Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, N ovember 5, 2008

Volume CXLIII, No. 106

Since 1866, Daily Since 1891

OBAMA’S NIGHT

U. to freeze staff hiring, cut expenses Simmons speaks to broad reaction to financial crisis

By Jenna Stark Senior Staff Writer

The University will freeze hiring of staff and administrators as part of a broad response to the current economic climate, President Ruth Simmons said in an e-mail to the Brown community and in the monthly faculty meeting Tuesday.

“Beginning immediately and lasting through January, we are pausing hiring for ALL administrative and staff positions that are now vacant or that may become vacant during this period as a result of voluntary turnover,” Simmons wrote in the e-mail.

Simmons’ e-mail and remarks to professors include plans for a careful review of faculty hires, operating budgets and capital projects. She signaled students should not expect a large increase in tuition and that officials will put an increased focus on fundraising.

With respect to the staff hiring freeze, a Vacancy Review Committee will decide which positions need to be filled with temporary employees, consultants and independent contractors, the e-mail said.

The administrative and staff freeze will not end faculty searches and hiring, Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 said in the meeting. In accordance with the faculty expansion proposed in the Plan for Academic Enrichment, faculty searches will go forward, he said.

Simmons warned professors, however, that the searches will be “carefully reviewed” to ensure that new hires are both necessary and a great asset to the University’s teaching and research abilities.

The hiring freeze is just one of the steps the University is taking to deal with a tight budget after the global economic meltdown. In light of the poor economic climate, the University needs to prepare for families who are unable to pay the bills and donors who cannot follow through on their pledges, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Elizabeth Huidekoper told professors.

Last weekend, Kertzer sent an e-mail to students informing them the University would waive a restriction on registering for classes among some students with outstanding balances.

“Revenue sources across the board are expected to be constrained, if not declining in the near term,” Huidekoper wrote in a presentation to the faculty, adding that tuition and fees, gifts, state support and the endowment are all expected to decrease. “We need to adjust to a new base and take it seriously.” continued on page 13

3

CAMPUS NEWS

Kim Perley / Herald

Jubilant students swarmed the steps of Faunce House last night in response to Obama’s success.

349 159

by Michael Bechek News Editor

In a historic victor y, Barack Obama was elected the 44th president Tuesday, demonstrating the broad base of suppor t from Americans excited by his message of change and worried about the economy.

The young Illinois senator, the first black candidate to win a major party’s nomination, soundly defeated his Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Holding on to ever y state that voted for his par ty in the last election, the Democrat ran up a convincing electoral margin by winning traditionally Republican states such as Virginia, Colorado and Indiana. Two more states, Missouri and Nor th Carolina, were too close to call early this morning.

With 91 percent of precincts reporting nationally, Obama had received 52 percent of the popular vote to McCain’s 47 percent.

Obama

McCain

*Montana, Missouri and North Carolina’s results undecided at press time.

I nside

and

O nline

Pages 8 - 9 Color photos from election night on campus browndailyherald.com Video interviews at the polls and dozens of photos

Sixty million Americans voted for the Democrat, while 54 million chose the Republican.

As the night went on, Obama racked up victory after victory in states McCain had said he needed to win — including successes in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. Though McCain trailed badly throughout most of the night, it was not until polls closed in West Coast states that television networks declared Obama the winner.

Brown students, many of whom had supported the Democrat throughout his campaign, celebrated on the Main Green in droves after networks called the election for Obama around 11 p.m. Hundreds of students gathered around the flagpole — shooting of f flares, loudly congratulating one another and, in some cases, taking off their clothes and sprinting across the Green. continued on page 4

Students storm onto Main Green

By Hannah Moser Staff Writer

Many Brown students had waited nearly two years for this.

President-elect Obama swept the West Coast around 11 p.m. last night, essentially clinching the 44th presidency and propelling hundreds of exuberant students onto the Main Green. They sang the national anthem, shot hand-held firecrackers and raised a flapping Obama banner at the south end of the Green. About 15 even stripped down to show their support for the Democratic candidate, who won the election in a landslide.

Around midnight, as Obama continued on page 6

RISD student assaulted outside Benevolent St. party

By Colin Chazen Senior Staf f Writer

Providence Police arrested George Brennan ’11 for assaulting a Rhode Island School of Design student outside a party on Oct. 26. Police are also investigating an additional assault of a Brown student at the same party.

Around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, police were dispatched to the corner of Benevolent and Thayer streets for reported as-

Election Action Rhode Islanders headed to the polls yesterday for a historic election

www.browndailyherald.com

Long road ends in landslide

Electoral vote totals*

5

HIGHER ED

saults, according to a Providence police report. Upon arrival, police learned one of the victims, a RISD student, was at Brown Health Services and proceeded to interview him there. The victim stated that he had been at a party at 95 Benevolent St. when a fight broke out and a white male with no shirt on punched him several times in the head, the report stated.

The victim then fled the scene.

A crowd of people from the party chased him, and about one block

BREAKING down barriers American universities are communicating more with schools in Iran

15

OPINIONS

away, the same male began punching and kicking him, the victim told police. The victim sustained a laceration above his left eye and was later transported from Health Services to Rhode Island Hospital.

Police also spoke with a Brown student who was assaulted at the same party. He told police a white male with brown hair and brown eyes had assaulted him, according to the report. The student sustained moderate injuries to his hands and forehead. He was treated at Health

i heart huckabee Joshua Kaplan ’11 thinks all politicians should be as candid as Huckabee

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

16 SPORTS

Services and then released.

That assault was transferred to detectives for further investigation.

Two witnesses told police that they saw their friend, the RISD student, get punched by an unknown subject. They and their friend were able to flee. But they were followed down Benevolent Street by the same subject and a crowd. The subject then punched continued on page 4

Equestrian takes first Women’s equestrian team rides to the top spot in the regional standings

News tips: herald@browndailyherald.com

T oday Page 2

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

We a t h e r TODAY

Fizzle Pop | Patricia Chou TOMORROW

rain 59 / 49

rain 62 / 48

Menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Falafel and Pita, Nacho Bar, Cornish Pastry, Thin Fries, Barley Pilaf, Rice Krispie Cookies

Lunch — Beef and Broccoli Szechwan, Bruscetta Mozzarella, Krinkle Cut Fries

Dinner — Baked Stuffed Pollock, Golden Eggplant Curry, Chipotle Chicken, Savory Spinach, Strawberry Jello

Dinner — Hot Dogs in Beer, Sizzling Cuban Stir Fry, BBQ Chicken, Hearth Bread, Brussels Sprouts

Brown Meets RISD | Miguel Llorente

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

Epimetheos | Samuel Holzman

Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley

Puzzles by Pappocom RELEASE DATE– Wednesday,©November 5, 2008

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

ACROSS 1 Norm of the links 4 Gals 10 Like Pindar’s works 14 Draft choice 15 Post-workout words 16 Capp/Wolverton creation __ the Hyena 17 Nervous twitch 18 King and queen, often 20 Chamber group 22 A team member 23 Familiar fivesome 25 High-performance Camaro 26 Inventor Whitney 27 Hammer type 30 Polynesian kingdom 32 Thereabout 33 L.A. Galaxy’s org.

34 Leanings 35 IT MADE IT EASIER TO TYPE THIS 38 Like some car radio stations 41 Musket add-on 42 Defoe’s “__ Flanders” 46 “Deathtrap” playwright 47 Fund for fun 49 Hagen of the stage 50 Nutritional stds.

53 Dramatist Chekhov 54 No he-men, they 56 Fronton basket 58 Don’t give up, and hint to what the starts of 18-, 27-, 35- and 47Across have in common 60 Hit hard 63 Morlock prey 64 Producer of pop-ups 65 Wrath 66 D.C. 100 67 Book club member 68 Masseuse’s supply DOWN 1 Overly glib

2 MacGraw of “Love Story” 3 Draws back 4 Exalt 5 René’s girlfriend 6 NCO rank 7 Insignificant bit 8 Boot on a diamond 9 “__ evil ...”

10 Bar in the fridge 11 Overwhelms with sound 12 Be lenient with 13 Trees from whose bark cinnamon is made 19 Chaotic 21 Easter Island statues, e.g.

