Wednesday, March 15, 2006 by The Brown Daily Herald

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006

Volume CXLI, No. 34

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891 STEP INTO MY OFFICE Concentration advising varies widely across departments, and some programs are strapped by limited resources CAMPUS NEWS 5

KICK THE CAN A Coca-Cola ban at Swarthmore and other schools sparks an independent investigation CAMPUS WATCH 3

Plus/minus fails key test

THE SPIRIT OF ‘69 Ira Magaziner ’69 and Elliott Maxwell ’68 argue that pluses and minuses would cheapen the New Curriculum OPINIONS 11

TODAY

TOMORROW

partly cloudy 42 / 26

sunny / wind 43 / 25

UN FESTIVAL DE FILM

Faculty could still vote to change grading system BY CHLOE LUTTS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The College Curriculum Council voted Tuesday against adding pluses and minuses to Brown’s grading system. The six-to-seven vote followed nearly an hour and a half of debate on the pros and cons of pluses and minuses. The CCC drafted six possible changes to the grading system but ultimately voted against sending any proposal for more differentiated grading to the Faculty Executive Committee, the body that sets the agenda for faculty meetings. Since the FEC is made up entirely of professors, and the faculty as a whole ultimately decides on any changes to the curriculum, the CCC represents the last chance for students to have an official voice in the decision-making process. The six changes proposed were to add pluses and minuses to all letter grades; to add pluses and minuses but omit the A-plus grade; to add only pluses; to add pluses and minuses to only B’s and C’s; to use pluses and minuses on internal transcripts only; and to add new grades of A/B and B/C to the current system. As a result of the vote, the plus/minus proposal will not be brought to the entire faculty by the CCC, but professors still have the power to suggest changes to the

PRO-CHOICE

Lucia Donatelli / Herald

Sarah Weddington, who successfully argued Roe v. Wade in 1973, spoke last night in Salomon 101. campus news 5

curriculum by requesting that the FEC add their proposal to the faculty agenda for a vote. Dean of the College Paul Armstrong, who chairs the CCC, told The Herald the next step is to inform Dean of the Graduate School Sheila Bonde that the CCC is not proposing anything to the FEC. The Graduate Council has already voted to send the FEC a proposal to introduce pluses and minuses to the Grad School’s grading system. Armstrong said during the meeting that changes to the undergraduate College’s grading system would likely be discussed by the faculty if it considers the proposal to add pluses and minuses to the Grad School grading system. Jonathan Waage, professor of biology and senior adviser to the dean, was one of the seven CCC members who voted against pluses and minuses. Although he said he was “opposed to any change at all,” he proposed the A/B, B/C option “if we have to go in that direction.” He believed this was a better way to address concerns “about the number of boxes we have to put students in.” The three student members of the CCC also opposed any change. Although most of the committee’s deliberations concerned the merits of the various suggested grading systems, they also addressed the issue of who should be making this decision. Waage said this “is a faculty decision to make but it is not a faculty issue — it is a University issue.” He said he would vote against any change for pedagogical reasons. James Dreier, professor of philosophy, said in the meeting that conversations with students over the past few weeks have changed his opinion. He reminded the committee they are “supposed to represent the University community.” “There is something to be said for deferring to the people who this most affects,” whether the committee agrees with them or not, Dreier said. Luther Spoehr, lecturer in education and vice chair of the council, and Armstrong both advocated for changing the system. Spoehr argued that the lack of definition in the current system “increases your grade consciousness to an unhealthy degree” because students “hate” getting B’s. He also raised the concern that the profusion of A’s on Brown see CCC, page 4

provfrenchﬁlm.com

‘Tar Angel’ was among the movies that appeared at the French Film Festival, which played at the Cable Car Cinema and Cafe.

Housing prices spike in wake of ‘Providence Renaissance’

Inﬂated market causes concern over affordability BY MARY-CATHERINE LADER FEATURES EDITOR

As the so-called “Providence Renaissance” has attracted national interest and new residents, house prices have soared, often beyond PROVIDENCE the reach of working class families. TODAY: Providence has Third in a series become an increasingly large part of the Boston housing market, but federal housing funding has been cut, and construction costs have shot up with rising energy and utility

Rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will open for Wilco at Spring Weekend this year, Brown Concert Agency Chair Elizabeth Trongone ’06 told The Herald. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will perform in Meehan Auditorium on Thursday, April 20, followed by indie rock outfit Wilco. Trongone told The Herald last week that Latin group Yerba Buena will open for rapper Common on the Main Green on Saturday,

One student, discouraged by incorrect score, decided against applying to Brown

The SAT scores of about 80 applicants to Brown were affected by a recently revealed scoring error, according to Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73. Nevertheless, no admissions decisions at Brown were changed because of the error, Miller said. Approximately 4,000 students who took the SAT exam in October received incorrectly low scores due to problems with scanning answer sheets, the College Board announced last week. 83 percent of the incorrect scores were off

by fewer than 40 points. The mistake affected 0.8 percent of students who took the October test. Only 5 percent of the affected tests were off by 100 points or more, and only 16 tests were off by more than 200 points. The New York Times reported Tuesday that some tests were off by more than 400 points and that an additional 1,600 tests will be rescored. “When we got the notification (we) looked at all 80 students,” Miller said, adding that the “vast majority of the changes were miniscule.” The largest change among Brown applicants was one score that was

Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3260

see PROVIDENCE, page 6

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists to open for Wilco at Spring Weekend

SAT scoring error affects 80 students at Brown, 4,000 total BY CHLOE LUTTS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

prices. Housing demand has far outpaced supply, a sharp departure from the 1990s, when the market was in slight recession, according to Chris Barnett, spokesman for Rhode Island Housing, which has ﬁnanced affordable housing development in Providence neighborhoods for nearly 30 years. “Fifteen years ago there were a lot of abandoned houses, but the big problem now is escalating values,” said Barbara Fields, executive director of the Rhode

raised by 150 points. But in each case involving significantly altered scores, Miller said, the corrected scores were lower than scores the students had submitted from other sittings of the test. In short, “nobody was disadvantaged” by the scoring error, Miller said. No admissions decisions were changed based on the corrected scores, including early decision results. But at least one student decided against applying to Brown because of the scoring mistake. The Times re-

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

see SATS, page 8

April 22. Trongone said it cost $7,500 to bring Ted Leo and the Pharmacists to Brown. She said the act was a particularly compelling choice because of its ability to blend musical elements. “Ted Leo comes from a punk background; he started in punk bands,” she said. “But then he kind of transitioned into more pop and rock music — and he writes some really good pop songs.” In addition to its musicianship, Trongone said BCA was also drawn by the act’s energetic stage presence. “He’s known for his high-energy performance,” she said. “We look for someone who gets a good performance.” BCA still has $12,000 remaining in its budget — a considerable sum of money — for two additional opening acts, Trongone said. “For Thursday, we’re hoping for a bigger ticket opener,” she said. “But for Saturday at noon, we’re looking for a (disc jockey) or local band.” Trongone said BCA tentatively expects to spend between $7,000 and $10,000 on an opener for the Thursday night bill and between $2,000 and $4,000 for an opener for Saturday. The final lineup may be settled on by this Friday, she said. — Jonathan Sidhu News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

THIS MORNING THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 2 Jero Matt Vascellaro

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS “MODERN GENOCIDE: THE SITUATION IN DARFUR” 7 p.m. , (Salomon 101) — New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine will present a lecture on the situation in Darfur as part of the Brown Hillel Foundation’s Third Annual Conference on the Holocaust.

FUSION DANCE SHOW 8 p.m. , (Ashamu Dance Studio) — The opening night of Fusion Dance Company’s annual performance. Cost is $5.

”TURNING A PASSION FOR LIFE INTO A PENCHANT FOR BUSINESS: THE SECOND TIME AROUND” 5 p.m., (List Art 120) — World-renowned designer and respected entrepreneur Diane von Furstenberg will deliver a lecture.

