Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, O ctober 2, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 80

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

New sabbatical policy could leave departments in a lurch

BROWN BEES

By Evan Boggs Staff Writer

Austin Freeman / Herald

Thanks to unseasonably warm weather ­awesome blossoms still pepper the campus.

The faculty approved a new sabbatical policy in March, but University officials are still gearing up for a long and uncertain implementation process.

“What we have voted on essentially is a principle, and not an implementation program,” said Associate Dean of the Faculty Elizabeth Doherty, noting that “the devil is in the details.”

The new policy, voted on at a March 6 faculty meeting, provides tenured professors three choices for sabbaticals — a semester-long leave at 75 percent of their normal salary after six semesters of teaching, a semester-long leave at full pay after 12 semesters of teaching or a yearlong leave at 75 percent pay after 12 semesters of teaching.

Under the existing system, professors can take a semester-long sabbatical at full pay after 12 semesters of teaching.

The new policy gives faculty more

After budget cuts, Critical Review loses print edition

By Anna Millman Staf f Writer

Following a significant cut in funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board, the Critical Review will no longer be published in paper form. The move, UFB members say, will more equitably distribute funds to all campus publications, but staffers of the Critical Review argue that the funding cut may put an end to the publication’s 31-year run.

The Finance Board gave the

Critical Review a budget of $1,090 for the fall semester and the same amount for the spring “to maintain their Web site and continue to print paper questionnaires,” UFB Chair Ryan Mott ’09 wrote in an email to The Herald. He wrote that UFB did not provide funding for the usual paper copies “because we saw the 1,000 copies as being an ineffective use of funds for the purpose of the group.”

UFB allocated $15,670 to the Critical Review in the 2006-2007 academic year, according to UFB’s

Web site. UFB, which funds Categor y II and Categor y III student groups, has a total budget of approximately $850,000, Mott wrote.

The Critical Review has been facing progressively larger budget cuts for the last 15 years, said Ariana Cannavo ’08, an editor-in-chief of the Critical Review.

Mott said the budget cut decision was made in part because publishing costs for the Critical Review are high and in part because more — and, in particular,

new — publications are requesting funds from UFB. “It was never our mission to eliminate the Critical Review, but it was our belief that the $15,000 (yearly) could be put to better use in other publications,” Mott said.

“We have the same amount of money, increasing costs, increasing groups. It’s not like we’re holding onto money. All the money we have is allocated out,” he added. continued on page 8

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to speak tonight

By Chaz Firestone Senior Staff Writer

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will deliver the fifth Governor Frank Licht Lecture tonight at 7 p.m. in Salomon 101. Patrick, a Democrat, is the second elected AfricanAmerican governor in U.S. history and was sworn into office in January after a career of legal practice in the public and private sectors.

A graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Patrick worked for the United Nations in Africa and as an attorney for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, where he took on a high-profile voting rights case involving then-Arkansas Gov. Arkansas Bill Clinton.

In 1994, after spending a few years with a private Boston law firm, Patrick was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights

flexibility in planning sabbaticals and allows for 20 percent of the faculty to be on leave every semester.

To mitigate the loss of a professor on sabbatical, the policy allows departments to request additional funding to hire replacement instructors, though departments have already budgeted for sabbaticals under the old policy. The Office of the Dean of the Faculty plans to implement other programs to lessen the strain these leaves might put on the curriculum, Doherty said.

“We’ve budgeted for some full time, yearlong or semester-long visitors to provide continuity in departments,” Doherty said.

But Doherty told The Herald the policy cannot take effect immediately because of the difficulty in determining how to count semesters toward sabbaticals accrued under the old policy. The old policy required professors to teach 12 consecutive semesters at Brown. Thus, many professors are already eligible for continued on page 4

Wikipedians on procrastinating, Phish and poetry

By Olivia Hoffman Staf f Writer

For many students, Wikipedia is a source of random trivia or a way to figure out what that ancient philosopher was actually saying just in time for section. But for some, it’s more.

“I do have these grandiose ideas about Wikipedia,” said Sam Levine ’08. “Sometimes I think it’s going to be the one true information source that ever yone will go to in the future.”

FEATURE Levine, an applied math and neuroscience double-concentrator, said Wikipedia is set as his browser’s home page. He started making small, anonymous corrections on the site before he arrived at Brown. As a freshman, he created the “Brown Wikipedians” Facebook group — more recently, he began creating articles about topics ranging from books to video games, said most “Wikipedians” are very respectful and cooperative and use the articles’ discussion pages as a place to “reach a consensus” about conflicting information.

“People are all ver y polite in general,” he said. “If you lash out at people and use a lot of capital letters, they’re not going to take you seriously,” he said, adding that “precedent” and “seniority” are important, as contributors check other editors’ previous contributions to determine their credibility.

by President Clinton and defended Clinton’s affirmative action policy while also handling cases on racism in the workplace and civil rights.

Patrick returned to the private sector in 1997, serving as general counsel to the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta.

In 2005, Patrick set his sights on public office, joining a close race between former Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly and businessman Chris Gabrielli for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Patrick won the primary with just under half the votes and went on to secure 55 percent of the votes in the Nov. 7, 2006 general election, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Independent Christy Mihos.

Patrick’s unconventional swearing-in speech, delivered at a memocontinued on page 4

Courtesy of mass.gov

continued on page 6

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will speak tonight in Salomon 101.

INSIDE:

3

METRO

www.browndailyherald.com

The YARD OF STEEL A former industrial site in downtown Providence has become a thriving center for urban art.

5

CAMPUS NEWS

A MIGHTY GIFT The class of 2007 set a record for its class gift, but failed to beat the class of 2006’s participation record.

11

OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

BOYCOTT CHINA Patrick Cook-Deegan ‘08 says China should be boycotted for supporting Myanmar’s regime.

12 SPORTS

ToUGH TOURNAMENT The No. 20-ranked men’s water polo team went 1-2 at the ECAC Championships over the weekend.

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

We a t h e r

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

Today

TOMORROW

partly cloudy 74 / 58

mostly cloudy 77 / 60

Menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Spinach Enchiladas, Vegan Rice and Jalepenos, Mexican Corn, Waffle Fries, Chicken Fajitas, Zucchini Pie

Lunch — Chinese Chicken Wings, Linguini with Tomatoes and Basil, Sticky Rice, Mandarin Blend Vegetables, Baked Potato Bar, M&M Cookies

Dinner — Tomato Quiche, Rice and Orzo Pilaf, Stir Fry Carrots with Lemon and Dill, Brussels Sprouts, Baked Potatoes, Squash Rolls, Pork Loin with Green Apple Dressing

Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

Dinner — Meat Tortellini with Sauce, Artichoke and Red Pepper Frittata, Parsley Potatoes, Pacific Stir Fry, White Cake with Coconut Frosting

Sudoku Nightmarishly Elastic | Adam Robbins

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

Octopus on Hallucinogens | Stephanie Le and Toni Liu

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, October 2, 2007 © Puzzles

by Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

C r o s s wo r d

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Anchor’s field 5 Warning from a doghouse 10 Gilpin of “Frasier” 14 Exec’s “Make it snappy!”

15 Causing goose bumps 16 Grandson of Adam 17 Small plateau 18 Diplomatic solutions 19 Blue-pencil 20 “How fabulous!”

23 One with “Esq.” on the door 25 Slithery underwater predator 26 Coquette 27 Member of a popular ’70s Scottish rock group 32 Sing like Harry Connick Jr. 33 Spreadable stick 34 Flabbergast 35 Judi Dench et al.

37 Degrees for CEOs 41 Elaborate party 42 “Copperhead Road” singer Steve 43 Salon specialty 47 City NW of Orlando 49 Developer’s land unit 50 Its st. song is “Home on the Range” 51 Cry when riding the last word of 20-, 27- or 43Across 56 Half a typing style 57 Threedimensional 58 Cast-ofthousands film, usually 61 Blunt-tipped blade 62 Male in the hive 63 Fashioned 64 A sax has one 65 Energized, slangily 66 One on a pedestal

46 Silently agreed 37 Gaping hole DOWN 38 Car-stopping part 47 Yellowish 1 ’60s conflict pigment 39 Edison’s middle setting 48 Sporty ride name 2 Legal ending?

52 Meat-inspecting 40 Noticed 3 Accusing org.

41 Capture the question 53 Par interest of, in 4 Masseur 54 Unsavory slang employers serving 42 Caesarian 5 Big Dipper, 55 Patrick’s “Ghost” accusation starwise costar 43 Oklahoma tribe 6 With everything 59 Wedding words 44 On cloud nine in its place 60 Disney 45 Bush Secretary 7 Foot curve collectible of Labor Chao 8 Musical meter maid ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 9 For fear that 10 Herman of kids’ television 11 Make beloved 12 Agitates 13 Agave fiber 21 Weimar veto 22 1944 invasion city 23 Primer basics 24 Small fruit pie 28 Record holder?

