Wednesday, November 12, 2003 by The Brown Daily Herald

W E D N E S D A Y NOVEMBER 12, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 112

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

www.browndailyherald.com

Media erupts over staged CNN debate

Comic Ahdoot explores Iranian-Jewish heritage BY ELLEN WERNECKE

When comedian Dan Ahdoot took the stage Tuesday night, no one — terrorists, concerned parents or the furniture — escaped his wit. Starting from a seat in the audience, where he cheered for his own introduction, Ahdoot roared through his hour-long set, entitled “Iranian and Jewish: How Funny is That?” in a hot, stuffed Lower Salomon. “Anyone PC, leave now!” he declared. “You’re all coals, not diamonds.” The Brown Hillel-sponsored Ahdoot spoke candidly about his experience growing up as the child of Iranian Jewish refugees and his own mixed heritage. “I don’t think the (United States) exploits its refugees enough,” Ahdoot said. “I mean, you have the Cuban exiles who swam all the way here, but how many Cubans are on the U.S. Olympic swim team? “The worst is having immigrant parents from a Third World country,” he said. “Oh, a

bucket isn’t good enough for Danny, he must have a TOILET. “I never went to sleep-away camp,” Ahdoot claimed. “I went to belly-dancing camp, and I can’t use that to pick up girls!” As the title of his show suggests, Ahdoot got the most laughs — and the most mileage — from mocking his own contradictory nature. “During the diaspora, a few Jews were accepted into Iran,” he said, explaining his heritage. “My family’s been living there for hundreds of years. “My friends say when I get drunk, I throw rocks at myself,” Ahdoot said. “But in Iran, see, I was circumcised with a scimitar, which is why I’m such a rare breed.” Ahdoot even gleaned jokes from new security regulations. “I was Iranian for 23 years, right until Sept. 11,” Ahdoot said. “Now I’m Puerto Rican. “It’s like airport security’s playing a game — duck, duck, terrorist!” he said. “But I undersee COMIC, page 5

SARS threat not over, Dr. Factor ’85 says BY LELA SPIELBERG

Just because SARS occurrences have become less common in recent months doesn’t mean the world’s battle with the disease is over, Dr. Stephanie Factor ’85 warned Brown students in Starr Auditorium Tuesday night. Factor now works in New York City as the medical director of the Bureau of Direct Emergency Management, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She traveled to Taiwan last spring with the CDC to help control the SARS epidemic. She spoke about her experiences in Asia and about the severity of the SARS epidemic as part of Asian American History Month. Giving a brief sketch of the progress of the SARS epidemic worldwide, she said Chinese officials first alerted the World Health Organization of the disease in February of 2003. In the previous four months, 305 cases of a pneumonia-like respiratory syndrome had been reported. The symptoms of SARS — fever and respiratory difficulty — are ambiguous, which is probably why it took so long to recognize the disease as something new, Factor said. Yet, in order to contain the disease, SARS must be

diagnosed early in its progression, she said. People who die of SARS usually die after 10 days due to respiratory failure. “One of the things that is so dangerous about the disease,” Factor said, “is that we don’t know exactly how it spreads.” Factor and her colleagues at the CDC think the disease spread through indirect contact of residents at a hotel in China. There, see SARS, page 5

BY SARAH LABRIE

first-year students and another for increased coed housing for upperclassmen. “Gender-blind” means students wouldn’t have to specify their gender when applying for housing, said ResCouncil chair Jesse Goodman ’04. Woodward said transgender first-year students are usually assigned to singles, which can foster segregation when other first-years are living in dou-

Alexandra Trustman ’07 said it wasn’t her idea to ask what one media critic called “the most ridiculed question at CNN’s Rock the Vote.” Her defense, published as an opinions column in The Herald Monday, instantly sparked nationwide scrutiny of the debate and a response from CNN Tuesday morning. Trustman asked eight Democratic presidential candidates whether they preferred Macs or PCs at the Nov. 4 debate held in Boston. In her Herald guest column, she said CNN fed her the question that made her an object of mockery on campus and across the country. National news organizations including the Washington Post and The New York Times picked up the story early Tuesday morning, and CNN quickly issued a statement regretting the incident. “In an attempt to encourage a lighthearted moment in the debate, a CNN producer working with Ms. Trustman clearly went too far. CNN regrets the producers actions,” a CNN spokesman told The Herald. A spokeswoman for CNN told the Los Angeles Times that the incident was isolated and that no other questions had been planted. Trustman’s assertion that CNN planted the debate question has led some to doubt the news network’s integrity in how it handled the debate. Although members of the debate’s audience who were slated to ask questions were notified in advance of the topic they were to address and the order in which they were to speak, it was extremely unusual for the network to actually plant a question,

see RESCOUNCIL, page 5

see CNN, page 4

Gabriella Doob / Herald

Comedian Dan Ahdoot, a freelance writer for Comedy Central’s "Crank Yankers," took the stage of Salomon Tuesday night, cracking jokes about his Iranian-Jewish heritage.

ResCouncil discusses transgender housing ResCouncil heard two proposals dealing with gender issues in on-campus housing during its meeting Tuesday. Transgender students are sometimes uncomfortable in traditional dorm situations, and Brown should provide alternative housing options for them, said Luke Woodward ’04, a representative from the Queer Alliance. Woodward presented two proposals, one for the creation of “gender-blind” housing for

New online registration could impact University culture Online course registration may come at the expense of the New Curriculum, faculty argued at a College Curriculum Council meeting Tuesday. The CCC devoted most of its meeting to discussing the planned Enterprise online registration system and its potential to undermine Brown’s academic culture. University Registrar Michael Pesta told the CCC that the Enterprise system will enforce prerequisites and cap limited-enrollment courses, while giving professors overrides on both, and without incurring extra charges to the University. “The question is, do we change the business or the system?” Pesta asked.

