Tuesday, December 3, 2002 by The Brown Daily Herald

T U E S D A Y DECEMBER 3, 2002

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 123

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

www.browndailyherald.com

Number of early applications by minorities rises for Class of 2007 Rise goes against 3 percent drop in overall applications BY SARA PERKINS

Beth Farnstrom / Herald

Members of the Undergraduate Council of Students discussed the possibility of adding pluses and minuses to the grading system at their Monday night meeting.

UCS representatives tell Armstrong they oppose adding pluses, minuses BY JONATHAN ELLIS

Undergraduate Council of Students representatives showed they were markedly opposed to adding pluses and minuses to Brown’s grading system at the final UCS meeting of the semester Monday night. Dean of the College Paul Armstrong joined College Curriculum Council members Beth Goldman ’03.5 and Sean Yom ’03 in seeking feedback from the council about various grading issues. They said they hoped UCS would give CCC a feeling for overall student sentiment. Adding pluses and minuses “undermines what the framers (of the New Curriculum) had in mind,” said Representative Roophy Roy ’05. Such a system would increase competition

among students, a problem at many peer institutions, he said. “I think pluses and minuses or putting restrictions on the S/NC option would be a major move backwards in terms of what the New Curriculum was set up to do,” said Representative Charley Cummings ’06. The original New Curriculum proposal called for a complete abolishment of grades, he said. Representative Tarek Khanachet ’03 said the lack of a B-plus grade made him work harder to pull his grades up to As. He said students at Harvard and Yale universities can do little work and receive B-pluses, but he said that wasn’t possible at Brown. see UCS, page 4

With early applicants to the Class of 2007 awaiting notification by Dec. 15, admission office numbers show the early applicant pool declined 3 percent this year, but the number of applications from students of color increased. The changes may be a result of the admission office’s decision to restrict early applicants from also applying to early action schools, said Director of Admission Michael Goldberger. Last year Brown switched from an early action to an early decision policy. This year, Brown initiated a new policy of not allowing early applicants to apply to early action schools. Previously, a student could have applied to early action schools like Harvard and Georgetown universities, but they would have been obligated to withdraw those applications if they were admitted to Brown.

Goldberger said he has two theories about the cause of the slight overall decrease in applications. The reduction “might be a reaction to (the fact that) we didn’t travel internationally last year because of 9/11, and it could be a reaction to … our prohibition on only one application,” he said. The total number of early applications decreased by 55, from 1,918 last year to 1,863. Of those applications, 76 were from African American students, and 80 were from Latinos, an increase among both groups of 15 percent from last year. The number of Native American applicants more than doubled, and the number of Asian American applications stayed the same as last year. Asian Americans made up 12 percent of the applicant pool. Sherrod Skinner, a college counselor in Milton, Mass., said the new one-application policy was not a deterrent for any of his advisees. “It did not come up,” he said. “If people see APPS, page 4

A shift to right at NLRB could spell trouble for grad student unions BY BRIAN BASKIN

A newly confirmed Republican majority on the National Labor Relations Board could spell trouble for Brown’s graduate student unionization movement. On Nov. 14, the U.S. Senate confirmed all five of President George Bush’s nominees — three Republicans and two Democrats — to the NLRB. The confirmation marks the first time in 10 years that a full board will be majority Republican. It could also mean a reversal of a landmark 1999 decision allowing teaching assistants at New York University to unionize. Previously the NLRB only considered TAs at public institutions to be employees. The Brown Graduate Employee Organization/United Auto Workers used the precedent set by the NYU decision to form its own unionization movement. Following a December 2001 graduate stu-

dent unionization vote, Brown appealed to the NLRB, challenging both the regional NLRB ruling that allowed the Brown vote and the NYU precedent. The BGEO/UAW later appealed the vote as well, asking the board to include research assistants in any potential union. With Bush’s nominations stalled by a Democratic majority in the Senate, only three members sat on the NLRB for all of 2002. The board held off on hearing most major cases, including Brown’s, in part because any ruling would need to be agreed upon by all remaining members — two Republicans and one Democrat. The NYU decision could be reversed if the new Republicans agree with former Republican board member Robert Hurtgen’s dissention from a 1999 precesee NLRB, page 4

U. sees record number of mouse complaints in November BY MATTHEW SHOPSIN

The University had 25 reports of mice in campus buildings between Nov. 1 and Nov. 25, more than any other month in recent memory, said Director of the Brown News Service Mark Nickel. The tiny invaders have even nestled their way into administrative buildings. In Maddock Alumni Center, one secretary reported mouse footprints leading away from her coffee, Nickel said. The infestation is not localized to Brown but is part of a generalized trend in the Providence area, Nickel said. Brown’s pest control contractor also reported a much larger than normal volume of complaints related to mice. Nickel said more mice survived last year’s mild winter and are now moving indoors due to increasing colder weather. To combat the problem, Facilities Management is using poison bait in addition to conventional traps in non-resident

buildings. In residence halls, Facilities Management uses glue traps, snap traps and door brushes, which prevent mice from going under doors and inhibit their spread. Door brushes are rendered ineffective by the practice of propping doors open, Nickel said. The use of glue traps disturbs some students. “Glue traps are the most inhumane things, and most people are clearly against them,” said Karra Greenberg ’04. But Nickel defended the use of the traps. “The idea is to rid the University of rodents and pests with no potential harm to inhabitants. Pest control vendors have their own methods,” he said. Eric Snyder ’04 said he’s heard evidence of the mouse problem in Marcy Hall. “I would wake up and hear squeaking noises and rustling,” he said. Whatever