29 One in Antony’s audience 30 Music to a matador’s ears 31 Arles article 35 River barrier 36 In the style of, on menus 10/2/07 xwordeditor@aol.com

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10/2/07

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.

M etro Tuesday, October 2, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Steel Yard offers ‘1,001 uses’

By Patrick Corey Staf f Writer

Like spring seedlings sprouting through thawed ground, the Steel Yard has taken root in the skeleton of a vacated industrial steel factory downtown. Leftover equipment that once fueled dreary industry is now used to create public art and teach welding classes catering to every age group.

Local artists started the Woonasquatucket Valley Community Build, the nonprofit company that operates the Steel Yard, in 2001. Steel Yard founders Nick Bauta, who had run industrial art classes for youth in south Providence, and Clay Rockefeller ’03 approached Providence Steel & Iron — whose business had slowed considerably after 100 years of operation — about selling their three acres of property at 27 Sims Ave. By purchasing the entire facility, complete with metalworking equipment that would have been very expensive to buy piece-by-piece, the founders hoped to create a site that could serve as a “catalyst for innovative approaches to urban revitalization, arts promotion, workforce development, and community growth,” according to the organization’s Web site.

The site originally operated as a base for the WVCB, but became the Steel Yard in 2003 with the introduction of classes and workshops.

After four years of operation, the Steel Yard is now a versatile space

that provides classes, houses a number of start-up businesses and boasts a young and energetic staff that believes in the Steel Yard mission. Artists of all abilities share the Steel Yard’s resources, which include a metal-casting foundr y, blacksmithing equipment and a ceramics studio.

Programs offered by the Steel Yard range from beginners welding and blacksmithing to quirkier offerings, such as a course that teaches participants how to create their own barbecue smoker. The Steel Yard also offer classes in crafts such as ceramics, jewelry and stained glass.

“Creative re-use” is being put into action ever ywhere on the site, said Jackson Morley, an Americorps VISTA volunteer with the Steel Yard.

Public projects — focused on creating municipal facilities, such as trash cans — are a major part of the Steel Yard’s operations. Howie Sneider, public project and urban furniture coordinator at the Steel Yard, said this program “serves the mission of the Steel Yard in a number of different ways.”

“We pursue and respond to requests for public works projects,” Sneider said. The public projects department has churned out “over 200” original trash receptacles and “over 100” tree guards that provide the city with attractive, unique objects that are typically overlooked.

When the Met School in Providence decided to buy four trash cans from the Steel Yard, the Steel Yard taught

ProJo owner Belo reorganizes

By Martin Zimmerman Los Angeles T imes

Belo Corp., the corporate owner of the Providence Journal, said Monday that it would spin off its newspapers into a separate company, transforming itself into a pure-play owner of TV stations.

The proposal got a quick thumbs up from Wall Street. Belo shares jumped almost 19 percent, closing at $20.61, up $3.25.

“I think Robert Decherd’s doing the right thing,” said analyst Edward Atorino of Benchmark Co., referring to Belo’s chairman and chief executive. “The market’s already giving him a pat on the back.”

Dallas-based Belo has been under pressure from shareholders to separate its TV business from its slower-growing newspaper division. Belo’s TV group revenue rose 2.5 percent in the second quarter while its newspaper revenue fell 8.5 percent.

Newspaper ad sales and circulation have been declining in recent years as readers and advertisers have migrated to online news sources. Online sites operated by Belo and other newspaper companies have attracted a growing number of readers but have yet to replace the ad revenue lost by their print publications.

If federal regulators approve, Belo will create a new publicly traded company called A.H. Belo Corp. and spin it off to current shareholders of Belo Corp. (A.H. Belo Corp. was the company’s name from 1865 to 2001.)

Once the spinoff is completed, Belo will own 20 TV stations reaching 14 percent of U.S. households.

The unit will have 3,200 employees and annual sales of $750 million.

Its TV markets will include DallasFort Worth, Houston, Seattle and Phoenix. continued on page 6

Courtesy of Providence Steel Yard

Providence’s Steel Yard, co-founded by Clay Rockefeller ‘03, produces urban art and public projects like these trash cans.

four students from the Met School how to weld, and those students ended up creating the trash cans for their own school.

Tuition from classes covers about half of the nonprofit’s $600,000 yearly budget. The other half has been more difficult to procure, coming from grants or contracts with private institutionssuch as schools, according to Dave Sharp, program director for the Steel Yard.

Sharp added that the group

works to maintain a balance between earned income and fundraising. The Steel Yard is currently undergoing extensive planning efforts, working with a team in Boston to lay out the space in a more efficient, purposeful way. Still early in the process, the Steel Yard has not yet decided on a final configuration. Though the current climate for fundraising is poor, “we are finding that we have a niche,” Sharp told The Herald, mentioning that metal fabricators

and manufacturers are a particularly reliable source of funds.

One such donor, the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association Foundation, funds Camp Metalhead, an intensive two-week summer program where local kids learn to use everything in the Steel Yard’s metal shop program. Anusha Venkataraman ’05, the Steel Yard youth and outreach coordinator, told The Hercontinued on page 6

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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Mass. Gov. Patrick to More frequent sabbaticals bring new challenges speak on campus tonight continued from page 1

continued from page 1 rial to an African-American Civil War regiment rather than in the Massachusetts State House, garnered positive media attention for its optimistic and passionate words urging citizens to “see our stake in each others’ dreams and struggles as well as our own, and act on that.”

Though Patrick has proposed popular bills supporting stem cell research and health care reform since his inauguration a year ago, the 51-year-old politician has sustained a few political blunders.

In February, the Boston Globe reported that Patrick had appropriated $27,387 to redecorate the governor’s state house suite, including $10,000 for a set of damask drapes, and had also upgraded the state car — from Romney’s Ford Crown Victoria to a Cadillac DTS. Patrick immediately apologized and said he would repay the state for the drapes and cover the difference in lease costs for the

car upgrade.

That same month, Patrick placed a call to Robert Rubin, the Citigroup executive committee chair and former Clinton treasury secretary, on behalf of the financially troubled mortgage company Ameriquest, whose parent company employed Patrick as a board member before his election. Patrick said he regretted making the call, which appeared to exploit his newly gained power, and said he was calling as a private citizen and not as governor.

Patrick also attracted some unwanted media attention after a speech at a Sept. 11 memorial service, in which he said the attacks were, among other things, “about the failure of human beings to understand each other and to learn to love each other.”

The Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions is hosting the event, titled “An Evening with Gov. Deval Patrick.”

Brett Clifton, the center’s associate director for administration and programs and the event’s organizer, said the University is excited to host Patrick, who is speaking less than a week after former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift delivered the John Hazen White Lecture on campus last Wednesday. Swift’s 2001-2003 term directly preceded Romney’s tenure in the State House.

“We’re confident the event will go very well,” Clifton said. “We expect a high turnout.”

paid leave under the new system, which only requires six semesters of teaching.

If the policy were implemented today, “essentially half the faculty are eligible for sabbatical all at once,” Doherty said.

University officials are considering models to avoid potentially disruptive effects, and Doherty said the aim is to “make sure that no one is any worse off, and no one is any better off in terms of timing their leaves.”

An implementation policy must be set by the end of the semester, as professors historically request permission for upcoming sabbaticals from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty each January, Doherty said.

Though Luiz Valente, associate professor of Portuguese and Brazilian studies, is a critic of the policy because it doesn’t necessarily fully fund sabbaticals, he said the change still comes at an opportune time for the University.

Under President Ruth Simmons’ Plan for Academic Enrichment, the size of the faculty has grown — from 577 in 2001 to 679 today. Valente said the University would not have been able to handle more frequent sabbaticals before this growth.

While some departments may be hard hit by the new leave policy, the problems of faculty sabbaticals are nothing new for Barry Connors,

professor of neuroscience and chair of the department.

With about 15 professors in his department, Connors said he faced six planned sabbaticals for the 2007-2008 academic year — almost halving his department. So a compromise was made, and in an effort to preserve the neuroscience course offerings, Connors managed to convince three professors to postpone their leaves by a year.

“Our department charts when every faculty member is due for a sabbatical, so we know which courses we’ll need staffing for and which ones we will forgo that year,” Connors said.

Doherty said such a scenario — a department chair asking professors to postpone a sabbatical — may become a University-wide trend to avoid teaching shortages.

“Our office is certainly working with chairs who want to smooth things out in that way,” she said.

Connors also said his department is considering which courses need to be offered every year without fail. These “core courses” — such as introductory classes and key prerequisites — will be the absolute minimum his department will provide regardless of the number of professors on leave.

Such advance planning is exactly how Doherty hopes departments will deal with the new policy. In some cases, departments will need to chart sabbaticals three to four years in advance, she said.

Though increased sabbaticals — regardless of departmental planning — will mean students may not be able to avail themselves of some of the University’s more popular faculty members, Valente told The Herald there are ways to overcome this obstacle.

“With good planning, I think we can inform the students about the courses which will not be taught,” Valente said.

Though Connors agreed that planning would be essential to this new policy, he said there was a limit to what departments can reasonably do to compensate for sabbaticals.