“WHAT IF ROE FELL?” 8 p.m. , ( Smith-Buon. 106) — Students for Choice, the Brown Democrats and Planned Parenthood VOTES! RI present a panel discussion on the status of choice in Rhode Island if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH — Polynesian Chicken Wings, Vegetable Egg Rolls, Stir Fried Rice, Green Peas, Vegan Stir Fry Vegetables with Tofu, Pancakes, French Toast, Home Fries, Sausages, Hard Boiled Eggs, Meatball Grinder, Chocolate Frosted Eclairs, Apple Turnovers DINNER — Salmon Provencal, Mushroom Risotto, Greek Style Asparagus, Steamed Vegetable Melange, Oatmeal Bread, Cheese Quesadillas, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Cheese, Meat Tortellini, Lime Jello, Caribbean Rum Cake

M for Massive Yifan Luo

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH — Vegetarian Tomato Rice Soup, Beef Noodle Soup, Buffalo Wings, Vegan Rice and Beans, Stewed Tomatoes, Sugar Cookies DINNER — Vegetarian Tomato Rice Soup, Beef Noodle Soup, Pizza Supper Pie, Tortellini Angelica, Roasted Herb Potatoes, Spinach with Lemon Carrots in Orange Sauce, Squash Rolls, White Chocolate Cake

Homebodies Mirele Davis

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, March 15, 2006

C Times R O SDaily S W Crossword ORD Los Angeles Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Make a bundle 5 Courage 10 Letterman’s network 13 First name in fashion 14 Burning concern? 15 Spring event 16 PASS 19 Sizzling sound 20 Each 21 Ready for battle 22 The hoosegow 23 All together 25 Soprano Farrell 28 Reduce quite a bit 29 Arctic hazard 30 Courage 31 Cookout throwaway 34 PASS 38 Payroll ID 39 Winter fall 40 __ 51, supposed Nevada UFO cover-up site 41 Parcels (out) 42 Jump ship 44 Reviewer of books 47 Computer’s printer connection 48 Takes one’s breath away 49 Fuzzy fruit 50 “48 __” 53 PASS 57 Art deco designer 58 50-Across costar 59 Mrs. Peel of “The Avengers” 60 Heavy wts. 61 Put up with 62 “Wonderful!” DOWN 1 Bends over forwards 2 “Ah, me!” 3 Staying power 4 __ trip

5 Millinery accessory 6 Goof 7 PDQ, in memos 8 King of France 9 Former Opry network 10 Buds 11 Notorious movie motel 12 Garbo, for one 15 Ark contents 17 Hoopster Thurmond 18 Name of several Egyptian kings 22 Palmist, e.g. 23 “Silas Marner” novelist 24 When doubled, Mork’s goodbye 25 Failing grades 26 Woes 27 Kind of cloth 28 Agents 30 Guide 31 Central part 32 Wrapped up 33 Pooped

35 Deadly flier 36 Quartet member 37 Spar 41 Chop up 42 Searched for water, in a way 43 Rock star Clapton 44 Good thing 45 Lost driver’s maneuver

46 Tear tubes 47 Former Ford 49 Prefix with byte 50 Main Web page 51 European capitale 52 Narrow strip 54 Printing widths 55 URL punctuator 56 Farm female

Freeze Dried Puppies Cara Fitzgibbons

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CAMPUS WATCH THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 3

Pro-choice panel held at BC despite concerns from administrators BY MELISSA KAGEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A pro-choice student group at Boston College held a panel to discuss the future of abortion rights in late February, irking administrators and pro-life students at the Catholic college. Women’s Health Initiative, a pro-choice group, planned an event to discuss the effects of Justice Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court appointment on the future of Roe v. Wade, but it nearly did not happen because BC administrators tried to cancel the event. BC senior Esme Deprez, president of WHI, said her group had met with a college dean and went through the appropriate channels to have the event approved. But despite all the preparation, the college withdrew its approval a day before the event, timing that Deprez sarcastically described as “quite convenient.” The panel did occur only with the help of sociology professor Charles Derber, who sponsored it as a sociology event. BC cancelled the event because WHI had “planned this as

a panel on Judge Alito … (but) it was more talking about prochoice than about Judge Alito,” said sophomore Christine Friedrich, president of BC’s Students for Life. Friedrich said WHI should have made the panel more balanced between pro-choice and pro-life experts. But Deprez said her group was explicit in describing the event as a discussion of Roe v. Wade’s future in light of Alito’s nomination. It was never meant to be “a debate on whether abortions are valid or not,” she said. BC administrators were upset over the panel discussion. The Jesuit college in Chestnut Hill, Mass., does not recognize student organizations supporting beliefs that contradict Catholicism. WHI has been an unofﬁcial group since its formation late last spring. “In accordance with university policy, BC does not sponsor events for non-recognized student organizations. So once (the Ofﬁce of the Dean for Student Development) became aware that the event, originally see PRO-CHOICE, page 7

Swarthmore, other colleges kick Coke off campus Company will investigate alleged human rights violations BY STEWART DEARING STAFF WRITER

After Swarthmore College enacted a ban on bottled Coca-Cola products because of alleged human rights violations in the soft drink maker’s Colombian bottling plants, the company announced last week that it is supporting an independent investigation of the accusations. Stuart Hain, Swarthmore’s associate vice president for facilities, said he received an e-mail from an unidentiﬁed source at Coca-Cola March 7. The e-mail, which Hain forwarded to The Herald, stated that the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations has asked the International Labor Organization to conduct an independent investigation of the bottling plants in question. Coca-Cola supports this investigation. Hain has asked students at Swarthmore to respond to this information and is still waiting to hear their reaction, he said. “I don’t know whether this will satisfy our demands or not, but it seems like a step in the right direction.”

The Swarthmore ban of bottled Coke products in its snack bars, which was enacted this week, is the culmination of a more than a year’s worth of work on the part of both students and administrators to pressure Coca-Cola to allow an independent investigation of its operations in Colombia. The college’s effort forms part of a broader nationwide campaign that has been successful at schools such see COKE, page 7

Valeria Iavtouhovitsh / Herald

Several schools have banned CocaCola products after the beverage company was accused of human rights violations in Colombia.

College Roundup Coast Guard suspends search for missing URI students After an intense two-day search for three University of Rhode Island students who disappeared in Narragansett Bay, the Coast Guard formally suspended its search Tuesday evening. Daniel Donahue, Geoffrey Wilkes and Fandia Sod Shloul have not been seen since early Monday morning, when they took a rowboat ride near the Bonnet Shores home where they had been attending a party, the Providence Journal reported Tuesday evening. A Rhode Island official told the Journal the disappearances launched “the largest marine search effort in Rhode Island waters in the last 15 years” and involved over 175 people. Boats will continue patrolling the waters today, but the search is now being called a recovery effort instead of a rescue effort. Former Taliban spokesman, now at Yale, comes under fire Yale University has recently come under fire for admitting a former spokesman for the Taliban. see COLLEGE, page 4

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006

Briefs continued from page 12 ing back for dominant 20-2 and 20-3 wins against Utica College and Queens College, respectively, on Saturday. Bruno’s leading scorer and co-captain, Elizabeth Balassone ’07, had eight goals in the three games, and Anne Deggelman ’08 made 14 stops and collected four steals in net. “We’re really excited to get two solid wins this weekend. Our (3-10) record may not fully highlight how hard we’ve been working, but we’re taking steps to become the best players we can be,” Balassone said. The Bears were on an eightgame skid before this weekend. However, eight of the 11 teams they have played have been top20 teams, including No. 1 University of Southern California. “Our team chemistry is ﬁnally starting to click and everyone having positive attitudes deﬁnitely helped us out (this weekend),” said co-captain Karlyanna Kopra ’07. The Bears have been playing with only 14 women on the roster as opposed to their usual 17, but the players feel this works to their advantage. “Although we are such a small team, every player has a dynamic role, which makes us more effective,” Kopra said. Next up is a trip to Harvard on Friday, where the Bears will com-

Roundup continued from page 3 Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, the Taliban’s former deputy foreign secretary, was admitted to the university last year as a special student and plans to apply as a regular student this spring, the Hartford Courant reported March 9. Hashemi appeared on the cover of the New York Times magazine three weeks ago and has been attacked by the media since. The Courant reported that Fox News called Hashemi the “Ivy League terrorist” and a Wall Street Journal columnist com-

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com.

