Thursday, April 20, 2006

Page 1

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

Volume CXLI, No. 54

www.browndailyherald.com

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

SPRING WEEKEND PREVIEW post- looks at the booze, music and sex that will make up your weekend and interviews Ok Go’s Damian Kulash ’98 INSIDE

COSTLY CRIBS Luxury condos downtown are going for anywhere from $425k to $2.5 mil, and developers are targeting Brown alums METRO 3

CANDID CANDIDATES Profiles of the candidates for UCS president and vice president and UFB chair CAMPUS NEWS 5

TODAY

TOMORROW

sunny 64 / 41

mostly sunny 55 / 36

U. enlists more staffing, additional ambulance for Spring Weekend festivities

GUT FEELING

BY ERIC BECK NEWS EDITOR

As a result of the University’s social events policy review, this year’s Spring Weekend will be marked by more staffing and oversight, including a greater presence of deans and administrators on campus and increased use of professional security staff, University officials told The Herald. The University has also hired a second ambulance to complement the ambulance usually operated by Brown Emergency Medical Services, said Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president for campus life and dean for student life. Klawunn said the second ambulance will help alleviate the need for Providence emergency services to respond to calls from intoxicated Brown students seeking medical attention. It is harder for University officials to account for students who seek emergency medical care when Providence officials respond than when they are cared for by Brown EMS, Klawunn said. Klawunn said the use of a second ambulance is a result of last November’s Sex Power God party, when an unusually large number of students required medical assistance. Because some students received assistance from Brown EMS and others from Providence officials, the number of students who sought medical attention was

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann delivered the 40th annual Meiklejohn Lecture Wednesday afternoon in Salomon 001. Her lecture was titled, “Certainty and the SingleMindedness: The Lure of Extremism.” SEE CAMPUS NEWS, PAGE 9

unclear for days after the event. Most new policies in place for Spring Weekend are a result of recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Social Events, Policy and Procedures, which was created in the wake of Sex Power God to review the University’s social events and alcohol policies. One such recommendation is the use of a contract security service to support or replace student event managers at large-scale so-

BY JOSH TOBIAS STAFF WRITER

Though the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice was expected to submit its BROWN report to PresCONFRONTS ident Ruth Simmons this SLAVERY Fourth in a series spring, it is unclear when the report will be submitted or whether it will be released publicly before summer. In this, the fourth in a series on the committee and its work, The Herald examines the role of undergraduates in examining Brown’s historical connections to slavery. Colin Brown ’08 spent most of last summer perusing hundreds of 18th-century business documents in the John Carter Brown Library, trying to find a connection between the business firm of Brown, Benson and Ives and the Atlantic slave trade. Nicholas Brown Jr., the University’s namesake, was one of the firm’s partners.

“It was a great process because I looked at documents that were hundreds of years old, documents that only a few pairs of eyes have seen,” Brown said. Though he did not find any evidence that the firm was involved with the slave trade, Brown said looking at business records from the slave trade “definitely made my heart beat a little faster.” Brown is one of several students who have researched the University’s relationship with slavery since the formation of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice in 2003. When the committee’s work was being outlined three years ago, student involvement was a high priority for the University, said James Campbell, chair of the committee and associate professor of history. “The chief inspiration for including students came from (President) Ruth Simmons herself,” Campbell said. “I can’t speak for Ruth Simmons, but I imagine one of her motivations might have been her belief that we weren’t adequately teaching

Editorial: 401.351.3372 Business: 401.351.3260

see SPRING WKND, page 7

THAT’S MR. BROWN TO YOU

Students help explore University’s connection to slavery Student research contributes to slavery and justice committee report

cial events. The University has contracted with event management firm FBS to provide staffing and security for the Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon concerts and Saturday evening Rage on Wriston event, said Director of Student Activities Ricky Gresh. The University already contracts with FBS, which BCA Chair Elizabeth Trongone ’06 said stands

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

The Mr. Brown 2006 competition, complete with fashion show, was held in Alumnae Halll last night.

students how to engage in rigorous and reasonable ways with extremely sensitive and controversial issues.” Students contributed research to the committee through a variety of methods, including Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships, theses and classes. Two students are also currently on the committee: Seth Magaziner ’06 and Vanessa Huang ’06. Magaziner said students were included because the University wanted a “full range of views.” He added that being on the committee has forced him to challenge his own views about Brown’s history and slavery. “I changed my mind at least a dozen times,” Magaziner said. Approaching the University’s past One way the University has promoted student research on slavery is through the Group Research Project developed two years ago by Campbell and Seth Rockman, an assistant professee S & J, page 6

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

MCAT-takers cope with Spring Weekend BY SARA WALTER STAFF WRITER

Due to the notoriously rambunctious activity associated with a typical Brown Spring Weekend, some students registered to take the Medical College Admission Test this Saturday are worried about their ability to study for and take the exam, according to Sara Leone, curriculum support manager for summer and continuing studies. In response to these concerns, the University is employing additional measures to accommodate test-takers, said Andrew Simmons, associate dean for health careers. “I’ve been working with (the Office of Student Life) to come up with a list of steps we can

take,” he said. But some students have sought alternate test-taking locations, and others still have made plans to leave campus a few days before the test to prevent Spring Weekend-related distractions. Beth Hoffman ’07 originally listed Brown as her first-choice location to take the MCAT, but she was placed in a testing group at the University of Rhode Island. Though she sent in a request form to change her testing location to Brown, she said she is glad that request wasn’t honored. “It’s going to be pretty crazy here, so it might be for the better,” Hoffman said. “I’m actually going to stay in a hotel see MCAT, page 10

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com


THIS MORNING THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 2 Jero Matt Vascellaro

TO D AY ’ S E V E N TS PILATES AT THE WELLNESS CAFE 3:30 p.m., (Memorial Room, Faunce House) — First time? No problem! Bring a mat or towel if possible. The Wellness Cafe is your study break oasis for stress-reduction and relaxation. SPEC DAY 5 p.m., (Main Green) — The Special Events Committee will be hosting its annual event to kick off Spring Weekend. Plenty of free food and entertainment, including a giant slide, will be provided.

DONATE LIFE MONTH LECTURE 7 p.m., (Eddy Auditorium, Biomedical Center) — Learn more about the technology, public policy, economics and science of organ transplantation and replacement with Professor of Medical Sciences Michael Lysaght. ALPHA DELTA PHI BIZARRE BAZAAR CHARITY AUCTION 3 p.m., (Main Green) — All of the proceeds from this auction benefit Providence Summerbridge, which works with underprivileged middle school students.

Deo Daniel Perez

MENU SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — Chicken Fingers with Dipping Sauces, Hawaiian Pineapple Brown Rice, Zucchini Yianchi, Canadian Bacon, Tater Tots, Grilled Vegetable Calzone, Egg Drop and Chicken Soup, Vegetarian Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup, Baked Vegan Nuggets, Washington Apple Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies

LUNCH — Vegetarian Eggplant Vegetable Soup, Chicken Mulligatawny Soup, Gourmet Turkey Sandwich, Stuffed Shells with Sauce, Zucchini and Summer Squash, Chocolate Chip Cookies

DINNER — Chicken in the Rough, Cajun Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Cauliflower in Dill Mustard Sauce, Five Grain Bread, Vegetarian Tamale Pie, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Strawberry Jello, Vanilla Chocolate Pudding Cake

Chocolate Covered Cotton Mark Brinker

DINNER — Vegetarian Eggplant Vegetable Soup , Chicken Mulligatawny Soup, Plum Good Pork Chops, Vegan Paella, Baked Potatoes, Apple Fritters, Whole Kernel Corn, Green Beans with Mushrooms, Five Grain Bread, Washington Apple Cake

Homebodies Mirele Davis

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, April 20, 2006

CR O S Daily SWO RD Los Angeles Times Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Highland hillside 5 Continue without stopping, in music 10 __ accompli 14 Make 15 Upset 16 Prince married to Yaroslavna, in opera 17 Kind of act 18 Three-toed birds 19 A, for one 20 Needed 22 Painter of ballerinas 23 Many a concertgoer 24 Patriotic women’s soc. 25 With 43-Across, this puzzle’s theme 32 Moles, maybe 35 Bank transactions 36 Once __ blue moon 37 Drones 38 Enrico Salvatore Rizzo, familiarly 39 Blockhead 40 Chicago-toDetroit dir. 41 Gift recipient 42 Café cup 43 See 25-Across 46 Many times, in verse 47 Under-one’sbreath sound 51 Key of Schubert’s Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 54 Notebook feature 57 Banned orchard spray 58 Sister of Zsa Zsa 59 “It’s my turn to bat!” 60 Himalayan beasts 61 Perry of fashion 62 One of Asta’s masters 63 Olympics event 64 Horse laugh? 65 Earl with a tea named for him DOWN 1 Soft cap

2 Workplace incentive 3 “That which we call __ ...”: Shakespeare 4 International understandings 5 “No Exit” dramatist 6 Precollege, for short 7 Earth goddess 8 Caspian feeder 9 Miami couple? 10 Regalia 11 Obviously eager 12 Inconsequential amount 13 Lead-in for chic 21 What’s happening 22 Morse code tones 24 Bond opponent 26 Southwestern lea 27 Booth user 28 Let up 29 There are a thousand in an inch 30 Baseball’s Slaughter

31 One-named Nigerian singer 32 Queens stadium 33 Fourth-down call 34 “__ a man who wasn’t ...” 38 Lee, for short 39 Chess strategem 41 Slick 42 Test answer 44 Like a cheerleader after a big game, maybe

45 Sentence interrupter 48 Island near Java 49 Harden 50 Give in kind 51 “Mercy Mercy Me” singer 52 Ado 53 Michigan, e.g. 54 Big blow 55 Wrinkled yellowish fruit 56 “Gotcha!” 58 Guys

Freeze-Dried Puppies Cara FitzGibbon

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Mission Delicious Rebecca Case

xwordeditor@aol.com

4/20/06

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METRO

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 3

Luxury condos target wealthy alums, students BY REBECCA JACOBSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

Spats, the new sports bar on Angell Street, has elicited fewer complaints than expected from neighbors.

