W E D N E S D A Y OCTOBER 15, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 92
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
Assualt causes less conflict than past biasedrelated events BY ZACH BARTER
There were no placard-toting protesters at the Queer Alliance-sponsored camp-out on the Main Green Thursday night — no provocative chants, no confrontational slogans. Instead, there was only the sobering air of a community determined to reclaim its sense of security. Campus response to the Sept. 6 homophobic assault of a student has generally been free of the antagonism that followed bias-related incidents in the past. In its place, administrators and students said, has been an intense process of inquiry and introspection as people struggle to come to terms with the presence of hate at Brown. University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, who has been at Brown for 14 years, said the assault differs from past incidents that have split the campus along political lines. “There’s no debate to be had if someone in our community is being beaten up,” Nelson said. “People of goodwill of every identity must stand together against that. “Every one of us could be walking around at night with an identity that someone disapproves of,” she added. Members of Brown’s LGBT community have taken the lead in responding to the crime, wearing T-shirts with the phrase “hate crimes have happened here” and staging Thursday’s camp-out. But Meg Caven ’06, pride coordinator of the Queer Alliance and the organizer of the camp-out, said she and others were initially unsure of how to react. Anger has its place, but it can also be alienating, Caven said. “This sort of event is based in positivity and community building,” Caven said, referring to the camp-out. “A lot of people felt that to ground this in our love for each other and in our strength was more important than making someone feel as if they’d been called out.” Caven said it would be impossible for the Queer Alliance to find a target for its anger without stereotyping and making
Sara Perkins / Herald
The new, currently unoccupied Providence Police neighborhood substation on Brook Street does not yet have a permit for internal construction — only demolition.
LGBT Israelis are making progress, El-Ad says BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT
Four thousand people marched under rainbow flags in downtown Jerusalem on June 17, 2002. The event, “Jerusalem Pride — Love Without Borders,” was the city’s first ever gay pride parade. Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of Jerusalem Open House, which
see ASSAULT, page 8
Foreign language study increasingly popular; on par with other Ivies BY LISA MANDLE
From Akkadian to Zulu, Brown undergrads study foreign languages at a comparable rate to other Ivy League schools — even though they don’t have to. Unlike most peer institutions, Brown has no University-wide language requirement, said Associate Director of the Center for Language Studies Merle Krueger. “Language enrollments are strong and continue to be strong,” Krueger said. “At any one time, more than a quarter of Brown undergraduates are registered in a
language course on campus per semester,” he said. Over the past four years, foreign language enrollment has increased by approximately 10 percent, Krueger said. The last academic year saw a record number of students enrolled in language classes with 3,075 distinct foreign language enrollments between the fall and spring semesters, he said. This number did not include students studying a language while abroad, he said.
organized the parade, spoke Tuesday afternoon about the challenges of promoting an LGBT agenda in Israel’s most religiously conservative city. Friends of Israel organized the lecture, held in the Ratty, for a group of about 20 during the lunchtime rush. El-Ad said the parade organizers faced much opposition, but the event provides an opportunity for Jerusalem to make news in a positive way. He said it was a day to “put fear, hate and suspicion aside — just for a while” and to “give hope and optimism a chance.” At a time when several suicide bombings had emptied the streets of the capital, the parade “brought life back to the center of the city we love so much” El-Ad said. El-Ad described Jerusalem Open House, the only LGBT center in the city, as “an organization on the front lines of the fight for an open, tolerant, diverse, pluralistic Jerusalem.” Hannah Lantos ’06, who spent last year in Israel, said she attended because she was tired of only hearing news of the intifada. El-Ad agreed, noting there are 600,000 people in
Enhanced police presence is coming to College Hill. Brown reached an agreement with the Providence Police Department last month to create a new Providence Police substation in a Brown-owned building on Brook Street. The substation — which will contain offices and small meeting rooms— will occupy two vacant spaces in the shopping center behind New Dorm on Brook Street, wrote Vice President for Administration Walter Hunter in an e-mail. Hunter wrote that the new substation would enhance police presence in the area of campus near New Dorm. But Department of Public Safety Chief Paul Verrecchia said the substation itself is not the biggest change to policing on the East Side. “What changes policing is the neighborhood policing concept,” he said. Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman’s plan to move toward neighborhood-based policing calls for the creation of substations in each of Providence’s nine police districts, Hunter said. The Brook Street substation will serve all of District 9,
see RUTH, page 8
see POLICE, page 8
Prof. Chudacoff of the campus student life task force finds Brown facilities are lacking page 5
BY PHILISSA CRAMER
see LANGUAGE, page 9
I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 1 5 , 2 0 0 3 “How to be gay” class at Michigan schools sparks a statewide controversy campus watch, page 3
Creation of substation takes police officers off “pinball patrol”
Kim Jong Il’s regime is greatest threat to American security says McAuliffe ’05. column, page 11
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Toumanoff ’06 thinks Americans should be less critical of their government. column, page 11
Women’s soccer defeats Hartford but suffers a loss to No. 23 Princeton sports, page 12
wind high 63 low 40
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THIS MORNING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris
W E AT H E R WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
High 63 Low 40 wind
FRIDAY
High 61 Low 40 wind
SATURDAY
High 59 Low 45 mostly sunny
High 56 Low 40 showers
GRAPHICS BY TED WU
Three Words Eddie Ahn
MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Garlic Pepper Chicken, Garlic Pepper Chicken, Squash Pie, Cauliflower, Green Beans and Peppers, Fudge Bars, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Lemon Chiffon Pie
V-DUB LUNCH — Vegetarian Cheese Soup, Ham & Bean Soup, Tex-Mex Lasagna, Vegan Roasted Vegetable Burritos, Mexican Corn, Fudge Bars DINNER — Vegetarian Cheese Soup, Ham & Bean Soup, Pork Loin with Green Apple Dressing, Stuffed Shells with Meat or Meatless Sauce, Risotto Primavera, Whole Green Beans, Stewed Tomatoes, Pumpernickel Bread, Lemon Chiffon Pie
