Thursday, April 25, 2002

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T H U R S D A Y APRIL 25, 2002

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 57

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

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THE CIANCI TRIAL

Patch Adams, MD: the clown doctor Day two: govt shows tapes alleging mayor took bribes BY KATIE ROUSH

“What is funny in every culture?” Dr. Patch Adams asked a packed Solomon crowd Thursday afternoon. The answer? “Farting.” “Yep, that’s why I always carry at least three whoopee cushions,” Adams said. For two hours, Adams shared his primary message with the audience: “Life is a miracle. Life is a privilege.” Adams said he has used the profession of medicine as a vehicle for social change for the past 35 years. He focused on the aspect of his profession he embraces the most, which he calls his “clowning life.” “I consider myself a clown who is a doctor, not a doctor who is a clown, and both took the same amount of time to master,” said Adams. “What is more, they both do the same thing — relieve suffering and heal pain,” he added. Adams told the audience about his entry into both clowning and medicine, which began when he was 18. Adams said one day he had an epiphany, in which he realized two things. He decided he wanted to serve humanity through medicine and was determined to never again have a bad day. “I have practiced these two things with great abandon since that day,” said a grinning Adams. That decision changed Adams’ life. Always a clown, Adams embraced his clowning more than ever and integrated it into his daily life. He spoke of how for several years he spent an hour on the phone each day purposefully calling wrong numbers “just to practice talking to people.” Adams said that one of his favorite places in the world is the inside of an elevator. “When the doors close, you have a captive audience,” he said. By the time Adams entered medical school, he was “practiced at clowning,” he said. A self-proclaimed nerd, Adams told the audience how “he knew he would have a lot of free time in medical school.” In medical school, Adams evaluated hospitals, which he described as places where no one wants to see PATCH, page 7

BY SETH KERSCHNER AND DAVID RIVELLO

A new Student Activities Service Center will be housed in Faunce House rooms 202A and 202B, Cordeiro said. It will provide resources to assist student leaders both administratively and financially. The service center will be staffed by three administrators who have professional training in event planning and leadership development. They will help student leaders plan events. Cordeiro said the administrators’ roles will depend on input from student leaders. “It’s whatever students want their job description to be,” he said. The service center will also sport telephones, Ethernetenabled computers, printers, copiers, fax machines and other supplies. The availability of these resources will lower the cost of publicity for events, Cordeiro said. Student groups who now pay for copying fliers at Metcalf Copy Center or Allegra will be able to make copies at a reduced rate in the service center. UFB also plans to purchase media equipment, including sound equipment, microphones, TV/VCR/DVD equipment, a camcorder, a slide projector and a PowerPoint projector for the service center. Groups will be able to sign out this equipment at no cost, Cordeiro said. The high cost of renting from Media Services often forces groups who need to scale back event costs to eliminate these items from their budgets, Cordeiro said. Renting a TV/VCR from Media Services now costs student

Prosecutors in the case against Mayor Vincent Cianci on Wednesday used video footage and the testimony of a former city tax official to suggest the mayor accepted bribes in exchange for the sale of city property, tax breaks and jobs. It was day two of arguments in the government’s case against Cianci and three co-defendants, who are charged with racketeering, mail fraud and extortion. U.S. Attorney Richard Rose focused the government’s case on former Vice Chairman of the Board of Tax Assessment Review David Ead’s description of the city’s corrupt tax assessment system and on undercover footage recorded by Providence businessman Antonio Freitas, an FBI informant. The footage, recorded in January and February 1999, captured Freitas and Ead arranging to bribe Cianci in return for the purchase of city-owned property and future tax breaks. Proceedings moved at a snail’s pace, as defense attorneys repeatedly objected to the playing of the tapes. During the afternoon recess, Judge Ernest Torres held a conference in chambers with prosecution and defense attorneys in an attempt to resolve the matter, but no resolution was announced. Torres told the jurors that they were being shown edited clips as opposed to entire segments in order to bypass hours of irrelevant footage. The four videos and two audio clips introduced showed Ead acting as negotiator between the mayor and Freitas in the purchase of two lots on Westminster Street. Jurors were shown videotaped meetings between Freitas and Ead over the course of a month, during which time Ead allegedly approached Cianci on Freitas’ behalf to secure the purchase of the lots. In videotaped footage from Feb. 6, 1999, Ead informed Freitas that Cianci had approved the sale of the lots for $1,000 each and a $10,000 bribe for the mayor. Cianci “wanted to know that I trust you,” Ead told Freitas on the Feb. 6, 1999 videotape. “He said, ‘Do you trust him?’ I said, ‘I trust him.’” The prosecution then introduced as evidence city documents that assessed the value of the two lots at more than $10,000 each. Freitas, whose secretly recorded evidence has already resulted in six Plunder Dome convictions, is considered the key witness in the government’s case against Cianci and co-defendants Richard Autiello, Frank Corrente and Edward Voccola. Ead also testified that he arranged for Angelo Mosca, a former lawyer, to pay Cianci $10,000 in exchange for a tax break. Mosca owed the city of Providence $500,000 in back taxes on the “Ronci estate” property he was the executor for. Ead testified that he arranged to have the assessment fee lowered to $100,000 in exchange for $10,000 in “campaign contributions” to Cianci. Campaign and contribution “are nice words,” Ead said. “You can’t expect to walk into the mayor’s office — he’s got the flag of the U.S. on one side and the flag of Rhode Island on the other — and say, ‘Here’s a bribe.’” In the mayor’s City Hall office, Ead arranged for Cianci to receive the money, he said. Ead gave the $10,000 to Corrente, the former city director of administration also on trial with Cianci, he said. Corrente “opened up a big envelope, and I put the money in the envelope,” Ead said. Ead implicated Cianci in accepting a $5,000 bribe to

see UFB, page 4

see TRIAL, page 4

Allie Silverman / Herald

Dr. Patch Adams spoke Wednesday night about his experience using humor to relieve pain and suffering. His lecture packed Salomon 101.

UFB plans Student Activities Service Center The new service center will be staffed by administrative professionals who will aid students in planning events BY JULIA ZUCKERMAN

The Undergraduate Finance Board is currently finalizing plans to fund the creation of a new Student Activities Service Center, a darkroom for student use and significant change to the budgeting process for student groups. A surplus of about $600,000 that UFB has amassed over the last few years will help fund the new projects, said UFB President Nigel Cordeiro ’02. UFB distributes approximately $650,000 to student groups every year — the $120 student activities fee charged to every Brown undergraduate contributes to that total. At the end of the semester, groups return the money they have not used, and this money enters into a UFB holding account. After several years of running deficits, the holding account has grown in the past three or four years, Cordeiro said. UFB recently held a meeting for student leaders to suggest uses for the extra money, and over 100 students attended, he said. Cordeiro and Undergraduate Council of Students Student Activities Coordinator Gaurab Basu ’04 announced UFB’s plans in an e-mail Monday to leaders of student groups.

I N S I D E T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 2 5 , 2 0 0 2 Rhode Island politics heavily weighted in favor of Democrats, numbers show page 3

City passes ordinance against ‘aggressive panhandling’ on Providence streets page 3

Student-founded Internet mag ‘Glimpse’ prepares for national launch page 5

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Brett Cohen ’02 says Residential Life must improve housing for upperclassmen column,page 15

Men’s track finishes second at UConn Invitational, sets nine records page 16

rain showers high 56 low 44


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 2 Ted’s World Ted Wu

W E AT H E R TODAY

FRIDAY

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GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Abstract Fantasy Nate Pollard

CALENDAR COLLOQUIUM — “The Employment of Working Age People with Disabilities,” Richard Burkhauser, Cornell University. Maxcy Hall, noon. SYMPOSIUM — “The Moral Economy of Language in the Post-Colonial Portuguese-Speaking World,” Inn at Brown, 2:30 p.m. LECTURE — “Space Geodesy: A New Tool for Constraining Past- and Present-Day Climate Signals,” Jim Davis, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. MacMillan Hall 115, 4 p.m. READING — Undergraduate honors/capstone candidates Megan Hart, Meg Hartmann, Peter Sample, Janet Shu, Ashley Talley and Maria Walker will read with Matt Derby. 70 Brown St., 4 p.m.

!#$% Happens Peter Quon and Grant Chu

LECTURE — “Profiling and Manipulating the Cellular Tyrosine Phosphorylation State,” Bruce Mayer, University of Connecticut Health Center. Bio-Med Center 291, 4 p.m. LECTURE — “The Spectacle of Patrimony in 19th-Century Argentina,” Sylvia Molloy, New York University. Salomon 001, 5:15 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION — “Science Meets the Press: The Challenge of Presenting New Science to the Public,” Gareth Cook, The Boston Globe; Cornelia Dean, The New York Times; John Donoghue, Brown; and David Jarmul, Duke University. MacMillan Hall 117, 8 p.m. THEATER — “Othello,” directed by Maythinee Washington ’03. Outside Marston, midnight.

