F R I D A Y JANUARY 24, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 3
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
UFB gives $114k for extensive renovation of T. F. Green Hall
www.browndailyherald.com
Non-academic hiring freeze in effect; critical depts. exempt BY PHILISSA CRAMER
BY LISA MANDLE
The Undergraduate Finance Board will spend $114,000 to help renovate T. F. Green Hall, the space shared by such groups as Production Workshop, the Coalition of Bands at Brown and Mezcla. The University agreed last spring to fund basic renovations, so the UFB money will go to more extensive enhancements. UFB decided to pay for the renovations at a meeting last night with David LaPlante, project manager for Facilities Management, and Margaret Jablonski, dean for Campus Life, after a series of discussions between UFB and the student organizations that use T.F. Green. Funding provided by UFB will make the building “fully functional and efficient,” Jablonski said. Langston Dugger ’04, UFB Chair, said the money will be used to upgrade PW’s scene shop, soundproof practice rooms and add floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The University had already earmarked funds from the Department of Facilities Management for renovating the building’s walls, ceilings, lights and carpeting, Jablonski said. In addition to the $114,000, UFB is considering spending $30,000 to purchase audio and video systems for T. F. Green, which would cut costs for student groups who currently have to provide their own or rent them, he said. Dugger said UFB will make a final decision on the purchase in the next few weeks. He added that UFB’s contribution to the renovations will come from its holding account, which is an accumulation of some $500,000 in surplus funds allocated to the board in past years. The money in the holding account is earmarked for onetime capital investments for student groups, Dugger said. The total cost of renovations to T. F. Green is expected to be between $1 million to 2 million, but the University is still negotiating the budget with the general contractor, LaPlante told The Herald. Jablonski said the renovations should be complete by the beginning of August. T. F. Green, when renovated, will contain redesigned practice spaces for music groups, new multi-purpose spaces for music, dance and martial arts groups and a larger dance floor, Jablonski said. Student groups are looking forward to using the newly renovated building. The Tae Kwon Do club at Brown currently practices in Leung Gallery and has faced a space crunch because demand for the room has increased, said Daniel Santiago ’03, the group’s president. “It would be great to work with padded floors and mirrors,” Santiago said. Matthew Lewkowicz ’03, President of the Coalition of Bands at Brown, said he is happy with the plans for new practice rooms and performance spaces, which will provide performance options that are
Kimberly Insel / Herald
NO SWEAT: When renovations are complete in a few weeks time, the exercise area of the Bear’s Lair will nearly double in size.
Unfinished Bear’s Lair will reopen Saturday BY ZACH BARTER
Although a renovation of the Bear’s Lair exercise facility is still several weeks away from completion, the facility will reopen Saturday and remain open throughout the renovation process. The project, a combined effort of the Office of Campus Life, the Office of Student Activities, the Athletics Department and the President’s Office, will nearly double the size of the exercise space, from 1120 square feet to 1995 square feet. The expansion also includes plans for new equipment, improved air circulation and increased hours of operation for the facility, located in the central tower of the Graduate Center. The additional equipment includes four treadmills, six elliptical trainers, 10 selectorized machines for weight training, two sets of dumbbells and two moveable benches for weight training, said Janina Montero, vice president of Campus Life and Student Services. The new equipment is also covered
University departments with vacant nonacademic positions might have to wait to fill them, according to Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Elizabeth Huidekoper. A new hiring policy announced Dec. 23 prevents departments from filling vacant positions without receiving explicit permission from the University administration. The freeze will not affect faculty positions or researchers who are supported by outside funding, Huidekoper said. Furthermore, exemptions will be given to positions related to public safety and other departments considered vital to the University, she said. The hiring freeze is part of a number of changes across the University resulting from the effects of the current economic downturn, which Huidekoper said has increased demand for financial aid while returns on University investments have diminished. “We need more savings,” she said. The freeze is one way the University is trying to balance its budget in a harsher financial climate, she said. Huidekoper said departments will have a harder time hiring because they must request and receive exemptions on a caseby-case basis, with the final decision made by herself and Provost Robert Zimmer. Currently, the University has about 100 vacant positions, Huidekoper said. “We aren’t going to fill those positions within (a certain) amount of time unless the economy improves or we’re sure they’re absolutely critical jobs,” she said. Though not a direct aim of the policy, Huidekoper said the freeze could also see HIRING, page 4
by maintenance plans, she said. “We wanted to build that into the cost so you don’t have machines you can’t use,” she added. Though the Office of Student Life originally hoped to have the project completed over the break, the new equipment will not be in place for at least three weeks, said Katherine Wolford, project director for Campus Life. The equipment has been ordered and will be in place sometime in the coming weeks, said Assistant Director of Athletics and Physical Education Matthew Tsimikas, who was in charge of the equipment’s purchase. Fitness, community space, residential halls and dining were identified over the summer by the Office of Campus Life as four areas in need of improvement. “The issue of fitness came through very clearly both for the short-term and especially for the long-term,” Montero said.
Student loans increase due to poor economy BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
Student loans will increase $1,000 per year for most students on financial aid and $500 for students in the lowest income bracket in the 2003-2004 academic year. The increase is due to heightened demands on financial aid in the current economic climate. Students on financial aid received a letter yesterday from Michael Bartini, director of the Office of Financial Aid, and Janina Montero, vice president of Campus Life and Student Services, informing them of the increase in their loan expectations. “I don’t think it’s any surprise that, economically, the country is in a different situation than it was before,” Bartini told The Herald. As a result, the need for financial aid this year was greater than anticipated, necessitating an adjustment in the “cost-
see BEAR’S LAIR, page 4
see T. F. GREEN, page 6
see LOANS, page 6
I N S I D E F R I D AY, J A N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 0 3 Campus theater groups lay out the spring performance schedule page 3
Roe v. Wade turns 30 attracting national, but not Brown’s, attention page 5
Simmons delays decision on arming Brown police indefinitely page 5
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T U. must formally support balanced debate on campus, says Brett Cohen ’03 column, page 11
Men’s basketball has its Ivy League homeopener tonight against Yale sports, page 12
mostly sunny/windy high 24 low 9
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THIS MORNING FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 2 Pornucopia Eli Swiney
W E AT H E R TODAY
SATURDAY
High 24 Low 9 mostly sunny/wind
SUNDAY
High 28 Low 15 mostly sunny
MONDAY
High 31 Low 11 partly cloudy
High 28 Low 13 snow showers
GRAPHICS BY TED WU
A Story Of Eddie Ahn
CALENDAR WORKSHOP — “Communicating Effectively in an Interview,” Nancy Dunbar, Career Week Conference. Leung Gallery, 3 p.m. WORKSHOP— “Sexual Orientation and the Workplace,” Memorial Room, Career Week Conference. Faunce House, 4:30 p.m. WORKSHOP — “Socioeconomic Challenges at Brown and Beyond,”Career Week Conference. Leung Gallery, 4:30 p.m. SPORTS — men’s basketball vs. Yale, Department of Athletics. Pizzitola Sports Center, 7 p.m.
