Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 46 | Tuesday, April 7, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Providence Longtime psychiatry chair resigns crime rate rises in ’08 By Sydney Ember Senior Staf f Writer
By Julia Kim Contributing Writer
The Providence Police Department announced last Tuesday that the city’s violent crime and overall crime rates increased by more than 10 percent in 2008.
METRO Violent crime in the city rose by 19 percent, while overall crime increased by 12 percent after dropping each year from 2001 to 2006. The city experienced a total of 10,442 crimes in 2008, up from 9,314 crimes in 2007. National crime statistics for 2008 have not yet been released. The police cited the declining economy as a primary source of crime, according to a press release accompanying the statistics. A significant portion of the increase in crime came from a rise in robberies, particularly muggings for cell phones, which are often targeted because they are easily sold or used once taken. Burglaries, especially of foreclosed homes, also contributed to the increased number of crimes as thieves frequently remove copper piping from foreclosed properties to sell the scrap metal for money, according to the release. One of the few silver linings in the department’s statement was that the number of homicides fell from 14 in 2007 to 13 in 2008. Motor vehicle thefts also declined by continued on page 4
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Martin Keller will step down as chair of the department this June, amid ongoing federal scrutiny directed at him and other researchers with financial ties to pharmaceutical companies. Keller’s resignation, announced Monday in an e-mail to the Alpert Medical School community by Dean of Medicine and Biological
Sciences Edward Wing, comes almost two years after Keller sent a letter to members of his department declaring his intention to resign June 30 of this year. Last year, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter of inquir y requesting that Keller disclose his financial ties to pharmaceutical companies. Keller will be replaced as chair on an interim basis by Steven Rasmussen MD’77, an associate pro-
O rgani z e d C H aos
fessor in the department, Wing wrote in his e-mail. “During Dr. Keller’s tenure, the department has been widely acknowledged as one of the top 10 psychiatr y departments in the countr y,” Wing wrote, thanking Keller for “his many accomplishments and fine leadership.” Keller’s August 2007 letter to members of his department said his decision to resign two years continued on page 2
Water everywhere — but none to drink in the SciLi By Brigitta Greene Senior Staff Writer
Jesse Morgan / Herald Students selected on-campus housing on the second night of this year’s housing lottery in Sayles Hall.
Courtesy of Brown
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Martin Keller.
Thirsty students would have done better sticking their heads out the window than slurping at the Sciences Library water fountains Monday. A water main break at about 11 a.m. resulted in the disruption of all water supply to the building, said James Sisson, senior construction manager with Facilities Management. Students and staff were directed to the Computer Information Technology building or Macmillan Hall for bathroom use. Facilities Management began repairs at around 2 p.m., and hired the construction firm J.H. Lynch and Sons, Inc. for emergency help, Sisson said. Workers removed the broken section of the pipe and used a new connective segment to patch the unit, he said. Sission estimated that work would be completed between 11 p.m. and midnight Monday.
The reason for the break is unknown, especially because the affected infrastructure is not old, Sisson said. Brown University Police partially blocked Thayer Street for construction materials, and signs warning of bathroom closings were posted around the building. Though the rain made the usually short trek to neighboring buildings a bit more daunting, students studying at the library remained relatively unfazed. “I had to balance on the concrete barrier” said Hunter Thunell ’10 of his trip to the neighboring CIT building in the pouring rain. “I looked down on both sides and it was muddy and swampy,” added Amanda Zarrilli ’09.5. Both agreed, however, that it was not a big disruption. “There may be isolated cases that follow that may result of work performed, revolving around low water continued on page 3
Walking the line: Troupe integrates circus and theatre By Lauren Pischel Staff Writer
inside
CRANSTON — Four performers stretch in a circle inside a small dance studio in Feinstein Scholar Dance Academy. After several minutes, Patrick Cullen does a backbend, unfolds himself and turns to Ali LeBrun. “Ali, do you want to try walking on stilts again today?” he asks. Ali looks up. She is not sure the ceiling is high enough, but will try anyway. Every Saturday afternoon, members of the Ocean State Circus Performers, a group formed seven months ago by Simon McEntire ’06, meet in this dance studio to practice. Some spin fire, juggle, unicycle and
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two-year-olds to college kids to busiwalk on stilts. According to juggler Jeremy Kuhn nessmen,” McEntire said. ’10, they cover a variety of skills, enFor him, the theatrical aspect of compassing “the kinesthetic-based the group makes it unique. “If you performance arts.” want to see a traditional top circus, But instead of just presenting go see Barnum and Bailey,” McEntire these talents in a normal circus tra- said. “If you want to see really good dition of spectacle, the group takes it technique, go see Cirque du Soleil.” a step further by comFor Kuhn, a HerFEATURE bining technical skills ald comic artist, the “with theater, story-telling and music theatrical thread is an essential aspect to create this sense of immersion and of the group. “Ocean State Circus wonder and fun,” McEntire said. Performers as a whole tend to like The circus performers are hired (performances) with this element of by elementary schools, museums and theatre,” he said, adding that doing businesses for special events. They so broadens the reach of the term also offer lessons and free community “circus.” practices to those who would like to learn their arts. Gathering the troupe We “entertain (everyone) from McEntire founded Ocean State
Circus Performers last fall when he noticed that members of the local community were interested in circus entertainment and instruction but did not have access to local artists. He then drew on his connections at Brown and in Providence to put the troupe together. He also posted an ad on craigslist to attract others. “Craigslist is kind of a weird thing,” McEntire said, adding that, though not all the performers who contacted him ended up joining, “the first two hits were pure gold.” Stilts and frogs When the performers arrive at the Feinstein Academy every Saturcontinued on page 4
Lauren Pischel / Herald
Ali LeBrun, an Ocean State Circus Performer, walks on stilts.
