T H U R S D A Y MARCH 4, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 25
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
UCS discusses meal plan changes, housing lottery scavenger hunt
Inflation outpacing library’s budget, limiting acquisitions BY KATE CONSIDINE
important issue facing all generations,” said Jeff Yoskowitz ’07. Fink, in an entertaining six-minute speech, held that the hamentasch was more “freeing” than its latke challenger, because it can be filled with anything from prunes to poppy seeds. The hamentasch also boasts “design flexibility” since it can be folded in a variety of ways, he said. “(Purim) is a holiday of liberation, and the hamentaschen is a symbol of that,” Fink said. In support of the latke, Bienenstock gave a Power Point presentation on the significance of the “johnny cake.” In a series of humorous slides applying the latke to neurological and mathematical
The disparity between rising book costs and the Brown’s library budget has created a budget crunch limiting the library’s ability to purchase new materials. The cost of library materials has gone up faster than the prices of other consumer goods, meaning libraries’ budgets must be stretched to pay for expected inflation and the increased material costs, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning. In recent years, Brown’s library system has received an annual budget increase of between 1 and 3 percent, but a $1 million one-time increase in 2003 didn’t have a large effect on the libraries’ ability to make new acquisitions, according to Bill Monroe, head of the collection development department. “This situation is not unique to the Brown library. Every university struggles with this, but we have been slower than some places to recognize this,” Spies said. No single factor led to the chronic underfunding of the library, he said, though the recent economic downturn is partly to blame. It is only when the University provides a budget increase big enough to cover inflation that the libraries can begin to think about increasing the size of their collections, according to Pat Putney, head of acquisitions. “The library has been trying to deal with inflation and to build the collections and provide faculty and students with the resources they need,” Putney said. For this fiscal year, the library’s acquisitions budget was held flat during the regular allocation cycle, meaning that it received the same amount of money it did last year. Still, “the library did better than most” departments in the regular budg-
see DEBATE, page 4
see LIBRARY, page 6
BY KRISTA HACHEY
Gretchen Willis and Virginia Dunleavy, director and associate director of Brown Dining Services, met with members of the Undergraduate Council of Students Wednesday to discuss imminent changes to dining at Brown. By the first semester of next year, “meal zones,” the specific times set for breakfast, lunch and dinner, will be eliminated to increase flexibility of the meal plan, Willis said. “This is something the student body has wanted (that UCS) has also been fighting on their behalf for a long time,” said UCS President Rahim Kurji ’05. Willis also announced plans to extend late-night dining service. By next year, BuDS hopes have adequate staffing to extend hours for Josiah’s and the Gate to 2 a.m., Willis said. “Labor is among the toughest nuts to crack,” she said. Dunleavy also highlighted recent BuDS projects, including an expanded community harvest program supporting the local farm industry. She said she plans to solicit student feedback regarding expanded menus, the new pizza vending machines and cooperative efforts with local businesses like Dunkin Donuts and Ben and Jerry’s. Dunleavy also envisions an “aesthetic facelift” for certain aspects of the dining halls, she said. UCS Associate Member Emily Blatter ’07 raised the possibility of using meal credits in the Blue Room, but Willis said it isn’t feasible. “If we allowed 3,700 students to potentially use their credit there, it would not be able to function. Until we move to a larger venue, we’d just get pummeled,” she said. see UCS, page 6
www.browndailyherald.com
Nick Neely / Herald
Shalom and Shira Krinsky raise their hands in favor of latkes, supported by debator Eve Bienenstock, professor of applied mathematics.The vote, however, resulted in a 13-13 tie.
Hamentaschen portrayed as liberators, latkes as logical in Hillel-sponsored debate BY MELANIE WOLFGANG
Nostalgia, existentialism and triumph were among the topics discussed at Wednesday night’s Latke-Hamentaschen Debate, sponsored by Brown Hillel. The event, which added a little flair to typical college forensics, featured Professor of Applied Mathematics Elie Bienenstock arguing for the superiority of the latke and RISD Professor of English Michael Fink championing the hamentasch. Hamentaschen are triangular pastries that often have fruit filling and are traditionally served during Purim, a holiday celebrating the Jewish victory over the evil royal advisor Hamen. Latkes, on the other hand, are composed of grated potatoes and are typically eaten during Hanukkah. “I think it was a fair-balanced look at an
Commentary arises through research and relevance, artist says BY STEWART DEARING
Mark Cho / Herald
Professor and artist Michael Ray Charles discussed the confluence of politics and aesthetics in his work at a Wednesday night lecture in List Auditorium.
By combining art and historical research, Michael Ray Charles, associate professor of art at the University of Texas-Austin, said he makes his work effective as social commentary. Charles researches imagery of African Americans throughout history and tries to look at the images in a new way and explain them in his own work, he said in a lecture Wednesday afternoon in List Auditorium.. “My work is about communicating certain ideas about blacks — stereotypes of relationships between whites and blacks, advertisements, pop culture and word play,” he said.
I N S I D E T H U R S D AY, M A RC H 4 , 2 0 0 4 RISD President Roger Mandle hears student feedback on $2.5 million budget deficit risd news, page 3
RISD students still frustrated by lack of information on lab fees risd news, page 3
Rachel Marshall ’04 says women’s abortion rights might be on the way out column, page 11
Charles began his work in graduate school at the University of Houston by studying 19th-century advertisements for minstrelsy. Minstrelsy “contributed to a lot of concepts of blackness and our perception of them in the entertainment business,” he said. These early advertisements, especially those made after the end of slavery in the United States, frame what an adult black male was supposed to be in society, Charles said. He showed several 19th-century advertisements for the circus, which he see CHARLES, page 4
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Religion is not a good reason to ban gay marriage, according to Laura Martin ’06 column, page 11
Gymnastics takes third place out of four teams in Ivy League competition sports, page 12
showers high 51 low 34
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THIS MORNING THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris
W E AT H E R THURSDAY
FRIDAY
High 51 Low 34 showers
High 49 Low 48 showers
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
High 55 Low 31 showers
High 47 Low 32 mostly sunny
GRAPHICS BY EDDIE AHN
Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Greg Shilling and Todd Goldstein
TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS SAND MANDALA: PRACTICE IN EXILE 8 a.m. (Lobby,Watson Institute, 111 Thayer St.) — Tibetan monks currently in exile at the Tashilhunpo monastery in the southern state of Karnataka in India will construct a Sand Mandala throughout a 48-hour period.
VISIONS AND VOICES FOR RETHINKING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ALTERNATE TRENDS IN ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE 4 p.m. (Joukowsky Forum,Watson Institute, 111 Thayer St.) — presented by the Watson International Scholars of the Environment.
MENU
My Best Effort Will Newman and Nate Goralnik
SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Chicken Pot Pie,Vegetable Tortilla Lasagna, Mandarin Blend Vegetables, Dateen Cookies, Chocolate Mousse Torte Cake, Cranapple Crisp
VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Escarole and Bean Soup, Beef Vegetable Soup, Beef Pot Pie,Vegan Stuffed Peppers, Zucchini & Summer Squash, Dateen Cookies
DINNER — Vegetarian Squash Bisque, Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Veal Parmesan, Cheese Ravioli with Meat or Meatless Sauce, Parsley Potatoes, Green Beans with TriColored Peppers,Whole Kernel Corn, Focaccia with Mixed Herbs, Dateen Cookies, Chocolate Mousse Torte Cake, Cranapple Crisp
DINNER — Vegetarian Escarole and Bean Soup, Beef Vegetable Soup, Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce, Vegan Spaghetti Puttanesca, Mashed Red Potatoes with Garlic, Spinach with Lemon, Belgium Carrots, Foccacia with Mixed Herbs, Chocolate Mousse Torte Cake
Scribbles Mirele Davis
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sacramento’s __ Arena 5 Dutch export 9 Flower holder 13 It may be quantum 14 Diane of “Unfaithful” 15 Exponent 16 __ mater 17 School founded in 1440 18 They’re hilarious 19 See 39-Across 21 Brilliance 22 Prefix with acetylene 23 Catch 24 Alternative word 26 Jay related to a peacock? 27 Throw out, with “of” 31 Office note 34 Stranded motorist’s need 36 Mediterranean capital 37 Put in office 39 Clue for 19- and 59- Across, and 9- and 26-Down 41 Surgical tube 42 Late-’20s innovation 44 “Wanna __?” 46 Soft drink choice 47 Support 49 St. Louis landmark 51 Looking sick 52 X-ray unit 53 Sine __ non 56 Used encryption 59 See 39-Across 62 Singlehandedly 63 Restaurant acronym 64 NFL Hall of Famer Graham 65 Lasting looks 66 Slaughter on a diamond
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C-worthy? Continuously Took a taxi Where to get dates
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DOWN 1 San Antonio landmark 2 Take it easy 3 Like some humor 4 Iridescent stone 5 Polished 6 Planning aid 7 Like some graffiti: Abbr. 8 Good as new 9 See 39-Across 10 Illegally off base 11 __ good example 12 While lead-in 15 Irons 20 Buffalo-toRochester dir. 25 Women’s __ 26 See 39-Across 28 Ice cream cone flavor 1
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Beyond help Kitchen add-on Dole (out) Pizazz Pinochle declaration 35 Fly catcher 38 Bitter outbursts 40 Country singer Trisha 43 Immigrant’s subj.
