Thursday, March 11, 2004 by The Brown Daily Herald

T H U R S D A Y MARCH 11, 2004

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 30

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

Transgender students to get genderneutral dorm option

Program on slavery and justice to examine U’s slave ties BY MICHAEL RUDERMAN

“There are many issues that create a divide,” Provost said. The two groups had entirely different experiences within the slave system, he said. While Caribbean Americans dealt with slavery as a class issue, African American slavery was racially driven. This disparity led to differences in group identity and morality, he said. Provost said he based his claims on both academic research and personal experience. Some participants challenged Provost’s conclusions, particularly those concerning moral character and family values. Provost said he believed that a less “deeply religious” culture makes African Americans more likely, for example, to use profanity when talking to parents. Fisher opposed this claim, saying

The University plans to launch a twoyear program of campus events addressing issues of slavery and justice. Official announcement of the program, which will also address Brown’s connection to the slave trade, is expected any day, said Associate Professor of American Civilization James Campbell, chair of the newly formed Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. The committee, formed last spring at the request of President Ruth Simmons, has been charged with helping the nation and the Brown community think deeply about the national debate about slavery and reparations, said Campbell, who also has appointments in the departments of History and Africana Studies. Slave reparations came into the spotlight on campus in the spring of 2001, after an anti-reparations advertisement created by conservative provocateur David Horowitz ran in The Herald. Campbell said the committee was not formed in response to the on-campus reparations controversy. But the committee does not want dialogue to focus exclusively on the topic of monetary reparations for descendants of African-American slaves, Campbell said. Scheduled events will include discussions of the Holocaust, JapaneseAmerican internment during World War II, Native American land claims and other issues of racial and ethnic injustice, he said. “I think it’s going to be one of the most visible things that goes on on this campus in the next few years,” Campbell said.

see DISCUSSION, page 7

see SLAVERY, page 7

BY ALEXANDRA BARSK

For the first time, transgender students entering Brown next fall will have the option of living with students of the gender with which they identify. Gender-neutral housing will allow transgender students — who identify with a gender different from their biological sex — as well as transgender allies to check a box on a revised housing questionnaire, indicating their interest in living in gender-blind housing. Incoming students will also be given the options of living on single-sex halls, with an upperclassman or in substance-free housing. The housing questionnaire will be accompanied by a letter from the Office of Residential Life describing the different types of housing available and noting that further information will be provided on the ResLife Web site, according to Director of Housing Richard Bova. Bova said he wants students to know that “we understand what people’s needs are and we’re receptive and responsive to that.” Bova said “no final plan has been put into place” concerning the location and setup of the gender-neutral housing. ResLife will most likely continue discussions into the summer, when the office will be able to determine the extent of incoming students’ interest in gender-neutral housing, he said. Claire Caleshu ’06, who worked with Luke Woodward ’04 to implement genderneutral housing, said the current plan is to have gender-neutral-designated doubles sprinkled throughout first-year units and, she said, “the counselors of those units will ostensibly receive particular training about the needs of transgender students.” The gender-neutral doubles will most likely be located on the Pembroke Campus, where there are single-use, lockable bathrooms that are not gender-designated, according to Interim Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services David Greene. Because there is no requirement that incoming students identify themselves as transgender on the housing questionnaire, this system will not necessarily result in two transgender students living together, according to ResCouncil Chairman Jesse Goodman ’04. This approach does not exclude many first-years for whom gender-neutral housing could be a good living situation, Woodward said, and might be a desirable option for queer or gender-deviant students who do not necessarily identify as transgender or for students who want to be “allies.” This system has the potential to result see TRANSGENDER, page 4

Paul Levande / Herald

André Thompson ‘05,Sheldon Provost GS and Kimberly Matthews ‘06 discussed Caribbean American and African American experiences Wednesday night.

Caribbean American and African American experiences are different, discussion participants say BY ROBBIE COREY-BOULET

Students debated the differences between the Caribbean American and African American experience during a discussion last night in Memorial Lounge, with many participants questioning whether these differences actually exist in American culture. Six students participated in the talk, facilitated by Kimberly Matthews ’06 and Lilla Fisher ’06, who were asked to lead the discussion as part of Caribbean Heritage Week. Poor attendance forced the group to switch from the planned “fishbowl” format to informal discussion. Under the original format, Caribbean American and African American students would participate in separate discussions before combining in a final round. Sheldon Provost GS opened the discussion with a rundown of perceived differences between the two groups.

UCS discusses same-sex marriage, club sports, storage The Undergraduate Council of Students held internal elections, discussed the drafting of a resolution on same-sex marriages and clarified the likely status of club sports and summer storage space at its Wednesday meeting. Campus Life Committee Chair Ari Savitzky ’06 noted a discussion UCS plans to have with Director of Housing Richard Bova and Dean for Campus Life Margaret Jablonski in the coming weeks. The purpose, Savitzky told The Herald, is to explore imminent plans to eliminate free storage on campus. “The decision to eliminate storage was due largely to budget restraints and various liability issues,” Savitzky said. The administration plans to provide transportation between campus and a local storage site, he added. The University of Rhode Island’s Student Senate recently passed a state-

ment endorsing two bills in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The legislation sparked talk at the UCS meeting about the possibility of passing a similar statement. Admissions and Student Services Chair Sonia Gupta ’06 emphasized the timeliness of the issue and the need for the council to take a stand. “This is a big issue, and passing a resolution is crucial, especially given the affirmative action resolution we passed last year … and the fact that both the Rhode Island legislature and URI are looking at this,” she said. “This is an issue that relates to us at Brown and the local community we live in.” Executive members of UCS met with the Student Athletic Advisory Board recently to discuss the reinvigoration of school spirit. “We’re trying to develop a

Student Alliance discusses 24-hour studio access, departmental reps risd news, page 3

Sneaker critique for the Brown student, straight from a footwear fiend post-, inside

core fan group base to bring more pride in the University through athletics,” said UCS President Rahim Kurji ’05. He added that the recent meeting marked the first time UCS had engaged in dialogue with SAAB and that a liaison between the two groups is under consideration. Student Activities Chair Rob Montz ’05 announced that support for club sports will most likely fall under the purview of the Athletic Department. “We are in the process of forming a task force and checking mechanism to ensure that the department doesn’t go willy-nilly and neglect sports that have a demand,” he said. Montz said the exact mechanism for prioritizing clubs and protecting them has not taken definite shape and that see UCS, page 7

W E AT H E R F O R E C A S T

I N S I D E T H U R S D AY, M A RC H 1 1 , 2 0 0 4 Becky Fong RISD ’05 receives prestigious grant for artwork in community risd news, page 3

www.browndailyherald.com

Stephen Beale ’04 says “The Passion” is criticized for things other movies aren’t column, page 11

Three w., two m. squash players qualify for national tournament sports, page 12

THURSDAY

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FRIDAY

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS VISIONS AND VOICES FOR RETHINKING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: NEW TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN THE CONTEXTS OF SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT 12:30 p.m. (Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute) — A symposium presented by the Watson International Scholars of the Environment.

PRESIDENT SIMMONS: KEYNOTE PANEL 7 p.m. (Salomon 101) — Kickoff for the Responsible Leadership Forum, moderated by president Ruth Simmons. Panelists include Robert Reich, President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, Alan Hassenfeld, CEO of Hasbro, and Pedro Rodriguez, Chairman of RI Foundation.

Four Years Eddie Ahn

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — Vegetarian Corn Chowder, Chicken Vegetable Soup, Hot Beef Stir Fry, Hot Ham on Bulky Roll, Pasta Primavera, Hot & Spicy Vegetables, Raspberry Squares, Chocolate Cherry, Upside Down Cake, Apple Pie.