The committee acknowledged that the implementation of the new system could engender change outside of automation, such as altering the length of the shopping period and other deadlines. CCC members acknowledged the necessity of a shopping period, but questioned some students’ methods. “Shopping is chaos,” said Paul Armstrong, dean of the college. “But I understand that students want to maintain the ability to see courses in action.” “Since choice is so important to what we’re about, it should be designed to give students as much information as possible,” he said. Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies

I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 3 President of Hampton U. orders newspapers burned after cafeteria controversy metro, page 3

Community policing at Yale is labor intensive but works: crime down 57 percent since 1990 metro, page 3

Underage drinking does lead to violence on campus, Frances Mandak says column, page 7

Christopher Conway said he was reluctant to change the “Brown culture” that shopping entails, but that his experiences had not been very good. “Students shop intensely and in a weird way,” he said. “A student will come to me for a signature and then not appear in class for the next two weeks.” Associate Professor of Chemistry William Suggs argued against a stricter enforcement of deadlines in registration. “The essence of Brown is that everything is negotiable,” Suggs said. “By making a lot of hard and fast deadlines, we’re making a large see CCC, page 4

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Peace in Sri Lanka depends on ending power struggle, Iyengar ’05 says column, page 7

Volleyball loses three games to Harvard, comes close vs. Dartmouth sports, page 8

few showers high 59 low 48

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

W E AT H E R WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

High 59 Low 48 few showers

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

High 45 Low 28 windy

High 56 Low 33 showers/windy

High 46 Low 32 mostly sunny GRAPHICS BY TED WU

Three Words Eddie Ahn

MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Six Bean Soup, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Grilled Mustard Chicken, Spinach Strudel, Polynesian Ratatouille, Chocolate Eclairs, Washington Apple Cake, Key Lime Pie

V-DUB LUNCH —Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, Chicken Pot Pie, Vegan Tex-Mex Chili, Sugar Snap Peas, Chocolate Eclairs

DINNER — Vegetarian Six Bean Soup, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Breaded Pollock Filet, Pork Chops with Seasoned Crumbs, Lamb Roast, Cajun Pasta Rice Pilaf with Zucchini, Peppers Stir Fry, Oregon Blend Vegetables, Anadama Bread, Chocolate Eclairs, Washington Apple Cake, Key Lime Pie

DINNER — Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, Chopped Sirloin with Onion Sauce, Lasagna with Sauce, Oven Browned Potatoes, Belgian Carrots, Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic, Anadama Bread, Washington Apple Cake

Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Greg Shilling and Todd Goldstein

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 __ Mistick Village: CT tourist site 5 Nocturnal rat catchers 9 Mission attacked by Santa Anna 14 Gusto 15 Borscht vegetable 16 Composer Franck 17 Indian tourist site 18 Gymnast Korbut 19 Social division 20 Clean up 23 Cruising, perhaps 24 Samovar 25 Like sushi 28 Clean up 33 North Atlantic catch 36 Take in 37 Lewis who made a Lamb Chop talk 38 Recyclable 40 Wynonna’s mom 43 Diner tip, often 44 Transpire 46 Nonpastoral 48 Fast plane, briefly 49 Clean up 53 Dungeons & Dragons monster 54 Snorkeling accessory 55 Bartlett cousins 59 Clean up 64 Wind down 66 NASCAR track 67 Sills selection 68 Less drippy 69 Hand over 70 Be dependent 71 Duke homes? 72 Baby bouncer 73 Hardy heroine

3 Fixes holes, in a way 4 Thrills 5 Double-reed instrument 6 Proficiently 7 Kids’ building piece 8 Michelangelo’s David, e.g. 9 Local speech patterns 10 “The Quangle Wangle’s Hat” poet Edward 11 Nineveh residents 12 Wrestling surface 13 Quite a lode 21 Can’t stand 22 Quadri- preceder 26 Word on a land sale sign 27 Bridge ancestor 29 Bled in the wash 30 Nest egg, initially 31 Small hill 32 Campus letter 33 Ex-New York governor 34 Grouchy Muppet 1

L O A N

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D S G L O K L I F O I R T A N I N D I A O D S R L S Z I A N N E S E L K L A I O R G I D S E S E D

A N N E

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R E C A R L I A G I D R E W I N W A N T O R S R S P S D A E W A L A I M U R S N M Y M I T A T H S

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Hopeless Edwin Chang

Penguiener by Haan Lee

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B U S T

M A L E

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My Best Effort Andy Hull and William Newman

11/12/03

xwordeditor@aol.com

L U R K

57 Mattress framework 58 Court postponements 60 Passionate pair 61 Uniform 62 Mineral used in Chinese carvings 63 Downwind 64 Do simple math 65 Dude

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: O R C A

DOWN 1 Longtime Boston Symphony conductor 2 On the up and up

35 Patio purchase 39 Expected 41 Bad start? 42 Jr.’s namesake 45 Roof supports 47 NYSE news airer 50 Set of supplies 51 Pawned 52 Speedy oneseater 56 Binge