Few complaints about new Angell Street sports bar BY TARYN MARTINEZ STAFF WRITER

Spats, the new sports bar and restaurant at 184 Angell St., opened its doors officially April 5. Though Spats’ owners originally intended to open the bar before Thanksgiving, the opening was delayed due to complications with the establishment’s liquor license. Some worried that the bar’s location close to a residential neighborhood would cause a stir. But most of Spats’ neighbors do not seem to mind the added volume of cars or noise from patrons. “At first I kind of thought it was going to be tersee SPATS, page 4

When moving off campus, most Brown students choose nearby apartments or houses. But developers for the Westin Providence want them to consider another option: luxury condominiums. A full-page ad in the January/February edition of the Brown Alumni Magazine touts the not-yet-completed condo and hotel tower as “the greatest dorm room in town.” It advertises the Westin as “the perfect alternative to on-campus housing,” noting that it provides “a carefree lifestyle for students and parents alike.” But Ralph Izzi Jr., marketing communications director at the Procaccianti Group, the Cranston-based owner of the Westin, which is located downtown at 1 West Exchange St., said Brown students were not the ad’s primary target. He cited the condos’ sale prices — ranging from $425,000 for a standard condo to $2.6 million for a penthouse — as the primary barrier for students. “Truly, the intention of placing those ads was to appeal to the Brown alumni,” Izzi said, pointing out that alums fit the developers’ buyer demographics. “If they’re maintaining their connection to Providence, they should maintain it in the best, most secure and most luxurious homes,” he added. Izzi said parents of current Brown students are also a target market. He said the developers have received good responses from both alums and parents, adding that several have already entered into agreements to buy units. James Bauman, director of communications for the Association of College and University Housing Officers International, said the Westin’s marketing strategy is part of a trend of private developers working to attract alums. He said the benefits of living near a college community can be attractive to both young professionals and retiring

Talan announces mayoral candidacy Local Republican outlines voucher program, campaign contributions in speech BY KYLE MCGOURTY STAFF WRITER

Republican David Talan announced his campaign to be mayor of Providence Wednesday night, delivering a speech at Columbus Theatre, located at 270 Broadway, that filled less than one-third of the building. Talan, a computer systems analyst, told a group of fellow Republicans he plans to run a “visible campaign.” “I want the citizens of Providence to see real Republicans in person and notice they don’t have horns and curly tails behind them,” Talan said. Talan is a lifelong resident of Providence. He attended the University of Rhode Island, where he was the leader of the College Republicans, and is currently the Providence Republican City Committee Chairman. Talan plans to campaign at Brown

next fall. He said that, if elected, he will support the University in building new residence halls. Brown students looking for offcampus housing have made it tough for residents who live in Fox Point, Talan said. Older students who move off campus raise the price of housing, which creates a problem for everyone, he added. Talan said he is not dismayed by the lack of students identifying as Republicans at the University. “A lot more will be Republicans when they graduate and start paying taxes,” he said. Talan has run for mayor in Providence once before. In 2002, he was soundly defeated by current Mayor David Cicilline ’83, who received 84 percent of the vote in that election. “Voters did not pay attention to my last message,” Talan said in his

baby-boomers. Bauman added that while facilities like the Westin may see a moderate level of success in targeting upperclassmen or graduate students, he views touting the building as “the greatest dorm room in town” as “a marketing line, more than anything else.” Senior Associate Dean and Director of Residential Life Richard Bova said he had not heard about the Westin condo and hotel tower and knew of no students who had expressed interest. But some Brown students already live in luxury apartments in downtown Providence at the Regency Plaza and Avalon at Center Place, leasing agents for both buildings told the Providence Business News. Some pay more than $2,000 per month for rent, the April 5 article reported. Heather Wood GS lives at the Regency Plaza, which she called ideal because of the building’s proximity to see CONDOS, page 6

starwoodhotels.com

The Westin Providence has recently targeted wealthy alums for its luxury condominiums, calling them “the greatest dorm room in town.”

Negative campaigning dirties race to lead R.I. College Republicans

speech. “I plan to complete the job and educate the voters.” Talan addressed the main issues that will be the focus of his campaign: “Education; taxes and spending; and honesty, government and ethics.” Talan’s education plan includes instituting a school voucher program under which residents who opt to send their children to private school will receive $4,000 in school vouchers from the city. The plan “would save $25 million in costs,” he said. In his speech, Talan noted that of Providence’s 36,000 school-aged children, 8,000 attend private schools. “On the East Side, 60 percent of students attend private schools,” Talan added. “Many Brown professors would

The election to become the next chairman of the Rhode Island College Republican Federation, which will be held Saturday, has been plagued by negative campaigning, creating a rift in the year-old group and prompting the incumbent chairman to resign rather than seek re-election. “The campaign just got too dirty, and at one point I realized it was not something I wanted to do anymore,” said Pratik Chougule ’08, who was chairman of the RICRF until last week, when he dropped his reelection bid and resigned his position. RICRF, a coalition of College Republicans chapters at six Rhode Island schools, became active last year. “The campaign got to the point where it was just negative campaigning, and I wasn’t enjoying myself,” Chougule said. Chougule said he was attacked verbally and in

see TALAN, page 4

see RICRF, page 4

BY BEN LEUBSDORF METRO EDITOR


PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

RICRF continued from page 3 writing by Tom Merrigan, a junior at the University of Rhode Island who was running against Chougule. Merrigan — who boasts a highly organized campaign, including a Web site, brochures and a four-point agenda — said he had simply responded to claims made by Chougule that he was running for personal gain. “My motivation is strictly Rhode Island. It isn’t a personal thing for me, to pad my resume,” Merrigan said. “I don’t think (Chougule) was expecting anyone to run against him,” he added, noting he does not know why Chougule dropped out and resigned. Just before the April 8 filing deadline, Merrigan got a new challenger — Ethan Wingfield ’07, treasurer of Brown’s College Republicans chapter and head of Reformed University Fellowship. Wingfield said his goal is to change the “culture of attack” in the College Republicans. “The College Republicans in Rhode Island has become very poisonous,” he said. “People attack each other, not for any substantive reason, but because they want to elevate themselves at the expense of others.” That negativity, he said, is exemplified in the RICRF chairman campaign. “I think it’s been a driving factor in this race. I’ve tried to steer clear of it,” he said. Just days after Wingfield entered the race, Merrigan sent a mass e-mail — later posted on the Rhode Island’s Future blog — attacking him. “While I believe that competition for state chairman is healthy, I am simultaneously left questioning the motive of a candidate whose last minute decision is counterproductive to the

Talan continued from page 3 like my school program because they could get some money back,” Talan told The Herald after his speech, citing his belief that the majority of Brown professors send their children to private school. The voucher program will relieve overcrowding in public schools, “end musical chairs bus-

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

Spats continued from page 3 rible, but it hasn’t actually been that bad,” said Meryl Rothstein ’06. “It isn’t nearly as loud as I expected it to be.” “I can’t really hear anything from my apartment,” said another neighbor who didn’t want to be named. Though the increase in noise from Spats seems to be negligible, neighbors have noticed a greater presence of late-night crowds outside the bar. “If you come home at 2 a.m. on weekends or 1 (a.m.) on weekdays when (Spats) is letting out,

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

unification of our organization,” Merrigan wrote. He criticized Wingfield for designing Web sites for Democratic candidates through his business, Elan Design and Development, and for his work as a leader of Students for Chafee, saying it is improper for the state chair to choose sides in the contested Republican Senate primary between incumbent Sen. Lincoln Chafee ’75 and Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey. Chougule said Merrigan’s email was inappropriate. “It’s a great example of why I resigned,” Chougule said. “(Merrigan) definitely tried to attack (Wingfield) as a moderate. I think that’s ridiculous. We’re not an ideological organization. … Especially in Rhode Island, you can’t be that picky because there are so few Republicans,” he added. Wingfield agreed, describing himself as a conservative Republican and evangelical Christian from the South. “What more could you ask for? How much more stereotypical could you get? Do I need more of a Southern drawl and a glass of sweet tea?” he asked. Merrigan said he did not send the e-mail to question Wingfield’s conservative credentials, but to point out possible conflicts of interest. Wingfield was also criticized by Zack Drew ’07, vice president of Brown’s College Republicans chapter, in an e-mail first sent to Merrigan and later to the executive board of the RICRF. “It is my PERSONAL belief that Ethan will preform (sic) his duties as State Chair in the way he performs his duties as Treasurer of the Brown University Chapter of the College Republicans: poorly,” he wrote in the e-mail, provided to The Herald by Merrigan. Drew noted Wingfield’s frequent absences from executive board meetings, which he attributed to Wingfield being “spread … too thinly.” Wingfield said the

College Republicans meetings have been scheduled this semester at the same time as the RUF leadership meeting, which he runs and must attend. Noting his detailed platform, which he put together before kicking off his campaign, Merrigan said it is his opponents — first Chougule and then Wingfield — who have gone negative because they have no positive program. “They have no arguments. If they have nothing else to campaign on, they’re going to attack me,” Merrigan said. Merrigan added, “I don’t want to make enemies, but I’ll do what I need to do because I want to win.” Chougule said he believes the contest will be a close one. Out of a total of 17 votes — two each from the six member chapters and one from each of the five executive board members — a candidate needs nine to win the chairmanship. The vote will follow speeches and a debate between the candidates on Saturday at the College Republicans state convention, held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Providence College Smith Center for the Arts. Merrigan said he has eight of the nine required votes sewn up, but both Merrigan and Wingfield claimed they would win the election. The negative campaign has exacerbated tensions in the young group, Chougule said, even while the Senate primary fight between Laffey and Chafee has split the state party. “There’s a lot of division in the Republican Party right now,” he said. “It’s too bad an organization this young has to have these internal problems.” Chougule added that he hopes whoever wins will be able to reunite the group in time for the fall elections. “I’m not necessarily optimistic, but I hope it will cool down after the election,” Chougule said.

ing” and introduce competition to the public school system, Talan said in his speech. He also criticized the bureaucracy surrounding teacher employment, calling teacher credentials “worthless.” On the topic of taxes, Talan stated, “I have a radical idea! I propose that we cut spending rather than raise taxes.” The final portion of Talan’s speech was dedicated to ethics. He told the crowd that a year ago he made a mutual promise with

Cicilline to “refuse all campaign contributions from people who do business with the city or work for the city.” Even though Talan lost to Cicilline in 2002, he has a deep respect for the current mayor, stating he is a “decent, honest man” but is “misguided on some issues.” Talan stated that, if elected, he would introduce a campaign contribution code of ethics to the City Council similar to the promise Talan and Cicilline are currently upholding.

there are a lot of people outside … but it’s no different from walking by Paragon or Viva. I haven’t observed anyone too belligerent yet,” Rothstein said. “I don’t know if there’s been complaints, but there’s been drunk people outside our store some nights,” said Caroline Hecht, who works across the street at TeaLuxe. “As far as I’m aware, there haven’t been any complaints,” said Providence Police Department District 9 Patrolman Richard Mills, though he was not authorized to check the police log to verify this information. Overall, Spats patrons seemed pleased with their experiences at the bar and unaware of the com-

plications that caused the delay of the restaurant’s opening. “Spats is a great place,” said a patron who identified himself as Larry Flynn. “(The employees are) great people. The young ladies at the door and behind the bar are very nice gals.” “I’ve been here twice,” said patron Kim Schiano. “I like it — it has great music, food, service, atmosphere.” Spats co-owner Andy Mitrelis, who also owns Thayer Street restaurants Paragon and Andreas, declined to comment. Mitrelis will go before the Providence Board of Licenses on Friday or Tuesday in a hearing to officially gain an operating license for Spats.