Supreme Court will revisit racebased college admissions

Facilities Management received 25 complaints about mice between Nov. 1 and Nov. 25. was causing the noise, he said, “only made noise in the early morning.” Snyder said he hasn’t seen or heard

see COURT, page 5 see MICE, page 5

I N S I D E T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 2 Former Mayor Vincent Cianci prepares to begin serving 64month term on Friday page 3

City will relax parking regulations downtown to ease strain on holiday shoppers page 3

Nick Noon ’05 says racism still exists undercover at the University column, page 7

(L.A. Times) WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will decide whether the United States’ colleges and universities can continue to use affirmative action in choosing new students, marking the first time the court has revisited the issue since the Bakke decision in 1978. The justices took up two appeals

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T After hot start, men’s hockey team runs its winless streak to four games sports, page 8

Women’s hockey falls to No. 2 Harvard, pulls out a win over Providence sports, page 8

light snow high 25 low 16

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002 · PAGE 2 Pornucopia Eli Swiney

W E AT H E R TODAY

WEDNESDAY

High 25 Low 16 light snow

THURSDAY

High 32 Low 21 partly cloudy

FRIDAY

High 36 Low 22 rain/snow showers

High 36 Low 22 partly cloudy

GRAPHICS BY TED WU

A Story Of Eddie Ahn

CALENDAR BLOOD DRIVE — Sayles Hall, starts 11 a.m. FILM— “The Wedding Banquet.” Room 102, Wilson Hall, 8 p.m. SPORTS —women’s basketball vs. University of Rhode Island. Pizzitola Sports Center, 7 p.m.

CROSSWORD Yu-Ting’s Monday and Tuesday Yu-Ting Liu ACROSS 1 Health resort 4 Writers’ submissions: Abbr. 7 Haw’s partner 10 UFO occupants, so some believe 13 Extinguish, with “out” 14 Protective film 16 Needlefish 17 Pilot’s fig. 18 Royal events 20 Thriller 22 Bog down 23 Sink in the middle 24 Traitor 28 All-in-one meals 30 Maui feast 33 Sub base? 34 Greek vowel 36 Singer Fitzgerald 38 Woodworker’s tool 39 Challenging puzzle 42 __ rule: ordinarily 44 Witches’ concoction 45 Disallow, in slang 46 Shopping mecca 48 Uttered 50 Sandal fastener 54 Bit of painting carelessness 56 Word after tea or chess 58 Red in the middle 59 Narrow defeat, e.g. 63 Misjudged a turn, perhaps 66 Tolkien being 67 Calif. neighbor 68 Ripping 69 Actress Charlotte 70 Chopper 71 NBC late-night show since ’75 72 Pig’s digs 73 Ukr., once DOWN 1 Bursts of energy 2 Preacher’s podium 3 Fancy apparel

4 Nutmeg spice 5 Glasgow natives 6 Soap opera, for one 7 Put up, as pictures 8 List ender 9 Certain maid’s responsibility 10 Self-esteem 11 Shade at the beach? 12 Many promgoers: Abbr. 15 “Rubber baby buggy bumper,” for one 19 Angry 21 More recent 25 Lair denizen 26 Antiquity, formerly 27 Taylor, familiarly 29 Attempt 31 Bitterer-thanbeer drink 32 __ Bator 35 Broadcasts 37 Rummage sale sign 39 Hayloft bundle

40 Teachers’ gp. 41 Cavalryman in an oater, e.g. 42 Morning hrs. 43 Playwright Shepard 47 Cowardly Lion portrayer 49 Trash 51 Gardeners, at times 52 Fight sites

53 More bold 55 Notations between notes 57 Senator Lott 60 “It’s __-to-one shot” 61 Like the McCoy 62 On pins and needles 63 Words before roll 64 Annoy 65 First lady

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METRO TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002 · PAGE 3

Providence eases parking regulations in anticipation of holiday season The City of Providence will allow overtime parking during certain hours to give holiday shoppers a break. The annual tradition of easing parking rules began under former Mayor Vincent Cianci, who eased the restrictions to encourage shoppers METRO to frequent shops BRIEF during the busy season. The parking break, ordered by acting Mayor John Lombardi, is in effect in downtown Providence and on the East Side through New Year’s Day. It will allow time limits to lapse from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Those areas affected include North and South Main streets, Thayer Street, Wayland Sqaure and certain parts of downtown. But drivers who park in crosswalks, by fire hydrants or in loading zones will still face tickets. — Juliette Wallack

With prison term fast approaching, Cianci gains move to New Jersey, but is denied appeal for bail Cianci will report to jail on Friday as originally ordered by a federal judge to begin his 64-month sentence BY JULIETTE WALLACK

Former Mayor Vincent Cianci will report to prison Friday as originally ordered by a federal judge, but he will serve his 64month sentence in New Jersey instead of Ohio. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston denied Cianci’s request to remain out of prison on bail while the appeal of his sentence is deliberated. That means Cianci must report to prison by noon on Friday as was decreed during his September sentencing. In September, a federal judge sentenced Cianci to 64 months in prison on one federal charge of racketeering. The Circuit Court’s decision, released in a two-sentence statement Wednesday, reaffirmed the District Court’s earlier ruling. “Based on our review of the available record and parties’ submissions, we conclude that appellant has failed to satisfy the criteria for release pending appeal,” the judgment states. With the beginning of his sentence approaching, Cianci told the Providence Journal Thursday that he didn’t know how

