Thursday, February 7, 2008 by The Brown Daily Herald

The Brown Daily Herald T hursday, F ebr uar y 7, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 12

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

Joining frats, sororities an unexpected choice for many

G ames , games , games

By Emmy Liss Senior Staff Writer

Min Wu / Herald

St. Anthony Hall hosts its first Games Night Open House at its King House headquarters.

As the University’s 12 Greek houses gear up for rush, the recruitment process which officially started Jan. 28, students are beginning to consider the idea of pledging. But many of the upperclassmen members as well as students rushing now were not always set on going Greek. In fact, many came to Brown with no aspirations to do so. “I did not consider myself to be the stereotypical frat boy by any means,” said Matt Dennis ’09, president of Delta Tau. Dennis was part of the pledge class responsible for Delta Tau’s revival — when he rushed in 2006, the house only had four seniors remaining and was on the brink of extinction. Enticed by the prospect of an immediate leadership role, he, along with 29 other freshmen,

leapt at the opportunity to recreate the house. Now, he said, he cannot imagine his Brown experience without the fraternity. Steven Alerhand ’08, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, also felt unsure about Greek life and did not join the fraternity until his sophomore year. “I unfortunately made the same mistake that first-years tend to make: I made a pre-determined judgment about AEPi and fraternities in general, deciding prematurely that Greek life was simply not for me,” he said. In the manner that Alerhand described, Julia Schuster ’11 has already decided not to rush this year. “I’m satisfied in not knowing that much about (sororities) and deciding not to participate,” she said. continued on page 4

Role reversal: Brown’s first Muslim chaplain to leave at semester’s end students teach at Wheeler Sophia Li Senior Staff Writer

Cameron Lee Staff Writer

On a Wednesday morning at the Wheeler School, two high school juniors read aloud from “The Aeneid” as part of their Advanced Placement Latin class. “Careful with your ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs,’” says their teacher. Later that day, the same teacher heads to Brown for her own classes — Lana Robinson-Sum ’10 is not only a Latin teacher at Wheeler. She is also a Brown student. “It’s nice because it’s not this forty-year-old teaching the class,” said Sophie Whitin, a student in Robinson-Sum’s Latin class. “It’s more laid back, but we still get a lot of work done.” The benefits of the teaching arrangement seem to be mutual. “(The students) are very talented and hard-working,” said RobinsonSum, a Latin concentrator. “I’m learning as much from them as they’re learning from me ... it’s fun helping them see what’s so amazing about the academic subject that I’m passionate about.” There are approximately 40 Brown students who currently teach at Wheeler, said Mark Harris ’70, director of an enrichment program at Wheeler. Harris, who has been at Wheeler for 36 years, said he has spent most of his time with the school developing an enrichment program for students in first through twelfth grade. Many Brown students have been involved with the program over the years, working as teachers, chess coaches and assistant coaches for sports teams,

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U IS S

postEats, strips and watches Rambo

www.browndailyherald.com

Rumee Ahmed, Brown’s first Muslim chaplain, and his wife, Community Director Ayesha Chaudhry, will leave Brown at the end of the semester, concluding two and a half years of work. They have both accepted tenuretrack positions in Colgate University’s Department of Religion. They will each begin teaching after the completion of their dissertations — for Ahmed that will be this fall, and for Chaudhry, next fall. Associate University Chaplain Ahmed is a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia, and Chaudhry at New York University. “We are sad to be leaving,” Chaudhry said. They were “blown away by the students,” Ahmed said. “That’s what we’re going to miss the most.” The idea of having a Muslim chaplain had been considered since 1998 but was not realized

until Ahmed was hired in January 2006. Chaudhry said many other universities followed Brown’s example by creating Muslim chaplain positions, expanding existing ones or turning existing volunteer positions into paid posts. The position at Brown was “the first of its kind,” Ahmed said. Chaudhry said most other Muslim chaplain positions that existed were voluntary and required only five or 10 hours of work per week. In addition to building on existing programs like Thursday dinners at the home of University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, the couple focused on expanding resources for Muslim students. “The idea we had when we came here was to build a safe space for students to express religiosity,” Ahmed said. “Being religious on any campus can be a potentially alienating experience. Students feel they have to guard their religiosity.”

Ahmed said he wanted students to explore their religions and be self-critical. “(Ahmed) was there to challenge your faith and make yourself stronger in your faith,” said Rashid Hussain ’10, president of the Brown Muslim Students’ Association. Ahmed and Chaudhry worked with the BMSA to plan events, bring speakers to campus, aid student communication with the administration and provide guidance, support and advice for students. The couple opened their doors ever y other Monday night for “dhikr” — “remembrance” in Arabic — and dinner. Hussain said by being so welcoming, they “fostered a sense of community.” One popular initiative was the establishment of a nightly “iftar” dinner during Ramadan for Muslim students to break their fasts together. They organized food for 60 to 70 students for 30 consecutive nights, Chaudhry said. After the first year of the pro-

Courtesy of Brown.edu Associate University Chaplain Rumee Ahmed

gram, the students gave them a thank-you card. Chaudhry recalled that one junior wrote, “You have changed what it means to be a Muslim on campus for me.” She said the message made everything — all the stress of organizing the program for the first continued on page 4

JCB world map may have first named America By Noura Choudhury Staff Writer

Alex DePaoli / Herald

The John Carter Brown Library houses a map that may have first named America.

CAMPUS NEWS

ALPHABET SOUP UCS plans to create a task force to oversee UFB, which some in the council say lacks transparency

OPINIONS

Encased among the treasures of the John Carter Brown Library lies a document that may be “America’s birth certificate,” according to Ted Widmer, director of the JCB. Over a century after its purchase, it is still unclear whether this map or one advertised by the Library of Congress as “The Map That Named America” is truly the first to include the name “America.” “The key is that the word America appears in both maps,” Widmer said.

Up In arms Michael Ramos-Lynch ‘09 thinks you should be packing heat

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Cloudy, 39/30

The two maps were crafted by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, who is credited with the naming of the new landmasses as “America.” Rather than name the region after Christopher Columbus, he chose instead to honor Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer. The JCB map was purchased from British book dealer Henry Stevens, who claimed it was the first map ever to ascribe the word “America” to the territory after its discovery, Widmer said. Shortly after Stevens sold the map to the JCB, a much larger and more comcontinued on page 6 tomorrow’s weather What else would you expect from a city with the 40th-worst weather in the nation?

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

But Seriously | Charlie Custer and Stephen Barlow

Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Vegan Tofu Raviolis with Sauce, Sweet Potato Fries, Cream Cheese Brownies

Lunch — Nacho Bar, Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Summer Squash, Cheesecake Brownies

Dinner — Vegetarian Gnocchi Ala Sorrentina, Roast Turkey with Sauce, Black and White Pudding Cake

Dinner — Vegetable Egg Rolls, Turkey Cutlet with Herb Lemon Sauce, Pasta Spinach Casserole

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, February 7, 2008

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle o s and sw or d Lewis Edited by C RichrNorris Joyce Nichols

ACROSS 1 Folklore 6 Load in a basket 10 Unskilled laborer 14 Try not to meet 15 He played Emile in “South Pacific” 16 Concerning 17 Temple 20 Day sailer’s destination 21 Off-road transp. 22 He came after Jimmy 23 Spinning meas. 25 Bum 26 Temple 31 Word with life or love 35 Hosp. areas 36 Scottish property owner 37 More sensible 38 One that may be pregnant 40 Passing through 41 Lange of “The Howard Stern Show” 42 Seething 43 Like Frank Hardy, vis-à-vis Joe 45 Hunky-dory 46 Actress Ward 47 Temple 49 Stadium yells 51 N.Y. neighbor 52 Live, as a football 55 Co. with Keywords 57 Foreman portrayer on “House” 61 Temple 64 Kind of party 65 “In your dreams” 66 Lay-led company, once 67 Holiday tubers 68 German painter Holbein 69 Settles down

34 Arduous journeys 54 Bristol baby 8 McCartney title 9 Dragster’s car 37 Spoilage carriage 10 Pub with deterrent 55 Tennis score requests 39 Hollywood 56 Whacks 11 One-named hopefuls 58 Knitting loop singer 44 Élevé’s place 59 Memorable 12 Russian city east 47 “Wanna bet?” dance of Kiev 60 Reed of R.I. and 48 Medit. smoker 13 Socially inept 50 Relieved Reid of Nev. type expression 62 Thin-rail 18 Island nation 52 Doubtful connector once under 53 Torvald’s wife, in 63 NRC New Zealand “A Doll’s House” forerunner control 19 Hold up ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 24 Martinique volcano 25 Beginners with boards 26 Some residents of Navajo County, Arizona 27 “__ Ben Jonson”: literary epitaph 28 Popular drink order? 29 Journalism 101 concept 30 Question intensely 32 Ready to be drawn 33 Elementary sequence 2/7/08 xwordeditor@aol.com

That crossword looks tricky. Good luck.

