Today's Paper

T H E O L D E ST C O L L E G E DA I LY · FO U N D E D 1 8 7 8

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · VOL. CXXXV, NO. 44 · yaledailynews.com

INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING

CLOUDY CLOUDY

48 53

CROSS CAMPUS Strength in numbers. A group

of 50 sophomores took the Halloween spirit to heart yesterday when they banded together to dress up as “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a nod to the best-selling erotic novel that has taken the world by storm. Another student took a different route, wearing a giant Yale ID card with a hole in the photo area for his head.

The gnomes who saved Halloween. After Mayor John

DeStefano Jr. urged residents to refrain from trick-ortreating due to ongoing hurricane repair efforts, a group of Davenport students decided to save the holiday themselves, organizing an indoor trick-or-treating route among Davenport suites for the children of residential college masters. More than 14 suites participated in the effort, collectively handing out a variety of sweets, including Starbursts, lollipops and Butterfingers.

But some things had to go.

Silliman College did not hold its annual haunted house last night and has decided to offer its popular exhibition only once every two years in the future. In addition, Berkeley College had to suspend its traditional “liquor treating” activities this year after the Yale College Dean’s Office requested that students refrain from holding large parties involving alcohol.

Where are you, “Lindyloo”?

A fake “University Update” allegedly sent by the newest campus celebrity University Vice President Linda Lorimer hit Yalies’ inboxes Wednesday afternoon, offering advice on clothing, note-taking and flashlights. The email, sent by “lindyloo@yale.edu,” urged students to wear clothing appropriate for the 56-degree weather and to take classroom notes by hand.

Showing support. Following

the abrupt closure of Indigo Blue and departure of former Buddhist Chaplain Bruce Blair ’81, University Chaplain Sharon Kugler reaffirmed her office’s support for Buddhist 50000000 life at Yale in a Tuesday email.

MILKY WAY GALAXY INGESTS NEIGHBORS

SINGAPORE

BICYCLES

SAILING

NUS professor discusses nation’s gay rights movement

DPORT WORKS TO AVOID COURTYARD CLUTTER

Bulldogs qualify for Atlantic Coast Championships

PAGE 6–7 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PAGE 3 NEWS

PAGE 5 NEWS

PAGE 12 SPORTS

Storm hinders campaigns

BY MONICA DISARE STAFF REPORTER Following one of the most devastating storms to hit the northeastern U.S. in recent memory, political campaigns and designated polling stations in Connecticut are struggling to recover from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy.

As of Wednesday afternoon, an estimated 100 polling locations throughout the state were without power. Meanwhile, political campaigns, such as the race between Democrat Chris Murphy and Republican Linda McMahon for retiring Senator Joe Lieberman’s ’64 LAW ’67 Senate seat have shifted focus from typical pre-election activities to aiding those affected by the storm. Connecticut officials said that they are working on a daily basis to solve problems that Hurricane Sandy’s destruction poses to a successful election on Nov. 6.

“Our communities are very resilient and I am confident we will be able to conduct a successful election, even in less than ideal circumstances,” said Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill in a statement.

Connecticut Light & Power reported Wednesday that approximately 100 polling locations they serve are without power. United Illuminating Company, a state electric utility for 325,000 customers, has yet to report the number of power outages in polling locations it services, according to Av Harris, the director of communications for the Secretary of the State.

New Haven’s polling stations may have been spared from any storm damage, according to city officials. In an email to the News, City Hall spokeswoman Elizabeth Benton ’04 said she does not expect to see any probSEE VOTING PAGE 4

BY AMY WANG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

PHILIPP ARNDT/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

As the city and state launch relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy, officials work to ensure election activities can continue.

Senate spending gap examined GRAPH ELECTION SPENDING RAISED SPENT CASH ON HAND

Say your thanks. Today marks

40000000 the second annual “Elihu Day, ” an event sponsored by the Yale Alumni Fund that gives students a chance to sign more than 500 “thank you” cards30000000 to be delivered to the University’s different donors.

20000000

Singing with the stars. A track

off the Duke’s Men album “Busted” has been selected for inclusion in an a cappella10000000 compilation album called “Sing 9.” The track, titled “It Started in the Winter,” is one of 0 six collegiate tracks and several professional tracks selected for the album.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1993 “The Great Gatsby,” a nightclub located on College Street, looks to obtain a liquor license.

Submit tips to Cross Campus

crosscampus@yaledailynews.com

ONLINE y MORE cc.yaledailynews.com

MCMAHON

BY JESSICA HALLAM CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As the Connecticut Senate race enters the final stretch, the disparity in campaign spending between candidates is as pronounced as ever.

The most recent reports filed with the Senate reveal that Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon has now spent $42.6 million on her bid for public office. Her rival,

Brenzel to leave admissions

MURPHY Democrat Chris Murphy has spent approximately $8.6 million by comparison. McMahon’s spending advantage has allowed her to focus the race on personal, rather than policy issues, and has elicited repeated accusations from the Murphy campaign that McMahon is seeking to buy her way into the Senate, political experts said. “[McMahon] focused priSEE SPENDING PAGE 8

A new class of bright-eyed freshmen will step onto Yale’s campus for the first time next fall. But this class will be the last that Jeffrey Brenzel, dean of undergraduate admissions for the last seven years, will ever help select.

In a Wednesday afternoon email, Brenzel announced that he will step down as dean of undergraduate admissions at the end of the 2012-’13 academic year. He will continue to serve as Timothy Dwight College Master — a position he has held for the past two years — and will return to teaching philosophy courses in the Yale College Directed Studies program, as he did before joining the admissions office. Brenzel said he has decided to leave his post because he wants to focus on his role as a master and a professor.

“I think it’s good to take on a responsibility like this, give it a good number of years … and it’s good to have some change from time to time,” Brenzel said in an interview with the News. “I’ve been thinking of some other things I want to focus on.”

Brenzel arrived at Yale in 1971 as a freshman from Louisville, Ky., and he held several positions in academia, the business world and college admissions after graduating. Brenzel’s legacy as dean of admissions since 2005 boasts many accomplishments, including a push for more effective international recruitment and an increase in outreach to applicants interested in science and engineering, University President Richard Levin said.

Brenzel said he made the decision to leave after speaking with Levin during the summer, though he added that he was not aware at the time of Levin’s plan to step down.

He said that returning to the classroom is “something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” but he said he is still interested in the field of admissions.

SEE BRENZEL PAGE 4

Sandy leaves students stranded

BY SOPHIE GOULD STAFF REPORTER It was Wednesday afternoon, and Miranda Melcher ’16 and Khalid Attalla ’16 waited for the New Haven Limo Service at Melcher’s cousins’ New York City apartment. Their ride was already an hour and a half late.

Six other car companies had told Melcher they could not help. She had exhausted her other options: The train to New Haven was not running, the subways were flooded, the airports were closed and the streets were jammed with traffic.

Meanwhile at Yale, classes were back in session.

Hurricane Sandy botched many students’ travel plans for returning to Yale after Fall Break, and a few dozen were stuck in New York during the storm, with many unable to return until late Wednesday and others yet to make it back to campus. The Yale Club of New York, which opened some of its facilities to stranded Yale students and offered discounted rooming starting Monday afternoon, saw roughly 30 students over the past four days, though students only booked two four-person rooms, said Jennifer Warpool, the Yale Club’s director of marketing, sales and communication, in a Wednesday email. Despite the stress and inconvenience of disrupted travel plans, six of eight students interviewed said the delays were a welcome extension to fall break.

“I’m mostly glad the worst I was stuck with was an inconvenient schedule,” said Tory Burnside Clapp ’15, who returned home to Arlington, Va. to wait out the storm after her Sunday night train was cancelled near Philadelphia. “I feel bad for the people

who had it worse than we did, weather condition-wise.”

Burnside Clapp said her mother drove her eight hours back to campus as soon as the weather permitted, beginning at 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

As of press time, the Metro-North line from Grand Central Station to New Haven remained closed with no estimated opening time.

I’m swamped with stuff to do.

Everything got backed up — make-up presentations, quizzes, homework, labs.

ANDRE SHOMORONY ’13 University Vice President Linda Lorimer said she did not know exactly how many students were stranded off-campus. Most students interviewed said they notified individual professors rather than Yale administrators about their absences.

Stranded students have largely stayed with family members, though a few said they stayed with friends at other universities.

While many students appreciated the extended fall break, those interviewed said they were anxious about missing school and other campus activities.

“I’m swamped with stuff to do,” said Andre Shomorony ’13, who was stuck in Chicago during the storm. “Everything got backed up — make-up presentations, quizSEE STRANDED PAGE 8

PAGE 2

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

OPINION

.COMMENT “There is always Governor Gary Johnson” yaledailynews.com/opinion

The skeleton under the tree

GUEST COLUMNIST CODY POMERANZ

Show up and vote I

n a Season 3 episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing,” a staffer at a political fundraising luncheon tells the crowd, “It’s really something that every two years we get to overthrow a government.” The crowd cheers.

“We can make a difference,” the staffer continues. “Let’s get out the vote. Let’s get ourselves organized. Let’s get the Congress we deserve.”

Sure, our world is far from the idealistic portrait Sorkin paints. Our representatives are less brilliant and less moral, our discussions are rarely substantive and our rhetoric on complex issues is dumbed down to slogans and zingers. But even if Sorkin’s West Wing is truly a fantasy — a plea for what America should be and an escape from the cynicism of political reality — it still offers a few kernels of truth. The aforementioned quote is one of them.

Lawmakers have attempted to put in place obstacles to voting; the flood of campaign contributions has elevated the influence of one candidate above another; the media bias of Fox News and MSNBC has effects on a voter’s views of the issues. We can blame these aspects of our system forever.

They are indeed problematic to civil discourse and, in the case of voter ID laws, arguably unconstitutional. But when all is said and done, the burden is ours.

When we stand in the voting booth and shut the curtain, we are alone. When we open the absentee ballot and take out a pen, we control which box we check. Sean Hannity doesn’t vote for us.

Rachel Maddow doesn’t check every box with a (D) next to it on our ballot. We are responsible because the power to “overthrow” through democratic means is a right of the People. And those who don’t exercise this liberty out of political apathy have no reason for complaint. To borrow another quote from “The West Wing,” “Decisions are made by those who show up.” On Nov. 6, Americans across the country will be able to head to the polls and choose their representatives for a myriad of political offices. Those who show up will be the decisionmakers, regardless of geography or financial contribution.

Even the Democrat in California plays a role in deciding the election. If California Democrats stay home out of a thought that they cannot give Barack Obama a greater advantage than he already has, we’ll be inaugurating President Romney in January.

Yet, in 2008, one of the

A

highest recorded turnouts ever, only 56.8 percent of the voting-age population cast a ballot. Many others stayed home out of a hackneyed belief that their vote doesn’t matter.

The Democrat in Texas. The Republican in New York. The Green Party candidate, well, everywhere. But this thought only serves to perpetuate a cycle of cynicism; such apathy does nothing more than ensure that the change you wish to affect will never come.

EVERY VOTE MATTERS, CAST YOURS If a political candidate in today’s America only utters one true sentence in his or her entire campaign, it’s that every vote counts. Statistically or symbolically, it counts for something valuable. It could change an election or merely reaffirm the ideals of a nation we must always strive to perfect. Either way, it means something. Whoever you cast your ballot for, whether you write in a candidate or check one for every office, you will be exercising a right many before you have died to protect or to obtain.

If no candidate appeals to you, or if you’re so disillusioned by our political realities, then leave your boxes blank. That too is of equal importance. But make no mistake, going to the polls and handing in a blank ballot is very different from staying home and not voting at all.

Don’t let posterity remember your role in this election as a mere observer, too cynical to vote, too apathetic to care.

On Nov. 6, you will be given the opportunity to play your part in a republic 236 years in the making, of a people united by common values and driven by the enduring quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A line in the Declaration of Independence reads, “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.”

Sorkin’s words may have been spoken by a fictional character in a fictional world, but they derive from the very real foundation upon which we’ve built this country. Show up and embrace it.

fallen tree is a little like a beached whale, or a door off its hinges or the propeller of a wind turbine traveling on a highway strapped to the bed of an 18-wheeler. What strikes you is not the explanation behind the circumstances — the series of events that toppled the tree or caused the whale to lose its true north or unhinged the door — but the gulf between the usual context and the matter at hand, between knowing that a tree shouldn’t lie on its side and seeing the toppled thing. It’s the absurdity of it.