LUNCH — Vegetarian Cream of Mushroom Soup, Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Creole Mixed Vegetables, Raspberry Squares.

DINNER — Breakfast for Dinner.

My Best Effort Will Newman and Nate Goralnik

PUZZLES Some of Jimmy’s favorite foods include Macintosh apples, blueberries, tomatoes and bananas. In fact, he only eats foods based on one criterion. Cynthia asks Jimmy if he wants to eat Granny Smith apples or a lemon for a snack. Jimmy asks for the lemon. Why?

Porkchop Sandwiches Nate Saunders

(Answer at bottom of page) BY VEER BHAVNAGRI ACROSS 1 Coleridge’s “sacred river” 5 Reagan cabinet member 9 Pops the question 13 Get set to drive 15 Baseball’s Moises 16 Chase away 17 Hawthorne novel, with “The” 19 Dandy 20 Skills 21 Actress Swanson 23 Not in operation 26 Treasury Dept. bureau 27 Cast doubt upon 28 IV flowers 30 “Smooth Operator” singer 31 Pompous sort 34 Gives temporarily 35 “Guess again!” 37 Makeup may cover it 38 Sing like Bing 39 Kon-Tiki Museum site 40 Words before “of a pen” or “of ten” 42 Show fear 43 Slender fish 44 Jeweler Lalique 45 Bully’s dare 46 Malibu, for one 48 Distress signal 49 Med. center VIPs 50 United Kingdom territory until 1957 52 Christopher Robin’s friend 53 Anemia treatment 54 Shower alternative 60 Dispute 61 Draped garment 62 “Life is much too important...to talk seriously about it” author 63 3-D movies et al. 64 Big boss

65 It follows the first word of 17- and 54-Across, and 10- and 25-Down DOWN 1 Bill issuer 2 Open field 3 Part of rpm 4 Busy airport 5 Sword grips 6 Mournful cry 7 Marker 8 “A better man than I am,” to Kipling 9 __ Martin 10 Kind of test 11 Annan of the UN 12 Sectional, maybe 14 Textile patterns 18 Makes a mistake 22 Property claim 23 Recently 24 Slender spire 25 Storm chaser’s observation 27 Lake near Carson City 29 Mid month date 1

30 Add fuel to 32 Heavy 33 Places to shop 35 Unexpected outcome 36 Wacky one 38 Deep fissure 41 Low card 42 Nut from the tropics 45 Synthesizer name

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: U S D A P H I L S O M E W A S P E G A R G E R E I N D O D S B O P A C U T B U R Y B L I P L A N E E R A S

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Y A W K W H E Y L A Y A T S P H E T A V O W L E N O T R E E

Hopeless Edwin Chang

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47 Shipmates 48 Seattle NBAer 50 Annoy 51 Scope 52 Small opening 55 Peaceful period 56 Pen name 57 Pie __ mode 58 Videotape maker 59 Tee follower

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Answer: He eats only foods that are red, yellow or blue — the three primary colors. A lemon, of course, is yellow, and Granny Smith apples are green.

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RISD NEWS THUSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 3

Fong RISD ’05 earns grant to explore the art of books

Student Alliance plans for meeting with Mandle, forms committee to review 24hour studio space

BY DANA GOLDSTEIN

BY ALEXIS KUNSAK

Becky Fong RISD ’05 loves books. “I love hands-on process work,” said Fong, a graphics design major who is also vice president of the Student Alliance and a COMMUNITY SERVICE residential advisor. “A book can be a generalAT RISD: ized idea because it has the first of two profiles to be bound — it’s something that has to be read. But especially when you add artists’ books to that definition, it’s open to a lot of interpretation.” As one of two RISD students to win service grants from RISD’s Community Service Learning Fund last month, Fong is planning to apply the craft of artists’ books — objects created to celebrate the form of the book — to her lifelong commitment to community service. The result will be a project called “This Book Belongs to Me,” in which RISD students, local school children and artists throughout Providence will have the opportunity to turn damaged materials from local libraries into works of art, Fong said. “Every book, no matter what its condition, has a purpose,” Fong said. “It’s in the hands of the owner.” Fong received $500 from the RISD Community Service Learning Fund to pursue her project, which she said was first inspired by “Reversing Vandalism,” an exhibit of artists’ books currently being shown at a public library in San Francisco, Calif. “Reversing Vandalism” was conceived after books dealing with homosexuality, AIDS and women’s issues were found vandalized in the stacks of the San Francisco Public Library in the fall of 2001. The books were sent to artists across the country to work with, one of whom was RISD Assistant Director of Student Life Paul Connelly, Fong said. But Connelly was busy, Fong said, so he gave his vandalized book, entitled “Human and Gay Rights,” to

The RISD Student Alliance discussed its planned April 14 meeting with President Roger Mandle and formed a committee to examine 24-hour studio access at its Wednesday night meeting. The Alliance also received updates from student department representatives about their meetings with department heads. As discussed at the March 3 town hall meeting, the April 14 meeting will give student representatives from each department a chance to present Mandle with recommendations for money-saving strategies. Danielle Buckley RISD ’07, Alliance assistant treasurer, advised department representatives to meet with their department heads to brainstorm ways to cut waste. “As far as cutting costs within departments, I’ve seen Printmaking double in size in the past two years as the funding remains exactly the same,” said Printmaking Representative Sandalore RISD ’05, who said she uses only one name. “I don’t think there is any way to save money inside the studio, but what about the dorms getting their bathrooms cleaned? I bet they could clean their own toilets.” Other students suggested that spending on dining and card access to buildings could be cut back. Claudia de Castillo RISD ’06 reported on 24-hour studio access. “Not much progress has been made,” she said. “The deans are concerned with the toxic materials and machinery present in studios, the possibilities of accidents and intruders, as well as the additional Public Safety officers that would need to be hired.” The motion to pursue the issue was approved, and four students volunteered to meet with the Deans’ Advisory Council to represent students’ desire to have 24-hour building access. Several students expressed confusion about the wide range of building hours and said departments’ hours differ. Alliance President Suzannah Park RISD ’05 recommended that hours be displayed inside rather than outside buildings, to prevent outsider access. Director of Student Life Blair de St. Croix suggested that department representatives take up the issue. “If we knew how the individual departments deal with this issue, it

see BOOKS, page 5

might change the landscape dramatically,” he said. Currently, students do have the option of filling out an individual request form for 24-hour building access, which must be signed by their department head. But the process can have unpredictable results, said Mike Anderson RISD ’05. “I tried it just to see, and it took forever and they wouldn’t even give me the whole night,” Anderson said. Later on, he said the Department of Academic Affairs had been reluctant to grant him more than a few extra hours of studio time. The “new business” portion of the meeting was devoted to hearing reports from department representatives based on their first meetings with their department heads. Graphic Design representatives Jim O’Neil RISD ’05 and Alliance Vice President Becky Fong RISD ’05 said they have had several productive meetings with Nancy Skolos, head of Graphic Design. “We talked about keeping this line of communication open and meeting monthly, as well as the responsibilities of the faculty and the possibility of 24-hour studio access,” Fong said. Anderson, the representative for the Department of Painting, said he met with his department head. “It’s like herding cats trying to get painters together,” he said, adding that he and the department head discussed funding for senior shows and agreed to meet monthly. Sandalore said she was the only representative who attended a scheduled meeting with Printmaking Department Head Andrew Raftery. Gwen Frederich RISD ’06, department representative for Industrial Design, said her department meets twice a month and so far has discussed problems with access to printers in the building. Sculpture Representative Alicia Lesniewski RISD ’05 said a meeting in her department went well and will take place monthly in the future. Other department representatives will report at future Alliance meetings. Herald staff writer Alexis Kunsak RISD ’05 can be reached at akunsak@browndailyherald.com.