Gus vs. Them | Zachary McCune and Evan Penn

Free Variation | Jeremy Kuhn

Nightmarishly Elastic | Adam Robbins

2/7/08

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M etro Thursday, February 7, 2008

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Local nonprofits join to help youth

Forbes’ 10 “most miserable” cities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Matthew Varley Staff Writer

The Urban Social Empowerment Collective, a new city-sponsored initiative, plans to unite community organizations and schools to enrich the lives of high school students outside of class. The program promotes “the healthy development of our high school youth through the creation of exciting, high quality after-school programming,” Mayor David Cicilline ’83 said in a Jan. 8 press release. The effort is intended to build on the success of the city’s AfterZone program for middle school students. The Urban Social Empowerment Collective is made up of 10 local nonprofits, including AS220, the Steel Yard and the Providence Youth Student Movement. The collective, which received a $100,000 grant from the city and federal government to organize the program this year, will work in conjunction with Providence community organizations, businesses and higher education institutions. The goal is to design “a system that is innovative yet relevant and achievable” in a 10-month planning period, Jonny Skye Njie, one of the coordinators, told The Herald. After the Collective submits a comprehensive plan for the initiative in October, a one- to three-year pilot phase will lead to full implementation of the program. Skye Njie said the collective anticipates a role for college students and has been in touch with the Swearer Center for Public Service as well as the Art and Design program at Rhode Island School of Design. “We know that young adults in this city are really excited about extended learning opportunities that don’t necessarily look the same as the school day,” said Michelle Duso, Skye Njie’s co-director. “And of course there are tons of roles that college students could play in supporting that work.” In addition to academic tutoring, Duso said undergraduates may help high school students develop skills in the arts, trade, community organizing and other fields. Though Skye Njie said college students could “potentially be more effective with high school-aged students than adults,” she added they are “a transitional population … on a semester schedule that doesn’t necessarily connect with the life schedules of young people.” Skye Njie said the program will run whenever school is not in session, including weekends and vacations. Though the collective is still in the planning stages, Skye Njie said the group wants to be driven by “young, able-bodied people who care and understand what it’s like to grow up and how easy it is to be disengaged.”

Detroit, Mich. Stockton, Calif. Flint, Mich. New York, N.Y. Philadelphia, Pa. Chicago, Ill. Los Angeles, Calif. Modesto, Calif. Charlotte, N.C. Providence, R.I.

Providence’s rank among top 150 cities

Alex DePaoli / Herald

This cityscape? “Miserable,” says Forbes magazine. Providence was high on the list due in part to its high taxes and gloomy weather. The city did fairly well, though, on its numbers of violent crimes.

Commute times...................69 Income tax rates............149 Superfund sites.................111 Unemployment..............121 Violent crimes.......................51 Weather.............................110

Providence 10th most ‘miserable’ city, Forbes says

Simon van zuylen-wood Senior Staff Writer

NBC’s “The Today Show” recently named Providence one of America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People. The Princeton Review ranked Brown as North America’s second-happiest college in 2008. But Providence is still the 10th “most miserable” city in the U.S. according to a Jan. 30 Forbes magazine article. The article ranked Detroit as the most miserable city, with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago also making the list. Forbes chose the ten cities whose residents experienced the most “unhappiness and emotional distress” using the magazine’s newly created “Misery Measure.” The index ranks the 150 largest U.S. cities based on commute times, income tax rates, environmentally hazardous Superfund sites, unemployment rates, violent crimes and weather. Forbes ranked cities in each category and added the six scores together to reach the “Misery Measure.” For example, Providence ranked second highest in income tax rates at 149 on a scale of 1 to 150, behind only New York City. But the Renaissance City had a relatively low crime score of 51 on the same scale. Overall, Providence had the 10th-highest score in the country with 611 misery points. Several members of the Brown community expressed surprise that Providence was ranked so poorly. Former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee ’75, now a visiting fellow in international studies at Brown’s Watson Institute for International Studies, lives in Providence and cited the city’s history, intellectual vibrancy and weather as assets. “You can take a drive to Beaver Tail Point and enjoy the waves crashing ... go skiing in New Hampshire and Vermont. Go to Boston, go to New York,” Chafee said. The former senator even touted Provi-

dence’s weather, which was ranked 110th on the Forbes scale. “We’re living through the dreary January, February time,” Chafee said, favorably contrasting Providence’s temperate climate to the “brutal summers” in Atlanta and Las Vegas’ constant desert heat. Rhode Island’s income tax rate, which is around 10 percent, has pushed some residents out of state, the Forbes article suggested, resulting in a net loss of 20,000 people in the last four years. Chafee blames the migration partly on a lack of business opportunities. “More than anything you want the opportunity to improve your lot and to have that economic opportunity to keep moving up,” Chafee said. “We have our issues here. Just being competitive, I think we’re making strides forward.” Marion Orr, director of the Brown Urban Studies Program and professor of political science, blamed Providence’s unemployment issues on a slow transition from the old, manufacturing-based economy to today’s service-based economy. “You have the knowledge-based workers who have more money, more education and tend to live in better communities. And then you have those who are largely the service providers,” Orr said, adding, “those are the people you see and say, ‘Providence is not doing well.’ Generally, cities have been struggling for years to transition to a service economy.” Orr, a Cranston resident, said he does not consider Providence a miserable city, and that its pros far outweigh its cons. Orr moved from North Carolina to teach at Brown and said the high state income tax did not stop him from moving to Rhode Island. “When we’re trying to recruit people to teach (at) Brown they see Providence as a place where they can raise their kids and have a

wonderful nightlife,” Orr said. A representative at the mayor’s office echoed Orr and Chafee’s sentiment that the Forbes index did not take enough cultural factors into account. Karen Southern, press secretary for Mayor David Cicilline ’83, said Cicilline thought Forbes’ list of miserable cities seemed like a list of America’s top-10 cities. “New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Providence — these are all vibrant cities,” Southern said. Southern touted Providence as a legitimate cultural capital, citing its architecture, museums and night life. Southern also referred to a recent Wall Street Journal article naming Providence as one of the

world’s emerging tourist destinations. Southern acknowledged Providence’s environmentally unsound Superfund sites and unemployment rates but seemed confident that the local government was taking the necessary steps to improve the city. Above all, she emphasized the city’s history and culture. Though Providence’s history and culture may not provide much consolation for residents feeling an economic pinch, it certainly has made a lasting impression on citizens like Sen. Chafee. “I’ve been in 49 out of 50 states and I’ve actually lived in a number of cities all around the country. I came back here to live.”

Miserable? Not when reading The Herald.

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Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

U. loses Muslim chaplain to Colgate continued from page 1 time — worth it. Nida Abdulla ’11, a BMSA member, said she appreciated that the food came from restaurants instead of dining halls. She also said on Friday nights the students received a special treat — pepperoni pizza. Normally, because halal dietary restrictions prohibit pork and set other guidelines for the preparation of meat, many Muslim students are not able to eat pepperoni pizza. Ahmed and Chaudhry, Abdulla said, would buy halal meat from local butchers and give it to the restaurant to use in the food. The nightly “iftar” was open to all students. Hussain said he thought the chaplain managed the diversity of Brown’s religious community well by recognizing the different sects of Islam as well as encouraging interfaith dialogue. “From the time that we met

him, we thought he was an amazing choice. It was a pretty unanimous decision,” said Lamia Khan ’08, former BMSA president and a member of the search committee that hired Ahmed. During Ahmed’s time at Brown, the number of Muslims, especially practicing Muslims, on campus has grown, Khan said. Abdulla, who made an appointment to meet Ahmed when she visited Brown the summer before her senior year, said the presence of a Muslim chaplain influenced her perception of the University. “That made a good impression,” Abdulla said. Brown “had someone to support me and my faith.” Khan said the role of a Muslim chaplain was still being defined when Ahmed was hired. “It was something he had to make his own,” Khan said. Ahmed and Chaudhr y said they would have some input in

the search for a new Muslim chaplain. “We care very much about the position,” Chaudhry said. Ahmed also said he hoped for the creation of a multi-faith chaplaincy to represent faiths not part of the Abrahamic tradition. Other officials from the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life were not available for comment. Ahmed and Chaudhr y said they would focus on their roles as professors at Colgate. Teaching is nothing new to Ahmed, who taught a Group Independent Study Project on classical Arabic, Saad Yousuf ’08, a former BMSA executive board member wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. But Ahmed said he has no plans to give up being part of campus life at Colgate just because he’ll be spending more time in the classroom. “We told them we want to get involved in student life,” he said.