Connors said, “You can only project things so far” in advance

given faculty turnover and the possibility that long-planned sabbaticals may suddenly have to be altered or abandoned.

The policy’s provision for reduced pay during some sabbaticals will be easier to accept in disciplines which have a bevy of other funding sources, while professors in other departments — especially in the humanities — may find additional funding for sabbaticals difficult to come by.

“Some departments will find (the new policy) easier to absorb than others,” Doherty said of this point of contention regarding the policy.

“It would really create two classes of faculty,” Valente said, arguing that he resisted any situation in which “a faculty member who is doing well — who is a good teacher, who is a good researcher — (is) not able to take a sabbatical because he or she is not able to take a cut in their pay.”

Though Doherty said there are ongoing efforts to examine the newly approved policy, any plans to, as she called it, “double the policy” — or provide full pay for sabbaticals after six semesters of teaching — would not be possible in the short term due to financial constraints.

Valente opposed the new policy’s pay cut for sabbaticals, but said he ultimately supported the initiative because the University “needed to do something about the sabbatical, and I’m glad we’ve moved into the direction of improving what we had before.”

Like many supporters of the policy, Valente hailed sabbaticals as an opportunity for professors to “bring their research up to par.”

“We give some time off to faculty members so that they can spend even more time on their subject and their teaching when they’re not on sabbatical,” he said.

As to the future, the results of this new policy and its successors still remain uncertain.

“I think there was an implicit promise on the part of the administration to keep improving the sabbatical policy,” Valente said.

c ampus n ews Tuesday, October 2, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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Class of 2007 breaks class gift fundraising record with $43,000 Sixty-four percent of the class of 2007 contributed to the largest Senior Class Gift in Brown’s history, raising a total of over $43,000 for the Brown Annual Fund.

Despite this record-breaking sum, the class of 2007 did not break the record for participation set by the class of 2005, when 68 percent of students donated.

The class of 2007’s unusually high total was largely thanks to a significant personal contribution from President Ruth Simmons. Simmons announced at the senior gift campaign kickoff event in March that she would contribute $20,007 rather than her usual amount matching the seniors’ graduating year — $2,005 in 2005 and $2,006 in 2006.

But even without Simmons’ gift, the class of 2007 contributed more than classes from previous years — a staggering $23,281, $4,000 more than the class of 2006.

Assistant Director for Student Programs Johanna Corcoran, the staff liaison for the 2007 class gift committee, said she thought the primary reason for the lower rate of participation in 2007 was the campaign’s timing. The class of 2007 did not begin campaigning for contributions until last spring.

By April, around 36 percent of the graduating class had donated or pledged to donate to the fund, but as the year drew to a close, members of the senior class continued to make contributions — even after Commencement.

“I think that we just didn’t get to everyone that we could have if we had the time,” Corcoran said.

The campaign for the 2008 class gift will begin this fall rather than in the spring, allowing more time for fundraising and putting less pressure on the senior class, she said.

Organization has already begun for the gift committee, and the campaign will hold its kickoff event in early November. Committee members so far are “engaged and excited,” with hopes of achieving a participation level of 70 percent, Corcoran said.

— Jacob Tower

TWC formalizes faculty advisory board

By Seth Motel Contributing Writer

The Third World Center faculty advisory board has been “re-ignited” this year, said Karen McLaurin ’74, associate dean of the College and director of the TWC. Prior to this year’s reorganization, the board’s members had remained the same since its inception in 2004, and they did not meet at all last year.

Barrymore Bogues, professor of Africana studies and chair of the department, is chair of the 15-person board, whose members come from seven different departments as well as the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center and the TWC itself.

Students nominated faculty members for the new board, and the TWC extended invitations to those who were interested.

“The purpose ... is to have faculty that are informed on the life and work of the center,” said McLaurin, who holds a seat on the board.

McLaurin said she hopes board members will recruit their peers to become involved in discussion about the on-campus role of the TWC, which organizes about 250 events a year. She said she envisions the board helping to enrich the academic aspects of the TWC’s student programming.

One example of such programming is the Black History Series, a new series of year-round events that will supplant the traditional celebration of Black History Month in February. She also wants the TWC to be involved in researching “hot topics” that affect Brown’s student body and are relevant to the TWC. Corey Walker, assistant professor of Africana studies and member of the board, said he sees the group as a way for faculty to learn from students and vice versa.

“I think it’s important for students and faculty to interact in spaces outside of the classroom,” Walker said.

“The Third World Center’s programming is one geared toward education and that enhances the entire experi-

Chris Bennett / Herald File Photo

The Third World Center has “re-ignited” its faculty advisory board to assist students in planning campus events and exploring the center’s role.

ence here at Brown.”

Darnell Fine ’08, one of the TWC’s 17 student programmers, is an organizer for the Black History Series. He said he doesn’t anticipate that a more activefaculty advisory board will change the existing dynamic between faculty members and students at the TWC. “I think it’s making it more formal,” Fine said. “It’s just a way of creating dialogue between faculty and students, but I believe that dialogue had already been there.”

TWC Archivist Deidrya Jackson ’10 said that last year’s TWC activities seemed to be composed mostly of students.

“I think it’s good to have a connection with the faculty just to get their perspective,” she said. “It’s really just a collaboration between different people on Brown’s campus.”

A faculty survey last year showed that faculty members were interest-

ed in being advisors to the student programmers, McLaurin said.

The board had its first meeting in mid-September and another is planned for next month. Between the two meetings, McLaurin said, the board will meet with students to discuss each side’s perspective on the role of the TWC. The board did not meet last year, McLaurin said, in part due to the amount of time invested in restructuring the Minority Peer Counseling program. The MPC program split from the Residential Peer Leader program last year, but MPCs have since moved back into most freshman dorms.

With the attention turned back to the roots of the TWC, McLaurin hopes the new board will be an “arm that will advocate.”

“There’s a voice that we need to hear from,” she said.

ResLife staffing changes afoot

By Emmy Liss Contributing Writer

Significant personnel changes are underway in the Office of Residential Life. Rosario Navarro, currently the office’s associate director, will become project manager in the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services on Oct. 9.

Her current position will be filled by Natalie Basil, who is now the director of residential life at Dean College in Massachusetts.

In another staffing change, Jenna Sousa, a ResLife administrative assistant, will become the department’s housing coordinator this month.

According to Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life, the simultaneous changes are the result of a domino effect of open positions and are typical of the “normal ebb and flow” of the office. It is just a matter of “getting the right people in the right positions,” he said.

Marina Byrne-Folan ’09, a residential peer leader, said, “I am really going to miss working with Rosario and Jenna, but I am glad that their hard work has been recognized, (and) I am looking forward to the new things that are going to happen in ResLife.”

Navarro, who has worked in ResLife for four years, said that as project manager, she will work with student groups to promote and fund their programs. She will also staff various committees — such as the committee that coordinates Orientation — with which she has previously worked.

Though she said leaving her position in ResLife was a tough choice because of the strong connection she had with the Residential Peer Leader Program, Navarro said she is excited about “continuing to work with students,” but with a “different glance at the institution.”

The office of Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 is “thoughtful in exploring student issues” and is in “constant contact with students and their needs,” she added, something she looks forward to being a part of.

Basil, Navarro’s replacement, comes to ResLife with a “wealth of experience,” Bova said. She has worked for the last 10 years in residential life at various institutions, including Gettysburg College and Smith College.

More recently, she completed a brief stint at Brown in 2006 before taking

on her current position at Dean College.

In 2006, Basil worked in ResLife at Brown in a temporary position to coordinate Commencement and reunion housing, and she leapt at the opportunity to return to the University, she told The Herald.

During her previous time at the University, Basil was mostly in contact with parents and alums, she said, and she looks forward to hearing directly from students in her new position.

“I am really excited to be a part of the ResLife team and a part of the Brown community,” she added.

Having already worked with many of the current members of ResLife staff, Basil said she already feels comfortable at the University.

Basil’s previous work with Brown — in addition to her other experiences — made her an “obvious choice,” Navarro said.

The housing coordinator position — Sousa’s new role — was created in “a retooling” of ResLife as a result of the “complex processes” and multitude of programs the office regularly deals with, Bova said. A replacement for her current job as administrative assistant has been hired and will begin in mid-October.

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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Brown’s Wikipedians edit, read and nitpick grammar Reil: Boston continued from page 1 Wikipedia is a collaboratively written, Web-based encyclopedia maintained by the continued contributions of volunteers — the Wikipedians — who can edit articles by simply clicking the “edit this page” link. Each article has a discussion page, where contributors can jointly consider various viewpoints and resolve disputes when necessar y, and a histor y page that allows the site’s visitors to view previous versions of the article.

Wikipedia receives around 7 billion page views each month, according to Sandra Ordonez, a Wikimedia spokeswoman. “You literally have thousands of people volunteering and sharing their knowledge,” Ordonez said. “The diversity is awesome.”