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CAMPUS NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 5

Candidates for UCS president

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

Jean Yves Chainon / Herald

UCS vice president, UFB chair

Ben Miller / Herald

Arthur Kim ’08

John Gillis ’07

Zachary Townsend ’08

Arthur Kim ’08 said he will focus on improving immediate problems if elected. “The University is already taking care of long-term problems through the Boldly Brown campaign,” he said. Kim said he is “much more a part of the Brown community” than many UCS members. Kim said he will advocate for the elimination of the off-campus housing fee in order to alleviate the on-campus housing shortage and try to increase student awareness of available off-campus housing. Increasing the council’s communication with student groups, supporting groups as they search for funds and replacing the current category system with one that is more suited to the diversity of such groups are other priorities, he said. Kim also hopes to improve the advising system. Kim’s experience with the Brown Orchestra and the Coalition of Bands at Brown has showed him the magnitude of short-term problems on campus that should be solved, he said. “I’m looking at issues that are much more immediate,” Kim added. —Simmi Aujla

John Gillis ’07 pledges to bridge the gap between students and the Undergraduate Council of Students if elected UCS president. “We need to take a step towards students for better communication,” he said. Though other candidates may also campaign on platforms of change, “the changes I want to make are ones generated by the students,” Gillis said. As UCS class representative his sophomore year, Gillis collaborated with Brown Dining Services to eliminate meal blocks in dining halls and worked with the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services to bring the Napster music service to campus. He has also advocated for anonymous STD testing on campus and helped coordinate Wellness Week last year. If elected, Gillis said he will pressure the University to develop a source of renewable energy, lobby for universal card access for Brown ID holders and work to provide students with short-term community service opportunities in addition to the full-year programs already offered by the Swearer Center for Public Service. But Gillis said he will campaign for any agenda students set if he is elected. “Think of me as the voice of the student for the administration,” he said. —Simmi Aujla

UCS Vice President Zachary Townsend ’08 said if elected, he will continue confronting the administration on critical issues such as advising, housing and professors’ commitment to teaching. “People feel like there’s nothing you can do about these issues,” he said. “If you’re intellectual about it, you can really persuade people,” he added. Townsend has advocated against the addition of pluses and minuses to the grading system. As communications chair in Spring 2005, Townsend created UCS’s first WebCT poll, which strengthened the council’s knowledge of students’ concerns, he said. Last summer, as chair of the Admissions and Student Services Committe, he worked to launch Internet Protocol Television, which began providing students with cable television on the Internet in the fall, and he has pressured the University this year to provide students with campus-wide wireless service. Townsend said the strong relationships he has built with administrators during his time at UCS set him apart from other candidates. “It’s important to have good relationships with people who matter the most,” he said. —Simmi Aujla

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Tristan Freeman ’07 Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee Chair Tristan Freeman ’07 said he would “fight to keep Brown the place it was when we applied” if elected vice president. In order to advocate in the interest of students, UCS must become “less secretive and less bureaucratic,” he said. “It’s in every undergraduate’s best interests to let them know how they can effect change within UCS,” Freeman said. The University may support graduate programs at the expense of undergraduates if students are not proactive, he said. In his current position, Freeman has worked against the addition of pluses and minuses. Freeman also served as communications chair. Freeman said he will continue to reach out to students through WebCT polls and dorm rounds. “It’s really important that undergraduates come together and let Brown be Brown,” he said. Josh Teitelbaum ’08 Queer Alliance Co-President Josh Teitelbaum ’08 said his priority if elected vice president will be to reform UCS so that “real, live Brown students” are able to voice their concerns and solve problems in conjunction with UCS. Student group leaders should “lead each meeting instead of having UCS set the agenda,” Teitelbaum said, adding that his outsider status gives him “a distinct

Think UCS stinks? Make sure to vote starting April 23rd on WebCT

advantage” over candidates with prior UCS experience. Teitelbaum said he has “learned how to bring a lot of diverse perspectives together” as co-president of Queer Alliance and as chair of a community service organization at the Swearer Center for Public Service. “I have leadership experience from a very different perspective,” he said. “I know what it’s like to be on the other side.”

UFB Chair Cash McCracken ’08 Every year the candidate for chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board promises to make the board more open and accountable, said unopposed candidate Cash McCracken ’08. But UFB will make these improvements “for real this time,” said McCracken, who is currently UCS and UFB representative. McCracken plans to create a group of students unaffiliated with UFB who will serve as a watchdog for the board. Posting minutes of UFB meetings will make the board even more accountable next year, McCracken said. He also hopes to bring representatives to the board from student groups other than UCS and the Student Union. McCracken has served as UFB representative for two years and also served on UCS as Student Activities Chair last year. —Simmi Aujla


PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

S&J continued from page 1 sor of history. The GRP’s participants met as a seminar in the fall semester of each of the last two years, with students conducting independent research in the spring. The student

group also meets with speakers brought in by the committee. Though the project is not formally connected with the slavery and justice committee, some of the research generated by the GRP will be used in the final report, Campbell said. In the first year of the GRP, the students spent a lot of time “soulsearching” as to how the Univer-

sity could make sense of its ties to slavery, Rockman said. At the end of the year, the students in the GRP issued a series of recommendations to the committee in a 20-page report. Campbell said though the recommendations given by the GRP have no binding effect on the committee, its members did read and deliberate over the recommendations. Though the report was not originally part of the GRP, the students felt they could not justify their research on slavery without offering some concrete ways Brown could rectify its past, said GRP participant Sean Siperstein ’05. “We had something to say and we were going to bring it together and say it,” he said. The report called for increased representation of both black students and faculty at the University, a lecture series that would focus on issues of race and historical injustice and a public memorial to acknowledge the University’s connection with slavery. Delving into the history Jeremy Chase ’06 said he decided to apply to join the Group Research Project because he was interested in working again with Rockman, whose first-year seminar HI 97 sec. 8: “Slavery and Historical Memory in the United States” he had taken two years before. “(Rockman’s course) really shaped my course of study at Brown,” Chase said. Chase’s research focused on the tenure of Francis Wayland, who was president of the University from 1827 to 1855, “right when the abolition movement was getting started,” he said.

During that period, the University was geographically diverse, with one quarter of the student population coming from the Deep South. The presence of so many students from slaveholding states made slavery a prominent issue on campus. “There was constantly a debate on campus about what was going on,” Chase said. Other students, such as current GRP member Sara Damiano ’08, are looking at the history of slavery in Rhode Island more broadly. Damiano’s research explores a 1789 Rhode Island court case concerning a runaway slave who escaped a Virginia plantation and boarded a ship he thought would take him to fight for the British during the Revolutionary War. Instead, the ship’s owner sold him to a Newport slaveholder. The slave ran away again, and then sued his former master in Newport for wages and mistreatment. The courts freed the slave but did not grant him any financial compensation. Damiano said she stumbled across the case, looking for an “early reparations case” that would reveal the nature of slavery in New England. “It deals with different issues — reparations, slavery, race … what the rights of free blacks were at that time,” Damiano said. She added that she hopes to create a Web site for high school students explaining the case and its context in Rhode Island history. While Damiano’s research kept her in Rhode Island, Siperstein traveled to Mississippi as part of the GRP to research the legacy of the civil rights move-

ment. Siperstein was particularly interested in how crimes committed during the civil rights movement are addressed today. In Mississippi, the group compiled oral histories from people who lived through the civil rights movement. They also met with members of the Philadelphia Coalition, an organization that spearheaded the 2005 legal campaign to convict Edgar Killen for the 1964 murder of three civil rights activists.

Condos

Regency Plaza also proved a selling point, she said. But Wood acknowledged that such housing is not for everyone. She said it would be inconvenient for people who need to be on campus everyday and noted similar apartments or condos may also be beyond many students’ financial means. “Where I live is fairly expensive,” Wood said. “If you can afford it, it’s great, but it can also be a real financial difficulty to pay for these places.” Perhaps realizing students may find luxury living out of reach, Izzi said the Westin will advertise in the May/June edition of BAM, but this time with a new tagline: “Like, who would buy a place in New Haven?”

continued from page 3 the Trinity Repertory Company downtown. Pursuing a Master of Fine Arts as part of the Brown/ Trinity Rep Consortium, she spends much of her time at the company. Wood said security is also a chief concern when looking for housing near Brown. After considering eight or nine apartments closer to campus, she said she chose the Regency Plaza because it presented a safer option. All residents need a key to enter the front door, and there is a 24hour concierge service, she said. The availability of parking at the

Opening up the discussion Students who have researched the University’s relationship said they don’t see slavery as a campus-wide issue yet, but their research has allowed them to open up the issue to some other students. “When I tell people I am involved in the project, a lot of people have questions about the slavery and justice committee,” Damiano said. Student research also provides a “critical perspective” for the committee as a whole to take into account, Siperstein said. He added that University discussion about slavery should be a “continual process, not just something Brown does for a couple of years” and that student involvement is key in ensuring that continuity. Faculty and students say the real impact of the research will be felt when the committee releases its final report. Regardless of its conclusion, students involved so far agree the report will inevitably spark debate on campus. “We hope this will not be the end of a conversation but the beginning of one,” Campbell said.


THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7

UCS revises code, hears Environmental ‘Miracle molecule’ moves into the mainstream Task Force update BY MELANIE DUCH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students introduced and approved numerous changes to its Code of Operations during its general body meeting last night. “90 percent of the changes are putting code in line with what’s actually done,” Zachary Townsend ’08, vice president of UCS, told The Herald after the meeting. Major alterations included raising accountability for violations of the code, making the appointments process less onerous for UCS and removing committees that are no longer extant. Townsend told The Herald that a large chunk of the changes were “grammatical,” adding that the most important change made was the “single sentence that says, ‘You have to follow the code.’” Prior to last night’s meeting, “if someone violated the code, basically nothing would happen,” Townsend said. In another change, the code was amended so that students

Spring Wknd continued from page 1 for Fat Boy Security, for management of athletic events. Gresh said student volunteers will still play an important role in event management, but they will be supported by FBS staff. The professional security employees will also take over some security functions previously performed by students, such as checking bags and guarding exits, Gresh said. Trongone told The Herald that student volunteers will still collect tickets at the door of both BCA concerts this weekend, but FBS employees will assist student volunteers at the door and handle all other security posts, such as the front of the stage, the dressing room, the exits and the portable toilets. Professional security employees were employed last year for the BCA concerts and “it worked really well,” Trongone said. Based on that success, the University decided to expand the use of external security to other Spring Weekend events, Gresh said. “The number of people participating (in Spring Weekend events) is more than the event management staff we generally have available can handle,” Gresh said, explaining the need to hire security support. “The increased security is wonderful,” said Greek Council Chair Meghan Gill ’06. “Usually Greeks work the gates at Rage on Wriston, and it will be really nice to have the additional support of professionals there.” Gill said Greek student leaders will roam the Greek houses and surrounding areas during Spring Weekend to provide a “front line of enforcement” and ensure that “everyone is following the rules.” In addition, student life deans and Department of Public Safety officers will maintain a presence on campus this weekend, Klawunn said. Residential Peer Leaders and Community Directors, the graduate students who live in residence halls and supervise undergraduate

can now recall officers they did not elect. Previously, the student body was only allowed to recall popularly elected UCS members. “For example, if the student body wanted to recall (UCS President Sarah Saxton-Frump ’07) or I, they couldn’t, because we were internally elected,” Townsend told The Herald. During last night’s meeting, UCS also received a report from Kate Brandt ’07, the council’s corporation liaison, who highlighted what she called the “key recommendations” of the Environmental Task Force’s report on reducing energy use and emissions. “The most effective way (to reduce energy use and emissions on campus) is to invest in both equipment and programs designed to increase efficiency of both the new and existing buildings on campus,” Brandt said. The major recommendations included the purchase of renewable energy sources and a push for the purchase of efficient vehicles by Brown. Michael Glassman ’09, a UCS class representative, said storage for next year is “all figured out,”

and Andrew Krupansky ’09, another class representative, outlined the new procedures for students wishing to obtain storage. Students will sign up online, and a computer will “generate a list of 600 people” who will get storage, Krupansky said. Townsend also recapped a meeting with about 75 student leaders that occurred last week. The meeting was a part of a UCS initiative aiming to compile a list of building projects to be submitted to President Ruth Simmons and Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior advisor to the president. Major ideas for new construction projects include an arts building for performance, dance and martial arts and a large, centralized campus center. In other business, Brown Tang Soo Do was granted category III status. Brown Badmash, a new South Asian dance group, was granted category I status. Big Brothers at Brown, the International Socialist Organization, Students for Free Tibet and Young Minority Investors were all de-constituted.

RPLs, are always on duty in shifts during Spring Weekend to staff the residence halls, Klawunn said. In previous years, CDs also roamed campus with student life deans, but this year they will remain in residence halls to support their RPLs, Klawunn said. “We’re going to be staffed much more heavily this Spring Weekend than we’ve been in the past,” said Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene. Greene said Faculty Fellows who had been briefed on the University’s plans for the weekend told him “this is the most organized Spring Weekend that they’ve ever seen in the history of Brown.” University officials are also being more restrictive about allowing social events while classes are in session. As a result, SpagFest, traditionally held on Friday at 1 p.m., has been pushed back to 4 p.m. that day. According to Gill, University administrators initially wanted SpagFest to start at 5 p.m., but “the Greek community really rallied to have SpagFest start before (5 p.m.)” because they were worried it would overlap with the traditional cocktail hour later that evening. Ultimately, University officials and Greek leaders compromised and agreed on the 4 p.m. starting time, Gill said.

University administrators also initially wanted Spring Weekend events to end at 1 a.m., even though most social events on ordinary weekends run until 2 a.m., Gill said. “They couldn’t articulate a rationale” for the earlier ending time, she added. After Greek Council appealed the 1 a.m. ending time, administrators agreed to push it back to 2 a.m., though Gresh said alcohol service and outdoor music must still stop at 1 a.m. Responding to another recommendation of the social events review, University administrators have added the disclaimer that “intoxicated individuals will not be admitted” to all Universitydistributed advertising for Spring Weekend events. Use of the disclaimer is an attempt to change the culture of “pre-gaming” at Brown and create an expectation among students that they will not be able to attend an event if they show up intoxicated, Klawunn said. University officials stress that they recognize the value of Spring Weekend as an important social experience as long as everyone stays safe and healthy. “A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into making sure that the proper safeguards are in place,” Greene said.

BY JAMIE TALAN NEWSDAY

In the days following the Jan. 2 Sago Mine explosion disaster, the only survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., was experiencing multiple organ failure and severe brain damage. Julian Bailes, McCloy’s neurosurgeon at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and head of the trauma center, was up to speed on the latest benefits of the “miracle molecule” omega-3 fatty acids when he phoned Barry Sears of Zone Diet fame to ask about a recommended dose for the very ill miner. “I’ve read everything Sears has written,” Bailes said. “And he convinced me that DHA could play a role in Mr. McCloy’s recovery. He sent me his product, which was the main source in his (McCloy’s) treatments.”

Omega-3 is an essential amino acid that is in short supply in American diets, and its use has catapulted up the charts of popular nutrient supplements. And seemingly for good reason. It has so many jobs in the human body that cardiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and now trauma surgeons are using these naturally safe amino acids to prevent and treat a wide variety of medical problems. Sears, who has studied omega-3 fatty acids and now manufacturers his own pharmaceutical-grade product, suggested that Bailes administer a total of 18 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the two most important omega-3 fatty acids, via feeding tube. McCloy remained on the supplement via feeding tube until his return home March 30.



CAMPUS NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 9

Penn President Amy Gutmann explores extreme rhetoric BY NATHALIE PIERREPONT STAFF WRITER

Dan Aykroyd’s typical response to Jane Curtin in the classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch — in which he calls Curtin an “ignorant slut” — shows “the entertainment value of extremist rhetoric,” said University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann in a lecture Wednesday afternoon. This is “extremist rhetoric made so intentionally outlandish that it’s humorous,” Gutmann added. Delivering the 40th Annual Meiklejohn Lecture, Gutmann spoke on “Certainty and Single-Mindedness: The Lure of Extremism” to a full Salomon 001. Before she became president of Penn in July 2004, Gutmann spent 28 years at Princeton University researching religious freedom, equal opportunity, ethics and public affairs. The theme of Gutmann’s lecture was the presence of extremist rhetoric in constitutional democracies. While she addressed the dangers of extremist rhetoric to democracy and suggested effective responses, Gutmann never condemned its existence. In the spirit of free speech advocate Alexander Meiklejohn, the lecture series’ namesake, Gutmann explained why, in fact, extremist rhetoric deserves constitutional protection. She said such rhetoric does not “pose a clear and present danger and does not threaten democracy.” Gutmann repeatedly asserted that there is “nothing wrong with mobilizing” extremism in democratic politics. She said she does not believe that extremist rhetoric is “all bad or that it’s wrong for democracy.” Instead, the “hazard exists in the way in which it is mobilized,” she said. “Extreme rhetoric is almost always deceptive or worse — it’s bullshit,” she said. Extreme rhetoric, according to Gutmann, is characterized by single-mindedness on any issue coupled with an expression of this attitude that does not submit itself to public debate, thereby creating the perception of a single-minded certainty. Extreme rhetoric exists in a vast array of secular and religious varieties, Gutmann said. Gutmann attributed the alluring quality of extreme rhetoric to the ease with which one-dimensional beliefs are adopted. She also mentioned the tendency of most people to seek “comrades in rhetoric” and to find

comfort in the like-minded or those that reinforce their beliefs. Extreme rhetoric presents potential dangers to constitutional democracy because it “blatantly disregards truthful understanding” of any other opinion, “demonizes political opponents … (and) associates the likeminded in a way that degenerates and degrades all others,” Gutmann said. Gutmann cited former Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., and Pat Buchanan as examples of politicians who have unleashed extreme rhetoric. McCarthy and Buchanan considered their opponents “moral enemies that need to be defeated,” Gutmann said. In such instances, there “is no room for mutual respect,” she added. Gutmann suggested that because the “majority of citizens are not extremists,” there is reasonable hope for those who wish to protect pluralism. She emphasized the importance of “engaged pluralism,” which she described as based on a set of practical standards, including mutual respect and a principled search for common ground. “Pluralists need to be as passionate as extremists,” Gutmann said. “There is no reason not be passionate about what you believe in,” she added. There is a need for institutions to promote pluralism, especially by “(catering) to the complexities that people have in their lives,” she said. Higher educational institutions in particular should “cultivate reasoned argument and openness,” she added. Following the talk, Gutmann took questions from the audience, most notably an aggressive query from Professor of Economics Glenn Loury — which led to a heated exchange between the two — and a question from Mayor David Cicilline ’83. One of the students in attendance said he enjoyed Gutmann’s lecture. “Ideas she presented were particularly important considering the changing venues of political deliberation in the past century,” said David Wishnick ’07. Before becoming Penn’s president, Gutmann served as Princeton’s provost and Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics. She is the author of more than 100 articles, essays and edited volumes of political philosophy, practical ethics and education. Her most recent books include “Identity in Democracy,” “Democratic Education” and “Democracy and Disagreement.”