Chris Bennett / Herald File Photo

Wriston Quadrangle is surrounded by several of the University’s Greek houses. Be it slip and slides, Frisbee tossing or croquet games, the houses use the space often.

Some in Greek houses say they didn’t foresee their path continued from page 1

Students teaching classes at Wheeler continued from page 1 Harris said. “The proximity is what makes it so easy,” he said. All students who work under Harris are compensated monetarily, Harris said. “I found there’s a big difference between what you can ask from someone who’s volunteering and someone who works,” he said. “If somebody’s being paid, it’s something you can put on your resume.” Other Brown students teaching at Wheeler echo Robinson-Sum’s sentiments. Chintan Patel ’08 MD’12 has taught at Wheeler all four years he has been at Brown, teaching classes on topics ranging from India to cricket. “It’s cool because I’ve been there

since freshman year ... I’ve seen (students) grow up,” Patel said. “Being on a college campus, that’s one thing we never see — children around. When you’re there, you’re surrounded by kids. It’s really cool to see them having fun.” Patel said though the kids enjoyed his newspaper-writing and paper-airplane classes, he thinks he has gotten the best reception for his class on India, where he lived for three years as a child. He often uses “little cartoon stories” to illustrate the class’s main concepts, which include “everything from history to independence.” The classes Patel has taught were held during the lower and middle schools’ elective times, which happen twice a week in the afternoons, he said.

Another Brown student who works with lower and middle school students, Dan Lurie ’11, coteaches the third to fifth grade chorus with Julia Goldner ’11. “We’re given what we have to teach. We’re not meant to design a curriculum,” Lurie said. Still, “I get to try being responsible for once. … I’m actually teaching (the students) how to do something.” All three students interviewed by The Herald found out about the opportunity at Wheeler through personal connections. “My friend’s sister had done it in the past, so I contacted the director,” RobinsonSum said, adding that the school was looking for Latin teachers at the time. Robinson-Sum said she worked for Brown University Dining Services before she started teaching Latin at Wheeler. “This is like a step up,” she said. Lurie said he was looking for a job, but knew he definitely did not want to work for BuDS. The job at Wheeler plays to his strengths, he said. “I’m helping them sing, dance and act. It’s just like what I did in high school,” he said. Harris also said he is proud of his work in introducing college students to teaching. While many students discover their passion for teaching, others decide teaching, especially teaching younger children, is not their calling, he said. “I’m interested in aspects of teaching college ... (but) I don’t think I’ll ever teach elementary school kids,” Lurie said of his plans for the future. Robinson-Sum, on the other hand, said she will probably continue teaching as a career. She began taking education classes this year, she said. “(Teaching is) like the only thing I’m considering right now,” she said. “I feel like (teaching at Wheeler) is a really good opportunity for people who want to be teachers to try it out.”

“People here have very set ideas of what it means to be in a sorority and they don’t want to challenge them,” said Chelsea Miro ’10, president of Alpha Chi Omega. “If people were to give it more of a chance, they would see the way we are is very Brown. We’re equally as diverse and a great group of people — it’s just smaller.” Miro did not come to Brown intending to pledge a sorority, but after attending rush events on a whim she was attracted to the community and its small, close environment. According to Greek Council Public Relations Chair Alyssa Saenz ’09, the houses are tr ying to “amp up” their advertisements for rush this year in order to paint a more accurate picture of the process. While the houses don’t have a set goal for numbers of new pledges, she said that in the past, new pledge classes have been as small as nine students and as large as 40. She said she worries about the misconceptions students have of the Greek system and the rush process. “People are so influenced by what they think they know or what they’re afraid of it being,” she said. Saenz pledged as a sophomore, largely because she was unaware of the Greek system as a first year. She said she now views her decision to join as integral to her Brown experience. She said she hopes other students will also consider sisterhood. “Potential new members forget that we want to meet you — we want more girls. We believe in what we’re doing — no one is affiliated who doesn’t really enjoy it. We want to share that with as many people as possible,” she added. To many students now rushing, the idea of joining a Greek house came as a surprise. “It never would have occurred to me,” said Tricia Capuano ’11. “But it’s just a community of girls. It’s not the first thing you know about a person. It’s not defining,” she said. “It’s just another thing people do (and) take pride in.” Once Mayo Hotta ’11 heard about the opportunity to rush, she was excited about the idea of being in a sorority. After being in a small high school environment, she said she missed the feeling of knowing everyone. But she has decided to “give it time and think about (going Greek) more, before jumping into it after

being at college for only one semester,” she said. “I am afraid of just knowing people in the sorority and not knowing enough people out of it.” Elana Siegel ’11 said she has no intentions of joining a Greek house and feels they can be socially alienating. Even if going Greek could bring a member closer to others in the house, she said it might preclude getting to know other students. For other first-years, the opportunity to find a close-knit group of friends is the most appealing aspect of Greek life. “I think one of the main reasons why I’m rushing is because of the pull of the girls — they’re just so friendly,” said Fretty Huang ’11. The rush process of fers opportunities for members and interested students to talk and get to know one another. “It’s just about meeting the people and deciding who you feel you’d be friends with,” Alerhand said. The events are governed by rules from Greek Council in order to ensure that each house has an equal opportunity to attract new members. For example, the council approves the events schedule to avoid overlap and conflict. The sororities also have rush policies mandated by the Panhellenic Conference, a national organization that oversees sorority houses. After three rush events and additional parties in fraternities the houses give bids to the students they feel would fit well with the group, according to Saenz. Alpha Chi Omega currently has 30 members, which gives the house a strong, close dynamic, Miro said. When looking at new pledges, they choose girls whom the sisters are all comfortable around and who they feel will be comfortable in the house. But the houses do not have specific criteria for new members. “There is no prototypical person,” Alerhand said. Other house presidents echoed the same sentiment. “The beauty of it is that everybody gets the same things out of it — fun, friendship — but everybody joined for a different reason,” Alerhand added. “I was always wary of fraternities and sororities because they have a really bad reputation,” said Aida Manduley ’11. But after meeting members of one of the houses, she began to change her mind. “I liked that atmosphere and wanted to get to know the people,” she said. “It’s about building a sense of community.”

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New bio-business group brings life sciences leaders to campus Biology in Industry, a new student group that focuses on integrating biology with economics and entrepreneurship, will be hosting its first event tonight, featuring speakers Dr. Nipon Das ’95, a director at Bionest Partners, and Dr. James Revkin MD’81, senior director and clinical lead for the development of torcetrapib/atorvastatin with Pfizer and an associate professor of internal medicine at Yale Medical School. Biology in Industry was organized over winter break by Riaz Gillani ’09, Daniel Ludwig ’09 and Ashwin Cadambi ’09. Gillani said the group is “an attempt to capture the interface of biology and industry.” Cameron Rementer ’10, a biomedical engineering concentrator, said he plans to attend the event because he “would like to hear more about various biotech companies.” Gillani said the group is a practical endeavor designed to provide career opportunities to students interested in biology and other fields. He added that students of all concentrations can benefit from the group’s programs. Biology in Industry will invite alumni speakers involved in businesses related to life sciences to speak about their professions, their companies and how students can get involved, he said. Gillani contacted the speakers using BRUnet, Brown’s online alumni directory, and the Career Development Center. “People are helpful when you approach them in a nice way and are excited to share experiences,” he said. Pfizer is one of the largest research-based pharmaceutical companies in the world. Bionest Partners is a consultant for life sciences companies. Torcetrapib, the drug that was being developed by Revkin, was described in a Dec. 4, 2006 Wall Street Journal article as “a potential blockbuster drug designed to replace the powerhouse Lipitor.” Torcetrapib never made it to drugstores, as more people died than expected during the clinical trials. The demise of torcetrapib “(threw) a wrench into the plans of Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Jeffrey Kindler to remake the world’s biggest drug company,” the Journal reported. Biology in Industry’s first alumni guests will speak in MacMillan 115 tonight at 8 PM, and students are encouraged to bring resumes. — Eli Piette

UCS to finalize members of UFB task force By Chaz Kelsh Senior Staff Writer

At its weekly general body meeting, the Undergraduate Council of Students made progress in establishing a task force to examine the Undergraduate Finance Board. The task force will examine and propose changes to UFB’s operations, according to Stefan Smith ’09, who will lead the committee. Smith is a member of both organizations as UCS’ representative on UFB. “The corrupt nature of UFB requires some semblance of oversight,” Smith told The Herald. Smith said UFB’s “lackadaisical approach to allocating funds” has led to a general lack of trust among the student body, leading him to tr y to form an oversight committee to improve UFB. He added that UFB’s budget could grow as large as $1.3 million if the University approves the increase in the student activities fee recommended by UCS last semester. “If the student body has any hope of curbing UFB’s ambitious zeal, it’s with my committee,” Smith said. The creation of the task force was approved by a near-unanimous vote at the end of last semester. It is unclear whether members of the task force will be allowed into UFB’s closed deliberations. A potential goal of the task force could be to have the deliberations opened to the public on an ongoing basis in order to improve UFB’s transparency. Either change would require the approval of UFB.