Pornucopia Eli Swiney

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Abate 4 Best man’s duty 9 Designer Perry 14 Norm of the links 15 Lack of economy 16 It may be white 17 Nest egg component 18 With 19 Across, Vermont statehood advocate 19 See 18 Across 20 RING 23 Religious council 24 Cable network since ’88 25 RING 33 Paddle 35 Pennsylvania port 36 Andrea __ 37 Swing around 39 Actress Berger 42 Savoie sras. 43 Has an affair? 45 Billionth: Prefix 47 Hudson Bay prov. 48 RING 52 Word with ball or caddy 53 Poetic lament 56 RING 62 Gainsay 63 Facetious tribute 64 Preserve, in a way 65 Make a difference? 66 Hill who accused Thomas 67 Exhibit material 68 Shopper’s destination 69 Ventriloquist __ Wences 70 Amt. needed daily DOWN 1 DeMille works 2 Bonds on a diamond

3 New Deal advisory group 4 Sing like a bird 5 Stable staple 6 White as a ghost 7 Spider-Man creator Lee 8 Care for 9 Played the part of 10 She gets what she wants 11 Light melody 12 “Now it makes sense” 13 Capitol fig. 21 One of the Stooges 22 Spot for a rest 26 Critical-care ctrs. 27 Pizzeria offering 28 Natural dye 29 Dot-__ 30 Heist target 31 Property claim 32 Hold up 33 Dept. of Labor group 34 Baseball’s Moises

38 Old verb ending 40 Cover a lot of ground? 41 “I’m not finished...” 44 “Take that!” 46 Critic’s rating 49 Like Gen. Powell 50 Bush and Nyro 51 Bush or Clinton 54 Watch

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04/25/02


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

METRO THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 3

IN BRIEF New ordinance bans aggressive panhandling on Providence streets Aggressive panhandling is now illegal in Providence and is punishable by fines and jail time, according to a City Council ordinance passed last week. The law defines aggressive panhandling as including intimidating pedestrians, causing physical contact or endangering them, obstructing their path and continuing to solicit money or goods after a negative response. Councilwoman Patricia Nolan, whose residence on Elmwood Street is near a drug treatment facility, was supportive of the bill. She is often approached and then cursed at by people seeking money to buy drugs, she said. “Over the years, I think that Thayer Street has been a targeted area. I think that people who do panhandling on a regular basis see the students as easy targets — as sympathetic people who … are advantaged individuals,” Councilwoman Rita Williams told the Herald. She said that while the ordinance does not outlaw panhandling, it will effectively end its practice. Others were critical of the law. Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said,“It is inherent in the nature of panhandling that these people probably cannot pay a fine.”They will likely be jailed “for the crime of being poor,” he said. Green Party mayoral candidate Greg Gerritt also criticized the ordinance, saying it is just another way for the “Renaissance City” to sweep its problems under the rug. — Chris Byrnes, with reports from the Providence Journal

Democrats dominate in Rhode Island BY KAVITA MISHRA

With Republicans outnumbered 86 to 14 in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and 44 to six in the Senate, some legislators say Democrats dominate state government. “It’s pretty self-evident that we have a lopsided, one-party system that does not serve the people at all. There’s hardly ever debate,” said State Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventy and Foster. New Deal Democrats took over Rhode Island politics in the 1930s, but Republicans, through several name changes, controlled Rhode Island politics since the 1850s, said Peter Hufstader, research director of Rhode Island Common Cause, an organization that advocates clean government. Democrats have controlled Rhode Island politics since the 1930s, leaving Republicans with only 13 percent of today’s General Assembly, Gorham said. State Sen. Mary Parella, R-Bristol and Warren, said it is difficult for Republicans in Rhode Island to be heard or accomplish anything because only six Republicans have seats in the Senate. Parella said part of the problem is that the state’s Democrats have more party loyalty and support. “The Democrats are good at rewarding their own and sharing the perks of power, which is why it is hard for (Republicans) to get in better positions of power,” she said. A major attitude and demographic change could help even the balance in the General Assembly, Hufstader said, and in 1935, new immigrants helped bring Democrats into power. Republicans are now trying to ensure “this tyrannical system comes to an end,” Gorham said. State Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly, said the Republican Party is actively recruiting candidates for both the House and Senate. “Clearly we need a two-party system in Rhode Island, and the public needs to recognize that,” he said. But State Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, said, “I don’t

think (the General Assembly) is as one-sided as the party division makes it appear.” While some Republicans have sided with Democrats on many controversial issues, she said some Democrats vote in ways that “may seem nationally more on the Republican line.” She said some Democrats in the state are “socially regressive” on issues like gay and lesbian rights and reproductive freedom. A number of Republicans vote with Democrats on the issue of gun control in Rhode Island, she said. A few years ago, when she was a state Democratic Committee member, Ajello said she read the party’s platform to several candidates who, to her surprise, said that they had never read it. Ajello said she thinks some of the state’s Democrats have Republican philosophies but run for office as Democrats. “In Rhode Island, because of its pro-labor history, one wouldn’t stand a chance of election if (he) ran as a Republican,” she said. Voters should focus less on party stereotypes and more on candidates’ individual platforms, Parella said, adding that the national parties do not represent the parties at a regional level. “Republicans in New England are much more liberal … and (in general) Republicans are more on the forefront of good government type issues,” she said. Gorham said he thinks the Democratic Party’s domination is related to a lack of separation of powers in the state government. Unlike state and U.S. governments, Rhode Island does not have separate and co-equal branches, said H. Philip West, executive director of Common Cause. State legislators instead serve many boards and commissions that execute the laws they pass, he said. The General Assembly derives most of its power from the see DEMS, page 4


PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002

UFB continued from page 1 groups $28 per day, according to the Media Services Web site. Video projection equipment costs up to $56 per day, and a microphone costs $16. The service center will be staffed by student workers and will be open 18 hours a day, Cordeiro said. UFB will also help fund the extensive renovations planned by the University Space Committee for T.F. Green Hall, which includes Production Workshop and Russell Lab. The Coalition of Bands at Brown and other performance groups practice in Russell Lab. It is currently “in shambles,” said John Zox ’02, president of COBAB. Some rooms in Russell Lab will be soundproofed and outfitted with audio equipment, and a dance space with mirrors and a new hardwood floor will also be created, Cordeiro said. Zox emphasized the project is still “just in the beginning stages,” and that final plans for

the project will depend on feedback from all the groups who will be affected by it. Cordeiro’s e-mail encouraged group leaders to communicate their needs and suggestions to UFB. UCS is meeting this week and next week with project managers and architects, so groups “need to respond now,” Zox said. UCS’ goal is to finish the project by the fall of 2003, Zox said. UFB also plans to open a darkroom in Faunce House for student use, Cordeiro said. Currently, the only students allowed to use campus darkrooms are those who are enrolled in a photography course or involved in the photography club, he said. UFB is also reassessing its student group budget policies to help reduce the cost of University-provided services, Cordeiro wrote in his e-mail. Groups will be able to request security, media services and room reservations through the Student Activities Office instead of going to individual offices. UFB also plans to create a security fund so groups don’t have to use money from their

own budgets for security, Cordeiro wrote. New UFB policy would also allow student groups to transfer up to $200 between different parts of their budgets without coming before UFB. UFB will also create a fund for campus-wide events that would be “strictly for Brown-spirit” events such as “Live on Lincoln Field,” Cordeiro said. The service center is projected to cost $60,000 and the darkroom $30,000, Cordeiro said. Funding will come from UFB’s surplus. Cordeiro said UFB will contribute up to $200,000 to the renovations to T.F. Green Hall. One major request left unfulfilled was that several vans be made available for groups who need to travel, he said. Transportation is a major inconvenience and expense for many groups, which rely on members with cars and pay for gas. This is a particular hardship for club sports, said Victoria Ford ’03, co-captain of club field hockey. Cordeiro said the Office of Risk Management would not allow for the use of vans without additional precautions. But Cordeiro said obtaining vans was still not out of

the question. Student groups request over $1 million in UFB funding every year, but UFB can only distribute $550,000 in budgeting and $90,000 in supplementary funds, Cordeiro said. As a result, “everyone hates UFB” because budgets are almost always cut down, he said. Some student groups expressed dissatisfaction over the existence of a surplus because of the perception UFB withheld money from them, Cordeiro said. But Cordeiro said distributing the surplus among student groups “wouldn’t really benefit the campus. “What are groups going to do with an extra 50, 100 dollars?” he said. Cordeiro said he is optimistic about UFB’s plans, and while the plans are not finalized yet, he wrote in his e-mail to student leaders that UFB still welcomes feedback from student groups about its plans for the surplus. “We need your input,” he wrote. Herald staff writer Julia Zuckerman ’05 can be reached at jzuckerman@browndailyherald.com.

Trial continued from page 1 hire Christopher Ise as a city planner. “I told (Ise) that if he was hired by the city he would have to donate at least $1,000 to the mayor’s campaign because every city employee does,” Ead said. Ead described his corrupt relationship with former Chairman of the Providence Board of Tax Assessment Review Joseph Pannone, who was indicted in 1999 for arranging bribes in exchange for lower property tax assessments. “He had people that needed a tax break and he would slip me $100 or $50,” he said. For a fee of $500, a small homeowner could receive a tax assessment reduction, Ead said. Ead said he bribed the mayor in order to receive employment with the city. In 1990, he gave Cianci $500 in cash, supplied refreshments and pastries at no charge to the mayor’s campaign headquarters and joined his fundraising committee, Ead said. In return, he said, the mayor appointed Ead to the Board of Tax Assessment Review in 1993. But when Ead made a $500 “campaign contribution” to Cianci in exchange for a city job that offered Blue Cross pension plan incentives, “he didn’t deliver,” he said. Ead said he helped Cianci’s current chief of staff Arthur Coloian “get involved and be a player … (and a) part of the organization” in the early 1990s. Ead’s testimony will continue tomorrow when the trial resumes at 10 a.m.

