Wednesday, January 31, 2007 by The Brown Daily Herald

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, J ANUAR Y 31, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 6

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Wireless expansion delayed

Globetrotting efforts boost international applications

BY JOY CHUA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last year, the Office of Admission sent its recruiters to countries in Asia and Africa it had never before visited, and the international recruiting push paid off — applications from abroad jumped 15.1 percent this year over the number received for the class of 2010. Total applications for the class of 2011 were up only 3.5 percent. Admission officers visited a number of new locations last year. In a lengthy trip to Africa, they toured Tanzania, Swaziland, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Officers traveled to new destinations in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam. And, for the first time in at least 17 years, the Office of Admission sent recruiters to Malaysia, Israel, Syria and Jordan. Officers went to China for the first time in the spring of 2005, and last year they visited Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai and several other cities. They will travel to India for the first time this April, and though they did not visit Central

Computing and Information Services has halted the expansion of wireless Internet access on campus due to budget overruns. CIS, along with the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Division of Campus Life and Student Services, will now assess the project to determine the best way to complete it. CIS originally earmarked half of its wireless Internet budget of $740,000 to adding hotspots in residence halls, but 60 percent of the total funds had been spent on the dorms by the time administrators halted the project last week — with several residence halls still lacking wireless access. “We’re not expecting to receive more funds,” said Alan Usas, assistant vice president for academic and network systems and services for CIS. “We’ve been meeting with various groups and people to ensure that we utilize the current budget more efﬁciently. The key word is ‘prioritizing.’” Usas said the main focus of the project was to install wireless services in dorms, but administrators also wanted to improve the service in other areas on campus. “After the dorms, we’ll still have capacity for installing wireless in classrooms, lobbies, greens, conference rooms and more,” he said. “But our goal is to broaden coverage, not blanket the campus with it.” CIS had made its original budget estimates based on the area of the building and other factors, but administrators later realized that more factors needed to be taken into consideration. Certain buildings, by virtue of construction or age, needed more than one access continued on page 4

Tai Ho Shin / Herald

Despite the threat of a $100 ﬁne, some students keep candles in their dorm rooms.

Dorm inspections found 750 violations last year BY SCOTT LOWENSTEIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Nearly 20 percent of dorm rooms had violations of health and fire safety codes in the 2005-2006 academic year, including the presence of toaster ovens and hanging canopies, according to Student Life officials. Fines collected — all from violations of the prohibition on candles — totaled $1,800 in that period. The violations were discovered through routine room inspections, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean for residential life. ResLife tries to inspect each dorm at least once per year, preferably once a semester, for violations of health and fire codes. Inspectors are University employees and may enter rooms to conduct plain-sight evaluations, but they are not allowed to open any drawers or go through concealed items. A checklist is used to ensure that standards are met. Students are notified of inspections in advance and are reminded which items are not allowed in dorms. Still, over 750 violations were found in the 2005-06 year. “The most important reason we inspect is for health and fire

With energy spending down, U. investigates alternative sources BY TARYN MARTINEZ STAFF WRITER

Thanks to efﬁciency programs and the relatively mild winter so far, the University’s spending on fuel is down this year — a sharp departure from last year’s skyrocketing energy costs. Last year, a spike in energy prices caused the University to exceed its annual energy budget by $3 million. Over the past 10 years, the University’s energy costs have increased by an average of 7 percent each year, and at that rate, the University’s energy spending could exceed $50 million by 2020, according to a projection by Facilities Management. “Our projections for this year are that we’ll be under budget,” said

INSIDE:

3 CAMPUS NEWS

Christopher Powell, energy manager for Facilities Management. “We’re in very good shape.” The turnaround, Powell said, was accomplished by implementing “significant” energy efficiency programs, such as improvements to the high temperature hot water distribution system and a project, led by Kurt Teichert, resources efficiency manager for Facilities Management, to make on-campus lighting more efficient. Those measures began to be implemented in 2006 and are about 75 percent complete, according to Powell. The weather has also lent a helping hand. “The good news from a utility costs standpoint is, up until a continued on page 4

BUSH LIBRARY AT SMU? Faculty members at SMU are concerned about hosting President Bush’s proposed library and public policy institute

www.browndailyherald.com

or South America this past year, they plan to do so in the future. All these trips were in addition to the usual recruiting trips to Canada and Europe. “Travel does impact admission. However it doesn’t always impact it in the year that you travel. Sometimes it impacts applications two or three years down the line,” said Panetha Ott, director of international admission. She noted that students in all grades of high school, not just seniors, attend the information sessions held during the international recruiting trips. Apart from travel, Ott said several other factors contributed to the recent growth in international applications. Brown’s emphasis on internationalization and a waning perception of post-Sept. 11, 2001 American xenophobia made the University more attractive to foreign applicants. Currency exchange rates may also have played a role — the euro strengthened relative to the dollar, effectively reducing the tuition for European applicants.

BY JAMES SHAPIRO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

5 CAMPUS NEWS

safety. We do not, under any circumstances, want anyone injured or harmed because of someone’s carelessness,” Bova said. “There are a lot of people living in very close confines, and we will prevent (fires) at all cost.” “We don’t publish information to be punitive or to cramp anyone’s style. We publish information based on best practices, to make sure everyone is safe and so that everybody can enjoy the community,” Bova said. When a violation is found, inspectors leave a copy of the violation with the student and ask the student to make an immediate correction to the problem. For more serious problems, ResLife administrators may schedule an appointment to re-inspect the room at a later date, Bova said. Violations that generally require re-inspection include having illegal cooking equipment, unsafe lighting or other prohibited electronics — any of which can cause smoke or fire. “People who cook in their rooms … can potentially cause a fire or burn what they are cooking, which trips off the entire building’s smoke alarm, causcontinued on page 6

continued on page 8

International Applicants for the Class of 2011 Canada 11%

Other 7%

Australia & New Zealand 2% Middle East 4%

Europe 28% UK 150 Bulgaria 66 Germany 48 France 31 Italy 19 Spain 10 Switzerland 37 Greece 33 Romania 38 Cyprus 2 Turkey 67 Other 97

China Korea Japan Singapore India Other

169 141 26 139 162 287

Asia 44%

Africa 4%

Carcieri ’65 promises education reform and economic growth in State of the State address BY SIMMI AUJLA AND SARA MOLINARO METRO EDITORS

Rhode Island will reform education, clean up the environment and invest in alternative energy plans, Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 announced last night in his annual State of the State speech to the Rhode Island General Assembly. He also addressed the need to decrease taxes, reduce spending and accelerate economic growth. Carcieri, a Republican who was elected to a second term as governor last November, praised Rhode Island’s strengths, including its “ﬁrst-rate transportation infrastructure,” “high-quality, affordable healthcare” and “honCOMPUTERIZED MCATS The new computerized version of the MCAT debuted this weekend and at least one Brown student encountered a major glitch

11 OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

est, ethical, open government.” But, he said, “We have a lot more to do,” and proposed a range of initiatives and reforms for the coming year.

METRO His policy suggestions, which focused on education, energy, the environment and the economy, were to be followed today by the release of his budget for the 2008 ﬁscal year. Carcieri said he would propose $85 million in his budget for cleaning up Narragansett Bay, $70 million to improve state highways and $46 million to reform elementary and secondary education. “We are ﬁnally beginning to MILITARY STILL CRUCIAL Trevor Gleason ’07 argues that the United States must not be afraid to use military force in the future when necessary

close the education gap,” Carcieri said, commending the statewide test results released yesterday, which showed improvement in Rhode Island students’ reading and math skills, especially in urban schools. Still, he said, “Rhode Island urban schools will be our biggest challenge.” He outlined elements of what he called “Rhode Island’s 21stcentury education plan,” which included ﬁnding a “fair funding formula” to ensure equity between education in urban and suburban communities. Carcieri emphasized that education could be improved by centralizing authority, and he suggested the

12 SPORTS

continued on page 7 SKIING STEPS UP IN N.H. After a rough start to the season, the ski team leapt into fourth place in the standings thanks to a strong showing in N.H. this weekend

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

TODAY THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 2

WE A

T H E R

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

WBF | Matt Vascellaro TOMORROW

mostly cloudy 38 / 30

snow 31 / 21

MEN SHARPE REFECTORY

U VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

LUNCH — Beef and V Vegetarian Tacos, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Raspberry Squares, Chocolate Frosted Brownies

LUNCH — Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Beef Tacos, Vegan Burrito, Vegan Refried Beans, Corn and Sweet Pepper Sauté, Frosted Brownies

DINNER — Salmon with Minted Pea Puree, Stuffed Spinach Squash, Vegetable Risotto, Beets in Orange Sauce, Broccoli Spears, Italian Beef Noodle Casserole, Chocolate Sundae Cake

DINNER — Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Rotisserie Style Chicken, Spinach Quiche, Spanish Rice, Broccoli Cuts, Chocolate Sundae Cake

