Monday, November 26, 2007

The Brown Daily Herald M onday, N ovember 26, 2007

Volume CXLII, No. 114

12 more students targeted by RIAA for file sharing

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

URC considers budget, student activities fee

B ig T en bounced

By Nick Werle Senior Staff Writer

The Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group representing the country’s major record labels, sent pre-litigation letters to 12 Brown students who the RIAA alleges were engaged in illegal file sharing. These letters, which the University received on Nov. 14, were sent as part of the organization’s 10th wave of such notices — in April, a group of 12 Brown students received similar letters.

The letters notify students that if they do not pay a penalty online within 20 days, the RIAA will file a lawsuit.

The 12 letters sent to Brown this month were some of the 417 letters sent to students at 16 campuses across the country. Although the letters were sent to a range of schools, Brown’s peers appear to have been hit particularly hard: Six of the eight Ivy League schools received letters this month.

Eleven of the 12 Brown students contacted by the RIAA were undergraduates who were allegedly downloading from their dorm rooms. The other was a summer student.

The letters are part of an ongoing campaign by the RIAA to target university students engaging in illegal file-sharing. “I think universities are an easy target because we provide a lot of bandwidth for our students,” said Director of Information Technology Security Connie Sadler. “We consider ourselves an Internet service provider for students who live in the dorms. ... It’s easier for them to work with and target universities than to target Internet service providers in general because other ISPs provide continued on page 4

By Chaz Kelsh Staff Writer

But stem cell research has been met with as much controversy as promise. The traditional

Complaints about funding for student activities dominated last Monday night’s open forum of the University Resources Committee.

The URC, comprised of students, faculty and staff, advises the president and the Corporation on the University’s annual budget. The open forum, held in Salomon 001, was the URC’s second of the semester and lasted less than a half hour.

Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, who chairs the URC, led the forum, which was attended by about 20 people. The limited turnout may have been due to a concurrent University meeting, the Task Force on Undergraduate Education’s forum, featuring Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron and President Ruth Simmons.

Graham Anderson ’10, the first speaker, argued that student activities should receive University funding beyond the student activities fee, citing the recent cut of the Critical Review’s print run due to the budgeting constraints of the activities fee.

The student activities fee, paid by all undergraduates, makes up the budget for the Undergraduate Finance Board, which then distributes funds to student groups.

Kertzer responded to Anderson’s concerns by saying the University has implemented some changes intended to increase the funding available to student groups, such as removing club sports from UFB’s responsibilities.

Clay Wertheimer ’10, an at-large member of the Undergraduate Coun-

continued on page 7

continued on page 4

Kori Schulman / Herald Damon Huffman takes a shot against Northwestern on Saturday. The men’s basketball team knocked off the Wildcats in their own gym for its second victory of the season.

Breakthrough may end stem cell research war

By Chaz Firestone Senior Staf f Writer

If James Thompson and Shinya Yamanaka are right, presidential hopefuls will soon have one less “war” to talk about.

The two molecular biologists and their teams at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Japan’s Kyoto University, respectively, announced last Tuesday they had reprogrammed regular human skin cells to mimic stem cells, sidestepping the usual ethicallycharged process of destroying human embryos.

“It is earth-shattering,” said Professor of Biology Ken Miller ’70 P’02, who also commented

on the news for PBS NewsHour.

“The barriers of cost, technology and getting regulatory approval have now dropped by an order of magnitude.”

Stem cells are found in developing organisms and have the unique ability to transform into any other cell type the organism needs — in humans, this amounts to over 200 cell types, including heart muscle, insulin-secreting cells of the pancreas and even neurons in the brain. In the last decade, these blank slates of development have been targeted for therapeutic use, with hopes that stem cells could one day repair damaged tissue or even grow organs for transplant.

Courtey of anl.gov

The moral issues surrounding embryonic stem cells (pictured) will no longer be under the microscope if the new method of producing them from skin cells can be perfected.

ROTC exchange with PC Curriculum requirements are offdown to a lone student limits for Task Force, Bergeron says

By Michael Skocpol Senior Staff Writer

Among Brown’s nearly 6,000 undergraduates, Adam Swartzbaugh ’09 is unique — he’s the lone student currently enrolled in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Providence College.

Since 1971, when Brown’s own ROTC program was ended amid protests against the Vietnam War, the Providence College’s Patriot Battalion has served students interested in preparing for military leadership.

But since the mid-1990s, Brown undergrads’ participation in the program has dwindled down to almost nothing.

Last spring, some debate over the program arose on campus as a student group formed to advocate for ROTC’s return to campus, while others came out against the idea.

Currently, fewer Brown students participate in ROTC than students at

INSIDE:

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ARTS & CULTURE

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any other school in the Ivy League, which itself trails other institutions across the country in participation figures. Among the Ancient Eight, only Cornell and Princeton universities have an active Army ROTC program on campus (the University of Pennsylvania has a Navy ROTC program) — the others, like Brown, send students to programs at nearby schools.

ROTC programs require students to complete militar y leadership courses, field exercises and physical training while in school and pledge to serve in the officer corps following graduation. ROTC students are eligible to receive merit scholarships up to full tuition.

ROTC’s purpose — according Lt. Col. Paul Dulchinos, who heads the Providence College program — is to inject leaders who have a liberal arts education into an officer corps continued on page 9

THE NUDE CREW Some students earn extra cash by posing as nude models for art classes at Brown and outside groups.

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CAMPUS NEWS

By Franklin Kanin Senior Staff Writer

Before packing their bags to head home for Thanksgiving, some students made a pit stop at Marcuvitz Auditorium in the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences last Monday night to meet with members of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, where discussion focused on the troubled state of undergraduate advising.

The task force, which is undertaking a broad review of the College and its curriculum, comprises 10 faculty members and four undergraduates and will release a preliminary report of its findings early next semester for campus review. Last week’s open meeting was intended for students to give the committee feedback and receive answers to any questions they might have before the preliminary report is written.

ROBBED AT GUNPOINT A student was robbed by two men, one armed with a gun, near campus early Saturday morning.

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OPINIONS

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Meara Sharma / Herald

Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron and UCS President Michael Glassman fielded questions.

In her opening remarks, Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron assured the audience that the task force has never discussed intro-

EMPOWER GOES GREEN In a pair of guest columns, members of emPOWER discuss environmental policy on campus and beyond.

ducing requirements to the open curriculum. continued on page 4

12 SPORTS

M. HOCKEY FALLS The men’s hockey team was out of its league when it took on the University of New Hampshire.

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Monday, November 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

We a t h e r Today

TOMORROW

sunny 48/ 43

sunny 55 / 33

Menu

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Broccoli Noodle Polonaise, Creole Mixed Vegetables, Chicken Parmesan Grinder, BBQ Beef Sandwich, Perfect Lemon Bars

Lunch — Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing, Nacho Bar, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Stewed Tomatoes, Butterscotch Cookies

Dinner — Vegan Roasted Vegetable Stew, Italian Couscous, Artichokes with Stewed Tomatoes and Wine, Rotisserie Style Chicken, Blueberry Gingerbread

Dinner — Pizza Supper Pie, Tortellini Angelica, Roasted Herb Potatoes, Carrots in Orange Sauce, Stir Fry Station, Vegan Black Bean and Corn Stew

Sudoku

Aibohphobia | Roxanne Palmer

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 | Toni Liu and Stephanie Le

RELEASE DATE– Monday, November 26, 2007 © Puzzles by Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

C

o ssw or d Lewis Edited by RichrNorris and Joyce Nichols

ACROSS 1 Toll rds.

5 “Get lost, fly!”

9 Lights-out melody 13 Nastase of tennis 14 That guy’s, in the boonies 15 Verdi classic 16 America’s national bird 18 Dental exam feature 19 Hawaii vacationer, perhaps 21 Revise for the better 22 Wise sayings 25 Heartsick 26 Way onto a freeway 30 Postpone 31 Having more customers 33 Caesar’s 1052 34 Russell Byars is one: He set the Guinness World Record of 51 times from the shore of the Allegheny River on 7/19/2007 37 Firenze farewell 38 Enjoyed a restaurant 39 __ and drabs 41 Grounded jets, briefly 42 Chem. contaminant 45 Boston Garden player 47 Commotion 49 Plane a 19Across might use 53 Slick-talking 55 Had drinks on credit 56 Team trainer’s supply 57 Pizza maker 58 “Uh-uh” 59 One-time spouses 60 School grade 61 MP3 player DOWN 1 Shinbones

2 Blood bank supply 3 “Who __ Cock Robin?”: nursery rhyme 4 Family car 5 Food fish known for its roe 6 More than just a little tipsy 7 Scandinavian capital 8 End of many a lunch hr.