Such was the oak felled by Sandy on the Green. Half of the tree’s branches, the unlucky ones, were splayed flat against the ground, crushed under the weight of the others, which reached up, unexpectedly high, somehow occupying more space than they had when they hung up in the air. On the other end — by which I mean the left, since speaking of top and bottom is a moot point in the case of a fallen tree — were the roots, poking through the chunk of earth yanked from the ground by the falling trunk.

And then there was the skeleton, buried in that chunk of earth.

When I stopped by the Green

M

aybe it’s strange that art historical criticism and the internet would lead me to write about community, so forgive me: I’ve been stuck inside for more hours than I care to think about, and ideas are coalescing in my brain out of sheer desperation.

While sitting inside this past Monday, I read — a lot. I did my art history reading and then spent a great deal of time trawling the internet. By which I mean, I read and reread Facebook posts about the hurricane and eagerly responded to whatever emails popped into my inbox.

Both the emails and the Facebook posts moved me, unexpectedly. Every email ended with an exhortation to stay safe, warm and dry; each Facebook post sent wishes of patience and strength in the face of the storm. For a day and a half, we were united — online — in the face of a threat that none of us could predict or control.

This morning, I woke up to a series of phone calls, texts and emails from friends and family all demanding to know if I was okay.

Everyone wanted to be reassured

YALE DAILY NEWS PUBLISHING CO., INC. 202 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 432-2400

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Liliana Varman

MANAGING EDITORS Gavan Gideon Mason Kroll

SPORTS Eugena Jung John Sullivan

ONLINE EDITOR Caroline Tan OPINION Marissa Medansky Dan Stein NEWS Madeline McMahon Daniel Sisgoreo CITY Nick Defiesta Ben Prawdzik CULTURE Natasha Thondavadi

ARTS & LIVING Akbar Ahmed Jordi Gassó Cora Lewis Jack Linshi MULTIMEDIA Raleigh Cavero Lillian Fast Danielle Trubow MAGAZINE Daniel Bethencourt COPY Stephanie Heung Emily Klopfer Isaac Park Flannery Sockwell

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Celine Cuevas Ryan Healey Allie Krause Michelle Korte Rebecca Levinsky Rebecca Sylvers Clinton Wang PHOTOGRAPHY Jennifer Cheung Sarah Eckinger Jacob Geiger Maria Zepeda Vivienne Jiao Zhang

PUBLISHER Gabriel Botelho DIR. FINANCE Julie Kim DIR. ADV. Sophia Jia PRINT ADV. MANAGER Julie Leong

ONL. BUSINESS. MANAGER Yume Hoshijima ONL. DEV. MANAGER Vincent Hu MARKETING & COMM. MANAGER Brandon Boyer

BUSINESS DEV. Joyce Xi

ILLUSTRATIONS Karen Tian LEAD WEB DEV. Akshay Nathan Earl Lee INSIDER'S GUIDE Elizabeth Chrystal Catherine Dinh

THIS ISSUE PRODUCTION STAFF: Samantha Nanayakkara PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Laura Burston, Allison Durkin, Astrid Pacini, Skyler Ross EDITORIALS & ADS

The News’ View represents the opinion of the majority of the members of the Yale Daily News Managing Board of 2014. Other content on this page with bylines represents the opinions of those authors and not necessarily those of the Managing Board.

Opinions set forth in ads do not necessarily reflect the views of the Managing Board. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason and to delete or change any copy we consider objectionable, false or in poor taste. We do not verify the contents of any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co., Inc. and its officers, employees and agents disclaim any responsibility for all liabilities, injuries or damages arising from any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co. ISSN 0890-2240

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

SUBMISSIONS

All letters submitted for publication must include the author’s name, phone number and description of Yale University affiliation.

Please limit letters to 250 words and guest columns to 750. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit letters and columns before publication. E-mail is the preferred method of submission.

Direct all letters, columns, artwork and inquiries to: Marissa Medansky and Dan Stein Opinion Editors Yale Daily News opinion@yaledailynews.com

COPYRIGHT 2012 — VOL. CXXXV, NO. 44

wrap itself around the bones that the two men excavating the remains had to use a large set of pliers to work at the roots.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM APPLES TO APPLES AND ZETA So it makes sense that the skeleton was there, but the whole thing was still a little absurd.

And maybe that’s fitting. When Hurricane Sandy hit earlier this week, it was as though life held no more tightly to normalcy than the leaves to the branches of trees.

Time, for a few days, seemed to stand still or flow in reverse: Sunday became Friday, Monday became Saturday.

And things got a little weird: People dressed up as penguins and punks and bananas and trekked to Box for a $15 open bar.

Or else they holed up in their colleges and played Apples to Apples or watched The O.C. or blasted songs from the ’90s and sang along to “All Star.” I went to Zeta.

Here’s the point: the unusual isn’t too far removed from the usual. To look at life in this way is to think of it as a sculpture in relief. The normal — the status quo — is the raised stone, the parts of the picture you can feel with your fingers if you were to run them across the surface.

The unusual lies in the sunk-in regions, in the ridges that give the rest its shape.

Sometimes I think we spend so much time defining ourselves in positives — who we are and what we do — that we don’t consider the alternatives. We need an event of awesome proportions, a storm strong enough to topple a tree, to uproot us from that routine, to give us an excuse to dabble in the unusual. This is not to say you should live every day as though it were the eve of a hurricane, but I think it’s healthy to depart from the status quo on occasion — to waste a Monday night watching The O.C. and playing Apples to Apples and singing along to “All Star.” And, if that’s not enough, there’s always Zeta.

TEO SOARES is a senior in Silliman College. Contact him at teo.soares@yale.edu .

that I had water (blessedly) and electricity (hallelujah) and was uninjured (aside from stiffness associated with ZOE yoga inflicted MERCER- on me by my GOLDEN fit housemate, totally fine).

I was Meditations immensely grateful for these moments of communication: happy to be reminded that I mattered to people, delighted to have an opportunity to catch up with people I love but don’t speak to enough. The hurricane very quickly became a pretext to have other conversations about what’s happening in our lives. I rapidly forgot about Sandy and felt, instead, deep gratitude.

My art history reading about how internet technology has changed the way we experience images and texts — and my gratitude about the calls, emails and texts from friends and family — then did a jig in my tired brain

and produced a thought.

Even ten years ago, an experience like Sandy would have been radically different. Fewer people had cell phones; most of the world wasn’t on Facebook; and the idea of being able to access people virtually any time or anywhere via email and texting was impossible except for the few who had early smart phones.

This hurricane, and the previous few, were amongst the first natural disasters we could experience in real time without losing touch with the outside world or the people who mattered.

Technology now allows us to be a community, not just a group of people stuck in our own rooms.

During the hurricane, we were no longer just a virtual community of people playing Farmville or sharing cool videos: We were a real community of people who wanted to protect and support each other. Facebook today continues to be full of posts of people offering food, shelter, showers and rides to their friends and acquaintances up and down the east coast. And let’s not forget the sheer number of emails we received from Yale about Sandy:

We were a campus community, ready to take care of each other.

This feeling of closeness was facilitated and informed by technology, though the community exists independent of the technology.

While I sometimes bemoan the ways in which technology limits our ability to really talk to each other, I find myself today rethinking that proposition.

Technology is first and foremost a tool and, I would argue after the last few days, a profoundly important one in building community and reaching across distances, whether they are only a few walls or entire continents.

Though I was grateful for the time on my own that Sandy gave me — time I so rarely have at Yale — I am more grateful to know that there is a collective of people looking out for each other and me, on- and off-line. Because of them, the hurricane seemed less fearsome; because of technology, I am less afraid of future storms.

ZOE MERCER-GOLDEN is a senior in Davenport College. Contact her at zoe.mercer-golden@yale.edu .

G U E S T C O L U M N I S T D AV I D L I L I E N F E L D

The exclusive generation

CODY POMERANZ is a sophomore in Branford College. Contact him at cody.pomeranz@yale.edu .

Editorial: (203) 432-2418 editor@yaledailynews.com Business: (203) 432-2424 business@yaledailynews.com

on Tuesday night, the bones made their presence known through the production that had been set up TEO SOARES around them: the police tape Traduções that marked the area, the bright lights that shone over the hole, the tent pitched over the roots to protect against rainfall, the onlookers who shuffled their feet through the leaves on the ground as they came and went, and the cops who stood watch as a Yale anthropologist and an investigator from the Medical Examiner’s Office dug out the remains. From a distance, the picture — the lights, the white tent, the two men knee-deep in the ground — looked not unlike a vigil.

That the skeleton was under the tree was a coincidence. The bones went underground about 200 years ago, when the Green was still a cemetery. The oak came a full 100 years later in 1909. Over the next century, the tree would reach down and so thoroughly

Sandy, online

A

EDITOR IN CHIEF Tapley Stephenson

—'YALEENGINEER' ON 'WHY I DON'T VOTE'

few weeks ago, I found myself sorting through old (now digitized) archives of the Yale Daily News.

I was struck by the headlines — fraternities fighting with the administration, the admissions office increasing its staff, alumni setting fundraising records, the Yale Corporation searching for a new president and op-eds discussing how the new residential colleges, Stiles and Morse, would change the fabric of the college experience.

While the stories are nearly sixty years old, they should sound familiar. This provokes us to ask ourselves, in this age of social media and instant connectivity, how unique are we?

The presidential campaigns would certainly have us believe we are. The Obama campaign touts the election as “a choice between two fundamentally different visions for America.” We are told we have a “unique role” to play in the fabric of the nation and its affairs. But is our fragment of the American experience that different from that of our parents or grandparents?

The over-saturation of rhetoric about change, fundamental choices and getting America back on track is, at its core, futile.

We were ever off track? Is change not constantly occurring? Will a mistake in a fundamental choice mean we can never reverse it?

The language tickles our sentiments of uniqueness — that we, like no one before us, stand at a crossroads.

This is simply not true.

One does not need to look further than the campaign slogans of the last 100 years to uncover the similarities — ‘America Needs a Change’ (Mondale 1984), ‘For the future’ (Nixon 1960), ‘A Return to Normalcy’ (Harding 1920), ‘A Leader, For a Change’ (Carter 1976) or, my personal favorite, ‘A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage’ (Hoover 1928).

EVERY GENERATION BELIEVES IT IS UNIQUE Any one of these slogans could be used in the current election. They all appeal to the same theme of dissatisfaction with the status quo and the necessity for a dramatic transformation.

They all work because they rely on the assumption of our unique place in history.

A clear manifestation of this sentiment can be seen in the recent Occupy movement. The core of the protests relies on the exclusive nature of our genera-

tion. The overall message that ‘we’re pissed off and we’re not going to take it anymore’ necessitates that, while previous generations tolerated some injustice of the past, it is we who will no longer put up with it. Do banks have more influence in Washington than they did 30 years ago? It’s doubtful. Nonetheless, the movement garnered the following it did because it provoked these sentimentalities of exceptionalism.

Why does this attitude appeal to us? Bertrand Russell writes that we study history because we are individuals “facing the terror of cosmic loneliness.” In other words, we’re scared — afraid that we are alone in facing obstacles that might defeat us, alone in our decisions about our country and society and alone in our struggle to reach peace.

In turn, we resort to isolating ourselves from the past to reaffirm our superiority over previous generations and to reassure our standing in a select historical epoch.

This attitude is detrimental. Time and time again, history has shown to repeat itself.

This is not due to stupidity or bad decisions, but to the consistency of the human experience. Even without social media and multinational corporations, people interacted the same way in pre-colonial America as they

do today. Feelings of love, hate, anger, passion, sadness and joy have remained guiding forces for our experience in social and interpersonal relations.

The poems and philosophies of Ancient Greece and Rome have remained so influential and relevant because they address these same themes of human nature, despite being written over 2000 years ago. There are very few experiences that have not occurred sometime in the past.

Each generation feels unique in the struggles and experiences they face, but we must recognize that this urge is simply part of human nature. The irony is that the sentiment of exclusivity is not exclusive at all, but something universal and inter-generational.

Our place in history is unique and important in that we have the ability to help define it. It is not, however, exclusive. Presidential candidates and populist movements will continue to appeal to our natural sentiments and develop narratives that embrace us as the protagonists. Ultimately, the next generation will repeat this process, and we will fall back to a supporting role. There is nothing wrong with this.

DAVID LILIENFELD is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College. Contact him at david.lilienfeld@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 3

NEWS

“I’m in charge of setting up for Angie’s party.

Because I’m not just a gay hairdresser. I’m also a homosexual party planner.”