Dems continued from page 3 original 1663 charter — not the U.S. Constitution — that gives it “enormous, inordinate power,” West said. Several senators and representatives are pushing to get bills to amend the state constitution on the floor of each chamber, he said. “To the (Democratic) leadership, the amendment is treason, but it is faithful and loyal to the ideals of the United States and they are going to face retaliation,” West said. In the upcoming elections, Ajello said voters might cast ballots based on how she and her colleagues side on a constitutional amendment to introduce the separation of powers in Rhode Island. Voters may refuse to elect sitting legislators who don’t want to discuss the separation of powers issue, she said. “More of my party as Democrats are at risk than Republicans” if the issue affects voters, Ajello said. Parella, who supports a bill to amend the constitution, said she does not believe an amendment would change the make up of the General Assembly. But West said, “We could have very hot races and some people could lose their seats because they have sided with the leadership instead of their constituents.” “There’s an old saying in politics: remember your district,” West said. Herald staff writer Kavita Mishra ’04 is a news editor. She can be reached at kmishra@browndailyherald.com.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

CAMPUS NEWS THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 5

Rock thrown through window in Diman Hall A suspect threw a large rock through the kitchen window in the basement of Diman Hall Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. The rectangular rock — about a foot long and weighing 20 to 30 pounds — is of the type used to line the perimeter of the buildings on Wriston Quad. James Wey ’03 said he was cleaning the kitchen table, which was directly below the window, when the rock came flying into the basement. “I was sitting right there. I could have been injured,” he said. Wey said he heard a bang and turned around to see the rock smash through the window. He said he was “in shock” for a few seconds after the incident occurred, and he did not see anyone running away. Pieces of shattered glass reached his feet, he said. But no one was injured. Several Diman residents reported hearing what sounded like male laughter following a loud crash. Wey said the Brown University Police and Security arrived at the scene approximately 10 minutes after he called to report the incident. BUPS refused to comment on the incident Wednesday night. — Kerry Miller

Student-founded Internet mag to go national BY BRIAN BASKIN

Glimpse, an Internet magazine founded by Brown students last year, is looking to hit the big time. Glimpse examines international issues and cultures from the perspective of students studying abroad. The National Geographic Society contributed $15,000 and nine computers to The Glimpse Foundation, the student-run non-profit that publishes the magazine, to fund an office in downtown Providence. Glimpse will also likely receive a $38,000 grant from National Geographic, said President and Publisher Nick Fitzhugh ’02. This summer, the online magazine hopes to become an online resource center for study abroad students, a syndication service, an organizer of international conferences and a scholarship fund, Fitzhugh said. He said the magazine will be distributed in print to colleges across the country. Students studying abroad write most articles in Glimpse and draw on their experiences and conversations with the local population to provide a perspective absent from the international sections of major newspapers, said Glimpse Editorin-Chief and Herald Columnist Kerala Goodkin ’02. Mainstream coverage tends to be overwhelmingly negative, a product of reporters not taking the time to understand the cultures they cover, she said.

“Our idea is writers don’t go to specific countries with story ideas in mind,” Goodkin said. “Instead, they talk to a different kind of people. Story ideas emerge more naturally. They’re not necessarily top headline news stories.” By immersing themselves in a culture through study abroad programs, student correspondents are in a unique position to provide outside perspectives without simply speaking to those in power to find out what’s going on, Goodkin said. “Writers aren’t talking to top politicians,” she said. “More like ordinary people: the host families they live with or street vendors. It’s another way of looking at foreign countries, a way to balance the perspective.” The magazine’s target audience is college students, but it ultimately hopes to appeal to anyone interested in international affairs, Goodkin said. Glimpse intends to use part of its revenue to fund a scholarship program to extend study abroad opportunities for those who can not afford it. In return, those students would write for Glimpse. Recent pieces are about a student’s first days in Kathmandu and another student’s visit to an Afghan refugee camp. Glimpse also features opinion columns by students abroad. The magazine’s Web site, www.theglimpse.com, will become a communications center for students studying abroad as the magazine makes the transition to print, Goodkin said.

Users wlll be able to review programs, cities and schools. They will also have the ability to chat with other students and maintain a daily online diary of their experiences. The British Broadcasting Corporation also expressed interest in partnering with Glimpse to provide students abroad with digital video cameras to produce short films, Fitzhugh said. The best films would run on BBC channels. The Providence Journal selects one Glimpse story each month to appear on its editorial page. Goodkin said Glimpse will try to develop similar relationships with other newspapers this summer to expand readership and funding. Fitzhugh said with Glimpse’s start-up funds, grants, donations and syndication fees, the magazine should be financially viable by the fall and will include three or four paid positions and Brown student interns. Glimpse will also continue to experiment with new formats. “Everyone has an idea for what else can be done, where else we can go with it,” Fitzhugh said. “The trick is figuring out what’s feasible and what’s best.” Fitzhugh founded the magazine as a final project for EN009, and with other Brown students, formed a corporation in Spring 2001. Herald staff writer Brian Baskin ’04 is a news editor. He can be reached at bbaskin@browndailyherald.com.


PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002

M. Track continued from page 16 from Tim (Russell),” Johnson said. In the sprints races, tri-captain Ed Smith ’02 finished in third place with a time of 49.24 in the 400-meter dash. In the 200-meter dash, David Owen ’04 also ended up in third place. His time of 21.96 is the best by a Brown runner this season. “I felt good around the turn, but fell apart a little on the straight away,” Owen said. “I think there’s room for improvement though.” In the 100-meter dash, PJ Morris ’02 finished in fourth place with a time of 11.19, which was good for a personal record. “PJ had a solid performance. Hopefully he’ll be in the 10 (second) range by Heps, but his PR was impressive,” Johnson said. Both the pole vault and the long jump had four-five finishes by Brown athletes. Tony Hatala ’04 and Mike Katayama ’04 soared to 14’6” and 14’0” respectively in the pole vault. Kevin Ferrone ’05 and Jeff Bowen ’04

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“We have some areas where we know we won’t get a lot of points, but we are on par with our other events. We are looking to focus on areas where we can score big.” Robert Johnson Men’s Track Head Coach leaped 22’3” and 22’1” in the long jump. “The guys are threatening, they’re right on the edge of exploding, they’ve had some impressive marks and we know that they are only going to get better,” Johnson said. Many of the distance runners focused on short distances to work on turnover and speed before going into the championship phase of the season. Enda Johnson ’02 and tri-captain Chad Buechel ’03 had a four-five finish in the 800-meter run, with times of 1:55.37 and 1:56.11 respectively. Five of the personal records for the day came in the 1,500 meter run. Pat Tarpy ’05 set one with a third place finish with a time of 3:53.99, and teammate Matt

Emond ’04 finished right behind him with a time of 3:54.70. Imran Ahmad ’04, Matt Malachowski ’04, Mike Tomlinson ’03, and Chris Relf ’03 also notched personal records. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Mike DeCoste ’04 was the only competitor. He had a time of 9:20.42, which was seven seconds faster than his time last week. The team is now looking forward to meets this weekend at the Penn Relays, a meet here at Brown and eventually the Heps. “We have some areas where we know we won’t get a lot of points, but we are on par with our other events. We are looking to focus on areas where we can score big,” Coach Johnson said.


THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Patch continued from page 1 be. “How can any healing take place in such an environment?” he said. He said that in medical school he never once heard the word “compassion” or “care” mentioned. After witnessing this, Adams said he realized he wanted to create a “medical model” that would address every aspect of the patient’s disease: the mental, emotional and social consequences as well as physical effects. After graduating from medical school, Adams, two other physicians and 20 patients moved into a large, six-bedroom house they used as a hospital, he said. For 12 years, the hospital accommodated anywhere from five to 50 guests a night who were needy, in pain, and lonely, Adams said. He said the doctors screened any guests and that everyone who entered the house was welcome. Adams and his colleagues had “nothing to do with insurance whatsoever,” because it interferes

with the healing process, he said. He said his “hospital” was the only medical institution in the country that does not have malpractice insurance. He described malpractice insurance as a message of mistrust from doctors to their patients. They were never sued, Adams added. Adams said the primary goal in his hospital was achieving “good health.” He described good health as “living every day in the miracle I call life.” In the 12 years Adams and his colleagues ran his hospital, it did not receive one donation. “I paid to be a doctor for 12 years. I say that not out of self sacrifice but out of the ecstatic feeling of giving,” he said. But after 12 years, Adams and his partners decided to work on their dream of building a bigger, more functional hospital. In order to raise enough money, “we became famous,” he said. Adams has spent the past 20 years on the road 300 days a year and has spread his ideas to people in over 40 countries, he said. Adams’ dream hospital will soon become a reality. Construction will begin this year on his hospital in West Virginia

Adams said in medical school he never heard the word “compassion” or “care” mentioned. on 30 thousand acres of land, he said. Adams acknowledged the 1999 Hollywood movie that bears his name and tells part of his life story. He called it a “shallow and stupid film,” noting how it failed to mention many aspects of his life and life’s work. Despite grossing several hundred million dollars, the movie contributed no money to Adams’ cause. Now Adam spends the majority of his time bringing his clowning to “wherever there is pain in the world,” he said. He and other doctor/clowns have traveled to Bosnia, Kosovo and most recently, Afghanistan. Herald staff writer Katie Roush ’03 can be reached at kroush@browndailyherald.com.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WORLD & NATION THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 8

IN BRIEF Gates wraps up three days of testimony in Microsoft antitrust case WASHINGTON (L.A. Times) — The decision to put brilliant but volatile Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates on the stand in the most important antitrust case since the breakup of the Standard Oil Co. turned out to be not so risky after all. In the end, after three days of testifying in Microsoft’s landmark antitrust trial in U.S. District Court, it mattered little whether the world’s richest man presented a powerful legal argument. What mattered more, experts say, is that Gates simply showed up in court and came across as a human being. It was a classic courtroom strategy to win some sympathy by showing a human element amid the complex legal arguments over corporate bullying. “He’s helped because he’s put a human face on the company,” said Ernest Gellhorn, an antitrust expert and law professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Gates’ appearance in court this week certainly seemed to resonate in a courthouse where just four years ago the airing of his videotaped deposition compounded Microsoft’s legal woes. That video, which showed an evasive and petulant Gates slumped in a chair, marked a low point for the company. It so riled the original trial judge in the case that he later likened Gates to Napoleon. But taking the witness stand for the first time in his company’s antitrust trial, Gates got a more benign reception. He drew a standing-room-only crowd during his first day of testimony. And, more importantly, he drew the rapt attention of Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who took copious notes and frequently looked directly at Gates while he testified. “It was a calculated risk but it paid off huge,” said Erick Gustafson, a vice president at Citizens for a Sound Economy, a conservative lobbying group that has supported Microsoft’s fight against the government. “The videotape depicted Gates as evasive, out of touch, surly and rude,” Gustafson said.“But all of those myths were dispelled by his appearance in court. He was gracious on the stand and he was engaged.” Gates may also have been helped by the states’ dilemma in questioning him. The software mogul remains a popular figure. That fact may have figured in the states’ decision to let the more gentle and low-key attorney, Steven Kuney, question Gates rather than lead lawyer Brendan V. Sullivan Jr., one of Washington’s best-known litigators.

