Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 55 | Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Hiring freeze may hit athletics hard Artists’ dressing room
robbed during show
By Dan Alexander Staff Writer
The Department of Athletics expects to lose about 30 coaches and staff this summer, but with a University-wide hiring freeze in place, it is unclear whether the department will be able to get approval to fill vacancies with new hires, Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger said. If the tight hiring standards that have been in place since November last through the summer, the department may be without a number of assistant coaches next year — many of whom are expected to move to other schools, as routinely occurs. While the freeze is in place, any proposed new hires must be submitted to a Vacancy Review Committee of top administrators. Departments must submit a form to their umbrella division within the University and explain why filling an empty post is absolutely essential. If the form is approved by the division, the review committee can do one of three things — refill the position, bring a
By Sydney Ember Senior Staf f Writer
Jesse Morgan / Herald
The Department of Athetics is worried about being allowed to make new hires to fill about 30 vacancies it expects to arise this summer.
temporary worker into the slot or eliminate the position altogether. But in a time when budgets are pressed from all sides, athletic initiatives may suffer more than academic ones. Academics are “going to be the absolute core priority,” said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services. “So first,
you’ve got that.” The hiring form states at the top, in bold and italicized font, “Only those positions deemed essential to support the highest priorities in the Plan for Academic Enrichment and mission-critical operations are likely to be approved.” continued on page 2
Pre-frosh flock to campus for ADOCH By Sarah Husk Senior Staf f Writer
At 5:30 p.m. on March 31 — a mere 30 minutes after thousands of students received their admission decisions — 15 students had already registered to confirm a place at A Day on College Hill. Beginning this afternoon, those
students and hundreds more will flood campus as Brown plays host to this year’s crop of accepted students. Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73 said there are about 750 students registered for ADOCH and the Third World Welcome — a number he said was on par with attendance in recent years.
According to Christiana Stephenson ’11, ADOCH co-coordinator and a Herald sales manager, the experience accepted students have at ADOCH is crucial. “There’s a lot riding on this for a lot of people,” she said, calling her own experience at ADOCH
Shower assault thought to be unrelated to March incident By Sydney Ember Senior Staf f Writer
inside
The assault that occurred Friday evening around 6:30 p.m. in a Sears House shower is “not related” to a similar March 12 incident also involving a female student showering, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Mark Porter said Monday. According to an e-mail sent to students Friday night by the Department of Public Safety, a female student was assaulted by an unidentified male holding a knife. The suspect pushed the woman before fleeing the scene, according to the e-mail. The incident in March involved a female student who was photographed by an unidentified man while she showered in a Diman
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An unidentified suspect broke into the Faunce House dressing room of one of the Spring Weekend artists during Friday’s concert and stole two laptops and some cash, according to Brown Concert Agency Administrative Chair Stephen Hazeltine ’09 and the Department of Public Safety. The theft occurred while Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings were performing, but Hazeltine declined to say if the retro-soul group was the victim of the larceny. “It’s an ongoing investigation. We don’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” Hazeltine said, adding that BCA wanted to keep the identity of the artist confidential. In an e-mail to The Herald, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Mark Porter wrote that the suspect stole “several personal items,” including the computers and an indeterminate amount of cash. DPS was notified of the incident at about 10 p.m. on Friday, Porter said in an interview Monday. DPS detectives are currently investigating the incident, and are trying to ascertain the total worth of the stolen items, Porter said. “We were ver y upset by the incident,” Hazeltine added in an e-mail, “and immediately worked
with our security partners to revise the security plan for Saturday’s shows, which were incidentfree.” No suspects have been identified yet, though Porter said the investigation has yielded significant clues. “We do have a couple of leads, including a description of the suspect and possible video evidence of the crime,” Porter said. Hazeltine said a pass was necessary to gain backstage access during the concerts — a policy he said BCA clarified before Saturday’s concert to remove any confusion regarding who could enter the restricted area. “We had a very in-depth security plan for this year,” Hazeltine said, adding that Green Horn Management, a private company that manages many of Brown’s events, and DPS handled the situation well. They “did ever ything right, and we have no complaints about them,” he said. Both Hazeltine and Daniel Ain ’09, BCA’s booking chair, said they will re-evaluate the security plan for next year’s Spring Weekend. BCA has been in touch with all the artists who performed during the Spring Weekend concerts to assure them that appropriate measures are being taken to identify the suspect and close the case, Hazeltine said.
Interfaith House falls short in numbers By Sarah Husk Senior Staf f Writer
House bathroom. The sorority Kappa Alpha Theta is located in Diman, while Sears House is home to Alpha Chi Omega, Brown’s other sorority. “There is no indication, at this point, that this incident is related to any previous incident on campus,” Porter added in an e-mail. The female student in Friday’s incident was unharmed, Por ter said, though the suspect remains at large. “DPS and (Providence Police Department) detectives are following up on this incident,” Porter wrote. “The investigation is ongoing.” Por ter said the victim was able to give the police a detailed description of the suspect, which was included in the campus-wide e-mail.
After a poor recruitment season, Interfaith House will lose its Type B status as a program house beginning in the fall due to a lack of residential members planning to live in the organization’s space in Diman House. Type B status carries with it exclusive access to the designated facilities in the building of residence, and can only be attained by an organization that has existed on campus for three years and has adequately fulfilled all of the program housing expectations. Each of the two status types for program houses, Type A and Type B, carries “varying degrees of privilege and responsibility,” according to Residential Council’s Web site.
The 22-member requirement stipulated by ResCouncil and the Office of Residential Life technically applies to program houses of either classification, but, according to ResCouncil’s Web site, houses with “an exceptional record of positive contributions may deser ve flexibility in the application of these regulations.” Interfaith House, which President Monikah Schuschu ’10 described as a “safe space where people can talk about religion,” has always “been on the small side,” she said. During Inter faith House’s six years as a program house, Schuschu added, membership was always near the 22 required residential members. But this year, she said, “recruitment didn’t go well” and by continued on page 2
Alex DePaoli / Herald
Interfaith House failed to recruit enough people to live in Diman.
Metro, 5
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
SHARK Attack Shark Sushi Bar and Grill will open in three weeks, according to its owner
crimson crumble Streaking baseball team takes 6 of 7 from opponents in torrid stretch
the blue book Tory Hartmann ’11 says those handwritten tests are actually the best
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS
Budget cuts, new events for ADOCH continued from page 1 “incredibly formative.” “I remember what it was like tr ying to make a decision about the future,” she said. “And it’s a hard decision.” The program of fers opportunities for accepted students to socialize with one another, experience dorm life first-hand by staying overnight with a current student and get a taste of the academic and extracurricular offerings at Brown through panels, lectures and chances to sit in on courses. Stephenson, who is coordinating ADOCH with Salsabil Ahmed ’11, also emphasized the importance of the widespread involvement of current students, which she said was “really indicative that ADOCH is a campus-wide effort.” “Brown speaks for itself,” Stephenson said. “We just step back and … watch the Brown community that we love speak for itself.” For the second year in a row, students who were admitted under early decision have not been invited to ADOCH. In the past, Miller said, there had been complaints that accepted students found ADOCH to be “ver y overcrowded” and that inviting early decision students “over whelms our facilities.” Stephenson also said the Bruin Club has been hosting tours exclusively for admitted students, including students admitted under the early decision program.
