Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, S eptember 26, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 76

U.’s performance improves in Trojan sexual health survey

By Chaz Kelsh Contributing Writer

Brown ranked 39th in a recent survey of sexual health resources at 139 American colleges and universities, up from 44th in last year’s survey.

The survey, called the Annual Sexual Health Report Card, was commissioned by the manufacturer of Trojan condoms and performed by research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces. Released Sept. 10, the survey gave Brown a grade point average of 3.09 — a B. Last year, the survey’s first year, Brown received a C grade of 2.1.

The increase is especially meaningful because last year’s survey surveyed only 100 schools.

Brown’s improved performance is more a result of the cursory nature of the survey, than of improvements in campus health programs, Health Educator Naomi Ninneman told The Herald. “It’s not like some big new thing exists,” she said. “We can’t compare last year to this year and say, ‘that’s something we did very differently.’ ” However, Ninneman added, this year’s result “felt more accurate” than last year’s.

Brown’s sexual health resources earned two A’s in the survey, for Web site and hours of operation. Brown received seven B’s — for a separate sexual health awareness program, the availability of contraceptives, HIV and STD testing, lecture or outreach programs, student groups and sexual assault programs — and two C’s, for drop-in appointment availability and anonymous advice through e-mail or a column.

Two of those grades are significant improvements over last year, when Brown received F’s in the contraceptive availability and anonymous advice categories.

The survey categories are based on what students need to be healthy, said Melle Hock, a representative for the Trojan brand. However, the survey did not contact individual students for their opinions. “You would need an overwhelming response” in order to have any statistical significance, Hock said.

Ninneman expressed concern that the survey might have overlooked some parts of Brown’s approach to sexual health. “We have a lot of questions about what this really tells us. I think there are some things that are more invisible that Brown does,” she said, mentioning table-slipping as a large part of Health Education’s outreach that surveyors might miss.

She also said she wondered whether surveyors knew about the sex advice columns that appear in post-, The Herald’s weekly supplement, and which Web site they were evaluating — The Health Services site or the separate Health Education site.

Questioning the B grade for contraceptive availability, Ninneman said condoms are “about as close to free as you’re going to get without being all the way there,” adding that students can take a condom from their RC’s door and then pay the 15 cents later, if necessary.

As for outreach programs, she said, “It seems like (sexual health) continued on page 7

T h e $ 1 6 0 , 0 0 0 q u e st i on

$160,000 ...so as to end up flaccid, immobile, alone on the carpet of a dorm room, shirtless, wheezing, intellectually menopausal, cutting lines on an iBook® with a pre-paid Discover® card, watching consecutive hours of user-generated porn, in the dark, in a hoodie, apolitical, remorseless, eating saltand-vinegar potato chips from a bag without a napkin: like some hero, pretending to be otherwise, on a Wednesday, during discussion section.

Carl Dickerson / Herald Students investigate a mysterious sign outside the Modern Culture and Media building on Thayer Street yesterday. The $160,000 figure may refer to the University’s tuition for four years.

CHEM 0330 over-enrollment sends students for loop Nearly 600 students are currently enrolled in CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure,” a popular introductory chemistry course that has historically accommodated only 510.

The class, which comprises mostly underclassmen, is a prerequisite for higher-level courses in inorganic and organic chemistry and

FEATURE

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www.browndailyherald.com

continued on page 4

By George Miller Contributing Writer

Last fall, while his classmates were preparing for their sophomore year at Brown, Dan Parnes ’10 was on a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. Parnes had taken a year’s leave from school — and would spend eight months of it traveling in Southeast Asia and South America.

CAMPUS WATCH

have to sit on the stairs.”

The unwieldy class size presents an even greater challenge for labs.

CHEM 0330 requires five hours of lab a week in addition to the three hours of lecture. The increased enrollment makes it difficult for students to arrange to switch lab section times or make up missed sections.

“Everybody needs to be a little

Math prof. doubles as musician

By Sophia Li Contributing Writer

INSIDE:

a requirement for biology, engineering and chemistry concentrators.

Currently, there are three lecture classes, all held in MacMillan 117, which has a capacity of 300 — but even with three separate lecture time options, students are squeezed for space.

“If you don’t come to the lecture early, you might not be able to get a seat,” said Herald Contributing Writer Noura Choudhury ’11. “There are usually about 20 students who

By Erika Jung Contributing Writer

Parnes ’10 takes year off to travel around the world

Taking time off had been at the back of Parnes’ mind even before his first year at Brown.

“I toyed with (deferring between high school and college), but I felt that I should go to school ... and then when I graduated from college, I would take time off to travel,” Parnes said. “I came to school and I realized that as much as I loved it, I just wasn’t ready to be here and wasn’t ready to make the most of my time here.”

“I met a frightening amount of older people who had had that plan too, to take time off after college to travel, and they just never did,” he said. “The more people I talked to who said that, the more

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Min Wu / Herald

Dan Parnes ’10

ing his freshman year, Parnes worked constantly, waiting tables in a restaurant in his hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was also employed for a two-week conference by an investment firm based in New York. With his earnings from the summer and money he had saved from previous employment, Parnes paid his way to and through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,

frightened I got that I would do the same thing.”

Parnes then resolved not to delay his travels until after graduation.

“My parents were really supportive and open to the idea. They believe that traveling opens your mind,” Parnes said, adding that his mother had spent time in Mexico and Europe, and his father in Africa, in their youth.

During the summer follow-

Universal Applicant College applicants may soon dump the Common Application for the Universal College Application.

5

continued on page 4

CAMPUS NEWS

CLIMATE CHANGE Next time a cell phone goes off in class, it may be a text message tracking climate change.

Alex Kontorovich’s family has been steeped in math for generations. But he is the only member of his family who studied number theory and also became a musician.

“That was sort of an accident,” he said.

Kontorovich, who is 27 and an assistant professor of mathematics, arrived at Brown in September after completing undergraduate work at Princeton University and receiving a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

As he said a friend of his pointed out, the Bears were really the only choice after the Lions and Tigers.

Kontorovich is currently doing research in number theory, a branch of mathematics concerned largely with the study of prime numbers — the building blocks of numbers, he said.

There is a vast catalog of unanswered questions in number theory, he explained, some posed millennia ago by the Greeks.

“Most of these problems are hopeless,” Kontorovich said. “If these problems have been around

11

OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Baku olympics?

Adam Cambier ‘09 roots for the underdogs in the other 2016 Olympic competition — for host city.

Courtesy of brown.edu

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Alex Kontorovich

for 2,000 years, what says I’m going to be able to completely solve it?” But, he added, there are always partial answers to be found.

A classic example of a number theory problem is the Goldbach conjecture — the assertion that any even number greater than two can continued on page 4

12 SPORTS

Balancing Act The Herald speaks with Alicia Sacramone ‘10 about her decision to become a pro gymnast.

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

We a t h e r Today

TOMORROW

sunny 88 / 65

thunderstorms 80 / 63

Menu

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Spinach Strudel, Sticky Rice, Polynesian Ratatouille, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Beef and Broccoli Szechwan, Raspberry Sticks

Lunch — Pulled Pork Sandwich, Grecian Zucchini Bake, Fresh Sliced Carrots, Sugar Cookies

Dinner — Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Chives, Cheese Ravioli, Pork Chops, Oregon Blend Vegetables, Apple Oatmeal Crisp

Dinner — Sesame Chicken Strips with Mustard Sauce, Egg Foo Young, Sticky Rice, Peas, Vegetables in Honey Ginger Sauce, Apple Oatmeal Crisp

A Bitter Bat — Part 1 | Robyn Ng

Sudoku Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

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

Nightmarishly Elastic | Adam Robbins

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday,©September 26, 2007 Puzzles by Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

C

o s and sw or d Lewis Edited by RichrNorris Joyce Nichols

ACROSS 1 Slangy “QuÈ pasa?”

4 Waiters at a stand 8 1980 Dom DeLuise film 13 Olympics cheer 14 Pool service bane 15 Blown away 16 Part of a gym set 17 *Ready to explode 19 *Complete autonomy 21 Paparazzi prey 22 River seen from Lorelei Rock 23 High-protein soup 24 Double’s doing 25 Tones 26 Half a bray 29 Arrived safely under the throw 30 Out of vogue 31 Trains over streets 32 Tail flick 33 The first words of the answers to asterisked clues are types of them 35 Clark’s “Mogambo” costar 36 Frequented Red Lobster, e.g.