23 Blood-typing system 24 Bit of corn 25 Arches 28 Throw off 29 Tolkien’s Círdan, for one 31 Country club that has hosted eight U.S. Opens 34 Delivered from the womb 36 Playwright Ibsen 37 Welcoming wreath

38 Favorable factors 39 Give a new name to 40 Taxpayer’s crime 43 New York neighbor 44 Sign of summer 45 Nixon adviser Nofziger 48 Top chess player 51 Big name in Scotch

52 Actor-to-audience comment 55 H.S. courses with labs 56 Ballot hanger 57 Shaw’s homeland 59 Defunct airline 61 Former Bush spokesman Fleischer 62 Multi-voiced Blanc

Alien Weather Forecast | Stephen Lichenstein and Adam Wagner

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Classic Deo | Daniel Perez

xwordeditor@aol.com

11/05/08

T he B rown D aily H erald Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 Business Phone: 401.351.3260

University community since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the aca-

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once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to

Ross Frazier, Vice President Mandeep Gill, Treasurer Darren Ball, Secretary

By Jack McInturff (c)2008 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

11/05/08

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown demic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily. Copyright 2007 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

E lection 2008 Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Page 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Providence voters say they’re satisfied by voting experience Students Anand Puravangara vote ‘in force’ Software engineer

By Chris Duffy Staff Writer

By Scott Lowenstein Metro Editor

During voting hours yesterday, Brown’s campus had a noticeably different feel.

Excited students congregated on the Main Green, many wearing “I Voted” stickers emblazoned with American flags. The Friedman Study Center in the Sciences Library was empty — unusual for a Tuesday during midterms. And swaths of proud voters toted free cups of Starbucks coffee while walking down Thayer Street.

In the spirit of what many have deemed a historic election day, Brown students and community members registered with addresses on or near campus streamed into the lobby of Salomon Center to vote. Of 545 total voters who filled out ballots, 510 supported President-elect Obama and 20 opted for Sen. John McCain, according to an official tally released last night.

Students inter viewed by The Herald overwhelmingly supported Obama.

“In general I agree with democrats,” Divya Samuel ’10 said, as she stepped outside of the Salomon lobby polling place.

Colleen Brogan ’10, another Obama supporter and features editor for post-, The Herald’s weekly arts and culture magazine, said she was in favor of all the Democratic candidates on the ballot.

Brogan said she was surprised at the number of uncontested races for local seats — referring to the races for state senator and representative — but she said she “would’ve voted democratic anyway.”

In general, students reported being satisfied with the voting experience.

Voting was “pretty simple ... (though) the ballot was pretty confusing,” Samuel said.

Ricky Fortunato ’09, an Obama supporter from New Jersey, said he voted absentee, because he is affected more by the politics in his home state.

His favorite part of the voting experience, he said, was “licking the envelope.”

Lorraine Spiver, a polling official from Johnston at work at work in the lobby of Salomon yesterday, said the polling place was well-organized and busy.

Students came to vote “in force,” most frequently between class periods, she said.

Zachary Marcus ’10, who also worked as a polling official in Salomon, volunteered to help in Salomon during the presidential primary in March and the local Democratic primary in September, where he said only 15 to 25 people voted.

“It’s exciting to see so many people vote,” Marcus said, adding that the turnout was not surprising.

“Today’s been pretty smooth,” he said.

Still, the polling workers, like voters, were not immune to the enthusiasm of the election.

“A group of students were outside (Salomon), applauding people who came out,” Spiver said. “They had the front of the building circled.

It was unreal.”

— Additional reporting by Colin Chazen and Isabel Gottlieb

“I’m just looking for some kind of election action,” Anand Puravangara said as he watched voters enter the polls at Hope High School Tuesday. Although Puravangara, an Indian national, can’t vote, he said he’s “electrified by Barack Obama’s campaign.”

As Rhode Islanders cast ballots in record numbers yesterday for the presidential election, short lines and moderate temperatures helped contribute to a festive atmosphere. “It feels like Christmas,” said Eleftherios Pavlides, architecture professor at Roger Williams University. “It’s the first election that feels like that.”

Puravangara though, was not impressed. “I was expecting some hardcore volunteers since this is a neck-and-neck election.”

“Back home in India, the election is a big thing — the officials are all there,” Puravangara said. He added that he was “disappointed” in the calm efficiency of Providence polling places.

Poll worker Donna DelSanto said the voting at Hope High had been steady since the polls opened at 7 a.m. DelSanto said that some voters were confused about the location of the polling booths — on the side of the building rather than by the main entrance. But other than that, she said, “it’s been smooth sailing.”

Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics Ulf Grenander said, “It was a little difficult entering the building, figuring out where it is,” but added that voting is “a citizen’s duty.”

“It was very organized and efficient,” Amy Hsu MD’10 said. “It wasn’t crowded at all. I was expecting a line.”

“These guys are good,” said Neel Lanoue, a retiree, grinning.

“They know what they’re doing.”

Excitement about a prospective Obama victory was high at polls throughout Providence. “He’s a leader I’m looking forward to,” Puravangara said. “A leader for the whole world.”

“I’ve never been as committed to a campaign as I am to this one,” said Joan Vincent, a designer and writer. Vincent said she supported Obama because he is “the whole package.”

“It’s exciting to finally make that vote, (to) connect the dots for Obama,” said Edgar Woznica ’09. Woznica said he was sure that Rhode Island’s electoral votes would go for Obama, “so I’m just voting because of civic duty.”

Cars honked loudly as they pulled up to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, where Providence residents were able to register and vote in the presidential election simultaneously. Voters entering the building shouted “Obama!” as a crowd of new voters, many young and nonwhite, lined up to register.

Julie Rivera, a hairdresser, smiled widely at strangers as she waited outside. “I had years of voting in Providence,” Rivera said. “But Barack, he’s the best.”

First-time voters stressed the historic nature of the election when describing their reasons for casting a ballot. “I want to be heard,” said Marcus Mitchell, currently unemployed. “It’s a big day, a historic day.”

Chris Duffy / Herald

Excited by the Obama campaign, Anand Puravangara, an Indian national, shared his insights on Election Day as a noncitizen.

“We’ve been railroaded for eight years,” Mitchell said. “What’s the point of getting four more when we have change? It’s what we need.”

“I came out to vote for my man Barack,” said John Morgan, a Bank of America employee.

“I’m here to support the president I believe in,” said Audrey Amigashi, a first-time voter who only became a U.S. citizen on Monday.

Amigashi said voting is important because “it can change the lives of yourself and your family.”

“This election matters,” said John Jannotti, assistant professor of computer science. “Even if Rhode Island is a foregone conclusion.”

Not all voters were as confident as Jannotti about the election’s outcome. “I burned a voodoo candle,” Leigh Anna Dwyer ’09 said. “I was just burning a little candle with good thoughts for Obama because he’s my man.”

Donna DelSanto Poll worker

Lefteris Pavlides Professor of architecture, Roger Williams University

Page 4

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Obama wins with a popular majority continued from page 1 Appearing before a crowd of more than 100,000 in Grant Park in his hometown of Chicago, Obama addressed the nation at midnight for the first time as president-elect, conscious that the rest of the world was watching closely.

“If there is anyone out there,” he said, “who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time — tonight is your answer.”

“I was never the likeliest candidate for this office,” he said. “We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.”

But “change,” he concluded, invoking a centerpiece of his campaign, “has come to America.”

McCain conceded the race in a speech before supporters in Phoenix shortly after media called the election for Obama. “The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly,” he said.

“Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his countr y,” he added.

Though polls made Obama the clear front-runner in the eyes of voters and the media in the weeks before the election, the Democrat fought a disciplined campaign through the final days.

A first-term senator and the youngest man to be elected president since John F. Kennedy, Obama, 47, waged a relentless battle against accusations that he was inexperienced, too liberal or that he had questionable relationships in his past.

But over nearly two years of campaigning, Obama was able to successfully brand himself as a transformative politician, capturing

widespread dissatisfaction with an unpopular president and selling his unique message of optimism.