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Sports, 5
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GOOD MONEY A new student group will manage Brown’s “socially responsible” investments
QUADRUPLE WINS Bears baseball won four games last weekend
BAD WATER? Gartner ‘12 thinks the NCCA needs an attitude change
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
“The University asked me to stay on through June 2009 and I agreed.” — Prof. Martin Keller, on waiting until June to step down
Independent study goes Fall study abroad numbers steady global for the first time By Alexandra Ulmer Staff Writer
By Anish Gonchigar Contributing Writer
Students now have an opportunity to earn credit by doing research during their study abroad through the Global Independent Study Initiative, a new project by the Office of International Programs. According to Kendall Brostuen, director of International Programs, the program is a meaningful way to get students and faculty members to work together on projects with a global focus, and offers a “unique” chance for students to receive independent study credits upon their return. “We not only have really independent students, but we have a lot of faculty that are doing work internationally,” Brostuen said. The program taps into the large number of courses at Brown that have a global focus, he said. While students will be able to participate in projects in many different departments, Brostuen said he expects some of the most popular areas of research to be international relations, global health, social entrepreneurship and political science. According to the initiative’s Web site, an example of such a collaboration could be a Brown faculty member who specializes in migration in Latin America helping a student studying abroad at a Peruvian university develop an independent study project focusing on urban planning. To apply for the program, stu-
dents must prepare a proposal and a timeline of communication with faculty, Brostuen said. Though the pilot program will be small this fall semester, Brostuen said his office has been working closely with a few students on design proposals. Student reaction to the initiative “has been ver y positive,” Brostuen said, adding that it has also been well-received by partner universities, such as the University of Edinburgh and Syracuse University. Brostuen said he hopes the program will become institutionalized at Brown. The program “presses the fact that education abroad is an integral part of the Brown experience,” he added. Ambika Natesh ’11, an international relations concentrator who will be studying abroad this fall, is strongly considering the program. “I would like to use it to explore the social status of women in Jordan,” she said, adding that she has been talking to faculty members in the department of Religious Studies about a possible collaboration. Natesh said her friends studying abroad next year might also be interested in the program. “It sounds like something people would want to take advantage of,” she said. Students will receive one Brown credit for participating in the program. The deadline to apply for the fall semester is April 24, and the deadline for the spring semester is November 6.
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About 250 students intend to study abroad next fall, according to an email from Director of International Programs Kendall Brostuen. The numbers indicate a minor increase from fall 2008, when 248 students chose to study abroad, as well as from fall 2007, when 212 students were abroad. “The fall 2009 figures demonstrate that Brown students understand the value of the international dimension to liberal learning,” Brostuen wrote. Students planning to go abroad in the fall are doing so for a variety of reasons. Some want to be at Brown for Spring Weekend or Commencement, while others are part of programs that are only offered in the fall. “It didn’t even cross my mind to study abroad in the spring,” said Francesca Barber ’11, who will attend a Brown-approved program on Social Movements and Human Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the fall semester. “A lot of my friends are graduating, and I wanted to be here.” The weather, class offerings and Spring Weekend were additional reasons Barber said she chose to be at Brown during spring 2010. Forty-five percent of students studying abroad next fall will attend approved and petition programs,
Brostuen wrote. The remaining 55 percent will attend Brown programs in places ranging from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro. Paige Hicks ’11 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that she chose to attend the Brown in Barcelona program this coming fall because spring is the most important season for her club ultimate frisbee team. ”It’s one of my favorite activities and the thought of missing an entire season was heart-wrenching,” she wrote. Hicks added that choosing which semester to study abroad was the only difficult part of studying abroad — she always knew she wanted to explore Spain. “When else would I be able to spend that much time in the country around a stable base of support?” she wrote. Roughly two-thirds of students are expected to study in Europe in the fall, Brostuen wrote. Asia and the Americas account for approximately 20 percent, Africa, 10 percent, while the Middle East and Oceania share the remaining 5 percent of students, he added. Abby Schreiber ’11 will also attend the Brown in Barcelona program next fall because she wants to be on campus to plan for the 50th anniversary of Spring Weekend, she wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. In addition she wrote, “I’ll still have three more semesters to enjoy at Brown and I won’t
be thrown into my senior year.” Michelle Levinson ’11 will be participating in the second year of the Brown in Cuba program, which only runs during the fall semester. “I feel that it is the right time to go,” she wrote, “because I still will have significant time at Brown to process this abroad experience and incorporate it into my academics.” Levinson added that she hoped time away from College Hill will rejuvenate her appreciation of Brown, and enhance her desire to learn. Improving his chances of finding an internship is one reason Julien Gaertner ’11 said he would chose to shorten the normally year-long Brown in France program he is attending. “It’s much easier to get an internship if you are on campus in spring,” he said. “I think the smarter semester to go is the fall semester.” Some students have spent both spring and fall abroad. Rachel Foster ’09 studied in Italy in the spring of 2008, and then in Germany during the fall of 2008, and recommends going abroad in the spring. “I always thought fall Semester at Brown was much more exciting than spring Semester,” she wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “All the new freshmen bring a sort of energy ... also, the weather is better here in the fall, and one is coming off a longer break from studying.”