9 Like interest on government bonds 10 BB gun, e.g.

11 BlackBerry or Palm Pilot, for short 12 Utter aloud 17 Gridiron play also called a sweep 20 Hippie’s digs 23 Golda of Israel 24 __ Lanka 27 On the briny 28 Fog relatives 29 Little Chinese dogs, for short 31 Idiot boxes 32 Prison chaos

34 Foal’s father 35 Exhaust conduit 36 Pecs strengthener 37 Atlanta-based public health agcy.

40 Caesar of comedy 42 Soda can convenience 43 El __: miserly type

44 Like cow pasture wire 46 PC drive insert 48 Muscat denizen 50 Vesuvius output 51 Cabinet dept. concerned with nuclear weapons 52 Garbage 53 Former AT&T rival 54 Hardly strict

Vagina Dentata | Soojean Kim

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Classic How To Get Down | Nate Saunders

xwordeditor@aol.com

11/26/07

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11/26/07

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A rts & C ulture Monday, November 26, 2007

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Need holiday gifts? Check out RISD Works

Rahul Keerthi / Herald “hello, baby.”, a week-long art show of recent paintings by Pik-Shuen Fung ‘09, opens tomorrow at the List Art Building lobby.

Students bare it all as nude models

By Melissa Shube Staff Writer

Some Brown students, looking to make extra money, have entered the world of nude art modeling.

“It sounded kind of absurd, so I decided to try it,” said Matt Novick ’08, who models at Brown. “Basically you’re on a pedestal under spotlights surrounded by people, and you’re naked, and it sounds like such a ridiculous thing to do that you might as well try it.”

“Plus they pay you,” he said.

The Department of Visual Art hires student models to pose for art classes and weekly figure-drawing sessions. Hamilton House and local artists also hire students.

Figure drawing is considered an essential learning tool for students who are serious about accurately portraying the human body. “If you master the real structure of the naked human body then you can draw any person with clothing on and it will look realistic,” said Diana Friedman ’11, who is taking VISA 0100: “Studio Foundation” this semester.

For adventurous students, the job may seem attractive. It pays between $15 and $20 an hour and models can choose their hours. But before shedding their clothing and running to List Art Center, students should know that modeling involves more then showing up in the nude — the model must come up with poses emphasizing different angles, lines and muscles and hold these poses without moving.

“It’s definitely harder than it looks,” said Claudia Schwartz ’09, who models for private drawing groups of local artists.

Novick said a friend, who also models, taught him how to pose. “I’m an engineer,” Novick said. “I have no idea about this stuff. Little things like making sure your arms are away from your body so it’s not obscure for people. You might want to have your right shoulder high and your left hip high to try to make interesting angles.”

The models start with brief gesture poses and hold them for 30 seconds or one to two minutes. As the artists warm up, the poses must get longer, lasting 15 to 20 minutes or

sometimes 40 minutes to an hour.

The positions, as a result, have to become less exaggerated and more comfortable so the models can hold them.

“For the longer ones, it’s surprisingly like meditation, because you (are) just so focused on every aspect of your body, trying to keep it in the same position,” Novick said. “I leave there more tired than from actually working out.”

And then there’s the awkward factor. The models are, after all, standing naked in front of strangers.

“It was kind of weird — it was definitely no less awkward than I thought it would be, but it’s the kind of thing you get used to pretty fast,” Schwartz said.

“You don’t want to get a boner — that would be upsetting,” said Aviad Haimi-Cohen ’09, who goes by the surname “Sunshine.” “But that’s not a worry once you’re actually doing it.”

“When it’s in an artistic context, it’s sort of desexualized. Once it’s taken out of the one-on-one sexual situation, seeing naked people is just like seeing another body,” he said.

Schwartz models for private drawing groups. “The artists are pretty friendly — they are the aging hippies, they play the Beatles and they drink wine, and they try to get me to smoke joints with them.”

She said she would not consider modeling at Brown. “I don’t think I would like to run into someone at a party,” Schwartz said. “That would be a little too real.”

Haimi-Cohen models for the Hamilton House, a senior center on Angell Street. “I’ll be like holding a pose, and (there are) these old

ladies, and they don’t know what’s going on in the world. Someone will say, ‘I made this far too big,’ ” he said.

“The majority of the time I think it’s them trying to make me feel like I have a small penis, but they’ll be talking about an arm, and it’s usually problems they have with their own artwork.”

Haimi-Cohen said he would not be opposed to modeling for Brown, adding that between theater shows and the naked donut run, “I feel like most of this campus has seen me naked anyway.”

Novick, who models for Brown, has no qualms about potentially awkward post-modeling encounters. “I’m obviously comfortable with it,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

But the encounters do occur.

“This one girl in particular, I pass her going into Barus and Holley on a day-to-day basis, and she gives me this shy turn away, like I saw you naked,” Novick said.

The first time an artist draws a nude model can be unnerving for the artist as well. “But after a while you stop thinking that it’s even a human body. It just looks like a lot of organic shapes,” Friedman said.

Schwartz and Novick both said they find the job rewarding and agree that one of best parts is seeing the finished drawings of themselves.

“I would highly recommend it to anyone,” Schwartz said. “It’s a great body image booster. They’re really complimentary, and they’re certainly not critical.”

“It is actually liberating and makes you feel more comfortable about your body,” Haimi-Cohen said.

“The only downside is, it’s not going to go on my resume.”

How about giving the gift of a battery-eating “monster” or a toucan can opener for Christmas? As post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping geared up this weekend, some Providence shoppers looking for unique gift offerings turned to risd|works — the Rhode Island School of Design’s retail store and design showroom on Westminster Street.

Since its creation in 2001, the store has sold works from over 400 RISD alums and faculty. Earlier this month, the store launched its 2008 Collection, including items from 42 alumni artists representing a variety of RISD departments. The collection includes 40 or so pieces, said Ann Smith, a sales associate at the store.

The new items include the “monster” — a refrigerator magnet that drains residual energy from used AA batteries — designed by David Dear RISD’85 — and a “toucan” opener — a can opener shaped like a toucan’s head — designed by the team of Christopher Raia RISD’95 and Andrea Zatarain RISD’96.

One of the most striking pieces in the new collection is “Reveal”

by Adam Frank RISD’92 — a light projection of a silhouetted window and a tree moving gently beyond it.

The works include both handmade crafts and mass-produced designs, such as David Wiesner’s RISD’78 illustrated children’s book “Flotsam,” which won the 2007 Caldecott Medal. Other items in the collection include jewelry, ceramics, games and DVDs. Also featured at the store are a variety of memorabilia for the animated television series “Family Guy,” created by Seth MacFarlane RISD’95.

In addition to the items on sale year-round at risd|works, RISD will present its Alumni Holiday Art Sale on Dec. 8 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The sale is one of three alumni art sales that happen every year and is unconnected to risd|works, though it will likely feature similar items, Smith said. The sale will feature work from more than 200 artists, with 45 new to the sale, according to a press release.

Admission to the sale is $7 and free to RISD students with an ID. — Robin Steele

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Monday, November 26, 2007

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RIAA threatens 12 students with legal action continued from page 1 access to millions of users, and it’s harder to go after them.”

Representatives from the RIAA did not respond to requests for comment.

Though it has been seven months since the last batch of Brown students received letters from the RIAA, it is unclear whether the threats of litigation have had much effect on students’ downloading habits.

“It’s hard to say whether anything has changed,” Sadler said. “I hear from some students that they don’t download any longer.” She said that the record companies have frequently warned students who received letters.

“I have to tell you that it is my experience that most students who got the letters had received some prior complaints,” she said. “So I don’t think it’s a case of students not knowing.”

But Zachary McCune ’10, who received a pre-litigation letter from the RIAA in April, said he senses some shift in behavior.

“I haven’t downloaded since,”

he said. “I’m definitely more honest now. I use (the iTunes Store) exclusively.”

McCune signed a contract during his settlement stating that he would no longer illegally download music and that if he were caught doing so again, he would face stiffer penalties.

“I think it probably has (changed my friends’ behavior) because everyone’s more wary now,” he said.

“Whenever this happens to someone you know or someone at your school, it has an effect.”

Since his run-in with the RIAA last spring, McCune has become active on campus with the national Free Culture movement. Working with Assistant Professor of Modern Culture and Media Studies Mark Tribe ’90, McCune started a Free Culture chapter at Brown, which he hopes will be a resource for the latest 12 students.

“We’re a resource,” McCune said.

“Free Culture is a national organization that was a resource for me when it happened. I was put in touch with

lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and they gave me some great advice.”

