M O N D A Y SEPTEMBER 16, 2002
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 72
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
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Student in critical condition after fall from window BY ELENA LESLEY
Beth Farnstrom / Herald
MUDSLIDING IN THE RAIN Though a rainy Sunday evening may have added to the woe of returning to Monday classes for some students, these students took advantage and turned the inclement weather conditions into something of a sport.
A Brown student remains in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital after falling from a third-story window early Friday morning. Adam Edwards ’04 was taken to the hospital after falling from his dorm room window in the Sigma Chi fraternity house, said Department of Public Safety Sgt. Antonio Leite. He landed on the house’s patio below. Leite said Edwards’ housemates called DPS around 4:30 a.m. after they “heard a crash outside the window.” Police are still investigating the incident. “We don’t know what happened yet,” Leite said. “We don’t want to rule anything out because no one else witnessed it — they just heard and saw it outside.” Geoff Gillespie ’04, president of Sigma Chi, said he had a conversation with Edwards and several other brothers outside the fraternity house around 2 a.m., and “Adam was in high spirits and he wasn’t intoxicated.” David Edwards ’04, Edwards’ twin brother, said his brother has had a problem with active sleepwalking since childhood, and “his (former) roommate said (Edwards) would wake up in the middle of the night and not know where he was.” In the past, someone had always been present to control the problem, but this was Edwards’ first year in a single, David said. Earlier that night, Edwards, who works at the Underground, stopped by the on-campus establishment for about an hour, leaving at around 11:30 p.m., said General Manager Ally Dickie. She added that an investigation is being carried out by the administration. “They’re concerned because we’re the only establishment on campus that can be pinpointed if this turns out to be an alcohol-related situation,” Dickie said. “He didn’t see EDWARDS, page 4
For Simmons, visiting is part of the job BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
In her first year in office, President Ruth Simmons visited about half of the 18 major cities she sees as crucial for supporting a major capital fundraising campaign. As part of a three-year tour of areas with substantial, well-organized alumni populations, Simmons has already visited cities such as Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. She leaves Sept. 18 for a two-day trip to Dallas and Fort Worth, and will travel to Hong Kong and Seoul following the Corporation meeting Columbus Day weekend. Simmons will also attend a function at New York City’s Brown Club in October, and plans to visit Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Florida and Philadelphia before the end of second semester. Simmons characterized her travel schedule as minimal. “One of the things that we try to do is minimize the amount of time that I have to spend away from campus,” she said. “We try not to make a lot of trips, but we try to include in the trips that I’m taking as much as we can.” Simmons said she could not estimate how many days she would be away from campus this semester. Her typical visit to a major city includes a press event, a gathering including all local alumni and smaller meetings with major University donors and foundations, Simmons said. These trips last no longer than a few days and generally are concentrated during University vacations. “When and if we go into a campaign, that will change,” Simmons said of the potential fundraising drive. “So I will be making trips at the convenience of donors as opposed to my convenience. Right now, I have the luxury of trying to plan everything around the campus schedule.” Simmons said she and the new Vice President for
Advancement Ronald Vanden Dorpel will fix a time frame for the quiet phase of the campaign within the next year. During the fundraising campaign’s quiet phase, Brown will solicit large donors prior to making a general call for donations. “It’ll be quiet, so you won’t know,” she said, laughing. “I can say we’re not in it right now, but we will not tell you when we are in it.” Vice President for Alumni Relations Lisa Raiola ’84 characterized these trips as a “friend-raising tour, rather than a fundraising tour,” she said. Following the most recent capital campaign, alumni complained that the University president only visited when Brown needed money, she said. “We absolutely wanted to inoculate ourselves against that perception” by bringing the president to alumni beforehand, she added. Former President Gordon Gee scheduled visits to 22 cities when he first arrived on campus, although he compressed them into 18 months. Alumni relations has been careful to avoid comparisons to Gee’s tour by spreading out Simmons’ travel and creating more formal events that contrast with Gee’s tendency to “work a room,” Raiola said. “Brown has been through a number of presidential transitions in the past five years, and it’s very important to alumni who is at the helm and in what direction they are taking the institution,” Raiola said. “If they feel like it’s a fragile situation, they’re less likely to make an investment. “Brown alumni used to be Brown students, and I don’t know many Brown students who are going to commit to
Myra Pong ’06 says TWTP is about educating, not isolating guest column,page 7
Men’s soccer ties Michigan, loses to UNC in opening tournament page 8