These tours dif fer from the standard campus tours and give students a more in-depth look at certain aspects of the University, such as first-year dorms. While this year’s ADOCH will remain the same in most aspects, some changes have been made, both in terms of the budget and in some of the activities and events offered. According to Miller, the University usually spends about $80,000 on ADOCH, but this year has trimmed the budget down to around $70,000, mostly by cutting costs on food. One new addition to this year’s ADOCH is a meet-and-greet barbeque on the Main Green that is scheduled for Tuesday evening, which Stephenson said she hopes will be “a good opportunity” for accepted students to interact with one another and other members of the Brown community. And while Stephenson said there would be no more emphasis than usual on financial aid this year, another addition to the ADOCH lineup is 12 to 14 parents of current Brown students who will be present during the parent information session. These parents, Stephenson said, have “been there, fronted the bill” and will be able to speak to the value of a Brown education. Stephenson said there are many programs — from a cappella arch sings to a talent show continued on page 4
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The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for members of the community. POSTMASTER please send corrections to 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 2009 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
“Hopefully we don’t get beyond that.” — Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger, on planned budget cutbacks
Athletics department facing vacancies continued from page 1 Goldberger said the departures of assistant coaches and others in athletics was not unusual in itself. “The nature of coaching is that people try to move up,” he said. “A second assistant wants to be the first assistant, and the first assistant wants to be the head coach.” “It’s just natural that people are going to be looking for those opportunities at other places,” he added. The hiring pause may not directly affect all Brown teams — just those that lose coaches. Goldberger said that fact could create unfortunate discrepancies between athletes on different teams. “I don’t think it’s fair to our student-athletes to say that you’re going to have one type of experience and another group of student-athletes will have a very different type based on the vagaries of who decides to pursue another job,” he said. “It’s got to be a more thoughtful approach.” Nothing is cer tain yet. The athletics department does not yet know which coaches will leave, or exactly how many. The campus life division does not know how many positions from its 13 departments will be vacant. When assistant men’s soccer coach Ken Murphy took a position at another school, the athletics department submitted the form requesting
the ability to refill the position. The request is currently pending in the Vacancy Review Committee. “If we’re told we can’t fill it, then we’re really going to be in trouble,” Goldberger said. The review committee does not know which vacancies it will approve, or how many. “This is not something that any of us have been through at Brown before,” said MaryLou McMillan ’85, senior director for projects and planning. “We just have to see what develops.” “I can say I’m very optimistic about how we’re going to think about pure coaching positions,” said review committee member Karen Davis, vice president for human resources. “But I think it would do a disservice to the committee process if I said more than that.” No head coaches have yet announced that they plan to leave Brown, Golberger said. But with 37 teams, “it’s sure it happen,” he added. According to McMillan and Klawunn, the only sure thing is that not all positions will be filled, and that others will have to pick up the slack. “It’s not going to be without pain,” Klawunn said. The athletics department has already begun taking some steps toward reducing its budget. Gold-
berger decided to eliminate the costly All Sports Banquet — which hosted all varsity athletes — and host a less expensive Senior Celebration and Awards Banquet instead. The department also eliminated a position of assistant director for operations, who was responsible for managing events. “Our job is to obviously take care of all of the inefficiencies that we should be doing better anyway,” Goldberger said. “Then the next would be, all right, what can we do that’s not going to hurt the core mission, but still keep what we’re doing.” “Hopefully we don’t get beyond that,” he said. According to Goldberger, the department has not had to fire any coaches or ask them to accept salary reductions. But he said he did not know what steps the department might have to take in the future. The budget for next year is already in place, but expenses are constantly rising. According to Goldberger, the athletic department had over $100,000 of unanticipated fuel costs this year. Goldberger said the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, looks similar to this year’s, but the department will face more uncertainty in the fiscal years 2011 through 2014. “It’s hard,” he said. “But we’re surviving.”
Interfaith fails to recruit big, loses status continued from page 1 Super Deadline Day the organization had confirmation that membership was drastically smaller than it had been in the past. According to Schuschu, there will only be eight or nine students living in Interfaith House next year, which will drop the house to Type A status. Because of the status downgrade, Interfaith will lose exclusive access to its kitchen, lounge and librar y beginning in the fall. It will retain preferred access to these spaces, Associate Director of Residential Life Natalie Basil wrote in an e-mail to The Herald, which means it will be allowed to reser ve a space for any event the house sponsors. But other students living independently in Diman will now have access to what was for-
merly Interfaith House’s kitchen, as well as the existing kitchen for independents. The decreased membership has also translated into more available rooms for independents in Diman. According to Basil, ResLife was able to offer 10 extra rooms in the building in the housing lotter y, increasing the number of independents living in Diman relative to members of Interfaith House and sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, also housed in the building. Schuschu said the loss of these spaces is “definitely going to hurt us,” adding that members of the house generally do a lot of cooking and that the librar y has traditionally ser ved as a study space. Both the kitchen and the study area help build the community of Interfaith House, she said.
Schuschu added that members of Interfaith House had spoken with ResLife about retaining their exclusive access to the kitchen, but were denied. But despite Interfaith’s reduced membership, its mission to promote religious thought and dialogue among members and within the Brown community and its overall contribution to the campus will remain relatively unchanged, Schuschu said. “Our main focus on discussion activities … will be there,” she said, adding that, for the most part, Interfaith will continue to hold regular events. Despite the setbacks of the status downgrade, Schuschu said of the decision, “it’s not fun, but it’s reasonable.” “They’re doing what they can to help us,” she said, adding that ResLife will be monitoring Interfaith closely over the next semesters to help the organization increase recruitment and regain Type B status. According to Basil, ResCouncil and ResLife will team up to “assist Interfaith House in a recruitment plan,” which will mean “meeting with house leadership, setting goals and assisting with visibility of house events,” as well as serving as a support system for the members and leadership of the house. “We are confident that Interfaith House will increase its membership in subsequent years and will move back to Type B status,” Basil wrote.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS news in brief
Bike-sharing program up and running Charging a membership fee of $5 for the year, a bikesharing program operating out of a room in Faunce House was officially launched last week. Members can use seven brand new bikes, purchased with funding from the Brown Outing Club, according to Carly Sieff ’09, who is in charge of the program called Bikes@Brown. Though the seven bikes are “not enough for the whole Brown community,” Sieff said, they are good for the purpose of “making bikes accessible to students.” She added that the group is hoping to increase the number of bikes by getting bikes donated by students who are leaving campus for the summer. Though the program started with less than a month remaining in the semester, it will continue to operate through the summer. A free, student-run bike maintenance service will also be available soon, Sieff said. Bikes@Brown is currently working out of the old Undergraduate Finance Board room in lower Faunce. The program’s members — a few less than a dozen in all — take turns staffing the office on weekdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., when students can come purchase membership or rent bikes. Renters are asked to return bikes after two days, but the program is flexible about granting requests for longer rentals, Sieff said. The program has been receiving e-mails from students every day asking questions or expressing interest, Sieff said. “People seem happy that it’s starting,” she added. The group has chosen a purple-and-gold color scheme to decorate the bikes because the design “stands out,” Sieff said. Bikes@Brown is trying to connect with other groups that use bikes, such as the Cycling Club, Sieff said. Though the Brown Outing Club provided money to start the program, members of Bikes@Brown are “hoping to eventually break off and gather (their) own funding,” she said. Some students interviewed by The Herald seemed optimistic about the new program. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Pam Zhang ’11, “especially for people like me who live far away and can’t transport their personal bikes to campus, and are too cheap or lazy to get one in Providence.” Zhang said she was considering buying a membership with Bikes@Brown. “I think this program is based on an implicit social contract, or the integrity of the membership, that is only feasible in an environment such as Brown’s campus,” said Munashe Shumba ’11. Though he already has his own bike, Shumba said he would participate in the new program. This way, “I don’t have to repair the bike,” he said, “and it’s so cheap.” — Alicia Dang
Bookstore owner, alum donates rare science books By Andrew Sia Contributing Writer
The John Hay Library has received a gift of 130 rare books and manuscripts, including the first two editions of Nicolaus Copernicus’ “De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium,” from Daniel Siegel ’57, the owner of M&S Rare Books, a bookstore in Wayland Square on the East Side. The donation is the “most significant single group of books given (to Brown) in a decade,” said Samuel Streit, director of special collections at the Hay. The titles donated to the library cover a broad range of topics, including American and European history and philosophical and religious thought. Many are inscribed by their authors or annotated by previous owners, according to a press release from the Hay. Some of the donation’s most important books are about the history of science, Streit said.