pete against a Crimson squad Kopra said is “definitely beatable.” —Amy Ehrhart Equestrian gains ground The equestrian team continued its attempt to catch up with regional leader University of Connecticut this weekend, securing a second-place finish at the Windswept Farms meet in Warren, R.I. Roger Williams University edged Brown by just two points, and Bruno gained five vital points on UConn, which placed third. The Huskies still have at least a 23-point lead in the region, according to co-captain Grace Peloquin ’07. Co-captain Jamie Peddy ’06 stood out again, earning the high-point rider award after capturing first in the open fences and flat competitions. Rachel Roemer ’06, who placed second in the intermediate open and flat, and the sophomore duo of Kristen Beck ’08 and Kelly Qu ’08 also turned in notable performances. “We have a lot of strong riders, so it’s difficult to choose any standouts,” Peloquin said. “A lot of it is also based on luck of the draw because you can get a good horse or an awful one.” Only the first-place winner of the region qualifies to go to the Zone Championships April 8, which leads up to the National Championships in May. “With only two meets left before Zones, it is definitely possible for us to catch them,” Peloquin said. —Amy Ehrhart

pared him to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. Yale alum and former Army Capt. Flagg Youngblood criticized the university for welcoming a former enemy of the United States while at the same time blocking Reserve Officers’ Training Corps training on campus. According to a March 14 press release from the conservative Young America’s Foundation, Yale Director of Public Affairs Helanie Klasky justified Hashemi’s admission, saying universities “must strive to increase understanding, especially of the most difficult issues that face the nation and the world.” —Stu Woo

CCC continued from page 1 transcripts that are now respected because of the University’s name has the potential to cause “an erosion of that reputation.” Spoehr joined others in dismissing the possibility of changing the system in the future so that it would not apply to current Brown students, arguing that if the new system is better than the current one, “it is better now.” Lynne deBenedette, senior lecturer in Slavic languages, said she always assigns pluses and minuses when she grades students, but “would not support any proposal that had an A-plus in it.” Armstrong, a vocal advocate of adding pluses and minuses, argued, ultimately to no avail, “I see all these A’s, and I haven’t a clue what they mean.”

Mexico may have hit the mother lode in oil ﬁnd BY MARLA DICKERSON LOS ANGELES TIMES

MEXICO CITY — About 60 miles from shore and three miles down through seawater and earth lies Mexico’s best hope to replenish its slipping oil fortunes. Mexican President Vicente Fox announced Tuesday that state-owned oil giant Pemex had hit serious pay dirt in the Gulf of Mexico: a deep-water exploration well known as Noxal had tapped a ﬁeld off the coast of the southern state of Veracruz that could contain as many as 10 billion barrels of oil. If the ﬁeld pans out, it would be one of the largest in the nation’s history and go a long way toward bolstering Mexico’s rapidly declining petroleum reserves, which some experts have warned could run out in as little as 11 years. “Noxal begins a new stage of petroleum exploration in our country,” said Fox, speaking from the Veracruz city of Coatzacoalcos after visiting the drilling rig.

CAMPUS NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 5

BUCC addresses bookstore outsourcing, Commencement space constraints BY REBECCA JACOBSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Members of the Brown University Community Council voiced support for maintaining the Brown Bookstore’s independent status yesterday at a meeting held in Faunce’s Leung Gallery. The BUCC also addressed difficulties presented by the inability of the Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America to accommodate all members of the class of 2006 for this year’s Commencement proceedings. Also during the meeting, the BUCC received an update on the University’s planned divest-

ment from companies doing business in Sudan. Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration and chair of the University’s Bookstore Review Committee, addressed the possibility of outsourcing the operation of the Brown Bookstore to an outside vendor such as Barnes and Noble. The Bookstore Review Committee issued a report March 3 that recommended outsourcing as opposed to continued independent management of the bookstore by the University. see BUCC, page 9

College review process to look at advising Offerings vary across U. departments BY THI HO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last month, when President Ruth Simmons and Provost Robert Zimmer announced the initiation of a process to examine the undergraduate College, advising came up as one of ﬁve areas the process will address in detail. Administrators say the variability of advising in different concentrations makes it difﬁcult for them to accurately judge the quality of advising in the College as a whole. Timothy Bewes, assistant professor of English, said he is not aware of the quality of advising in other concentrations because each department has its own system of advising. “As a department, we’re focusing on whether concentrators are meeting their requirements,” he said. Dean of the College Paul Armstrong said the College Curriculum Council has a review procedure in place that he hopes will address some advising shortcomings. But he added that there are long-term issues that need to be addressed. “(Advising is) not something I feel I left my term adequately addressed. This is something a new dean has to address,” Arm-

strong said. Armstrong pointed to the “superb” advising in several major departments, including classics, geology and sociology. He also praised advising in smaller concentrations like medieval studies and ancient studies. Interdisciplinary advising Armstrong identified the International Relations Program as a concentration in need of improvement. “There are serious advising and staffing issues that need to be attended to,” he said. According to data from the Office of Institutional Research, the IR Program has steadily grown see ADVISING, page 9

Roe v. Wade lawyer argues for added abortion protection BY SHEELA RAMAN STAFF WRITER

Sarah Weddington may have helped secure the right to abortion for American women, but last night she told a packed Salomon 101 that today’s prochoice citizens need to stop resting on that victory. With no prior litigation experience, Weddington successfully argued the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case in the Supreme Court in 1973, when she was 27. Since then, she has served on the Texas House of Representatives and was special assistant for women’s affairs to then-President Jimmy Carter. She now practices and teaches law in Austin, Texas. District 3 State Sen. Rhoda Perry introduced Weddington’s lecture, which was titled “The Future of Choice in America” and hosted by the Brown Democrats. “There is a stealth campaign now to make abortion unavailable, if not illegal,” she said. “The powers behind this campaign are better organized and directed than we are.” Weddington said many prochoice citizens with whom she has spoken think it is impossible for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. But the bill passed by Congress in 2003 banning partial-birth abortions, the antiabortion bill passed in South Dakota and the pending antiabortion bill in Mississippi indicate that a complete ban of abortion is possible once again. “We know what things were like when abortion was illegal and we don’t want to go back,” she said. When she at-

tended the law school at the University of Texas at Austin in the early 1960s, doctors at the University of Texas Medical School would tell her how extensively they dealt with victims of botched self-abortions or poorly performed abortions, she said. “There were so many that they even had (abortion) wards where they would put these women,” Weddington said. When the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, she said the issue’s importance to women figured prominently. Reproductive rights, the court found, determine everything from women’s economic and psychological well-being to the quality of their family life, so women should be allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to abortion, she said. But with the signing of the Congress’ recent partial-birth abortion ban, this finding seems to have been annulled, she said. “If you look at the picture of Bush signing the bill it’s him surrounded by 10 men,” she said. Weddington said she does not think it is highly likely that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, but it is more likely that Congress will pass additional restrictions against abortion. Reversing Roe v. Wade might prove less efficient for pro-life legislators, she said, because states would likely still uphold a woman’s right to choose. The best way to combat the current threats against abortion is to employ a combination of grassroots activism and intelligent voting for legislators who will promote pro-choice interests. “The agitators stir up interest in the issue, and the persuaders, or the elected officials, make sure the right decision happens with the law,” she said. Senators will be especially important because they vote on judicial appointments, she

said. The appointment of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court further compromises pro-choice interests, as both legislators lean toward the pro-life side, she said. Weddington punctuated her speech with anecdotes about her days growing up in Texas, when women were only allowed to play half-court basketball and were not allowed to work while pregnant. She also described the drama of arguing a Supreme Court case with no experience. She said she is proud of how far women have come in careers such as sports, but said, “When I won the Supreme Court case and wanted to read their opinion right away, I couldn’t. There was no FedEx, no fax machine, no Internet. It’s just shocking that in this modern day and age that the rights of Roe v. Wade are being threatened.” From observing polls and speaking at universities, she said she believes most Americans uphold a pro-choice perspective. “The reason I’m spending time on college campuses is because we need reinforcements (to fight for abortion), and because of (college students) the day will be saved,” she said. In the question-and-answer session following her talk, a student asked Weddington how she would argue Roe v. Wade differently today. Weddington said instead of focusing on the need for due process, she would place more emphasis on gender equity and the excessive involvement of state and federal government in shaping abortion rights. Amy Littlefield ’09 said she was encouraged by Weddington’s call to action. “I’m glad she appealed to the younger generation,” Littlefield said. “I think we really need to get people in the younger generation to pay attention to this issue.”