“We’ll probably be very present at this point because it’s a very isolating experience. You’re one of 12 people out of probably thousands on campus who are violating copyright law, and you feel very singled out.”

At Brown, the last round of letters did not produce any real change in Computing and Information Services or administration policy. CIS still does not monitor network traffic — although it does restrict the bandwidth available to individual IP addresses — and there are currently no plans to begin restricting the use of peer-to-peer clients on the network, according to Sadler.

“It’s tough because P2P traffic is sometimes used for legitimate purposes, so it’s really a behavioral issue, not a software one,” she said. “For now I think it’s going to continue the way it is, but every time something like this happens we’re probably closer to getting together and discussing a change in policy.”

URC forum yields low turnout continued from page 1 cil of Students, also replied to Anderson’s concerns, saying that though UCS has supported an increase in the student activities fee to allow greater funding for activities, it also supports finding other avenues of funding. “We want to explore other options, such as creating an endowment,” Wertheimer said. He said UFB currently funds the heritage and cultural month programs of the Third World Center, an example of something that could be supported by other means than UFB. Arik Beatty ’10 suggested that the University invest in a better lighting system for Alumnae Hall, saying that Brown University Gilbert & Sullivan had to spend $1,100 on basic lighting for its recent production of “The Yeomen of the Guard.” “Attempting to light (the actors) just so they could be seen was a challenge in and of itself,” Beatty said. He said a onetime investment in a better lighting system would decrease ongoing costs to student groups and therefore decrease the amount theater groups would require from UFB.

Professor of Classics Deborah Boedeker then voiced concerns about decreasing funding for scholarly journal subscriptions. She said departments were asked to identify 10 percent of their journal subscriptions that could be canceled.

“We’re very concerned with the idea that we have to do without some of the resources we’ve been accustomed to,” she said, calling this a “hardship” for her department, which depends heavily on access to scholarship.

Kertzer responded that the task of looking at subscriptions is “the responsible thing to do,” given that some departments may subscribe to journals they do not use, but that the University should make sure departments have the resources they need.

Adam Merberg ’08 ended the meeting by raising concerns about the overheating of University buildings. He said David Greene, former vice president for campus life and student services, wrote an e-mail to the Brown community in October 2005 saying that Brown buildings would be kept at 68 degrees Fahren-

heit. Merberg said he has been carrying a thermometer with him and has found rooms as warm as 85 degrees. He said the current response — calling Facilities Management to complain about the heat — is ineffective and that there must be a “serious policy-based approach,” adding that high temperatures are “unhealthy, uncomfortable” and environmentally irresponsible.

“I agree there’s a problem,” said Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration and a URC member.

“I think our biggest problem is the age of our buildings. It’s not quite as simple as, ‘Oh, let’s turn down the thermostat,’ ” she added, citing University Hall as an example of a building that is often difficult to heat consistently because of its age. The University is investing $20 million over five years to improve building maintenance and temperature control, she said.

Kertzer suggested that students could “patrol” buildings and report overheated buildings to Facilities Management whenever they encounter them.

Task force forum focuses on advising continued from page 1 “They have been absolutely open conversations, and anyone had any right to say anything ... which I think is itself a testament of how powerful the education ideal is that we have here at Brown,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron, who moderated the discussion, sat in the center of a table at the front of the small auditorium, flanked on either side by President Ruth Simmons and Michael Glassman ’09, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students. UCS hosted and organized the event.

The entire task force meets every

two weeks, and its subcommittees schedule their own individual meetings. The subcommittees focus on individual issues such as teaching and assessment, general education, concentrations and advising.

Despite the broad purview of the task force’s own discussions, the forum on Monday focused mainly on the quality of Brown’s undergraduate advising.

Concerns about advising included the state of pre-law advising, which shifted this year as long-time pre-law adviser Perry Ashley, formerly executive associate dean of the College, was replaced by the Associate Dean

of the College for Health and PreLaw Andrew Simmons and Associate Dean of the College for Fellowships and Pre-Law Linda Dunleavy.

Concerns about sophomore and first-year advising, concentration advisers and the Meiklejohn advising program were also raised by students at the meeting.

Other topics of discussion at the meeting were concentration requirements and double concentrations, service learning projects, the Plan for Academic Enrichment and academic honesty, as one student said he has noticed a high incidence of cheating on campus.

M. hockey’s losing streak continues against UNH continued from page 12 goal, and in the third period, UNH pulled ahead 5-1 with a short-handed goal to put the game out of reach.

Pietrus continued his success, however, notching another goal with 5:51 remaining in the game.

On a two-on-two rush, captain Sean Hurley ’08 cut to the middle of the ice and dropped the puck back to Pietrus, who put it past the goalie to make the score 5-2, where it stayed for the rest of the contest.

One bright spot for Brown was the performance from Pietrus, who

scored his first two collegiate goals in the loss.

“It felt good to get that monkey off my back,” Pietrus said. “It’s just unfortunate that it came in a loss.”

The Bears will compete next on Friday, when they travel to Boston to face Northeastern University.

C ampus n ews Monday, November 26, 2007

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RISD considers a Charlotte, N.C., campus

Student robbed at gunpoint

By Cameron Lee Staf f Writer

A male student was robbed at the intersection of Hope and Waterman Streets early Saturday morning, according to a campus-wide e-mail sent by the Department of Public Safety later that morning.

At about 1:51 a.m. Saturday, two men — one of whom possessed a handgun — left a small, dark-colored vehicle and approached the victim, demanding his property and cash before fleeing the area in their vehicle, according to the e-mail.

The first suspect, who carried the gun, was described by the victim as a sixfoot, 25-year-old black male with a skinny build, an afro and no facial hair. The second was described as a black male with a medium build and a short afro.

Both suspects were wearing hooded sweatshirts, according to the e-mail.

The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by both DPS and the Providence Police Department. Representatives of both departments declined to provide any additional information.

The Rhode Island School of Design is considering opening its first satellite branch in Charlotte, N.C., according to a Nov. 15 article in the Charlotte Observer. RISD officials have made trips to Charlotte, but discussions are still preliminary, wrote RISD spokeswoman Jaime Marland in an e-mail to The Herald.

According to the Charlotte Observer article, RISD President Roger Mandle has visited the city three times, and RISD officials have met with leaders in the Charlotte area, including Art Gallagher, president of the Johnson & Wales branch in Charlotte.

“It seems they were fairly serious,” Gallagher told the Observer.

According to the article, Mandle visited Charlotte once with the chairman of RISD’s board of trustees, but Mandle said he hasn’t discussed the possible Charlotte campus thoroughly with the rest of the board.

“This is one of those rare opportunities to shape a community, to shape the type of job growth we’ve experienced, to attract and retain some of the most creative minds in the country and the world,” Michael Smith, president and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners, told the Observer. Smith is leading the effort to get RISD to establish a Charlotte campus, the Observer article said.

Moira Quinn, senior vice president for communications and chief

— Franklin Kanin

Female science professors share tips for the academic trade

By Marc Mayes Contributing Writer

“So you want to be a professor?”

For many graduate and undergraduate students considering an academic career, it can be difficult to answer “yes” without hesitating.

The path to becoming a professor is long and sinuous, intimidating and mysterious. Academic careers can be even more intimidating for women, who must deal with particular hurdles because of their gender.

Last Monday, the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering Program organized a panel discussion to help graduate and undergraduate students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics academic careers think about the challenges of becoming a professor. The panelists included six women professors from across STEM fields at Brown.

The discussion, titled, “So you want to be a professor?” was the Graduate WiSE Program’s first event of the 2007-2008 school year. Graduate WiSE coordinators Barbara Dancheck, a thirdyear doctoral student in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, and Jaime Toney, a second-year doctoral student in Geological Sciences, helped organize the event, along with Geeta Chougule, a WiSE program coordinator, and Associate Dean of Medicine Nancy Thompson.

Though on paper the event catered to female STEM graduate students, Dancheck emphasized the importance of the discussion for both men and women interested in all academic fields in her opening remarks.

“Many of the challenges that women face while pursuing academic careers are challenges that men face as well,” said Dancheck, who moderated the panel discussion.

A combination of pre-determined and impromptu questions guided the discussion among panel members and the audience. Panelists discussed their own experiences as they decided to go into academia and general concerns about issues that graduate students face, such as the challenge of balancing work and family life and the importance of mentoring and networking.

Panelists gave a range of responses to the question, “What

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made you decide to become a professor?”

“I have no idea,” said Professor of Neuroscience Diane Lipscombe, the first panelist to answer. She fought roaring laughter to continue her response.