“De Revolutionibus” established the heliocentric theory of the solar system. Siegel, who has donated books on a wide range of topics to Brown twice before, said he hopes the gift will strengthen the library’s collection of scientific materials, adding that he likes “giving (to Brown) in that way.” “Brown is my alma mater and has been in my will since 1964,” said Siegel, who hopes his donation will encourage others to contribute. The Hay receives at least one donation every two weeks, usually from faculty and alums, Streit said. Siegel’s donation is notable because it contains works in “all of the important fields of human knowledge,” he added. Siegel donated the materials, which also include a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, continued on page 4
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“September can’t come fast enough.” — Kshitij Lauria, prospective student
Poking around: Class of 2013 ‘meets’ online By Lauren Fedor Senior Staf f Writer
Each year, hundreds of prospective students look for ward to A Day on College Hill. They see it as an opportunity to visit classes, attend special programs and performances and meet their future classmates for the first time. But as Facebook reaches nearuniversality and the idea of socialnetworking becomes practically cliche, most members of the Class of 2013 have already “met” many of their classmates — online. Though the Admission Office set up an official Web site for incoming first-years to communicate, many prospective students say they have only used the site to set up their school e-mail accounts or to check dates against the University calendar. They prefer instead to “meet” on the “Brown University Class of 2013” Facebook page, which has almost 1,000 members. Adam Henderson, a senior at Germantown Academy in For t Washington, Pa., wrote in an email to The Herald that though he looked at the official Web site, he found the information and discussions on the Facebook page “a lot more helpful and interesting.” Travis Bogosian, a senior at Friends Seminar y in New York City, said Facebook makes it easier for him to get his questions about next year answered. “I’ve been clueless up until this point, and any help I can get is welcome,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I tried to figure out how to
set up an e-mail account on the (Brown) site before going to the class Facebook page and asking for help from someone I met there,” he wrote. “It’s funny how that works.” But besides having his questions answered, Bogosian has also gotten in touch with future classmates who live nearby. “I’ve ‘met’ a bunch online,” he wrote, adding that he has since met some of his online “friends” in person — Bogosian recently attended a get-together with other New York-area members of the Class of 2013. New York is not the only city where students have coordinated impromptu get-togethers months before settling into freshman year. Henderson organized an outing in Philadelphia, and the class Facebook page is teeming with suggestions for meet-ups in the Bay Area, South Florida, Chicago and Los Angeles. But many prospective freshmen — especially those who live too far away to meet up with future classmates or to attend ADOCH — simply visit the site to learn more about their potential classmates, roommates and friends. “It’s interesting to see the other types of people who will hopefully be my classmates,” wrote Marley Pierce, a student at East High School in Denver who will not be making the trip to ADOCH. Kshitij Lauria, an international student from New Delhi also won’t be attending ADOCH, but
admitted to checking the Facebook page “ever y half hour or so … during waking hours.” “Excitement about Brown just oozes out of the discussions, and it’s infectious as hell,” he wrote in an e-mail. “September can’t come fast enough.” One of the most popular discussions on the page — with nearly 300 responses — is a thread entitled “Ask a Brown Student!” As the name implies, prospective first-years write in with questions about ever ything ranging from concentrations to cell phone coverage, which are answered by current Brown students. Other popular discussions are seemingly random, with titles like “What Song Are You Listening to Right Now?” and “Your Life as a Single Quote — from Someone Else.” There are threads where students have posted their opinions on veganism, quiz bowl, baking, opera, Judaism and ever ything in between. But in the end, though Facebook provides a fun way for future students to get to know one another, most prospective first-years agree that the best way to meet their potential classmates is still in person. “I think that I’ll only truly get to know future classmates when I meet them face-to-face,” Henderson wrote. Bogosian admitted that “occasionally the online meeting system backfires when I meet the classmate in person and realize I know a little bit too much about their favorite movies.”
Artistic seniors to be honored tonight By Heeyoung Min Staf f Writer
Thirty-two of Brown’s top graduating ar tists, actors, writers, composers and directors will be honored at the 14th annual Weston Awards ceremony tonight at Stuart Theatre. Recipients of the William and Alethe Weston Fine Arts Awards are selected by faculty in the areas of Visual Arts, Theater Arts, Dance, Music and Creative Writing, said Eli Halpern ’09, one of the recipients. Over $250,000 in cash prizes have been given over the last 14 years through the Weston Awards, said Associate Director of Major Gifts Richard Marshall ’71 P’10. Recipients of this year’s awards were notified of the honors shor tly after spring break, said William Litton ’09, another recipient. Each received a cash prize of
$500, he said — which came as a surprise, since the award’s Web site advertises a $400 prize. “Receiving this award is a big honor because I really respect the people who read the manuscripts,” Litton said. He won in the fiction categor y for his three short stories, “Phantom Vibrations,” “Piccadilly Romance” and “Drunken Hearted Man.” Halpern, who won the award for the best work in the poetr y categor y with “THEY INHERE,” said the award gave him a sense of encouragement as a creative writer leaving the ivor y towers. The winning entries from both Halpern and Litton came from their honors theses in Literar y Arts. “People always make fun of me for being a Literar y Arts concentrator,” Halpern said. “This kind of award is meaningful because it’s really one of the undergraduate’s first legitimization as a writer.”
The budding poet, who also won $4,000 for the Preston Gurney Prize in Literar y Criticism of Poetr y, plans on using his award money to support himself while writing and traveling in Europe. “I want to get more writing done, which is what the money should be doing for the recipient — to allow the recipient to write without worr ying about the daily grind.” The Weston Fine Arts Awards are endowed by a donation from William ’43 and Alethe ’41 Weston who were active participants in the performing and visual ar ts departments at Brown. “Upon their passing in the early 1990s, the Westons left their entire estate in a trust fund to establish the Weston Awards. The trust is a private entity managed externally by its own trustees and is not part of Brown’s endowment. Nor is the University involved in the management of the holdings,” Marshall said.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
C ampus N EWS
ADOCH kicks off today for pre-frosh continued from page 2 and ice cream social — that will keep accepted students busy on Tuesday night. As always, substance use is strictly prohibited. “I don’t think that’s the kind of thing that people base their decision on,” Stephenson said. Just as ADOCH will be ending on Wednesday afternoon, another program, Third World Welcome, will be kicking off. TWW co-coordinator Chris Belcher ’11 said between 100 and 110 students have registered for
the program, and a majority of those students will be attending both ADOCH and TWW. The program, which caters to minorities and international students, is about exploring the sense of community among minority students at Brown, Belcher said. It’s “an opportunity for the students to come to Brown and see what it has to offer,” he said, adding that his own TWW experience allowed him to find a tight-knit community at Brown and “alleviated a lot of that stress” of travel-
ing from Hawaii to Providence, where he knew no one. Natasha Go ’10, also a TWW co-coordinator, along with Danielle Dunlap ’10, said it was “important to show that there’s a really strong community of students of color” and that Brown has a “strong and cohesive” sense of community that “starts from the second you step on campus.” Stephenson said the coordinators look for ward to the visits from admitted students “as much as the admitted students do.” “Probably more,” she added.
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U. gets rare book gift continued from page 3 to the library in August, but the collection had to be appraised for tax purposes, he said. The process took several months because the titles were very rare and the appraiser found it difficult to ascertain their value, Streit said. The library waited to publicize the gift until the legal processes had been completed, he added. Siegel previously donated a manuscript of George Orwell’s “1984” and three other rare books, including a first edition of “The Great Gatsby” inscribed to T.S. Eliot by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Siegel — who said he plans to give other rare titles to Brown in the future — became a book dealer and amassed a large collection in the 1960s, when he said it was easy to acquire rare books and manuscripts for very low prices. As with all titles in the Hay collection, those donated by Siegel will be accessible to the general public, provided they do not leave the library, Streit said. Though some titles might not currently be accessible because the library has not finished cataloging them, the process should be completed shortly, he added.
Metro The Brown Daily Herald
“They are acclimating the shark in the tank as we speak.” — Ray Hugh, owner of Shark Sushi Bar and Grill Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | Page 5
Liberian refugees get extra year in U.S. By Lauren Fedor Senior Staf f Writer
Herald File Photos
Thayer Street may have a different face this summer with the openings of new restaurants Shark Sushi Bar and Grill (above left) and Better Burger Company (lower left). Other storefronts may have new looks, with the loss of Spike’s (above center), Beadworks (above right), Roba Dolce (below center) and Geoff’s (below right).