11/12/03

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CAMPUS WATCH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 · PAGE 3

Community policing old news at Yale BY EMIR SENTURK

Neighborhood policing is new to College Hill, with an East Side substation announced last month to open on Brook Street But at Yale University and in the city of New Haven, police describe a similar system that’s labor intensive — but it works. Over the past decade, New Haven has been experiencing a downward trend in its overall crime rate. Since 1990, crime has fallen nearly 57 percent in the city, a drop Chairman of the New Haven Board of Police Commission Richard Epstein attributes to the effectiveness of the city’s community policing program. The decentralization of the city’s policing system “takes the role of policing from more than just enforcement into the realm of social work,” Epstein told the Yale Daily News in October. “It’s the opportunity for police officers to get to know the neighborhood,” he said. The New Haven Police Department includes 10 community substations, one of which lies only three blocks from Yale’s campus. Management teams of local business leaders and concerned residents participate in policing by serving as liaisons between community members and the police. Under the community policing model, officers also have regular beats, allowing for regular encounters with community residents. “All of New Haven has benefited, notably those areas adjacent to campus,” said Michael Morand, Yale’s associate vice president for New Haven and State Affairs. NHPD’s decade-old system provided a template for the Providence Police Department’s move toward decentralization, which replaced its old “pinball patrol.” The University reached an agreement with the PPD in September to create a new substation in a Brown-owned building on Brook Street. The substation is one of nine created in each of the city’s nine police districts, and designed to function like those in New Haven. New Providence Chief of Police Dean Esserman is the man for the job, according to Morand. “Not only will Providence be lucky to have Chief Esserman, but Brown will benefit from having him in charge,” Moran told The Herald. The innovative nature of a community policing program mirrors the innovation in a University town, he said. But neighborhood policing is no walk in the park, Yale Police Chief James Perrotti told the Daily News. “The downside to community policing is that it’s very labor-intensive and takes a lot of resources,” Perrotti said. Such demands have kept the Yale Police Department from strictly following the NHPD’s model. Better communication between Brown’s Department see YALE, page 4

Hampton U. president orders student newspapers burned BY DANA GOLDSTEIN

When Hampton University’s school-funded student newspaper refused to print a letter from acting President JoAnn Haysbert on its front page, the administration confiscated and burned all 6,500 copies of The Hampton Script’s Oct. 22 issue. Haysbert’s letter responded to an article about the citation of the Virginia university’s cafeteria with 30 health code violations. Students had seen dead flies and roaches in their food, The Script reported. The standoff between the newspaper staff and Hampton’s administration began when Talia Buford, editor-in-chief of The Script, attended an administrative meeting on Sept. 30 where the violations were discussed. Buford said the staff of the bimonthly paper decided to hold the story on the health code violations for the Oct. 22 issue, which would also feature a story about the Princeton Review’s ranking of the university as among those with the “worst cafeteria food” and “dorms like dungeons.” In retrospect, Buford told The Herald, holding the story was a mistake. On Oct. 17, The Script’s faculty advisor told Buford that Haysbert wanted The Script to print her memo responding to the health code violations on the paper’s front page. The memo had been sent by mail to all of Hampton’s students, faculty and staff, Buford said, so The Script’s staff thought, “We don’t need to put it on the front page because everyone knows about it already.” Buford said she also talked the matter over with The Script’s faculty advisor, who agreed it was outside journalistic convention to print a letter on the front page. Haysbert was not swayed by this argument. On Oct. 21, before The Script was distributed but after the paper had been printed with Haysbert’s memo on page three, Buford learned from the paper’s advisor that the university president wanted to pull the paper. The next day, when The Script was slated for distribution, the entire press run was carted away from the newspaper’s office by Hampton University trucking services, Buford said. The editor-in-chief said she later learned the 6,500 papers had been incinerated. Buford immediately entered into a series of talks with Haysbert, in which the acting president told the editor-in-chief that if The Script wanted to print its Oct. 25 homecoming issue, it would have to do so with her memo on the front page. Buford said she stressed to Haysbert that printing the article on page three was not a slight, but rather a decision to stick to the norms of journalism.

“(Haysbert) said she hadn’t read the article, she hadn’t seen the paper. We didn’t understand it,” Buford said. “Her line was, ‘If I respond to something, then it’s front page news.’ She felt the local media had given unfair coverage and this was her chance to get the administration’s view out using a Hampton venue.” Sarita Scott, Hampton’s director of university of relations, denied repeated requests for comment on the administration’s position, referring The Herald to the university’s press releases. Script staff members decided they would rather sacrifice having a Homecoming issue than reprint the paper with Haysbert’s memo on page one. But on Oct. 24, The Script reversed this decision and agreed to reprint the issue in exchange for the creation of a university taskforce to address journalism issues on campus. According to a statement released by the administration, the taskforce, which will include Buford, other journalism students, journalism faculty and administrators, will “look at operations, including the role of The Script, the student staff and faculty advisors.” In addition, the administration agreed that in future disagreements with The Script, the paper’s faculty advisor will act as a mediator. On Oct. 25, the reprinted Script was distributed with Haysbert’s memo on the left side of the page and an editorial disclaimer on the right side. The disclaimer read, “The editorial staff of The Hampton Script does not agree with the placement of this memo. The placement goes against all principles of journalism. … We have agreed to the placement of this memo in order to preserve the future of the university newspaper.” Buford, a print journalism major, said she was not worried about how this controversy will affect the reputation of Hampton’s Scripps-Howard School of Journalism. Visiting professors who have worked as journalists for the Washington Post, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal defended The Script during its confrontation with the administration, Buford said. “I think just the fact that we decided to stand up for ourselves showed that we are learning something in this school,” she said. Buford said she is unsure about whether The Script will ever choose to pursue independent funding and sever its ties with the university administration. “Our main thing isn’t being independent, but having see HAMPTON, page 4

