Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The Brown Daily Herald T uesday, F ebr uar y 12, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 15

U. starts Cuba abroad program Fall term will coincide with revolution anniversary

By Caroline Sedano Senior Staff Writer

Though the average American can’t travel to Cuba, 10 Brown students will have the opportunity to spend next semester in Havana studying with 10 Cuban students at the Casa de Las Americas, taught entirely by Cuban professors.

“This is the perfect opportunity to look at the past, present and future of Cuba while sitting next to Cuban nationals,” said Kendall Brostuen, director of international programs and associate dean of the College. Brostuen began working with the Center for Latin American Studies a year and a half ago on this program, which may be an option for Spanish-speaking students every fall semester. The program— which will charge Brown’s tuition plus $1,000 for room and board — has already generated a lot of student interest, and Brosten said he expects it to be competitive.

Brown has a license from the Department of the Treasury authorizing semester programs in Cuba for its students, Brostuen said, meaning students can travel only by going through Brown’s program.

There were once more University programs that allowed students to travel and study in Cuba, Brosuten said, but the Treasur y tightened the restrictions on Cuban study abroad programs in 2004. Many schools could not maintain their programs due to these changes, and now only a handful of schools, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Har vard and Sarah Lawrence College have programs for students in Cuba, Brostuen said.

Brostuen said the University ad-

heres “scrupulously” to the restrictions, informing the Treasury when faculty or graduate students travel to the country. Adrian Lopez-Denis, a postdoctoral fellow in international humanities who was born in Cuba and came to the United States in 2000, said Cuban study abroad programs flourished during the Clinton administration but became harder and harder to maintain during the Bush administration.

“The issue is not connected to study abroad programs specifically but tied to the Cuban-American relations, which are ver y intense,” Lopez-Denis said.

He added that while “academically these restrictions on the programs are good news,” because those approved programs would likely be good ones, he said he regrets that “not as many people are going to have access.”

Lopez-Denis, who said he came to Brown last semester because he knew this program was in the making, will be in Cuba during the next fall semester and will teach one of the four classes that students will take.

He first became involved in American programs in Cuba when he was a student, he said. “That’s why I insisted for the Cuban students, because I am a product of a program just like this,” he said.

Because the 10 American students will be taking their four classes together with Cuban students, Lopez-Denis said he expects there to be a unique opportunity for Brown students to see the city and experience the culture from the Cuban perspective.

“Having Cuban students as classmates will make for a ver y fast foot in the door,” Lopez-Denis said. “Students will be exposed to the official views and the commoncontinued on page 6

s e e k ing a po t t e r y b a rn

Courtesy of Creative Commons

More than 100 students have joined a Facebook group that is urging the University to build a pottery studio.

SEE CAMPUS NEWS, PAGE 5

Enrollment falls for first-year seminars

By Michael Skocpol News Editor

When the University’s first-year seminar program was unveiled in 2002, it was hailed as a seminal success of President Ruth Simmons’ wide-ranging Plan for Academic Enrichment.

Now, the flagship program may be losing some of the wind in its sails.

According to preliminary figures provided by University Registrar Michael Pesta, first-year seminar enrollment dropped about 8 percent for the 2007-08 academic year, checking four straight years

Holbrooke ’62 talks campaign in study group

By Chaz Kelsh Senior Staff Writer

Professor-at-large Richard Holbrooke ’62, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former Herald editor-in-chief, conducted the first of three study groups for about 35 students at the Joukowsky Forum of the Watson Institute for International Studies Monday evening.

Holbrooke, who ser ves as a policy adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke about the campaign and its potential effect on U.S. policy on the war in Iraq. Holbrooke said he plans to direct the next meeting of the study group, which will be held on March 10, to other foreign policy issues that candidates must address.

Holbrooke has ser ved as the U.S. ambassador to both Germany and the U.N. He served as assistant secretary of state to both Asia and Europe and was instrumental in brokering the 1995 Dayton Peace

3

METRO

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

of expansion following the program’s inception .

As of Feb. 4, the day before the end of online registration, a total of 817 students had enrolled in first year seminars in the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters, down from 891 during the 2006-07 academic year. If enrollment holds steady, it will be the lowest total since 2003-04, the second year of the program, when 750 students enrolled. (Subsequent changes in enrollment should be “minimal,” since the data were from near the end of shopping period, Pesta wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.)

Professor-at-large Richard Holbrooke ‘62, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, led the first of three study groups Monday evening.

Accords that ended the war in Bosnia.

For students, the study group was intended to “bring a perspective they might not normally get from a regular professor,” said Geoffrey

NOISE MAKERS Students living off-campus incite complaints from neighbors

5

CAMPUS NEWS

Kirkman ’91, associate director of the Watson Institute.

The institute has offered similar groups with former Chilean presicontinued on page 6

THE ZEN OF LAW Lawyer Charles Halpern speaks on activism and meditation

11

OPINIONS

continued on page 4

Simmons will deliver Union College graduation speech

By Sophia Li Senior Staff Writer

Meara Sharma / Herald

James Valles, the associate dean of the college for curriculum, oversees the first-year seminar program for the Office of the Dean of the College. He said he did not believe the decline was a cause for concern or that it signaled flagging interest in the program. The decline in total enrollment, he said, was due to a “slight drop” in the total number of seminars offered.

Fifty-six seminars were on the list provided by Pesta, compared with 63 offered in 2006-07.

The data from previous years were provided by the Office of the

Speaking gigs

President Ruth Simmons will deliver this year’s commencement address at Union College, a small liberal arts school in upstate New York.

Simmons, who will speak on June 15, will also receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Union, according to a Feb. 6 press release from the college.

“She’s widely recognized as a leader in higher education,” said Phillip Wajda, director of media and public relations at Union.

“She’s someone whom many people admire.”

Wajda said Union invited Simmons on Dec. 6, and she accepted the invitation on Jan. 11.

“We’re extremely fortunate that she’s chosen to accept our invitation,” he said, “and we’re very excited to hear her message to the

cpac. c pac run.

Sean Quigley ‘10: GOP can’t take the conservative vote for granted

Simmons’ other commencement speeches: 2007: Spelman College 2006: Miami Dade College, Morehouse College 2005: U. of Vermont 2004: Tougaloo College, U. of Toronto 2003: U. of Southern California 2002: George Washington U., Washington U. campus community.”

Marisa Quinn, assistant to the president, said Simmons decided to accept the college’s invitation because several Union alumni she knew “have spoken very highly of it.” Simmons has not decided on a topic for the speech yet, she said. continued on page 6

tomorrow’s weather Cold and wet again. Is it too late to sign up for the Cuba trip?

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2/12/08

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M etro Tuesday, February 12, 2008

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Gov. Carcieri ’65 and wife attend anti-abortion rally

BY Isabel Gottlieb News Editor

Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 and his wife showed their support for the anti-abortion movement by attending a Jan. 30 rally inside the State House.

The rally was organized by the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee “in commemoration of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade” — the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion at the federal level — “and the babies that were aborted since that time,” said Rita Parquette, executive director of the committee.

“One of our primary focuses is to change public policy regarding pro-life issues and legislations,” Parquette said of the annual rally.

But the governor’s attendance at the rally was meant to demonstrate his solidarity with the anti-abortion movement, rather than “push specific legislation,” Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal told the Providence Journal in a Jan. 31 article. Neal could not be reached for comment for this article.

Carcieri and his wife, Susan, are well-known opponents of abortion..

The Carcieris “have been outspokenly and brazenly proud of their pro-life background and do everything to enhance that cause,” said State Senator Rhoda Perry, who said she is the chair of the state Senate’s pro-choice caucus..

“Any bill that is ‘pro-life’ that passes both House and Senate does not have to worry about gubernatorial veto,” Perr y said. “It makes a big difference to have an executive who is, in my opinion, anti-choice.”

One bill, dubbed the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” has been introduced repeatedly — in 2001, 2004 and 2005, according to the Web site of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island Action Network. The bills, which require women to undergo a 24-hour waiting period and to review information about abortions before undergoing the procedure, have all

died in House Judiciary committees, the Web site said.

“I have been very vociferously against that bill, and have given a very negative oration concerning the merits of that bill whenever it opens on our side,” Perry said. “It’s absolutely unnecessary. (Women) know their menstrual period, they know when they’re pregnant, they inform themselves and do not need a 24-hour waiting period.”

City Councilman Cliff Wood was also not surprised by the governor’s appearance.

“It seems in character with his public position on the issue,” Wood said.

Beyond disagreeing with the governor’s view on abortion, Wood said he found the rally’s location inappropriate. The rally was held in the State House rotunda, not outside on the steps as it was last year.

Parquette said that last year, her organization brought in speakers including Alvita King, the niece of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parquette’s group expected King to attract such a large crowd, Parquette said, that they held the event outside.

This year the event had speakers only from within the state, Parquette said. She estimated that between 250 and 300 people came to the rally this year, and said attendance varies from year to year, depending on the weather.

Loretta Rego, the resource specialist at the State House who helps coordinate events, said anyone who wants to hold an event inside the State House must write a letter that describes the event and gives an estimated attendance. The request must be approved by State House officials.

Christina Cozzetto ’10, the copresident of Brown Students for Life, attended the rally both this year and last year.

She said this year’s indoor rally was better because “it wasn’t 10 degrees.” Cozzetto said her copresident, Sara Berglund ’09, was the only other member of Brown continued on page 6

Kim Perley / Herald

Residents of Williams Street between Thayer and Governor streets have been disturbed by noisy students.

Students and residents try to get along

By Matt Varley Staff Writer

Many Brown students are attempting a rite of passage this school year, moving to their own houses or apartments for the first time. As they adjust to living on their own, local residents are also trying to adjust — and some are struggling.

Residents of Williams Street, in the area between Thayer and Governor streets, appear to have had a particularly tough time, having complained to both the University and the students themselves about rowdy behavior.

For example, one night last semester, loud street conversations roused Professor of English and Gender Studies Coppelia Kahn from her sleep twice. She wrote a letter asking her neighbors — all Brown students — to keep it down.

“I’m not a particularly light sleeper,” said Kahn, who lives at 207 Williams St. and posted copies of her letter on five nearby front doors. “Students don’t realize … how much the sound carries. This is a narrow street with old wooden houses, close together. If you get

State gift card surcharges may soon end

By Nandini Jayakrishna Senior Staff Writer

Those often overlooked surcharges on gift card purchases may soon be a thing of the past in Rhode Island.

Last month, State Sen. Christopher Maselli, D-Dist. 25, introduced a bill banning surcharges on all gift cards, gift certificates and pre-paid long distance calling cards issued in the state.

If approved, the bill will expand a law passed a few years ago that prohibits expiration dates and maintenance fees on gift cards but does not exclude the addition of surcharges on them.