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PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006

Providence continued from page 1 Island branch of the national non-profit organization Local Initiatives Support Corporation. An abandoned lot today costs six or seven times the price it would have cost 10 years ago, she added. But as house prices and rent rates have climbed in Providence, household income has not kept pace. Barnett said that since 2000 single-family home prices have increased six times faster than household income. “What we have now is a place that is very desirable to live in, and yet we’re not creating an environment for everyone else to live here,” Barnett said. Defining affordability Finding an exact definition of affordable housing remains problematic, said Thomas Deller, director of planning and development for the city. Housing available to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median family income technically qualifies as affordable housing. The city’s housing trust aims to subsidize housing for families

that fit this definition, but Deller said families just above the cutoff may have similar problems finding housing. Luxury developments downtown have not displaced lower income families — there were few existing residents downtown before the “Renaissance” — but have led to calls for regulation of equitable housing. “Any housing that gets created in a market like this helps relieve some of the price pressure, but the real crisis is for folks at the minimum wage,” Barnett said. Fields said roughly 18 percent of housing built under Mayor David Cicilline ’83 has qualified as affordable. Deller said though City Hall aims for 20 percent of Providence’s new housing to be affordable, there are no government structures in place to guarantee equitable housing. “The problem that we face in the economy is that you’ve got to balance the fact that development brings jobs and opportunity to people (with) putting structures (in place) that make sure that everyone gets a chance,” he said. Luxury developments downtown Developers interested in downtown Providence are aided

by the historic tax credit, which Gov. Don Carcieri ’65 raised in 2001 to exempt 30 percent of a project’s renovation costs. Local developer Buff Chace bought the historic Smith Building at 1 Fulton St. a decade ago, and his firm, Cornish Associates, has since converted much of Downcity Providence into residential apartments. “It was determined that it couldn’t be just one building here,” said Francis Scire, director of marketing and retail for Cornish. “You had to establish a critical mass.” Scire said he thinks Cornish’s downtown developments have formed a new Downcity neighborhood of what he describes as “urban dwellers.” But Scire preferred to describe what some call gentrification in downtown Providence as “revitalization.” “How do you gentrify a vacant wasteland? ... There was nothing going on there, except for Lupo’s (Heartbreak Hotel), which is now on Washington Street,” Scire said. While the Smith building includes a handful of affordable units, and future projects may provide more, Scire said Cornish converted the Downcity buildings largely with affluent tenants in mind, due in part to high renovation costs. “Is a $3 million condo affordable? No, but we have to figure out ways to subsidize others,” Deller said. “A $3 million dollar condo pays a hell of a lot more in property taxes than a $200,000 house.” Changing neighborhoods Also thanks to the historic tax credit, the Baltimore-based Steuver Brothers firm, which redevel-

oped Faneuil Hall in Boston, converted the Rising Sun Mills in Olneyville into loft apartments. The Rising Sun development garnered attention because it displaced nearly 30 small businesses. Though developments like Rising Sun rarely displace families, their impact on the neighborhood increases surrounding property values, often forcing low-income families to move. Frank Shea, executive director of the Olneyville Housing Corporation, a community nonproﬁt organization that develops affordable housing, said Olneyville’s residential core has experienced equally dramatic price increases. “It’s not just the mills, there’s plenty of gentriﬁcation going on,” he said. While the mills’ former residents — “younger artist types” — have moved out, families formerly living in Olneyville’s residential center have often relocated to substandard housing at high prices, Shea said. “People are paying exorbitant rates for units that shouldn’t be habitable,” Shea said, adding that illegal immigrants, who make up a portion of the Olneyville population, are unlikely to report landlords to housing court. Although this has always existed to some extent, Shea said the situation in Olneyville has worsened in the past 10 years. In the Mount Hope neighborhood, resident Tony Sanders said high prices are forcing families to move to South Providence and some even south to the Carolinas or Kansas — states where the cost of living is cheaper. Saunders works for the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association. Sanders said the city is experiencing the reverse of suburbanization. “(Before the ‘Renaissance’) there were so many minorities living in the city that a lot of people would rather commute to Providence,” Sanders said. “But now it’s up and coming, they want to move

back, and people who have been living here the majority of their lives are finding they can’t afford it.” As homeowners receive inflated offers for their homes, Sanders said many find they cannot refuse the offers. Public housing is unlikely to provide a solution, he added, as the state would have to compete with private buyers for limited land. Finding solutions for the housing crunch Within existing neighborhoods, community development corporations, or CDCs, actively scout underused or old properties to buy and convert into affordable housing. By putting the houses in a trust, the CDC can ensure these properties remain within reach of working families and control prices indefinitely, Shea said. “We’re trying to get as much good housing in working people’s hands that will be affordable forever,” he said. Fields, whose organization helps finance these affordable developments, said CDCs in Providence have become more active in the last 10 years, but available funding for such projects has not increased. Some suggest inclusionary zoning or “linkage” — which requires a portion of units in new developments be affordable — as possible ways to provide housing for lower income families. “I think the city definitely needs inclusionary zoning,” Shea said, adding that more than 1,400 housing units have been built between Providence Place Mall and Olneyville Square in a three-year period, only four of which qualify as affordable housing. Cicilline supported inclusionary zoning in his 2002 campaign, and Ward 1 City Councilman David Segal recently proposed an inclusionary zoning ordinance, though whether this measure will be adopted remains unclear.

www.browndailyherald.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 , 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

Pro-choice continued from page 3 sponsored by the BC (Democrats) and (BC’s student government senate), was in fact, a front for a non-recognized student organization, the event was cancelled,” BC spokesman Jack Dunn told the Heights, BC’s student newspaper, in a March 2 article. While 70 percent of BC students identify as Catholic, according to a March 2 article in the Boston Globe, students on both sides of the abortion issue agree there ought to be more dialogue. For Friedrich, the goal is to engage students who, “because they’re sexually active, aren’t willing to take a stand on the issue.” However, she maintained that the college’s Jesuit foundation must remain central, even though it means that certain freedoms of expression are curtailed. From WHI’s standpoint, the group provides a much-needed open environment in which students who want to explore different options and information can go to talk. WHI’s present objective

is to “provide a voice to students who feel as we do,” Deprez said. Conversation between opposing sides might also be forthcoming. “We’ve been trying to set up a debate with the pro-choicers all year, but they’ve wanted certain regulations,” Friedrich said. But Deprez said she has never been contacted by Friedrich. While WHI has no faculty sponsor, many students and faculty members support the group, Deprez said. Many BC community members have contacted the group in the aftermath of the Feb. 28 panel to express support. The crux of the issue seems to be student frustration at the college’s perceived attempt to stiﬂe certain views because BC is a Jesuit school. WHI incorporates many issues besides abortion, and the college’s Catholic basis “shouldn’t be an excuse for them to censor the voice they don’t want to hear,” Deprez said. Brown will have its own panel on the same topic today at 8 p.m. in Smith-Buonanno 106. The event is co-sponsored by the Brown Democrats, Students for Choice and Planned Parenthood.

Senate motion stirs debate BY SHAILAGH MURRAY WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — For months the Democrats have resisted calls from their liberal base to more aggressively challenge President George W. Bush. Now a maverick Democratic senator from Wisconsin has forced his party and Congress to confront head-on the question of whether Bush should somehow be punished for secretly ordering warrantless wiretaps of U.S. citizens. Sen. Russell Feingold’s call this week to formally censure

Bush for what some say was a clear violation of a federal statute regulating domestic surveillance has touched off a ﬁerce debate on Capitol Hill that is likely to persist throughout the congressional campaign season. GOP leaders who had been reeling from the impact of Republican political scandals, an unpopular war and Bush’s mishandling of the port security issue sensed that Feingold overplayed his hand and denounced the censure resolution as a political stunt by an ambitious lawmaker positioning himself to run for president in 2008.