“I just kept doing what I liked to do,” continued Lipscombe. “I always knew that I liked solving puzzles. ... I knew I wanted to do something that would be useful for other people as well as myself.”

“I wanted interactions with people beyond fellow physicists,” said Associate Professor of Physics Meenakshi Narain. “I enjoy interacting with students on a daily basis and teaching basic science — I’m doing my part to train the next generation of scientists.”

Teaching responsibilities also helped attract Assistant Professor of Chemistry Carthene BazemoreWalker to academia. “I like helping people learn — I had enjoyed tutoring other kids as far back as grade school,” she said.

When asked about what makes the pursuit of academic careers particularly difficult for women, some panelists noted that genderbased differences in communication habits present unique challenges for women.

“Women approach self-promotion completely differently,” Narain said. “Women have to deal with stereotypes of male colleagues. If you talk about your successes or results with humor and humility, men may not take you seriously. But if you take the same loud, forceful stance in the same way that a man might, many male colleagues may label you as aggressive. It is hard to find a balance.” “(Women) might have to be louder and more vocal than (they) might feel comfortable being in other settings,” said Assistant Professor of Biology Rebecca Page.

Panelists also noted that decisions about having children during graduate school or while committed to postdoctoral or junior faculty positions were particularly difficult choices for young women.

“You have to coordinate really well with your spouse, and again, you need stamina to survive the days when you’re running on fumes because your kid was up sick at 3 a.m.,” Bazemorecontinued on page 6

Chris Bennett / Herald File Photo

RISD may open a Charlotte, N.C., campus following in Johnson & Wales’ footsteps.

operating of ficer for Charlotte Center City Partners, declined to comment on the possible campus, saying, “It’s an economic development issue.”

RISD students interviewed by The Herald expressed a lack of en-

thusiasm for a possible Charlotte campus. James Lavine, a graphic design major, said he didn’t see any reasons for RISD to establish another branch. “I don’t really think continued on page 6

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Monday, November 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

RISD in Charlotte, N.C.? Women science profs give career advice continued from page 5 it seems necessary,” he said.

Emmie Thelander, a RISD sophomore, also seemed skeptical of a potential expansion. “I think there are enough problems with the Providence campus that need to be addressed before money goes elsewhere,” she said.

“It says in its name ‘Rhode Island.’ It’s the design school of Rhode Island,” said MiSun Yoon, a sophomore interior architecture major.

Yoon, who lives in Virginia and has

traveled to North Carolina, said she did not associate the North Carolina area with art. “They’re not as appreciative of the arts there as here ... Providence is part of what makes RISD what it is,” she said.

Yoon added that she thinks RISD’s proximity to art centers like Boston and New York, and its location in a smaller city, were defining characteristics of the school. “If we were to go to North Carolina and start a campus there, we might make a big change for the state, but I don’t know if that would benefit RISD.”

continued from page 5 Walker said. After her response, Bazemore-Walker gathered her things, preparing to leave to pick up her daughter from day care.

“It’s a challenge, but I’m trying to make having a family and a tenuretrack position work,” she said.

“The flexibility of an academic schedule is great for young parents, assuming (they) are not teaching,” Lipscombe said. “And even if your really big grant doesn’t go through, and your research results are completely lousy, you can come home to your kids screaming, ‘Mommy!’ at the door, who will still think you’re the best person in the world.”

But panelists agreed that for men and women alike, those who are interested in STEM academic careers need to be passionate about their work to survive likely setbacks during the course of their graduate school and postdoctoral careers.

“You must love what you’re doing, and you’ll probably discover that as a grad student or postdoc,” said Professor of Engineering Tayhas Palmore. “Set your sights very high and remember that your career is not a 100-yard dash, but a marathon.”

As for practical advice for success in the academic world, all the panelists agreed that finding good mentors and networking with peers were critical to each of their successful careers.

“Seek out mentors who are good scientists, but also nice people,” Tullis said. “Friends, mentors and social support networks are

incredibly important.”

“To be successful, you need diverse support in your field. Continuously interacting with scientists outside your home institution is the best way to do this,” advised Lipscombe.

“The chance to travel, discuss research, meet potential new collaborators is a very practical way to increase your contacts,” Lipscombe said. “If you take time to stay in touch with other people, you’ll find that you’ll soon have a lot of good people looking out for you in the world.”

Panelists also discussed whether taking a break from academia after undergraduate study or in the middle of graduate studies was helpful for students aspiring to become professors. Their answers were mixed. Palmore characterized experience in industr y as “very important” for engineering fields, Tullis described industry experience as “valuable for some applied disciplines like hydrology” for geological science fields. Lipscombe and Page both agreed that no matter what students in biological sciences do, they must continue to publish.

At the conclusion of the discussion, all the professors glowed when describing how much they loved the flexibility and freedom of their careers.

“I am my own boss,” said Palmore, counting on her fingers to stick to the imposed five-word limit.

“It’s a great career,” said Lipscombe, who almost stuck to four words before adding, “As long as you’re willing to give up your fa-

vorite hypothesis.”

Overall, students found professors’ advice encouraging and useful, even if they had heard some of the same messages before. “(There were) a lot of comments to publish, publish, publish,” Angela Allen, a second-year doctoral student in the Ecology and Evolutionar y Biology program, told The Herald “I’ve heard these things before, but it is nice to hear them again from successful women who also tell you, ‘Hey, you can do it!’ ” “Hearing professors say, ‘This is the best career in the world,’ was the most encouraging message of the day for me,” said Dancheck, one of the WiSE graduate coordinators.

“Good advice,” Dun Nguyen, a third-year physics doctoral student, told The Herald. “But I wanted more details, advice on how to do inter views for faculty positions.” Nguyen also observed that finding mentors and developing support networks was difficult as a graduate student.Dancheck also shared Nguyen’s frustration with feeling “isolated” as a graduate student.

“One of the nice things that WiSE provides is a starting place for students to meet and form academic and social suppor t networks,” Chougule, a WiSE program coordinator, told The Herald.

“So you want to be a professor?” was sponsored by the Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the Brown Graduate School.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Page 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Stem cell breakthrough could spark new scientific research continued from page 1 method of har vesting stem cells has been to destroy embr yos — potential human lives — sparking concern in churches and even the White House over the ethical treatment of potential life.

Until now. By reprogramming skin cells to behave as stem cells, neologized as “induced pluripotent stem cells” or iPS cells, no embryo must be destroyed to obtain stem cells — the Kyoto research was done with skin from a middle-aged woman’s face.

“It’s really hard to find an ethical problem with this process,” said Professor of Medical Science Michael L ysaght, who has worked with stem cells in the past. “I think we’ll see the floodgates opening here in terms of research.”

The ground-breaking results are based on previous research in mice.

In a paper published in the summer of last year, Yamanaka determined which genes are responsible for stem cells’ fascinating behavior.

Beginning his search with a pool of 24 candidate genes, he and his team meticulously knocked out small groups of genes and then looked to see if the cells could still function as stem cells. Yamanaka narrowed the pool down to just four essential genes which, when expressed, give the stem cell its special properties.

“That paper didn’t attract a lot of public attention, but in the cell biology world, it was a real eye-opener,” Miller said. “The reaction we all had was, ‘It can’t be that simple.’ ” The next step was to see if those four genes, when introduced into a regular mouse skin cell, could make the cell exhibit stem-cell-like characteristics. After giving the cells a virus that carried the genetic infor-

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mation — a process called transfection — the cells began to behave like stem cells, to the delight of molecular biologists keeping keen eyes on the research.

“We were stunned — it is that simple,” Miller said. “But that research left one ver y important question open: ‘Will this work in humans?’ ” The recent breakthroughs — published in the prestigious scientific journals “Science” and “Cell” — repeated the process by introducing the human analogues of the mouse genes into human skin cells, answering that question with an emphatic yes.

“Skin cells are at the end of the road of the developmental trip and do not have the capacity to evolve into anything else but a skin cell,” Lysaght said. “This research fundamentally ran the tape backwards to the very beginning.”

Though iPS cells are far from ready for therapeutic use, one future advantage could be compatibility with patients, since iPS cells can be made from a patient’s own cells.

“The cells that were created were immunologically identical to that of the donor,” L ysaght said.

“So they could, for therapeutic purposes, be transplanted back into the donor without immunosuppression.”

The days-old news has already turned heads outside the world of cellular and molecular biology. The breakthrough has been given the thumbs-up by President Bush, who this summer vetoed legislation to

expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

“President Bush is very pleased to see the important advances in ethical stem cell research,” said a White House press release issued last Tuesday. “By avoiding techniques that destroy life, while vigorously supporting alternative approaches, President Bush is encouraging scientific advancement within ethical boundaries.”