Applications for the seven task force positions were solicited by e-mail last week. After receiving 11 applications, the committee found seven potential candidates, including Smith. UCS will confirm the membership list next week after it is finalized. Smith plans to start work as early as this weekend with the tentative membership. Members of the task force will attend UFB meetings, discuss UFB with student group leaders and compare the dynamics of UFB to similar bodies at Brown’s peer institutions. Smith said he plans for the task force to release its final report in mid-March, before UFB elections for next year. Also at Wednesday night’s general body meeting, the council approved the contents of its mid-year report to the student body. The report describes UCS’ accomplishments in the last semester and states goals for the current semester. UCS plans to release the report “in the next few weeks,” said UCS

President Michael Glassman ’09. UCS also categorized the Brown Songwriters Club and Ashe, a community action and creative ar ts group, as Categor y I student groups. The Brown Animal Rights Club, previously Category I, received Category II status. The Brown Contemporary, also previously Category I, was elevated to Category III status. The council approved the appointment of Deepa Galaiya ’08 to the College Curriculum Council. Further, UCS announced that it will hold elections next week for a vacant at-large representative position and for a liasion to the Corporation, left empty by Martin Bell ’10, who recently resigned from UCS. The council also plans to vote at next week’s meeting on two code changes — one that would provide a stipend for the UCS webmaster position and another that would restrict voting eligibility in internal elections only to members who had heard every candidate’s speech.

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JCB’s most American of maps continued from page 1 plete version of the Waldseemüller map was found in a German castle in the possession of Prince WaldburgWolfegg. “The real issue is which shows America first,” said John Hebert, chief of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress purchased its map in 2003 for $10 million. It is on permanent display in the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C. The map consists of 12 panels and is exhibited as “The Map That Named America.” It is accompanied by a booklet that was discovered with it and authenticates its creation in 1507, Hebert said. The maps are drastically different in size, appearance and completeness, with the Library of Congress’ map being the more finished piece, Widmer said. According to Hebert, the Library of Congress’ map includes a more complete configuration of South America and the Caribbean and shows the Pacific Ocean as its own body of water for the first time. In contrast, the JCB map is the size of one of the 12 panels of the Library of Congress map and is far

Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

more rudimentary, resembling a draft document, Widmer said. He said he thinks these details suggest the JCB map came first. “One would think the cruder map would come before,” Widmer said. He said if the two maps are in fact from the same time, the JCB map is likely the earlier, “in which case, ours is the first document ever in human history to use the word ‘America.’ ” Stevens wrote a book using “technical” evidence in an effort to prove the JCB map was created first, but Widmer said more proof is necessary. He added that Stevens had a vested interest in confirming that the map was the earlier document because he had sold it to the JCB for a large sum. Though Stevens claimed the JCB map was also created in 1507, Hebert and the Library of Congress said the map is more likely to be part of an atlas Waldseemüller created in 1513. “The honest truth, which I feel is important to get out there . . . is that we don’t know,” Widmer said. “But even that is good for us, because most people just think that it’s very cut and dry and they have the first map and they’re not aware that we have a very interesting similar map that might in fact be earlier.”

Candidates return to D.C to fight it out By Bill Turque and Anne E. Kornblut Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, digging in for a delegateby-delegate fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, returned to Washington Wednesday with plans to make Tuesday’s Virginia primary a major battleground. Strategists in both campaigns had once regarded Obama, D-Ill., as well-positioned to sweep Virginia, Maryland and Washington in next week’s first-ever regional primary. All three jurisdictions are rich in the African American, upper-income and independent voters who have sustained his campaign. But advisers to Clinton, D-N.Y., are now mapping out a strategy that does not exclude Maryland and Washington but focuses heavily on fast-growing outer suburbs such as Prince William and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia and the state’s economically struggling rural southwest, where unemployment is high among white workingclass voters. Clinton, who is scheduled to meet with students at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington County Thursday afternoon, said she is moving “full speed ahead” into the Washington region. Her appearance is part of increasingly frenetic campaigning by candidates in both parties in the area, where the first significant wave of votes since the inconclusive Super Tuesday primaries will be cast. Obama and Clinton have committed to attending Saturday’s Jefferson-Jackson Democratic dinner in Richmond. On the GOP side, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain of Arizona are scheduled to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday in

Washington. Romney is expected to appear at a Republican dinner in Baltimore County this evening. But it is Virginia that is expected to be the most heavily contested turf over the next six days in what has been variously dubbed the Potomac, Chesapeake or Beltway primary. Clinton and Obama enter the state all but deadlocked after Tuesday’s contests in 22 states. Both sides are preparing for a weekslong slog in which virtually every delegate takes on huge significance. Each campaign boasts strong ties to the state’s leading Democrats. Obama is backed by Gov. Timothy Kaine and Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va., the state’s only black congressman. Clinton’s deputy campaign manager, Mike Henry, directed Kaine’s 2005 campaign, which relied in part on winning Prince William and Loudoun. Mo Elleithee, a communications specialist, and Matt Felan, a finance official, who have extensive Virginia roots, are working on her state strategy. Mame Reilly of Alexandria, a confidante of former governor Mark Warner and the head of a Democratic National Committee caucus on women, is one of her most prominent supporters in the state. Obama strategists have broken Virginia into four parts — Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville and the Tidewater area — all of which are filled with the voters they seek. He is expected to hold events in all four areas as he blitzes the region Sunday and Monday. Kevin Griffis, an Obama spokesman, said the Illinois senator will be more appealing than Clinton to Northern Virginians, including the area’s significant number of self-described independents. In Virginia, voters are free to decide on Election Day which party’s primary

they will participate in. “Barack has proven he can do well with voters ... in Northern Virginia,” Griffis said. The inner suburbs of Arlington and Alexandria are populated by many recent immigrants and young professionals. Strategists say African Americans could make up 25 percent of Virginians voting in the Democratic primary. Scott, the congressman, said he expects Obama to win a solid majority of those voters but warned that he should not underestimate Clinton’s black support. “You have two candidates that are both frankly deserving of a good vote in the African American community, and they will have to look very closely at which would be the stronger candidate,” said Scott, who added that he is convinced Obama would be the superior candidate in the general election. Wednesday, Obama’s team announced that Kaine’s wife, Anne Holton, and Warner’s wife, Lisa Collis, are helping lead the group Virginia Women for Obama. “We desperately need to tell the world it’s a new day, and for so many reasons he would be the man to do that,” said Holton, daughter of former Virginia governor A. Linwood Holton Jr., who in 1969 became the state’s first Republican governor in the 20th century. Clinton, who has lent her campaign $5 million to under write the post-Super Tuesday push, will pursue older white professional women in Northern Virginia. Her strategists also see an opportunity in southwest Virginia, where unemployment and the lack of affordable health care are major issues. They see conditions in the region as similar to those in neighboring Tennessee, which Clinton won Tuesday, and in rural Missouri, where she continued on page 7

W orld & n ation THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 7

Infant survives tornado that kills mother

Cautious McCain looks ahead to March primaries

Thursday, February 7, 2008

By Peter Whoriskey Washington Post

CASTALIAN SPRINGS, Tenn. — The searchers had already gone over the field once. It seemed unlikely that anything else would turn up. It was dark, rainy and amid the awesome wreckage of the tornado that had just passed here they’d already found three dead. Some of the bodies had been flung hundreds of feet from their homes, landing in tangles of branches and across the roadway. Then, they stumbled upon Kyson. The 11-month-old, dressed in a T-shirt and diaper, was lying as silently as any other piece of debris in a field of tall grass about 100 yards from the now-leveled duplex where he once lived. He was face down in the mud, covered in bits of grass like many of those who had been cast about by the dozens of tornadoes that had careened across the South. “It’s not a baby doll — it’s alive,” called out David Harmon, 31, an emergency worker from nearby Wilson County. He had first thought the boy was made of plastic. Kyson, to the surprise of rescuers, had survived being tossed by winds that had not only flattened the brick post office next door but had killed his 23-year-old mother, throwing her several yards in the opposite direction, into some fallen trees. “The baby was just shivering like this,” said Keith Douglas, interim emergency medical services director for Sumner County, who was on the scene, putting his fists to his chest, pressing his elbows to his sides. “He was cold and scared and he had this blank look in his eyes.” The twister that flung Kyson from his home was among dozens that swept across the South on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, killing at least 54 people and leaving a huge swath of destruction. The winds caused millions of dollars in damage and injured more than 150 people.