He attracted young people and African-Americans in record numbers but insisted on building a broad coalition of Americans by not defining his candidacy in terms of his race.

The vice president-elect, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, is expected to bring his expertise in foreign af fairs with him to the administration.

Many of Obama’s fellow Democrats had good nights as well, as the party expanded its current majorities in the House and Senate.

As of early this morning, Democrats had picked up five seats previously held by Republicans.

Democrats captured open seats in Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia and knocked off Republican incumbents John Sununu in New Hampshire and Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, raising the number of Democrats to 56.

Three more Senate seats — in Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon — were still too close to call, but all signs pointed toward Democrats falling shor t of the 60-member “filibuster-proof” majority some had dared to speculate about.

In the House, Democrats appeared to have picked up a net of about 20 seats, widening their existing majority.

Among incumbents who were defeated was Republican Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, the last remaining House Republican representing New England.

Around the countr y, a number of states considered contentious ballot initiatives, which met with mixed success.

Both Arizona and Florida passed constitutional bans on gay marriage in those states, and California also appeared to be leaning

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

upliftin g moment

Alums in office Jack Markell’s ’82 election as Delaware governor yesterday puts Brown tied for first for most gubernatorial alums: Markell, Gov. Bobby Jindal ’91.5 of Louisiana and Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 of Rhode Island.

The Universities of Kentucky and Missouri also have three, and Harvard, Colorado State University and the University of Pennsylvania each have two.

Dan Maffei ’90 won a House seat in New York’s 25th congressional district from Republican James Walsh.

in the direction of enacting such a ban as of early this morning, with about three-quarters of the state’s precincts reporting.

Californians also appeared to have narrowly rejected a constitutional amendment that would require parental notification for abortions performed on minors — although half the precincts were yet to report.

In South Dakota, a restrictive ban on abortion was defeated, and Washington passed a law allowing doctor-assisted suicide under some circumstances.

In Rhode Island, voters approved two measures to allow the issuance of bonds to create public park spaces and to fund transportation in the state.

Min Wu / Herald

Students, above, celebrated and cheered on Obama’s victory Tuesday night on the Main Green. Below, voters lined up throughout the day to cast their ballots.

— With reporting from the Associated Press and CNN

Assaults under investigation continued from page 1 their friend again, according to the report.

The two witnesses were able to first identify the unknown subject using photos on Facebook as Brennan. Police then returned to 95 Benevolent St. in search of the suspect. Upon arrival, police observed a party of 25 or more people and loud music. Police issued summonses for loud music.

After further investigation and with the help of the Department of Public Safety, police obtained Brennan’s address. Police responded to his room in Goddard House and found him in the hallway. The two witnesses positively identified Brennan and he was placed into custody, charged with simple assault or battery and transported to Central Station.

Simple assault or batter y is a misdemeanor offense in the state of Rhode Island and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.

Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, said the University is currently investigating the matter.

Brennan and the two other students involved declined to comment for this article.

H igher E d Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Page 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

U.S. academics to visit Iran to Few swing-state students politically active promote scientific exchange

By Matthew Klebanoff Contributing Writer

BY Luisa Robledo Contributing Writer

A delegation of six presidents of American universities will visit Iran later this month with the goal of encouraging academic exchange, particularly in the sciences, between Iran and the U.S. The delegation, organized by the Association of American Universities, plans to meet with university faculty and students in Tehran to discuss topics of common interest to the two countries.

The six institutions that comprise the delegation are the University of California at Davis, the University of Florida, the University of Maryland at College Park and Carnegie Mellon, Cornell and Rice universities.

In a press release announcing the visit, AAU President Robert Berdahl said the trip is “in response to an invitation by the president of Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, which will hold the visit.” The trip will complement similar efforts by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, representatives of which last visited the country in October of 2007.

According to Barry Toiv, vice president of public affairs for the AAU, the American universities selected to participate in this month’s exchange have made academic exchanges with Iranian colleges through the National Academies in the past.

“Scientists have visited Iran or Iranian scientists have visited their campuses,” Toiv said. “In 2004, Larry N. Vanderhoef, president of University of California at Davis, led a delegation to Iran, where he met with the president of Sharif University of Technology.”

Toiv added that, while in Iran, the delegation hopes to foster “academic exchange by meeting with the president and the faculty and holding an open forum with students.”

In the past, scholarly exchange between the two countries has been difficult. Politics have frequently impeded travel between the two countries.

“Prior to the Iranian revolution in 1979, a very high percentage of the faculty at Iranian universities was educated in the United States; since that time, and especially since 9/11, that number has declined dramatically,” Berdahl said in the AAU press release. “We believe it is important to maintain and renew academic ties between our two countries as a means of laying the groundwork for greater understanding and rebuilding what was once a very healthy collaboration in science and higher education.”

Additionally, Erica Ehrenberg, executive director of the American Institute for Iranian Studies, said, “In the last few years, it has been very difficult to obtain visas both ways.”

She cited that a Persian language workshop her organization sponsors had to be moved to Tajikistan in 2005 because of trouble obtaining visas to Iran.

In reference to the political implications of such a visit, Toiv said, “This is an academic trip, an academic visit.

I think that (the AAU) believe(s) that this kind of exchange is important ultimately to improve relations and encourage science and academic pursuits.”

Visiting Lecturer in Persian Iraj Anvar came from Iran to study in the U.S. just before the 1979 revolution.

He and his family had planned to return after two years but haven’t been back since. Anvar said that before the revolution travel between the two countries was “perfectly easy.”

“In those days, there were direct flights,” he said.

“Iranians had a lot of respect all over the world,” Anvar added. “When I traveled to London in ’77, they did not require visa. Next to America, we were the country with a lot of money and a lot of respect.”

Brown students have a reputation for being politically active, and this year has been no exception, with many canvassing for votes, making phone calls and sporting T-shirts promoting presidential candidates.

But a new poll conducted by CBS News, U-WIRE and the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that the same cannot be said of college students in battleground states.

According to the survey, college students in the four battleground states considered — Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania — support Obama by a 2-to-1 margin, but are less politically involved than might be expected.

One in three students “had displayed a campaign sign or tried to recruit a friend or family member to a particular campaign,” the survey said.

Elyse Ashburn, a senior editor at the Chronicle, said that most of the results of the survey did not come as a major surprise.

“I think it largely was in line with what we expected, which was to see a majority supporting Obama over McCain,” Ashburn said.

Nevertheless, Ashburn said she had not foreseen some of the “nuances of the poll.” For example, she said she was surprised that so many students in battleground states — 94 percent — said they were registered to vote.

That figure excited politically informed and active students at Brown. President of Brown Democrats Harrison Kreisberg ’10 said high levels of voter registration indicate that students are “a serious political force.”

Professor of Public Policy Marion Orr said he was not surprised by the poll’s findings that one third of students in battleground states are politically active.

Students have “a life that sometimes can interrupt their best of intentions,” Orr said.

Orr said it makes sense that the majority of students, as well as the majority of people in general, is not continued on page 10

At two Ivies, pro-life students face opposition

By Sophia Li Staff Writer

Last month, the student group Harvard Right to Life staked 140 flags on a campus green in a display they called a “Cemetery of the Innocents.” The flags represented the “140 lives taken by abortion per hour,” said the group’s president, Mary Anne Marks.

But people stepped on the flags, and one bicyclist attempted to uproot them, Marks said.

Because of recent controversies like this one on the Harvard and Cornell campuses, pro-life student groups have woken up to the degree of opposition they face within the universities’ communities. In late October, members of the Cornell Coalition for Life clashed with administrators over signs they had

placed on the Engineering Quad. In the same few days, Harvard Right to Life reported vandalism of its posters around campus.

The group then began systematically documenting how many of its posters were being taken down and covered up and what was covering them, Marks said.

“About a third of our posters were being taken down each week,” she said.

The group then sent the information it had compiled to administrators in Harvard’s Student Life and Activities Office.

In response, Associate Dean of Student Life and Activities Judith Kidd e-mailed all students on Oct. 23 about “a serious and persistent disrespect for the rights of students to poster on campus.” The e-mail urged students to respect other

students’ opinions and their right to free expression.

The e-mail made no reference to any specific student group being targeted by acts of vandalism.