DINNER — Vegetarian Fagoli Soup, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Chicken Cacciatore, Fish Duglere, Grilled Vegetable Calzone, Red Rice, Savory Spinach , Zucchini, Carrot and Garlic Medley, Pumpernickel Bread, Fudge Bars, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Lemon, Chiffon Pie
Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Greg Shilling and Todd Goldstein
CROSSWORD y ACROSS 1 Lhasa __ 5 Nervous spasms 9 Harden 14 Pop-up item, maybe 15 New York stadium 16 In force 17 “New Jack City” costar 18 Light gas 19 Campaign concern 20 Oscar the Grouch’s abode 23 Palindromic Bobbsey twin 24 As scheduled 25 Genealogist’s diagram 27 Site of many an arrival 33 __-pitch 36 Chance or prayer preceder 37 Chopin work 38 Keystone cutups 40 Canonized pope known as “The Great” 43 Pennsylvania port 44 Planning session input 46 Nevada city 48 Put down 49 Game requiring steady nerves 53 That being the case 54 Baltimore player 58 Gp. once led by Samuel Gompers 61 Celebration noisemaker 64 Nile city 66 __ Rabbit 67 Winslet of “Titanic” 68 Angler’s basket 69 Singer with Louis and Duke 70 “Aeneid,” for one 71 A kind of one begins 20-, 27-, 49- and 61Across 72 Spill the beans 73 “Hud” director Martin
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DOWN 1 Chihuahua chum 2 Pie nut 3 Hägar’s dog 4 Top at an auction 5 Hybrid fruits 6 “Gotcha” 7 When repeated, quickly 8 Upper house 9 Nasty look? 10 “Platoon” setting 11 __ Bator 12 Capital where Lettish is spoken 13 “I Dream of Jeannie” star 21 “I’m with you!” 22 Sale tag abbr. 26 Harper’s Bazaar illustrator 28 Addams family cousin 29 Lot attendant 30 “__ not to reason why”: Tennyson 31 Jon Arbuckle’s pooch 32 Run into 33 Disregard 34 San Joaquin Valley city 1
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CAMPUS WATCH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 3
“How to be gay” Lawsuit threatens Princeton’s sparks statewide Woodrow Wilson funding controversy BY DANA GOLDSTEIN
In Lansing, Mich., state Congressman Jack Hoogendyk, a rookie legislator from Kalamazoo, has drafted a list of potentially “inappropriate” courses offered by Michigan’s 12 publicly funded colleges and universities. Hoogendyk, recently named the “most conservative house member” by the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, hopes to amend Michigan’s constitution in order to allow the state legislature to cut funding from institutions offering classes that two-thirds of legislators find “inappropriate.” The proposal differs from one drafted in 2000. That budget appropriations bill would have cut by 10 percent the funding of any state college or university offering classes promoting “a sexual lifestyle … other than heterosexual monogamy.” Included on Hoogendyk’s current hit-list are introductory women’s studies courses, film classes that focus on women directors’ portrayal of gender and an assortment of classes addressing homosexuality. But the catalyst for Hoogendyk’s action is a three-year controversy surrounding the University of Michigan’s English 317, section 2, a “Literature and Culture” course entitled “How to Be Gay: Male Homosexuality and Initiation.” Taught since 2000 by Professor David Halperin, the description of the class on the University of Michigan Web site says its goal is to “examine the general topic of the role that initiation plays in the formation of gay male identity.” According to the course description, the subject will be approached in three ways: through literature, through a reading of studies in queer “sub-cultural practices” and “as a class project, since the course itself will constitute an experiment in see GAY CLASS, page 4
The A&P Supermarket heirs that fund the Robertson Foundation, and, in turn, Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, are on their way to revoking the school’s meal ticket. Since 1961, the Robertson Foundation has donated about $556 million to Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School and currently underwrites 75 percent of the school’s budget. Now, the foundation wants its money back. Alleging the school has failed to send enough students into government service — a condition of Robertsons’ gift — the family filed suit against Princeton in 2002. “Princeton has known for decades that the goal of our foundation is to send students into federal government, and they’ve ignored us,” said William Robertson, a Princeton alumnus, in an interview with the New York Times. “Princeton has abused the largest charitable gift in the history of American higher education and that’s embarrassing. They will lose the money.” Robertson, who has led the suit against Princeton, also claims the university has repeatedly sidestepped the foundation’s authority on financial issues. The suit cites as an example Princeton’s decision to shift foundation assets to Princeton University Investment Co., the university office that oversees investment of the university’s endowment. In response, Princeton attorneys contend “the lawsuit lacks merit because, for more than 40 years, Robertson family board members have participated actively in and either approved of or assented to many of the actions now challenged by the lawsuit,” according to an Oct. 8 university press release.
The university has also noted that for the last five years between 37 and 55 percent of Wilson School graduate students have pursued public service — numbers roughly equivalent to those from other leading public policy schools. Since the lawsuit was filed, the university has insisted the concerns raised by the Robertsons are valid issues but not legal ones and that the family has no legal right to rescind its donation. “When the Robertsons presented their concerns in the spring of 2002, the board of the foundation immediately began to respond to them, revising governance procedures and providing responses to the family’s expansive requests for information,” said Douglas Eakeley, lead attorney for the university, in the October press release.
(U-WIRE) HOUSTON — Calling it a “Columbus Day De-Celebration,” University of Houston associate history professor Bob Buzzanco held his annual meeting of students and faculty Monday to discuss the ramifications of the Spanish explorer’s New World discovery. Buzzanco, who was raised in an Italian family, said he heard people speak of the great Christopher Columbus and what he contributed to America. When Buzzanco began researching into the actual history, he said what he found on Columbus was something quite different, which led him to organize his first “de-celebration” of Columbus Day in 1998. Kenneth Garcia said he attended the de-celebration because “Columbus is celebrated today like he did something great,
see PRINCETON, page 9
see COLUMBUS, page 9
“Racist” game pulled from store shelves (U-WIRE) BERKELEY, Calif. — A controversial board game was yanked from the shelves of Urban Outfitters locations in Berkeley and across the country last week, after critics nationwide launched a campaign against the game, calling it racist and discriminatory. Ghettopoly — not affiliated with the Hasbro board game Monopoly — was removed from stores after several organizations attacked the game, decrying it as a “racist board game that promotes discrimination and hate crimes.” Some of the groups that are opposed to the game include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium.