President Bush is scheduled to travel to Tennessee on Friday to inspect the damage. For those who have lived through them, tornadoes inspire awe not just for the power but for their caprice, for destroying some lives while sparing others nearby. “It’s a miracle, they ain’t both gone,” said Doug Stowell, 45, Kyson’s grandfather, a carpenter and tile worker who drove up to the scene Tuesday night to find his daughter, Carrie, dead, and his grandson alive. “He was found over 300 feet from his home, and that was demolished — I mean wiped clean.” Such devastation was repeated in five Southern states, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, as perhaps 50 tornadoes touched down. Others were reported in Missouri and Indiana. After sowing destruction in the South, the storm system moved north, where it buried parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Kansas under more than a foot of snow. The storm closed schools and businesses, grounded more than 1,000 airline flights and snarled highways. The tornado damage in this small, rural community was centered around the area post office on Highway 25. Elsewhere, the county seemed untouched. But for a few hundred yards around the post office, the destruction was overwhelming. Nothing was left of the squat brick post office building but the concrete foundation. A steel vault estimated to weigh as much a 700 pounds wound up in a field across the highway, along with lots of other debris. Two houses next door, including Kyson’s, were flattened as well. Immense trees lay on their sides. Bits of vinyl siding, even sections of fences, were left hanging in tree branches and power lines. After the tornado moved on to the east, those whose houses were largely untouched saw a brilliant fire in the eastern sky, a gas explosion from a nearby county. “There was a large glowing in

the sky that kept getting brighter and brighter and brighter,” said Andrea Stewart, 29, a chiropractor’s assistant. “It was pitch dark out, but I could see everything in my front yard.” Rescuers came soon after 10 p.m., when the tornado struck, to sort through the debris, and in short time they found three bodies in the area, including that of Kyson’s mother, Carrie Stowell, 23. It wasn’t until 1:30 a.m., Wednesday that Harmon found Kyson, diaper askew, in the mud. He brought the baby out to the edge of the highway, where rescuers John Michael Poss, 25, and Douglas ministered to him. To make a place to lay the baby, a fireman laid his coat down. They took off the shivering baby’s wet T-shirt. His grandfather, who had just arrived on the scene, gave up his red flannel shirt so that the rescuers could swaddle him with it. “I touched every inch of that child because I figured he must have some injur y — he’d been thrown so far,” Poss said. There were no cuts. The baby seemed well enough. But still he had a blank stare. Maybe, Poss thought, the child had sustained a head injury. To check for neurological trouble, Poss lay his hand over the sandy-haired baby’s blue eyes and then quickly removed it, to see how his pupils would react to the light. At last the baby started crying, as they had hoped. “He was crying, and we were so happy because of it,” Douglas recalled. Kyson was eventually taken to Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, where he was listed Wednesday evening in stable condition. “He has no broken bones — he’s doing great,” Doug Stowell said, though he was already wondering about medical costs and insurance coverage. He said he and his wife would now raise Kyson. “We’ll get by best we can,” he said. “We’ve had some divine intervention.”

DEA investigates cause of Ledger’s death By Rocco Parascandola Newsday

NEW YORK — The Drug Enforcement Administration has delivered subpoenas to the city medical examiner’s office as part of its investigation into how “Brokeback Mountain” star Heath Ledger got the medications that killed him, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said Wednesday. Ledger, who was found dead in his SoHo apartment Jan. 22, accidentally killed himself with a brew of painkillers, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills, according to the medical examiner. His death was “the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine,” the agency said. DEA investigators will examine whether any of the drugs were issued illegally, the source

said, adding it’s routine to investigate overdoses. Police sources had said it appeared some of the drugs were prescribed by doctors overseas. The DEA would not comment on whether subpoenas were issued, but DEA spokeswoman Erin McKenzie-Mulvey said the agency is “committed to identifying any individual, pharmacy or doctor who’s illegally dispensing medication.” Wednesday, Ledger’s father, Kim, noted that “no medications were taken in excess,” but said the overdose should not go unnoticed. “Few can understand the hollow, wrenching and enduring agony parents suffer silently when a child predeceases them,” Ledger said. “Heath’s accidental death ser ves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at a low dosage.” The Australian-born Ledger,

28, had recently finished shooting “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and the Batman movie “The Dark Knight,” in which he played The Joker. He said late last year that playing that part took such a toll that he had star ted taking sleeping pills.Ledger’s former girlfriend and “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Michelle Williams arrived in Per th for the actor’s funeral with their 2-yearold daughter, Australian media reported. Ledger’s masseuse, Diana Wolozin, raised eyebrows when she found Ledger unresponsive and called his friend, actress Mar y-Kate Olsen, for guidance three times before she called 911. The former child star sent bodyguards to the scene. And while police said the bodyguards, Wolozin and housekeeper Teresa Solomon cooperated with detectives, the NYPD found itself on the defensive for not interviewing Olsen.

By Tom Brune and Keith Herbert Newsday

WASHINGTON — Now that the delegate count from the 21 states in the Republican’s Super Tuesday is becoming clearer, John McCain increasingly looks like a winner in the race for the GOP nomination. It’s not so much that he has won more than half the delegates, he needs to clinch the prize as much as there is no clear path to the nomination for his rivals, the dogged Mitt Romney or the upset-minded Mike Huckabee, political analysts said Wednesday. Some analysts said it’s almost mathematically impossible for Romney and Huckabee to catch up or pass McCain in the race for delegates. But McCain, still opposed by some key conservatives and talkshow hosts and aware that his rivals remain in the race, expressed a sense of urgency Wednesday as he returned here for a crucial speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee Thursday. Looking ahead to Tuesday’s primaries in the District of Columbia, Mar yland and Virginia, McCain launched three TV ads and planned to go on the stump. “I think we need to wrap this thing up as soon as possible,” he said in a Phoenix hangar before flying here Wednesday.

“We’ll be hitting the campaign trail tomorrow morning. Do we have a lot of work to do to unite our party? Yes.” Previewing his message for CPAC, McCain said, “Spending and corruption dispirited our base. ... We’ve got a lot of work to do to convince them we’re truly fiscal conservatives.” In Boston, Romney huddled with advisers Wednesday and indicated he will go for ward, possibly, some pundits said, in hopes of a brokered convention if he can stop McCain. Romney will speak ahead of McCain at the CPAC meeting Thursday and then appear at the Baltimore Republican Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday night. Huckabee, eyeing another Southern victory in Louisiana’s primary Saturday, said on Fox News, “I’m staying in the race because I still want to be president, and until somebody gets 1,191 delegates, we don’t have a nominee.” By day’s end Wednesday, McCain had racked up 703 delegates, nearly 60 percent of the 1,191 needed — more than double Romney’s 269 and triple Huckabee’s 190, The Associated Press reported. Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 14. McCain cannot win the magic number of delegates without sweeping all 16 contests and delegates from now through the March 4 primaries.

Clinton and Obama battle on continued from page 6 also did well, though she narrowly lost the state to Obama. She was endorsed this week by Democrats in Wise County in southwest Virginia, though the area’s congressman, Rick Boucher, is supporting Obama. “Whether she wins or loses, it is going to be close,” said Reilly, the Warner confidante. “And even if she loses it by a couple of points, she is going to have a healthy share of delegates.”