he was going to spend his last week of freedom. “I’ve never faced this before,” he said. “What do you do?” But earlier in the week, Cianci learned the Federal Bureau of Prisons granted his request to be moved from a prison in Ohio to one closer to home. The Bureau reassigned him to the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, N.J. In the Nov. 14 request, Cianci said he was concerned that the distance might adversely affect his daughter, who is seeking treatment for substance abuse problems. Cianci also appealed to U.S. Reps Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin for support. Cianci’s request for a different prison assignment followed the reassignment of two of Cianci’s codefendants. In early October, the Bureau reassigned businessman Richard Autiello and former mayoral aide Frank Corrente to a Massachusetts federal hospital. The two men were previously assigned to a federal prison in Pennsylvania. Elected officials intervened on the convicted men’s behalves, citing health concerns and requested a change in the assignment. Autiello, 64, faces 63 months in prison, and Corrente, 73, has a 46-month prison term ahead of him. At a fundraising dinner Monday night, Cianci told the Journal that the scholarship fund endowed in his name will continue providing awards to area students. “It is going to continue after I am incar-

“I’ll be out in four years or five years. They can’t take away your spirit. … It’s like going to a very, very inexpensive spa.” Vincent Cianci Former Mayor cerated,” he said. The event, held at Mediterraneo Caffe on Federal Hill, featured $500 tickets with proceeds going to a fund that Cianci hopes will provide for the archival of his papers. Cianci also concluded his reign over Providence airwaves when he signed off his WPRO-AM radio show for the last time on Friday morning. The show featured a caller in tears and another caller who promised to keep Cianci in his prayers. “I’ll be out in four years or five years,” Cianci said while on the air. “They can’t take away your spirit. … It’s like going to a very, very inexpensive spa.” Herald staff writer Juliette Wallack ’05 edits the metro section. She can be reached at jwallack@browndailyherald.com.

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002

Apps

UCS

continued from page 1

decided not to apply (because of the one-application policy), it was not articulated in our meetings.” Princeton University has a binding, one-application-only early decision program similar to Brown’s, while Yale and Stanford universities will switch to an early action system next year. The decline in applications came “mostly in international students and the major pockets on the East and West coasts, New York, Los Angeles, where we saw declines of 25 or 30 percent,” Goldberger said. “We also saw an increase in the percent of applicants who are male. Last year it was 38 percent, this year it’s 42 percent. “The top end of the pool looks terrific,” Goldberger said. He said the admission staff has no preconceptions about what percent of the class it wants to take early. “We’ll go through (the applications) with the same mindset as in April,” he said.

Every effort toward achieving increased grade precision only serves to place more emphasis on grades and less on learning, Khanachet added. The University should strive to maintain its position as a unique place where learning comes first, said Representative Tim Bentley ’04. The University’s lack of competitiveness means students have higher academic integrity, Khanachet added. The supportive atmosphere makes Brown different and more enjoyable, said Representative Ian Siu ’03. Corporations and graduate schools know that Brown is a place where students come to learn, said Campus Life Committee Chair Justin Sanders ’04. “It would be a disservice to Brown if we just lumped ourselves together with all the other schools where you’ve got these very finite grading lines,” he added. Too few students take advantage of Course Performance Reports to supplement their letter grades, Sanders said. “Anybody

Herald staff writer Sara Perkins ’06 can be reached at sperkins@browndailyherald.com.

who says that their work and work ethic and effort would be best represented by pluses and minuses should not be looking at how to change their grade — they should be looking at Course Performance Reports,” he said. The number of CPRs written each year remains steadily low, Yom said. Not many students know about CPRs, and those that do rarely take the initiative to complete them, he said. UCS Vice President Deepa Kumaraiah ’04 asked Armstrong about administrative efforts to promote CPRs. Armstrong said his office occasionally reminds faculty about them, but he didn’t mention any other programs. He said a reexamination of the CPR program might result from the grading debate. No council member expressed direct support for adding minuses. Representatives Thilakshani Dias ’05 and Swan Lee ’05 said they might support adding only pluses. “It wouldn’t make us cutthroat competitive, because we’re a strong community,” Lee said. Some outside the University think standards here are lower due to the current system, and adding clarity could help, she added. A change in the grading system

“By changing … a curriculum so young, I think you’re changing a lot more things than people’s GPAs.” Thilakshani Dias ’05 UCS Representative might cause a gradual change in the University’s culture, though it wouldn’t have an immediate effect, said Kevin Bennett ’03, Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee chair. Brown might become more of a “cookiecutter” institution, he said. He also wondered if the push for pluses and minuses had been caused by a recent national grade inflation “panic.” Brown succeeds where peer institutions fail in providing students incentives to be creative thinkers, Dias said. Dias urged the CCC to continue to nurture the New Curriculum in its relative infancy. “By changing … a curriculum so young, I think you’re changing a lot more things than people’s GPAs,” she said.

NLRB continued from page 1 dent-setting ruling that interns, residents and fellows at Boston Medical Center are employees, said Robert Ames, a partner in the labor and employment group at Washington, D.C., law firm Venable LLP in an e-mail. “It is quite possible the board’s new majority will revisit the NYU decision and perhaps Boston Medical as well given their sharp departure from over 25 years of precedent,” Ames wrote. But in today’s political climate, a Republican majority on the highly politicized NLRB is more likely to mean a shift to the center rather than the anti-union right, Ames said. NLRB Senate confirmations are almost as controversial as judgeships, which is why Democrats prevented Bush’s nominations from leaving committee until after the November elections, he said. “The choices that the president has made have been by necessity fairly moderate and centrist in terms of their position on labor law,” Ames said. BGEO/UAW spokesperson Sheyda Jahanbani GS said NLRB politics will not affect the outcome of Brown’s appeal because the TA unionization movement is too new to have acquired the polarized politics of older, industrial unions. “The precedent set in the NYU case was not a political precedent, so we believe that precedent will hold,” Jahanbani said. “So many graduate employees have started to organize now in private universities. We’d be very surprised if the board decided to turn around on this road.”