Ghettopoly’s logo is a black man with a bottle of Malt liquor in one hand and a gun in the other, and the game, or “playa” pieces include a marijuana leaf, crack cocaine, a basketball and a pimp. Players travel around the board, choosing “Hustle” or “Ghetto Stash” cards, and buying stolen properties, including “Busta Rap Recording,” “Smitty’s XXX Peep Show,” and “Tyrone’s Gun Shop.” Urban Outfitters, a retail clothing store which also sells novelty items such as a Jesus Action Figure and a White Trash Doll, began selling the game a month ago, but removed the copies from its shelves on Thursday. see GAMES, page 9
www.browndailyherald.com
BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ
Columbus Day “de-celebrated” at U. Houston
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003
Gay class continued from page 3 the very process of initiation that it hopes to understand.” This last statement — that the course would act as an experiment in gay initiation— was the lightening rod that attracted conservative activists and lawmakers to the provocatively titled course. Halperin said “all sorts of students” sign up for his course. Calling the class “a project” in gay initiation meant “simply that a course that surveys and examines some of the materials that gay men have used to create an identity … will necessarily be a course that itself performs the work of gay initiation,” he said. “Gay initiation consists precisely in sharing, circulating and examining such materials.” But Gary Glenn, director of the American Family Association of
Michigan and one of the original proponents of legislation that targeted Halperin’s class in 2000, said Halperin was anything but a dispassionate intellectual. “He wrote that the purpose of so-called gay and lesbian studies was to express political militancy,” Glenn said. “I’m not interested in what Halperin says when the spotlight is on him. I think it’s far more revealing to read what he wrote when no one was watching.” Halperin does not deny that as a gay man, he has a special interest in the subject matter of “How to Be Gay.” “I’m interested in finding out which of these historical materials continue to speak to contemporary gay men and which do not, and why,” he said. In addition to his duties as an English professor, Halperin is the co-director of the Lesbian-GayQueer Research Initiative, a project run out of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Research
on Women and Gender. Last March, he gave the introductory remarks at a University of Michigan conference on “gay shame.” Glenn said he first found out about “How to be Gay” in 2000 through an article published in the conservative magazine National Review. After reading more about the course on the University of Michigan Web site, Glenn mobilized support through direct mail and e-mail and began to contact the media. Glenn’s organization collected 15,000 signatures on a petition against the class, in addition to support from three regents of the state’s university system. Glenn’s 2000 plan targeting courses about homosexuality was supported by a majority of legislators, but more than a simple majority was required to enact the program. Glenn said he plans to submit another 10,000 to 15,000 signatures to the state legislature when Hoogendyk’s new bill is dis-
cussed in committee later this year. Glenn, who has traveled the United States as a talk show personality, said, “The people around the country are laughing at the University of Michigan over them having a class so brazenly entitled, ‘How to be Gay.’” Glenn said the AFA is opposed to the course because it “is forcing taxpayers to pay to teach young men how to be gay. “It legitimizes behavior that literally puts the lives of young people at risk,” Glenn continued, adding that homosexuality was a lifestyle choice, as opposed to race, which was unchangeable. “There are no former African Americans,” he said. Both Glenn and Hoogendyk said there was broad support among Michiganders to hold colleges and universities accountable to taxpayers, both because of rising tuition and controversial curricula. But Glenn said he found many people were opposed to classes such as Halperin’s simply because of their religious or moral convictions. “This class has caused more outrage among grassroots citizens in Michigan than any other issue relating to the so-called gay agenda,” Glenn said, explaining he referred to the “gay agenda” as “socalled” because the AFA sees gay activism “as an attempt by homosexual activists to remake the culture in their image and destroy many of the icons of American culture that exist today. They are a very tiny but vocal and politically powerful minority.” Hoogendyk said studying gay or lesbian culture might be appropriate, but in his opinion, Halperin’s class represented “indoctrination at the taxpayer’s expense … I’ve never said in any way that I want to squelch academic freedom,” he said. “It’s in no way an indictment by me of higher education. The question is, academic freedom goes to what limit?” Hoogendyk said he is working to draft a piece of legislation that will have a high chance of passage within Michigan’s House of Representatives. To enact a legislative check on college and university curricula, two-thirds of both the Michigan House and Senate would need to support an amendment to the state constitution. The amendment would then go on a ballot initiative that would have to be approved by a simple majority of Michigan’s voters. In Michigan, less than half of college and university funding comes directly from state appropriations, meaning it will be a
complicated process to calculate how much funding would be withheld for each “inappropriate” class, Hoogendyk said. Halperin said that despite rumblings in Lansing, “The entire university — students, student newspaper, student government, faculty, my department, the administration, et cetera — has consistently defended my right to teach the course. No one on campus wants the curriculum to be determined by politicians or by people outside the university.” Robert Owen, the University of Michigan’s associate dean for undergraduate education, released a statement saying Halperin’s course “is not about encouraging people to become gay, but about how individuals in our society create meaning and beliefs about gay culture from literature and the arts.” Dean said students are often inspired to sign up for the class because they “plan to enter a field … where he or she will encounter a large and very diverse clientele.” The university’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Paul Courant, released a similar statement, saying the University of Michigan’s prestige was due to internal decision making, not political interference. “I would characterize that as a statement of academic arrogance to suggest that the elected representatives of the people of Michigan would not be capable of achieving the same high results,” Glenn responded. Halperin said “no one” believes the new legislation will make its way into Michigan law, but Hoogendyk and Glenn said they are more optimistic. “The Michigan state legislature would not be considering such a drastic measure unless they were taking an awful lot of heat from people back home,” Glenn said. Halperin said he is not intimidated by the actions of the Michigan state legislature. “I don’t intend to let my decision about whether to stop teaching the course be influenced by politicians,” he said. “I’ll teach it until I lose interest in it.” Even Hoogendyk admits his legislation probably will not keep the University of Michigan from offering whatever courses it chooses. “I think that they will probably find private funding to offer the class,” he said, “which is fine.” Herald senior staff writer Dana Goldstein ’06 can be reached at dgoldstein@browndailyherald.c om.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 5
Professor says Brown facilities lag behind peers’ BY KIRA LESLEY
Sara Perkins / Herald
RED SOX FEVER: Red Sox players Dick Radatz (left, relief pitcher, '62 - '65), Bob Stanley (not pictured, pitcher, '77 '89), and Jerry Moses (right shaking hands, catcher '65 - '70) answered questions during commercial breaks of the Red Sox-Yankees game at the Ratty's baseball dinner (TOP). Students watched Game 5 of the Red Sox-Yankees series on a big-screen TV at the Ratty Tuesday evening (BOTTOM).
In a world where university student centers offer Jacuzzis and pedicures, dining facilities boast full-service gourmet dinners and campus attractions include 200-gallon ecosystems with newts, salamanders, and coral reefs, it’s hard to determine just what constitutes educational necessity. Unless you’re Howard Chudacoff. Chudacoff, a professor of history and member of the Campus Student Life Task Force on Dining and Fitness Facilities, independently assembled a report this past July detailing recent developments in learning and research facilities among Brown’s peer institutions. The findings show Brown’s way behind. Virtually all of Brown’s peer universities have undertaken or have made plans to undertake major academic infrastructure development within the past two decades. All but Brown, that is. Chudacoff submitted his findings and a proposal for construction to the administration August 5, but any plans surrounding expansion or renewal in this area remain vague. President Ruth Simmons said development plans are not listed explicitly in the Initiatives for Academic Enrichment because it’s “still too early in the process to be reaching any conclusions.” Actual projects inspired by architect Frances Halsband’s Master Plan and potential campus life development remain abstract, she added Simmons said questions regarding Brown’s housing, fitness centers and social spaces, as well as the possibility of a student center, are being addressed, and that improvements in these areas are included under more general terms in the Initiatives for Academic Enrichment. Such projects should and will take time, she said. “We’ve taken the time to ask the right questions,” she said. “We’re not looking for a quick fix.” But Chudacoff is concerned that, as of yet, no explicit plans for the improvement of academic infrastructure have been made. He stressed the need to keep academic life central to any projects that Brown undertakes. Learning “is what (Brown) is all about,” he said. Chudacoff’s proposal cites, among other projects, Columbia University’s renovation of the Butler library, which includes new study areas for graduate students, a see FACILITIES, page 6
PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003
