Thursday, December 2, 2004 by The Brown Daily Herald

T H U R S D A Y DECEMBER 2, 2004

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 119

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

Quiet phase of capital campaign has raised $400 million with launch a year away

UCS looks ahead, plans election reform and campus regions BY CHRIS HATFIELD

Official announcement is planned for Fall 2005 BY ERIC BECK

More than a year after beginning the quiet phase of the capital campaign, University administrators are gearing up to publicly launch the estimated $1.3 billion fundraising drive in Fall 2005. The Corporation approved the quiet phase of the campaign, currently dubbed the Campaign for Academic Enrichment, at its October 2003 meeting. University officials expect to publicly launch the campaign next fall with public announcements, on-campus events and kick-off functions around the country, said Ronald Vanden Dorpel A.M. ’71, senior vice president for University advancement. A quiet phase usually lasts about two years, Vanden Dorpel said, adding that the subsequent public phase can last five years or longer. The University “aggressively but quietly” solicits gifts during the quiet phase, especially from Corporation members and other important donors, Vanden Dorpel said. He cited the recent donations by Sidney Frank and the three gifts totaling $20 million for the Jonathan M. Nelson Fitness Center as progress of the campaign’s quiet phase. The University will likely announce other recent donations after the Corporation meets in February, Vanden Dorpel said, adding that Brown has raised more than $400 million thus far in the quiet phase, though he declined to specify the exact amount. Donations totaling less than $200 million have been announced. Public announcements of some gifts during the quiet phase are used to spur on the campaign, he said.

Nick Neely / Herald

Violent winds and rains left the campus muddy and wet and did in several umbrellas, which were dumped Wednesday afternoon in Wilson Hall.

New calendar aims to promote local produce with nudity BY AIDAN LEVY

Agriculture and nudity may seem mutually exclusive, but “Ripe 2005,” the Sustainable Food Initiative’s 2005 calendar, cultivates the sensual side of fruits and vegetables in a natural way. The calendar features 12 photographs of naked Brown students using locally grown produce to conceal their private parts — highlighting the contours of both their bodies and the vegetables — in an effort to promote sustainable food practices at Brown. All the proceeds will go towards local sustainable agriculture, including Brown’s anticipated studentrun farm and the Incubator Project, a program that buys tractors for local farmers who can’t afford them. “Someone as a joke called it ‘veggie porn,’ but it’s really important that people know that we’re looking at it from a more abstract perspective,” said Kate Abarbanel ’06, a photographer for the calendar. “It’s not raunchy. It’s more ele-

see CAPITAL, page 5

gant.” In the spirit of organic farming, the images offer a visceral, uncorrupted representation of the human body. Each image incorporates a locally grown fruit or vegetable that is available during that month. The photos run the gamut from seven cantaloupes artistically placed on top of seven bare bottoms for August, to a model balancing a potato on his forehead for December, to the rear view of a model next to a purple cabbage for January. Across the bottom of each image is an erotic recipe, accompanied by a relatively comprehensive list of foods that are available during that month. “Hopefully we’ll surprise a few people,” said Louella Hill ’04, food systems coordinator for Brown Dining Services and head of the Sustainable Food Initiative. But the surprise isn’t the nudi-

BY STEPHANIE CLARK

FACULTY EXPANSION THREE YEARS IN fourth in a five-part series leaders often take advantage of vacancies to redefine positions, using current trends in research to determine what the department needs, Harris said. And the department defines the job vaguely in the search description so that the best candidates will come forward; the position is then defined based on a candidate’s specialties. “There is a sense in which the applicant pool defines the way in which the position goes,” Harris said. New professors are also hired when the department as a whole decides it needs to strengthen a certain area of history or when a donor donates money for a specific type of professor, Harris said. For example, the department was recently given

Art featured in “Island Nations” exhibit captures a culture and a region too often stereotyped risd news, page 3

Darin Ranahan ’05 thinks Democrats should look to Ukraine to see how to make change happen column, page 11

see UCS, page 5

U. names new dean of biology and medicine BY SARA PERKINS

money to hire a professor in modern Brazilian history, an area it had already decided it would like to expand. The department is also working to expand its non-Western history offerings. Associate Professor of History Nancy Jacobs is currently the only professor in the department who specializes in African history, a situation that drastically limits the options of undergraduates, she said. Because professors are limited in the number of courses they are able to teach, Jacobs has to balance between teaching subjects she is passionate about and meeting student demands. She currently teaches a class in 20th-century African history, which she called “the second half of a survey course.” “But no one here teaches the first half,” she said. This limited number of professors with

see HISTORY, page 4

see ADASHI, page 6

see CALENDAR, page 6

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, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 4 RISD internship program helps students develop curatorial skills, get museum experience risd news, page 3

As the semester comes to a close, the Undergraduate Council of Students has its sights set on the completion of various projects after Winter Break, including election reform, advising improvements and a campus-wide festival on Spring Weekend. At Wednesday night’s UCS meeting, representatives from each committee presented their accomplishments this semester and goals for the spring. The council’s goal this semester was to “create access for students,” said UCS President Joel Payne ’05. He noted that student groups’ printing costs are now exempt from Brown First if they total less than $500 — something Payne views as a success. “It’s a great feeling when you set a goal and you accomplish it,” Payne said, referring to the Brown First exemption. Both Payne and UCS Vice President Charley Cummings ’06 said UCS will continue to examine Brown First, including the components of the program that govern food purchases. Trying to get back to the program’s aim of providing “better food at cheaper prices instead of worse food at higher prices” is a goal for the spring, Cummings said. Another project that UCS has taken on this year is election reform. At the meeting,

After a search that lasted more than two and a half years, the University announced Wednesday that Dr. Eli Adashi will become dean of biology and medicine on Jan. 18. Adashi, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, will replace Interim Dean Dr. Richard Besdine, who has served since the departure of nowemeritus Dean Dr. Donald Marsh in July 2002. A 1973 graduate of the Sackler School of Medicine of Tel Aviv University in Israel, Adashi began his U.S. career at the New England Medical Center in Boston. His impressive record includes founding Utah’s Ovarian Cancer Program at the Huntsman Cancer Research Institute. Adashi told The Herald he will be leaving his career as a prolific researcher behind in Utah. “I gave it a lot of thought — I think it’s probably time to let it go and focus on the full plate that is in front of us,” he said. But he said expanding research opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and medical students will be “a top priority.” “My sense is that an overall enhancement of the (research) enterprise will

History department sees academic enrichment plan as an opportunity to continue change In an effort to expand the diversity of its offerings, the Department of History is in the process of hiring new professors with a wider range of specialties and is taking advantage of vacancies to redefine faculty positions. The department is “not reinventing but … reevaluating” itself, said Acting Chair Tim Harris P’03. Around the University, departments are taking advantage of the 100 new faculty positions allotted in the Plan for Academic Enrichment by proposing new faculty positions. But meanwhile, the Department of History is continuing on a path of reevaluation — a path that will lead to adjusted job descriptions and new faculty members, some of whom could arrive at Brown as a result of the plan. The reevaluation is occurring while the department works to fill vacancies left by professors who have retired. Department

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Men’s basketball team reverses four-game losing streak by beating Wagner College for season’s first victory sports, page 12

Women’s basketball manages difficult victory against URI in Wednesday night home game sports, page 12

THURSDAY

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FRIDAY

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 · PAGE 2 MATH = FUN Ed Ahn and Ed Chang

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS PUBLIC ART PROJECT 9:30-11 a.m. (Lobby, List Art Center) — Artist Diane Samuels will be scanning in community members’ handprints for a permanent art installation in the new Life Sciences Building.