The University needs to address the issue carefully without putting its own graduates at a disadvantage, Cummings said. Adding pluses and minuses is not the way to do that, he said. The CCC will meet three times this spring to address grading concerns, Armstrong said. UCS President Allen Feliz ’03 said he hoped to address a variety of topics next semester, including finding a long-term solution to campus events funding and adding a new workout facility to campus. Khanachet, the Corporation liaison, said he would try to get the Corporation to offer a matching grant for the Senior Class gift, similar to one it made last year. Dias, the alumni liaison, said she would work on getting an alumni presence at freshman orientation. The council voted to upgrade the Biomedical Engineering Group to Category II status. Friday, UCS will present President Ruth Simmons a list of long-term campus priorities. Herald staff writer Jonathan Ellis ’06 covers the Undergraduate Council of Students. He can be reached at jellis@browndailyherald.com.

Labor leaders praised incoming NLRB Chair Robert Battista for his impartiality despite his history of representing employers as a Detroit-area labor lawyer, Jahanbani said. At What Cost spokesperson Jennifer Anderson GS said she was more hopeful Brown would win its appeal with a Republican majority on the board. An NLRB ruling could go three ways. The board could reject both Brown and the BGEO/UAW’s appeals, meaning the votes from the December 2001 election would decide whether a union composed primarily of TAs could exist at Brown. If Brown wins its appeal, graduate students at private colleges would no longer be classified as employees and would be unable to unionize without another reversal by the NLRB. The board could also reject Brown’s appeal but accept the BGEO/UAW’s appeal, which would set in motion a new vote for unionization that would include research assistants and proctors as well as teaching assistants. Jahanbani said she hoped the TA movement’s fresh take on unionization would allow the new board to look beyond traditional labor politics and vote in favor of the BGEO/UAW. “This is not classical union politics,” she said. “We’re a different group of people … with a different employee-employer dynamic.” Both sides agree that the confirmations indicate that one way or another, a ruling will be made soon, Jahanbani said. Herald staff writer Brian Baskin ’04 edits the campus watch section. He can be reached at bbaskin@browndailyherald.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Mice continued from page 1 what he assumed was a mouse in his second floor single since Thanksgiving break, and he didn’t call Facilities Management because “I figured there was nothing they could do about it. I figured it would just go away,” he said. “It’s annoying to know there’s an animal living in there,” he said. But for Steve Groopman ’05, the mice were more than just a rustling. A few weeks ago, Groopman heard scratching was he tried to sleep one night. “We heard this incredibly loud squeaking,” he said. Then, a few days later, his roommate actually spotted a mouse, Groopman said. The roommates tracked the mice to the area between their refrigerator and the radiator, and Groopman said the mice were living behind the fridge.

Court continued from page 1 from white applicants who were rejected by the University of Michigan and its law school, despite their strong qualifications. If the Supreme Court were to outlaw the explicit use of race in college admissions, the ruling would have broad impact. Federal education law forbids race discrimination in colleges that receive federal funds, and lawyers say discrimination that violates the equal-protection standard also violates the federal education law. “What they decide in this case will apply to private institutions as well,” said Sheldon Steinbach, general counsel for the American Council on Education, the Washington lobbying group for higher education. In one of the University of Michigan cases, Jennifer Gratz, a white high school senior with a 3.8 grade point average, was turned away by the Ann Arbor campus in 1995. She blamed her rejection on the preferences given to black and Hispanic applicants. She and another woman, Barbara Grutter, who was rejected by the law school, became the lead plaintiffs in lawsuits that say “racial preferences in student admissions” violate the Constitution’s guarantee of the equal protection of the laws. University officials admit they give a decided edge to minority applicants, but

“Facilities Management said it’s because it’s cold and because there’s a lot of construction on campus,” Groopman said. Plus, Facilities Management said Marcy Hall’s structure has a lot of gaps because it is so old, meaning it is easy for mice to get into the building. The mice apparently travel through the heating system, Groopman said. Now, his second floor double features old-style, wooden mousetraps, and in recent weeks, three mice have met their doom in the snapping-metal traps. He said he has spoken to Facilities Management about repairing the opening through which the mice apparently enter and leave the room, and since Thanksgiving break, he hasn’t seen or heard any signs of the tiny residents. To reduce the problem of mice, the University suggests tying up trash and not leaving food out or propping open doors. To report incidents of rodent infestation, Facilities Management can be reached at 863-7800.

they say their affirmative-action policy is needed to ensure racial diversity. “Now is not the time to turn back the clock,” University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said. “Race still matters in our society.” A ruling rejecting the use of affirmative action “could result in the immediate resegregation of our nation’s top colleges and universities,” she said. Since 1989, the Supreme Court has rejected affirmative action in a series of settings, but it has done so by 5-4 votes. For example, the court said cities cannot set aside some of their public contracts for black and Hispanic entrepreneurs. It also rejected race-based preferences in federal contracts, and struck down “racial gerrymandering” by state legislatures. Four conservatives — Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas — have said repeatedly that officials may not use race as a decisionmaking factor. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who has joined them in all the key rulings, has refused to go along with the clear, strict standard that prohibits all use of race. She has said, for example, that officials can favor black applicants to remedy clear past discrimination against blacks. In one such case, the court upheld hiring and promotion quotas for black officers in the Alabama state police because of the department’s long history of blatant discrimination.

dspics

Yann Danis ’04 helped secure a point against the RPI Engineers with an excellent 31save performance on Friday night.