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RISD NEWS THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 3
Deans Advisory Council to revise lab fees policy, responding to student complaints of misuse BY ALEXIS KUNSAK
More than a year after the Student Alliance first voiced concern about misused departmental lab fees, students say they are still feeling uninformed about why lab fees are so high and how the funds are spent. After the Alliance discussed the issue in Nov. 2002, Lizzy Cross RISD ’04 formed a council of students to investigate the issue. The Deans Advisory Council responded to the Alliance’s concerns, promising to create new guidelines for monitoring lab funds. Cross, who revived the issue at the Feb. 11 Alliance meeting, said that by next year, new rules drafted by the Deans Advisory Council will make certain that lab fees apply only to field trips and materials used by students, not to costs related to the physical plant and utilities of departments. “(Provost of Academic Affairs) Joe Deal and the deans of the school are checking into all of the lab fees being charged now to students, and because some departments are using them to boost their own budgets, we are hoping the total in fees, about $400,000, can be cut in half,” Cross said. Luke Gasparro RISD ’05, who sat on the student council investigating lab fees, said he became interested in the issue after hearing complaints from friends. “I wanted to look into it because I had heard about some problems,” he said. “Mainly, the textile class last year that had their lab fees spent on flowers decorating the classroom, and it seemed like something students needed to show concern about.” Because of large discrepancies in lab fees among departments, students say they would have liked to know what each department’s lab fees were at the time they chose their majors. Lab fees are published by the registrar in the course announcement bulletin and automatically billed to students registered in the class. The Department of Apparel Design, for example, charges no lab fees, whereas some courses in the Department of Industrial Design charge $300 in lab fees to provide wood supplies and a tool kit some students said they already owned. “It would be nice to know exactly how much money is spent on which supplies, because there are always other ways of financing projects independently,” said Ryan Peloquin RISD ’05, an industrial design major. “It seems that some classes have done a better job explaining the fees than others,” said Sarah Hoopes RISD ’06, a film, animation and video major. “My experimental film class this semester was very clear about the expenses.” Within some departments, such as painting, students disagree about whether lab fees are being spent wisely. Painting major Jessica Soininen RISD ’06 said, “Lab fees haven’t been outrageous for me. I understood where they were going, and it was nice to have supplies available for some classes without being responsible for everything on your own.” But Cross, who is also a painting major, said, “Lab fees should be more about the materials students need to work with. A $50 fee seems excessive for painting students simply so they can use a studio space in class. Repainting the room and physical plant expenses shouldn’t be part of that.” Even students who approve of their own department’s use of lab funds say they are aware of complaints from their peers. “I haven’t paid that much attention to it, but we don’t have fees in illustration,” said Anthony Weinstock RISD ’05. “I’m sure painting has to pay more for their ventilation and toxic material disposal system than we do.” Sean Springer RISD ’05 said, “I haven’t been exposed to the waste of money personally, but people complain about it a lot. Students also complain more sometimes if they didn’t like the teacher or didn’t understand the class.” Herald staff writer Alexis Kunsak RISD ’05 can be reached at akunsak@browndailyherald.com.
Mandle hears student feedback on budget, solicits further input BY DANA GOLDSTEIN
In a poorly attended town hall meeting Wednesday night, President Roger Mandle pledged to establish official means for students to respond to RISD’s budget deficit and led students and administrators on a threedimensional, computer-simulated tour of the proposed Chace Center building. Formerly called the RISD Center project, the Chace Center will consist of a completely remodeled Memorial Hall and a new building situated next to it. Mandle opened the meeting, held in the Tap Room, by soliciting questions from the nine students in attendance, who were joined by seven administrators. Spurred by a string of questions posed by Bryce Bounds ’04.5, as well as input from Student Alliance President Suzannah Park ’06 and other Alliance members, Mandle attempted to explain the causes and effects of what he said was a $2.5 million budget shortfall for the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Reiterating parts of his Feb. 10 letter to the RISD community, Mandle said small tuition increases were not enough to make up for RISD’s increased expenditures on energy costs, health insurance coverage for employees and the effects of an economic downturn. Because RISD plans its budget in three-year chunks, the school is feeling fiscal pressure this year, although the stock market has begun to improve. Mandle told students that tuition will continue to increase, but assured them that it will do so at a slower rate than at RISD’s peer institutions. “As high as our tuition is, your education costs us more than your tuition supplies,” Mandle said. “An acute way to say it is that you’ve already gotten a scholarship when you pay your tuition.” That “scholarship” is provided by earnings from RISD’s $220 million endowment, which is the largest endowment of any American art school, Mandle said. “We’re actually very fiscally solvent, but it’s my responsibility to keep us so. ... We are still functioning off earnings,” Mandle said, adding that other schools, such as Brown, had reserve funds from their endowments to carry them through the economic downturn. Asked to give examples of how money will be saved, Mandle said the administration is considering cutting back the $60,000 the school spends to provide employees with cellular telephones. Mandle also cited new faculty contracts in which RISD faculty members agreed to pay higher health insurance premiums, on par with the premiums paid by RISD staff members.
RISD anime collection harbors illegal downloads BY JENNIFER COSTA
The RISD Anime Culture Club’s unofficial collection of downloaded anime films feature mostly “cheeseball stuff,” said Associate Director of Student Life Paul Connelly, but the club’s student leaders said their large binder of illegally downloaded movies is popular with students. Because the Anime Culture Club is a student group whose movie collection is not funded by the college, administrators from the Office of Student Life said they would not interfere in the dispersal of the illegally downloaded films. The RISD Library houses a collection of legitimate anime material in its video collection. “They have their own collections — we have no right to interfere,” said Director of Student Life Blair de St. Croix. “(RISD) has nothing to do with the violation of copyright laws.” The highly casual system of students borrowing films from the binder is exclusive to members of the club, Connelly said, but Anime Culture Club President Liz Eck said the movies were available for all interested RISD students to borrow. Within the club itself, the collection is popular, Eck said. The club has close to 100 members, and the easily accessible compilation is useful for catching up on topics discussed at club meetings, she added.
When students asked Mandle to explain how they could assist in the search for money-saving opportunities, Mandle first suggested they bring their concerns and ideas to their advisors and Director of Student Life Blair De St. Croix, in attendance at the town hall meeting. But after further discussion, Mandle agreed to work with the Student Alliance during the next two weeks to solicit student opinion about areas where money could be saved. Mandle told Park he would write an e-mail to encourage the Alliance’s new undergraduate depart-
Mandle attempted to explain the causes and effects of what he said was a $2.5 million budget shortfall for the 2003-2004 fiscal year. mental representatives to draft lists of places within each department where students feel funds are poorly used. Mandle also led the students and administrators on a virtual tour of the Chace Center. If RISD stays on track on its fundraising for the project, which is conducted outside the constraints of the annual budget, construction will begin next December, and the center will open in the fall of 2008. The six-story Chace Center will include gallery space for both students and the RISD Museum, several eateries, a new home for the Department of Painting, classrooms for liberal arts courses, studios for Foundation and drawing classes, a 200-seat auditorium and a balcony overlooking the city. The facade of the building incorporates brick and translucent, reflective glass. Park said the Alliance continues to be concerned about the loss of Memorial Hall student gallery space, but Mandle said as much student space will be available after the completion of the Chace Center and new dormitories and student life space at 15 Westminister St. “Think creatively about the different uses each space will have,” he said. Herald staff writer Dana Goldstein ’06 edits the RISD News section. She can be reached at dgoldstein@browndailyherald.com.
huzzah!