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004

Transgender continued from page 1 in a biological female who identifies as female living with a biological male who identifies as male, according to Goodman. Because students requesting gender-neutral housing might not be required to identify themselves as transgender, it’s possible that two “allies” could be placed together — regardless of gender. “My impression of the situation is that there’d be a minimal amount of self-identification required,” and students would not have to identify themselves as transgender, Goodman said. “It’s inevitably possible that (nontransgender students of opposite sex living together) will happen.” He said this possibility corresponds with ResCouncil’s push for more coed living options.

Students of opposite gender living together is “to some degree … the logical extent of what we’ve put forward,” he said. But Dean for Campus Life Margaret Jablonski said the University is still working out the details of how room assignments will occur. “We are trying to work with meeting the needs of transgendered students,” she said. “That’s what we’re doing. It’s not that we’re expanding the concept of gender-neutral housing to include the possibility for men and women to live together in first-year situations.” Caleshu said the primary goal now is to ensure that current and incoming students are aware of the availability of gender-neutral housing options. She said she wants students to know they are “making the administration work to make sure that this is a really safe and comfortable place to be.” Woodward decided to formally tackle the issue of gender-neutral housing at Brown during discussions last semester within Radical University Queers United and Strong, a sub-group of the Queer Alliance. “Housing is one of the areas on college campuses where things are still really divided up between male or female, and obviously that poses a problem for people who don’t identify as one or the other or whose legal sex is different from how they identify,” said Woodward, who identifies as transgender. Woodward said he wanted to establish a way for first-year transgender or gender-variant students to easily request a housing situation that meets their needs, without having to “defend their gender” in administrative processes. When he and Caleshu first approached Bova and Residential Council with their proposal, Woodward said he was expecting a “battle” but was met with a receptive response. “We were starting from asking ‘How are we

ha!

going to do this?’ not ‘Are we going to do this?’” he said. Goodman said he was surprised at how willing administrators have been to address the subject of gender-blind housing, considering their resistance to expanding coed housing in the past. Greene said it is the University’s responsibility to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students, and “any time that we’re falling short of that, it’s our obligation to do something about it.” To discuss the issue of genderneutral housing at Brown, Bova put together a small working group, which has met about five times since the end of the fall semester and has had what he called a “great dialogue.” The group’s members include Bova, Woodward, Caleshu, Goodman and Jablonski. Woodward said he wanted to avoid a solution that simply placed transgender students in singles, which he said “serves the purpose, but also alienates trans people and doesn’t allow trans or gender-variant people to have the same experience that other college students are having.” He said a challenge lay in making sure his plans were carried out in the way he wanted them to be, and in a way that ensured students would be made aware of them. Goodman said some questions arose during the discussions about how students would be informed of the availability of gender-neutral housing. The group finally decided to do so through a revision of the housing request form. Throughout the process, Greene said, “Students have done a good job of pointing out where there is bias in procedures and policies and language that we may not have been tuned into as closely before.” Herald staff writer Alexandra Barsk ’06 can be reached at abarsk@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WORLD & NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 5

Sniper Malvo sentenced to life without parole CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Baltimore Sun) — Somber and silent to the end, 19-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo was given two life sentences without parole Wednesday for his role in the suburban sniper attacks that left 10 dead during three weeks of terror around the nation’s capital in October 2002. Malvo, believed to have been the triggerman in most if not all of the killings, said nothing during the 13-minute hearing and hung his head as sheriff’s deputies escorted him from a courtroom packed with relatives of those he shot with a high-powered rifle. Although Malvo was convicted in December of capital murder, Fairfax County Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush had no choice but to sentence the Jamaican-born teenager to life without parole because the jury did not elect to recommend a death sentence. Malvo’s attorney said the onceruthless sniper is beginning his prison years by working toward a high-school diploma and the hope that he can do “good things for people” behind bars. “He knows he cannot undo the damage, but he knows he can choose which way to live,” defense lawyer Craig Cooley told the filled courtroom. “Lee knows he has much to face and much to pay for.” Cooley also reiterated to the judge a message that defense lawyers delivered over and over during the six-week trial — the contention that Malvo would not have participated in the murderous rampage “but for the influence of John Muhammad.” Muhammad, considered by prosecutors to be the mastermind of the killings, was sentenced Tuesday to death for the slaying of Gaithersburg, Md., engineer Dean Meyers, felled as he pumped gas near Manassas. Malvo was convicted in the Oct. 14, 2002, fatal shooting of FBI agent Linda Franklin in the parking lot of a Fairfax County Home Depot. Prosecutors also said during the trials that the pair are believed to be responsible for a murderous rampage throughout the Washington, D.C., suburbs that left millions fearing they could be the next victim in the sniper’s cross hairs. The duo also is suspected of gunning down others around the nation. Families of the victims said the sorrow from the killings has brought them together — much to their regret. “It’s a club we did not want to belong to,” Victoria Snider said after the sentencing, surrounded by many of the other victims’ relatives under a tent outside to shield them from cold rain. Her brother, James “Sonny” Buchanan Jr., was the first of four people slain the morning of Oct. 3, 2002, in Montgomery County, Md. She recalled day after day of fear, of slayings that “just ripped your heart out,” and knowing that other families were enduring the kind of anguish she was suffering. “The most important thing here is we did not want to see either Muhammad or Malvo re-enter society and take another life,” she said, speaking for her family, “and that was accomplished here today.” Others were dissatisfied that Malvo escaped the death penalty. Attorney General John Ashcroft had sent the sniper suspects to Virginia because of its history of executions, giving the state’s two most experienced prosecutors first crack at them. Bob Meyers, brother of Dean Meyers, said he hopes Malvo will face more trials for the killings. Prosecutors in other jurisdictions have not ruled out the possibility that they will put Malvo on trial for killings in their communities; he could face the death penalty in some of those cases. Whether Malvo can be subject to the death penalty will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which this fall will hear a case that could abolish the death sentence for minors. Malvo was 17 at the time of the Washington-area slayings.

Kerry decries GOP as ‘crooked’ and ‘lying’ WASHINGTON (The Washington Post) — Sen. John Kerry (DMass.) dueled with President George W. Bush over taxes and the economy Wednesday and then, in an offhand comment to factory workers in Chicago, called the Republicans “the most crooked, you know, lying group I’ve ever seen,” triggering an angry denunciation from Bush’s campaign. Wednesday night, Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot called Kerry’s statement “unbecoming of a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America” and called on Kerry to apologize. “On the day that Senator Kerry emerged as his party’s presumptive nominee, the president called to congratulate him,” Racicot said. “That goodwill gesture has been met by attacks and false statements.” Earlier, Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the Democratic candidate had no regrets about his characterizations of the opposition. “Not at all,” she said. “There’s been a pretty high level of Republican attack machine working for the last four years for the sole purpose of smearing the Democrats. We’re trying to make this campaign about issues; Republicans are making it about attacks.” The uproar threatened to overshadow two other events Wednesday, Kerry’s first face-to-face meeting with former Vermont governor Howard Dean since effectively wrapping up the nomination and a flurry of speculation about whether Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) might entertain the idea of joining Kerry on the Democratic ticket. Kerry and Dean, at times bitter rivals for the Democratic nomination, met for about 45 minutes at Kerry’s headquarters in Washington, where they discussed a probable endorsement by the former governor. Sources familiar with the discussion said Dean is likely to endorse Kerry in the next few weeks, possibly around the time of a Democratic National Committee