Coup de Grace Grace Farris
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Battle line? 5 Terminates 9 Place to do one’s bidding 13 Actress Marisa 15 Saucy 16 Locks in the stable? 17 Like city folk 18 Middle Atlantic tribe 19 Russian fighters 20 Underwater royalty? 23 Gen Xer’s predecessor 24 Literary monogram 25 He’s “coming,” in a Laura Nyro song 26 “__ longa, vita brevis” 27 Tears 30 Passion 32 A-list locale 34 Symbol of easiness 35 __-Thérèse, Québec 36 Bandleader in a shell? 41 Some Caltech grads 42 Caesar’s salad ingredients? 43 Off 45 Plus 48 Campus groups 50 Lennon’s beloved 51 Lennon’s john 52 Roth __ 54 Swore 56 Complaints from southwest France? 60 Excited about 61 Happiness 62 Patty Hearst’s nom de guerre 64 Singer Young 65 Valle del Bove site 66 Put up 67 City south of Moscow
68 One of Cary’s exes 69 Gaelic DOWN 1 R-V connection 2 Bodily 3 Orangy dessert 4 Focus again 5 Sport with lunges and ripostes 6 Rex’s detective 7 Wanders 8 Simmers 9 Madame Bovary 10 Helped (out) 11 Ali’s trainer Dundee 12 Polite reply 14 Kind of circle 21 Brunch fare 22 Wasteland 23 Hardly wellbehaved 28 “A Spy in the House of Love” novelist 29 Ornamentation 31 Marsh growth 33 __’ Pea 35 Formerly trendy timepiece
37 Tighten, perhaps 38 “Little” 1960s singer 39 Screwdriver, sometimes 40 Science of body language 44 Doze 45 White elephant, e.g. 46 Rather
47 Combat mission 48 Unsound 49 Honeymoon choice 53 More than just flowed 55 Trap 57 Toots 58 TV princess 59 Withdraw 63 Took in
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: C A D G C L A R L O W E E N G G H S T A T H L J O E Y J A M E I S E A M O V J E D I A R I A B E E N
E A R L O B E S A R I
B R C A I S V E D T I N T A A H K E S S A O T N E
R A S H
O P E C
S T O O D R U C A P E W Y L O S M E E R G N T A O E S S
R Y A U N T S E P A B R S A T S E A C L A L P Y
H A L T
E A N K V A Y
E R R O R
S E I N E
N A I R
T U S B I E X
E L E G Y
01/24/03
xwordeditor@aol.com
Stumped? Call 1-900-226-4413. 99 cents a minute 1
2
3
4
13
5 14
6
9
24 27 33 36
28
25
29
30
34 37
38
39
42
47
43
48
51
52
31
35
41 46
12
22
23
32
11
19
21
26
10
For the Love Keely Tharp and Dominique Bosa-Edwards
16
18 20
56
8
15
17
45
7
My Best Effort Andy Hull and Will Newman
49
53
57
54 58
44 50
55
MENUS
59
60
61
62
64
65
66
67
68
By Sheldon Benardo (c)2003 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
40
63
69
01/24/03
THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Minestrone Soup, German Sausage Chowder, Chicken Pot Pie, Vegan Roasted Vegetable Stew, Parsley Rice, Cauliflower, Green Beans & Peppers, Swiss Chocolate Chip Cookies
V-DUB LUNCH — Vegetarian Minestrone Soup, German Sausage Chowder, Chicken Fingers, Cheese Tomato Strata, Fresh Sliced Carrots, Swiss Chocolate Chip Cookies
DINNER — Vegetarian Minestrone Soup, German Sausage Chowder, Filet of Sole with Lemon Roll-Ups, TexMex Lasagna, Grilled Vegetable Calzone, Candied Yams, Creole Mixed Vegetables, Whole Kernel Corn, African Honey Bread, Yellow Cake with Coconut Icing
DINNER — Vegetarian Minestrone Soup, German Sausage Chowder, Baked Sesame Chicken, Grilled Vegetable Calzone, Fried Rice, Green Peas,Vegetables in Honey Ginger Sauce, African Honey Bread,Yellow Cake with Coconut Icing
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD, INC. Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is published Monday through Friday during the aca-
Business Phone: 401.351.3260
demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and
Elena Lesley, President
once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box
Kerry Miller, Vice President
2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195
Jamie Wolosky, Treasurer
Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web:
Joseph Laganas, Secretary
http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $135 first class daily, $85 first class weekly. Copyright 2002 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 3
U. playwright receives endowed professorship
Sneak peek at Brown’s spring theater BY JEN SOPCHOCKCHAI
Another semester means another season of theater on campus. Here’s a sneak peek at what groups are up to.
BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
“I’m here because I’m a yenta — I’m a matchmaker,” Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel said of her penchant for forging creative collaborations. And for Vogel herself, who was recently named the first Adele Kellenberg Seaver ’49 Professor of Creative Writing, teaching and writing seem to be the perfect couple. “I think theater is all about interconnectedness,” Vogel said, and, in fact, she defines her new role at the University as a link between artists. As a fulltime professor, she instructs and advises graduate students and helps to facilitate the expanding relationship between the Creative Writing Program and the Trinity Repertory Company. Vogel also brought together “This is Our Theater,” a February play festival premiering the work of seven Brown playwrights, as acted and directed by students from the Trinity Repertory Theater Consortium. According to Vogel, it is collaboration with other artists that poses the greatest challenge to the playwright. Writing is easy, she said, but it is the ability to be interpreted that makes or breaks a writer. “How do you translate a voice from the page?” she asked. “It’s a miracle to me. Nothing is as thrilling as being in a room the first time someone’s first draft is read.” As a writing instructor, Vogel sees her share of first drafts, and also reaps benefits for her own work, she said. “I write better when I teach, when I’m surrounded by brilliant, younger minds,” she said. “I have to work very hard and very fast to catch up.” Not that Vogel doesn’t write rapidly on her own. In recent years, she has produced her plays in pairs, beginning with the “mammary plays,” including “How I Learned to Drive,” which won Vogel the Pulitzer Prize, and “The Mineola Twins.” She said her latest combination focuses on the American cult of Christmas, with “A Civil War Christmas” in progress and “The Long Christmas Ride Home” opening at Trinity Repertory Theatre in May. The latter, a tribute to Thorton Wilder’s shorter works, applies the Japanese puppetry techniques see VOGEL, page 6
Sock & Buskin/Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance: The main stage season will kick off with the senior director’s showcase of “Valparaiso” by Don DeLillo. Students submitted proposals a year ago, and the department faculty and staff selected Benjamin Sugar ’03 for the slot. The show is about a man’s ordinary business trip to Indiana that does not turn out as expected, instead taking him to Florida and Chile. “It’s a little bit technology-driven, which is apropos for the time,” said Department Manager Karen Longest. “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” by Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello, features members of a broken family who demand their lives be performed on stage. Kevin Moriarty, the head of the M.F.A. Directing Programs for the Brown/Trinity Repertory Consortium, will direct the play. “He’s going to mess around with the text to create an organically made production,” said Emily Young ’03, Sock & Buskin chair. He even cast multiple actors for each character, she said. Professor of Theatre, Speech and Dance John Emigh and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, senior lecturer in theatre, speech and dance, will team up to co-direct and choreograph “As Five Years Pass.” The show, which opens in April, will combine dance, music and theater, Longest said. The show chronicles a young man’s efforts to claim his bride who, after a five-year waiting period, has fallen in love with someone else. In contrast to last semester’s classical standards, “(This season) should be very exciting because it’s experimental in a lot of ways,” Young said. The season will end, as always, with the annual Dance Ensemble Spring Concert, May 1 to 4. Production Workshop: PW will start the semester in its new home, Bigelow Theater in Keeney Quad. PW looks forward to an unconventional season, board member Adam Immerwahr ’05 said. PW will produce four plays as usual, but will add two new projects, Immerwahr said. He described the projects, which have yet to be determined, as atypical for PW. Two ideas the board is considering are a showcase of one act plays with new directors and a week of improv theater. “We’re looking for something that isn’t just plays being produced in PW’s space,” Immerwahr said. PW will also sponsor an off-site production that will go up April 11, Immerwahr said. The show could take place