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2004
Debate continued from page 1 concepts, Bienenstock pointed to the science of the snack. He provided formulas for such spoofs as the LLL — the Law of Large Latkes and revealed sections of the human brain that actually resemble latkes. He also made reference to the “latkomorphic activation of the occipital cortex.” Although the debate ostensibly focused on the two Jewish treats, the choice of professors also introduced to the discussion a subtle, underlying contest between art and science — or even RISD and
Brown. “There is a tyranny about logic,” Fink said in response to Bienenstock’s presentation. Fink maintained that hamentaschen supporters are “open to experience” while latke supporters are essentially narrow-minded, which is especially appropriate, he said, given the flatness of a latke. “Hamentaschen has substance,” Fink said. Fink also noted the “nostalgic” dessert’s historical connections, suggesting that the hamentaschen bear a striking resemblance to the shape of Napoleon’s hat, thereby linking the Jewish people to the age of Napoleon. He noted that Napoleon liberated the Jews from the ghettoes of Europe, although they were stripped of their Jewish identity. The hamentasch is a uniquely “existential food” that is also intensely personal and triumphant, Fink said. Bienenstock, on the other hand, drew a grave parallel between the French word “lamentation” and the Jewish food “hamentaschen.” Fink replied that the dessert’s connection with “lamentation” represented the Jews’ ability to feel sorrow — in essence, their humanity. At the close of Fink’s speech, moderator Brown Hillel Rabbi Mitchell Levine joked that Fink
Charles continued from page 1 has examined for the patterns of clothing and facial expression of the African American clowns and performers. Charles juxtaposed these advertisements with his own paintings, which satirize them, as a means of social commentary on stereotypes of African Americans. “When I look at this (advertisement), I ask the question, what aspects of blackness were exaggerated and for what purpose?” he said. According to Charles, African Americans are placed under a stereotype in which “blackness” has to function in opposition to “whiteness. ” In these advertisements, African Americans are seen as humorous and childlike, he said. Charles cited the movie “Space Jam” as a modern example of the association of black people with childlike figures. “I don’t want to seem like I am this angry black man,” he said. “I am just concerned that this is
had made “latke good points,” and Bienenstock ultimately said that “as long as we can eat it,” both foods are equally appealing. The audience also voted, by show of hands, that they were essentially split on the issue. “It affirmed my faith in the latke,” said Anat Mooreville ’07. A popular discussion among Jewish scholars, the LatkeHamentaschen debate is not unique to Brown Hillel. It has also been held at other colleges, such as Williams College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. University of Pennsylvania Professor Robin Leidner published a materialist-feminist analysis of the issue, and Barnard College President Judith Shapiro applied her own feminist and post-modernist twists to the debate, suggesting that the latke and hamentaschen could be considered “semiotic representations of the two sexes.” “Brown Hillel shows its support for both the latke and hamentaschen by shaping the Hillel building like a latke and by hanging pictures of hamentaschen in its social hall,” said event organizer Eli Braun ’06. The debate was followed by dessert and was held in the new Brown Hillel building at 80 Brown St. About 45 students attended.
where we are now.” Charles said he would not criticize Michael Jordan for making the movie, because it brought Jordan so much success, but he does not like the message it sends. “Black athletes have the potential to be heroes,” he said. “They should use their disposable money to help young blacks who have ambitions to be creative and who don’t want to just go to college and get any job that pays well.” He encouraged African Americans to question representations of themselves in the media. Other blacks often do not understand Charles’ success as an artist, he said, and think that he has betrayed his AfricanAmerican identity. “I seemed white to them, in transition, never able to occupy that which I seek,” he said. But through his art, Charles said he tries to prove that even in a field dominated by white men, African Americans can break out of media-imposed stereotypes and live up to their ambitions.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WORLD & NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 5
Bush, Kerry come out swinging (Los Angeles Times) — Appealing for money and support,
President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry (DMass.) swung into the 2004 general election Wednesday, launching an eight-month battle that promises to pick up where the polarized 2000 presidential campaign left off. Bush was in Los Angeles, raising money for an ad blitz that starts Thursday and seeks to polish an image scuffed by months of Democratic attacks. Kerry, freed of serious primary opposition, moved to consolidate his control over the Democratic Party and began the search for a running mate by choosing a veteran Washington hand to oversee the process. A vice presidential selection is not expected for several weeks. The senator from Massachusetts then flew to Florida, the epicenter of the bitter 2000 election fight, to campaign ahead of the state’s Tuesday primary. A top priority was raising the money needed to compete with Bush’s record campaign treasury, now $150 million and growing. Kerry stated his goal succinctly: “We’re going to raise as much as we can as fast as we can.” In Raleigh, N.C., Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) officially exited the race at an exuberant rally at the high school attended by two of his children. Fatigue etched in his eyes, he endorsed Kerry as someone who “has what it takes” and declared, “I’ll do everything in my power to make him president of the United States.” While Edwards said for weeks he was not interested in being Kerry’s running mate, aides quietly acknowledged he would likely accept the job if offered. Others mentioned include Florida’s two Democratic senators, Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, who campaigned Wednesday at Kerry’s side. Thanks to a front-loaded primary calendar, the Democratic nominating fight was settled earlier than any in modern history, leaving Kerry relatively unscathed and in a position to rally a party that is highly energized and strongly united. But the rapid conclusion also makes for an unusually long general election campaign, which leaves Kerry at a considerable financial disadvantage. The Bush team moved quickly to exploit its edge, plotting a TV campaign expected to last months and seek to define Kerry for voters before he has an opportunity to effectively fight back. The ads will air starting Thursday on several national cable TV outlets and in selected broadcast markets in more than a dozen battleground states. The campaign declined to name the targeted states or describe the size of the ad buy. With titles such as “Safer, Stronger,” “Tested” and “Lead,” the ads underscore the Bush strategy of portraying the president as a steady hand in turbulent times. They flash images harking back to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including pictures of firefighters to link the president to the heroes that day, and also include footage of Bush at work in the White House and taking the oath of office. “The Kerry campaign has run 15 or 16 negative ads in various markets around the country, spent millions of dollars on those, and it’s one of the things that we know
as a campaign we have to confront in the initial stages,” Matt Dowd, a Bush reelection strategist, told reporters at a screening of the new ads at campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va. Even as he scrambled for contributions, Kerry was not going entirely undefended. The group MoveOn.org announced it would launch anti-Bush ads on Thursday to counter the president. Wes Boyd, president of the left-leaning organization, said it would broadcast ads in 17 states attacking the president’s economic policies as unfair to workers and fiscally irresponsible. The selective targeting by both sides underscored one of the truths of the 2004 election: Far from being a 50-state campaign, the race is likely to come down to a dozen or so states that were close in 2000 and probably will be again. They include Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and West Virginia. And like 2000, strategists for both parties agree, the November election is likely to be close. Bush enjoys many advantages, including incumbency and a slight tilt in the Electoral College, resulting from population shifts that put a few more electoral votes in states he is expected to win. But at the same time, some of the heaviest job losses under his administration have come in the battleground states of the Midwest. “He can’t get rid of that hump on his back,” said Ed Sarpolus, an independent polltaker in Michigan, where job losses have driven Bush’s approval ratings below the 50 percent danger level for an incumbent. While the president is expected to campaign heavily on national security issues and his anti-terrorism efforts, Sarpolus said his polls of Michigan voters show many there believe, “It’s more of a terror to lose your job. That’s the focus here, jobs and the economy.” The general election also promises to present voters with some of the starkest policy choices they have faced in many years. “We’ve got the whole doctrine of preemption in our foreign policy, enormous cutting-edge social issues like gay marriage. There’s the whole question of the economy and how to get it up and running, and what our role is in the global economy,” said Q. Whitfield Ayres, a Republican polltaker in Washington. “There are some who will argue there are not a lot of differences between the two parties. But I think most voters will see significant differences.” During the session with Florida voters, Kerry briefly addressed the need to beef up homeland security and give greater support to America’s first responders, the police, fire and emergency medical services that are an important line of protection against terrorism. He accused the Bush administration of under-funding its own education reform measure, and reiterated his call to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Kerry then swung into an appeal for donations, see ELECTION, page 9
Haitian rebel leader declares mission accomplished PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Los Angeles Times) — As Marines in Humvees began patrolling Haiti’s capital, rebel leader Guy Philippe declared his mission accomplished Wednesday and said his forces would lay down their arms now that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide had fled into exile. More than 2,000 soldiers from nations including the United States, France, Canada and Chile have arrived in Haiti in the three days since Aristide resigned, but Port-au-Prince has continued to be plagued by looting, destruction and revenge killings. On Wednesday, the U.S. Marine commander here said foreign forces were now ready to begin stepping into the security void and protecting Haitian citizens. Caribbean nations, however, announced they would refrain from taking part in the peacekeeping effort to protest what they see as the unsavory role played by unnamed Western countries — presumably France and the United States — in Aristide’s ouster. The 15-nation Caribbean Community, which includes Haiti, had pushed the United Nations Security Council to send an international protection force to Haiti three days before Aristide’s departure, but that plea was rebuffed. After Aristide departed Haiti on Sunday for exile in Africa, the Security Council quickly approved an international stabilization force and Marines began arriving. “We could not fail to observe that what was impossible on Thursday could be accomplished in an emergency meeting on Sunday. We are disappointed in the extreme at the failure to act,” said P.J. Patterson, Jamaica’s prime minister, on behalf of the Caricom nations. The group also called for the United Nations or some other independent body to investigate the circumstances of Aristide’s departure. Aristide, who became Haiti’s first democratically elected president in 1990, has accused the United States of forcing him out in what he called a “modern kidnapping” and a “modern coup d’etat.” Haiti’s neighbors believe he was coerced into fleeing. The Haitian leader, already deposed in one coup in 1991, left his country Sunday as Philippe’s rebels advanced on the capital, vowing to capture the president and put him on trial for corruption and human rights abuses. Washington and Paris, fearing a bloodbath if the rebels and armed street gangs loyal to Aristide confronted each other, strongly suggested he should resign for the good of the country. In Washington on Wednesday, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America defended the administration’s decision not to shield exiled Aristide from approaching rebels last weekend, saying the United States should not risk its soldiers’ lives for failing governments. Appearing before a House subcommittee, Assistant
see HAITI, page 8
Telemarketing industry divided over challenge to do-not-call list WASHINGTON (Washington Post) — Consumers are receiving
fewer unsolicited phone calls, but some telemarketers haven’t given up their fight against the government’s do-not-call list. The American Teleservices Association, which represents many call centers, announced Wednesday it would ask the Supreme Court to hear its challenge to a recent appeals court decision upholding the national anti-telemarketing registry. Executive Director Tim Searcy said in a statement the appeal was necessary because “commercial speech is under attack.” But a larger telemarketing group, the Direct Marketing Association, which represents the companies that make the products that are sold by the call centers, said it would not appeal the unanimous decision the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals’ three-judge panel issued Feb. 17. President H. Robert Wientzen said his association decided not to appeal because “we do not want to risk more bad publicity.” The split seems to reflect the fact that the do-not-call list has had more of an impact on the companies that actually make the calls. Both trade groups said Wednesday that the anti-telemarketing registry has forced some telemarketing firms to shut down some call
centers or lay off some workers, and in some cases hire cheaper labor overseas. Although there are no precise numbers yet, “the donot-call list has taken a bite out of the industry,” Searcy said in a phone interview. Meanwhile, the companies that make the products being sold are finding other ways to market their goods and services — by mail, Internet, and even old-fashioned magazine and newspaper ads, Wientzen said. More than 57.8 million phone numbers have been registered to the list, which went into effect in October. Every time telemarketers call a number on the list, they risk being fined up to $11,000 from either the Federal Trade Commission or the Federal Communications Commission. Since the registry went into effect, federal regulators have received more than 160,000 complaints. The FCC has issued eight citations, the first step in the regulatory enforcement process. The FTC has yet to file a complaint. Lois Greisman, an associate director at the FTC, said the agency is “hard at work at several fronts,” although it could be weeks before an action is brought. Meanwhile, she said, “compliance has been terrific.”