37 Mournful poem 38 11th-century year 39 “__ out!”

40 Empty 41 Aussie salutations 43 Nile biters 44 Spectrum maker 45 Equilibrium 48 *It’s too close to call 51 *Neutralizes 53 Dressy accessory 54 Reach consensus 55 Cornrow, for one 56 Oft-zapped spots 57 Laughs heartily 58 Macy’s department

43 Costar with 27 Graceland idol Moore, Harper, 28 Actor Morales Knight, etc.

29 Influence DOWN 30 Seaside strolling 44 Praline nut 1 Wander among 45 Fight memento spots channels 46 “For here” 2 Friendly leader? 33 eHarmony.com alternative et al.

3 *Its bark is worse 47 Glow 34 Pass by than its bite 48 Immortal racer 38 Radar’s unit 4 Attorney’s Earnhardt 41 On the house customer 42 “Say that thou __ 49 Helper 5 Texas A&M 50 Exam forsake me ...”: player 52 LP measure Shakespeare 6 Bonn road, aptly 7 China collection ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 8 Handles adroitly 9 English-speaking 10 Gentle 11 Q-tip, for one 12 Refs. that take up lots of shelf space 14 Popular nasal spray 18 Most unfriendly 20 Israel’s Barak 23 Beyond romantic 24 Walkway material 25 LPGA cofounder Marlene 26 *Black Sabbath’s genre 9/26/07 xwordeditor@aol.com

59 Net judge’s call

Bubblyg’g | Joe Lario

Crusader Confessionals | Daniel Byers

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By Dan Naddor (c)2007 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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9/26/07

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C ampus W atch Wednesday, September 26, 2007

page 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Yale to return Incan artifacts to Peru Common App now has rival in Universal App

By Oliver Bowers Campus Watch Editor

After spending nearly a century at Yale University, a collection of artifacts from Machu Picchu will soon be returned to Peru, the university announced Sept. 14 in a joint statement with the Peruvian government.

Approximately 380 whole, museum-quality objects in the collection, along with a portion of a separate collection used for research at Yale, will be returned to Peru, according to a Sept. 17 article in the Yale Daily News.

An as-yet-undetermined number of objects from the research collection and some of the museumquality objects will remain at Yale for ongoing research, according to the article.

Yale will “acknowledge Peru’s title to all the excavated objects,” the joint statement read.

The artifacts were originally extracted from Machu Picchu between 1911 and 1915 in the famous expedition by Yale professor Hiram Bingham III, who rediscovered the 15th-century Incan citadel. The city was thought to have been lost since the time of the Incan empire’s fall to Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

“Yale is at last recognizing title to every piece that was excavated from Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham,” said Peru’s housing minister, Her-

nan Garrido-Lecca, in a statement.

In exchange for returning the artifacts, the university will receive rights to extract artifacts from Peru’s collection of nearly 10,000 for research either at Yale or in Peru, depending on which site provides the best facilities. In addition, Yale will retain “usufructuary rights,” which will allow the university to hold on to several of the research materials, now housed at the Peabody Museum in New Haven, on a renewed lease that will run for 99 years, according to the Daily News.

The two parties will sign a formal agreement on the terms of the exchange within 60 days, the Daily News reported.

The road to the negotiations has not been smooth. In December 2005, then-president of Peru Alejandro Toledo threatened to sue Yale for the return of the artifacts. The idea was dropped by the current Peruvian president, Alan Garcia, who this summer appointed Garrido-Lecca as liaison to the university. Over the summer, university officials traveled to Peru to begin the negotiations that concluded at Yale on Sept. 14, according to the Daily News.

“In many ways, the agreement is very close to what we’ve been talking about for the last two years,” Yale President Richard Levin told the Daily News. “We had always acknowledged that as part of a settlement we would give them the

title as long as we solved certain problems.”

Richard Burger, a Yale professor of anthropology who was involved in the discussions with Peru, said he was satisfied with the agreement. “I think in some ways this is a model settlement,” he said. “It focuses on a forward-looking perspective within the framework of education and research. ... It moves away from obsessive repatriation and seeks to find common ground.”

Michael Donoghue, director of Yale’s Peabody Museum, was also enthusiastic about the settlement.

“I do think we reached an excellent, novel solution, which has some elements that can transfer to other such situations (where nations request the return of artifacts),” Donoghue said in an e-mail to The Herald. Donoghue was part of the team that traveled to Peru during the summer.

The approximately 380 artifacts will be included in a traveling exhibit curated by Burger that has been seen by people in seven cities, he said. It will soon tour cities in Europe and possibly Asia. Subsequently the artifacts will return to Peru, where they will be housed in a $5-million museum being constructed for the purpose in the city of Cuzco set to open in 2010.

The traveling exhibit, Burger said, “is good for Peru because it stimulates interest in Peru’s past.”

U. of Florida tasing incident garnering national attention

By Brianna Barzola Staf f Writer

On Sept. 17, University of Florida student Andrew Meyer was tasered as he and his classmates listened to a forum address by Senator John Kerr y, D-Mass. The second prominent taser incident on a college campus in a year, the Florida incident has since sparked national outrage and debate over the appropriate use of tasers on university campuses and whether the police infringed on the student’s right to free speech.

According to the police report submitted by one of the campus police officers who made the arrest, Pablo De Jesus, another student, was asking the final question during a question-and-answer session following Kerr y’s speech when Meyer interrupted. “He stated in a loud, disorderly manner that he was ‘sick of listening to Kerr y’s crap for the past two hours,’ ” the report stated.

Meyer aggressively asked questions about the 2004 election and Kerr y’s association with Yale’s Skull and Bones secret society.

Though Kerr y protested and attempted to answer Meyer’s questions, university police began to take Meyer out of the auditorium.

“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way,” Kerry wrote in a statement. Kerry also said that he was unaware any tasing took place.

A police repor t filed by UF campus police officer Nicole Lynn Mallo, who was also involved in the arrest, suggested that Meyer only pretended to defy officers in front of the cameras.

“As the man was escorted down stairs with no cameras in sight, he remained quiet, but once the cameras made their way downstairs he started screaming and yelling again,” Mallo reported.

Media coverage and students have speculated about whether Meyer’s actions were a ploy for publicity.

Mallo also reported that Meyer was laughing and being lighthearted in the car — his demeanor completely changed once the cameras were not in sight. She said he asked if the cameras would be at the jail and expressed understanding for his arrest.

“Meyer stated, on the way to the jail, ‘I am not mad at you guys, you didn’t do anything wrong, you were just tr ying to do your job,’ ” she reported.

Meyer’s questions, tasering and

arrest were all caught on camera, and the video has since become “viral video,” distributed on YouTube and ultimately making its way to news outlets around the country. VH1’s “Best Week Ever” show parodied the event, making fun of his request that the police not use tasers: “Don’t tase me bro!”

According to the VH1 Web site, the phrase that Meyer yelled at university police will soon appear on T-shirts sold by a classmate of Meyer’s, who has also made a “Don’t Tase Me Remix” video.

Other than media attention, the incident has sparked a following on Web sites like Facebook, where there are currently 120 groups related to the incident. Groups such as, “Supporters of Andrew Meyer and Freedom of Speech,” and “Andrew Meyer should have known better” both defend and attack Meyer’s actions.

Meyer was ultimately charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest with violence. He spent one night in jail and was released the next day, Sept. 18. According to the Independent Florida Alligator, a student-run newspaper at UF, Meyer accepted the criminal charges at his arraignment and was allowed to leave on the condition continued on page 9

By Lisa Blunt Contributing Writer

The Common Application has a new rival this year in the Universal College Application, created by the same company that put the Common Application online.

Forty schools, including Harvard, Duke and the Johns Hopkins universities, have adopted the form so far. Aside from the essay and recommendation required by the Common Application, both applications are nearly identical, and colleges are free to use both programs, said Joshua Reiter, the creator of the Universal College Application.

The new form is intended for use by all higher education institutions, from large public universities to small liberal arts schools, Reiter said.

In 1998, Reiter, the founder of Applications Online, became the first selected vendor to put the Common Application online. In June, after the creators of the Common Application decided to hire a different vendor, Reiter created the Universal College Application.