Supreme Court takes up mental illness case BY DAVID SAVAGE LOS ANGELES TIMES

WASHINGTON — Ever since John Winckley Jr. was acquitted on grounds of insanity in the 1981 shooting of President Reagan, states have made it harder for defendants to escape criminal punishment by claiming mental illness. But on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether some states may have gone too far. The case the justices took up involves Eric Michael Clark of Flagstaff, Ariz. Clark, 17 at the time, was behaving bizarrely and suffering delusions in June 2000 when he drove his pickup truck through the neighborhood in the middle of the night, blaring loud music. He recently had been discharged from a mental hospital. When a police officer responded to a complaint, Clark shot and killed him, then fled. In 1993, Arizona had tightened its insanity law, saying mental illness or a “diminished capacity” was not a defense to a crime. A state judge concluded that Clark was not insane because he had fled the crime scene and therefore knew the murder was wrong. Clark was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. “A state can define insanity as it sees fit,” said Arizona state attorney Randall Howe on Wednesday. And under Arizona’s law, “evidence of mental disease” is not a legal excuse for a crime, he said. At issue for the Supreme Court is whether it is unconstitutional to convict defendants of intentional murder even if they were delusional at the time of the crime. Usually, prosecutors must prove the defendant knowingly and intentionally committed the crime. “Eric was delusional, and ... he believed he was killing an alien,” his attorney, David Goldberg, told the justices. Goldberg argued that because his client was paranoid and delusional, he lacked the necessary criminal intent. Several justices asked about Martians and space aliens. “Assume he thinks it’s right to kill Martians” and he kills a police officer believing he was a space alien, said Justice John Paul Stevens, can the state execute such a person?


PAGE 10 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

MCAT continued from page 1 Thursday and Friday nights because I know that there is no way I am going to get any work done here,” she added. “There are a lot of people here who make this Spring Week, not Spring Weekend,” Hoffman said. “It makes it kind of rough and hard to focus.” “I’m just really nervous (about getting enough sleep the night before),” Doberne said, though she opted to remain on campus until the morning of the exam so she can relax in her own room. She has already e-mailed neighbors requesting that they create as little noise as possible Friday night. Despite her concerns, Hoffman said she does not blame Brown for the unfortunate coincidence. “The University had no way of knowing about (the fact that the MCAT would be administered on Spring Weekend), which sucks,” Hoffman said. “We have absolutely no control over when the (Association of American Medical Colleges) plans the tests dates,”

Simmons said. He added it is possible that up to 20,000 students will be taking the exam this Saturday, both nationally and internationally. Leone said 200 Brown students are registered to forgo Saturday’s activities to take the MCAT, which, at roughly eight hours, is one of the longest standardized tests known to undergraduates. “It is unfortunate timing,” Simmons said. “But I think for the most part it is going to work out fine.” Taking the MCAT at Brown On Saturday morning, the Sharpe Refectory will open 30 minutes early to ensure that test-takers have ample time to eat a good breakfast before taking the MCAT. Also, it is likely that student leaders and Residential Peer Leaders will be notified of the conflict in hopes they will encourage others to be respectful of those taking the test. The exam will be held in Alumnae Hall. Because no official Spring Weekend activities are scheduled to take place near that area of campus, a small number of students should be walking through the area, Leone said.

Typically, before an exam like the MCAT is administered on campus, proctors hang signs on the doors of buildings where students are taking the exam. This weekend, triple the usual number of signs will paper the area surrounding Alumnae Hall to remind passersby to be quiet. Additionally, one proctor will “walk the border” around Alumnae Hall to discourage outbursts near the testing site. “We hope that these two measures will cut down on any superfluous noise that will filter into the building,” Leone said. Perhaps most reassuring for MCAT test-takers is the fact that all proctors for the test will be students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from graduate school, Leone said. Because of this, every proctor will be sensitive to the needs and concerns of students taking the test. “We’ve all gone through this testing process and (know) it is so important to have peace and quiet — with this test in particular because it is so long,” Leone said. Perhaps most reassuring for MCAT test-takers is the fact that all proctors for the test willl be students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from graduate school, Leone said. Because of this, every proctor will be sensitive to the needs and concerns of students taking the test. “We’ve all gone through this testing processs and (know) it is so important to have peace and quiet — with this test in particular because it is so long,” Leone said.

White House spokesman quits; Rove shifts focus BY CRAIG GORDON NEWSDAY

WASHINGTON — Bowing to Republican nervousness about this fall’s elections, President George W. Bush shifted Karl Rove out of day-to-day policy-making duties Wednesday while also moving to replace the public face of the White House. The moves — press secretary Scott McClellan’s resignation and Rove’s surrendering of a key policy role — amounted to a marked escalation of Bush’s damage-control efforts as he tries to reinvigorate his battered presidency. Many Republicans, including some inside the Bush administration, believe the moves couldn’t come soon enough as they watch Bush’s poll numbers scrape near his all-time lows with November elections for Congress drawing closer. Bush’s longtime political guru, Rove had taken on day-to-day management of setting White House policy after Bush won reelection in 2004, an unusual and controversial move for someone whose main experience had been as a political hired gun. That gave Rove broad influence over everything from homeland security to the economy and even to national security, an area where Rove had no experience and one where Bush’s handling of the Iraq war has come under growing fire from a restless public. But since then, even Republicans acknowledge that the White House has suffered one policy stumble after another, from the

failed Social Security effort to the botched Hurricane Katrina response to the recent Dubai ports controversy. So Rove will go back to focusing mainly on politics, not least of which will involve helping Republicans craft a cohesive message for the mid-term elections, GOP insiders say. “We might lose the farm in November,” said one senior administration official. “We need our political guru to focus solely on politics, because — surprise, surprise — we could use a political guru right now.” Rove will continue to have the same title, as one of three deputy chiefs of staff, but the diminished duties will confine his official role to that of getting Republicans elected this fall. Grover Norquist, a prominent conservative activist who is close to Rove, insisted that Rove will continue to have Bush’s ear on policy matters because of their longstanding close relationship. But he also echoed the concerns of many Republicans, who said Bush must do more than simply shake up the staff if he hopes to win back disenchanted Republicans in time for the fall elections. Norquist said he is urging the White House to stake out strong policy positions on tax cuts, eliminating government pork and other GOP-friendly issues to rally base voters that have grown apart from Bush over the Iraq war and other problems. “You’ve got to do something, not just say something, to rein in spending,” Norquist said.


THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 11

Third World Welcome targets students of color BY CAROLINE SILVERMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Although most prospective firstyears who attended A Day On College Hill left campus yesterday, about 135 students of color remained to attend the two-day Third World Welcome program, which began last night and will end this evening. After registration for TWW Wednesday evening, invited students and their parents attended a dinner in Sayles Hall with faculty members, administrators and deans. The evening included a twohour cultural show featuring performance groups geared toward students of color and a late night ice-cream social. Today, TWW participants have the opportunity to attend classes “handpicked” by the program’s staff, Browne said. TWW, which is sponsored by the Office of Admission and the Bruin Club, is “designed to give another perspective of college life at Brown directed largely towards students of color,” said Graham Browne ’08, one of the interns in the admissions office who helped plan the event. Folashade Modupe, who hails from the Washington, D.C.-area, said she “decided to come to TWW because I wanted to get a minority perspective on Brown.” Modupe, who is deciding between Columbia University and Brown, said she’s “leaning more towards Brown.” “The majority of students who come to (TWW ) end up coming to Brown,” Romans

said. “It’s been pretty encouraging,” said Amanda Machado, of Tampa, Fla., who added that attending ADOCH and TWW has made her decision between Brown and Stanford University — which she described as well-known for having a strong Chicano studies center and a culturally aware undergraduate population — “a little bit easier.” At TWW, “I’ve heard from a lot of students about how active the cultural clubs are,” she said. “The diversity of Brown is what makes it unique, and so I wanted to understand what exactly is going on here,” said Saurya Velagaeudi ’10. Velagaeudi lives in Bloomfield, N.J., and said he has decided to attend Brown over Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and Columbia. “Plus, coming to TWW is another day off from school,” he added, smiling. A lunch with current minority students, a student panel and an activities fair focusing on groups geared to students of color conclude TWW before the final farewell reception this evening. TWW has occurred both before and after ADOCH in years past, but “we’ve found recently that it works most effectively to have it after, so that students who are coming for both can ride the ADOCH train,” said Angela Romans, director of minority recruitment and associate director of admission. Though Romans acknowledged that ADOCH does “atsee TWW, page 13

Brown Sugar continued from page 16 Paul Rosiak ’07, who took second place. But the impressive toss was just part of the show. You see, part of Murphy’s strategy is to psych out his opponents by screaming at his javelin on his first throw of whatever round it is. After launching the javelin, most competitors let out a grunt of varying volume, but on his first attempt, Murphy got down on all fours and screamed, “COME ON! GO! DAMMIT, GOOOO!” or something to that effect. Knowing Murphy, whose hilarious columns represent his personality well, this was an awesome and intensely humorous sight. For a clueless competitor, it makes Murphy seem like he’d be more comfortable throwing that spear at a mammoth to use its meat for food and fur for clothing, as observed by my fellow sports editor, Stephen Colelli ’08. Murphy has been breaking out the screaming routine since he started to do well in the javelin his junior year of high school. To put it in his words: “You basically have to make your competition think you are a little bit crazy and that you have absolutely no regard for them as people.” He is completely serious when he says this, reasoning that “jocks hate being ignored.” Did I mention he hasn’t been healthy in three years? Or that he has had enough drama outside of school — a friend’s near-fatal accident, the deaths of his sister and grandmother — to provide content for an entire emo

album? Not to go into Rick Reilly territory here, but honestly, it’s a miracle he can still compete mentally after the three years he’s had since getting hurt. In the first meet of his career in the spring of 2003, he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. After immediately becoming the third-best javelin thrower in Brown history after one throw, he underwent Tommy John surgery that August. He admits he started throwing too hard, too soon last year, leading to another season of just one meet before he was shut down. The plan for Murphy now has him resting until the Heptagonal Championships. After three years of losing his guaranteed points at Heps, the coaching staff wants to be sure of Murphy’s health at the year’s most important meet. To Murphy, heaven is sitting out on the porch, possibly drinking his homemade wine, since he realized he’d need better equipment to make his own whiskey. He has irrational hatred for Dr. Phil, Barry Bonds and Family Circus cartoonist Bil Keane. His middle name, at least according to his Facebook.com profile, is not fit for print. And now he’s finally doing his thing: throwing spears really freakin’ far. Maybe good things do happen to good people after all. It ain’t over… The other Saturday highlight — well, other than The Herald’s impressive kickball win over the College Hill ‘Dependent — was the softball team’s stunning comeback victory in the second game of its doubleheader with Harvard. The Bears put nine

runs on the board with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to turn a 10-2 deficit into an 11-10 triumph. The Bears put their first two batters on base, via an error and a hit-by-pitch, but when the next two batters made outs, any chance the team had of making Harvard sweat seemed gone. Even when Melissa Ota ’07 homered in the next at-bat, the deficit still seemed to be too much to get excited about. But then came an error, an RBI single and another hit batter to load the bases. Suddenly, Mary Seid ’06, who has been red-hot for about two months, was batting for the second time in the inning, representing the tying run. Seid came through with a bases-clearing double, then Kaitlyn Laabs ’09 got the thrill of her young career in blasting a walkoff home run to center. Sure, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over, ‘til the fat lady sings and so on. But honestly, down eight runs with two outs to go, can anyone REALLY hold out hope to do something like this? Of course, each of those nine runs was unearned, but who really cares? The fallen soldiers While making merry this weekend, pour some liquor out for the spring student-athletes who miss out on the Spring Weekend festivities every year because of games. I’d list all the teams, but you can just take a look at the schedule on the back page to see who I’m talking about. Sports Editor Chris Hatfield ’06 will keep an eye out for ya, Stingray.



THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 13

Baseball continued from page 16 est player on the team, Daniels beat the throw to first to load the bases for Christian. “What’s funny is that (Daniels) did it on his own,” Drabinski said. “I had wiped (the bunt sign) off, I don’t know if he had seen it or not, but it kind of shocked me. You could tell that it demoralized (Quinnipiac) a bit, so it was a big, big bunt.” By reaching base, Daniels left Quinnipiac with nowhere to put Christian. “It forces them to throw the ball over the plate,” Christian said. “Bases loaded, no outs, you’re in trouble.” Christian also did damage in the fifth, sparking a three-run inning with a one-out homer over the fence in left that gave the Bears a 2-1 lead. After second baseman Bryan Tews ’07 grounded out, first baseman Danny Hughes ’06 singled to center. With third baseman Jeff Dietz ’08 hitting, Hughes stole second and was then knocked in by a single from Dietz. Catcher Devin Thomas ’07 followed with a double that plated Dietz and pushed the lead to 4-1. Starter Joe Rued ’09 held the Bobcats to one run on six hits over his six innings of work. He struck out seven and walked two in his second impressive performance in a row. One of his strikeouts came in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs against Kevin MacIlvane, Quinnipiac’s cleanup hitter. “Joe’s really come a long way for us,” Drabinski said. “He’s getting three pitches over for strikes. … He’s a guy that’s really leaped up that ladder to be available on weekends now.” Rued left the game with a 41 lead in the seventh, handing the ball over to Robert Dykehouse ’07. In only his third appearance of the year, Dykehouse, who was recently converted to a pitcher, walked the first two batters he faced before

Softball continued from page 16 ners at first and second with two outs, but Moses once again buckled down and induced a groundout to end the inning. “Michelle helped us out a lot because it was definitely not our best defensive game,” tri-captain Wirkowski said. “She really handled herself well on the mound and pitched out of a lot of tough situations.” In the second game of the day, Rhody jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Schindler hit three of the first four hitters she faced to load the bases. After getting one Ram hitter to pop out, she walked the next batter to force in a run. But Schindler settled down and got the final two outs of the inning. Brown tied the game in the second inning but broke it open in the fifth. Linnea Anderson ’08 started off the rally with a single to center. Ava Amini ’09 kept the momentum going when she reached on an error. After a popup and a fielder’s choice, Fleitell came to the plate and worked a walk following a good at-bat. This set the stage for Wirkowski, who came to the plate looking for a

surrendering a three-run home run to shortstop Wilson Matos that tied the score at four. “It’s tough, because he really only started pitching again two weeks ago,” co-captain Hughes said. “I think the more he throws the better he’s going to be.” Dykehouse did not record an out before lefty Ethan Burton ’06 took over. Burton gave up a single but escaped the inning without further damage. After Burton allowed a double to start the eighth, Drabinski turned to his closer, Rob Hallberg ’08, who has had his ups and downs this year, often struggling with his control. But yesterday, Hallberg pitched two strong innings, giving up a hit, walking none and striking out two. With a runner on second in the ninth, he struck out MacIlvane looking with a blazing fastball to end the game and to improve to 2-3 on the season. “He’s being more aggressive and getting ahead of guys,” Drabinski said. “And when he does that, I told him, there aren’t going to be many guys that are going to hit him.” The Bears play doubleheaders at Harvard on Saturday and Sunday. Brown is currently 8-4 in Ivy League play, one game behind Dartmouth and Harvard in the Red Rolfe standings. In order to overtake the Big Green and the Crimson, the Bears all but have to win the four-game series. “The weekend (against Dartmouth) was a bummer,” Drabinski said. “The good news is we’re only a game out. We know what’s ahead of us, we know what we have to do. And if we take at least three of four we put ourselves in a good position going into that final weekend (against Yale).” Both doubleheaders start at noon in Cambridge, Mass., but first the Bears will finish their suspended game with the University of Rhode Island from Wednesday, April 12, today. The game will be picked up in the fifth inning with Rhody ahead 9-6 at 4 p.m.

pitch to drive. She did just that, turning on an inside pitch and driving it over the wall in left field for a grand slam. “I wanted to get up there and hit the ball hard. I noticed that she had been pitching a lot of people inside so I tried to adjust to that,” Wirkowski said. “I was happy to even get a chance to hit after Rach had such a good at-bat. I was just happy because so many people contributed in the inning and we did it with two outs.” Brown tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh inning

TWW continued from page 11 tempt to address” the issue of minorities at Brown, she said having a program specifically for students of color is more effective. “Sometimes it’s harder for students of color to find each

W. lax continued from page 16 4:56 of the contest until the Bulldogs’ Lauren Taylor scored the first of her four first-half goals. At the 17:19 mark, Yale’s Carli Vogler, who also tallied five scores, put home the first of her four first-half goals to give Yale a 4-0 lead. “There’s no lack of effort, but sometimes we have dips in confidence,” Redd said. “Today we were playing tired and with not a lot of energy.”

Partee continued from page 16 to me … and I was glad to see that he had applied (for the position),” said Colorado College Director of Athletics Julie Soriero. “When he interviewed with us he was very intentional, he was very clear about what he wanted to accomplish here. He knew a lot about Colorado College and he was enthusiastic about the position.” Soriero, who coached the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s team for 10 years, said she also received some positive feedback about Partee from her contacts at Brown. After speaking with Jean Marie Burr, head coach of the women’s basketball team, and Rick Merriam, an assistant

other and to find resources that are devoted towards their experiences within the context of the larger ADOCH,” she said. TWW is open to “students of color who self-identify as one of the groups that the federal government recognizes as students of color,” Romans said. During Romans’ time in the admissions office, TWW and

ADOCH have been structured as complementary programs, she said. Romans has been coordinating TWW for two years and previously worked on organizing ADOCH for about five years. The event has been occurring annually in “various iterations and various forms for easily 15 to 20 years,” according to Browne.

Goaltender Jessica McNell ’06 was pulled in favor of Erin Walters ’08 after playing just over 18 minutes, but Walters did not fare much better. In her first action since she faced Temple University on March 17, Walters saved six shots but gave up seven goals. Brown managed only two shots in the first half. The Bears finally broke through the stingy Yale defense at the 27:40 mark of the second half, when Mimi DeTolla ’08 scored the first of her two goals of the day. An Amie Biros ’07 goal came between tallies

by Vogler and Taylor to make the score 13-2 at the 13:11 mark. Midway through the second half, the Bears emptied out their bench and outplayed Yale the rest of the way. “(The bench) brought hustle and heart,” Redd said. The Bears made a small rally against Yale’s reserves, with goals by Justine Lupo ’08, DeTolla and Redd, but it was too little, too late. Brown looks to break its current two-game losing streak on Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania.

athletic director, Soriero said she was confident that Partee could succeed in the position. “Everybody had positive things to say about Andy and his work ethic, his integrity and his commitment to basketball,” she said. “There is a similar caliber of students and their commitment to (academics) at Colorado College — one of the top-rated liberal arts colleges in the country.” Neither Brown nor Colorado College offers athletic scholarships, and both place a strong emphasis on academics. A major difference for Partee, however, will be the smaller size of his coaching staff. On Colorado College’s Web site, there is only one listing under the men’s basketball program — that of the head coach. “At a Division III school, a

coach doesn’t have quite the resources that one has at a school like Brown,” Soriero said. “Where Andy was a full-time assistant at Brown, here he is going to have part-time assistants. The thing is though, that when you get down to X’s and O’s, it’s still the same game (as at the Division I level).” Partee’s absence will be felt on and off the court next season, according to forward Scott Friske ’09. “He was Coach Miller’s X’s and O’s guy and he was really good at scouting, especially in the Ivy League,” he said. I’m going to miss him a lot,” Friske added. “He’s a class act. Over Thanksgiving break, he invited all the (team members) still on campus over to his house for dinner, which just speaks to the type of guy he is.”

www.browndailyherald.com on its way to the victory. With the two wins, Brown earned its first sweep of a doubleheader this season. “Coming off of a sweep is huge for us,” Fleitell said. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into the weekend against Cornell. We have been trying to work on staying focused for 14 innings and we definitely did that today.” Brown gets back on the Ancient Eight circuit this weekend, hosting Cornell on Saturday and Columbia on Sunday. Both doubleheaders start at 1 p.m.


EDITORIAL/LETTERS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 14

STAFF EDITORIAL

Gillis ’07 for UCS president Many of the concerns frequently voiced about the Undergraduate Council of Students, especially from this editorial board, have to do with the council’s penchant for internal wrangling that alienates even its own members. This past semester, UCS has had its share of blunders, from tedious internal elections at the beginning of the semester to threats of impeachment that hindered its ability to effect actual change. While At-large Representative John Gillis ’07 has experience working on UCS and advancing various proposals, his platform also features a decidedly student-centered focus. Perhaps the most important role of a UCS president is to encourage active engagement from as many undergraduates as possible, and Gillis’s stated commitment to develop a truly student-driven agenda and effectively communicate UCS’s goals and tactics to the larger Brown community make him a logical choice for the position. Vice President Zachary Townsend ’08 possesses impressive familiarity with both UCS’s operations and University affairs at large, and his extensive experience is a great asset to the council. But the UCS president should be an effective consensus-builder, and students will respond more positively to the open, approachable Gillis.

