Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 51 | Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Columbus change spurs response UCS elections offer
fierce competition
By Lauren Fedor Senior Staf f Writer
The faculty’s decision last week to rename Columbus Day “Fall Weekend” on the University calendar has garnered more attention both locally and nationally than the average code revision, with Providence mayor David Cicilline ’83 and Rush Limbaugh, the high-profile conservative pundit, among those decrying the move. Though the faculty’s vote last Tuesday seemed to reflect student opinion — a recent Herald poll suggested that the majority of Brown students disapproved of continuing to call the holiday Columbus Day — the resolution has prompted a wave of criticism from city leaders, who said the move was hypocritical and disrespectful to Italian-Americans. “Brown University made itself an example to the nation by carefully exploring its ties to the slave trade and using that process to promote greater understanding,” Cicilline said in a press release Thursday. But the decision to “simply erase the celebration of an incredibly significant moment in world history and Italian-American culture for the sake of political correctness does just the opposite,” he said. Cicilline added that “as an Italian-American,” he took “particular offense” to the decision.
By Ben Schreckinger Senior Staff Writer
Courtesy of Library of Congress John Vanderlyn’s 1847 painting depicts Columbus landing on the West Indies island called Guarnahani by the natives — which he named San Salvador — on Oct. 12, 1492.
Cicilline’s communications director, Rhoades Alderson, told The Herald Monday that the mayor believes the role of higher education is to “get at the truth” of “complicated parts of our nation’s history.” Brown “set the standard for doing that” with its work exploring its historical ties to the slave trade, Alderson said, but Cicilline felt the Columbus Day decision was done “in the opposite spirit.”
U. to extend forgiveness policy for preregistration By Anne Simons Senior Staf f Writer
inside
The University has extended a policy allowing students to preregister for fall classes regardless of outstanding tuition balances, according to an e-mail sent to students Monday by Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98. According to Kertzer’s e-mail, students will be able to pre-register for the fall semester even if they have an unpaid balance in excess of $1,000, which has been the limit for pre-registration eligibility in previous years. Students will continue to accrue late fees on their outstanding balances. The University changed the existing policy last semester in response to the concerns of some families whose financial situation was seriously changed by the economic downturn, The Herald reported in November. “The economic challenges and
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uncertainties facing our students and their families have not diminished in the intervening months,” Kertzer wrote in his e-mail. About 360 students benefited from the changed policy last semester, The Herald reported in January. Kertzer’s e-mail also reminded students that financing options are available for families who did not qualify for University aid, including federal loan programs. “The Office of Financial Aid is available to provide advice on financing options to both aided and non-aided families,” the email said. The Herald reported in November that the University would allow students with an outstanding balance of up to $7,500 to return to campus for the spring semester, increasing the limit from $5,000. Kertzer’s e-mail Monday did not say whether that specific policy would be extended.
“It was just kind of deleting (the event) from history, rather than using it to promote understanding,” Alderson said. Cicilline was not the only one upset with the faculty’s decision. Members of local Italian-American organizations expressed their dissatisfaction in a Providence Journal article last week. The Italiancontinued on page 4
This year’s Undergraduate Council of Students and Undergraduate Finance Board elections are the most competitive in years, with more candidates contesting for more spots than in other recent elections. Five of 10 UCS and UFB leadership positions are contested this year, while a year ago only the races for UCS president, UCS vice president and UFB chair were contested. There are four candidates running for UCS president and three for vice president, up from just two each in 2008. The combined seven candidates competing for UCS’ top two positions are the most since at least 2005. Twelve students are running for six at-large seats on UFB. Those positions were uncontested last year, as only five students ran. Two candidates are running for UFB chair, unchanged from last year, and the position of UFB vice chair will be contested for the first time since 2007. “Usually — for UCS especially — a lot of the races have been uncontested,” said Elections Board Chair Lily Tran ’10, also the current UFB chair. This year, races for the chairs of the UCS Campus Life, Admissions and Student Services and Student Activities committees are uncontested.
Read The Herald’s profiles of the candidates for UCS and UFB leadership Page 3 There are no candidates for UCS treasurer or for head delegate to the Ivy Council. Previously, Brown’s head delegate to the Ivy Council has been internally elected by UCS. Tran said she hopes the increased competition of this year’s races and a greater number of active endorsements announced by student groups will translate into higher voter participation. Just 1,346 ballots were cast in last year’s election, representing about a quarter of the undergraduate student body. The elections board has tried to facilitate greater student interest by introducing a debate for UFB candidates, held at last week’s Brown University Activities Council meeting, and moving the UCS presidential debate to Wriston Quadrangle, Tran said. Almost every candidate for UCS president and vice president has named Brown’s financial situation or financial aid as his or her primary focus for the coming year. The elections board enforces a complex set of rules governing every aspect of campaigning. Candidates are continued on page 3
Sophomore cooks up cake, business By Alicia Chen Contributing Writer
In high school, her classmates’ parents hired her to make cakes — but it wasn’t until last semester that Kelly Schryver ’11 created TillieCakes, her own cake-baking company.
FEATURE “Kids on campus cannot get custom cakes from scratch very easily,” Schryver said. “Either you go to Coldstone’s or trek all the way out somewhere.” After developing a business proposal in ENGN 0090: “Management of Industrial and Nonprofit Organizations,” Schryver started her own company to make cakes for birthdays, baby showers, holidays and other occasions. Schryver named TillieCakes after the cook in the movie “Pollyanna.” “There was this scene I loved as a kid,” she said. “She has a cake booth where she gives out giant slabs of cake.” Though her roommates sometimes pitch in, Schryver bakes and
Qidong Chen / Herald
“Pupcakes” are popular items from Kelly Schryver’s ’11 bakery business, TillieCakes. Her “custom cakes from scratch” earn rave reviews, she said.
decorates all of the company’s orders herself. Her creations — including vanilla “pupcakes” with confectionary canines and a bold blue Obama cake — have earned rave reviews from her customers, helping her business spread through word of mouth, she said. “I really like how she can customize it,” said Jessica Fadale ’10, recall-
ing a brightly hued cake that she ordered for a friend’s birthday. Schryver has about one cake order a week, she said, and students on campus often recognize her as the “cake girl.” Schryver has even seen one of her cakes as the background image of another student’s
Metro, 5
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
mayor in the ’hood Mayor Cicilline ’83 spoke to College Hill residents about the economy yesterday
Quakers triumph Men’s lacrosse falls to Penn in a hard-fought match plagued by bad weather
Court costs Dan Davidson ’11 argues it should be easier to pay off court debt
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
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