How to Get Down | Nate Saunders

D O K U

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

12 Pictures | Wesley Allsbrook

CR ACROSS 1 Key related to Fsharp min. 5 Gerald Ford’s birthplace 10 Nitpick 14 Old World Style sauce maker 15 Narratives 16 Difficult burden 17 One more likely to default 19 Jittery 20 Potato dumplings 21 Stash finder 22 Unexpected win 25 Dark times, to poets 27 Half a horn sound 28 X, to Xanthippe 29 HRE part: Abbr. 32 __ worse than death 34 Public utility, e.g. 39 Plant bristles 40 Easy to follow 41 __ bit: slightly 44 Modern writers’ aids 47 Religious figure 49 Help ticket holders, slangily 50 PX patrons 51 Gut reaction? 52 Stick with a little cotton 56 In concert 58 Two-balled weapon 60 Like some coffee 63 Similar 64 This puzzle’s theme 68 Hitchhiker’s need 69 China’s Zhou __ 70 Elegance 71 Pro shop supply 72 Make very appealing to 73 Utopia DOWN 1 Jump shot’s path 2 Calendar pg. 3 Mellow, perhaps 4 One who’s often trying 5 Germany’s von Bismarck 6 Painter Chagall

O S S W O R D

7 Curly-haired “Dilbert” character 8 Politically correct pronoun 9 Invite for a spell 10 “Fargo” director 11 Jackie Gleason catchphrase 12 Nickelodeon toon tot 13 Analyst’s concern 18 Pentium producer 22 Carol Burnett’s alma mater 23 Brow-wiping utterance 24 What a “Star Trek” tricorder might detect 26 __ Tomé 30 CDXXX x V 31 Opinion collection 33 Strong criticism 35 Once-sacred snakes 36 Japanese computer giant 37 Where Pearl City is 38 Corp. honcho 42 Leprechaun land

43 To be, to Tiberius 45 Practice letters, perhaps? 46 1989 French Open winner Michael 47 Element used in ceramics pigments 48 Freshman player 53 Lhasa’s land 54 Words after two or hole

55 “The Lord is my shepherd” begins one 57 Old hat 59 Red army members? 61 It may be sprung 62 Shaft entrance 65 Puddle gunk 66 Computer program file suffix 67 Boxer, for one: Abbr.

Jellyﬁsh, Jellyﬁsh | Adam Hunter Peck

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Homefries | Yifan Luo

xwordeditor@aol.com

1/31/07

T HE B ROWN D AILY H ERALD Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 Business Phone: 401.351.3260

University community since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the aca-

Eric Beck, President

once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to

1/31/07

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Ofﬁces are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily. Copyright 2007 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

CAMPUS WATCH WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

Proposed Bush library sparks heated debate at SMU BY ROSS FRAZIER NEWS EDITOR

The faculty at Southern Methodist University has been less than enthusiastic about news that the school may host the George W. Bush Presidential Library and its accompanying museum and public policy institute. At ﬁrst, some liberal faculty members at the Dallas school were opposed to SMU hosting any part of the proposed $200 million facility, but many of those have more recently said they are concerned only with the institute. Coverage of the faculty’s objections originally centered on a Nov. 10 opinion published in the Daily Campus, SMU’s student newspaper, in which two professors argued that the library would associate SMU with a president who unnecessarily took the country to war. The university will ultimately regret hosting a library commemorating a president whose policies are immoral and veiled in secrecy, argued William McElvaney, professor emeritus of teaching and worship, and Susanne Johnson, associate professor of Christian education. “Unless the Bush library philosophy is radically different from the already proven track record of insolation (sic), the library will be little more than a center for the preservation and protection of privileged presidential papers. What would that mean for academic integrity based on open inquiry?” McElvaney and Johnson wrote. That opinion ignited much of the debate surrounding the location of the Bush library at SMU, but the current nature of professors’ objections is much more nuanced, said SMU Faculty Senate President Rhonda Blair, a professor of theater. “There are substantial concerns about the institutae and its relationship to the university, but different faculty have different concerns and different

join the herald. come to our last information session

wednesday, jan 31 7 p.m. 195 angell (between thayer and brook)

PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ideas about what the appropriate solution is,” she told The Herald. According to Blair, faculty members largely agree that the library would be a helpful resource for the university. “I think that the library will be a great beneﬁt and will be important because of its being a repository for signiﬁcant historical records about a time in our history that’s been full of change,” she said. Even McElvaney and Johnson have now said they support hosting the library at SMU, First Lady Laura Bush’s alma mater, but they still oppose the public policy institute. In a Jan. 24 closed-door faculty meeting, professors questioned whether the library’s institute might threaten SMU’s reputation, citing a lack of university oversight for the institute and the fact that its research agenda will be determined by Bush himself, professors who attended the meeting told the Associated Press. Several professors, including Blair, have said the institute sounds like a think tank, and some have expressed concern that the institute might give the impression that SMU is aligned with a particular political ideology. “Some faculty say we need to have oversight so that we can have control — some faculty say we don’t want oversight so we don’t have to be associated with (the institute),” Blair told The Herald. “In terms of our politics and positions, we’re a very diverse faculty, which is one reason why the dialogue has been so rich.” A group of 170 professors will submit a petition against the institute to the faculty senate next week, Blair said, though she couldn’t predict what, if any, action that body might take. In fact, there might be little professors can do to stop the institute from coming. The decision ultimately rests with the school’s administration and its president, R. Gerald Turner, continued on page 4

Court tells U. of Michigan to end afﬁrmative action BY NICOLE DUNGCA STAFF WRITER

The University of Michigan has decided to comply with a federal judge’s ruling earlier this month that it and two other public universities must immediately stop employing gender and racial preferences in admissions. The ruling concerned enforcement of Michigan’s Proposal 2, a referendum banning affirmative action in state education and government, which was passed with 58 percent support in November. After the initiative passed, the University of Michigan and Wayne State and Michigan State universities halted their admission altogether in order to ask the court for a six-month extension allowing them to consider race and gender, but the district court ordered them to comply with the ban immediately. On Jan. 19, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal, meaning the ruling is final. How the ruling will affect the admission cycle at the university remains unclear. Admission officials declined to comment. By Any Means Necessary, a group dedicated to affirmative action and immigrant rights, is currently challenging Proposal 2 and has multiple cases filed in federal court questioning its constitutionality. “We believe our (case) will go to the Supreme Court,” said Donna Stern, the group’s national coordinator. The schools’ motion to wait six months before enacting Proposal 2 was originally contested by Eric Russell, a student applying to the University of Michigan’s law school. Rus-

sell had contacted the Center for Individual Rights, a special interest law firm that has dealt with cases on affirmative action at the university in the past. The firm was eager to represent Russell, who wanted his application to be reviewed without any racial preference. “Eric Russell has a legal right to have his application judged in accordance with the Michigan Constitution, as it was amended by the voters this November, not according to a timetable university officials happen to decide is convenient,” said firm president Trevor Pell in a December release. The issue of affirmative action at the university has been under debate since 1997, when two applicants, Jennifer Gratz and Barbara Grutter, filed a lawsuit contending the university’s use of affirmative action in its undergraduate and law school admissions, respectively, were unconstitutional. In what are considered two landmark affirmative action rulings, the Supreme Court held in June 2003 that both the university’s undergrad and law schools could use race as a factor in admissions only if it helped to promote diversity at the school. The undergraduate admissions system was deemed unconstitutional for its use of racial quotas. Shortly after the ruling, Gratz invited Ward Connerly, the founder and chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, an anti-affirmative action group, to Michigan to help propose and campaign for Proposal 2. Many proponents of affirmative action are worried that the ban will affect the diversity of the student body, pointing to

the decline in underrepresented minority enrollment that has occurred at California public universities after a similar referendum, Proposition 209, was passed in 1996. The University of Michigan is eager to avoid a similar decline, wrote Kelly Cunningham, a spokesperson for the university, in an e-mail to The Herald. “Alumni, current students, faculty and community members will play an important role in encouraging minority students to apply to U-M, and to enroll here if admitted,” Cunningham said. “President (Mary Sue) Coleman established a university-wide task force to engage the U-M community in developing fresh, innovative approaches to sustain and enhance diversity.” Meanwhile, the issue continues to appear in court. Whereas the recently denied motion was designed to give the university more time to comply with Proposal 2, By Any Means Necessary’s current legal battle directly challenges the law’s constitutionality. The cases could go to the Supreme Court this summer, Stern said. According to Stern, the court’s refusal to hear the motions was a way of strengthening the group’s resolve to minimize the effects of Proposal 2. “We weren’t disappointed, and we’re prepared to fight until the end — until the proposal gets overturned,” Stern said. Pell said his group will continue to work to keep affirmative action out of Michigan. He said the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the motion to delay the ban was the right one, and they will continue supporting that view. “We’re confident the (court) got it right,” Pell said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 4