anywhere outside of Bigelow, from someone’s house to the park downtown, Immerwahr said. The PW board will decide five weeks from now, when proposals are due. The only confirmed slot is PW’s first production of the semester, “Crave” by Sarah Kane, directed by Carin Cymanski ’03. The show involves four characters named A, B, C and M, as well as a floor entirely covered in pieces of glass, Immerwahr said. In Bigelow Theater, PW’s signature black wood floor has been installed over the former lounge’s carpeting, and about four small rooms connected to the space have been converted into spaces for props, costumes and lighting boards. The move to Bigelow has not deterred students from involvement in PW. In fact, the number of show proposals has increased since past years, Immerwahr said. The board also hopes to involve more newcomers in PW. “We are always in the process of improving the quality of theater,” he said. Rites and Reason Theatre: This semester, Rites and Reason Theatre will produce five shows, including three completely original works. “Crossroads,” conceived by Kera Washington GS, is “a praise song of music, dance and word for the water spirits of West Africa and the New World Diaspora,” according to the theater’s Web site. The show includes spoken word by Jana Willinger ’04 and Daveed Diggs ’04, and will run Feb. 6 to 8. Izetta Mobley ’03 has created her own version of Eve Ensler’s hit with “Vagina Monologues: Perspectives from Women of Color.” Mobley performed in a production of the original script at Rites and Reason two years ago. Her variation will play Feb. 13 to 16. “Sold,” by Alexander Pudlin ’04 will be the second Research-to-Performance Method play of the semester, appearing March 13 to 16. Classic Black Theatre will present Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work, “A Soldier’s Play” April 3 to 6. The show takes place at a segregated army camp in Louisiana in 1944 and follows the investigation of the murder of an African American sergeant. The theater’s season will conclude with Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Theatre, Speech and Dance Elmo Terry-Morgan’s “Profiles and Shadows: A Play with Music,” May 8 to 25. Shakespeare on the Green: Shakespeare on the Green will follow tradition with its annual spring festival featuring three outdoor shows said see THEATER, page 6
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003
Bear’s Lair continued from page 1 Campus Life met over the fall with several groups and individuals and also hosted two town meetings before settling on the expansion of the Bear’s Lair as a potential remedy in December. Montero estimated the cost of the project at $100,000. “We’re trying to do something to expand opportunities for stu-
dents at a modest cost,” she said. Montero also emphasized that the expansion of the Bear’s Lair was only a short-term solution. “When you consider the size of the student body, the graduate student population and the faculty and staff who would be interested in having access to a (new) facility, the Bear’s Lair can’t even start to meet that level of need,” she said. Director for Student Activities David Inman said the Bear’s Lair
will remain open during the expansion process. “We’ll just have to work around (it),” he said. The Bear’s Lair remained closed this week because student workers were busy shopping classes, Inman said. “It happens the same way every semester,” he said. “It just takes some time to get everyone’s schedules in place.” Herald staff writer Zach Barter ’06 can be reached at zbarter@browndailyherald.com.
Hiring continued from page 1 make the administrative restructuring initiative easier. The new policy will force individual departments to reexamine the way they operate, said Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services Janina Montero. “You always look at a vacancy as an opportunity to see if you can do things differently” and more efficiently, she said. While the hiring freeze reflects Brown’s current financial woes, many officials do not think it will have a lasting impact on the University. Ellen Waite-Franzen, vice president for Computing and Information Services, said her department currently has only three positions affected by the
hiring freeze. “I don’t really see it as a crisis situation,” she said. But Waite-Franzen said that if the freeze continues, CIS might face added concerns. “We might have to slow down some work,” she said, although she said the department would continue to complete its duties. And even though the hiring freeze might seem like a drastic cost-cutting measure, Montero said it represents Brown’s commitment to improving the experience available to its students and faculty. “The economy is bad but the University is engaged in extraordinary things and, frankly, I think they’re worth the sacrifice,” Montero said. Herald staff writer Philissa Cramer ’05 can be reached at pcramer@browndailyherald.com.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
CAMPUS NEWS FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 5
IN BRIEF Brown student appears on “Donahue” Universities must continue to use race-based affirmative action in admission, argued Nick Noon ’03, in a live appearance Monday night on MSNBC’s political talk show “Donahue.” Noon reflected on discrimination that he faced as a student at Brown as he told the audience,“nobody wants to acknowledge that this country is still racist.” Noon explained that when confronted by students who suspect that he was admitted to Brown because of his Latino heritage, he reminds them whites also have certain advantages that minorities are denied. “We live in a nation of white privilege,” he stated. Noon described his experiences as a first-year at Brown, saying that when classmates found out about his background,“people would come in and start asking me,‘What were your SAT scores? How many clubs were you in?’” Noon said such questions cast doubt upon his qualifications simply because he is Latino. While host Phil Donahue took Noon’s side in the affirmative action debate, the two were opposed by several panel members, callers and audience members who insisted that taking race into account in public hiring or admission is always wrong, even if it benefits a historically disadvantaged population. Amanda Garcia, another college student on the panel, argued that until affirmative action is repealed, minorities cannot be certain that they were admitted because of the quality of their application, and not their heritage. When one caller suggested that Martin Luther King Jr. would have opposed affirmative action due to his belief in judging others by the content of their character, Noon quickly replied that King did in fact believe in the principles behind affirmative action, and “no one wants to talk about that.” —Joshua Skolnick
Arming on hold BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
President Ruth Simmons has postponed her decision about arming Department of Public Safety officers indefinitely. She said as late as November that she would reach a decision by the beginning of this semester. “We’re moving ahead deliberately and expeditiously, but we don’t have a timeline,” said Walter Hunter, vice president for administration, emphasizing the complexity of Simmons’ deliberations. Laura Freid, executive vice president for public affairs and University relations, confirmed that Simmons no longer maintains a deadline for the decision and attributed its delay to prolonged consultations with state and local officials. see ARMING, page 6
Jason White / Herald
President Simmons has postponed her decision to arm campus police indefinitely.