Coke continued from page 3 as the University of California at Los Angeles, New York University and the University of Michigan. Swarthmore students began the Kick Coke campaign last spring, according to Camilla Leiva, a member of the campaign. “The campaign has focused largely on raising awareness in the student body, which allows us to cite student support when we meet with the administration to discuss action on campus,” she said. The Swarthmore administration has also been actively involved since last spring. “Our response started over a year ago when we went to a Coke shareholders meeting and voted for a resolution for an independent investigation,” Hain said. Last fall, Swarthmore sent a letter to Coca-Cola asking them to support an independent investigation, Hain said. “When we never heard back from our letter and Coke hadn’t done anything, we made the decision to remove bottled Coca-Cola products from the coffee bars and snack bars,” he said. The bottled Coca-Cola products that have been removed include bottled juices from Odwalla, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, Hain said. But unlike NYU and the University of Michigan, Swarthmore’s administration did not eliminate the contract with Coca-Cola for the soda fountains in the main dining halls. While the Kick Coke campaign

is well underway at Swarthmore, members of the Student Labor Action Movement at Harvard University have only recently begun their efforts, said SLAM member Jamila Martin. SLAM sent a letter to Harvard President Lawrence Summers at the end of February requesting a meeting to discuss the possibility of Harvard terminating all business with Coca-Cola, she said. But the designated response date, which was Monday, came and went without a response from the university. From this point on, SLAM plans to continue building student and faculty support to force the administration into a meeting to discuss Harvard contracts with Coca-Cola. “The problem at Harvard is that there aren’t ways for students to talk to the administration about these types of issues. It’s a difﬁcult campus to have a normal dialogue,” Martin said. Harvard University Dining Services has three contracts with Coca-Cola, one of which is up for re-negotiation in December 2006, Martin said. But SLAM remains hopeful that despite the failure of its ini-

tial letter to elicit a response from the administration, HUDS will respond in the future, she said. “HUDS has experience with activism of this type and has generally been very receptive to student demands,” Martin said. Harvard’s ﬁnancial weight also gives the university a large role to play in efforts to keep business practices ethical, she said. “Harvard should be held accountable for its business relationships. Given the large beneﬁts Harvard reaps from various institutions and organizations it’s involved in, it needs to work within the same laws as everyone else,” Martin said. At Brown, there are no student groups publicly protesting CocaCola. In an e-mail, Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services, wrote that she has not heard any complaints or concerns about Coca-Cola from Brown Students. Chris Hu ’06, a member of Brown’s Student Labor Alliance, told The Herald in an e-mail that his group has not made the Coke issue a priority due to the absence of a clear and markedly more ethical alternative to Coca-Cola.

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006

Skiing continued from page 12 fast, providing an advantage to the eastern teams accustomed to skiing in icier conditions than those colleges used to the hardpacked powder of the Rocky Mountains. LeBlanc was impressed with the western teams’ ability to adjust to the different type of skiing required in Maine, but he was most impressed with the surprise of the weekend. “Anna Bengston ’09, our fifth skier, finished ahead of all our other girls (in the slalom),” he said. “It’s tough to expect much because she started so far back — she had bid number 84 — and the course really gets beat up by the time she got to go.” Bengston, out of the lineup earlier this year with a knee injury, grabbed 26th place in the slalom, the Bears’ most challenging event all season. O’Hear and MarleyMauzy failed to finish the event, placing pressure upon Elgort and the squad’s best slalom skier, Ja-

mie Johnson ’06, to finish the race without crashing so that the Bears had a chance for a top-five finish overall. All three came through for Bruno in the slalom. Elgort was two spots behind Bengston in 26th, and Johnson took home 48th. The Bears finished ninth in that event, but their giant slalom times helped compensate for the low placing, moving the Bears into fifth overall. But looking back at all the falls, Elgort was much less pleased about the Bears’ performance in the overall event. “It wasn’t what we were hoping for,” she said. “I thought I performed OK.” LeBlanc said the end-of-theyear performances would do wonders for the team’s confidence heading into next season. “I think we are looking good for next year,” LeBlanc said. “We have a good recruit coming in who I think could jump on the team right now and these results were a real positive. The young girls, like Anna, are only going to keep getting better.”

SATs continued from page 1 ported that Amanda Hellerman, a senior at a New York high school, chose not to apply to Brown because she initially thought her SAT scores were too low, but her score rose by 320 points after the corrections were made. “I didn’t apply to certain schools and I almost didn’t apply to others,” Hellerman told the Times. The College Board notified admissions offices of the error March 7 and students by last Thursday. Students whose scores were affected will be refunded the registration fee from that sitting of the test, according to a March 8 College Board press release. Some admissions officers criticized the nonprofit College Board for its delay in announcing the error, which was originally discovered when two students requested re-grading in December. The College

Board press release said it took months to re-check all of the tests. The press release also stated that some correct answers on the affected tests were not counted because of problems with the scoring machinery, which have partly been attributed to excessive moisture that caused the answer sheets to expand. Since 2003, the SAT has been scored in Austin, Texas, by Pearson Educational Measurement. A Pearson spokesperson told the Associated Press it had examined all the subsequent administrations of the test from November, December and January and found no additional mistakes. The error has shaken some people’s conﬁdence in the College Board. Admissions ofﬁcers have raised concerns to various media sources about the way in which the mistake was discovered and the apparent lack of accountability it reveals on the part of the College Board.

Gymnastics continued from page 12 Head Coach Sara Carver-Milne was very pleased with Saturday’s meet. “The team really stepped up against Penn. We could have won. It wasn’t out of our reach,” she said. “(Saturday’s performance) was really big for (the team’s) confidence.” The Bears bounced back from their defeat and dismantled West Chester University on Sunday. A full team effort was the name of the game on Sunday, and several gymnasts were given the opportunity to enter the lineup. Anderson led the way by winning three events. She finished first in the all-around with 37.575 points and won both the uneven bars and floor exercise, scoring a 9.525. Anderson also snagged third on the beam. Smith made significant contributions in the meet, posting a third-place finish in the all-around with a score of 36.750 points and a win in the vault with a 9.625, which was a personal best. She also tied for second place on the floor exercise and tied for third on the beam. For Smith’s efforts this weekend, she was awarded the ECAC Gymnast of the Week honor. Many other gymnasts produced top finishes, including Baughman, who nailed her second beam routine of the weekend, winning the event with a 9.525. Durning also impressed in her second vault of the weekend, taking second in the event. Durning’s contributions this weekend earned her this week’s ECAC Coaches’ Choice Award. Cavett was runner-up on the bars and beam, while Pouchet took third in both the vault and floor and Jessica McNell ’06 finished third on the bars. Smith said she was surprised by the team’s performance. Although the squad expected the win, Smith said the team “had surprisingly a lot of energy (for the second straight day of competition). We were still able to put up some great performances. We came in pretty pumped off of our Penn meet.” Brown will host its last home meet of the season at the Pizzitoal Center this Sunday, when it will take on Southern Connecticut State University, the University of Rhode Island and Yale University, all of which are formidable opponents.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 , 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

BUCC continued from page 5 Huidekoper said the committee had, over the past year, defined a specific vision of what sorts of improvements need to be made to the bookstore, including bringing a “more scholarly” focus in merchandise and enhancing the physical layout of the building as well as the store’s technology infrastructure. She said the committee determined these changes would be most viable if the bookstore’s operation were outsourced. “The committee was biased to the outside vendor because of the management capacity and the ability to implement a system that would sustain (the bookstore) over a long period of time,” Huidekoper said. Huidekoper added that the committee’s recommendation was not driven by a goal to increase bookstore revenue. “We want to sustain the amount of revenue that we are currently getting from the bookstore,” she said. “This is not about increasing incremental revenue.” Huidekoper also cited the committee’s commitment to keeping prices competitive and retaining a flexible return policy. She also identified preserving the bookstore’s sense of community as a “critical” concern. Following Huidekoper’s presentation of the bookstore issue, an overwhelming number of BUCC members voiced their support of the bookstore’s current independent structure, citing repeatedly the need to retain its existing culture and sense of community. Russell Carey ’91, vice president and secretary of the University, addressed the inability of the Meeting House to accommodate all members of the class of 2006 for Commencement proceedings. Segments of Commencement proceedings — including such events as the singing of the national anthem, senior orations and the conferring of the baccalaureate degrees — have historically taken place in the Meeting House. In a March 9 e-mail to the class of 2006, Carey estimated that the Meeting House’s capacity would be exceeded by approximately 120 to 160 students. He said this is due to the large size of the class of 2006 as well as increased concern from local ofﬁcials regarding seating capacity at public gatherings. Though this year’s problem is particularly pressing, past ceremonies have also been crowded, and Carey said he foresees similar issues arising in the

future. Carey presented two possible solutions, both of which he also mentioned in the e-mail. The first is to place an overflow tent outside the Meeting House to accommodate seniors who could not be seated inside. Those seated inside the tent would view a simulcast presentation of the College ceremony. The second option would be for the senior class to walk through the Meeting House but not be seated, and from there proceed to the Main Green for the remaining Commencement proceedings. Carey said the University will reach a decision on the matter by the end of the month. President Ruth Simmons, who chairs the BUCC, mentioned the historical tradition of the Meeting House, which she said needs to be taken into account when discussing the issue of this year’s Commencement. “The Meeting House was actually constructed for the purpose of Brown’s Commencement,” Simmons said. “There are many people who feel quite emotional about the historic importance of that march down the hill and back up.” Twenty-ﬁve seniors have responded to Carey’s e-mail since it was sent out March 9, he said. Of these, he said 18 have expressed “a very strong sentiment of keeping the class together.” Ari Savitzky ’06, senior class co-president, echoed this view. “Everyone that I’ve talked to in the class is very concerned with keeping the class together,” he said. “As a Providence native, I appreciate walking through this beautiful and timeless structure, but … the most important thing is that the seniors can be kept together.” At the start of the meeting, Huidekoper announced that though the Brown Corporation unanimously voted to divest from Sudan two weeks ago, research is still underway to finalize a list of companies from which Brown should divest. She said the Corporation’s Advisory and Executive Committee will receive and vote on a list of companies later this week. The BUCC’s next meeting will be held April 11 at 4 p.m. in Leung Gallery.