D’FWAN “30 ROCK” CHARACTER

Mass. race draws Yalies

NUS prof talks gay rights

GRAPH MASSACHUSETTS SENATE RACE 53 50

48

46

45

WARREN BROWN Oct. 6

BY HANNAH SCHWARZ CONTRIBUTING REPORTER In light of a race that could determine the partisan makeup of the U.S. Senate, the Yale College Democrats and Republicans have flocked to Massachusetts to canvass for their respective candidates.

The election between Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and incumbent Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, is one of the closest and most closely watched Senate races this year. Knowing that the result of the Senate election may determine the next president’s legislative success, both the Dems and the Yale College Republicans took to Massachusetts in recent months to convince voters that their candidate is best for the state and the nation.

In September, the Dems sent 30 students to Springfield, Mass. to canvass, doing the same in Worcester, Mass. in October, said Nicole Hobbs ’14, elections coordinator of the Dems. The Yale College Republicans sent volunteers to Springfield in October, said Elizabeth Henry ’14, chairwoman of the organization.

According to Dems President Zak Newman ’13, canvassing is one of the most effective ways for college students to influence the election, as college groups tend to have limited financial resources.

Canvassing is a great way to “feel like you’re participating in a democratic process” in a way “a lot more meaningful than just voting,” said Austin Schaefer ’15, vice chairman of the Yale College Republicans.

“What’s encouraging and empowering for us is that if you look at what determines the outcomes of elections, it’s these individual conversations between voters and volunteers at the door that really moves elections,” Newman said.

The latest poll from Rasmussen Reports, a Republican-leaning polling firm, gives Warren a five-point advantage. But the majority of polls put Warren at

Oct. 28 only a modest lead, with most polls’ margins of error larger than the spread between the two candidates.

Although Newman thinks Warren has “reason to be optimistic,” he said that she should not yet “relax.” Instead, he added, good polling numbers are a reason to redouble campaign efforts.

It’s these individual conversations between voters and volunteers at the door that really moves elections.

ZAK NEWMAN ’13 President, Yale College Democrats But for Schaefer, the fivepoint lead is less an indication of who the winner will be, and more a representation that the Massachusetts Senate election will be “very close.”

Henry described the atmosphere at a Brown campaign rally she attended earlier this month as “fired up.”

“That sort of on-the-ground excitement, to me, speaks volumes more than political polling when you remember that most political polls have a response rate of only around nine or 10 percent,” Henry said.

Schaefer said that undecided voters with whom he interacted while canvassing tended to lean toward Brown, but those who had already made up their minds tended to say they would vote for Warren.

Because the presidential election is also this year, he added, the turnout is likely to be more reflective of the liberal political character of Massachusetts than it was in 2010, when Brown was elected, which could make it more difficult for Brown to win.

Voting day is this Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Contact HANNAH SCHWARZ at hannah.schwarz@yale.edu .

JENNIFER CHEUNG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Professor Lynette Chua of the National University of Singapore gave a narrative account of gay rights in Singapore in a Wednesday lecture.

BY ALEKSANDRA GJORGIEVSKA STAFF REPORTER Despite having a human rights record that has faced significant criticism, Singapore has been developing a grassroots gay rights movement since the 1990s.

In a lecture entitled “Singapore’s Gay Rights Movement: Past, Present and Future,” Lynette Chua, an assistant professor of law at the National University of Singapore, spoke about the evolution of the gay rights movement in Singapore before approximately 50 students and faculty in Linsley-Chittenden Hall Wednesday evening. Chua, whose research concentrates on the relationship between law and the gay rights movements in Southeast Asia, traced the movement from its beginnings in the early 1990s to the present, emphasizing the guerilla tactics gay rights activists in Singapore have had to employ to advocate their cause while simultaneously placating the ruling Singaporean party.

“Gay rights activists in Singapore have learned to deal with the political and social norms and signals — the stuff that’s not written in the books,” Chua said.

Chua, who interviewed 100 gay rights activists in Singapore as part of her research, said activists there have had to adapt their advocacy to national political climate. As the movement evolved over the years, she said, members of the LGBTQ community in Singapore have learned to employ “pragmatic resistance”

— a process that entails looking out for shifts in Singapore’s political culture that might allow the movement to further its aims.

The Singaporean ruling party derives its legitimacy from economic prosperity, Chua said, adding that any movement that calls into question the country’s stability will be sanctioned by the government. Chua said one of the major challenges gay activists in Singapore face is advocating their cause in a manner that will not threaten the ruling party.

“If you want to get somewhere without ending up in jail,” Chua said, “you have to employ non-confrontational tactics.”

She added that Singaporean gay rights activists address LGBTQ issues by focusing on specific problems rather than by advocating a general change in mindset. Chua raised the example of the 2010 Tan Eng Hong case, which challenged the constitutionality of Section 377A of Singapore’s penal code — legislation that criminalizes sexual intercourse between two adult men.

Though the law remains in place, Chua said, the fact that 21 members of parliament debated the issue was a victory for the Singaporean LGBTQ community.

“The shifting attitude — from the police raiding gay bars only decades ago to the government acknowledging the presence of gay people in Singapore — is a step forward for the gay rights movement,” she said.

History professor George Chauncey

GRD ’89, who organized the event, said he hopes the lecture will provide the Yale community with a more nuanced, fuller understanding of the gay rights movement in Singapore. He added that the lecture was not meant to address the controversy about the establishment of Yale-NUS College, the liberal arts college that Yale is establishing with NUS in Singapore, though he said he thinks the campus debate about Yale-NUS would inevitably provide a context for the event.

Igor Mitschka ’15, one of five students who met with Yale-NUS Dean of Faculty Charles Bailyn to discuss the rights of LGBTQ students at Yale-NUS College, said he found the lecture informative, adding that it was interesting to learn about how gay rights activists organize in a country where homosexuality is criminal.

“I think [Chua] managed to explain a lot of the basic assumptions in Singapore, which are hard for us to put into words, because they’re so much a part of our lives,” Singaporean graduate student E-Ching Ng GRD ’13 said, adding that watching for signals and pushing boundaries is part of everyone’s life in Singapore.

The lecture was sponsored by LGBT Studies at Yale.

Contact ALEKSANDRA GJORGIEVSKA at aleksandra.gjorgievska@yale.edu .

Community considers New Haven food plan

BY HAYLEY BYRNES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

PHILIPP ARNDT/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The city’s Food Policy Council released a first draft of its food policy plan.

New Haven’s food culture could soon see some improvements.

The New Haven Food Policy Council, an organization that develops food policy within the city, unveiled the first draft of its New Haven Food Action Plan earlier this month, which aims to create an overarching vision of New Haven’s food administration. While the food council cannot implement any of the recommendations itself, the plan provides guidance to city and local non-profits in crafting a successful city-wide food policy.

“We wanted to create a plan which would help the city take a look at the entire food system — from production all the way to composting,” said Roberta Friedman, a member of the Food Policy Council and director of public policy at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale.

The plan presents three main goals: to increase access to

healthy foods, strengthen the city’s food economy and encourage healthy eating through education and marketing. It also includes 16 strategies to achieve these goals, such as creating more “healthy food zones” in schools and providing more support to mothers who breast feed their children.

Monique Stefani, a member of the council, said the plan focuses on economic development along with health policy. The plan emphasizes local food production and the creation of urban farm businesses to strengthen the local economy “It’s not just about restaurants,” she added.

As part of its community education and outreach effort, the council held 15 meetings in different New Haven neighborhoods to receive feedback from residents across the city. Last week, the council celebrated National Food Day and presented its plan for the first time at the Yale Peabody Museum. Key local players in the fight to change New Hav-

en’s food policy — including New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Jeannette Ickovics, director of the Community Alliance for Research & Education (CARE) at the Yale School of Public Health — were present at the event.

The council’s plan places the responsibility for implementing its recommendations, which carry no legislative weight, on local business and non-profit organizations. The Women’s Initiative of the United Way of New Haven has pledged $20,000 to expand local cooking education programs such as Cooking Matters, a program sponsored by Share Our Strength — a national non-profit that seeks to end childhood hunger. Casavina Hall, senior director of Income and Health Initiatives at the Women’s Initiative, said the organization has been committed to changing local food policy since its creation in June 2011.

“The knowledge of cooking, which was once handed down from parent to parent, has been lost, and people want to recap-

ture that,” Hall said.

Along with local non-profits, the Yale community has devoted resources to food policy as well.

Alycia Santilli, a member of the Food Council and Director of Community Initiatives at CARE, said in an email that CARE collaborated closely with the Food Policy Council in developing the plan. CARE has also been awarded $100,000 from the Newman’s Own Foundation to fund SNAP, the federal program that gives financial help to lowincome citizens who need food.

Santilli added that the action plan is “an unprecedented attempt to coordinate multiple players who ‘touch’ issues related to food policy in New Haven,” including figures in government, nonprofit organizations and local businesses.

The final draft of the Food Policy plan, which incorporates community input, will be released at the end of November.

Contact HAYLEY BYRNES at hayley.byrnes@yale.edu .

PAGE 4

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

FROM THE FRONT Brenzel to remain master

SNIGHDA SUR/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Timothy Dwight Dean Jeffrey Brenzel has expressed interest in writing about changing admissions practices in higher education.

BRENZEL FROM PAGE 1 “I’d like to write something about the admissions landscape in higher education these days, relative to what it’s been in the past,” Brenzel said. “That’s the kind of thing I wouldn’t do while actually acting as the dean.

I’m interested in thinking about admissions and about liberal arts educations in general.”

Mark Dunn ’07, director of outreach and recruitment for the Admissions Office, said in an email that Brenzel will leave behind some “extraordinary” accomplishments, including the overhaul of all admissions publications, a revamped website and a more engaging format for Bulldog Days. He added that Brenzel has worked to make Yale “more accessible to students of all backgrounds” by engaging in outreach and publicizing Yale’s financial aid policies to low-income communities.

University Secretary and Vice President for Student Life Kimberly Goff-Crews ’83 LAW ’86 will chair a committee to lead a nationwide search for a new dean of admissions. Dunn said he is “confident that the University will appoint an equally strong and visionary person as the new dean.”

Brenzel said the new dean will have to face the challenge of having to turn away extraordinary candidates.

“It’s certainly the most challenging job I’ve ever had,” he said.

“It’s compelling and interesting, but the stakes are high — it’s people’s lives.”

Students praised Brenzel for simultaneously holding two fulltime positions over the past several years.

“I was surprised [by the announcement], but honestly, it wasn’t all that unexpected,” said Siddhartha Banerjee ’13, a mem-

ber of TD. “I think he’d been juggling a lot last year, being both master and dean. It was noticeable that he had a lot on his plate — but I think he handled it very well.”

Cory Combs ’14 said he has been impressed and inspired by Brenzel’s level of commitment in his two roles, adding that he “seems so well put-together.”

Sonya Levitova ’15, a student in TD, said she is “super excited” for the change. “I’m actually really glad,” she said because she “thought he was stretched a little thin, doing a lot.”

TD Operations Manager Bob Kennedy said Brenzel has led an “extremely busy lifestyle” in both roles, sometimes working 80 hours a week. But he added that Brenzel has an “amazing ability to be present in the moment” and always contributes “100 percent” to his duties in both TD and the Admissions Office.

Brenzel will officially step down from the Admissions Office on June 30, 2013.

Contact AMY WANG at xiaotian.wang@yale.edu .

JEFFREY BRENZEL Jeffrey Brenzel has been the dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale since 2005. Known for his role in increasing the office’s outreach to low-income candidates and applicants interested in science and engineering, he graduated from Yale College in 1975 and has also led careers in business and academia. Brenzel announced in an email on Wednesday that he will step down at the end of the academic year to focus on his role as master of Timothy Dwight College and return to teaching in the Directed Studies Program.

Interested in illustrating for the Yale Daily News?

CONTACT KAREN TIAN AT karen.tian@yale.edu

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” DR. SEUSS WRITER OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Race shifts focus to relief VOTING FROM PAGE 1 lems with polling locations or access to the polls in New Haven come Election Day. Towns along the shoreline were most damaged in the hurricane, Harris said.

Political campaigns have also shifted focus in light of the storm. Ben Mallet ’16, campaign director for the Yale College Republicans, said McMahon opened six of her 13 campaign offices to provide food and water for those struggling through the storm.

“The campaign strategy is first and foremost about helping people who got hit by the hurricane,” Mallet said. “We’re remembering why we’re in politics. It’s to help people.”