“PSYCHE” 8 p.m. (Stuart Theater) — Brownbrokers’ musical production, written by Jed Resnick ’06 and featuring music by James Eglehofer ’04, opens tonight on the main stage.

BROWN UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA 8 p.m. (Sayles Hall) — The Brown University Orchestra performs pieces from Gould, Copland and Schumann with conductor Paul Phillips and clarinet soloist Alex Kotch ’06. $2 for students and seniors; $4 general admission.

FALL DANCE CONCERT 8 p.m. (Ashamu Dance Studio) — The first night of the annual Fall Dance Concert features various dance groups on campus, including Fusion, Dance Extension, Attitude, New Works and others.

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Hot Turkey Sandwich with Sauce, Mashed Red Potatoes with Garlic, Sugar Snap Peas, Pancakes, French Toast, Tater Tots, Kielbasa, Hard Boiled Eggs, Chocolate Cherry Upside Down Cake, Sugar Cookies.

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Mexican Bean Soup, Lobster Bisque, American Chop Suey, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Cauliflower, Sugar Cookies.

DINNER — A Taste of Europe Dinner Special

Jero Matt Vascellaro

UT Yu-Ting Liu

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Dog holder 4 Partner of alas 9 “Nonsense!” 14 Game whose name is shouted when a player has one card 15 Haul 16 Speedy Northeast train 17 Mail svc. 18 Experiment 19 Upscale watch 20 Heart 23 Viaduct feature 24 Rockies roamer 25 Nissan sedan 28 The 34 in a 16/34 shirt 30 Storm center 31 ’60s conflict site 32 Register 35 Terrier type 36 Ears 41 Presidencies, to historians 42 Island north of Java 43 Beachball filler 44 Some 45s, briefly 46 Become fond of 50 Mustard family root 52 CBS hit series 54 Environmental activist Brockovich 55 Thumbs 58 Big name in talk 60 Seat of Marion County, Florida 61 Grammar bestseller “Woe __” 62 Lyons lady 63 Career military person 64 Hanna-Barbera collectible 65 Shocking weapon 66 Give the slip 67 Clue word missing from 20-, 36-, and 55Across Down 1 Muslim women’s garments: Var. 2 Roll out 3 “Ain’t gonna happen!”

39 Privileged 40 Cultural prog. funder 44 Artist known for spatial illusions 45 Key letter 47 Beethoven’s Third 48 Sparkly strand 49 “Mourning Becomes Electra” playwright

51 Part of Caesar’s boast 52 Agnes’s uncle 53 Jumble 56 Loser to Clinton 57 Whittle 58 “...the apparel __ proclaims the man”: “Hamlet” 59 Stew morsel

4 See 30-Down 5 Double-yolker 6 Israel’s Sharon 7 Vintage auto starter 8 ’50s NFLer Rote 9 Reward for good behavior, sometimes 10 Troop’s information gatherer 11 Capital on the Gulf of Finland 12 Flagon filler 13 Surfboard coat 21 Master piece? 22 Beam 26 Diner spread 27 “Yes!” 29 It may be rouge or blanc 30 With 4-Down, intermission music 33 Catches redhanded 34 Skater Midori 35 Boiler room worker 36 Nectar flavor 37 Soprano’s showpiece 38 Sail supports

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RISD NEWS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 · PAGE 3

RISD, Brown students learn curatorial skills at RISD Museum BY LISHAN SOH

Prompted by a flyer she received in her mailbox one spring day in 2002, Caitlin Rathburn RISD ’05 applied for a Mellon summer internship at the RISD Museum. The sculpture major knew she loved art and wanted a job that would allow her to develop her passion; apart from that, she had no idea what career path she wanted to follow. That all changed during the summer of 2002, when Rathburn served as one of four Mellon interns at the museum. In a bid to promote collaboration between RISD, Brown and the RISD Museum, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation dedicated a fund to the Museum in 1996 intended to strengthen the curatorial and research capacity for students interested in art conservation. Since then, the RISD Museum has awarded the fellowship — a 10-week, paid internship — to four students each summer, two from Brown and two from RISD. During RISD’s Wintersession, which runs from January to midFebruary, unpaid Mellon internships for credit are available to six Brown and RISD students as well. The internship is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The internship experience emphasizes practical knowledge of running a museum, from finance and development to the installation of pieces. The RISD Museum recently received a challenge fund from the Mellon Foundation to endow the program. At present, the fund stands at $1.5

see MUSEUM, page 5

‘Island Nations’ captures artistic views of a region, culture too often stereotyped BY JOEL ROZEN

When pressed to envision the island nations scattered throughout the Caribbean, many Americans conjure only the most generic images of sandy beaches, tropical climates and exotic vacation spots. Unfortunately, the art world is no less guilty of such stereotyping. Widespread among enthusiasts of socalled “ethnic” art is the assumption that the only creative accomplishments in the Caribbean worth acknowledging are the quaint, earthy exponents of its islands’ folk styles and traditions. In an effort to subvert such misconceptions, the RISD Museum unveiled on Oct. 28 an exhibition showcasing contemporary art from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. “Island Nations,” on display until Jan. 30, features the work of 23 Caribbean artists in a variety of media and also includes pieces from the museum’s sizeable collection of modern Latin American art. With this collection, Judith Tannenbaum, the museum’s executive curator of contemporary art, has demonstrated the innovation, vibrance and intensity achieved by the latest generation of Spanish-speaking Caribbean artists. Joined by Curatorial Assistant René Morales, Tannenbaum visited Havana, San Juan and Santo Domingo to meet with artists and study the complex political, cultural, and personal conditions affecting their work. Museum visitors will be pleased to discover that themes such as political corruption, gender and religious identity and geographic alienation are all treated with nuanced sensitivity in the exhibition, by both the artists and the curators in charge of the display. Given the glaring under-representation of Caribbean art in American museums, “Island Nations” is likely to come

team herald gives a shoutout to big cat

as a revelation. Many of the collection’s most memorable pieces bear sharp testament to the penetrating social conscience of their creators. Dominican-born Tony Capellán’s astonishing sculpture, “Caribbean Sea,” is fashioned out of blue flip-flops culled from Santo Domingo’s Ozama River. The misplaced sandals, dispersed all over the floor, illustrate the curators’ shrewd ability to capitalize on the room’s dimensions by plunging the viewer into the depths of an impressionistic sea. Upon closer examination, however, the impersonal artifacts become unsettlingly personal, as one considers their impoverished owners. To strengthen the blow and elucidate his study in contrasted meaning, Capellán has replaced the rubber toe straps with barbed wire. Also from the Dominican Republic, Jorge Pineda tackles the domestic reality of the homelessness and neglect of children in his surreal mixed-media composition, “The Forest.” The realistic frame of a young girl faces inward against a wall, as though she were being punished or scolded. Emanating from her head is a jungle of jagged scribbles, drawn directly onto the wall with carbon. Will this Red Riding Hood ever make it out of the woods? Or might the reality of living on an island only aggravate her fears of abandonment, marooned as she is in an already stranded situation? In addition to issues of political corruption, identity is also a prominent motif throughout the exhibit. Ernesto Pujol of Cuba plays this struggle to comic effect in his silver gelatin print, “Frontal Novice.” Donning the habit of a Catholic nun, Pujol has taken a gender bending self-portrait and created an ironic send-up to