Advising continued from page 5 over the past 10 years, with 138 completed concentrations in 2005. The program had more completed concentrations last year than the history department, which had 134. But advising in the IR Program has not grown to accommodate the rising number of concentrators, said Nina Tannenwald, associate professor of international relations and director of the IR Program. There are currently 600 IR concentrators. Six track advisers and one primary concentration adviser, Claudia Elliott, adjunct lecturer in international relations, handle advising responsibilities for these students. “As the concentration has grown, Claudia Elliott’s hours have remained the same. Students have to make appointments to see her,” Tannenwald said. Tannenwald attributes the limited advising available to IR concentrators to inadequate

financial funding. “University support for interdisciplinary concentrations is not as strong as in departments,” Tannenwald said. But not all students concentrating in interdisciplinary fields take issue with advising offerings. Matthew Kozar ’06 said his experience with advising in the smaller interdisciplinary concentration of urban studies was actually superior to the advising he received in the larger economics department. “The advantage in interdisciplinary concentrations is that you can pick and choose which professor you want as your adviser,” he said. In contrast, Kozar described his experience with advising in the economics department as “standoffish” and “formal.” Small vs. large departments In larger departments, such as English, there are more advisers per student than smaller interdisciplinary concentrations, though these departments may have fewer concentrators. In 2005, the English department had 77 completed concentrations, but according to Bewes,

who also serves as an adviser to English concentrators, there are 17 faculty members designated as advisers. “(The number of advisers) meets the amount of demand,” he said. Bewes places the responsibility of better advising on the student. “The onus is partly on the student to come see their adviser. When students have a particular problem, that’s when we will be active,” he said. Armstrong, however, believes departments should take the subject of advising more seriously. “Everybody who teaches in the concentration needs to be responsible. All the concentrations need to look at this problem,” he said Karen Kudelko ’07, a history concentrator, has different views about advising in larger departments. “It’s formal in the sense that you’re alphabetically assigned an adviser, but you can change that if you ﬁnd a professor you really like and they agree to take you on,” she said. “The people who are assigned as advisers are very experienced and very willing to answer questions,” she added.

Justice Department trims demand for Google information BY CHRIS GAITHER LOS ANGELES TIMES

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Justice Department lawyers on Tuesday dramatically scaled back their demand for information about Google Inc. search queries — a major concession in a closely watched case over online privacy. But in a blow to privacy advocates, the federal judge overseeing the case said he would probably order the Internet search giant to hand over at least some of the data sought by the government. The Justice Department wants Google to provide a sample of the Internet search terms its users type as part of a broader effort to regulate online pornography. The government also wants a sample of the Web sites Google archives in its database.

Other top Internet companies — including Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and America Online Inc. — complied with subpoenas seeking similar information. Google executives, though, balked, and the case became a test of the government’s reach in the Internet Age. Recognizing that, U.S. District Judge James Ware hinted during a hearing that he was considering limiting any order to balance the business and privacy implications of the Bush administration’s request against the government’s need to gather evidence. Google, Ware said, has the right to run its business without “perceptions by the public that somehow (its service) is subject to government scrutiny.” After months of negotiations, the Bush administration on Tuesday revealed that

it had reduced its demands, to 5,000 randomly selected search terms entered by Google users and 50,000 Web site addresses in Google’s searchable index. The government previously had requested a week’s worth of queries, which could have numbered in the billions, and 1 million indexed Web addresses. “Reducing the number of search queries that are revealed reduces the harm to privacy because much less information is being revealed,” said Kurt Opsahl, staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that advocates online privacy. Nonetheless, Opsahl and others said, the case highlights how irresistible government agencies and civil lawyers are ﬁnding the treasure trove of digital information that Internet companies collect.

EDITORIAL/LETTERS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 10

STAFF EDITORIAL

An N/C for plus/minus Ever since Dean of the College Paul Armstrong drafted a proposal to add pluses and minuses to Brown’s grading system late last year, there’s been a lot of talk on campus about transcripts, grade inflation, precision, the New Curriculum and “gaming the system.” But yesterday, the College Curriculum Council — the body made up of students, faculty and administrators that is expressly charged with reviewing the curriculum — decided against the proposal by a seven-to-six vote. We believe talk of a faculty vote on pluses and minuses, at least for undergraduate grading, should now be over. To be sure, most of the discussion surrounding pluses and minuses has been informal. This page consistently encouraged students to bring up the issue with their professors, in particular by attending the two plus/minus forums held earlier this month. It’s certainly regrettable that turnouts at the forums were low, but undergraduate opinion on the issue has never been in doubt: a clear preponderance of students oppose pluses and minuses. A Herald poll released last month showed 70 percent of students disapprove of pluses and minuses. The three student members of the CCC who voted against the proposal yesterday faithfully represented their student constituents. Because the CCC’s recommendation against changing grading is non-binding, the Faculty Executive Committee, which sets the agenda at faculty meetings, could still push forward a vote on pluses and minuses. In fact, because the Graduate Council is reported to have already sent the FEC a proposal to introduce pluses and minuses to graduate grading, Armstrong told The Herald that changes to undergraduate grading would likely also be further discussed by the faculty. But we wonder, after several CCC meetings, the two open forums and a thorough airing of the issue in The Herald’s pages, what good will further discussion of pluses and minuses do? Everyone had a chance to make his or her argument, and those opposing pluses and minuses won. It was not only the student members of the CCC who voted down the plus/minus proposal — several faculty members did as well. If the faculty as a whole does vote on the issue, ﬂying in the face of the CCC’s negative recommendation, the dizzying bureaucracy through which a proposed curricular change must travel — from CCC deliberation and recommendation, to the FEC, to discussion at a faculty meeting and ﬁnally to a vote of the faculty — would lose all credibility. The CCC made the right recommendation, and the faculty would be wrong to ignore the council’s advice.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Robbie Corey-Boulet, Editor-in-Chief Justin Elliott, Executive Editor Ben Miller, Executive Editor Stephanie Clark, Senior Editor Katie Lamm, Senior Editor Jonathan Sidhu, Arts & Culture Editor Jane Tanimura, Arts & Culture Editor Stu Woo, Campus Watch Editor Mary-Catherine Lader, Features Editor Ben Leubsdorf, Metro Editor Anne Wootton, Metro Editor Eric Beck, News Editor Patrick Harrison, Opinions Editor Nicholas Swisher, Opinions Editor Stephen Colelli, Sports Editor Christopher Hatﬁeld, Sports Editor Justin Goldman, Asst. Sports Editor Jilane Rodgers, Asst. Sports Editor Charlie Vallely, Asst. Sports Editor PRODUCTION Allison Kwong, Design Editor Taryn Martinez, Copy Desk Chief Lela Spielberg, Copy Desk Chief Mark Brinker, Graphics Editor Joe Nagle, Graphics Editor

PHOTO Jean Yves Chainon, Photo Editor Jacob Melrose, Photo Editor Ashley Hess, Sports Photo Editor Kori Schulman, Sports Photo Editor BUSINESS Ryan Shewcraft, General Manager Lisa Poon, Executive Manager David Ranken, Executive Manager Mitch Schwartz, Executive Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Manager Susan Dansereau, Ofﬁce Manager POST- MAGAZINE Sonia Saraiya, Editor-in-Chief Taryn Martinez, Associate Editor Ben Bernstein, Features Editor Matt Prewitt, Features Editor Elissa Barba, Design Editor Lindsay Harrison, Graphics Editor Constantine Haghighi, Film Editor Paul Levande, Film Editor Jesse Adams, Music Editor Katherine Chan, Music Editor Hillary Dixler, Off-the-Hill Editor Abigail Newman, Theater Editor

