watched intently as rooms flew off the board.
At 6 p.m. sharp yesterday, Deb Mahato ’09.5 was on the spot. With the first pick of the 2009 Housing Lottery, Mahato chose a single in West Andrews, and Brown’s annual dash for on-campus housing officially began. The first half of this year’s lottery went off smoothly Thursday night in Sayles Hall, with almost 500 numbers called in a rapid-fire three hours. The night’s final pick went to six rising juniors — group number 488 — just before 9 p.m. “I’m sweating,” said Sage Erskine ’11, one of the students who had the last pick of the night. “My adrenaline is all up and down!” All six women in the group were on the edges of their seats, yelling words of encouragement to the groups ahead of them that did not choose the Goddard House suite they wanted. Every time there was a noshow, the girls could be heard cheering from anywhere in Sayles.
“Our strategy is to intimidate everyone,” Erskine joked. Mahato, who is entering his tenth semester, said he “just wanted some quiet space, so it didn’t matter where I’m staying, because I know very few people and most of my friends are gone.” Maggie Machaiek ’09.5 had the 11th number called Thursday, but she was still nervous before heading to the podium to make her pick. “I really wanted a single in Minden, but there are only 10 so I was really nervous,” she said. It turns out she needn’t have worried — she got her wish. For others, like Jennifer Tan ’11 who had number 403, the housing lottery was especially tumultuous. “I’m dissatisfied,” Tan said. “We’re at the beginning of the bottom half of numbers, so we can’t even be on the waitlist to maybe get a good room. And there were a lot of people going abroad, so there was a lot of hectic switching around.” continued on page 3
Homeless, advocates demand share of stimulus package tion at Brown that works with the homeless community. The coalition and HOPE share “a concern about A crowd of nearly 200 people gath- the lack of affordable homes,” said ered in the State House rotunda Nellie Gorbea, executive director of Thursday afternoon, calling for Housing Works RI, a homelessness legislators to use federal advocacy group. METRO stimulus money to help Rhode Island will those who have lost their receive $1.1 billion from homes due to foreclosure, eviction the federal stimulus package, The Herald reported last month. or job loss. The groups called for using the The rally was organized by 10 federal stimulus money to prevent groups, including non-profit organizations such as the Rhode Island foreclosures, protect tenants and Coalition for the Homeless and reinstate funding for the NeighHousing Opportunities for People continued on page 3 Everywhere, a student organizaBy Hannah Moser Senior Staff Writer
Hannah Moser / Herald
Several nonprofits organized a rally at the State House Thursday afternoon, calling for a solution to homelessness.
Arts, 5
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
Musical magic Romance and humor take center stage in Gilbert & Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe’
take it to the matt Wrestler Matt Gevelinger ’09 pins down a successful season
Leave off the lights Michael Fitzpatrick ’12 thinks every hour should be Earth Hour
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