A Brown teaching assistant and student walking alone early in the morning and late at night Thursday were robbed and assaulted in separate incidents on Brown Street, north of Angell Street. Both victims were stopped by two suspects who asked for directions to Johnson & Wales University, the Department of Public Safety reported. The Brown University TA was stopped on Brown Street near Olive Street by two assailants at 12:07 a.m. on Thursday. The suspects asked for directions and then pushed the TA to the ground, took his wallet and punched him in the face. The suspects bruised the TA’s face and damaged his glasses, DPS reported. Brown EMS attended to and released the TA at the scene. The TA described his assailants as males about 6’ tall and in their 20s. One wore a red shirt, and the other wore a white one. Less than 24 hours later, at 11 p.m. Thursday, a Brown student was held at knifepoint by two suspects on Brown Street south of Barnes Street. The suspects asked the victim for directions to Johnson & Wales before assaulting him. One assailant held a knife to the victim while the other took cash from his wallet. The student was cut on his wrist. Brown see ATTACKS, page 4
see SIMMONS, page 4
I N S I D E M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 2 Artist Sue Coe discusses art and politics at Bell Gallery show opening page 3
Student, TA assaulted and robbed in seperate incidents Thursday
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Adam Stern ’06 says baseball fans must support their team — not worry about contracts sports column,page 8
Jermaine Matheson ’03 tries to end Chris Webber’s web of deceit sports column,page 8
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THIS MORNING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 2 Pornucopia Eli Swiney
W E AT H E R TODAY
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GRAPHICS BY TED WU
A story of Eddie Ahn
CALENDAR LECTURE — “America’s War on Terrorism: A Military Perspective,” Rear Admiral Rodney P. Rempt, Naval War College. Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute, 4 p.m. OPEN OFFICE HOURS — President Ruth Simmons. Office of the President, 4 p.m. LECTURE — “Droits des femmes-droits de l’homme?,” Gisèle Halimi. Lecture will be in French. Music Room, Rochambeau House, 5:30 p.m. WORKSHOP READING — “Long Christmas Ride,” Paula Vogel. McCormack Family Theater, 7 p.m. LECTURE — “Ancient India: Peace Within and War Without,” Richard Salomon, University of Washington. Room 106, Smith-Buonanno Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Yu-Ting’s Monday and Tuesday Yu-Ting Liu
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Real estate subdivisions 5 Keel over 11 Humanities degs. 14 “__ a man who wasn’t there...” 15 Residences 16 Einstein’s birthplace 17 1964 film about a magical nanny 19 __-mo replay 20 Jackie’s second 21 Bear in a constellation 22 Thus far 24 Sponsor initials at Indy 25 Shipboard affirmative 26 Costar of 17 Across 31 Bedding material 32 Whispered sweet nothings 33 Cries of relief 36 Affirm as true 37 __ Mesa, California 38 Help a hood 39 Christmas mo. 40 Proofreader’s mark 41 Just peachy 42 Role for 55 Across in 17 Across 45 Oil and vinegar holders 47 Wee bit 48 Momma’s mate 49 “You ain’t __ nothin’ yet!” 51 Male turkey 54 Chou En-__ 55 Costar of 17 Across 59 Put into service 60 Swirled, as a whirlpool 61 Iridescent gemstone 62 Part of EST: Abbr. 63 In conclusion 64 Hopalong Cassidy portrayer William DOWN 1 Peru’s largest city 2 Sharif of “Funny Girl” 3 Actress Garr 4 Pig’s digs
5 Legendary Native American athlete Jim 6 Comment from a butterfingers 7 Insect stage after larva 8 Tire pressure abbr. 9 “The Ipcress File” author Deighton 10 Made an attempt 11 Working energetically 12 Tin Pan __ 13 Struck, Biblically speaking 18 “I’ll __ a good word for you” 23 Use a needle 24 Destroyed, as the dragon 25 Region 26 Meaningless talk, in slang 27 Empty 28 Oak nut 29 “Long time __” 30 A little eccentric 31 Boy 34 Endangered damsel’s cry 35 Cardinals’ home: Abbr. 37 Rotating engine parts
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ARTS & CULTURE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 3
Coe merges politics, art in new Bell Gallery exhibition BY VIKKI HARRIS
“If you’ve seen the show, I want you to know that it sucks,” Sue Coe said at the start of her lecture Friday in List Art Center about her latest exhibition “Commitment to the Struggle: The Art of Sue Coe.” “Some of the pieces are good, but it’s mainly middle of the road,” she said. Coe discussed a selection of pieces from her show, which includes cover illustrations for Entertainment Weekly, personal sketches and etchings and artwork published in her books. A self-described political activist, Coe focused her lecture on pieces portraying serious topics such as economic interests in war, the meat industry and animal rights. The pictures Coe discussed were divided into several groups, including images of war. Coe described a black and white drawing of the burning World Trade Center as she saw it from her apartment. The piece shows people fleeing from the scene, frightened and confused. “They were in such shock — they were asking: ‘what block is this?’” Coe said. “This is just a record of how I thought it was.” Coe also displayed drawings of the Persian Gulf War, including a satirical Newsweek cover titled “Bomb Shelter?” that depicted children cowering in fear on the ground and Coe’s personal favorite, a picture showing corporations that benefited from that war. In the painting “We Will Kill Them Back to the Stone Age,” a male military employee points to targets across a map of the world. Directly beside him, two young girls skip through the countryside, the same targets painted on their chests. To lighten the mood, Coe presented several drawings she did about the TV show “The X-Files” and discussed her interactions with Gillian Anderson, the actress who played Scully. The show’s creators gave Coe the choice of spending time with one of the show’s two stars. Although Coe preferred David Duchovny, who played Mulder, Coe said her feminism