A recent survey by Harris Interactive showed that more than 90 percent of consumers who registered their numbers with the list said they were receiving fewer telemarketing calls, including 25 percent who said they have received no calls. The appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that found the do-not-call list was unconstitutional because it unfairly restricted commercial sales calls while allowing calls from charities or politicians. The appeals court panel said the telemarketing registry was a valid restraint of commercial speech because it “targets speech that invades the privacy of the home, a personal sanctuary that enjoys a unique status in our constitutional jurisprudence.” Several commercial speech experts said Wednesday they doubted the Supreme Court would take the case, partly because the panel’s opinion was unanimous and there has been no conflicting opinion from another court. Given the national importance of the issue, the court could agree to consider the issue, said Laurence Tribe, a Harvard University law professor. But, he said, the reported decrease in telemarketing calls has made a “quantitative and qualitative impact on homeowners’ tranquility” that could justify the restrictions.
PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004
UCS continued from page 1 The members also discussed whether BuDS could attract more seniors to the meal plan by offering a seven-meal plan. Willis said similar plans had been implemented in the past, catering to certain groups like students living off-campus, but that generated backlash from those students who were denied access to them. Willis said increasing dining options open to certain classes would require “an understanding that trade-offs must be made and that a freshman will not be able to have the same level of flexibility and number of options as a senior may have.” Campus Life Chair Ari Savitzky ’06 asked how Faunce House’s future status as a building open 24 hours a day will affect Dining Services. Willis said her office plans to keep the Campus Market open until 3 a.m. but that hours depend on sales. “If people use the resource, we’ll keep it open,” she said. During the Executive Board report, Kurji lauded the opening of the new LGBTQ Resource Center in Faunce.
“As long as some students do live in fear or uncertainty, we must continue to work together toward a campus climate that is accepting and embraces all difference,” Kurji said. In an effort to give students a greater voice in the shaping of campus life improvements approved this week by the Corporation, UCS has sent letters to student leaders, inviting them to a meeting Tuesday to generate ideas and debate, Kurji said. Dean for Campus Life Margaret Jablonski briefed the council on a meeting with resident counselors last week. Based on feedback from counselors, the University will offer singles, rather than doubles, to Perkins Hall counselors next year. Jablonski also said everyone at the meeting, both students and administrators, agreed that though counselors are paid fairly, they are not paid as well as counselors at other peer institutions. Next year, there will be a 25 percent raise in counselors’ stipends, and improvements will be made to the “compensation package” they receive, she said. Class of 2006 Representative
Library continued from page 1 et cycle, because its funding was held flat rather than being cut, Provost Robert Zimmer told The Herald in November. But because of inflation, holding the acquisitions budget flat meant the department had less purchasing power than it did last year. Library administrators requested that Zimmer allocate additional funds to the acquisitions budget to prevent cuts. He in turn put discretionary funds toward a one-time $250,000 allocation to the library. Zimmer said a financial crunch meant the University was not able to allocate additional funds to the library as part of the regular budget process. Acquisitions costs, which include buying books and journal subscriptions, are increasing at a much higher rate than any other costs, Zimmer said, making it difficult for University budgets to keep up. In making extra allocations, “we were very focused on ensuring that our investments went to directly enhance academic programs,” including the library, Zimmer said. In 2003, the libraries projected 2005 prices for academic journals, included the cost of inflation in those estimates and sent those figures to the administration, Putney said.“We are really hoping that the University will provide an inflationary increase for library materials,” she said.
Natalie Schmid ’06 proposed that the Office of Student Life look at the possibility of giving counselors free housing. She also brought up the benefits of trying to increase the numbers of juniors and seniors in the program to enrich mentoring. Admissions and Student Services Chair Sonia Gupta ’06 received UCS’s “Bear Hug” award for her work on the recent scavenger hunt. She said the activity captured UCS’s broad vision of an enhanced sense of community on campus. “You saw people on cell phones, using code names, walking around in chef’s hats from BuDS,” she said. “It was also a great collaborative effort with (the Undergraduate Finance Board and) Residential Life, and my own committee came together like no other.” While only four teams participated in last year’s lip-sync contest, there were 114 teams and between 500 to 800 students involved in this year’s hunt. Herald staff writer Krista Hachey ’07 can be reached at khachey@browndailyherald.com.
Monroe said that Brown has never funded its libraries at “the level that it needs to support the graduate and research programs.” When the University began to be more research-focused, a tight budget did not allow the library to adjust the collection in certain areas, he said. Monroe said that when he first began working at Brown there was about a 10 percent library budget increase for a few years, but that annual increase did not continue. Right now, the Brown library system lacks necessary materials in the areas of humanities and foreign languages, and library administrators would like to increase those collections, Monroe said. But “if the (price of the) science serials go up each year by 10 percent, then that is where the money goes, because if you don’t cancel the serials, then the money has to be paid up front,” he said. The University Resources Committee and the Information Resources Budget Group decide and manage the library system’s budget, and administrators are looking at how to cut costs, particularly because materials continue to increase in price. The increased cost of books, electronic products and journals has forced administrators to allocate funds differently and decrease the book-binding budget, Putney said. Currently, the library generally binds all paperbacks as an inexpensive preservation measure, she said. — With Herald staff reports
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7
Veterans groups critical of Bush’s VA budget WASHINGTON (Washington Post) — Military veterans have
already played a prominent role in the 2004 presidential campaign, helping to propel one of their own to the Democratic nomination. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is counting on strong support from his fellow veterans in the general election battle against President George W. Bush. And Kerry may be getting an unintended boost from the Bush administration’s proposed budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the next fiscal year. After three years of mostly cordial relations with the administration, leaders of veterans’ organizations and a union that represents VA workers are voicing strong criticism of Bush’s fiscal 2005 budget plan. They say it would only worsen the backlog in processing disability claims, reduce the number of VA nursing home beds just as the number of veterans needing long-term care is swelling and force some veterans to pay a fee simply to gain access to the VA health care system. In a statement issued shortly after the budget was released, Edward Banas, commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, called the VA’s health care spending proposal “a disgrace and a sham.” VA officials reply that spending for health care will increase under the budget, but that tough choices had to be made because of the soaring budget deficit and limits on spending. According to John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the VA is calling for a reduction of 540 full-time jobs in the Veterans Benefits Administration, which handles disability, pension and other claims by veterans. “VBA is under such pressure to get the caseload down, and now they are going to cut the staff,” he said. “These things don’t make sense on their face.” Mark Catlett, the VA’s principal deputy assistant secretary for management, said only 35 of the jobs that would be eliminated through attrition involve employees who process disability claims, in which the backlog problem is most severe. He said the elimination of many of the jobs would be the result of a consolidation of the department’s pension processing functions. see VETERANS, page 9
go sabres
Disney’s board removes Eisner as chairman PHILADELPHIA (Los Angeles Times) — Walt Disney Co.’s Michael Eisner, hobbled by a powerful shareholder revolt, was removed as chairman of the board Wednesday but will remain chief executive, an arrangement certain to keep controversy swirling around the famed entertainment company. The board’s unanimous decision to strip Eisner of the title he has held for nearly 20 years came after an raucous annual shareholder meeting Wednesday that closed with a dramatic announcement: Eisner had failed to carry 43 percent of shares cast for his re-election to the board. The magnitude of the number surprised company executives and Wall Street experts, who promptly said so many shareholders had lost faith in the company’s management that sweeping changes were needed. Usually board members are elected with barely a whisper of protest. Installed as Disney’s chairman late Wednesday was former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine) the board’s presiding director, who helped craft the strategy to separate the jobs of chairman and chief executive. Mitchell’s elevation drew immediate fire from critics because shareholders also had delivered a blow to his credibility. He failed to win 24 percent of the votes cast, also an unusually high number. Dissident shareholders question Mitchell’s ability to oversee Eisner because of his vocal support of the executive. He also has drawn fire from critics for having business ties to Disney in the past while sitting on the board. Some observers say that by relinquishing the chairmanship, Eisner’s historically strong grip on day-to-day management will be weakened. Critics argue that the move is merely cosmetic and that nothing short of his departure from the company would end the controversy. “It’s not about fence mending,” said Patrick McGurn, senior vice president of Institutional Shareholder Services, which advised stockholders to vote no. “They have to rebuild an entire dam. The flood waters have washed over it.” Christy Wood, chief investment officer for the California Public Employees Retirement System, which withheld its 9.9 million shares from Eisner, agreed: “It’s too little too late. It’s not enough. Shareholders are making a bigger statement.” But the board, in its statement, made clear that Eisner would not be pushed out the door of the kingdom he has ruled, at times, with the sheer force of his personality.