At Cornell, Administrative Assistant Dawn Warren removed CCFL’s “Elena Campaign” signs from the Engineering Quad on the morning of Oct. 22.

The signs depicted the fetal development of “Elena” from 30 hours to two weeks old. “A person’s a person, no matter how small,” the signs stated along with educational information about fetal development.

According to the press release that CCFL sent out later that day, Warren and Cathy Dove, associate dean for administration in Cornell’s College of Engineering, refused to continued on page 10

Page 6

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

deci s ion s , deci s ion s

Students across campus track election continued from page 1

Meara Sharma / Herald

Voters flocked to Salomon Center and other polling places around Providence to place their votes yesterday.

began his acceptance speech, students left the Green, ran up Thayer Street and stormed onto Pembroke College.

Earlier in the night, students watched election results come in from dorms and auditoriums across campus. Some circled quietly around projectors at a faculty fellow event and around laptops in dorm rooms, while others waited in Smith-Buonanno 106. Hundreds filled the Salomon Center before spilling onto the Green as an Obama presidency became a reality.

Though he could not vote, Johnny Prah ’12 of Ghana gathered with 11 others at a Faculty Fellow event in the living room of Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry William Suggs’ home on Benevolent Street and quietly watched states turn red and blue.

Zola Jenness ’10 joined the Organization of United African Peoples in a mostly full Smith-Buonanno 106, which was decked in red, white and blue balloons and streamers.

Andrew Wong ’10, whose face was adorned with painted stars and stripes, arrived in Salomon 101 early to stake out a seat at the campus’s main event. “Not to sound like Captain America, but I think this is one of the greatest moments in American history,” he said.

The energy mounted as Salomon slowly filled with students toting popcorn, ice cream, textbooks and laptops. Cheers erupted each time Obama was reported ahead of McCain in a state, no matter the actual percentages being reported.

“That’s for 2000, bitches!” a student yelled when CNN showed the Ari-

zona senator ahead in Florida at 8:20 p.m.

As CNN’s focus moved westward, Obama supporters’ confidence in the room seemed to grow.

Ohio went to Obama at around 9:30 p.m. to the loudest celebration yet.

“I’m naming my first-born child ‘Ohio,’” Derek Vance ’12 quipped.

Eric Axelman ’12 took off his shirt and swung it around his head, later telling The Herald he believed that the election was over at that point. Lee Stevens ’12 said she had been “contemplating moving to Canada” if Obama didn’t win, but that the awarding of Ohio assuaged her fears.

Raphaela Lipinsky Degette ’11, one of the organizers with the Brown Democrats, who sponsored the Salomon event, said she was ready to get some sleep after 11 hours of phone banking. Still, she said she was left “speechless” by the incoming results.

The Brown Republicans only occupied a few seats near the front of the crowded auditorium. The group’s president, Herald columnist Sean Quigley ’10, said he was “a little pessimistic” heading into the broadcast. Republicans in Rhode Island will have to focus on local races, he added.

“I’m thinking it will be fun to be in His Excellency’s opposition,” Quigley said, as it became more evident that Obama would win.

As electoral votes were given away state-by-state, CNN analysts went through the scenario it would take for McCain to pull out a win.

On their feet, students packing the room counted down the final seconds before five western states, including California, would be an-

Polling Results Salomon Center Poll numbers from Salomon: 545 people voted President: Obama: 93 percent McCain: 3.6 percent McKinney: 0.9 percent Barr: 0.7 percent Nader: 0.5 percent Senate: Reed: 95 percent Tingle: 6 percent House: Kennedy: 88 percent Capalbo: 6.2 percent Scott: 5.6 percent Ballot question 1: 402 agree, 39 reject Ballot question 2: 421 agree, 35 reject nounced, clinching the victor y.

When the results were read, students erupted with cheers of “U-SA” and “O-ba-ma.”

Salomon’s crowd then spilled onto the Main Green, and those who had been watching from their dorms ran to join. Hundreds of students rushed to the south end of the Green around the flagpole, where students held the American flag above the crowd and later raised a giant “Change” banner into the air.

“It’s a new era,” said Nicole Damari ’12. “We can be proud to be Americans again.”

E lection 2008 Wednesday, November 5, 2008

R.I. Republicans gather for steak, Obama voters meet at Biltmore

By Nandini Jayakrishna Metro Editor

Just as polls closed in battleground states last night, a somber crowd of more than 80 supporters of John McCain and local Republican candidates gathered at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in downtown Providence to watch election results in an event organized by the Rhode Island Republican Party.

Some said they were optimistic, no matter what the numbers or the pundits had to say.

“I’m very hopeful,” said Brendan Boyle, chairman of the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island and a student at Roger Williams University.

“Granted, it’s only 9:06 (p.m.), and the numbers aren’t quite in yet, but if (Barack Obama) was going to win by a gross margin that would be evident (by now).”

Glued to the television, McCain supporter Doreen Costa said she and other volunteers had received a positive response from Rhode Islanders when they canvassed, repeatedly running out of yard signs, pins and T-shirts and having to order more.

So when it became apparent last night that the Arizona senator had lost Rhode Island’s four electoral votes, Costa said she couldn’t believe it.

“I’m numb,” she said. “I thought he was going to pull Rhode Island. I can’t believe the numbers.”

Costa said though she would respect Obama if he became president, she was scared for the country’s future under his leadership.

“I’m scared (of) Barack Obama,” Costa said. “We don’t know about him. His wife hates white Americans. ... He also believes in partial birth abortions, which is disgusting.”

But if Costa was ready to respect Obama, Stephen DeNuccio, another volunteer, wasn’t.

DeNuccio strongly criticized the Democratic candidate’s lack of expe-

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rience and service to the country. He said other African American politicians such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of State Colin Powell would have made much better candidates.

“He didn’t do anything to win (my) respect,” said DeNuccio, who added that if Obama won he would not watch his inaugural address.

“This is the wrong guy.”

But Barry Lucier, first vice chairman of CRFRI, said an Obama victory would encourage him and the Republican party to work harder in the future.

“It’ll be more motivating and a reason to do better,” Lucier said.

Just a few blocks away, a larger and noisier crowd of young and old gathered in the Biltmore Hotel’s brightly lit Grand Ballroom.

Carrying signs for Obama-Biden and the state’s congressional delegation, supporters enjoyed live music while waiting to hear what their legislators had to say.

Democratic incumbent Sen. Jack Reed, who won his third term yesterday, addressed the eager crowd before Obama’s victory was declared.

Reed, who accompanied Obama on his tour of the Middle East this past summer, emphasized his commitment to bring tax reform, improve health care and education and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

“Tomorrow the work begins,” he said, adding that it was important for citizens to come together “not as Democrats, not as Republicans but as Americans.”

William L ynch, chairman of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee, said his party’s victories in the Ocean State symbolized the change Americans want to see across the country.

“Rhode Island is sort of an example of what’s going on around the country. Barack Obama has carried states that people told us we could never carry,” Lynch said.

Rhode Island Election Results

s tandin g ‘ o ’ for obama

STATEWIDE RACES: President: Barack Obama (D) - 63.3% John McCain (R) - 35.0% U.S. Senate: Jack Reed (D) - 73.4% Robert Tingle (R) - 26.6% U.S. House of Representatives Dist. 1 Patrick Kennedy (D) - 69.2% Jonathan Scott (R) - 23.7% Kenneth Capalbo (I) - 7.1% U.S. House of Representatives Dist. 2 James Langevin (D) - 70.0% Mark Zaccaria (R) - 30.0% LOCAL RACES: State Senate Dist. 3: Rhoda Perry (D) - 100.0% State Representative Dist. 2: David Segal (D) - 100.0% State Representative Dist. 3: Edith Ajello (D) - 100.0%

BALLOT QUESTIONS: Question 1 - Transportation: Yes - 76.6% No - 23.4% Question 2 - Open Space Yes - 68.0% No - 32.0%

Min Wu / Herald

Students cheer as election results play out on television screens across campus.