see ISLAND, page 8

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004

History continued from page 1 non-Western specialties is not limited to African history, according to Jacobs. The history department currently only has one professor specializing in Middle Eastern studies, as well as only one professor specializing in South Asian studies, who is currently on leave. This limits the focuses from which history concentrators are able to choose. The only way a student can currently focus in African history is either to take every class she teaches or to study abroad, Jacobs said. But these areas of study could be expanded in the coming years. “We’ve got an opportunity now with the Plan for Academic Enrichment,” Jacobs said. “There are a lot of things we need.” The department is currently searching for an expert on the African diaspora. While the Department of History has not had trouble getting new hires approved by the administration in recent years — unlike other departments — it has also been told that it can’t hold as many searches this year as a result of the large number of new professors hired by the department in the past two years. Harris said sometimes the department must hold off on hiring someone because of limits placed by the administration, but this doesn’t necessarily have a crippling effect. Instead, the department fills gaps by inviting visiting professors who are experts in a certain area of history to teach for a semester or more until it can find a full-time replacement professor. But with vacancies and the possible delays of finding full-time, permanent replacements, the department is also attempting to increase the diversity of its offerings by reevaluating the effectiveness of the concentration requirements. The changes in concentration requirements, which go into effect for the Class of 2008, were instituted as a way to provide more flexibility for students, as well as to encourage the diversity of their programs of study. Previous requirements were eight classes within the department, with a minimum of two courses outside of the geographical area of focus. At least three classes outside of a concentrator’s chosen time period were also required. The new program requires 10 courses, but two of those can be from another department, Harris said. Concentrators must now also distribute their courses over three geographical areas, with a minimum of four courses in one area, three in another, and two in the last. The time-period requirement remains the same. According to Harris, the old concentration requirements were instituted at a time when “our strengths lay in North American and European history,” but as the department has expanded its offerings in other geographic regions, it decided to reflect these changes in what was required for a degree. “You can’t understand Western history without the comparative perspective,” Harris said. “We think it’s vitally important not only to a student’s historical understanding, but also to their understanding of the modern world.” Jacobs, one of the professors on the committee to reevaluate concentration requirements, agreed.

“There was a lot of provincialism in the old system.” Students used to be able to obtain a degree in history without ever taking a class dealing with material outside of the United States and Europe, she said. Under the new requirements, “No one’s going to get away with NATO studies; they’re going to have to study more of the world,” she said. One of the reasons the concentration now allows classes to be taken in other departments is because of previous difficulty with cross-department classes. Previously, if a professor in a department such as Judaic Studies or Africana Studies taught a course that the history department deemed valuable to the concentration, the professor would have to be incorporated into the history department, Harris said. “We were giving courtesy positions just so we could cross-register their courses,” he said. The reexamination of the old requirements began last year, when Department Chair Jim McClain put together a committee of professors to evaluate the effectiveness of the concentration. They compiled a list of suggestions that they presented to the department in April of this year, and the College Curriculum Council officially approved the changes in October. Harris, who is filling in as chair while McClain is on leave, said they don’t know the full effect that the changes will have yet. “I think in practice, it’s not going to make a huge difference,” he said, saying that many concentrators in past years would have met the new requirements. One effect he said he hoped the changes would have was on people who add history as a second major later in their Brown career. Because of the somewhat minimal eight-course requirement, some students “fall into” the requirements for a history degree, which the department wants to discourage, he said. “We wanted people to have thought through their program, not accidentally acquire a degree,” Harris said. In the vein of encouraging excellence, Harris said the department is also trying to attract the best graduate students, both to lead discussion sections and to conduct research. He said that a higher quality of graduate students also enriches the experience of the undergraduates. But because of the limits of the faculty, Jacobs said it’s “hard to become a graduate training powerhouse” in non-western areas, saying it’s much easier to become a graduate powerhouse in European or American history. “Undergraduates have to stand up and be counted if they want something,” she added. The long-term goal of the department is to generally expand, both by building on core strengths and by enhancing areas that have historically been weaker, Harris said. Right now the main focus is on enhancing transcultural history, which incorporates more than one region and therefore continues the trend of geographical diversity. Harris said the department would “ideally like to expand in size,” adding that it’s “relatively small” compared to other research universities. “Ideally we’d like to expand, but obviously there are limits on how much any one department can expand,” he said. Herald senior staff writer Stephanie Clark ’07 can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 5

Museum continued from page 3 million, comprising $850,000 contributed by the Mellon Foundation, which is to be matched with $650,000 from the Museum. Guinevere Harrison, account coordinator of RISD’s external relations department, said the Museum is raising the matching funds from individual and corporate donations. Applications for the internship have increased over the years as the program gains prestige and publicity, said Deborah Wilde, academic programs coordinator at the RISD Museum. In recent years, the number of applications for the summer internship has neared 100. Rathburn, however, drew a distinction between the competitiveness of the internship and the popularity of curating as a career path. “It’s not the most popular of career paths at RISD because of its specificity,” Rathburn said. “But the competition among those who apply is intense.” The internship attracts applicants across disciplines at both RISD and Brown. Though the highest proportion of Brown applicants come from the visual art and history of art and architecture departments, Wilde said a fair share of Brown student recipients of the Mellon fellowship have been concentrators in other humanities subjects such as religious studies and comparative literature. Under the supervision of curators, educators and Museum staff, the student interns gain valuable professional experience by working on projects related to collections and exhibitions, Wilde said. “They study the objects in the galleries and in storage, and do research to develop curatorial files and educational material for the pieces while learning about the different departments at the Museum.” Rathburn said her “amazing” experience under the Mellon grant was in large part due to the hands-on nature of the internship. She interned in the contemporary art department, where she researched and documented the entire collection for public display. Rathburn particularly enjoyed the weekly seminars in which important museum issues were discussed, such as cultural property, ethics and archaeological rights. The internship also involved meeting with the curators of every department at the Museum to discuss their experiences. Quyen Truong ’05, a visual art concentrator, was a Mellon intern at the Museum this past summer. She agreed about the educational value of the program, calling her experience a “privilege.” “It’s a great way to learn about RISD and a great motivation to leave College Hill,” Truong said. “I also gained knowledge of the many processes that working in a museum requires.” Truong was the only undergraduate intern over the summer; her fellow interns were all graduate students. Aja Armey, a second-year graduate student at RISD studying art and education design, also interned at the RISD

Museum this past summer. She is currently doing her thesis work at the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven, Conn. Armey said the opportunity was “rare” and “fabulous” because she got to “work directly with objects, like scrutinize them under a microscope.” Armey worked in the textiles department, where she examined Italian renaissance textiles. Wilde said the program under the Mellon grant emphasized the importance of educating the interns in the practical knowledge of running a museum, from finance and development to the installation of pieces. “Our interns become some of the best product handlers around,” Wilde said. Apart from the Mellon internship, Brown also has many opportunities available to students who are interested in museum curating. Maggie Bickford, chair of the Department of History of Art and Architecture, said the department has a longstanding relationship with the RISD Museum spanning 25 years. Both undergraduate and graduate students in the department work with professors and curators to “translate their academic research into access for general audience,” Bickford said. The department also offers a proctorship at the RISD Museum for one graduate student each academic year. Brown’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Bristol offers academic internships for credit through the anthropology department for students interested in ethnographic and archaeological artifacts. These internships are open to students currently enrolled at Brown or other colleges and universities. The Department of American Civilization will begin to offer a master’s degree in public humanities next fall, a revision of the existing Master of Arts program in Museum Studies. According to Steven Lubar, director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization, this new program will “bring the department and the university closer to local and regional museums, historic sites and community cultural programs, and facilitate a new relationship with the Smithsonian Institution and RISD.” The success of Brown and RISD’s curating programs are demonstrated by the job placement of students who participated in museum work over the course of their education and expressed interest in a curatorial career. Following her internship at the RISD Museum, Rathburn interned at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, N.Y., and hopes to work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City after graduation. The Mellon internship “made (her) passionate about museums,” she said. Brown graduates have also enjoyed success in the museum job market. Former Mellon intern Jenna Wainwright ’02 now works in the installation department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and Ann McMullen M.A. ’90, Ph.D. ’96 currently serves as a curator of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., a Smithsonian Institute.