Men’s Ice continued from page 8

Women’s Ice continued from page 8 strong and threatened the goal often in the first period, but it wasn’t until the last ten seconds that anyone managed to get on the boards. Harvard’s Jennifer Botterill deflected the puck to Nicole Corriero who slipped it past the mob in front of the goal to give the Crimson a one-goal lead. Angela Ruggiero also picked up an assist. Brown retaliated quickly when Jenny Rice ’03 scored. Harvard’s Julie Chu man-

Hoops continued from page 8 the consolation game against Drake University. Against the Bulldogs, Brown started off quickly but went through an eight-minute period without a field goal. The drought enabled Drake to establish a comfortable lead and they went into the half up 35-27. Poor shooting hampered the Bears as they shot less than 25 percent for the half,

aged to shoot it past Dreyer to regain the lead. Brown’s Jessica Link ’05 scored against the Crimson to tie the scores. Three minutes later the Crimson took the lead again, and Brown was unable to score again throughout the rest of the game. Despite the loss, Dreyer had another outstanding game, making 48 saves. The Crimson out shot Bruno 51-21 in the game. Brown faces Northeastern and Mercyhearst next weekend at home. Sports staff writer Kathy Babcock ’05 covers the women’s ice hockey team and can be reached at kbabcock@browndailyherald.com.

compared to Drake’s 40 percent. Brown’s play improved in the second half as the Bears came within three of the Bulldogs. However, some clutch free throw shooting by Drake put the game out of reach, as they pulled away with a 75-67 victory. The loss drops Brown to 1-3 on the season. The Bears’ next contest is today at 7pm against the University of Rhode Island at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Sports staff writer Shara Hegde ’04 covers the women’s basketball team and can be reached at shegde@browndailyherald.com.

seconds into the game Union took the lead off of a goal by Marc Neron and would never look back. At the end of the first period, Union doubled its lead on a short-handed goal by Nathan Gilles. Brown played well for most of the first and second period, although the squad found itself down 3-0 early in the second after surrendering a power-play goal. “Falling behind early is disappointing. They got a couple of lucky shots,” said Adam Saunders ’04. “We kept working, but we’ve been having trouble scoring.” The woes for Brown would continue as Gilles scored another short-handed goal at 15:24 of the second, extending Union’s lead to 4-0. Shortly after, however, the hard-working Bears would score their lone goal of the night. Robinson centered a pass to Saunders, who onetimed the puck home for a shorthanded tally. Danis finished the game with 17 saves and Union goalie Tim Roth stopped 25 in his first career win. “Right now we feel like we are in a bit of a funk,” Grillo said. “We are bringing energy and coming out hard, but it doesn’t show that on the score sheet. Our attitude and effort are solid, but things don’t seem to be clicking like they were before.” Much like the previous night, the

Brown offense was ineffective, scoring only one goal and failing to convert on seven power-play chances. Grillo recognizes that lack of offense has been a major problem. “We’re missing the net, getting a lot of shots blocked and not bearing down when we need to,” he said. “Obviously we are capable or scoring; we just need to reflect on what has worked.” Even with all the blocked “We kept and missed shots, Brown working, but has still out shot most opponents, we’ve been but has been unable to find having trouthe rebounds and convert. ble scoring.” “By working hard to get Adam Saunders ’04 second efforts Men’s hockey like we were in the first few games, we should be able to get some goals,” Saunders said. The Bears will continue ECAC play this upcoming weekend as they travel to Yale and Princeton before taking a break for exams. Sports staff writer Ian Cropp ’05 covers the men’s ice hockey team and can be reached at icropp@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Fievel’s Funeral Brown witnessed a record number of complaints regarding unauthorized occupants in campus buildings during the month of November. As the New England weather has turned colder, unwanted visitors have sought refuge in the homes and office of the Brown community. We cannot allow these bewhiskered beasts to take advantage of our hospitality any longer. A multifaceted approach is necessary to ensure this problem is dealth with swiftly and humanely. Nobody should be forced to live, work or study in a building that is infested with mice or other rodents. The University should act swiftly in removing mice and any other varmint from campus buildings in a manner that does not harm the animals. In its attempts to rid University buildings of rodents, Brown should ensure that it treat mice and other varmint in a safe and humane manner. Some students expressed concern over the University’s decision to use glue traps to capture mice. If these traps are causing harm to the animals, Brown should stop using them. There are numerous animal-friendly traps available to trap animals without killing them. In addition, students who live on campus and people who work in University buildings should make an extra effort to keep their living and working spaces clean. This will help ensure that Brown’s buildings cease to be squatter homes for mice seeking to escape the cold streets of Providence. Killing a few hundred mice probably won’t solve the campus’ infestation problem, and there are better and more humane ways to get many of the mice out of the dorms. Hopefully the University will at least be willing to explore other alternatives before giving its outside exterminators free reign to act. THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Seth Kerschner, Editor-in-Chief David Rivello, Editor-in-Chief Will Hurwitz, Executive Editor Sheryl Shapiro, Executive Editor Beth Farnstrom, Senior Editor Elena Lesley, News Editor Brian Baskin, Campus Watch Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Arts & Culture Editor Stephanie Harris, Academic Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor Victoria Harris, Opinions Editor