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003

CNN continued from page 1 Washington Post columnist Howard Kurtz said. “CNN is clearly embarrassed by this revelation,” Kurtz said. In her column, Trustman wrote that the question she asked at the forum was fed to her by a CNN producer the morning of

the event. She added that she was confused by the insignificance of the topic, and that she constructed a new, more relevant question about technology. During the forum, Trustman was told that she could not ask her new question because “it was not lighthearted enough.” “I was handed a notecard with the Macs or PCs version of the Clinton boxers or briefs question,” Trustman wrote, adding “it was clear to me that the question would be asked regardless of whether or not I was the one to ask it.” But what Trustman couldn’t have predicted was the backlash her question would provoke within the Brown community. Before asking her question, Trustman identified herself as a first-year at Brown. Columnists and an editorial cartoonist in The Herald as well as anonymous posters on the Brown Daily Jolt denounced Trustman for representing the University in a negative light. Kurtz told The Herald that he came across Trustman’s column after it was linked to Jim

“it was clear to me that the question would be asked regardless of whether or not I was the one to ask it.” Alexandra Trustman Brown First-Year Romenesko’s media news blog, one of the most popular sources for industry news on the Web. Kurtz said he thought it was important to publicize Trustman’s rebuttal because “lots of people, including me, had made fun of the Macs or PCs question. It was enlightening to learn that it wasn’t her idea.” Trustman declined to comment. Herald staff writer Sarah LaBrie ‘07 can be reached at slabrie@browndailyherald.com.

change in the philosophy of the University.” “Faculty want maximum flexibility and the ability to have the final say in course enrollment,” he added. “Students want the same, but they’re not going to get it.” The meeting, opened by CCC

Vice Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Science Thomas Doeppner, also examined a new diversity initiative headed by Professor of History and Director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity Evelyn Hu-Dehart, and opened a debate on the current tuition credit policy, another Enterprise issue, with Executive Associate Dean of the College, Robert Shaw. —Ellen Wernecke

Hampton

Yale

continued from page 3

CCC continued from page 1

editorial independence,” she said. “I don’t care if we’re funded by the university, as long as they don’t tell me that I can’t practice what I’m learning at the journalism school.” Herald senior staff writer Dana Goldstein ’07 can be reached at dgoldstein@browndailyherald.com

of Public Safety and the PPD, and increased police presence on the East Side the tying of officers to set geographical regions are among the improvements to come in Providence, DPS Chief Paul Verrecchia told The Herald. Herald staff writer Emir Senturk ’05 can be reached at esenturk@brown.edu.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Comic continued from page 1 stand that if there was any time for national security that time is now. “I mean, anyone with eyebrows thicker than their pinky must be stopped,” Ahdoot said. Ahdoot’s take on the war in Iraq involved a dissection of both sides’ motives and actions. “The shock I understood — the awe, not so much,” Ahdoot said. “You know how there was always that random car driving around during bombing raids?” he said, discussing his CNN addiction. “That’s how you know there’s an Iraqi fraternity going through hazing.” He later mocked the fundamentalist “terror schools” and compared terrorist recruitment to college admission. “Well, I applied early decision to al-Qaeda, but my safety is Hamas,” Ahdoot quipped. “I’m

SARS continued from page 1 residents from Guangdong, China, where the disease first originated, had indirect contact with international visitors who could have brought SARS back to their respective countries, including the United States, Vietnam and Canada. The CDC determined that SARS may be spread through indirect or direct contact with infected persons or through the air, Factor said. SARS can also be transmitted through respiratory secretions, which is why healthcare workers working with SARS patients wear protective face masks, eye goggles, hair nets, booties and gowns. “We wore masks so long in Taiwan that when I saw my colleagues whole faces for the first time when we returned to New York I could barely recognize them,” Factor said. When Factor arrived in Taiwan, the outbreak was actually in its second wave. The first wave of incidents in late March and early April had died down quickly, and Taiwanese officials thought they had contained the disease. By mid-April, symptoms appeared in a healthcare worker and soon spread to several patients in the hospital. Many healthcare workers were so afraid of contracting SARS that they quit their jobs. The epidemic became so severe that the hospital where the disease originated was closed from April 27 to May 8. The CDC worked with government health officials from Taiwan to create many precautionary measures, Factor said. Persons infected with SARS were isolated in pressure specific hospital rooms. People who had direct or indirect contact with infected persons, or who had just visited a country with a severe epidemic of SARS were quarantined for ten days, the maximum incubation period for the disease. “Quarantining is a difficult and desperate measure,” Factor told audiences. “It must balance safety of the greater population with the rights of the individual.” Over 100,000 residents of Taiwan were quarantined. Taiwanese officials mandated