Capital continued from page 1 “Institutions need momentum for campaigns, so it is a good thing to periodically announce some gifts in the quiet phase to build momentum,” he added. More important, University administrators and Corporation members leading the campaign use the quiet phase to build volunteer committees and assess the objectives and financial targets of the campaign, he said. Vanden Dorpel said Brown’s campaign, like similar programs at other universities, is more than a traditional capital campaign. “Strictly speaking, a capital campaign means raising only capital dollars for buildings,” he said. “But this is a campaign that will count all gifts. It will be comprehensive — it will raise money for buildings, it will raise money for endowment, it will raise

UCS continued from page 1 the Elections Review Commission, a group chaired by Cummings and made up of nonUCS members, presented its final recommendations. UCS also voted to put forth a referendum to the student body in the spring on instant runoff voting. Cummings announced that he would not seek re-election or run for UCS president next spring, so that he can chair the elections committee and see the reforms through. “I … have a genuine desire to see the spring election run smoothly, fairly and efficiently, and I feel as chair of

money for increasing the annual fund and it will raise money for other restricted purposes. It is very comprehensive.” The current “working goal” of the campaign is $1.3 billion, which a University-commissioned feasibility study found was “a stretch, but realistic,” Vanden Dorpel said. He added that the exact target will not be announced until the campaign is publicly launched. Brown’s campaign will focus on four areas, all part of the University’s Plan for Academic Enrichment. The University hopes to add $300 million or more to its endowment for financial aid, some $250 million for between 75 and 100 new endowed professorships, approximately $200 million in new buildings and about $185 million for the Brown Annual Fund, Vanden Dorpel said. The Annual Fund is especially important to the campaign and the Elections Board I would be in the best position to oversee the changes the ERC has designed,” Cummings told UCS. The final major project UCS plans to take on is Payne’s campus region plan. Cummings mentioned tonight’s town hall meeting about student behavior as an event that may steer the development of the program. An idea that both he and Payne mentioned was the creation of peer community standards committees for each region of campus. The plan, if approved, will consist of UCS members being assigned to a region of campus; those regions would be their constituencies.

see UCS, page 9

the Plan for Academic Enrichment, Vanden Dorpel said, because it is unrestricted money that is injected directly into the University’s operating budget. Most other donations are restricted by the donor to a specific use, he added. “We are trying to ratchet (the Annual Fund) up every year by double-digit increases. The reason is to help fund right away the Plan for Academic Enrichment and the academic enrichment initiatives. The success of the Annual Fund over the last three years has been one of the principle mechanisms for supporting the Plan for Academic Enrichment,” Vanden Dorpel said. The entire campaign is derived from the Plan for Academic Enrichment, first approved by the corporation in Spring 2002. “What makes this campaign particularly important is how closely the success of the campaign is tied to the success of the Plan for Academic Enrichment. This is truly a campaign that is funding a plan. The priorities are set forth there, and we are just trying to fund the priorities of the plan,” he said. Brown’s last campaign, which raised $530 million, ended in 1996, Vanden Dorpel said, adding that the University’s seven-year hiatus between drives is standard. “Brown did it the right way. A new president came in, thought about a new plan, engaged everyone in the plan, published the plan and then said we’re going to need a big campaign to make this happen,” he said. Herald staff writer Eric Beck ’08 can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004

Adashi continued from page 1 increase the opportunities for all involved,” he said. Attracting new research grants will be a component of his plan. Adashi said what attracted him to Brown was “not the region per se. It’s really the opportunity at Brown — you might say the challenge that the position offers and just a sense that the time is right, that all sorts of possibilities are rising and we can all capitalize on those.” In particular, Brown’s heavy investment in facilities, research and faculty under the Plan for Academic Enrichment will allow for a strengthening of the overall medical and biology programs, he said. Also, the current stability in the ownership and administration of Brown’s affiliated teaching hospitals will provide an opportunity to build bridges among the hospitals.

“There was a time when the health care market was very volatile, individuals were turning over, hospitals were changing hands. Much of that stabilized for the foreseeable future and makes it a strong environment for moving forward,” he said. Adashi built the research program at Utah Health Sciences Center into a magnet for research funding for the National Institutes of Health, among others. The OB/GYN department there moved from 32nd to a consistent fixture in the top 10 among institutions that receive NIH money and has received as much as $5 million a year in grants. Adashi also said he hopes to build upon the momentum to build the Program in Public Health into a professional school of its own — Brown’s second, along with the Medical School. Herald news editor Sara Perkins ’06 can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Foglia ’05

Kara Wentworth ’05.5 poses with a romanesco cauliflower as February’s calendar girl in the Sustainable Food Initiative’s “Ripe 2005” calendar.

Calendar continued from page 1 ty, she said. “Most people wouldn’t even think that those foods are within hand’s reach.” Hill hopes that the calendar will spread awareness about the project she feels so passionate about, she said, and inspire more passion to bring local foods to Brown. “The point of the calendar is so blatant,” she said. “Eat what is luscious and ripe. The way to do that is by eating what is seasonal, and the best way to eat seasonally is by eating what is grown 30 miles away.” The calendar’s concept sprang from the mind of Caroline Colesworthy, a graduate student in the environmental studies program. Hill presented her project to Colesworthy’s environmental communications class earlier this year, explaining that in order to effect dramatic change in BuDS, the project needed more publicity, Colesworthy said. “There are a lot of complicated reasons why local food is better — political, environmental, health. I wanted to give it a simple spin,” she said. “Something that could really appeal to everyone. Art and sensuality are big winners.” Colesworthy, a vegan and a big “foodie,” is a strong proponent of the “you are what you eat” mentality, she said. “It’s a bit esoteric, but when we eat food, the environment becomes us, and that is why what we eat and maintaining a healthy environment are important.” Eating locally in Rhode Island is not always easy, especially in the winter, Hill said. But there are

ways to accommodate the palate with the changing seasons, she said. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner demonstrates an appropriate winter meal that integrates local produce. The first Thanksgiving meal took place during a time when the agricultural economy wasn’t dominated by conglomerate corporations that ship food thousands of miles in bulk. That is the current reality. “If people won’t eat squash soup in November and want tomato bruschetta, it’s going to be hard to connect them to a local food system,” Hill said. A substantial portion of the food served at Brown travels to College Hill from distant places such as New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. The systematic bypassing of local farms is not only detrimental to the local economy — its effects also extend into the quality of the food, she said. “It doesn’t make sense for me to buy tomatoes from Holland or apples from South Africa, on the simple grounds that flavor and taste do not withstand that journey,” Hill said. Hill’s response to critics of seasonal eating is that there is a time and place for certain foods, but she doesn’t recommend gorging on potatoes all winter. “You can save up an urge and allow the desire to build throughout the year, so when it’s the end of July and the corn is so sweet, when you take that first bite it’s what you’ve been waiting for,” she said. About five weeks ago, when Hill approached Lucas Foglia ’05, an art-semiotics concentrator, and asked him to collaborate, he was quick to volunteer as photogra-