Roe v.Wade anniversary passes unnoticed at Brown BY JULIETTE WALLACK
The 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision provided a platform for debate around the country, but the occasion was overshadowed at Brown by the start of the semester. The U.S. Supreme Court decision, which was handed down on Jan. 22, 1973, guaranteed a woman’s right to have an abortion. A generation later, pro-choice and prolife advocates have taken their causes to the state level. But at Brown, organizers for campus pro-life and prochoice groups said it was difficult to plan events around the beginning of the semester and that there is little tension on campus in general surrounding the issue. Controversy between pro-life and pro-choice students on campus is quiet, if it exists at all, said Alison Barnstable ’03.5, co-organizer of Students For Choice’s steering com-
mittee. Instead of seeing tension, Barnstable said she often sees inactivity and a lack of awareness on campus. Though there is a small group of pro-life students, it seems the bigger challenge to overcome is a general ignorance regarding a woman’s right to choose, Barnstable said. Education is the best way to inform students of the current status of the right to choose, she said. Tom Reuland ’05, president of Brown For Life, admitted that his group holds the minority view on campus, but he said the amount of support he has received from both the Brown community and others has proved to him that “sentiment off-campus and perhaps nationwide is much different than the isolated campus. see ROE V. WADE, page 6
PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003
Roe v. Wade continued from page 5 “I think a tension naturally exists due to the nature of the viewpoints,” Reuland said, but he stressed that Brown For Life does not concern itself solely with abortion. In recent months, the group has focused on eliminating the death penalty, he said. “Our concern isn’t necessarily with a radical overturn of Roe v. Wade but more for promoting a general ethic of life,” Reuland said. There isn’t much tension on campus between the pro-life and pro-choice groups, said Abby Bookman ’04, co-coordinator of the government action group Students For Choice. “I think the overwhelming majority on the Brown campus is pro-choice,” she said, echoing the views of Barnstable. “It’s just a division between people who realize that this is something important that can be taken away and is constantly being taken away,” Bookman said. The changes in abortion laws enacted after the 1973 ruling differ from state to state, said Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center. Depending on where they are in the country, it is “still relatively easy for women to get to abortion providers.” But regional differences make it easier in some parts of the country, she added. The issue of abortion and the varying degrees to which is should be allowed still divides the public. While 40 percent of Americans think it should be legal, another 40
percent feel it should be legal with restrictions, and 20 percent think it should be illegal entirely, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll. According to the Times, Democratic leaders think abortion rights could prove a central issue in the 2004 presidential race. On Wednesday, the official anniversary of the decision, all six Democratic presidential hopefuls spoke in support of abortion rights, telling members of a prochoice organization that a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy is in grave danger because of Republican control of the government. But on the same day, President George W. Bush voiced his support for the pro-life stance and those who oppose the Roe v. Wade decision, telephoning in his words of encouragement for the annual pro-life and anti-Roe March for Life in Washington, D.C. Pro-choice supporters concede that this year has been good for those favoring the pro-life agenda — with Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, the pro-life legislation that Bush favors, such as a ban on late-term or partial birth abortions, is more likely to pass, further restricting the right guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. Bush’s disapproval of abortion has surprised some who designate themselves pro-choice. Bush kept his views quiet, refusing to let abortion become a focus of the 2000 presidential campaign, said Barnstable. She said she expects abortion to be a much bigger issue in 2004 “because it was hidden” in the
previous election. She said she thinks that Bush’s current stance could end up driving away some conservative and pro-choice voters who voted for him in 2000 without realizing his views. But Reuland said he thinks Bush made his pro-life stance clear in the 2000 election, and the “response to Bush that is seen in most pro-life groups” leads him to believe that the president’s views were fairly obvious. Cohee said that no matter what ends up being the focal point of the debate, “I hope one thing that people paid attention to is the international impact on reproductive rights.” Cohee said part of the Bush administration’s efforts to discourage abortion in other parts of the world has led to a cut in international family planning funds. “Reproductive rights are not just abortion,” she said. Herald staff writer Juliette Wallack ’05 can be reached at jwallack@browndailyherald.com.
Loans continued from page 1 sharing” between students and the University for financial aid, Montero said. Bartini said that he could not predict further changes to student loan policy as it reflects economic circumstances from year to year. “What we really hope is that the economy gets better and grows so that it will
Rose continued from page 12 Veterans Committee, which is now made up of the Hall of Famers themselves. Rose’s advisers may think his best chance to make the Hall is through the writers’ ballot. Any admission of guilt by Rose about his gambling, however, might alter the view of some writers.
T. F. Green
Theater
continued from page 1
continued from page 3
currently not available. Dugger called the renovations “a huge step forward.” “The board is very excited about using the money in a way that will benefit student groups in the future,” he said.
group member Lieva Whitbeck ’05. The group is currently accepting proposals for upcoming performances and meets to make a decision on Feb. 28, Whitbeck said.
Herald staff writer Lisa Mandle ’06 can be reached at lmandle@browndailyherald.com .
Musical Forum: Musical Forum’s show for the semester will not be picked until Jan. 27, board member James Egelhofer ’04 said in an e-mail. The show will appear in Bigelow Theater. Herald staff writer Jen Sopchockchai ’05 can be reached at jsopchockchai@browndailyherald.com.
be less of an issue” in determining the size of loans, he said. The loan increase has “no relationship at all” to the needblind admission policy initiated with the Class of 2007, Bartini added. Both need-blind admission and the elimination of the first-year work study requirement will remain in place, he said. The decision to rework student loan policy followed consultation with the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid and the University Resources Committee, and has already been included in the financial aid packages of students admitted early to the Class of 2007. Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com
Vogel continued from page 3 Wilder admired to a study of “the terrible beauty of childhood and Christmas,” Vogel said. It’s an unconventional combination, but perhaps one that Vogel, self-described playwright and matchmaker, is singularly qualified to make right. Carla Blumenkranz ’05 edits the Arts & Culture section. She can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.