Elizabeth Larkin, communications director for the state Democratic Party, said Democrats running for office in Connecticut are also primarily worried about their constituents’ safety. When asked about how the hurricane may affect voter turnout, Larkin said, “We honestly haven’t even thought about that.”

McMahon and Murphy’s current focus on hurricane recovery has precluded them from the typical campaign preelection routine.

“When you lose precious time in the campaign it always has an impact,” Mallet said. “Most of the volunteers are keen to get out as soon as possible.”

Connecticut State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney pointed out that some campaign mailing has been delayed, which he said may be slightly advanta-

geous to candidates running for office in Connecticut who have fewer resources.

Hurricane Sandy also posed problems to voter registration. Gov. Dannel Malloy extended the voter registration deadline from Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. to Thursday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. in an attempt to accommodate those who may have been inconvenienced by the hurricane. Ward 7 Alderman Doug Hausladen ’04 said that there are still people in Connecticut who do not have power and that, even with the extended deadline, they may be hindered in registering to vote.

When you lose precious time in the campaign it always has an impact.

BEN MALLET ’16 Campaign director, Yale College Republicans The Office of the Secretary of the State of Connecticut held a conference call with approximately 260 voter registrars and town clerks to discuss the polling situation in their regions, Harris said. There will be another conference call tomorrow and the Office of the Secretary of the State of Connecticut will continue to check in on locations around the state as the election draws nearer, he added.

The worst case scenario is that the paper ballots will need to be counted by

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Senate candidate Linda McMahon opened up campaign offices to provide supplies to those struggling through the storm. hand, Harris said. He added that if polling locations need to be moved, it will likely be announced Monday.

Connecticut Light & Power serves 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns.

Contact MONICA DISARE at monica.disare@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 5

NEWS

“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” GLORIA STEINEM, AMERICAN FEMINIST, JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST

Davenport debuts new bike policies

BY KIRSTEN SCHNACKENBERG STAFF REPORTER Davenport bike owners who use fences, posts or furniture as impromptu bike racks will have to find a new way to store their bikes.

Davenport College now requires all students to register their bikes with the Davenport College Master’s Office — joining Branford College and Jonathan Edwards College in implementing stricter bike-usage policies.

Though in all three colleges students must register bikes with the Master’s office, only Davenport plans to confiscate any unregistered bikes that remain in the College to use for a new Davenport-only bike-sharing program. Students say that while the new bike policy may be helpful for promoting a neater and safer courtyard, it also creates an annoyance that makes owning a bike inconvenient.

“Registering bikes will help students who might lose their bikes — perhaps if someone finds a lone bike and sees the Davenport sticker on it, they will be more likely to try and return it,” said Carolyn Haller, Davenport operations manager who heads the bike initiative. “Also, bikes chained to stair railings or lamp posts, for example, create safety concerns for people coming through the courtyard.”

According to an email sent out by the Davenport College Master’s Office on Oct. 16, students are required to fill out a form providing the model and color of

their bike, and as of Wednesday evening, 40 students registered bikes with the Davenport Master’s office. Registered students receive a “Davenport” sticker to place on the handlebars, and all students are only allowed to attach their bikes to designated outdoor bike racks in the courtyard.

This is not the first time Davenport has tried to enforce stricter rules governing students’ bikes. Haller said a Davenport policy dictates that all bikes must be stored only on the bike racks, but the policy has not recently been enforced. In 2010, Davenport cleared its courtyard of 30 bikes that appeared rusted or abandoned — most of which were left behind by graduating seniors — and donated them to the New Haven Bike Collective.

Haller said she thinks donating the bikes to a new bike-sharing consortium will be a more productive use of the abandoned and unregistered bikes.

Haller said she hopes to have at least four to five bikes in the consortium, adding that only Davenport students will be allowed to use the bikes and they must be returned to the courtyard when not in use. She said she has not yet determined the details of the program nor an effective way to ensure that bikes are treated properly and returned to the college. The college-specific bike consortium would be the first of its kind in Yale College, she said, and other operations managers she has spoken to have shown interest in

expanding the program.

Davenport Master Richard Schottenfeld said Davenport’s new bike registration policy gives students an opportunity to claim their bikes before they are removed.

John Meeske, dean of undergraduate organizations and physical resources, and Jonathan Holloway, chair of the Council of Masters, said administrators have not yet discussed bike registration on a Yale College-wide scale since bike policy can better be addressed within residential colleges.

“Each college is a little bit different in terms of bike racks and storage options, so it makes sense these issues would be handled independently,” Meeske said. “While there are currently no rules centrally in Yale College about bike registration, I’d certainly be open to talking about it if masters, deans or students felt it was an issue that deserved more centralized attention.”

Holloway said he thinks different policies among the colleges help sustain a culture of “friendly rivalry” and creativity that sustains the inter-college dynamic, adding that Davenport’s new rule may cause other colleges to revisit their bike policies.

Despite Branford’s stricter policies, many Branford students forget to register their bikes, said Branford Senior Administrative Assistant Alicia Heaney. In the nine residential colleges without major bike-usage policies, students are encouraged to place

ANNA-SOPHIE HARLING/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

A new regulation enacted by Davenport College will work to reduce bike clutter in the courtyard. their bikes on racks, but do not have to register the bikes.

Three students interviewed said they think the new policy will work because it requires students to take responsibility for their property.

“This is a good policy because it forces people to realize that their bikes are property and not trash,” Lincoln Mitchell ’15 said.

“People forget that when they attach bikes to fences, it looks like their bikes are just sitting

there or have been tossed aside.”

But Fiona Vella ’14 said the policy seems “a little bit unnecessary” because she has not noticed that bikes have been crowding the main courtyard.

All eight students interviewed said they consider the bikesharing program a good idea, though three said they are not sure how much the program will be used.

“I think most people who want to be biking already have

their own bike at Yale,” Julian Debenedetti ’15 said. “Also, making sure the bikes are properly maintained and stored and not hogged by students could also be difficult.”

There are nearly 2,000 bike parking spaces throughout campus, including those in the residential colleges.

Contact KIRSTEN SCHNACKENBERG at kirsten.schnackenberg@yale.edu .

Windows 8 arrives on campus

PAYAL MARATHE/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Student employees in the Yale Bookstore have promoted Windows 8 to their peers since its Oct. 26 release.

BY PAYAL MARATHE CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Though most Yale students use Apple computers, the release of Windows 8, Microsoft’s new operating system, might lead to a few converts.

A group of student employees at a booth in the Yale Bookstore are promoting the new Windows platform, which came out on Oct. 26, to the store’s customers. Despite the popularity of Apple products at Yale, those interviewed said the new Microsoft operating system could be particularly appealing to college students because of its apps and user-friendly interface. But five visitors interviewed of roughly 100 who stopped at the booth throughout the day yesterday said they were “just looking” and not committed to purchasing the software.

“Some people are getting bored of Apple, especially since the new iPhone 5 shows that Apple’s technology is stagnant, and we’re trying to get people

to enjoy a different ecosystem with Windows 8,” said Matthew Eveleth ’14, who helped run the booth. “Of course, it’ll take about a year to gauge success.”

Eveleth, who described the software as a “radical departure” from Windows 7, said he expects some Mac users on campus to switch to the new operating system. The interface features several new applications including People, which allows users to sync contacts from Facebook, Gmail, Twitter and other sites, and Skydrive, a file-sharing cloud software.

In recent years, Microsoft products have been less popular among students than their Apple counterparts: 50 percent of Yale undergraduates currently use Macs, while 45 percent use Windows and 5 percent use Linux, said Loriann Seluga, manager of the Yale Student Technology Collaborative.

Julian Taffa ’15 said customers get more “bang for their buck” with Microsoft, since the cost of the company’s products more

closely mirror their value, while Apple products have larger profit margins.

“Where the iPad is almost a computer, the Microsoft Tablet is actually a computer,” said David Marcano ’15, who also staffed the booth. “It has Word, PowerPoint, Excel — you can literally do the same things you would do on a desktop or laptop.”

The 32 GB Microsoft Surface Tablet costs $499 — the same price as the 32 GB fourth generation iPad. Marcano said many who tried out the new product came in saying they were Mac users, but left interested in Windows 8, but none of the five visitors to the booth interviewed said they came to the bookstore with the intention of learning more about Windows 8 or buying the new software.

The bookstore booth will be open every weekday until Nov. 9.

Contact PAYAL MARATHE at payal.marathe@yale.edu .

r

e

c

y

c

l

e

y

o

u

r

y

d

n

d

a

i

l

y

PAGE 6

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” EDWARD ABBEY AMERICAN AUTHOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE

MILKY WAY CONSUMES STARS, GALAXIES

BY DHRUV AGGARWAL CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The Milky Way is slowly expanding its domain by ingesting neighboring galaxies and stars, according to a recent study conducted by Yale astronomers.

Astronomy student Ana Bonaca GRD ’16 began researching the integration of star clusters neighboring the Milky Way for her first-year project in 2010.

Her findings were compiled in a paper soon to be published in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters. Bonaca used Yale’s access to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database to create maps of outer space. These maps allowed her to locate an extremely narrow stream of stars on the periphery of the Milky Way, which Bonaca said showed the galaxy is incorporating bordering star clusters into its domain.

“These stars are likely to be part of destroyed galaxies,” Bonaca said.

Researchers determined that the stream of stars constituted a star cluster as opposed to a dwarf galaxy, which has more mass.

Star clusters, unlike dwarf galaxies, are not held together by dark matter and are less broad. The team used a mass filter technique to determine the identity of the discovered system, said Nitya Kallivayalil, a postdoctoral fellow in physics who co-authored the paper.

Measuring the velocity of stars in this stream allows us to determine the orbits, and in turn determine the distribution of mass in the Milky Way. MARLA GEHA Professor of Astronomy Bonaca said the find was especially significant as it was the first star cluster found in a region of space called the southern galac-

tic hemisphere. Previous star clusters have been found in the northern hemisphere, she added.

Bonaca credited Yale astronomy professor Marla Geha with giving her the idea for the project. Geha and Bonaca collaborated with Kallivayalil to write the paper on the star cluster discovery.

“The thing about being at Yale is having faculty with great research ideas,” she said. “It isn’t equipment that’s crucial, but people and the environment.”

Geha was awarded the Sloan Foundation’s Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2010, which she said was a “generous grant” that helped support Bonaca over the summer. In an email to the News, Geha also credited the Foundation with providing data through its Digital Sky Service, which she said had “fundamentally changed astronomy.” Yale’s access to the digital sky survey will be used to make further measurements in the local galaxy group of the Milky Way and Andromeda, Kallivayalil said. The research team also seeks to conduct followup observations of the stream using the University’s access to the Keck Telescope, one of the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes.

“Measuring the velocity of stars in this stream allows us to determine the orbits, and in turn determine the distribution of mass in the Milky Way,” Geha said.

The results of the research could be used to facilitate extremely good probes of the galaxy’s mass distribution at large distances and to measure the velocities of individual stars in the stream, Bonaca said. Discovering the “model for destruction” of galaxies consumed by the Milky Way could yield information about the “halo of the Milky Way,” a portion of the galaxy made up of destroyed clusters, she added.

This spring, the research team will put forward the proposal for measuring the velocity of the stars in the newly discovered cluster, Bonaca said.

Contact DHRUV AGGARWAL at dhruv.aggarwal@yale.edu .

In mice, a treatment for lung cancer

CREATIVE COMMONS

Researchers used microRNA to stunt the growth of lung cancer tumors in mice. The study was published in the November issue of Cancer Research.

BY JENNIFER GERSTEN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER For mice, the Goliath of lung cancer has a vanquisher in the form of a tiny David.

In a study published in the November issue of Cancer Research, Yale biology researchers Frank J. Slack and Andrea Kasinski revealed that short strands of microRNA, non-coding RNA inhibiting protein translation, were successful in both preventing and curing lung adenocarcinoma in mice. The research is the first to propose that, in a clinical trial using mice, microRNA can be used as a therapeutic to suppress the activation and expression of oncogenic, or cancer-causing, proteins.

“I think this is incredibly promising,” said Roy Herbst, chief of medical oncology at the Yale School of Medicine, who did not participate in the research. Lung cancer, one of the most aggressive cancers, was previously deemed incurable, he said.

However, Slack and Kasinski were able to prevent further growth of these tumors in mice subjects.

“The tumors just melted away,” Herbst said.