Bush close to agreement on legislation to expand workers’ insurance WASHINGTON (L.A. Times) — President Bush is close to agreement on legislation forcing employers to expand insurance coverage for psychiatric illnesses, a position urged by mental health advocates but one that’s been opposed by business groups and several key Republicans. Bush plans to give the idea a strong endorsement Monday, when he’s scheduled to speak in Albuquerque, N.M., at a job training facility for people recovering from mental illnesses, congressional officials said. Those familiar with the status of negotiations, which continued Wednesday, cautioned that there may not be agreement by Monday on all details of the legislation, known as “mental health parity.’’ But they said Bush supports the idea and is likely to sign legislation this year. An announcement of expanded mental health coverage in the home state of Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., would be a triumph for the lawmaker, who has a child suffering from schizophrenia and who has championed the cause for years. In a broad sense, it would require employers’ health insurance plans to treat mental illness the same as other illnesses for the purposes of reimbursements and caps on payouts. “Talks have been going on,’’ Domenici spokesman Chris Gallegos confirmed.“At this point there is no agreement.’’ A weaker version of the mental parity legislation expired last fall, and Congress has been debating plans to renew and strengthen the law. Supporters said White House backing would probably provide a sufficient push to get the proposal enacted. Moreover, they added, a gesture of support for the mentally ill by the Republican president could reduce the stigma of mental disorders and could boost his “compassionate conservative’’ credentials.

Israeli govt debates expelling Arafat JERUSALEM (Washington Post) — Fresh from what it sees as

an overwhelming military victory in the West Bank, the Israeli government is openly debating whether the time has come to expel Yasser Arafat from this land. Doing so would mark another step in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to relegate the Palestinian Authority to history and promote a more cooperative leadership in its place, following a three-week military campaign that left much of Palestinian society and infrastructure a shambles. It is a strategy he has pursued in the past, with problematic consequences. Sharon has already come close to expelling his longtime nemesis. Only a 2 a.m. telephone call last month from Secretary of State Colin L. Powell — just hours after a Palestinian suicide bomber wiped out entire families at a Passover Seder — stopped Sharon from snatching Arafat out of the West Bank city of Ramallah and casting him into exile, according to sources. Instead, Sharon on March 29 sent tanks and infantry smashing through Arafat’s compound walls, where they stopped outside his front door and have remained since. And when Powell came calling again this month, this time in person, and asked Sharon for a promise to keep his hands off of Arafat, the Israeli leader demurred. He would not invade Arafat’s inner sanctum during or immediately after Powell’s visit. But beyond that, all bets were off. Powell left the region last week. Sharon, aides said, is increasingly convinced that others in the Bush administration would back — at least tacitly — a decision to expel Arafat, and he also believes that support for such a move among Israelis is growing. There are risks and reasons not to do it. As recently as January, Sharon argued to his right-wing followers that it was better to leave Arafat where he was. In exile, by contrast, he might become a living martyr free to roam the Arab world and Europe. He could call the shots for whatever was left of a Palestinian resistance or uprising from a relatively safe distance. Expelling Arafat also would shatter the already strained relations that Israel maintains with its only relatively friendly Arab neighbors, Egypt and Jordan, and stir trouble inside Sharon’s ruling coalition with the more moder-

ate members from the Labor Party. But Sharon’s advisers say the balance has begun to tip the other way: Sharon’s calculation is that the world would be less likely to welcome Arafat with open arms and might treat him like a pariah. “The main downside is that he would use his victimization as a cynical instrument to continue terror and incitement abroad, and we could certainly envision a scenario where he is given the red-carpet treatment by world leaders,” senior Sharon adviser Danny Ayalon said. “We believe this risk is somewhat mitigated now by the fact that after this operation we have hard evidence linking (Arafat) not just to the inspiration of terror but to involvement in the instruction and financing of terror.” Ayalon was alluding to papers seized from Arafat’s headquarters and other Palestinian Authority offices that Israel believes substantiate a closer link between Arafat and the more militant armed Palestinian groups. The other benefit, as Sharon sees it, is that Arafat’s absence from the Palestinian territories would allow an alternative leadership to flourish, Ayalon said. “If he’s not here, and not here in a way that everyone knows it’s for good, then there is a better chance for a new leadership to emerge,” he said. The strategy is one that Sharon employed in the past without good results, analysts here note. In 1982, Sharon, as defense minister, launched Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, reaching Beirut and laying siege to Arafat. After 88 days and with U.S. intervention, the Palestinian leader was allowed to escape to Tunisia. Sharon, seeking a malleable ally, helped shepherd in Bashir Gemayel as the new president of Lebanon. Gemayel was assassinated before he could take office. In 1981, Sharon established Palestinian Village Leagues in the West Bank to promote local leaders opposed to Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization. Most either had to resign or were assassinated. If Arafat is ousted by the Israelis, it would be next to impossible for any self-respecting Palestinian to take his place. Anyone who did would have no following and little credibility — or would have to take extremist positions to earn legitimacy.

US cardinals announce new policies VATICAN CITY (L.A. Times) — U.S. Roman Catholic cardinals

Wednesday ended two days of discussions on the sexual abuse scandal by announcing new policies to make it easier to rid the church of any priest involved in future cases of sexual abuse. But the guidelines were short on specifics and seemed certain to prolong the debate over whether the church can come to grips with abusive priests. After the extraordinary meetings with the pope and senior Vatican cardinals on the crisis, the American prelates acknowledged that they remained uncertain whether to defrock all priests involved in past cases of sexual abuse of minors. Their final communique made no mention of a “onestrike’’ rule or other elements sought by some cardinals — including the mandatory reporting of all sexual abuse cases to civil authorities and greater involvement of lay Catholics in overseeing sexual abuse cases. Nor did it spell out how church canon law should be changed to make it easier to defrock abuser priests while protecting their right of appeal. However, the American cardinals seemed confident that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would approve a comprehensive plan that included such policies when they meet in June. The pope’s exhortations during the past two days and the public chastening of bishops by an outraged public were expected to spur bishops into approving the still unwritten plan. American bishops have been grappling with the sexual abuse issue for more than a decade. Indeed, some of the proposals outlined here Wednesday echoed similar initiatives advanced in 1993. For example, a report to the bishops conference in 1994 said the best way for the church to deal with accusations of child molestation by clergy was in “a spirit of openness, justice and compassion.’’ It said sexual abuse policies should “clearly state a willingness to cooperate with government authorities to the extent possible.’’ Since then, the American church has been hit by the worst crisis of its modern history. Dozens of U.S. priests and a bishop have resigned or been fired because of sex abuse allegations. There have also been calls for the resignation of

Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, where the scandal began in January after it wasdisclosed that his archdiocese had moved from parish to parish a pedophile priest accused of having molested as many as 130 boys over three decades. Father Thomas J. Reese, New York-based editor of the Jesuit magazine America, said the proposals outlined Wednesday would for the first time mandate the removal of sex abusers from the priesthood. “That’s clearly a racheting up,’’ Reese said. “If we look at the original guidelines, the ones they’re proposing now are stricter. They’re talking about lay involvement (in overseeing cases). They’re talking about dismissal from the priesthood ... and they’re talking about this being binding (on bishops) across the board.’’ Stiffening the cardinals’ resolve were remarks Tuesday by the pope. “People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young,’’ he said. He said the abuse of minors was both a civil crime and “an appalling sin.’’ The pope’s views were clearly on the mind of cardinals. “Once you listen to the Holy Father and once the Holy Father says there is no place in priestly ministries for someone who harms children or young people, then you know you have to work from there,’’ Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., said. Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. bishops conference, admitted the final statement was “skeletal.’’ But he said most U.S. bishops are already putting many of the proposals into force in their own dioceses. But how to deal with old cases of sexual abuse involving priests who may have had only one incident of abuse on their record remained controversial. “That will be one of the hotly debated questions,’’ Gregory said. McCarrick also made a distinction between past and future cases. “I think anyone who in future who would do something like this to a child or a youngster, that’s it,’’ McCarrick said, wagging his finger for emphasis. But he said a 30-year-old isolated case might be another thing. “I’ve got to pray about that one and think about that one more, and listen to the lay people more, McCarrick said.


THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

US intelligence indicates China may be preparing cyber attacks WASHINGTON (L.A.Times) — U.S. intelligence officials believe the Chinese military is working to launch widescale cyber-attacks on American and Taiwanese computer networks, including Internet-linked military systems considered vulnerable to sabotage, according to a classified CIA report. Moreover, U.S. authorities are bracing for a possible wave of hacking attacks by Chinese students against the United States in coming weeks, according to the analysis. The confidential alert, which was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, was sent to intelligence officials a week ago. Although U.S. officials have voiced concerns about individual hackers in China who have defaced federal and private Web sites, the United States has resisted publicly linking the Chinese government to those attacks or to broader cyberstyle warfare. The new CIA report, however, makes clear that U.S. intelligence analysts have become increasingly concerned that authorities in Beijing are actively planning to damage and disrupt U.S. computer systems through the use of Internet

hacking and computer viruses. Although the assessment concludes that China has not yet acquired the technical sophistication to do broad damage to U.S. and Taiwanese systems, it maintains that this is the “intended goal” of the People’s Liberation Army in China. “The mission of Chinese special forces includes physical sabotage” of vulnerable systems, the report says — a sign that some analysts said is driven by China’s hostility toward Taiwan. The Chinese Embassy in Washington insisted Wednesday, however, that Beijing is only conducting computer research that is strictly defensive in nature. “It is not the Chinese government’s policy to disrupt the computer system of any other country,” said Larry Wu, an official in the embassy’s science and technology section. “We do research on the security of computers, of course — selfdefense to understand how a hacker can get into our computer systems so we can defend it,” he said. “But China has never assumed an offensive stance with regards to computer technology.”