Arming continued from page 5 No matter how Simmons chooses to proceed, her decision “will take some time to implement,” Hunter said. In November, Simmons told the Herald that if she decides to arm DPS, the process could take up to two years, as current officers undergo renewed background checks, psychological testing and intensive training on deadly force policies and community sensitivity. Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WORLD & NATION FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 7
Amazon posts profit for 2nd time (Washington Post) — Amazon.com Inc. posted its second-ever quarterly profit Thursday, bolstering its position among an elite handful of Internet companies that are showing strength in the dot-com world’s postboom years. Although analysts predicted that lower prices and free shipping would doom Amazon’s bottom line, the Seattle-based retailer eked out net income of $3 million, or 1 cent a share, in the fourth quarter. That was down from $5 million a year ago, when the company posted its first profit since it went public in 1997. For the full year, Amazon reported a loss of $149 million, narrower than its $567
million loss in 2001. Amazon’s performance, and the rebound in its stock price since last summer, might surprise those who assumed Internet companies were better left for dead after the dotcom implosion. But analysts say Amazon and a core group of Internet companies, including eBay Inc., Expedia Inc. and Yahoo Inc., have built what look like workable long-term businesses for the Internet era. “We’ve seen the worst of the shakeout” of companies that were long on hype and short on profit, said stock analyst David Kathman, who follows Amazon and eBay for Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. “Now there are
some behemoths starting to emerge.” The stock prices of several Internet companies have climbed to lofty levels. Analysts caution against running out and buying the shares because the recent surge has left them pricey. Still, the big dot-com survivors have found the sweet spot of business on the Internet: facilitating transactions for a community of sellers and buyers, and taking a cut of the action along the way. And they are a reminder that although many Internet stocks have crashed or disappeared, the Internet itself remains a powerful and growing force.
Senate approves $390 billion package WASHINGTON (Washington Post) — The Senate Thursday night approved a $390 billion-plus spending package that sticks closely to a White House-imposed ceiling, after Republicans defeated Democratic moves to add billions of dollars for health care providers and job-training programs. The long-delayed measure, which funds federal departments and programs this year, includes an increase of more than 10 percent for federal aid to education and new, though modest, relief for financially strapped states, doctors facing cuts in Medicare payments and farmers with losses from drought. The vote was 69 to
29. Also included is $4 billion in foreign military assistance and $305 million in economic and military support for Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S. war on terror. Late Thursday, the Senate voted 50 to 47, defeating an amendment offered by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., aimed at restricting a Bush administration plan to have private contractors and government employees compete for federal jobs. The amendment would have barred the administration from setting targets or reserving quotas for the private sector. Mikulski said it would protect the Civil Service from “predators” and “bounty hunters.” But Sen. George Allen, R-Va., said the amendment would limit the ability of high-tech and other businesses in Northern Virginia to win federal work. Leaders of the newly installed Republican majority expressed satisfaction at passage of the package, which includes 11 annual appropriations bills. “We’re off to a good start,” said Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla. “It’s a pretty good accomplishment that we were able to defeat half a trillion dollars’ worth of Democratic amendments.” But hurdles lie ahead for the measure. Pressures to find ways around the $390 billion White House spending cap are sure to increase when negotiations begin with the House, which has different priorities in many key areas. The strains were evident Thursday as budget officials looked to soften the impact of government-wide cuts in all domestic programs before sending the bill to the House. Cuts of about 2.9 percent were pushed through by the GOP to offset increases for education and other high-priority programs.
PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003
Student on verge of deportation is held as material witness (L.A.Times) — A former flight safety
student in Arizona facing deportation to Lebanon on immigration violations has instead been summoned to testify before a federal grand jury investigating terrorism. Amid unusual secrecy, Zakaria Soubra, 26, is being held on a material witness warrant issued under seal in the same Northern Virginia courthouse where a range of terrorist plots has been investigated, including the case of the so-called 20th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui. Soubra, who arrived in the Phoenix area in the late 1990s to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has been linked in recent months to suspected extremists, federal sources say. The links, they say, include documents recovered from al-Qaida associates in Pakistan and Soubra’s time as a roommate to Ghassan Al-Sharbi, who was arrested in Pakistan last year with a senior member of al-Qaida. Al-Sharbi, who roomed with Soubra while the two attended Embry-Riddle, was on an FBI watch list issued shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks and is now being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Soubra has long acknowledged support for Islamic world domination, but he has also passionately denied any links to terrorism or support for the Sept. 11 attacks. Detained since May 2002 on a student visa violation, he initially fought to remain in the United States but decided last fall to no longer fight deportation and was scheduled to be returned to Lebanon on Jan. 8. But en route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, federal sources say, the former member of the London-based, hardline Islamic group Al Muhajiroun was abruptly returned to a detention facility in Florence, Ariz. His wife and friends say they have not heard from him since. Federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have long harbored suspicions that Soubra has done more than simply voice his support for radical Islamic views. Indeed, records and interviews show Soubra was being watched by FBI agents in Phoenix long before the Sept. 11 attacks. Soubra and Al-Sharbi are named in the so-called Phoenix Memo in which FBI Special Agent Kenneth Williams warned about alleged Islamic extremists attending flight schools in the United States. Though the FBI interviewed him several times before and after the Sept. 11 attacks, the material witness warrant suggests authorities now suspect Soubra may have more information about terrorism than he shared and should not be deported. “His name was popping up overseas and that is why we did not want to let him go” back to Lebanon, said one Justice Department source. “He would be back in the battlefield.”
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9
Matheson continued from page 12 blew a 24-point lead to bring the Niners back in the football game. So, contrary to what they tell you on “SportsCenter,” no game is ever decided by one play. The pervasiveness of “SportsCenter” and other highlight shows have influenced our outlook on sports. These shows package the game for us, singling out certain plays that distort the ebb and flow of real competition. Sure the refs make mistakes, but that to me is part of the game, part of the drama and, when the final whistle blows, it is usually inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. So as you enjoy the Super Bowl this Sunday, remember that despite what the announcers say, the game will not be decided on one play. Jermaine Matheson ’03 hails from Bloomfield, Conn. He is a political science concentrator.
N E W A N D I M P R O V E D : B R O W N D A I LY H E R A L D. C O M
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL/LETTERS FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 10 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
Diamonds and coal Coal to the delayed arming decision. Either stick to the schedule or provide a new one. Too many people care to leave us hanging. A diamond to UFB for using years of saved funds to benefit some of Brown’s most worthy student groups. A diamond to the new Bear’s Lair, coming soon to a Grad Center Tower near you. Longer hours, better weights and more machines — exercise ecstasy? Finally. Coal to the Escort Service for not running on Wednesday night, leaving off-campus students to battle both muggers and frostbite. A diamond to Roe v. Wade, for helping protect a woman’s right to choose for 30 years. Too bad nobody at Brown seemed to notice. A diamond to Michael Goldberger and Ruth Simmons for publicly defending affirmative action. In the coming months the front line in the fight against institutional racism will need all the help it can get. Coal to the lack of heat in Grad Center. We love our suitemates, but not enough to have to curl up with them at night so we don’t freeze to death. A cubic zirconium to UFS for making students wait to eat until ingredients cards are printed. We appreciate your attempts to safeguard those students with peanut allergies, but we want our popcorn chicken now! Diamond to the first wave of the class of 2007. And a special diamond to the little sister of a certain Irvingtonian. Coal to the lack of parking spaces for students returning with cars. What gives?