gala that will feature former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. But beyond the endorsement itself is the more important question of what role Dean will play in the Democratic Party’s campaign to defeat Bush in November. On March 18, Dean plans to announce more details of how he hopes to repackage his organization into a political force that will work on national, state and local issues and campaigns. Kerry in particular is eager to tap the huge fundraising network Dean created during his campaign, a network that raised about $50 million, much of it through donations of less than $100. Dean has said he intends to maintain control of his list of donors, but party officials hope he will actively encourage them to help Kerry raise the estimated $80 million he has set as a target over the next four months. Dean issued a statement saying that while he and Kerry spent much of the past year focusing on their differences, they agreed on far more, starting on the need to change presidents. “I will work closely with John Kerry to make sure we beat George Bush in November and turn our country around,” he said. McCain stirred up a nest of speculation when, on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” he said he would consider an offer to become Kerry’s vice presidential running mate. McCain said he doubted Kerry and the Democrats would accept a “pro-life, free-trading, nonprotectionist, deficit hawk” on the ticket. But when asked what would happen if Kerry asked him to think about it, he said, “John Kerry is a very close friend of mine. We have been friends for years. Obviously, I would entertain it. But I see no scenario, no scenario, no scenario where — I foresee no scenario where that would happen.” It took a statement from McCain’s top adviser, Mark Salter, to pop the balloon. “Senator McCain will not be a candidate for vice president in 2004,” he said.

Books

seeks to bring the arts to urban youth, allowing her to increase her awareness of Rhode Island’s literacy needs and her network of community service organizations. Fong said she hopes that the artists’ books created through her latest project will someday be displayed in one of RISD’s student galleries, bringing recognition

continued from page 3 her. That gave Fong a unique opportunity to participate as an undergraduate in an art exhibit that carried national political importance. The message she took away from “Reversing Vandalism” was, “Yes, these books are defaced. They’re not worthless,” Fong said. “There are still stories to be told in books that aren’t put back on the shelf. There are still words on those pages that have an affect on the person who picks them up.” While working on her project, Fong said many of her peers in the Department of Graphic Design expressed interest and wanted to know how they could get involved with something similar. Their interest inspired Fong to dip into resources and connections culled from a long history of Rhode Island community service. Fong grew up in Cranston, R.I., and attended Cranston West High School. While in high school, she was inspired by the words of Providence philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein, who said in a Providence Journal article that even when children have the desire to read, they often do not have access to books. As a community service project in high school, Fong collected 726 children’s books and distributed them to community organizations such as housing shelters, she said. While at RISD, Fong became involved with Providence City Arts!, a non-profit organization that

While working on her project, Fong said many of her peers in the Department of Graphic Design expressed interest and wanted to know how they could get involved with something similar. both to the artists and to the many possible interpretations of damaged and defaced books. The opportunity to use one’s artwork in the service of community often arises from being exposed to the community’s needs, Fong said. “I was very fortunate. I look back and I realize I was exposed to a lot of community programs. … It has shaped the way I look at community service. It would be wrong for me to stop just because I’m in college.” Herald staff writer Dana Goldstein ’06 edits the RISD

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004

Lacrosse continued from page 12 at 9-5. As the Bears watched their lead diminish, Towers said Head Coach Scott Nelson kept the team from losing poise. “He kept us up and maintained our confidence in the offense,” he said. “But we were sitting on the lead, when we probably should have put a few more in.” The Catamounts continued their rally in the fourth quarter, scoring three more goals to cut what was a six-goal halftime lead down to one, 9-8. Outscored 7-2 over the last 30 minutes, the Bears managed to stymie the Catamounts’ offense and pull out the win. Although the Bears were not able to put together a complete game, Tuohey was quick to point out that they still came out on top. “We pressed a little bit, didn’t make the extra pass, but we pulled out the win,” Tuohey said. Nelson said the difference between the two halves was turnovers and finishing shots on goal. “In the second half we couldn’t put the ball away and couldn’t put them away,” said Nelson. “We needed to clean up some turnovers, which I thought we did in the first half, but not so much in the second.” Despite the close margin of victory, Brown dominated

Vermont statistically. Unlike in the game against Sacred Heart, the team won more than 50 percent of face-offs, taking 11 out of 18. They also controlled the ground balls, scooping up 38 compared to the Catamounts’ 20. Clears were also much stronger than the week before, as the Bears successfully got the ball over the midfield line 20 out of 26 times. The Bears were also helped by six saves by All-American Mike Levin ’04, a goal from Will Davis ’07, two assists from Kyle Wailes ’06 and an assist from Will McGettigan ’06. The Bears will face their biggest challenge of the young season Saturday, when they take

Lanza continued from page 12 Actual home run record: 70 – Mark McGwire, 1998 Note: McGwire accomplished this feat through regular and heavy doses of androstenedione, a legal supplement that mimics the effects of anabolic steroids. Runner-up home run record: 66 – Sammy Sosa, 1998 Note: Sosa has been caught using a corked bat during the regular season and looks conspicuously big, now that we think about it. You could legitimately put an asterisk next to any record you want. Tim Montgomery broke the world record in the 100meter dash in the fall of 2002 with a time of 9.78 seconds. But he also had a wind speed of 2 meters per second, the highest possible wind allowed. If the wind was 2.01 meters per second, then his time wouldn’t even be in the record books. Should we give him an asterisk too? Eric Gagne came out of relative obscurity to set the modernday consecutive saves record, at

Squash continued from page 12 on the team,” Petrie said. Petrie was the star of the Flight B individuals, making it to the finals. Ranked only 62nd nationally going into the tournament, Petrie dominated the B-level competition. After defeating four higher-ranked players, he faced Jacque Swanipoel of Trinity College, ranked 39th nationally, in the finals. “I was very impressed with Dan’s performance this weekend,” Bailey said. “This is a very difficult tournament and

on the Fairfield University Stags (3-0) in their last road game before returning to Stevenson Field for four games. The Stags, who last Saturday upset No. 19 Penn State, narrowly defeated the Bears last season 8-7. Nelson said he thinks this game will be a good barometer of the Bears’ current position and how they can improve this season. “Fairfield’s a big challenge for us,” he said. “This is going to be a good indicator of where we are.” Herald staff writer Ben Miller ’07 covers men’s lacrosse. He can be reached at bmiller@browndailyherald.com.

63 last season, and can throw 98 miles per hour faster than I can scratch myself. Asterisk anyone? Also, I think we finally figured out why Martha Stewart has been so clever, deep-voiced and rich all these years: insider trading and a whole lot of steroids. Asterisk. In major league baseball, everyone has the opportunity to take steroids. You snooze, you lose. Who’s to say Bonds isn’t the greatest home run hitter ever? He wasn’t the only player taking steroids, as shown by the 5 percent who tested positive last season. Not everyone was out there bashing 73 home runs. My point is, whether the league wants to let guys juice up or conduct frequent testing with severe punishments, you won’t hear a peep out of me. Just stop with the controversy that has undeservedly been the top story in sports every night since the Bonds/BALCO story broke. At least make it a minor headline, with an asterisk. Marc Lanza ’06 reps’ Leominster, Mass., and doesn’t need ’roids to be a tough guy.

requires a ton of physical and mental stamina. He really ended the season on a high note and proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with next season.” Petrie and Swanipoel played their final round on a portable glass court with a white squash ball. The court had been used just days before in New York City’s Grand Central Station for the Tournament of Champions. Swanipoel lived up to his first seed and ended Petrie’s wild ride in three games, 9-2, 9-5, 9-1. Herald staff writer Kate Klonick ’06 covers squash. She can be reached at kklonick@browndailyherald.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Discussion continued from page 1 African-American communities are “very religious here as well.” Provost later retracted his comment, saying “righteous morality” was a poor choice of words. Michael Troutman ’04 said family values are just as important to African Americans as they are to Caribbean Americans. “The hardest thugs in the world are mama’s boys,” he said. Troutman said the marginalization of African Americans in white society means differences between African Americans and Caribbean Americans are not always so pronounced. “We’ve all had to trailblaze in a racial structure that hasn’t been created by us,” he said.