Maselli said some stores have added a $2 or $2.50 surcharge to their gift cards to get around the law. “I certainly don’t think that’s fair to the consumer,” Maselli said.

“It’s just a matter of greed on the part of the retailer.”

Maselli introduced the bill last year, but the Senate did not approve it.

During the holiday season, many consumers spend more than normal on gift cards, Maselli said.

“They may spend an extra 10, 12 or 14 dollars that they could spend on lunch or maybe another gift card,” he said. “It adds up.”

About 30 to 60 percent of gift cards are never redeemed, said Rhode Island House Rep. Stephen Ucci, D-Dist. 42, who has introduced the same bill in the state House.

Ucci said there is “no rationale behind the fee” since retailers already make extra money from the unused gift cards.

The bill passed in the House last year, and Ucci said he thinks it will pass this year as well.

Though Maselli and Ucci said the bill is consumer-friendly, others think it might end up harming shoppers.

“Businesses are not just going to eat the cost of this legislation,” said Justin Katz, who writes a conser vative blog on Rhode Is-

land politics called Anchor Rising.

“They will pass on the cost to all consumers.”

Katz, who criticized the bill in his blog, said such bills drive businesses out of the state.

“Rhode Island is driving out people with money year in and year out,” he said. “In the past two years, half a billion dollars of taxable income has left the state.”

Katz said a surcharge is the price customers pay for convenience and that a bill banning it reflects the “totalitarian mindset” of the legislators.

“I hope it doesn’t pass this year again,” he added.

But Ucci said it is “ludicrous” to think the legislation will force businesses to leave the state.

“That’s cr ying wolf,” he said.

“If you see who is charging a surcharge — it’s Providence Place Mall. It’s not going to close.”

Ucci said the law will have a “negligible impact” on stores like continued on page 6

out of your car at 2 a.m. and get engrossed in a conversation on the sidewalk … I could join in and offer my opinion.”

Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of Choral Activities Louis Frederick Jodry, who has lived at 209 Williams St. for about 10 years, said he has come to expect some disturbances from six studentinhabited buildings around his house.

“My impression is, twice a year, things will be completely chaotic and out of control at night,” Jodry said, referring to the beginning and end of the academic year. He noted that, for example, “students often neglect to take out trash or removing trash bins from the street.”

Another Williams Street resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity also said trash was a major concern.

“We find that there is noise … you expect a certain degree of that when you live here,” the resident said. “My pet peeve is the lack of civic pride in keeping the neighborhood clean.” The resident said students left trash on the street when they vacated their houses at the end of last semester and

“there were rats and squirrels tearing open bags. ... There was garbage everywhere and I ended up picking it up.”

A group of non-student residents on Williams Street have joined an association called the Residents of Williams Street. Kahn said she considers herself a member of the association because she is on its e-mail list.

“It’s really just a communication network, so that we let each other know when there’s a problem,” Kahn said. “Pretty much all we deal with is students. ... I think we were called into existence because of the noise and the garbage, and that’s all I’ve ever gotten e-mails about.”

Association spokeswoman Anne Hersh said the group wants the University to intervene in issues involving students living off campus.

“Any proactive, preventative measures taken by the University to communicate with students … is what we appreciate and what we’re looking for,” Hersh said.

“The University has done more continued on page 4

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

First-year seminars remain vital Loud off-campus students continued from page 1 Provost.

Instead, Valles said, the rise in average enrollment per seminar — just under 15 students this year — is “good and looking vital,” signaling that student interest remains strong for the seminars that are being offered.

The decline in total offerings, Valles said, may have been related to Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron’s restructuring of the office following her arrival in October 2006, which resulted in the departure of a number of long-ser ving deans. As a result, The Herald reported in October, the office was left undermanned and relatively inexperienced for much of last year, when the current slate of seminars was being planned.

Valles himself is new to the office since Bergeron’s arrival.

Former Associate Dean of the College Armando Bengochea had overseen the first-year seminar program from its inception before departing in 2006. Bengochea left before the restructuring took place.

“It was a dynamic year in the office,” Valles said, adding that the first-year seminar program “was maintained at a really high level considering that.”

“There is always learning going on in the first year,” Valles said.

Despite this year’s drop in enrollment, Valles said the University hopes to continue expanding the program towards an ultimate goal of having enough first-year seminars offered to accommodate ever y member of the freshman class.

“I actually think it’s a good time” to expand the program, Valles said, noting the work of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, chaired by Bergeron,

Read Reread Recycle

First-year seminars’ first six years

rouse neighbors at night continued from page 3

than it’s done historically” to control student behavior, but she added “there’s always room for improvement.”

“There are a lot of Brown students who don’t spend their weekends getting drunk, disturbing the peace and breaking the law,” Hersh said.

Steve DeLucia / Herald

Enrollment in first-year seminars increased for a few years, but decreased from the 2006-07 school year to the 2007-08 school year.

which released its preliminar y report in Januar y. “Attention is ver y much on those first couple of years of the undergraduate experience and what it is that we’re providing.”

As part of a “renewed” push to emphasize first-year seminars, the dean’s office is providing course development funds this year for faculty interested in developing curricula for new first-year seminars, Valles said. There are currently “at least 20 proposals for brand-new first-year seminars” pending, he said.

The Office of the Dean of the College has also “worked hard to spread (first-year seminars) among the sciences” to diversify offerings, he said.

Faculty teaching first-year seminars agree that they have not sensed a decline in student interest. Marc Tatar, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology,

taught his seminar, BIOL 0190F: “Dar winian Medicine,” this year for the fourth time, and he has consistently had 30 to 50 students tr ying to get into the class, he said.

Tatar also didn’t notice any absence of encouragement for professors to offer the seminars.

“My department’s always been really active in getting us involved in it, and that hasn’t changed,” he said. The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology offered four seminars this year with an average enrollment of 17 students.

“There’s not enough of them,” Tatar said, adding that it would be easy to fill an expanded array of first-year seminars as long as the new courses promised interesting topics.

Assistant Professor of Education Tracy Steffes, who has been working at Brown since July 2007, said she was drawn to the firstyear seminar program because of her positive experience with such courses at Denison University, where she taught previously and where all freshmen are required to take first-year seminars.

She found good interest this spring for her seminar, EDUC 0410D: “Brown v. Board of Education,” which has 15 students enrolled. She said she plans to teach the course again next year.

Timothy Empkie, assistant dean of medicine and clinical associate professor of family medicine, taught PHP 0030: “Health of Hispaniola,” this year for the third time, registering an enrollment of 18 — his highest yet, he said.

He designed and implemented the course largely on his own initiative, he said, and he hasn’t noticed any substantial change in administrative involvement in promoting first-year seminars in past years.

Empkie’s course is the only first-year seminar offered by the Department of Community Health this year, and he didn’t know how active the department had been in promoting the courses.

The University intervenes After hearing complaints from Williams Street residents, University officals privately met with them, said Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president of campus life and dean for student life.

“We called all of the students who had registered addresses on Williams Street in and they met with the director of residential life” to discuss the issues, Klawunn said.

Students who live off campus are “subject to the same code of conduct” as those on campus, she added.

Though Klawunn said her office follows up on neighbors’ complaints about students, she added that anything off Brown’s campus is technically in “the jurisdiction of the Providence Police.” But Brown police officers, along with Providence Police officers, do respond to disturbances at student-leased houses, Police Lt. John Ryan said.

State and Community Relations Director Darrell Brown said relations between students and their neighbors have improved in the past three years because “students are much more aware of how to conduct themselves off campus … and (of) the consequences for poor behavior off campus.”

Brown also said landlords of students have also been “asked to be more proactive in dealing with their tenants.”

“This is an ongoing effort that we have to constantly maintain. Once we fix it this year, the same process is in place for new students who decide to live off campus,” Brown said. “We can always make improvements, but it’s a whole lot better than it was two-and-a-half or three years ago.”

Klawunn said the University has heard no complaints from Williams Street residents since the beginning of the semester. But she added it is important to remain proactive in reminding students about their responsibilities while living of f campus.

“We tend to hear more when the weather’s better and people are outside more,” Klawunn said.

Community and Government Relations Liaison Deborah Dinerman said preparations were being made for “the onslaught of the warm weather” in the spring when “there could, potentially, be some problems” with off-campus student behavior. The University plans to send a letter to off-campus students to remind them of their responsibilities as neighbors this semester, Dinerman said.

Williams Street students react Though Kahn posted her letter on five doors, it appears that only one group of students responded.

“Everyone’s aware that there are people that are not Brown students living on this street,” said Margot Kabalkin ’08, who lives at 202 Williams St. Kabalkin said she and her roommates inform their neighbors before hosting parties and provide them with their cell phone numbers in case they are too loud.

But Kabalkin said residents have “bad expectations” of their student neighbors.

“It’s understandable, given that I’m sure they’ve had plenty of bad experiences,” Kabalkin said.

Kabalkin and other students living at 202 Williams St. said they don’t think the University should get involved in neighborhood disputes.

“I understand why Brown is concerned about it because they get complaints,” said resident Drew Durbin ’08, but “respecting our neighbors is not, in my opinion, school-related.”

“Ever yone living off campus is an adult. … We pay rent too,” Kabalkin said. “They’re not our babysitters.”

Emily Polivy ’08 lives at 116 Hope St. (on the corner of Williams) with seven other students. Though her house has not received complaints, she said she could understand the neighbors’ grievances. She said “it definitely can be loud” on Williams Street.

“It’s just impossible to sleep” on some nights, said Polivy, who runs a large box fan in her room to try to drown out the noise. She said the streets are loud after 2 a.m. on weekends, after the bars close.

During warmer weather, she said students in a house on Williams Street near Brook Street are “always out on their porch late” — until 2 or 3 a.m.

“I like it because, you know, I’m safe” walking home, Polivy said.

“I know those other people out.

But I can see how they’d be really noisy.”

In contrast, Lauren Engel ’08, who lives at 153 Williams St., said she was “shocked” to learn neighbors had complained to the University about students.

“I think this is one of the most civil neighborhoods and streets that I could have imagined,” Engel said.

She and her seven other students share her building with their landlord, who has two small children, Engel said.

“If (our landlord) had a problem with us, there’s no question in my mind he would have said something,” Engel said. “He’s never made a complaint to us about noise to us, ever, and I think we represent a very average noise level. We’re not particularly quiet.”

Nevertheless, “you can’t expect to live here and not have to deal with the ramifications of living with 21year-olds,” Engel said. “It’s just not a reasonable expectation.”

C ampus n ews Tuesday, February 12, 2008

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Med School’s radiology program ranked first by national board Alpert Medical School’s diagnostic imaging-residency program at Rhode Island Hospital has recently been ranked first in the country by the American Board of Radiology.