In preparing the study, the

On climate change, America is far from being a global leader. In most of the developed world, climate change is not up for debate. There are already regulations in place either to tax fossil fuel usage or invest in green energy tactics. So why is it not like that in the USA? Why are we still hearing about “clean energy coal” from both the left and the right during this election season? (By the way, “clean energy coal” is just regular coal prefaced with two buzzwords. It

still produces the same carbon dioxide that is driving climate change).

Focusing on just the presidential election, both Romney and Obama have said in the past that they believe in climate change and that they believe humans are at least partly responsible. But from their silence on the topic, we can infer that both campaigns must feel that talking about ways to counteract it — through green energy investment and fossil fuel taxation —

would not be helpful politically. If the majority of Americans believe in climate change, believe it’s caused by humans and believe something needs to be done about it, what’s the problem? My best guess is that necessary changes would be expensive, not just federally but for the individual, too. Energy costs would (at least temporarily) increase, and nobody wants to think about actually paying more for what seems like already obscenely expensive energy.

LAB

researchers induced lung cancer in mice caused by mutations in the genes KRAS and p53. The p53 gene is mutated in over 50 percent of all cancers and serves as a “springboard” for cancer aggravation, Kasinski said. Ordinarily, wild-type, or unmutated, p53 acts as a tumor suppressor by “turning on” certain genes in its signaling pathway. In this pathway lies miR-34, a microRNA molecule that inhibits the growth of oncogenes. Mutated p53, however, causes miR-34 to be expressed in lower quantities, resulting in these oncogenes’ uncontrolled division.

Kasinski and Slack hoped to demonstrate that delivering miR-34 directly to their subjects’ infected lung tissue would prevent this division by restoring part of p53 activity, Kasinski said.

Slack and Kasinski said their research included two studies conducted on the effects of miR-34. In both, miR-34 was delivered to cancerous cells using a virus. During the first study, miR-34 was delivered to the mice at the same time the researchers initiated the lung cancer. Although they are still unsure of what miR-34 does on a molecular level, the research team concluded

that the therapy prevented the cancer from forming.

In the second test, the cancer was initiated first and allowed to develop for 10 weeks before the miR-34 was delivered. When the miR-34 was delivered, the tumor stopped growing, Kasinski said. The miR-34 turned part of the p53 pathway back on, presumably enough to prevent the lung cancer from either occurring or further developing.

“I was surprised that we saw such a dramatic effect,” Slack said.

“When we showed the result to lung oncologists, they were amazed … We were able to prevent the tumors from forming.”

Research on the regulatory nature of microRNA is relatively new, and its role as a regulatory nature dates back only 12 years, Slack said. He added that more research needs to be done to determine if other microRNA molecules are better for cancer prevention.

The next step for Slack and Kasinski will be to conduct a clinical study in humans. First, however, the team will need to devise an alternate method of delivery for miR-34. Virus delivery, while successful in mice, has been shown to

be unsafe in people. The team is currently experimenting with different nanoparticles that will be able to safely transmit miR-34 through the bloodstream.

“We haven’t seen any side effects yet,” Slack said. “[The mice] don’t seem to mind the delivery, and we’re hoping this will also be safe in humans.”

MicroRNA — in particular, miR34, which has been present in human evolution for 800 billion years — are molecules to which the body has learned how to adapt, he added. The body, therefore, more readily accepts therapies involving the delivery of extra microRNA. Although the miR-34 treatment was only tested in mice, the researchers are optimistic that the treatment will translate to humans.

“It truly is a very important finding and one that brings great hope for the future treatment of lung cancer,” Herbst said.

Funding for the research was obtained from both the American Cancer Society and the National Institute of Health.

Contact JENNIFER GERSTEN at jennifer.gersten@yale.edu .

Older brachytherapy patients see complications A form of breast cancer treatment may hurt older women, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Older women with breast cancer in its early stages are typically treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy. Brachytherapy, unlike whole breast radiation treatment, implants radiation sources directly to the breast tissue, resulting in larger but fewer doses. This technique leads to shorter treatment time. Brachytherapy was found to cause more complications one year after treatment. The research team studied approximately 30,000 women nationwide and found a 16.9 percent higher rate of wound and skin complications one year after patients who underwent brachytherapy treatment compared to those who underwent whole breast treatment. “This treatment method seems ideal in theory, but we found it concerning that such an important clinical decision that affects so many women was being made on the basis of theory, rather than scientific evidence,” said the study’s lead author Cary P. Gross, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine, in an October press release. Funding for the study was provided by a grant from the National Cancer Institute.

Technique shields chemo effects

70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS BELIEVE IN THE REALITY OF GLOBAL WARMING

politics. Unfortunately for me, I don’t exist in a vacuum. Politicians and scientists are uncomfortable bedmates. To accomplish anything, scientists rely on federal funding for our experiments (and often our salaries). As a result, I care a great deal about what policies get enacted based on science. Politicians, in turn, rely on scientists to further our country’s innovation and insights, maintaining our “global leader” status.

THE

Yale School of Medicine researchers have discovered that mutation of a gene causes the development of an epileptic disease in babies. Known as malignant migrating partial seizures of infants, the rare disorder typically occurs within the first six months of an infant’s life. MMPSI causes treatment-resistant epileptic seizures and delays infant intellectual and motor development, sometimes completely halting further growth. The MMPSIcausing gene over-activates a protein that interacts with a different protein that affects the development of Fragile X syndrome — the primary inherited cause of autism. “For the first time, we have a target for future therapeutic approaches to treating this devastating condition,” said cofirst author Matthew Fleming, postdoctoral researcher at Yale School of Medicine, in an October press release.

The study, which appears online in the journal Nature Genetics, was conducted in collaboration with the Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris.

The politics of climate change

Project on Climate Change Communication show that about 70 percent of Americans believe in the reality of global warming, and more than half believe it’s caused by human activity. This data make me quite happy, of course.

Still, for some reason, this increasing belief in the science is not translating into political changes. As a scientist, I usually just want to be left alone with my pipettes and test tubes and never ever think about

FROM

Infant epileptic disorder has genetic causes

G U E ST C O LU M N I ST J E N I CA S H I P L EY

Let’s talk about climate change.

Before we even begin, let me clarify something: Climate change is real, humans are responsible for the majority of it and if things don’t change, the effects will be disastrous. If you don’t agree, you are wrong. This is not a situation where “everyone is entitled to her/his own opinion,” because it is a matter of facts. Facts are not based on opinions. But I probably don’t need to be telling you this. Polls from the Yale

LEAKS

I don’t know how to get people to start caring more about saving the planet than about their wallets. I am not a politician, thankfully, and it’s not my job to figure out how to sway public opinion and perception. But I know that I, for one, would be willing to pay more for energy if it meant we were moving forward. Would you?

Contact JENICA SHIPLEY at jenica.shipley@yale.edu .

BY HANNAH SCHWARZ CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A research team at the Yale School of Medicine has found a way to save platelets and white blood cells from the adverse effects of chemotherapy.

Led by School of Medicine genetics professor Jun Lu, the team conducted its research at the Yale Stem Cell Center over the past three years.

By manipulating a microRNA molecule called miR-150, researchers were able to increase proliferation of white blood cells and platelets in mice, thus strengthening their immune systems, Lu said.

The human blood system is characterized by a rapid turnover of blood cells and platelets, Lu said. During chemotherapy, these cells have a shorter life span because they are being attacked by the drugs. The human body has not evolved to respond efficiently to chemother-

apy, and as a result does not produce enough blood cells and platelets, leading to a compromised immune system.

Typically, miR-150 acts like a brake in a car, preventing white blood cells from overproliferation, said study contributor Prem Reddy of The Scripps Research Institute. The microRNA controls cell production by regulating the activity of the Myb gene, which influences the proliferation of white blood cells and platelets.

When uncontrolled, the Myb gene can cause cancer by excessive production of these cells, Reddy said. High miR150 levels lead to the production of fewer cells, he added.

While normal regulation will not harm people with healthy immune systems, these effects can be damaging to chemotherapy patients.

In a normal adult, approximately 10 billion white blood cells must be generated every day to compensate for daily loss, Lu said. For patients under-

going chemotherapy, which kills both cancerous and noncancerous cells, the necessary rate of generation is even higher. If miR-150 is suppressed and Myb levels are allowed to increase, enough cells can be generated to prevent the immune system from being compromised, Reddy said.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology biology professor Phil Sharp, a 1993 recipient of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, said he considers this research “interesting and novel.” Although there are growth factor therapies that regenerate a patient’s immune system, this isolation and targeting of microRNA has not been done in previous studies, he said.

Before the study’s findings are applied in a patient setting, however, Lu’s team will have to replicate these results in humans. They will then have to find or create drugs that will help suppress miR-150 and determine

ways to deliver these drugs to “cells of interest” in the body, Lu said. After these steps, they will be able to conduct clinical trials.

If the drug the team finds is already approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Lu said, the clinical trial phase may be shorter, as its side effects will already be known.

Sharp said that while it may take years before this technique is used in humans, Lu’s findings show promise.

“It demonstrates one more time that good, basic research not only extends our basic knowledge about the human body, but also paves the way for clinical advances that ultimately benefit the patient,” Reddy said.

Changchun Xiao of The Scripps Research Institute and Haitao Bai of Shanghai First People’s Hospital also contributed to the study.

Contact HANNAH SCHWARZ at hannah.schwarz@yale.edu .

PAGE 6

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” EDWARD ABBEY AMERICAN AUTHOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE

MILKY WAY CONSUMES STARS, GALAXIES

BY DHRUV AGGARWAL CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The Milky Way is slowly expanding its domain by ingesting neighboring galaxies and stars, according to a recent study conducted by Yale astronomers.

Astronomy student Ana Bonaca GRD ’16 began researching the integration of star clusters neighboring the Milky Way for her first-year project in 2010.

Her findings were compiled in a paper soon to be published in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters. Bonaca used Yale’s access to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database to create maps of outer space. These maps allowed her to locate an extremely narrow stream of stars on the periphery of the Milky Way, which Bonaca said showed the galaxy is incorporating bordering star clusters into its domain.

“These stars are likely to be part of destroyed galaxies,” Bonaca said.

Researchers determined that the stream of stars constituted a star cluster as opposed to a dwarf galaxy, which has more mass.

Star clusters, unlike dwarf galaxies, are not held together by dark matter and are less broad. The team used a mass filter technique to determine the identity of the discovered system, said Nitya Kallivayalil, a postdoctoral fellow in physics who co-authored the paper.

Measuring the velocity of stars in this stream allows us to determine the orbits, and in turn determine the distribution of mass in the Milky Way. MARLA GEHA Professor of Astronomy Bonaca said the find was especially significant as it was the first star cluster found in a region of space called the southern galac-

tic hemisphere. Previous star clusters have been found in the northern hemisphere, she added.

Bonaca credited Yale astronomy professor Marla Geha with giving her the idea for the project. Geha and Bonaca collaborated with Kallivayalil to write the paper on the star cluster discovery.

“The thing about being at Yale is having faculty with great research ideas,” she said. “It isn’t equipment that’s crucial, but people and the environment.”

Geha was awarded the Sloan Foundation’s Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2010, which she said was a “generous grant” that helped support Bonaca over the summer. In an email to the News, Geha also credited the Foundation with providing data through its Digital Sky Service, which she said had “fundamentally changed astronomy.” Yale’s access to the digital sky survey will be used to make further measurements in the local galaxy group of the Milky Way and Andromeda, Kallivayalil said. The research team also seeks to conduct followup observations of the stream using the University’s access to the Keck Telescope, one of the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes.

“Measuring the velocity of stars in this stream allows us to determine the orbits, and in turn determine the distribution of mass in the Milky Way,” Geha said.

The results of the research could be used to facilitate extremely good probes of the galaxy’s mass distribution at large distances and to measure the velocities of individual stars in the stream, Bonaca said. Discovering the “model for destruction” of galaxies consumed by the Milky Way could yield information about the “halo of the Milky Way,” a portion of the galaxy made up of destroyed clusters, she added.

This spring, the research team will put forward the proposal for measuring the velocity of the stars in the newly discovered cluster, Bonaca said.

Contact DHRUV AGGARWAL at dhruv.aggarwal@yale.edu .

In mice, a treatment for lung cancer

CREATIVE COMMONS

Researchers used microRNA to stunt the growth of lung cancer tumors in mice. The study was published in the November issue of Cancer Research.

BY JENNIFER GERSTEN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER For mice, the Goliath of lung cancer has a vanquisher in the form of a tiny David.