But numerous challenges still face researchers interested in IPS cells. Yamanaka’s 2006 study with mice reported an increase in cancer, probably because one of the four essential genes is also known to cause tumors in certain circumstances, Miller said.

A second problem involves the use of a viral promoter to insert the genes into the cells. Viruses can have unwanted side effects, and the method of transfection does not specify the location on the genome that the inserted DNA will occupy, which could have unpredictable consequences.

“We’ve got to figure out how to use these four genes to make a stem cell without using a viral promoter,” Miller said. “It makes you nervous, using a potential diseasecausing method.”

Another problem involves the age of iPS cells. When stem cells are harvested from embryos, they have undergone very few divisions and have yet to face potentially damaging genetic mutations, Lysaght said. Cells taken from a middle-aged woman’s face have undergone years of mutations, and reprogramming

them into iPS cells doesn’t reverse the process of aging.

“The cells that they picked out probably have an accumulated set of genetic mutations,” Lysaght said.

“When you clone, for example, those things seem to get reset, but that doesn’t seem to happen in this process.”

Finally, biologists still do not know what instruction needs to be given to a stem cell, induced or embryonic, to move it along the desired path to a specific cell type.

“There’s still a lot of work left to do,” said Professor of Medical Science Edward Hawrot. “Even though these stem cells in theory can become any cell type, we still don’t know what signals to send.”

Because of all of these limitations, it could be years before therapeutic treatments are developed.

“These problems mean you don’t have something that’s clinically ready for prime time,” Lysaght said.

Still, the advance opens the door to new research opportunities and has ignited a fire under an already hot field. Though no Brown researchers currently study stem cells, Lysaght predicted that interest in stem cells would rise in light of the recent development.

Lysaght, who conducts research on diabetes, previously studied stem cells as a possible treatment for the disease but wasn’t able to produce effective results.

“This is really the first olive out of the jar,” he said. “Whether or not we’ll go back and take a fresh look at this, we’ll have to see.”

Monday, November 26, 2007

Page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

M. hoops knocks off One Brown student pursues ROTC Northwestern on road continued from page 1

continued from page 12 a run — and then respond to that run is important.”

Brown was able to hang with the Wildcats in part because it received scoring from some unexpected sources, Sullivan in particular. Sullivan grew up going to Northwestern games and plays with many Wildcat players during the summer. He had 16 of his 19 points in the second half.

“When you have a freshman going to play at home for the first time, you don’t want to play him too much,” Robinson said. “But we had foul trouble, and he made the best of his opportunity.”

McAndrew felt Sullivan’s success was a result of preparation and the Bears finding him for open shots.

“He played his game,” McAndrew said. “He took open shots, played defense and hustled. He was in his comfort zone. That is (what) he does every day.”

“It was ver y exciting going home,” Sullivan said. “I know all the Northwestern people … but I just played my role on the team.”

Sullivan put the Bears ahead for good with 3:31 on two free throws. A layup from tri-captain Damon Huffman ’08 with 1:17 to play followed by free throws from McAndrew and

Huffman iced the game for Bruno. “(A win like that) gives you a reassurance as a team that you’re good, that you can play with anybody,” McAndrew said. “It gives optimism to a program that is trying to create a culture of winning.”

Robinson said the win was especially sweet because the team played in front of many friends, family and recruits.

In addition to Sullivan and Robinson’s connections to the Chicago area, three other players on the team hail from Illinois and four more players are from either Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota. Many team members were able to spend Thanksgiving with family on Thursday before the game on Saturday.

“We wanted to try and play (at Northwestern) because we have a few players from the area,” Robinson said. “It’s a good holiday trip ... We do quite a bit of recruiting in the Midwest, and it’s nice to have our recruits come see us play.”

Bruno will try to build on the significant road win over a quality opponent when it hosts Wagner University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola Center.

“We have to go back to what got us here,” Robinson said. “We have to work hard at practice and get better as a group.”

Mayor’s Cup heads back to PC after w. icers can’t catch up continued from page 12 would lead to a shift in momentum, but it was not to be. PC bore down the rest of the way and added the final goal with 55 seconds left. Stock made 43 saves in a losing effort, but the Mayor’s Cup that Brown won the previous year returned to Providence College.

“I’m a senior and I know my class especially wanted to hold onto the cup since we won it last year,” Olewinski said. “It’s a crosstown rivalry. It’s a game that we usually get really psyched up for and want to win.”

Murphy agreed.

“It was disappointing to lose those bragging rights,” she said.

Murphy said the Bears are struggling right now to play complete games.

“I see them improve in some things and then we kind of take a step back in others,” she said. “I see our power play getting a little better, but then our penalty kill isn’t as strong. Or I see the line combinations getting better, but our defensive zone coverage is lax. It’s a little bit frustrating right now for us because we can’t seem to pull it all together.”

But the players hope to change that.

“We had a players’ only meeting last night and just pulled our team together and figured out what we needed to do,” Olewinski said.

“We’re expecting some big changes for next week, both on and off the ice. Everyone’s attitude and mentality about the rest of the season is going to change.”

8

It has to change quickly because the Bears face a stiff test this weekend. Brown hosts ECAC Hockey opponents No. 3 St. Lawrence University on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 10 Clarkson University on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Meehan Auditorium.

“Hopefully we’re sick of losing,” Murphy said.

“I think that with two very strong conference opponents coming in, it’s going to be an uphill battle, but they can prove their mettle by upsetting one or both of the conference teams this weekend.”

that otherwise would be drawn almost exclusively from the service academies. Since its founding over a century ago, the ROTC model has spread to schools throughout the country and currently produces nearly two-thirds of the military’s leadership, Dulchinos said.

At Brown, the lack of interested students on campus, lack of academic credit for what can be a significant off-campus extracurricular commitment and minimal efforts to publicize the program may have all contributed to recently sparse participation in ROTC. In the future, Swartzbaugh and Dulchinos said they hope that increased recruitment efforts on campus and more identification with the program’s mission among University leaders will reenergize the program.

In the meantime, Swartzbaugh is the program.

An Army of One At first glance, it seems no small wonder that few students are choosing to follow in Swartzbaugh’s footsteps. Between the five courses he is currently taking at Brown, a master’s program he is applying to and his ROTC responsibilities — three mornings a week of physical training, a course on leadership, a weekly practical “lab” exercise, occasional weekend field exercises and, as a junior, a range of organizational duties — sleep and social time can be hard to come by.

Having a car and an on-campus parking space makes the five weekly cross-town trips to Providence College less burdensome. Without a parking space last semester, he said, he racked up about $500 in parking tickets.

“Right now it’s pretty stressful,” he said.

But the experience will ultimately be worth it, Swartzbaugh said, and the skills he is learning help him manage the workload. Though his goal is not a military career, but to attend graduate school and ultimately be a policymaker, he said ROTC teaches him leadership skills and self-discipline that other aspects of his education do not.

“The focus is on interpersonal leadership,” he said. “You’re trained to do a lot of different things all at once. ... We learn to lead not only others but to lead yourself — to believe that you can do things that you otherwise couldn’t.”

Swartzbaugh plans to spend six years in the military after he graduates, and he hopes to “acquire as many different levels of leadership as possible” by the time he finishes.

Ultimately, he said, he expects his military experience will combine with other aspects of his education to help him to work more effectively on his first passion — disability rights and other human rights issues.

“It’s a means to an end,” he said.

It adds “tools to my tool box.”

Swartzbaugh’s interest in the military was first sparked when he lived in Thailand for several months before coming to Brown. There, he met special forces officers combating human trafficking and was impressed with their ability to achieve meaningful goals.

“I wanted to be able to make things happen,” he said.

‘The minimal required relationship’ The only Brown student in the ROTC program, Swartzbaugh is enrolled with Providence College students and a few others who make the trek from nearby schools, including Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island College and, for the first time this year, the Rhode Island School of Design. With the exception of RISD, other schools in the area all grant some kind of academic credit for participating in the program. Brown has not since the program left campus in the 1970s.

“It’s basically the minimal required relationship,” Dulchinos said.

“It’s empty in that there’s not a true partnership.”

Brown provides the program with directory information and assists Dulchinos in sending recruiting letters to students — one was sent to all sophomores earlier this month — but Dulchinos and Swartzbaugh said they believe the University could better recognize the value that increasing participation in the current program could have.

Both emphasized the importance

of having graduates of Brown and other liberal institutions serving in leadership positions in the military, contributing to a greater diversity of perspectives among decisionmakers.