Psych. chair steps down amid ethics questions continued from page 1 from then “was a deeply personal one and thought out over a sustained period with my family, close friends and University leadership.” He wrote that he intended to stay at Brown as a professor and researcher after taking a one-year sabbatical. In his letter, Keller wrote that announcing his intentions two years before he planned to step down would “provide time for a thorough national search and an orderly leadership transition.” Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 said Keller’s decision was not a direct result of the investigations into possible wrongdoing by the professor. “He’s been chair for 20 years,” Kertzer said. “And he decided 20 years is enough to be chair.” Keller has not been investigated publicly by the University, but Kertzer confirmed Monday that Keller’s conduct was investigated internally. “We received some allegations and looked into them, and we dealt with them,” Kertzer said. “The fact that Professor Keller has continued to be chair and continued research and continued to get grants speaks for itself.” The move comes at a time of increased federal scrutiny over conflicts of interest in academic research funded in part by large pharmaceutical companies. Last year, Grassley’s committee targeted Keller, who authored a controversial clinical study
claiming that the anti-depressant paroxetine, marketed as Paxil by GlaxoSmithKline, was effective in treating depression in children. According to a Herald article last September, multiple sources alleged that Keller misreported data. Documents indicated that his research group changed outcome measures during the study and had the final paper ghostwritten while receiving undocumented funds from GSK. In an e-mail to The Herald Monday, Keller wrote, “There is no connection between any supposed ‘controversy’ and my having entered into a written agreement with the University years ago which calls for me to step down as chair at the end of June 2009.” In a separate e-mail to The Herald, Keller wrote, “Frankly I had wanted to step down as chair of the department earlier than this date, but the University asked me to stay on through June 2009 and I agreed.” Keller’s resignation comes only a month after Emor y University’s Charles Nemeroff stepped down as chair of the school’s psychiatr y department following an investigation by Grassley’s committee, the Wall Street Journal repor ted in Februar y. Researchers at several other research universities, including Har vard, Stanford University and the University of Texas have also come under scrutiny from Grassley for ties to pharmaceutical companies. According to Alison Bass, a former medical writer for the Boston
Globe and author of “Side Effects,” a 2008 book documenting a lawsuit against GSK over the marketing of Paxil, Keller failed to report funding granted by the company on his 1998 tax returns, though he later acknowledged in a deposition for a GSK lawsuit that he had been receiving consulting fees from GSK while he was conducting research on the drug. Keller also received approximately $300,000 from Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies, Bass said. Ethical questions such as those concerning Keller’s research are common, especially in studies involving human subjects, said Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine Roy Poses ’73 MD’78. But a problem arises if a company is funding research into its own products, he said. Kertzer said Brown complied with the request to disclose all funding from drug companies in response to Grassley’s letter of inquir y. “I know that they received a request for information, and we provided all the information required,” Kertzer said. Jill Kozeny, Grassley’s communications director, said the investigation is currently under way. “Grassley’s inquir y is active,” she said, adding that “another letter is possible.” The Herald reported in Februar y that Brown intends to revise its policy on conflicts of interest in research to prevent similar situations in the future.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
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“The best way to get student participation was to get them real money to do it.” — Sam Byker ’10, co-founder of a new “social choice fund”
New groups investment with a conscience By Heeyoung Min Staf f Writer
A new student-run group will manage $50,000 of the University’s money that has been earmarked for “socially responsible” investments starting next fall, according to group members. For more than a year, the University has offered its donors the option of directing their gifts into a “social choice fund,” which presently has more than $2 million and is managed by a socially responsible mutual fund. But some students wanted to invest a small piece of the University’s money more actively. “The best way to get student participation was to get them real money to do it,” said Sam Byker ’10, one of the founders of the new group, called the Brown Socially Responsible Investment Fund. The group will “negatively screen” companies that are deemed to be involved in environmentally unfriendly or otherwise unsavory activities and “positively screen” companies that take steps to accomplish social good, said Raisa Aziz ’11, another of the group’s founders. Exactly what those screens will look like will be determined by a general body vote early next fall, Aziz said. Professor of Economics Louis
Putterman, chair of the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, said Byker and Kirsten Howard ’09 came to him for advice on how to get the committee more involved. A core group of seven students, including Aziz, Byker and Howard, presented a formal proposal last December to Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper. The 10-page document was approved by her office in February. The student investment fund will contain a strong learning component, including educational sessions that focus on issues and investment techniques related to socially responsible investing, Aziz said. Members will also make presentations on their fields of expertise, which may or may not be financerelated, to help the group make informed investment decisions, she said. “I think the way we’ll be able to beat the market and succeed in our investments is to draw people from diverse backgrounds in Brown,” said Byker, a former Herald senior staff writer. To make the most of students’ expertise, Aziz said, the group’s membership will be split into three sectors — poverty alleviation and economic development, environ-
mental stewardship and corporate governance — with presentations, pitches and debates organized within each sector. Once a week, the group will hold a general body meeting, during which one team will make a 10 to 15 minute proposal to buy or sell an asset, and a second team will present a counter-proposal, Byker said. The members will then vote on the pitches, with the majority vote determining the group’s decision. Aziz added that the general body will decide which assets to buy or sell, “but executive board members will decide how much because they will be the ones seeing how the markets and our investments are doing on a daily basis.” The students spearheading the group said they were pleasantly surprised by the University’s quick and supportive response to their proposal. “It’s just amazing that Brown was so receptive and helpful,” Byker said. Students at Mount Holyoke College tried a similar project, Byker said, but “it took them years to get it approved,” and the group had to raise money on its own initially. The Brown student group’s rapid road to approval was aided by the Brown Investment Group, whose leaders offered guidance
to the socially responsible fund’s seven core members. As a student group with a 20year history that manages about $120,000 of the University’ endowment, the Brown Investment Group had many helpful resources, said the group’s portfolio director, Alex Baker ’09. The Brown Investment Group provided the new group access to all of its proposals and “foundational documents,” said Kate Stoughton ’09, the group’s co-managing director. Baker and Stoughton said there was potential for collaboration between the two groups. “In this global economy and in this economic climate, you’re seeing a lot of people focusing more on (socially responsible investing), and we’ve seen that within our own club as well,” Stoughton said. “It could end up being a very mutually beneficial relationship.” Among the group’s potential investments are Whole Foods Market, the Washington Post Company, Google and Apple, according to a sample portfolio provided to the University’s Investment Office. “This is a very promising development and very consistent with Brown’s values,” Putterman said. The group will hold an informational session Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. in Wilson 101.