Facilities continued from page 5 Center for New Media Teaching and Learning and a Center for Research in Information Access. The proposal also contrasts Brown’s own facilities, which Chudacoff said offer hardly any room for collaborative study projects and limited opportunity for independent or group use of media aid to learning. Chudacoff said the 8x10 Media Services Library at the Sciences Library is “insufficient and ridiculous.” Chudacoff’s plan stresses the need for expansion of both traditional and nontraditional learning facilities. This involves not only improving libraries but also creating spaces for group study and discussions and quiet reflection. Opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom are lacking at Brown, he said. “Nobody thinks about how you learn just from quiet contemplation,” he said. Chudacoff’s plan calls for the consideration of constructing a four- to five-story student learning and research center adjacent to the Rock. The center would include “crucial academic spaces that other institutions provide,” as well as offer some features of a more comprehensive student center, such as a cybercafé with wireless Internet access and performance and practice rooms. According to Undergraduate Council of Students President Rajim Kurji ’05, the Student Life Task Force is currently examining ways to expand study space and foster a stronger sense of community on the Brown campus. No decisions have been made as to the best way to achieve these goals. Kurji says the task force is studying the “living/learning model” of design, which incorporates learning into everyday life and existing facilities. He said there is a discrepancy between Brown’s focus on nontraditional learning and the facilities available for such learning. Dean of the College Paul Armstrong seconded this need for expanded study space. “Students need more study space,” he said. “I hear this from students all the time.” One of the most pressing issues regarding study space is the need for 24-hour facilities, he said. Simmons said that study space on campus is currently not structured to fit students’ late-night schedules. In his proposal,
The Master Plan calls for a walkway to connect Pembroke Campus to central campus, which is meant to promote unity between these two areas. Chudacoff cites other schools that offer such facilities. The Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center at the University of Pennsylvania is open 24 hours a day from Sunday through Thursday, year-round. According to Chase Johnson, a freshman at UPenn, the center is “always crowded.” Johnson uses it to “get away from people,” he said. Brown is also considering various approaches to promoting campus unity, from a centralized student building to decentralized meeting places throughout campus. The Master Plan calls for a walkway to connect Pembroke Campus to central campus, which is meant to promote unity between these two areas. Chudacoff said his proposal addresses the issue of campus unity. He said the student learning and research center that he envisions would be a place for students to meet members of the Brown community who aren’t in their classes or clubs. Such a building would foster communication and unity, while also serving the University’s academic needs, he said. His proposal emphasizes the need for explicit plans and immediate action in this area if Brown is to “maintain and enhance itself as a nationally-renowned university of the 21st century.” Simmons said that a plan involving the improvement of student life should be completed by May, and after that it may be another 18 months to two years before “(builders) put a shovel in the ground.” According to Simmons, no decisions have been finalized yet and the Brown administration is looking for student and faculty input on campus improvements. But while the exact nature of the development plan remains open for debate, one thing appears to be certain — it will not include a coral reef.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WORLD & NATION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 7
U.S. appeal of marijuana case rejected by court WASHINGTON (Washington Post)
— The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will let stand a federal appeals court ruling that bars the federal government from punishing doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients. Without comment, the court refused to hear the Bush administration’s challenge of a ruling last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that upheld a federal district court injunction blocking Washington’s efforts to prevent doctors from telling patients marijuana might help them. The federal policy violated the constitutional guarantee of free speech, the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit court ruled. The decision came as a surprise defeat for the federal government in its battle against the “medical marijuana” movement. In his appeal petition to the court, Solicitor General Theodore Olson, using the kind of language that often persuades the justices to hear an appeal by the government, had called the 9th Circuit decision “an issue of exceptional and continuing importance” that “impairs the Executive’s authority to enforce the law in an area vital to the public health and safety.” Instead, the court took a step whose immediate political and practical impact is favorable to the campaign for
medical marijuana. The principal effect is to allow doctors to recommend marijuana to patients — but not to provide it to them. That is important because medical marijuana laws generally permit the possession of small amounts of marijuana only with some form of written authorization from a doctor, though in California an oral recommendation suffices. “If there can be no recommendation, there can be no patients who benefit,” said Graham Boyd, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who urged the Supreme Court to reject the government’s appeal. But now doctors can make such recommendations, even in writing, without fear of federal investigation, Boyd said. “I can do my job again and have real conversations with my patients about medical marijuana as part of their treatment options,” said Marcus Conant, the San Francisco-based AIDS doctor who filed the case with the support of the ACLU. The decision leaves intact a 2000 order by a California federal district court that barred the federal government from acting on threats to deny doctors who recommend marijuana the right to prescribe controlled substances or to participate in Medicaid and Medicare.
Europeans drop demand for central U.N. role in Iraq UNITED NATIONS (Washington Post)
— France, Russia and Germany on Tuesday dropped their demands that the United States grant the United Nations a central role in Iraq’s reconstruction and yield power to a provisional Iraqi government in the coming months. The move constituted a major retreat by the council’s chief antiwar advocates and signaled their renewed willingness to consider the merits of a U.S. resolution aimed at conferring greater international legitimacy of its military occupation of Iraq. All three countries now seem willing to accept a resolution that would retain U.S. authority over Iraq’s political future whileextending only a symbolic measure of sovereignty to Iraqis. But a major sticking point remains: The three governments made a number of new demands, including setting a specific schedule for ending the U.S. military occupation in Iraq and strengthening the Security Council’s role in monitoring Iraq’s political transition. Still, the shift by the United States’ toughest critics in the 15nation council has placed the Bush administration within reach of a diplomatic victory only a week after it was on the verge of withdrawing the resolution altogether, according to officials here. While U.S. officials acknowledge the adoption of the resolution is unlikely to bring new troops or resources from other countries, they say the U.N. imprimatur would help legitimize the U.S.
occupation and the Iraqi Governing Council—and help defuse opposition in Iraq. U.S. officials were hoping Tuesday night to put the matter to a vote on the Security Council before President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell leave Thursday for Asia on separate trips. One senior U.S. official said the U.S. cannot accept all the demands from the French, Russians and Germans — and indicated that the Americans would soon call their bluff. “We will look for people to face reality and decide whether they will support this process or not,” this official said. The administration arrived at this point with an intensive diplomatic campaign designed, in the words of a senior U.S. official, to neutralize the resolution’s chief critic, France, by accommodating suggestions from Russia and Germany which were “more practical, more realistic and easier to take into account.” U.S. diplomats also addressed concerns by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that it would be too dangerous to send U.N. workers back into Iraq for the time being. Under the language of the resolution now being promoted by the United States, Annan can delay sending U.N. personnel into Iraq to assume a political role “until circumstances permit.” Finally, the U.S. focused attention on every member of the council, not just the powerful veto-wielding permanent members, in order to guarantee they
could obtain at least the minimun nine votes required for passage of the resolution. Diplomats said that Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Sergey Lavrov, expressed a softening of his government’s opposition to the American resolution in a closeddoor meeting Monday with representatives of France, Germany and China. Germany, which has been seeking to repair its relationship with the Bush Adminisitration, and France subsequently followed suit. In a telephone conference call Tuesday morning, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a joint new position that includes six proposed amendments to the U.S. draft resolution. Their proposal states that the civilian and military authority of the U.S. and its military allies “shall expire” once an internationally recognized government is sworn in. It calls for the establishment of a “national dialogue” to involve a wider cross-section of Iraqis political leaders in the country’s negotiations on a new constitution. It envisions a role for the Security Council, working with the U.S. led coalition and the Iraqi Governing Council, in considering a timetable for a constitution and elections. And it calls on the United States and the Iraqi Council to “develop a specific schedule” for transferring power to the Iraqi people and submitting it to the U.N. Security Council.
PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003
Assault continued from page 1 judgments. The Department of Public Safety has yet to charge anyone with the assault, although the investigation continues. Other students at the campout said reaction in the community in general has been more muted than they would like. “I’m really upset about the general apathy,” said Leslie Soble ’05, co-coordinator of Queer Alliance. “People aren’t getting angry enough about what happened.” But Director of Student Life Jean Joyce-Brady said the absence of protests and demonstrations does not mean the community has been unaffected by the assault. Her office has had many “conversations of concern” with student leaders and has made efforts to bring different student groups into dialogue with one another, she said. Improved communication between the administration and students about the incident has also helped shape campus response, Joyce-Brady said. She said student reaction to such incidents could take two forms — frustration with the University’s handling of the case or an effort to raise awareness of hate on campus. “My hope is that by strengthening the communication and notification systems with the community, there will be confidence about the institutional response to the incident and
more emphasis on educating” and raising awareness, JoyceBrady said. Director of Leadership Robin Rose, who handled similar controversies during her nine years in the Office of Student Life, said increased communication with the community represents an important step forward. “Hopefully it builds some trust, in that there’s more transparency in what happened,” Rose said. She said improved communication might also reduce the “rumormill effect” common on college campuses. But even with the improvements, some students said they still feel left in the dark. “I’m really angry about the lack of follow-up we’ve had,” Caven said. “I want to know who did it, and I want to know what’s going to happen to the person who did it.” Lindsay Mann ’03.5, who attended the camp-out, expressed similar sentiments. “I feel pretty outraged that they haven’t found the person,” she said. “There’s been no resolution to it at all. I’m really up in the air about it.” In the meantime, both students and administrators agreed the assault has raised several issues that must be addressed. “I think the message here is that we have a lot of educating to do,” Rose said. “This community, of all communities, should be safe for everyone.” Herald senior staff writer Zach Barter ’06 can be reached at zbarter@browndailyherald.com.
Police continued from page 1 which covers most of the East Side, including Brown and RISD. Instead of doing “pinball patrol,” in which officers respond to calls all over the city, officers will be tied to smaller geographical regions under the new system, Verrecchia said. “Theoretically, there will be a more consistent presence” of police on the East Side, he said. And Verrecchia said Brown Police and Providence Police will be able to communicate more effectively when working in such close proximity. “The model of policing right now with the city of Providence will enhance an already close working relationship between Brown and Providence Police,” he said. Hunter said the neighborhood policing initiative should improve relations between police and the College Hill community and reduce response times on the East Side. Tom Goddard, president of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, said the substation will benefit both Brown and the rest of the East Side. “I think it will make the neighborhood safer for all of us,” he said. In the past, the CHNA has called for added police presence on College Hill to respond to student partying and other University-related issues. Andre McGregor ’04, a member of the Campus Crime Committee, which participated in
discussions about the substation, said students living off campus will see the greatest impact of the substation. Brown Department of Public Safety is not responsible for protecting students in offcampus residences. With increased communication between the two police departments under the neighborhood policing system, “when something does happen off campus, we know about it on campus, and safety measures can go into effect,” he said. But McGregor said he is concerned that having the substation so close to Brown’s campus will increase Brown’s reliance on the Providence Police, instead of on Brown Police. “(DPS officers) know our campus, our students and our environment,” McGregor said. Verrecchia said administrators at Brown and from the Providence Police met with several constituencies within the University to discuss the location of the substation. Discussions within the Brown community included the residential counselors, the Undergraduate Council of Students, the President’s Cabinet and members of the Campus Public Safety Committee, Hunter said. “The Brook Street Mall was preferred by the overwhelming majority of students with whom we consulted,” he said. The Brook Street location was selected because the southeastern corner of campus is one of the least trafficked areas near campus, Verrecchia said. While all of the terms of the lease are yet to be determined, Hunter said the lease will allow the City of Providence to rent the space for $1 per year. The agreement allows Brown to reclaim the space, he said. Brown is completing “modest renovations” of the space in anticipation of the substation’s opening, Hunter said. Hunter said the arrangement offers no financial benefits for Brown. Herald staff writer Philissa Cramer ’05 edits the RISD News section. She can be reached at pcramer@browndailyherald.com.
LGBT Israel continued from page 1 Jerusalem trying to lead ordinary lives. El-Ad said persistent political and social conflict in Jerusalem makes outreach to the LGBT community even more important. Gay teenagers always need advice and support, he said, especially in trying times. El-Ad described the challenge of reaching out to the Orthodox Jewish and Arab communities, which make up two-thirds of Jerusalem’s population and are particularly hostile toward homosexuality, he said. Speaking to Jerusalem’s secular Jewish third is easy, but the community center is aimed at those who really need it, he said. In the Arab community, sexuality, let alone sexual orientation, is not commonly discussed, he said. El-Ad said Jerusalem Open House recently joined with Amnesty International’s Israeli chapter to put out a pamphlet in Arabic explaining “levelminded, basic” facts about sexual orientation. The pamphlet has “no sexy guys, no fancy images,” he said. “It’s so you can pick this up and not be scared by it being too gay.” He also noted the creation of an Arabic confidential phone line and informational Web site, which is getting thousands of hits. El-Ad stressed Jerusalem Open House is not anti-religious. A rainbow mezuzah is posted in the doorway, and Shabbat services are held every week, he said. But it is hard to shake the center’s sacrilegious image, he said. El-Ad said the center continues to face immense challenges, but, “we had to change the social reality about being gay and out in Israel.” As for the future, ElAd reported Jerusalem Open House had just won its bid to host World Pride Day in August 2005.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9
Princeton
Columbus
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“Unfortunately, the Robertsons went to court anyway.” The two parties are currently in the process of discovery and will begin mediation in November, under instruction from Judge Neil Shuster. Should mediation fail, a trial date has tentatively been set for October 2005, according to the press release.
but if you look at it culturally, only one culture benefited.” Garcia, a senior psychology and history major with Native American roots, said that the people of his culture do not have rights to their land anymore and that “we used to be self-sufficient, now we’re dependent.” Another history teacher and a specialist on Afro-Cuban history, Phil Howard, was the keynote speaker at the meeting and addressed the accounts he has read of Columbus’ intentions during his explorations. “Columbus is responsible for dehumanizing the indigenous
Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz ’05 edits the campus watch section. She can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.
Language continued from page 1 Language courses focus on acquiring a second language through reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension, Krueger said. Courses with an emphasis on literature or culture are not considered language classes and are not included in data, he said. Though the number varies slightly from year to year, 23 different languages are taught at Brown, Krueger said. The most popular languages are perennially Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese, he said. German and Japanese alternate between the fifth and sixth positions, Krueger said. American Sign Language is currently the seventh most popular foreign language studied at Brown, Krueger said. ASL was a popular Group Independent Study Project for several years before the University offered it for credit. Students interested in languages not currently taught at Brown can start a GISP or get credit by studying the language abroad, Krueger said. Students have received credit in 21 languages beyond those taught at Brown including Armenian, Romanian, Tagalog and Xhosa, he said. Krueger said the greatest growth in the last few years has been in the study of Arabic. Seventy-five students are enrolled in Arabic language classes this year, up from 65 last year, said Lecturer Mirena Christoff, who teaches all Arabic language courses. Former President Vartan Gregorian introduced Arabic to Brown 11 years ago, Krueger said. The number of students studying Arabic has increased by more than 140 percent in the past four years, he said. The rapid growth is “doubtless due to geopolitical events,” he said. Lev Nelson ’04 took Arabic as a freshman and sophomore. “One really important step for peace in the Middle East is for people to be able to speak each other’s language,” he said. Nelson said he grew up speaking Hebrew and learned Latin and German in high school.