JOSEPH NAGLE

Freeman ’07 for UCS vice president There’s something to be said for experience, particularly given the often convoluted manner in which UCS business is conducted. Because the council operates under a highly detailed Code of Operations, meetings can easily descend into arguments over procedure that supercede discussion of actual policies and initiatives. One significant selling point for Tristan Freeman ’07 is that he “knows the code in and out.” Because the position of UCS vice president involves handling many of the council’s internal, bureaucratic duties, the importance of electing someone who can manage these nuances efficiently can’t be overstated. But we see Freeman as more than just a stickler for mundane details. As former chair of the Communications Committee and current chair of the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee, Freeman aggressively mobilized student opposition to the plus/minus proposal this past semester. Though students didn’t always respond enthusiastically to these efforts, Freeman’s leadership epitomized UCS’s potential to represent students’ interests. We commend Freeman’s stated commitment to eliminate internal UCS elections, which have only succeeded in turning off large portions of the undergraduate student body. This goal, along with his demonstrated knowledge of University issues and enthusiasm for Brown’s unique curricular offerings, will make him an effective vice president.

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

Allison Kwong, Night Editor Natalia Fisher, Chris Gang, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Simmi Aujla, Stephanie Bernhard, Melanie Duch, Ross Frazier, Jonathan Herman, Rebecca Jacobson, Chloe Lutts, Caroline Silverman Staff Writers Justin Amoah, Zach Barter, Allison Erich Bernstein, Brenna Carmody, Alissa Cerny, Ashley Chung, Stewart Dearing, Kristina Kelleher, Hannah Levintova, Hannah Miller, Aidan Levy, Taryn Martinez, Kyle McGourty, Ari Rockland-Miller, Chelsea Rudman, Kam Sripada, Robin Steele, Spencer Trice, Ila Tyagi, Sara Walter Sports Staff Writers Sarah Demers, Amy Ehrhart, Erin Frauenhofer, Kate Klonick, Madeleine Marecki, George Mesthos, Hugh Murphy, Eric Perlmutter, Marco Santini, Bart Stein, Tom Trudeau, Steele West Account Administrators Alexandra Annuziato, Emilie Aries, Steven Butschi, Dee Gill, Rahul Keerthi, Kate Love, Ally Ouh, Nilay Patel, Ashfia Rahman, Rukesh Samarasekera, Jen Solin, Bonnie Wong Design Staff Adam Kroll, Andrew Kuo, Jason Lee, Gabriela Scarritt Photo Staff CJ Adams, Chris Bennett, Meg Boudreau, Tobias Cohen, Lindsay Harrison, Matthew Lent, Dan Petrie, Christopher Schmitt, Oliver Schulze, Juliana Wu, Min Wu, Copy Editors Chessy Brady, Amy Ehrhart, Natalia Fisher, Jacob Frank, Christopher Gang, Yi-Fen Li, Taryn Martinez, Katie McComas, Sara Molinaro, Heather Peterson, Lela Spielberg

LETTERS Rowley ’02 resorts to spam advertising To the Editor: As a student who received multiple spam emails for Travis Rowley ’02’s new book, I couldn’t help but be a little amused by The Herald’s report that Rowley “wants his book to be a catalyst to reform Brown” (“Rowley’s ‘Out of Ivy’ now on bookshelves,” April 18). I like to be open to new ideas, but how can Rowley hope to be taken seriously when he employs

a marketing technique more commonly used to peddle scams, illegal software downloads, pornography and a variety of items not appropriate for discussion in a newspaper? Adam Merberg ’08 April 19

The real reason the U.S. won’t embrace soccer To the Editor: I have a few comments on Stu Woo ’08’s column “Why Americans should embrace soccer, and why they won’t” (April 19). For starters, Woo made two mistakes that irk me as a fan of football. First, it’s the offside trap; there’s no such thing as “offsides.” Second, Landon Donovan — by any stretch of the imagination — is not one of the world’s premier (that’s without an “e” by the way) strikers. He is a whiny little brat. Ask anyone on the men’s soccer team here, I’m sure they’d agree. More importantly, he missed out on what I feel is a crucial factor in football’s failure to thrive in the American market. It’s sometimes not a spectator sport, sure, and has very traditional and British roots, but modern football has a large and ugly commercial side to it. There’s not much money in the game other than the vast sums involved in mer-

chandising, gate receipts and TV revenues. Using a football game for corporate advertisements is difficult and for a very practical reason: there’s only one official break in the entire game. There are no timeouts, no flags, no quarters or thirds for that quick cut to a commercial. It’s boring for the corporate types just as much as it is boring to some American spectators. It is just less profitable for the TV network to show a football game live than a rerun of a baseball game. I missed two of the biggest European clubs playing on the biggest European club stage yesterday for that very reason. Want football? Show them the money.

Rahul Keerthi ’09 April 19

CO R R E C T I O N An article in yesterday’s Herald (“Smart alarm clock still a dream,” April 19) misidentified the director of business development for Axon Sleep Research Laboratories as James Donahue ’05. The director’s name is Jason Donahue ’05. The same article incorrectly reported that Axon’s founders have performed engineering trials for the SleepSmart alarm clock at Rhode Island Hospital. The trials have not yet been performed. 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. C O M M E N TA R Y 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. LET TERS 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. A DV E RT I S I N G P O L I C Y The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.


OPINIONS

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 15

Down with spring Springtime, in all its unmitigated horror, is upon us again BY ANDREW MARANTZ OPINIONS COLUMNIST

Every spring, some things start happening. The birds fly north and the baseball teams fly south, and sometimes they collide in midair. Things that were once one color become a different color, I think; or else the things stay the same color but start to taste more like raspberries. Those happy people on the allergy commercials skip around with giant shit-eating grins on their faces because they’re so happy they don’t have allergies anymore, and it almost makes you wish you had allergies too so you could join them in their private skipping field and punch them in the face. Spring is also a festive time here at Brown. Barefoot hippies prowl the campus, foraging for roots. Giant tours of wide-eyed high school students prowl the campus, foraging for roots. The indoor kids in the Center for Information Technology feel the harsh sunlight on their delicate skin, and they get nervous and start to draw the blinds, until they stop and try to figure out if they could invent a computer to do that for them. But spring isn’t all sunflowers and sunspots and sunken battleships. Spring, like a row of photos of Michael Jackson arranged chronologically, has a dark side. For instance, in the spring, professors start holding classes outside, just in case

Brown needs photographs for next year’s brochure. This seems nice at first, until you consider what everyone knows: you can’t learn anything outside, because 80 percent of your brain waves escape out

in spring are totally disastrous. For instance, every April the clocks “spring forward.” But did you know they spring different amounts in different places? At this point, California is almost three hours ahead of us — which, of course, means they will be the first to know if we are attacked by Martians. And New Zealand sprung so far ahead that it’s a different day there! Sure, I know what you’re going to say: “shouldn’t it be ‘sprong so far ahead’?” All I can say is, if you think that, you must have been to one too many outdoor classes. One of Brown’s cherished spring traditions is Spring Weekend. But this celebration too has a dark side — a very dark side. Think “Thriller.” For one

Spring, like a row of photos of Michael Jackson arranged chronologically, has a dark side. of the top of your head. And if you think you can keep them in with a hat, you’re kidding yourself. So spring might seem like a time of warmness and niceness, but really it’s the time when the universe sucks out all your smarts like a vampire. But a vampire that comes out in the daytime and that sucks smarts instead of blood. Spring is a weird time. It’s a time of renewal, rebirth and patient hunting to make sure the rebirth doesn’t get out of hand. With all of that going on, who wants to be in a so-called “class,” having a so-called “discussion” about a bunch of dead white men? Aren’t any white men still alive? And, if not, what is killing them off? Are they malnourished? Is there some sort of ethnic cleansing going on? These are the questions we should really be “discussing,” whether indoors or out. And some of the things that happen

ally, really sure. These may seem like small issues now, but isn’t that what they said about Hitler? Isn’t it? I don’t know, I’m asking. A lot of things are off about this “Spring Weekend” — or, as we protesters are calling it, Days Toward the End of the Semester Leading Up To and Also Including the Weekend. Even the very schedule of DTESLUTAIW is fishy. Tonight, they tell us, there will be a rock ‘n’ roll concert — in a hockey rink. Does this sound strange to anyone else? I’m no Casey Casem, but I know a thing or two about rock ‘n’ roll. Big rock concerts don’t happen in hockey rinks; they happen in baseball stadiums. And yes, I know what you’re about to say: “it’s ‘stadiiae,’ not ‘stadiums.’” Well, the only people with good Latin grammar are dead white men, and you know how I feel about them. Just because Brown is too poor to build a stadium for rocking doesn’t mean we have to suffer. I, for one, refuse to get stick-checked while I headbang to Wilco. I will sit in the penalty box instead. And I will get very, very drunk — so superbly drunk that, if I slip on the ice, I will be able to blame it on the alcohol, and not on the vampirish planning of the DTESLUTAIW committee.

Big rock concerts don’t happen in hockey rinks, they happen in baseball stadiums. thing, “Spring Weekend” is a very misleading term. Probably due to some sort of Daylight Savings conspiracy, it isn’t spring right now in Chile. Is this our way of saying that Chileans are not welcome at our weekend? It certainly seems that way. Also, last time I checked, Thursday wasn’t even part of the weekend. And I just checked two minutes ago on my Blackberry, just to make sure, so I’m re-

Andrew Marantz ’06.5 studied comedy for six years in a Tibetan monastery with Jack Handey.