Slavery continued from page 1 The events are intended to have educational value and should be viewed as neither a whitewash nor a public relations stunt, he said. Simmons — whose father was a sharecropper — wrote in an email to The Herald that she wants “us to face difficult questions forthrightly, applying our intellectual assets and modeling what education ought to do to help society solve enduring questions and dilemmas.” The formation of the committee “was prompted by a desire to deal directly with, rather than evade, assertions of Brown’s connection with the institution of slavery,” she wrote. The inaugural event of the twoyear schedule will be a March 18

Other audience members agreed with Troutman, saying the supposed divide does not exist everywhere in America. Fisher, a native of Chicago, Ill., said she never encountered the issue growing up because her family participated in all aspects of African culture. “I had never heard about this before coming to Brown,” she said. The discussion later turned to poverty, with Provost saying American and Caribbean cultures approach the issue in different ways. In the Caribbean, the poor have “no food, nowhere to live and no hope,” he said. “In the United States there are more options, including shelter and welfare,” and African Americans are more likely to refuse jobs that Caribbean Americans would

take, Provost said. This difference contributes to a stereotype of African Americans as lazy, he said. The group also addressed challenges both Caribbean Americans and African Americans face as minorities in the United States, including lower-quality education and the absence of minority role models in certain fields. Troutman acknowledged the high number of potential problems the group could address, saying, “a fishbowl’s not going to cover all the issues.” Instead of “dividing ourselves further, we need to come together in the end,” Matthews said.

campus symposium entitled “Unearthing the Past: Brown University, the Brown Family and the Rhode Island Slave Trade.” “This entire state rests in profound ways on the African slave trade, and yet very few people today understand that,” Campbell said. In colonial times, more than half the slave ships to the colonies came from Rhode Island, he said. John Brown, brother of University investor Nicholas Brown, was a merchant whose trading ships were used to transport slaves, the Providence Journal reported. Slaves were also used to construct University Hall, the Journal reported. While John Brown defended slavery, his brother Moses Brown and nephew Nicholas Brown Jr. were pioneering abolitionists. Counting both slave traders

and leading abolitionists among its earliest benefactors, “Brown has a special obligation and a special opportunity to address this issue in all its dimensions,” Campbell said. Campbell anticipates that the committee will release a letter to the University community explaining its function and launch its Web site any day. The committee’s 16 members have met monthly this academic year. Members include four members of the administration, eight faculty members, three undergraduate students and one graduate student. Campbell declined to name the committee members but said Simmons is not on the committee.

Herald staff writer Robbie CoreyBoulet ’07 can be reached at rcorey-boulet@browndailyherald.com.

Herald staff writer Michael Ruderman ’07 can be reached at mruderman@browndailyherald.com.

UCS continued from page 1 “there is still wiggle room for how it will operate specifically.” A representative from Students for AIDS Awareness attended “community time” to clarify the goals and level of activity of the group, as requested by UCS. Last week, UCS members pushed back voting on the status of the organization, which sought Category III status and funding. Due to uncertainties Montz had expressed on behalf of his committee about the group’s level of activity, UCS resolved to hear a briefing about its background and future goals. Representative Samuel Hodges ’04 argued the validity of the group by providing further information on the “Provoking Hope” AIDS symposium he is coordinating for late April. The coordinators of the group are “looking for people to get involved,” Hodges told The Herald. Hodges said project planners are in need of student volunteers. “We will be inviting bankers from the World Bank, representatives from the (United Nations Development Programme), and we want to expose them to the campus and show them a good time,” he said. Reflecting on Tuesday’s Campus Affairs Committee meeting, Kurji said he was “impressed with the number and diversity of students and student groups that attended.” “I was also inspired to hear (Director of Institutional Diversity) Brenda Allen’s vision for pluralism on campus and what she sees as her new office’s role in that,” he added. Kurji also discussed the

Responsible Leadership Forum, which begins today. All students are welcome to attend the forum, which was put together by a coalition of student groups including UCS, Kurji said. President Ruth Simmons will participate in a debate tonight centered on the notion of responsible leadership. At next week’s meeting, Simmons will address student concerns regarding intellectual diversity and the campus climate with regard to “pluralism and the level of bigotry at Brown,” Kurji said. UCS held internal elections to several University Committees and, after hearing students speeches, elected Brendan Hargreaves ’06 to the Residential Council, Cary Anne Trainor ’06 and David Wishnick ’07 to the College Advisory Board and Ryan Roth ’05 and Mark Severs ’04 to the Campus Life Advisory Board. UCS members questioned candidates for Residential Council about their knowledge of the lottery mechanism and how they would contribute to its smooth operation. Candidates for the College Advisory Board engaged with representatives in discussions about increasing freshman seminars, improving admissions and financial aid and expanding Curricular Advising Program course offerings and other advising programs. Candidates were also questioned as to how they envisioned the relationship between UCS and the advisory boards and how consensus between the groups might be facilitated. Herald staff writer Krista Hachey ’07 covers UCS. She can be reached at khachey@browndailyherald.com.

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

Track continued from page 12 personal best in his event. Kinley raced the 800-meter run, finishing in 1:53.45, over a half-second faster than his previous personal record. “It was pleasing to see Jordan turn out a personal record in the half (mile),” said Head Coach Robert Johnson. “It’s promising also, since we’ll be looking for someone to cover it outdoors.” Competing in one of the longer indoor races, Washburn entered the 3,000-meter run optimistically, coming off a successful trip to Heptagonals, where he placed seventh in the event. Washburn described Saturday as a tactical race, and said he stuck by his plan despite problems with pace. “I stayed patient in the back and moved up gradually,” he said, “I would’ve liked to (have) run faster, but the race didn’t go out as quickly as I would’ve liked. We hit the mile at about 4:31 when I was hoping for something in the range of 4:25 to 4:28.” Washburn’s time of 8:25.28 eclipsed his previous best by one second. Piche raced the mile, and though he improved on his mark at the Heptagonal Championships, he was still unable to produce the finish he

Softball continued from page 12 Bears the next day. Despite losses on Saturday, the Bears’ drive for victory was rewarded in their second game against the Tigers. After her tworun double that gave the Bears a 2-0 lead, Leonetti scored the third run on a sacrifice fly by Jenkins. Fleitell and Candace Toth ’05 also had RBIs in the 6-3 win. Marcia Abbott ’06 got the win with six strong innings on the mound, while Sara Corrigan-Gibbs ’07 came in on the seventh to pick up the save. “On Sunday everybody had gotten their nerves out and settled down, and played the way we know Brown softball is capable of playing,” Leonetti said. “We brought all three components — pitching, defense and offense — and when we do that we’re tough to beat.” With this momentum, the Bears entered their second game against Seton Hall with enthusiasm. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Brown took back the lead in the sixth on a two-run double from Jenkins. These would be the only runs Marissa Berkes ’05 would need, as she went all seven innings for the complete game win. “I’m definitely pleased with the way they turned it around from Saturday to Sunday,” McCreesh said. “It just shows what type of character they have.

had expected. Despite strong workouts and solid races earlier in the season, Piche’s time of 4:18.87 was not enough to reach the finals. Johnson said the stress of the previous weekend taxed all the competing athletes. “All the men were a little flat after the high intensity and emotionally draining Heptagonals,” Johnson said. “Piche looked good up front at the start of the race but had little left in his legs, probably due to Heps.” Representing the sprinters, Diggs had an exceptional run in the preliminary rounds of the 55-meter hurdles. His time of 7.59 seconds was not just a personal best, but also a tie for the sixth-fastest time in Brown’s history. But a slip coming out of the blocks in the semifinals cost Diggs valuable time and prevented him from reaching the final round. The meet closed out the indoor season for the Bears, who will resume action during a spring break trip to North Carolina, where they are scheduled to compete in the Raleigh Relays and the Duke Invitational. The main focus for the season will be the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, where the Brown men will have home-field advantage as the meet comes to Providence on May 8.