BUSINESS Stacey Doynow, General Manager Jamie Wolosky, Executive Manager Joe Laganas, Senior Accounts Manager Moon-Suk Oh, Marketing Manager David Zehngut, National Accounts Manager Lawrence Hester, University Accounts Manager Bill Louis, University Accounts Manager Hyebin Joo, Local Accounts Manager Jungdo Yu, Local Accounts Manager Tugba Erem, Local Accounts Manager Jack Carrere, Noncomm Accounts Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Genia Gould, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

Sanders Kleinfeld, Opinions Editor PRODUCTION Marion Billings, Design Editor Bronwyn Bryant, Asst. Design Editor Ilena Frangista, Listings Editor Julia Zuckerman, Copy Desk Chief

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

D O N AT E L L A R I V E L L O

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The center benefits from two party system drawbacks, not more radical candidates To the Editor: Bill Louis ’06 raises an important point in his column “Disentangling convoluted stances in U.S. politics,”(12/2) when he notes the limitations of our two party system. However, he errs when he says that this system tends toward a left-right polarization. In fact, it seems that our political system encourages a tendency in both parties toward a mushy center that cuts off both the left and the right. When Ralph Nader spoke at Brown after the 2000 election, he noted that he was not the only victim of this strangely narrow political spectrum. Pat Buchanan’s inability to garner even five percent of the vote in 2000, like Nader’s own failings, is evidence of a system that discourages principled poli-

tics from both the left and right wings. “Conservatives” in politics do not usually uphold a consistent opposition to big government or belief in individual freedom. For example, Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Big Brother plans and the Bush military expansion are nearly unchallenged on the establishment right. Nor do most “liberals” favor a wide safety net; in fact, most supported and continue to support welfare reform. So long as U.S. politics are dominated by corporate lobbying and polling-influenced moderation, we will not see our political leaders disseminating ideas that cover a broad political spectrum. Rather, we will continue to see our politicians toeing the center-right pro-corporate line that aims primarily at protecting their own careers. As some first good steps, we might consider more comprehensive campaign finance reform and an instant runoff voting system that would eliminate the “spoiler effect,” which inhibits candidacies such as those of Nader and Buchanan. Peter Asen ‘04 Dec. 2

THE BROWN

DAILY HERALD YOU’RE GONNA BUBBLE UP. YOUR FAMILY? BUBBLING UP. YOUR KIDS? DITTO.

Jonathan Skolnick, Copy Desk Chief Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Kimberly Insel, Photography Editor Jason White, Asst.Photography Editor Brett Cohen, Systems Manager

SPORTS Joshua Troy, Sports Editor Nick Gourevitch, Asst. Sports Editor Jermaine Matheson, Asst. Sports Editor Alicia Mullin, Asst. Sports Editor

TO AVOID THIS FATE, WRITE LETTERS the days are numbered.

Charlotte Rose Miller, Night Editor Amy Ruddle, Janis Sethness, Copy Editors Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Zach Barter, Brian Baskin, Jonathan Bloom, Carla Blumenkranz, Oliver Bowers, Danielle Cerny, Jinhee Chung, Maria Di Mento, Jonathan Ellis, Nicholas Foley, Dana Goldstein, Alan Gordon, Nick Gourevitch, Joanna Grossman, Stephanie Harris, Victoria Harris, Shara Hegde, Brian Herman, Momoko Hirose, Akshay Krishnan, Brent Lang, Elena Lesley, Jamay Liu, Lisa Mandle, Jermaine Matheson, Monique Meneses, Kerry Miller, Alicia Mullin, Crystal Z.Y. Ng, Juan Nunez, Joanne Park, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Cassie Ramirez, Amy Ruddle, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Adam Stella, Anna Stubblefield, Stefan Talman, Jonathon Thompson, Joshua Troy, Juliette Wallack, Jessica Weisberg, Ellen Wernecke, Julia Zuckerman Pagination Staff Bronwyn Bryant, Jessica Chan, Melissa Epstein, Joshua Gootzeit, Caroline Healy, Hana Kwan, Erika Litvin, Stacy Wong Staff Photographers Josh Apte, Nick Mark, Makini Chisolm-Straker, Allison Lauterbach, Maria Schriber, Allie Silverman Copy Editors Anastasia Ali, Lanie Davis, Marc Debush, Yafang Deng, Hanne Eisenfeld, Emily Flier, George Haws, Daniel Jacobson, Eliza Katz, Blair Nelsen, Amy Ruddle, Janis Sethness

COMMENTARY POLICY 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 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002 · PAGE 7