Reiter put together an advisory committee made up of high school and college advisors, who asked for “something better” to attract “more diversity in applicants,” Reiter said.

Harvard was the first university to join the Universal College Application.

Many large public universities do not require essays and teacher recommendations, which prevents them from using the Common Application. Schools that use the Common Application must require these materials in their applications. In comparison, the Universal College Application asks only that eligible schools be accredited and uphold the guidelines of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

The Universal College Application allows for greater flexibility than the Common Application and considers the essay and recommendation components of applying “immaterial,” Reiter said.

“If a college, such as Harvard, uses the Universal College Application, they do require recommendations and an essay — at other schools, this is optional,” Reiter

said.

Through the Universal College Application, Reiter hopes to encourage first generation college students, underrepresented minorities and low-income students to consider applying to schools they may not have previously considered. “(Harvard) didn’t want to be exclusive” and sought “more diverse” demographics, Reiter said.

“The Universal College Application aims to reach the typical college applicant, plus groups colleges aren’t getting.”

Marlyn McGrath Lewis, director of admission at Harvard, says the school isn’t making any drastic changes to the application process by using the Universal College Application. “We are simply adding to the system that accepts online applications,” McGrath Lewis told The Herald.

Having used the Common Application for 15 years, McGrath Lewis admitted that Harvard is still in a trial period of using the new service, though she looks forward to the ease in usability that the Universal College Application affords to both new applicants and the university itself.

According to Jim Miller ’73, Brown’s dean of admission, the Universal College Application has “pros and cons.”

Miller said the Universal College Application is “an interesting concept” whose “wider range of users” could help the University reach a broader demographic of students than the Common Application. However, Brown has had its own unique application “forever,” Miller said.

The University is still considering whether “to accept both the Universal College Application and our regular application, combine the two or keep Brown’s application,” Miller said.

“There’s a trade-off of the Brown-specific application,” which has information distinctive to the school, “versus questions of access” for less savvy applicants to the College using Brown’s application, Miller said.

If the University decides in favor of adopting the Universal College Application, the application would be implemented in the fall of the 2008-2009 school year, Miller said.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Math rocker explores number theory continued from page 1 be represented as the sum of just two primes. It is still unproven.

Number theory does have practical applications, Kontorovich said, such as in cryptography, which keeps your credit card number safe when you use it online. But Kontorovich is more interested in number theory as an intellectual pursuit.

“When I solve a theorem, I see something with my eyes that humankind has never seen before,” Kontorovich said.

Another draw to mathematics was the pure logic of it, he said. “I don’t have to go digging for dinosaurs anywhere.”

But Kontorovich doesn’t spend all his time poring over papers in his office, either. He splits his week between Providence and New York, where he is very much involved in the music scene.

He plays clarinet and saxophone in a number of improvisational jazz, klezmer and other groups. He has an

album, “Deep Forest,” due out Oct. 5 from Chamsa Records. Kontorovich composed all the music on the disc, with songs like “Transit Strike Blues” and “New Orleans Funeral March” clearly drawn from current events, and others, such as “Kandels Burning,” updates of old tunes.

Originally written as a street march, “New Orleans Funeral March” took on a life of its own at a rehearsal and was renamed after Hurricane Katrina. It was “like a hurricane had happened in the music,” Kontorovich said.

Kontorovich said he found music in “sort of an accident” when, after seeing a jazz concert in eighth grade, he walked out of the concert air-playing the saxophone. His parents soon got him a horn and lessons.

Though he doesn’t mention it in class, Kontorovich’s musical half is known to his students, said Danny Klotz ’11. Kontorovich is teaching MATH 0180: “Intermediate Calculus” this semester.

Reviews of “Deep Minor” so far are positive, with the Jewish Week calling

Kontorovich “an imaginative, thoughtful improviser,” and Midwest Record writing that “Deep Minor” is “tasty stuff the open-eared will dig.”

Kontorovich defined his preferred genre as anything involving improvisation. His other musical projects have included a series of concerts in Weimar, Germany, with six other jazz musicians from three continents, and some collaboration with King Django, which put him in ska and reggae territory.

Kontorovich spends much more time on tour than in the studio, he said, preferring to see new faces, new cities and go “exploring.”

But of course, three days a week he’s back in Providence. His post-doctoral teaching gig will end after three years, after which he plans to look for a permanent position in the New York area, Kontorovich said. Until then, he’ll be teaching and working on number theory ­­­­­— or something else.

“Just like in music,” he said, “you get bored if you’re doing the same thing for too long.”

Crowded labs plague pre-meds continued from page 1 patient as we work things out,” said Kathleen Hess, lecturer in chemistry and one of two professors responsible for the laboratory component of the course. Hess and Associate Professor of Chemistry Joan Lusk also lead labs for CHEM 0360: “Organic Chemistry,” meaning they are responsible for over 900 lab students this semester.

They have divided the workload so that Lusk handles administrative matters and Hess focuses more on working with the teaching assistants.

“It is also a large burden on the TAs,” Hess said. “There is a large amount of work that needs to be done.”

The over-enrollment of CHEM 0330 is probably not a result of the new Banner registration system, said Peter Weber, professor of chemistry and chair of the department.

“We could not find a convincing

direct correlation,” Weber said.

Limited lab space has been an issue — despite more space being available than in years past — because so many students are taking the class, Weber said. “We’ve had fluctuating enrollments, but never this high,” he said.

The over-enrollment problem is compounded by a decrease in the number of available teaching assistants. “We had to scramble to find people to staff those positions,” Weber said.

Only graduate students serve as teaching assistants in the labs, though undergraduate “student mentors” are also used, Weber said. The number of spaces for doctoral candidates at the Graduate School decreased this year due to a $2.5 million budget deficit last year, which did affect staffing for CHEM 0330, Weber said.

The chemistry department has

tried to solve the problem by splitting teaching assistant positions with research assistant positions, but this has created other complications, as some teaching assistants are only in lab half the time, Weber said.

At the beginning of the semester, CHEM 0330 students were offered the option of taking the class in the spring semester to relieve the overcrowding, but students were not interested in the proposal. Arrangements are underway to make the class available during both semesters of the 2008-2009 academic year. “The spring semester Chem 33 should be very attractive to students who have only one chemistry requirement,” Weber said.

“I believe we were able to accommodate all students,” he added. “I hope that there is no negative impact on any students right now other than the crowded laboratory.”

Parnes ’10 trots around the globe during year off continued from page 1 Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

Parnes cited several reasons for choosing these specific countries.

He had already backpacked through Europe with a friend after graduating from high school, and “wanted to get out of that Western culture” and experience “something a little more different.”

Parnes’ trip began in Southeast Asia. He flew to Bangkok with only the first two days of his trip planned out, leaving the rest of his itinerary open. From Thailand he traveled to Laos, though he was originally considering a trip to Vietnam.

“So many people told me Laos was unbelievable, so I just went to Laos and skipped out on Vietnam,” Parnes said. “That was really good for me, that my time off wasn’t structured, which was what I needed — the freedom to do whatever I wanted.”

Parnes specifically recalled Angkor Wat, a Buddhist temple in Cambodia, stunned him with its physical beauty. But he added that each place was so amazing he couldn’t describe one as having a singularly special effect on him.

As Parnes trekked from country to country, hitchhiking and riding buses, he encountered a diverse group of travelers from countries

such as Italy, Australia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Iran.

His fellow travelers represented a diverse array of interests as well. “I met a guy who was traveling around the world studying isolated Jewish communities around the world,” Parnes recalled. “He went to a place in Australia, a place in Africa, and I met him in Argentina.”

Another of Parnes’ acquaintances was studying the migration of apples throughout the world. Beginning at an orchard in Eastern Europe, he followed their progress as they were packaged and shipped.

During his travels, Parnes found numerous opportunities to volunteer, including teaching English in local schools and setting up playgrounds.

“Every place I’d go, I’d meet some people and they’d ask for my help for a few days,” Parnes said.

Upon his return, the transition back into life at Brown to be an easy process. “It’s almost as if I left yesterday,” he said, commenting on how welcoming people were.

He expressed excitement about returning to Brown. “Since I have come back, I do feel like I appreciate it more. When I was here first, I just let everything drift by. Brown has so much going on here, all these great performances and people coming to speak — there’s interesting stuff going on all the time.”