“While making this change in governance, the board remains unanimous in its support of the company’s management team and of Michael Eisner, who will continue to serve as chief executive officer. ... the board has confidence in the strategic direction of the company,” the statement said. A source close to the Disney board said Eisner agreed to step aside as chairman and that some directors initially questioned how shareholders would react to appointing Mitchell chairman. Mitchell also expressed some reluctance, according to the source, who said the board ultimately believed he was “the best man for the job.” The shareholder vote culminated several weeks of bitter campaigning by Eisner’s backers and his chief detractors, former directors Roy Disney and Stanley Gold. The two sides spent millions of dollars wooing large institutions and small shareholders. Many stockholders, who feel the company’s legendary reputation and economic vitality has been tarnished by bad management moves, latched onto the grass-roots campaign that began with a modest “SaveDisney” Web site created by Gold and Roy Disney. Company executives badly miscalculated the potential strength of the movement, which drew momentum from the timing of two major blows: the breakup of the prosperous relationship between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios as well as the unsolicited takeover bid by cable giant Comcast Corp. On Wednesday, Comcast executives said they would not sweeten their bid but did ask to meet with Disney’s independent directors, those who do not hold management jobs in the company. Comcast said the vote against Eisner and Mitchell showed that shareholders believed Disney would be better served by new owners. The board’s decision to replace Eisner as chairman followed a shareholder gathering that, for the first time, brought together the combatants. In some ways, the meeting resembled a cross between a bitter political convention and a family picnic. More than 3,000 shareholders walked past 75 giant Mickey Mouse statues while a Donald Duck danced to “Beauty and the Beast” with Cinderella through the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Inside the Grand Hall the tone took a harder edge. At one point, Disney turned the floor over to Gold and Disney. Eisner watched as the two blistered him with criticism and urged that he be fired. Shareholders greeted the two with whoops, with a large number givsee DISNEY, page 9
PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004
Haiti Secretary of State Roger Noriega said that while the United States cannot choose which foreign governments it must deal with, “we do have to decide where we put American lives at risk,” and should not put them in danger “merely to keep (governments) in power a little bit longer.” The choice should be based on “whether we think it’s a viable, sustainable investment for American foreign policy,” Noriega said. He also described Aristide as “not a reliable person.” While dropping support for Aristide, the administration has said it does not believe the rebels should have a role in Haiti’s future government. Some among Philippe’s Front for the Liberation of Haiti are convicted killers and war crimes suspects from previous regimes, and international human rights agencies have been demanding their arrest and prosecution. Philippe was summoned to the residence of Ambassador James Foley early Wednesday and told to make good on his pledges to disarm and depart Port-au-Prince as soon as Aristide was driven from power. Marine Col. Mark Gurganus also conferred with Philippe. “We asked him to honor what he said he would do and lay down his weapons,” said Gurganus, who met with Philippe for about 10 minutes. “I asked him to help contribute to the stability and I will tell you I was very happy with his response. I think he’ll be a man of honor, and I think he’ll do what he said.” Philippe, who just a day earlier had proclaimed himself commandant of a resurrected Haitian army, said his group would bow out of the capital now that troops of the multina-
tional security force are deployed and have promised to protect the Haitian people. “We have decided to lay down our arms,” a subdued Philippe told journalists at a hotel that has been his base. “The Front from now on has no men patrolling the streets.” Philippe said his men would turn their arms over to interim President Bonifant Alexandre, the former Supreme Court chief justice sworn in three hours after Aristide departed, but it was unclear when. After several days in which the Marines said they had no mandate to protect Haitians from violence, Gurganus said Wednesday that he had committed foreign forces to stepped-up patrolling of Port-au-Prince. Marines rolled out of the National Palace grounds in Humvees to survey the rubblestrewn downtown area, where private businesses have been looted and burned by proAristide gunmen and slumdwellers have swarmed behind them to grab goods in the gangsters’ wake. The multinational troops have orders to protect foreign nationals, diplomatic property, some key Haitian government installations and citizens who are at risk of bodily harm. But Gurganus said they have no mandate to disarm either the rebels or pro-Aristide gunmen. “I’m not interested in who’s got the weapons. I’m interested in everyone who’s got weapons,” said the Marine commander. “We’re not interested in choosing sides.” Despite the more active stance of international forces, looting continued at the capital’s ransacked port and an industrial park. A gun battle broke out in Port-au-Prince’s La Saline slum in the late morning between rebels and armed supporters of Aristide when the former attempted to disarm the
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anced attack on offense. With the departure of AllAmerican Jon Thompson ’03, Brown’s 15th all-time leading scorer, the Bears are looking to Towers, Mucciolo, Tuohey and others to fill the gap and return the Bears to the postseason. The Bears continue their season this weekend against the University of Vermont before coming home to host the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on March 20.
their sixth in eight years. Of course, this had a lot to do with the return of Michael Jordan, who led his team to championships like he was leading William “Refrigerator” Perry to the buffet line. Was Jordan’s subsequent departure the last straw for the East? Yes, along with Larry Bird’s in 1992, Isiah Thomas’ in 1994, Moses Malone’s in 1995 and Joe Dumars’ in 1999, among others. Really, it’s indisputable. Before 1998, the East won eight of the previous 10 NBA championships. After 1998? None. The reason is, the players were gone. Why didn’t they reload on new talent? That’s easy. Let’s take a look at the 1998 draft. First there was bad luck. Of the top five picks, four went to the West. Then there was stupidity. Toronto, of the East, got a great player in Antawn Jamison, but traded him instead to the West’s Golden State Warriors. The same story goes for Bonzi Wells in Detroit and Dirk Nowitzki in Milwaukee, who went to Portland and Dallas, respectively. The rest of the East’s picks were just terrible, especially Chicago’s attempt to replace the gaping hole left by Jordan: Corey
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Herald staff writer Bernie Gordon ’07 is an assistant sports editor and covers men’s lacrosse. He can be reached at bgordon@browndailyherald.com.
latter. While the chaos that has prevailed in much of Haiti prevented any accurate count of victims since the rebel uprising began Feb. 5, officials at the capital’s morgue said they had received 30 corpses since Sunday, when the body count was thought to number over 100. As Aristide gunmen have destroyed businesses and led the capital’s poor on wanton looting sprees, business owners had welcomed the rebels as the only force capable of containing the lawlessness. “Originally there was the belief that we could legitimize this,” businessman Andre Apaid said of the rebels. “It was made clear that everybody needs help (protecting their property), but we wanted his movement to answer to civilian authority.” The only remaining vestiges of Aristide’s government are Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and a handful of Cabinet members in hiding for fear of rebel reprisals. On Wednesday, Neptune declared a “state of emergency,” though it was unclear what that would entail given that the government has been able to exert almost no control on the streets. The first step toward seating a new prime minister and Cabinet was taken late Wednesday, when the former president’s Lavalas Party and opposition political forces both named their representatives to a three-member commission that will next choose a seven-member Council of Sages. The commission also includes a U.N. official designated by the international community. Alexandre, the commission and the council will then name a prime minister to replace Neptune and a new Cabinet to govern together with the sages until presidential and parliamentary elections can be organized.