In a study published in the November issue of Cancer Research, Yale biology researchers Frank J. Slack and Andrea Kasinski revealed that short strands of microRNA, non-coding RNA inhibiting protein translation, were successful in both preventing and curing lung adenocarcinoma in mice. The research is the first to propose that, in a clinical trial using mice, microRNA can be used as a therapeutic to suppress the activation and expression of oncogenic, or cancer-causing, proteins.

“I think this is incredibly promising,” said Roy Herbst, chief of medical oncology at the Yale School of Medicine, who did not participate in the research. Lung cancer, one of the most aggressive cancers, was previously deemed incurable, he said.

However, Slack and Kasinski were able to prevent further growth of these tumors in mice subjects.

“The tumors just melted away,” Herbst said.

In preparing the study, the

On climate change, America is far from being a global leader. In most of the developed world, climate change is not up for debate. There are already regulations in place either to tax fossil fuel usage or invest in green energy tactics. So why is it not like that in the USA? Why are we still hearing about “clean energy coal” from both the left and the right during this election season? (By the way, “clean energy coal” is just regular coal prefaced with two buzzwords. It

still produces the same carbon dioxide that is driving climate change).

Focusing on just the presidential election, both Romney and Obama have said in the past that they believe in climate change and that they believe humans are at least partly responsible. But from their silence on the topic, we can infer that both campaigns must feel that talking about ways to counteract it — through green energy investment and fossil fuel taxation —

would not be helpful politically. If the majority of Americans believe in climate change, believe it’s caused by humans and believe something needs to be done about it, what’s the problem? My best guess is that necessary changes would be expensive, not just federally but for the individual, too. Energy costs would (at least temporarily) increase, and nobody wants to think about actually paying more for what seems like already obscenely expensive energy.

LAB

researchers induced lung cancer in mice caused by mutations in the genes KRAS and p53. The p53 gene is mutated in over 50 percent of all cancers and serves as a “springboard” for cancer aggravation, Kasinski said. Ordinarily, wild-type, or unmutated, p53 acts as a tumor suppressor by “turning on” certain genes in its signaling pathway. In this pathway lies miR-34, a microRNA molecule that inhibits the growth of oncogenes. Mutated p53, however, causes miR-34 to be expressed in lower quantities, resulting in these oncogenes’ uncontrolled division.

Kasinski and Slack hoped to demonstrate that delivering miR-34 directly to their subjects’ infected lung tissue would prevent this division by restoring part of p53 activity, Kasinski said.

Slack and Kasinski said their research included two studies conducted on the effects of miR-34. In both, miR-34 was delivered to cancerous cells using a virus. During the first study, miR-34 was delivered to the mice at the same time the researchers initiated the lung cancer. Although they are still unsure of what miR-34 does on a molecular level, the research team concluded

that the therapy prevented the cancer from forming.

In the second test, the cancer was initiated first and allowed to develop for 10 weeks before the miR-34 was delivered. When the miR-34 was delivered, the tumor stopped growing, Kasinski said. The miR-34 turned part of the p53 pathway back on, presumably enough to prevent the lung cancer from either occurring or further developing.

“I was surprised that we saw such a dramatic effect,” Slack said.

“When we showed the result to lung oncologists, they were amazed … We were able to prevent the tumors from forming.”

Research on the regulatory nature of microRNA is relatively new, and its role as a regulatory nature dates back only 12 years, Slack said. He added that more research needs to be done to determine if other microRNA molecules are better for cancer prevention.

The next step for Slack and Kasinski will be to conduct a clinical study in humans. First, however, the team will need to devise an alternate method of delivery for miR-34. Virus delivery, while successful in mice, has been shown to

be unsafe in people. The team is currently experimenting with different nanoparticles that will be able to safely transmit miR-34 through the bloodstream.

“We haven’t seen any side effects yet,” Slack said. “[The mice] don’t seem to mind the delivery, and we’re hoping this will also be safe in humans.”

MicroRNA — in particular, miR34, which has been present in human evolution for 800 billion years — are molecules to which the body has learned how to adapt, he added. The body, therefore, more readily accepts therapies involving the delivery of extra microRNA. Although the miR-34 treatment was only tested in mice, the researchers are optimistic that the treatment will translate to humans.

“It truly is a very important finding and one that brings great hope for the future treatment of lung cancer,” Herbst said.

Funding for the research was obtained from both the American Cancer Society and the National Institute of Health.

Contact JENNIFER GERSTEN at jennifer.gersten@yale.edu .

Older brachytherapy patients see complications A form of breast cancer treatment may hurt older women, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Older women with breast cancer in its early stages are typically treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy. Brachytherapy, unlike whole breast radiation treatment, implants radiation sources directly to the breast tissue, resulting in larger but fewer doses. This technique leads to shorter treatment time. Brachytherapy was found to cause more complications one year after treatment. The research team studied approximately 30,000 women nationwide and found a 16.9 percent higher rate of wound and skin complications one year after patients who underwent brachytherapy treatment compared to those who underwent whole breast treatment. “This treatment method seems ideal in theory, but we found it concerning that such an important clinical decision that affects so many women was being made on the basis of theory, rather than scientific evidence,” said the study’s lead author Cary P. Gross, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine, in an October press release. Funding for the study was provided by a grant from the National Cancer Institute.

Technique shields chemo effects

70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS BELIEVE IN THE REALITY OF GLOBAL WARMING

politics. Unfortunately for me, I don’t exist in a vacuum. Politicians and scientists are uncomfortable bedmates. To accomplish anything, scientists rely on federal funding for our experiments (and often our salaries). As a result, I care a great deal about what policies get enacted based on science. Politicians, in turn, rely on scientists to further our country’s innovation and insights, maintaining our “global leader” status.

THE

Yale School of Medicine researchers have discovered that mutation of a gene causes the development of an epileptic disease in babies. Known as malignant migrating partial seizures of infants, the rare disorder typically occurs within the first six months of an infant’s life. MMPSI causes treatment-resistant epileptic seizures and delays infant intellectual and motor development, sometimes completely halting further growth. The MMPSIcausing gene over-activates a protein that interacts with a different protein that affects the development of Fragile X syndrome — the primary inherited cause of autism. “For the first time, we have a target for future therapeutic approaches to treating this devastating condition,” said cofirst author Matthew Fleming, postdoctoral researcher at Yale School of Medicine, in an October press release.

The study, which appears online in the journal Nature Genetics, was conducted in collaboration with the Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris.

The politics of climate change

Project on Climate Change Communication show that about 70 percent of Americans believe in the reality of global warming, and more than half believe it’s caused by human activity. This data make me quite happy, of course.

Still, for some reason, this increasing belief in the science is not translating into political changes. As a scientist, I usually just want to be left alone with my pipettes and test tubes and never ever think about

FROM

Infant epileptic disorder has genetic causes

G U E ST C O LU M N I ST J E N I CA S H I P L EY

Let’s talk about climate change.

Before we even begin, let me clarify something: Climate change is real, humans are responsible for the majority of it and if things don’t change, the effects will be disastrous. If you don’t agree, you are wrong. This is not a situation where “everyone is entitled to her/his own opinion,” because it is a matter of facts. Facts are not based on opinions. But I probably don’t need to be telling you this. Polls from the Yale

LEAKS

I don’t know how to get people to start caring more about saving the planet than about their wallets. I am not a politician, thankfully, and it’s not my job to figure out how to sway public opinion and perception. But I know that I, for one, would be willing to pay more for energy if it meant we were moving forward. Would you?

Contact JENICA SHIPLEY at jenica.shipley@yale.edu .

BY HANNAH SCHWARZ CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A research team at the Yale School of Medicine has found a way to save platelets and white blood cells from the adverse effects of chemotherapy.

Led by School of Medicine genetics professor Jun Lu, the team conducted its research at the Yale Stem Cell Center over the past three years.

By manipulating a microRNA molecule called miR-150, researchers were able to increase proliferation of white blood cells and platelets in mice, thus strengthening their immune systems, Lu said.

The human blood system is characterized by a rapid turnover of blood cells and platelets, Lu said. During chemotherapy, these cells have a shorter life span because they are being attacked by the drugs. The human body has not evolved to respond efficiently to chemother-

apy, and as a result does not produce enough blood cells and platelets, leading to a compromised immune system.

Typically, miR-150 acts like a brake in a car, preventing white blood cells from overproliferation, said study contributor Prem Reddy of The Scripps Research Institute. The microRNA controls cell production by regulating the activity of the Myb gene, which influences the proliferation of white blood cells and platelets.

When uncontrolled, the Myb gene can cause cancer by excessive production of these cells, Reddy said. High miR150 levels lead to the production of fewer cells, he added.

While normal regulation will not harm people with healthy immune systems, these effects can be damaging to chemotherapy patients.

In a normal adult, approximately 10 billion white blood cells must be generated every day to compensate for daily loss, Lu said. For patients under-

going chemotherapy, which kills both cancerous and noncancerous cells, the necessary rate of generation is even higher. If miR-150 is suppressed and Myb levels are allowed to increase, enough cells can be generated to prevent the immune system from being compromised, Reddy said.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology biology professor Phil Sharp, a 1993 recipient of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, said he considers this research “interesting and novel.” Although there are growth factor therapies that regenerate a patient’s immune system, this isolation and targeting of microRNA has not been done in previous studies, he said.

Before the study’s findings are applied in a patient setting, however, Lu’s team will have to replicate these results in humans. They will then have to find or create drugs that will help suppress miR-150 and determine

ways to deliver these drugs to “cells of interest” in the body, Lu said. After these steps, they will be able to conduct clinical trials.

If the drug the team finds is already approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Lu said, the clinical trial phase may be shorter, as its side effects will already be known.

Sharp said that while it may take years before this technique is used in humans, Lu’s findings show promise.

“It demonstrates one more time that good, basic research not only extends our basic knowledge about the human body, but also paves the way for clinical advances that ultimately benefit the patient,” Reddy said.

Changchun Xiao of The Scripps Research Institute and Haitao Bai of Shanghai First People’s Hospital also contributed to the study.

Contact HANNAH SCHWARZ at hannah.schwarz@yale.edu .

PAGE 8

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

FROM THE FRONT POST-HALLOWEEN SHOW CELEBRATIONS

“You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.” HARRY TRUMAN 33RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Return to classes delayed

JOHN MINCHILLO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Widespread flooding and power outages stranded students across the East Coast, triggering some anxiety about missed schoolwork and campus activites.

STRANDED FROM PAGE 1

ZOE GORMAN/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

ORCHESTRA PERFORMS BEFORE A PACKED WOOLSEY HALL Members of the Yale Symphony Orchestra danced and played on stage to close out the annual Halloween show. During the show, the orchestra played a live soundtrack to an original movie written and directed by Chelsea Lane ’14.

McMahon spending criticized SPENDING FROM PAGE 1 marily on what she deemed to be Murphy’s shortcomings,” said Ronald Schurin, associate professor of American government and politics at the University of Connecticut.

Schurin said McMahon could have chosen to use her “significant resources” to advertise an issue, citing 2006 Senate candidate Edward “Ned” Lamont’s devotion of funds to campaigning as an opponent of the Iraq War. Instead of advertising campaign platform elements such as her sixpoint economic plan, the Republican candidate chose to sponsor personal attack advertisements, Schurin said.

McMahon is not the only one spending on advertising, however — according to the Federal Election Commission, approximately $7.2 million has been spent by outside sources to fund advertisements for Murphy’s campaign.

McMahon’s campaign manager, Corry Bliss, told the Associated Press that McMahon’s spending on advertisements is a response to

attacks by Democrats.

“The facts are, Congressman Murphy and his special interest friends, they’re spending tens and tens of millions of dollars,” Bliss said. “They’re distorting Linda McMahon’s record and trying to buy this election, and we’re not going to let Congressman Murphy buy this Senate seat.”

Eleanor Neff Powell, Yale assistant professor of political science, said McMahon’s solid advertising resources may be an advantage in the race.

“Money isn’t everything, but it does help get the message out there,” said Powell.

Powell said Connecticut voters have had much more exposure to McMahon than to Murphy through advertisements. She noted that McMahon’s funds have allowed her to address Connecticut voters since her 2010 Senate campaign. However, Powell noted, Democrat Richard Blumenthal defeated McMahon in the 2010 Connecticut Senate election in the face of similar expenditure disparities. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McMahon spent over $50 million in her 2010

campaign while Blumenthal spent $8.7 million.

Schurin said Murphy’s strong debate performances as well as his own advertisements may make up for the financial discrepancy. He added that “Murphy’s campaign in general” and a public image of integrity may help him in the polls.