Coe discussed a selection of pieces from her show, ranging from cover illustrations for Entertainment Weekly, personal sketches and etchings and art work published in her books. A “political activist,” Coe focused mainly on pieces portraying serious topics such as economic interests in war, the meat industry and animal rights. forced her to choose Scully. “Mulder, who I could have chosen to be with if I didn’t have political consciousness, jumped from a train onto an alien,” she said. “I just had Scully with heels. I had to spend two days with her just because I’m a feminist.” Another series of pictures presented death in its various stages. Coe visited the infectious diseases ward in a Texas hospital and depicted dying patients, including a girl who had been left in the hallway to die because her insurance would not pay for her to be admitted. In another drawing, Coe’s mother, a fellow artist, agreed to let Coe draw her on her deathbed while Coe’s sister held her from behind. Coe said a sort of humor existed even in such a serious piece. “Every day she would say ‘I’m dying,’ and my sister and I would say ‘ok, mum,’ and then she wouldn’t. … My sister, behind that pillow, is reading a Stephen King novel — she had a whole stash of them back there.” Coe also presented a series on animal rights and the U.S. meat industry. One painting, a photograph of a colorful billboard, shows a person dying in bed with a crowd of animals gathering around, ready to eat her. Across the top of the billboard are the words “Go vegetarian!” Although she got to paint a billboard on behalf of her favorite cause, Coe said she was angry that it had been placed in an
obscure location. “What’s the point of a billboard behind the car park?” she said. “They don’t want to say censorship because it’s modern art … they can never say censorship because then there could be profit in it for me.” Coe’s other drawings depicted animals killed or being prepared for death in the slaughterhouse, a topic that has become increasingly prevalent in Coe’s artwork. While she presented these pictures, Coe talked about Farm Sanctuary, a group that she has been involved with since 1986 that works to eliminate factory farms. One drawing, called “Wall Street,” showed Wall Street buildings in black with a river of red blood and animal parts flowing in front of them. Another depicted a man in a slaughterhouse holding up a cowhide. He had no fingers — Coe said they had all been cut off while processing meat. Coe ended her lecture with a drawing of Queenie, a cow who had escaped from a slaughterhouse in New York City. “They took her to Kennedy Airport and Farm Sanctuary picked her up … then she went onto grass for the first time and all the other cows ran over to her and mooed and she mooed back,” she said in her closing remarks. “You can visit them at Farm Sanctuary, the survivors, the ambassadors, the rogue cows. Rogue, that’s what you are when you don’t want to be slaughtered.
Ellen Bak / Herald
Artist Sue Coe spoke Friday afternoon in List Art Center about the ways art and political activism intersect. “Thank goodness we are ending on a positive note.” Since moving to New York from England in 1972, Coe has worked as an illustrator for publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Mother Jones and National Lampoon. She has also published three books: “How to Commit Suicide in South Africa,” “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” and “Dead Meat.” “Commitment to the Struggle: The Art of Sue Coe” will be on display in the David Winton Bell Gallery in the List Art Center until Oct. 27. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Herald staff writer Victoria Harris ’03 can be reached at vharris@browndailyherald.com.
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002
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money, but rather for lying about it and obstructing justice, a far more damning accusation. The scope of the investigation is far greater than Webber and his family and the other members of the “Fab Five” recruiting class more than a decade ago. It has the potential to ruin the careers of former coaches, athletic directors, to even take down the banners of the University of Michigan making the Final Four in 1992 and 1993. Michigan would also face financial penalties and would probably have its basketball program on probation for years to come. A year ago, Webber said, “In no way do I want to mess up the name of college basketball, especially my university, the University of Michigan.” Well, it’s too late for that. And he insists that he will continue to fight the charges against him, that in the end he will be vindicated. Though we admire him for standing up to Shaq, in this instance
Attacks continued from page 1 EMS treated the student and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital for evaluation. The student described one of the suspects as a tall, cleanshaven bald male who wore a gray T-shirt. The other suspect was a 5’10” male who wore a green hooded sweatshirt. DPS and the Providence Police
Travel
Webber needs to succumb to the heavy hand of the law. Overall, he is a minor player in the sweeping investigation that includes the FBI, the IRS and the Organized Crime Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s office. Instead of fighting, he should be cooperating. It is a battle he cannot win. His criminal involvement could void the hefty contract he signed just a year ago and his continued recalcitrance could ultimately land him in prison. NBA players, and professional athletes for that matter, have often been considered arrogant. Webber is certain that he can survive this unscathed. He should do himself a favor and give full disclosure. I am sure nothing revealed would further taint our image of the malfeasance prevalent in sports. Perhaps a player willing to acknowledge it would restore it. I hope Webber is smart enough to realize this. Jermaine Matheson ’03 is an assistant sports editor and a regular column writer for the back page. He can be reached at jmatheson@browndailyherald.com.