It looked like a different ball club.” The Bears will meet Central Connecticut State University for the team’s first home game Sunday. “Next weekend is our home opener, and we want to come out with all cylinders firing — sharp defense, strong pitching and quality at bats at the plate,” Leonetti said. Herald staff writer Zaneta Balantac ’07 covers softball. She can be reached at zbalantac@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 10 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Mixed doubles Any decision that gets Brown good coverage in the New York Times can’t be all bad. This is certainly the case with the Office of Residential Life’s decision to allow incoming first-years to check a box on the housing form indicating they are willing to live in “gender-neutral” housing, as the Times reported Sunday. The decision arose from a collaboration between ResLife and advocates for transgender students, whose needs are overlooked by the current system. The choice to check the box will be available not only to transgender students, for whom the option was intended, but also to all first-years, gay and straight, according to Residential Council Chair Jesse Goodman ’04. As a result, two heterosexual students — one male, one female, both comfortable with gender-neutral housing — could conceivably be assigned to the same double, according to Goodman. Considering the University’s reluctance to allow students of different sexes to live in the same suite and its refusal to permit them to share certain bathrooms, mixed housing is inconsistent with ResLife’s previous positions. We doubt mixed housing was an intended outcome of the gender-neutral housing policy, but it is a logical outcome of the policy as currently articulated. This leads us to believe the decision to offer gender-neutral housing was rushed and poorly thought out. Gender identification is a deeply personal question, and the ideal formula for gender-neutral housing will address students’ individual concerns without unduly invading their privacy. The option to check a box for gender-neutral housing should remain — it makes sense to offer students the opportunity to express interest in gender-neutral housing without forcing them to reveal intimate details to an anonymous administrator. But after students indicate interest in gender-neutral housing, they should be approached by an administrator with expertise in gender issues who can thoughtfully and confidentially work with them to determine their optimal housing situation. It might be that ResLife does intend the check box to be only a first step, but the guidelines as released so far suggest a more permissive system than ResLife seems prepared to implement.

SHANE WILKERSON

LETTERS McAuliffe’s view of “rights” off the mark To the Editor: Christopher McAuliffe (“Moralizers obscure debate over abortion,” March 9) brushes aside abortion as something women don’t deserve because women are meant to bear children. Imagine, Christopher, that at the age of 25, you decide to get a vasectomy. Then when you’re 40 you meet a woman and get married. Now you want to get your vasectomy reversed. Unfortunately, the all-women Ladies Against Vasectomy Reversal has pushed through a law in Rhode Island banning all vasectomy reversals. If you ever want to see your

sperm flowing again or to have your own kids, you’ll just have to go out of state for your vasectomy removal. Is this fair? No, but it is the kind of policy and policy-making decisions that you support. I’m afraid that until you or someone you know, perhaps one of your pro-infanticide — I mean pro-coat hanger — or (let’s be nice) anti-choice male friends is denied the right to get a vasectomy reversal or some other exclusively male procedure, you probably won’t understand just what exactly the difference is between the right to an abortion and your ridiculous right not to be robbed blind by tax-andspend progressives. Until then, Christopher, you’re a hypocrite.

Michael Thompson ’06 March 10

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

Nazia Hassan, Night Editor Melanie Wolfgang, Copy Editor 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, 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, Melanie Wolfgang, Brett Zarda Accounts Managers Daniel Goldberg, Mark Goldberg, Victor Griffin, Matt Kozar, Natalie Ho, Ian Halvorsen, Sarena Snider Pagination Staff Peter Henderson, Alex Palmer, Michael Ruderman Photo Staff Gabriella Doob, Benjamin Goddard, Marissa Hauptman, Jonathan Herman, Miyako Igari, Allison Lombardo, Elizabeth MacLennan, Michael Neff, Alex Palmer, Yun Shou Tee, Sorleen Trevino Copy Editors Stephanie Clark, Katie Lamm, Jennifer Resch, Asad Reyaz, Amy Ruddle, Brian Schmalzbach, Melanie Wolfgang

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CORRECTIONS POLICY The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. COMMENTARY POLICY The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. ADVERTISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

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OPINIONS THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 11

STEPHEN BEALE

A Passion for Christ The most offensive thing about “The Passion of the Christ” is the reaction from critics who have branded the film a work of antiSemitism. Many of these accusations emerged even before the movie was released — the Anti-Defamation League issued its first public criticism just under a year ago and Frank Rich of the New York Times accused director and producer Mel Gibson of “bait(ing) the Jews” as early as last September. It is unsurprising, then, that the charge of anti-Semitism strikes one as strange after actually viewing “The Passion.” Many commentators, however, continue to rehearse allegations of anti-Semitism. They have presented an interpretation of The Passion that is as liberal, selective and distorted as their own understanding of the actual biblical account. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer castigated Gibson for “using every possible technique of cinematic exaggeration” to depict “the villainous Jews.” Focusing on the figure of Satan, Krauthammer argues that Gibson closely associates the devil with the Jews: “Satan glides among them, his face popping up among theirs — merging with, indeed, defining the murderous Jewish crowd.” Yet Satan does no such thing. In the opening scene of the movie, Satan taunts and tempts Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in a stunning re-enactment of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan also makes his exit as a solitary character — screeching at the moment that Jesus perishes on the cross. In the two other appearances, Satan lurks in the shadows of the crowd that, in one instance, includes Roman soldiers. If anything, this character deflects any potential resentment against the Jewish people onto himself. The presence of Satan ultimately dramatizes the story as fundamentally a contest between good and evil — not between the Jews and the followers of Jesus. Other putative examples of anti-Semitism are equally erroneous. Most polemicists simply object to the vilification of the Jewish leaders as the antagonists of the story. For example, New York Daily News critic Jami Bernard wrote that “Gibson cuts from the hook nose of one bad Jewish character to the hook nose of another in the