Video and more election photos at browndailyherald.com

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Min Wu / Herald

Min Wu / Herald

Min Wu / Herald

Check out more election-night photos and features at

www.browndailyherald.com

Eunice Hong / Herald

Min Wu / Herald

Min Wu / Herald

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Clothing, GPS, laptop and iPod reported stolen The following summary includes all major incidents reported to the Department of Public Safety between Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 It does not include general service and alarm calls. The Providence Police

CRIME LOG Department also responds to incidents occurring off campus. DPS does not divulge information on open cases that are currently under investigation by the department, the PPD or the Office of Student Life.

DPS maintains a daily log of all shift activity and general service calls which can be viewed during business hours at its headquarters, located at 75 Charlesfield St. Sunday, Oct. 26

1:34 a.m. A student was assaulted by another student after leaving a party at 95 Benevolent St. The student who was positively identified by witnesses was arrested at his dorm by the Providence Police a short time later.

2:24 p.m. A student in Barbour Hall reported that some of his clothes were stolen from the laundry room. He stated that when he put his clothes in the dryer he noticed that jeans, t-shirts, handkerchiefs and boxer shorts were missing. On Oct. 31, the student called detectives and stated that he found all of the items in another washer.

4:49 p.m. A student reported that a GPS was stolen from his

vehicle on a private lot between Angell and Waterman streets sometime between Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 26 at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 29 1:15 a.m. A student in Grad Center Tower D reported that between the times of 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 1:05 a.m. on Oct. 29, someone removed a laptop and an iPod from her room. The door to her room was left unlocked and the door to the suite was left ajar.

The case is under investigation.

9:13 p.m. The reporting party stated that he went into the Salomon Center at around 7 p.m. When he returned at 9 p.m., his bike was gone. He chained the bike to a tree near the front doors.

In swing states, student political action low continued from page 5 actively involved in the presidential campaigns.

“There are people who work every day, nonstudents, that is, who would love to do more for Senator McCain and Senator Obama, but simply can’t because of their work schedules,” he added.

Kreisberg said Brown has been one of the most involved campuses in Rhode Island during the presidential race, but “there are some people who have opinions who haven’t really gotten involved.”

This disparity between ideas and action seems to affect not only Democrats, but Republicans as well.

Sean Quigley ’10, president of the Brown Republicans and a Herald opinions columnist, said, “There is a fair amount of talking and not doing at Brown. Even in

the Brown Republicans, consistently we only get two to three students to campaign events even though we have 15 to 20 students (at meetings) each week.”

In fact, there is no data on political activity in the general population by which the poll’s findings can be judged, Ashburn said. In other words, the poll showed that a minority of students is politically active, but it did not show that students are less active than people in other age groups.

Regardless of the sur vey’s findings, students in battleground states reported having witnessed a great deal of political activity among their peers.

“Everywhere you walk on campus right now you see signs for the two candidates,” said Becca Heymann, a junior at Washington University in St. Louis, in the battleground state of Missouri.

“There have been informational fliers everywhere, not only about the presidential candidates but also about everything else on the ballot.”

Alex Rose, who is taking a year off from school before matriculating at Har vard next fall, is currently working for the Obama campaign in south Philadelphia, where he said he sees a large amount of political activity among students.

“There’s certainly a lot of enthusiasm and I would say actually one in 10 people we talk to are willing to do some volunteering and do some work,” Rose said.

Orr said that while the extent to which all people can be politically engaged is important, the significance of voting should not be understated.

“The extent to which people carry out their right to vote is important,” Orr said.

Conservatives’ right to expression at issue continued from page 5 allow CCFL to put their display up again. The press release also said that Dove and Warren claimed that the signs were not allowed on the Engineering Quad because of an “unwritten policy,” even though the group had received proper administrative approval for its display.

This “unwritten policy” states that all signs on the Engineering Quad must be engineering-related, said Katie Weible, president of CCFL. After their brief removal, the signs were put up again before 11 a.m. the same day, according to Weible. The next day, Dean of Engineering Kent Fuchs sent an e-mail to all students, faculty and staff denying CCFL’s statement that the incident represented an issue of free speech, Weible said.

CCFL released a second statement on Oct. 24 standing by its original characterization of the events, Weible said. The University has not responded since.

Weible said she was especially disappointed that the same signs were posted on the Art Quad without encountering any trouble. She said the administration had maintained that it was not customary for students to put up controversial displays on the Engineering Quad.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” said Weible, who is an engineering student.

Fuchs said that the College of Engineering has initiated a process for developing official guidelines about posting materials on the Engineering Quad. A policy will be decided by the end of the semester, he said.

“What we will do is have policies that encourage free speech, freedom of expression,” Fuchs said.

But CCFL’s members do not nec-

essarily feel they can express themselves freely on Cornell’s campus.

“Cornell sort of protects everyone’s freedom of speech, except for, sometimes, the more conservative view,” Weible said.

At Harvard, Marks said, “There’s been pretty lively discussion in terms of what freedom of speech means and how far that should go.”

“We’re happy that we’ve been able to have discussions about it,” she added.

“Although this is definitely negative feedback, it’s always somewhat encouraging to know that what you’re doing is making a difference rather than not being noticed at all.”

Harvard Right to Life’s relationship with the campus community has varied over the years, said Marks, a junior who has been involved with the group since her freshman year.

The group faced similar challenges in 2003, when many of its posters were taken down, Marks said. Before this year’s incident, the group had seen fewer of its signs removed or damaged.

“It did not happen last year when the previous leadership of the club was definitely pursuing a noncontroversial, noneducational type of campaign,” Marks said.

“What is positive is that the administration has stood up for freedom of speech” this year, Marks said.

Sara Berglund ’09, co-president of Brown Students for Life, said her group has never had problems with administrators.

Berglund said her classmates are surprised by her pro-life views, but have not reacted negatively.

“I think people at Brown are generally receptive to new ideas, so I think the students here are pretty open and willing to listen,” she said.

Thanks for reading.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A day at the poll s

Scott Lowenstein / Herald

Despite “only hearing sound bites,” Ryan Harrington and Josh Korb both voted for Obama as the “lesser of two evils.”

Eunice Hong / Herald

Students polled on their political views outside the Salomon Center.

Min Wu / Herald

Min Wu / Herald

President Simmons gives a thumbs up after voting early Tuesday morning.

Voters line up bright and early for polls to open at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School.

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Series proves major league baseball’s unpredictability continued from page 16 up this season in Philadelphia with the determination to prove he was still an elite closer, and he returned better than ever, saving a perfect 41 games in 41 opportunities in the regular season, and continuing his supremacy into October with a perfect 7-for-7 postseason performance. Then, of course, there is the story of the Rays, who went from expansion and the cellar of the AL East to a pennant and a World Series berth in just 10 years. Managed by Joe Maddon, the epitome of class in a sports culture that is anything but classy, the Rays earned themselves a 97-win season, their first winning campaign in franchise history, by playing solid, hard-working defensive baseball. The Rays also have one of the youngest and most talented teams in baseball, so you also missed watching names like Longoria, Crawford and Upton play in their first World Series. If

this season is any indication, these young guns are going to be mopping the floor with the Yankees and the Sox for a long time to come.

But most of all, you missed the ever-doubted Philadelphia Phillies bring the first major sports championship of any kind back to the City of Brotherly Love in 25 years.

This series was dramatic, fascinating, hard-fought and represented the unpredictability and purity that makes playoff baseball so wonderful.

I know it’s tough. I know it’s hard to keep your attention for more than three minutes at a time, or even understand polysyllabic words. I know worrying about ARod’s marital status can be oh-so captivating. I know it’s hard to root for a baseball team that doesn’t have at least a $130-million payroll. And I know it’s easy to revert back to babbling on about how Tom Brady should be President, but this time you really missed a good one.

Bears look for first Ivy win with season end near continued from page 16 “I thought (our chances) were great,” Eaton said. “We were fitter, stronger and faster, and I certainly believed we would win. Unfortunately, the ball just didn’t bounce our way.”

Still looking for their first Ivy League win of the season, the Bears will host the Yale Bulldogs (7-9, 2-4) in the season finale on Warner Roof

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

on Saturday at noon. Bruno will look for a repeat of last year’s 3-0 victory over its rivals from New Haven to send the senior class of Eaton, Natalie Harrington ’09, Ann LeClerc ’09, Sacco and Tess Standa ’09 out with a win. Eaton said it will be bittersweet to have her career draw to a close.