Department searched the scene of each crime but did not find any suspects. Brown police will continue to investigate the incidents, according to a DPS campus-wide e-mail. DPS encourages students to use the Brown shuttle, which stops at locations throughout campus, and escort service, which is available at 863-1778. Students who need to walk at night can call Safewalk at 8631079. — Herald staff reports
of questions and they want to know that the University has a plan.”
continued from page 1 something that they don’t know much about,” she continued. “They’re a pretty demanding group of people. They have a lot
Edwards continued from page 1 drink any alcohol while he was at the Underground.” While questions surrounding Edwards’ fall remain, his friends and family are spending their time providing support for each other
Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz ’05 covers the Office of the President. She can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.
and visiting him in the hospital. “At this point, it’s a waiting game, but everyone’s optimistic,” Gillespie said. “He has shown positive signs, but there’s still room for concern.” Herald staff writer Elena Lesley ’04 is a news editor. She can be reached at elesley@browndailyherald.com.
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WORLD & NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 5
IN BRIEF Parties shine dim light on fate of Social Security in coming years WASHINGTON (L.A. Times) — Increasing Social Security’s reliance on the stock market and reducing guaranteed benefits for the elderly. Rolling back the next stages of President Bush’s tax cut and transferring trillions of dollars in general government revenue into the Social Security system. These are likely implications of the principal Republican and Democrat proposals to improve the longterm solvency of the nation’s giant public pension program. But voters this fall would be more likely to hear House and Senate candidates confess to a crime than admit to any of that. As Social Security attracts increasing attention in the 2002 campaign, candidates from both parties are professing their commitment to stabilizing the system. But they are offering voters almost no hint about how they would accomplish it. “It is an abysmal display going on out there,” said Michael Tanner, director of the Project on Social Security Choice at the libertarian Cato Institute here.“We are having demagoguery on one side and cowardice on the other. Democrats attack a caricature of privatization and the Republicans run away.” Against the backdrop of the falling stock market, GOP candidates are playing down their longtime support for proposals to allow workers to invest part of their payroll taxes in stocks and bonds, the centerpiece of Bush’s agenda for restructuring the program. A handful, such as Rep. Charles W.“Chip” Pickering of Mississippi, have gone further and renounced the idea. Democrats, while loudly condemning GOP proposals for private accounts, have been much more faint in describing their own ideas—partly because the most popular Democratic alternative for strengthening Social Security almost inevitably would require the party to challenge Bush’s tax cut, which few candidates this year are willing to do.
Arab leaders fear fallout from a U.S. attack RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (L.A. Times) — Arab leaders are unani-
mously opposed to an American invasion of Iraq because they are afraid it will lead to greater instability and violence across an already crisis-plagued region, according to Western diplomats, Arab officials and political observers. The Arab community has tried to persuade Washington to cool down its war talk, insisting that an attack against Iraq would be an attack on the whole “Arab nation.” And it has leaned on Iraq to let U.N. weapons inspectors back in, hoping that would make an invasion less likely. But both approaches have so far proved unsuccessful — and that is making many people here uneasy. “They are very, very concerned about the fallout from American military action,” said a Western diplomat based here who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They see it happening against the backdrop of unparalleled anti-American sentiment that has already put pressure on moderate regimes. They are very worried.” But there is also a regional calculus taking place, as leaders try to figure out how to balance their need to maintain public order with their desire not to completely alienate the White House. While the public posture remains one of solidarity with the people of Iraq, there are signs that some Arab nations are trying to hedge their bets. In the Persian Gulf region, for example, every government has publicly objected to an invasion, but several have allowed U.S. military forces to make war preparations on their soil. And on Sunday, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al Faisal, told CNN that if the United Nations authorized a strike on Iraq, the Saudis would be “obliged to follow through” if the United States needed bases in the kingdom. According to the Western diplomat here, the Saudis “recognize (Washington is) probably going to do it this way. ... When it comes down to it, they don’t want to be left on the sidelines looking irrelevant.” Still, the region is already in turmoil. Many people are