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Elena Lesley, Editor-in-Chief Brian Baskin, Executive Editor Zachary Frechette, Executive Editor Kerry Miller, Executive Editor Kavita Mishra, Senior Editor Stephanie Harris, Academic Watch Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Arts & Culture Editor Rachel Aviv, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Julia Zuckerman, Campus Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor
Joshua Skolnick, Opinions Editor PRODUCTION Ilena Frangista, Listings Editor
LETTERS Grade inflation no worse at Brown than at other schools To the Editor: I wish to respond to the analysis of grade inflation in Sean Yom’s letter appearing in yesterday’s BDH. It is true that the percentage of A grades awarded to undergraduates has increased from 37.2 percent in 1991-92 to 44.6 percent in 2001-02, and our annual report calls attention to the possibility of grade inflation. However, there are problems with the calculations reported in Yom’s letter. First, Brown’s grading system is sufficiently different from traditional systems that it is not advisable to convert
BUSINESS Jamie Wolosky, General Manager Joe Laganas, Executive 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. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager
Adam Stella, Asst. Metro Editor Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor
ANDREW SHEETS
P O S T- M A G A Z I N E Alex Carnevale, Editor-in-Chief Dan Poulson, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Senior Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Senior Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor
Brown grades to another scale. Second, it is misleading to calculate an average GPA from the data available. Remember that Brown has not calculated individual GPAs in over thirty years. While the possibility of grade inflation exists, I see no basis for a claim that the trend is particularly severe at Brown. Periodic reconsideration of our grading system is healthy, but we should evaluate our unique system internally and avoid inappropriate comparisons to others. I encourage readers to look at the information on our website (http://www.brown.edu/oir) and draw their conclusions independently.
Katherine P. Lewis Director of Institutional Research and Records Jan. 23
join us.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD 195 ANGELL STREET • 401/351-3372
Marc Debush, Copy Desk Chief Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Kimberly Insel, Photography Editor Jason White, Photography Editor Brett Cohen, Systems Manager
SPORTS Joshua Troy, Senior Sports Editor Nick Gourevitch, Sports Editor Jermaine Matheson, Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, Sports Editor Alicia Mullin, Sports Editor
Manuel Feid, Night Editor Marc Debush, Hanne Eisenfeld, Copy Editors Staff Writers Kathy Babcock, Zach Barter, Hannah Bascom, Carla Blumenkranz, Dylan Brown, Danielle Cerny, Philissa Cramer, Ian Cropp, Maria Di Mento, Bamboo Dong, Jonathan Ellis, Nicholas Foley, Dana Goldstein, Alan Gordon, Nick Gourevitch, Joanna Grossman, Stephanie Harris, Shara Hegde, Anna Henderson, Momoko Hirose, Akshay Krishnan, Brent Lang, Hanyen Lee, Jamay Liu, Allison Lombardo, Lisa Mandle, Jermaine Matheson, Jonathan Meachin, Monique Meneses, Alicia Mullin, Crystal Z.Y. Ng, Joanne Park, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Samantha Plesser, Cassie Ramirez, Lily Rayman-Read, Zoe Ripple, Amy Ruddle, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Adam Stella, Adam Stern, Stefan Talman, Chloe Thompson, Jonathon Thompson, Joshua Troy, Juliette Wallack, Jessica Weisberg, Ellen Wernecke, Ben Wiseman, Xiyun Yang, Brett Zarda, Julia Zuckerman Pagination Staff Jessica Chan, Melissa Epstein, Joshua Gootzeit, Caroline Healy, Hana Kwan, Stacy Wong Copy Editors Anastasia Ali, Yafang Deng, Hanne Eisenfeld, Emily Flier, George Haws, Eliza Katz, Blair Nelsen, Amy Ruddle, Janis Sethness
WRITE EDIT PHOTOGRAPH DESIGN
I N F O R M AT I O N S E S S I O N T U E S D AY J A N UA RY
28, 7PM
PETERUTTI LOUNGE
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 FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 11
The administration must act to increase diversity of opinion Current practices fall short of providing any real debate on important campus issues PRESIDENT RUTH SIMMONS HAS FACED for fear of being shunned, and harming many of Brown’s longstanding deficits their potential for advancement. head-on via the Initiative for Academic Moreover, there is no group or associaEnrichment. Yet equally important, and tion whose sole task it is to encourage missing from current plans, is a strategy to debate by providing financial awards and increase diversity of opinion and thought. logistical support (matching up professors, providing venues, etcetera). I’ll elucidate the problem and Instead of debate, there is its effects before presenting the ubiquitous “panel” or possible remedies. “forum.” Consisting of four to First, I feel compelled to 10 professors sitting in the front point out defensively that I of an auditorium with microam a liberal democrat. I phones for answering quesvoted for Gore in 2000; I suptions from the audience, panels port universal healthcare, can be informative. But on any social security, job occasion where the pursuit of training/education to distruth is the goal, it is better if at placed workers, progressive BRETT COHEN least one person disagrees with taxation and a high estate tax. CHECKMATE! the rest — even better, if sever(For this, many Americans al disagree. As the ancient would inaccurately label me philosophers recognized, prea socialist.) These liberal credentials are on display not to curry your senting different opinions and dissecting ear, but to draw attention to the fact that arguments is the best way to uncover fallaat Brown it seems necessary to highlight cious reasoning and inadequate evidence. Most university-sponsored panels include this before any serious discussion. When was the last time you heard of a participants who are either in total agreeprofessor versus professor debate, or one ment or possess disagreements too subtle to involving invited guest speakers? The really constitute opposition. Some panels only one that comes to mind occurred are apparently consciously designed for two years ago. It involved Professor Sergei propaganda value. When earlier this year I Khrushchev and concerned foreign poli- wrote that the Third World Transition cy. I can think of no examples of actual Program is a shameful, racist program that debates involving professors or other perpetuates ethnic isolation, the Third professionals with opposing views facing World Center held a “forum” to explain what off on a controversial issue, marshalling it was about. One need not ask whether the evidence to an audience. This is not sur- Third World Center invited a scholar with an prising given that many faculty are opposing viewpoint to balance the asserunwilling to express unpopular positions tions of its administrators and fellows. How would the participants have been worse off hearing from a politely contrary view? The dearth of serious intellectual or Brett J. Cohen ’03 hopes he’s learned the political debate on campus is obvious to difference between merely arguing and most students. It stems from a climate of debating.