see CALENDAR, page 9

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004

M. hoops continued from page 12

W. hoops continued from page 12

before Ruscoe ended Brown’s four-minute drought with a jumper at the 9:28 mark, and the Bears never looked back. Bruno ended the game with its largest lead — 16 points. The Bears played solid offense, shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the line on 13 attempts. They only surrendered nine turnovers but were outrebounded 17-5 on offensive boards and 42-34 overall. “We are still trying to develop our big guys inside,” Partee said. “We have tall guards; they may not be as strong as other forwards, but have the height advantage. If we can build up our interior game, we will be able to rebound and get to the line more.” Two big guys, Sam Manhanga ’07 and Mark McAndrew ’08, provided a great spark off the bench. Manhanga scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds, and McAndrew went 3-5 from three-point range, tallying nine points and five rebounds. The Bears return to the Pizzitola Sports Center for a 7 p.m. match-up against Binghamton University on

rebounds after the half. The double-double is Robertson’s second in as many games. “(Robertson) is very versatile,” Burr said. “She can score in and out. We really emphasize that she is a presence on the court.” Despite the added energy, Bruno still was having problems with URI’s zone. The Rams also kept getting open jump shots on offense, allowing them to take the lead again on a three-pointer with just under 11 minutes left. “We had a hard time with the 2-3 zone,” Burr said. “We play a lot of man-to-man and match-up (zones), so my guards got a little confused as to what to do.” The Rams continued to extend their lead, going up by as much as seven, but Brown refused to let them break the game open, cutting the Ram lead to six with just over two Friday. Herald staff writer Caroline Brandon ’07 covers men’s basketball. She can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

minutes left. Kelly then nailed a deep two, followed by two made foul shots from Robertson to bring Brown within two. The Rams scored one final time as guard Peta Kneen hit a layup and drew a foul to put them up 65-61. Her missed free throw led to Kelly’s rally-sparking three-pointer. In addition to Robertson, Kelly and Hayes came up big for the Bears, both scoring 12 points on the night. Vocell, meanwhile, was a huge spark off the bench, finishing with nine points, all of which came on critical shots from behind the arc. The Bears will return to the Pizzitola Saturday at 1 p.m. to take on Winthrop University in the opening round of the Brown Classic. The loser of that game will play in the consolation game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and the winner will compete in the championship game at 3 p.m. Herald staff writer Ben Miller ’07 covers women’s basketball. He can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

Island continued from page 3 his society’s sexual and religious heterogeneity. A little wandering through the museum halls pays off — evidence of assorted personal identities can be found in different pieces, even those created within the same small country. This is not to say that the exhibition is without its share of aesthetic problems. The art is of a consistent quality, but there are a few exceptions. In his sculpture “Cage of Speakers,” for instance, Esterio Segura attempts to confront the oppressive forces of Cuban censorship. Filling a steel birdcage with dismantled stereo speakers, the artist supplies his polemic with a powerful visual, but a heavy-handed and somewhat trite one. The metaphorical value of a “caged bird” certainly remains undisputed — just consider the critical success of authors Maya Angelou, Franz Kafka or George Orwell — and yet ultimately, Segura’s worn-out sense of symbolism has been played out. All the same, most of the work on display in “Island Nations” is jaw-droppingly innovative and fresh. Confronted by agitprop visions and foreign iconography, visitors may be surprised to find parallels between the themes explored by island artists and the issues that continue to weigh heavily on the American popular conscience — a similarity that is perhaps central to the exhibit’s intent. By introducing museumgoers to pieces like “Multiplicities,” Elia Alba’s Plexiglas sculpture commemorating the plight of Dominican immigrants who perished in the Sept. 11 attacks, “Island Nations” demonstrates the close affiliation between the United States and its Caribbean neighbors. Celebrating the work of direly unappreciated artists, the RISD Museum has also brought their passions, fears and hopes one step closer to us and made the foreign seem not so foreign at all.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

UCS continued from page 5 The Student Activities Committee spent this semester looking into how to revamp the club sports system. In the spring, the committee will come to a resolution, possibly introducing a new board to oversee club sports, said Student Activities Chair Sarah Saxton-Frump ’07. The committee will also focus on issues concerning the student activities fee and setting up a student activities Web site, Frump said. At the top of the list for the Campus Life Committee are police-student relations, especially with the arming of Brown police officers expected sometime in the next year. “We want things to be as transparent as possible,” said com-

Calendar continued from page 6 pher. Foglia’s senior thesis project deals heavily with sustainable agriculture and local food systems. The calendar presented an opportunity to help publicize an important message, he said. “We’ve all been in the same boat, but this project is not so old,” Foglia said. “The impact of the calendar is that it raises awareness about the vegetables. That was my intent — not to make the photos exploit the nudity.” Models also played a creative role in the shooting, Foglia said. “I’m October,” said Elizabeth Hoover, a graduate student in anthropology. She chose to be adorned with cranberries. “I think it was done very artistically so it

mittee chair Natalie Schmid ’06. Another priority is working on Brown Dining Services staffing and morale issues related to the hour of sales between 1 and 2 a.m. that was added this semester, Schmid said. Working to improve advising was a goal of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee this fall and will continue to be in the spring. After holding a forum on advising, particularly for sophomores, the committee will research how other universities handle advising and come back with recommendations, chair Emily Blatter ’07 said. Among the ideas Blatter said the committee is discussing are the creation of sophomore Curricular Advising Program courses and sophomore seminars. The committee will also continue its work with Departmental Undergraduate Groups. Blatter said the committee plans to create a handbook on how to set up a

DUG, along with making the groups’ constitutions more formal. The Admissions and Student Services Committee is planning a spring festival for Spring Weekend. Committee chair Ari Goodstein ’06 said the event would “turn the entire campus into one big festival,” consisting of booths and events run by different student groups. The committee is also focusing on expanding the admission office’s Talent Quest program to international and transfer students. And the committee plans to unveil an alternative to electronic file-sharing, but Goodstein would not reveal details about the program. UCS will hold its town hall meeting today in Wilson 102 at 7 p.m.

wasn’t meant to be sex and vegetables. They could have gone more that route.” Robin Averbeck ’06 posed with several other students for the calendar. “I think it’s a very exciting way to promote local and organic foods,” she said. “People feel that environmentalists are always talking and not always connecting. This is very sexy in a way that speaks to people, but it’s tastefully done.” Sara Egendorf ’06 tremendously enjoyed the experience of posing, she said. “It was really a beautiful thing — one of the best experiences of my life.” Faculty members have also expressed support for the Sustainable Food Initiative, including Mark Cladis, professor of religious studies. “The average food shipment today travels 2,000 miles, at 10 calories of energy for

one calorie of food,” Cladis said. “We’re really oblivious to where the food comes from. It comes from the grocery store.” Eating local produce has large-scale effects on the environment and the community. “There’s something about adjusting to the rhythms of the seasons, and not just your thermostat,” he said. “Ripe 2005” will be on sale for $22 starting Tuesday in the post office between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and will continue through Friday. Hill hopes that buyers will see past the nudity and absorb the message, she said. “Sometimes I look at the squirrels and think, ‘God, you’ve got it right,’” she said. “There’s an amazing thing that happens when we look at the world around us and align our diet to the changing environment.”