Changes in store for Thayer Street By Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor
The recession has hit Rhode Island hard, and Thayer Street businesses have not been immune to the slumping economy. In the coming weeks and months, as most students leave College Hill for the summer, a number of new players are expected to open shop on the busy strip — even as still more stores close. Shark Sushi Bar and Grill, 275 Thayer St. While progress may have seemed slow for those accustomed to walking by the space formerly occupied by Dunkin’ Donuts and La Femme Boutique, the wait is almost over. Shark Sushi Bar and Grill is slated to open just in time for most students to pack their bags and head home for the summer, according to owner Ray Hugh. The Japanese restaurant, which will feature hibachi grills and a fivefoot shark swimming in an 1,800-gallon tank, will open in “about three weeks,” Hugh said. The restaurant caused some conflict when another local business owner, Grant Dulgarian, appealed the Providence zoning board’s decision to waive parking space requirements for the 131-seat establishment. But those issues have long been resolved, according to Hugh. “This is the final stage right now,” Hugh said. “They are acclimating the shark in the tank as we speak.” Baja’s, 273 Thayer St. If the Ivy Room burrito bar doesn’t quite satisfy students’ cravings for south-of-the-border cuisine, another option will be available when they return to College Hill in the fall. Baja’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant, will open in about six to eight weeks, according to Hugh, who also owns neighboring Xtreme Pizza and Wings and Shanghai. Housed at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs’ former location, the restaurant will
offer Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, salads, fries and burritos, according to Hugh. Many ingredients will be imported “directly from Mexico,” Hughe added. Beadworks, 290 Thayer St. Jewelry-making enthusiasts may have to trek a little farther to get their fix next semester. This summer, Beadworks will be moving from its current location to another space in Providence, said Beadworks employee Alli Coate. “There’s no parking here, and there are just some other advantages to the new space,” Coate said. She declined to give the address of the new location. Better Burger Company, 215217 Thayer St. Veteran burgermonger Andy Mitrelis is set to open Better Burger Company this summer in the space that once belonged to Yang’s and the closing Morrison Office Supply, he said. In addition to five other burger shops in New England, Mitrelis owns Andreas, Paragon and Spats. The new restaurant will offer sandwiches, pizza and breakfast food in addition to burgers. Though Mitrelis announced his plans to open Better Burger months ago when he secured the Yang’s property, he acquired the lease to the office supply store about 10 days ago, he said Monday. Bryan Creighton, who has owned and run the independent stationery and office supply store for the past 20 years, told The Herald in March that business had been struggling for the past year and that he was planning to close the shop. Without the additional space, the burger joint would have been too small, Mitrelis said. “I got my wish,” he said. Geoff’s, 233 Thayer St The “for rent” sign and three television screens that occupied the win-
dows of the storefront that formerly housed the sandwich shop Geoff’s were taken down earlier this month. Kent Stetson ’01, who answered at the number listed on the “for rent” sign, said though he could not comment for privacy reasons on who the new occontinued on page 6
Liberians in Rhode Island rejoiced last month at news that refugees from the West African country would be granted an additional 12 months of amnesty in the United States, thanks to an executive order signed by President Obama. Mator Kpangbai, former president of the Liberian Association of Rhode Island, told the Providence Journal on March 21 that Obama’s decision was “great news,” adding that the order provided another opportunity for many Liberians to renew their case for permanent legal status. The measure protects 3,600 Liberian-Americans living under the temporary status. More than 250,000 Liberians live in the United States, and Rhode Island has the highest concentration of Liberians per capita of any state, with a population estimated between 7,000 and 15,000. In 1991, the United States granted amnesty, formally known as temporar y protected status, to Liberians who were forced to flee the West African nation dur-
ing civil war. Though the conflict ended in 2003, and the period of amnesty officially ended in October 2007, President Bush extended the rights of Liberians to remain in the U.S. through the end of last month. Last month, Obama decided to continue the official pardon — a grant of deferred enforced departure — for an additional 12 months. “I have determined that there are compelling foreign policy reasons to extend (deferred enforced depar ture) to those Liberians presently residing in the United States under the existing grant,” Obama said in a press release last month. Rhode Island Democrats Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Jack Reed lauded the decision. “This measure will ensure that the hard-working Liberian-Americans in Rhode Island and across the country will be able to remain in the United States. They have contributed to our society for more than a decade, becoming active members of our communities and providing for their families,” Kennedy said in a press release. “I continued on page 6
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
“They have worked very hard, played by the rules and paid their taxes.”
R.I. leaders laud decision to let Liberian refugees stay continued from page 5 am pleased that the president has acted to preserve their status here, preventing a grave injustice.” While Reed was supportive of Obama’s decision, he also emphasized the importance of guiding Liberian immigrants toward American citizenship — a cause he has worked toward for more than 10 years. Reed has reintroduced a bill — The Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2009 — to grant the Liberians permanent residency. “Over the last two decades,
those who fled Liberia’s violent civil wars have become important parts of our communities,” he said in a March 20 press release. “They are here legally. They have worked very hard, played by the rules and paid their taxes. They have children who are U.S. citizens, but the parents, who were brought here to escape a brutal civil war, were never given the opportunity to apply for citizenship,” Reed said. “This bill will prevent these families from being torn apart and give them the opportunity to live permanently in the place they love and call home,” he added.
New tenants might replace old faces on Thayer Street continued from page 5 cupant might be, “you will start seeing things going on in the near future.” John Zib, the mind behind Open Art Cafe, the temporary art installation involving the screens, told The Herald in November that he was being allowed to use the space until another business became interested in occupying it. Roba Dolce, 178 Angell St. A new tenant may soon move into the space left vacant after the evic-
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
tion of Roba Dolce, Nino DeMartino, the store’s owner, said. The landlord “wanted a national chain, to get more money for rent,” he said. The cause of the eviction, filed on Feb. 16 in Rhode Island’s Sixth District Court, was negligence of four months of rental payments. “People are saying that the concept that’s going there is something that doesn’t really belong on Thayer Street,” DeMartino said, adding that he could not be more specific. “The only thing that we know for sure is that it’s a national company.”
— Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., on Liberian refugees living in the state
Mall owner files for bankruptcy By Sara Sunshine Senior Staf f Writer
Though General Growth Properties Inc., the national real estate investment company that owns Providence Place Mall, filed for bankruptcy last Thursday, students will still be able to shop and catch a movie as usual. The bankruptcy claim comes a few months after the owner announced its decision to sell the mall to help pay off the company’s massive debt, The Herald reported Jan. 27. The company has yet to find a buyer. “While we have worked tirelessly in the past several months to address our maturing debts, the collapse of the credit markets has made it impossible for us to refinance maturing debt outside of chapter 11,” said Chief Executive Officer Adam Metz in a statement on Thursday. But the daily operation of all GGP’s properties will continue as usual, Metz said. Any eventual change in ownership will not affect the mall’s individual retailers, according to a Jan. 13 Providence Journal article. GGP representatives did not
Herald File Photo
General Growth Properties Inc., the owner of the Providence Place Mall, filed for bankruptcy last week.
respond to multiple requests for comment. In Febr uar y, the company repor ted an overall dip in revenue and fourth-quarter funds that were lower than expected, forcing it to cut its workforce by more than 20 percent, according to the Journal. The petition filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week listed
more than $25 billion in debts, according to an April 16 Providence Business News article. Much of that debt was acquired during a series of property purchases that made GGP the nation’s second-largest mall owner, including a reported $8 billion taken out to buy the Rouse Co., a competitor that owned Providence Place and 36 other malls.
SportsTuesday The Brown Daily Herald
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | Page 7
Red-hot baseball sweeps Harvard Crimson bury softball in three of four games
By Benjy Asher Spor ts Editor
Last week, the baseball team played seven games, going 6-1 over the stretch. Brown started off the week by taking two games from Marist College in a home doubleheader on Tuesday, before dropping a game, 10-6, to UConn on Wednesday. The Bears (19-16-1, 12-4 Ivy) then closed out the week with a four-game sweep of Har vard at home. Relief pitcher Matt Kimball ’11 was solid for the Bears all week, picking up a win and three saves in the seven-game span.
By Katie Wood Assistant Spor ts Editor
Brown 3, Marist 2 In the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, outfielder Daniel Rosoff ’12 hit a two-run homer, the first of his collegiate career, in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game, and center fielder Steve Daniels ’09 won it for the Bears with a walk-off single.
Harvard 9, Brown 6 Har vard (24-24, 10-6 Ivy) opened up the game with a run in the top of the first before Brown (11-21, 5-11) put together a threerun third inning. Jackie Giovanniello ’12 hit a two-run double to the right field fence, and Kelsey Wilson ’09 advanced home on a Crimson error to put Bruno up, 3-1. Har vard hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the top of the four th, but the Bears answered back with two runs of their own. Kristie Chin ’12 sent a single to left to bring in a run. Wilson’s shot to center brought in the second run of the inning for a 5-3 lead. Jessica Iwasaki ’10 came in to pitch in relief of Michelle Moses ’09 with one out and two runners on base. A double to center field drove in a run for the Crimson, but Iwasaki pitched out of a basesloaded jam to close the inning with a one-run lead. But the Bears could not maintain that lead, as Har vard capitalized on its offensive opportunities to score four runs in the sixth. “When the other team gets runners on base, we let it spiral — that’s what happened in that inning,” Strobel said. “When one run scores, we don’t have the mentality that we’re going to stop them.” The Crimson added another run in the seventh to take a 9-5 advantage into the final half-inning of play. Strobel led off the inning with a solo shot to center, but the next three Bears were retired in order. Despite the six-run effort, Brown fell 9-6. Iwasaki recorded the loss, giving up five runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings pitched.
Brown 8, Marist 2 In Tuesday’s second game, Brown scored five runs in the second inning and tacked on another three in the bottom of the third. The Bears never looked back, as starting pitcher Josh Feit ’11 allowed just one run over five innings in the 8-2 victory. UConn 10, Brown 6 On Wednesday, the Huskies jumped out to a 7-1 lead, and though Brown was able to cut the lead to as little as three runs, the comeback bid fell short. Second-baseman and co-captain Matt Nuzzo ’09 went 3-for-5 in the loss, with two doubles and a home run, while catcher Matt Colantonio ’11 and designated hitter Pete Greskoff ’11 each added two hits. Brown 3, Harvard 1
Despite a strong showing on day one of its four-game series with Har vard at home — splitting the first two games while scoring 16 runs — the Bears held the lead for only one inning on the second day, falling 11-0 and 12-2 — both in six innings of play. “We weren’t able to make the adjustments on Sunday like we were able to on Saturday,” said Kate Strobel ’12.