But several specialists in Chinese security and military affairs said the CIA’s conclusions jibe with their own observations about China’s research into offensive-minded cyber-tools. “We should be very worried about this issue,” said James Mulvenon, a China analyst at the Rand Corp. think tank who has doneextensive studies into Chinese computer capabilities. Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, appears to be the driving force behind the Chinese interest in hacking and viruses, Mulvenon said. Under one scenario, if China were to make good on its long-standing threat to invade Taiwan, the Chinese military could then seek to deploy widespread computer disruptions against American and Taiwanese military systems to slow any effort by U.S. forces to intervene in Taiwan’s defense, he said. The issue threatens to inflame what are invariably tense relations between the United States and the Communist regime in China, relations already frayed by a volley of charges and countercharges during the last several years over alleged

nuclear, military and political espionage. Relations hit a low point last year after a U.S. spy plane collided with a Chinese jet fighter, triggering an international standoff overthe return of the plane’s 24 Navy crewmen. China detained the crew members for 11 days and returned the disassembled plane months later. Recent months have seen a warming in relations as the Bush administration secured China’s cooperation in the war on terrorism. But China has become upset by what it sees as the White House’s increasingly favorable overtures toward Taiwan. The CIA’s assessment discusses both Taiwan and the United States, revealing that U.S. intelligence officials believe both are targets of the Chinese military. “The People’s Liberation Army does not yet have the capability to carry out its intended goal of disrupting Taiwanese military andcivilian infrastructures or U.S. military logistics using computer virus attacks,” said the CIA’s report, which was included in a broader national security assessment that

authorities distributed to intelligence officials. “China’s virus attack capabilities are similar to those of sophisticated hackers and are limited to temporary disruption of sectors that use the Internet,” the CIA review said. “A Chinese virus attack is capable of reaching e-mail communications, laptops brought into China, and U.S. Internet-based military computers.” A U.S. intelligence official who was briefed on the issue but asked not to be identified said analysts believe that, although the mostsensitive U.S. military databases are secure from hackers and viruses, Internet-based military systems that are used for communications with bases around the world and with outside military vendors could be vulnerable. “These aren’t the keys to the kingdom we’re talking about,” the official said. “There’s no danger that the Chinese are going to hack into our nuclear launch codes, but there is the danger they could gather useful intelligence from penetrating some of the less sensitive networks that the Department of Defense utilizes all over the world.”


PAGE 10 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002

FBI announces terror warning WASHINGTON (L.A. Times) — The

drumbeat of threatening reports over the past week — terrorists planning to detonate radioactive “dirty bombs” or attack the U.S. financial system — has been all the more alarming because of their source: the captured operational commander of the alQaida network, who is now being interrogated by U.S. authorities. On Wednesday, the FBI announced yet another warning, that terrorists affiliated with Osama bin Laden may try to attack American shopping centers and malls. Like the other alerts, authorities say, the information was provided by Abu Zubeida, the nom de guerre of bin Laden’s top aide, who was taken into custody in Pakistan last month. But why is Zubeida — a man apparently willing to die for his cause — talking to his captors at all, much less providing them with important information about the group’s plans and operations? And why are U.S. officials, normally so tight-lipped about their terrorism interrogations, spreading the word about his apparent confessions? The answers, those close to the matter suggest, lie in the elaborate psychological and tactical struggle under way between American interrogators and their most valuable witness in the war on terrorism. It is a multi-level effort that involves not just what Zubeida and his captors are saying to each other, but the impression they are trying to create among those outside the interrogation room — both in the terrorism community and in the nations where the U.S. campaign against terror is being fought. U.S. officials recognize that

Zubeida is deliberately trying to confuse and mislead them, mixing false leads with others in a way thatleaves them unable to determine the truth. But they concede that they have no alternative than to take what he is saying extremely seriously, and to act on it immediately and aggressively. Zubeida is trained in the art of disinformation. His interrogators are trained to foil such techniques. “When you get someone that plugged in to al-Qaida’s inner workings, you have to listen,” one Bush administration official said. “This is the E.F. Hutton of the interrogation process; you have to pay attention. “Can you trust him? Trust is the wrong word,” the official added. “Can you dismiss it? Absolutely not.” U.S. officials apparently are also engaging in their own manipulation, using the Zubeida reports to, in the words of one FBI agent, “tickle the wires.” That involves leaking Zubeida’s statements in the hope that they create a buzz among his al-Qaida followers around the world. They would then communicate among themselves in person or by phone and e-mail — and hopefully provide more leads in the ongoing terrorism investigation. “If it seems choreographed, it probably was,” the FBI agent said of the sudden burst of official disclosures about what Zubeida issaying. “You insert some information into a criminal investigation and see what happens.” Little is known about the interrogation sessions with Zubeida, held at an undisclosed location by military, intelligence and law enforcement officials.

The interrogators are actively trying to corroborate what they have learned from Zubeida by checking it against existing intelligence and statements from other prisoners — including a top Zubeida subordinate, Ibn alShaykh al-Libi, who is also believed to be talking. But virtually no one believes that Zubeida is cooperating for any reason other than to toy with his interrogators, and perhaps to send them in one direction while his co-conspirators continue plans to attack somewhere else. And that has put U.S. officials in a bind, they concede. The newest warning, about attacks on shopping malls, was based on “unsubstantiated and non-specific information” provided by Zubeida, federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The FBI’s 56 field offices were alerted, but only out of an abundance of caution. They said bin Laden’s quest for “dirty bombs” that would spew radiation and cause panic within a large radius has been so well publicized that Zubeida theoretically could be telling his interrogators about things he read over the Internet before his March 28 capture. “You can’t believe a word this guy says. He is clearly an enemy of the country and he is going to provide disinformation, send us down the wrong path and cause us to burn untold resources,” said Robert Blitzer, former head of the FBI’s counterterrorism division. “But I understand where the bureau is coming from. He is a top al-Qaida member and if we sit on (the information) and don’t to anything and something happens, the world will be on top of us for it. They are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.”

Engineer at fault in Metrolink crash PLACENTIA, Calif. (L.A. Times) — A

freight engineer who ran past two warning signals is most likely responsible for the head-on crash with a Metrolink commuter train that killed two passengers and injured hundreds of others, according to preliminary findings released Wednesday by federal investigators. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said they are focusing on the freight operator because they have ruled out causes such as brake or other mechanical failure, track problems and signal malfunctions. About two miles from the site of the collision in Placentia, a yellow light on the rail line signaled to the engineer that he should slow to 30 mph. But NTSB investigators said the Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight engineer appeared to ignore or miss the light. The train picked up speed to about 48 mph. “He did not slow the train at all,” said Marion C. Blakey, the NTSB chairwoman. “He kept going full bore.” A minute and a half later, the 67-car freight train was signaled by a red rail light to stop, but the train was traveling too fast. The engineer’s efforts to apply the emergency brakes were not enough to prevent the train from slamming into the Metrolink cars, which had already stopped on the track. The freight was going about 20 mph upon impact, throwing passengers and causing two Metrolink coach-

es to derail. Seconds later, the freight hit the double-decker passenger cars a second time, carrying it a total of 337 feet. The freight engineer, Darrell Wells, and the conductor, Dean E. Tacoronte, both jumped from the train moments before the crash. Tacoronte’s mother-in-law, Betty Wood, said he remained hospitalized with head injuries. “(My daugher) told me Dean said he looked up, and he saw the train,” Wood said. Dozens of Metrolink commuters suffered fractures, lacerations and back injuries. Some pushed out windows to escape the train, while the more seriously injured had to be pulled out by rescuers. “There is no question that the Burlington Northern train should have stopped,” Blakey said. “The (Metrolink) train had the right of way.” Two men — Robert Kube, 59, of Moreno Valley and Lawrence Sorensen, 48, of Riverside — died from blunt-trauma injuries sustained in the crash, and 162 were treated at hospitals. A few remained hospitalized Wednesday. Blakey called the Placentia accident a worst-case scenario, adding: “This kind of head-on collision is exactly what the NTSB has been concerned about for years.” In the wake of the crash, Blakey said, the rail industry must consider installing fully automated brak-

ing systems, which are used in the Northeast. There, passenger and freight trains also share common tracks. The system operates without action by the engineer. It is triggered by warning and stop lights along the rail line, she said. Blakey issued a strong endorsement for those systems Wednesday during a news conference in Fullerton, saying that if they had been in place in Orange County, the trains would have stopped and the accident could have been avoided. “The human error problem would be eliminated,” she said, adding that the final investigation of the crash will take months to complete. Neither Wells not Tacoronte could be reached for comment Wednesday. Their employer, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, did not return calls seeking comment. Officials from the union representing freight operators said it’s too early to pass judgment. History “has taught us that one should wait for all of the facts and any tests that are being run on any signals and equipment to be concluded,” said Frank Wilner, spokesman for the United Transportation Union. “We do not have all the facts.” Stephen Dawson, safety representative for UTU Local 811 in San Bernardino, said he trained Tacoronte and vouched for the conductor’s skills.


THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 11

House passes corporate disclosure bill WASHINGTON (L.A. Times) — In the strongest congressional response yet to Enron Corp.’s collapse, the Republican-led House passed a bill Wednesday that would give investors a fuller and more accurate picture of a company’s finances, especially from outside auditors. But Democrats who control the Senate contended the House bill doesn’t go far enough, setting up an election-year fight that could hinder chances of farreaching reforms. The measure, approved after months of hearings on Enron’s descent into bankruptcy and the role in its fall played by its indicted auditor, Arthur Andersen, would create a new accounting oversight board and impose new financial disclosure requirements on publicly traded companies. “We need to encourage greater corporate responsibility,” said Rep. Michael Oxley, ROhio, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and one of the bill’s authors. “We need to strengthen and modernize accounting oversight. We need to make sure that investors have timely and clear information.” The 334-90 vote in support of the measure underscored the bipartisan resolve to deal with the economic and political consequences of Enron’s meltdown. But an earlier, largely party-line vote of 219-202 against a tougher Democratic measure signaled the difficulties that may thwart compromise on a final bill. Influential Senate Democrats

have proposed stronger measures, such as restricting accounting firms from providing most consulting services for audit clients to prevent conflicts of interest. The House measure would prohibit only some types of consulting. Like the House bill, Senate proposals call for creating a new watchdog panel for accountants. But a disagreement exists over the panel’s makeup and whether Congress or the Securities and Exchange Commission should determine its powers. The Senate also is considering a broader package of reforms, including new protections for corporate whistle-blowers and stiffer penalties for document shredding. President Bush praised the House for its “reasonable approach” to providing better information to investors, making corporate officers more accountable and developing a more independent audit system. “With 80 million Americans participating as shareholders of companies, we must ensure high standards, tough disclosure requirements and accurate information,” he said. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, an industry trade group, said the bill includes “unprecedented and rigorous reforms” in the discipline and oversight of the accounting profession. “Self-regulation has been part of our profession for nearly 110 years, but we appreciate that the times call for special measures to

restore investor confidence,” the group said. The bill is the second one approved by the House in response to the accounting irregularities at Enron that led to the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history Dec. 2. This month the House approved a measure to give employees new rights to sell company stock and diversify investments in their 401(k) retirement accounts. Enron employees lost as much as $1 billion in retirement savings when the value of the company stock — which made up more than half the total in their accounts — plummeted and they were restricted from selling it. But the pension measure, like the accounting bill, faces an uncertain fate because the Senate favors stricter legislation. Supporters of the accounting bill the House passed said its provisions would have helped prevent Enron’s collapse by requiring companies to disclose offbalance-sheet transactions. Enron used off-the-books partnerships to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Andersen was both consultant and auditor for Enron at the same time, an arrangement that critics say led to a conflict of interest that ultimately may have delayed the timely disclosure of the energy giant’s financial weakness. The Andersen accounting firm is under criminal indictment for alleged obstruction of justice in connection with the destruction of Enron-related documents.