Anti-semitism or fine art? ensuing scene.” Such imputations of anti-Semitism lack any logical foundation. Are movies about the Holocaust anti-German for the ways in which they portray German soldiers? And of course, have we forgotten that the disciples, friends and other followers of Jesus were themselves Jewish? The non-stop violence of “The Passion” has fueled much of the controversy. David Edelstein, Slate.com’s film critic, even called it an “exercise in sadomasochism.” Again, did movies like “Schindler’s List” or “Amistad” elicit similar responses? Of “Amistad,” Rochesterbased film critic Jack Garner noted that the “director holds nothing back in the violent mutiny ... as the Africans rampage through a dark, turbulent storm, killing all but two of their white captors.” Garner adds that “(v)iewers will never forget the black men and women chained to rocks and thrown overboard, simply because the ship is running behind schedule.” Yet director Steven Spielberg was praised for exhuming the subject of American slavery. Let us assume for the sake of the argument that there is some residual anti-Semitism buried in Gibson’s narrative of the final hours of Christ’s life. Perhaps the children chasing Judas really are quasi-demons and not just immature children. Perhaps the scene in which Caiaphas discusses the amount to pay Judas is the expression of a classic anti-Semitic stereotype and not just another example of Gibson’s fidelity to the original text. Even so, are the possible anti-Semitic aspects of the film more worthy of discussion than the majestic artistic, theological and historical themes that dominate “The Passion”? Do the critics expect the film to trigger an outbreak of pogroms? Something else must be behind the campaign to discredit Gibson beside fears of anti-Semitism. Indeed, the repudiation of “The Passion” is indicative of the attitude of our cultural elite toward anything Christian. Opposition to gay marriage? Must be another case of Bible-belt bigotry. Are you pro-life? You must really be anti-choice. And produce a movie that is a literal rendition of story in the Gospels, and you might be guilty of anti-Semitism. Christian symbols are acceptable — but only when they are dipped in jars of urine or covered with elephant dung and displayed as works of art in metropolitan museums. John Edwards may indeed be right when he speaks of “two Americas” — except the division is one of culture, not class. “The Passion of the Christ” is a monumental achievement — truly a great work of art. Saturated in symbolism and steeped in fundamental truths about human existence, it is a tribute to one of the most important stories of Western civilization. No one should let the misinformation of the mainstream press pollute such a profoundly spiritual experience. Stephen Beale ’04 is a classics and history concentrator.

ELI SWINEY

Fetishizing American jobs Anyone who wants to take the time to look through the John Hay Library’s amazing comic book collection might enjoy reading its original copy of Walt Disney’s “Uncle Scrooge #6,” released in 1954. In the issue, Scrooge and his nephews find themselves in a fictional country whose inhabitants function on a barter system until one of them discovers one of the used bottle caps from Uncle Scrooge’s medicine. Soon, bottle caps are all the rage and become the country’s new currency — villagers are willing to trade away all their food and resources for more bottlecaps. After a while, the land is choked with bottlecaps and the actual production of usable goods has ceased. The villagers have forgone their actual material abundance in favor of the illusory abundance offered by the shiny metal discs. The comic depicts what Marx called fetishizing: the separation of symbols of wealth from the reality of production. The love of gold is fetishization, because it substitutes focus on a useless metallic symbol for the necessary focus on usable goods and labor. Our American obsession with the stock market is a similar form of fetishization. We are told that it doesn’t matter if we’re starving; the strength of our economy is about the little numbers at the bottom of our television screens. The American political climate is currently displaying an exciting brand of fetishization: worship at the almighty altar of “net jobs.” It’s not news that President George W. Bush has been politically suffering from a net job loss over the course of his administration. His situation has been made worse by embarrassingly unrealistic forecasts of job growth. It would not be unreasonable to say that the course of the coming election might be determined entirely by whether there is a considerable increase in the rate of job growth in the coming months. But “job growth” is just a number, a fetishized

statistic that obscures the reality of American labor. Let’s give Bush the benefit of the doubt and say the economy gains hundreds of thousands of new jobs over the next few months. What will this really mean to America’s unemployed? In short, it will mean a new apron, a new paper hat and a paycheck smaller than any they have received since high school. Last month the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its forecast for job growth through 2012. According to the Bureau’s predictions, seven of the 10 fastest-growing occupations will be lowwage service jobs that require little education. Among the new boom jobs: cashier, janitor, foodservice worker and customer service rep. This is what our obsession with the number of jobs ignores: job quality and wages. If Bush’s economic policies lead to the outsourcing of $70,000-a-year white collar jobs but also lead to the creation of a new minimum-wage job polishing Laura Bush’s diamonds, then the job loss is listed as zero. The cost to workers, however, is considerable. Bush has vowed repeatedly that his policies will create new jobs. They have created a few, but vastly more have been lost. Even if the promise is true, it is insufficient. Any candidate that truly has Americans’ best interests in mind will promise to unflaggingly pursue policies that not only provide Americans with jobs, but supply them with ones that are comparable in wages to the jobs being lost. The alternative is an America where we all may be employed, but only as barely subsisting wage slaves to the elite, wealthy owner-managerial class that gets wealthier and wealthier off the jobs we used to have. I, for one, don’t want my kids to be diamond-polishers. Eli Swiney ’04 said “Jobs can leave, jobs can leave,” but now he knows that he was wrong.

Setting it straight for the Lone Star State GUEST COLUMN BY MARJON CARLOS

After arriving at Brown three years ago, I proudly tacked a Texas state flag to my dorm room wall. It more or less was a notion of civic pride but, of course, the flag’s presence confused any visitors. “Marjon, I didn’t know you were Puerto Rican.” Sadly, I have no idea where that flag resides today, but I certainly have a clear idea of how most of my classmates see me, a Texan, as: Latin American, apparently. Or in the larger scheme of things, I am simply of another world. I have had several discussions with friends and foes alike on how Texas really is just its own country, with no real connection to the North or South, or the rest of the country for that matter. We apparently exist in some kind of self-imposed cultural land-lock, where cowboys, MILFs, pickup trucks and Dr. Pepper abound. Sure, being Texan separates me from the rest of the country at times. I certainly understand the significance of a working air conditioning better than most, and that everything tastes better fried — deep fried, that is. But this doesn’t mean that I will necessarily play into others’ cultural fantasies of Texans. I don’t have an accent, which truly disappoints. I have to explain that of course I don’t have a Texas accent: I’m from Puerto Rico, remember? Silly fools. My name also lacks a hyphen. Y’know, like “Sue-Ellen” or “Mary-Ann” (no “e,” of course). When I explain the fateful story of how I garnered a traditional Persian name from an assassinated Liberian revolutionary, people just don’t know how to react. “Wait, wait. I thought nothing interesting came out of the South,” one savvy little fellow reasoned to me. The ingenuity kills me sometimes. Now, I realize he was trying to offer me a compliment, implying that (a) I was indeed an interesting person, which consequently meant that (b) I had to have been cultivated in an interesting environ-

ment, which meant (c) I could not possibly be from the South. But the funniest thing about it all was, I was supposed to be happy about this. I was supposed to be honored that he thought I was originally from New York, which is evidently the source of all that is tactful and right. But I would rather he realize that because I do not subscribe to his stereotype of Texans, said stereotype is not applicable to all. My upbringing was more “Cosby Show” than “Dukes of Hazzard,” with me as Rudy Huxtable noshing on bologna sandwiches and organizing wakes for my dead goldfish. Even if I were a Cosby kid, I still enjoyed the nuances of Southern culture. Y’know, like how I have to drive everywhere, or how eating pickles at the movies is hardly a social faux pas — it’s damn near encouraged. A $10 hamburger is never justified, and baseball means nothing to me. But this is all beside the point really, because at the core of my argument is the reasoning behind this misperception of the South. I’m talking about Northern privilege — that sense of entitlement that resonates through comments made and attitudes projected. Perhaps I am being too hard on these individuals, but when you claim your hometown is “the city” and others are merely supposed to oblige the arrogant usage of a grammatical article, how can I not comment? For people who rebuke the South for over-generalizing others (minorities, women, etc.) to the point of social segregation, Northeasterners still seem pretty eager to surmise that I rode a horse to school. Admittedly the South can’t compete with its Northern counterparts on all fronts, but there is certainly life beyond $12 martinis, $2 subway rides and bargain-hungry H&M shoppers. And I guarantee it will take more than an OutKast CD to help you find it. Marjon Carlos ’05 deep fries at the Rock on the regular.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2004 · PAGE 12

Despite late lapse, men’s lacrosse holds on for win BY BEN MILLER

Phoebe Anderson

Dan Petrie ’07 (left) finished second in the B Flight of the NISRA Individuals at Yale University. He is with Yale Head Coach Dave Talbott and champion Jacque Swanipoel of Trinity College.