Parnes found the administration to be helpful and supportive in the process of leave-taking. According to the Office of Institutional Research, 129 undergraduate students took time off for employment or personal reasons in the 2006-07 academic year.

Parnes said students considering taking a leave of absence should visit the Resource Center in Rhode Island Hall. Mariposa Garth-Pelly ‘08, one of the leave-taking co-coordinators, said many students come to the Resource Center to get more information about leave-taking and for suggestions on what to do or where to go during their time off.

“I spoke to a student there,” Parnes said, in reference to his own decision-making process, “and he said he took time off and came back and was really all the better for it.”

Because Parnes took a personal leave of absence, he will not be receiving academic credit for that year.

He matriculated as a member of the class of 2009 but will be graduating in 2010 instead.

Even though he’ll be a year older than most of his classmates at commencement in 2010, Parnes said he would make the same decision again.

“What it taught me was that you’ve got to step outside your comfort zone, and if you do that, you’ll be rewarded,” he said.

c ampus n ews Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A C A R EE R O F prot e st

4,549 students living in dorms this fall

By Brian Mastroianni Contributing Writer

Rahul Keerthi / Herald Members of Students for a Democratic Society protested outside of the Career Fair Wednesday in response to the inclusion of employers such as the FBI, CIA and defense contractor Raytheon.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Br

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Texting for climate-conscious buying Text messaging, a favorite mode of communication for many college students, can now be used to help make environmentally conscious purchases thanks to a program developed by nonprofit group Climate Counts.

The group, which is based in New Hampshire and funded by organic yogurt manufacturer Stonyfield Farm, has taken on the task of rating 56 major corporations on how their operations contribute to global warming with its Climate Counts Company Scorecard.

Points are rewarded to each company for meeting specific criteria, including whether they’ve set a clear goal to reduce carbon emissions or support public policy initiatives to fight climate change, classifying them overall as “stuck,” “starting” or “striding.” Consumers can see how the companies stack up by viewing rankings using text messaging or on the group’s Web site.

“What we want to do is give consumers the tools they need to make better choices,” said Project Director Wood Turner. “Our goal is to engage as many people as we possibly can, not just the activist base.”

Eighteen of the 56 companies scored placed in the striding category, meaning they are considered to be doing a good job fighting global warming. Canon, Nike, Unilever and IBM received the highest scores.

Microsoft and Coca-Cola also placed in the top category, as did Stonyfield Farm, the company that funded the project.

Eighteen companies — including Apple, Levi Strauss, Time Warner and eBay — placed in the stuck category, the lowest ranking.

“We wanted to pull back the curtain on companies that people don’t normally associate with climate change,” Turner said.

Geraldo Dutra ’11 said he was surprised by the results for some companies. “Apple has always been the good guy — Microsoft has always been the bad guy,” he said.

But Apple’s poor rating won’t dissuade Kurt Walters ’11 from buying from the stylish technology company. “If you want an iPod, there’s no alternative,” he said.

Clem Marshall ’08 said global warming is still viewed by most as a distant problem, and when making purchasing decisions, “it wouldn’t be the top of my priorities.” But, he said, if he were about to make a purchase and was debating between two products, the company’s environmental record might sway his decision.

Nathan Wyeth ’08, organizer of the student-run climate-neutrality group emPOWER, said he thinks the ratings will have more of an impact on those companies that didn’t score so well, instead of on the companies with good records.

A downloadable pocket-sized scorecard is available at climatecounts. org. To check a company’s score by text messaging, individuals can text “cc(company name)” to 30644.

— Hazel Pike

A total of 4,549 students are living in on-campus residence halls this semester — including 50 graduate students residing in Miller Hall — and an additional 94 undergraduates are living in University-owned off-campus properties, according to Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life Richard Bova.

The housing situation on campus this year is similar to that of previous years, Bova said, with a freshman class numbering 1,486, just slightly less than last year’s 1,492.

Like last year, some students have had to live in unusual housing, such as in converted lounges — some just for a few days and others for the entire year.

“Some lounges were converted this fall,” Bova said, some for “temporary housing situations” that can be “resolved within three to five days, where the students will be given permanent housing.”

In other cases, the converted

lounges are designated as permanent student housing either for the rest of the semester or for the year.

“In order to provide housing for all students, some dorm lounges are permanently converted for the semester or year. ... However, this is not the norm,” Bova said.

This year, Bova said, “the number was relatively small, causing no real issues for students.”

For Tina Herrero ’10 and Laura Sammartino ’10, their room — a converted lounge on the third floor of Mead House in Keeney Quadrangle — is a positive effect of limited standard housing.

“We have a kitchen, and our room is huge. There are no negatives that we can think of,” Herrero said.

Despite being two of only a few sophomores living in a residence hall traditionally occupied by first years, Herrero and Sammartino said they are satisfied with their living arrangement.

“We really love it here, and we’re fortunate that we are here (in the converted lounge) for the entire year,”

Herrero said.

ResLife has received 26 requests for room changes so far this semester, Bova said. “We accommodate these requests as quickly as possible,” he said.

Brown guarantees on-campus housing to undergraduates who desire it, and Bova said no student will be forced to live off campus this semester if they don’t want to. “If we cannot accommodate (the students’) requests for on-campus housing, they will be given temporary housing until we can reach a solution,” Bova said.

The University is working to entice more upperclassmen to remain on campus. Approximately 900 seniors and 300 juniors opt for off-campus housing each year, Bova said.

Though roughly 80 percent of Brown’s undergraduates live in campus-owned properties, the University hopes to increase that figure to as close to 90 percent as possible, Bova said, mirroring the high number of students living on campus at universities such as Yale and Princeton.

Brown team develops 3-D Petri dish

By Seth Motel Contributing Writer

Brown researchers have developed a 3-D Petri dish that better simulates the environment inside a human body.

The team’s innovation was published in last month’s issue of the peer-reviewed journal Tissue Engineering.

The group engineered a special gel mold made of agarose to fit inside a typical Petri dish, commonly used to grow cells for experiments.

The recesses in the mold allow cells to randomly distribute and interact with each other. The cells grow in clusters, simulating the growth of cells in the human body better than cells growing on a flat 2-D surface, said Anthony Napolitano GS, lead author of the paper and a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering.

The 3-D Petri dish could allow faster production of microtissues, which could be used for tests or transplantation into human bodies, said Jeffrey Morgan, associate professor of medical science and principal investigator for the research, in a University press release.

“Having a three-dimensional environment for the cells is much more natural for them,” Napolitano said.

He said working with 3-D Petri

Courtesy of brown.edu

Anthony Napolitano GS, (left to right) Dylan Dean ’00, an M.D./Ph.D. student, and Jeffrey Morgan, associate professor of medical science, pose with their innovative take on a Petri dish.

dishes is less labor-intensive than working with traditional 2-D Petri dishes. And, because agarose can be obtained from seaweed, the molds are relatively inexpensive to create.

This is not the first 3-D Petri dish developed, Napolitano said, but he described the new product as an advancement over earlier ones.

“What was really unexpected was how simple our device is, and yet no one had done it before us,” he said.

Napolitano said he developed a

business plan based on the invention that earned the group $15,000 from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance to further develop the technology.

Morgan and Napolitano worked with Peter Chai ’06 MMSc’07 MD’10, a student at the Alpert Medical School, and Dylan Dean ’00, an M.D./Ph.D. graduate student.

The original Petri dish was named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri. Napolitano said he doesn’t plan to name the new product after himself.

happy birthday dad.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

c ampus n ews Wednesday, September 26, 2007

New turf fields behind OMAC bring pleasure, pain

By Sophia Lambertsen Conr tibuting Writer

The practice fields behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, once a drainage disaster, were replaced over the summer with turf fields. They were also given stadium-style lighting and have been open to varsity, intramural and club teams since the beginning of the fall season. The new turf fields have received mixed reactions from Brown’s teams.

Despite a small problem with the manufacture of the turf material, the installation process went smoothly, said Todd Phelps, assistant director of athletics for operations.

Though the fields were not finished by the originally planned Aug. 15 completion date and were not ready when football preseason started Aug. 19, the football team was able to practice on the preexisting turf field, and the new fields were ready shortly thereafter.

The functionality of the old grass fields was completely contingent on weather. When it was dry, the fields were extremely dusty and hard, while on rainy days they were swamp-like, Phelps said.