The board sets standards for and evaluates the performance of radiologists nationwide, according to its Web site. Residents’ scores on oral and written board examinations determine the ranking.

In the past five years, all residents in the program passed the board examination on their first tries, said Martha Mainiero, director of the diagnostic radiology-residency program and associate professor of diagnostic imaging. Mainiero is also the director of the Anne C. Pappas Center for Breast Imaging at Rhode Island Hospital. The program beat 185 similar training programs for the No. 1 spot in the annual ranking.

“We’ve always known our residents were the best, but it was nice to have it validated by an objective measure,” she said.

Eli Adashi, the outgoing dean of medicine and biological sciences, said he was not surprised by the top spot.

“I was well aware of the quality of the training of the residents in that department,” he said.

Adashi credited Mainiero, the chair of the radiology department and the department’s faculty for the ranking.

The highly selective program only accepts strong residents, “and that helps, but that’s not enough,” Adashi said. “You need really the optimal interplay between faculty and residents.”

Mainiero attributed the residents’ success to the program’s handson approach to learning.

“They’re not observers. They’re active participants all through their residencies,” Mainiero said.

Both Mainiero and Adashi said they hoped the ranking would influence the decisions of applicants to the program. Mainiero said she told applicants about the ranking.

“Hopefully, it will make a difference to them, so they won’t have to take our word for how great the program is,” she said.

Adashi said he was confident that the ranking would positively affect the applicant pool.

“This is bound to bring excellent applicants to the program,” he said.

—Joanna Sharpless

Registrar out of U. Hall as Int’l Affairs moves in The Office of International Affairs will be in and the Office of the Registrar will be out of University Hall by this summer.

The move will put International Affairs closer to President Ruth Simmons and Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, with whom the office works closely, Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy ’76 said. The Registrar’s Office will move into a renovated J. Walter Wilson Laboratory along with other student services, including the University Mail Room and the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life.

Courtesy of brown.edu The implementation of Ban- Vice President for International ner made the move possible by Affairs David Kennedy ’76 diminishing the need for students to visit the office, Registrar Michael Pesta said.

After the Registrar’s Office has vacated its third-floor space — which will happen in either July or August, according to Pesta — the space will be “fixed up” to allow International Affairs to move in, Kennedy said. Neither Kennedy nor Pesta could say how the area would be renovated.

“Like with many space plans, timing and exact designs are hard to predict,” Kennedy said. He added he hoped his office, now only four people, will not grow. “The last thing we need is a big bureaucracy,” he said.

He did say, however, that he hoped for more student involvement, adding that he has been working informally with a small group of students to tackle some of the jobs the office was created for.

Kennedy was named to his position in October 2007 to raise the University’s international profile and to implement the recommendations of an internationalization committee that was established in October 2006.

Kennedy will move to University Hall from his current office at the Watson Institute for International Studies.

— George Miller

Thanks for reading.

Meditative lawyer favors ‘practice of wisdom’

By Jacob Tower Contributing Writer

Observe your thoughts as if they are white clouds passing over a blue sky.

“Observe them as they come and observe them as they go,” suggests Charles Halpern. Halpern begins all of his talks with a brief period of meditation, acknowledging that such a practice may seem “a bit odd.” But for this lawyer and public advocate, meditation has become a way of life.

On Monday, Halpern delivered his lecture, “Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom,” to an intimate audience in MacMillan 117. From his childhood, to encounters with the Dalai Lama, to meditating with judges, Halpern discussed the forces that shaped his life as an activist. He also spoke about the place for meditation and wisdom in contemporary society.

Halpern founded the country’s first public interest law firm, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and litigated cases affecting an Alaska oil pipeline and the mentally disabled. He went on to be the founding dean of the City University of New York School of Law and a founding board member of Demos, a progressive think tank.

Halpern’s beliefs on meditation don’t exactly jive with his upbringing, he said — he was raised to be a lawyer.

He explained how he was groomed to be, “analytic, unemotional, clear,” and

Min Wu / Herald

Lawyer and activist Charles Halpern gave a lecture, “Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom,” to a small audience Monday in MacMillan 117. to frame his thoughts as “arguments.”

These skills carried him through Harvard and Yale, he said, where they were sharpened to an even greater degree, compromising a “neck-up” education in an environment where trying to expose oneself to the human experience through silence, introspection and meditation was unheard of.

Doing “predictable things,” his education landed him in a large corporate law firm in Washington.

Halpern’s childhood seemed to lack any contemplative nature, he said. That lack influenced him when he would go on to lead a new law school.

“We wanted to educate lawyers to be whole people,” he said. Halpern said he felt he was given the opportunity, “to create a public interest law school and to think through how we wanted to educate lawyers.”

Though Halpern was innovative in bringing together unique people interested in activism and social justice with values of their own, he found

challenging the conventions of education difficult.

“There was a lot of stress and tension in the situation and I had to develop strategies to deal with it,” he said.

The stress led Halpern to meditation and contemplation as he searched for methods of dealing with his anxiety, “emotionally, morally and psychologically,” he said. The simple strategy of meditating in the morning eventually transformed his perspective on how people can approach issues — that is, with wisdom — and led him to see people as more than simply analytic machines.

Wisdom is a word that hardly appears in academic or political discourse, Halpern said, adding that he is “discouraged by the fact that wisdom has so much fallen out of favor.”

But he said the term is gaining momentum. Both Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and poet Toni Morrison have continued on page 6

Facebook pottery fans demand a studio

by Devin Gould Contributing Writer

Students hoping to pursue ceramics at Brown currently have three options: They can brave the Byzantine process of joining a Rhode Island School of Design class, join an offcampus workshop or simply dream of pots unthrown, clay unglazed.

But a new Facebook group is trying to making it easier for Brown students to spin clay.

Unlike many of its peer institutions, Brown lacks a pottery studio.

Professors in the Department of Visual Art said resources and safetyrelated issues have prevented the construction of a studio under their auspices.

Rachel McKenna ’10.5, a visual art concentrator, started the group “Build a Pottery Studio at Brown!!

Don’t Lie. You Know You Want it!!!!” in December. The goal of the group, which had 106 members as of yesterday, is to create a pottery studio at Brown with non-credit classes for all Brown students and members of the Providence community.

“Ceramics is very stress-reliev-

ing,” McKenna said. “It’s like yoga for the hands.” She added that pottery can help people become more creative.

McKenna said she hopes that a studio would attract prospective students to Brown.

“I think it would be fabulous. It would be a great idea,” said Leslie Bostrom, associate professor of art.

“But we already don’t have enough space. ... Ceramics needs to be separated from other studios.”

“It is a costly thing to set up,” said Professor of Visual Art Richard Fishman, the department chair.

“You have safety issues that need to be followed.”

Fishman said a full-time professional and proper ventilation would be required because of safety issues. Working with clay and glaze can create silica dust, fine particles that can cause silicosis , a deadly lung disease.

Fishman said the visual art department has brought in ceramics materials in the past on a temporary basis. But establishing a pottery studio within the department would deprive it of other temporary studio

space that it has set up in the past, including room for glassblowing and jewelry making.

McKenna said she thinks concerns about safety can be addressed with little extra cost and training.

“The general student body wouldn’t be involved with the activities that would give you silicosis,” McKenna said. “It’s definitely something I think could be studentrun.”

Without any help from the department, McKenna is attempting to get the studio built using other resources. She said the group was looking for other locations on campus to build the studio, and it is currently applying for a grant from Brown’s Creative Arts Council and looking for other sources of funding.

Many students were surprised to learn that Brown does not already have a pottery studio. Some students didn’t think such a studio was necessary.

“I think there are higher-priority areas where Brown could allocate its funding,” said Nicole Edgeworth continued on page 6

Page 6

Halpern promotes wisdom over activism continued from page 5 endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, DIll., based on his “wisdom” or his “quality of reflectiveness,” Halpern said.

Halpern continued by saying that cultivating wisdom involves aligning one’s life with one’s values. If he had stayed in corporate law, he would never have cultivated wisdom, he said.

“A life out of balance, I don’t believe, is consistent with a cultivation of wisdom,” Halpern said.

Halpern sees meditation and this philosophy of the practice of wisdom as resources necessary for being a whole person.

“I think that meditation hones a set of skills,” he said. He noted that meditation is practical for lawyers since it teaches attentiveness and

makes one centered. “A lawyer who is angr y at his adversar y is less effective than one who is not,” he added.

During a lengthy question-andanswer session, Halpern said that this sort of perspective of wisdom can be distinguished because it is “less strident, less impatient” and “less self-righteous.”

“Self-righteousness is the black lung disease of activists and publicinterest lawyers,” he added.

Halpern also spoke of contemporary issues such as climate change.

A wise person will draw away from the approach of finding “villains and heroes,” since this is not a logical approach and can cause one to become angr y or frustrated, he said.

It is easy to see “oil companies as bad guys” and “us as good guys,”

Governor attends antiabortion rally at State House continued from page 3 Students for Life in attendance.

Neither Brown Students for Choice nor Brown Medical Students for Choice sent official representatives to protest the event.

Students for Choice “generally focuses on proactive activism — that is, we mobilize on the behalf of choice initiatives rather than against anti-choice initiatives,” said Allison Pappas ’08, president of Brown Students for Choice.

Charles Bakst ’66, a political columnist for the Providence Journal,

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

said it was “not out of the norm” for a politician to attend an event like the January rally. But he added that the governor’s view on abortion differs from that of the “major politicians in Rhode Island,” such as Democratic Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

Democratic Rep. James Langevin said he is opposed to abortion.

“No other group that I know of has this degree of intimacy with the Governor and his family as the anti-choice folks (do),” Wood said.

Halpern said, adding that perhaps everyone is part of the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.

Students had mix reactions to Halpern’s speech.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came,” said Karen Kovalevich ’10, a religious studies concentrator. Though she said she “didn’t necessarily learn anything new,” as a member of the Darfur Action Network, “it was nice to see someone connecting activism and wisdom.”

Jon Mitchell ’09, a contemplative studies concentrator, said he found the lecture to be lackluster.

“I was sympathetic to his cause, but I was sort of disappointed with the substance of the talk,” he said.

“It seemed geared to people who are not very familiar with contemplative practice.”

Students hope for more clay and glaze on campus continued from page 5 ’09.

The visual arts department directs students at Brown interested in ceramics to a RISD pottery studio.

“Ceramics is low on our priority list because RISD has it,” Bostrom said. Cross-registration with RISD allows Brown students to take ceramics classes in a well-equipped studio.

“RISD has a great ceramics studio,” McKenna said. “But you’re not supposed to be in there when you’re not involved with a class.”