“I’m really sad, actually, but all good things must come to an end,” she said.

W. ice hockey plays first home game of season continued from page 16 ’11 into the goal to make the score 4-0.

The goal was the third of the game by a freshman, and the class of 2012 also chipped in with an assist on the night. The Bears have been impressed with the contributions of their young players so far this season.

“The freshmen have really stepped in and stepped up right away,” Van Muyen said. “As they get more experience and more playing time, they’re

just going to get better, which is going to be good for us down the road.”

Union was able to score a late power-play goal to prevent Stock from getting her first shutout of the season and make the final score 4-1. After averaging over 47 saves per game through the first three games of the season, Stock only had to make 19 stops in the Bears’ first conference win.

“It was great to see us really dominate another team and get to take a break from the action,” Stock said.

This weekend Brown hits the ice at home for the first time this season, when the team takes on Clarkson at 7 p.m. at Meehan Auditorium on Friday and No. 9 St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

“The biggest thing we need to do is play smart, put the puck in smart places and be strong on our feet,” Stock said. “Clarkson and St. Lawrence are two really good teams, and we want to come out and prove we can compete with them.”

U. facing tight budget, plans to fundraise continued from page 1 In fact, the market value of the endowment has already dropped, Huidekoper said, although she did not detail the exact amount.

Huidekoper also mentioned the increased demand for financial aid and graduate student support spending, which take up 50 percent of the budget. Simmons’ e-mail indicated the University Resources Committee, which plans Brown’s budget, will likely recommend lower growth in tuition and fees for next year. The lower growth, coupled with a rising need for undergraduate financial aid and graduate student support, means net income is expected to decline, Huidekoper said.

Simmons emphasized the after effects of a loss of major donors, many of whose money is inextricably bound in hedge funds. “A lot of people who were excited to support our work ­— those people have lost most of their wealth. Gone. Virtually overnight,” she told professors, adding that the University will have to face an “enormous amount of work” to see where it stands financially.

In her e-mail, Simmons wrote University officials will spend more time on fundraising. “This will mean that our administrative schedules should be adjusted during this period to accommodate more emphasis on revenue generation,” she wrote.

There are, however, four elements of the University budget that are controllable, Huidekoper said, including capital projects, staffing and enrollment levels, compensation and miscellaneous expenses. These were the “leverages” Simmons used when designing her plan to address potential revenue shortages, Huidekoper added.

In addition to the hiring freeze on staff and administration, Simmons said in her e-mail the University will review its capital projects to determine which renovation, construction, technology and infrastructure projects need to be deferred or halted.

“We need to assess the capital projects. We can reallocate resources or delay projects,” she said, adding that the Corporation will make final decisions on how to proceed with those efforts.

In her e-mail, Simmons empha-

sized the importance of broad community participation in the University’s decision-making process.

“Other universities are saying, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’” Simmons told the faculty. “Brown is trying to maintain the system of government and open up the discussion to the community.”

Despite the economic setbacks, Simmons was insistent that the University should continue to advance.

“We need to continue to increase growth. We cannot return to the dark ages where we simply stopped doing things,” she said, adding that people need to get psychologically ready for new things to be launched.

“Brown has been here for a long time, and it will still be here when the crisis is over,” Simmons said, adding that “there are some places that have disappeared for all time.”

In all, Simmons maintained an optimistic view of the future of the University and the economy, saying new presidential leadership could inspire change. “If people are hopeful about the new leadership ... A positive trajectory could make a difference,” she said.

E ditorial & L etters Page 14

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Staf f Editorial

Thinking again Campus today is abuzz with the news of Barack Obama’s victor y. A huge majority of students support the Democrat and are celebrating his success. And some of our readers may wonder why The Herald did not endorse his candidacy — or that of any candidate.

The easy answer is that we have a tradition of not endorsing national candidates, regardless of their political affiliation.

But the fact that this tradition exists does not ipso facto make it correct. We recognize that some might say it only proves we have been wrong for a long time, since most newspapers routinely endorse candidates.

Nonetheless, we adopt what we freely admit is a contrarian view.

While we believe that The Herald should objectively report on elections and that our opinions columnists should provide varied points of view about candidates, we draw the line at endorsing national candidates.

Thus, while we have ventured to provide our readers facts and analysis of the election, our editorial board has remained scrupulously neutral, supporting neither Obama nor McCain.

Given this endeavor, we regard the lecture that Stanley Fish gave Monday night with great interest.

True to the name of his New York Times blog, Fish made us all “think again” about the policies and ethics that shape the universities.

His lecture stirred our thoughts and provoked us to re-evaluate why we at Brown promote communities that are both places of academic growth and social development. While Fish’s criticisms of the academy are polemical, his thesis strikes a chord with us. In particular, Fish’s argument that there are things a university should and should not do resonates with our understanding that there are roles that we at The Herald should and should not pursue.

Fish argues that it is not the function of a university community to inculcate intellectual dogma or promote political points of view. Instead, he asserts that a university should only provide knowledge and teach students the analytical skills to think for themselves.

Fish’s words ring true to us. In fact, we believe that his thesis intellectually supports our tradition against endorsing national candidates.

Just as Fish argues that a university should supply knowledge for its students to take as they will, we believe we must provide our readers with information in our news pages and analysis in this space so they can make their own political decisions. Like Fish, we understand that it is often difficult to completely separate politics from any intellectual endeavor, let alone one as issue-prone as student journalism.

In a time of increasing partisan polarization, however, we believe that we would poorly ser ve our readers and ourselves if we go beyond analysis and endorse a particular political ideology.

T he B rown D aily H erald Editors-in-Chief Simmi Aujla Ross Frazier

Executive Editors Taylor Barnes Chris Gang

Senior Editors Irene Chen Lindsey Meyers

editorial Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Matthew Varley Alex Roehrkasse Chaz Firestone Nandini Jayakrishna Scott Lowenstein Michael Bechek Isabel Gottlieb Franklin Kanin Michael Skocpol Ben Bernstein James Shapiro Benjy Asher Amy Ehrhart Megan McCahill Andrew Braca Han Cui Katie Wood

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P ete fallon

Letters Bring your neighborhood input To the Editor: Last May, the City of Providence held a week of workshops (“charrettes”) to help rewrite her Comprehensive Plan as it regards this half of the East Side (College Hill, Fox Point and Wayland Square).

While many local non-student residents participated, almost no Brown or Rhode Island School of Design students did because the workshops coincided with finals week at Brown, 10 days after The Herald had stopped publishing for the school year.

However, there will be a final wrap-up and review session on Wednesday evening, Nov. 12, at the Lincoln School auditorium near Angell Street and Butler Avenue (an extension of Blackstone Boulevard). It’s scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Since students share many concerns with other East Side residents (like traffic, crime, green space and institutional expansion) as well as having specific concerns of their own, I urge them to use this last opportunity to share their knowledge, experience and views. Student views on Thayer Street, the Urban Environmental Laboratory and the projected Mind Brain Behavior Building would be especially welcome.

Students and staff should also not hesitate to learn more about their local neighborhood associations. Their dues are low to non-existent ($0 to $20), and most meetings are open to the public.

David Kolsky Nov. 3

Business Darren Ball General Manager General Manager Mandeep Gill Shawn Reilly Office Manager Alex Hughes Sales Director Emilie Aries Communications Director Jon Spector Finance Director Local & National Sales Manager Claire Kiely Ellen DaSilva University Sales Manager Philip Maynard Local & Recruiter Sales Manager Katelyn Koh Asst. Finance Director

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O pinions Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Ending the war

BY KEVIN ROOSE Opinions Columnist Well, we did it. Barack Obama is our certified president-elect. For the Brown students who worked tirelessly on Senator Obama’s behalf — driving to New Hampshire to canvass, calling swing-state voters, getting hung up on by swing-state voters and generally losing our minds over this whole thing — Tuesday’s victory couldn’t have tasted sweeter. Congratulations, guys.

Now, it’s time for everyone to chill.