Benjamin, whose four-year career has come to a close after topping out at a whopping 7.7 points per game. It’s a vicious cycle. Besides draft day, the only way to get better players is to sign premier free agents, and premier free agents go to teams that have money and win. The money and wins, in turn, tend to go wherever the premier free agents land. Since this cycle is self-perpetuating, the East remains with nothing and the West goes on shopping sprees. Sure, general managers in the East have not always been wrong since 1998. They’ve had the occasional superstar — Tracy McGrady in Orlando and Allen Iverson in Philly, for example — but they haven’t had the cash or gumption to surround them with others, with the possible exception of Indiana. Can the East turn it around? Sure it can. The conference is bad enough that top draft picks for the next several years should keep going to Eastern teams. But if Eastern teams keep making terminal mistakes and don’t keep their few superstars happy, it just won’t happen. Andrew Tobolowsky ’07 thinks this column will make you like him.
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9
Election continued from page 5 sounding much like former rival Howard Dean by pitching his campaign Web site and urging donors to chip in “$10, $50, $100.” “I need your help. I need you to work,” Kerry pleaded. “If we get a million people to take part in this ... we can fight back and reclaim our democracy.” Later, the campaign
Ruth continued from page 7 ing them a standing ovation. “Shareholders have waited too long and have spoken too clearly,” Gold said. “Michael Eisner must leave now.” When Roy Disney took the stage he glanced at Eisner, then all but dared the executive to
Veterans continued from page 7 Catlett said the lower staffing levels proposed in the budget assume an increase in productivity by VA employees. “We clearly have a responsibility to get more productive,” he said. The more contentious issue involves the VA’s sprawling health care system. The budget calls for spending $29.5 billion for veterans’ health care in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, a 4.2 percent increase over current spending. But critics in the veterans’ organizations say the budget would effectively cut health care spending because about $2.4 billion of the total would come not from congressional appropriations but from fees and other charges collected from third parties and from veterans themselves. Under the budget, some veterans would have to pay $250 a year to use the VA health care system; their co-payments for a 30-day supply of a prescription drug would also more than double, from $7 to $15. The proposed changes would affect only the veterans with no service-related health problems whose relative high income places them in the two lowest priority classifications.
announced that Kerry had raised $1.2 million on the Internet in a period of less than 24 hours after he effectively clinched the Democratic nominating by winning nine of 10 socalled “Super Tuesday” states. The Kerry campaign declared that a record, topping Dean’s best 24-hour performance by more than $400,000. Soon after arriving in Florida, Kerry announced that Jim Johnson, a banker, Washington civic leader and former aide to
Vice President Walter Mondale, would oversee his search for a running mate. Kerry said he expected the process to take several weeks; he has until the nominating convention in July to make a choice. Kerry aides, meantime, met with staffers of the Democratic National Committee to discuss plans to integrate the party’s operations with Kerry’s campaign. One change could be a reduced role for the party’s chairman, Terry McAuliffe.
stop him from talking beyond the allotted 15 minutes the two were told they could have. “I don’t care what the current management may tell you,” Disney said. “The plain fact is, you can’t fool all the people all of time, nor can you succeed in business trying to get by on the cheap.” Eisner and Disney executives defended the company during
their lengthy presentations, although they acknowledged that ABC’s prime-time ratings have been a disappointment, as have Disney’s retail stores, many of which are now for sale. But Eisner sought to present an upbeat message overall. “Your company has the management skill and the creative talent to continue on its growth trajectory,” he said.
VA officials estimate that the new “user fee” would produce about $268 million a year and that the higher pharmacy copayment would add about $135 million a year in revenue. They also project that these higher costs will prompt about 200,000 of the affected veterans to drop out of the system and get their health care elsewhere. John McNeill, deputy director of the VFW, credited the Bush administration with increasing the VA’s health care budget during the last few years. But, he added, “just as they are getting close (to the needed level of spending), this proposal retrogrades everything. It doesn’t even take care of the inflation factor.” Linda Bennett, AFGE’s legislative director, was equally critical of the proposed cuts in nursing home care, which she said would reduce the number of full-time VA nursing home beds to 37 percent below the level set in law by Congress in 1998. She said the VA has been trying to move more veterans into staterun nursing homes and “noninstitutional” settings, such as home health care programs. “I look at it as a signal that the VA would like to get out of the business of taking care of veterans in their old age,” Bennett said. But Catlett said long-term
care at home is usually “better and preferred” to a nursing home, and that the VA is directly or indirectly providing longterm care to more veterans than ever. “We’re trying to get the right balance,” he said. “There will always be VA nursing homes.” Catlett also said the user fee and higher co-payments for the lowest priority veterans would help the department pay for its core mission — to care for lowincome veterans, especially those with service-related health problems. Last year, Congress rejected a similar proposal for a user fee and higher co-payments, and it may do so again. But the congressional debate will almost certainly become embroiled in presidential politics as Bush and his Democratic opponent vie for the allegiance of veterans. Bob Wallace, executive director of the VFW’s Washington office, said even veterans who would not be affected by the budget proposals “hear that their comrades are affected by it, and it bothers them.” Whether that will hurt Bush in the fall is unclear, but American Legion National Commander John Brieden said: “This sure doesn’t help him. The PR on this is not good. I expect the Democrats ... to beat Bush over the head with this.”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 10 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
Fundamental reading College students of the 21st century expect a lot from their schools, including fitness centers, late-night dining, deluxe living facilities and a wide variety of extracurricular activities. But these are all perks — the core function of the university is to educate, and the primary tools of education can be found in libraries. Or at least, they should be. At Brown, the libraries’ acquisition budget is inadequate to meet all of Brown’s needs, given the high costs of academic literature and the high caliber of scholarship. Library administrators hope this shortfall can be ameliorated by the upcoming capital campaign, but considering Brown’s history of shortchanging its libraries, we are not confident the collection will get the attention it so desperately needs. Consistently denying the libraries the resources they need has created problems no other improvements can undo. The collection’s size is smaller than at many of Brown’s peer institutions, and the recent thinness of the acquisitions budget means the collection is also older. We can’t do cutting-edge work without access to cutting-edge information. The University’s collection of foreign-language resources is among its major weaknesses — it cannot expect to cultivate tolerance and worldliness among its students if it doesn’t give them the tools to study works from other cultures in their original form. Participation in consortium lending programs gives students access to more resources, but being able to request books from other universities is not the same as having a stronger collection here. And the libraries rarely have more than one copy of most books — a problem when students who take classes together also research together. The value of further academic enrichment is diminished when Brown’s resources can’t keep up its institutional growth. The University’s Plan for Academic Enrichment calls for new classes across departments, but there’s no point in adding classes if the library cannot also add relevant books to its collection. Brown can be a great university without a student center or a concert hall. It already is. For that matter, it could still be a university without dormitories or dining facilities. But without a strong library it is nothing more than a collection of people striving to know more than their school can tell them.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Juliette Wallack, Editor-in-Chief Carla Blumenkranz, Executive Editor Philissa Cramer, Executive Editor Julia Zuckerman, Senior Editor Danielle Cerny, Arts & Culture Editor Meryl Rothstein, Arts & Culture Editor Zachary Barter, Campus Watch Editor Monique Meneses, Features Editor Sara Perkins, Metro Editor Dana Goldstein, RISD News Editor Alex Carnevale, Opinions Editor Ben Yaster, Opinions Editor Christopher Hatfield, Sports Editor PRODUCTION Lisa Mandle, Design Editor George Haws, Copy Desk Chief Eddie Ahn, Graphics Editor Judy He, Photo Editor Nick Neely, Photo Editor
BUSINESS John Carrere, General Manager Lawrence Hester, General Manager Anastasia Ali, Executive Manager Zoe Ripple, Executive Manager Elias Vale Roman, Senior Project Manager In Young Park, Project Manager Peter Schermerhorn, Project Manager Laird Bennion, Project Manager Bill Louis, Senior Financial Officer Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Elyse Major, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager POST- MAGAZINE Ellen Wernecke, Editor-in-Chief Jason Ng, Executive Editor Micah Salkind, Executive Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor Josh Cohen, Design Editor Allison Lombardo, Features Editor Jeremy Beck, Film Editor Jessica Weisberg, Film Editor Ray Sylvester, Music Editor
Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk, Night Editor Amy Ruddle, Melanie Wolfgang, Copy Editors Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Elise Baran, Alexandra Barsk, Zachary Barter, Hannah Bascom, Danielle Cerny, Robbie Corey-Boulet, Lexi Costello, Ian Cropp, Sam Culver, Gabriella Doob, Jonathan Ellis, Justin Elliott, Amy Hall Goins, Dana Goldstein, Bernard Gordon, Aron Gyuris, Krista Hachey, Chris Hatfield, Jonathan Herman, Miles Hovis, Masha Kirasirova, Robby Klaber, Kate Klonick, Alexis Kunsak, Sarah LaBrie, Hanyen Lee, Kira Lesley, Matt Lieber, Allison Lombardo, Chris Mahr, Lisa Mandle, Craig McGowan, Jonathan Meachin, Monique Meneses, Kavita Mishra, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Sheela Raman, Meryl Rothstein, Michael Ruderman, Marco Santini, Jen Sopchockchai, Lela Spielberg, Stefan Talman, Joshua Troy, Schuyler von Oeyen, Jessica Weisberg, Brett Zarda Accounts Managers Daniel Goldberg, Mark Goldberg, Victor Griffin, Matt Kozar, Natalie Ho, Ian Halvorsen, Sarena Snider Pagination Staff Peter Henderson, Lisa Mandle, Alex Palmer Photo Staff Gabriella Doob, Benjamin Goddard, Marissa Hauptman, Judy He, Jonathan Herman, Miyako Igari, Allison Lombardo, Elizabeth MacLennan, Nicholas Neely, Michael Neff, Alex Palmer, Yun Shou Tee, Sorleen Trevino Copy Editors Katie Lamm, Asad Reyaz, Amy Ruddle, Brian Schmalzbach, Melanie Wolfgang
SHANE WILKERSON
LETTERS Comic insensitive to waterfowl and immigrants
Halperin column sadly reflective of Brown ignorance
To the Editor:
To the Editor:
Blathering Blatherskite! Wednesday’s “My Best Effort” offered humor based only in ignorance. The comic, which poked fun at Duck Tales‚ was clearly intended to draw amusement from former fans of the show, but I do not see how any fan of Duck Tales (or the comics by Carl Barks upon which it was based) could have found the comic amusing. In defense of Uncle Scrooge, allow me to answer some of the questions Newman and Goralnik raise in the comic. First, why doesn’t Scrooge put his money in cash? Scrooge McDuck was a destitute Scottish immigrant who faced adversity to build a fortune in the United States. Scrooge worked hard for every penny he earned, and he loved each penny. The idea of trading in the fruits of his labor for simple cash merely reflects the danger of alienation inherent in our capitalist system. Second, why not put the money in a bank? As I mentioned above, a bank would turn his real money into electronic statistics, alienating him from the fruits of his labor and taking away the purpose in his life. Finally, Newman and Goralnik ask, why did this show make so much sense as a kid? The answer is obvious. Scrooge was a duck who loved his money and connected with it on a deeply personal level. He represented the antithesis of our disconnected capitalist world, where the fruits of our labor have no meaning beyond their monetary value. He was a beautiful duck.