Aya Karpinska GS, who is working toward a master’s degree in the Literary Arts Program and teaching an electronic writing course, said the electronic medium allows for a new type of interaction.

“Because it is edited by a number of people, I think their presence is felt in a way that’s much richer than in something like an Encyclopedia Britannica,” she said.

Even though “the vast majority of users” do not contribute, Karpinska said “there’s a sense of it feeling alive and open to participation.”

Karpinska said she herself has edited a page only once — to add herself to the article about digital

poetry.

“I saw this digital poetry page and I thought, ‘why am I not there?’” she said. “So under ‘Some Key Examples,’ I added myself.”

Karpinska checked the page at a later date and found her name was now at the top of the list of examples, though she had not put it first when she edited the page.

“I get a lot of links to my Web site from there now,” she said.

The factors that motivate people to contribute to Wikipedia vary widely. Like Karpinska, Andrew Jacobs ’08 said he has contributed only once, but he said his reason was “sentimental.”

When Jacobs came across a “biased account” of the final Phish festival, Coventry, he decided to write “a more neutral entry about it.”

“The article was saying how the show was horrible,” he said.

Though he did not attend Coventry, Jacobs had followed Phish that summer and attended several of the concerts leading up to it. He said “it was by no means a huge disappointment” as the ar ticle made it appear. “I felt the need, as a fan, to stand up for Coventry.”

Jacobs has not edited anything since, but he said he uses Wikipedia at least three to five times a week, and sometimes a lot more.

Recently, it led him to discoveries about how the first three digits of social security numbers are determined and why refried beans are called refried if they aren’t actually

fried twice.

(For the record, according to Wikipedia, the first three numbers in a social security number refer to geographic region, and “refried” refers to the Spanish word “refrito.”)

For the most part, Jacobs said Wikipedia is most useful when you’re looking for “obscure facts” or a “thumb-print sketch” of an issue.

Helen Pang ’10 said Wikipedia is generally the first place she turns when she wants to look something up. “The collective knowledge of the users is pretty staggering,” she said. “You can pretty much find anything you’re looking for.”

Though Pang has never edited the site for content or started any new articles, she has made minor copy editing changes and added photos to existing pages. According to Pang, she has “OCD copy editing tendencies.”

“Whenever I see blatantly wrong grammar or spelling anywhere, I want to fix it, but on Wikipedia I actually can,” she said. “It’s pretty satisfying.”

Still, Pang said she rarely sees the need to make corrections. “I go on pretty frequently, and I don’t see too many mistakes.”

Pang said she created an account in order to track her contributions in case she wanted to write more in the future, but so far she hasn’t found the opportunity.

“I don’t really have expert knowl-

edge on obscure topics that would actually need my insights.”

Pang was not the only one who felt she did not have adequate knowledge to edit content on the site.

“I don’t think I’m the proper authority to correct any content issues,” said Herald business staff member Alex Hughes ’10.

Hughes said he’s come across small errors but has never felt moved to correct them. “I’ve never edited an article,” he said. “I just don’t care enough.”

Though he said Wikipedia is a valuable resource for “surfacelayer background information,” and he uses it several times a week, it’s important to remember that “biases can easily slip into the content.”

Many may be skeptical of the validity of a collaborative resource like Wikipedia, but Levine said he’s confident about its legitimacy and believes it’s “better than any news source” because contributors of var ying viewpoints debate and discuss issues in order to create an accurate entry.

“It’s really satisfying to watch (the articles) grow,” he said. “I like to think that future students will look at the articles I’ve created for the books in my classes, and that they’ll profit from what I’ve done.”

“This is all basically a community service project,” Levine said.

“For the most part, ever yone is trying to do good.”

bests New York continued from page 12 weekend, falling to the Bills, 17-14, despite the fact that they were facing a rookie quarterback, a rookie running back and a miserably banged-up defense. Had the Jets won, the Bills might have made it to 0-16. The New York Giants, the Big Apple’s other mediocre football team, are no better than their 2-2 record suggests. Eli Manning looks like he’s improved over last season, but star running back Tiki Barber and injured replacement Brandon Jacobs will be sorely missed.

Unfortunately, there is still one sport in which New York can claim supremacy over Boston. It’s just too bad no one watches professional hockey anymore — well, let’s not say “no one.” ESPN’s Barry Melrose clearly still loves hockey. Then again, Melrose also still loves his mullet.

I mean, whatever.

The point is, the New York Rangers actually have a really good shot at the Stanley Cup this season. The Boston Bruins, in contrast, might be the worst team in the NHL. If I were a New York fan, I’d be headed to Providence Place right now to stock up on Rangers apparel. I hear Jaromir Jagr jerseys are so hot right now.

Shane Reil ’09 has a Penguins Jagr jersey, mullet included.

Providence Steel Yard turns junk into art continued from page 3 ald that Camp Metalhead attendees also spend time visiting local manufacturers that use metalwork.

Group discussions engage Camp Metalhead participants in conversation about the meaning of public art in the community. Last summer, the campers built composting machines for local schools. Reminiscent of rotisserie ovens, the machines consist of two triangular bases supporting a spinning metal rod. The rod runs through the center of the composting barrel, suspending it in the air

to facilitate easy loading, spinning, and dumping.

A recent Steel Yard success came in the form of a car show Wednesday night. Forty classic cars were on display while George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” was projected onto a large screen. Sneider described the event as “one of the 1,001 uses of the Steel Yard,” adding that it was an opportunity for people who typically wouldn’t visit an art studio to see some of the work.

“The guy from Spike’s hot dogs was really into the stained glass,” he said.

ProJo owner Belo to reorganize continued from page 3 Besides the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. , A.H. Belo will own the Dallas Morning News and the Journal in Rhode Island, as well as smaller daily and weekly papers and a collection of online businesses. It will have 3,800 employees and annual revenue of $750 million.

“I’m ver y optimistic about it,” said Ronald Redfern, publisher of the Press-Enterprise. “I think splitting the businesses will allow the newspapers to focus on what they do best and the TV stations to focus on what they do best.”

In a statement, Decherd said

the move also would allow investors “greater insight” into the two business divisions.

Belo’s $1.2 billion in debt will remain with the TV company. That will allow the newspaper company to start with a clean slate. But Fitch Ratings saw it as increasing the risk of owning Belo Corp. debt. Fitch cut Belo’s debt rating to junk level, BB+.

Belo said it expected to complete the transaction in the first quarter of 2008, pending regulator y approvals. Although some staff reductions might occur at the corporate level, Decherd said the transaction wouldn’t affect newsroom staffing.

www.browndailyherald.com

c ampus n ews Tuesday, October 2, 2007

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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Pembroke Center ups grant money The Helen Terry MacLeod Prize, awarded for the last 12 years through the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women for an outstanding undergraduate honors thesis on women or gender, will be given as a grant starting this year. This year also marks the beginning of the Ruth Simmons Prize in Gender and Women’s Studies, which awards the same amount of money for the same criteria as the MacLeod grant.

The Helen Terry MacLeod Research Grant commemorates the life of Helen Terry MacLeod, who never went to college but who financially supported all of her grandchildren in their pursuit of higher education.

The $1,000 grant is awarded for undergraduate research from any department, as long as the subject matter pertains to women or gender or the subject matter is analyzed with a feminist perspective.

Pembroke Center Director Elizabeth Weed said she has wanted to increase the number of grants awarded by the center. Previously, the only grant available through the center was the Barbara Anton Internship Grant, which supports undergraduate research involving an internship or volunteer work that aims to better the welfare of women or children.

The center understands the financial difficulties students face in completing research for their theses, Weed said, and believes it is “extremely important” for all departments to support students during the process. Because the new Ruth Simmons Prize is so similar to the prize given in memory of Helen Terry MacLeod, it was “the perfect opportunity to convert it,” Weed said, so that the center could offer another grant.

Applications for both Pembroke Center grants were due Monday.

— Allison Wentz

Chris Bennett / Herald

Robotic dogs play soccer, thanks to work by the Brown Robotics Group.

Spot the robot: CS prof trains robotic dogs Using Nintendo Wii remotes and a ball, members of the Brown Robotics Group are “teaching” robotic dogs to play soccer. The robots learn behavioral patterns that they will eventually be able to perform on their own, and data from the study could lead to the design of more intuitive and autonomous robots.

Since 2005, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Chad Jenkins has been working on the project, which tests the premise that robots can learn human behavior through direct interaction with humans better than by being explicitly programmed.

“The thing that really makes robotics useful, more than just having a computer that can move around, is the ability to manipulate the world,” Jenkins said. He said he believes robots will eventually be able to do more complicated tasks — such as repair a car — but that robots first have to learn what people want them to do.

“It’s really about how do we do something with this robot. I don’t think we have a good hold on what people actually want to do with robots,” Jenkins said.

The dogs are directed by Wii remotes — a new development this year that has allowed for more interaction between the humans and robots.

“We’re getting closer and closer to getting the system online. It should be done in the next year or so,” Jenkins said, adding that he would like to expose the program to the wider public so that it can “experience the robots firsthand.”