“There were a lot of concerns over injury, so we had to limit the fields’ use, which hurt us overall,” he said.

Additionally, the need to fre-

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

quently line the grass fields was a maintenance and cost issue. On the new turf, lines are permanently sewn into the field. Furthermore, the grass fields needed to be cut regularly — a problem solved with the introduction of turf.

The new fields were made financially possible by alumni gifts, and there was no trouble with the budget, Phelps said.

Not ever yone views the new fields with the same enthusiasm, however. Women’s rugby player Alex Hartley ’10 said the new fields mean longer — and more painful — practices.

“Practice tends to run later because of the lights, and playing rugby on turf hurts a lot more than on grass,” she said. “You get scraped up and burned a lot more easily, and it’s not as nice to fall on. We aren’t wearing pads like the football players do.”

Dif ferent equipment is also required for the artificial surface.

“Rugby boots are made for grass, not turf,” Hartley said.

Another complaint of the women’s rugby team concerned the field’s turf beads, tiny ground-up pieces of rubber that preserve the elasticity of the field in frosty conditions. “They fly up in your face and get in your mouthguard,” Hartley said.

Har tley conceded some ad-

vantages, though. The smoother terrain means there is no risk of potholes, which can injure athletes, especially those with weak ankles.

Hartley also recognized the weather benefits. “It’s nice to practice after it rains without being completely drenched in mud,” she said.

Football player Jimmy Tull ’08 also said he prefers playing on grass, though he was quicker to cite the benefits of the turf fields.

“In general, I prefer playing on grass. For me it’s just a better football experience,” he said. “But it’s really nice to have a turf field when the weather comes into play.”

Tull said the longevity of the turf fields is also a major benefit.

Previously, practicing after or during a rainstorm would destroy the old fields for the rest of the season because the grass never had time to regrow. The new lights are much more effective than the old ones, he said, making nighttime practices much more feasible.

“These new fields just open up a lot more opportunities for us,” Tull said.

There will be a dedication of the new fields on Nov. 11.

“These fields are a huge benefit to the entire Brown community,” Phelps said. “There’s just so many things we’re going to be able to do out there which will be great for everyone.”

read / share / recycle

Students react to Brown’s contraception ‘B’ grade continued from page 1 is pretty well woven into a lot of the other events and groups” on campus, like the male and female sexuality workshops, “which I think makes it harder for a surveyor.”

Student reaction to the survey was mixed.

“Everywhere I go, I see condoms on the doors of the RCs,”

said Allegra Aron ’11, saying she was surprised at Brown’s B grade on contraceptive availability.

Paul Zhu ’11 disagreed. “At other schools, such as (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), they have free condom dispensers in almost every bathroom,” he said.

“And there’s none of the weird guilt involved with taking condoms from somebody’s door.”

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wednesdaY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Myanmar government cracks down as monks defy warnings

By Edward Cody Washington Post

BANGKOK, Thailand — Myanmar’s military rulers imposed a nighttime curfew and banned assemblies Tuesday after thousands of Buddhist monks defied their warnings and mounted another day of prodemocracy protests to the cheers of crowds in the streets of Yangon.

Although Tuesday’s demonstration was allowed to proceed peacefully, several truckloads of soldiers and armed police were seen taking up positions in Myanmar’s largest city — formerly known as Rangoon — late in the day, according to news agency reports and videos e-mailed from the isolated Southeast Asian country. The ban on assemblies and the appearance of reinforcements, including anti-riot troops carrying shields and truncheons, suggested the military junta may be preparing to crack down despite appeals from around the world that it avoid using force and enter into negotiations with its opponents.

After a day of protest by an estimated 10,000 monks and lay supporters, some shouting “democracy, democracy,” junta supporters were seen driving around Yangon warning via loudspeakers that “action” would be taken against anyone who continues to support the demonstrations, news agency reports said.

Others announced a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and said gatherings of five or more persons were banned, setting the stage for confrontation if the monks continue to protest, the reports said.

“A crackdown is imminent,” predicted Bertil Lintner, a veteran Myanmar specialist based in neighboring Thailand.

Similar protests in 1988 were put down by soldiers firing weapons into crowds of demonstrators, killing several thousand. But this time security forces so far have remained in the background during more than a week of anti-government agitation that has built into the most serious challenge of the military junta since the 1988 disturbances.

The junta warned on government-controlled television Monday night that security forces could step in unless the current wave of demonstrations came to a halt. The threat followed a day-long protest march in Yangon estimated to have included more than 50,000 people, perhaps up to 100,000, which was much larger than previous demonstrations and several times larger than Tuesday’s march.

At the same time, the religious affairs minister, Brig. Gen. Thura Myint Maung, ordered senior Buddhist leaders to rein in younger monks leading the charge in the streets. “If the monks go against the rules and

regulations in the authority of Buddhist teachings, we will take action under existing laws,” the television quoted him as saying.

In what could be a foretaste of things to come, several hundred monks protesting in the northwestern city of Sittwe were attacked with tear gas and roughed up by security forces, the Reuters news agency reported. Others were reported arrested, sparking anger among their fellow monks in Yangon.

The protests started Aug. 19, set off by a stiff rise in fuel prices. But they have escalated into a head-on political challenge against the military leadership that has run Myanmar, also called Burma, for most of the past half-century. Spearheaded by the Buddhist monks who are revered by the nation’s 56 million inhabitants, the demonstrations in recent days also have broadened to embrace lay students and members of the National League for Democracy, the political party headed by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The Asian Human Rights Commission in Washington said in a statement that the demonstrations, although they started over the economic strains, have evolved into an “uprising to end the country’s military dictatorship.”

In addition, the protests have drawn the attention of the world to the long-festering political stalemate, where the military junta has kept Suu Kyi under virtual house arrest and prevented her party from taking power despite its victory in elections in 1990. Reuters reported Tuesday that Suu Kyi, who has become a symbol for many of the protesters of their longing for democracy, was taken to a prison Sunday in an attempt to prevent her from emerging as a leader of the new antigovernment campaign. In a brief appearance at the gate of her home Saturday, she drew cheers from hundreds of protesters who were allowed to approach her residence.

From President Bush’s announcement of tougher sanctions Tuesday at the United Nations to an appeal for national reconciliation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the junta and its leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, have been urged to abandon their exclusive grip on power as public concern over the increasingly tense situation surges across Asia and beyond.

Foreign correspondents have been barred. But voluminous images of the protesting monks, striking in their maroon robes and sandals, have been dispatched out of the country during the past week by e-mail and cellphone, providing vivid television footage and newspaper photographs.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Sacramone ’10 leaves Brown gymnastics behind continued from page 12 hands — “They were a little sweatier than normal,” she said — and said a prayer. Then, she went out and bounced, flipped and danced her team to victory.

When she landed the routine, “I knew it my heart it was good enough to win,” she said.

The world championship — the United States’ second overall and first on foreign soil — secured the Americans a spot in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Sacramone also won individual medals in the floor exercise (silver) and vault (bronze).

Though the Olympic squad hasn’t been named, Sacramone is a virtual lock for the team given her recent performance.

Since she quit the Brown gymnastics team earlier this month to pursue a professional career, Sacramone will now have more time to train specifically for the Olympics.

“I want to get my gold back on the floor,” said Sacramone, who won

gold in the event in the 2005 World Championships.

Brown gymnastics Head Coach Sara Carver-Milne said she was disappointed that Sacramone quit the team, but said she always knew it was a possibility because of Sacramone’s talent. As far as Beijing, she believes Sacramone will shine.

“Oh, gosh,” Carver-Milne said when asked of her potential. “Alicia, I would say, is the most reliable person on the U.S. team right now. She’s tremendously talented.

She’s so much more experienced right now at the world level as far as handling the pressure and hitting the counts.”

For now, life is good for Sacramone. Despite over an hour each day spent commuting to practice in nearby Burlington, Mass., she is enjoying life as a student. Though she’s now a professional, she isn’t forgetting about her former Brown teammates.

“I told them, ‘I’m going to get you some sweet hook-ups,’ ” with her endorsements, she said.

Tasering incident generates national attention continued from page 3 that he would return for a criminal trial that has yet to be scheduled.

Many of the students were outraged at how university police handled the situation, and over 200 participated in an organized a twoday sit-in protest held last week.