angry at the United States because they believe it used the events of Sept. 11 as an excuse to advance its selfinterest. They are angry because of what they see as America’s one-sided support for Israel. An attack on Iraq now, many fear, would make matters worse. The country could break apart. The Arab “street” might rise up. A cornered Saddam Hussein could hurl chemical or biological weapons into neighboring nations. Each country in the region also has its separate concerns. Saudi Arabia fears an attack on Iraq would complicate its desire to maintain ties with Washington and would undermine the war against terrorism. Jordan worries that it would be overrun by refugees and lose its supply of cheap oil. Egypt is worried that its people would take to the streets in demonstrations that could turn against the regime. And Iran, largely Muslim although not Arab, is not too keen on having a proAmerican regime on its border. There is one anxiety, however, that touches moderate and hard-line governments alike: the fear that postHussein Iraq would be even more dangerous, more volatile than it is now. The anxiety is magnified because in Hussein’s Iraq there are no independent government institutions to speak of and no obvious opposition group waiting in the wings to assume power. “Who will run things?” asked one top government official from the region who requested anonymity. “The military? There will be a coup every week. All these people of the opposition will not stand one day in Iraq. They have no credibility in Iraq. “ The worry that Iraq will unravel is a function of the country’s religious and ethnic makeup. Hussein and his allies belong to the main branch of Islam, the Sunni sect. While Sunnis make up the vast majority of the world’s Muslims, they are a minority in Iraq. The bulk of the population is made up of Shiite Muslims, a sect that broke off from the majority in a dispute over who would succeed the prophet Muhammad as caliph. Southern Iraq is also the location of two of the Shiites’ holiest shrines.
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EDITORIAL/LETTERS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 6 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
Who’s number one? Friday, U.S. News and World Report once again deemed Brown unworthy of the Olympian heights of collegiate esteem, ranking it the No. 17 university in the nation. Students could be heard grumbling to each other, holding arguments in which both parties agreed that ranking is an imperfect tool. What does U.S News and World Report really measure, and do these criteria accurately reflect the intellectual and social experiences Brown offers its student body? Brown graduated 94 percent of its students last year and has the fourth highest graduation rate in the nation. The University also scores high in terms of student selectivity, accepting the class of 2006 at a rate of 15.9 percent — which places the University squarely in the middle of Ivy League acceptance rates. However, as most Brown students are already aware, this University has a considerably smaller endowment than many of its peer institutions. For several reasons, including the schism caused by the New Curriculum — which both alienated certain alums and attracted new types of students, the University also has a relatively low level of alumni giving. Additionally, because of the small size of the graduate school, Brown has fewer alumni to draw on financially; this is doubly problematic because the number of graduate programs is weighed heavily in the ranking process. The depth of the University’s pockets, while important to the level of services Brown can provide, does not a world class education make. Brown’s New Curriculum, providing students with complete control over their academic experience, fundamentally sets it apart from its peer institutions. Few universities urge students to take the academic risks that the S/NC option provides, making Brown an institution that upholds learning rather than grades as a crucially important pursuit. Brown has a roster of world-class professors and researchers, boasts small sections and seminars and individual departments rank highly in external reviews. Brown gives students not only the opportunity to make connections with professors but to gain intellectual mentors as well, whether through an independent study or a small lecture course. Brown may have slipped to No. 17 in the eyes of U.S. News and World Report, but the qualities that make Brown a truly great institution are those immeasurable by any numerical rankings.