Access to the RISD potter y studio is more than what many of Brown’s peer institutions can offer.

For example, Yale students have limited access to a pottery studio, according to a Yale Web site.

But some of Brown’s other peer institutions do have ceramics programs. Harvard’s studio is extensive and open to the public, with 10,000 square feet of studio space.

Harvard also offers independent study credit for its recreational classes. Providence College has a ceramics major in its art and art history department.

One option for Brown students is to take classes at the Steel Yard, a local non-profit art space.

“The Steel Yard has ceramics,” McKenna said. “But it’s pretty far away and most of the programs are in the summer.”

Clinton adviser leads study group continued from page 1 dent Ricardo Lagos and former Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso, both professors-at-large, according to its Web site. It also plans to offer a session with public radio personality and Visiting Fellow of International Studies Christopher Lydon, Kirkman said. The institute hopes to “provide a real service to students with some of our high-profile visitors,” he said.

Former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee ’75, visiting fellow of international studies, was one of the first fellows to hold a student study group, Kirkman said. Students raved about the study groups, calling it a “great complement to theoretical classes,” he said.

Holbrooke had three similar

study groups last semester, said Miranda Fasulo, manager of planning and special programs at Watson.

The sessions are mostly discussionbased and students are welcome to ask questions, she said.

Holbrooke began a five-year term as professor-at-large last February. He visits campus about once a month, Kirkman said. The former ambassador also advises President Ruth Simmons as the University continues with its internationalization efforts, Kirkman said, calling Holbrooke a “great person to have.”

The institute hopes to engage Holbrooke with students in other ways as time goes on, Kirkman said.

“He’s very enthusiastic about students,” he added.

Student reaction to the study

group was positive. Christopher Hardy ’10 called it a “great first session with someone of Mr. Holbrooke’s stature and perspective,” adding that he did not think Holbrooke was “overtly partisan.”

“He defended his views but allowed us to challenge him,” Hardy added.

“I would have liked to see more students here,” Eric Dahlbom ’08.5 said. “I would have thought it would be packed.” Dahlbom added that he enjoyed Holbrooke’s discussion of the election and praised him for not letting the discussion get “out of control.”

Holbrooke will also participate in a debate with John Bolton, also former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. The event will be held in Salomon 101 on Feb. 21.

Gift card surcharges may go Simmons continued from page 3 CVS Pharmacy, which offers gift cards, because the stores do not rely on them for profit.

Some Thayer Street store owners said they support the bill.

Ann Dusseault, owner of Pie in the Sky, a novelty and gift shop, said she does not charge surcharges on her gift certificates.

“As a consumer myself, I’m in favor of the bill,” she said.

Instead of charging a surcharge, Spectrum India, a boutique, offers a 10-percent discount on gift certificates worth $100, said owner Jagdish Sachdev.

Sachdev said he is “absolutely” against surcharges, as they discourage customers from buying gift certificates.

U. program allows term in Cuba continued from page 1 ers’ views. It’s going to be a very involved experience.”

This first semester in Cuba comes at an interesting time. Students will be in in the country as it prepares for the 50th anniversary of its revolution — on Jan. 1, 2009.

“Cuba is in a moment of transition and in such a unique political context it will be a real eye opener,” said Esther Whitfield, assistant professor of comparative literature.

“Historically the Cuban revolution was a really important thing and living in Cuba the way it is now will be a really important experience.”

In addition to the academic opportunities available, the Brown students will attend three festivals that attract audiences from around the world — an international ballet festival, jazz festival and a Latin American film festival. Students will also take tours of the Cuban countr yside and have field visits incorporated into their classes.

“Cuba is a rather unique place

in terms of histor y, politics and culture,” Lopez-Denis said, “and a lot of it is going to be new and challenging for students.”

“The experience is going to be ver y unique because there is almost no other way for American citizens to get to Cuba,” he added.

Lopez-Denis, who said he benefited from programs like Brown’s when he was a student, said he believes the Brown program will inspire other universities to do the same.

“Academics are suffering from issues that are not of an academic nature,” he said. “I believe that for people in a situation like this, change can only be good and having more people talking and sharing can not be a problem.”

Cuba, Lopez-Denis said, is “a place that is ver y close and ver y far.”

“Some things are going to seem familiar,” he said, “and students will really wonder why we have the problems we have.”

to receive honorary degree continued from page 1 Wajda said Union also selected Simmons for her role in introducing engineering to the curriculum at Smith College, where Simmons was president from 1995 to 2001. He said that in 1845, Union became the first liberal arts college to incorporate engineering into its curriculum.

Wajda said it is a tradition “at any college commencement” to award the speaker with an honorary degree.

Simmons, who graduated from Dillard University in 1967 and received her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973, holds honorary degrees from more than 25 colleges, including Amherst College, Spelman College, Princeton and Dartmouth.

Since becoming the Ivy League’s first black president in 2001, Simmons has spoken at the commencement of another college or University every year.

In 2007, she was the commencement speaker at Spelman College, a historically black women’s college in Atlanta, Ga. She has also spoken at New York University, the University of Southern California and Washington University in St. Louis, among others.

W orld & n ation Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Democrats court John Edwards

By Shailagh Murray and Dan Balz Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Sens. Hillar y Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are aggressively courting former Democratic presidential rival John Edwards, but their attempts to win his endorsement will be put on hold for at least another day.

Clinton made a clandestine visit to Edwards’s North Carolina home last Thursday to ask for the support of the former senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee. Obama had planned to make the same trip Monday night, but a conflict arose and the two had to reschedule the meeting, Obama campaign aides said. Both candidates have remained in regular contact with Edwards since he withdrew from the race two weeks ago, and each has vowed to carry on his anti-poverty crusade while quietly vying for his backing.

Although Edwards did not win a Democratic caucus or primar y, he developed a strong following among working-class white voters with his vow to close corporate tax loopholes that encourage companies to shift jobs overseas.

As a campaign surrogate, Edwards could provide Clinton or Obama with an important edge in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, the three biggest contests ahead.

Where Edwards stands in the Clinton-Obama showdown remains a mystery, even among members of his inner circle. The former senator gained wide attention with his fier y speeches and strong debate performances, but his message of economic populism did not eaxpand his support at the polls.

A series of weak finishes in the early contests left him detached and frustrated before he dropped out of the race on Jan. 30.

Still, Edwards has a high profile after two White House bids, and his endorsement is likely to generate as much media attention as did Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s decision to back Obama late last month. Only a nod from Al Gore would carr y more clout, but most Democratic of ficials expect the former vice president to remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

After a debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last month, Edwards and Clinton held a 20-minute closed-door meeting that set off a buzz among Democratic operatives even before it ended. But Edwards also spoke at length with Obama by telephone after the Nevada caucuses. Obama told reporters last Thursday that he “had ongoing conversations” with Edwards, but he declined to offer details about the nature of their discussions.

Page 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

CBS journalists kidnapped in southern Iraq

By Amit R. Paley Washington Post

BAGHDAD — Two CBS News journalists have been kidnapped in the southern city of Basra and remain missing, Iraqi officials said Monday.

The journalists, a British citizen and an Iraqi, were taken from their hotel late Sunday night by about 20 armed men wearing the uniforms of Iraq’s security services, according to Brig. Gen. Jalil Khahlaf, the provincial police chief. He said authorities did not know the condition of the journalists and had not been contacted by the kidnappers, whose identities were unknown.

“All efforts are underway to find them,” CBS News said in a threesentence statement. A network spokeswoman said she would not comment on the account given by Iraqi police and asked news outlets not to report the missing journalists’ names or jobs.

In Baghdad, a pair of car bombers killed at least 14 people Monday in a coordinated attack on the U.S.-backed Awakening movement, made up of Sunni tribesmen who have turned against insurgents, Iraqi police said.

The assault, which left at least 45 people wounded, was the latest in a wave of killings aimed at the tribesmen and was one of the deadliest car bombing incidents in Baghdad in months.

The target appeared to be the headquarters of Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman, a leader of the Awakening movement.

In an interview an hour after the blasts, Suleiman said he was enraged that the U.S. military was not doing more to protect the Awakening fighters. The explosion, which destroyed much of his compound, killed or injured several of Suleiman’s guards but left him with only minor wounds from flying glass.

“Where is the support of the Americans for us? They put us in this dilemma and now they are doing nothing for us,” said Suleiman, who is also prince of the Dulaimis, one of the largest tribes in Iraq. “If they don’t do something about this, then we may decide to withdraw our forces from the streets.”

“Tell Bush: Great work,” he added sarcastically.

Suleiman said a suicide bomber speeding down the street exploded a car near a guard station in front of his compound, killing primarily

his own security team. That blast was set off shortly before noon.

A second bomb, which exploded four minutes later, detonated a few hundred yards away near a gas station.

Meanwhile, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament warned that the political wrangling holding up passage of this year’s budget could have serious consequences.

“If the parliament goes on in this manner, then its usefulness will be doubted,” said the speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni. “This might lead to the whole collapse of the state.”

The discord over the budget has centered primarily on funding for the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

In recent years, the regional government there has received 17 percent of the total budget. But many Shiite and Sunni lawmakers believe that the Kurds make up as little as 13 percent of the country’s population, and so should only receive that fraction of government spending.

The Kurds also want the Iraqi military to fund payments for the pesh merga, the fighters in their region, while the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants them to be funded out of the

allocation earmarked for the Kurdish regional government.

The current draft law calls for the Kurdish region to receive 17 percent of the budget, and for a census to be taken this year to determine the percentage of Kurds in Iraq. Future allocations would then be pegged to that figure. The proposed legislation would call for al-Maliki and the Kurdish government to resolve the issue of pesh merga funding.

Kurds have been furious in recent days that the vote on the budget continues to be delayed. Rumors circulated in parliament that the Kurds would walk out, though the leader of the Kurdish bloc, Fouad Masoum, said no decision had been made to do so.

“Why are we not voting?” asked Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker. “This is a parliament. We are supposed to vote on laws. If we don’t, what is the point of being here?”

Also on Monday, the U.S. military announced that one soldier was killed and two others were wounded in northern Iraq on Sunday, after their vehicles were struck by a roadside bomb. No further details were released.

Number of American Hispanics will triple by 2050

By N.C. Aizenman Washington Post

The number of Hispanics in the United States will triple by 2050 and represent nearly 30 percent of the population if current trends continue, according to a report released Monday.

The study by the nonpartisan, Washington-based Pew Research Center also found that nearly one in five Americans will be foreign ­— born in 2050, compared with about one in eight today. Asian Americans, representing 5 percent of the population today, are expected to boost their share to 9 percent.

Blacks are projected to maintain their current 13 percent share.