“Maybe it (will) inspire new people to get into the field,” he said.

— Linh Nguyen

Chris Bennett / Herald

Brown chemists have found the chemical enzyme that produces geosmin, the reason behind soil’s “earthly scent.”

U. scientists unearth the sweet smell of soil

By Whitney Eng Contributing Writer

The next time you’re digging in your garden, marveling at the sweet smell of Mother Earth, you may want to think of a team of Brown chemists who recently determined how the warm, slightly metallic smell of fresh soil is produced. In a paper published this month in Nature Chemical Biology, Professor of Chemistry David Cane, Jiaoyang Jiang GS and Xiaofei He PhD’07 describe the chemical enzyme that produces geosmin, the compound responsible for the sweet scent of soil.

Geosmin, which is Greek for “earth smell,” was identified by scientists more than 100 years ago. But it was only recently that chemists began to understand the chemical enzyme that creates this compound, which is responsible for both the aroma of soil and the earthy taste in drinking water. In soil, geosmin is produced by bacteria; in water, blue-green algae make it. More than two years ago, He, working in Cane’s lab, discovered that geosmin was being produced when she was working with an enzyme now known as germacradienol-geosmin synthase.

“We didn’t find what we started out to find, but actually found things that were even more interesting than expected,” Cane said. Cane and Jiang were surprised to discover that a single enzyme present in both the bacteria and the algae was responsible for the creation of geosmin, and in their latest paper, they outlined the precise process by which geosmin is made in nature.

“We didn’t start out to say how geosmin was made, but by sharing information with other laboratories and conducting experiments, we were able to find out how it really works. We discovered something that we didn’t initially expect at all,” Cane said.

Cane and Jiang’s discovery has scientists in other fields talking, too.

The research team is currently col-

remember to change your grade options by 5 p.m.

laborating with a water purification facility in Australia, where microbiologists hope that by understanding the process by which this smelly substance is made, they can work to block its production in water.

Under certain environmental conditions, the amount of blue-green algae in water can skyrocket, causing geosmin levels to rise. Though the presence of geosmin is harmless to humans, understanding how the compound is produced may help microbiologists develop better ways to both detect and eliminate its scent.

Vintners may also be interested in developing ways of keeping geosmin out of their wine, Cane said.

“The more organisms one finds that make geosmin, the more we realize how important this compound turns out to be. This is a puzzle now that moves into other areas of science,” Cane said.

According to Cane, some scientists theorize that the scent of geosmin helps organisms such as marine eels find landmasses that they might other wise be unable

to detect, which can be crucial for these organisms during spawning.

“It has also been suggested that the smell of geosmin in water helps camels locate oases,” Cane said.

This is also beneficial to the bluegreen algae living in these bodies of water, as the camels can pick up spores and carry them to new locations, helping to propagate the species.

“When we get results like these, they’re always a bit unexpected.

Generating new questions makes us work to probe further and further,” Jiang said.

Cane, who is most interested in the pure science aspects of the discovery, is excited about the implications of understanding the process by which geosmin is made.

“The enzyme is no longer a black box, where you put something in, get something out and have no idea of the process that went on inside,” he said. “If you can begin to find out what each component is, you can shine a light on the process that takes it from the original to the final product.”

Page 8

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Future of Critical Review in jeopardy after funding cut continued from page 1 UFB had received particular complaints about apparent instances of the Critical Review’s use of funding, ranging from unread stacks of the publication in the Faunce post office to the length of the class-assessment questionnaire, Mott said.

This move does not mean the Critical Review will die out, Mott said. “The Critical Review is unique ... in that it has a Web site that, from talking to students, is used more than the magazine itself.”

But the editors of the Critical Review said that if the magazine is not printed, it will not continue to sur vive.

“It’s not possible for us to just stay online,” said Brian Lee ’09, Web editor for the Critical Review.

He called the situation “dire.”

The Critical Review is most valuable in its paper form, said Dara Steinberg ’09, an editorin-chief of the publication, adding that the Web site’s primar y purpose is to allow searching for specific courses.

At this point, the biggest worry

for the Critical Review is maintaining high visibility. The editors worr y that after a few years without paper copies, the publication will be all but forgotten.

“Just because we’ve been around for 31 years doesn’t mean that if we get all funding cut, we’ll be able to survive,” Cannavo said.

“I don’t want to say that we’re getting desperate, but we’re certainly looking at all options.”

Though the publication once had funding to print one copy for ever y undergraduate, cuts have meant that in recent years the Critical Review has been publishing fewer than half that number.

Mott explained that though the board had only been allotted $6,000 for printing in the fall of 2006, they had gone to press again in the spring without funding.

“It’s difficult to fully fund that publication when we receive direct complaints of its overproduction and inef ficiency, when it costs over $15,000 a year to maintain and when the group itself is so disorganized that it buys $6,000 worth of printing without realizing that they have no money in their account,” Mott said in his e-mail.

“They said that they would fund us (for the spring), contingent on the fall supply,” Lee said.

He explained that during his two years at the Critical Review, UFB had done the same thing — allocating the publication enough for its fall publication supply and making it appeal every spring after publishing.

“We have to appeal the same things ever y year,” Lee said.

“They’ve been pretty consistently asking the same questions ever y year. They don’t like our distribution methods, but we tell them we give away all the copies.”

The group saves boxes of copies ever y spring for incoming freshmen. These extra copies are stored in the basement of Faunce House, and Lee believes claims of overproduction stem from these boxes of the publication.

Cannavo said that this year, Critical Reviews were not widely available to incoming freshmen.

“We’re going to save all the copies from last year to show people and to recruit freshmen,” she said, adding, “We have about 75 copies left.”

“This should be a student re-

source funded by the UFB,” Cannavo said.

“If you think about all the money that goes into the UFB pot, and they distribute the budget to all groups, the Critical Review is really the only publication that ser ves the entire student body,” she said.

The Critical Review reviews 40 percent of classes, Cannavo said, adding that though the publication provides sur veys for all classes to all departments, many departments either neglect to administer or to return the sur veys.

“There are actually depar tments that use our sur vey as evaluations and just keep them after they’ve been filled out,” Steinberg said.

The Critical Review currently has a staff of 23 editors and writers, and as is the case at most campus publications, they are all unpaid. “It’s truthfully amazing to me how student-run it is,” Cannavo said. “It’s just us. And it’s worked for 31 years.”

(Disclosure: Herald Executive Editor Allison Kwong ’08 is a former editor-in-chief of the Critical Review.)

M. water polo goes 1-2 over weekend continued from page 12 quarters,” Holland said. “But we had a couple of breakdowns that led to some easy goals.”

Despite the loss, Holland and Gartner still managed to stand out.

Holland had eight saves in the game, while Gartner drew an equal amount of ejections.

The Bears’ loss humbled them before to their next game, and they came out energized against George Washington. “We went in with a little bit more fire and a little bit more intensity,” said Corey Schwartz ’11.

At the end of the first quarter, the Bears were tied with the Colonials 2-2, but Brown pulled ahead by the end of the second quarter for a 5-3 lead. First-half goals came from Schwartz, Nico Fort ’09, Gordon Hood ’11 and Hank Weintraub ’09.

Schwartz scored his third goal of the game after two Brown goals and two George Washington goals to keep the Bears in the lead, 8-5, at the end of the third quarter.

The Colonials came back with two goals at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Brown remained in front when Grant LeBeau ’09 scored his second goal of the game with 1:12 remaining, securing the lead until the final whistle.

Mercado said it might have seemed like a close game, but in reality the Bears had control from the beginning.

“We were never threatened by (the Colonials),” he said. “But they never threw in the towel either.”

Once again, Holland held up the defense with nine saves, while LeBeau, Schwartz and Gartner set the tone on offense.

In the Bears’ final match of the weekend, they paired up against Johns Hopkins. Again, the Bears came out strong against a nationally ranked team, but couldn’t hold on through all four quarters.

The Bears were tied with the Blue Jays, 3-3, at the end of the third quarter. Bruno pulled ahead, 5-3, in the final quarter, and it looked like its second victory just around the corner. But Johns Hopkins came back and scored three more goals to take its final lead, 6-5, and serve the Bears a second loss on the trip.

“We were up 5-3, but we just didn’t have the fire,” Gartner said.

“We have the talent, we just need to want it.”

Adams, Fort and Hood had one goal each, while Gartner led the team in scoring with two for an individual weekend total of eight goals. Gartner also drew four ejections this game, putting him at 18 ejections over the course of the entire weekend.

Holland also stood out yet again with seven saves in the game. “(Holland) is a catalyst to our team,” Mercado said. “He elevated his game to a different level.”

Gartner also commented on his teammate’s exceptional play, saying, “No one showed more fire or passion than Kent this weekend. He pulled the team through his play and gave our defense that extra edge.”

Despite the Bears’ 1-2 record in the tournament, they are now better prepared for what is to come when they travel to California next week to face No. 3 University of California Los Angeles, No. 5 Pepperdine University and No. 7 Long Beach State University.