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

CIS w wireless expansion in dorms stymied amid budget concerns continued from page 1 point, for example. “This required that we spend more,” Usas said. “The good news is that usage of wireless in dorms has been very high, which is exactly what we expected,” Usas said. Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, interim vice president for campus life and student services, said he does not think temporarily halting the project is cause for concern. “I don’t think this is at all unusual for a proj-

ect of this size and complexity,” he said. “We’re all committed to the project and want to proceed in a responsible way.” Usas said he hopes the project will start up again by the end of February. “We’ll be working closely with users to understand their priorities so as to yield a favorable result for the campus community,” he said. “Hopefully the extra money we put into certain areas will pay back.” The wireless project began in Spring 2003, when CIS installed 12

hotspots around campus. By Fall 2005, the number of hotspots had reached 60. That semester, CIS responded to the popularity of wireless Internet access by requesting funding from the University Resources Committee to broadly expand wireless coverage. “We wanted more overall usage,” Usas said. “People are more likely to carry around their laptops if they know they can access the Internet.” CIS worked throughout last summer to further expand wire-

April report to propose strategic energy plan continued from page 1 couple of weeks ago, it was a mild fall and winter,” Teichert said. Aden Van Noppen ’09, an organizer for the emPOWER campaign, a student group seeking to reduce the University’s environmental footprint, said there is “no question” about the need to reduce energy costs. Van Noppen serves on the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee as a representative for the Brown Environmental Action Network. In addition to reducing costs, Van Noppen said the University must focus on making its energy usage less harmful to the environment, and she said emPOWER is pushing the University to consider “our social role” by committing to climate neutrality. Climate neutrality means that the University would purchase carbon offsets, which ﬁnance reforestation or renewable energy projects, to compensate for its energy usage. Van Noppen also said the University should invest in better insulation for its buildings, more efﬁcient technology and contract with renewable energy companies, “which would

stabilize our energy costs because they provide us with one price, while other sources like oil fluctuate.” The University may undertake some of those measures in the near future. The EEAC, which comprises faculty, staff and students, is working on a comprehensive long-term strategic energy plan that will be presented to University officials in April. Those recommendations will focus on “evaluating some significant improvements” that can be made to help control the energy budget and reduce the University’s impact on the environment, Powell said. Powell declined to discuss what the committee’s recommendations might be. But he did mention that about 70 percent of Brown’s energy goes to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and noted, “We need to focus on those.” Van Noppen said emPOWER members met with President Ruth Simmons on Jan. 25 and that “it was clear that things will shift a little this semester.” She said she is confident that “what the EEAC puts forward will be put in place.” But Powell said he doesn’t want

to wait until April to get started. “We are going to start some of the pre-processes, like (a) specificbuilding energy audit,” Powell said. “Before we can actually improve the efficiency of a building, we have to go through that building and evaluate all of its systems.” Teichert mentioned other options for the University, such as contracting with companies that produce power from renewable energy sources “in a way that will allow us to make longer-term contracts than what we can do with oil, in which three years is the long term. When you’re talking about renewable (energy) contracts, 10 years is a short time frame.” Renewable energy contracts are attractive because they provide stability in moderating utility costs, he said. “If we had some sort of hedge contract like this in place, it wouldn’t have obviated that increase, but it would have helped (last year).” Negotiations with a windpower company have been held for over two years, Teichert said, but difficulties in placing the plant have kept the project from being implemented.

less coverage on campus. By the end of last semester, areas with wireless access included most residence halls, dining facilities, libraries, study lounges, many academic buildings and Faunce House. Students have responded favorably to the addition of wireless on campus. “I’m glad they are finally installing wireless in all the dorms,” said Ysabel Gaspar ’07. “I’ve lived in dorms without wireless for the past three years, and it would’ve been better if they all had wireless coverage.”

“It’s convenient to have wireless in the dorms,” said Liz Giliberti ’10. “I didn’t buy an Ethernet wire for a while because of it,” said Karen Kovalevich ’10. “I kind of assumed there would be wireless on campus,” she said. “It makes life easier because I can work on my bed without messing with the cables.” Gaspar said she would like to see wireless access everywhere on campus. “There is patchy connection on some parts of the campus and you can’t just sit down anywhere and start doing work,” she said.

SMU faculty protest Bush library continued from page 3 has strongly supported bringing the Bush facilities to SMU. “It’s all or nothing,” Turner told the AP, referring to some professors’ position that SMU should accept the library but not the institute. “The question is, does the asset outweigh what you consider the liabilities? I think it does.” Blair said she believes SMU’s president will take faculty concerns into account. “I know he’s put a great deal of thought into this. We’ve had a number of meetings listening to comments, responding to questions,” Blair said. “It’s a process, and (Turner) is taking it all in.” Among students, there is generally support for both the library and public policy institute, said Evan Farrior, a sophomore. “I’d say most of the students are in favor of the library just based on the number of Bush bumper stickers I see on cars around here,” Farrior said. “If you support Bush, I can’t imagine you would be against having a Bush institute at your school.”

Farrior added that while most students are in favor of the library, “those who are opposed are vehemently opposed.” For his part, Farrior hopes SMU’s administration and the White House agree to build only the library and not the think tank. “I don’t want SMU to become ‘the Bush School.’ The institute politically links us much more to the current administration’s ideology than the library would,” he said. If SMU decides not to sponsor the Bush library, it wouldn’t be the first time a university has refused to host a presidential library because of the official’s actions while in office. Duke University refused to host a library for President Nixon, a Duke law school graduate, because of similar concerns about associating an educational institution with a controversial presidency. A final decision on where the Bush library will be located is expected within the next several months. If SMU fails to agree on specifics with the president, the library will be located at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

CAMPUS N EWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

NEW

PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

I N

I E F

Police remove man from Starbucks A man was removed from Starbucks on Thayer Street by Providence police last night after he approached two Brown first-years and began shouting and cursing when asked to return to his seat by employees. Customers described the man as a regular presence in the coffee shop.“He’s a homeless man who practically lives in this place,” said East Side resident Toni Bonadie, a personal trainer and Starbucks regular. Though she described the man as “mentally unstable” and sometimes “kind of feisty,” she and other customers said he usually kept to himself. Around 7 p.m. last night, however, he got up from his seat by the window and began swearing, then approached Mallory Neidich ’10, who was doing homework with Cecily Barber ’10 at the time. When asked if the man had been bothering her, Neidich replied, “Not really, but it was a little odd.” “He reeked of liquor, and he was slurring all his words,” Barber said. Neidich and Barber said an employee then approached the man and requested that he return to his seat. The man then began cursing loudly, at one point saying, “I (expletive) own this place,” according to Neidich. “They were being really patient with him,” Neidich said.“He was really riled up.” Two Providence Police cruisers arrived, and officers removed the man, though it was unclear who called the police. An officer on the scene declined to say who had called in the complaint, and Starbucks employees also declined to comment. Bonadie said the man protested, “This is my home,” while the officers “dragged him outside,” but he then left the scene willingly. Bonadie grew tearful several times while describing the man’s removal. “Look at all this wealth around here,” she said. “He’s like a piece of furniture.” — Michael Skocpol

Prof’s research sheds light on prion diseases BY JOSEPH AHN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tricia Serio, assistant professor of medical science, and her lab are researching proteins in an effort to understand what causes speciﬁc types of genetic diseases, such as mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and kuru. Known as progressive neurodegenerative diseases, these genetic diseases are caused by proteins called prions and are currently untreatable. Prion is short for “proteinaceous infectious particle,” a protein that acts an infectious agent. Prions affect the structure of neural tissue, impairing bodily functions and propagating by converting normal proteins. Until recently, it was not clear how the prions were able to change the conformation of normal proteins. But Serio, Prasanna SatputeKrishnan GS and Serio’s lab were able to prove a longstanding theory that prions immediately deform reg-

ular proteins when they come into contact with them. The team first published their findings in Nature magazine in 2005. Less than two years later, Serio and her team published new research that could lead to a cure for prion diseases. In a Jan. 23 edition of the online open-access journal PLoS, short for Public Library of Science, Serio and her team revealed that they have identified the protein that breaks down insoluble prion aggregates and allows them to spread and cause disease. When these aggregates break down, many small “seeds” form, and around them, clumps of prions. The prions spread rapidly, so the presence of only a few prions can still cause major health problems. Serio and her team researched prion formation in yeast and identified HSP104, a member of a large family of heat-shock proteins that are present in all cells, as the agent responsible for breaking down the aggregates. Because heat-shock pro-

Tai Ho Shin / Herald Tricia Serio at work in her laboratory.

teins are present in all living things, the lab’s research is relevant for hucontinued on page 6