majoring in Jihad and minoring in Infidels.” Ahdoot himself attended Johns Hopkins University and was en route to Cornell Medical School when he decided to pursue a career as a comedian. “I said to myself, I need some more economic security,” Ahdoot said. “So I’m going to become a stand-up comic.” He claimed his father still kept a “med school timeline,” in which he reviewed where Ahdoot would have been were he still at medical school. “He looks at the calendar like, ‘Oh, you just made an A in anatomy, way to go Daniel!’” Ahdoot joked. “He says, ‘Oh, we’re sending you to Thailand with the girlfriend you met in the emergency room. But that’s not what happened, is it, my son?’” During the latter half of the show, Ahdoot attempted to demonstrate his prank-calling skills, honed as a freelance writer for Comedy Central’s “Crank Yankers,” by dialing a few campus numbers. Audience members tried to hold in the giggles as

strict preventative measures against the spread of SARS. Any person going into a restaurant, hotel, office or airport had to be screened for a fever, the preliminary symptom of SARS. Workers in mass transit, restaurants, and hotels all had to wear protective face masks. When an audience member asked Factor why the international health community responded to SARS so urgently, Factor said it was because the symptoms, transmission and results of the disease are extremely ambiguous. “This ambiguity is very threatening to a disease like SARS that can spread like wildfire. It has a high mortality rate. We don’t have any vaccines against it. We don’t have any means of treating it,” Factor said. Factor also had more disappointing news to deliver. Since SARS is a coronavirus, it might be a seasonal phenomenon. Factor said no one is sure if SARS was eliminated or if it simply went away because it was the end of a seasonal cycle. It may come back, she said. Officials just have to wait and see. Factor said Brown students should maintain a positive outlook that she remembers her former classmates being so well known for. “At Brown we always used to

Ahdoot asked SafeRIDE for a lift from the Mohegan Sun Casino (they weren’t fooled) and made strange requests of other campus departments. He garnered the biggest laughs, though, when he called the flustered mother of Joel Silberman ’05 pretending to be Silberman’s residential counselor reporting a drug violation. In keeping with his sponsors, Ahdoot also touched on aspects of Jewish life. “Where my Jews at? Where my non-Jews at?” Ahdoot called as he strode to the microphone. Later, he told a 13-year-old member of the audience to hold onto his yarmulke in case of a receding hairline. “That’s going to come in handy in like twenty years,” Ahdoot said. “I mean, sure, I have a receding hairline but at least I have proceeding eyebrows.” Herald senior staff writer Ellen Wernecke ’06 can be reached at ewernecke@browndailyherald.c om.

sing this song,” she said. “I know it’s corny, but we shall overcome.” Students reacted positively to the lengthy presentation. “She offered a really interesting perspective from the viewpoint of one country. The media coverage of SARS was usually so generalized,” said Rashmi Kudesia ’04. Herald staff writer Lela Spielberg ’07 can be reached at lspielberg@browndailyherald.com.

ResCouncil continued from page 1 bles. Single-sex housing can also be socially distressing for transgender students, Woodward said. “These are a lot of hurdles that the average Brown student doesn’t have to go through to get safe housing,” Goodman said. Goodman said the Council — which has advocated an expansion in coed housing options for several years — will discuss the proposals this week. —Philissa Cramer

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 · PAGE 6 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Underestimation One question has eluded much debate in the national controversy surrounding a Brown student’s recent appearance on CNN: Why do media think all 18- to 31-year-olds are idiots? After asking eight Democratic presidential candidates whether they preferred Macs or PCs at a “Rock the Vote” event last week, Alexandra Trustman ’07 came under intense criticism from fellow students throughout campus. Within hours of her query, buzz was circulating about the girl who had sullied Brown’s reputation with her inane question. In response, Trustman wrote an op-ed piece defending herself in The Herald. But the column, rather than merely squelching criticism at Brown, opened up CNN to national scrutiny. In the piece Trustman claimed that she had been fed the question by a producer and, when she presented a more intelligent version, was told that it wasn’t “lighthearted” enough for the show’s intended 18- to 31-year-old demographic. Who makes up these rules? Granted, some students were allowed to ask more complicated questions, but even thinking that the show should create more artificial “lighthearted” moments is an insult to young viewers and young voters. Judging by the response Trustman’s appearance received, the producers were obviously way off in their estimation of the targeted demographic’s intelligence and maturity. In the future, media outlets should realize that sensible, reasoned debate, not lame jokes, is the way to attract potential young voters. We know when we’re being catered to. And we don’t like it.

Correction The location of the next fencing competition was incorrectly identified in last Friday’s Herald. The tournament will be Nov. 15 at the University of New Hampshire.

NICK SCHADE

LETTERS Trustman shouldn’t have given in to CNN’s manipulated questioning format

Rather than working so hard to rationalize her actions, she might answer why she thinks canned questions in a national debate are appropriate to begin with. Roger Sameck Nov. 11

To the Editor: To the Editor:

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

BUSINESS Jamie Wolosky, General Manager Joe Laganas, Executive Manager Joshua Miller, Executive Manager Anastasia Ali, Project Manager Jack Carrere, Project Manager Lawrence L. Hester IV, Project Manager Bill Louis, Project Manager Zoe Ripple, Project Manager Peter Schermerhorn, Project Manager Elias Roman, Human Resources Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Elyse Major, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

PRODUCTION Zachary Frechette, Chief Technology Officer Marc Debush, Copy Desk Chief Yafang Deng, Copy Desk Chief Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Sara Perkins, Photo Editor

POST- MAGAZINE Alex Carnevale, Editor-in-Chief Dan Poulson, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Senior Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Senior Editor Micah Salkind, Features Editor Ellen Wernecke, Features Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor Jason Ng, Music Editor Colin Hartnett, Design Editor

Regarding Alexandra Trustman ’07 Op-Ed explaining her scripted question in the “Rock the Vote’ debate (“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Nov. 10), there appears to be no concern about a national network attempting to “modulate” the debate to show candidates in a certain light. Does she not believe the younger voter engaged enough to come up with their own meaningful questions? Are students at so eager to cooperate in a scheme to slant the public perceptions of the candidates?