D A N I E L L AW L O R

LETTERS Brown Bookstore ﬁnances misrepresented To the Editor: In The Herald’s report on the Save the Bookstore Coalition, a University official asserts that the Brown Bookstore does not pay rent to the University (“Coalition forms to save Brown Bookstore,” March 14). In fact, the bookstore pays rent, real estate taxes, interest on inventory, administration fees and building maintenance costs. Furthermore, in meetings with the Graduate Student Council and with bookstore staff on Wednesday,

March 8, University officials affirmed that the bookstore is profitable, even after staff costs and benefits have been paid. Peter Sprake ’07 Todd Steiner Matt Young Brown Bookstore employees March 14

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OPINIONS

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 11

Plus/minus system lacks educational value Two Brown alums and architects of the New Curriculum express their skepticism toward plus/minus grading BY IRA MAGAZINER AND ELLIOT MAXWELL GUEST COLUMNISTS

It has recently come to our attention that the University faculty is considering a modification to the grading system that would add pluses and minuses to the present system. While it is the responsibility of the current faculty, students and administration to make decisions about modifications to the curriculum, as former Brown students who led the student team that initiated the New Curriculum and as proud parents of current Brown students, we write to express our disappointment about the possibility of this change. We can see no way in which adding additional categories to the grading system will promote a richer educational experience for students. On the contrary, it runs counter to the principles that Brown endorsed when the present curriculum was adopted by encouraging unhealthy competition and putting increased emphasis on a subjective measure which communicates very little that is of educational value to a student. The purpose of evaluation in the Brown curriculum is to help provide feedback to students in specific ways that help them to learn and improve. That is why detailed

evaluations that help a student understand what he or she does well and where improvement is needed are preferred to single letters that communicate very little of educational value. A focus on letter grades promotes an ethic where achieving the grade, rather than learning, be-

might need these in some courses in order to satisfy the entrance requirements of graduate and professional schools, not because they had any intrinsic merit. By adding pluses and minuses, the Brown faculty would not only go directly against the spirit and principles of the

Herald ﬁle

Ira Magaziner ’69 reported on the progress of talks on the New Curriculum to 500 students on the Main Green on May 7, 1969. comes the goal. The New Curriculum recognized this and encouraged fuller evaluations. An option for students to choose to have grades in particular courses was provided in addition to full evaluations because students

Brown curriculum but would do so emphatically by providing even more emphasis on letter grades and even ﬁner and ﬁner distinctions among students. This would come, potentially, at great cost to the educational experience and to the re-

lationship between students and faculty members and among students. Surveys of Brown alums invariably ﬁnd that they value their Brown education greatly and that the curriculum is a major reason for their positive evaluation. Why initiate a change that runs directly counter to the curriculum that makes Brown so unique and that so many students and alums value? We do not believe that anyone can seriously argue that adding a plus or a minus to letter grades will improve the educational experience. We want to make clear that we are not opposed to changes in the curriculum. We strongly urged more than 35 years ago that Brown review the curriculum on a regular basis so that it could adapt to changed circumstances. We believe a robust debate about evaluation and its place in the learning process would be very healthy. However, we have heard no argument that convinces us that adding pluses and minuses would improve the educational experience for learners or teachers. We strongly urge the Brown faculty not to take this regressive step.

Ira Magaziner ’69 and Elliot Maxwell ’68 led the student initiative to create the New Curriculum.

Good intentions go to court An abstinence apologist opposes government funding of sexual abstinence programs with religious aﬁlliations BY MICHAEL RAMOSLYNCH OPINIONS COLUMNIST

One of the most important choices we face in our lives is with whom we have sex. Considering the pros and cons of premarital sex, some people are making plans to be a virgin until their wedding day. One method that people are increasingly trying to hold on to their virginity is joining abstinence programs, as the recent increase in membership of various abstinence programs around the country evidences. One of the most popular abstinence programs is called The Silver Ring Thing, a 10year-old, Pittsburgh-based organization that puts on programs at various venues around the country that last for roughly three hours and provide entertainment and education through music, videos, discussion and counseling. The threehour program ends with the participants accepting silver rings that are meant to symbolize their desire to abstain from sex until they are married. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union ﬁled a lawsuit which challenged the federal funding of SRT as a violation of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment. A settlement agreement between the government and the ACLU states that “if the organization gets any future funding, the Department of Health and Human Services will ensure that its activities comply with federal rules prohibiting the use of federal money to support religious activities.” There is evidence to suggest that nonsecular abstinence programs are superior

to secular abstinence programs in reducing the amount of participants’ sexual activity. Of course, there is no perfect way to record how many people are “cheating” on their abstinence pledges by being sexually active. For instance, some people believe intercourse is the only way to violate an abstinence pledge, while most abstinence programs consider any type of sexual activity a violation of an abstinence pledge.

nothing. Promising to God is extremely important to most young people.” Ross might be the type of shortsighted and narrow-minded Christian that gives the rest of us Christians a bad reputation, but I do partly agree with him. Ross nearly implies that people who do not worship God cannot make promises. I believe Ross is wrong in his assumptions about why teens in secular abstinence programs might not stay as committed to abstinence as teens in non-secular abstinence programs. I think it is safe to say that the majority of teenagers look for a sense of self-fulfillment. Some teens might be looking to the various abstinence programs for a sense of belonging, but as soon as the unity of their fellow abstinence pledges seems to fade, these teens try to find belonging through some other means, quite often a significant other, which can easily end in a violation of the abstinence pledge.

Recent research suggests that secular abstinence programs are not nearly as effective as non-secular ones. Recent research by Northern Kentucky University suggests that such secular abstinence programs are not nearly as effective in promoting abstinence as non-sec-

Federal funding should be used to protect uneducated teenagers, not to promote a particular religion. ular abstinence programs. Richard Ross, spokesman for the grassroots abstinence effort True Love Waits, a non-secular abstinence program similar to SRT, argues that “True Love Waits work is more effective because it adds an element secular efforts lack: God. The addition of the supernatural gives the promise more power. Promising a notebook means almost

Therefore, I believe the occurrence of sexual activity before marriage is not due to a lack of belief in God, but rather a lack of belief in anything of signiﬁcance. Now, certainly, sex before marriage is morally acceptable to some people, and such people who feel emotionally prepared and use protection should not be hindered in doing what they want.

But many young, unprepared and uneducated people are pressured into sex before marriage, which, for some, results in struggles with abortion and sexually transmitted infections. SRT may not be the answer to protecting people who, being completely prepared for and knowledgeable about pre-marital sex and its potential consequences, would not want to have pre-marital sex; but I would say SRT is promising at minimum. I must admit that the intentions of SRT do seem slightly suspicious. For instance, Denny Pattyn, the founder and president of SRT, argues, “SRT will enable the youth to avoid the emotional and physical harm that comes from sexual promiscuity promoted by groups like the ACLU and their allies.” I realize that Christians often get a bad reputation, especially here at Brown, for appearing close-minded, but I think it’s important to note that many Christians aren’t as radical as Pattyn. Despite Pattyn, I still believe the main goal of SRT — to increase sexual abstinence among teenagers — is a very good goal and should be supported with federal funds. However, SRT should only employ secular abstinence programs. Federal funding should be used to protect uneducated teenagers, not to promote a particular religion. People must always make choices for themselves. I believe sexual abstinence until marriage is a healthy choice that will result in more happiness than not remaining abstinent until marriage. However, it should be possible to convince people to make healthy, empowering choices regarding sexuality without bringing God into the equation.

Michael Ramos-Lynch ‘09 deﬁnes marriage as two people’s realization that they are meant to be together forever in a healthy, supportive and loving relationship.