Nelson said he could divide people studying Arabic at Brown into three categories — Jewish students like himself who found it important to learn Arabic as part of furthering peace in the Middle East, international relations concentrators who saw the growing relevance of Arabic and students from Arab or Muslim backgrounds who wanted to further their knowledge of the language. The number of students taking Chinese language classes has also grown significantly over the past five years, Krueger said. “Geopolitical concerns are important as China grows more powerful politically and economically,” he said. Students are seeing Chinese as an important language for their careers, he said. Kartik Venkatesh ’06 said language studies represent a stereotypical Brown tendency toward both the obscure and the practical. He plans on concentrating in both Sanskrit and Hispanic Studies. “I was at Brown and wanted to do something completely different,” Venkatesh said of his decision to begin studying Sanskrit. He is currently the only student enrolled in intermediate Sanskrit and said
people,” said Howard, noting how the decline of more than 90 percent in the population of the indigenous people in Mexico and the Antilles Islands in the era following Columbus’ colonization opened up the land for Europeans. By reading the diaries of Columbus, Howard said the explorer first looked at the indigenous people as the “children of God because they lived in paradise” and thought that they could be assimilated into European culture. But by Columbus’ third voyage, Howard said the Europeans wanted to exploit the women, labor and gold of the New World. By this point Columbus was referring to the indigenous person as “the uncivilized savage.”
though there were five advanced Sanskrit students last year, there are none this year. Venkatesh said his interest in Sanskrit is “purely academic” and he has no plans to pursue it after graduation. Other students study Sanskrit to fulfill classics concentration requirements or because of the language’s applications to computer science, he said. In contrast to Sanskrit, Venkatesh said he sees fluency in Spanish as being “very useful” in his plan to practice medicine in an underprivileged community. Maria Harris ’06 also studies Spanish because of its applications beyond academia. “It’s the most useful second language to know in the U.S.,” she said. “I’ve used it a lot without going abroad.” Spanish language classes were the most enjoyable classes she took all year, she added. Krueger said he has not seen a desire to create a foreign language requirement. Professors are happy to be teaching students who want to be in class, he said. Herald senior staff writer Lisa Mandle ’06 can be reached at lmandle@browndailyherald.com.
Game continued from page 3 Store managers at the Berkeley and San Francisco locations declined to comment. Although the game’s creator, David Chang, said the game is meant to be funny, not everyone agrees that the game is just for laughs. Some said the jokes reinforce negative stereotypes about minorities. One “ghetto stash” card reads, “You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50 from each playa.” “It depicts the idea that only minorities live in the ghettos
and all they do is drink and smoke weed,” said UC-Berkeley sophomore Donna Yee. Chang, who immigrated with his family from Taiwan at the age of 8, said in a press statement that the game is meant to be “extreme and eye-catching.” “Ghettopoly is controversial because it’s both fun and real life,” Chang said. “The graphics on the board depict every race in the country and both genders. It draws on stereotypes not as a means to degrade, but as a medium to bring together in laughter.” The criticism has not hurt the game’s popularity, however. It has already sold out on the game’s Web site.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL/LETTERS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 10 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
Wasted space Brown’s decision to donate space in the Brook Street Mall to the Providence Police looks like a good deal for both parties. In fact, it’s hard to find anything wrong with the plan. Brown puts an empty, undesirable space to work protecting its campus, and the District 9 substation gets a free home. And, under any circumstances, collaboration between the University and the city is an encouraging development. The question becomes, in what other innovative ways can Brown put its wasted spaces to use? Since President Ruth Simmons began her term, the University has started to tackle this issue. Hillhouse is currently under renovation for the use of the Modern Culture and Media Department, and Horace Mann, recently vacated by the English Department, will soon become the headquarters of the Graduate School. But a number of other buildings, including the space that once housed Oliver’s Bar and Grille, remain vacant at a time when the University is scrambling for space and cash. It is evident that, with minimal financial investment, these buildings could be put to better use than none at all. At the same time, creating traffic in deserted corners and alleys could reduce work at the new Brook Street substation. Having so many streets abandoned after dark is what makes them dangerous and prone to crime. Architect Frances Halsband tackled revitalizing campus space in her Master Plan last spring, and Venturi, Scott Brown will continue the project this fall as the University prepares to undertake major construction. But, in the meantime, it would do Brown no harm to at least temporarily fill its empty rooms, or offer them to space-strapped neighbors. East Siders were less than pleased to see bulldozers hit Meeting Street — but perhaps if they, too, reaped the benefits of Brown’s proliferation of buildings, they might regard new construction with more favor.
NICK SCHADE
LETTERS
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 Rachel Aviv, Arts & Culture Editor Jen Sopchockchai, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Campus Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor Philissa Cramer, RISD News Editor Maggie Haskins, Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, Sports Editor
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
OPINIONS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 11
The second wheel of the axis We need to start dealing with North Korea realizing that it’s 2003, not 1953 IT SHOULD BE APPARENT THAT NORTH and sometimes hysterical Kim Jong Il. Korea is now, and has been for some time, Indeed, this particular sociopath has even the most dangerous and evil of President fewer friends in the world than Saddam Bush’s honorary club. This was true even Hussein, and Kim’s prospects for regional before the war in Iraq, though much of the destabilization seem greater. Furthermore, he and his father have been criticism leveled at the admincollectively responsible for the istration for its dealings with CHRISTOPHER deaths of millions upon milNorth Korea are certainly misMCAULIFFE lions of people. The truth of the placed. With rogue regimes LIVE FREE OR DIE matter is, simply, that a surgical emerging as the primary and relatively clean operation threat to the national security the likes of Operation Iraqi of the United States, certainty has become a luxury. We do know, howev- Freedom is not possible in Korea. Millions er, that an increasing number of these of North Korean artillery shells are constates will soon acquire the dreaded stantly poised to rain down upon Seoul at a weapons of mass destruction. We also few minutes’ notice. A military strike on know that a military confrontation with Kim Jong Il’s regime, while noble in pureach and every one of those nations is pose, would certainly kill hundreds of thouinfeasible and undesirable. Furthermore, sands of people, and perhaps more. Another option that is now off the table we know that North Korea is ruled by a truly strange and unstable regime, is is continued diplomacy of the sort we have incredibly dangerous now, will be quite a previously been engaged in. To President bit more dangerous a year from now and is Bush’s credit, he can at least see this much. utterly treacherous at the bargaining table. In 1994, the Clinton administration made a deal that essentially accomplished nothing. What, then, are we to do? I am not entirely certain of my ability to In exchange for food, oil and nuclear provide a complete answer to that ques- expertise, Kim Jong Il’s government promtion, but I can tell you what we cannot do. A ised not to continue development of military attack on North Korea, with the nuclear weapons. There was, however, no goal of regime change, is not in the cards. verification process in place, so we are now This is so purely for pragmatic reasons. The left with the same situation, only with a roster of the ash heap of history, with nuclear-armed adversary. Continued Saddam Hussein’s name recently added, blackmail by a morally and ideologically certainly seems incomplete without the bankrupt Stalinist regime is not a solution likes of the megalomaniacal, cruel, bizarre to this situation. Those who credulously believe the promises of totalitarians should look to history for proof that the niceties of international law are of no matter to Now that he is finished with this column, regimes whose very interests lie in creating Christopher McAuliffe '05 can watch the instability. Marlins game.