Herald staff writer Chris Hatfield ’06 can be reached at herald@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 · PAGE 10 S T A F F

E D I T O R I A L

Future focus In Fall 2001, Brown’s faculty was not where it is now. Somewhat neglected and undervalued when President Ruth Simmons was inaugurated three years ago, it has since received the attention and resources it deserves. With ongoing efforts to attract 100 new faculty members, Brown has made a commitment to its faculty — one that will surely pay off as prominent scholars come to view Brown as a place where they can pursue their research. The faculty that have thus far been recruited to come to Brown have been remarkably impressive and dedicated to their fields; from writers to scientists, a new depth of knowledge is being attained in nearly every department, and it is an impressive change in a relatively short period of time. The University will change drastically in coming years. How it will change depends a great deal on the faculty who come to campus; as the largest part of the University community that is here for more than four years, the faculty has a major and lasting effect on Brown. And Brown has a chance right now to shape its future through the professors it recruits. As academic departments reevaluate their staffing and court new hires, it is clear that Brown has the opportunity to expand its expertise in many fields. But the professors who come to Brown — whether hired through the Target of Opportunity program, for a new position created by the Plan for Academic Enrichment or as part of normal replacement hiring — must have something in common other than their commitment to their work. Above all, they must be committed to their students, including undergraduates. Brown has the chance to recruit professors doing cuttingedge research and with prestigious records. So do many elite universities. What sets Brown apart is its status as a top university college, where even big-name professors and researchers put undergraduate teaching first. Brown can take advantage of this unique strength by maintaining and promoting this core value as it expands its faculty. It can do this by seeking out professors with proven teaching records and a commitment to young scholars — perhaps even more so than professors with marquee names or epic curricula vitae. Many students choose to attend Brown because of its focus on undergraduate education. It would send a powerful message of pride in the University’s values for Brown to ensure that faculty members are here for the same reason.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Juliette Wallack, Editor-in-Chief Philissa Cramer, Executive Editor Julia Zuckerman, Executive Editor Jen Sopchockchai, Arts & Culture Editor Leslie Kaufmann, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor Danielle Cerny, Campus Watch Editor Jonathan Ellis, Metro Editor Sara Perkins, News Editor Dana Goldstein, RISD News Editor Alex Carnevale, Opinions Editor Ben Yaster, Opinions Editor Ian Cropp, Sports Editor Christopher Hatfield, Sports Editor Bernie Gordon, Assistant Sports Editor Chris Mahr, Assistant Sports Editor Eric Perlmutter, Assistant Sports Editor PRODUCTION Peter Henderson, Design Editor Amy Ruddle, Copy Desk Chief Melanie Wolfgang, Copy Desk Chief Eddie Ahn, Graphics Editor Judy He, Photo Editor Nick Neely, Photo Editor

BUSINESS Jack Carrere, General Manager Lawrence Hester, General Manager Anastasia Ali, Executive Manager Zoe Ripple, Executive Manager Daniel Goldberg, Senior Financial Officer Mark Goldberg, Senior Financial Officer Ian Halvorsen, Senior Financial Officer Lisa Poon, Marketing Manager Abigail Ronck, Senior Accounts Manager Kathleen Timmins, Senior Accounts Manager Laird Bennion, Senior Project Manager Elias Roman, Senior Project Manager Jungdo Yu, Senior Project Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Susan Dansereau, 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 Fritz Brantley, Features Editor Jeremy Beck, Film Editor Jonathan C. Liu, Music Editor

Ride O’Rocket, Night Editor Chessy Brady, Tina Salvato, Melanie Wolfgang, Jenna Young, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Stephanie Clark, Robbie Corey-Boulet, Justin Elliott, Ben Grin, Kira Lesley Staff Writers Marshall Agnew, Camden Avery, Kathy Babcock, Zaneta Balantac, Alexandra Barsk, Zachary Barter, Eric Beck, Danielle Cerny, Christopher Chon, Lexi Costello, Ian Cropp, Gabriella Doob, Jonathan Ellis, Amy Hall Goins, Dana Goldstein, Bernard Gordon, Kate Gorman, Chris Hatfield, Jonathan Herman, Leslie Kaufmann, Kate Klonick, Mary-Catherine Lader, Ben Leubsdorf, Chris Mahr, Lisa Mandle, Ben Miller, Sara Perkins, Eric Perlmutter, Meryl Rothstein, Marco Santini, Jen Sopchockchai, Jonathan Sidhu, Lela Spielberg, Stefan Talman, Jessica Weisberg, Brooke Wolfe, Melanie Wolfgang, Stu Woo, Anne Wootton Accounts Managers Steven Butschi, Rob McCartney, John Nagler, David Ranken, Joel Rozen, Rukesh Samarasekera, Ryan Shewcraft Project Managers In Young Park, Libbie Fritz Pagination Staff Eric Demafeliz, Deepa Galaiya, Allison Kwong, Jason Lee Photo Staff Marissa Hauptman, Ashley Hess, Matthew Lent, Bill Pijewski, Kori Schulman, Sorleen Trevino, Juliana Wu Copy Editors Chessy Brady, Jonathan Corcoran, Eric Demafeliz, Leora Fridman, Allison Kwong, Katie Lamm, Cristina Salvato, Sonia Saraiya, Lela Spielberg, Zachary Townsend, Jenna Young

DANIEL L AWLOR

LETTERS Checkpoints are not pointless To the Editor: Rachel Brown and Chelsea Sharon’s column (“Checkpointless,” Dec. 1) misses the fact that Israel needs to use checkpoints to save the lives of its citizens and is succeeding at that objective every day. Without the issue of security at the forefront of this dialogue, the Brown community will be unable to piece together the many facets of this lamentable situation. Indeed, checkpoints are regrettable, and Palestinians certainly suffer the consequences of individual terrorists. But checkpoints are not pointless. Israel does not want to use checkpoints for many reasons, but specifically because the lives of its youth who serve in the army are threatened. Yet members of terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade operate within the West Bank and Gaza, cross into Israel and target civilians. In well-documented cases, mili-

tants have feigned sickness and have hidden in ambulances to gain access into Israel to carry out attacks. Last April, a woman pretending to be pregnant was arrested for planning to carry out a suicide bombing. These are not isolated incidents. Such tactics have forced Israeli guards to stop and screen all those entering Israel from the West Bank and Gaza for weaponry and explosives. The number of attacks thwarted by the checkpoint system highlights its effectiveness. From January to August, 90 of 101 attempted attacks were prevented. Checkpoints are a burden and an unfortunate reality in the lives of Palestinians. But I would not call them unreasonable given Israel’s severe terror concerns. Jeffrey Yoskowitz ’07 Dec. 1

C O R R E C T I O N S An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“ResCouncil recommends making Grad Center coedoptional”) misstated the number of members of Games House and the number required to be constituted as a program house. Program houses are required to have 20 members, not 10; Games House currently has 17 members. Another article in Wednesday’s Herald (“International applications for graduate schools fall nationwide”) incorrectly stated that applications to the Graduate School dropped by 18 percent last year. That figure refers only to international applications, not overall applications.