Anthony Halperin’s column (“Lies the Viva-Buxton crowd told me,” March 2) reflects the prevailing attitudes at Brown. Being international aroused curiosity from my classmates, but most queries were on the level of “are there polar bears in Helsinki?” (Yes, in the zoo.) As a recent immigrant I remembered the difficulty of transition and studying in a new language and offered support to those who had just come over. Emergence of friendship because of a shared experience of immigration is obvious. For the few internationals at Brown, being scattered amongst the units gave the opportunity to meet a variety of people. Some Americans cherished the friendships down the hall; others laughed at our accents. For the first time in my life I found in Buxton a group of people with origins as diverse as my own who can share common experiences. Not everyone in Buxton is international: rather half are Americans. Nonetheless, if you are wondering about Kashmir, you can walk down the hall and have an Indian and a Pakistani amicably talk you through it, an experience difficult to find elsewhere. Viva remains a mysterious entity to many Brown students. I recommend to the mystified ones to go in there and see it for yourself. It is a restaurant-bar with dancing just like Max’s. It is where some people go, as others go to Max’s. However, I have never heard anyone being harassed on Thayer Street for going to Max’s. I have been harassed on my way to Viva with “See he’s going to Viva, all the rich euro-trash go there to do coke.” Factually, the average international is wealthier than the average American. A demographic fact, since the University gives very limited financial aid to internationals. By your and your parents donations to the Annual Fund and the Fund for International Advancement you can ensure that this injustice does not persist.
Matthew Lawrence ’06 March 3
Jyri Wilska ’04 Former Vice President, Buxton International House March 2
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
OPINIONS THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 11
LAURA MARTIN
The changing American family The astute political commentators of “Family Guy” once used Peter Griffin as their mouthpiece, stating “Hey Lois, it's the two symbols of the Republican Party; an elephant and a guy that's afraid of change!” Memo to my beloved Republican Party: Hurrah for pro-life. Tax cuts? Excellent idea. Private health care — you rock my world. Using a constitutional gay marriage ban as a platform issue in the 2004 campaign? Hold on a minute… President Bush has adopted the Federal Marriage Amendment proposed by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (RColo.). In response Patrick Guerriero, leader of the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest gay organization in the GOP, states, “We don't want history to record that we stood silent when our president and our party tried to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution.” Until this point, Bush had the support of many gay Republicans. Despite pressure from social conservatives, he did not rescind Clinton’s executive orders baring employment discrimination against homosexuals. Bush also appointed homosexuals to many prominent and mid-level positions, including Michael Guest as ambassador to Romania. The turning point in the administration’s attitude came in November, when the Supreme Court overturned a Texas sodomy law in the case Lawrence v. Texas. Evangelical Christians placed extreme pressure on the administration to intervene. Opponents of gay marriage list three major arguments: Marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman for procreation, gay parents cannot raise children in a normal environment and gay couples are more likely to separate. All of these arguments tie into the definition of family.
It is the societal tradition of the United States that defines marriage as a monogamous union between a man and a woman. Contrary to common opinion, this tradition has not remained stagnant and unchanging throughout history. In his article “The gay marriage myth” (Feb. 26) Stephen Beale wrote, “The institution of the marriage has been the one social constant that has survived the fall of the Roman Empire, barbarian invasions, the disorder of feudalism and tumult of modern social and political revolutions.” This worldview ignores the various definitions
Republicans who value family should choose marriage for all. that marriage has embodied. Which “institution of marriage” has survived the ages? Is it polygamous marriage, concubines, extended family units living in the same household, religious unions, divorce bans, legal unions, incestual unions, dowries or arranged marriages? Marriage has had many modes, each legitimate in its respective time period. It is the importance of family that has remained constant. Marriage of the 21st century is not the marriage of our grandparents. The sexual revolution and the proliferation of birth control pills in the 1960s increased the acceptance of premarital sexual relationships.
The threat of potential pregnancy became less of a reason to pursue marriage. Increasing college attendance rates have also pushed back the age of marriage and family-rearing. Technology and the career-oriented attitude of contemporary society have glorified independence and de-emphasized the family. The skyrocketing of divorce rates supports this theory. For every two marriages in the 1990s, there was one divorce. Finally a movement exists in which the family is emphasized and valued: the movement for gay marriage rights. By rejecting the notion of gay and lesbian families, the Republican Party undermines the very thing in which they are fighting for — the renaissance of the American family. Republicans are not the only opposition — a Los Angeles Times poll reported that 43 percent of Californian Democrats support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Bush and many politicians on both sides of the aisle would rather have a child remain in an orphanage than be adopted by a gay couple who have exchanged wedding vows — yet they claim to value the family. Marriage in the 21st century has become a secular tradition. There are two very different aspects to marriage: There is the religious sacrament, and there are the legal benefits. The Church, as a private institution, has the obvious right to restrict marriage in whatever manner it deems appropriate. The state, however, must extend the civil aspect of marriage to ensure equlaity for every citizen. Laura Martin ’06 is one of many awaiting the return of “Family Guy” to the airwaves in 2005.
RACHEL MARSHALL
And like that — poof, they’re gone! Ten years ago, Brown sent a delegation of 400 students to Washington, D.C., to march in support of women’s rights. This year, as activists from around the country prepare for what is being billed as the largest rally in history in support of women’s reproductive rights, the list of Brown students committed to attending consists of a whopping 38 names. This dramatic drop in the number of students interested in supporting choice issues reveals that our generation takes reproductive rights for granted. Students should not be so apathetic. In three years in office, the Bush administration has delivered the clear message that women’s reproductive rights in this country are anything but secure. We all know about the partial-birth abortion ban that passed this past year, and most of us have seen the disturbing photograph of the president signing this legislation into law, surrounded by grinning white, male congressmen. For many, the photograph solidified the terrifying truth that male political leaders were attempting to control women’s bodies, as the legislation prohibited the procedure misleadingly known as “partial birth abortion” from ever being performed, even in cases where the health of the woman is in danger. This past week another damaging bill passed the House, further endangering the security of a woman’s right to choose. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act has been proposed in Congress for years, but it was only after pregnant Laci Peterson was murdered that the bill gained some much-needed momentum to pass by a vote of 254 to 163. Now referred to as “Laci and Conner’s Law” in memory of Peterson and her unborn child, the act increases the penalties inflicted on anyone who assaults a woman and either hurts or aborts her fetus. According to the legislation, the assailant would be indicted and tried for committing a crime against the fetus.