BEUL AH FARNSTROM
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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 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 Dan Poulson, Calendar Editor Alex Carnevale, Features Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Music Editor SPORTS Joshua Troy, Sports Editor Nick Gourevitch, Asst. Sports Editor Jermaine Matheson, Asst. Sports Editor Alicia Mullin, Asst. Sports Editor Sean Peden, Asst. Sports Editor Emily Hunt, Sports Photography Editor Michelle Batoon, Sports Photography Editor
Megumi Aihara, Night Editor Kady Monrad, Jonathan Skolnick,Copy Editors Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Brian Baskin, Jonathan Bloom, Carla Blumenkranz, Chris Byrnes, Jinhee Chung, Maria Di Mento, Nicholas Foley,Vinay Ganti, Neema Singh Guliani, Ari Gerstman, Andy Golodny, Daniel Gorfine, Nick Gourevitch, Stephanie Harris, Victoria Harris Maggie Haskins, 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, Ginny Nuckols, Juan Nunez, Sean Peden, Katie Roush, Caroline Rummel, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Anna Stubblefield, Jonathon Thompson, Joshua Troy, 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, Maria Schriber, Allie Silverman, Vanessia Wu Copy Editors John Audett, Lanie Davis, Marc Debush, Daniel Jacobson, Katie Monrad, Sonya Tat
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today. 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 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 7
TWTP necessary orientation for Brown University The Third World Transition Program does not isolate students of color, but prepares them to address issues of race IN BRETT COHEN’S COLUMN “UNIVERSITY Brown. And until the United States is a Should Undertake Simple Win-win country where people of color can live as Projects,” (9/5) under the paragraph enti- equals to white people, programs such as tled “Integrate TWTP into regular orienta- TWTP cannot be eliminated. In fact, they tion,” he writes that, among other things, must grow stronger in order to increase the Third World Transition Program awareness. Second, TWTP is not just should not exist. Cohen argues some “well-done orientait is a “racist policy,” and “it tion” that can be casually continues to physically sicken MYRA PONG disregarded, pushed aside or those who buy into Martin GUEST COLUMN combined with another oriLuther King’s vision of a colorentation; integrating it with blind society.” first-year orientation is not a First, I believe that having separate introductions to Brown is not “win-win policy.” In the introduction to shameful, as Cohen so adamantly states in his column, Cohen claims that his ten the first line of the section. TWTP has policies have “essentially no significant many important goals, including promot- downside or valid argument against ing racial and ethnic pluralism and break- them” and that anyone who seriously ing down the barriers between people of disagrees with one or more of them will color and white people in society — these “lose pretty much all credibility.” While I objectives cannot be ignored. If having am only addressing one of his policies separate orientations is so shameful, here, I do know that I, as well as many of should Brown also get rid of its orientation my peers, who are both students of color and white students, strongly disagree for international students? Having TWTP as a separate orientation with Cohen, and we have a valid arguis not only important but also necessary. ment as to why. So does that make us all The program would not have to exist if we lose our credibility? Cohen obviously has no idea what goes did not live in a racist society in the first place. TWTP is not a way of isolating stu- on during those four days of TWTP and dents of color. It is a way of uniting us and how much is learned; as someone who teaching us about how to deal with issues just went to TWTP and first-year orientaof race (and also class, gender and sexual tion almost three weeks ago, I can say that orientation) because we are the ones students of color who go to TWTP learn directly affected by racism and the ones more about themselves and each other in who face systems of white supremacy. It is those four days than any regular first-year the fact that racism slips into our lives orientation could teach them. In addition, every day, whether in the way we are we, as students of color, have historically looked at, the way we are treated or what not been heard by others, and the only we are assumed to be or not to be, that way that this can change is with programs make the Third World Center and TWTP such as this one. Also, Cohen writes that TWTP should such essential parts of the lives of both students of color and white students at be opened up to all students. TWTP is only for students of color because it proMyra Pong ’06 hails from Newark, Del. This vides a safe and empowered space for us and allows us to form a foundation upon is her first column for The Herald.
Having TWTP as a separate orientation is not only important but also necessary. The program would not have to exist if we did not live in a racist society in the first place. TWTP is not a way of isolating students of color, it is a way of uniting us and teaching us about how to deal with issues of race (and also class, gender and sexual orientation) because we are the ones directly affected by racism and the ones who face systems of white supremacy. which a community can be built. It is necessary for students of color to have an environment in which we can share our experiences and thoughts. And although TWTP is for students of color, the TWC is open to all students throughout the year. Furthermore, while the students of color who attend TWTP do make long-lasting friendships with each other, we do not isolate ourselves from other people. In fact, we make many other friends throughout the year regardless of whether or not they attended TWTP, and not just formally through the TWC. TWTP should be something that we all can and should embrace as students at Brown. After all, how many other universities can say that they have such a unique program aimed at providing constant support for its diverse community of students throughout the year? Without the TWC and TWTP, students of color on campus would lose a part of themselves. Of equal importance, no progress can or will be