But Clinton might encounter difficulty connecting with southwest Virginians, who have been hit hard by plant closings, said Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, a former strategist for John Edwards, who dropped out of the race. He said many people there blame the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Saunders said Obama will also have to work hard to introduce himself to that region, an uphill feat in what amounts to a five-day campaign.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Bydwell ’08 one of nation’s best in rugby Skiers perform well at Loon Mountain over weekend continued from page 12

“If you’re conditioned enough to play sevens you can play fifteens,” Bydwell said. “The (fifteens) strength is different … but they do complement each other.” Heffernan has helped Bydwell with her training plan, taking into account the next two weeks and the rest of the collegiate season. “We want to make sure she has the speed to compete at that (national) level, but at the same time I can’t have her coming back into a lull,” Heffernan said. “Em has to do tons of footwork (when she comes back), but it’s truly amazing what’s she’s doing, developing all this speed for sevens and then two days after, looking for a different speed at fifteens.” Now she has classes to attend on top of two daily practices, but Bydwell knows how to work her schedule. “I just sleep a lot and always take Sundays off,” Bydwell said. “I need one day off so my body doesn’t freak out. I try to stretch a lot.” Her journey as a two-sport athlete started in high school where

she helped start a rugby team in her hometown of Montreal, Quebec. After her freshman hockey season at Brown, she tried out for the rugby team as “something to do in the spring.” Bydwell stuck with it, and then two years ago the team fundraised and undertook a careerchanging trip to Uganda over spring break. “A big turning point was the trip to Uganda,” Bydwell said. “That was a level of rugby I hadn’t been exposed to before. That’s when I really realized I really enjoyed it.” Joining the team in Uganda was one of her role models, Stephanie Bruce ’04. “She was probably the first really good rugby player to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re really good, you should try to play more rugby,’ ” Bydwell said. “She actually taught me a lot, and she’s a really good sevens player.” Heffernan echoed her sentiments on Bruce, the team’s first All-American. “Em was in awe of her,” Heffernan said of Bruce. “She was the first to push our program forward, gain credibility, and she could singlehandedly win games.” Bruce has played professionally

since graduating, and Bydwell hopes to continue in her footsteps. “All I’m really planning on doing is playing,” Bydwell said. “I’m going to look for jobs where good rugby teams are (after graduation) and find a job that will allow me to train.” She’s applying for several research and teaching programs, and she wants to try to play both sevens and fifteens programs as much as she can. Attending the camp was an “amazing opportunity,” but Bydwell is still doing her work to finish her human biology degree in May. In December, she traveled to England with the fifteens team and had to make arrangements to “study abroad.” “My professors were awesome,” Bydwell said. “I don’t know if I’d (have) been able to do that at another place besides Brown.” After her San Diego tour is complete, she will return to help the hockey team in the playoffs before completing her final collegiate rugby season. “It’s so awesome right now (having the opportunity to play both sports). I really can’t ask for much more,” Bydwell said.

Rochelson ’09: the Yanks continued from page 12 rick or Anibal Sanchez – Santana will feel like he’s back in the Dominican Little League. With no DH, a spacious outfield, an above-average defense and a superb supporting offense, Santana will succeed with the Mets like

he never has before. And I know I speak for a lot of Yankee fans when I say: That’s cool with us, man. Just stay out of our league.

Ellis Rochelson ’09 is waiting for Captain Jeter to endorse Barack Obama. Any day now…

Read Reread Recycle

continued from page 12 ’09 and Sophie Elgort ’08 both had very strong first runs under 57 seconds but were unable to replicate the feat in the second run. “We have some great individual skiers,” said co-captain Meaghan Casey ’08. “Some individuals will score well on one run and then struggle on the other run. The team is looking forward to finishing both runs.” Consistency is particularly hard in skiing, where conditions are always changing. “Skiing is difficult because nothing is constant,” Casey said. “Every time the conditions are different. It’s really an accomplishment to have two consistently good runs. You are constantly adjusting your run to whatever the conditions are that day.” On Sunday, Brown jumped up one place into fourth with improved individual performances at the top. Consiglio again finished in the top ten with a ninth-place combined time of 2:05.90. This time she received even more support as Bengtson and Elgort both had two very solid runs, netting them 11th and 13th, respectively. Blaine Martin ’11 contributed as Brown’s fourth and final scorer, with two good runs

that put her in 22nd. Two Bears did not finish on Sunday but were instrumental in keeping up team morale, which is high despite the difficult practice circumstances the team has faced. “Our team is really dedicated,” Casey said. “We leave the OMAC at 6:15 in the morning for practice. We have great team morale and attitude. We believe in each other.” LeBlanc was pleased with how the team skied because he feels it is important that his athletes push themselves to go faster, and with that comes the occasional mistake. The team needs to pick up its speed because the division is so strong this year. “Our division this year is really stacked up,” LeBlanc said. “The top five teams are back and forth. It’s really competitive and anything can happen any weekend. It’s great intensity-wise.” Brown has one more carnival this weekend at Mt. Ascutney, Vt., where it is hoping for a strong showing. The team needs to finish fifth in its division to make it to Regionals and Nationals in the following weeks. It appears to be in good shape to qualify, but the team wants to continue working on consistency so that when the big events do roll around, it will be ready.

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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

Letting go of loans Harvard’s hefty endowment surely makes our coffers on College Hill look pitiful. Their over-$34 billion is well over 10 times the size of our bank account, even after taking into account the Boldly Brown campaign. But we are a wealthy university — in fact, the 26th-wealthiest in the nation. We’re in the ballpark of Dartmouth,which recently announced a bold revamping of their financial aid, which includes eliminating tuition for students whose family has an income under $75,000, replacing loans with scholarships and making admission for international students needblind. Dartmouth has fewer undergraduates than Brown, meaning they can afford more generous policies than we can, but we still must compete with them for prospective students. We’re glad to hear that tuition increases will slow down next year, that financial aid will be increased and that the University will spend more from its endowment, as President Ruth Simmons announced at Tuesday’s faculty meeting. But these measures are small and vague compared to those of our peer schools, many of which have already announced specific and drastic changes in their financial aid programs. We understand Simmons’ need to be reserved before making official changes to our financial aid program, but we’re disappointed by her tone. She’s correct that we can’t imitate Harvard or Yale. But her facile comparison sets a ceiling and no floor for the University’s financial aid goals. Our peers have been ambitious with their financial aid policies and we, too, should do the best we can, given the size of our endowment. If not, we will just widen the distance between us and them, weakening our ability to attract qualified applicants. Though other universities’ decisions may come more from political pressure than generosity, we still need to remain competitive with them, whatever their motivations may be. How could a prospective student, accepted to both Dartmouth and Brown and on a tight budget, not choose the former? The unique appeal of Brown’s academic freedom and vibrant extracurricular life soon becomes less important as a student considers his or her college tab. As the University decides on its plan for financial aid, we repeat our recommendation that loans in students’ financial aid packages be replaced with grants and that admission for international students be need-blind. We know Simmons is capable of implementing bold changes in financial aid policies when she chooses, as she did when took office and quickly moved the University to need-blind admission. We cannot let other University spending priorities come at the price of having a diverse student body. If we do, in ten years, we’ll have a campus full of beautiful buildings and a homogenous student body to fill them. We appreciate that, now, students who are the first in their families to attend colleges live across the hall from children from a long line of legacies. We hope that future classes will enjoy even more diversity in their time on College Hill.

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

A lexander sayer gard - murray

L e tt e r s Alum concerned by Brown-promoted private venture To the Editor: I just returned from my mailbox, where I was excited to find a letter from the Brown Alumni Association. However, I opened the envelope to find an advertisement and solicitation for New York Life, a private corporation selling life insurance for their own profit. This quickly turned my excitement into concern. This is not the type of correspondence that I expect or want from my alma mater. Nor is it in tune with the aims or philosophies of Brown University. Rationalizing such to be a “benefit” to alumni members or a method of raising funds for the University does not justify the validity of this claimed affiliation. Not only is this outside of, and perhaps counter to, the mission of the University but we, collectively,

as the Brown community have no method to oversee, fully investigate, nor hold accountable the far-reaching effects of this complex, private venture that bears our name and endorsement. This is not responsible. This is not Brown. Such has potential to cause suspicion and dread toward correspondence from our beloved Bruno. I humbly ask that we all consider the potential effects of attaching the reputation of Brown University and of ourselves to such a private venture that lies outside of our control.

