Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Brown Daily Herald T hursday, J anuar y 31, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 6

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

U. to comply with Senate request for endowment data

By Michael Skocpol News Editor

Brown plans to comply with a request from leaders of the Senate Finance Committee for detailed information on its endowment, tuition and financial aid policies, a University spokesman said Tuesday.

The request came in a letter mailed Jan. 24 from Senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to the

nation’s 136 wealthiest colleges and universities. Brown ranks 26th on that list. The non-binding request seeks information ranging from basic enrollment and tuition figures to more complex data on endowment restrictions, payouts and investment strategies. Schools were given 30 days to respond.

“We will be responding in the time period,” said Tim Leshan, director of government relations and community affairs. But at this early stage the details of the Uni-

versity’s response are difficult to predict, and some data may not be readily available to officials, he added.

The request reflects the committee’s concern that the cost of college education is outpacing inflation, especially in a period of “explosive college endowment growth,” according to a press release accompanying the letter.

Brown’s endowment stood at nearly $2.8 billion in 2007. That figure was up more than 20 percent

from 2006, due to the strength of investment returns and the ongoing $1.4-billion Campaign for Academic Enrichment.

“We need to engage America’s colleges and universities to come together to address the fact that college tuition for young Americans and their families is increasing at a faster rate than inflation,” said Baucus, the committee’s chairman, in its press release. continued on page 4

Frosh factor finances in decisions

By Allison Wentz Staff Writer

Although 81 percent of students were accepted by their first-choice colleges, only 64 percent went on to attend that dream school, an annual survey on college freshmen conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles showed.

The survey, “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2007,” reports that 39 percent of students, up five percentage points from last year, cited the provision of financial assistance as a major factor in selecting the college they attend. Thirtyseven percent also cited the cost of attending as important aspects of their decisions.

“Rising college costs are going up faster than financial aid is being made available to people who need it most.

So it is not surprising that students are taking costs and the availability of aid into account when choosing a school, and that may become more important as costs continue to rise,” said Lauren Asher, associate director of the Project on Student Debt, an initiative that seeks to increase public understanding of the current trends in borrowing money to finance higher education.

On how such concerns about the costs of colleges will affect Brown, one of the few Ivies that has yet to revamp its financial aid program, Asher said,

Katie Delaney / Herald

A survey of American students entering college last fall showed 64 percent were attending their dream school.

“Brown should look at what other schools are doing — not only Yale and Harvard, but also schools that have made more modest commitments, because they want to attract students across the income spectrum.”

Although college costs are rising, the percentage of currently enrolled students with major concerns about paying for college is falling. The survey reported that more than half of students had some concerns about financing college, but that only 10 percent had major concerns that they might not have enough funds to complete college. In the 1995-96 survey, however, 19 percent of students reported major concerns about financing college. John Pryor, manag-

ing director of the study, said a possible explanation for the decrease in concern is the expanded focus by colleges on providing financial aid.

He added that the survey has shown an increase in “the median income of families who are sending children to college.”

The number one factor in college selection, noted as “very important” by 63 percent of students interviewed, was that the school have “a very good academic reputation.” Fifty-two percent said they chose their school because its “graduates get good jobs,” making this the second-most common response. The students surveyed were optimistic about their chances for success after graduation, with 79

percent saying they believed that “through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society.”

Sixty-six percent of college freshmen nationwide said they believed the main benefit of a college degree is increased earn potential in the future, the survey showed. Many Brown firstyears, however, disagree.

Jordan Worthington ’11 said she thinks most Brown students “are here more to just learn and to enrich their learning experience, rather than ... to earn more money in life.”

A college education “provides a good background not just academically but for life,” Ipsita Krishnan ’11 continued on page 4

Colombian union leader calls for fairer labor practices George Miller Senior Staff Writer

Colombian union leader Orlando Acosta spoke last night to a packed Joukowsky Forum in the Watson Institute for International Studies, criticizing both the Colombian and American governments for failing to end human rights violations and unfair labor practices in the Colombian mining industry.

Acosta, who spoke in Spanish through an interpreter, told the audience of more than 60 how mining practices in Colombia displace communities and harm the environment.

“The so-called third-world countries,”

he said, make a mistake in misusing natural resources in the pursuit of development. Acosta is a leader of the mine workers’ union at Drummond Mining Company in Colombia.

He described how companies intimidate union leaders and their families to try to quell protests. “A message is sent to the families and union leaders themselves telling them that if they do not stop their denunciation of the policies of the mining companies they’re going to lose what they cherish most,” Acosta said. He said he had been sent a leaflet printed with a skull — to him, the message was clear.

U.S. aid to the Colombian gov-

postOrgasms, boozes and does the best and worst of 2007 www.browndailyherald.com

5

CAMPUS NEWS

ernment doesn’t help the situation, Acosta said. The money that comes from this support keeps guerrillas and paramilitary groups — many of which fight against union interests — alive, he said. Americans should be aware of the impact of U.S. trade in South America, he added.

“The coal that is being extracted in Colombia and elsewhere really ends up here, and it’s what allows or pays for these commodities that you enjoy here,” he said.

Avi Chomsky, history professor at Salem State College and a member of the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee, spoke after Acosta and echoed his concerns. “We all partici-

Making the mpc TWC begins the application process for new MPCs

15

OPINIONS

Search begins for dean of medicine Unorthodox search questioned by some

By Chaz Firestone Features Editor

The new dean of medicine and biological sciences will have a familiar face, President Ruth Simmons announced over winter break, and the faculty advisory group charged with narrowing down the list of candidates will be smaller and swifter than usual. The University is seeking to replace current Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Eli Adashi, who surprised much of the Brown community when he announced his resignation in December under the pretense of a need for “fresh leadership” in the Warren Alpert Medical School.

The newly formed advisory committee marks a sharp break with University tradition in both composition and direction, drawing criticism from a number of faculty members and administrators. Instead of a large and inclusive committee conducting an expansive search, all of the faculty advisory group’s nine members are affiliated with the Division of Biology and Medicine and will consider candidates only from within the division.

Simmons also stated that she hopes to move “as swiftly as possible” to have a new, fully empowered dean in place by the time Adashi formally steps down at the end of June.

“I am confident that this will allow us to have a rapid and smooth transition in the leadership of the Division,” Simmons wrote in a Dec. 21 e-mail to Brown faculty members.

“This work is of the highest importance to all of us.”

Changing gears The haste of this approach contrasts starkly with the way the University — and particularly the Med School — has traditionally selected high-ranking administrators. Following the resignation of former Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Donald Marsh in 2002, the University appointed Professor of Medicine Richard Besdine as interim dean and launched a three-year search that considered a vast pool of candidates from around the world. That search continued on page 6

pate in unfair trade all the time,” she said. “We have no choice of where we get our electricity and we can’t live without electricity.”

Acosta addressed at length the proposed free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. He said Colombian union leaders have formally proposed putting the agreement up for referendum. That treaty was signed in 2006 but has not been ratified by Congress due, among other factors, to Democratic leaders’ concerns over the Colombian government’s failure to curb anti-union violence.

continued on page 4

Mankind’s demise Schuman ’08 warns of mankind’s doom since the return of “American Gladiator”

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Courtesy of brown.edu

Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Eli Adashi tomorrow’s weather Depressing, like carbon monoxide poisoning. Just another day in RI

rain, 46 / 32 News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Menu

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Chicken Fingers, Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini Yianchi, Grilled Vegetable Calzone, Pumpkin Bars

Lunch — Gyro Sandwich, Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar, Santa Fe Chicken, Curly Fries, Chocolate Flake Cookies

Dinner — Chicken in the Rough, Creole Eggplant, Vegetarian Tamale Pie, Sugar Snap Peas, Vanilla Chocolate Pudding Cake

Dinner — Roast Loin of Pork, Vegan Paella, Au Gratin Potatoes with Fresh Herbs, Vanilla Chocolate Pudding Cake

Dunkel | Joe Larios

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

Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, January © Puzzles31, by2008 Pappocom

Los Angeles Times Puzzle C r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Early Yucatán settler 5 Capital SSW of Tangier 10 Home seller’s datum: Abbr.

14 It’s hot in here 15 Emerged 16 Subtle emanation 17 Dr. James Naismith’s invention 19 Votes for 20 Sellers, for instance 21 Belgian treaty city 22 Silly Putty holder 25 Physics, e.g.

28 Shoptalk 30 Like some hair 31 Morlock victims 32 Signal interference 34 Portfolio part 37 Space-saving device 41 Kite with a driver 42 “The First __ Club” 43 Salt, to a chemist 44 Pacific flier 45 Specter’s group 47 National parks, e.g.