Rain puts a damper on SciLi repairs continued from page 1 pressure and/or discoloration in the water once it has been restored,” wrote Derek Henries, manager of the Service Response Center with Facilities Management, in a notice posted outside the SciLi bathrooms Monday. Water pressure and color will gradually return to normal, he wrote. A similar pipe break — the result of damage from nearby construction activity — occurred last September, cutting off water supply to various University buildings including Faunce House, the Rockefeller Library and Hope College. Sisson said the wet conditions made Monday’s work a little more difficult than normal. “When it rains, it pours,” he said, gazing down at the deep hole outside the building’s main doors, “but we’ve been out in worse than this.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS metro in brief
Chafee ’75 tests gubernatorial waters Former Republican Senator and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies Lincoln Chafee ’75 announced Monday that he is establishing an “exploratory campaign” for a potential 2010 run for governor. Chafee, an independent, has received broad-based encouragement for a gubernatorial bid and will spend the next few months “figuring out just what the support means,” Jim DeRentis, the former senator’s newly appointed campaign manager, told The Herald.
Chafee will make a final decision about his candidacy “as soon as we’ve been able to assess the level of support and commitment (he has),” DeRentis said. Incumbent Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65 will be unable to run in 2010 because of term limits. Chafee told The Herald in a March 16 article that he was “very seriously” considering running for governor, but wanted to wait until his term at the Watson Institute ended this month to finalize plans. — Joanna Wohlmuth
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
“The University asked me to stay on through June 2009 and I agreed.” — Prof. Martin Keller, on waiting until June to step down
Thefts of laptops, cell phones top U. crimes continued from page 1 4 percent to 1,505 incidences. The Brown Department of Public Safety has also noticed an increase in crime on campus, said Deputy Chief Paul Shanley. Cell phones are a major target of robbery on the outskirts of campus where perpetrators can easily “make a quick hit and leave,” Shanley said. Laptop theft is also a primary concern. Shanley said every incidence of laptop theft this year has so far involved unlocked doors. Propping open doors to residence halls and allowing strangers to “tailgate” entry into dormitories largely contributes to burglary and robbery, he added. DPS has tried to make students more aware of risks by sending out safety tips through Morning Mail. Both Providence Police and the Rhode Island State Police have been working to combat crime, according to last week’s press release. Last summer, the departments formed Neighborhood Response Teams to patrol areas
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that were at higher risk for crime. They also visited shops that bought stolen scrap metal more frequently. Shanley said separating the crime statistics of the University from those of District 9, which includes parts of College Hill and Fox Point, is difficult when crimes involving students occur on public streets. Shanley said these crimes get reported through the district, whereas crimes that occur within
campus, such as dorm burglaries, are reported through DPS. Lt. John Ryan, District 9 commanding officer, said College Hill saw significant increases in crime from 2007 to 2008. According to Ryan, there were a total of 34 robberies in 2008, compared to 15 total robberies in 2007. But other types of crime fell during the same period, such as motor vehicle theft, which decreased by 12 percent.
Performers entertain from such great heights continued from page 1 day, they do not practice their own specialities. Instead, they have their peers teach them the other circus art forms. “It is not a place for me to practice a four-balls Mills Mess,” Kuhn said of an arm-twisting advanced juggling exercise. “Our practices are generally geared toward the development of skill and acts and ideas. I then can try to get myself to the same proficiency as the other performers.” The details of the show change depending on the audience. “We can tailor the performance to
the needs of the people we are performing for,” Kuhn said. Though they often give a more traditional circus performance for elementary school children, they can add interesting information, such as the interrelated nature of calculus and juggling, when performing for high school students. One of the performers’ favorite shows to put on is “Elsewhere,” which is based on the traditional hero’s journey. The protagonist must venture through strange lands, where he encounters creatures such as an acrobatic frog and four-legged stilt walkers, to find a lost damsel.
Instead of using dialogue to tell the story, the group puts together a musical score to drive the tale. Great balls of fire McEntire’s own specialty is firespinning, or fire poi. In poi, an art form that originated in New Zealand, a ball — which is often on fire — is attached to the end of a string and twirled around the performer’s body. The first time McEntire tried poi seven or eight years ago, he said he lit the side of his face on fire. “I kind of got that over with. It’s like a learning-by-experience sort of thing,” he said. McEntire begins all poi lessons he teaches with a half-hour tutorial on safety. As the group’s organizer, and because of the hazards of using fire indoors, he does not perform very often with the troupe. His main role, he said, “is to facilitate them being awesome.” “I often have to spend a lot of my time making sure that everything is running smoothly,” he said. Kuhn, a mathematics and linguistics concentrator and president of the Brown Juggling Club, began juggling eight years ago. It was a form of “active meditation” to distract himself from homework, he said. When he came to Brown, he expanded his repertoire from juggling only balls to juggling clubs and passing them between partners. Kuhn also has experience in busking, or performing on the street for money. Kuhn described the juggler mentality as, “Oh look, there’s a umbrella, I wonder if I can balance it on my nose.” The group has not performed yet on campus, except for a brief showing in the fall when around 100 other street performers descended on College Hill. It has no shows currently scheduled at the University, though McEntire said, “it’s possible we may just show up on campus and do the random busking performance.”