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. CO M M E N TA RY P O L I C Y 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.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004 · PAGE 11

Not just a minor threat GUEST COLUMN BY DARIN RANAHAN

Victory in Ukraine! I'm not talking about the election — that was a complete failure. What I mean by victory is the fact that the outcry of Ukrainians over the rigged elections has actually sparked the possibility of change. At the time of this writing, the Ukrainian election commission had ruled that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich won, despite the Parliament’s rejection of the election results. Nevertheless, how is Ukraine’s opposition so different from the American left? Why can they elicit a response from their government while our government ignores and brushes aside our voice? First off, I admit, the nature of the election fraud in Ukraine was slightly cruder than that of the election fraud in this year’s U.S. election. Instead of hordes of intimidating vote checkers at the polls and unaccountable electronic voting machines, the Ukrainian opposition encountered more old-fashioned modes of election fraud, such as casting multiple votes and hordes of intimidating peacekeepers, i.e. thugs. Next, the media. The American media has widely covered suggestions of fraud in Ukraine, while barely skirting over similar allegations at home. None of the major news outlets have investigated the possibility of large-scale election fraud in the form of Diebold electronic voting machines. Similarly, the mainstream American media only cursorily investigated the disenfranchisement of African-American voters in Florida in the 2000 election. These sorts of issues, which merit front-page status at home, instead receive more coverage in the foreign press. Next, the political parties. The opposition in Ukraine has refused to concede and is in fact at the forefront of claims about election fraud. I wish that the Democrats had the spine to challenge election fraud here. Instead, non-profits like Black Box Voting (www.blackboxvot-

ing.org) and even the Green Party, which obviously had no chance of winning any national office, pick up the slack. But the most important lessons we can learn from Ukraine are from its citizens, because unless you hold political office or an influential post in the media, you are in the same boat as them. The Ukrainian people have persistently taken to the streets over the past week with a degree of vehemence rarely seen in American

American progressives should look towards the Ukraine for inspiration. political efforts, raising fears of violence, unrest and even civil war in Ukraine. It is precisely the perception of this threat that has given clout to the movement to hold another election. In general, America’s progressive community accepts the doctrine of nonviolence as an unquestionable truth. I wholeheartedly agree that violence is the most horrible thing that human beings are capable of. However, in recent years we have not exercised any alternative ways to effectively threaten the establishment. How else is it that when over 100,000 (demonstrators estimated 400,000) people marched on New York City in

February 2003 to protest the impending Iraq war, President Bush was able to dismiss it as a “focus group” that had no bearing on how he should lead the country? Does he understand how a focus group works? The potential for violence is the least desirable, most primitive way of achieving what is necessary — that is, for conservatives to perceive us as a threat. Right now the Democrats have no sway precisely because they are not considered a threat — as a party their stances have become too watered down while their power at the national level has dwindled. To a certain extent, I don’t blame them. The Democrats are a political party whose only objective is reelection and whose greatest fear is alienation of potential voters. The fundamentalists in this country don’t need to compromise because the repercussions for not compromising are limited at best. Thus it is up to us to make our voices heard. Be a threat. Not with violence, but with expression of who we are and what we believe: Voice your dissatisfaction daily, offend conservative values, say the things that Democrats as a party are too afraid to say. Conservatives have no reason to compromise if we don’t use the tools that make us a threat: boycotts, protests, sit-ins, organization, education and general unrest. Whatever you do, don’t rely on institutions like the media or political parties to represent you. Compromising ourselves to fit in line with the moderate positions and tactics of the party that is supposed to represent progressive viewpoints only cripples the issues that we believe in. Darin Ranahan ’05 might be an adult, but he’s a minor at heart.

Remembering the RISD library GUEST COLUMN BY MICHAEL FINK

I hope I’m not too late to save it. I have been talking about rescuing our bookshelves, but this is the first time I’ve put my protest into print. I am going to beat around the bush for a while. As a graduate student at Brown, I came to admire the beauty of a number of libraries from the lovely John Hay to the exquisite John Carter Brown — the Rock hadn’t even been thought of yet. Forsythia like gold framed these superb structures. But nothing could dwarf the charm of the RISD reading room, which attracted Brown students even half a century ago. A slim volume celebrating the lore of learning described the then-new RISD loft space thus: “To reach it, you enter the Benefit Street lobby and take the fine marble staircase. A feeling of l8th century elegance and serenity has been recreated. The golden brown of the carved teakwood panelling glows in the sunlight that streams in the high windows and lends a mellow charm to the mezzanine and alcoves with a friendly, inviting touch. “No less attractive are the appointments. American walnut, slightly darker than the teak, has been used for the desk tables and chairs. Still darker brown is the floor of wide cork tiles set in a herringbone pattern. Warmth of coloring is added by the deep acquamarine leather of the upholstery. “From the south windows there is a lovely vista past the ivy walls of the Athenaeum and the gay red brick row of dwellings. These views of old Providence increase the magic of the very beautiful library of the School of Design.” These words were written in the “duration” to review the still quite new rooms proudly completed just prior

to the outbreak of war. The statement closes with an open invitation to the homefront to spend time as guests. “Perhaps you may feel some desire to visit. We would be very happy to have you do so.” I cite these phrases because RISD is relocating its library into the former Hospital Trust Bank building over the river into downtown. That deco masterpiece is a splendid example of the capitalist celebration of wealth and power, and I join the rest of my colleagues in congratulations for the acquisition of space and splendor. Metaphorically, however, the little library as it stands deserves recognition for its understated, and true, educational elegance of spirit and devotion

Enjoy it before it moves off the hill. specifically to reading as a pleasure for itself. True riches have to do with the soul. I love our library as it is, where it is, with its noble past and purpose, its humility and pride, its associations and stately dignity on a small scale. On a practical level, I propose to donate my fairly large collection of personal books, ranging in subject matter from the history of cinema to ornithology and nature lore, from Jewish history to the evolution of the

novel, to the personal essay in its most poetic and its wittiest form — maybe all these volumes could fill one of the alcoves and serve to amuse the afternoon of an undergraduate, from Brown or RISD to any other school in the vicinity, or any other browser. Other teachers, staff, wanderers, students or neighbors might also contribute or bequeath their beloved pages to fill the shelves emptied when the move to downtown finally occurs, as it must and will. RISD has always been a place where space is recycled, except for our reading room, which was designed for one aim — to settle an artist before a book, to open our studio world to our guests ... and to serve a cocktail at trustee-alumni liaison seasons of the academicartistic year. Do stop by — climb the stairs, look in and see, before it is too late, how delightful and quietly sumptuous our lair for lore is. Isn’t there something that can be done to preserve it for a few more wondrous afternoons of the 21st century? I am spending my one-semester sabbatical hunting here and there for creative moments in the October sunbeams, walking my dog among the East Side cobblestone streets. I do climb those marble stairs to spend some time among the librarians who perform mystical tricks in finding just what I require for my rambling research. It’s more profitable than what any teller can produce at the bank bars — not that there’s anything wrong with the banks. Hey, why not restore the Old Stone Bank building while we’re at it?

Michael Fink A.M. ’59 is a professor of English at RISD.