52 They’re all in the family 53 Avant’s opposite 54 Massey of old movies 56 __ trip 57 Christmastime staple, with “The” 62 Botanical angle 63 Doff a derby 64 Refuse to grant 65 .00001 newtons 66 Benefits 67 Word that can follow the starts of this puzzle’s five longest answers DOWN 1 Tough crowd 2 She played Julie in “Show Boat” (1951) 3 Approval 4 “Diana” songwriter 5 Caning material 6 Protected area 7 Get in

8 Manual transmissions?: Abbr.

9 __ Aviv 10 The __ Kid: Willie Mays’s nickname 11 Result of a promotion, perhaps 12 Swiss bread 13 Sense of style 18 Return to sender?

21 Taken for granted 22 DVD player button 23 Modesto-based vintner 24 Stable worker 26 Thirst-quenching units 27 Hombre’s home 29 Enlistees 32 Fresh 33 Source of iron 34 Walton who wrote “The Compleat Angler” 35 Linear lead-in 36 “Stormy Weather” songwriter 38 Pretty pitchers

39 Brown of publishing 40 Holiday establishment?

44 Razz 45 Quick drinks 46 “Show Boat” novelist Ferber 47 Unit of capacitance 48 Modeling aid 49 Place to see a snake

Gus vs. Them | Zachary McCune and Evan Penn

50 Printing process, briefly 51 Its southern end is at Dawson Creek, British Columbia 55 Flexible, in a way 57 Gist 58 Mattel card game 59 Mauna __ 60 Running trio?

61 Pumpernickel alternative

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Nightmarishly Elastic | Adam Robbins

xwordeditor@aol.com

1/31/08

Classic Deep-Fried Kittens | Cara FitzGibbon

By Barry C. Silk (c)2008 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Info session, Weds., Feb. 5 8 p.m. at 195 Angell Street

1/31/08

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M etro Thursday, January 31, 2008

After carbon monoxide deaths, safety campaign Chaz Kelsh Senior Staff Writer After three deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning on Blackstone Street, on the south side of Providence, the mayor and the fire department have launched an awareness campaign to encourage Providence residents to equip their homes with detectors of the lethal, invisible gas.

Brown residence halls are already equipped with the devices. All detectors, both for carbon monoxide and smoke, are checked at least annually, usually in June or August, said Carlos Fernandez, assistant vice president for Facilities Management and Engineering.

The campaign, which was advertised in local media and is slated to target high schools in the near future, alerts residents to a free hotline they can call to have the Fire Department install a carbon monoxide detector in their home.

Providence ordinances require that residences have a carbon monoxide detector on every floor of the home that is frequently used, according to Captain Brian Kreizinger of the Providence Fire Department.

The campaign was prompted by the accidental deaths of an adult couple and the woman’s son, a 9th grade student at the downtown branch of the Met School downtown. The three were killed when carbon monoxide from an improperly installed boiler used to heat the residence leaked the gas into their home, according to a Jan. 10 statement from Mayor David Cicilline ’83.

“With the loss of these three individuals, Providence experienced a terrible tragedy and the most heartbreaking aspect of this incident is that it was totally preventable,” Cicilline said in the statement.

By communicating the message through schools, Kreizinger hopes to overcome the potential language barriers of targeting adults directly, some of whom might not speak English even though their children do.

Students, he said, would ideally then encourage their parents to call the hotline if their house did not have a carbon monoxide detector. The campaign, which would start in high schools and then potentially expand to include younger children, is likely the first of its kind in Rhode Island, Kreizinger said.

Two-hundred carbon monoxide detectors were donated to the department by Benny’s, a chain of stores in southern New England, Kreizinger said, and the department is seeking other donations. Because their supply is limited, the department prioritizes the elderly and the handicapped when installing detectors and avoids installing units for landlords who could afford to do it themselves, Kreizinger added.

Kreizinger emphasized the danger of carbon monoxide, which is

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Station nightclub owner to be released a year early Emmy Liss Senior Staff Writer

Alex DePaoli / Herald

All Brown residence halls have detectors for smoke and carbon monoxide. The mayor and fire department have launched a campaign to install more detectors in R.I.

colorless, odorless, tasteless and the primary cause of death from accidental poisoning, he said.

“It’s a very sneaky kind of gas,” Kreizinger said. “You can be poisoned by it and not even realize it.

It’s a peaceful death but an unnecessary one.”

Rhode Island hospitals may also receive additional equipment to automatically screen incoming patients for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Andrea Bagnall Degos of the Rhode Island Department of Health. A 2006 pilot program at Rhode Island Hospital caught 11 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in a nine-month period that could have gone undetected, Degos said.

Degos said the equipment is part of a multifaceted approach to addressing carbon monoxide. “No one solution is going to take care of the entire problem,” she said.

Since the government’s building code is “very vague as to what the requirements are,” Brown has made its own standard for carbon

monoxide detectors ­­— one per floor in smaller dorms and one outside every mechanical room in larger dorms, Fernandez said.

Carbon monoxide is a larger concern for buildings that are not connected to the main Brown heating system, including the Young Orchard Apartments, King House and West House. Whereas most buildings receive their heat from the central heating plant, these buildings have their heating units on site, according to Richard Bova, senior associate dean for residential life. Detectors in these dorms are checked often to ensure they are working, he said.

Students who live off-campus must be aware of the danger of carbon monoxide, Fernandez said.

“They really have to work with their landlords” to ensure proper detectors are installed, he said. Bova said the University was preparing a communication to be sent to students who live off-campus, but was unsure whether it had been sent.

Michael Derderian, owner of the Station nightclub, will be released from prison a year early in October 2009 after being sentenced to four years following the West War wick nightclub’s 2003 fire, which killed 100. The Rhode Island Parole Board made its decision in a three-to-one vote on Jan. 16.

According to a statement issued after the decision by the Department of Corrections, “The Board took into consideration the testimony of the victims both opposed and in favor of his release, the impact this crime has had on the community, his overall institutional adjustment as well as his low risk to reoffend and minimal risk to public safety.”

Daniel Biechele, the manager of Great White, the band whose pyrotechnics caused the fire, was also sentenced to four years in prison but will be released to parole in March 2008 after ser ving only 22 months of his sentence. “(Derderian) did more time than what he should have gotten, but they just needed someone to blame. Great White should be held responsible,” said John Guelke, a security guard in the Sciences Librar y.

Derderian asked for parole this year as well but was denied the same release date as Biechele.

Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick L ynch ’87 pointed to two main reasons: Biechele had a record of good conduct in prison but Derderian

has violated prison rules threetimes. Second, “an early release would depreciate the seriousness of his crime,” Healey told The Herald.

Though L ynch initially “thought and still thinks Derderian should have gotten more time, he thinks the parole board made the right call to deny release this year,” Healey said. “(Derderian) should be sent back to prison for the duration of his life,” said Charisse Gulosino, post-doctoral research associate in public policy. “He doesn’t deser ve to be out.”

“Ultimately the parole board makes the call,” Healey said.

“The attorney general’s office is just a voice.”

Page 4

Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

U. has 30 days to respond to Senate request continued from page 1 “The questions we put forward in this letter will help Congress better understand how colleges use their endowments to make certain that talented young folks in Montana and across the country aren’t left out of the classroom.”

“We’re giving well-funded colleges a chance to describe what they’re doing to help students,” Grassley, the committee’s ranking Republican, added in the statement. “More information will help Congress make informed decisions about a potential pay-out requirement and allow universities to show what they can accomplish on their own initiative.”

That comment could stoke unease among university officials, as Grassley has previously suggested that he might promote legislation to require colleges and universities to spend at least five percent of their endowments each year, as many other non-profit foundations already must. Such a measure would be intended to reduce students’ tuition burdens.

Most of the country’s wealthiest universities spend closer to four percent in any given year, the Chronicle reported Nov. 2.

Brown’s annual payout is also usually about four percent, The Herald repor ted in an Oct. 17 article.

Brown opposes any such requirement, Leshan said, echoing

a position that other Ivy League schools have taken.

“That’s been an issue that’s been out there and it’s something we’re concerned about,” he said.

But, he added, the letter doesn’t necessarily portend impending restrictions.

“This is really viewed as a request for information. It’s not an investigation,” Leshan said. “It’s an opportunity for universities like Brown to tell the story of endowments and why they’re important and why they benefit higher education a great deal, especially institutions like Brown.”

A Baucus aide reached at the committee’s Washington, D.C., office declined to comment on how senators planned to use the data.

“At this point we’re just collecting information, and that’s as much as I can tell you,” the aide said.

“There is much that can be accomplished by colleges and universities, particularly those with significant endowments, to control costs and provide real relief for students from low- and middleincome families,” the senators told schools in the letter. In the past year, Harvard, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania and several other schools have announced major expansions of their financial aid programs for students in those income brackets, actions Baucus and Grassley alluded to as praiseworthy in the letter.

“This is a ver y positive trend

that we’d like to see continue,” the senators wrote.

That exhortation has particular relevance for Brown, which has yet to follow suit with a financial aid expansion of its own. The question of aid spending will be taken up by the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, at its February meeting, The Herald reported Monday.

Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration, did not reply to an e-mail seeking comment for this article, and Director of Financial Aid James Tilton declined to comment on the letter.

The letter has “two sides,” said Rae Goldsmith, vice president of communications and marketing for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, a professional organization for education fundraisers.

“On the one hand, the letter gives institutions the opportunity to help people better understand what endowments are and what their true value and function to the university are,” she said. “What will be problematic for institutions is that they may not record or keep the data in the manner that it’s requested.”

The letter also is unclear as to why the information is being gathered, she said. “In some ways it is asking institutions to provide information without them understanding what the question is.”

www.browndailyherald.com

Brown first-years weigh in on national norms continued from page 1 said.

Raisa Aziz ’11 agreed, saying that the purpose is to “broaden your sense of the world, meet new people, network (and) discover new things.” It’s “more about the process of self discovery and education than anything else,” she added.

Brown students acknowledged the importance of a college education in relation to career opportunities and earning power, but agreed that education, the opportunity to broaden one’s mind and general life experience were equally or more significant aspects. “It’s true that without a college degree you can’t get far nowadays, but I don’t think that’s why people come [to Brown],” said Andrea Dillon ’11 said.

“Education opens your mind, and that’s why people get an education. I think if you’re doing it for the money you’re doing it for the wrong reasons,” Arune Gulati ’11 said.

Though some Brown first-years report having applied to 10 or even

15 schools, 60 percent of freshmen nationwide say they applied to fewer than five, a figure that has remained nearly constant for the past three years. Nationwide, only 13 percent of students said they applied to eight or more schools.

In its opinions section, the survey showed a generally liberal bent in students, with many supporting abortion rights and national health care and opposing the draft. Still, 48 percent of students reported that “undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education” and nearly a quarter of students agreed that “it is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships.”

The survey also found that many students were concerned about the environment — 80 percent agreed that the federal government is not doing enough to control pollution.

The survey was based on responses from over 270,000 of the 1.4 million students entering 356 four-year colleges and universities nationwide in the fall of 2007.

Acosta lecture packs Watson continued from page 1 Acosta’s appearance was organized by several campus organizations, said Jake Hess GS, including Colombians United at Brown, the Center for Latin American Studies and Colombian Solidarity Network, of which Hess is a member. Acosta was on a tour of the Atlantic region and stopped in New England for a week, Hess said.

The crowd, mostly students, quickly filled available seats, forc-

ing attendees to stand or sit on the floor. Sales of books and handmade shoulder bags as well as a collection envelope passed around during the speech raised money for the labor unions’ efforts and Acosta’s travel expenses.

Drew Smith ’10 said, in reaction to the speech, that consumers should be more aware of the international effects of their actions. “I think we all need to get more involved in these kinds of issues,” he added.

C ampus n ews Thursday, January 31, 2008

News Brie

i n f

Elections for new UCS, UFB members The Undergraduate Council of Students elected two at-large members, the vice chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board and a UFB representative at its second general body meeting of the semester Wednesday night in Petteruti Lounge.

The two-hour meeting began with speeches from the eight students running for the vacant at-large spots on UCS. After a short deliberation, the council elected Alyssa Blood ’11 and Juan Vasconez ’10, who was already serving as an associate member of UCS. Kevin McDonald ’08 won the election for UFB vice chair over Herald Opinions Columnist Don Trella ’08. The vice chair of UFB serves as assistant to the chair and runs meetings in the chair’s absence. Herald Sales Manager Lily Tran ’10 won the election to fill the vacant spot on UFB over five other students.

After the elections, there was a brief discussion of the ethics of a UCS member voting in an election for which he or she had not listened to the candidates’ speeches. Drew Madden ’10 said he intended to propose a code change that would prohibit such voting. Harris Li ’11, who had been outside the room with candidates during speeches, said he would oppose such a change because he believed it was UCS members’ responsibility to decide whether they were capable of voting in a given election.

— Chaz Kelsh

Page 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

First-years anticipate MPC application deadline

By Sophia Li Senior Staff Writer

As most students choose their classes, some first-years are preparing for a different kind of decision. Students are readying themselves for Feb. 8, the deadline for applying to become a Minority Peer Counselor.

For some, applying is a continuation of an experience that began in the fall. Antar Tichavakunda ’11 said he knew he wanted to be an MPC “right after” the Third World Transition Program that took place before Orientation, from Aug. 28 to Aug. 31.

“I hope this will raise my maturity level and help me become a better leader in general,” he said.

Jennifer Soroko MA’06, assistant director of the Third World Center, said that many applicants were participants in TWTP. But, she added, “we have MPCs who didn’t attend TWTP.” Currently, there are 22 MPCs. Soroko estimated that there were 60 to 70 applicants last year. She also said the TWC would like to have at least two more MPCs next year but is not certain if the changes will take place.

Jaleesa Jones ’11, who is considering applying to be an MPC, also mentioned the importance of the beginning of the year. “I just liked how welcome I felt as a freshman, and I want to offer the same thing to incoming freshmen,” Jones said.

The application requires candidates to submit two letters of recommendation — one from a current MPC, Residential Peer Leader or Community Director, and one from a current or former professor, super-

visor or coach. Students must also answer four essay questions.

Applications for MPC positions are available on the Third World Center Web site, while applications for Residential Counselor and Women Peer Counselor positions will be available on the Residential Life Web site, beginning Feb. 1. ResLife officials were unavailable for comment.

Each student who submits an MPC application is interviewed, MPC Co-Coordinator Vijou Bryant ’09 said. Usually two people — current or former MPCs, faculty members or administrators at the TWC — conduct the interviews, Bryant said.

“It’s a really fair process,” Bryant said. “Everyone gets a really fair chance just to apply and show us what they have.”

The selection committee responsible for reviewing applications includes Soroko, MPC co-coordinators, current and former MPCs and the director of the Third World Center, Associate Dean Karen McLaurinChesson.

“I don’t think there’s any one type of experience (we’re looking for),” Bryant said. “The number one thing is a clear interest, why you want to be an MPC.” Soroko named “strong leadership skills” and “the ability to communicate with a diverse body of students” as important characteristics in the selection process. She also called experience engaging in conversation about the “-isms” — such as racism, sexism and classism — “helpful.”

“Being an M, it’s a lot of work,” Bryant said. “Some people, they don’t understand what the program does.”

Chris Bennett / Herald File Photo

The Minority Peer Counseling program is part of the Third World Center.

Bryant explained that an MPC’s job is multifaceted — it includes directing first-years toward the resources available on campus, providing support, helping with the transition from high school to college and being a friend.

Tichavakunda agreed, saying, “They are counselors, but first and foremost, they’re friends.”

He recalled one night last semester when he was at the hospital with a friend in the emergency room. He said he knew he could call MPCs, even at 1 a.m., and they would help him find a way back to campus.

While the program originated in the 1970s as a “student-driven initiative” staffed by volunteers, over time it has come under “the administrative umbrella” of the TWC, Soroko said.

The position now pays about $2,000 a year.

Bryant spoke enthusiastically about her experience as an MPC. She said that through it, she found “a network and community of people who are really dedicated to being critical of the world around us.”

“I really don’t think I get all of that in some of my classes here,” Bryant said.

Students work on community development in D.R. over break

Gaurie Tilak Staff Writer

While most students were relaxing at home over winter break, a group of twelve Brown students was building volleyball pits and purifying drinking water in the Dominican Republic.

The group consisted of eight seniors and four underclassmen, led by Ed Cheung ’08 and John Molina ’08.

The projects targeted issues that arise often in developing nations, including nutrition, exercise, hypertension, diabetes, environmental concerns, women’s empowerment, general education, English proficiency and computer literacy.

The five communities included in the project were centered around the A Mother’s Wish foundation’s community center and health clinic in Santiago.

Cheung said he first came up with the project idea while he was studying in Santiago, the Dominican Republic, in the fall of 2006. He volunteered at the health clinic every week, with which he got involved through Assistant Dean of Medicine Timothy Empkie.

Molina worked with the same clinic during the summer of 2007.

During this time, he went from door to door and asked people what concerns they felt were important in their communities, inspiring the projects he would later work on over break. “All of our projects stemmed from the community survey,” he said.

Both Cheung and Molina enjoyed their experiences so much that in

September they came up with the idea for the trip, and by October they had provided applications to students interested in participating.

Most of the students who went this month were interested in medicine, they said.

The group’s goal was to work with community members to help them solve the problems they identified. “Our vision is not to come down and be that white hand saying, ‘We know what’s best for you,’ because we don’t,” said Cheung.

Empkie helped with the logistics of the trip. “My role was primarily beforehand to help them with the preparation,” he said. The project is not currently sanctioned by the University so no official approval was necessary, but one hope for the future is to develop this project into a University supported program, Empkie said.