Justin Coleman / Herald File Photo
Reliever Matt Kimball ’11 picked up three saves during a tear in which the Bears won six of seven games, including four from Harvard.
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Brown scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning, including an RBI double by Daniels, and Nuzzo led off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to widen the lead to 3-0. The Crimson (10-26, 8-8) finally got on the board in the top of the sixth, when an RBI double cut the lead to 3-1, but it was the only run Harvard would score off Mark Gormley ’11, who struck out six batters over 6 1/3 innings of work. Kimball came on to close out the game with one out and a runner on first in the top of the seventh and final inning. After walking the first batter he faced, Kimball settled down and struck out the next two, recording his first of three saves on the weekend. “Matt Kimball was outstanding coming out of the bullpen,” said Head Coach Marek Drabinski. “It’s nice to have your starters go deep in the game and know that you can
turn the ball over to Matt.” Brown 8, Harvard 5 In the second game, outfielder Chris Tanabe ’10 reached base on a walk in the bottom of the first, and later came around to score on an error, giving Brown a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, first baseman Rob Papenhause ’09 lined an RBI double to right field, the first of his three hits on the day, to increase the lead to 2-0. In the top of the second, Harvard cut the lead to 2-1, and looked poised to take the lead, with runners on first and second and no outs. But starting pitcher Rob Wilcox ’10 induced a double-play grounder and got the next batter to ground out as well, keeping Bruno’s lead intact. In the bottom of the third, Papenhause knocked a triple to center field to score Greskoff, and in the bottom of the fourth, Daniels continued on page 9
No. 13 m. lacrosse gets two more wins By Elisabeth Avallone Sports Staff Writer
The No. 13 men’s lacrosse team finished out the week with two victories, an exciting and integral 8-6 win over Ivy League rival Harvard (6-5, 1-3), and a 10-6 non-league game against cross-town opponent Providence (6-7). Brown advanced to an 11-2 record this season, and 3-1 in the Ivy League. Brown 8, Harvard 6 Following a tough loss against Penn last week, the Bears took an 8-6 victory Wednesday night at Harvard, keeping their aspirations of an Ivy League title alive. Andrew Feinberg ’11, Brown’s leading scorer with 35 goals and 14 assists on the season, had three goals to lead the Bears on attack. Thomas Muldoon ’10, who has 27 goals and 10 assists on the season, added two goals and three assists. On defense, Head Coach Lars
Tiffany ’90 pointed to Ryan Cassil ’09 for his outstanding effort. Tiffany described a ground ball play by Cassil as a “prime example of the energy on the field.” In goal, All-American quadcaptain Jordan Burke ’09 had 12 saves. Burke now leads the Ivy League and ranks sixth nationally in save percentage (.626) and saves per game (12.4). In addition, he has been named a finalist for this year’s Tewaarton Award for the best collegiate lacrosse player of the year. Goals from Feinberg, Muldoon and quad-captain Brady Williams ’09 gave the Bears a 4-3 lead at the end of the first half. In the third, Feinberg scored his third goal of the evening, once again off of Muldoon’s feed. Seconds later, Charlie Kenney ’10 scored a goal off a fast break from the faceoff. “Charlie Kenney was our MVP of the game after winning 9 of the
13 faceoffs he took, and on top of that, scoring a goal,” Tiffany said. “He had a great deal to do with our team’s success. We win over 50 percent of our faceoffs, and look at what happens.” “I was really excited to have the opportunity to play in my home town and in such a huge game,” said Kenney. “We all realized how important it was for us to bounce back after the loss to Penn and came ready to play. Everyone took the game extremely seriously and played with such high intensity. We really came together and played as a team.” Reade Seligmann ’09 netted an unassisted goal shortly afterwards, giving Brown a 7-3 advantage, but Harvard scored with just over a minute left on the clock, lessening Brown’s lead to 7-4 going into the final quarter. Harvard continued to close the continued on page 8
Brown 11, Harvard 5 Trish Melvin ’12 star ted the game on the mound for the Bears and walked in the first run of the game. But the offense was ready to back her up with three runs in the first. Strobel’s double down the right field line brought home Wilson, and Andrea Browne ’10 doubled to left field to add another two runs and give the Bears a 3-1 advantage. But the Crimson tallied a run in the second and came out strong in the third with three runs to take a
4-3 lead over Brown. Lindsay Rice ’11 stole home on a passed ball in the four th with two outs to tie the game, 4-4, and the Bears’ defense handled the Crimson with ease and sent them back to the field for a rough bottom half of the sixth inning. The Bears put together a sevenrun sixth, all with two outs, to propel the team to an 11-4 win. “We went single after single,” Strobel said. “Ever ybody was hitting. No one thought, ‘I’m going to hit the game-winner.’” A single from Chin gave Bruno the initial one-run lead. Another single from Katie Rothamel ’10 loaded the bases for Wilson. Har vard called on a reliever, but couldn’t get out of the two-out jam as Wilson reached first on a walk, scoring another run. A two-r un single down the right field line from Giovanniello increased the lead to 8-4. Then Strobel stepped up to the plate and, for the second time on the day, sent the ball over the center field fence to cap off a seven-run inning. “When your team has been rallying in front of you, it makes you feel more confident — hitting is contagious,” Strobel said. Strobel led the Bears’ offense, going 3-for-8 with two home runs and five RBI on Saturday, while Wilson contributed a double and two RBI. Chin recorded the win after one inning of play, allowing one run on three hits. Harvard 11, Brown 0 The game started off evenly for both squads, as neither team could put together a run until the fourth inning. After a Crimson double and single brought in three runs, Emily Chaddock ’11 walked in the fourth run before being replaced by Moses on the mound. A solo shot and three Brown errors catapulted the score to a 7-0 Har vard advantage in the fifth inning. A double to right center with the bases loaded in the sixth and a single to center stretched the lead to 11-0. “The first three innings we weren’t hitting, but our defense was solid,” Strobel said. “And when we made one or two errors, or had some walks, they started to produce runs.” Chaddock took the loss in 3 2/3 innings pitched, giving up four runs on five hits. The Bears’ offense combined for only two hits in six innings of play, compared with nine hits for the Crimson. Harvard 12, Brown 2 Brown bounced back in the second game of the day with two runs in the bottom of the first. But Har vard scored 12 unanswered runs to put the Bears away for the third time in four games. continued on page 8
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
S ports Tuesday
Major League Gaming: The world’s favorite new pastime It’s getting to be that time again. We’re already halfway through April, and you can’t turn on your television without hearing announcers plug the event. Every year it happens; another run in the playoffs, another champion. Ben Singer ’09 You can barely go anywhere High Notes without hearing somebody talk about it. At least in Seoul. I’m talking about professional StarCraft. Noun-adjective disagreement? Maybe to most in the United States, but not to anyone in South Korea, where the e-sport has been spawning a mega-market fan base since its inception in 2002. There are stadiums, at least three full-time cable channels exclusively devoted to the games, announcers and championship television ratings rivaling that of the Korea Baseball Organization. Did I mention there are sponsors? Because those are important for paying the six-figure contracts the top players are raking in. Like the three-year, $830,000 deal superstar Lee Yun-Yeol inked with WeMade FOX back in 2007. That’s not exactly Alex Rodriguez money, but it certainly is enough to upgrade over ramen a few nights a week. South Korea isn’t the only coun-
try where full-time gamers are now earning enough to move out of their parents’ basements. Paralleling the StarCraft phenomenon, Major League Gaming began in the United States in 2002. The tournament-circuit games are heavily dominated by team-oriented first-person shooter titles, headlined by Halo 3. Despite the current recession hampering the growth and stability of other American professional gaming leagues, MLG has bloomed from an underground community into a prosperous franchise consisting of over 500,000 viewers. From that fan base, MLG has been able to invest $1.75 million in signing the top teams, including $250,000 to MLG superstar Tom “Tsquared” Taylor. Most of you are probably wondering where all the viewers come from if there are no live TV channels broadcasting MLG in the United States like there are for StarCraft in South Korea. The online broadcast for MLG garners a rate of viewership among males aged 12-34 that even many traditional cable networks aren’t able to muster. That’s a fairly selective demographic. If you were an advertiser, what better way to market your product than via a Web site that filters your target audience into one dedicated, homogenous group? In case you had any doubts about the target audience, Dr. Pepper, Old