Yet students who advocated against the ROTC in last spring’s short-lived debate argued that supporting a military program reflects support of violent conflict and tacit approval of its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, under which openly gay men and women are not allowed to serve.

Christina Furtado, assistant dean for upper class studies and the ROTC liason in the dean of the College’s office, said Brown does make an effort to support students who are interested in ROTC. “We do our best to make sure that our students who are interested in ROTC are not discouraged by the fact we don’t have a program here,” she said.

Though Furtado said Brown tries to “foster” student interest in the program, both Dulchinos and Swartzbaugh said Brown could do more.

Dulchinos said he would like to see Brown’s admission give weight to students who have signaled an interest in ROTC by applying for and receiving a four-year scholarship for the program, noting that such students are rarely accepted to Brown. He would also like more active cooperation in efforts to recruit students on campus.

Swartzbaugh believes Brown officials need to understand the benefits a greater ROTC presence on campus could have in diversifying campus viewpoints.

“There’s obviously an interest by the Providence College ROTC program to get Brown students involved. It hasn’t made a lot of headway because there isn’t a lot of support for it on campus,” Swartzbaugh said. “It just kind of comes back to this fundamental question of policy.”

“The only way that Brown University and ROTC are going to foster some sort of relationship is if each gives and takes a little bit,” he said.

“That’s been the story since the beginning.”

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Monday, November 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Staf f Editorial

Bring back ROTC? The Reserve Officer Training Corps is an excellent outlet for national service and venue for personal growth, and we admire those who participate in it. But ROTC has no place on Brown’s campus until the military allows all Americans to serve in uniform, without discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

In a rage against the U.S. war in Vietnam, Brown’s faculty voted to remove ROTC from campus. Since 1971, the program has been absent from College Hill, though it’s been available to students willing to trek across the city to Providence College’s Patriot Battalion. But the number of participating students has been in decline — from a dozen or so in each class in the late 1980s to one or two a year today.

To be sure, ROTC is an excellent program, and its time has come again.

At a time when the military needs smart, well-rounded, culturally sensitive officers to lead our troops abroad, Brown seems an ideal place to provide such leadership in these troubled years. A liberal arts education fosters critical thinking and intellectual curiosity — vital skills for today’s officers, whose decisions made on the ground in Herat or Baghdad can profoundly affect our national security. While national media outlets repeatedly print essays about our generation’s self-absorption, we know that President Bush’s call for all Americans to engage in some form of national service — through the military, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America or other organizations — is a worthy goal.

But there is a line we won’t cross, no matter our admiration for ROTC as a meaningful way to serve our country. Since the 1990s, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been a stain on the nation, a policy promoting exclusion and forcing gay Americans to live a double life if they choose to serve.

That would be true of ROTC at Brown — only straight or closeted students would qualify for the scholarships and the service. That is intolerable in an increasingly tolerant United States, and it is unacceptable that discrimination against openly gay students would be allowed on our campus. As University policy dictates, “Brown University does not discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex.” Any organization that does not adhere to this fundamental principle shouldn’t be part of our campus life.

We understand that military leaders themselves are not wholly responsible for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. It must be changed by Congress or the president. So let it be changed. Let students and others who want to see ROTC return to campus tell their congressmen, senators and president that they want this archaic policy consigned to the dustbin of history. It simply makes no sense — at a time when the country is at war and talented young men and women are needed to help lead our military — that gay and lesbian soldiers committed to serving their country are discharged from service for loving the “wrong” gender. Once the policies of our military are brought into line with our nation’s highest ideals, we will be the first to welcome ROTC back to College Hill with open arms.

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

Executive Editors Stephen Colelli Allison Kwong Ben Leubsdorf

Senior Editors Jonathan Sidhu Anne Wootton

editorial Lydia Gidwitz Robin Steele Oliver Bowers Stephanie Bernhard Simmi Aujla Sara Molinaro Ross Frazier Karla Bertrand Jacob Schuman Peter Cipparone Erin Frauenhofer Stu Woo Benjy Asher Amy Ehrhart Jason Harris

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photo Christopher Bennett Rahul Keerthi Ashley Hess

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R oxanne P almer

Letters UEL debate mirrors past U.’s past expansions To the Editor: The question of the future of the Urban Environmental Lab and 129 Angell St. (as well as its neighbor and Norwood House on Waterman Street) parallels similar issues facing Brown in earlier periods of physical expansion.

In the late 1940s, multiple 19th-century structures were razed for the Wriston Quadrangle, and in the 1950s, the building of the West Quad (now Keeney Quadrangle), caused more large-scale demolition. It would appear that these four small structures, which add a sense of human scale and neighborhood, will not be a part of the Walk, which will be flanked by new and

super-large structures.

These new buildings will constitute the “new Brown,” and only time will tell whether Brunonians will feel as comfortable and connected to this new part of campus as they have to the old walkways. In the meantime, Brown needs to ensure that these old buildings are preserved, preferably by relocating them to new sites on campus. The recent move of the Peter Green House is a wonderful example of this strategy. Brown needs to honor the architectural history which has been so important to the ambience of our lovely campus.

Peter Mackie ’59 Nov. 18

Business Mandeep Gill Darren Ball Dan DeNorch Susan Dansereau

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post- magazine Hillary Dixler Melanie Duch Taryn Martinez Rajiv Jayadevan Sonia Kim Matt Hill Arthur Matuszewski

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Alex Unger, Steve DeLucia, Designer Rafael Chaiken, Tyler Rosenbaum, Emily Sanford, Laura Straub, Copy Editors Debbie Lehmann, Scott Lowenstein, Robin Steele, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Rachel Arndt, Michael Bechek, Irene Chen, Chaz Firestone, Isabel Gottlieb, Nandini Jayakrishna, Franklin Kanin, Kristina Kelleher, Debbie Lehmann, Scott Lowenstein, Michael Skocpol, Nick Werle Staff Writers Stefanie Angstadt, Amanda Bauer, Brianna Barzola, Evan Boggs, Caitlin Browne, Sam Byker, Marisa Calleja, Zachary Chapman, Joy Chua, Patrick Corey, Catherine Goldberg, Olivia Hoffman, Erika Jung, Chaz Kelsh, Jessica Kerry, Sophia Lambertsen, Cameron Lee, Sophia Li, Emmy Liss, Max Mankin, Christian Martell, Taryn Martinez, Brian Mastroianni, George Miller, Anna Millman, Evan Pelz, Sonia Saraiya, Andrea Savdie, Marielle Segarra, Melissa Shube, Gaurie Tilak, Simon van Zuylen-Wood, Matt Varley, Meha Verghese, Joanna Wohlmuth Sports Staff Writers Andrew Braca, Whitney Clarke, Han Cui, Evan Kantor, Christina Stubbe Business Staff Diogo Alves, Emilie Aries, Beth Berger, Steven Butschi, Timothy Carey, Jilyn Chao, Ellen DaSilva, Pete Drinan, Dana Feuchtbaum, Patrick Free, Sarah Glick, Alexander Hughes, Claire Kiely, Soobin Kim, Katelyn Koh, Darren Kong, Christie Liu, Philip Maynard, Ingrid Pangandoyon, Mariya Perelyubskaya, Viseth San, Paolo Servado, Kaustubh Shah, Saira Shervani, Yelena Shteynberg, Jon Spector, Robert Stefani, Lily Tran, Hari Tyagi, Lindsay Walls, Benjamin Xiong Design Staff Brianna Barzola, Chaz Kelsh,Ting Lawrence, Philip Maynard, Alex Unger, Aditya Voleti, Wudan Yan Photo Staff Oona Curley, Alex DePaoli, Austin Freeman, Emmy Liss, Meara Sharma, Tai Ho Shin, Min Wu Copy Editors Ayelet Brinn, Rafael Chaiken, Erin Cummings, Katie Delaney, Jake Frank, Jennifer Grayson, Ted Lamm, Max Mankin, Alex Mazerov, Ben Mercer, Ezra Miller, Seth Motel, Alexander Rosenberg, Emily Sanford, Sara Slama, Jenna Stark, Laura Straub, Meha Verghese, Elena Weissman

Corrections An editorial cartoon in the Nov. 15 Herald was incorrectly credited to Jason Li ’07. In fact, the cartoon was

by Jonathan Guyer ’08.

In a front-page blurb in the Nov. 19 Herald, Taylor Barnes ’09 was incorrectly referred to as a member of the class of 2008.

An infographic accompanying an article in Monday’s Herald (“Students express lackadaisical confidence in UCS,” Nov. 19) incorrectly reflected the size of the “don’t know/no answer” segment of a pie chart showing student opinion of the Undergraduate Council of Students. The true value was 31.6 percent, not 7.2 percent.