Non-Hispanic whites will still be the nation’s largest group, but they will drop from 67 percent of U.S. residents to 47 percent.

Overall, the U.S. population will increase by 47 percent from 296 million in 2005 to 438 million by 2050, with newly arriving immigrants accounting for 47 percent of the rise, and their U.S.-born children and grandchildren representing another 35 percent.

Authors of the study, which roughly tracks similar analyses by the Census Bureau and other sources, cautioned that their findings are projections based on immigration and demographic trends that may change.

Nonetheless, the report offers an intriguing picture of the possible long-term effects of the immigration

surge that began after 1965, when Congress abolished a quota system that had nearly ended immigration from non-European countries since the 1920s.

Because of a declining birthrate among U.S.-born women, immigrants and their U.S.-born children and grandchildren already account for most of the nation’s population increase over the last several decades. The study projects that by 2025, the foreign-born share of the population will surpass the peak recorded during the wave of immigration that occurred between 1860 and 1920, when foreign-born residents represented as much as 15 percent of the U.S. population.

But the study’s authors said that immigration will do little to offset the more than doubling of the nation’s elderly population as baby boomers age. By 2050, people older than 65 will make up 19 percent of the population, compared with 12 percent in 2005, while the share of working-age people will shrink from 63 percent to 58 percent.

This translates into a sharp rise in the “dependency ratio” of working-age people, compared with the number of young and elderly.

Today, there are about 59 children or elderly people per 100 workingage adults. By 2050, that figure will increase to 72 dependents per 100 working-age adults.

Though advocates of immigration have suggested that the newcomers can help offset the pressure boomers put on Social Security, the

report indicates that even if immigration were reduced by 50 percent, the dependency ratio would change only from 72 dependents to 75 per 100 working-age adults.

Those who oppose allowing immigration to continue at its current pace interpreted the findings as vindication. “These numbers underline the fact that immigration is not a solution to the aging of the population,” said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors further limits on immigration. “And then we need to ask ourselves if we want the 100 million more people immigration

will bring. Do you want 80 million more cars on the road, or 40 million homes occupying what’s now open space?”

But at a news conference to announce the report Monday, coauthors D’Vera Cohn and Jeffrey Passel declined to draw policy conclusions. They also noted that even if their projections are accurate, the social implications may be different by 2050: Given the high rate of intermarriage between Latinos and members of other ethnic groups, many descendants of today’s Latinos may not even identify as such.

“Isaac L. Goff, the real estate man, has presented to the student body a brown and white burro, to be used as a mascot at the Harvard game, Saturday. The animal is valued at $100 and will arrive from Colorado Springs this morning.”

- From The Herald, Oct. 24, 1902 regarding a mascot for Brown’s sport’s teams Source: Martha Mitchell, Encyclopedia Brunoniana

Page 8

Tolkein estate sues New Line

By Thomas S. Mulligan Los Angeles Times

The charitable trust of “Lord of the Rings” creator J.R.R. Tolkien sued New Line Cinema Corp. on Monday for allegedly cheating it out of at least $150 million from the blockbuster movie trilogy based on the late British author’s fantasy sagas.

The London-based Tolkien Trust said in its complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, that under a 1969 contract with the studio that held thea original rights to the work, the trust and other plaintiffs were entitled to 7.5 percent of gross receipts, “less certain expenses,” from the films and related products. According to the suit, worldwide grosses from the trilogy have reached nearly $6 billion.

The studio declined comment Monday, spokesman Robert Pini said, citing a New Line policy against discussing “matters in litigation.”

Bonnie Eskenazi, a Los Angeles lawyer representing the Tolkien Trust and co-plaintiff HarperCollins publishers, said the studio had taken the position that the trust was owed nothing.

New Zealander Peter Jackson, who directed the megahit series, was embroiled in his own lawsuit against New Line, but the parties settled in December, clearing the way for Jackson to be co-executive producer of “The Hobbit.” “Hobbit” will be adapted from Tolkien’s novel of the same title, which preceded the “Rings” trilogy.

In addition to $150 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages, the trust seeks to terminate New Line’s rights, which would bring “The Hobbit” to a halt.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Military seeks death penalty in September 11 cases

By David Wood Baltimore Sun

Military prosecutors Monday announced murder and conspiracy charges against six Guantanamo detainees accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and said they would seek the death penalty in each case.

The charges are the first against defendants accused of direct participation in the attacks. The ultimate mastermind and financier of the terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden, was not charged.

The detailed charges unveiled Monday were the first step in what officials acknowledged will be a long and contentious legal drama.

If the charges are approved, they will be heard in an unusual joint military trial at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The court proceedings will not be televised, but the public will be allowed access to the courtroom for most of the sessions, a Pentagon lawyer said. The lawyer, Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, said it would take at least until this summer and probably longer for the trial to get under way as prosecutors and defense attorneys struggle to clear away a tangle of legal issues, including the admissibility of evidence obtained under torture.

The most senior suspect in detention, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has confessed to planning several terrorist operations, including the 2001 attacks. But the CIA director, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, acknowledged last week that the agency used such interrogation

techniques as “waterboarding,” or forced near-drowning, on Mohammed.

At least one other defendant, Mohammed al-Qahtani, has asserted he was subjected to abusive interrogation.

Under military rules, the prosecution charges will be reviewed by a senior military judge to determine whether there is probable cause to refer the charges to trial. If so, the case will be heard by a jury of at least 12 military officers.

Issues such as the admissibility of evidence obtained under torture “will be decided in the courtroom among the prosecutors and defense in front of the military judge,” said Hartmann.

He is the legal adviser to the Pentagon’s military commissions, which were authorized by Congress in 2006 to hear terrorismrelated cases.

Briefing reporters at the Pentagon on Monday, Hartmann insisted the accused will receive the legal rights “that are virtually identical to the rights we provide to our military members, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who fight on the battlefield.”

Unlike the senior officers tried by the U.S. and its allies at Nuremberg after World War II, Hartmann said, the terrorism defendants will have full right of appeal, including to U.S. civilian courts and, ultimately, to the Supreme Court.

Represented by militar y lawyers, they also will have the right to hire civilian lawyers at their own expense, to cross-examine witnesses, to obtain evidence and to call their own witnesses -- potentially including bin Laden himself.

These and other rights “are spe-

cifically designed to ensure that every defendant receives a fair trial, consistent with American standards of justice,” said Hartmann. “The accused are and will remain innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

But the militar y justice procedures sit uneasily with some Americans touched by the 9/11 tragedy.

“I’m very concerned about the waterboarding and other methods that may have been used,” said Patrice Pascual, a Silver Spring, Md., resident who had close friends aboard American Airlines Flight 77 that was crashed into the southwest side of the Pentagon.

“I think back to the people we continue to mourn who were rational, principled people who lost their lives in a horrific crime, but who would never have wanted to see the dismantling of the legal system or some of the other outcomes that have come from pursuing vengeance,” Pascual said.

“All the secrecy and waterboarding, I think, has put this country into a kind of barbaric stance,” she said.

In a statement Monday, Human Rights Watch called for the trials of the six to be moved into U.S. federal court.

“It is time for the United States to start rebuilding its moral authority and credibility,” Jennifer Daskal, the organization’s senior counterterrorism counsel, said in the statement.

“Possibly putting someone to death based on evidence obtained through waterboarding, or after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation while being forced into painful stress positions, is not the answer,”

she said.

Besides Mohammed, the accused are: Walid bin Attash, alleged to have helped train and prepare the hijackers; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who ran the al-Qaida cell in Hamburg, Germany, and who was unable to get a visa into the United States to join the other hijackers; Ali Abdul al-Aziz, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi and Mohammed al-Qahtani, all of whom are said to have played critical supporting roles in what the conspirators called “the plane operation.”

According to an 88-page charge sheet, which lists the name of every 9/11 victim, prosecutors say Mohammed met with bin Laden in 1966 in Afghanistan to outline a plan to crash hijacked airliners into buildings in the United States, a plan bin Laden ultimately approved.

The hijackers were trained to slit passengers’ throats with knives by practicing on sheep, goats and camels, according to the charges.

The militar y commissions, revised by Congress after the Supreme Court ruled the initial version unconstitutional, have formally charged only four alleged terrorists. Trials for Omar Khadr, a 21-year-old Canadian accused of murdering an American soldier, and Salim Hamdan, a 37-year-old Yemeni accused of conspiracy, are scheduled for May. Mohammed Jawad, a 23-year-old Afghan, is charged with attempted murder. Australian David Hicks, the only person convicted by the military commissions, pleaded guilty in 2007 and was released after serving his nine-month sentence.

Travelers to Europe may face fingerprinting

By Ellen Nakashima and John Ward Anderson Washington Post

The European Commission will propose Wednesday that all foreign travelers into and out of Europe, including U.S. citizens, should be fingerprinted. If approved by the European Parliament, the measure would mean that precisely identifying information on tens of millions of citizens will be added in coming years to databases that could be shared by friendly governments around the globe.

The United States already requires that foreigners be fingerprinted and photographed before they can enter the country. So does Japan. Now top European security officials want to follow suit, with travelers being fingerprinted and some also having their facial image stored in a Europe-wide database, according to a copy of the proposal obtained by The Washington Post.

The plan is part of a vast and growing trend — especially across the Atlantic — to collect and share data electronically for the purposes of tracking and identifying people in the name of national security and immigration control. U.S. government computers now have access to data on financial transactions; air travel details such as name, itinerary and credit card numbers; and the names of those sending and receiving express-mail packages _ even a description of the contents.

“It’s the only way to be really sure about identifying people,” said

a European Commission official familiar with the new fingerprinting plan. “With biometric data, it’s much easier to track people and know who has come in and who has gone out, including possible terrorists,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.

The timing and logistics of the plan remain uncertain, but it would probably not start for at least another year. The fingerprints would probably be taken upon arrival and then checked against a database, the official said. That, initially at least, would mean airports where fingerprints would be scanned electronically, the European official said.

“It seems like a steamroller,” said Sophie in ‘t Veld, a Dutch member of parliament who closely follows privacy and security issues. “There is a new trend in particular in the U.S., the E.U. and Australia to register every single detail of our life. We’re tagged. They can follow everything we do. They know where we are.

The whole question is, what for?

Does this actually make the world a safer place?”

The Bush administration says it does.

“Not only do we support these measures, we applaud them,” said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

“Measures like fingerprint and passenger-data collection can disrupt the ability of terrorists to move easily across international borders.

They also serve to protect American citizens traveling overseas.”

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Shaq goes west: The good and bad of O’Neal’s trade continued from page 12 a half have seen Shaq’s production plummet across the board, during which time Kobe Bryant’s former running mate put up career lows in points, rebounds, and blocks.