Pre-meds now face computerized MCAT Some test-takers encounter glitch during Saturday’s exam BY KRISTINA KELLEHER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Students looking to attend medical school now face a shorter, more frequently administered and computerized Medical College Admission Test. The new MCAT was administered for the ﬁrst time at sites around the countr y Jan. 27 and 29, two of the 22 testing times scheduled for the year. Prior to the change, only two paper-based administrations offered annually. The only site in Rhode Island where the test can be taken is the Thomson Prometric testing cen-

ter in War wick, though in previous years the test was administered on campus. Test-takers are now greeted by a test that takes between ﬁve and ﬁve-and-a-half hours to complete, compared to the paper version’s eight- to ten-hour duration. The number of multiple-choice questions for the physical sciences, verbal reasoning and biological sciences sections has been reduced by one-third. Switching from the all-paper format also saved a considerable time by eliminating the lengthy process of distributing and collecting test materials, said Jeff

Meanza, director of graduate programs for the Princeton Review. It “should be a more positive experience,” Meanza said, who described the old exam as “sort of unyielding.” But not ever ything went smoothly at the exam administered on Saturday. Test-taking nightmares came true for Daniel Sonshine ’07 when, six minutes into reading a passage on robotic ﬁsh in the verbal reasoning part of the exam, he looked at the ﬁrst question, and realized it was asking about songbirds. continued on page 6

www.browndailyherald.com

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 6

L makes headway Lab toward cures for genetic diseases continued from page 5 mans as well. In their research, Serio and her lab used fluorescent tagging to identify the role of HSP104 in prion disease. “We showed direct proof that HSP fragmented the aggregates,” Serio said. The implications of Serio lab’s latest findings are significant beyond expanding knowledge about prions. Further research on the role of HSPs could result in advances or even cures for prionbased progressive neurodegenerative diseases. But Serio and her lab are not planning to explore the practical applications of their research. Instead, they will focus on further understanding the nature and mechanisms of prion propagation. “We want to understand it as a process, understand how it works,” Serio said. Serio said she has been interested in prions for several years. “As an undergraduate at Lehigh, a post-doc told me about infectious protein. I thought he was joking at first,” she said. “Ever since then I’ve been interested in it.” After graduate work at Yale University and post-doc research at the University of Chicago, Serio said she is pleased to be doing research at Brown. “Brown is a really great place to work,” she said. “The students in particular are very intelligent and helpful.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

MCAT switches to computerized format

750 dorm violations reported last year

dardized exams your whole life,” he said. Samaroo added that students who are more comfortable with reading and typing quickly on a computer had an advantage over those who read and write more quickly on paper. “I have mixed feelings about it being computerized,” said David Guttmann ’07, a pre-med student. He cited “a psychological element” in his hesitancy to embrace the revamped exam and said, “I’m accustomed to paper-and-pencil exams.” But he said he favored shortening the test, which he took in August 2005. “What’s unfortunate about the way the test was structured earlier was it became a test of endurance,” Guttmann said. The new format is “more focused on what you know than how many questions you can answer, which will beneﬁt a lot of people,” he said. “Whenever you change a test format, there are pros and cons,” said pre-med Daniel Morris ’07. “But in this case, there are a lot of beneﬁts.” Morris, who took the paperbased exam in August 2005 in Sayles Hall, cited the more frequent administrations of the test as an important new convenience for test-takers,

continued from page 1

continued from page 5 The questions were clearly for a different passage. “I started to panic,” he said. The mistake threw off his concentration, he said. “I tried to focus, but I couldn’t.” No more than 800 of 2,500 test takers encountered the mistake Saturday, according to Robert Jones, a senior vice president at the Association of American Medical Colleges, as quoted in the New York Times. Harr y Samaroo ’07, who had previously taken the paper version of the MCAT, also took the new computerized exam Saturday, though he took the test in New York City and did not encounter any problems. “The computerbased exam felt much shorter,” he said. “People will probably really like the computerbased exam. It’s much more of an independent testing experience.” But Samaroo said he still prefers the paper-based exam because he is accustomed to taking tests in that format. “It was my ﬁrst computer-based testing experience. You feel like if you had more practice, you’d be better at it. You’ve been taking paper stan-

though he was worried that off-campus testing could pose an inconvenience for students without a car. The exam now consists of 52 physical sciences questions to be completed in 70 minutes, 40 verbal reasoning questions to be completed in 60 minutes and 52 biological sciences questions to be completed in 70 minutes. Computerized MCAT testtakers must still complete two writing samples, which are typed into a basic word processor without spell check, in one hour. During the test, students may take up to three ten-minute breaks, according to the Web site for the AAMC. The exam still costs testtakers $210 per administration. Students may now take the exam up to three times a year. The waiting period for results, previously 60 days, has been cut to 30 days. The association has promised to cut the waiting time for results down to 14 days, according to its Web site. The Thomson Prometric testing centers — the only locations where the MCAT can now be administered — provide noise reduction headphones and storage lockers for test-takers.

ing everyone to vacate, which is a major annoyance,” he said, adding that a student who is found to have triggered the smoke alarm is fined to cover the cost of the Providence Fire Department’s response, which can amount to $1,000. Though most violations are dealt with by notification and possibly re-inspection, some, including the presence of candles, are treated more seriously. If candles are found, the offending student receives a $100 fine. The fine applies regardless of how many candles are found. In previous years, a $100 fine was assessed for each candle found by dorm inspectors. “Most residence hall fires are caused by heat sources … with open flames, like candles.” Bova said. The severity of the fine for candles is a direct result of that concern. Despite the obvious incentive to remove or at least hide candles from plain sight, candles were found in 18 rooms in 2005-06. Though few students are actually fined for candle violations, many fear the potential sanctions. Stephanie Spielman ’10 received 45 candles in a Chanukah care package from her synagogue. “I hid them for about a week … but just ended up throwing them out” to avoid the risk of a fine, she said.

www.browndailyherald.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

R L D

PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

I N

I E F

Sectarian violence leaves more than 60 Iraqis dead BAGHDAD, Iraq (Los Angeles Times)— Sectarian warfare directed mostly at Shiite Muslim pilgrims and worshippers celebrating the climax of Ashura, an important religious holiday, left more than 60 Iraqis dead Tuesday, including eight bodies found dumped here in the capital. Also Tuesday, details emerged about arrests in the wake of a bold Jan. 20 insurgent raid on a joint U.S.-Iraqi security compound in Karbala in which a U.S. soldier was killed and four other American soldiers were captured and shot to death miles away. A police official in Hillah said four Saudi Arabians staying in a Karbala hotel were arrested in connection with the attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. and Iraqi officials had seized maps and other documents in the raid.

Court to hear ACLU’s wiretapping challenge CINCINNATI (Los Angeles Times)— One of the Bush administration’s most controversial initiatives in the war on terror is set for its ﬁrst hearing in a federal appeals court Wednesday, but if government lawyers have their way the case will be quickly dismissed. Justice Department attorneys contend that the challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union to the government’s warrantless domestic surveillance program is moot since the program is being monitored by a special court. They are asking that the ruling that the program is unconstitutional be thrown out. But ACLU lawyers maintain that the case is still viable and are calling on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to afﬁrm Judge Ella Diggs Taylor’s ruling in August that the Terrorist Surveillance Program violated the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution and ran afoul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

join the herald. tonight, 7 p.m. 195 angell st.

Carcieri ’65 promises reform in State of the State continued from page 1 possibility of a state-wide teacher contract, as well as merging school districts. “Thirty-six school districts in a state our size is just too many,” he said. Carcieri also took this approach to the unique problems of urban schools: Rhode Island — which has the seventh-highest percentage of students learning English as an additional language in the country — needs to “devise one curriculum and concentrate resources” for teaching students English, he said. The governor mentioned a forthcoming partnership between the University of Rhode Island and the Central Falls school district. “Bringing the university’s prestige and resources to (Central Falls High School) will be a wonderful boost to teachers, students and administrators,” he said. Carcieri said Rhode Island should meet 20 percent of its electricity needs with renewable sources — wind, water and solar power — by 2011. To meet the goal, the governor announced the creation of the Rhode Island Power Authority, which will manage and sell the state’s renewable energy. In addition to the $86 million allocated to clean up Narragansett Bay, Carcieri said Rhode Island would join nine other MidAtlantic and New England states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas