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 Monday, November 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 11

Boldly green

BY NATHAN WYETH Guest Columnist The world has changed a lot since the spring of 2005, when the emPOWER student campaign formed to call on Brown to purchase electricity from renewable energy sources. The climate is changing and ice caps are melting, but the politics of climate change are heating up.

Over 700 mayors have committed to reduce carbon emissions with renewable energy and more efficient cities. States are moving forward aggressively to convert from a carbon economy to a green economy. The three leading Democratic presidential candidates have all endorsed the call from former VicePresident Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for a clean energy economy that reduces carbon emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

In the past year, 427 U.S. colleges and universities have gone far beyond simply purchasing renewable electricity: they have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to eventually reduce carbon emissions all the way to “climate neutrality.”

Where is Brown? We’re getting there. Last year emPOWER upped its demand, pushing Brown to go climate neutral as well. With strong encouragement from emPOWER, the Energy and Environment Advisory Committee (EEAC) recommended to President Simmons last month that Brown implement energy efficiency upgrades that will save the university millions and reduce its carbon emissions to 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The ultimate objective here too is 80 percent by

2050. We just need to be sure that this goal responsibly factors in University growth in coming decades.

The EEAC also recommended that Brown reach climate neutrality through an innovative program to spur community projects that will reduce emissions in Providence and Rhode Island. These projects will help local residents lower energy bills, give students hands-on experience, and demonstrate the benefits of greening Providence and Rhode Island to citizens around the state. As pundits question the ethics of “carbon offsets,” we believe that this program will pave the way in how an institution can responsibly “offset” its carbon emissions.

Most importantly, this local program will give Brown students from any discipline the chance to get hands-on experience building a new green economy — something that will be critical to business, government and organizations across society in the coming decades.

To reach its intended level of effectiveness, emPOWER feels that this program must: Involve concrete improvements — like improving energy efficiency, promoting smallscale renewable energy — to reduce carbon emission in the Providence area at least as much as the amount that Brown continues to create. This will help set Providence on the road to 80 percent emissions reductions by 2050.

Be open to project ideas generated on campus, but also be open to proposals from local companies, organizations and agencies, who can then involve students in larger-scale projects.

Ensure that benefits reach every part of the Providence community — for example, insulating low-income housing to reduce sky-

rocketing winter costs and spurring “greencollar jobs.”

Have sufficient annual funding, through a Boldly Green Fund whose endowment could be funded by alumni and foundations, a Clean Energy for Providence Revolving Loan Fund that invests in community projects and then reinvests energy efficiency returns in the next round of community projects or another dedicated funding mechanism.

With such a program, Brown will have taken all the necessary steps to join the 427 schools on the ACUPCC. By signing, Brown will gain access to resources like financing and product discounts for energy efficiency projects that have been arranged for this consortium by the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative — and we believe President Simmons should take this step.

But we also believe Brown can go far beyond emissions reductions to prepare students to be leaders. Our generation will be building a new green economy and society and we need to be prepared to contribute to it.

Brown should create academic programs on climate change in and across disciplines within the context of a university-wide academic initiative towards sustainability. Brown must do basic things like hire a full-time professor to teach environmental economics, but also help every department address climate change. Members of emPOWER and Engineers Without Borders are creating a proposal for a Sustainable Energy Concentration. But climate change relates to everything from the sciences (to model and predict it) to the social sciences (to anticipate its effects on people and craft policy responses), from the Development Studies program (to explore ending poverty with clean energy) to the Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship program

(to build the business models that will scale up climate and energy solutions).

Brown’s internationalization effort must include this global issue. Brown could extend community projects to the international community, and provide technical assistance to a university Africa, India or China to help them save money on energy and green their campus, or help organize an international consortium, similar to what exists in the U.S., to address sustainability in higher education.

Finally, Brown needs structures to bring together the people doing this work already — from Eco-Reps in dorms to professors to facilities managers — to imagine what more Brown could do, from its campus culture to its national impact to its endowment, and to aid in the creation and implementation of many more ideas.

This initiative must have a prominent place in the life of the university and in how Brown talks about itself to the public. We believe there’s an important place in the Campaign for Academic Enrichment for a Boldly Green climate initiative encompassing academics, facilities, community projects and more. The ideas outline above are just the immediate next steps. But to be an international, leading educational institution in the 21st century, Brown cannot do too much to make this part of the experience and education of every student — we believe we must weave a rich, thoughtful and bold response to climate change and sustainability into the fabric of the university.

Nathan Wyeth ‘08 invites you to join emPOWER’s general body meeting on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Wilson 302.

Green for all

BY JULIA BEAMESDERFER, TESS HART AND KIRSTEN HOWARD Guest Columnists Envision our nation moving toward a sustainable society. Having trouble? Until two weeks ago, so were we.

On Saturday evening, Nov. 3, our group of 20 Brown students crowded into the arena seats at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House along with 6,000 other student environmental activists representing every congressional district in the nation. We were all there for Power Shift 2007 — the largest climate change conference and rally in U.S. history. After a day of participating in discussion panels led by experts on all aspects of climate change, we reunited in the buzzing stadium for the keynote speakers. Among those who addressed us were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and environmental organizer Bill McKibben — all prominent champions of national climate action, who urged us to realize the full potential of our knowledge and drive. We were a movement ready to act.

But how to harness all of our energy? The determination to enact change was there, and the goals were clear, but they were meaningless without a tangible strategy. We needed a realistic plan to translate the energy from that stadium into national action. Van Jones, cofounder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and a proponent of green economic development for urban America, eloquently outlined that plan in the final speech of the night. His words echoed the sentiments of the previous speakers but went a step further in providing us with the strategy that they had not.

His plan is simple enough. By moving our

country towards renewable sources of energy and higher efficiency standards, a demand will be created for millions of new “green-collar” jobs nationwide. With sufficient federal funding, we will be able to capitalize on this opportunity by actively providing professional training that will jump-start this new green economy to create five million green jobs. Green jobs are occupations in industries that will play a role in reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

Examples include the retrofitting of buildings to improve their energy efficiency, the expansion of public transit systems and the construction and installation of renewable energy equipment such as wind turbines and solar panels.

in the transition to a clean energy economy. The creation of a new clean energy infrastructure will require a green-collar workforce that will more than compensate for the jobs that will be eliminated, thus offering a partial solution to the nation’s high unemployment rates. Green job creation will extend beyond energy production and have an impact on all industries through green manufacturing, efficiency upgrading and energy maintenance. What’s more, most of these jobs cannot be outsourced, thereby creating a permanent demand for workers trained in green industries. By developing a sustainable and self-sufficient energy system in the United States, we will move one step

The idealistic aim of uniting environmental progress with economic advancement and social equity is becoming more than just a radical vision.

Green For All, Jones’ campaign for green jobs, is transforming the climate action movement from an environmental movement into a human movement by speaking to a number of fundamental concerns of the American public.

Not only will this strategy help enable our country to meet the widely accepted goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but it will also tackle persistent and longstanding economic and social equity issues.

It isn’t hard to see how Jones’ vision will benefit the American economy. First, it addresses the concern that many jobs in antiquated energy industries such as coal mining will be lost

closer to energy independence and increased national security.

But perhaps the most innovative and exciting aspect of the Green For All platform is its focus on social equity. Jones is first and foremost a human rights activist who is dedicated to reducing social and financial inequities that exist nationwide. By authorizing federal funds for training programs that target displaced workers, unemployed adults and low-income youth, the government will play a critical role in lifting individuals out of poverty and into a new realm of opportunity. As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, disasters exacerbated by climate change will most severely devastate low-income and minority communities. By engaging mem-

bers of these communities in the creation of a new clean energy infrastructure and providing them with a pathway out of poverty, green jobs will not only help disadvantaged individuals avoid the consequences of climate change themselves but also enable them to mitigate its effects on others.

The idealistic aim of uniting environmental progress with economic advancement and social equity is becoming more than just a radical vision. The Green Jobs Act of 2007, introduced by Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., and John Tierney, D-Mass., passed in the House of Representatives this summer. This legislation is a step towards realizing Jones’ plan, calling for $125 million annually to fund programs that would train 35,000 new “green-collar” workers per year. This act proves that Jones’ goals are within reach, but even if signed into law it is only the first step towards bringing his complete vision to fruition.

The United States can pass legislation mandating 80% emissions reductions by 2050. We have to. But in order to make these measures viable, the movement must expand beyond a purely environmental perspective. The climate movement must change in order to engage the interests of the rest of the country, and Jones is instigating this transformation. Climate change will affect every aspect of our society; thus, every aspect of our society must be involved in this human movement. Jones completely invigorated Power Shift. On Monday morning, the thousands of students who traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for climate action rallied on the Capitol lawn, clad in gree hard hats and calling for green jobs. As Jones inspired Power Shift attendees, so could his ideas transform the nation’s attitude toward climate action.