Plagued by injuries, Shaq played in only 32 of 46 possible contests for the Heat this season, averaging 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.

In Marion, the Suns are losing one of the saaviest and most multitalented players in the NBA. With his ability to defend quick guards and strong power for wards with equal success, Marion is a rare asset as a lockdown defender. On offense, Marion combines terrific perimeter quickness, clutch precision shooting and a unique feel for the game into one of the NBA’s most complete offensive skill-sets. Marion is also a great rebounder for a player of his size (6-7, 230 lbs), posting an average of 10 boards per game over the course of nine NBA seasons.

Along with Nash, Marion has been instrumental in shaping the Suns’ playing style — and, in effect, the team’s collective identity.

As such, Marion’s move to the Heat encapsulates the Suns’ desire to adapt and change.

As Kerr’s trade demonstrates, there is an increasing urgency among elite teams to “win now” (sports speak for winning a championship this season), an urgency that has transformed the landscape of the NBA’s free agency market. With the respective contracts of Nash and Amare due to expire in two years, the pressure is on the Suns’ management to supply Nash with the pieces

needed to complete the journey to the promised land, even if doing so requires Coach Mike D’Antoni to tweak his gameplan.

In the wake of the trade, the question that casual fans and ESPN pundits alike find themselves pondering centers around the issue of cohesion on the court. The problem, of course, is that the Suns’ style of play — scripted by D’Antoni and executed by gutsy point guard Steve Nash—is predicated on a high scoring, up-tempo fast-break attack. The fact is that Shaq is not the svelte, agile, efficient player he used to be: He is slower on defense, less explosive on the block, and less effective as a passer. Can Shaq be a force in such a non-traditional offense — or even survive 30 minutes of fast-break basketball night in and night out? In my estimation, the answer is no.

Still, we should be cautious in questioning Kerr’s judgment. I was born and raised in Chicago, so perhaps I am biased towards the Suns’ savvy general manager. After all, the physically unimposing marksman was one of the best pure shooters ever during his tenure with the Chicago Bulls, including the team’s second three-peat championship run of the 1990s. Tributes to Kerr aside, the question remains as to whether Amare and Marion could have survived the grind and physicality of three seven-game series against the likes of the Laker’s Pau Gasol, the Jazz’s Carlos Boozer, the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, or the Rockets’ Yao Ming. Once again, I believe that the answer is no. Defending Tim Duncan for three games spread over the course of four months is entirely different from defending Duncan

for seven games over a two-week stretch. Amare is a beast, yet he still needs an elite center like Shaq to help him shoulder the burden on defense.This is the crucial point: The Suns’ prospects for winning the title were limited given the roster’s dearth of post players prior to the Shaq trade. The Diesel has lost quickness on his drop step and gotten fatter around the cheekbones, to be sure, yet he remains a towering intimidator in the painted area.

To paraphrase my father’s favorite basketball maxim, you can’t teach 7-foot-1, 325 pounds.

Shaq possesses few of the skills that made Marion so valuable to the Suns, yet role players such as wily veteran Raja Bell and emerging youngsters Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa each have Marionesque attributes. In the 6-foot-5 Bell, the Suns have a defensive-minded big guard who can slow down point guards like Chris Paul of the Hornets and Deron Williams of the Jazz, as well as bigger perimeter players like Kobe and Josh Howard of the Mavericks.

Were he to become less unselfish and shoot more, Diaw could cement his place as an emerging star at the small forward position. The streaky Barbosa is a deadly marksman from behind the arc. Taken together, Bell, Diaw and Barbosa are more than capable of compensating for Marion’s departure. For this reason, the Suns don’t need Shaq to play 40 minutes and score 25 points every game. In fact, they don’t even need him to match Marion’s production.

Although D’Antoni and Nash may have reservations about modifying the Suns’ gameplan in order to complement Shaq’s skill set, the

Diesel will, in my judgment, make the Suns more versatile and accelerate Amare’s development. The latter is the central point. The sky is the limit for Shaq’s freakishly athletic understudy; Shaq will no doubt provide an upward boost if he plays within the system.

With Shaq controlling the low block and guarding players like Duncan and Yao for 20 minutes, Amare will be able to freelance more on the defensive end. With freedom to roam, Amare will become more disruptive as a shotblocker, less of a defensive liability and less susceptible to foul trouble. More importantly, Shaq’s presence in the interior on offense will allow Amare to patrol the high post (where he prefers to operate) and, in the process, improve his mid-range, face-up game.

What’s more, the two-pronged attack on the interior will force defenses to collapse on Shaq and Amare in the low-post, in effect creating open three-point shots for the Suns’ deadly perimeter trio of Nash, Barbosa and Bell. Ultimately Shaq’s arrival provides a short-term solution to the Sun’s front court deficiencies.

But at the same time, Marion’s departure has opened the door for the Sun’s talented supporting cast to step into the spotlight. Even if things don’t go well, the Diesel should have no problem winning a spot in the next installment of Dancing with Stars. After all, who wouldn’t want to watch a big man with good footwork waltz around with other washedout entertainers? My vote for his partner: fellow ex-Laker employee, Paula Abdul.

M. tennis takes down URI, Binghamton; loses to Va. Tech continued from page 12 was yelling, “Come on!” to fire himself up for his match.

“It was definitely a big match for us today,” Ratnam said. “I was nervous going into it. There was a lot on the line and the doubles point is crucial — and unfortunately we came up a little short.”

Whether missing the victor y by a little or a lot, the Bears didn’t capitalize on numerous opportunities in their matches. The first loss came at No. 3 doubles with the usual pairing of co-captain Noah Gardner ’09 and Sam Garland ’09 dropping their match quickly, 8-5. To tie up the doubles battle, the successful new pairing of No. 2 doubles Jon Pearlman ’11 and co-captain Saurabh Kohli ’08 grabbed an 8-4 easy victory.

But with the doubles point riding on the outcome of No. 1 doubles team Ratnam and Lee, the duo faltered.

They were unable to close a lead against Virginia Tech and ultimately fell in a tiebreaker, 8-6. With so many opportunities, it wasn’t a lack of talent that caused the loss, but rather an inability to capitalize on the moments needed to clinch the match.

“We let our level down and our opponents picked up theirs,” Lee said. “We didn’t take our opportunities and that’s what (Head) Coach (Jay) Harris talked about during our huddle before singles — we need to take the opportunities given to us and grab the victory.”

With that in mind, Lee came out on fire in his singles match, grabbing one of the only victories of the day at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-0. Pearlman followed with another victory at No. 3 singles, breezing through his opponent, 6-2, 6-2.

But the success stopped there, as

the Hokies then dominated the Bears for the remaining matches. At No. 1 singles, Kohli dropped a close match in a tiebreaker at 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). Gardner posted numerous winners but an equal amount of unforced errors culminated in his 6-4, 6-4 loss.

The Bears, having already lost the match, seemed to step up play in No. 5 and No. 6 singles as though they were on a mission to prove their worth to a top team. But injuries and cramps plagued Garland at No. 5 singles, contributing to his loss at 6-7, 6-4, (10-6). Inexperience showed at the No. 6 singles with Kendrick Au ’11 dropping his match in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.

The team was definitely down, but not out yet. Sunday morning brought two new opponents, Binghamton and URI. Starting off extremely flat and sluggish, the Bears seemed to have lost the fire and intensity they exhibited against the Hokies only the night before. Harris let the team know that there was a silver lining to their loss against Virginia Tech. He emphasized the opportunity the Bears had to rebound from a tough loss and bounce back by claiming a victory, or two, less than 12 hours later.

“When we lost to Virginia Tech, we lost our energy with that match,” said Charlie Posner ’11. “Our priority against Binghamton and URI was to bounce back, bring a lot of energy and good play. There wouldn’t be a lot of fans here today, so we had to focus on it ourselves, and I think we did a pretty good job with that.”

Although a little flat, the Bears pulled off a doubles sweep against their first opponent for the day, Binghamton. At No. 1 doubles, Lee and Kohli played like true veterans, winning, 8-4. Ratnam and Garland showed no signs of struggle by

pulling out a quick 8-2 win. At No. 3 doubles, the surprise pairing of Posner with Gardner was a closer match, winning in tiebreaker, 8-7 (7-0). The addition of Posner to today’s lineup boosted the team’s morale and energy back to necessary levels.

“We have a very diverse freshman class,” Au said. “We all have something different to offer that coincides with the team really well — Charlie brings the effort and the energy this team needs to build us up on and off the court.”

That energy was apparent when entering singles play, as the Bears quickly grabbed the win over Binghamton. At No. 1 singles, Lee took the first set, 6-4, and snatched the victory when Binghamton retired because of a medical injury. Kohli at No. 2 singles was finally on the victorious side of a close match, winning in tiebreaker 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).

To grab the victory for the Bears, Pearlman dominated his No. 3 singles match, winning, 6-0, 6-0. The only two losses of the day came at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, as Gardner dropped, 3-6, 3-6, and Posner fell in his first singles match of the season 5-7, 6-4, (10-8). Still on the court, Au didn’t need the victory to aid in Brown’s win, but he continued to play hard and pulled out the victory, 6-4, 6-0.

“In this program, Coach harps on the fact that every match counts,” Au said. “We want to fight for every position, if it’s already over or the deciding match is on you, we try to give our all every single point in every single match.”

And they did, for one more match against URI. The Rams brought a large crowd to Brown, but the veteran Bears weren’t fazed by opposing fan antics and quickly wrapped up the victory, 7-0.

In doubles play, the teaming of Ratnam and Lee marked the first win of the match in tiebreaker, 8-7 (7-4).

Harris decided to give the veterans a well-deserved rest and allow the new class to grab experience in doubles play. At No. 2 doubles, Posner and Garland contributed a 8-6 win as Au and Cody Simmons ’10 easily swept the doubles point with the victory, 8-3.

The Rams were no match for the Bears in singles play as Bruno only dropped one set in six matches. At No. 1 singles, Pearlman clinched a 6-2, 6-2 victory. At No. 2, Kohli won, 6-1, 6-1.

No. 3 and No. 5 singles followed as Au finished the victory for the Bears at 6-4, 6-4 and Posner won 6-2, 6-2. Ratnam marked his first singles match of the weekend with an easy victory, 6-4, 6-2. Simmons, at No. 6 singles, finished the sweep with a 6-3, 3-6, (10-6) win.

As 10 o’clock struck Sunday night, the Bears were tired and frozen from head to toe, with each player wrapped in ice packs around seemingly every muscle, joint and ligament in their bodies. As they trudged off to their respective homes and finally ate something more substantial than a granola bar, the Bears are already strategizing and thinking for their next match this weekend at No. 11 Wake Forest.