Spice and the U.S. Army are among the leading sponsors (the Army recruits top gamers to be remote fighter pilots, as many of the same hand-eye reflexes are required for both tasks). But MLG isn’t content to sit back on its online laurels. Just last year, the league signed a deal with ESPN providing the sports media juggernaut the rights to broadcast all MLG Pro Circuit Competitions. There’s even a section of the ESPN Web site devoted exclusively to MLG coverage, including a weekly top 10. The question remains as to whether the culture of competitive gaming can overcome the stigma of nerdiness and social taboo that have long accompanied these pastimes. On the one hand, there is something odd about watching a group of people play video/computer games on your TV or computer. But it wasn’t too long ago that poker was just a game played by people in bars and casinos. Now, the World Series of Poker and its qualifying events are staples on ESPN. How much of a difference is there between sitting around and playing with a bunch of cards and sitting around and playing with a bunch of controllers? For that matter, how much more obscure is either activity from hitting a ball with a block of wood and running in circles? Ultimately, it comes down to cultural momentum. History plays the biggest factor in determining what gains cultural momentum. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the United States cares so little about professional soccer, when professional baseball has been played here since the 1870s while Major League Soccer was just founded in 1993? But as the popularity of televised poker illustrates, history is far from the only factor determining cultural momentum. If the early success of MLG is any indicator, maybe the new fads catch on because those who watch them feel like they are more able to be like the pros. It’s slightly easier to feel like you can force a fold in poker or snipe in Halo like a professional than it is to imagine you can windmill dunk like LeBron James. That being said, maybe the biggest thing MLG needs right now is superstar recognition. Kobe sells jerseys, Tom Brady makes tabloid headlines, people tune in. Maybe that’s the rationale behind MLG’s move to sign the top players and teams and the reason Dr. Pepper and Gilbert Arenas sponsor team Final Boss. Whether the U.S. will have multiple 24/7 networks covering gaming like South Korea is open to debate. Regardless of the path professional gaming takes in the United States, one thing is certain: At least there will be fewer players faking injuries. Ben Singer ’09 wants to see Ed Hochuli referee a professional StarCraft match.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
“Harvard was a must-win game for us.” — Men’s lacrosse’s Reade Seligmann ’09
Men’s lax beats Friars, looks to Big Red match continued from page 7 gap in the second half, bringing the score to 7-6 with 11 minutes to go. But Muldoon’s second goal of the evening, with four minutes remaining, would be the last goal of the game, securing the 8-6 victory for the Bears. “To this point in the season, Har vard was the most satisfying and rewarding victor y for our program,” Tiffany said. “We played well in so many phases of the game, and put forth the best overall team effort all year. The intensity and energy levels were palpable and spurred on by a really supportive Brown crowd.” “Harvard was a must-win game for us and we came out and played with a lot of emotion,” added Seligmann. “We were strong off the faceoff, and both our offense and defense played well together.” Brown 10, Providence 6 The Bears overpowered Providence 10-6 Saturday night, spearheaded by four goals from Muldoon. Williams and Feinberg added three goals each and Burke had nine saves in goal. “Providence played a tough game,” Seligmann said. “We had a sluggish start but were able to recover with a great defensive effort, as well as great performances from Thomas Muldoon and Brady Williams on attack.” Three goals from Muldoon, two from Feinberg and another two
from Williams gave the bears a 7-2 lead at the half. But Brown’s scoring streak was cut short as Providence outscored Brown 4-1 in the third quarter, cutting the Bears lead to 8-6. Muldoon added his fourth goal of the evening off a feed from Seligmann. The Bears held off the Friars in the fourth quarter as goals by Williams and Feinberg locked up the 10-6 win. “Saturday night felt very different” compared to Har vard, Tiffany said. “It felt more like a great individual effort and less of an overall team effort, yet the results were the same. That we had as much emotion as we did was great, and some individuals really stepped up.” Tiffany praised Muldoon for his strong play on attack, as well as Seligmann, with two assists, who “was doing a great job feeding the ball and making some really smart decisions.” Tiffany also had praise for Cassil, who again stepped up on defense, containing Providence’s leading scorer, Colin Tigh. The Bears will match-up against No. 2 Cornell (9-2, 5-0 Ivy), this Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m. on Stevenson Field. Cornell is fresh off of a win over then No. 1 Princeton this past Saturday. With only two games remaining in Ivy League play, against two of the top teams in Cornell and No. 5 Princeton (102, 3-1) on May 2, the Bears aspire to both the Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament bid.
Softball loses Harvard series in high-scoring tests continued from page 7 Wilson star ted of f the first with a hard-shot RBI double to right center to score the game’s opening run. A single up the middle from Strobel gave the Bears a two-run lead they would not hold for long. The Crimson tied the game in the second inning and added another run in the third on a sacrifice fly. Brown had a valuable opportunity to score in the bottom half of the inning when Browne’s bunt single loaded the bases, but Bruno’s offensive struggles continued and the Bears were unable to put a run up on the board. “We couldn’t execute — just like the first game, our offense wasn’t there,” Strobel said. “You would hope that with the bases loaded we’d be able to manufacture one run — it wasn’t clicking for us today.” Melvin entered the game in relief of Iwasaki with two runners on and no outs. Melvin loaded the bases with a walk and surrendered a two-run double over the center fielder’s head to bring in two more runs for the Crimson.
Before Melvin recorded an out, Chin entered the game to finish out the inning. A single to left field brought in two more runs, followed by another RBI single, which padded the Har vard lead to 9-2. A three-run sixth extended the Crimson’s lead to 12-2. Despite putting runners on second and third, the Bears could not cut into the 10-run deficit. Iwasaki received the loss on the mound, giving up six runs on eight hits, putting her record at 1-6 on the season. The Bears finish of f their season with a double-header at Br yant on Thursday and a season-finale series against Yale on Saturday and Sunday. They travel to New Haven, Conn., for two games on Saturday before returning back to Providence for a double header starting at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. The team will honor two of its members, Moses and Wilson, who will be playing their final games in a Brown uniform. “There’s no better way to send off our seniors than with six straight wins – that’s what we’re going to strive for,” Strobel said.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
S ports Tuesday
Red-hot baseball sweeps Harvard continued from page 7 connected on his eighth homer of the year, a three-run shot over the right field fence, giving the Bears a 6-1 cushion. Harvard struck for four more runs off Wilcox over the next three innings, cutting Bruno’s lead to 7-5. But a solo homer from Papenhause in the seventh inning gave Brown an 8-5 lead, and Andrew Bakowski ’11 and Kimball combined for 2 2/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen. Brown 3, Harvard 1 In Sunday’s first game, Brown once again jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second. After left fielder Dan Shapiro ’09 and Papenhause reached base to start off the inning, Rosoff got the Bears on the board with a sacrifice fly, and shortstop Graham Tyler ’12 added a two-run single to give Bruno a 3-0 lead. “It always helps to get in front early,” Drabinski said. “I think it helps the pitching staff to relax a little bit.” Sure enough, those three runs
were all the offense Brown would need, as Conor Burke ’11 gave up only one run in 5 1/3 innings, and Kimball recorded the last five outs to preserve the victory. Brown 8, Harvard 1 In the final game of the series, pitcher Will Weidig ’10 was given the start in what seemed to be a risky move. After a strong beginning to the season, Weidig had struggled of late due to mechanical problems and nagging shoulder injuries, and his most recent start had come on April 4, when he was shelled for six runs in 2 2/3 innings of work in an 18-11 win over Penn. “We were kind of rolling the dice as coaches, hoping he could give us a solid outing,” Drabinski said. “It couldn’t have come at a bigger time for us, and he’s worked so hard.” On Sunday, Weidig was up to the challenge. The Crimson scored the game’s first run in the top of the first, but over the next four innings, Weidig was nearly perfect, shutting Harvard out while allowing only two batters to reach base, exceeding the coaching staff’s plan, which, ac-
cording to Drabinski, had called for Weidig to pitch only the first three innings. With RBIs from Tyler, Rosoff, Shapiro, third baseman Ryan Zrenda ’11 and Paupenhause, the Bears were able to take a lead of 8-1 by the seventh inning, and Feit pitched four innings of shutout relief to keep the game out of reach for Harvard. After the sweep this weekend, Brown is second overall in the Ivy League standings, trailing only Dartmouth (19-11, 14-2). However, in order to earn a spot in the Ivy League championship series, the Bears will have to finish atop the standings of the Rolfe Division, which includes the Big Green, though Brown is far ahead of Princeton and Cornell, who are tied for the Gehrig Division lead, at 8-8 in league play. “We know we have to leave it all on the field and take it one game at a time,” Drabinski said. “Then we’ve got to get a little bit of help. It’s frustrating, but our guys are upbeat, and we know we still have a chance until we’re mathematically eliminated, and we’ll play hard regardless.”