PAGE 12 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 13

Noting the blemishes on Bush’s environmental record Bush puts forth a good show at Yosemite, but his administration needs to make the environment a true priority TAKING THE TRAIN BACK UP TO tion to her when she tries to do something school at the end of Spring Break, I ran into good for the earth, and whenever she does a celebrity, or at least as close as we get to something good for industry, the green an actual star sighting in New Jersey. activists taunt her about her home state Christie Whitman, an ex-governor of New and lack of effort. Much like New Jersey, she Jersey and presently the head of the gets no respect and has nowhere to fit in; she has become the armpit Environmental Protection Agency of the Bush administration. (EPA), was standing right across Another ridiculous from me. Two things were very ALLISON metaphor infiltrated my conspicuous about this influenLOMBARDO mind in the Menlo Park tial but rarely visible member of GUEST COLUMN Amtrak station as I sadly Bush’s team. First, she was wearwaved goodbye to a week ing a neon pink blazer. Now, I understand that New Jersey sometimes of watching reruns of my old favorite gets caught up in the late 80s/early 90s shows. Does anyone else remember the excitement of trying to remember the best “Saved by the Bell” episode in which Kelly days of Bon Jovi, but honestly, there is no wants to be homecoming queen, but gets a excuse for a woman possessing money pimple on her nose, thwarting her plans? stolen from falsely reported taxes not to In order to disguise her blemish she puts update her wardrobe. The second and cream on her face, but instead of calming more subtle thing I noticed was that she the storm, her whole face turns red. was sitting in the second-class coach sec- Luckily, everyone mistakes this for a burst tion of a shady Amtrak train. Now if that of school spirit and she becomes the isn’t a metaphor for the respect Bush has sweetheart of Bayside High. Similar to the homecoming cheerleader, for the EPA, I don’t know what is. I kept staring at Christie’s hideous blazer, Bush has a blemish, but it’s not on his face; slightly blinded by its fluorescent color, and it’s pervading his environmental record. No couldn’t help feeling badly for her. No one one honestly thought drilling in the Arctic in Bush’s administration pays much atten- sounded like a good idea. Burying toxic waste under the Yucca Mountains in Nevada? Not so hot. Driving trucks around Although friends of Allison Lombardo ’05 Utah to find places to drill is not making the sometimes call her a dirty hippie, she just National Park people so happy. wants everyone to know that she showers Environmental groups are beginning and shaves daily.

to notice the big zit forming on Bush’s nose as he sniffs the clean air his father created by expanding the Clean Air Act. Recently, Bush has been struggling to mask his adolescent facial issues by proposing a series of watered down policies and making some superficial trips to pretty places. By making this public campaign, Bush is metaphorically painting his face green, although unlike Kelly, his national spirit is intentionally to win our support and calm those marching outside the White House with gas masks on. Will Bush get to wear the crown and demurely wave his little hand back and forth to Zack at The Max? Honestly, although most environmentalists tend to despise Bush, right now it’s hard to make a definitive judgment call. Unlike Christie Whitman’s blazer choice, Bush’s newest environmental initiative is not obviously a bad policy. Clear Skies, which was proposed in February, suggests that instead of regulating polluting power plants directly, a system of “caps and trades” be instituted. For economics lovers, this is a great idea, allowing the market to balance out the amount of emissions nationwide. Basically, the industry would trade permits on the amount of pollution each individual factory could emit. This would avoid all the legal scrambling over regulations, which waste money and time. Similar to pollution permits, the industry would fight it out among

themselves and leave the government out of it. Sounds like a pretty hot plan to me, except that the strict caps the EPA proposed for this plan have been pushed up. Also, heavily polluting companies in certain areas would be allowed to continue their old ways if the newer plants would sell them their right to pollute. Overall, this might cause some improvement in air quality, but local areas with these old plants would suffer greatly and have no political power to do anything about it. The EPA would be without recourse and would have to ride in the coach class of the train, with industry and the President lounging about, smoking cigars up front. Although it was great that Kelly overcame the adolescent trauma of a pimple in public and was victorious in her homecoming queen quest, let us not be fooled by Bush’s green painted face. His plan is debatably okay, but it is taking a very large chance, much like the fashion risk of wearing a neon pink blazer beyond the year 1992 (or 1993, if you’re daring). Christie deserves to sit up front with the big boys or at last have a jet to Washington; the EPA cannot be a secondclass player in policy concerning the earth’s future. Even with pretty pictures of Bush in the National Parks pushing a green agenda, we should not be fooled into thinking the earth is first priority with this administration, much like we cannot be fooled that Bon Jovi is making a legitimate comeback.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 14 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

On student finance The Undergraduate Finance Board stepped up to the plate recently and announced that it will help fund some of the extensive renovations needed to student activity space at Brown. Although it is painfully obvious that student groups lack adequate programming space, the University has — up until now — deemed enhancements to student activities less important than academic renewal. Even after the University spent $3,000 and brought two observers from other universities to campus to identify these obvious flaws in the way in which student activities operate last month, the response from administrators and student leaders to the proposed changes was not proactive. But now UFB has announced plans to fund the creation of a new Student Activities Service Center and a darkroom for student use, purchase media equipment for student groups and support the extensive renovations planned by the University Space Committee for T.F. Green Hall. Granted, setting aside two rooms in Faunce to provide support services to student groups will not make the serious inadequacies in student activities infrastructure disappear. However, UFB’s decision to use its surplus funds to support this small but significant improvement to the way in which student groups operate is an important first step. The addition of telephones, Ethernet-enabled computers, printers, copiers, fax machines and other supplies will lower the cost of publicity for events. Smaller student groups often spend significant portions of their budgets simply making table slips and flyers. Providing this service at a reduced cost in a centrally located space like Faunce will make it easier for students to start new groups and for existing smaller groups to grow. Student groups will be able to save even more money by taking advantage of the free media equipment UFB plans to provide through the new Student Activities Center. Furthermore, the hiring of administrators with professional training in event planning and leadership development will provide student leaders with a unique perspective on running their organizations. But we urge the leaders of these groups to proceed with caution, to maintain their independence and not to rely too heavily on the input of outside advisors. It is about time that someone decided to take proactive steps to tackle the serious and overwhelming inadequacies to the current state of student activities on campus. Other well respected universities have elaborate student centers that provide these important services and have space for social gatherings under one roof. Brown has no such space and it will require contributions from the Student Activities Office, the Undergraduate Council of Students, UFB and others to create such a space. Hopefully other campus leadership organizations will follow UFB’s lead and eventually Brown will have a quality student center.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Beth Farnstrom, Editor-in-Chief Seth Kerschner, Editor-in-Chief David Rivello, Editor-in-Chief Will Hurwitz, Executive Editor Sheryl Shapiro, Executive Editor Brian Baskin, News Editor Kavita Mishra, News Editor Andy Golodny, Campus News Editor Bethany Rallis, Campus News Editor Elena Lesley, Arts & Culture Editor Juan Nunez, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Jonathan Noble, Campus Watch Editor Chris Byrnes, Metro Editor Victoria Harris, Opinions Editor Sanders Kleinfeld, Opinions Editor Shana Jalbert, Listings Editor Maria DiMento, Listings Editor Marion Billings, Design Editor Stephen Lazar, Design Editor Stephanie Harris, Copy Desk Chief Jonathan Skolnick, Copy Desk Chief Josh Apte, Photography Editor Makini Chisolm-Straker,Asst.Photography Editor Allie Silverman, Asst.Photography Editor Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Nathan Pollard, Graphics Editor Brett Cohen, Systems Manager

BUSINESS Stacey Doynow, General Manager Jamie Wolosky, Executive Manager Jared Gerber, Associate Manager Angela Kim, Local Accounts Manager Hyebin Joo, Local Accounts Manager Moon-Suk Oh, University Accounts Manager Jan Vezikov, University Accounts Manager Eugene C. Cha, National Accounts Manager Joseph Laganas, National Accounts Manager Josh Miller, Classifieds Account Manager Elizabeth Tietz, Marketing Coordinator Shereen Kassam, Marketing Coordinator Tugba Erem, Marketing Coordinator Miguel Escobar, Subscriptions Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Senior Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager Jennifer Gillis, Advertising Representative P O S T- M A G A Z I N E Kerry Miller, Editor-in-Chief Zach Frechette, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Film Editor Alden Eagle, Theatre Editor Meredith Jones, Calendar Editor Juan Nunez, Asst. Features Editor Alex Schulman, Features Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Music Editor SPORTS Jonathan Bloom, Sports Editor Nick Gourevitch, Asst. Sports Editor Maggie Haskins, Asst. Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, Asst. Sports Editor Joshua Troy, Asst. Sports Editor Jesse Warren, Asst. Sports Editor Emily Hunt, Sports Photography Editor Michelle Batoon, Sports Photography Editor