Initiative, a joint effort to reduce greenhouse gases. Rhode Island was one of the states that helped draft the initiative, but Carcieri decided against joining with the other states last year. His announcement makes Rhode Island the last of the ten states to commit to the initiative. “Economic development will be the relentless focus of my administration,” Carcieri said, promising to reduce state spending in order to balance the budget. He said he will adopt an “aggressive strategy to create an innovation economy,” bringing more research and business to the Ocean State. Carcieri’s 35-minute speech was interrupted 22 times by applause from members of the General Assembly and three times by laughter. Immediately after Carcieri’s address, House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, D-Dist. 4, and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa PaivaWeed, D-Dist. 13, gave the Democratic response. Fox and PaivaWeed echoed the themes of the governor’s speech — energy, education, the economy and the environment — and also discussed health care. Fox emphasized the need for Rhode Island to “invest in higher education” and said he would not have risen to his position if not for his education at Rhode Island College. Fox also said the General Assembly is “working to eliminate property taxes” and will

make further reductions to inventor y and capital gains taxes. “Rhode Island leaders have an obligation to combat global warming,” Paiva-Weed said of the governor’s promise to join the greenhouse gas initiative. She also said the General Assembly will work to improve water quality and increase public access to Narragansett Bay. Paiva-Weed also expressed concern about the current state of health care in Rhode Island and said the number of uninsured children in the state has increased by 200 percent over the past six years. She cited recently adopted healthcare policies in Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont and suggested that Rhode Island should follow suit by adopting a “comprehensive” healthcare policy that includes insurance for children. Providence resident Eva Simmons criticized Carcieri’s education policy record. “I don’t think he’s done the right thing in the past,” she said after the speech. “I think he spoke well this evening, but we’ll see if it’s carried out.” Carcieri has tried to improve education but has been limited by ﬁnancial restraints in the past, Rhode Island District Court Magistrate Christine Jabour told The Herald. She expressed optimism for future efforts because “it seems like he’s gotten consensus … that will accomplish the goals he’s set.”

PAGE 8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

Globetrotting admission office boosts int’l applications continued from page 1 The admission office’s ventures into new territories are slated to continue in the future. “I expect that we will visit, if not all the same places next year, a lot of them,” Ott said. “It makes sense to travel to places two years in a row. Generally, we try to go to places twice.” Roughly 44 percent of the international applicant pool came from Asia, where admission officers spent nearly a month this fall. China, India, Singapore and Korea each contributed over 100 applicants. Applications from China rose 69 percent over last year, and applications from Hong Kong, Malaysia and India all rose 43 percent or more. A quarter of all international applications came from Europe, with the United Kingdom sending the most applicants — 150. Ninety-one applications came from Africa, 4.3 percent of the international pool, while countries in the Mid-

dle East sent 74 applicants, or 3.5 percent. Applications from North and South American countries made up the remaining 18.1 percent of international applicants. Ott said credit for the surge in international applications lies not just with Brown admission officers. Local alumni often accompany admission officers on their visits to schools, and sometimes give entire presentations on their own. “There’s an element of trust when you see someone who speaks your own language and grew up the same way you did,” Ott said. She added that parents appreciate being able to understand and communicate with these representatives. But admission officers and alums often are less effective than one special group of recruiters — students already studying at Brown. “Current students are the best ambassadors, and they often impact applications,” Ott said. “Very often I see applicants saying that

a graduate of their high school showed up and talked about Brown.” Daniela Rodriguez DaSilva ’10, who attended secondary school in Venezuela followed by two years at the United World College in Wales, is one such student. “I have been in touch with at least two people who are applying to Brown from United World College,” Rodriguez DaSilva said. She learned about Brown from her friend, a current Brown student and United World College alum. Ott anticipates increased recruiting efforts in Africa and the West Indies in the future, a recommendation made by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. “My guess is that’s going to happen for all sorts of reasons. It increases diversity on campus, and it helps Brown’s mission of promoting international peace and understanding,” Ott said. “We’ve already increased the travel to Africa from zero to about three weeks, and we hope to continue that.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

Skiing improves ranking after bumpy N.H. trip continued from page 12 Waterville Valley, N. H., over winter break, Brown had to contend with other teams accomplish any training runs on the limited trails available. Although the squad did what free skiing they could and completed plyometric and aerobic drills, the benefits were not the same as actually skiing. The team was only able to hit the slopes hard about one week before being thrown into its first competition. However, recent colder conditions have allowed the team to train better. With this weekend’s success, Brown is now confidently aiming for a spot at Nationals. “We definitely should be in the top five at Nationals, and I really think we can be in the top three at Nationals,” Bengtson said. Competing at Nationals is not a given. Brown must climb the rankings during the regular season and fend off challenges from the University of Massachusetts and Smith College, currently ranked fi fth and sixth in the division. Even with great training, one mishap can dash all hopes. “In skiing, all it takes is one of the skiers to fall, and the team misses qualifying,” Bengtson said. The Bears will host the Brown Carnival at Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts on Friday before traveling to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Carnival on Saturday.

PAGE 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Revisiting the most egregious mistakes by sports execs in 2006 continued from page 12 one else has been smoking and gives Barry Zito the biggest deal for a pitcher ever — $126 million! Really, Brian? Reaaalllly? Zito was second in the American League in walks between 2005-2006, his fastball has diminished from a low 90s heater to a low 80s junk ball and his 1.40 WHIP in ’06 was nearly identical to Ted Lilly’s. I’m not sure people realize how bad this deal is because Zito is a big name, scores a lot of chicks, has a coollooking curveball and will get to pitch in the friendly conﬁnes of AT&T Park, but they will soon.

Sidenote: There has to be some clever metaphor for the everchanging name of the Giants’ stadium —“Pac-Bell,” “SBC” and now “AT&T” over the past three years — in the way the team is run. For now I’ll go with this: Brian Sabean: “AT&T was pretty successful eight years ago? Let’s go ahead and name our park after them and then sign Rich Aurilia, Dave Roberts and lock up Ray Durham for the same reason. Done and done.” 3. If you polled America about the Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints playoff game, you would probably ﬁnd that Illinois and

Houston were the only places in the country rooting for the Bears. You might conclude that those oil-loving Texans have no heart, but you’d be wrong. It is the former general manager of their beloved Houston Texans, Charley Casserly, who has no heart. For on the eve of the 2006 NFL Draft, when practically half of Texas was willing to do anything to get the most exciting prospect in recent memory (Reggie Bush), Casserly made Mario Williams the number one overall pick instead, allowing Bush to fall to the Saints. By May, Casserly had resigned, and by the New Year, Bush was taunt-

ing Brian Urlacher on his way to an 80-yard touchdown reception in the NFC Championship game. If you don’t think that one is going to sting for a while, you must be spending too much time with those hippie baseball GMs. 4. Tennis continued to exist as a sport. Apparently, somewhere in Martha’s Vineyard and Southampton, someone still enjoyed it. He allegedly pops his collar, uses Grey Poupon instead of mustard and has never seen a Wal-Mart.

Tom Trudeau ’09 from 2006 wants to say hi to the future. Hi!

M. swimming drops two on road to Ivy League’s best, Harvard and Yale continued from page 12 ’10 and Hug won the final event of the meet, recording a time of 1:25.19. The Bears turned right around and faced Yale in the second meet of the weekend, on Saturday afternoon. Bruno sustained a 181-119 loss to the host Bulldogs. Though five individuals and the 400-yard relay team won events for Brown, the team’s failure to capture any highly contested races factored in the loss. “We did really well for the first half of the meet,” said captain Peter Volosin ’08. “But we lost a lot of close races in the end, and that made a huge difference.” The Bears’ 200-yard relay team

of Hug, O’Mara, Ricketts and Kelly finished a close second in the first event of the day, posting a time of 1:33.59. Volosin helped the team bounce back with a victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle, clocking in at 9:39.25. Hug then finished third in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.61. O’Mara also took a third-place finish, swimming the 100-yard breaststroke in 59.95. Alexander pulled out a victory in the third event for Brown, clocking in at 1:52.64 in the 200-yard butterfly. Kelly posted a fourth win for Bruno in the 50-yard free, earning a time of 21.38 seconds and Wetmore also placed in the event, taking third with a time of 21.87. During the first dive break of the day, Matthew Freitas ’07 earned third place in the 1-meter

dive with a score of 275.55. After Freitas’ performance, the Bears picked up where they left off. Kelly swam the 100-yard freestyle in 46.20 for second place, while Huxley finished third, recording a time of 47.39. Hug followed suit, placing third in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:56.28. Volosin took second in the 500-yard free, clocking in at 4:44.39, while Ricketts placed third in the 100-yard butterfly, swimming a time of 50.52. Robinson placed first in the meet’s second diving event, the 3-meter dive, earning a score of 317.47. To round out the swimming portion of the meet, O’Mara finished third in the 200 IM, posting a time of 1:56.93 in the final individual event of the meet. Hays,

Ricketts, Huxley, and Kelly won the ﬁnal event of the meet, recording a 3:07.43 time in the 400-yard free relay. The losses did not distract the team from its focus on the upcoming Easterns tournament. If anything, they should serve as motivation moving forward. “We can’t get too caught up in the wins or losses,” Brown said, “We look at dual meets as stepping stones to our championship meets. We have to learn from them and grow from them.” In its last home meet of the season, the men’s swimming and diving team will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Columbia at the Smith Swim Center. “It will be a very special occasion for us,” Brown said.