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 10 | Tuesday, April 21, 2009
e d i to r i a l
Another bump in the wall Last Wednesday, Superintendent for Providence Public Schools Tom Brady handed down some good news. In the coming academic year, six schools in his district will abandon the practice known as “bumping,” in which teaching vacancies are filled in order of seniority. The year after that, the entire school district will follow suit. After the old single-criterion system ends, principals will select replacement candidates based on a thorough evaluation of their skills and their compatibility with the empty position. Providence schoolchildren have demonstrated minimal academic progress in recent years, and bumping is one of many culprits. Currently, when a teaching slot opens up, the teacher with the most years in the system is able to take it, regardless of his talent or experience in teaching that curriculum or grade level. And if a senior teacher’s position is eliminated, he can dislodge one of his junior colleagues, leading to an uneven learning experience for the affected students. Under the coming system, principals will instead choose new members of their staff based on interviews, letters of recommendation and their students’ work. Teachers are dedicated professionals with varying sets of skills that don’t correspond neatly to the number of years they have spent in the profession. They ought to be treated accordingly. The teachers’ union has long relied upon the rigid rules of seniority to ensure that all its members can make a decent living, and its leaders are understandably worried about arbitrary hiring that might leave dedicated educators out in the cold. But the bottom line isn’t job security, it’s the quality of the instruction that Providence schoolchildren receive. Downgrading the significance of seniority will make teaching in Providence more financially risky, but it will also pressure teachers to be creative and assiduous, and make them more likely to end up in the classrooms where they can do the most good. Union officials are threatening to sue the district over the new policy. That would be an enormous mistake. Rhode Island teachers are not currently under contract — they are merely abiding by the terms that formally expired two years ago. That means that any lawsuit their union might file would be not only wrongheaded but virtually doomed — a waste of their money and the resources of the schools to which they have dedicated their lives. Instead of suing, the union should work with the district to revise a fair set of standards for teacher hiring. By the fall of 2010, bumping will be history in Providence, and teachers should embrace the new process as a boon to their profession and their students.
chris jesu lee
l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r s
Freedom to let faculty teach their passions was behind ‘Modes’ courses To the Editor:
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief Steve DeLucia
Managing Editors Michael Bechek Chaz Firestone
editorial Arts & Culture Editor Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Arts & Culture Editor Features Editor Sophia Li Features Editor Emmy Liss Higher Ed Editor Gaurie Tilak Higher Ed Editor Matthew Varley Metro Editor George Miller Metro Editor Joanna Wohlmuth News Editor Chaz Kelsh News Editor Jenna Stark Sports Editor Benjy Asher Sports Editor Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Katie Wood Graphics & Photos Graphics Editor Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Stephen Lichenstein Eunice Hong Photo Editor Kim Perley Photo Editor Justin Coleman Sports Photo Editor production Kathryn Delaney Copy Desk Chief Seth Motel Copy Desk Chief Marlee Bruning Design Editor Jessica Calihan Design Editor Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Neal Poole Web Editor
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Marlee Bruning, Joanna Lee, Katie Wilson Designers Kelly Mallahan, Seth Motel Copy Editors Lauren Fedor, Emmy Liss, Sara Sunshine, Jenna Stark, Joanna Wohlmuth Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Mitra Anoushiravani, Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Nicole Friedman, Britta Greene, Sarah Husk, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah Moser, Ben Schreckinger, Caroline Sedano, Melissa Shube, Anne Simons, Sara Sunshine Staff Writers Zunaira Choudhary, Chris Duffy, Nicole Dungca, Juliana Friend, Cameron Lee, Kelly Mallahan, Christian Martell, Heeyoung Min, Seth Motel, Jyotsna Mullur, Lauren Pischel, Leslie Primack, Anne Speyer, Alexandra Ulmer, Kyla Wilkes Sports Staff Writers Nicole Stock Senior Business Associates Max Barrows, Jackie Goldman, Margaret Watson, Ben Xiong Business Associates Diahndra Burman, Stassia Chyzhykova, Caroline Dean, Marco deLeon, Katherine Galvin, Bonnie Kim, Maura Lynch, Cathy Li, Allen McGonagill, Liana Nisimova, Thanases Plestis, Agathe Roncey, Corey Schwartz, William Schweitzer, Kenneth So, Evan Sumortin, Haydar Taygun, Anshu Vaish, Webber Xu, Lyndse Yess Design Staff Katerina Dalavurak, Gili Kliger, Jessica Kirschner, Joanna Lee, Maxwell Rosero, John Walsh, Katie Wilson, Qian Yin Photo Staff Qidong Chen, Janine Cheng, Alex DePaoli, Frederic Lu, Quinn Savit, Min Wu Copy Editors Sara Chimene-Weiss, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Miranda Forman, Casey Gaham, Anna Jouravleva, Geoffrey Kyi, Frederic Lu, Jordan Mainzer, Kelly Mallahan, Madeleine Rosenberg Web Developers Jihan Chao
I note with nostalgia the passing of Modes of Thought courses. By way of eulogy, I offer this account of my experience with an MOT course that I took in 1972 during the second semester of my first year. I can’t remember what the catalogue labeled the course, but it covered topics in American constitutional history and required two extensive research papers. The professor said he saw the MOT program as an opportunity to teach issues in constitutional history, a subject he would not otherwise teach because it was not considered part of a modern political science curriculum. Squeezed out during the behavioral revolution in political science, constitutional history had found no home elsewhere in the undergraduate curriculum. The MOT program provided a format in which the professor was willing to teach a subject that he thought important, but many others thought applied an outmoded method of analysis to material not deserving coverage in the undergraduate curriculum. By doing so, the program performed a most valuable service. First, that MOT course sparked my lifelong interest in constitutional history and an academic career
that includes scholarship and teaching in the subject. Second, judgments about the methods of analysis and subject matter appropriate for undergraduates can be ephemeral; I had the privilege to teach constitutional history at Brown when I taught in the Center for Law and Liberal Education between 1979 and 1982. Lastly, rigorous analysis of interesting questions produces an excellent education despite its fit with prevailing views about scholarly priorities. Although nostalgic, I’m pleased to see that the demise of MOT courses may affect the curriculum’s form rather than substance since first-year seminars offer similar opportunities to professors and students. In fact, the seminar program represents an improvement by allowing professors to get teaching credit. Expecting professors to teach MOT courses without credit was always unrealistic, and my professor never taught the course that had such an impact on me again after I took it. Whatever the program’s name or structure, I hope that Brown always allows its faculty an outlet for teaching whatever they are passionate about and, by that, inspire similar passion in their students. James Kainen ’75 Apr. 15
correction An article in Monday’s Herald (“Transfer students embrace life at Brown,” April 20) incorrectly referred to Melea Atkins ’10 as the Head Transfer Student Adviser. In fact, Atkins, Carly Hudelson ’10 and Chelsea Harris ’09 are transfer orientation coordinators. C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
Opinions The Brown Daily Herald
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | Page 11
The election race
Fatima Aqeel Opinions Columnist As the election period for the Undergraduate Student Council here at Brown drew closer, many students eating at the dining halls were confronted by their peers in UCS who were hunting for signatures. It was common to see students in the Ratty, with half a noodle dangling from their mouths, be approached by UCS members and solicited for signatures. “But, does it matter that I don’t even know what your campaign is about?” some students, myself included, would initially protest. “Not at all,” we would immediately be assuaged. The signatures are only to allow students to participate in the elections. In fact, they have nothing to do with determining which candidate actually wins, because the actual voting would only take place online. In the end, signing the paper they held out to us seemed like too small a deal to fuss over, so I didn’t protest any further. Besides, you would only be helping someone and surely hurting no one if you agreed to sign, and so students generally did. If I were to protest, however, it would be about how this felt like a useless practice. What does getting the signatures of 250
random students who do not know — and probably do not care — about your campaign even prove? It surely does not prove that there are at least 250 people at Brown who desperately want you to compete in the elections. Why, then, was getting 250 random signatures a benchmark for being able to participate in the upcoming elections when, clearly, anyone could accomplish this task? But then again, to fuss over something so small would be unreasonable. And perhaps the only requirement is to make the
dents running around the hallway in various stages of intoxication. Indeed, all was going as expected until one person, accompanied by a friend, turned up at the party with a pen and paper and asked everyone who seemed semi-capable of holding a pen straight to sign for him. My first reaction to this was obviously to laugh. I’m sure that a majority of the people who signed for him had no idea what they were doing and do not remember having signed anything. Unlike the people who approach students in the dining halls, this per-
What does getting the signatures of 250 students who do not know and probably do not care about your campaign even prove? student body aware of your stance, or simply to make it aware of what UCS is up to, even if said student body does not really care to remember afterwards. I, for one, had stopped asking what changes these candidates would bring into effect should they succeed in the elections. There are, however, two separate incidents that deserve special mention regarding the solicitation of these signatures. The first incident took place two weeks ago in Poland House at a friend’s birthday. It was a regular Keeney event, with stu-
son wasn’t even bothering to explain what the sheet of paper was, what his campaign stood for or what position he intended to compete for. Indeed, it seemed useless to do so because no one would understand. But that’s exactly what was wrong about going to a party and asking for signatures in the first place. Not only was the purpose of making students aware of UCS activities defeated, but the idea of exploiting people’s not-quite-right states of mind for anything is completely wrong. The principle behind that action is not one that I would want a
person of authority and a representative of mine to follow. The other incident, based on the same desperate quest for signatures, took place about a week before that, when I was having dinner at the V-Dub with a friend and her sister who was visiting from Santa Fe, N.M. A UCS member approached us and asked us to sign for her, which we did. She then turned to my friend’s sister and asked why she did not sign. When the sister explained the situation and asked if she was even allowed to sign, considering that she did not go to school here, the UCS hopeful replied, “Well, technically, no. ... But, I wouldn’t actually mind.” That was definitely the part where she lost my vote. (If I were going to vote in the first place, that is.) Besides these specific cases when candidate hopefuls demonstrated qualities that weren’t so admirable, simply the idea of asking people to sign instead of having a system where they sign because they want to isn’t very dignified. Perhaps it would be a better idea to just have a fewer number of required signatures for every candidate hopeful, as long as these are the signatures of people who care and genuinely want that person to compete.