“We’re happy to have these losses now,” Gartner said. “It was a good learning experience.”

W orld & n ation Tuesday, October 2, 2007

page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Israel frees smattering Radiohead to offer CD for free — or whatever of Palestinian prisoners

By Geoff Boucher and Chris Lee Los Angeles Times

By Richard Boudreaux Los Angeles Times

JERUSALEM — Israel freed a bagman for the late Saddam Hussein and 56 other Palestinian militants from prison Monday in a gesture aimed at strengthening the moderate Palestinian leadership that favors peace negotiations.

But the propaganda value of the move was diminished by Israeli gunfire that wounded a Palestinian teenager in a crowd awaiting freed inmates and by Israel’s decision to expand its presence in the West Bank by opening a new police headquarters.

Israel is holding talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his West Bank-based administration to prepare for an international peace conference next month in the United States. The diplomatic effort is aimed largely at isolating Hamas, the Islamic movement that seized control of the Gaza Strip in June and refuses to renounce violence against Israel.

The prisoners freed Monday, who belong to Abbas’ Fatah movement and other secular factions, were serving sentences for militant activity against Israel that did not result directly in fatalities.

Bused from Ketziot prison in southern Israeli and freed at an army checkpoint in the West Bank, the men kissed the asphalt before a welcoming crowd of flag-waving relatives and supporters.

Among them was Rakad Salim, 66, who had served five years of an eight-year sentence for distributing millions of dollars from the late Iraqi president to families of suicide bombers and other militants killed, wounded or imprisoned in the Palestinian uprising at the start of this decade.

Salim, secretary-general of the Arab Liberation Front, received a VIP escort from the checkpoint in a van with Abbas’ minister for prisoner affairs. Supporters met the van, whisked the militant out and paraded him around on their shoulders.

“I feel today that I was born again,”

Salim said, beaming.

He added: “We hope this is the beginning of emptying all the (Israeli) prisons.”

Prisoner releases are hugely emotive for Palestinians, who for the most part regard their 11,000 compatriots held in Israeli jails as fighters against foreign occupation.

Israel has traditionally freed such prisoners on the eve of Ramadan, the monthlong Muslim fasting period that started more than two weeks ago. This time Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had to overcome objections within his Cabinet to win approval and then delayed the release because of escalating rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from Gaza.

Some Cabinet ministers argued that Israel had gained nothing for its security in return for the release of 255 prisoners in a similar gesture in July.

The two releases have been of limited value to Abbas, who called last week for an “overall solution to the prisoner issue.” Hamas spokesmen have dismissed them as insignificant, calling the modest numbers a humiliation for Abbas.

Hamas scored a small gain of its own Sunday when Egypt opened its border to let 80 stranded Palestinians, including Hamas members and militants from other factions wanted by Israel, to cross from Egypt into Gaza.

The decision, a response to pressure

by Hamas, was a surprise to Israel, which had counted on Egypt to support its policy of isolating Hamas by keeping the border closed.

Monday’s prisoner release was to benefit 87 Palestinians but was marred by a bureaucratic hitch that kept 30 behind bars. Those inmates, all from Gaza, needed a formal pardon from Israeli President Shimon Peres, who signed it late in the day. They are expected to go home Tuesday .

Word of the delay came after hundreds of Palestinians had gathered at the Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza to wait for the prisoners. Israeli soldiers fired from watchtowers as the crowd surged toward a no-man’s zone, wounding a 14-year-old boy, witnesses said.

The great riddle facing the record industry in the digital age has been pricing — Napster and its ilk offered up music for “free” in the late 1990s, while major labels largely have clung to an average of $13 for CDs despite plummeting sales and seasons of downsizing.

Now, one of the most acclaimed rock bands in the world, Radiohead, is answering that marketplace riddle with a shrug: “It’s up to you,” reads a message on the Web page where fans can pre-order the band’s seventh album and pay whatever they choose, including nothing.

The British band that twice has been nominated for a best-album Grammy will side-step the conventional industry machinery Oct. 10 by releasing “In Rainbow” as a digital download with no set price. The album will be available only from the band and www.radiohead.com, the band’s official site.

It might sound like a gimmicky promotion, but industry observers Monday framed it in more historical terms -- Radiohead, they said, is the right band at the right time to blaze a trail of its own choosing.

“This is all anybody is talking about in the music industry today,” said Bertis Downs, the longtime manager of R.E.M., the veteran altrock band inducted in 2007 into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “This is the sort of model that people have been talking about doing, but this is the first time an act of this stature has stepped up and done it. ... They were a band that could go off the grid, and they did it.”

Another high-profile manager said he was still trying to process the boldness of the Radiohead venture: “My head is spinning, honestly,” said Kelly Curtis, who represents Seattle band Pearl Jam. “It’s very cool and very inspiring, really.”

Radiohead is hardly abandoning the idea of making money.

The Web site also will sell a deluxe edition of “In Rainbow” that comes with versions in three formats (CD, vinyl and download) along with eight bonus songs and a lavish hardcover book with lyrics, photos and a slipcase. That package cost 40 British pounds (about $82).

In upcoming weeks, Courtyard Management, which represents the band, reportedly will negotiate with labels about a conventional release for “In Rainbow” that would put it on store shelves in 2008. Sources with the band acknowledge that the major labels might balk at the notion of releasing an album that has been available for free for months. Still, previous Radiohead albums collectively sell about 300,000 copies per year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, so “In Rainbow” still should

have value at the cash register.

“Only a band in Radiohead’s position could pull a trick like this,” is how Pitchforkmedia.com summed it up Monday. That’s because the band became a free agent after its contract with EMI expired with its most recent album, “Hail to the Thief, “ in 2003. That set the stage for a one-band revolution, even if the five band members don’t see it that way themselves.

“It’s more of an experiment; the band is not fighting for the sake of the fight or trying to lead a revolution,” said their spokesman, Steve Martin of the New York publicity company Nasty Little Man. The group declined comment Monday.

Radiohead isn’t the only group taking bold steps to keep pace with the digital age. R&B star Prince, for instance, has taken a maverick path by giving copies of one album away as an insert in a major British newspaper or as an extra to anyone who bought a seat at his concert tour.

Prince took considerable heat from retailers for the U.K. give-away.

Then there’s the bold business model of New Orleans rapper `Lil Wayne, who made dozens of tracks available for free via the I nternet as a means to cement his stardom.

Even icon Bruce Springsteen seems to see the changing times by giving away a digital download of his new song, “Radio Nowhere.”

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S t a f f E d i to r i a l

Mutiny in Petteruti?

It’s disappointing — though not surprising — to see that the Undergraduate Council of Students has begun the new academic year with its trademark political scheming and petty infighting.

Every spring, a new slate of executive board members is elected to lead the council and, well, represent the rest of us in the University’s most important debates and conversations. These election campaigns are typically marked by lofty and ill-informed promises to improve undergraduate life at Brown, whether through shiny dorm renovations, an expanded January term, a tuition freeze or a program to boost school spirit. But just two weeks into the new year, the council’s president and vice president weren’t fighting for more teaching assistants in under-staffed undergraduate courses or a new residence hall to keep upperclassmen on campus.

Instead, they were fighting to keep their jobs.

In its first two general body meetings this year, UCS has hardly begun to develop a unified plan for how it intends to play a role in shaping the agenda of University officials. Rather, the council has so far focused this year entirely on its own internal politics.

Of course, UCS has housekeeping issues to attend to at the beginning of the year ­— most importantly, vacant slots to fill. (The high number of vacancies after each spring’s elections — caused in part by a lack of talented student leaders eager to join or stay on UCS as upperclassmen — is a topic for another time.) But when the UCS president and vice president spend the weekend in a panic denying allegations of voting irregularities in internal elections and trying to quell a proposed vote of no confidence in them, the council is starting the year off on the wrong foot.

To be sure, this isn’t the first time the council’s internal drama has given us pause and sparked more than a little disappointment. We’ve lost count of the number of general body meetings that have stretched into hour after hour of tedious debate over parliamentary procedure.

Last fall, UCS wasted nearly an entire weekly meeting discussing a raise in the student activities fee, spent the next five days publicizing a debate on the topic that most students weren’t interested in or not even present for since it was held the week of Thanksgiving. Ultimately, the council held a special meeting and rejected the modest $13 fee increase.

And in 2006, a senior council member attempted to destroy 6,000 copies of a mid-year report to be distributed to students — printed at a cost to students of almost $1,000 — after concerns were raised over the report’s accuracy and presentation. At the next general body meeting, UCS members distinguished themselves by serving notice to nine officers that they might be impeached the following week, only to drop the matter entirely.

This year, both President Michael Glassman ’09 and Vice President Lauren Kolodny ’08 have pledged to engage the campus in the council’s work. Though UCS is poised to alienate the student body all over again this semester, it’s not too late just yet. Council members should get their egos in check, stop bickering over titles and procedures and set an agenda already.

alexander gard - murray

L e tt e r s Delivery trucks disturb Pembroke resident To the Editor: I don’t envy the challenges of Facilities Management in planning and monitoring the ongoing blitz of the “Building Brown” project. However, as a resident of Pembroke campus, I ask them to correct an unnecessary daily disturbance.