I see you... and so does everyone else Criminals and sexual predators are increasingly exploiting networking Web sites to victimize unsuspecting users BY ADRIAN MUNIZ OPINIONS COLUMNIST

Remember when the world was a simpler place? Remember when, instead of updating Facebook.com walls, sending smiles over Friendster.com and messaging people on Myspace.com, people actually talked to each other? It is no surprise to anyone at Brown that these Web sites have a huge following. Nearly every day, someone asks me to “add them” so they can have access to my personal info online, look at my pictures and offer me the same access to their lives as well. But what about the repercussions? Luckily for all of you I know and love — and all the other people I’m “friends” with on the Internet — I’m not some crazy stalker, nor am I looking just to get into your pants — at least not all of you. But, if I were, would you know? No, and that’s why networking Web sites have been getting into so much trouble recently. The most popular networking site, Myspace, is in a heap of trouble because it provides its registered members unlimited access to the personal information of all of its 70 million members. While Myspace has instituted some safeguards for users under the age of 16, the lack of anonymity of the site is what has gotten a lot of people talking about it, from my 13-year-old sister to the people over at CNN. In the past two weeks alone, I’ve

seen about 10 news stories covering incidents involving Myspace and its users. Just last week, a report was released about a student at the University of the Cumberlands, a Baptist school in Kentucky, who was expelled because he revealed on his Myspace profile that he was gay. NBC’s Dateline recently alerted viewers to cases of child molestation in which children were abused by sexual

than question whether or not the perks of online networking could be harmful to ourselves and to others, we complacently buy into them. We have created a cultural phenomenon that no amount of “good parenting” can combat. For the sake of argument, let’s look at a peer network that is very near and dear to our hearts — Facebook — and see how easy it is for even us savvy Brunonians to

Rather than question whether or not the perks of online networking could be harmful, we complacently buy into them. predators they met over Myspace. Stories like these make even this committed Myspace user question whether this system of communication and networking is as harmless as one might think. While we may feel secure in our own judgments to reveal information about ourselves online, it’s clear that this open system of peer networking does not work for everyone, especially children. Furthermore, it is partly our fault as an older generation of Internet users that this problem has even arisen. Rather

compromise ourselves online to strangers. You might think no one but your friends on Facebook and kids from your own school can see your profile, and you’re right. But there are nearly 8,000 other students here at Brown and an ungodly number of schools now registered, and any of these people, given sufficient determination, can find access to all kinds of personal information about us, from our cell phone numbers to our home addresses. Now imagine how dangerous that

could be for a younger sibling or your pre-teen neighbor. I may not necessarily agree with the anti-Internet crusades of older, more conservative generations, but I have to say that, in this case, they may have a point. Myspace announced last week that it would take action against online predators on its site by more severely monitoring members’ profiles and by hiring outside consultants to handle security efforts. But, is this really the final solution? We may not find a solution today, nor will I abandon these sites yet, because, hey, I like meeting people. Nonetheless, companies like Myspace and Facebook cannot continue to deny responsibility for the potentially dangerous situation they have created. Students always talk about confronting society on what’s going wrong. It’s time that this discussion of what needs to be done to preserve our privacy while offering protection for children come out of syndicated news and into the minds of every one of you reading this. We can’t afford to sit idly by while our parents decide where the Internet goes and how these sites operate because it will ultimately affect all of us and how we navigate the web. And, seriously, could you imagine a world without pokes? I don’t think so.

Adrian Muniz ’07 wants to be your friend.


SPORTS THURSDAY THE BROWN DAILY HERALD · APRIL 20, 2006 · PAGE 16

Christian ’06’s double clears bases in eighth as baseball clips Quinnipiac 7-4

Finally injury-free, Murphy ’06 shines in men’s javelin

BY CHARLIE VALLELY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

inning with a bunt single. Pinch-hitter J.J. Eno ’08 also squared to bunt, but was drilled in the back. Drabinski then gave the bunt sign to centerfielder Steve Daniels ’09. Daniels failed to lay it down on his first two attempts. But with two strikes — and the bunt sign called off — Daniels dropped down a perfect bunt down the third-base line. The fast-

You may notice that The Herald sports page did not have an Athlete of the Week feature this week. This is a fun little feature we run every week in which we ask an athlete at Brown a bunch of funny questions and, hopefully, get funny answers. Part of the problem was that with the shortened publication week, we just CHRIS HATFIELD didn’t come up with BROWN SUGAR one in time. But mostly it’s because we couldn’t write about the athlete who was the obvious choice, both in terms of performance and potential interview pay dirt. You see, Herald Sports Staff Writer Hugh Murphy ’06 is a javelin thrower, and he’s a damn good one. Last weekend, finally completely healthy for the first time since his first year, Murphy put on a show — nay, a spectacle — at the Brown Invitational. His final throw of the day flew 224 feet, 6 inches, good enough to put him in first in the Ivy League this season and qualify for the NCAA Regionals. It also put him in second all-time for Brown, behind John Taylor ’95 and his mammoth toss of 240-6. He finished a full 13 feet ahead of teammate

see BASEBALL, page 13

see BROWN SUGAR, page 11

In Sunday’s game against Dartmouth, rightfielder Paul Christian ’06 left seven men on base. Trailing by two runs in the ninth with the bases loaded and two outs, he flied out to center to end the game. Yesterday, Christian flipped the script. With the score tied in the eighth inning, bases full and no outs, Christian clubbed a double to left-center field that chased home three runs and gave the Bears a 7-4 lead over Quinnipiac University. It proved to be the final score. After going 2-for-13 in the last three games against Dartmouth, the team’s leading slugger went 4-for-5 with a home run — his seventh — a triple, two doubles and 4 RBIs on the day. Christian’s big day, a single short of the cycle, helped lift the Bears to 10-17 on the season and drop Quinnipiac to 12-17-1. “The first thing I’m thinking of (with the bases loaded and nobody out) is getting a pitch over the plate and hitting it out of the infield,” Christian said of his eighth inning at-bat. “But (pitcher Eric Bretscher) hung a slider, and I just put it in the gap, and luckily it was in the right spot.” Head Coach Marek Drabinski was glad to see his leadoff hitter come through in

Ashley Hess / Herald

Paul Christian ’06 went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and a home run yesterday in the Bears’ 7-4 victory over Quinnipiac University. the clutch and return to form after his recent struggles. “Especially the way he was swinging today, that was definitely the guy we wanted up,” Drabinski said. “I kind of laid into Paul and a couple of other guys after the weekend, and I like the way he responded.” Ryan Murphy ’08, who took over in left field for Brian Kelaher ’08 in the top of the eighth, led off the bottom of the

Softball squad roughs up Rhody 1-0, 7-3 in two-game sweep BY JUSTIN GOLDMAN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The softball team used great pitching performances by Michelle Moses ’09 and Kristen Schindler ’09 and some clutch hitting by Kelsey Wilson ’09 to earn a sweep over intra-state rival the University of Rhode Island yesterday. Moses was outstanding in the first game, shutting out the Rams while scattering nine hits and striking out nine en route to a 1-0 victory. “Both of our pitchers pitched great for us,” said tri-captain Rachel Fleitell ’06. “Michelle was on the whole game and was very confident on the mound. She was in total control for the entire game.” While Moses was dominant on the mound, Wilson was extremely crafty in leading Bruno to a 7-3 win in the second game. Though she only struck out one hitter, she utilized the defense behind

her to shut down the Rams. “Kristen was also very strong. She battled back from a rough first inning and was very disciplined. She let URI put the ball in play and our defense made the plays behind her,” Fleitell said. The first game of the day was a classic pitchers’ duel. Brown finally got something going in the sixth inning when Jaimie Wirkowski ’06 walked and Wilson drove her in with an RBI double that would prove to be the difference. Prior to that, Brown struggled to muster anything offensively, racking up only three hits. Even though the offense struggled, Moses kept the team in the game by pitching out of some difficult jams. In the first inning, Rhody put runners at second and third with two outs, but Moses got a key strikeout to get out of the inning. In the fourth, URI put runsee SOFTBALL, page 13

M. hoops assistant coach Partee takes top job at Colorado College BY STEPHEN COLELLI SPORTS EDITOR

A coach on the men’s basketball team will be leaving Brown to take the top job at another school. But despite recent rumors, the departing coach is not Head Coach Glen Miller. The longest tenured assistant coach for the men’s basketball team, Andy Partee, is leaving Brown to take over head coaching duties at Colorado College, a Division III school located in Colorado Springs, Colo. Partee served under Miller for the past eight years and helped the Bears to three second-place finishes in the Ivy League from 2001 to 2004. Brown also made its first-ever trip to the National Invitational

Tournament in 2003 with Partee on the bench. The move to the Tigers will be a homecoming of sorts for the first-time head coach. The 35-year-old Partee served as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado University, a Division II program, from 1992 to 1994 and has family in the state, according to a press release from Colorado College. He has also coached at Monmouth University, his alma mater, where he lettered in basketball for four years. The Hawks qualified for the NCAA tournament in Partee’s second year as an assistant. “Some people had recommended him see PARTEE, page 13

W. lax no match for Bulldogs in 14-6 loss BY TOM TRUDEAU SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The women’s lacrosse team left New Haven with a foul taste in its mouth after falling 14-6 to Yale Wednesday afternoon. The Bears, now 1-3 in the Ivy League and 4-8 overall, fell behind 10-0 in the first half when the game was all but decided. After halftime, however, Brown outscored

the Bulldogs 6-4, thanks in large part to the squad’s reserves. “We just didn’t show up,” said midfielder Jennifer Redd ’07. “If we start to focus on what the other team is doing, it takes away from us and how well we can play, which happened today.” The game was scoreless for the first see W. LAX, page 13

BROWN SPORTS SCOREBOARD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 BASEBALL: Brown 7, Quinnipiac 4 SOFTBALL: Brown 1, Rhode Island 0; Brown 7, Rhode Island 3 W. LACROSSE: Yale 14, Brown 6 THURSDAY, APRIL 20 BASEBALL: vs. Rhode Island, 4 p.m., Aldrich Dexter Field FRIDAY, APRIL 21 No. 65 M. TENNIS: at Dartmouth W. TENNIS: vs. Dartmouth, 3 p.m., Varsity Tennis Courts SATURDAY, APRIL 22

Ashley Hess / Herald

Kelsey Wilson ’09 had the only RBI in Brown’s 1-0 game one victory over URI yesterday.

BASEBALL: at Harvard (DH) M. CREW: vs. Dartmouth

W. CREW: at Cornell with Columbia M. & W. GOLF: at Ivy League Championships M. LACROSSE: vs. Dartmouth, 1 p.m., Stevenson Field W. LACROSSE: at Penn SOFTBALL: vs. Cornell (DH), 1 p.m., Softball Field M. TENNIS: vs. Columbia, 12 p.m., Varsity Tennis Courts W. TENNIS: at Columbia M. & W. TRACK: at UConn Select Invitational W. WATER POLO: Northern Championships (at Harvard) SUNDAY, APRIL 23 BASEBALL: at Harvard (DH) EQUESTRIAN: at Ivy League Championships M. & W. GOLF: at All-Ivy Competition (Ithaca, N.Y.) SOFTBALL: vs. Columbia (DH), 1 p.m., Softball Field No. 65 M. TENNIS: at No. 69 Harvard W. TENNIS: vs. Dartmouth, 3 p.m., Varsity Tennis Courts W. WATER POLO: Northern Championships (at Harvard)


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