Fatima Aqeel ’12 is from Karachi, Pakistan. She can be reached at Fatima_Aqeel@brown.edu.
Blue book exams are the way to go Tory Hartmann Opinions Columnist Christina Domenico, a regular opinions columnist for the Daily Pennsylvanian, the student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania, recently wrote a column that described the benefits of implementing Securexam, a word processing program that allows students to take in-class exams on their laptops. The program will shut down if the student attempts to open any other file or program on the computer, thereby barring him or her from looking at saved notes or the Internet. There are some obvious advantages to using a personal computer, one of which is that it would reduce the stresses inherent to a blue book exam. Like Domenico, I am always somewhat fearful of writing in blue books because I do not know whether my TAs will be able to understand my somewhat illegible handwriting. Typing exam responses will alleviate this concern. Domenico also points out that this program would be helpful because it would give students the chance to clearly organize their thoughts. Rachel Wexler ’11 agreed, saying, “The motion of typing makes my thoughts flow.” In an age of computers, this is unsurprising. After all, students are required to type take-home essays and exams, so it is a skill that they have already developed outside of the classroom. Despite the program’s apparent bene-
fits, I do not like the idea of using Securexam. Call me a Luddite, but I believe that the benefits of hand-writing one’s own responses far outweigh the convenience of a computer. Although she believes that she is “a much better typist than a writer,” Kathr yn Wiseman ’11 also asserts, “There is something to be said for going in with a pencil and writing yourself.” I agree. When I write out responses to exam questions, I feel much more connected to my work. The physical distance between my pen and my paper and the feel of my hand forming the letters as opposed to typing them adds
computer. Some students choose to use a desktop or librar y computer when writing take-home papers, and that option would not be available to students if we used the Securexam program. Domenico contends that this program could still be used so long as the school made laptops available to borrow for exam day. The University does provide laptops for borrowing at the Rock, so a decision like this one would not be unprecedented, although ensuring that laptops are available for ever y student who might need one would surely be costly. Furthermore, students who get to use
Call me a Luddite, but I believe that the benefits of hand-writing one’s own responses far outweigh the convenience of a computer. a degree of intimacy that would disappear with Securexam. Computers are also inherently distracting. Even though Securexam shuts down if a user attempts to open another application, using a computer during an exam will be distracting to many students. I can imagine now the irritating sound of loudly clicking keys. These added sound effects will only heighten the stressful environment of the examination room. Moreover, I am uncomfortable with this potential development because it assumes that all students have access to a laptop
their own computers will be at an advantage in an exam administered electronically because they will have had extensive experience using their particular brand and model. Students who have to borrow computers miss out on this familiarity and will probably be less comfortable with the new option. Any introduction of this program, mandator y or not, will make students feel obligated to use it. Since the typed-out exams will be more legible, graders might have an unintentional inclination to favor such exams. Because certain students are more
computer-literate than others, they will have an unfair advantage over students who have not had the same level of exposure to computers. Although one might argue that disparities like this one already manifest themselves in blue book exams between students who have different educational backgrounds, the disparity created by Securexam will be even greater. Instead of being a great convenience, Securexam will prove to be a hindrance to many students. Perhaps it will decrease some amount of stress in certain instances. But I can picture computers malfunctioning on exam day. This type of situation is nearly impossible to imagine happening on a written exam. Ultimately, the unfortunate circumstances in which a computer may malfunction or students may not have their own laptops to bring on exam day are not the only things that make me feel that implementing this program would be a poor choice. It is important that we leave certain things in school as they are and that we avoid computerizing ever ything because being able to write coherently without the aid of a computer is a valuable skill that should not be forgotten.
Tory Hartmann ’11 is a political science concentrator from Hillsborough, New Jersey. She can be reached at Victoria_Hartmann@brown.edu
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Today The Brown Daily Herald
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Liberian refugees can stay another year
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to day
to m o r r o w
60 / 47
59 / 40
Baseball Bears sweep Crimson
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s
Page 12
comics Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
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Enigma Twist |Dustin Foley
c a l e n da r Today, April 21
tomorrow, april 22
ALL DAY — A Day on College Hill
4 PM — Burmese Film Festival, McCormack Family Theater
7 PM — An Evening of Javanese Music, Grant Recital Hall
5:30 PM — Sugihara: The Unknown Story of a Japanese Diplomat who saved 10,000 Jews from the Holocaust, Brown/RISD Hillel
The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb
menu Sharpe Refectory
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Tempeh Fajitas with Pico de Gallo, Red Rice, Steak Fries, Cheese Pizza, Pulled Pork Sandwich
Lunch — Shaved Steak Sandwich, Bruschetta Mozzarella, Sunny Sprouts, White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dinner — Acorn Squash with Curried Rice and Chickpeas, Vegetarian Lentil Soup, Orange Turkey
Dinner — Pot Roast Jardiniere, Oregon Blend Vegetables, Butterscotch Layer Cake
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Shopping center 5 Letter-routing letters 9 Confronts 14 A long way off 15 Firenze farewell 16 Signs of decay 17 “The Flintstones” pet 18 Ruler division 19 Find a new tenant for 20 Nearby, on a country road 23 When prime time ends in Middle Amer. 24 Counterfeit coin 25 Sonoma Valley container 28 Irish homeland 31 Mug shot view 33 Electrical unit, briefly 36 Malty brew 38 Countesses’ spouses 39 Is completely uninformed 44 Impressive grouping 45 “What an idiot I am!” 46 Inclined to avoid the spotlight 47 “Heavens!” 50 Snitched 53 Sneaky 54 Super-duper 56 Deputized group 60 Row house porch 64 Frighten, as horses 66 Field of expertise 67 Memo phrase 68 Arizona State’s city 69 Docking site 70 Chess ending 71 Nonpoetic writing 72 Office fill-in 73 Prominent periods DOWN 1 Angry with 2 In flames 3 Talked a blue streak
4 Theatrical travelers 5 Corrosive compound 6 Windshield glare reducer 7 Dash devices 8 Useless 9 Precedes 10 Mideast port on its own gulf 11 Cause of coughs and sniffles 12 Before, of yore 13 Old fast plane: Abbr. 21 Abbr. for people with only two names 22 Prickly case 26 Islam’s God 27 In a foul mood 29 Snitch 30 Moose relative 32 Web site help sect. 33 Second or sixth president 34 Gourmet mushroom 35 “Catch a Falling Star” singer 37 Call a halt to
40 Cul-de-__ 41 One of the Bx. Bombers 42 Not at home 43 One of a reporter’s five W’s 48 Comfy footwear 49 Spellbound 51 Record collector’s platters 52 Serve a sentence
come one, come all
55 Chill-inducing 57 Salvage ship equipment 58 A bit, informally 59 Fencing swords 61 Butterfingers’ cry 62 Abound (with) 63 Memorable Old West lawman 64 NASCAR advertiser 65 As __ instructions
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
xwordeditor@aol.com
04/21/09
Herald open house this Wednesday The Herald will be hosting an open house at its offices this Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. All prospective and current students are invited to stop by and learn about opportunities to join The Herald’s news, opinions or business departments. Free pizza will be served. The Herald’s offices are located at 195 Angell St., between Brook and Thayer Streets. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com or visit browndailyherald.com/facebook for more information. By Gail Grabowski (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
04/21/09