The Herald opinions page wants you. Apply to be a columnist. opinions@browndailyherald.com

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS THURSDAY DECEMBER 2, 2004 · PAGE 12

Bowl games and BCS to brew some confusion yet again Now that the Bears have concluded their season on the gridiron, Brown’s college football fans will be happy to note that this weekend provides an exciting slate of meaningful games. Although the SEC championship STEPHEN COLELLI game is not quite as YOU, COLELLI enjoyable as watching Brown embarrass Columbia, the match-up between No. 3 Auburn University and No. 15 University of Tennessee has dramatic implications for the Bowl Championship Series. The top three teams in the BCS rankings all play on Saturday — if all three win and thus finish their respective seasons undefeated, the rankings will be scrutinized at best and shellacked at worst throughout yet another winter. The BCS rankings were created for the 1998 season in an effort to make certain that the top two teams in the country would square off in a national championship game each season. Unfortunately, as has been the case the past two years, judging which are the top two teams in the country is not always an easy task and may not reach widespread consensus. Last season saw Oklahoma, LSU and Southern California all finish with one-loss records. The BCS paired Oklahoma and LSU in the national title game, despite the fact that USC was ranked first in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today “human” polls. While the BCS has proven ineffective at guaranteeing a No. 1 vs. No. 2 championship game, it certainly has proven its worth at creating controversy. Maybe the most surprising game with BCS implications this Saturday is the first one, pitting Pittsburgh against South Florida, a game postponed due to the hurricanes that blasted Florida back in September. With their upset of West Virginia coupled with Boston College’s collapse against Syracuse, the Panthers created a four-way tie atop the standings of the Big East, a conference with only seven members after the defections of Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC. Pittsburgh, a team with early-season losses to Nebraska and Connecticut that also had to rally to beat Furman in overtime, is likely headed to the Fiesta Bowl with a win at South Florida. A trip to a BCS bowl means a financial windfall for the school and its affiliated conference; if Pitt does indeed make the Fiesta Bowl, it will be rewarded with a $1315 million payday. The depleted Big East, with its headquarters a few blocks from campus in downtown Providence, is looking to regain its standing as a powerhouse conference with Pittsburgh’s performance on Saturday and then on Jan. 1. Though the BCS may muddle the bowl picture rather than clarify it, one thing is certain: In a few days, we’ll be arguing about what did happen rather than what should. B ROW N S P O RTS S CO R E B OA R D Wednesday, December 1 Women’s Basketball: Brown 66, University of Rhode Island 65

Last-second score caps off comeback for w. basketball in fourth straight win BY BEN MILLER

A last-second layup proved the difference as the women’s basketball team gutted out a gritty 66-65 victory over in-state rival University of Rhode Island last night at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The victory is the fourth in a row for the Bears, who improve to 4-1. The Bears are now off to their best start since the 1993-1994 season, when Brown won the Ivy Championship and earned the league’s first trip to the NCAA tournament. “It was a good win over an Atlantic-10 team,” said Head Coach Jean Marie Burr. “We are looking to tune up for the Ivies, and our confidence is hitting stride.” With URI up 65-61 and the game clock reading less than a minute, Colleen Kelly ’06 hit a deep three to pull Brown within one with 42.6 seconds left. URI ran the clock down to 14.4 seconds before shooting an air ball, which was ruled to have touched a Brown player. With two seconds left on the shot clock, URI was whistled for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to Bruno with no time elapsed. Brown moved the ball up the court to Kelly on the left side, where the Rams promptly collapsed on her. Kelly stumbled forward, nearly losing her footing, but managed to get the ball off to Lena McAfee ’07 on the right block for an easy layup and the Bears’ first lead in over 11 minutes. URI was whistled for a foul on the play, putting Bruno on the foul line with just 2.8 seconds left. McAfee’s subsequent miss fell into the outstretched arms of Holly Robertson ’05, sealing the victory. It was an especially tough loss for firstyear URI coach Tom Garrick, as the Rams were assessed a technical foul because they did not turn their starting lineup in 10 minutes before tip-off. The two free throws made by Kelly gave Brown a 2-0 lead before the game even started. “This game goes squarely on my shoulders,” Garrick said. “We did not get the lineup in on time. That is an NCAA

Ashley Hess / Herald

Lena McAfee ’07 scored on a layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to cap off a 66-65 comefrom-behind victory over the University of Rhode Island Wednesday night. regulation. It was a two-shot foul, we lost by one, you don’t need to go any further than that.” Despite the early 2-0 lead, the Bears were unable to secure any momentum with the two teams trading baskets in the opening minutes. Brown’s biggest lead came on a jumper from Robertson that put Bruno up 11-8 with 12 minutes left in the first half. As the half wore on, turnovers on the offensive end started catching up to Brown, and URI built a 2721 lead off of transition baskets and second-chance points. A three-pointer by Jackie Vocell ’06 with less than 30 seconds left cut the Ram lead to 32-28 at the half. The Rams had gained 14 of those points off Brown miscues. “We just didn’t do a good job taking care of the ball,” said co-captain Sarah

Hayes ’06. “We did not have a safety to get back, but even if they stole the ball, we came right back.” Brown looked much better at the start of the second half, as improved defensive rebounding allowed the Bears to get out in transition more often. Two baskets from Hayes and one from McAfee quickly turned the four-point deficit into a 3432 lead. “We went more for the boards in the second half,” Hayes said. “There was a lack of energy in the first half, but we came out in the second half and wanted the ball more. We also boxed out better.” Bruno also started working the ball inside to Robertson, who used her size advantage to pour in 10 of her 20 points and grabbed 11 of her career-high 15

see W. HOOPS, page 8

M. basketball stays on the road but gets rest and first win of season, 76-60 BY CAROLINE BRANDON

A little rest, some home-cooked turkey and a few days off were enough to reverse the 0-4 men’s basketball team’s slump and propel the Bears to their first victory of the season with a 76-60 win over Wagner College. “This win was important for our confidence,” said co-captain Luke Ruscoe ’06. “We played well as a team — everyone was helping each other out. It was good for us to come together like that.” Even more impressive is that this win came only 48 hours after losing Damon Huffman ’08, last week’s Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week, to a severe sprained ankle sustained in Sunday’s practice. Huffman had earned a spot in the starting rotation for the first four games. He was the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 10 points per game, and team leader in both assists and three-point field goals. “We do have to adjust when someone is out of the lineup,” said assistant coach Andy Partee. “But we have never played with a set starting five. Everyone can earn an opportunity to start or not start. This way it keeps everyone on

their toes.” With a switched-up starting five, the Bears looked to co-captains Jason Forte ’05 and Ruscoe for leadership on the court, and that is exactly what they got. The two combined for 16-29 from the field and 10-17 from behind the arc; their combined 43 points accounted for more than half of the team’s total. With six three-point field goals, Forte marked an individual high in the Ivy League this year and ranks fifth on Brown’s single-game list. With 25 points on the night, Forte moved up two spots to 12th all-time in scoring for the Bears, with 1,171 career points. “This win was not about any one player, but working as a team,” said Forte. “This game was essential to our development and gives us momentum going into our next game.” Although the Bears started out slow, tallying only seven points in the first 10 minutes, they were able to break into double digits during a 15-2 scoring run and recapture the lead, 25-22, with just under six minutes left in the half. Brown held onto its lead and went into the half up by three, 36-33.

With the momentum leaning its way, Brown came out firing in the second half, hitting three three-pointers in the first five minutes and extending the lead to 50-38. With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Bruno was resting on its 12-point lead and allowed Wagner to get back within two. “We were taking good care of the ball, but we got overconfident,” Partee said. “We were throwing up shots with 25 or 30 seconds left on the shot clock instead of setting up our offense and taking good looks.” In addition, Wagner was making good use of its offensive opportunities by getting high-percentage second chances, but the team was unable to convert on them. “We were giving up offensive rebounds, but I was impressed with the level of defense we were able to maintain for 70 seconds,” Partee said. “We didn’t let Wagner’s second-chance shots hurt us.” Brown’s large lead was cut to two

see M. HOOPS, page 8