SportsTuesday The Brown Daily Herald
In rugby, Bears destroy Big Green By Dan Alexander Sports Staff Writer
Most teams would be ecstatic after a 29-0 win and an Ivy League Championship. The No. 3 women’s rugby team (14-2) isn’t like most teams. “We played pretty well,” said Head Coach Kerri Heffernan after her team shut out No. 15 Dartmouth (9-6). “I know we can play much better than that.” “We could have hit harder,” added Captain Whitney Brown ’09. The team has reason to have high expectations — the win was its fourth in a row and its seventh in eight games. The Bears had previously beaten Dartmouth twice last fall, though the Big Green gave the team a scare in October in a narrow 10-5 victory for Brown. Bruno pulled away early in the teams’ third meeting of the 20082009 campaign as Rachel Sohl ’09 scored a try just eight minutes into the game, giving the team a 7-0 lead. “We came out really hard and executed well,” said Captain Nina Safane ’09. Midway through the first half, Ploi Flynn ’09 caught a Dartmouth pass and raced 40 meters down the pitch with a Dartmouth defender
closing in on her from behind. The defender was just too late and tackled Flynn inside the end zone, putting Brown ahead 14-0. The Bears scored once more before the half and again early in the second half to increase the lead to 24-0. Brown was on the offensive end of the pitch for most of the afternoon. The Big Green drove on the Bears, getting deep into Brown territory a few times. But the Bears managed long runs and kicks from their own goal line on several occasions, keeping Dartmouth off the scoreboard for the whole game. Flynn had another huge run down the right sideline before cutting across to the middle, avoiding three defenders before passing to Whitney Brown, who ran into the end zone, giving Brown its final 29-0 advantage. Spring showers left a muddy pitch, and both teams had dirty uniforms by the time the final whistle sounded. “Sometimes it interferes with your handling,” Safane said. “But muddy games are the best. We’re not scared of a little dirt.” The sun was bright overhead and over 40 spectators watched from the sidelines. Many of those watching were
parents of the team’s 12 seniors, who were playing in the final home contest of their careers. After the game, the seniors received flowers and commemorative rugby balls from their younger teammates. Some of the seniors shed tears as they thanked their teammates after the game. “It’s amazing to know how much our teammates love us,” Brown said. “We really see ourselves as one unit. We’re like a family.” Heffernan said it will be hard to lose a group of players who have so much experience and success. “We’ve got a good crew of students at all levels, but to lose that many people is huge,” she said. The Bears will next take the pitch against the University of North Carolina in the National Round of 16 on April 18 in Sanford, Fla. The Bears defeated the Tar Heels, 14-3, on March 25 in Chapel Hill. If they beat UNC again and win their next game the following day in the Round of Eight, the tournament’s number four seed will play in Stanford, Calif. on the weekend of May 1. For the second year in a row, the Bears would return to Stanford for the National Round of Four in search of the national title.
Hitting comes through in four wins for baseball By Benjy Asher Sports Editor
In a wild weekend for Brown baseball, the team allowed 37 runs in four games but escaped with four wins. On Saturday, the Bears faced off against Penn, winning the two games by scores of 9-8 and 18-11. Sunday brought another doubleheader against Columbia, and again, Brown’s lineup came through as the Bears earned a 9-7 win in the first game. A walk-off home run by catcher Matt Colantonio ’11 gave the team a 12-11 win in the second game of the day to complete the weekend sweep. The Bears took advantage of outward-blowing gale-force winds, connecting for 17 home runs over the four games. “The wind was definitely helping the ball fly out at times, but guys on the team have been swinging the bat well all year,” said second baseman and co-captain Matt Nuzzo ’09, who was responsible for three of the home runs on the weekend. Brown 9, Penn 8 In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, first baseman Rob Papenhause ’09 put Brown (11-11, 7-1 Ivy) on the board in the bottom of the second inning, when he hit his first of four homers on the weekend, a solo shot to center field. A grand slam by Penn’s Dan Williams gave the Quakers a 4-1 lead in the top of the third, but center fielder Steve Daniels ’09 led off the bottom of the third inning with a home run to cut the deficit to 4-2. After Penn (10-16, 0-8) added another run in the top of the fourth, the Bears took control of the game in the bottom of the inning.
With one out and the bases still loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Daniels connected for his second home run of the game to give the Bears a 7-4 lead. Daniels showed unusual power from the leadoff spot, with four homers on the weekend, bringing his season total to six to lead the team. “I don’t know where the power’s coming from for Steve, but I’ll take it,” said Head Coach Marek Drabinski. “It’s no secret that he’s a huge catalyst for us.” Papenhause’s second homer of the game gave Brown a 9-5 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Quakers scored two runs in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 9-7, but Matt Kimball ’11 pitched a shutout seventh inning to get the save and secure the win for the Bears. Brown 18, Penn 11 The Bears’ bats didn’t quit in the second game of the doubleheader. Eight hitters recorded multi-hit games. Nuzzo’s two-run double and Papenhause’s three-run homer gave Brown a 5-0 lead in the first inning, and the Bears kept it going for the whole game, coming away with the 18-11 win. Papenhause finished with four RBI, giving him seven on the day, while designated hitter Pete Greskoff ’11 led the way with two homers and six RBI for Brown. Shortstop Graham Tyler ’12 continued his stellar freshman campaign with his third home run of the season, scoring three runs. Brown 9, Columbia 7 On Sunday, the Lions built an early 5-0 lead, but the Bears came alive in
the bottom of the second inning. After Greskoff and Shapiro reached base, Papenhause continued his red-hot hitting, driving a three-run homer to center field. A pair of solo homers from Daniels and Nuzzo in the bottom of the fifth tied the game at 7-7. Matt Boylan ’10 pitched shutout relief to keep the Bears in the game. In the bottom of the sixth, Tyler’s RBI single gave Brown its first lead of the game. Kimball came on to pitch the seventh inning and retired the side onetwo-three, recording his second save in as many days and giving the Bears their third consecutive win. Brown 12, Columbia 11 In the final game of the weekend, the Bears got home runs early on from Daniels, Tyler, Greskoff and Shapiro, building a 7-2 lead by the end of the fourth inning. But the Lions came roaring back with six unanswered runs over the next three innings, taking an 8-7 lead over Bruno. The Bears trailed 11-10 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Columbia retired the first two batters, bringing Brown to its last out, with Daniels at the plate. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Daniels laced a double off the top of the left field wall, his fourth hit of the game, bringing Colantonio to the plate. Colantonio drilled a 3-2 pitch to center field to give Brown a 12-11 victory. “Any time you take four games, it’s definitely a huge step for a team, and the way we did it, in such dramatic fashion, is a character-builder,” Nuzzo said. “Those are the moments you live for in baseball.”