Funny that Alexandra Trustman ’07 scolds Brown about good journalism (“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Nov. 10), but then permits a broadcast journalism giant to give her a specific question for the debate with dubious journalistic but obviously entertainment-minded intentions. Carrie O’Connor Nov. 11

write letters. letters@browndailyherald.com

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 · PAGE 7

Why underage drinking should be everyone’s concern Irresponsible drinking is a huge factor in on-campus crime and violence IN THE GUEST COLUMN, “PROVIDENCE seriously: it leads to fights, vandalism, Police need to get their priorities assault and the disruption of neighborstraight,” (Nov. 5), Donald Trella argues hoods and communities. It is estimated that Providence Police should be more that alcohol is involved in over 50 perfocused on stopping robberies than cent of property crimes, robberies, cracking down on underage drinking. assaults and family violence. And if Fox Point seems like What Trella fails to see is the worlds away from campus, very strong connection FRANCES MANTAK GUEST COLUMNIST consider this: Several studies between alcohol and crime as estimate that between 50 well as the very different ways and 80 percent of violence that these two problems have on college campuses is alcohol-related. to be addressed. Trella’s portrayal of Josiah Carberry as Ninety percent of campus sexual assaults the underage student drinking at a bar to involve alcohol, and a study of college celebrate finishing a research paper and men in New England found that those then quietly walking back to his dorm is who drink heavily are four times as likely one picture of underage drinking. But it’s as moderate drinkers to be involved in physical fights. not the only one. At Brown, approximately 50 percent of Another picture of underage drinking is the memorable off-campus party in non-academic discipline cases involve Fox Point this September, when Brown alcohol. Of all cases that result in separastudents walked on cars and urinated on tion from the University, 85 percent people’s property. The Herald rightly involve alcohol or other drugs. And some wrote an editorial condemning this kind of the problems related to alcohol will go of behavior, and the student responsible unseen by those who aren’t affected: you for the party was very apologetic to the won’t be getting a campus-wide e-mail community. While it wasn’t underage about vandalism in a dorm, ER visits for drinking at a bar, it is a clear example of intoxication or a date rape that happened why the police take underage drinking Saturday night. Fortunately, the vast majority of students are not involved in violent or maliFrances Mantak is the Director of cious behavior because of drinking. Health Education at Brown University However, the police don’t know ahead of Health Services.

The police don’t know ahead of time if our friend Josiah is someone who will amble back to his dorm or if he will start walking on cars. They also don’t know if he will get behind the wheel of a car. Even more importantly, they don’t know if he is “a nice Brown student” or someone who might rob a nice Brown student who’s ambling back to his dorm. time if our friend Josiah is someone who will amble back to his dorm or if he will start walking on cars. They also don’t know if he will get behind the wheel of a car. Even more importantly, they don’t know if he is “a nice Brown student” or someone who might rob a nice Brown student who’s ambling back to his dorm. Providence Police have a responsibility to the entire community, and I have to wonder if the long-time residents of Fox Point would see this work as a “puritanical crusade” or welcome relief. Finally, this isn’t an either/or proposition. Publicizing the efforts to stop underage drinking is part of the deterrent. Just like advertising speed traps will slow peo-

ple down on the road, the same approach applies to underage drinking. But that tactic doesn’t work on stopping robberies; instead the police rely on eyewitness accounts and analyzing crime patterns. That kind of investigation won’t be something you’ll read about in the papers. Don’t get me wrong — I’m worried about these robberies, too. I study the emails we all get to figure out how I can keep myself safe. Students shouldn’t have to be afraid when they are walking around campus. And we should continue to be vigilant about police efforts to prevent these crimes. But it isn’t the only job Providence Police have to do. Just ask your Fox Point neighbors.