E DITORIAL & L ETTERS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 10

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

STAF F EDITORIAL

Freezing energy costs It’s unfortunate that the eerily warm winter weather keeping Al Gore awake at night is good news for the University. If Gore’s right, plenty of high winter temperatures and low heating bills lie in the years ahead, but betting on global warming isn’t a good energy plan. After last year’s $3 million energy cost overrun, University ofﬁcials must be relieved to expect to come in under budget this year. Administrators are undoubtedly hoping to avoid the $50 million in energy expenditures that Facilities Management estimates for 2020 if costs continue to rise at the annual average of 7 percent. We urge members of the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee, which will propose a new energy plan in April, to take advantage of the popular desire for renewable energy policy that now stretches from Capitol Hill to Hollywood. If, as Aden Van Noppen ’09 suggests, President Ruth Simmons wisely supports a shift in energy planning, EEAC members have nothing to fear in proposing increased renewable energy use and even carbon neutrality. And they should not underestimate the latent potential for vocal student support on a politically trendy issue. Climate neutrality, which would require the University to purchase carbon offsets that equal its own ecological footprint, is a noble goal for political and moral reasons. But climate neutrality simply assuages moral guilt and does nothing to cut costs or emissions. Beyond being ecofriendly, the University should seek cost-effective solutions that decrease oil consumption while keeping freezing students from having to sleep in layers.

LETTERS

Sending aid abroad

Med school alums support gift, skeptical of name change

We’re pleased the University is sending admission officers to locales as far-flung as Tanzania and Zimbabwe, but it’s time for Brown to start sending better financial aid packages too. Need-blind admission and a $100 million endowed scholarship program for the neediest students have gone a long way toward breaking down the financial barriers for American and Canadian students in a short period of time. But the lack of comparable progress for international financial aid is cause for concern. Things are getting better. In October, the Corporation committed to boosting international financial aid by $30 million. Though it will be years before that target is met, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 told The Herald that the class of 2011 would show more socioeconomic diversity among international students. But commitments aren’t enough, and we hope the University makes this a top fundraising priority. As University officials mull over the possibilities for internationalizing Brown, broad expansion of international financial aid is an obvious choice. Globalizing College Hill doesn’t simply mean generating better statistics about geographic scope. It also means creating a campus that includes international students of all — not just privileged — backgrounds. Sending recruiters abroad won’t accomplish that, but extending needblind admission and offering sufficient aid to the neediest international students will. A Brown education shouldn’t be available only to those with cash or a U.S. passport in their pockets.

T HE B ROWN D AILY H ERALD Editors-in-Chief Eric Beck Mary-Catherine Lader

Executive Editors Allison Kwong Ben Leubsdorf

Senior Editors Stephen Colelli Sonia Saraiya BUSINESS

EDITORIAL Lydia Gidwitz Lindsey Meyers Stephanie Bernhard Stu Woo Simmi Aujla Sara Molinaro Ross Frazier Jacob Schuman Michal Zapendowski Peter Cipparone Justin Goldman Sarah Demers Erin Frauenhofer Madeleine Marecki

Arts & Culture Editor Arts & Culture Editor Features Editor Features Editor Metro Editor Metro Editor News Editor Opinions Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor

PHOTO Eunice Hong Christopher Bennett Jacob Melrose

Photo Editor Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor

A L E X A N D E R G A R D - M U R R AY

General Manager Mandeep Gill General Manager Ally Ouh Executive Manager Darren Ball Executive Manager Dan DeNorch Laurie-Ann Paliotti Sr. Advertising Manager Ofﬁce Manager Susan Dansereau PRODUCTION Design Editor Steve DeLucia Copy Desk Chief Chris Gang Graphics Editor Mark Brinker Graphics Editor Roxanne Palmer Web Editor Luke Harris POST- MAGAZINE Hillary Dixler Melanie Duch Taryn Martinez Rajiv Jayadevan Mindy Smith

Managing Editor Managing Editor Managing Editor Features Editor Features Editor

Steve DeLucia, Designer Ayelet Brinn, Chris Gang, Copy Editors Senior Staff Writers Rachel Arndt, Michael Bechek, Oliver Bowers, Zachary Chapman, Chaz Firestone, Kristina Kelleher, Debbie Lehmann, Scott Lowenstein, James Shapiro, Michael Skocpol Staff Writers Susana Aho, Taylor Barnes, Evan Boggs, Alissa Cerny, Irene Chen, Stewart Dearing, Nicole Dungca, Hannah Furst, Sarah Geller, Thi Ho, Rebecca Jacobson, Tsvetina Kamenova, Hannah Levintova, Christian Martell, Taryn Martinez, Zachary McCune, Jennifer Park, Nathalie Pierrepont, James Shapiro, Kam Sripada, Robin Steele, Spencer Trice, Sara Walter, Allissa Wickham, Max Winograd Sports Staff Writers Amy Ehrhart, Kaitlyn Laabs, Eliza Lane, Kathleen Loughlin, Megan McCahill, Marco Santini, Tom Trudeau, Steele West Account Administrators Emilie Aries, Alexander Hughes Design Staff Aurora Durfee, Christian Martell Photo Staff Stuart Duncan-Smith, Austin Freeman, Tai Ho Shin Copy Editors Ayelet Brinn, Catherine Cullen, Erin Cummings, Karen Evans, Jacob Frank, Lauren Levitz, Elisabeth Zerofsky

To the Editor: As alums of both the University and the Medical School, we were very excited to hear about the recent inﬂux of funding for the Medical School. We both feel that we received an excellent education at Brown, and we are happy that the legacy of world-class medical education will continue and improve and that future doctors will receive the wonderful training we did. Not all of that training was strictly scientiﬁc and medical, as you can imagine. We learned how to deal with the patient as a whole, the cultural differences, the socio-economic issues and the medical system as a possible antagonist to good health. We learned to see issues from all sides, we learned about public health and we learned how to be patient advocates. Because of our broad education, we are uncomfortable with one of the changes that has come with the funding: the renaming of the Medical School. The effect of industry on medical education is inescapable. As residents, we are besieged on all sides with expensive dinners, textbooks and even trips — not to mention innumerable pens and gadgets. As Brown Medical School alums, we still proudly eschew these “gifts” and pass these values on to our colleagues and students. We are concerned that renaming the Med School the Warren Alpert Medical School, while not quite the same as naming it “The Merck Medical School,” still upsets the delicate balance of academic in-

dependence that is so well fostered at Brown. We regret biting the hand that is so generous with us, but this new change reminds us of the old Rhode Island Civic Center, now the Dunkin Donuts Center, and the old Boston Garden, which was replaced by a building called the Shawmut Center, the Fleet Center and now the TD Banknorth Garden. We had always considered institutions like the Brown Medical School to be above such outright sponsorship. We learned a lot at Brown — about medicine, public health, patient advocacy, medical ethics and a myriad of other issues. We have no doubt that the important values we developed at Brown are still being fostered, despite the name change. We did feel, however, that this issue should be raised, as open and honest discussion is such a central part of Brown’s ideals. Although we are bringing up this issue, we’re very excited about the opportunities that Mr. Alpert’s funding provides, and we would like to express a heartfelt thank you to him for his generosity and vision; we are looking forward to hearing about future changes and improvements at the Brown Medical School.

Elizabeth Schoenfeld ‘01, MD ‘05 Pranay Parikh ‘99, MD ‘03 Jan. 30

Join The Herald. Come to our information session.

7 p.m. Wednesday, January 31. at our ofﬁce, 195 angell st. (between brook and thayer)

CORRECTION Due to an editing error, an article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Au Bon Pain reopens with new decor,” Jan. 30) incorrectly identified Charu Gupta ’07 as a male. Gupta is female. 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. COMMENTAR Y POLICY The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. ADVER TISING POLICY The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