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 | Page 5
M. tennis tops Ivy foes in weekend at home By Erin Frauenhofer Sports Staff Writer
Pearlman defeated Laalej in another three-set match, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
The men’s tennis team began Ivy League play on a high note with wins over Penn and Princeton at home this weekend. On Friday, the Bears blasted the Quakers, 6-1, before overpowering the Tigers, 5-2, on Saturday. Brown is now 2-0 in league play. Skate Gorham ’10 attributed the Bears’ success to their cohesiveness as a team. “Everyone fills a role, and everyone has a lot of faith in everyone else,” he said. “The way we motivate each other, more than the way we play, is how we’re able to do so well.”
Brown 5, Princeton 2 The next day, the doubles matches came down to the wire as Au and Posner had another quick win at third doubles, trouncing George Carpeni and Yohei Shoji, 8-2, and Lee and Pearlman dropped the second doubles match to Ilya Trubov and Ryan Kim by a score of 8-4. Gardner and Garland pulled through for the Bears at first doubles, where they edged out Peter Capkovic and Alex Vuckovic, 9-7, to clinch the doubles point. “We started slow in doubles, but after Sam and Noah clinched the doubles point, everyone got fired up,” Lee said. In singles play, Au led the way once again, breezing by Coleman Crutchfield, 6-1, 6-1. Lee also had a quick win at second singles, defeating Vuckovic by a score of 6-1, 6-3, putting Brown ahead, 3-0. Gardner dropped a 7-5, 6-3 match to Alex Faust at fifth singles, and Pearlman fell in three sets to Capkovic at first singles, bringing the score to 3-2. Gorham clinched the victory for the Bears, outlasting Ryan Kim at third singles by a score of 1-6, 6-1, 7-6. “I’ve been having shoulder trouble, so I was at a disadvantage because I haven’t been able to hit a two-handed backhand,” Gorham said. “After losing the first set, I was hoping to turn things around, and that definitely happened. It felt really good.” At fourth singles, Garland also triumphed in three sets, defeating Carpeni, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. “Sam and Kendrick both went 4-0 this weekend, so that was really big,” Gorham said. The Bears will be on the road next weekend, competing against Columbia in New York on Friday and Cornell in Ithaca on Saturday. “We’re focusing on Columbia right now,” Lee said. “We’re going to work on playing big-point situations in practice.” According to Lee, the Bears see a strong Ivy season ahead of them. “We know we can play so much better than we did this weekend, so I think we sent a clear message to the other teams,” he said. Gorham agreed, saying, “We can’t be happy with being 2-0. We want to sweep Ivies.”
Brown 6, Penn 1 In 2007 and 2008, Brown lost to Penn during Ivy play, but this year the Bears refused to surrender. “We competed hard throughout the lineup,” said tri-captain Chris Lee ’09. “The guys really dug deep and rose to the occasion. It really showed the hard work we’ve been putting in.” The Bears swept the doubles matches against the Quakers for a 1-0 lead. At third doubles, Kendrick Au ’11 and Charlie Posner ’11 blew by Jason Lin and Jeffrey Karsh, 8-2, and at first doubles, tri-captains Sam Garland ’09 and Noah Gardner ’09 earned an 8-4 win over Hicham Laalej and Adam Schwartz. The No. 55-ranked duo of Lee and Jonathan Pearlman ’11 defeated Phil Law and Justen Roth, 9-7, at second doubles to complete the domination in doubles play. “Our doubles were really good this weekend,” Gorham said. “Sweeping the doubles matches against Penn was really important.” Lee widened Brown’s lead to 2-0 with a win at second singles, soundly defeating Jon Boym by a score of 6-3, 6-2. At third singles, Gorham lost a 6-2, 6-4 match to Schwartz, but at fourth singles, Garland outlasted Law, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, to bring the match score to 3-1. “Sam was up 5-1 in the third set, but the other guy came back to make it 5-5, so Sam’s spark at the end there really turned the match around,” Lee said. “If I could have one person in the world to clinch a match for me, I’d want Sam to do that.” Au overpowered Roth at sixth singles by a score of 6-2, 6-2 to give Brown the victory. Meanwhile, Gardner edged out Lin at fifth singles by a score of 4-6, 7-6, 1-0, and at first singles,
Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 6 | Tuesday, April 7, 2009
e d i to r i a l
The transfer tradeoff The Office of Admission rejected a harrowing 89.2 percent of those who applied to the Class of 2013 due to a 21 percent increase in applicant volume. But if you think high school seniors had it rough, consider the plight of the transfer pool. Applications for transfer admission totaled over 1,400 — a 40 percent jump from last year. The Office of Admission hopes to enroll 120 transfers next year, though the final number will depend on the freshmen yield. Transfer admission seems to have fallen out of fashion at some schools. Princeton did away with it altogether a few years back and Harvard followed suit this year, announcing that its transfer program has been “suspended indefinitely.” But Brown has built up a reputation as a transfer-friendly school by admitting, with some regularity, a relatively large transfer class. This practice eases the transition for transfer students and helps the University attract an especially talented applicant pool each year. We’re glad Brown is bucking the anti-transfer trend. Transfers offer a unique perspective on campus affairs and often become active members of the community. But while we value transfers and their many contributions to campus life, we also recognize that Brown’s sizable transfer class comes at a cost, since transfer applicants are evaluated on a “need-aware” basis. In order to admit a large number of transfers, the University has to accept fewer incoming freshmen. As a result, fewer candidates are admitted need-blind. The Office of Admission should consider changing its policies in order to ensure that its transfer admission program promotes socioeconomic diversity on campus. The Plan for Academic Enrichment calls for need-blind admission for all undergraduates by 2019. In the long term we hope that the University achieves that goal. More immediately, the Brown admission office should target a broader range of applicants by having its representatives visit community colleges and recruit their top students. The admissions office should also consider limiting spaces for transfer students until it has the resources to admit all undergraduates on a need-blind basis. By keeping the admit rate for transfers below the rate for freshman applicants, the University would protect need-blind admissions and continue to ensure that transfers are as deserving as members of the incoming class. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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A le x yuly