fear — there are horror stories about what happened to professors who defended ideas that seemed in the slightest way “conservative” — and from an institutional atmosphere that provides no check on ideologically-driven departments from crowding out opinions contrary to their own. Yet, it is certain that everyone, from students to the holders of views themselves, suffer as a result of not having their ideas rigorously challenged. If you’re right, a challenge gives you the opportunity to formulate a clear and coherent justification. If you’re wrong, you’ll be disabused of your false notion. The solution is simple: the University must establish a division, department or organization (the “Office of Debate”) whose sole purpose is to foster, facilitate and otherwise encourage contentious debate on wide-ranging topics covering academia, philosophy and university policy. Although student groups such as the Debating Union have attempted such regular debates, a lack of funding and continuity have hampered their efforts. A university-sanctioned debating center, like those at Princeton and Oxford, with minimal but appropriate funding, would make it impossible for various arms of the university to snuff out debate, as they did successfully in the aftermath of the Horowitz controversy in the spring of 2001, cynically scheduling one of their forums at the time a student-led debate was proposed. The administration must also ban onesided “forums.” If there is a panel on the topic of reparations for the descendants of slaves, there must be someone representing the opposition. Moreover, forums that presuppose controversial notions, such as “How should reparations be distributed?” without first holding one on whether they
should be distributed at all should not be held. To forestall the inevitable claim, “I invited so-and-so but he wasn’t interested in attending,” departments must provide documentation that they made every reasonable effort to attract dissenters, including offers of stipends (from the Office of Debate). In the rare case in which a department fails to provide an alternative position, the Office of Debate would send (from either its staff or a professor) a “Devil’s Advocate” who would identify himself as such, have done some research in advance and provide counter-arguments to the received view. Failure to either invite a scholar or to contact the Office of Debate would first result in a warning, then in a fine to the department and, finally, in an order from the controller’s office freezing public events funds until the department has undergone a full “diversity of opinion audit.” No one has a right not to have his or her views, positions, opinions and arguments challenged. On the contrary, an institution devoted to learning has a duty not just to provide opportunities to state opinions, but to demand reasoning and evidence behind them. It’s time the University met its obligation by creating the appropriate entities and incentives to overcome the climate of fear and reticence. Note: I hope not to see any letter appearing in these pages flattering the student body and asserting that debate on academic and university policy is in fact alive and well, magnifying the minuscule differences of opinion on panels. If a refutation of this column is desired, let it take the form of a public debate, in which, assuming the general parameters of debate as specified by the Debating Union, I would gladly participate.
Shaq’s latest attack is offensive and immature O’Neal’s comments about Chinese phenom Yao Ming part of a long line of off-the-court missteps SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, ARGUABLY THE critics about a movie. Basically, what I’m NBA’s most dominant center of all time, saying is that Shaq’s movie career is just made a comment last summer that has another example of his poor decisionrecently resurfaced. In a recording to a making skills off the court. Shaq made fun reporter that has now aired nationally on of Yao at the expense of his ethnicity. Such “SportsCenter” and other sports shows, comments are insensitive and take away from the integrity of the NBA. Shaq said, “Tell Yao Ming, But is Shaq a racist? I don’t ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ahthink so. At least I hope not. soh.’” I have spoken Chinese To understand why Shaq for the majority of life, and my would even make such comlinguistic abilities tell me that ments, one has to understand Shaq did not speak one comShaq’s brand of humor. He prehensible word of Chinese has labeled himself as the “Big — not that he can communiAristotle,” and has called the cate in English any better. But Sacramento Kings the getting back to the comment, Sacramento “Queens,” in Shaq tried to defuse it by sayaddition to criticizing the ing that there was no racial YALE WANG abilities of other centers by intolerance behind it and that SIZE DOES MATTER calling himself the “LCL” or it was meant as a joke. “Last Center Left.” For the Was his “joke” funny? About public, such moronic as funny as his performance in “Kazaam,” a movie in which he plays a attempts at humor have become expected seven-foot genie released from an over- from Shaq. He knows this, so he’ll continsized boom box to grant wishes for a kid ue to talk garbage without thinking twice. who’s morally corrupt father is involved in But he shouldn’t. Whether he likes it or the heinous act of illegally pirating music. not, millions of children worldwide look The movie garnered an outstanding zero up to him as a role model. He’s the game’s number of recommendations from rotten- top representative, the leader of the NBA. tomatoes.com, a site that compiles and As Bill Walton wrote in his ESPN column, cross-references critiques from various “Can you imagine Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic, Hakeem or David Robinson saying anything like this? Shaq should have known better. But he Yale Wang ’06 hopes that Shaq Fu will didn’t. He’s human, and everybody makes not come down to Providence and eat mistakes, right? So what do people usualhim.
For the public, such moronic attempts at humor have become expected from Shaq. He knows this, so he’ll continue to talk garbage without thinking twice. But he shouldn’t. Whether he likes it or not, millions of children worldwide look up to him as a role model. ly do when they offend somebody? They apologize. And it’s Shaq’s apology, or lack thereof, that really irks me more than anything else.” Following criticism for his comments, Shaq said, “I mean, if I was the first one to do it, and the only one to do it, I could see what they’re talking about. But if I offended anybody, I apologize.” What a slap in the face. As long as everybody makes fun of somebody’s culture, it should be condoned? And only “if” people get offended, then you’re sorry? By the way, all this is coming from the recent winner of the NAACP’s young leader’s humanitarian award. Shaq’s apology is as ridiculous as his rap career. Why the hell did Shaq even apologize if he obviously doesn’t mean it? Yao, of course, graciously accepted the apology by saying, “There are a lot of difficulties in two different cultures understanding each other — especially two very large countries. The world is getting
smaller and I think it’s important to have a greater understanding of other cultures. I believe Shaquille O’Neal was joking but I think that a lot of Asian people don't understand that kind of joke.” And then with a wry smile, Yao said, “Chinese is hard to learn. I had trouble with it when I was little.” Fortunately, all this nonsense did not take away from last Friday night’s match up between Shaquille “The Big Aristotle” O’Neal and Yao “The Dynasty” Ming, as basketball fans across the world were treated to one of the most exciting games of the season. Yao was interviewed about his team’s victory after the game. A reporter for ESPN asked Yao, “Did Shaq come up to you before the game and apologize?” Yao just smiled and said, “That’s a private conversation.” I’m pretty sure Yao would have liked nothing more than to have said “yes,” that is, if Shaq had in fact made a personal apology.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2003 · PAGE 12
Never does one call decide it all LAST YEAR IN THE DIVISION PLAYOFF game between the Raiders and the Patriots, one play stuck out from all the rest: the now infamous “Tuck Rule” that called what looked like a fumble an incomplete pass. The officials made the right call, following the rule to the letter as stated in the rulebook. The uproar that ensued among Raider fans and the gnashing of teeth that took place in the sports media had someJERMAINE MATHESON thing to do with NO BLOOD, NO FOUL why the rule was later changed. This year, as the most watched game of the season is about to take place, the NFL finds itself in a similar situation, having to answer for calls made by officials in pivotal games in the regular and postseason. Was there really pass interference in the latter stages of the Miami-New England game as the playoff hopes of three teams hung in the balance? How could a referee lose track of an eligible receiver in the waning minutes of the New York Giants vs. San Francisco playoff game? And should a roughing the kicker penalty, after the ball has sailed wide of the uprights, give the Titans another opportunity to kick the game winner? This has been all the rage on sports talk radio across the country. Such calls are not limited to the pros. We all perhaps watched the best national title game in college football history and the subsequent penalty in the back of the end zone. In its aftermath, writers and television pundits described it as the worst call to decide a game of that caliber It is a growing trend in collegiate and professional sports to chastise the officials and referees for calls we don’t agree with. Sometimes it is warranted, but many times it is not. Remember, the Raiders still had an opportunity to come back and win the game last year in Foxboro, and the Patriots did out-gain the Raiders in total yards. And the Giants see MATHESON, page 9
SCOREBOARD FRIDAY Men’s BASKETBALL versus Yale, 7pm, Pizzitola Center Men & women’s TRACK at Terrier Classic, Boston Men’s TENNIS at Harvard Invitational, Cambridge, Mass.