Last week, in a fit of pre-election hysteria, I called Brian, my token conservative friend.

Brian, a bright, wonky law student, did his undergraduate studies at Liberty University, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell’s “Bible Boot Camp” for young evangelicals (where he was an officer in the College Republicans), and spent much of this fall volunteering for the McCain campaign.

“I want you to tell me how a reasonable person with a functioning cranial cortex can support this guy,” I told him. “Give me stats, give me talking points, give me anything. Just tell me how it’s possible.”

Brian laughed, but I was serious. I hadn’t called him because I wanted to belittle his candidate; I called because, in the weeks leading up to the election, I honestly forgot for long stretches of time that you could be a decent, politically-savvy American with a full set of teeth and no overt racial biases and still support Senator McCain. Moreover, I don’t think I was the only one. At various points during this election cycle, I heard a few of my Obama-

supporting friends frame the presidential race in roughly the same terms: Rational Humans for Obama, Racist Hicks for McCain.

Why is that? How can a political campaign compel cool, even-tempered people to behave like British soccer fans? Why can’t we support a presidential candidate without thinking of the other candidate’s supporters as a bunch of morally stunted troglodytes?

A few weeks ago, Slate published an article titled “How Running a Campaign Is Like Building a Megachurch,” in which author Bill

Fairly recently, I spent a bunch of time attending a Baptist megachurch (long story), and what I found during this election cycle, in short, is that the things I liked and disliked about that megachurch are the same things I’ve liked and disliked about this year’s presidential race. At the megachurch, I admired the way ordinary people were inspired to devote themselves to a cause greater than their own self-interest (to borrow a McCain catchphrase). I liked the way the megachurch brought new converts into the fold and imme-

Now, after the election, our job is to undo the dangerous binarythink many of us have developed unconsciously over the last few months.

Bishop likened voter mobilization efforts to the classic techniques used by megachurch pastors to grow their congregations to massive sizes, including neighbor-to-neighbor contact and political “witnessing.” It’s a convincing argument, and I think it may help to explain why this election cycle has caused such extreme political polarization among base voters on both the left and the right.

diately gave them a role, just as I’ve admired the way the Obama campaign has given huge numbers of first-time voters an entree to the political process. I liked the feelings of communal purpose, the long hours spent sharpening my views and the free chastity bracelets in the lobby. Okay, maybe that one was just the megachurch. You get my point.

But the megachurch experience wasn’t all

fun. I remember hearing one sermon in which a pastor told the congregation that “the world is divided into two kinds of people — Christians and everyone else.” Who among us can say truthfully that this election hasn’t made us feel — at least temporarily — like we’re engaged in a battle between our candidate’s voter base and “everyone else?” What Obama supporter hasn’t seen one too many McCain yard signs and felt a barely-controllable urge to egg some houses?

Megachurches and heated political campaigns both have a vested interest in creating stark “Us” vs. “Them” distinctions and mobilizing the “Us” to take on the “Them.” That’s fine, but now, after the election, our job is to undo the dangerous binary-think many of us have developed unconsciously over the last few months. No matter whom we voted for, we all need to remind ourselves that there’s more to life than polls and plumbers, Wall Street and Wolf Blitzer.

So start healing the wounds. Call your Republican friends, e-mail your Nader-voting Uncle Harry, sit with the Spectator kids at the Ratty. Do whatever you have to do, but let’s start treating each other like humans again. I know I’ll be spending some quality time with my friend Brian over the next few weeks. And when I do, I’m going to tell him that although we don’t agree on gay marriage or supply-side economics, I still think he’s a good guy.

That is, after I finish rubbing the election results in his face.

Kevin Roose ’09.5 is angling for a spot in the Obama administration. Secretary of Crunk?

Call me.

Huckabee right with election analysis

BY Joshua Kaplan Opinions Columnist Mike Huckabee’s speech in Salomon 101 last Thursday really resonated with me. He spoke powerfully of how much the Republican primary was about the process. He explained how time and again he was asked how much money he had raised and how much staff he had, but virtually never about his policies or the philosophy behind them. As a selfdiagnosed political junkie, none of this was new to me.

It was later on in the talk when he got to his policies and philosophies that it fully occurred to me just how lacking the 2008 campaign was. In a considerably off-topic response to a question, he clearly and eloquently explained his view of the connection between limited government and conservative morals. To sum up his well-worded explanation: conservative morality leads to a better-behaved society and therefore a diminished need for regulation.

I don’t agree with his argument, but I understand it now. If I use his assumptions, I can get his conclusions. He gave a cohesive rationale for conservatism. He offered not just policies and opinions, but a why, a reason. That is exactly what this nearly two-year campaign season lacked.

During the Democratic primaries there was virtually no major philosophical or policy differences — particularly between the big three: Clinton, Edwards and Obama. There was some squabbling over how “universal” health care

should be and just how bad the Iraq war was, but it was almost all over minutiae. As Huckabee mentioned, on the Republican side it was not any more substantial.

To a certain degree, the lack of explanation for policy differences during a primary is understandable, as there is usually less difference. However, this should not have been a problem during the general election.

McCain and Obama spent their campaigns proposing policies, big and small, occasionally

little more than each claiming that the other distorted his policy and then reiterating a rehearsed explanation of it. They did not defend their policies by explaining how they arrived at the policy, but instead offered a sort of proof-by-vigorous-assertion.

On the contrary, Huckabee stood before us and explained himself. He gave the rationale for his views on abortion by drawing an analogy to slavery. Abortion is morally wrong and it must be stopped everywhere,

McCain and Obama spent their campaigns proposing policies, big and small, occasionally specific but often vague. What the two candidates rarely, if ever, provided was a a cohesive rationale for their policies. specific but often vague. They offered up statistics and platitudes. What the two candidates rarely, if ever, provided was a cohesive rationale for their policies. This is different from a rationale for their candidacies. Obama argued he would provide change, McCain contended he had the leadership and experience.

They virtually never spent time explaining their choices. The debates consisted of

he argued. Just because one lives in Rhode Island where slavery is illegal does not mean one should be content, because it still occurs in Virginia. If one truly believes slavery is wrong, then he will do everything possible to stop it everywhere.

Do I agree with him or his logic? No, but now I absolutely understand where he is coming from. Huckabee did not make it a guessing

game as to how he arrived at his position.

McCain and Obama offered their opinions on a variety of issues, but avoided every opportunity to explain their decisions. As Huckabee put it, Q&A does not stand for what you think it does — for politicians it means Questions & Avoidance.

Candidates avoid these kinds of explanations for an understandable reason. If you explain your rationale to a crowd, it is possible they won’t understand it, misunderstand it, or just flat out disagree with it.

But there is an advantage to making campaigns about these types of explanations. Without exception, every large campaign involves a deluge of negative ads. Digging up past votes, quotations, articles and associations, rivals portray the dark, twisted thinking process of the other candidate. If the politician has already explained his decisions thoroughly and frequently, these tactics will be less effective.

If Huckabee runs again, he cannot count on my vote, but he can certainly count on my respect. Likely his speaking topics were a result of his audience. Because he was speaking before a few hundred Brown students and not the television audience of Fox News, he was much more candid. I can only hope if he ever campaigns again he will bring a little bit of what he said last Thursday onto the campaign trail with him. Perhaps it will cause other candidates to explain their views as well.

Joshua Kaplan ’11 arrived at his argument without explaining it to anyone.

S ports W ednesday Page 16

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

What World Series?

Last Saturday, in anticipation of the upcoming Phillies-Rays World Series game, a few friends and I decided to go have a Patrick Davis few beers and Sports Columnist watch the game at Spats. Eager and excited, we arrived, sat down and ordered the first round. Much to our dismay, we soon discovered that the Penn State-Ohio State college football game was on the big screen and our Phils had been demoted to the corner screen.

Yes, of the 8-plus screens at Spats, all but one were playing a midseason college football game over a crucial World Series game. Now, I’m not faulting Spats for this — they only act in response to demand. But it is the demand that is incredibly concerning to me.

This year’s World Series was one of the worst rated of all time. This is partially due to baseball’s declining popularity in general, but I have a sneaking suspicion there’s more to this story. So for all you readers out there who are confused as to why there is a baseball article not about the Yanks or Red Sox, this is for you.