l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r s
Pharma policies deserve failing grade To the Editor: Thank you for highlighting the important issue of conflicts of interest in medical care in your recent editorial (“Brown’s pharmaceutical problem,” March 31). The Brown Pharmaceutical Policy Task Force, a student group at the Alpert Medical School begun two years ago, has made recent headway towards addressing this topic. Mirroring actions at medical schools and state legislatures nationwide, students on the task force have compiled a list of policy recommendations including curriculum additions, mandating lecture disclosures on funding and banning direct contact and gifts to medical students. The administration, having been encouraging and supportive of the task force’s work, has reviewed this list and formulated an action plan to enact some of these policies in the upcoming academic year. Nevertheless, the task force believes that the strategies endorsed by the medical school administration have been outstripped by progress made at institutions elsewhere. Another proposed list of recommendations submitted to the administration detailed restrictions on both faculty and students alike; however, the administration politely placed these suggestions aside. Although
the Alpert Medical School does not own the hospitals that students train in, other institutions such as Harvard Medical School do not have ownership of their affiliated hospitals yet are forming more comprehensive policies regarding conflicts of interest. Moreover, legislature being proposed in Massachusetts and Connecticut demonstrates the relevance of this national movement and its importance to improving medical care. The American Medical Students Association releases a PharmFree Scorecard yearly, which grades medical schools on the rigor of their conflict of interest policies. The Alpert Medical School has most recently received a grade of “Incomplete,” indicating “no policy, or policy unlikely to have a substantial effect on behavior.” With the proposed changes that apply to students and not faculty, we might hope for a grade of D — one that, unlike grades at Brown, cannot be stricken from the medical school’s record. Sunil Hebbar MD ’12 Joelle Karlik MD ’12 Members of Brown Pharmaceutical Policy Task Force April 6
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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 | Page 7
Shutting the door to the iv(or)y tower Tyler Rosenbaum Opinions Columnist Ever y year around this time high school students wait anxiously to see which colleges, if any, accepted them. Those of us who are already here quietly and clandestinely look to see whether we have taken fewer applicants than our peers. But Brown’s increasing exclusivity is not necessarily a good thing. Even a cursor y look at historical data confirms that Brown has not increased the size of the student body in at least 15 years — and statements two years ago by top University officials to the Daily Pennsylvanian, the University of Pennsylvania’s student newspaper, suggest that there may not have been any significant enlargement in 30 or 40 years. To be sure, there are fluctuations. For example, last year Brown accidentally let in more students than it should have, and the class of 2012 is 55 people, or 3.7 percent, larger than the University had anticipated. But despite accepting “too many” students, our acceptance rate last year still fell from approximately 13.5 to 13.3 percent.
This year, administrators did not make the same mistake twice. Since applications to Brown increased 21 percent (holy crap) this year, it is not surprising that Brown’s acceptance percentage for the incoming class was below 11 percent for the first time in our histor y. Though this was not entirely unexpected, it is still worth pondering the significance of turning away nine in 10 people who seek admission. Just 13 years ago, our acceptance rate was almost 20 percent. Was Brown half as
tended back when we must have practically thrown open the Van Wickle Gates to the unwashed masses. Yes, it would be easy for those of us who have already gotten in to wish Brown admitted fewer people. After all, isn’t it a commonly held assumption that the value of a thing is inversely related to how many people have it? Some might be tempted to participate in a sort of “race to the bottom” with Princeton, Yale, Har vard and other competitors. But that represents a narrow-minded view of the value of an
It is worth pondering the significance of turning away more than nine in 10 people who seek admission.
prestigious back in the late 1990s? Are the class of 2000’s degrees worth half as much as ours will be? Gov. Bobby Jindal ’91.5 of Louisiana was a Rhodes Scholar and did well for himself in business before succeeding in politics, yet he graduated back when Brown probably let in more than one in four applicants. And Gov. Jack Markell ’82 of Delaware at-
“elite” education. The worth of a university does not lie in its selectivity ranking. It lies in its resources: its students, its professors and, to a lesser degree, its funds. Surely turning more (unquestionably qualified) students away does not add to our resources. By and large, the number of spots at the nation’s top colleges (and to some ex-
tent at all other colleges as well) has remained constant while the countr y’s population has rapidly increased. This obser vation has always struck me as strange. Of course, this does not completely account for the increase in applications and the associated increase in selectivity. Certainly the dwindling number of acceptances has encouraged applicants to apply to far more colleges than they would have in earlier days, which necessarily inflates the acceptance statistics. Nevertheless, this alone cannot explain away our increasing penchant for rejection. Natural population increases play a large role, which means that members of newer generations are being penalized. When the New Curriculum was approved, there were about 33,000 Americans for ever y spot at Brown. Fourteen years ago the number had increased to 44,000, and today it’s 51,000. Indeed, there must be many successful graduates of 20, 30 and 40 years ago who, if they were applying under current circumstances, would be soundly rejected from their alma mater. Is it right that students of equal caliber should receive vastly different treatment based on the year of their birth? Perhaps so. But I’m not convinced. Tyler Rosenbaum ’11 advocates letting in the masses, but only if they wash.