Brinkmanship in Sri Lanka If peace is to be achieved, the increasingly bitter rivalry between the prime minister and president needs to end THE EUPHORIA GENERATED BY AN lost to Mrs. Kumaratunga in the presidential The political confrontation between Kumaratunga and e x t e n d e d spell of non-fighting in Sri elections two years earlier, a result many Lanka, which was widely welcomed there believe was swayed by a sympathy vote — a and abroad, has been gradually eroded by Tamil Tiger suicide bomber had blown him- Wickremasinghe needs to end, and although it is fairly the recent happenings on the island. There self up close to Mrs. Kumaratunga on the are many actors intimately involved in the last day of the election campaign, seriously clear who should yield, it remains unclear who will peace negotiations in Sri Lanka, such as injuring her and killing more than 30 others. President Kumaratunga, Prime Minister And during the current peace initiatives actually give in first. Ranil Wickremasinghe, Norwegian media- brokered by Norwegian mediators, tors, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Kumaratunga has become progressively ed, however, that Kumaratunga has cer- ently banking on the Tigers coming out (LTTE), the Indian government and the marginalized. Consequently, this past week, tainly been through a lot during Sri on his side to refuse to talk peace with his United States. But while all the main players seem to be keen on peace, they are evi- Kumaratunga suspended Parliament, Lanka’s bloody history. She was only 14 rival, the president. That would allow him dently still not at peace with each other. took control of the powerful ministries of when her father was murdered, in the to claim he is the only man who can bring The decision of Sri Lankan President defense, the interior and communications country’s first major political killing, and peace to Sri Lanka, in contrast to the Chandrika Kumaratunga to impose a state and dispatched a small number of troops she stood on her doorstep and watched a president, who says she is saving the of emergency is the latest incident in the to guard crucial government institutions. political rival shoot and kill her husband, nation from the Tamil Tigers who still bitter rivalry between her and Prime Her declaration of emergency gave her a film star and rising politician. And it want a separate state. And it is no secret that Kumaratunga Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe — and it sweeping powers. She only recently has certainly doesn’t help that the details of threatens to hamper all the gains made in backed down somewhat, canceling the her personal life are gossiped about in doesn’t enjoy the best of relations with peace talks thus far. The irony is that while state of emergency and calling on all local newspapers, many of which are the Tamil Tigers since she was nearly political parties to form a government dominated by allies of Wickremasinghe. assassinated by them. After she took both leaders believe in a negotiated her self-aggrandizing office as president in 1994, her hopes of a of “national reconciliation” with her. Nonetheless, settlement to the civil war through peace settlement with the rebels faded The steps are foolhardy and actions are inexcusable. devolution of power to the Tamil The move by President Kumaratunga when they sank two government warthreaten to jeopardize the fragile Tigers, they just seem unable to peace process. And although to seize control of the security apparatus ships during talks. She then unleashed back each other. Kumaratunga can in part explain her of the country has been seen as cause for what she called “war for peace” — which The divisions between the pair actions by a “concern for national concern. Many are rightfully worried achieved nothing — and she lost her have driven Sri Lankan politics for security,” her true motives are about what this unprecedented step will credibility among many due to her inabilmore than a decade but have transparent enough: She is mean for the peace process. The prime ity to deliver a lasting peace. become even more apparent acting to redress a political minister has been quite blunt about the Consequently, she is in no position to since the last general elecvendetta. This is espe- risk to the peace process and he has, in take over the peace process as some crittion in December 2001. cially evident since she effect, abdicated responsibility for it, say- ics of Wickremasinghe have demanded. Mr. Wickremasinghe’s The political confrontation between has overtly embarrassed ing he needs powers over defense if he is United National Party Wickremasinghe by to continue running it. He has asked Kumaratunga and Wickremasinghe needs (UNP) won that elecchoosing to act when President Chandrika Kumaratunga to to end, and although it is fairly clear who tion, partly with a arjun he was abroad in take over the process. However, his should yield, it remains unclear who will mandate to curb the iyengar Washington meeting spokesman, GL Peiris, said everyone actually give in first. Wickremasinghe has powers of the presioutlook President Bush and involved in the peace process — includ- done a monumental job and should condent, and was forced sublime other American offi- ing the Tamil Tigers — would have to tinue his government’s handling of the into an intensely diffiendorse President Kumaratunga leading peace talks. cials. cult period of co-habiIf anything, the political infighting has It must be conced- negotiations. Wickremasinghe is appartation with done nothing but slow the diligent diploKumaratunga. Mr. matic process. Wickremasinghe had Arjun Iyengar ’05 is an IR concentrator and proud to be Tamil.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2003 · PAGE 8

After Maine shut-out, W. hockey surrenders 3 goals in B.C. loss BY LEXI COSTELLO

Nick Neely / Herald

Kim Highlund ’04 (center) and Karalyn Kuchenbecker ’06 (right) want to finish the season’s final weekend with victories.

Volleyball loses three close games to Harvard, struggles vs. Dartmouth BY KATHY BABCOCK

Brown women’s volleyball dropped two matches on the road this weekend in one of the weaker performances of the season. The Bears seemed to be picking up momentum in their last few matches, but 3-0 losses to both Harvard and Dartmouth brought it to a halt. “I think a lot of what happened was just our defense broke down,” said Kim Highlund ’04. Bruno faced the Crimson in Cambridge, Mass. on Friday, losing in three close games 28-30, 29-31 and 2931. “We were having our problems on Saturday, said Coach Diane Short. “This year is all about confidence — we just don’t have enough confidence. I think that is the biggest hurdle that they have to go through, and that will improve next year.” The individual statistics were a little lower as well, with the notable exception of Rikki Baldwin ‘07, who made 24 kills in the game. Next to Baldwin, Lauren Gibbs ’06 had the most kills with 10. On the other side of the net, Harvard was led offensively by Mariah Pospisil and Katie Turley-Molony, who both notched 14 kills in the game. Elvina Kung ‘05 led the defense with 14 digs as well as three service aces. Highlund tallied 12 digs on the evening. Leigh Martin ‘06 had 52 assists and three aces. Martin surpassed the 2,000 mark for assists last weekend and should be moving into the Brown record books soon despite being a sophomore. Brown has had strong individual performances all year despite its record. “Two people don’t carry a volleyball team. Even three don’t — you need everybody playing at the top of their game to win,” Highlund said. The Bears played the Crimson very close and forced the last two games over the regulation limit of 30 points, but were unable to carry the game despite a strong performance. The team has been working in practice to try to solve its problems, but so far has not been able to take things from practice into games. “We’ve gotten so much better in practice. We’re having really tight games against each other and I don’t understand why it hasn’t rolled over to matches,” Highlund said. The Dartmouth game, however, was a disaster. Not