Benjamin Dictor, a junior at UF and one of protest organizers, said protestors first made their way to the campus police offices to collect complaint forms.

“I ser ved as a communicator between the protestors and the officials,” Dictor told The Herald.

“We intended for ever yone to fill out complaint forms at the (campus police office), but then we heard about the press conference being held and we marched to Alumni Hall. We demanded representation.”

Dictor said the students, who were not invited to the press conference, barged into the building and began a sit-in. Officers at the event finally allowed one student to attend the press conference on the second floor of the building.

“It became evident that we are living in a society where we have more laws restricting freedom of

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speech and association. A lot of the students I sat down and spoke to at the protest had never done anything active like this or had ever been politically active, and I think it says a lot that students won’t take any more,” Dictor said.

But Quevedo disagreed. “This was not an issue of police brutality,” she said. “The police were looking out for other people’s safety and (Meyer) was getting out of hand.”

UF President Bernard Machen has said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conduct an independent investigation of the incident and that, following its findings, a student and faculty panel would review all university policies and protocol concerning “student dialogue and faculty interaction.”

“We’re going to announce the members of the panel within the next day or so, which will include four members of the faculty and four students,” Orlando said.

Machen has also expressed his embarrassment over the episode.

“The incident that occurred yesterday is regretful for us because civil discourse and dialogue did not occur,” he said in last week’s press conference.

thanks for reading.

Singer: Athlete blogs bring good, bad qualities research for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Perhaps inspired by his fellow Curt, Detroit Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson has spawned a blog of his own this year for ESPN. com. He might not have a catchy title, but Granderson provides a similar view into the life of a major league baseball player that other media don’t. He discusses the difficulties of hitting a lefty slider and the strain of completing one’s bachelor’s degree while playing in the minor leagues. He also provides an image of the clubhouse that the postgame shows just can’t capture. For instance, before reading Granderson’s blog, I had no idea that Ivan Rodriguez plays with the bats in the dugout to try and “wake them up” so that the team will get more hits.

Nor did I know of a particular end-of-the-season hazing ritual in Detroit. Granderson writes, “Normally right after the game the rookies will come in and all their clothes will be gone except for a nice small Halloween outfit to wear while we travel to the next city. During my rookie year, I was Pocahontas.”

As comforting as it is to know that the Boys of October celebrate in drag, I wonder if perhaps there is such a thing as too much information. Gazing at the baseball cards in my basement, I remember the wonder and excitement of watching reruns of Carlton Fisk waving his walk-off home run in that hallowed Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.

Would my memory of Fisk be any different if I had known that he too, dressed up like Pocahontas during the postgame festivities later that night?

Who knows, maybe Schilling and Granderson will one day be legends just like Fisk. It’s ver y possible. This year, Granderson became the first player since Willie Mays to hit 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season. That’s pretty epic. But then I read that he likes to “mess around on my computer and phone.

Lots of text messages. Eat, sleep and enjoy TV re-runs,” that he felt giddy excitement when he hit his first home run, and that “the next exciting thing I did was Sunday after our game: I headed to Wal-Mart to buy a few basic things for my apartment and a few snacks.” Or maybe I’ll peruse Schilling’s musings to find that he is gloating about how “(Philadelphia Eagles’ Brian) Westbrooks’s Monday night sealed the first of what should be 14 straight wins over John Meter Madden” in his fantasy football league. It’s kind of deflating to realize these lauded individuals do the same mundane things everybody else does, only they have a different job.

Part of what makes Fisk and professional athletes such iconic and idolized figures is that they aren’t like us. Sure, we know they’re human, and as has been made painstakingly clear in recent years, they lie and cheat and make mistakes just like the rest of us. But

when I go to a ballpark, I go in part to suspend my sense of reality and buy into the idea that these are not regular people just like us. They are, for three to four hours, stoic, mythical figures capable of physical feats I can only dream of. So as nice and informative as it may be to have endless insight into the minutia of the lives of professional athletes, in doing so the barrier between us and them is broken. The pedestal we put them upon is leveled. Just remember, sport isn’t about reality, and when the two merge, some of the magic is lost.

Ben Singer ’09 will go to Wal-Mart and buy a Pocahontas costume if the Red Sox lose the division.

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Staf f Editorial

Lost in transfer Brown wouldn’t be the same without its vibrant transfer community, a group that brings a unique perspective — that of another college — to the University’s already diverse student body.

The transfer success story is a common one at Brown, but that seems largely the result of individual students’ efforts to make their Brown experience what they want it to be — in spite of sometimes being treated by the University as second-class students. Financial aid and orientation programs are substantially less robust for transfers than for traditional first-year students coming to College Hill.

Of course, no one is satisfied with Brown’s “need-aware” admission policy for transfer students. But procuring funds to supply a more equitable admissions policy isn’t easy: Brown only switched to need-blind admission for its regular applicant pool when President Ruth Simmons arrived on College Hill.

To that end, the Corporation pledged $1 million to bolster transfer aid, which was allocated from the University budget in installations over the course of three years. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Need-blind financial aid for transfer students should be the University’s ultimate goal, and there are other improvements that can be made in the meantime to the financial aid application process for transfers.

First among these changes should be the loan bracket placement of aid-seeking transfers. Currently, transfer students applying for financial aid are placed automatically in the highest loan bracket, regardless of their actual household income. When transfer students are placed on the waiting list for financial aid, they must make decisions about whether to attend Brown without knowing how their education will be paid for.

And if transfers don’t receive aid their first year — either because they didn’t apply or because they didn’t get off the aid waiting list — they’re not eligible to apply for scholarship aid in subsequent years.

On top of all that, transfers interviewed by The Herald expressed general frustration with the Office of Financial Aid. One student expressed “the impression that this policy seems hidden under many layers of bureaucracy.” That some transfer applicants were unaware of the implications of the “need-aware” policy (a cryptic term, indeed) is not only troubling but simply disingenuous on the part of the administration.

Transfers are often unfairly squeezed into the machinery of Brown, and their numbers have fluctuated wildly in recent years.

According to Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73, there were nearly 60 new transfer students this semester, up from just 22 last fall.

The University needs a more transparent, straightforward — and ultimately, when funds have been secured, fairer — method of dealing with transfer students’ requests for financial aid and helping them transition to life at Brown. With equal financial footing and a thorough introduction to College Hill, transfer students will be in a better position than ever before to make the best of their Brown experience.

T he B rown D aily H erald Editors-in-Chief Eric Beck Mary-Catherine Lader

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frances choi

Letters Gays not only group to face discimination To the Editor: While I agree wholeheartedly with Tyler Rosenbaum that “it is our duty to speak out against homophobia and discrimination” (”It’s not a question of ‘readiness,’ ” Sept.

21), I was deeply disturbed by one of the statements in his column. Rosenbaum claims that homosexuals are “the only minority against whom is it is still generally socially acceptable to discriminate.” This is simply inaccurate. In the United States, there is rampant discrimination against immigrants, the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, to name a few. For example, though we have made strides — albeit short ones — toward tolerance by raising awareness of physical disabilities,

we are no more progressive than we were a century ago with regard to the way we treat people with mental, developmental and emotional disabilities. In my extensive experience in working with the disabled, I have seen little evidence of social acceptance and overwhelming proof of outright discrimination and deliberate cruelty.

As advocates of tolerance, we implore others to first acknowledge and then correct their narrow-mindedness. As advocates, we must demand the same of ourselves.

Helen Johnson ’11 Sept. 22

Cooper Nelson on hospice care To the Editor: I write to thank The Herald for the recent article about my election to the board of directors of Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (“U.’s Cooper Nelson joins hospice board,” Sept. 25).

The article mentions my personal knowledge of this organization’s work — a true statement, but no mystery need attach. As chaplain of the University, I witness first-hand the care that HHCRI provides to many in our University family at life’s end. My father was a hospice

patient here in Rhode Island prior to his death in 2005.

Our family, and many in the Brown family, feel deeply grateful for HHCRI’s compassionate expertise.

Brown can take pride in the role that several from this faculty and administration took in the founding of HHCRI and in its continuing good work. I am very glad to share further detail of this work at any time.

The Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson Chaplain of the University Sept. 25

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O pinions Wednesday, September 26, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

On the machinations of ‘sophisters, economists and calculators’ SEAN QUIGLEY Opinions Editor What a sad moment it was when I first read Tyler Rosenbaum ’11’s column (“It’s not a question of ‘readiness,’” Sept. 21) last Friday morning. As it were, I had hoped that, for this week’s column, I would submit a clever little piece about our illustrious former Senator Chafee, and how the only fitting farewell that we can give him is “good riddance.” But alas, that column was not to be — after all, I could not let Rosenbaum’s column go without a condemnatory response. And I should like to think that my treatment of the issue will venture into intellectual territory quite distinguishable from his silly collection of pointless platitudes and sentimental slop.

The fundamental flaw in Rosenbaum’s argument is his misunderstanding of marriage.

Indeed, it seems that, in order to convince the reader of the unjust nature of traditional marriage, he began with the conclusion that same-sex marriage should be legal, and then retroactively assembled some examples of past unjust prohibitions that were lifted when a more “enlightened” populace or government assumed control. As such, he fails properly to advert to, or even consider, the reasons why marriage has historically been regarded as inherently heterosexual.

At the heart of the arguments against samesex marriage is not some deep-seated homophobia or an attempt to legislate personal morality.

Rather, those who oppose same-sex marriage do so for the simple reason that unions of two men, two women, or any other combination of persons deviating from one man and one

woman, violate the cultural understanding of marriage that predates recorded history. In other words, many would find it perfectly acceptable for a homosexual man to marry — so long as his spouse were a woman.

Marriage, as it has been understood culturally for thousands of years, preceded any formal governmental structure, and it certainly preceded the Declaration of Independence and all ensuing constitutional and statutory law. As a consequence, it is intellectually dishonest for one to argue that marriage laws are oppressive to those people who want to marry someone of the same sex. Marriage laws are merely the codification — and legal facilitation — of an

and the woman share — and, as many religious folk would claim, this union is the surest route to experiencing the Infinite, particularly when the two persons are united physically in one flesh. Further yet, marriage has much instrumental value, as it helps to secure a more stable and morally healthy existence for those who enter into it. That is to say, it provides the most adequate, responsible means by which sexual desire can be sated and by which the instinctual desire for offspring can be realized.

Marriage truly is an unadulterated good.

On a macro level, marriage is the union into which two persons enter so as to maintain society’s core organizational unit — the fam-

Marriage laws are merely the codification — and legal facilitation — of an institution into which men and women have entered for nearly all of human existence. institution into which men and women have entered for nearly all of human existence.

Hence, any governmental attempt — either in the courts, the legislatures, the bureaucracies or the like — to invalidate the laws that define marriage in a traditional manner, is a staggering form of intrusion into the lives and culture of the communal society that logically preceded the coercive government.

On a micro level, marriage is an end in itself, as all actions subsequent to the formation of the union have the express purpose of strengthening the intimate love that the man

ily. Such unions are, of necessity, realized by those individuals whose genital endowments are, when fused, reproductive in type, albeit not necessarily in effect. Contrary to the patently false and historically unaware assertions of many “marriage equality” advocates, love is not the sole prerequisite for marriage. If it were, then there would be no reason why society should eschew a marriage between an 8-year old girl and a 40-year man. And since our society does not allow such couplings, let us have the humility to investigate why, instead of complaining arrogantly that some

cockamamie version of equality and reason is not being actualized.

In the cited example, one reason for that union’s prohibition is that the girl lacks the adequate ability to consent to a marriage with the man — although, admittedly, when one acquires this ability is subject to debate. Another reason is that the coupling would not be reproductive in either type or effect, as virtually all females at that age have not gone through puberty.

Regardless of the exact reason, the crucial point being argued is that there rightly exist restrictions on the institution of marriage — restrictions that invalidate the theory that love is the sole prerequisite.

Taking a step backward, it appears that the goal of those who clamor for “marriage equality” is not merely to seek the implementation of a policy that is currently in fad. Rather, and infinitely worse, their overarching goal appears to be the eradication of all ancient customs and traditions, on the altar of some supercilious conception of abstract Reason.

It is worth noting that, in “A Notebook of Edmund Burke,” the British member of parliament and man of letters wrote, “There is some general principle operating to produce Customs, that is a more sure guide than our Theories. They are followed indeed often on odd motives, but that does not make them less reasonable or useful.”

Burke, no stranger to the machinations of “sophisters, economists and calculators” understood this principle to be “the wisdom of nature, or rather of providence,” and not that of human ingenuity. Rosenbaum and his like-minded calculators would be wise to recognize this truth.

Sean Quigley ’10 is a moderate Republican.

Like torches in the wind: 2016’s Olympic underdogs ADAM CAMBIER Opinions Columnist

For someone who sucks as badly as I do at sports, I adore the Olympics. The Olympics represent such a grand coming together of disparate elements that there’s something for everyone to love. There’s athleticism for the jocks, geopolitics for the international relations crowd and travel to exotic destinations for the jet set. As far as I’m concerned, the Olympics are all about the competition.

As the only sporting event on Earth to be planned out a full decade in advance, the Olympics’ unique brand of competition begins with the race among the world’s top cities to host the whole shebang in the first place. On the 13th of this month, seven cities submitted bids to host the 2016 Summer Games; in a bit less than a year’s time, those seven will be narrowed to a shortlist of four or five candidates.

Then, in October 2009, the host city will be selected in a vote by the International Olympic Committee, known as the IOC. As much as any of these seven cities want to host the big one, a few of them will barely make it out of the starting gate. Only frontrunners Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid are guaranteed to earn spots on the shortlist, which is based solely on technical merit. Seeing as I’m one who likes to root for the underdog, I thought that the onset of the race would be the perfect time to give our also-rans their moment in the sun. Thus, without further ado, I present you with the long-shots of 2016.

Baku: Where? The capital of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, Baku is the figurative gimp in the herd of candidates — they’re just asking to be devoured by the stronger, richer candidates. Azeri economists have sug-

gested that the games could cost upward of $20 billion dollars. This poses a significant problem, as the GDP of the entire country doesn’t even add up to twice that figure. Making matters worse, the city is only a leisurely day’s drive away from the host of the 2014 Winter Games, the Russian coastal resort of Sochi, and the IOC dislikes bestowing too much attention on one region. Awarding the games to Baku would be a severely risky prospect, and poses as much danger to the reputation of the IOC as a pitcher of frozen margaritas does to Britney Spears on the night of the MTV Video Music Awards. Consequently, Baku’s chance of hosting the Olympics is only slightly better than poor Britney’s chance of a legitimate comeback.

indication, the answer might just be yes. Ultimately, the oil-rich country is willing to throw more money into the Olympics than a drunken businessman on dollar night at the strip club, and that could actually compensate for the risks and help Qatar bring home the gold.

Prague: Imagine that you’ve just had a death in the family. One of your neighbors is concerned to the point that they bring you enough home-cooked food to last your entire extended family for a month. Another is only so apathetic as to give you a week-old casserole and a Hallmark card misspelling the name of the deceased. While most of the bidding cities exude enough enthusiasm to act as the race’s version of the first neighbor, Prague reflects the attitude of the latter. They recognize that

Seeing as I’m one who likes to root for the underdog, I thought that the onset of the race would be the perfect time to give our also-rans their moment in the sun. Thus, without further ado, I present you with the long-shots of 2016.

Doha: The real wildcard in the race, the capital of the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar raises a number of interesting questions with its bid.

If the Olympics were to come to the Middle East for the first time, could Doha provide enough security to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators at such a high-profile event? Can the country’s Muslim leadership get over its beef with Israel and genuinely reflect the spirit of international cooperation that the Games are supposedly about? Can a nation with summer highs of nearly 120°F keep too many athletes from dying of heat stroke? If the very successful 2006 Asian Games (a continent-specific version of the Olympics) held in Doha are any

their prime real estate in Europe puts them at a significant disadvantage for the 2016 Olympics, because by the time the games in question roll around two of the previous three installments (2004 in Athens and 2012 in London) will have been held on the same continent. The IOC likes to spread the wealth, so consequently the Prague authorities are simply testing the waters this time with a dry run of sorts. Practical? Yes, because the IOC loves candidates that have bidding experience. Sadly for the Czechs, it’s attitude that counts in the end. A half-hearted bid will ultimately win them a fat load of nothing.