The health clinic, called Pequeños Pasitos or “Small Steps” in Spanish, ser ves 1,500 people in five communities. When founded in 2003, it focused on vaccinations and trash collection. Today, it also offers prenatal care, medical examinations and medications free to the members of the community who would otherwise have no access to health care.

Once in the Dominican Republic, the students split into small groups.

Each group was in charge of designing a solution to a different area of concern. The students had weekly meetings with the whole group to share ideas and discuss their progress. “One of the coolest things is

that students really get control,” Cheung said.

To address these concerns, many of the groups utilized educational programs. For example, with hypertension and diabetes, the group incorporated information about these conditions into the door-todoor health promotions that the clinic regularly runs.

The students set up a women’s group to work on female empowerment and built a volleyball court to promote exercise. The volleyball court was one of the major successes of the initial trip because it quickly became integrated into the community, Cheung said.

Another project was to purify drinking water. The group taught community members to use a method called SODIS to purify the water.

The process is simple: Fill a two liter bottle with water and leave it in direct sunlight; after six hours, the water will be clean enough to drink.

“Water is a big issue,” Molina said.

“Water is not drinkable in most of the five communities.”

One group set up an English as a Second Language program, which is currently being supervised by one of the team members studying in Santiago this semester. Since the project’s goal is sustainability, the plan is to have at least one person involved in the projects year round, Molina said.

During their time working with the clinic, the students discovered other issues that they hope to address in the future. While setting up an ESL program, the students

noticed that literacy in general was a problem in the communities. “Many kids couldn’t write in Spanish, let alone English,” Cheung said.

Both Cheung and Molina are PLME students and will continue to work with the project for at least two more years, including another trip in March. Through the next few groups of students, the two hope to find a core group that can assume leadership of the project after them.

The project is still in the development stage, and Cheung and Molina are hoping that over time they will be able to identify the problems that need to be addressed and find workable solutions for each. Cheung described the trip as a chance to put academic knowledge to practical use.

“We’ll see what worked and what didn’t in March,” Molina said. “It’s

just the beginning; we know we’re going to hit a lot of roadblocks.”

Both Cheung and Molina felt that the experience was an excellent way to apply knowledge from different disciplines. “It’s so applicable to everything,” Cheung said. “Health, economics, international studies, human biology, premed, developmental studies.” He said he hopes that in future trips, students from a wide variety of backgrounds will participate.

The trip was free for all volunteers because of fundraising efforts done beforehand. One quarter of the money raised went to subsidizing the trip costs for the participants.

The remainder of the money is going to the clinic, Cheung said.

“I think Brown needs more options like our project,” Cheung said.

Page 6

Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Unorthodox search for Adashi’s replacement raises some questions continued from page 1 committee, which eventually chose Adashi, had 20 members, including professors from outside the Division of Biology and Medicine, representatives of local hospitals, a Corporation trustee, then-Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene as well as undergraduate, graduate and medical students.

None of these groups is represented on the current advisory committee.

Associate Provost Pamela O’Neil PhD’91 said the small size and exclusive makeup of the committee is intended to expedite the process of selecting the new dean. After the dean serves “a normal three-year term,” O’Neil said the University may conduct a more extensive search.

“We wanted to have someone in place right at the time Dean Adashi left,” she said. “We thought that a smaller advisory committee would be helpful instead of a larger one, which could take years.”

O’Neil, who staffs the advisory committee and is present at every meeting, said the University is looking to promptly appoint a dean from within the Division of Biology and Medicine in order to maintain “forward momentum” on a number of fronts. In his time as dean, Adashi reshaped the Medical School’s curriculum, raised its national profile and further developed the Program in Public Health. He had also been working closely with Rhode Island hospitals, which have become a key interest of the Medical School in light of the proposed merger of state healthcare giants Lifespan and

Care New England.

“Over the last few years we’ve been trying to build closer ties with the hospitals,” O’Neil said. “We thought it would be best to have someone empowered who can help build that relationship.”

Dissenting voices The University’s unorthodox approach has raised concerns among a number of faculty members and administrators who feel that the gains in speed and efficiency may not be worth the losses in comprehensiveness.

“Brown has a long tradition of being inclusive in who it involves in searches for important leaders,” said Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine Roy Poses ’73 MD’78.

“This committee is much smaller and is essentially only faculty from the Division of Biology and Medicine.”

Poses, who is a voluntary faculty member and does not get paid for the teaching services he provides to the Medical School, said the desire for a speedy selection process does not obviate the need for the University to be thorough in the voices it hears and the candidates it considers.

“These are concerns, but they are normal concerns and apply to any search,” Poses said. “The trade-off for cumbersomeness is inclusiveness.”

Poses agreed with O’Neil that a member of the Division of Biology and Medicine would likely be in a better position to strengthen the University’s relationship with Rhode Island hospitals. But he cautioned against choosing someone closely affiliated with certain hospitals and

not others.

“There is more than one hospital in Rhode Island,” Poses said, suggesting that the University should be wary of conflicting interests.

Associate Dean of Medicine for Clinical Faculty Arthur Frazzano said he shares many of Poses’ concerns and added that the committee’s lack of clinical faculty — practicing physicians like Poses who also teach medical students — suggests the over-1,200 clinical professors’ interests may not be represented.

“The clinical faculty want to be recognized for the contribution they give to the education of the students,” said Frazzano, who said he has received e-mails from confused and concerned clinical faculty members.

“Without the clinical faculty providing their services, we wouldn’t be able to run the programs we do — they need to be heard.”

Frazzano said he intends to distill his concerns and those of the clinical faculty into an e-mail to Simmons and Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, who will make the final decision on Adashi’s successor.

Poses already has.

“A hasty process involving insiders who will choose another insider gives the appearance of being more attuned to the vested interests of the insiders and those they represent than the broader mission of the school and the university,” Poses wrote Jan. 23 to Simmons, Kertzer and O’Neil. “I urge you to revise the process so it is less hasty, more transparent, and more representative of students, the broad Brown faculty, and alumni.”

Search begins for dean of medicine Search for Adashi: • Nearly three years • Candidates from around the globe • 20-member search committee: 8 BioMed professors 4 Hospital Representatives 3 Students 2 non-BioMed faculty 1 Corporation Trustee 1 Brown Medical Alumni

Association president 1 VP of Campus Life and

Student Services

Responding to concern O’Neil said the committee is making every effort it can to hear from the different constituencies at Brown and has invited clinical faculty members, hospital representatives and students to speak at meetings.

Medical Student Senate President Jeremy Boyd MD’09 has already met with Kertzer and spoken in front of the advisory committee, which he described as “very receptive regarding student concerns” in an e-mail to The Herald.

“I have been in contact with the Provost since the day of Dean Adashi’s announced resignation,” Boyd wrote. “And while there is no student on the committee, there has been an open flow of communication between the Medical Student Senate and his office.”

Department of Community Health Chair and advisory group member Vincent Mor, a professor of medical science who also sat on the search committee that selected Adashi, said there are differences between the two committees, but “the effect will be the same, only quicker,” because the group is hearing from those parties not on the committee.

“Last time it took so long,” Mor said. “Nobody wants to wait that long.”

The University may be listening to concerned voices in additional ways. Since Simmons announced the eight-member faculty advisory committee in December, one more member, Pardon Kenney ’72 MD’75 MMSc’75 P’03, has joined the group.

Kenney now teaches at Tufts Medical School, and O’Neil said that as an alumnus and former president of the Brown Medical Alumni Association, Kenney “can offer a unique perspective.” However, the University has still not heard from any faculty members not affiliated with the Division of Biology and Medicine, and O’Neil said she knows of no plans to do so.

When asked why, she said she did not know.

The view from outside Poses and Frazzano said they’re primarily concerned with transparency. The puzzling circumstances of Adashi’s departure, which came without explanation during a crucial transitional period, combined with the unusual approach in seeking his replacement, has raised questions for them and others that have so far

Search for Adashi’s successor: • Less than six months • Only candidates from within Division of Biology and Medicine • 9-member advisory group: 8 BioMed professors 1 alum and former BioMed

professor

gone unanswered.

“I don’t know why Adashi is resigning so precipitously, I don’t know why the search committee is composed the way it is and the explanations I’m hearing don’t help,” Poses said.

Frazzano expressed a similar desire for answers but offered a potential account of the University’s unusual action. On one hand, the University needs to replace Adashi as quickly as possible. On the other, it needs a strong leader to represent Brown in negotiations with merging hospital groups. To achieve that balance, Frazzano said the University might appoint someone who would be a full-fledged dean in title — a process that requires a formal advisory committee — but an interim dean in effect, appointed quickly and serving only a few years.

“There may even be someone they’ve already selected and are talking to,” said Frazzano, who emphasized that it was only his opinion.

O’Neil said Adashi’s successor would be “fully empowered” and expected to serve “a normal threeyear term.” But if this is the case, it would be the first time in the Medical School’s 38-year history that any fully empowered dean — other than Adashi — has served less than 10 years, let alone three. The only other dean to serve a three-year term was Besdine, who served in an interim role.