“Newspaper endorsements helped establish him as a serious, credible candidate, as opposed to McMahon who has come to be defined as less so,” Schurin said.

In a September 2011 press release, Murphy expressed no intimidation in the face of McMahon’s fortune, adding that he would maintain a “grass-roots” campaign throughout the race.

“I don’t have the millions of dollars that McMahon has, but what I do have is a record of fighting for the middle class, and a work ethic that money can’t buy,” Murphy said.

Both McMahon and Murphy were unavailable for comment.

Contact JESSICA HALLAM at jessica.hallam@yale.edu .

zes, homework, labs.”

He said his professors have been understanding about postponing deadlines, but he added that the delays have resulted in a great deal of work concentrated toward the end of this week.

David Harris ’16, who has booked the first train out of Philadelphia Thursday morning, said he has missed a lot of excitement since he’s been

stuck at home.

“I was really hyped for Hurricane Sandy, but then I found out I wasn’t going to be on campus running around with my friends,” he said. “It got slightly more depressing, being home and knowing all my friends will be out for Halloween.”

Metro-North suspended all train service at 7 p.m. last Sunday.

Contact SOPHIE GOULD at sophie.gould@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 9

BULLETIN BOARD

TODAY’S FORECAST Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.

Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

FRIDAY High of 57, low of 36.

NUTTIN’ TO LOSE BY DEANDRA TAN

ON CAMPUS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1 4:30 PM “The Cheetah Generation: Taking Back Africa One Village at a Time” Come join the Yale African Students’ Association (YASA) for a talk with George Ayittey, a renowned Ghanaian economist, professor at American University and president of the Free Africa Foundation. Ayittey is known for his argument that Africa is not poor because of oppression by its colonial powers, but instead as a result of the greed and corruption exhibited by its native autocrats. This event is the inaugural one for YASA’s Annual Africa Week. Luce Hall (34 Hillhouse Ave.), Room 203.

5:00 PM “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined” Harvard University’s Steven Pinker will present the inaugural Franke Program in Science and the Humanities Lecture.

Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Auditorium.

A CANDIDATE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT BY ILANA STRAUSS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 7:30 PM Yale Anime Society Presents: “Kids on the Slope” In the summer of 1966, an introverted nerd moves to a new town and a new high school, where he befriends a notorious “bad boy.”

The two hit it off immediately, and spend the rest of the summer playing jazz together. But things quickly get complicated when (unrequited?) love blossoms between band members. Saybrook College (242 Elm St.), TV Room.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3 8:00 PM CASA Cultural Show The cultural show is a love story at Yale between a Chinese American and a Chinese international student. A proposal. A flight to China. A love triangle. Come see this year’s cultural show about the funny things we don’t notice about culture, weddings and romance. Free admission. SSS (1 Prospect St.), Room 114.

WATSON BY JIM HORWITZ

8:00 PM “Amelie” A 2001 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Presented by Yale Film Society and Films at the Whitney.

122 min. 35mm. Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Auditorium.

y SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS ONLINE yaledailynews.com/events/submit DR. WHISKERS BY MICHAEL MCHUGH

To reach us: E-mail editor@yaledailynews.com Advertisements 2-2424 (before 5 p.m.)

2-2400 (after 5 p.m.)

Mailing address Yale Daily News P.O. Box 209007 New Haven, CT 06520

Questions or comments about the fairness or accuracy of stories should be directed to Editor in Chief Tapley Stephenson at (203) 432-2418.

Bulletin Board is a free service provided to groups of the Yale community for events. Listings should be submitted online at yaledailynews.com/events/ submit. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit listings.

To visit us in person 202 York St. New Haven, Conn. (Opposite JE) FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

CLASSIFIEDS

CROSSWORDEdited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 That-funny link 6 Assistance 9 Tread heavily 14 Name in cosmetics 15 Droid, e.g.

16 Sine or secant 17 “All Summer Long” singers 19 Name of two presidents 20 Foot the bill for 21 Egyptian underworld boss?

22 Ibsen classic 24 Steep-sided valley 28 Available without an Rx 29 Electron home 30 Paraphernalia 33 Tough watchdog 38 Early Shakespearean tragedy 41 Process start 42 Not e’en once 43 “Sure!”

44 Wire service abbr.

46 Fairlady automaker 48 New England order 54 Imposed 55 Bothersome type 60 Visibly stunned 61 Wire fasteners, and a hint to this puzzle’s circled letters 62 Indian yogurt dip 63 Rhyming boxer 64 Tag line?

65 __ & Bacon: textbook publisher 66 Favorite 67 “Fun, Fun, Fun” ride for the 17Across DOWN 1 Friday on the air 2 On a steamer, say 3 Getz of jazz 4 Get romantic, in a way

THE TAFT APARTMENTS Studio/1BR/2BR styles for future & immediate occupancy at The Taft on the corner of College & Chapel Street. Lease terms available until 5/31/13.

It’s never too early to join our preferred waiting list for Summer/Fall 2013 occupancy.

Public mini-storage available.

By appointment only. Phone 203-495-TAFT. www.taftapartments.com.

11/1/12

By David Poole

5 Imam Khomeini International Airport locale 6 Speed skater __ Anton Ohno 7 Pastoral poem 8 Marx’s “__ Kapital” 9 Oscar’s place 10 Fireside chat medium 11 Hokkaido seaport 12 Actress Rogers et al.

13 Western party 18 Barrio food store 21 München-toWien heading 23 “The Maltese Falcon” actor 24 Stinkers 25 Working away 26 Swing __ 27 “Hand me a bat!”

31 Film composer Morricone 32 Country Time suffix 34 Tartan wraparound 35 Works on a cake 36 “Fantasia” hippo’s wear

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

37 Professional org.

39 Kitchen utensil 40 Tough row to hoe 45 High deg.

47 Hot-blooded 48 One of California’s Santas 49 Sanctioned 50 Prove useful 51 Teary-eyed

11/1/12

52 Pequod sinker 53 Payment option 56 Short range 57 Credit card name with a red arc over it 58 One who gets what’s coming 59 Business sign abbr.

61 Uniform item, perhaps

CALL (203) 432-2424 OR E-MAIL BUSINESS@ YALEDAILYNEWS.COM

SUDOKU HARD

2 9 6

(c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Want to place a classified ad?

4 5 1

8 1 9 4 1 4 5 3 1 3 5 1 2 6 9 6

9 4 3 8 6

SATURDAY High of 55, low of 33.

PAGE 10

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURDSAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

NATION

“Egotism, n. — Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen.” AMBROSE BIERCE AUTHOR OF THE SATIRICAL LEXICON “THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY”

New York struggles two days after storm

BY LEANNE ITALIE AND JENNIFER PELTZ ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- Flights resumed, but slowly. The New York Stock Exchange got back to business, but on generator power.

And with the subways still down, great numbers of people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan in a reverse of the exodus of 9/11.

Two days after Superstorm Sandy rampaged across the Northeast, killing at least 63 people, New York struggled Wednesday to find its way. Swaths of the city were still without power, and all of it was torn from its daily rhythms.

At luxury hotels and drugstores and Starbucks shops that bubbled back to life, people clustered around outlets and electrical strips, desperate to recharge their phones. In the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, a line of people filled pails with water from a fire hydrant. Two children used jack-o’-lantern trick-or-treat buckets.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that parts of the subway would begin running again Thursday, and that three of seven tunnels under the East River had been pumped free of water, removing a major obsta-

cle to restoring full service.

“We are going to need some patience and some tolerance,” he said.

On Wednesday, both were frayed. Bus service was free but delayed, and New Yorkers jammed on, crowding buses so heavily that they skipped stops and rolled past hordes of waiting passengers.

New York City buses serve 2.3 million people on an average day, and two days after the storm they were trying to handle many of the 5.5 million daily subway riders, too.

We are going to need some patience and some tolerance.

FRANK FRANKLIN II/ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANDREW CUOMO Governor, New York As far west as Wisconsin and south to the Carolinas, more than 6 million homes and businesses were still without power, including about 650,000 in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

The mayor said 500 patients were being evacuated from Bel-

Fill this space here.

JOIN@YALEDAILYNEWS.COM

A damaged flag stands among the remnants of the boardwalk on Rockaway Beach in the Queens borough of New York. levue Hospital because of storm damage. The hospital has run on generators since the storm. About 300 patients were evacuated from another Manhattan hospital Monday after it lost generator power.

Bloomberg also canceled school the rest of the week, and the Brooklyn Nets, who just

moved from New Jersey, scratched their home opener against the Knicks on Thursday.

Still, there were signs that New York was flickering back to life and wasn’t as isolated as it was a day earlier.

Flights resumed at Kennedy and Newark airports on what authorities described as a very

limited schedule. Nothing was taking off or landing at LaGuardia, which suffered far worse damage.

Amtrak said trains will start running in and out of New York again on Friday.

The stock exchange, operating on backup generators, came back to life after its first twoday weather shutdown since the

blizzard of 1888. Mayor Michael Bloomberg rang the opening bell to whoops from traders below.

“We jokingly said this morning we may be the only building south of midtown that has water, lights and food,” said Duncan Niederauer, CEO of the company that runs the exchange, in hard-hit lower Manhattan.

YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 11

SPORTS

“There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” KENNETH GRAHAME

Elis prepare for Brown

Athletes and presidents COLUMN FROM PAGE 12

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Elis are poised to revive last year’s 7-0 win against the Brown Bears.

WOMEN’S SOCCER FROM PAGE 12 game of the season.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever done it,” head coach Rudy Meredith said.

In both contests, the Bulldogs are looking to start explosively — as they did in the Columbia game last week — and control the ball, Meredith said.

He added that Brown’s (7–8–0, 1–5–0 Ivy) strong defense has made it hard for opponents to score this season.

This season, Yale has had difficulty converting scoring opportunities into goals. The Eli offense will face a final test this weekend against a Brown side that has allowed two goals in its last three games.

On the attack, Kristen Forster ’13 leads the Bulldogs with six goals and three assists. For the Bears, Mika Siegel-

man leads the team in scoring with three goals and three assists. Brown forward Chloe Cross may also pose a challenge to the Bulldog defense as she has hammered 24 shots on goal this season. Her next closest teammate has only taken nine.

“She has some space up front,” Meredith said.

While the Elis split time between two goalkeepers for five games earlier this season, the Bears have used two different players in net throughout the year. Amber Bledsoe has accumulated 770 minutes between the pipes with a 0.58 goals against average and 36 saves, while MC Barrett has played 495 minutes with a 1.82 goals against average and 34 saves this season. Yale goalkeeper Rachel Ames ’16 has a few more saves than either Brown goaltender this

Sailing wins Schell Trophy SAILING FROM PAGE 12 Sunday saw wet and windy weather as Hurricane Sandy approached, with an easterly wind building from around 10 knots to up to 25 knots.

May said the team showed great endurance and consistency in this regatta, adding that B division skipper Chris Segerblom ’14 and crew Charlotte Belling ’16 finished in first place in four races in a row.

“To have that amount of consistency at a such a competitive and top level regatta is very impressive,” May said. “In previous regattas, we haven’t been able to hold onto our win throughout the entire weekend, whereas this past weekend we locked in solid results both Saturday and Sunday that helped us get the win.”

Another two coed teams from Yale placed fifth and sixth of eight teams Saturday at the Dave Perry Trophy on home waters, which was cancelled on Sunday due to stormy weather.

The No. 1 women’s team earned second at the Victorian Coffee Urn intersectional hosted by Connecticut College last

weekend and qualified for the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship on Nov. 10 to 11. The Elis fell 45 points short of No. 3 Dartmouth College with a score of 105.

The women’s team also faced challenging wind conditions on the Thames River in London with eight-knot breezes building to gusts of over 15 knots. The A division tied for first, though the B division tied for seventh after being disqualified from the seventh race. After losing a post-race protest hearing, 16 points were added to the B team’s score, changing their standing from second place to eighth.

Next weekend, members of the sailing teams will compete at the ICSA Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Nationals and Women’s Singlehanded Nationals, both hosted by the University of Southern California. Last year’s men’s nationals was won by captain Cameron Cullman ’13, who will return this year to defend his title.

Contact CLINTON WANG at clinton.wang@yale.edu .

season with 46 and has a goals against average that lies between those of Bledsoe and Barrett at 1.17.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy will play a significant role in the games this weekend. Because the first game of the series is on Thursday instead of Saturday, when games traditionally take place, the Bulldogs have less time to prepare. Two days without practice due to the hurricane and an earlier game date have given the Bulldogs just two full days of practice to prepare for the Bears.