NCAA dupes athletes about doping Marcus Gartner Opinions Columnist On Tuesday, Feb. 3, student-athletes and coaches received an e-mail from the Department of Athletics alerting them that some flavors of the popular energy drink Vitaminwater contained illegal substances according to NCAA guidelines. This was a surprise to athletes and coaches who previously considered Vitaminwater a standard sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade. It was also shocking because the Coca-Cola Company, which owns Vitaminwater, is a major sponsor of the NCAA, and Vitaminwater can be seen on the sidelines of many NCAA sporting events. A week after this e-mail was sent, the NCAA released a statement reassuring student-athletes that normal consumption of the energy drinks was safe and would not affect a drug test. It noted, however, that three flavors of Vitaminwater still contained impermissible substances, including taurine, L-theanine and ECGC, meaning that schools or coaches cannot provide athletes with the drinks. The NCAA called the initial reaction a misunderstanding due to inaccurate media coverage. The stor y was apparently blown out of proportion and various universities, including Brown, passed on the false information to their student-athletes. It was irresponsible for the NCAA to place blame on the media, which today feed
on stories of athletes doping. The media have been intensely investigating illegal substance use in professional sports (especially baseball) over the past decade. To release a vague warning without calculating the repercussions is foolish. But at least what they did was morally correct and got the stor y straightened out, right? That could be the whole truth, but I think it panned out a little differently. After test results revealed that several flavors of Vitaminwater contained illegal
Major League Baseball. Knowing that it could not afford to lose one of its biggest sponsors, the NCAA was tasked with coming up with an excuse that would make Vitaminwater legal for athletes to consume. The NCAA had to claim that ver y small amounts of the illegal substances were in the drinks and that only after consuming an excessive amount of drinks would an athlete test positive for these substances. This announcement saved it from any pos-
Obviously, the NCAA isn’t explicitly telling athletes that it’s okay to use performanceenhancing substances, but it is implicitly sending a signal saying that it is okay to consume such substances. substances, the NCAA was quick to alert athletic departments across the nation. Upon receiving this news, universities passed it on to their coaches and athletes to prevent any future complications with NCAA antidoping policies. The NCAA then realized that if these flavors of Vitaminwater contained illegal substances under their rules, its Coca-Cola sponsorship could be jeopardized. How could a product made by a company sponsoring the NCAA be illegal? It would be similar to an anabolic steroid producer sponsoring
sible issues with its sponsor, and allowed Vitaminwater to be a common sideline refreshment. But what kind of message is the NCAA sending to college athletes? Obviously, it isn’t explicitly telling athletes that it’s okay to use performance-enhancing substances, but it is implicitly sending a signal saying that it is okay to consume such substances, as long as they are in miniscule and undetectable amounts. Is it okay? Would it have been okay if Alex Rodrgiuez had used a ver y small amount of
steroids, even if such a small dose may not have positively affected his performance? Would it have been fair if Marion Jones had done the same? What about Roger Clemens, Tim Montgomer y or anyone else who has tested positive for or admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs? The line should be drawn at zero, meaning that consumption of any amount of banned substance should be a violation. This would avoid the complication of having to prove whether or not a ver y small amount of a substance has the slightest effect on performance. A problem then arises in enforcement of this policy. If you can’t detect the substance, there is no way of knowing whether an athlete has consumed it. However, just because a policy cannot be enforced does not mean that the policy should not exist. The existence of a zerotolerance policy for banned substances would be enough to keep many honest and law-abiding student-athletes away from such substances. The situation should have been handled more maturely by NCAA officials to uphold the standards and integrity of college sports. The NCAA may not be directly condoning cheating, but it is definitely not sending out the right message with its actions.
Marcus Gartner ’12 is a computer science concentrator from San Jose, California. He can be reached at marcus_gartner@brown.edu.
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Today The Brown Daily Herald
4
Chafee ’75 considers a run for governor
M. tennis off to a smashing start
5
comics Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
Enigma Twist | Dustin foley
c a l e n da r tomorrow, april 8
4 P.m. — David Finkel: “Narrative Journalism: Reporting, Organizing, Writing and Ethics” Brown/RISD Hillel
7 P.M. — Hamlet and Segismundo, Carmichael Auditorium (Hunter Lab)
7 P.M. — Kevin Roose ’09.5 reads from “Unlikely Disciple” Salomon 001
8 P.M. — Multimedia Concert featuring Mark Snyder and MEME students, Grant Recital Hall
The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb
menu Sharpe Refectory
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Butternut Apple Bake, Couscous, Spicy Fries, Tuna Salad, Stewed Tomatoes
Lunch — Beef Tacos, Vegan Burritos, Grilled Rotisserie Chicken
Dinner — Vegan Chana Masala, Sliced Turkey and Ham, Hamburgers, French Bread
Dinner — Roast Beef au Jus, Vegan Vegetable Couscous, Garlic Mashed Potatoes PAID ADVERTISEMENT
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Working on, as homework 6 44th president 11 Actress Gardner 14 The blahs 15 Rice dish 16 “Big” London clock 17 Astound 19 Sob 20 Pickle holder 21 Oater actor Jack 22 “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank 24 Cyclotron particle 26 Chain known for breakfasts 28 Breathing organ 30 Litter cries 32 “Married ... With Children” dad 35 One hanging around 38 Suffix with web 39 Gossipy types 42 Letter after sigma 43 Refined grace 44 Kate of “The Reader” 46 Sarge’s order 50 “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” brand word 51 Hard to recall 54 “Don’t __ me, bro!” 55 “That rings a bell” 58 Darn with thread 60 Encountered 61 Saturn SUV 62 Classic baking powder brand 65 __ loss: puzzled 66 Hang in midair 67 Kate’s sitcom pal 68 ’60s “trip” drug 69 33-Down’s field 70 Like really old bread DOWN 1 Hip-hop record label 2 Airing after midnight, say 3 Way to organize all your ducks? 4 Pencil remnant 5 Scoff at
6 Talk’s Winfrey 7 USS Missouri nickname 8 __ mode 9 Fem.’s opposite 10 Aptly named shaving lotion 11 Six-pack enhancer? 12 Open porches 13 “Pick a card, __ card” 18 Qualified 23 Like “algae” or “termini”: Abbr. 25 Uris’s “__ 18” 27 Italian cheese city 29 Class with showers 31 Prize founder 33 Price known for Verdi roles 34 “How to Talk Dirty and Influence People” author Lenny 36 Canines and molars 37 Bit of work 39 Large-scale financial rescues 40 Bozo
41 Revival structure 42 “Up, up and away” defunct flier 45 Declare 47 Skating gold medalist Dorothy 48 Log-in requirement 49 Lipton rival 52 “Waves of grain” color
53 Striped equine 56 Sound rebound 57 Porker’s dinner 59 Apothecary’s weight 61 Batman portrayer Kilmer 63 N.Y.’s Fifth, for one 64 Mop & __: floor cleaner
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