Matthew L. Salcone ¹99 Jan. 30

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

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 Ria Ali, Paula Armstrong, Stephanie Craton, Tarah Knaresboro, Ted Lamm, Alex Mazerov, Copy Editors Sam Byker, Chaz Firestone, Nandini Jayakrishna, Frank 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 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

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. C ommentary P O L I C Y The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

O pinions Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 11

Preventing violent crime at Brown MICHAEL RAMOS-LYNCH Opinions Columnist Recent violent episodes at Brown should make us reflect on University policy toward weapons on campus. Slightly before reading period began last semester, a female student was “forcibly fondled” while walking back from Perkins Hall at 2 a.m. Only two days before that, a male student was hospitalized after being assaulted in the Barus and Holley parking lot. Recent occurrences should leave us wondering how Brown students can protect themselves from violent crime. Rule VIII of the Brown University Standards of Student Conduct makes the “possession, use, or distribution of firearms, ammunition, explosives, or other weapons” an offense. So we can’t legally use weapons. The only reasonable alternative, self-defense class, is often impractical. The cheapest course currently offered through the OMAC costs $70, which might be financially cumbersome for some students. Even if you can afford them, these classes often reach full capacity and some interested students are turned away due to a lack of space. Moreover, some students may not be able to enroll in a self-defense course due to physical disability, and others may simply not have the time or inclination to attend. When added together, these groups comprise a large proportion of the student body, one that deserves some other means

of protection. The weapons ban protects assailants at the expense of victims. And the costs are unconscionable. Rape is one of the most atrocious crimes known to humanity. It is an inexcusable and execrable crime that almost exclusively targets women. As responsible and compassionate citizens, we must all take action to prevent such evil, but Rule VIII stops us from doing so. Beyond banning guns, it even prevents students from owning mace

by Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology in 1995: “in a ten state sample of incarcerated felons interviewed in 1982, 34 percent reported having been ‘scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim.’” The report indicates that potential victims who carry weapons are able to better protect themselves from potential attackers. Criminals don’t expect to be gunned down by a freshman wearing a Brown sweatshirt

We might reach a compromise by permitting less fatal weapons, such as mace and pepper spray, that can offer valuable protection. Without any weapons, we’re all sitting ducks at the mercy of violent criminals. or pepper spray to use on would-be rapists and attackers. It’s entirely possible that the weapons ban makes students a more desirable target. However counter-intuitive it may seem, many data suggest that increasing the amount of armed law-abiding citizens decreases the amount of violent crime. As noted in an article

returning from the library. We have all received the ominous e-mails reporting unidentified assailants and their attacks on members of the Brown community. Should we address crime by fervently hoping not to become victims ourselves? Of course not. But in order to protect ourselves we must advocate for the dramatic reform, or repeal,

of Rule VIII. Somewhere between banning every slingshot and arming freshmen with bazookas at Orientation, we might reach a compromise by permitting less fatal weapons, such as mace and pepper spray, that can offer valuable protection. Without any weapons, we’re all sitting ducks at the mercy of violent criminals. Some think that the Virginia Tech massacre settled the debate over students’ rights to bear arms. A Virginia Tech undergraduate student named Seung-Hei Cho shot and killed 32 students on the Virginia Tech campus last spring. Gun-control advocates have used this tragic incident to argue that we should have more stringent gun-laws. But Virginia Tech had a “gun-free” policy. Neither students nor faculty were allowed to carry guns on the campus, making Cho nearly unstoppable. On reflection, it seems as though other students might have been able to intervene before this situation reached its horrifying conclusion, had they been armed. Many of the violent atrocities that have ser ved to define our generation’s concept of violence took place in “gun-free” schools. There will always be guns. The only way to save ourselves from those with guns and evil intentions is to own weapons ourselves. By depriving students of the right to do so we are unwittingly facilitating physical assault. We should not condone University policies that make us defenseless against violent crime. We should assume responsibility and reconsider gun-rights policy at Brown.

Michael Ramos-Lynch ’09 is pro-gun rights because he is pro-crime control.

The “Jewish” lobby? BY JACOB SCHUMAN Opinions Columnist Amid the deluge of significant news and controversy involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — the crisis in Gaza and Sderot, the Annapolis Peace Conference and the divided Palestinian Authority — I’d like to make an admittedly

small point concerning the contemporary political discourse regarding the issue. Activists opposed to aspects of Israeli policy, or to the existence of Israel itself as a Jewish state, frequently complain that their criticisms are unjustly maligned as antiSemitic. They argue, often fairly, that one can condemn Israel without implying anything negative about Jews. Indeed, some defenders of the State of Israel — including non-Jews — often too quickly resort to accusations of anti-Semitism rather than actually listening to their opponents’ arguments. Nevertheless, there is one trend in the political rhetoric surrounding the issue which I have found increasingly worrisome. This is the tendency to conflate the powerful “Israel lobby” with a vague, but equally nefarious and staunchly Zionist, “Jewish lobby.” The association occurs all the time. Activists substitute “Jewish lobby” for “Israel lobby” freely and constantly. The “American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” a conservative pro-Israel advocacy group, is commonly referred to in debates, news articles and political discussions as a “Jewish lobbying group.” Reminiscent of classical European anti-Semites, some of today’s protesters rail against the excessive influence of the “Jewish lobby” in American politics, movies and news media. The ugly implications of such a conflation — though stemming from a small rhetorical substitution — are significant and far-reaching. To presume that a pro-Israel lobbying group is equivalent to a “Jewish” lobbying group is to suggest that all Jews are fanatical Zionists,

that the political interests of Jews begin and end with the state of Israel and that the proIsrael lobby exclusively consists of Jews. None of these inferences are true. All of them have ugly, anti-Semitic undertones. In fact, many of Israel’s most vocal critics — Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler and Norman Finkelstein — are Jews. One need only engage with Jews, both on Brown’s campus and as far as Israel itself, to find a multitude of different views on the issue, ranging from fundamentalist religious Zionism to anarchosyndicalist anti-Zionism. Just recently, on Feb. 2, a coalition of prominent Jewish activists and academics in Britain took out an ad in The Times to condemn the Israeli economic

rooted in these values, and by the vital role many Jews play in lobbying groups totally unrelated to Israel. Indeed, the concept of a “Jewish lobby” would most accurately include organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, The Gay Men’s Health Crisis, The National Organization for Women and MoveOn.org. Many of the most prominent players in the pro-Israel lobby are fundamentalist evangelical Christians, whose reactionary political, economic and religious views — outside their stance on Israel — are anathema to most in the Jewish community. At an anti-war protest I at-

Equating a pro-Israel lobby with a Jewish lobby is more than just factually inaccurate. It conjures a false, vile image of a Jewish conspiracy to control national governments for the exclusive benefit of the Jewish community. blockade of the Gaza Strip. Though politicians tend to think they can instantly ingratiate themselves with Jewish communities by expounding on their dedication to Israel as a Jewish state, the vast majority of Jews are more than just one-issue voters. Indeed, while Israel certainly has a place in the political thinking of many in the Jewish community, the concerns of Jews tend to be much like those of all religious and ethnic minorities — liberty, social justice and secularism. This has been borne out in the historical dedication of the Jewish community to a mass of issues

tended last semester, a small group of counterprotesters carried Israeli and American flags, seemingly unaware that our demonstration had nothing to do with Israel. I shouted to one of them, “You can be Jewish and against the war!” He squinted at me and then tilted his sign so that I could see the large cross emblazoned between the Star of David and the Stars and Stripes. “We’re not Jewish. We’re Christian Zionists.” Yikes. Equating a pro-Israel lobby with a Jewish lobby is more than just factually inaccurate. It implies that all Jews are really just agents for

the state of Israel. It conjures a false, vile image of a Jewish conspiracy to control national governments for the exclusive benefit of the Jewish community. It suggests that Jews are inherently disloyal to their countries of origin and are irredeemably biased, untrustworthy and above all, monolithic on the issue. These are hateful characterizations which recall a long history of delegitimization, intolerance and persecution. I know my friends, and the leaders and thinkers whom I admire, who sometimes make the mistake of mixing “Israel lobby” and “Jewish lobby,” do not mean to create these associations. Yet the implication cannot be avoided. Of course, segments of the Jewish community deserve some of the blame for the over-simplified conflation of pro-Israel and Jewish lobby groups. Some Jewish leaders have implied, through their rhetoric, endorsements and actions, that all Jews must unquestioningly support Israeli policy, or at least Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. Even at Brown, our Hillel, which brands itself as the center for Jewish life on campus, displays an Israeli flag in its lobby. Visitors entering its doors immediately make the connection that Jewish identity is inexorably tied to the state of Israel. This is true for some Jews. But in trying to represent Jewish life at Brown, why not also include a United Nations flag, or a pro-peace flag, or a NATO flag, or a Youth International Party flag, or even a Palestinian flag, or any other banner which holds poignant significance for considerable portions of the Jewish community? As I said at the beginning, this is a relatively minor issue. But it speaks to the incredible complexities and widespread anguish summoned by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If anything, activists on both sides of the issue should be united in combating the perpetuation of bigotry. Perhaps adjusting the rhetoric is one step towards such a possibility.