O’Neil maintained that “three years is considered a normal appointment” and said the committee “hasn’t even begun to talk about candidates.” She said she was unaware of the Medical School’s history of long-serving deans.

Frazzano said one of the dangers of an opaque search process is that those on the outside might read too much into the University’s handling of the search. For his part, Frazzano said he was not upset with the University’s actions, but rather dissatisfied with its explanation of them.

“I don’t think there should be any anger or resentment,” Frazzano said.

“It just needs to be clarified.”

When asked if he thought the University’s approach was a good idea, Frazzano smiled.

“Was it a good idea for Rudy Giuliani to stick himself down into Florida?” Frazzano said Tuesday.

“It sounds like a reasonable thing to try.”

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Edwards quits bid for president

By Peter Wallsten Los Angeles T imes

WASHINGTON — Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who brought a focus on poverty and working-class issues to the 2008 Democratic presidential race, abandoned his bid for the White House on Wednesday, saying “it’s time for me to step aside so that histor y can blaze its path.”

Bowing out of the presidential race in New Orleans, where he began his campaign, Edwards predicted a Democratic victory in this year’s elections.

“With our convictions and a little backbone, we will take back the White House in November,” he said.

Surrounded by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, Edwards said he almost changed his mind when supporters in the past few days besieged him with pleas not to forget them.

Edwards was his party’s 2004 vice presidential nominee, and he had scored a second-place finish in the first nominating contest of 2008, in the Iowa caucuses. But Edwards has been overshadowed by the star power and ground-breaking nature of two other candidacies, those of Sens. Hillar y Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Edwards said he had talked with both of his opponents and won their promise to keep a focus on poverty in their campaigns. “We will never forget you, we will fight for you, we will stand up for you,” Edwards told a crowd in the city’s Ninth Ward, hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. “It’s time for all of us to make the two Americas one.”

After Iowa, Edwards consistently trailed Clinton and Obama.

He notched a distant third-place finish in his native South Carolina on Saturday, after having won that primar y in 2004.

It is unclear whether Clinton or Obama will benefit most from Edwards’ exit from the race. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg sur vey this month showed that he was attracting key constituencies important to both front-runners -- including men, who also tend to support Obama, and lower-income voters, who typically have been drawn to Clinton.

Obama, campaigning Wednesday in Denver with Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy, at his side, issued a statement saying that Edwards had “spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news.”

Praising John and Elizabeth Edwards for their activism, Obama said: “While his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America.”

Obama told reporters that he had called Edwards. “I congratulated him on a great race and what a gracious way to end by going back to New Orleans,” he said.

Clinton also issued a statement saying that Edwards “ended his campaign today in the same way he started it -- by standing with the people who are too often left behind and nearly always left out of our national debate.”

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Keep reading!

We hope you enjoy.

Page 7

YOUR UNIVERSITY. YOUR TURN. The Task Force on Undergraduate Education’s Community Form: Monday, February 4 5.30pm-7pm: Salomon 101

Read the report.

Tell us what you think.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

W. track beats Cornell Mazerov ’10: Choose your team continued from page 12 to the NFL. We are ecstatic for Paul, but it is a tough loss to our team to have him on the sidelines instead of in the races. In addition, senior captain Jamil McClintock ’08 recently had surgery and the recovery time will take a while, so we will miss him as well this indoor season. Losing these two is an enormous loss to the men’s squad.”

The men will look to build on their third-place finish next weekend as they travel to Yale.

“The key to our success in the upcoming weeks will be staying healthy and focusing on all of the little things that will help us to reach our potential,” Lake said. “We cannot afford to slack. We need to rest and recover properly... so that we can compete with confidence in five weeks knowing we did all we could as a team.”

Women step up The women had a much more successful weekend than the men with a first-place overall finish and several outstanding individual performances. For the first time since 2001, Brown defeated the powerhouse of the Ivy League — Cornell.

Beating Cornell was especially satisfying for the seniors.

“After the last event (Women’s Triple Jump), Coach Lake gathered the team for a meeting,” said Captain Akilah King ’08. “When we saw Brown show up first on the board ever yone started cheering! The upperclassmen were especially excited. Cornell has been such a powerhouse for the last four years, and those of us who are older are sick of them blowing teams out of the water.”

In the meet at Har vard there were nine first-place finishes for the Bears. King took home two of those victories. One was in the triple jump (41-06.50), in which she also qualified for nationals.

“Qualifying for nationals was definitely a personal goal that I had set for the meet, but I was more concerned with getting the win for the team.”

King was able to bring in some more valuable points for the team with her first-place finish in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.74 seconds.

Another ver y impressive individual performance was Smita Gupta’s ’08 first-place finish in the mile run with a time of 4:51.73, with the closest competitor coming in eight seconds behind. Lake was particularily impressed with Gupta’s performance.

“She had an extremely impressive day as she dominated in the mile, demonstrating that she is a national class runner.”

Gupta talked about the great personal accomplishment that eventually helped her team beat Cornell.

“Personally, I know that I have come a long way, as has our team,” Gupta said. “So I know that we have ever y reason to carr y that confidence and momentum into track. The performances were definitely a good start, and I know that there is much more to come.”

In the track events, Nicole Burns ’09 finished first in the 200 meter and 400 meter with times of 25.49 seconds and 56.05 seconds, respectively. Lucy Higgins ’11 finished fourth in the 400 meter with 58.14 seconds. In the 800 meter Samantha Adelberg ’11 took home first with a 2:13.70 finishing time. Ariel Wright ’10 stole the show in the 3,000 meter race, finishing first in the event with a time of 9:53.07.

From the field That was not the end to the success for the women on Saturday.

There were other personal bests as Shannon Stone ’10 finished fourth in the triple jump and Brynn Smith ’11 finished first in the shot put.

The field events were not quite as successful for the Bears but still good enough to help the team bring home the overall title. Anna Cook ’11 and Grace Watson ’11 finished second and third in the high jump, both clearing 5’-05”. In the pole vault event Tiffany Chang ’08 finished third with a jump of 11-11.75.

Behind her was Cassandra Wong ’10 finishing sixth with 10-11.75. Lake wrote about her team’s impressive weekend in an e-mail.

“I think the way we competed was a critical factor in the win,” she wrote. “Our women competed very aggressively and confidently. We had a lot of strong individual performances.”

The Brown women are looking ahead to next weekend as they are scheduled to compete at Yale along with the men. The women are going to try to build on the momentum from last weekend and continue to improve as the Ivy League Championships are rapidly approaching.

continued from page 12 Going with the 12-point underdog seems to be a much more morally acceptable choice, even if it is just the lesser of two evils.

So for all you non-New Englanders and non-New Yorkers at Brown (yes, all 47 of you) who still aren’t sure who to root for, and in the hope that maybe writing it out will help me decide, here are a couple other reasons to root for, or against, each team: Enough already, Boston The Red Sox just won their second World Series in four years and could ver y well win it the next four seasons. The Celtics, despite hitting some rough patches in the last few weeks, have the best record in the NBA and are certainly championship contenders. Even the New England Revolution are dominating their league: they have made it all the way to the MLS — that stands for “Major League Soccer,” for those of you who have never heard that particular acronym — championship game the last three seasons.

And then, of course, there’s the Patriots. A superhuman-like blend of Chuck Norris, Jack Bauer and

Vin Diesel in terms of indestructibility and general ass-kicking prowess, this year’s New England squad has already made histor y, becoming the first team ever to go 16-0 in the regular season. A Patriots win on Sunday would be their fourth Super Bowl victor y in just the last seven seasons. My point here is, can’t a team from somewhere else, just once, be able to celebrate a little success?

Don’t get me wrong. Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing the Yankees lose. But the Giants, as much as I might dislike them, aren’t the Yankees. Heck, they don’t even play in New York.

And the Patriots and the Red Sox, as much as team fans might hate to hear it, are slowly turning into the Cowboys and Yankees of the 90s. They’re becoming the evil (think Spygate), dominating empires of the 2000s.

Aren’t the egos of the Patriots and Red Sox faithful that surround us non-Pats, non-Sox already bloated enough? (Case in point: there’s already a book called “19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots” available for pre-order on Amazon). A Pats win on Sunday might only make the lives of us

fans of other, comparably awful teams even more miserable.

What about histor y?

There is something to be said, though, for seeing the Patriots, our local team, complete the first ever undefeated season since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. If the already dynastic Pats do indeed prevail over the Giants on Sunday and finish the year 19-0, they’ll almost certainly replace the 1972 Miami Dolphins in National Football League lore as the greatest team ever. There’s something exciting, I suppose, about having been in New England for such a legendar y and seemingly impossible feat. And how much of a buzzkill would it be to see them come this far only to lose the Super Bowl? I’m not sure what’s worse: being surrounded by thousands of drunkoff-happiness New Englanders, or being surrounded by thousands of pissed-off New Englanders.