“We need to realize that we grabbed two wins this weekend, we played hard and should be proud,” Garland said. “Virginia Tech came in with a lot of energy, and we need to respond by going to Wake Forest with that same energy and grab another win. They aren’t going to be expecting much from us, so we need to go out, work them, energize them and pull off a big upset.”

M. icers to play Clarkson, St. Lawrence continued from page 12 Garbutt ’09 cut the deficit to 3-2 after picking up a rebound off a shot from Paul Baier ’08, but that was as close as the Bears would come.

On Sunday, Brown again came out with a strong defensive effort, holding Quinnipiac to a mere two shots in the opening 10 minutes. With 1:12 left in the period, though, Quinnipiac’s Mike Atkinson got a clear look at the goal and sent a shot under Rosen’s leg to put the Bobcats up 1-0.

Rosen’s goal-tending kept it a close game in the second period, despite Quinnipiac’s two power plays and 15 shots.

Meanwhile, the Bears got off just seven shots on goal, and the game stayed 1-0 going into the final period.

The Bobcats expanded their lead 3:42 into the period, scoring on a three-on-two attack, and added another goal in the final minute, with Rosen pulled from the net. Throughout the third period, Quinnipiac goalie Bud Fisher continued to stonewall Brown, and the game ended with the score at 3-0.

“In the first period, we were right there with them, even outplaying them,” Rosen said. “In the second and third periods it was like a different team came out on the ice for us. We let them dictate play again, and they over whelmed us at times.”

Br uno’s of fensive str uggles came as a disappointment to the team, which showed a burst of offense in the previous weekend’s games, scoring four goals against both Harvard and Dartmouth. The Bears will face tough competition this coming weekend when they face off on Friday night against Clarkson (16-9-3 Overall, 11-3-2 ECAC), ranked No. 11 on United States College Hockey Organization’s Web site. They will return to the ice Saturday night to play St. Lawrence (10-14-4, 5-9-2). But Brown had strong road showings against both of these teams earlier in the year, tying St. Lawrence 4-4 and losing narrowly, 4-2, to Clarkson, so the Bears will take to the ice at home this weekend with confidence.

“Things have been clicking more than they had been earlier in the season … and everyone’s pretty confident heading into this weekend’s games,” Rosen said. “We know what we’re capable of, now it’s just a matter of making sure that the same strong, confident team comes out for the whole game.”

E ditorial & L etters Page 10

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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

Touching the past On a rare excursion from our newsroom, a group of Herald editors and writers trotted through the Sunday wind to the University archives at the John Hay Library, in which two-and-a-half centuries of College Hill history are stored in diaries, tapes, photos and notes. Even the most curious among us had spent little or no time in this corner of the library. While we’ve canvassed most of campus for stories, we needed a tour from a University archivist to get our bearings there.

We browsed pictures of our former live bear mascots, which were staples at football games for most of the last century. We laughed as we flipped through a century-old issue of our own paper, in which the weekly orchestra rehearsal made front-page news. We perused the oldest Corporation records, and were reminded that, even generously adjusted for inflation, our $312 budget for financial aid in 1897 shows we’ve come a long way since.

Looking into the University’s past reminded us of its rich history and also of its uglier sides. We read of President William Faunce, class of 1880, resisting coeducation at Brown. We saw old pictures of The Herald’s editorial staff — all white, male and mustachioed.

Students can easily spend four years on College Hill without ever stepping into the Hay, and it’s even easier — nearly a given — for many never to wander into the small corner room brimming with filing cabinets and memories. We donned the white gloves to handle one of the tens of thousands of photos donated by alums that are now filed away in the archives’ cabinets, knowing we were likely the first and last person to touch it for years.

It’s a quieter part of campus. While College Hill is known for being dynamic — with a new building here and naked students there — the archives serve instead as a place for pensive reflection.

Certainly, covering breaking news stories gets any reporter’s heart pumping. Running toward gunshot sounds at the Rock — even if it turns out to have been a stone from a slingshot — is an exciting chase.

But a departure from the immediacy of the newsroom to peek into the timelessness of the archives refreshed our sense of context. In the age of e-everything, actually putting our hands on our University’s history — thumbing photos of old dorm room interiors and squinting at swirly handwriting in student diaries — was a real treat.

The historical memory of the Brown community is invaluable. We hope that, a century from now, The Herald’s 218th editorial board will make a similar trip to look at the University’s archives, and that it will also be able to peer at its past to measure its present.

J on G uyer

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

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, Alex Unger, Designers Kim Arredondo, Paula Armstrong, Ayelet Brinn, Joyce Ji, Copy Editors Michael Bechek, Chaz Kelsh, George Miller, Joanna Wohlmuth , 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 ct i o n s In an article in Monday’s Herald (“Professors strap on their dancing shoe,” Feb. 11), Professor of Biology Gary Wessel’s partner was referred to, in some places, as Hilary Anderson. In fact, her name is Hilary Johnson ’09.

An article in Monday’s Herald (“Faunce House renovation to begin in summer 2009,” Feb. 11) incorrectly stated that the Student Activities Office will be moving permanently from Faunce House to J. Walter Wilson this summer. The SAO will remain in Faunce.

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 Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Page 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Conservative always, Republican sometimes Sean Quigley Opinions Columnist This past weekend, several fellow students and I attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference itself was rather stimulating, and my time there reached a crescendo when former Speaker of the House Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., delivered a speech concerning the upcoming election and the future of the Republican Party as it continues with its identity crisis.

His most penetrating remark came when he declared, emphatically, that the conservative movement must separate itself, in theory if not always in practice, from the Republican Party. Speaker Gingrich is absolutely right, and as a conservative who is affiliated with the Republican Party for practical reasons I hold his audacity in high regard. After all, those party elites who take the conservative vote for granted, then proceed to govern as quasi-statists, certainly did not appreciate his candor.

Since I am writing for a Brown audience that is likely to be overwhelmingly liberal (in the modern sense of the word) the idea that Republicans are not always conservatives (and vice versa) may be a foreign idea. Readers may be surprised to learn that one of the harshest criticisms that many right-of-center people have for President Bush is that he is not conservative enough.

The following comprise only part of the list of conservative grievances that have piled up for the past seven years: the ballooning size of the federal government; the deification of the federal Department of Education (which conservatives have sought to abolish for generations); a Trotskyite, democracyspreading agenda; and an attempted blow to

our national sovereignty through support for the Law of the Sea Treaty — which, despite the President’s efforts, will likely be defeated in the Senate.

President Bush, while at times admirable, is not a conservative. On the contrary, he is a Republican who has given conservatives a bad name because both he and the media seem to regard his political philosophy as conservatism, and because genuine conser-

must be adapted to particular circumstances and present scenarios. Among those principles are that ever y person has the right to self-rule; that this right derives from the Supreme Being, and not from government; that mankind possesses a fallen nature; that this nature demands that power be diffused, not centralized; that government (though not community or society) is a necessar y evil, created solely to guarantee a few basic

Conservatives have failed to explain that their principles merely happen to overlap more often with the goals of the Republican Party than with those of the Democratic Party. There is nothing intrinsic about the relationship between conservatism and the Republican Party. vatives have not adequately distinguished between the two. Moreover, and more importantly, conservatives have failed to explain that their principles merely happen to overlap more often with the goals of the Republican Party than with those of the Democratic Party. There is nothing intrinsic about the relationship between conservatism and the Republican Party.

Conservatism is essentially a disposition based on several eternal principles which

protections; that private property is inextricably linked to liberty; that virtue can only be achieved through moral choice; that families educate and raise children better than the State; that the local is preferable to the federal; that cultures differing from one’s own possess worth and demand respect, even if they may not be equal to one’s own; that war is wretched, but an inseparable part of human nature; and that politics demand restrained prudence and deference to history, not fanati-

cal idealism and radical declarations.

In scrutinizing the actions of the Bush administration and many Republican elected officials, it becomes clear that neither is completely, or even tolerably, conservative. The Real ID Act of 2005, recently discussed in Congress, is perhaps the most unconservative piece of legislation passed in the last few years.

Of paramount importance is the fact that seventeen states have passed resolutions expressing disapproval of this federal statute, and twenty-three states have similar legislation pending. Thirty-eight states, mind you, are enough to pass a constitutional amendment, provided that the two houses of Congress voted with a two-thirds majority against the act. An over whelming majority of the states, that is, are acting to keep the federal government at bay — reifying one of the keenest conservative instincts.

It must plainly be stated that conservatism is utterly incompatible with a belief that the federal government should be aggrandized in the realm of civilian personal identification.

This is particularly true when the federal government bullies states into compliance by penalizing the citizens of those states who refuse to accept this startling break with historical convention.

However, the ideology of a party is more transient, and at this point in time the Republican Party is generally the party which seeks, via statutes, centralization over diffusion, radical new security measures over customar y liberty and federal power over local control.

The Real ID Act of 2005 is just one example of where the principles of conservatism and the ideology of the Republican Party conflict.

The future of conser vatism hinges on the recognition of other critical differences.

Sean Quigley ’10 is dangerously close to enlisting as a foot soldier in the Ron Paul Revolution

Show up and make a change

BY Sarah Saxton-Frump Guest Columnist Every night at 10 p.m., my roommate and I make ourselves a cup of tea and hop up on our kitchen counter. In these “counter talks, ” Sandra and I chat — about boys (still), living on the border, where the best tacos are, and most importantly, our students. “How are you making your tests VERF?” “How are you differentiating for your ESL students?” “How’s mastery for TEKS1B going?”

I didn’t even know what those questions meant six months ago. Now, in my second semester of teaching World Geography to 150 freshmen on the Texas-Mexico border, I know the answers. Sixty percent of my students are ESL. If nothing changes, half of them will drop out of high school by the time they’re 18. I suspect only 35 of those graduates will go on to college; maybe five will leave Brownsville.

Nonetheless, I set a goal for my students.

All my ninth-graders — including those who can’t speak English or read at a fourth-grade level — will get an 80 percent or higher on our end-of-year exam. Passing this rigorous test will ensure that my students are on grade level and equipped to compete with tenth graders of any socioeconomic background.

When I began teaching on Aug. 27, I spent two weeks having fun with my students. We checked our clothing labels to learn how interconnected the world is. We read Dr. Seuss.

We set personal goals for the year.

Two weeks later, I graded their diagnostic exams — basic tests to check for map skills and knowledge they should have acquired over eight years of schooling. In the middle of grading my third period, I threw down my grading marker. My students couldn’t read a basic thematic map. Many couldn’t tell me where Europe was; others couldn’t even tell me which way north was. In three years, these students would be taking the SAT, applying to

2008, ordered afternoon tea at the Ritz, and “walked” around Auschwitz. We debated the Kyoto Protocol. We brought turkeys and potatoes from Latin America to Europe to illustrate diffusion.