Racism undercover but pervasive at Brown University Bigotry is untenable in any form, but open racism is more honest, treatable than hiding it for fear of condemnation FOR SOME REASON, I THOUGHT BROWN this because it isn’t fun. I hate to take you would be different. I assumed that an Ivy away from your daily column about the League school, in its infinite wisdom and war on Iraq, which doesn’t implicate you coolness, was too good to have racist stu- or make you uncomfortable, but I think dents. Maybe it was all of those lovely we all could use a little discomfort. Most of you think that this doesn’t brochures I was sent once the University apply to you because you learned I was Mexican, adverdon’t see yourself or your tising the racial harmony at friends as being racist. And this University. In them, stuI’m sure you, and nobody you dents of color were walking know for that matter, would around the Main Green with walk up to me and call me a huge smiles on their faces. “spic” or “wetback.” At least But I have learned that I misnot to my face. understood their expressions: No, people at Brown take the students smiling on the comfort in anonymity. But green weren’t smiling out of since I doubt that there is just appreciation and acceptance, NICK NOON a pocket of bigots at this but because within this racist BROWN INTRUDER school who hang out togethcommunity, they had finally er, celebrating their racial found a group of people who superiority by posting on the they were comfortable with. I honestly thought that racism was Daily Jolt and scrawling on bathroom dead at Brown. Yes, I am naive, and I doors, the only conclusion I can come to expected too much. But, during the sec- is that there is an abundance of closet ond week of my first year, I realized what racists at this school. Should we be happy most others expected, that this school is that students have traded in white hoods just as racist as any other, and we just pre- for GAP beanies? Recently, on the Daily Jolt, a student fer to not talk about it. I am not saying that every white stu- posted asking if anybody knew who the dent at this school is racist — that would “gorgeous Asian student” working at the be just as foolish as my assumption that Gate was. Replying to this inquiry, anothnobody here is. But you would be sur- er student posted, “Eww. You could blindprised. A lot of you are reading this think- fold her with dental floss.” Is this a stateing, “Here goes another angry minority ment somebody would say to her face? saying how racist the world is.” And I can Probably not because that would be politrespect that nobody wants to talk about ically incorrect and the speaker’s apologetic friends would have serious problems with it. Nick Noon ‘05 reads every column about Two days before the Jolt posting, I went the war against Iraq and just bought a to the restroom in Wilson Hall (something black beanie on sale at the Gap.

I usually make a point to avoid). On the door, there were about five different messages, written by five different people. They included, “Bomb those raghead motherfuckers” and other statements of equal racial intolerance. That same day, I was cleaning tables at the Gate while two white students watched television. I’m not sure what they were watching, but it involved a white cop chasing a black criminal. One student grabbed the other’s arm and shouted at the movie: “That’s right, stop that boy from eating his watermelon and chittlins.” Maybe people think it is funny, maybe they find humor in pushing the lines of political correctness, but I don’t pretend to understand why. To me, it seems like racism hasn’t been killed, it has been tucked away. Whether it lives on the Jolt or a bathroom door, it has been swept into the corner of Brown, in the hope that students and visitors won’t see it. Sometimes it pops up in the Gate. Sometimes it will appear on a Friday night in the form of a frat boy who shouts something like “Go home nigger” or “Eh, speaky English?” I wonder if these students don’t kick me in the shin and call me a spic to my face because they know it is wrong, or because they know that it wouldn’t be tolerated. Is it self control for the sake of self betterment or self protection? It should be mentioned that there are a few students who have had the audacity (would saying courage be too ironic?) to display their racism before me. I’ve been called a “spic” and asked if I was in a gang back home. And strangely, as much as I

instantly hate and pity these people, I have a meager amount of respect for them. At least they are honest. Any student of color can attest to the fact that this list of racial infractions doesn’t stop. It happens everyday, yet we don’t talk about it. We talk about racism back home, we talk about racism in other countries, but discussing racism at Brown is difficult because there is some kind of schoolwide denial going on. Thankfully, I wasn’t here when David Horowitz purchased an ad in The Herald, but in hearing about it, what struck me most was how quickly it turned from a discussion about racism into one about free speech. The latter is much easier to talk about because it doesn’t make one uncomfortable. I can already imagine the postings from wiser graduates of the University on Heraldsphere, saying that this type of article has been written before, and that it is all too familiar. “Tough luck kid: It’s the way of the world, get used to it and stop whining.” That attitude is what enables this kind of ignorance and discrimination. People almost excuse it, saying that there will always be a few kids who talk this way amongst themselves. So where does this leave us? I’m not sure who bothers me more: the student that would love to call me a filthy Mexican but doesn’t because he knows his racial tendencies aren’t fit for public, or the student that will just come up to me and put his ignorance out there on the table. I guess I would prefer the smiles in the brochure.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS TUESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2002 · PAGE 8

Deja vu: Flaws in the system once again

W. hockey falls to #2 Harvard, ties Providence

THIS WILL BE MY THIRD AND FINAL BCS article for The Herald. I know you’re all sad, but you’ll get over it. The funny thing is that this is the first time that the BCS will probably get things right. That is, of course, assuming that Miami beats Virginia Tech. Regardless of this fact, the Bowl Championship Series is still a very poor system to determine who plays for the national championship in college football. It somehow takes into conJEFF SALTMAN sideration record, THE SALT’S TAKE difficulty of competition and “quality wins.” The marginof-victory category, a.k.a the Spurrier Clause, was taken out this year to prevent teams from running up the score like, say, the Chiefs did this past weekend. Evidently, margin of victory counts for something in the AFC West. This was a good step for the BCS system to make, but it still doesn’t correct the obvious flaws that still exist. As of today, there are two undefeated teams and two teams with only one loss. Unless Miami loses next week, the system will work, as the two undefeated teams will be playing one another in the Fiesta Bowl. Never mind the fact that the same result would have occurred without the BCS computer, as Miami and Ohio State are ranked first and second in every poll in the United States. The question, however, remains of what happens if Miami should lose this weekend to a talented Virginia Tech team? The BCS will be left in a position of there existing three teams with just one loss. Iowa, Georgia and Miami would all have a good claim to play in the National Championship, but two of them would get shafted and not have the opportunity to knock off an Ohio State team that has barely won several games against lesser opponents. Imagine if the last game of the NBA finals were tied after regulation and the game had to be decided by calculating strength of schedule, field goal percentage and number of steals. It just makes no sense. Some in football seem to actually have reason on their side. Steve Spurrier, for example, used to push for the institution of a playoff system every year. He got so fed up with the system that he decided to go and try to dominate the NFL, which he succeeded with as evidenced by the beautiful display of football on Thanksgiving Day. The Skins are a sore spot for me, so back to the BCS. If, for instance, Georgia loses to Iowa in a bowl game, it really won’t hurt the Bulldogs too much. They had a great year and didn’t come through in the end. In a playoff scenario, both teams would play harder and better because they would have a chance to win it all. This would be more entertaining for the fans and good for the game as a whole. So for the first time, it seems that the BCS will actually come through and pick the two best teams to play in the Fiesta Bowl. It is not unforeseeable that down the line there will be a year with three solid undefeated teams. Then a machine will determine which are the two best teams in college football, without even giving the teams a chance to prove it on the field.