Bright and early every morning, delivery trucks make their way down the walkway between SmithBuonanno and Metcalf halls — with their reverse beeps going off and brakes squealing — in order to delivery supplies to the Gate. The trucks idle while the supplies are unloaded and occupy the entire pathway between

connecting buildings.

In any other residential setting, this situation would not be tolerated. With several construction projects nearby, alternative loading routes are hard to come by, but surely arrangements could be made to deliver supplies at defined times through the Meeting Street or Thayer Street entrance points, rather than continue the onslaught of exhaust fumes, reverse noises and blocked passageways that greet Pembroke residents daily.

Christopher Hardy ’10 Sept. 28

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Co

r r e c t i o n s

In an article in Monday’s Herald (“Laptop thefts double, DPS investigating,” Oct. 1), Kevin O’Connor of the Department of Public Safety was identified as an investigative supervisor. In fact, he is an inspector.

In an article in Monday’s Herald (“Lead-contaminated water found in campus buildings,” Oct. 1), it was reported that 10 times the federal limit for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per million. In fact, it is 150 parts per billion.

C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy 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.

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O pinions Tuesday, October 2, 2007

page 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Terrorism’s root cause: the terrorists ZACK BEAUCHAMP Opinions Columnist

There’s a tendency among many who, like me, identify on the left side of the political spectrum to treat terrorism as an issue with one fundamental cause: American foreign policy in the Middle East. According to this view, terrorist organizations are essentially resistance fighters against American imperialism and arrogance, reacting to everything from America’s support of the Shah of Iran to its contemporary close ties with Israel.

It follows from this view that the obvious solution to the problem of terrorism is to leave the Middle East alone. If we close down military bases in Saudi Arabia, pull troops out of Iraq and cease preferential support of Israel, among other things, then the terrorists’ motivation for violence will wane and eventually fade away. In Noam Chomsky’s words: “Everyone’s worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there’s a really easy way: Stop participating in it.”

This view is fundamentally wrongheaded.

It is impossible to deny that the invasion of Iraq and the lack of a real resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cause many in the Muslim world to sympathize with terrorist organizations (despite the fact that the latter is almost certainly not the fault of the United States.) However, American geopolitical maneuvering is not the primary motivation for the individuals who actually make up terrorist organizations. These terrorist organizations are committed to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that preaches violence not primarily as a response to American foreign policy, but because it is at the core of their

beliefs that the infidel must be subordinated to Islam.

Some of the best evidence for this view comes from a recent article by Raymond Ibrahim, a scholar of Islamic history and culture who studied at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and is now a research librarian in the Near East section of the Library of Congress. Ibrahim found that in publicly accessible texts and videos (often with English translations and/or subtitles), al-

subtitles scrolling on the bottom — one almost never sees references to the United States, Israel, or even the West as a whole. Instead, they are subsumed under the Arabic word “kufr,” or “infidelity,” which Ibrahim translates as contextually meaning “the regrettable state of being non-Muslim that must always be fought through ’tongue and teeth.’”

In these newly translated documents, there are places where bin Laden explicitly contradicts the propaganda he publishes for Western

Terrorist organizations are committed to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that preaches violence not primarily as a response to American foreign policy, but because it is at the core of their beliefs that the infidel must be subordinated to Islam.

Qaida’s stated grievances fit quite neatly into the picture of the world painted by Chomsky and his ideological co-travelers. However, Ibrahim also found a wealth of untranslated works by al-Qaida members (including tracts

by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri) designed as theological treatises for both fundamentalists and the rest of the Muslim world. In these works — better indicators of al-Qaida’s motivations than videos so tailored for Western audiences as to have English

ears, and states that Islamic fundamentalists hate non-Muslims not because of their foreign policy decisions, but because they are not Muslims. In response to a letter published by a number of Saudi figures claiming that Muslims have a duty to respect non-Muslims and treat them kindly, bin Laden wrote, “As to the relationship between Muslims and infidels, this is summarized by the Most High’s Word: ’We renounce you. Enmity and hate shall forever reign between us — ’til you be-

lieve in Allah alone’ … ’Wage war against the infidels and hypocrites and be ruthless’ …

Battle, animosity, and hatred — directed from the Muslim to the infidel — is the foundation of our religion.” In another work, bin Laden goes further: “The West is hostile to us on account of ... offensive jihad,” a statement which flatly contradicts his propaganda’s claim that the West is assailing Islam and that al-Qaida is just a resistance movement.

Bin Laden’s newly translated texts are not the only support for this view of Islamic fundamentalism. Hassan Butt, a former recruiter for Islamic fundamentalist groups in Britain, cited by Ibrahim, has stated that “when I was still a member of (a terrorist organization) … I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people on TV proclaimed that the sole cause for Islamic acts of terror … was Western foreign policy.

By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this ’Blair’s bombs’ line did our propaganda work for us. More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.”

Fouad Hussein, a Jordanian journalist who had unprecedented access to al-Qaida’s senior officials, found that the organization’s terminal goal is the establishment of a new caliphate designed not merely to drive the West out of the Middle East, but to establish a “new world order.”

Given this evidence, it is clear that Chomskyian isolationism simply will not make terrorism go away. A truly effective counterrorism policy must take into account the real motivations and beliefs of Islamic fundamentalists, and find a way to ensure that their beliefs do not spread in the Muslim world.

Zack Beauchamp ’10 is officially challenging Osama bin Laden to a round of fisticuffs.

Boycott China to free Burma

BY PATRICK COOK-DEEGAN Guest Columnist Over the past two weeks, over 500,000 brave souls have taken to the streets in Burma, also known as Myanmar, demanding freedom and a peaceful transition to democracy. With the world watching, tens of thousands of maroonclad monks led the Burmese people through the street, in what the international press has dubbed the “Saffron Revolution.”

After over a month of peaceful protests, the dictatorial Burmese government launched its much-feared military crackdown last Wednesday. The government started by raiding monasteries, arresting and torturing over 4,000 monks. The monasteries are still surrounded by government troops, preventing the monks from leading the people in the streets. In addition, troops have rounded up thousands of monks who are now being held at a technical college and a race track on the outskirts of Rangoon. One Burmese military officer who took part in the crackdown fled to Thailand, reporting that in an effort to cover up the evidence, troops are burning the monks — even those who are only injured.

With the monks off the streets, the government started shooting civilians. In Rangoon, troops started firing spontaneously into crowds, killing scores of people. Government troops opened fire on demonstrators in front of a local high school, killing 50 to 100 students who were at the school taking

annual exams. There is also footage of one Japanese journalist being shot by a troop at close range. Over 200 people are reportedly dead.

Western countries have been admirably vocal in calling for an end to violence and a peaceful transition to democracy. President Bush has made several strong public statements and ordered new sanctions on the militar y junta. Unfortunately, the United States and Europe have little influence over the junta; Burma’s economic and militar y support come primarily from Asian countries, with its largest financial support deriving from neighboring China.

China has over 700 companies operating in Burma. Chinese companies are building 14 hydropower plants in Burma, and a Chinese energy firm is building a 1,500 mile natural gas pipeline across the country. Last year, the two countries did over $2 billion dollars in trade. In return for economic exploitation, China provides Burma with dirt-cheap weapons and political protection.

The Chinese have consistently blocked the international community from taking any effective action on Burma. Earlier this year, China vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council to take action on Burma.

Last week President Bush invited Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi into a private meeting in the oval office to discuss Burma.

The Washington Post reported that during the meeting, Bush suggested this solution: The Chinese allow Burma’s military junta to receive “some form of refuge” from China. In exchange, China will support the release of all political prisoners, including 1991 Nobel

Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and allow the process of democratization to begin.

China is the only country standing in the way of international action. Already Russia and ASEAN, a group of Southeast Asian nations, have called for strong action. With the notable exception of India, which has yet to use its leverage with the regime, the world has loudly declared its opposition to the military junta.

Citizens around the world are joining their governments in calling for action. There have been protests in Malaysia, England, Australia, America and dozens of other countries around the world. Brown had a “red day” last Friday where over 40 percent of the student body wore red and 300 took part in a silent march. China must wake up and recognize that they are going to be held accountable for what goes on in Burma.

China is a rising superpower and needs to start taking on the responsibilities that come with the status. This includes dropping support for rogue regimes like Zimbabwe, Sudan, North Korea and Burma.

The most effective leverage the international community can use against China is the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Olympic games next summer are to be part of China’s “peaceful rise,” and the government does not want the Olympics to be overshadowed by their support for the worst human rights abusers in the world. Indeed, China has already acted twice in the past year to prevent such negative press coverage, persuading North Korea to abandon their nuclear weapons program and allowing international peacekeepers to

enter into Darfur.