made for students of color at Brown unless we continue supporting the program and its goals. Finally, I would like to respond to the last statement of Cohen’s paragraph about Brown’s “minority community members.” The idea that all Brown students of color are “tough overachievers” is a poor attempt to refute the necessity of TWTP. What is the author really saying? That we, as students of color, are all tough and can just ignore the reality — that racism is everywhere and that this racism hurts and kills people? Also, those who attend TWTP are not “coddled and quarantined,” and that assumption is completely unreasonable, especially since I do not believe that the author has ever attended TWTP. I am extremely disappointed that a Brown student wrote such unjustified words. As a student here, I thought that I would encounter more people who would be educated about Brown and the purpose behind its programs.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 · PAGE 8
Ending Chris’ web of deceit I HAVE ALWAYS ADMIRED CHRIS Webber. He is savvier and more articulate than most in the NBA. Last year he decided to remain with Sacramento and he and his Kings teammates nearly brought the Lakers to its knees in the JERMAINE Western MATHESON Conference HE SHOOTS,HE SCORES Finals. Now, he has a more challenging task in front of him. Last week he was indicted for lying before a federal grand jury about whether he received funds from a booster before and during his collegiate years at the University of Michigan. There is every reason to believe that Webber, at the time a young and impressionable kid from the streets of Detroit, received some sort of compensation for his ability to play basketball. But Webber did not hide the money he allegedly received under his mattress. The investigation also includes his father and aunt, and they face the same charges with a maximum penalty of ten years and a $250,000 fine each. Yet the federal prosecutors are more concerned with the individual who provided the money than the persons who received it. Apparently this guy Ed Martin is the seedy type, the person your parents had in mind when they said not to talk to strangers. That he was a booster at the University of Michigan undermines the legitimacy of collegiate sports. I have always believed that college players should receive some sort of stipend to make them less dependent on middle-aged men handing them envelopes after games, especially in sports such as basketball and football that have become so lucrative for the NCAA. Players rightfully deserve to see some of that money come back to them. Webber has recently revised his previous story that he received no compensation whatsoever to one of nothing significant. He and the federal authorities can haggle over what significant is, just like our former president came up with new definitions for existing words in his own grand jury deposition. Webber has already surrendered to federal marshals in Detroit. One hopes that now he realizes whom he is bargaining with — and the severity of the charge against him. He is not being charged for taking see MATHESON, page 4
SCOREBOARD Friday, Sept. 13 Men’s Soccer 3, Michigan 3 Women’s Soccer 5, Fairfield 0 Men’s Water Polo 11, MIT 10 (OT) Syracuse defeated Women’s Volleyball
Saturday, Sept. 14 Men’s Cross Country finished second at Harvard Women’s Cross Country finished first at Harvard Women’s Volleyball lost to Buffalo, defeated Colgate Dartmouth 5, Field Hockey 4
Sunday, Sept. 15 North Carolina 5, Men’s Soccer 0 Women’s Soccer 3, Colgate 2 Vermont 2, Field Hockey 0
M. soccer ties Michigan, falls to UNC BY NICK GOUREVITCH
The Brown men’s soccer team (0-1-1) opened its season this weekend at the annual Adidas/Brown Soccer Classic with mixed results. On Friday night, the Bears tied the University of Michigan 3-3 in an exciting back-and-forth double overtime match in front of a packed house at Stevenson Field. Brown nearly came out with the victory, but a controversial penalty kick in the waning minutes of the second half allowed the Wolverines to net the equalizer. Given Bruno’s solid performance on Friday, Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the University of North Carolina can only be described as disappointing. After North Carolina lost its opening match to Yale University, who would go on to win the tournament, the defending national champion Tar Heels took it to the Bears from the start with three first-half goals. Brown’s inconsistent play over the weekend was clearly its Achilles’ heel. At times, the Bears were able to possess the ball, adeptly switch fields and create solid offensive chances. However, at other times, a lack of cohesive play and communication allowed its opponents to pounce on a few critical mistakes. “(Sunday’s loss) was a disappointing result, but we’re still in the process of getting better as we’re such a young team,” said Head Coach Mike Noonan. “This is the beginning of that process and they’ll do better next time out.” The Bears’ youth was certainly a focal point of the weekend as Brown started four freshmen — with three in the midfield — in both matches. As a group, the newcomers, including Ibrahim Diane ’06, who was one of two Bears named to the AllTournament team, played admirably and showed plenty of potential. “There aren’t many teams who could have walked out there with the injuries we’ve had, start four freshmen and come away with a result like (the tie against
Michigan,)” Noonan said. Friday’s match started poorly for the Bears as the Wolverines headed a goal home less than three minutes into the first half. However, after the early score, Brown, led up top by Co-Captain and AllTournament team member Adom Crew ’04, pressured the Wolverines for the remainder of the half. First, Crew nearly drew a penalty kick, but the referee only awarded a free kick outside the box. A few minutes later, it looked as if Crew had tied the game up on a header, but the score was called off on a pushing foul. Finally, the Bears caught a break when a Wolverine defender was called for a handball in the box. Co-Captain Dustin Branan ’03 was called upon to take the penalty kick and easily converted it to knot up the score just before the end of the half. The second half started in similar fashion to the first — with an early Michigan goal. However, this time Bruno was quick to respond. Seth Quidachay-Swan ’04 scored a textbook goal as he one-timed home a feed from Crew. “(Jeff Larentowicz ’05) came up on the right flank, beat his first man and played it out wide to me,” Crew said. “I got past my first defender and sent it into Seth.” After equalizing, Brown’s offense did not relent and broke through with a third score in the 75th minute. This time, Omar Macedo ’02 connected with Diane to give the Bears the temporary lead. “As soon as they passed it to Omar, I took off into the space in front of me,” Diane said. “Omar laid it right in front of the goal, the goalie came out, and I put it past him.” Unfortunately, Brown could not protect its lead. With around three minutes left in the match, Edward Thurston ’04 was called for a questionable penalty kick that allowed Michigan’s Nox Cameron to tie the game up. In the two ten-minute overtime peri-