Women’s SQUASH versus Bowdoin, Pizzitola Center FENCING at a league meet Men & women’s SKIING at Plymouth State Carnival. Men’s ICE HOCKEY at Merrimack, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY SATURDAY Men’s SWIMMING versus Harvard, noon, Smith Swim Center Women’s BASKETBALL versus Yale, 2pm, Pizzitola Center WRESTLING at Lehigh, 3 p.m. Men’s SQUASH versus Bowdoin, Pizzitola Center
Men & women’s SKIING at Plymouth State Carnival GYMASTICS versus Alaska, Soutnern Connecticut, noon, Pizzitola Center Women’s SQUASH versus Tufts, noon, Pizzitola Center Men’s SQUASH versus Tufts, 1:30 p.m., Pizzitola Center
Men’s hoops drives for sweep of Yale BY NICK GOUREVITCH
The men’s basketball team (6-9, 1-0 Ivy) will look to continue its run of strong play when the Bears host their first Ivy League game of the year versus Yale tonight at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola Center. The game will be a rematch of last weekend’s contest in which Bruno prevailed, 78-66. A win, and thus a season sweep, against the Bulldogs would be a very encouraging result for the Bears in their quest for a league title. Yale is considered one of the stronger Ivies, finishing second to Penn in the preseason media poll. So far this winter, Brown and Yale’s seasons have been complete opposites. Yale started strong, winning five of its first seven games, including a victory over Penn State. Meanwhile, the Bears had a dismal start, losing seven of their first eight. Yet as both teams returned to action after a short hiatus for finals period, their seasons reversed course. Yale has won just one of its last seven, the Bulldogs’ only victory coming against Rensselaer, while the Bears have picked things up, going 5-2 since exams. Bruno’s turnaround is being led by the resurgence of Earl Hunt ’03, who recently took over the top spot on Brown’s all-time points scored list and eighth place in the Ivy League’s list. In Brown’s last seven games, Hunt has averaged 26.1 points while earning Ivy League Player of the Week honors twice in the last three weeks. Hunt struggled earlier this year through an injury and a few poor performances, and his return to peak performance coincided with the team’s reversal of fortune. For Hunt and fellow starter Alai Nuualiitia ’03 — who has also played well of late with 19 points against Yale — tonight’s game represents the beginning of the seniors’ last quest for an Ivy League
dspics
The men’s basketball team (6-9, 1-0) will look to remain undefeated in the Ivy League when it faces the Yale Bulldogs tonight at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola Center. title. Both seniors have been integral parts of the team for the last four years. In their sophomore years, the two led a team that exceeded expectations and stayed alive in the hunt for the league title until the season’s final weekend. Crowds packed the Pizzitola for the first time in years to watch the Bears top Penn before being eliminated by Princeton. Yet last season can only be described as a disappointment as Brown struggled through its league schedule. One can only hope that the Bears have learned a few lessons from their struggles of a year ago.
Among these lessons, the Bears need to be wary of not being overconfident after last weekend’s victory over the Bulldogs. Last season, Brown fell to Yale at home after beating them in New Haven just a week earlier. Once again this season, the team’s fate rests in the hands of its two senior stars and tonight’s game should be a good barometer of whether the Bears will be Ivy League contenders or pretenders. Sports staff writer Nick Gourevitch ’03 is a sports editor. He can be reached at ngourevitch@browndailyherald.com.
Knocking on the door to Cooperstown (The Hartford Courant) — Despite reports
seemingly to the contrary, Pete Rose is not on a fast track to reinstatement by Major League Baseball, which would also lead to his consideration for entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose reportedly has indicated a willingness to admit to gambling on baseball, which he has denied since 1989 when he signed an agreement with then-commissioner Bart Giamatti that placed the alltime hits leader on the ineligible list. The Hall of Fame disallows anyone on baseball’s ineligible list to be placed on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Commissioner Bud Selig and Roger Makley, Rose’s agent, denied comment Wednesday on a Newsday report quoting an unidentified “friend” of Rose as saying Rose was ready to admit to betting on baseball while managing the Reds in the mid-1980s. This is by no means startling news. It has been expected that for Rose to be reinstated he would have to “come
clean” as his ex-teammate and Hall of Fame vice chairman Joe Morgan put it. “Pete knows what he has to do,” Morgan said last week. While it was Morgan who encouraged Selig to meet with Rose in Milwaukee in late November to discuss reinstatement, the process slowed down considerably once word of that session was leaked to the media. Morgan reportedly was incensed by the leak, presumably by someone in the Rose camp. Selig initially requested a meeting with Hall of Fame members Jan. 17 in Los Angeles. It was postponed indefinitely, largely because many Hall of Famers had no desire to attend. One prominent Hall of Famer who was eager to meet with Selig was Bob Feller, who had hoped to present personally his objections to reinstating Rose. It is doubtful that such a meeting will take place. Selig has had correspondence with several Hall members and other baseball officials with close ties to the
Cooperstown, N.Y., museum warning him to tread carefully on the Rose issue. When told two weeks ago that Rose received only 18 write-in votes among 496 BBWAA ballots cast, the same total he received last year, Selig said: “Very interesting. Everyone may be assured that I am moving slowly on this matter. I am proceeding very cautiously.” Speed is of the essence mostly to Rose. According to Hall of Fame rules, a player may be a candidate for the Hall only within a 20-year window — five years after his retirement as a player to up to 15 years on the ballot. If not for the agreement he signed that essentially banned him from the game, Rose would have gone on the Hall ballot for the first time in 1992, the year Tom Seaver and Rollie Fingers were elected. As it stands, Rose, if reinstated, could be considered for the BBWAA ballot next year, 2005 and 2006. If Rose is not elected in any of those years, his case would go to the see ROSE, page 6
H ERALD S PORTS E DITORS S UPER B OWL XXXVII P ICKS Winner Score MVP
Josh Tampa Bay 24-17 Ronde Barber
Nick Oakland 30-13 Jerry Rice
Jermaine Tampa Bay 17-13 Simeon Rice
Alicia New England 20-17 Tom Brady
Jon M. Oakland 28-14 Rich Gannon