Those who credulously believe the promises of totalitarians should look to history for proof that the niceties of international law are of no matter to regimes whose very interests lie in creating instability. By now, it is entirely apparent that North Korea is intent on acquiring a nuclear arsenal, and will accept no other outcome. Furthermore, the communists will most certainly use their new weapons as leverage in their international dealings. North Korea’s national interest is closely tied to the creation of chaos, both regionally and globally; this is Kim Jong Il’s only method for extorting enough aid to keep his dying regime alive. The national interest of the United States is, therefore, to reduce risk to American personnel, to prevent the exportation of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and to refrain from doing anything which might extend the lifespan of the communist regime. The continued presence of American troops in South Korea is a policy that must be reexamined, but Bush seems unlikely to do so. Our half-century deployment at the DMZ has its roots in an era when the South was weak and prone to attack by an aggressive North, backed by Chinese forces. In 2003, however, South Korea stands as a prosperous capitalist state, with many times the population and resources of its self-destructive neighbor. There is no finer side-by-side illustration of capitalism’s triumph than the Korean Peninsula. South Korea, along with our Japanese ally, must
accept more responsibility for its own defense. These two nations have the capacity to militarily dwarf the forces of the North with little cost to their own economies, as well as to develop a missile defense system. In the meantime, the American presence at the DMZ must be phased out. What reason, after all, would the North Koreans have for breathing fire against us with our troops no longer within striking distance? Of course, if it is ever discovered that North Korea has exported its nuclear arsenal to terrorist groups, it should face swift and punishing military action. However, this is not an outcome that most people hope for. Kim Jong Il’s Stalinist regime has become so unsustainable that we need scarcely do more than to wait for its impending downfall. Still, for this to happen, we must stop shooting ourselves in the foot by continuing to be blackmailed by a rhetorically aggressive dictator. Furthermore, we must encourage our regional allies to build up their defenses to the point where a military attack, from the North Korean perspective, would seem fruitless — even without American troops stationed nearby. Our Korea is very different from Harry Truman’s Korea, and our policy in 2003 should reflect that reality.
A fair and balanced look at America To see our nation for what it is, we have to look at more than just its flaws LAST WEEK I WAS WALKING DOWN ambition was tough made us even proudThayer and, as usual, anti-Bush adminis- er to be Americans. However, now that it is two years later tration slogans inundated me. “Those yellowcake lies are written all over Cheney’s and we have not taken the Holy Grail, face!” a sign declared. In conversation, Americans buzz like angry bees with impatience and anti-climax. people ominously whisper Our newfound patriotism is the words “Cheney,” “Iraq,” collapsing like an overcooked “Halliburton” and now, soufflé. All many people can “quagmire.” The government see is that we have not capordered the invasion of Iraq tured Bin Laden, that we have to get the oil, they say. How do not crushed terrorism and that they know? Were they there? a United Nations made up of Then many of the same peohundreds of countries, each ple ask why gas prices are with its own political agenda, climbing if we invaded for oil. has not always cooperated. Why indeed. ALEXANDRA Over a period of months, the It seems that only when TOUMANOFF president whom many physical danger threatens WHAT’S A GIRL Americans had been worshipfrom within our borders do GOTTA DO? ping in the polls as though he Americans express patriotwere John Wayne saving the ism. After Sept. 11, 2001, our nation experienced something it had not town in an old Western suddenly became felt, perhaps, since World War Two: unity, perceived as a cigar-smoking SUV driver pride, and a fierce need to defend our who bathes in oil and sleeps with a country and all it stands for. Nationalism Halliburton contract under his pillow. These critics fail to take notice of all the jolted like a shot of adrenaline into the American sensibility. Together, we sought Sept. 11 that have not happened over the to cement this newfound nationalism and last two years. Only 25 months later, they declare it to the world through hopeful already take for granted the peaceful day acts of justice: capturing Bin Laden, they protest on, a day made safe by the declaring war on terrorism and inspiring hardworking yet silent actions of our govthe United Nations to join us in fighting ernment. They forget that we toppled a evil. We understood at the time that these dictator who was a threat to his own peogoals would be ongoing, and may even be ple and, yes, to the world, and simply ultimately impossible, but we cheered at notice that we haven’t managed to rebuild every drop in the bucket. The fact that the a country in five months. Those same critics complain this war was about oil, and demand that we withdraw our troops Alexandra Toumanoff ‘06 believes we from Iraq. But we’d be really imperialistic should burn avocados for fuel instead of and horrible if we invaded a country, oil.