On their midterm exam, 73 percent of my students scored an 80 percent or higher. I am extraordinarily proud of the progress my students have made in one semester. There are still 41 students who need a tremendous

As I thought about “life after Brown,” I had about 15 plans. Teach For America was maybe third in line, but I am grateful it’s the path I took, in spite of all the horror stories and criticisms I heard before joining. college, and stepping into a world that does not dole out second chances at summer school.

Horrified, I stopped grading and started planning.

I taught my students population density by cramming them into 16 square feet after “zombies” invaded my classroom and built “Student-Death Zones.” We went on EuroTrip

amount of help to reach our big goal, but they are committed to it, and so am I. The dedication and patience required to teach in a low-income, at-risk school are qualities I was not sure I possessed at the end of my senior year. As I thought about “life after Brown,” I had about 15 plans. Teach For America was maybe third in line, but I am

grateful it’s the path I took, in spite of all the horror stories and criticisms I heard before joining. Yes, many of the criticisms were true.

As a new TFA hire, I had never taught a class before. I had trained for only six hellish weeks.

Even now I stick out like a sore, white thumb at my 98 percent Hispanic high school. I question my ability to impact our crumbling public education system in only two years.

I’ve realized, though, that no single teacher can have that impact—not on the whole system. But every day, I can show up and stand in front of 150 students and teach. Every day, I can change my students’ lives. The nation’s children need tenacious leaders who perpetually ask, “How can I teach better? How can I reach my students today?” I know that there are 13-million children growing up in poverty in the United States, and that until more schools ask these questions, that number will not improve.

In years to come, I can have an impact on the system as a whole. I can carry my front-line expertise and values of hard work, effectiveness, and faith in my students out of the classroom and into principals’ offices, onto school boards, and into Congress. Right now, though, my movement to change our education system started Aug. 27 with 150 students in the biggest school in the poorest city in the country.

Sarah Saxton-Frump ’07 wants to let you know that the final deadline to apply to Teach For America is this Friday, Feb. 15

S ports T uesday Page 12

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Unable to build on wins, m. icers lose two road games

By Benjy Asher Assistant Spor ts Editor

After consecutive wins over Harvard and Dartmouth on Feb. 1 and 2, the men’s hockey team was hoping to pick up some momentum. But the Bears took 2 Brown two tough Princeton 3 road losses this week0 Brown end: a 3-2 Quinnipiac 3 defeat to No. 19 Princeton on Friday and a 3-0 loss to No. 16 Quinnipiac on Sunday. These outcomes drop Brown’s record to 3-16-4 overall, with a 3-10-3 mark in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League.

The familiar problem of defensive lapses late in the game afflicted the Bears on Friday night, when they allowed three thirdperiod goals to surrender the slim 1-0 lead that they held at the end of the second period.

Through the first two periods Brown played flawless defense, including a kill of a two-minute fiveon-three advantage for the Tigers, during which Captain Sean Hurley ’08 and Assistant Captain David Robertson ’08, along with Devin Timberlake ’10, stifled Princeton’s

attack. Goalie Dan Rosen ’10 also made two key saves to keep the Tigers out of the net.

Bruno finally broke the scoreless tie when it got a two-man advantage of its own late in the second period. After the Princeton goalie deflected shots by Assistant Captain Jeff Prough ’08 and Timberlake, Hurley picked up the loose puck in the slot and lifted a shot past the goalie for only his second goal of the year, his first since Nov. 30.

Early in the final frame, the Bears caught a bad break when a Princeton shot deflected off a Brown player’s skate and into the net to tie the game 3:36 into the period. Then, less than two minutes later, the Tigers finally capitalized on a power play opportunity, their seventh of the night, when they took the lead just 11 seconds into the man-advantage. In the middle of the period, the Bears had a chance to tie when Prough and Timberlake attacked the net, but again, the goalie came up with consecutive saves, and Bruno was unable to find the net. Princeton then took the puck the other way and, with Rosen knocked down, scored again to increase its lead to 3-1 with 10:01 remaining in the game.

Ashley Hess / Herald

Goalie Dan Rosen ‘10 had 32 saves in a loss to No. 16 Quinnipiac on Sunday. It was Rosen’s 11th game this season with at least 30 saves.

“We kind of got away from what makes us a good team, which is hitting, playing the body, and using our speed, and instead we got caught in their game and let them dictate what was going to happen,”

Rosen said. “They outplayed us at the end, and they deser ved to win.”

With 5:34 left to play, Ryan continued on page 9

Yale is too much for squash in Bears’ final home match

By Lara Southern Contributing Writer

Ashley Hess / Herald

Chris Lee ‘09 had three wins over the weekend to help lead the Bears to victories over Binghamton and URI on Sunday.

M. tennis takes a licking but keeps on kicking

By Meagan Garza Contributing Writer

With countless injuries plaguing the men’s tennis team, a couple days off at the beginning of the week allowed the Bears to recuperate and prepare for an intense triple match weekend against No. 37 Virginia Tech, Binghamton University, and University of Rhode Island.

Overall, Bruno beat two out of its three opponenets, winning 7-0 and 6-1 against URI and Binghamton, respectively. The sole loss of the day came against Virgina Tech, to whom the Bears fell, 5-2. In the days leading up to the match, the Bears focused intensely on their doubles play, a Bruno specialty, in

order to steal the first point of the match.

“We worked on sharpening our singles skills this week,” Chris Lee ’09 said. “But mainly we focused on our doubles play. The doubles point is the key to the entire match, and we wanted to start off with that momentum.”

The match started off very loudly and the Bears came out with the fire and intensity they had been lacking in their past few matches.

In order to take on highly ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday, they were going to need the increased energy. Even Basu Ratnam ’09, a usually quiet and reserved player, continued on page 9

The mood was heavy on the Pizzitola Center squash courts Saturday afternoon. But this was by no means a result of the prospect of facing No. 4 Yale.

This was Men Brown’s last 9 Yale home match 0 Brown of the season, and the last ever for the Women six graduatYale 8 ing men and Brown 1 women seniors on the team. A day of fierce competition ensued, although the scores suggested otherwise, with the men losing 9-0, making them 3–9 for the season. The women also failed to overcome the Bulldogs, losing their last match of the regular season, 8-1. Their final regular season record is 8-7.

The competition for the men started even before the first ball was played, as the Yale Bulldogs lined up for their introductions on the left side of court one, the preferred side of the Brown men’s team. What Jacob Winkler ’09 described as “the best intimidation tactic I’ve ever seen” did nothing to faze the Bears as all players emerged from the locker room ready for a fight.

Despite performing brilliantly to keep his No. 2 opponent on his toes, Adam Greenberg ’10 narrowly lost the first match of the day, 4-9, 1-9, 8-10. This was to be the theme of play on Saturday — fantastic displays of effort and determination falling just short to an incredible Yale team. No. 5 Evan Besser ’11 and No. 7 Pat Davis ’10 also stood out, with both players winning a game off their opponents.

But the day belonged to the three graduating seniors, Chester

Hall ’08 at No. 9, North Whipple ’08 at No. 6 and captain Ed Cerullo ’08 at No. 1, who also battled fiercely to claim the second game of his achingly close 6-9, 9-5, 4-9, 7-9 match.

“Despite the loss, I think we all performed really well,” Cerullo said.

“On a personal note, I was pleased to win a game, although I would have liked to have won the fourth to make the match even closer. Yale is a great team and, overall, I think it was a positive day for us.”

Coach Stuart LeGassick assumed a nostalgic tone for the day, saying, “The input of Chester Hall, North Whipple and Ed Cerullo has been invaluable to the team and we’re going to miss them tremendously.”

The women opened their match with presentations of flowers to their three graduating players, Denia Craig ’08 and co-captains Megan Cerullo ’08 and Minoo Fadaifard ’08.

Fadaifard played extremely well, pressing her opponent hard in the first two games, before finally succumbing in the third, 10-8, 9-5, 9-1.

Again, despite tremendous efforts from all involved, Yale proved too tough an opponent for the Bears.

But the Bears can comfort themselves. Despite losing the strength and experience of their seniors, a bevy of young and talented players remain on the team, as demonstrated by Lily Cohen ’11, the sole victor for Brown on Saturday.

Demonstrating incredible vestiges of stamina, Cohen beat her opponent in a five-game thriller, 9-6, 7-9, 5-9, 9-7, 9-3. The members of the team expressed sadness at losing their seniors and their pride to have played alongside such great teammates.

The men still have two more matches to play. Both are tomorrow night in Boston, where they meet Northeastern at 5 p.m. and host MIT at 7 p.m.

Who won the Shaq deal? Only time will tell The Diesel is treading to the West once again. In a Feb. 6 that sent shockwaves through the basketball world, the Phoenix Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal from the Josh Fintel ‘08 Miami Heat in exchange for moody, do-everything forward Shawn Marion and disgruntled point guard Marcus Banks.

Though the Suns own the best record in the NBA’s Western Conference, concerns about the club’s playoff shortcomings in recent years clearly factored into General Manager Steve Kerr’s decision to trade for the aging superstar. Yet the man once regarded as the most dominant player in basketball history appears a shadow of his former self as he prepares to leave the Heat for Phoenix almost a decade after parting ways with the Orlando Magic to join the L.A. Lakers.

O’Neal, set to earn more than $20 million in each of the next two seasons, is in many ways an unknown commodity — and an expensive one at that. Simply stated, Shaquille O’Neal is nearing the twilight of his playing career just as another frontcourt phenom, Amare Stoudamire, is entering the springtime of his own career on the hardwood. The partnership of Shaq and Amare will largely determine the Suns’ playoff destiny. Accordingly, only time will tell if Kerr’s gamble was worth the risk.

Assessing Shaq’s performance over his three-and-a-half seasons in Miami is complicated. On one hand, Shaq delivered the Heat its first championship. On the other hand, he has been a salar y cap burden and has undermined team chemistry with his frequent trips to the injured list. The past season and continued on page 9

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W. tennis falls to BC but returns strong in weekend split The women’s tennis team lost on Friday night to Boston College, 4-3, but returned strong Saturday morning for their match against St. John’s University, whom they beat, 6-1.

The results put the team record at 1-2.

In their first match of the weekend the Bears got off to a weak start, losing all three doubles matches. But Brown came back and split the singles, with wins from Brett Finkelstein ’09, Emily Ellis ’10 and Tanja Vucetic ’10.

Against St. John’s, the Bears dominated the Red Storm, winning all three doubles matches and five out of six singles. Finkelstein, Ellis and Vucetic all won their singles matches. The team also got wins from Bianca Aboubakare ’11 and Marissa Schonfeld ’11. ­—Sports Staff Reports