The conspicuous and admitted goal of this bill is to grant the fetus personhood. Should the bill pass into law, it would set precedent for denying women access to abortions, as the fetus would gain increasing legal status. A counter bill — one that would have heightened penalties for inflicting violence on a woman that results in the loss of her pregnancy without granting the fetus personhood status — failed by a vote of 229186. More troubling still are the Federal Drug Administration’s delays in offering emergency contraception over the counter. Despite the fact that emergency contraception — essentially a larger dose of birth control pills — is already available over the
Abortion rights taken for granted might disappear. counter in five states and is safer than aspirin, the FDA has pushed back its decision. This is no doubt due to political pressure from the right, who claim that making the pill over the counter will increase teenage promiscuity. Yet emergency contraception becomes less and less effective the later it is used after unprotected sex. Forcing women to wait for doctors to grant them prescriptions only increases the number of unplanned pregnancies. Finally, there is the panic over our federal courts. Bush has continuously appointed radically conservative, anti-choice judges to open benches, and, of course, we are all still fearfully anticipating a poten-
tial Supreme Court vacancy. As soon as one of the several justices who is contemplating retirement actually leaves, Bush is likely to appoint an anti-choice justice to the most important court we have. Roe v. Wade is supported by a slim 5-4 marginal vote. Should Bush get his nominee, it is more than possible that this precious decision could be overturned. According to a report by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization, an estimated 43 percent of American women will have had an abortion due to an unplanned pregnancy by the age of 45. Many of us take our reproductive rights for granted, believing that Roe v. Wade has permanently secured our access to abortions, contraceptives and the right to control our own bodies. As a result, we are decidedly apathetic about fighting for reproductive rights. The times have changed, however. We can no longer merely look the other way and hope that when we turn back around most of what we once had will still remain. That is why, on April 25, more than one million men and women are expected to go to Washington, D.C., to rally in support of women’s reproductive rights at the March for Women’s Lives. If you cannot attend the march, please consider donating to help send other Brown students to the march (e-mail march@brown.edu), or ask your parents to consider helping us out. Of course it is easier to pretend that we will all continue to have access to our reproductive rights. But it is time for our generation to stand up and demonstrate that we will never go back. Rachel Marshall ’04 can guarantee that she will be both drunk and pissed off on the bus on the way to D.C. this April.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2004 · PAGE 12
Season opener at Sacred Heart successful for m. lacrosse
Hawks trades show why East is least in NBA
BY BERNIE GORDON
The men’s lacrosse team opened its season Saturday with a 10-5 win at Sacred Heart University. The Bears spread the scoring out among six different players, giving the team a varied attack that Sacred Heart was simply unable to stop. Midfielder Chris Mucciolo ’05 led the way with four goals, and attackman and tri-captain Charles Towers ’04 was close behind with two. “(We want) a more balanced attack this year,” Towers said. “In every sport, unselfish play benefits the team, and (we want to do) whatever we can do to win the games.” The Bears jumped out of the gate with two quick goals from Towers, both assisted by Kyle Wailes ’06. Following a goal by Chazz Woodson ’05, the Bears had a 3-1 lead. Sacred Heart, however, managed to pull back and tie the game at three in the second quarter, flooding the field with 15 shots by the end of the first half. That was the last threat from Sacred Heart, though, as the Bears pulled away early in the third quarter following two goals from Mucciolo — one late in the first half — and one from Britton Derkac ’05. Mucciolo is a “natural midfielder, more comfortable (than as an attackman),” Towers said. “He’s stepped it up considerably and is our best attacking midfielder.” The third-quarter push essentially ended Sacred Heart’s chances of winning the game. Sacred Heart would score twice more, but goals from tricaptain Rich Tuohey ’04 and David Madiera ’07, as well as two more from Mucciolo, kept the Bears ahead. Key to keeping the Pioneers out of reach was goalie and tri-captain Mike Levin ’04. Levin, an All-American, posted 16 saves on the game. His dominance has become a common theme in the Bears’ wins over the past few years. “Mike has been great since his sophomore year, when he first started. He’s one of the best handful of goalies in the nation, and he has no problem stopping most of the shots on goal,” Towers said. The Bears are hoping the momentum will continue as they look to capture their seventh Ivy League title this year and return to the postseason. To accomplish that, Brown has made some changes from last year’s 4-10 team. According to Towers, defense — an area the team struggled with last year — has been completely revamped this year. The team also has a more balsee LACROSSE, page 8
Judy He / Herald
Jeanie Ward-Waller ’04 defends her NYAC opponent during Saturday’s Brown Invitational.The Bears went 2-0, beating Iona College and the University of St. Francis, as well as defeating the New York Athletic Club in overtime 7-6.
W. water polo rebounds from Hartwick loss to sweep Brown Invitational BY ERIC PERLMUTTER
In its first home series of the season, the 18th-ranked women’s water polo team swept the competition at the Brown Invitational last weekend. The Bears defeated Iona College 9-7, the University of St. Francis 15-1 and, in an exhibition match against the New York Athletic Club, pulled out a 7-6 overtime victory. This was a crucial bounce-back for the team after a 7-5 loss to No. 15 Hartwick College a week and a half earlier. The Iona match was close from start to finish, with the Bears holding a one-goal lead until close to the end of the game, when Jackie Parente ’04 scored the insurance goal with a quick re-direct. “We missed a lot of opportunities in that game,” said Head Coach Todd Clapper. “We didn’t really rest for that weekend, so I think in our third game of the day we were pretty beat up.” Although the NYAC game was only an exhibition, the club team composed largely of former collegiate players presented the Bears with their toughest test. The Bears played hard, knowing this match was one of many in preparation for the spring Eastern Championships. “They had a pretty good team, and this was probably the third time this season we’ve been tested,” Clapper said. “It was good to have the overtime win in that game.” Conversely, the game against St. Francis was hardly competitive. In the 15-1 rout, Allison Biner ’06 led the team with three goals, while Claire Angyal ’07, Diana Livermore ’05 and Elizabeth Balassone ’07 netted two apiece. Although the team won its third test of the year, its second one ended less fortu-
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nately. On Feb. 23, the Bears lost to Hartwick, a team of comparable skill that Brown will face later in the season, potentially in the ECAC Championships. “Hartwick came out and got the win,” Clapper said. “They put away their opportunities. We probably had about a quarter and half where we didn’t play up to form, where we kind of gave them the goals, and they kept the lead and ended up winning.” The Bears’ next competition is in a league tournament March 13 at Harvard University. Herald staff writer Eric Perlmutter ’06 is an assistant sports editor and covers women’s water polo. He can be reached at eperlmutter@browndailyherald.com.
THE ATLANTA HAWKS, DRIVEN BY AN insatiable need never to have fans again, determined about a month ago to jettison any talented player on their roster. The Hawks recently traded away S h a r e e f A b d u r ANDREW TOBOLOWSKY Rahim, the TOBO-COP heart of the team, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds over the last couple years; Theo Ratliff, the game’s premier shot-blocker; and Dan Dickau, a talented young point guard with tremendous upside. Who did they get in return? The fanattacking, weed-smoking, profanityexpectorating Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person. This almost made sense, because ’Sheed is at least talented. But then the Hawks sent Wallace to Detroit for Joel Przybilla, Bob Sura and a first round-draft pick. Przybilla and Sura’s stats combined do not even equal either Shareef’s or Rasheed’s. It’s like trading the Ninja Turtles for Shredder and then trading Shredder for My Little Pony and a bag of chips. So the Hawks still have Jason Terry and Stephen Jackson, who will combine each night for about 35 points and some breathtaking ugliness (especially from Stephen “The Lizard Man” Jackson). Any way you scratch it, it’s a weird trade. But in the Eastern Conference? This stuff is par for the course. The Hawks’ trades are simply the latest in a long line of extraordinary masochism dating back to … well, when? Good question. Let’s start with this: When was the last time there was a really good Eastern Conference team? The last time the East won a title was 1997-1998, when the Chicago Bulls won the last of their three consecutive titles, see EAST, page 8
Gymnastics squad exceeds expectations at Ivy League Classic BY BROOKE WOLFE
The gymnastics team earned third place out of four teams competing at the Ivy League Classic Sunday. The Bears tallied 193.500 points, below the University of Pennsylvania’s 194.175 and Yale University’s 193.75. Although all Division I schools are rivals, the teams showed a more competitive edge this weekend while competing against Ivy schools. Brown came into the meet seeded fourth and remained in that position after three out of the four rotations were completed. But by the end of the competition Brown was ahead of Cornell University, always a close rival. Despite not coming out at the top, the Bears were able to finish ahead of what they had expected. Co-captain Jayne Finst ’04 won the Ivy Title in the all-around competition with a score of 39.175 and placed first in the beam with a 9.825. Gina Verge ’04 placed third in the all-around with a score of 38.925 while earning second place on the floor with a personal record score of
9.900. Some younger Brown gymnasts also helped boost the team’s overall score, enabling the Bears to defeat Cornell. Jessica McNell ’06 took sixth place in the vault with a score of 9.725, and Melissa Forziat ’05 tied for fifth with teammate Verge on the beam with a score of 9.625. Throughout the season, the Bears have always looked better conditioned than their competitors. To increase the Bears’ fitness during the fall, Head Coach Sara Carver had her team up by 7 a.m. for cardiovascular training and weight training twice a week. During the season, the team has tapered its training but still continued with intense strength training in the gym to give it the extra edge. “Training involves more than just gymnastics,” Carver said earlier in the season. “It is a combination of all their cardiovascular and strength training that adds to their superb physical fitness.” The Bears will travel to Rhode Island College Friday to compete against RIC and Springfield University.