Squashers grab some hardware at NISRA meet BY KATE KLONICK

Members of the men’s and women’s squash teams competed this weekend in the NISRA Individual Nationals tournament at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Phoebe Anderson ’05, Lillian Rosenthal ’05, Kari Betts ’06, Breck Bailey ’06 and Dan Petrie ’07 all qualified to compete at this year’s national tournament. Anderson, who played sixth position for the Brown women this season, defeated her first opponent in the B flight in a grueling, five-game match. She continued on to the second round, where she lost to a player from Williams College before being knocked out by Cornell University’s Caitlin Russel. Rosenthal, who was ranked ninth nationally and was named a first-team All-American this year, competed in the A flight. Historically plagued with stress fractures, she had her first injury-free season this year. Though Rosenthal soundly defeated her first opponent, from Yale University, she was defeated by Harvard University’s second-ranked

player in the second round of competition. Betts suffered the same fate as her teammates and was eliminated in the second round of Flight B competition. She was then coincidentally matched against Anderson in the second-round consolations. Bailey and Petrie, who watched the Brown vs. Brown match, had trouble deciding how to cheer. “Breck and I looked at each other, and we didn’t know what to do. We ended up just yelling, ‘Go Brown!’” Petrie said. After three tough games, Anderson defeated Betts. Bailey, who led the men’s team this year at first position, was ranked 42nd heading into the weekend. Playing in Flight A, he was matched against the second-best player in the country and lost in three games. He continued on to the first round consolations and lost in the first match. Despite these losses, Bailey’s season record speaks for itself. “He had, hands down, the best season see SQUASH, page 6

Enough about BALCO, it’s time to move on AT THIS POINT, DOES ANYONE ELSE wish steroids had never been invented? If I see one more ESPN report on them, BALCO, Barry Bonds or the entire scandal in general, I’m going to flip out. And MARC LANZA maybe I’ll burst some LANZA, NOT arteries, tear some TONY DANZA muscles, develop prostate problems … who knows? Yet I’ll obviously be hearing about them again, since this seems to be the only thing the sports world cares about right now. No one should know what BALCO stands for. It stands for the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. Now I know where it’s located, who works there and who received supplements from there. Honestly, people, is this that much of a surprise? Did you really think Bonds metamorphosed from Soriano to Schwarzenegger from a pack of Twinkies and a few squats? Did you think Gary Sheffield was angry all the time because he was in trouble with his wife for not being at home?

Read between the lines. Or better yet, read Jose Canseco’s book, because is there a more reliable source than Jose “House Arrest” Canseco? You don’t even need to look at players’ physiques to determine whether they used steroids. Just look at the statistics. Last year, the first year of testing, saw approximately 5 percent of all players test positive for steroids. At the same time, 2003 was the first season in the past five years in which not a single player hit 50 home runs, after previous seasons where the leaders hit from 50-73. The buzzword around the sports community is “asterisk.” Can we accept these records any more? Should we put an asterisk next to 73 home runs? Yeah, sounds like a great idea. Here’s what the home run records would look like: Home Run Record: 73 — Barry Bonds 2001 Note: Bonds set the record while taking supplements that contained illegal anabolic steroids. see LANZA, page 6

The men’s lacrosse team withstood a late charge by the University of Vermont Saturday to win its second game in a row 9-8. The win boosts the Bears’ record to 20 heading into Saturday’s contest against Fairfield University, which is also undefeated. The game, played at Skidmore College, was a tale of two halves for the Bears. In the first half, the Bears were able to capitalize on the Catamounts’ slow defensive rotation to jump out to a 7-1 lead. Chazz Woodson ’05 and captain Charlie Towers ’04 both had good starts to the game, notching two goals each before halftime. Chris Mucciolo ’05, the leading scorer one week ago with four goals, also notched one for the Bears against Skidmore. Captain Rich Tuohey ’04 said the

Bears’ patience on offense and willingness to move the ball helped them grab the early lead. “We knew they packed it in on defense, so we were trying to get some good possessions,” he said. “In the first half we made sure to make the extra pass and everything went our way.” Towers, whose two goals brought his season total to four, said the defense did a great job getting the ball back for the offense, giving them more chances to score. “The defense made a lot of great stands,” he said. “They did a good job clearing the ball, which gave our offense more opportunities to score.” Despite adding two more goals in the third period, the Bears saw their lead cut by the Catamounts, who scored four goals in the period to come within four, see LACROSSE, page 6

Softball bounces back from early losses to finish .500 at Towson BY ZANETA BALANTAC

Despite a 2-2 split at this weekend’s season-opening Towson Invitational Tournament, the softball team, led by Head Coach Pamela McCreesh, is still optimistic. “I think it was a very positive first outing,” said second baseman Laura Leonetti ’04. “We know some things we need to work on, of course, but I think it was a great start to build upon.” This first outing resulted in two Saturday losses for the Bears. The team fell 3-1 to the Towson University Tigers and to the Seton Hall University Pirates 11-4. After these disappointing losses, the Bears made an outstanding comeback the following day, defeating Towson 6-3 and Seton Hall 2-1. “Our nerves showed a little bit that first day and we made a few mistakes, but our last two games we looked pretty solid and picked up two great team wins,” Leonetti said. On Saturday, the Bears began the long

competition with a game against Seton Hall. Leonetti, shortstop Mary Seid ’06, catcher Jaimie Wirkowski ’06, first baseman Courtney Jenkins ’07 and left fielder Rachel Fleitell ’06 had the Bears’ five hits, while Jenkins, Fleitell and third baseman Andrea Miranda ’07 got one RBI each. Still, it was not enough to topple the Pirates, who extended their lead to 11-4 after a three-run home run in the sixth. Against Towson, Brown’s leadoff hitter, Uchenna Omokaro ’05, started the game with a leadoff single. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Omokaro scored a run from an infield error. It would prove to be Brown’s only hit of the game, as the Tigers stole back the lead by scoring three runs in the third, the final margin of victory. “We had some defensive mistakes typical of the opening day of a season, but nothing that can’t be worked out,” Leonetti said. This proved true for the see SOFTBALL, page 9

Stellar performances abound for m. track at IC4A Invite BY JILANE RODGERS

A limited squad represented the men’s track and field team at the IC4A Championships this weekend. Hosted by Boston University, the meet included only those athletes who hit a qualifying mark earlier in the season, ensuring top competition for the Bears. Daveed Diggs ’04, Mike Piche ’05, Ray Bobrownicki ’06, Jordan Kinley ’06 and Owen Washburn ’06 made the journey north to compete one last time in the indoor season. Highlights in the Bears’ performance were two personal bests and a top-10 performance. Though only five athletes competed, they represented a wide variety of event areas. Heptagonal high jump champion Bobrownicki had the highest finish of the weekend, jumping 6 feet, 10 1/4 inches on Sunday to take fourth in the event, one inch below the winning mark and a match for his second-best jump of the season. Bobrownicki described his perform-

ance as fair but not nearly up to his expectations. “I’m content with the ability to clear that height even when I don’t feel like things are going my way,” he said. Looking forward, Bobrownicki acknowledged that despite falling short of his goal “it was a solid way to end the indoor season, and now it’s time to look forward to improving in the coming outdoor season.” Bobrownicki was not the only athlete who intended to use this weekend’s results as a springboard into the outdoor season. On the track, a pair of sophomore distance runners competed successfully on Saturday, each setting a see TRACK, page 9

Brown Sports Scoreboard Thursday, March 11 Men’s Tennis: Blue-Grey Classic, Montgomery, Ala.