BY KATHY BABCOCK

Jeff Saltman ’03 hails from outside Washington, D.C., and is a history and economics concentrator.

dspics

Men’s hockey heads out on the road this weekend with games vs.Yale and Princeton.

Men’s icers run winless streak to four games BY IAN CROPP

After starting out the season by knocking off top-ranked ECAC opponents, the men’s ice hockey team has officially entered a slump. The Bears returned home this past weekend after being shut out the previous week in back-toback games on their second upstate New York road trip in as many weeks. In front of sparse crowds on Friday and Saturday, Rensselaer (RPI) and Union helped extend Brown’s winless streak to four games. A dearth of offensive production continued to plague the Bears, who found the net only once each night. On Friday night the Bears battled the RPI Engineers for 65 minutes to a 1-1 tie. The tie extended Brown’s homeunbeaten streak to 11 games, but was not the win the Bears needed to get back on track. Yann Danis ’04 helped secure the point with an excellent 31save performance and Captain Tye Korbl ’03 netted his first goal of the year. Despite only allowing 22 shots on goal, RPI offered Brown many scoring opportunities such as seven power plays due to eight penalties. Twice the Bears found themselves with a five-onthree advantage, although both times RPI goalie Kevin Kurk teamed up with his newly found friend the goal post to deny the Bears a much-needed goal. “We’re just not finishing on the power play,” said Head Coach Roger Grillo. “You need to create your own breaks and not rely on the puck bounc-

ing your way.” While unable to convert on all seven power plays, the Bears were able to kill all five RPI power plays, including one five-on-three at the end of the first period. Danis kept Brown in the game early on, stopping 13 shots in the first and six in the second, including a sharp glove save on a breakaway midway through the second period. Feeding off his stellar play, Brown scored the first goal of the game with ten seconds left in the second, narrowly avoiding being shut out for the eighth period in a row. Chris Swon ’05 and Jarrett Robertson ’05, who almost scored on a break seconds before, earned the assists on the goal by Korbl. RPI answered back with a goal early in the third period from junior Ryan Shields. For the remainder of the third period and a rather uneventful fiveminute overtime neither team was able to find the net. “We’re trying to get our offense together,” said Brent Robinson ’04. “Right now we’re in a slump, and the team as an entirety needs to step it up, but we’re still confident in each other.” Saturday afforded Brown a chance to grab a win before heading off on a long road trip. Despite a hard fought effort, the Bears came out on the short end against Union and suffered a 4-1 loss, bringing their record to 4-4-1. Just 57

The Brown women’s ice hockey team started Thanksgiving break Tuesday evening with a 4-4 tie with Providence College and finished it by dropping a game 3-2 to second-ranked Harvard on Sunday. Harvard is currently undefeated in the ECAC with a 5-0 record in the conference. “Harvard we lost to by one goal, Minnesota it was two. It’s little things right now that are preventing us from winning, and I think next semester we’ll have a little more experience — the younger players especially,” said Kim Insalaco ’03. Brown smoked the Friars in the first few minutes, scoring three goals before the ten-minute mark. In the second period Providence managed to tie it up, getting its first goal when Melanie Ruzzi fired a high shot that slipped past Pam Dreyer ’03. “We had a rough second period against Providence and we’re having a really hard time as a team right now playing three periods of hockey in a game,” Insalaco said. “I think that is one of our biggest downfalls right now, and also getting scored on with under a minute left in a period is something we’ve talked about as a team.” Brown took an early penalty in the third when McDonald received two minutes for hooking. The Friars were able to capitalize on their power play when Katelynn Laffin put one past the sprawled Dreyer to give the Friars the lead. Brown managed to even it up with a goal by Courtney Johnson ’03 at 9:42, but the Bears were not able to find the net again. Neither team was able to score in the remaining ten minutes or overtime. Dreyer had 33 saves for the day and the Friars’ Jana Bugden had 28. On Sunday, the Bears were at home facing the Crimson. Both teams started see WOMEN’S ICE, page 5

Women’s bball drops two at Maine tourney BY SHARA HEGDE

The Brown women’s basketball team faced some stiff competition this past weekend at the Dead River Company Classic at the University of Maine, coming home with losses in both their games. In the first round, Brown faced the host team, University of Maine. The Bears jumped out to an early 8-5 lead but the Black Bears responded with a 22-10 run to give them a nine-point lead at the half. The Brown Bears received a strong performance from Holly Robertson ’05, who scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half. However, Brown was hampered by 17 turnovers in the half and went into the break down 27-18. The second half saw a reinvigorated Brown team match Maine point for point. Tanara Golston ’04 provided a spark for the Bruno, playing an exceptional allaround game. She finished with 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Point guard Sarah Hayes ’06 also played well, contributing four steals. However, the nine-point halftime deficit proved to be too much for Brown to overcome as it fell to Maine 60-51. The loss to Maine placed the Bears in

see MEN’S ICE, page 5 see HOOPS, page 5