Now picture our path to sustainability. Can you see it?

Julia Beamesderfer ‘09, Tess Hart ‘09 and Kirsten Howard ‘09 can see it.

S ports M onday Page 12

Monday, November 26, 2007

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Home cooking helps m. hoops past Northwestern

By Jason Harris Assistant Sports Editor

Thanksgiving is a good time to return home and be with family. Chicagoan Peter Sullivan ’11 did just that and more over break. His team-high 19 points helped the men’s basketball team to a 73-67 win over Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday. The victory over the Wildcats, a member of the Big Ten conference, improved Brown’s early-season record to 2-2.

The game in Illinois marked Head Coach Craig Robinson’s second return to Northwestern, where he served as an assistant coach for six years prior to coming to Providence. The Bears fell to Robinson’s former team, 64-40, in Evanston last year, but Brown evened the score on Saturday.

The Bears pounced on the Wildcats (1-3) early, hitting five 3-pointers in the first seven minutes to take a 19-10 lead. Tri-captain guard Mark McAndrew ’08 had three of the treys, and he finished 5-for-7 from 3-point land and had a total of 18 points.

McAndrew attributed his success to a good offensive game plan and equally strong execution.

“We did a very nice job being patient,” he said. “We were successful at being aggressive and finding the open guy, and then we had guys in the right spot at the right times.”

McAndrew finished with 12 points at the half and forward Scott Friske ’09 had 13 of his 17 before intermission.

The Bears’ patient approach led to good shots and consistent scoring against Northwestern’s 1-3-1 and match-up zone defenses. Bruno shot 56 percent in the first half and opened up a 29-16 lead with 8:16 left in the first half before settling in with a 38-30 advantage at the half.

The entire team credited a week of intense preparation for its success against Northwestern.

“We had a great week of practice leading up to the game,” Robinson said. “We were really working on trying to not allow their best players and shooters get in position for open shots.”

Brown’s practice paid off on the defensive end as well. The Bears held the Wildcats to just 40 percent

W. icers struggling to find way after loss to Friars

By Andrew Braca Sports Staff Writer

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

In his highest scoring game of the season Scott Friske ’09 had 17 points to help the Bears topple the Wildcats.

shooting in the first half.

But the Wildcats clawed back into the game early in the second half. Northwestern quickly drew within four points, 38-34 with 18:48 to go in the game, and a Jeff Ryan layup with 14:22 to dropped Bruno into a 41-40 hole. Swingman Sterling Williams led the Wildcats run, scoring the team’s first seven points of the half. He finished with a team-high 20 for the game.

After Northwestern seized the lead, Brown quickly stopped the

bleeding and the score seesawed back and forth for most of the second half. There were seven ties and 10 lead changes in the game.

Robinson said he was proud of his team’s resiliency despite Northwestern’s comeback.

“Our toughness in the game was as good as I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” he said. “To get a lead against that type of team and then withstand their run — because there is always continued on page 9

After a rough weekend, the women’s hockey team is asking the tough questions. Brown suffered a 4-2 loss to Robert Morris University at Meehan Auditorium on Friday, then lost 5-2 to Providence College to give back the Mayor’s Cup in the cross-city rivalry a day later, dropping the team to 1-8-1.

“I challenge the players … to figure out whether they want to be players or competitors,” said Head Coach Digit Murphy. “Losing these two non-conference games to teams that, if you look at them from top to bottom, are probably weaker than a lot of teams in our conference, told me that we were just players this weekend and not competitors.”

On Friday, Brown jumped out to a 1-0 first period lead against Robert Morris on the strength of a 14-4 advantage in shots. Erica Kromm ’11 scored her first career goal at 17:47 on a five-on-three power play when she lifted a shot from the right point through a forest of players and past RMU goaltender Brianne McLaughlin. Co-captain Rylee Olewinski ’08 and Sasha Van Muyen ’10 notched assists on the goal.

But the Colonials roared back for three goals in under five minutes in the middle of the second period, aided by two penalties on the Bears. All three goals came on shots deflected past Brown goalie Nicole Stock ’09.

Brown faced a daunting 3-1 deficit with 8:26 remaining in the period, but Olewinski cut the deficit to one 4:43 later on another five-on-three power play. Hayley Moore ’08 and Samantha Stortini ’11 picked up assists.

“When you score on a power play, it gives you momentum,” Olewinski said. “Everyone gets excited. Our power play has been struggling, so to get two goals like that on a power play, we thought it would be the drive they need to push on through and finish the game and come out with a win. But

(giving up) three goals in under five minutes hurts and it’s hard to come back from that.”

Robert Morris scored the final goal at 14:54 of the third period, six seconds after Brown had killed off a penalty, to finish the scoring. Stock made 22 saves, but McLaughlin, her RMU counterpart, finished with 24.

Against PC, Brown played a poor first period and faced deficits of 22-7 in shots and 2-0 on the scoreboard heading into the second session. The Friars took advantage of three power plays to fire a barrage of pucks on goal and notch goals at 6:39 and 12:31. The Bears knew things had to change after intermission.

“We came in the locker room and we had upperclassmen step up and say how important that game was to us and how badly we needed to come out with a win,” Olewinski said. “The attitude in the locker room was changing. People knew that the effort had to increase if we were going to come out there at least scoring some goals, let alone win the game. We knew we had to pick it up.”

Brown only committed two penalties and held PC’s power play scoreless the rest of the way, but it wasn’t enough. The Friars added to their lead only 1:52 into the second period, but Brown struck back less than 10 minutes later when Nicole Brown ’10 knocked home a rebound after a shot by Maggie Suprey ’11. Erin Connors ’10 also earned an assist. However, PC added another goal at 13:02 gave Brown a 4-1 deficit going into the third period.

Brown capitalized on a power play that carried over from the second period when Jenny Cedorchuk ’10 scored the first goal of her career on a blast from the point to the top corner of the net just 21 seconds after intermission.

Moore picked up the assist for her 108th career point to move into a three-way tie for 14th all-time at Brown. The team hoped the goal continued on page 9

No. 8 UNH strikes quickly, downs m. icers

By Benjy Asher Assistant Spor ts Editor

The No. 8 University of New Hampshire needed just half a minute to remind the men’s hockey team that it still has a ways to go in order to compete against the country’s elite teams.

The Bears allowed twin goals just 37 seconds apart in the first period of Saturday’s game in Durham, N.H., and the Wildcats never looked back. Despite two goals from Jordan Pietrus ’10, Brown lost 5-2, dropping its record to 1-4-3 overall.

In the fifth minute of the game, UNH’s Matt Fornataro and Mike Radja came down the ice on a

two-on-one break, and Fornataro snapped a pass to Radja from the left face-off circle. Radja then sent a wrist shot past goalie Dan Rosen ’10 for his first of three goals on the night, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead 4:17 into the game. At 4:54, Jamie Fritsch increased the lead to 2-0 with a shot from the right circle into the upper left corner of the net.

Neither team struck again until the middle of the second period, when the Bears got one back. After entering the game on a line change, Pietrus got the puck in the slot and found the back of the net for his first collegiate goal to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 2-1.

“I was just trying to get in on the

SCOREBOARD Friday, Nov. 23

W. Basketball: URI 61, Brown 55 W. Hockey: Robert Morris 4, Brown 2

Saturday, Nov. 24 W. Basketball: American 57,

Brown 46 M. Basketball: Brown 73, Northwestern 67 W. Hockey: Providence 5, Brown 2 M. Hockey: No.8 New Hampshire 5, Brown 2

net, to cut their lead, and I was fortunate enough that the puck trickled through,” said Pietrus.

Four penalties in the first nine minutes of the third period stymied Brown’s comeback effort. UNH went up 3-1 on a 5-on-3 advantage at 4:44, then added its fourth goal less than six minutes later on a power play.

Saturday’s game marked the fourth consecutive game in which Brown has allowed multiple power play goals, and in that stretch the team has gone 0-3-1.

“Our number one problem is discipline,” Pietrus said. “Any time against any team, let alone the No. 8 team in the country, when you give up four power plays, it’s only a matter of time before they get enough scoring chances to put one in.”

But the Bears failed to capitalize on their own power play opportunities. Bruno could not find the net on six power plays, despite 11 shots on continued on page 4

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Jordan Pietrus ’10 scored his first two collegiate goals in the men’s hockey team’s loss to UNH over the weekend.