SPORTS WEDNESDAY THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · MARCH 15, 2006 · PAGE 12

Sports briefs: softball still searching for clutch hits Softball goes 2-for-6 at Mason-Dixon Classic tournament The softball team (4-8) has had trouble scoring runs this season, averaging just 2.67 runs for its first six games of the season. Not much changed in its second weekend of play at the Mason-Dixon Softball Classic in Virginia Beach, Va., this past weekend. Brown went 2-4 for the tournament, scoring only eight runs in the four losses. The Bears did manage to post two victories in the tournament, a 7-3 win over George Mason University Saturday and an exciting 7-6 victory in extra innings over James Madison University in the final game Sunday. “We need to start getting that key hit,” said co-captain Sarah Wilson ’06. “The runners are on base. We have to start driving them in. We had an opportunity to win all the games on Saturday and Sunday.” On Friday, the Bears opened the tournament with a crushing 16-3 loss to Norfolk State University, committing eight errors. They fared better in their second game, a 4-0 loss to the University of Delaware. Kelsey Wilson ’09 led the Brown offense, going 4-for-6 with two RBIs over the two games. Shortstop Mary Seid ’06 added three hits over the two losses. Saturday’s first game was the victory over George Mason. Seid paced the offense from the top of the order, going 2-for-4 and scoring three runs. Ava Amini ’09 was perfect at the plate, turning in a 3-for-3 performance. Michelle Moses ’09 picked up the win, allowing just four hits and striking out five while going the distance. Seid stayed hot in the second game, going 3-for-3 with a walk, but Niagra University eked out at 3-2 win. Delaware greeted the Bears in the first game Sunday, which proved to be another competitive contest between the two squads. Delaware scored four runs off of a second inning, inside-the-park grand slam. Brown made a comeback attempt but came up just short, falling 4-3. The Bears, however, closed out the

weekend with a bang against James Madison. Tied at five in the top of the 10th, a pair of bunt singles and a throwing error brought home Amy Baxter ’08 and Seid. JMU got one run across in the bottom of the inning, but Heather Garrison ’09 held on to pick up the win. The Bears are now off until March 24, when they travel to Baltimore, Md., for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Tournament. — Stephen Colelli and Chris Hatfield W. Lax suffers first loss of season, falling to No. 4 Maryland The women’s lacrosse team (2-1) was handed its first defeat of the season in brutal fashion Saturday, falling 21-5 to No. 4 University of Maryland, College Park at the FieldTurf pitch. The Terrapins buried the Bears from the start, notching seven unanswered goals in just over seven minutes of play. Amie Biros ’07, the Bears’ leading scorer, finally put Bruno on the board with a free-possession shot with 21:04 left in the first. Mimi DeTolla ’08 would also find the net before the opening period was over, but it did little to dent Maryland’s lead. The Bears were already in a 14-2 deficit at halftime, having been outshot 28-9 by the Terrapins. Bruno picked up the pace in the second, responding to Maryland’s pair of early period goals with two of its own, thanks to Bethany Buzzell ’09 and Krystina DeLuca ’09. Unfortunately, five more goals would slip by Brown’s defense, and only Justine Lupo ’08 netted another goal for the Bears before time ran out. Bruno will hit the road for the first time this season to take on Temple University in Philadelphia on March 17. — Jilane Rodgers W. water polo scores 40 goals in two wins Despite a tough 13-7 loss to Hartwick College Friday, the women’s water polo team did not stay down for long, bouncsee BRIEFS, page 4

Ashley Hess / Herald

Mary Seid ’06 scored the winning run in the softball team’s 7-6 victory over James Madison. Sunday’s win gave Brown a 2-4 record at the Mason-Dixon Classic Tournament and a 4-8 record overall.

Skiers race to top-ﬁve ﬁnish at nationals thanks to strong GS

two events). We were really excited. We were definitely outperforming (Penn).” The team then went out on floor and put on “what probably was one of our best floor performances of the season,” according to Smith. Anderson led the charge in her team’s highest-scoring event of the meet, posting a 9.575, which was good for third place. Jess Pouchet ’06 took fourth with a 9.525. The Bears finished the event with 47.375 points. The team finished the balance beam with 46.025 points. Bruno’s top finisher was Anderson, who tied for first with Penn’s Stephanie Ortiz. Both scored a 9.55. Co-captain Mandi Baughman ’06 took third with a 9.375. In the all-around competition, Anderson finished third overall with 37.9 points, and Smith posted 37.1 points, which was a season best. Despite the auspicious start, the Bears still fell short of the Quakers. Penn earned extra tenths of points in events throughout the meet that helped eke out the win in the end. “It was Penn’s senior night, so the judges were a little unfair toward us,” Smith said. “But I am really proud of how we did. We really shocked … Penn.”

British Columbia. “We were … psyched with the results,” said Head Coach Mike LeBlanc. “It was absolutely a successful year. Some of the girls really came into their own as team skiers as the year went on.” Crucial to the Bears’ high finish at nationals was their ability to atone for mistakes. Top skier Kelly O’Hear ’07 was mired in 16th place after her first run in the giant slalom. She “hip checked” on that run, according to LeBlanc, meaning she fell to her hip going around a turn and slid 25 feet before regaining her balance. “It was an amazing recovery … she basically crashed,” LeBlanc said. “I still don’t know how she pulled it off.” O’Hear was almost four seconds behind first place after her first run, finishing the course in 1:13.24. Undaunted, she completed her second run in 1:07.72, second only to Eliza Hawkins of Massachusetts by 0.26 seconds. LeBlanc explained that her run could have been even faster, but O’Hear was focused on skiing conservatively in order to simply finish the race. Had O’Hear fallen trying to pull off a first-place run, it would have signaled the death knell for the Bears’ team score and denied them any chance of placing in the top half of the field. Even with her conservative approach, O’Hear picked up All-American honors with her finish. Without the efforts of Mallory Taub ’08 and Sophie Elgort ’08, however, O’Hear’s extraordinary performance in the giant slalom may have been overlooked. Taub used two of her most solid runs of the year to finish in 17th place in the event. Meanwhile, Elgort, who has been scoring repeatedly for Brown in recent weeks, took 23rd, a full second in front of the next competitor. “Janet (Marley-Mauzy ’07) was in 15th place after the first run. She skied great but had a bit of bad luck on her second run,” LeBlanc said. “I think her tip caught (in the snow) and her boot popped out of her ski. … If she was still there we would have had a good shot at second. But Sophie and Mallory gave us good, solid days. That they pulled it off was awesome.” Brown took advantage of some of the best conditions they have seen all season at Sugarloaf. The slope was hard and

see GYMNASTICS, page 8

see SKIING, page 8

BY STEPHEN COLELLI SPORTS EDITOR

The ski team closed out its season in impressive fashion, taking ﬁfth place out of 17 teams in the United States Collegiate Ski Association’s National Championships at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine on March 8-10. After ripping off several impressive runs in the giant slalom on March 8, the Bears sat in third place in the competition, behind only western powerhouses Sierra Nevada College — last year’s national champion — and Rocky Mountain College. Although the team struggled to a ninth-place performance in the following day’s slalom event, Brown managed to hold onto ﬁfth place overall, besting conference rival the University of Massachusetts and the University of

Gymnasts almost knock off Penn, take out frustrations on D-II West Chester U. BY MADELEINE MARECKI SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The gymnastics team traveled to Pennsylvania this past weekend to take on Ivy League rival the University of Pennsylvania and Division II competitor West Chester University. The trip produced mixed results, as the Bears lost to the Quakers on Saturday by a little

Ashley Hess / Herald

Sarah Cavett ’06 helped the Bears take an early lead over Penn with a score of 9.45 on the uneven bars.

more than a point, 187.875 to 186.80, but gained some revenge the following day by dismantling the Golden Rams, 186.225 to 177.500. Brown is now 7-7 on the year. Looking to upset the Ivy Classic runner-up, Brown opened the meet against Penn favorably. The Bears jumped out to an early lead after their first two events, the vault and the uneven bars. Sarah Durning ’08 turned in a stellar performance, finishing second on the vault with a 9.725. Her effort was particularly impressive since it was her first vault of the season. Durning has only recently been getting back into full training after an ACL injury. Brittany Anderson ’09 also had a strong day on the vault, finishing third overall with a 9.65. Although Brown was weaker on the uneven bars than the vault, it still produced some solid routines, highlighted by a third-place finish by Sarah Cavett ’06, who scored a 9.45. Bruno tallied 47.625 points in the vault and 45.775 points on the bars to take the early lead. “We were so excited after the first two events,” said co-captain Amber Smith ’06. “We immediately went into a team huddle before taking the floor (exercise) and really pumped each other up (for the last