Hmm, still can’t decide. This is probably going to be a game-time decision for me.

Alex Mazerov ’10 might just have to flip a coin.

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S t a ff E d i t o r i a l

Dean drama Recognize the name Eli Adashi?

If not, you’re likely with the vast majority of students — and understandably so. As Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences, Adashi is probably not on most non-PLME or med students’ radars. Students need pay little attention to the happenings at the top of University administration to complete their four-year quests to get a degree. After all, it is professors who write our overrides on Banner, TAs who grade our papers and advisers who check off our concentration forms.

Though we mostly visit deans when we need a letter of recommendation or to be excused from an exam, even those focused on raising money and guiding long-term development can shape how our liberal education actually pans out.

Even if you don’t recognize his name, Adashi’s resignation last December and the minimal search process being carried out to find his replacement should raise your eyebrows. After only three years at his post, Adashi resigned with little explanation. As a dean, he leaves a legacy that has affected many of us, even the mass of liberal arts concentrators who have never set foot in a biology classroom. He accepted one of the largest donations in the University’s history, $100 million from entrepreneur Warren Alpert, changing the Med School’s name and giving it the chance to build a campus of its own in the Jewelry District. Because of changes during Adashi’s tenure, the University will look markedly different in 50 years.

Adashi’s selection was the result of a national search process that took three years by a 21-person committee that included alums, administrators and students. As an outsider, he brought a fresh perspective and clean slate as he started his position. The University now looks, however, to choose a dean who will serve the same position for the same amount of time that Adashi served with only a 9-member committee that includes just one person not currently serving the Division of Biology and Medicine. Administrators say Adashi’s successor needs to be found quickly. But with no explanation for the abruptness of his resignation — or why a large, traditional nationwide search could not have been organized earlier — students are left to wonder if leadership positions in our school are being filled in the most effective and fair way possible.

Perhaps Adashi’s leaving was timely and best served his interests and the Med School’s. Perhaps whomever is chosen as his successor with this scanty search process will still be the most qualified and successful candidate. We do not know. But allowing our top positions to be filled in this manner — thus creating the possibility that a hand-picked successor could take the place that should be available to all eligible candidates — sets a worrisome precedent for the leadership-selection process at our University. We feel far from University Hall in our classrooms and dorms, but we still must pay close attention to its happenings.

T he B rown D aily H erald Editors-in-Chief Simmi Aujla Ross Frazier editorial Arts & Culture Editor Robin Steele Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Andrea Savdie Higher Ed Editor Debbie Lehmann Features Editor Chaz Firestone Asst. Features Editor Olivia Hoffman Metro Editor Rachel Arndt Metro Editor Scott Lowenstein News Editor Mike Bechek News Editor Isabel Gottlieb News Editor Franklin Kanin News Editor Michael Skocpol Opinions Editor Karla Bertrand Opinions Editor James Shapiro Sports Editor Whitney Clark Sports Editor Amy Ehrhart Sports Editor Jason Harris Asst. Sports Editor Benjy Asher Asst. Sports Editor Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Megan McCahill

Senior Editors Taylor Barnes Chris Gang Stu Woo Business Darren Ball General Manager General Manager Mandeep Gill Susan Dansereau Office Manager Alex Hughes Sales Manager Lily Tran Sales Manager Public Relations Director Emilie Aries Jon Spector Accounting Director Claire Kiely National Account Manager University Account Manager Ellen DaSilva Darren Kong Recruiter Account Manager Credit Manager Katelyn Koh Ingrid Pangandoyon Technology Director photo Rahul Keerthi Meara Sharma Min Wu Ashley Hess

A lexander sayer gard - murray

L e tt e r s Brown students play crucial role in ADOCH planning To the Editor: As the student ADOCH Coordinators, we felt the need to comment on Tuesday’s article (“ADOCH will not include early admits,” Jan. 30). We were surprised and disappointed to find that no reference was made to the student involvement in ADOCH planning. We strongly believe that the statement that the Admissions Office has now turned to Public Affairs and University Relations “to organize the event” is both inaccurate and a disservice to the dedicated ADOCH committee of 20 students committed to organizing the event. A crucial part of the planning and execution of this huge event each year is the time, input and dedication of current Brown students.

The unique perspective of students is vital to the planning of this matriculation event, which is why our student committee has been meeting weekly since November to brainstorm, plan and implement improvements for this spring’s ADOCH. Many of our members joined the committee based on their past ADOCH experiences, both positive and negative, wanting to make improvements.

As the student ADOCH Coordinators, we have been active participants since September in discussions with Admissions officers, who are still highly involved in the planning even with the newly added contributions of PAUR. Our long debates about the program’s strengths

and weaknesses, and how to address them, are what lead to changes made to ADOCH, not simply the opinions of the administration.

In addition, the actual event would be impossible to execute without the extensive help of so many Brown student volunteers, who give us hours of their time sitting at information tables, registering students and facilitating activities.

ADOCH, as represented in Tuesday’s article, is portrayed as a project of the Admissions Office and PAUR, separate from the student body. This misperception poses a big challenge for us as the ADOCH Coordinators, since we need to draw on the entire university’s support for this event to be successful. ADOCH cannot succeed without campus-wide involvement. This is especially true for ADOCH 2008, as we will not be inviting early decision students and will be relying this year more than ever on the enthusiasm of current Brown students. ADOCH is not simply the administration’s matriculation program, but rather the further development of the Brown community as we pull together as a student body to show admitted high school seniors why we believe Brown is such a special university.

Ashley Cromwell ’10 Anthony Staehelin ’10 ADOCH 2008 Student Co-Coordinators Jan. 30

Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor

post- magazine production Steve DeLucia Production & Design Editor Chaz Kelsh Asst. Design Editor Asst. Design Editor Alex Unger Catherine Cullen Copy Desk Chief Adam Robbins Graphics Editor

Matt Hill Rajiv Jayadevan Sonia Kim Allison Zimmer Colleen Brogan Arthur Matuszewski Kimberly Stickels

Managing Editor Managing Editor Features Editor Features Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor

Steve Delucia, Designer Erin Cummings, Katie Delaney, Max Mankin, Alex Mazerov, Copy Editors Nandini Jayakrishna, Franklin Kanin, Emmy Liss, Jenna Stark, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Sam Byker, Nandini Jayakrishna, Chaz Kelsh, Sophia Li, Emmy Liss, Max Mankin, Brian Mastroianni, George Miller, Alex Roehrkasse, Caroline Sedano, Jenna Stark, Joanna Wohlmuth, Simon van Zuylen-Wood Staff Writers Stefanie Angstadt, Amanda Bauer, Evan Boggs, Caitlin Browne, Marisa Calleja, Zachary Chapman, Noura Choudhury, Joy Chua, Patrick Corey, Catherine Goldberg, Olivia Hoffman, Ben Hyman, Erika Jung, Sophia Lambertsen, Cameron Lee, Christian Martell, Taryn Martinez, Anna Millman, Evan Pelz, Sonia Saraiya, Marielle Segarra, Melissa Shube, Gaurie Tilak, Matt Varley, Meha Verghese, Allison Wentz Sports Staff Writers Han Cui, Evan Kantor, Christina Stubbe Business Staff Diogo Alves, Steven Butschi, Timothy Carey, Jilyn Chao, Pete Drinan, Dana Feuchtbaum, Patrick Free, Sarah Glick, Soobin Kim, Christie Liu, Philip Maynard, Mariya Perelyubskaya, Paolo Servado, Saira Shervani, Yelena Shteynberg, Robert Stefani, Lindsay Walls, Benjamin Xiong Design Staff Ting Lawrence, Philip Maynard, Aditya Voleti, Wudan Yan Photo Staff Oona Curley, Alex DePaoli, Austin Freeman, Emmy Liss, Tai Ho Shin Copy Editors Ayelet Brinn, Rafael Chaiken, Erin Cummings, Katie Delaney, Jake Frank, Jennifer Grayson, Ted Lamm, Max Mankin, Alex Mazerov, Ezra Miller, Seth Motel, Alexander Rosenberg, Emily Sanford, Elena Weissman

Cor

r e ct i o n

Due to an editorial error, an article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Student groups stump for their favorite candidates,” Jan. 30) said Gabe Kussin ’09 is the leader of Brown Students for Barack Obama. He is president of the Brown Democrats and is not a member of any campaign group.

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 Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 11

Against voting

BY PATRICK HARRISON Guest Columnist There is a lot of hype about the record turnout of voters for the presidential primaries this year, but no one is talking about how low voter turnout actually is. In Iowa, only about 15 percent of the eligible population caucused. In the past 35 years, voter turnout for national elections has been abysmal. In the past seven presidential elections, only 50 to 55 percent of the eligible population voted. If only half the population is voting, and if elections are a narrow contest between two opposing camps, as they inevitably are in a two-party system, then only a quarter of the population is effectively running the show. Sound like democracy to you?