Rio de Janeiro: Rio is all about exotic sun,

beaches and breasts, and the stodgy old guys over at the IOC always love an opportunity to appear less stodgy and old. The Brazilian Mecca for sun worshippers paints an incredible picture: Bid proponents have suggested sailing events along Sugarloaf Mountain and beach volleyball on the sands of Copacabana.

The warmth of the Brazilian people and their eagerness to host the Games is exemplified by the city’s statue of Christ the Redeemer and its famed stance, with arms open and ready to embrace the world — they want the Olympics thiiiiiis much. Additionally, South America has never hosted the games (Latin America hasn’t hosted since Mexico City held the Summer Games in 1968), and IOC President Jacques Rogge has expressed his hope that the Olympic movement can expand to new frontiers. All of these pros, however, are hypothetical. Rio’s hosting of the 2007 PanAmerican Games highlighted several critical flaws in the city’s transportation infrastructure, and the fact that Brazil is set to host the 2014 World Cup may leave IOC voters wondering whether the country can really be fully committed to the Olympics. Rio’s ultimate chances depend on whether the IOC votes with their heads or their hearts.

So there you have it. While the three frontrunner cities are bound to come up time and time again in Olympic-related news over the next several years, there’s a decent chance that at least a few of the four cities listed here are just flash-in-the-pan phenomena that will drop out of the race at the earliest opportunity.

This is the game, however, where nobody knows anything, and the past two elections (for London in 2012 and Sochi in 2014) ended in surprises. There’s still a lot of time before the fat lady sings, and the underdogs all still have a shot — so let the games begin.

Adam Cambier ’09 wishes there was an Olympic hot dog eating event.

S ports W ednesday Page 12

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Athlete blogs M. x-country comes in 2nd, w. x-country 3rd at Iona bring good, bad qualities I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the internet has become kind of a big deal. And along with MLB.tv, live-updates and endless fantasy empires, another curious phenomenon has seeped in: sports blogging.

At first, I was skeptical of the blog. It seemed to me a way of reporting without the editing, in a way that was accessible to ever yone. I’m all for accessibility, but it did make Ben Singer me a bit uneasy High Notes that the same outlet through which adolescent girls anonymously embellish their teenage traumas was also being used to produce serious journalism. After reading some of ESPN.com columnist Eric Karabell’s fantasy baseball analysis, however, I began to think differently about it.

But recently, the blog has reached a new stage in its evolution: the professional athlete. At first, it was Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who pioneered the way with his frequently updated site, 38 Pitches. As anyone who knows him is well aware, Curt likes to talk. In fact, one might go so far as to call him a blowhard. But despite his oftpublicized and frequently unsolicited tirades into his social and political agendas, Schilling is very informative. He’ll break down his strategy for his last start and honestly identify and critique some of his mistakes.

He even uses his site to try and garner support for his charity that funds continued on page 9

A meet named the Iona Meet of Champions creates big expectations. While neither the men’s nor women’s cross-country teams were crowned champions last Saturday, they each had a strong showing in their second meets of the season.

After winning the Boston University Invitational two weeks ago, the men fared almost equally well at the Iona meet, earning second place. Christian Escareno ’10 led the Bears with a 12th-place finish on the eight-kilometer course, with a time of 25:47.2. Ari Zamir ’08 followed in 14th place (25:49.6), Duriel Hardy ’10 finished 16th (25:54.4), Ryan Graddy ’08 took 18th (25:59) and Ozzie Myers ’08 finished 22nd (26:06.9).

The women finished third behind Pennsylvania State University and Cornell, but defeated 18 other teams in the six-kilometer race. The Bears were led by Jenna Ridgway ’10, whose time of 21:48.9 was good for a fourth place finish. Smita Gupta ’08 was there to support in seventh place with a time of 22:10.8. The Bears also got scoring help from Ariel Wright ’10 (22:47.9) in 21st, Lara Heigis ’11 (22:51.8) in 22nd, Lindsay Kahn ’09 (23:05.5) in 27th and Abby Hinds ’11 (23:06.9) in 28th. The team defeated Ivy League rivals Dartmouth and Harvard.

“The women’s team did very well — we’re basically racing our top runners for the first time this season, so everyone was pleased with their performance,” Gupta said.

Both teams will compete next at the New England Championships on Oct. 6, in Franklin Park, Mass.

— Herald sports staff

By Peter Cipparone Spor ts Editor

Dan Grossman ’71

Jenna Ridgway ’10 finished in fourth place at the Iona Meet of Championships this weekend.

With clutch performance at Worlds, Sacramone ’10 vaults away from college gymnastics

By Stu Woo Spor ts Editor

reactionphotos.com

One of the most impressive performers at the World Gymnastics Championships earlier this month, Alicia Sacramone ’10 helped the U.S. team secure the gold medal.

In first show, equestrian hurdles UConn, Rhody

When Alicia Sacramone ’10 finished her floor-routine at the World Gymnastics Championship earlier this month, her mother, Gail, screamed. Then she cried.

She screamed because the nearly flawless routine clinched the gold medal for the United States, and because her daughter would begin her professional career on the highest of notes. She cried because of what her daughter went through to get there.

“I don’t think any kid on the team went through what Alicia did,” said Gail, her voice cracking over the phone.

As Sacramone’s teammates mobbed her, Gail thought of her daughter’s experience three years ago. Instead of competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Australia, Sacramone watched them from her living-room couch, her back in a brace, because she had performed poorly and hurt herself in the Olympic trials earlier that year. As she sulked, she thought about leaving gymnastics forever.

“It was like there was a death

in the family,” Gail said.

But three years later, a wiser, stronger and more mature Sacramone put those memories behind her. At the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sept. 5, she proved that she was the leader of the U.S. team and became a bit of a gymnastics legend with a performance that the Associated Press called as “clutch” as “any shot taken by Michael Jordan.”

The American team had a comfortable lead ahead of second-place China when two U.S. gymnasts uncharacteristically slipped on the beam, putting their gold medal in jeopardy. But Sacramone, who at 19 is the oldest on the team, gathered her teammates together and calmed them down.

“I told them, ‘Guys, we still got this. Don’t let these two mistakes get us down,’ ” she said.

Then, Sacramone went out and followed her own advice. As the last American gymnast to perform the floor routine — the last event of the competition — she knew a solid routine would be good enough to win.

So she put some chalk on her continued on page 9

In its season debut this Saturday, the equestrian team opened with a bang. The squad defeated the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island by accumulating 42 points in a show at Faith Hill Farm in East Greenwich, R.I. Last season was a banner year for the equestrian team, which took third in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Show — its best-ever finish. After a long summer layoff, the team showed no rust in its first competition.

“We rode well,” said Elizabeth Giliberti ’10. “We just talked about coming out well at the first show and getting it done, and we did.”

Giliberti and Brianne Goutal ’11 led the way for Brown. Competing in the intermediate classes as she did last season, Giliberti took first place in both the Flat and Fences competitions. Her performance secured 14 points for the team.

Goutal, riding in her first collegiate show, turned in an impressive performance in the Open Division, the top flight of competition.

The freshman standout from New York City took the blue ribbon in both Flat and Fences.

Brown also received contributions from upperclassmen as Irmak Tasindi ’08 won the Novice Flat class and Stephanie Syc ’08 triumphed in Walk Trot Canter. Other standout finishers were Rachel Griffith ’10, who finished second in Novice Fences and Stephanie Carmack ’08, who pinned thirdin WalkkTrot.

The biggest surprise of the show was the finish of last year’s top rider, Whitney Keefe ’08. Keefe finished fifth in the Caccione Cup last spring, the top national collegiate competition. Keefe took a solid second to Goutal in the Open Fences class, but did not place in Open Flat because her horse, one randomly chosen for her as is done for all riders, spooked.

“We know that horse and it’s done that before,” Giliberti said.

“It spooked and reared right in front of the judge.”

Though Brown won almost ever y event, UConn, which Giliberti called one of Brown’s main rivals, was able to come close by racking up 39 points. URI finished with 30.

Next week the team will ride in their only official home show of the fall, at Windswept Farms in Warren.

It is “a pretty big deal,” Giliberti said.

sports sch e dul e Tuesday, Sept. 25 M. golf: 15th at Adams Cup of Newport W. soccer: Brown 2, Maine 0 Wednesday, Sept. 26 Field hockey: at Massachusetts Volleyball: at Rhode Island