Jacob Schuman ’08 is in the Blueish lobby.

S ports T hursday Page 12

Thursday, February 7, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Santana’s Clause is Coming to Town “…Hillary came back with a left hook in New Hampshire, and the Mets traded four prospects/projects for the game’s best pitcher, Johan Santana.” —Tom Trudeau ‘09, Herald Columnist

To pick up where Tom left off – yes, it’s tr ue! Johan Santana, the world’s best starting pitcher, is leaving the Twin Cities for Ellis Rochelson the fresh air MLB Exclusive of Flushing, Queens. Trade talks have swirled around Johan since November. Fans eventually tired of checking MLBtraderumors.com every day as the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets carefully bid for the lefty’s services. Now that the deal is finally completed we can analyze the effects it will have. As a Yankee fan, I felt surprisingly conflicted about the potential of Santana landing in the Bronx. A few months ago it was revealed that New York was willing to part with blue-chip starting pitcher and fanfavorite Phil Hughes in a deal for Johan. I struggled with my opinion of this offer. On one hand, a Red Sox rotation including Santana would be virtually unstoppable – perhaps the Yankees should do whatever is necessary to keep him out of Beantown? No, I told myself – New York is finally going in the right direction, focusing on developing homegrown talent and not trading for expensive, older stars. Plus, Hughes is only 21; his devastating curveball, combined with Joba Chamberlain’s nasty slider, could dominate at the top of the Yanks’ rotation for many years. I had this argument with myself over and over again, for months, hoping secretly that it would just resolve itself and go away. Thankfully, it did. For me, Johan landing in Queens is the ideal scenario. The Yanks keep their prospects, the Red Sox remain beatable and I get to witness Johan’s brilliance in my own backyard. But enough about me – how does this affect the Mets? Briefly, let’s establish who this “Johan” guy is. Since 2004 – his first year exclusively as a starting pitcher – Johan has an ERA of 2.89 and has struck out over a batter per inning. He has led the American League in walks and hits allowed per inning (WHIP) every season since 2004 – an incredible accomplishment. The scary thing is, he’s about to get even better. First of all, he is leaving the homer-friendly Metrodome for spacious Shea Stadium. This means fewer home runs allowed, which was Santana’s Achilles heel last season. Plus, the lineups in the National League lack a Designated Hitter; since Johan will face a pitcher or a lowly pinch hitter every ninth atbat, he’ll have an even easier time breezing through lineups. In the AL Central, Johan often had to face the following DHs: Travis Hafner, Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome. Now give the bat to John Smoltz, Kyle Kendcontinued on page 9

Bydwell ’08 tries for national rugby team By Amy Ehrhart Sports Editor

Last Friday, Emilie Bydwell ’08 suited up at 7 p.m. in her Brown hockey uniform to take on the Harvard Crimson. On Saturday morning, she boarded a flight headed to San Diego for the rugby women’s national U-23 Developmental Sevens Camp. While it was unfortunate that the Bears came up three goals short against the No. 1 hockey team in the country, today Bydwell is hoping to hear the good news that she will be scoring tries for the No. 1 rugby team in the country this weekend. She has been playing rugby nonstop since Saturday, lifting and practicing for almost six hours per day, hoping to earn a spot on the 12-woman roster that will compete in the San Diego Invitational on Thursday and Friday. After this weekend, she will be training with and playing on the U.S. Fifteens team in San Diego for another week, in preparation for the World Cup. “(The trip) is going really well,” Bydwell said from San Diego. “I know most of the players from before,” she added, citing when she played with the U.S. team in August and in December in England, while also playing for the Developmental team in New Zealand for two and a half weeks last summer. Coming off a magnificent fall where Brown secured the No. 1 ranking, which it still holds, Bydwell was named the 2007 College Player of the Year by erugbynews. com — the reigning authority on U.S. rugby — after earning a first team All-American nomination and scoring over 100 points. “I remember someone texting me and I looked online,” recalled Bydwell. “I wasn’t really expecting

Ski team stands out at Pat’s Peak By Jason Harris Spor ts Editor

times the practices of most athletes every day. Before classes started this semester, she was practicing twice a day with the hockey team while doing her rugby running workouts in the evening. She not only has had to prepare for the quicker game of the sevens camp (where only seven players per side are on the pitch at one time), but she also has to keep up her strength for the fifteens team for next week.

The ski team has been finishing consistently in the top five all season, but it is still searching for another kind of consistency. The team performed well again this past weekend, finishing fourth in the slalom at Pat’s Peak, N.H., on Saturday and fifth in the Giant Slalom at Loon Mountain, N.H., on Sunday. The team was again led by standout Krista Consiglio ’11, who has been finishing high up all season. Her impressive time of 54.42 on her first run in the slalom helped her finish with a fifth-place combined time of 1:53.28. The key to her success has been making sure she has two good runs, which is imperative because the final score is a combination of the times from both runs. The blend of speed and consistency has Consiglio in first place in the entire division individually. Many other Bear skiers have been managing one fast run but then struggling on their second run, sometimes having to hike back up the mountain when they miss a gate so that their time will qualify. “If you are pushing the envelope you aren’t going to be as consistent,” said Head Coach Mike LeBlanc. “Krista has been both. She hasn’t crashed or anything. Other girls are taking risks. Now we need the other girls who are going fast to start finishing also.” Elisa Handbur y ’10 had two strong runs on Saturday, which put her in 15th with a combined time of 1:55.83. Meanwhile, Anna Bengtson

continued on page 9

Ashley Hess / Herald

Emilie Bydwell ‘08 has helped put Brown women’s rugby on the map, while establishing herself as a world-class player.

it, but it’s a pretty good testament to how good Brown’s gotten. This year we’ve really pulled together, and we can really compete on a national level.” Women’s Rugby Head Coach Kerrissa Heffernan praised Bydwell’s effort to get to this milestone. “She’s pretty dreamy because of her size and her work rate,” Heffernan said. “She can maintain a high level of work around the field.” To prepare for these two weeks, Bydwell has had to complete three

Oliner ’03 runs in Empire State Building Run Up By Han Cui Sports Staff Writer

Courtesy of Alex Raskin

Ben Oliner ‘03 making his way up the Empire State Building. He went on to make it to the top 51st out of 215 total finishers.

When Ben Oliner ’03, a former cocaptain of the men’s squash team, heard about the Empire State Building Run Up from his coach, he decided to enter the race because he thought it would be good training for squash. Yesterday at 10:30 a.m., Oliner, the No. 7 ranked squash player in the country, competed with runners from all over the world to race up 86 floors from the lobby of the Empire State Building all the way to the observatory. Oliner finished 52nd out of the 215 finishers. Although this was the first race of its kind he has competed in, he enjoyed it so much that he said he would definitely go back next year. The Empire State Building Run Up is organized by the New York Road Runners organization. After applying to participate, Oliner said he was “impressed to get into the race.” He believed his squash credentials gave him an edge. Oliner had been training since mid-January. He practiced running up a 35-story building and running on machines, but since it was his first time running the race, he said that he didn’t know how he would

do.

“During the race, I paced myself. I started a bit slow and accelerated in the end,” Oliner said. Despite thinking he could have done better, he now knows how to prepare for this race in the future. “There are two ways to do well. One is run fast on the stairs. The other is to run to the front line in the beginning of the race. Because the stairs are very narrow, it was hard to get past people and people were pushing. Next year, I will make sure I get to the front of the line early.” Oliner said he utterly enjoyed the race because it was a “great atmosphere” and “so fun.” “It’s such an unusual race. The race is in the building I knew all my life. I was running head to head with a 30 year-old fireman. The people and the organizers did a good job making it exciting. It’s quite emotional to get to the top of the building.” Now that the race is over, Oliner will jump right back into squash. He has been competing in tournaments and will head to the Windy City Open in Chicago on Feburary 29th. He is currently planning on attending graduate school next fall where he wants to study sports business.