O PINIONS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

Playing with ﬁre: anti-Nazi laws in a free society

In defense of military intervention TREVOR GLEASON OPINIONS COLUMNIST

BY PETER CATSIMPIRIS GUEST COLUMNIST In his recent column (“Before criticizing European anti-Nazi laws, consider their context,” Jan. 29), Jacob Izenberg ‘08 defends “European anti-Nazi laws” restricting free speech in response to an article by Sean Quigley ‘10 (“An Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent,” Jan. 24). While Quigley considers laws censoring hate speech or Holocaust denial an affront to “liberty, free-speech and the very foundations of democracy,” Izenberg argues that such a position “demonstrates a lack of perspective and historical consideration ... considering the context in which (such laws) developed.” The enormity of the unspeakable acts that forced such restrictions in the aftermath of World War II cannot be overstated, and our deepest sympathies go out to the millions upon millions of Jews and people of other nationalities whose lives were damaged or destroyed directly or indirectly by this dark chapter in human history. No greater tragedy could befall Europe than the rekindling of the abject hatred that was the fountainhead of the Holocaust. Izenberg is right in arguing that as Americans thousands of miles and several generations removed from this event, “we ... cannot truly understand the urgent need the citizens of a devastated Germany felt after World War II to never permit something like Nazi rule and the resulting war to happen,” especially since we are “citizens of a nation that has never been dominated by totalitarianism and by fascism in particular.” Though I agree with these observations, I believe they ultimately work against Izenberg’s position. Many would contend that a critical reason our nation has evaded the yoke of totalitarianism is its enduring respect for an independent press and the freedom of expression. Although even President Abraham Lincoln, a most storied exponent of freedom, famously found it expedient to limit the power of the press and even to suspend habeas corpus during the Civil War in order to preserve the union and thus curtail a national disaster, such limitations on personal freedom must be rethought in times of peace. Izenberg claims that the lurking specter of anti-Semitic sentiment in Central Europe is reason enough to censor hate speech, even more than half a century after the Holocaust. Though his concern is legitimate, and motions to suppress expression intending to cause political or economic harm to speciﬁc groups or persons should not be rejected out of hand, we ought to be careful when toying with the slippery slope of censorship. If we can have our cake and eat it too - if we can avoid another Holocaust without resorting to censorship - it is incumbent upon liberty-loving citizens of free nations to advocate such a solution. Instead of banning hate speech, Central European nations might try tightening anti-discrimination laws and reinvigorating hate crime legislation while simultaneously loosening restrictions on free expression. Our civil liberties serve as our greatest defense against the encroachment of tyranny and the grim possibility of totalitarianism. Though Izenberg’s intentions are laudable, we ought to be exceedingly hesitant to deny free speech before pursuing less treacherous legal avenues.

Peter Catsimpiris ‘08 is the president of Students for Liberty at Brown.

PAGE 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Today I could probably count on my fingers the number of Brown students who stand behind the Bush Doctrine. I can remember a time when there used to be a fairly sizable number - but since 2003, as that number has plummeted nationally, it has plummeted here at Brown as well (from tiny to miniscule). As a proud member of that ever-decreasing group, I can do my best to defend the president’s foreign policy to the rest of you tree-huggers. As potentially difficult as a decision to invade or otherwise militarily intervene in the affairs of another country may be, at times such a course of action is really the only one that can be effective. Apart from the realization that my political ideology now probably qualifies me for the endangered species list, I’ve also realized that support for any sort of military intervention on the part of the United States today is at an all-time low. For those who would like to believe that all conflicts can be solved solely through peaceful means, this is probably a godsend - I can imagine the parade being planned over at the United Nations. However, for those few conservative idealists that remain, this abandonment of military force is one of the most troublesome consequences of the quagmire in Iraq - especially at a time when the world is wracked by numerous other crises, such as the genocide in Darfur. Though few would go out of their way to defend the merits of Saddam Hussein and his regime, the admittedly flawed

plan for what to do after the invasion has undermined the benefit of removing him. However, it is important to remember that there was never really any alternative proposal for a solution to Iraq’s problems. The continued sanctions regime that seems to have been so popular in much of the international community is probably at least partially responsible for the grave situation that exists in Iraq today. A glance at how attempts at sanctions have failed miserably at keeping weapons out of the hands of Iran and North Korea further drives home the message that such a solution is woefully inadequate. Libya seems to provide a much more optimistic counterexample. By providing economic benefits and political recognition, the United States and its allies helped spur the Libyan regime from pursuing its nuclear ambitions - a result which clearly benefits the Middle Eastern and North African regions, if not the entire world. However, such a solution requires the presence of a rational actor with whom to negotiate, some concrete source of authority that can actually uphold the other side of the bargain. Perhaps this could have been the solution in Iraq, and perhaps a variation of this may yet be the solution for Iran and North Korea. But we cannot always assume that diplomacy will work. World War II provides one example of enemies (Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan) who were unwilling to yield to terms that lay within any accepted boundaries of rationality and morality. The continued influence of terrorist groups throughout much of the world provides yet another, even more relevant example, where there may not even be a central actor with whom we can negotiate. In situations like this, where all the words and diplomatic candor in the world may fail us, we must be willing

to dare to go the extra step and back our words up with force. Given that some of the world’s most troublesome regions are home to a variety of feuding factions, it has been suggested by many that any military action in these areas will result in the same kind of sectarian strife that has materialized in Iraq. However, while this certainly makes a military response difﬁcult to manage successfully, diplomatic solutions are plagued by the same problems. There is no easy way to broker peace between dozens of rival warlords. Our experiences in Bosnia have shown us that even in regions torn by a variety of ethnic divisions, well-executed military action can go a long way towards providing an eventual solution. Darfur is a perfect example of a situation where we, be it multilaterally or unilaterally, should admit the necessity of intervention. When hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance, we cannot continue to insist on searching for a diplomatic solution that is nowhere in sight. While any intervention is likely to be messy, and will almost certainly cost lives, how can we realistically choose anything else when the alternative is to allow atrocities to go unchecked? While not every problem has a military solution, history has shown before - and will surely prove again - that force is the answer to some problems. Regardless of our individual opinions on the situation in Iraq, we cannot allow our misadventures there to cause us to abandon the use of force altogether. Military intervention may still be our only chance of achieving our aims outside of Baghdad.

Trevor Gleason ‘07 invites you to explore the power of the dark side

OMG WTF r u saying !!1! ADAM CAMBIER OPINIONS COLUMNIST

Textspeak is best defined as the use of varying abbreviations and the dropping of vowels aimed at increasing the speed with which an individual can type a message. As would befit a lingual system where speed is of the utmost concern, the use of textspeak mutilates the English language faster than a North Dakotan stuffed into a wood chipper. Previously relegated to the realm of 12year-old girls gushing about Leonardo DiCaprio and 35-year-old men playing World of Warcraft in their parents’ basements, this idiomatic menace has begun to worm its way into hard-working, God-fearing society. The first sign of the textspeak apocalypse reaches us in the form of “The Last Messages,” a novel written by Finnish author Hannu Luntiala. The book centers around an executive who leaves his lush life in Helsinki to meander around Europe and India, keeping in touch with his family and friends only through the magical medium of text messages on his mobile phone. This premise is rife with problems from the get-go. If the man is trotting across half the globe, how on Earth does he get reception anywhere? Moreover, if he has his phone with him the whole time, why the hell doesn’t he just call? That, however, is beside the point. The thing about this would-be literary masterpiece that really punches me in the gut is the fact that the novel is composed in its entirety of the text messages sent and received over the course of the main character’s trav-

els. There are around 1,000 of them altogether. That amounts to 300 pages of “u” in place of “you,” “r” in place of “are,” “2” in place of “too” or “to” - with no explanation which one he is referring, 2. Call me old-fashioned, but anytime I pick up a book that is likely to be chock-full of textspeakisms, I can rest assured that Shakespeare this ain’t. lol. The worst part of all is that the Finns are just eating it up. Text messages and the associated bastardized grammar that comes with them have been wholly embraced by the Finnish population. The Associated Press reported that even Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen broke up with his girlfriend via text message. Now I know what you’re thinking: you’re assuming that just because textspeak has crawled out of its dank, smelly hole and seen the light in Finland doesn’t mean it will do the same here in the good old U.S. of A. After all, the Finns are Europeans, and if other evils like socialism and euro-techno haven’t crossed the Atlantic (outside of Buxton house), there’s no reason mainstream use of textspeak should do so. Unfortunately, this particular epidemic has already jumped to a more sensible land - one where English words aren’t banned by law from entering local languages and where boy bands aren’t enjoyed by post-pubescent demographics. Besides the unsettling rumors about their unnatural fondness of sheep, the residents of this land are generally understood to be a wholly sensible people. I’m referring, of course, to New Zealand. One day early last November, the top story of New Zealand’s Dominion Post was more chilling than any story coming out of Iraq, Afghanistan or Darfur. The Post reported that the New Zealand Qualiﬁcations Authority had decided to give credit to ex-

ams that made use of textspeak in their answers as long as students “clearly show the required understanding.” Although the use of proper English was still encouraged, students who employed textspeak would not be marked down. Proponents of the measure insisted it would help students better express themselves. Pardon my French, but that’s retarded. One spelling-challenged son of a New Zealand journalist summed up the state of things nicely when he told his mother that now he doesn’t even have to try to spell words correctly, passing off mistakes as “textspeak.” If enough kids reach the same conclusion as this intrepid young lad, in a generation New Zealand will be ﬁlled to the brim with adults lacking a solid grasp on proper spelling and grammar. Suddenly, it’s not just the sheep in New Zealand who have reason to be nervous. This whole textspeak issue scares the bejesus out of me. I’m still holding out for some sort of sensible return to people writing in proper English, but it doesn’t look likely to happen. Textspeak is spreading. The publishers of “The Last Messages” are planning on translating the book into multiple languages. A high school principal in New Zealand excitedly told a newspaper that textspeak represented “smart youth who are developing a language, and once they are adults [it] will be the norm.” I feel like there’s nothing left for us purists to do but adapt. I h8 to say it, but we bttr get used 2 this. The wrld is chnging, n we r set to get left bhnd. Neways, I hope this has left u with sumthng. I gtg cry in the corner.