Last week, Desmond Tutu called for a boycott of the Olympic Games unless China takes action on Burma. On Aug. 2, eight Republicans in Congress introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to boycott the Olympics due to China’s human rights records in Sudan, North Korea and China.

The resolution, House Resolution 610, is currently being circulated for co-sponsorship.

Even the threat of a boycott will force China to reevaluate its position. The Washington Post reported that Chinese government officials were reportedly “shocked” by the world’s outpouring of support for the protesters in Burma. They would be even more inclined to act if world leaders, joined by their citizens, called for a boycott of the games. China’s intervention does not guarantee a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Burma, yet given its influence in the nation, China has an obligation to use all its power to come to a peaceful resolution.

The world cannot let China off the hook.

American officials, and leaders around the world, need to state clearly: We will boycott the games if China does not take action. No country or person of conscience should take part in an Olympic games run by a country with blood on its hands.

Patrick Cook-Deegan ‘08 is a senior at Brown University and the Northeast Regional Student Coordinator for US Campaign for Burma. He has been featured in the Washington Post and Boston Globe and appeared on Radio Free Asia.

S ports T UESday Page 12

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Boston bests NYC, and not just baseball The year 1995 will always have a special place in my heart. That’s right, in ’95, my little eight-year-old self was blessed with Billy Madison, Angus and The Big Green. Oh, and of course it was also the last time the Red Sox won the AL East. I still remember rolling up to my house on my Huffy Tremor, grabbing a glass of Kool-Aid and some Dunkaroos with Shane Reil my buddy Jeff and Are You For Reil? belting out Seal’s new hit single, “Kiss From a Rose,” in celebration. Seriously. I dare you to call me a liar.

So here we are 12 years later. I no longer own a bike, my mom can’t send Kool-Aid to my campus mailbox and the Dunkaroo has become endangered after years of senseless poaching (although a few have been spotted at Costco). All this is awful, yes, but what’s important is that the Sox are division champs once again.

The New York Yankees, still without a World Series title since 2000, have finally relinquished their hold on the division crown.

Across town, the Mets finished up a historic September collapse on Sunday evening, losing to the worst team in their division, the Florida Marlins, 8-1. Veteran starter Tom Glavine got shelled to the tune of seven earned runs in only a third of an inning. Sadly, the Mets will not be joining us in the playoffs.

This is no small deal. In fact, I would argue that we are witnessing a monumental shift in the balance of power within one of the most storied rivalries in sports. This essay aims to explore the implications of this shift in power. More specifically, how it will affect the relationship between Boston and New York in what I consider to be an imminent, Massachucentric epoch, henceforth referred to as the “postmodern.”

Sorry about that. What I meant to say was, Boston owns New York right now, and not just in baseball.

Consider basketball. The Celtics look like a top team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference this year. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce give them three legit All-Stars, a guaranteed trip to the playoffs and a shot at the conference championship. The Knicks, who have not had a winning season in recent memory, only improved slightly over the off-season — not to mention that their coach, Isiah Thomas, has been spending as much time in court as on the court, owing to a discouraging sexual harassment suit.

On top of that, the New England Patriots are hands down the best team in the National Football League. Heading into their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, the Pats led the league in yards per game on offense and had allowed the least yards on defense. Quarterback Tom Brady has been hooking up with so many different wide receivers he has been asked to host season two of VH1’s “The Pick-Up Artist.”

The New York Jets, on the other hand, couldn’t handle Buffalo this continued on page 6

Ranked teams topple No. 20 m. water polo at ECAC

By Whitney Clark Sports Staff Writer

Most of the time, it is the offensive stars who make all the flashy plays and receive all the glory. But this wasn’t the case with the No. 20 men’s water polo team at the ECAC Championship over the weekend.

Goalkeeper Kent Holland ’10 had the Bears most impressive weekend, establishing himself as one of, if not the, best goalies on the East Coast with a total of 24 saves on the weekend.

The Bears started the weekend with a loss against No. 11 Bucknell University, falling 10-6 in their first round game. They played George Washington University next, who they defeated, 9-7, in the consolation bracket. Brown finished the weekend against No. 17 Johns Hopkins University, who defeated them, 6-5, in the battle for fifth place.

Brown’s record stands at 7-3 now on the year.

Coming off a long bus ride and a late night, the Bears gave their best in their first game of the weekend against Bucknell. The Bears played hard the whole game.

“The final score was not an indication of the game,” said Head Coach Felix Mercado. “We were there for

dspics.com

Gerrit Adams ’08 had a goal against Johns Hopkins in the fifth-place game at the ECAC Championships this weekend.

three and a half quarters.”

Brown had the first goal of the game, and the scoring was backand-forth until the end. After the first half, the Bears were only down 4-3, thanks to two goals from Mike Gartner ’09 and one from co-captain Gerrit Adams ’08. But the second half proved to be the real challenge for the team.

“It was really our first big game

in a big pool,” Mercado said. “Physically, our bodies weren’t used to its size.”

The water polo team has been limited in practices because of the closing of the Smith Swim Center due to structural problems, forcing it to hold practices in smaller-thanregulation pools.

After the third quarter, the Bears were only trailing by two with the

score 7-5. But by the end of the game, the players’ fitness became a factor. At the end of the fourth quarter the Bison pulled ahead, scoring three goals compared to only one Brown goal for a final score of 10-6.

“It was extremely close. We were doing really well for the first three continued on page 8

Field hockey knocked back by Rutgers in 2-0 loss

By Andrew Braca Spor ts Staf f Writer

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be an oncoming RIPTA bus. The field hockey team learned this lesson the hard way over the weekend, discovering that the spark it thought it had found last week was not sufficient to pull out its first win of the season.

After suffering only a 2-1 loss to University of Massachusetts Amherst last Wednesday, the Bears spoke of having turned a corner in terms of improved play on a season that had begun with eight straight losses. But all that went out the window on Sunday, when Brown traveled to Piscataway, N.J. and lost, 2-0, to Rutgers University. The Scarlet Knights outshot the Bears by a margin of 22-2 and held an 11-1 advantage in penalty corners.

“We definitely did not play with the same intensity and toughness that we had displayed at UMass last Wednesday,” said Head Coach Tara Harrington ’94. “We couldn’t get our attack going. ... Defensively, we didn’t make the stands that we needed to all over the field to control a very fast and very physical Rutgers team.”

The one bright spot for the Bears, now 0-9 on the season, was the play of goaltender Lauren Kessler ’11, who made 15 saves in her second collegiate start to prevent Rutgers from running away with the game.

“She’s in the right spot at the right time,” Harrington said. “If you have a goalkeeper who is positionally sound, that’s 95 percent of the battle. She did the simple things really well, and she took care of the basics. That’s what you really have to do. If all of us did that on the field, then the outcome, I firmly believe, would have been much different than what it was.”

Co-captain Ani Kazarian ’08 echoed those sentiments. “Lauren

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Coming off a better showing at UMass last week, Ani Kazarian ’08 and the field hockey team couldn’t secure a win against Rutgers.

Kessler did an amazing job,” she said. “It was great to see a freshman go out there and play with confidence (and) poise. It was an honor to watch her play.”

Kessler held up well under a hail of Scarlet Knights shots. Amy Lewis, the leading scorer in the Big East Conference with 12 goals entering the game, converted two of her nine shots into goals. In the 13th minute, Whitney Knowlton

’10 made a defensive save on Rutgers’ Cat Badolato’s shot, but the rebound came to Lewis. She fired a shot that glanced off a Brown defender and into the goal to give Rutgers a 1-0 lead at 12:10.

The score stayed that way until three minutes remained in the game, when Lewis got the ball after a penalty corner and unleashed a shot that found the back of the cage.

Kazarian and Sara Eaton ’09 took the only shots for Brown, continuing a stretch in which the Bears have taken only 11 shots in the past three games. Harrington said the blame for the weak showing could be spread widely.

“We just couldn’t get our attack going from our backfield right to our forwards,” she said. “It doesn’t rest solely upon our forwards. If we can’t outlet the ball from the backfield and sustain the attack through the midfield to our forwards, we’re not going to have those attacking opportunities.”

Kazarian said even though the game’s result was disappointing, the team would attempt to build off of the loss.

“It was great to see us go out and play with passion at UMass. I think that that passion wasn’t there in our last game,” she said. “It just didn’t click as well as in the previous game. So I wouldn’t say that it was a setback, but I think that we’re going to have keep improving and moving forward.”

Harrington, however, was willing to acknowledge the loss as “a slight step back for us.” Nevertheless, she added, “We will not concede. We are fighters, and these kids are tough. We are going to continue to work and make improvements each day. We have to work on all aspects of the game, both our mental aspects and our tactical aspects as well.”

Now the Bears turn their attention to the Columbia Lions, who they face in New York on Saturday.

“We will watch film (and) get the kids ready for the Columbia game plan,” Harrington said. “Obviously, we will work to improve and have a focus and intensity going into Columbia. It’s an Ivy League game, and we want to make a stand.”

Both Brown and the Lions are 0-2 in the Ivy League heading into the game.