Some will say that low voter turnout is the fault of a lazy, apathetic electorate. Liberal progressives will respond that the real issue is to find out why voters are apathetic, and blame apathy on poverty and government unresponsiveness to public needs. This position conceives of “apathetic” voters as purely passive, ignorant people who just need to be educated on how easy voting is, and assumes that no systemic change in our form of government is needed to revitalize democracy. For liberals, not voting is equivalent to not acting, and political action is synonymous with voting.

Against this, I want to propose that the only truly political, democratic action one can take today with regard to elections is to refuse to legitimate a corrupt and undemocratic system by not participating in it and actively boycotting and protesting elections.

This is not to say that voting can never work.

If elections were actually fair, then we would

have an obligation to vote. But the last two elections have not met that standard. Given that people of color are still disenfranchised en masse and the will of the people can be overridden by the Electoral College, we have an obligation not to vote and to actively demand electoral reform at a Constitutional and local level. The Electoral College, which has four times in history overridden the popular vote, must be replaced by a direct popular vote.

Early voting, which allows people to vote over a period of a month before elections, should be a universal practice for all elections to make voting easier for working people — currently, early voting exists in only 35 states. Finally, at

the Electoral College make X unelectable.”

What we need to realize is that electability is not a real, objective quality that a candidate possesses, but a belief about a candidate that a voter projects onto her imaginary concept of the “stupid masses.”

My wager is that neither are the “masses” stupid, nor is the concept of “the masses” as a coherent, homogenous, pre-given consensus anything but a pure, ideological fiction produced by politicians as “middle America” and by the media with its ceaseless opinion polls.

Buying into the myth of “electability” allows you to publicly betray your beliefs (you don’t vote for candidate X), fall in line with the ruling

The only truly political, democratic act one can take today with regard to elections is to refuse to legitimate a corrupt and undemocratic system by not participating in it. the local level, we must work to make sure that early voting locations are open on weekends and are accessible to all citizens.

The most important voting reform for more democratic politics, beyond fair elections, is replacing our winner-takes-all elections with a multi-round run-off system. Every four years, American voters face the same dilemma due to the winner-takes-all system: “I want to vote for candidate X, but those stupid masses and

ideology and still be able to cynically maintain your sense of private purity (“My heart was in the right place!”). Winner-takes-all elections result in everyone practicing a kind of “second choice” politics that is massively repressive to any kind of original political thought. A multiround run-off system, in which candidates are eliminated through a succession of rounds of voting until one obtains a majority, would do much to end the spell of “electability.”

It would encourage originality by allowing candidates and voters to bring their interests to the table with less reservation during the initial stages. It would also result in more meaningful political compromises by forcing candidates and voters to work through issues together, negotiate compromises and form coalitions at each stage of voting, as opposed to candidates’ policies and voters’ interests always being compromised from the get-go in our current system.

This exegesis on “electability” demonstrates that it is not people who abstain from voting who are apathetic, but people who do vote when they know full well that our electoral system is corrupt and undemocratic who are truly apathetic, passive and apolitical. To the objection that voting is the only way to hold politicians accountable, I say that politicians are held more accountable if we refuse to play into the electoral charade that they hold over our heads to “legitimate” their rule. Some object that there will still be a president. If by “president” they mean a leader who governs by the democratic consent of the people, then they are wrong. Neither will there be one in 2009, nor is there one now.

However, whether we can afford not to do everything possible to end the imperialist war in Iraq is a very different question from whether we can afford to live a little while longer under this sham democracy. The real “choice between the lesser of two evils” today is not the choice between Clinton and Obama, or between Democrats and Republicans. It is the choice between voting and not ending the war.

Patrick Harrison ’08 voted early for Obama in the Tennessee primary.

“American Gladiator” returns and American civilization cringes

BY JACOB SCHUMAN Opinions Columnist The TV show “American Gladiators” has been revived, which pretty much puts to rest any remaining doubt that the 21st century will be less doomed than the previous one. In the first eight years of the third millennium, terrorism, epidemic disease and climate change all menaced the globe with portents of the apocalypse. But the return of “American Gladiators” confirms that humanity is well and truly screwed. Not even Barack Obama can save you now.

The program, aired on NBC, features former professional wrestler (and presidential candidate, God help us) Hulk Hogan, with Laila Ali — boxer and daughter of Muhammed Ali — as hosts of a multi-stage competition held between amateur athletes and the show’s professional team of “gladiators.” The nomsde-guerre by which the twelve “gladiators” style themselves likely belie a veiled psychological angst reflective of the imperial crisis of late capitalism — Crush, Fur y, Hellga, Justice, Mayhem, Militia, Siren, Stealth, Titan, Toa, Venom, and Wolf. Either way, you just know they’re going to kick some ass. The events are an interesting blend of Roman grandiosity and heroin-addict nightmarishness; contestants face challenges including swimming under a lake of fire, wrestling a gladiator while climbing a rock wall and digging an arrow out from a sand pit before loading it into a crossbow through a smoke screen and then firing it at an opponent who is, all the while, pelting them with tennis balls shot from a high-power air cannon. Two thousand years ago, all Russell Crowe had to do was beat up Joaquin Phoenix.

12 million people watched the show’s twohour premiere on Jan. 6, which is likely a worse sign for democracy than the Patriot Act,

Mike Huckabee and Diebold voting machines put together. Naturally, it’s easy to take the pretentious Ivy League high road and scoff at whatever mindless tripe the proletarians are consuming at a given pop-cultural moment (Note: it’s actually not that easy. Describing the events makes one realize how awesome this show is going to be). Nevertheless, an objective observer thinking in the best interests of the human race might feel a little concerned that 12 million people (roughly the population of Pennsylvania) in a country with over 10,000 nuclear weapons, more than 700 overseas military bases and the world’s largest economy would spend two hours watch-

then, paradoxically, the presence of Hulk Hogan should assure concerned patriots that “American Gladiators” will not tear the fabric of this Republic. Instead, the inclusion of his audacious personality suggests that the American people do “get the joke” of “American Gladiators” and are watching, at least partially, to laugh at it. The show doesn’t openly brand itself as satire — it doesn’t have to, and that would kill the humor anyway. Instead, it grunts and yells and flexes with the unreserved earnestness of a 1980s movie bully. Meanwhile, America plays the self-aware hipster, smoking clove cigarettes, eyeing “American Gladiators” and enjoying

Twelve million people watched the show’s two-hour premiere on Jan. 8, which is likely a worse sign for democracy than the Patriot Act, Mike Huckabee and Diebold voting machines put together. ing “American Gladiators” rather than say, reading a book.

Of course, everyone knows that self-righteous civics lessons are for unhip squares who can’t get the joke and appreciate lowbrow entertainment ironically. After all, it doesn’t take too much of a leap of faith in the American people to imagine that not many of them are taking this show very seriously. The very pleasure of the spectacle of “American Gladiators” derives from its outlandishness, its foolishness and its utter absurdity. The day ESPN starts reporting on the show is the day you can turn in your passport. Until

it — sarcastically.

In this way the United States has surpassed even post-modern Europe in terms of irony. “American Gladiators” is American culture laughing at itself. We see our propensity for excess, spectacle, rugged individualism and confrontation, and so we indulge those traits and then sardonically marvel at the results. On the surface, “American Gladiators” is merely base and vulgar vapidity, but — just like flannel, Paris Hilton, and the 1980s — it becomes aesthetically valuable once one recognizes those very characteristics as what makes it desirable.

And just as one could have worried that the success of “American Gladiators” spelled the end of American democracy, one’s realization of the country’s ironic enjoyment of the show also leads to political conclusions. After all, what is Mike Huckabee but the conservative evangelical voting bloc asserting openly, “We know he’s a Bible-quoting, Christian fundamentalist minister who couches his political rhetoric in theological terms. That’s why we like him!” Is not Barack Obama the selfconscious embodiment of what conservatives most despise about the Democratic Party’s values – its youth, its multiculturalism, its idealism and its global vision?

Of course, Mitt Romney and John Edwards are both convincing cases for the continuing lack of ironic self-awareness among certain sectors of the electorate (namely, the candidates themselves). Nonetheless, for all the reasons to despair about the return of “American Gladiators,” there are at least as many to hope that it signals a coming political and cultural era of American irony. Perhaps “American Gladiators” heralds the beginning of a new age of self-awareness, in which the United States knowingly recognizes both the strengths and weaknesses, the possibilities and the dangers, of American identity. In this world gone sane, the nation could embrace the finest aspects of American political culture – individualism, idealism, universalism – while self-consciously noting, and thus curbing, its vices – egoism, naiveté and exceptionalism.

The United States would become a more responsible, reflective world leader, one capable of engaging the international scene on its own terms while simultaneously understanding how it is seen by the global community.

This would be a good thing for the country, and for the world. But if all else fails, at least there are twelve gladiators ready to smash the nation’s enemies with padded pugil sticks.