It’s a real shame that you “fans” can’t appreciate real baseball, but I’ll fill you in on the details. Here’s what you missed: Drama. From the first pitch to Brad Lidge’s devastating last slider, this series was full of drama. Four of the games were decided by a total of five runs, each providing nailbiting ninth inning finishes. Game 3 was won in the bottom of the ninth, on a chopped grounder down the third baseline by one of the most unlikely heroes of the season, Carlos “Rally-Killer” Ruiz. And on top of all that, the fifth and final game was suspended mid-sixth inning in a tied game, providing almost unbearable buildup and an instant dose of drama when the game resumed two nights later.

Storylines. This series was ripe with fascinating storylines. First, there was the comeback story of Brad Lidge, who, after giving up a massive playoff shot to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS, seemed as if he would never regain his oncedominant self. But Lidge showed continued on page 13

Equestrian wins show, takes lead in standings The equestrian team rode to an impressive 12-point victory over the field at Connecticut College on Saturday. With the win, the Bears took a 14-point lead over second-place URI to take the top spot in the regional standings.

Allegra Aron ’11 led the Bears with a first- and a second-place finish that gave her high point rider status on the day. Elise Fishelson ’11, Rachel Griffith ’10, Leona Rosenblum ’09 and Rebecca McGoldrick ’12 all took first place finishes in their respective classes. Also contributing for the Bears were Liz Giliberti ’10 and Emily Bourdeau ’10, who both took second place on their rides, respectively.

The Bears next head to compete in Connecticut on Saturday in their second-to-last show of the fall season.

—Megan McCahill

W. hockey splits ECAC opening weekend, falling to RPI

By Megan McCahill Sports Editor

The women’s ice hockey team (1-2-1) opened up Eastern College Athletic Conference play by splitting its two road games over the weekend, falling 5-1 to RPI on Friday before bouncing back for a solid 4-1 win over Union on Saturday.

Coming off of an impressive 2-2 tie with national power St. Cloud State, the Bears were feeling confident heading into conference play, but the team struggled in all aspects against RPI. Brown was outshot 54-8 by the Engineers, and the Bears committed six penalties in the game, allowing RPI to score two goals on power play opportunities.

“We’re a physical team, we play physical in practice and we bring that to games,” said captain and Herald Sports Staff Writer Nicole Stock ’09.

“They were a quick team, so our physical style combined with the fact that we came out sluggish ended up in us getting called for a lot of penalties.”

Despite their struggles, the Bears were in the game early thanks to some impressive saves by Stock, who made a season-high 49 stops on the night. Midway through the first period, the Bears won a faceoff in their own zone, and Maggie Suprey ’11 was able to carry the puck up the ice on a breakaway and beat the Engineers’ goalkeeper for her second career goal to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Just a few minutes later, RPI scored two goals just minutes apart to retake the lead, and Brown was unable to generate enough offense to return the favor. The Bears were unable to register another shot on goal in the first period, and headed into the first intermission down 2-1.

“We couldn’t really get anything going,” said Sasha Van Muyen ’10.

“We had trouble getting the puck out

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Sashsa Van Muyen ‘10 scored her first goal of the season in the Bears 4-1 win over Union.

of the zone.”

The Bears continued to struggle offensively for the rest of the game, getting outshot 18-5 in the second period and 17-2 in the third. RPI scored two more goals in the second period, including its second power-play goal of the game, and added another score with only 45 seconds left in the game to hand the Bears a 5-1 loss.

“We came out sluggish,” Stock said. “We didn’t have nearly as much intensity and enthusiasm as we did against St. Cloud State.”

The Bears used the loss as motivation for improvement in Saturday’s game against Union, and Bruno came out looking like a different team, going on the offensive attack early and often. “(Head Coach Digit Murphy) really got us fired up before the game,” Stock said. “She made sure we brought intensity right from the start and that we kept it up throughout the game.”

Brown drew a penalty on the home team just 18 seconds into the

game, and the Bears executed their power play to perfection, passing the puck around the perimeter to assistant captain Andrea Hunter ’10, who slid the puck over to Paige Pyett ’12 at the point. Pyett blasted a shot from the right circle past the Dutchwomen goalie to give the Bears a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into the game.

“On offense we did a good job of taking more shots and looking to the net more; we didn’t get caught up in trying to make a fancy play,” Van Muyen said. “We played a lot more like a team. We were really working together instead of trying too hard to do things on our own, which happened a bit in the RPI game. Overall, we were more focused and more relaxed, and we all came ready to play.”

Later in the period, Brown showed off its penalty-killing ability by keeping Union off of the board after being called for holding, and with 6:37 remaining, Pyett scored her second goal of the game off of another blast from up top, this time from the top of the left circle, to take a 2-0 lead.

Amanda Asay ’10 and Jacquie Pierri ’12 assisted on the goal for their first points of the season.

Brown struck again early in the second period, as Van Muyen knocked in a rebound off of a blast

by Savannah Smith ’09 to give the Bears a commanding 3-0 lead just 1:39 into the period.

“Sav took the shot and we both drove the net and I was able to get a stick on it and put it in,” Van Muyen said. “That was something we did well as a team all game, we drove the net hard and got rebounds.”

With 11:52 left in the period, the Bears converted on another hard shot to the net, as Skyelar Siwak ’12 deflected a shot from Jaclyn Small continued on page 13

Field hockey can’t complete comeback, loses to Penn

By Andrew Braca Assistant Sports Editor

The field hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Penn on Sunday in the penultimate game of the season. After a sluggish first half, the Bears (4-12, 0-6 Ivy) rallied to tie the Quakers (6-10, 4-2) in the second half and secure the momentum going into overtime, but Rachel Eng scored on a 2-on-1 breakaway 10 minutes into the extra frame to deny Brown a win in its final road game of the year.

“It’s never easy to lose in overtime, but I think we fought really hard in the second half to come back and definitely fought throughout the overtime,” said Leslie Springmeyer ’12. “The Penn player was just able to beat our defenders and got a really good shot on goal.”

The Quakers struck quickly, taking the lead just 3:46 into the game, and raced to a 16-5 advantage in shots, but the Bears limited them to just a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal.

Brown goalkeeper Caroline Washburn ’12 made six saves to keep Penn off the board for the rest of the first half, but the Bruno offense could not convert on its chances, as Penn goalie Alanna Butera stopped all five shots to send her team into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

“I think a few individuals played amazingly in the first half, but the team didn’t fight as much as we did in the second half, which we kind of

Ashley Hess / Herald File Photo

Leslie Springmeyer ’12 scored her fifth goal of the season against Penn, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears fell to the Quakers 2-1 in OT. regretted,” Springmeyer said.

Though Brown could have been down even more than 1-0 at the half, Sara Eaton ’09 said she was not happy to go into halftime trailing after missing out on so many opportunities. The Bears regrouped in the

locker room, and emerged with a renewed focus on defense.

“We definitely talked about a few points we needed to work on, and I think it showed through our play how we changed those points,” Springmeyer said. “We communi-

cated a lot better to each other, and we had a lot better recovery on individual defense, which we were lacking in the first half. We kind of let Penn play around with us (before).”

Bruno started the second half strong, but trailed for 19:30 before Springmeyer found the back of the cage after a penalty corner to tie the game.

“The goalie came out to Victoria (Sacco ’09), and she was able to lift it over the goalie’s stick, and I was open on the post and finished it into the goal,” Springmeyer said. “It felt amazing, and it definitely pumped us all up, which is why we could hold them, at least until the overtime.”

The Bears controlled the second half, building advantages of 6-5 in shots and 5-2 in corners and taking the only two shots on goal of the period. Eaton attributed the improvement to teamwork.

“We were supporting the forwards a lot more,” she said. “(For) a lot of the first half, we were drilling the ball to Tacy (Zysk ’11) and Leslie Springmeyer and letting them run with it without supporting them and giving them passing options. In the second half, it was a real team effort, and we were able to sustain (our) attack.”

Buoyed by their momentum, the Bears believed strongly in their chances to pull out the win. continued on page 13