Adam Cambier ‘09 has actually brought down windmills he has charged.

S PORTS W EDNESDAY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007

The most egregious mistakes by sports execs in 2006 TOM TRUDEAU SPORTS STAFF WRITER

Mmmm … 2007. We’re off to a great start. Boise State University St upset Oklahoma University in the Fiesta Bowl, Tom Brady Tru Story threw an interception to ice a second consecutive playoff exit and I’m pretty sure Terrell Owens and Curt Schilling haven’t said anything yet. I don’t want to jinx it by getting too excited, so instead of looking forward to 2007, let’s look back at some of the dumbest moves of ’06. These are the ones that don’t make sense BEFORE hindsight. They are the moves that don’t improve the present, make the future darker and draw us one step closer to hiring that guy who we’re pretty sure kills people for money. 1. The one and only … Isiah Thomas. “Zeke” gives false hope to thousands of aspiring general managers who know they could do a better job than he has. The fact is, and I’m not using hyperbole here, a team of monkeys could have done a better job with the Knicks than Thomas has since he took over in 2003. By not signing new players, not drafting anyone and not trading anyone, the monkeys would have the Knicks in salary-cap heaven in the most desirable location for free agents in the world. They would also have kept the team’s 2007 ﬁrst-round draft pick, be the front-runners in the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant (drools) sweepstakes and have saved the Knicks hundreds of millions of dollars. I suppose this is sort of a lifetime achievement award, but in 2006 alone Thomas foolishly traded a talented, young, cheap asset in Trevor Ariza and expiring contracts for Steve Francis’ maximum contract, acquired Jalen Rose and his max deal before paying him to go away, spent $60 million on Jared Jeffries and drafted Mardy Collins and Renaldo Balkman (I’m convinced he had been watching the World Cup too much and thought he was drafting Ronaldinho) in the ﬁrst round. Go ahead, Zeke. Take a bow. 2. It is late December in what has already been a wild MLB offseason. Gil Meche convinced Royals’ GM Dayton Moore that he was worth $55 million. Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews have cashed in for a combined $110 million. Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver are weeks removed from signing deals that will pay them an average of more than $8.3 million per season. It is without a doubt either the most druginduced off-season of my lifetime or … no, that’s the only possible explanation. Brian Sabean, the San Francisco Giants GM who kept his job despite trading the game’s best young pitcher (Francisco Liriano) and the game’s best closer not named Rivera (Joe Nathan) for A.J. Pierzynski, decides he wants a hit of whatever everycontinued on page 9

PAGE 12

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Skiing improves ranking after bumpy N.H. trip BY MADELEINE MARECKI ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The ski team has struggled to find its momentum this season, but the Bears might have turned a corner after this weekend’s performance in New Hampshire at the St. Anselm Invitational and the Colby Sawyer Carnival. Brown turned in a disappointing fourth-place finish in Saturday’s slalom event, but the Bears bounced back and finished third in the giant slalom on Sunday. The Bears moved from sixth to fourth in the Eastern Collegiate Ski Conference MacConnell Division rankings. This season, Brown has been struggling compared to the recent history of the Brown ski program. It was ranked sixth in the division after its first four competitions of the season, just one spot outside of the coveted top five. At the end of the season, the top five teams in each division qualify for Regionals. From there, teams can then qualify for the national competition. The Bears finished fi fth in the nation last year, and they were not pleased with this season’s sixth place regional ranking heading into the weekend. “Basically, we’ve been having problems with consistency this year,” said captain Kelly O’Hear ’07. “We have good individual performances … but we haven’t been coming together at the same time.” Although the Bears did not perform as well as they wanted in the slalom at Pat’s Peak on Saturday, they still managed a fourthplace finish. O’Hear led the team, coming in sixth out of 64 finishers. She completed her first run in 59.67 seconds and followed that up with a run of 57.81, a total time of 1:57.48. Elisa Handbury ’10 and Sophie Elgort ’08 also put together solid runs, finishing 13th in 2:01.28

and 14th in 2:02.43, respectively. Handbury clocked in at 1:02.99 for her first run and improved by more than four seconds in her second run, 58.29. Elgort also improved drastically in her second run. She completed her first run in 1:02.61 and came back with 59.82. O’Hear said Elgort’s performance was particularly impressive. “Sophie Elgort has been skiing consistently the past few weekends,” O’Hear said. “She’s been stepping it up this year. She’s always been a consistent skier, but she’s figured out how to ski even faster this year.” On Sunday, the team showed the form it displayed at the end of last season. On Mt. Sunapee, the Bears showed why they consider themselves a “GS team.” O’Hear tied for third overall in a field of 70 in the GS with an overall time of 1:50.05. She completed her first run in 55.92 and her second in 54.13. Anna Bengtson ’09 continued her comeback from an injuryplagued career by finishing second in 10th overall, timing in at 56.51 and 55.45 for a total time of 1:51.96. Bengtson attributed her improvement this year to maintaining a consistent level of training for the first time in years. “I’ve been injured the last couple of years, but I was able to use this entire preseason to condition,” Bengtson said. “I’ve been trying to step it up, and I’ve just been having a good time. I am just happy not being on the sidelines watching everyone else.” Handbury rounded out the scoring for the Bears in the GS, checking in at 57.71 and 55.51 for a total time of 1:53.22, which was good for 15th overall. The Bears made the podium with their third-place finish in the event, trailing only winner Colby-Sawyer College by five seconds and runner-up Boston College by two.

Bill Talbot

Kelly O’Hear ’07 paced the ski team in both events this weekend. In Saturday’s slalom, she came in sixth, and in Sunday’s giant slalom, she tied for third.

“We ﬁnally all put solid runs together,” Bengtson said of Sunday’s team performance. “It was really great for our conﬁdence to put it together.” O’Hear said Sunday’s performance is a step in the right direction for the Bears. “We want to be on the podium every weekend,” she said. “We want to try to improve our slalom, and we want to be at least top three

… we want to easily qualify for Regionals and show (everyone) who’s boss.” The uncharacteristically slow start for the Bears this season can be attributed in part to the unseasonably warm temperatures. The lack of snow in January severely hampered the skiers’ ability to train adequately. During training camp in continued on page 9

M. swimming drops two to Harvard and Yale BY KAITLYN LAABS SPORTS STAFF WRITER

With back-to-back meets against Ivy League foes Harvard and Yale looming, the men’s swimming and diving team had known for a while that the last weekend in January would be their toughest of the season. Battling fatigue, the stress of a new semester and the pressure of the upcoming Easterns meet, the Bears suffered two lopsided losses to Harvard and Yale this weekend. “We just have to take our lumps and move on,” said Head Coach Peter Brown. “This is always a tough weekend for us, but I felt they competed well in spite of the situation they were in.” On Friday, the Bears fell to the Crimson 179-116. Brown finished third in the first event of the day, when the 400-yard medley relay team of Daniel Ricketts ’09, Grant Garcia ’08, Zack Levko ’10 and Paris Hays ’10 swam a time of 1:52.42. Rob Glenn ’08 placed fourth in the first individual event, finishing the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:12.73. Richard Alexander ’09 then nabbed the Bears’ first win of the day, swimming the 200-yard freestyle in 1:44.01. In the next event, Levko earned

Meg Boudreau / Herald File Photo

The men’s swim team struggled to get out of the blocks in losses to Harvard and Yale over the weekend.

second place in the 100-yard backstroke, recording a time of 54.30. Ray Grant ’10 followed with a time of 59.65 in the 100-yard breaststroke for another second-place finish. Ricketts took first place in his second event of the meet, recording a 1:54.34 time in the 200-yard butterfly, with Glenn finishing just behind him in 1:57.50. Kevin Hug ’08 then placed second in the 50yard freestyle with a time of 21.91 seconds and David Koweek ’09

ﬁnished after him with a time of 22.26. In the diving portion of the meet, Kai Robinson ’09 placed second on the 1-meter board with a score of 305.77. Coming off the dive break, Hays took second in the 100-yard freestyle, completing the event in 48.35 seconds. Mike O’Mara ’07 followed suit, earning another second-place ﬁnish for the Bears with a time of 1:58.70 in the 200-yard backstroke.

Robinson won the final diving event of the meet, earning a score of 319.20 on the 3-meter dive. C.J. Kambe ’10, who qualified for the NCAA Zones with his performance against the University of Pennsylvania two weeks ago, finished second in the event with a score of 310.50. Brown’s 200-yard individual medley team of Tucker Wetmore ’10, Brian Kelly ’08, Trent Huxley continued on page 9