only did the Bears drop three quick games, 23-30, 28-30, and 18-30, but the Big Green statisticians were having computer problems so the Bears coaching staff will have to go over the film in order to tally accurate statistics. Highlund and Martin both need accurate stats for their places in the record books. Baldwin led the Bears’ offense at outside hitter. Martin also had a strong game, but the overall effort was lacking. The team fell apart against the Big Green whom they had previously beaten. “I think we were physically upset after that match because we’ve never just not played,” Highlund said. “I think we came in on Monday with the intensity and the mentality (of), let’s just have pride and win these last three matches.” Another explanation for the Dartmouth game was simple lethargy. “I know a lot of the players study before the game and I think that always slows you down physically if you’re sitting down all day. Or if you’re sitting in front of a television — anything where you just sit down slows your reaction time a bit,” Short said. “But that is part of traveling and that is another thing that, with experience, people learn to deal with better.” The team has its next three matches at home, facing Columbia and Cornell this weekend and Yale the following Wednesday. “It’s our last weekend, having one senior on the team and having family there, I look for us to forget about the past and look toward the next three matches,” Short said. Highlund as a senior captain has, in many ways, the symbolic gipper for the team in these last games. Highlund is as puzzled as anyone else as to why the obviously talented team cannot step up to win matches. “(In) pressure matches it’s hard (for us) to get up to that level. The funny thing is that we do it against each other in practice,” Highlund said. “The intensity that we have in practice is almost greater than in our games. I don’t know why that is.” Herald staff writer Kathy Babcock ’05 covers volleyball and can be reached at kbabcock@browndailyherald.com.

The Brown women’s ice hockey team split in its opening weekend at Meehan Auditorium, shutting out the Maine Black Bears, 1-0 Friday, and suffering only its second loss in 19 games Saturday against the Boston College Eagles, 3-1. Although a modest two-goal weekend for the Bears reflects the team’s struggle with execution, Coach Digit Murphy and the players are confident in their potential this upcoming season. “Winning is about the mental edge, being able to play under pressure, and maintaining that intense desire to get the job done,” said Murphy. “These girls have a lot of potential and they want to compete. I still need the proof that they can execute.” Katie Guay ’05 did just that, scoring Brown’s first unassisted goal of the season eight minutes into the first period to earn the early advantage over the Black Bears (1-3-2). This game winner would be Brown’s only goal in the season opener, although the girls outshot Maine 40-25 in this fastpaced, physical battle. The Brown Bears continued to dominate this first period, keeping the puck consistently in Maine’s defensive zone with their trademark quick passing. The physical play carried over into the second period as Brown received two penalties in the first five minutes for high-sticking (Lindsey Glennon ’06) and body-checking (Myria Heinhuis ’06), to Maine’s one. While the power plays resulted in breakaway efforts for both teams, neither squad could capitalize on these opportunities. Captain and senior goalie Katie Germain ’04 said the team’s 0-10 power play conversion rate over the weekend could be attributed to “how inexperienced we still are as a new, young team. We were all over the ice and disorganized. The power play will flow better with practice.” Going into the third period with a 1-0 lead, the Brown Bears faced a more aggressive Maine team that accumulated nearly half of its 25 shots on goal in these final 20 minutes. The tempo went back and forth between both defensive zones. While Brown failed to add an insurance goal, Germain ’04 turned back a furious Maine attack in the last two minutes to earn her seventh shutout of her career. Murphy recognizes the strengths and weaknesses exhibited by her Bears in the season opener victory. “We battled and we kept our composure in crunch situations. We played good defensive zone coverage and got the jitters out,” Murphy said. “However, our attention to the system was deficient, which kept us from capitalizing on opportunities.” The following afternoon, the Brown Bears failed to get the job done against Hockey East’s fourth ranked Boston College (3-1-0), falling 3-1 to the Eagles in a disappointing weekend closer. While Krissy McManus ’05, scored Brown’s only goal in the third period, assisted by Lindsey Glennon ’06, the goal was quickly answered by the Eagles’ third goal, and could not compensate for the Bears’ first 20 minutes of sloppy play. The Eagles took an early lead, scoring on a power play in the first 12 minutes of the game. Boston College scored its second goal with only one minute left in the period, as a BC shot deflected off of a Brown defenseman. Trailing 2-0 going into the second period, the Bears came out fired up, dominating the Eagles with quicker passing and several shots from the point by McLaughlin. While the girls blasted 21 shots to Boston College’s two, Eagle’s goalie Lisa Davis turned back every shot and defended her team’s lead into the third. In an intense final period, there was a controversial Brown goal called back for an offsides penalty, making it tougher for the team to mount a comeback. On the Bears’ failure to reach the net on 33 of their 77 shots over the weekend, forward Kerry Nugent ’05 said, “We need to start finishing what we are capable of starting.” The weekend split demonstrates that any team can pose a threat at any time. Murphy recognizes the improvement in women’s collegiate hockey. “Scholarship opportunities are making the league better,” Murphy said. “If we embrace this as a good thing, step up to the competition and allow it to make us a better team, we can win.” As the girls prepare for the upcoming weekend series against the number one ranked University of Minnesota Gophers (6-0-0 overall), Murphy plans on utilizing the Bears’ signature passing game, strengthening the defensive zone, and taking more selective shots on goal. The Brown women’s ice hockey team will face the Gophers at Meehan Auditorium this Saturday, followed by a noon game on Sunday.