Too many people don’t give the government credit for anything. They take their precious civil liberties for granted, and then when something goes right, they’ll say it’s just a fluke. removed its leader and then left them to deal with the mess, right? Besides, if we had invaded for oil, we would have been in and out of Iraq as fast as a Texan caught in an oil slick. We wouldn’t be paying the salaries of the Iraqi workforce. We wouldn’t be rebuilding Baghdad. There aren’t any oil fields in Baghdad. Too many people don’t give the government credit for anything. They take their precious civil liberties for granted, and then when something goes right, they’ll say it’s just a fluke. They will never be proud of the fact that in two years we brought down two governments that CIA intelligence discovered were working to destroy us. They will say it’s imperialistic, regardless of the fact that Afghanistan has nothing but mud huts and all there is in Iraq, besides oil that we haven’t touched, is sand. America is a riddle; part of its character and legacy is to always strive for perfection and ultimate integrity, yet it is this very quality that makes America question itself. CNN.com recently had an article about how history classes across the nation focus on the inkblots in our history and scorn our triumphs. My sister’s U.S. history teacher, under the mistaken idea that he was being original, told the class
he had a novel approach to studying American history and proceeded to tell them all that is wrong with our country. The fact that history textbooks and teachers focus on America’s mistakes says something about the core of what it means to be American. The problem is, we have focused on our failings and ignored our victories so much that we have forgotten the motivation for examining them in the first place. While this nation and her government are imperfect, find me a country that isn’t. British historian Paul Johnson states “All nations are born in war, conquest and crime, usually concealed by the obscurity of a distant past.” What makes America great is a national obsession with justice and fairness, and a constitution that keeps thugs from running the place while providing unprecedented civil liberties — the same civil liberties, in fact, that allow the government bashers to do their bashing. We are the only country on earth that performs numerous humanitarian acts for countries we know can’t return the favor. And while it is commendable that Americans will settle only for perfection, perhaps we need to not only question the actions of America, but our own quickness to condemn her.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2003 · PAGE 12
Give ’em the hook! WHETHER IT’S DUE TO INJURY OR OLD age, the “great ones” inevitably hit a wall at some point and need to be benched. But these days, with large salaries and egos at stake, too many coaches and teams are reluctant to do so. Case in point: the Cardinals, Eagles and Rams all have dinged up stars, but only the Rams have stepped up and benched their damaged goods. What makes these teams unique is the quality of their backups, all of whom have proven JON MEACHIN themselves more BARELY LEGAL than capable of handling the reins as starters. Emmitt Smith was one of the best running backs in football, but behind a subpar offensive line and aging legs, he is one of the least productive runners in the game. Granted, the Cardinals won’t break .500, no matter who the running back is, but every snap Emmitt gets is a wasted snap for the future of the franchise. His years in the league are numbered, to say the least, and he’s only averaged an abysmal 3.0 yards per carry. With a young Marcel Shipp waiting in the wings, the Cardinals need to think about their days down the road. Smith will be out at least a month with a shoulder injury, which will let Shipp carry the load, but the Cardinals insist Emmitt will return as the starter once he heals. It’s this type of thinking that has led the Cards to four consecutive losing seasons. Kurt Warner, a former MVP who annihilated opposing defenses, looked dazed and confused against the Giants in week one. Only later did his coach divulge that Warner had a concussion and actually was dazed and confused. In retrospect, Coach Mike Martz said that in the third quarter, “(Warner) looked confused when (I) gave him a play and I shouldn’t have played him. I regret playing him.” All the while, Martz had quarterback Marc Bulger on the bench, who went 6-1 last year with the Rams and has gone 3-1 this season at the helm. Unlike the Cardinals, who don’t have a shot in hell at making the postseason, Martz has a responsibility to this year’s team to win now. A healthy Bulger is clearly superior to a foggy-headed Warner. In perhaps the most complicated predicament, Eagles’ coach Andy Reid should seriously think about benching QB Donovan McNabb. Unlike the aforementioned stars, McNabb is by no means over the hill, and is still one of the best in the game. However, McNabb has a sprained right thumb and looked decent at best in a 23-21 loss to the Cowboys, continually missing his receivers. Because he also has A.J. Feeley, who went 4-1 as a starter last year, Reid may want to rethink his offensive game plan. No player will bench himself, and no superstar wants to admit his best days are behind him. Owners, who have made multimillion-dollar deals with certain players, want to see a return on their investment on the field and don’t like watching $20 million sit on the bench. The bottom line, though, is winning, and these coaches all possess top-tier backups that provide the team with a better chance of winning games than their more famous counterparts.
Nick Neely / Herald
Kim Lavere ’06 can only watch as Sarah Gervais ’04 attempts to stop Princeton. The physical play of the Bears and Tigers resulted in 24 fouls.
Women’s soccer defeats Hartford, falls to No. 23 Princeton, 1-0, in overtime BY BERNIE GORDON
The women’s soccer team (7-3-2, 1-2 Ivy League) had a bittersweet week, beating Hartford, 2-0, before losing a 1-0 overtime heartbreaker to league-rival Princeton, ranked 23 in the nation. The defense played especially well, led by goalie Sarah Gervais ’04, who had 12 saves, and back Michelle Sriwongtong ’05. At Hartford on Tuesday, the defense limited the Hawks to six shots on goal, only one of which Gervais had to save. The offense also had a strong performance, with leading goal-scorer Michaela Sewall ’04 scoring a point for her third straight game. The team has been much more cohesive on offense of late, something Head Coach Phil Pincince attributed to greater communication and cooperation. “We’ve done a nice job putting on plays around the ball on both sides of the ball,” Pincince said. “That’s team
soccer.” But the team was not able to carry that offensive momentum into the game against Princeton (7-1-2, 2-1 Ivy League) at Stevenson Field on Saturday. The game was back and forth — Princeton seemed to have the momentum early, but Brown responded with a series of attacks in the middle of the first half. It was also very physical, as both teams kept the referees busy with a total of 24 fouls in the game. Robin Averbeck ’06 left the game late in the first half, her face covered in blood, but later returned. “(The game) was physical beyond a legal limit,” said Co-Captain Rachel Roberts ’04. Roberts also had to leave the game with an unspecified knee injury, but returned as well. But the highlight of the game was the goalies. Both Brown and Princeton’s goalies put in stellar performances, blocking shots and rebounds from less
than five yards out. In a maneuver that made Brown fans’ hearts stop, Gervais blocked back-to-back shots from pointblank range with less than four minutes to go in the game. Princeton sophomore goalie Emily Vogelzang responded in kind, blocking shots by Kim LaVere ’06 and Averbeck. Despite the excellence of Brown’s defensive play, Princeton finished off the game when freshman Meghan Farrell scored 2:04 into overtime to win. Pincince said he has no regrets, calling it “a well-played game” on both sides. “We just took the No. 23 team in the country into overtime,” he said. The team continues its season this Saturday at Harvard (4-3-4, 1-0-2 Ivy League), and will return to Stevenson Field for its last home game on Nov. 1, against Penn. Staff writer Bernie Gordon ’07 covers the women’s soccer team. He can be reached at bgordon@browndailyherald.com.
Patrick Tarpy ’05 sets school record in Boston BY GRANT SMITH
Patrick Tarpy ’05 broke the tape and shattered the school record as he led the men’s cross country team to a second place finish Friday at the New England Champions in Boston. “I didn’t know I broke the record until I had crossed the line and was informed of it,” Tarpy said. Tarpy, one of the few front runners not affected by an official miscue, crossed the line with a time of 23-minutes, 58 seconds, earning him a first place finish and a new 8,000-meter school record.” “Patrick ran a phenomenal race,” said teammate Jeff Gaudette ’05. “He has a great kick and that’s what it came down to.”
Gaudette, in his season debut, was running in fourth place when a track official instructed him to head toward the finish line after only the third mile. “I took a few steps and realized that it was not right. It really took me out of the race competitively. I had to stop and wait about 10 seconds for the guy behind to catch up so I could figure out what was going on,” Gaudette said. Gaudette later finished sixth out of a field of 317, with a time of 24:33. Michael DeCoste ’04 was the Bears’ third finisher for the second time in as many races. He clocked in with a time of 24:54 placing him 12th overall. Senior Captain Matt Emond ’04, who was also affected by the misdirection, ended up
with a time of 25:06, good enough for 19th overall. Erik Churchill ’03.5 rounded out the Bears’ top five, crossing the line at 25:10, earning him 23rd place. The Bears took home second place honors, only 19 points behind nationally ranked Providence College. Brown’s depth was showcased when five of the top seven places went to Bears during the ensuing J.V. race. Eamon Quick ’07 led the field with a time of 25:27 followed by runners Pat Clark ’07, Chris Burke ’07 and Matt Crimmin ’04. From here the Bears go into a threeweek training period that begins with the highly anticipated Oct. 31 Heptagonal meet.