ods, both teams looked a bit tired and neither team was able to record a “golden goal.” Thurston, refusing to let the earlier penalty call bother him, came up with a couple of critical defensive stops, twice dispossessing a Wolverine attacker in the penalty box in overtime. “I thought we possessed the ball well (against Michigan,)” Branan said. “Although we would have liked to win, we scored three goals and that’s a positive considering we didn’t score that much last year.” After a physically and emotionally taxing game against the Wolverines, the Bears just did not seem up to the task of playing such an athletically gifted North Carolina squad. The match against the Tar Heels continued a disturbing trend of Brown allowing goals early in a half as midfielder Matt Crawford powered a shot into the net just eight minutes into the match to put the visitors up. North Carolina never looked back and built a 3-0 lead going into halftime, punishing Brown for a few defensive miscues. The Bears did show a little life in the opening moments of the second half and controlled the tempo of the game for a stretch of time. However, against the run of play, the Tar Heels put in a discouraging fourth goal that took most of the life out of an already down Brown team. “You learn a lot about your team after a result like that,” Noonan said. “They came out in the second half and played a lot better than they did in the first half and I think that we can move forward from here.” The Bears look to rebound next week at the Yale-Fila Classic in New Haven, Conn. On Friday, Brown will face Alabama A&M University and on Sunday they will take on Vanderbilt University. Nick Gourevitch ’03 is an assistant sports editor and covers the men’s soccer team. He can be reached at ngourevitch@browndailyherald.com.
The benefits of major contraction for baseball DURING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S LAST off-season, the hottest topic of debate was undoubtedly the issue of contraction. Commissioner Bud Selig and many other big-time names were very much in favor of eliminating teams from the league in order to improve both the quality of the ADAM game and its STERN finances. The plan STERN ADAM quickly became controversial when the players union and fans of the “expendable” teams realized its implications. Fortunately for Expos and Twins fans, and unfortunately for anyone else who wishes to continue enjoying baseball, contraction talks were set aside. However unrealistic it may be, this avid fan still dreams about a more drastic contraction plan that should rise up from the ashes of a failed off-season; the league would produce the best product for its fans with a core of only ten to twelve teams comprising the entire league. Major contraction can help baseball in a number of ways. First, radically fewer teams would mean radically fewer players. The players who would stay would be the top performers in the league. This means fans see less low-caliber players, and many more all-stars. Furthermore, all of these athletic phenoms would be crammed into a small number of teams, hence making each ball club resemble an all-star team. Imagine the exciting possibilities if every team in the league boasted “Yankee-quali-
ty” line-ups day in and day out. The games would be infinitely more competitive and therefore more entertaining. Contracting the poorer and less marketable teams in the league would certainly improve MLB’s finances. Bud Selig’s accountants claim that only a handful of teams actually earn a profit. It is also true that hardly any of these teams are contenders come October. Often times when the general managers of these non-competitors realize that their teams are not in any position to make the playoffs, they begin to sell off their players to more competitive teams. This repetitive process is a tremendous detriment to the game and only adds to negative attitudes toward bigmarket teams. Yet, it is pretty clear that in a league that does not currently employ a significant salary cap, teams with high payrolls are not the enemy; instead, teams with pathetically low payrolls are obviously hurting intra-league competition. Therefore, if these financially weaker teams were eliminated from the league, every remaining team in the various divisions would have a greater opportunity for post-season success. Putting the goals of increased competition and financial stability aside, major contraction would also improve the overall image of the game. Currently, at least half the games on any given night occur in stadiums that are built for a capacity of 50,000 people or more. Yet, the vast majority of these stadiums never reach this capacity because somewhere along the line, the
If you are a fan who wishes to see your team’s continued participation in Major League Baseball, do not whine about the pains of contraction. Rather, start supporting your team. franchise lost the interest of its fans. If only teams from big-market cities including but not limited to New York, Boston, St. Louis and Los Angeles, had teams in the league, every stadium would consistently be filled to capacity. Fans would eat this up. Some may argue that contracting teams will result in a loss of heritage, that people from cities such as Montreal will really miss the Expos. Of course, the fans from Montreal would probably say it in French, if they noticed at all. If you are a fan who wishes to see your team’s continued participation in Major League Baseball, do not whine about the pains of contraction. Rather, start supporting your team. Buy paraphernalia, official jerseys, tickets even. Adam Stern ’06 is a native of Roslyn, N.Y. This is his first sports column.