Jacob Schuman ’08’s “American Gladiator” name would be Thor.

S ports T hursday Page 12

Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Can’t burst this bubble

Toss-up: Pats or G-men?

Amy Ehrhart Sports Editor

The eight months of exile have finally ended for the men’s and women’s water polo and swim and dive teams.

Eight months of busing to and from pools in Massachusetts and hosting “home” meets 30 miles from campus are over thanks to the opening of the new Aquatics Bubble behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center.

“It actually finished ahead of schedule, which was nice,” said Athletic Director Michael Goldberger of the $3.8 million facility. “We’re very happy about it.”

Scheduled to be finished on Jan. 15, cons truction was completed at the end of December, according to Goldberger. The varsity athletic teams started practicing in it Jan. 17.

“It’s incredible that our athletic department did this,” said Head Water Polo Coach Felix Mercado.. “It seems like the most beautiful pool in the country.”

The Aquatics Bubble will remain up for the next three years while the construction of a new $25-million state-of-the-art swim facility is completed along with the Nelson Fitness Center. Brown is employing the same architectural firm that will design the Nelson Fitness Center, Robert A.M. Stern, to design the new swim center.

In addition to cutting back on travel times for teams, the pool has helped the water polo and swim teams attract more recruits, whereas last year they had no campus facilities to advertise for their program.

“When (recruits) see our school’s putting this amount of time and effort into our program, they see commitment,” Mercado said.

Home games and meets will continue to be held at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., but the Aquatics Bubble provides student-athletes with more time to fulfill the first

Courtesy of Brown Sports Information

The new Aquatics Bubble, temporarily housing the University’s pool, has been in use by Brown’s water polo and swim and dive teams and is getting good reviews. The pool is open to the public weekdays from 11-2 p.m. duty they have at Brown.

“It’s an extra two hours each day that we don’t need to spend on the bus, giving us more time to focus on academics,” said swimmer Richard Alexander ’09.

When the Smith Swim Center was deemed to have dangerous structural problems last spring, the University went to work deciding how to keep a pool available to the Brown community.

Initially, the athletic department considered remodeling the Smith Swim Center, but when they realized that was not the best option, “it really moved the notion of a temporary pool in place,” Goldberger said.

The department looked at the pools at Boston College and Middlebury College that had the same design of a hyperbolic paraboloid that the Smith Swim Center has and realized that maintenance costs and the time needed for the renovation was not the best option for Brown.

Not many models exist for tem-

porary pools though, since most of them are built for events that last a month or less.

“People didn’t have a real good sense of how complicated it was going to be (at first),” Goldberger said.

Delays also came from figuring out how to rig the mechanical systems that came out of the Smith Swim Center for circulating hot and cold water and air. However, once the design was found, the bubble was inflated in October and completed in time for the spring swim seasons.

“It’s very well built, very good water and air quality,” said Director of Swimming and Aquatics Peter Brown. “You have to look at the fact that this was done in such a short period of time and we owe a lot of thanks to our AD’s and (Interim Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services) Russell Carey (’91 MA’06).”

Recreational swimmers can now enjoy eight lanes as an alternative fit-

ness option as well. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every weekday for the Brown community, the pool has a maximum occupancy of 100, according to Assistant Director of Athletics Matthew Tsimikas.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for Brown to continue to promote a healthy lifestyle through an aquatics option,” Tsimikas said. Recreational swimmers have been using the pool frequently since last Wednesday. The pool can be accessed through the Northeast corner of the OMAC. The pool does not house any bathrooms, and swimmers should be prepared for a cold burst for the 10 feet in between the two facilities, but overall the pool is ready for action.

“It really was an amazing feat to get it up in such a short amount of time,” Tsimikas said.

Pictures of the inside are available online through brownbears.com as well as a Q&A section on the facilities and recreational swim hours.

Track and field runs through weekend

By Nicole Stock Contributing writer

Both men’s and women’s track faced formidable opponents this past weekend at the Harvard Select Meet in Cambridge, Mass.

The Brown men ended up in third (74.50) behind first place Cornell (163) and the University of Connecticut (152) while placing ahead of Ivy rival Harvard (48) and New Hampshire (25.50). Despite the third-place finish the Bears had several strong individual performances. But in the track events Brown struggled to get the points necessary to compete with Cornell and UConn.

In the 60-meter dash, Jonathan Edwards ’09 finished in fifth place with a time of 7.16 seconds, while Joseph Mastrangelo ‘09 finished eighth in 7.21 seconds. In the 200 meter Mastrangelo took home a seventh-place finish with a time of 22.99 and Kevin Cervantes ‘10 finished eighth in 23.17.

Brown’s best performances on the track came in the 3,000 meter and 800 meter races. In the 800 meter Sean O’Brien ’09 earned a third-place finish, coming in at

1:54.05, while Alex Stern ’10 finished right behind him at 1:55.00.

In the 3,000 meter it was Ari Zamir ’08 that finished strong with a thirdplace finish in a time of 8:20.23.

In the mile Nick Sarro ’08 finished atop the Brown men with a time of 4:13.84, which was good enough for fourth place.

Strong field performance The men’s team’s inability to capture any first-place finishes in the track events made it difficult to pick up crucial points in order to beat Cornell and UConn. On the other hand, the field events went a little better for the team as they captured some second-place finishes. Reginald Cole ’10 had a particularly good day in the triple jump where he placed second with a jump of 48 feet, 05.25 inches.

Although the second-place finish brought in key points to help the Bears beat Harvard, Cole was not completely satisfied with his performance.

“I was glad to bring in points for the team but I know my teammates and I have much more to bring to the table,” he said. “I cannot settle for second place. I want to bring

in more for my team with more first-place finishes.”

Other notable finishes in the field events on the men’s side included Eric Wood ’09 with his second-place finish in the weight throw (53-06.25) and Tyler Prince ’09 right behind him capturing third place (53-05.75) in the event.

In the shot put another junior, David Howard ’09, led the Bears with a fourth-place finish with a throw of 51-00.75.

Depth problems Although beating Har vard, a key Ivy opponent, was thrilling, there is still much more the Bears want to accomplish. Some key losses, due to injury and other reasons, have created a lack of depth for the team, hurting the Bears this season.

“The men were excited to beat Harvard, but we do not have the depth to compete with Cornell and UConn at this time,” said Head Coach Craig Lake. “We have lost two of our top sprinters this year. Paul Raymond (’08) has signed an agent in hopes of going continued on page 9

Courtesy of Dan Grossman ‘71

Akilah King ‘08 led the Bears in their meet over the weekend, bringing home a title in the triple jump, provisionally qualifying her for nationals, and the 60-meter dash.

I’ve got a big problem to tackle.

I’ve spent the past week-and-a-half since the conference championship games trying to decide who to root for in the Super Bowl, but I just can’t make up my mind. As a fan of a National Football Conference team (the Redskins), I usually have a Alex Mazerov Maz’s Minute policy of rooting for the NFC entrant, unless it’s the Cowboys, Giants, or Eagles — all bitter division rivals of my Skins. Last year, for instance, I pulled the Chicago Bears (the NFC champion) over the Indianapolis Colts (the American Football Conference contender in the big game).

With the New York Football Giants, as they’re often, rather oddly called these days, set to face off against the New England Patriots on Sunday, though, my normal who-to-root-for rule is hard to justify. When a match-up is so David vs. Goliathy — the undefeated, seemingly invincible Pats against the scrappy, Wild Card-qualifier Giants led by the erratic arm of Eli Manning — I have a hard time rationalizing rooting for Goliath simply because I get in 60-minute fights were with David twice a year.

(Granted, if it was the Cowboys, or maybe even the Eagles, who I hate almost as much, suiting up in Arizona on Sunday, I would gladly wear a Pats jersey for a few hours). continued on page 9

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W. fencing cleans up in Boston The men’s and women’s fencing teams competed in the second Northeast Fencing Conference meet of the season last Saturday in Boston. While the men (7-7) came away from the day with only one win out of five matches, the women dominated their NFC opponents for the third straight season. After winning all six of their matches over the weekend, the women’s side is now 12-0 for the NFC season. Leading the Bears in their key match of the day against Boston College, Francesca Bartholomew ’11 sealed the deal with a 5-4 win in the final foil rotation.

She finished the day strongly at 14-2. After their first match against Boston College, the women went on to beat Dartmouth, 22-5; Sacred Heart, 19-8; Vassar, 16-11; Smith, 25-2; and Brandeis, 19-8.

On the men’s side, it was more of a struggle. The Bears came in and out of the day with tough losses, falling to BC, 19-8; Dartmouth, 14-13; No. 9 Brandeis, 21-6; and Vassar. Brown did, however, come out on top in its third match against Sacred Heart, whom it beat 16-11.

The Bears will travel to Yale next weekend for their first Ivy League play of the season in the Ivy League Championship North.

— Whitney Clark