Josh Gootzeit, Night Editor Carla Rivello, Copy Editor Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Brian Baskin, Jonathan Bloom, Carla Blumenkranz, Chris Byrnes, Jinhee Chung, Nicholas Foley,Vinay Ganti, Neema Singh Guliani, Ari Gerstman, Andy Golodny, Daniel Gorfine, Ben Gould, Nick Gourevitch, Stephanie Harris, Maggie Haskins, Christopher Hayes, Shara Hegde, Brian Herman, Shana Jalbert, Brent Lang, Elena Lesley, Jamay Liu, Jermaine Matheson, Kerry Miller, Kavita Mishra, Martin Mulkeen, Alicia Mullin, Crystal Z.Y. Ng, Jonathan Noble, Ginny Nuckols, Juan Nunez, Sean Peden, Bethany Rallis, Katie Roush, Caroline Rummel, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Anna Stubblefield, Jonathon Thompson, Joshua Troy, Miranda Turner, Juliette Wallack, Jesse Warren, Genan Zilkha, Julia Zuckerman Pagination Staff Bronwyn Bryant, Jessica Chan, Sam Cochran, Joshua Gootzeit, Michael Kingsley, Hana Kwan, Erika Litvin, Jessica Morrison, Stacy Wong Staff Photographers Josh Apte, Makini Chisolm-Straker, Allison Lauterbach, Matt Rodriguez, Allie Silverman, Vanessia Wu Copy Editors John Audett, Lanie Davis, Marc Debush, Daniel Jacobson, Sonya Tat, Julia Zuckerman

D AV I N C H E N G

LETTERS Editorial irresponsible, ignores substantial effort put forth by UCS To the Editor: I was shocked by the irresponsible staff editorial printed concerning UCS (“Serious governance,” 4/23). The Herald once again has made it clear they are not interested in reporting the news but rather in creating it. The editors chose to knock down a student group (without having attended a single meeting this year) in an attempt to criticize and minimize the efforts that have been made this year on behalf of the student body. In the past year UCS has co-sponsored over 20 events with student groups. We have researched and recommended to the University 100 disadvantaged high schools to target for admission to the class of 2007. We hosted the Carberry Music Festival, the 100th Anniversary of the Van Wickle Gates and a movie on the Green. We made recommendations and revisions to the advising system and provided free giveaways on the Main Green for two days of Spring Weekend. We implemented the 12 point Diversity Initiative, which includes the active recruitment of faculty of color. We held Brown Community Outreach Day, a Food Waste Disposal Program with the Ratty, sent weekly e-mails to all undergraduates concerning events on campus and UCS initiatives, assisted the PW to create added performance and practice space for student run performance arts groups and helped with many other important efforts. So which is it, Herald staff? Are we responsive student government if we are actually doing concrete things, or only when we are yelling at the administration? This year, achievements by the 35 members of the Council have been sincere and substantive. They deserve more than just criticism from irre-

sponsible “journalists” who knock down without the information to back it up.

Tali Wenger ‘02 April 24

Brown activist groups ignored legitimate opportunity for debate To the Editor: An official representative of Israel, whose job was to address the many concerns on this campus about Israeli policy — the charges, conclusions and indictments so freely spread on this campus — came to Brown Tuesday night (“In address, Israeli official defends West Bank Invasion,” 4/24). Where were the anti-Israelis during the event? They all have the time to make sensationalist, foundationless posters, which serve only to bury any remaining respect Brown activism commands and enlarge the political gap on this campus. But they have no time for this? The anti-Israelis are all prepared to make posters, write comments on The Herald’s pages and even occasionally stand on Thayer St. with leaflets, but when the single legitimate destination for their claims came to face them, they failed to be present. That is pathetic. I am sorry for the Palestinian movement on campus, and I am sorry for the Israeli movement on campus. Both groups would have gained from discussion last night, and when push came to shove, the anti-Israelis dropped the ball — so much for Brown Activism. Yaniv Gelnik ‘03 April 24

The Brown Daily Herald Join Us. 351.3372 CO M M E N TA RY P O L I C Y The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns and letters reflect the opinions of their authors only. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. ADVERTISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement in its discretion.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 15

University must improve housing for upperclassmen Residential life needs to consider its upperclassmen, other lottery options in the years to come IN MY LEAST NEGATIVE PRONOUNCEMENT Brown students take up residence this fall. in a column yet, I must say Brown’s on-cam- Miller Hall, filled primarily by (complaining, pus living experience is not abysmal. The lot- unionizing) graduate students, is slated for a tery process, though flawed, is administered renovation as well. Having spent this year in a spacious if fairly; in particular, I am impressed with Dean Donald Desrochers, who does not bend pub- dingy single on the second floor in Metcalf, I have tried to tune out the drab, lished deadlines for the benefit bare concrete, prison-like stairof disorganized procrastinators. wells; the basement that floods Moreover, once we receive housif too many washing machines ing, we know it is in a relatively are utilized; and the chronic ant good neighborhood compared infestations. But a hallmate’s to the rampant thievery in New anecdote about the sinking floor Haven or the prison environin the kitchen called me to ment of Penn’s West action. She explained: Philadelphia slum. “Remember how the floor was But we should not be content sinking last semester? ... (A with our lot. Our housing system friend) happened to show it to suffers from three main ailBRETT COHEN CHECKMATE! President Simmons, so they ments: increasingly dilapidated started to fix the floor, putting in living space for upperclassmen, the wood.” Four months later, a lottery system that can dole out there’s still no linoleum, just the substandard housing at least two years in a row and a program house system same plywood. In another setting, perhaps the Production that is antithetical to everything the Workshop, this charming crack-house floor University stands for. Realizing that tours and overnight visits motif might be charming, but it’s a glaring have a big impact on visiting pre-frosh, the example of how the University fails to serve its University seems to focus its renovations on upperclassmen. Yet, despite such obvious freshman dorms; once Emery-Woolley is ren- need, Metcalf will not be fixed until the sumovated this summer, all freshman dorms will mer of 2003. Go figure. Brown’s handling of the “unforeseen” have been renovated at least once in the last housing shortage is getting mixed reactions 11 years. Minden Hall will also be renovated before from the student body. Sure, the University seems to have been somewhat prepared for Brett J. Cohen ’03 is living in Metcalf again the crisis, having the Minden Hall property in reserve. But its allocation of these soon-to-be next year (he was number two in the renovated rooms, some with their own bathlottery) and hopes he doesn’t fall through rooms, leaves much to be desired. the kitchen floor.

Given that the deadline for off-campus application forms was Feb. 1, the University had plenty of time to add the Minden Hall rooms to the regular Segment V lottery, which contains all the other doubles and singles. In fact, the University should have guessed by the middle of last semester that off-campus applications would be way down on account of the spike in crime, which limits nighttime mobility, especially on small East Side streets that lack regular police patrols. Rising rental prices should have been another indicator, as anyone who has even glanced at listings knows all too well. In any event, this experience suggests that the University is not using an evidencebased statistical model to project housing patterns, to the detriment of everyone. Even if the University raised its dormitory standards, there is still the matter of actually selecting a desirable room. Rooms vary widely in size, shape, dankness, soundproofing and proximity to the Main Green. Under the present system, students receive a new lottery number each year, meaning that they could conceivably get low numbers sophomore and junior years. Although juniors are guaranteed to have higher numbers than any sophomore, and seniors receive similar priority over juniors, it is still possible to be relatively unlucky each year or, less problematically for a person, luckier each year. Nevertheless, luck should not be the primary determinant in one’s residential experience. There are many possible alternatives, which include everything from refinements to a radical departure from the present roomdetermining procedure. Most plausibly, lottery results could be weighted based on past

results to prevent losing-streak syndrome. For instance, if you did really poorly as a rising sophomore, a negative coefficient would be multiplied by your rising junior number to obtain your final lottery number, putting you higher on the list (as negative numbers are lower than any positive number). By the same token, if you did well in the lottery as a rising sophomore, your historical coefficient would be a positive number proportional to your place in last year’s lottery. This is only a sketch, and many details would need to be worked out, but the result would be an adjustment mechanism that limited the potential for a losing streak. Clouding any reforms to the lottery is the existence of a parallel housing allocation system — fraternities and program houses. I’ve learned, much to my surprise, that fraternities are key to having a fun, balanced campus; universities without them tend to have nightlife resembling a Cambridge study group. Program houses, aside from Machado House, seem to benefit the community little, aside from sequestering various misfits out of sight. Most directly encourage self-segregation, whether from human contact in the case of Techhouse, or actual segregation from the rest of campus at Harambee house. Systemic changes to our residential system require consultation with the student body and the formulation of a comprehensive plan for the future. But unless the University wants me to fall through my kitchen floor, less controversial action on the physical buildings must proceed immediately if the University is to show its commitment to the happiness and well-being of its residents.

UCS member asks: Who’s ready to represent? The Herald’s criticism of UCS are uninformed, unconstructive and hypocritical FOR THREE SEMESTERS, EVERY OTHER often disagreed with the current leadership, night, I sat behind a computer in The to say that “Brown’s student government Herald newsroom as an opinions editor. talks a lot and accomplishes little,” is laughAnd the same line of talk would arise in the able at best and a downright lie at worst. newsroom each time the Undergraduate The Herald’s own UCS reporter commentCouncil of Students (UCS) was mentioned. ed at Monday’s meeting that UCS has done lots for the community and They’re ineffective, they’re that the editors were mistaken power hungry, and they’re the KRISTINA in their biases. This statement negative synonym of the day. ARVANITIS came from a student who For the most part, I enthusiasGUEST COLUMN attended every one of our tically agreed. UCS members meetings this semester. In seemed all too eager to pad their resumés and to neglect the concerns comparison, The Herald editors did not of Brown. To that effect, I penned a fake attend one of our meetings before making article in last year’s April Fools Day edition their criticisms in Tuesday’s editorial. I noted at Monday’s UCS meeting that of The Herald mocking the shortcomings of Brown’s student government. And for all this year’s Council has become a force to my opposition, surprisingly enough, I am be reckoned with within this University’s administration. And it’s not, as Herald’s a UCS member myself. Last year on UCS, I returned from a editors say, because we “swallow the recmeeting physically shaking after being ommendation of University Hall adminiscalled a liar and other names by council trators.” It’s because most UCS members members for defending The Herald’s vehemently opposed the Office of Student printing of David Horowitz’s reparations Life’s residential cluster proposal and ad. I hated UCS then. Whenever someone voiced these opinions to President mentioned the acronym, I could feel the Simmons. Immediately thereafter it was bile rising in my throat. The leadership pulled. It’s because we questioned the made it impossible to work for change and user-friendliness of the advising Web site every nauseatingly politically correct reso- that an overhaul took place so that it’s now lution that we passed made no impact on more accessible to students. It’s because we wanted a better diversity workshop the Brown community, and rightfully so. So why does The Herald’s editorial during Orientation that next year a new (“Serious governance,” 4/23) bother me, pilot program will take place. Maybe one of the largest critics of UCS, so much? administrators have stood up and noticed Frankly, it’s because I have seen this year’s because we lobbied Corporation members Council members do remarkable things for to match this year’s Senior Gift toward Brown. And while, certainly, there is so financial aid. Maybe we have deans scribmuch more to be done, and while I have bling notes at every one of our meetings because we’ve made it easier for student groups to function by consolidating all Kristina Arvanitis ’02 is the former Herald opinions editor and currently serves as the University services in the Student Academic and Administrative Affairs Chair Activities Office and beginning a program to rent free media equipment to student on UCS.

groups. Maybe they’re paying attention because we disliked the UFS policy of throwing leftover food away and arranged to have it donated to a food pantry. Or perhaps it’s because we’ve formed coalitions with other groups to provide more student-wide events on campus — events that were high in attendance and no short of praise from students, administrators and The Herald itself. The long-term goals that were not accomplished are ones that the University cannot afford at this time — for example, the student center, which was mentioned in Tuesday’s editorial. While I’m sure that UCS will continue to lobby for a student center and increased athletic space, we have attempted to alleviate the crunch with more “realistic initiatives” that the editorial failed to report: lengthening OMAC hours, providing more space for postering and addressing concerns by performance groups about lack of practice space: T.F. Green Hall will be renovated in order to provide more space for student groups. We are not simply standing by idly until we finally get a building of our own. UCS hasn’t debated nearly as many statements this year. Rather, the majority of our work lies in the accomplishments I have listed above, enacting change asThe Herald suggested we should do. The Herald editors’ gripe that UCS passes numerous statements without first getting input is also false. With the UCS security statement, we interviewed both members of BUPS and members of an alliance to keep guns off Brown’s campus before drafting and passing a statement. Instead of commenting that our statement has not had “significant effect,” The Herald’s editors might wait until the Bratton Group’s

inquiries and discussions with campus constituencies have ended and their report revealed before remarking that our statement has done nothing. I also find it remarkable that The Herald’s editors accuse UCS of operating in secret, when The Herald itself has undergone immense changes without publicizing them. For the first three days of this semester, The Herald allowed certain individuals to review some “sensitive” articles so that they could suggest changes in coverage. These commenting parties were not referenced in the article, either in the body of the story or in the byline. That was an enormous change of policy, and not only were the contributing parties not noted in articles, but this entire policy had also been kept from the student body. In light of criticism of The Herald as a representative mouthpiece for student affairs at this University, one would think that any changes of this nature to their news policy would have been announced so that theycould be debated in the public sphere, just as The Herald suggests that UCS should do. Instead of writing an editorial suggesting change to student governance, The Herald has instead penned a statement full of vitriol. Again, Herald editors have written an editorial that says “this sucks, make it better,” without any concrete suggestions as how to reform student government at Brown. It’s easy to point out shortcomings in institutions; it’s much harder to make constructive suggestions. I challenge Herald editors to live up to the same standards in writing editorials that I expected from my opinions columnists. I challenge Herald editors to address issues with the same degree of openness to public scrutiny that this community should expect from UCS.


THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS THURSDAY APRIL 25, 2002 · PAGE 16

Paying the price for $120 million HE DID THE UNFORGIVABLE. HE LEFT A successful young team for the big bucks and glitz of New York City and the pin-striped Yankees. Jason Giambi left behind the team that he had brought from oblivion to post-season success. With a JONATHAN MEACHIN young dominatROUNDBALL PROPHECIES ing trio of pitchers and a powerful left side of the infield still in its 20’s, the Oakland A’s were supposed to be the team of the future. With $120 million, that all quickly changed. And on Monday night, his first return to Oakland, the Oakland fans let Giambi know what they thought about his decision. Monday night, Giambi entered the stadium filled with the same fans that had praised and worshipped him. He had been an icon, yet when he stepped into the batter’s box, waves of boos engulfed him. But in the end he proved why he was the 2000 MVP and that regardless of the uniform, he would continue to dominate opposing pitchers. Giambi collected himself and smacked an RBI double and later added a single as the Yankees edged the A’s 2-1. One group of fans held out a sign that said, “There’s no ‘A’ in $ellout,” which basically said it best for A’s fans. Not only did Giambi leave the A’s, he went to the most hated team in baseball, the Yankees. The same team that kept the A’s from advancing in the postseason now has Oakland’s most beloved star. The A’s represented the success of small market teams that baseball desperately needed, but now the core of the team has gone. Granted, it’s still very early in the season, but Giambi hasn’t only been booed in Oakland. $120 million usually brings some expectations, and New York fans have not had too much to be impressed with, either. Giambi’s miserable performance so far in the “House that Ruth Built” has also garnered some nasty but well deserved boos from New York’s finest fans. A .275 batting average may be worth $12 million for seven years, but not $120. So let’s look closely at Giambi’s decision so far. He traded in being “the man” in Oakland with the California girls for getting Jeter’s leftovers in New York. He’s being booed at home and on the road, and he’s off to a terrible start after signing a mega-million dollar contract. I’m sure Giambi will get it together by season’s end, but damn, does this summer’s decision to go East look like a bad one right now.

SCOREBOARD Today’s Games Away Track at Drake Relays. Des Moines, Iowa. Track at Penn Relays. Philadephia, Penn. Women’s Lacrosse at Boston University. 4:00 p.m.

Yesterday’s Results Men’s Lacrosse BROWN 13, Providence 7

Softball URI 6, BROWN 5 BROWN 8, URI 3

In setting 9 personal records, men’s track finishes 2nd at UConn Invite BY JOANNA GROSSMAN

Last Saturday, while the rest of the campus was rocking to the beats of The Roots, the men’s track team was competing in the University of Connecticut Invitational. The Bears finished second to the Huskies and defeated the University of Massachusetts by eight points. “This was one of those meets that we went into wanting to back off a bit after having lots of guys doing multiple events for the past few weeks,” said Head Coach Robert Johnson. “We wanted to concentrate on single events and we accomplished our goal of not being so focused on team score and placing more of the focus on individual performances.” The team has indeed really stepped up in the past few weeks. Nineteen personal records have been broken in the past two weeks, including nine on Saturday, a strong improvement from the five broken in the first two weeks of the season. Unfortunately, some of the team is not completely healthy, with a few twists and pulls keeping members off the track last week. By letting people rest up this week, Johnson said he hopes that everyone will be back and ready to compete for the Heptagonal Championship. Tri-captain Sean Thomas ’03 was impressed with how the team performed even without the full squad behind them. “The guys competing kept their focus even though the conditions weren’t ideal,” Thomas said. Keeping to their trend for the season, David Glazier ’05 and Tim Russell ’05 came through with big throws. Russell notched the only contested win of the day in the discus throw with a heave of 166’4.” Glazier came in fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put with throws of 145’10” and 46’0” respectively. All three marks were personal records. “We were really impressed with the men’s throws. We had a really big throw see M. TRACK, page 6

dspics

The Bears finished second to the Huskies and defeated the University of Massachusetts by eight points at the University of Connecticut Invitational, held on Saturday.

With win over BU, women’s crew captures 5th straight The Brown women’s crew picked up its fifth straight victory on Saturday by sweeping five races from Boston University on the Seekonk River. It has been five seasons since a Brown varsity women’s crew last lost a regularseason race. Year after year new people step up from lower boats and keep the streak going. “We’ve been very fortunate they’ve been able to do that,” head coach John Murphy said. This year’s women’s varsity, with six new people in the boat, isn’t as powerful as some of the most recent varsity crews were, but it rows just as smoothly and competes just as hard. Murphy can’t quite put his finger on their continuing desire to excel, but he says he’s happy to see it. “I guess they see the past crews as role models and want to continue doing what those crews did,’’ he said. The streak was in no danger of being broken Saturday, as Murphy’s varsity trounced a perennially tough opponent, Boston University, by better than three lengths in unusually good rowing conditions on the Seekonk River. The Brown varsity women led by a length after the first 500 meters, then more than doubled their lead with a power surge

It has been five seasons since a Brown varsity women’s crew last lost a regular-season race. Year after year new people step up from lower boats and keep the streak going. in the next 500. The Brown women won all their races by wide margins — the second and third varsities are also undefeated- except the fours race, where the four, five, six and seven oarswomen from the first novice crew, which had raced an hour before, staved off a challenge from the BU varsity four and won the race by three seats. Novice coach Phoebe Murphy has watched the stroke and seven oarswomen in her first novice boat improve considerably since an opening loss to Princeton. They won impressively yesterday. — Brown Sports Information

Men’s crew falls to Northeastern The Brown men’s varsity crew lost its second straight race here Saturday to a potent Northeastern crew. But varsity coach Paul Cooke said his crew had raced just as well, if not better, than it had the week before against the east’s No.1 ranked crew, Harvard. Saturday’s times bear that out. Northeastern raced a second faster than Harvard did in beating Princeton a few minutes earlier, and Brown’s time was only three tenths of a second slower than Harvard’s. Northeastern, ranked second in the east and fourth nationally, moved out to a six-seat lead at the Mass. Ave. bridge. “But we stuck to them after that,” said varsity coach Paul Cooke. “We’re rowing a lot better,” said Brown’s No. 7 man, Constantine Demetracopoulos ‘02, one of only three men back from last year’s varsity. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team and as soon as we get to rowing as a unit we’ll do better still. We don’t have the raw power of last year’s boat, but we have a closer group of guys. — Brown Sports Information


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