“We’re using [missed practice days] as a recovery,” Meredith said. “We can use those days of rest to have more energy in the game.”

With the limited practice time the Bulldogs had this week, each minute on the practice field was focused. The Elis

worked on keeping control of the ball in the midfield, a habit that unraveled in last week’s contest against Columbia, shifting the momentum and enabling Columbia to emerge with a draw after conceding in the first minute of the game.

“We want to get maximum effort out of everybody,” Meredith said.

He added that the Elis are keeping their focus and plan on finishing strong with a game on Thursday, two days of practice and the final game of the season on Sunday.

Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Contact ASHTON WACKYM at ashton.wackym@yale.edu .

ten (with good reason!) if we had an athletes-only dining hall. The request for more tutors also strikes me as special treatment. As long as all tutoring hours aren’t scheduled during afternoon practices, I’m not sure why athletes should be provided extra access.

Finally, ending on a more moderate note: “As an athlete, I don’t think we need more athletes, but we do need better facilities for all people at Yale (i.e., our gym, and especially our pool).”

Dear Sensible in Sterling, Now this is a reasoned position.

We can make Yale Athletics better without increasing the number of athletes. We can increase competitiveness through stronger recruiting efforts that don’t have to sacrifice academic prowess for athletic strength. If the new Yale administration makes athletics a priority, recruiting will become stronger almost automatically — if you’re a talented athlete looking at schools, why would you go to a college where the student body and administration look down upon sports? (Of course, we shouldn’t be looking “up” at sports either.)

If the new administration takes a more positive attitude toward athletics, we can recruit intelligent athletes who will contribute to the Yale community in numerous ways.

Improved facilities are also important, and I like that you mentioned that we need facilities for “all” people at Yale. Stadiums and fields don’t just affect sports but the image of the campus in general. It’s sad that Payne Whitney Gym has stood blocked by scaffolding for years — and the interior of the gym could use renovations as well. Harvard is getting a new basketball arena by 2022, while John J. Lee Amphitheater languishes as a historic yet deteriorating basketball gymnasium here at Yale. Facilities improve the morale of everyone involved, athletes and community members alike. Think about the recent renovation of Ingalls Rink completed back in 2010. The beautiful new interior, along with a highly successful team, got New Haven excited about Yale hockey in a big way — and Ingalls Rink has become one of the most unique college arenas in the nation.

That brings me to my final point: Decisions about Yale Athletics affect more than just athletes. They have impacts on the community, on cities, on builders, on jobs, on students, on revenue.

It’s not simply a (falsely described) battle between “more underqualified athletes versus more funding for academics.”

Everyone happy now?

I didn’t think so.

Contact EVAN FRONDORF at evan.frondorf@yale.edu .

Field hockey faces Bears FIELD HOCKEY FROM PAGE 12 nities to go ahead against a ranked opponent.

“Communication has been one of our focus points for a while, and I really think this weekend was proof that we really improved on that aspect of our game,” keeper Heather Schlesier ’15 said. “I think right now we are playing the best hockey that we have played all season because our team has really worked hard together and improved our communication.”

After generating some chances in the circle and working well as a unit, which are essential for successful team defense, the Bulldogs will build off similar focus points at practice this week.

“We’d like to continue to build on [last week’s practice],” said head coach Pamela Stuper. “We don’t want to make it a ‘once-and-done.’ We’d like to carry [last weekend’s success] into the match against Brown this weekend as well.”

Forward Jessie Accurso ’15 currently leads the team with 15 points and six goals. Forward Emily Schuckert ’14 possesses the team-high four assists. Keeper Emily Cain’s ’14 enters Saturday’s game with improved statistics, including a 3.05 overall GAA and a 0.718 shot percentage, due to her 19 saves this past weekend.

The Bears (6-10, 1-5 Ivy) are also looking to bounce back in their final game after falling to Penn 2-1 in overtime.

The Bears were outshout 25–4 in a loss that snapped their three-game winning streak.

With 16 points and eight goals, Brown forward Meghan O’Donnell is first among her teammates in both categories. Forward Hannah Rogers is not far behind with 12 points and five goals. Keeper Shannon McSweeney’s overall performance has been similar to Cain’s — she has a 3.07 GAA and a 0.774 save percentage.

Last year, when the two teams met, Yale secured the Ivy League Championship title for the first time in 31 years with a decisive 7-0 victory over Brown. All six members of the class of 2012 contributed to the game’s final score.

“Last year’s game against Brown was really special,” Schlesier said. “We came into the game like any other and knew that we had to just continue to play the game up until the last second.”

The Elis outshot the Bears 57-6. While McSweeney finished with an impressive 20 saves, Cain was required to make only one save, which came in the second frame. She was relieved in the final minutes of the game, during which backup

keeper Heather Schlesier ’15 managed to preserve the shutout with two more saves.

Midfielder Erica Borgo ’14 was awarded four assists in the game, breaking the school record for single-season assists with a total of 17. Schuckert and forward Maddy Sharp ’13 also added to the offensive output with assists of their own.

“We were generating much more last year as far as shots per game. I’m really just looking to build off our Columbia and BU games [this weekend], in that we play the best attack that we have all year,” Stuper said. “We need to give ourselves the best opportunity to score goals by generating attack from our midfield up to our front line.”

This year’s seniors have been a part of two victories over Brown in the last three years.

“Regardless of what Brown brings to the game, we are just excited to play together again after such a great weekend,” Schuckert said.

The two teams will meet on the pitch at 1 p.m. this Saturday in Providence.

Contact GIO BACARELLA at giovanni.bacarella@yale.edu .

IF YOU MISSED IT SCORES

SOCCER Chelsea 5 Man Utd 4

SOCCER Swansea 3 Liverpool 1

SOCCER Norwich 2 Tottenham 1

SPORTS QUICK HITS

y

NBA Philadelphia 84 Denver 75

FOR MORE SPORTS CONTENT, VISIT OUR WEB SITE yaledailynews.com/sports

ONE IVY LEAGUER IN NBA Former Harvard star Jeremy Lin is the only Ancient Eight graduate named on an NBA roster as the season begins this week. Lin had a breakout season for the New York Knicks last year before being traded to the Houston Rockets. The last Eli to play in the pros was center Chris Dudley ’87, who retired in 2002.

AUSTIN MORGAN ’13 ELI NAMED IN CBS TOP SHOOTERS The senior guard came in at No. 50 in CBSSports.com’s Top 50 Shooters in college basketball. The Reno, Nev. native shot 39 percent from beyond the arc last season and 90 percent from the free throw line. Harvard’s Laurent Rivard was ranked No. 15.

NBA Indiana 90 Toronto 88

“The wind shifts were large and sometimes unpredictable … [but] it provided fun and physical raciung.

GRAHAM LANDY ’15 COED SAILING YALE DAILY NEWS · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 · yaledailynews.com

Bulldogs qualify for championships

EVAN FRONDORF

YCC Survey: An Epistolary Response

head to Providence to take on Brown today at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday at 2 p.m., the Bears will come to Reese Stadium for the Elis’ Senior Day and final

“Yale is about learning. It is not about meaningless sports or professions.”

That’s real talk from a real student, apparently. Before fall break, the Yale College Council released its “Presidential Search Report,” which included a compilation of some of the student responses to a survey about, what else, the world-ending search for Yale’s next president. But that’s not what I’m interested in right now.

Instead, I’d like to channel my inner Chelsea Janes and respond to some of the comments made in the survey about the future of Yale Athletics. This wasn’t meant to be a counterpoint to Joseph’s column yesterday (“ROSENBERG: For the love of the game?”), and I don’t disagree with his main point about big-time college athletics programs. But Yale is not in that sphere. And based on the responses to the survey (including the one above), there are extreme, outlandish and unfair opinions on both sides of the athletics equation. I won’t flesh out my full position in this column, but I will say that I think Yale should make modest improvement to its support for athletics, and doing so does not require looser admissions standards.

But, on the extreme side, we have opinions like this: “It is unfair that athletes get their own quota for admissions. Why don’t we have 30 spots reserved for violinists, 10 for violists, 10 for cellists and 5 for bass players every year?

Why don’t we reserve 50 spots a year for math champions? Furthermore, it is probable that athletes, on average, are of worse moral character than the rest of Yale students, given events of the past couple of years.”

“I think that athletics recruitment should be decreased, or treated more like other nonacademic skills (musical ability, theater, etc.) are in admissions policies.”

Dear Misinformed in Morse, Let’s start with some of the practical reasons for continuing college sports in the first place. College athletics are a long-standing, proud tradition of nearly every university in this country. And they have their start here in the Ivy League. For example, many of the modern rules for football as we know it today were developed right here at Yale by Walter Camp. Like many other Yale traditions, it sure seems like college athletics are a tradition worth upholding and a history to be proud of.

Moving on to the issue of “quotas.” I’d argue that, one, there are not hard-line quotas for an exact number of athletes that should be recruited each year, and two, I’d bet that similar “guidelines” do exist for the number of star violinists and artists that are admitted each year. There’s a reason why the Yale student body is such a diverse, well-rounded group of students — and it’s because the admissions office isn’t admitting 100 violinists or 100 new football players every year. At some point, Yale does have to limit the number of “math champions” it accepts in each admissions cycle.

For the sake of space, the “worse moral character” statement isn’t worth much of a rebuttal — it’s an unfortunate stereotype that continues to linger.

On the opposite end of the spectrum: “Yale athletes don’t ask for much support like athletes at most other schools do (free printing, their own dining facilities, etc.), so uniforms and up-to-date, clean facilities should be provided. Also, tutors should be more accessible to student athletes.”

Dear Privileged in Payne Whitney, Granted, you aren’t directly asking for free printing, private dining facilities and more tutors. But you do seem to insinuate that Yale athletes deserve more privileges than they currently get. That doesn’t sit well with me.

Considering the uproar over exclusive dining hours at Morse, Stiles and Berkeley, imagine the number of columns that would be writ-

SEE WOMEN’S SOCCER PAGE 11

SEE COLUMN PAGE 11

ZEENAT MANSOOR/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The No. 1 women’s sailing team earned second spot at the Victorian Coffee Urn intersectional and qualified for the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship.

BY CLINTON WANG STAFF REPORTER The Bulldogs took home key victories in fleet regattas last weekend, winning the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Championships and qualifying for the Atlantic Coast Championships.

SAILING

The No. 3 coed team won the Erwin Schell Trophy hosted by Brown University on the Providence River, leading Brown by 31 points with a score of 111. The Schell Trophy serves as the NEISA Championships and qualifies the team for the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championship at King’s Point the weekend of Nov. 10. Eighteen schools competed at the Schell fleet regatta, and the Elis placed second in the A division

Season ends on the road

BY GIO BACARELLA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The field hockey season concludes this weekend as the Elis pack their bags one last time.

FIELD HOCKEY Yale (5-11, 2-4 Ivy) is preparing to face the Brown Bears for its final league game in Providence on Saturday — a matchup that has marked the end of the regular season since 2002. The road has proven to be relatively bumpy, albeit highly instructive, for the Bulldogs this season. They have given up six games away from Johnson Field, including three shutouts to teams that

are currently ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

“It was a great opportunity to play top-ranked opponents such as UVA, Syracuse and UConn this season,” captain and forward Madison Sharp ’13 said. “The purpose of playing these tough games was to grow together as a team and take the lessons we learned into our Ivy play.”

While the Bulldogs have found success on the road only twice this season, both wins have come from within the Ivy League. Although they fell to No. 15 BU in a 2-0 shutout past Sunday, the team’s defense held firm, allowing the offense several opportu-

and won the B division. A division skipper Graham Landy ’15 said the team focused on consistent starts to its races. He added that both A and B divisions were able to communicate information about sailing conditions between races, which allowed the team to adapt to the sailing conditions faster than other teams.

“The wind shifts were large and sometimes unpredictable, making it difficult to stay consistent, [but]

it provided fun and physical racing,” Landy said.

A division crew Heather May ’13 also cited team depth as an important factor in adapting to the shifting conditions, as heavier crews substituted in to help counter increasing wind strength. While Saturday had periods of no wind and breezes at around six knots, SEE SAILING PAGE 11

Elis to face the Bears

SEE FIELD HOCKEY PAGE 11

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Yale is ranked fourth in the Ivy League with 23 goals, four places and 10 goals ahead of Brown.

BY ASHTON WACKYM CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Bulldogs will face the Brown Bears in Providence Saturday.

Two games in one week is uncommon for the women’s soccer team.

But two games in one week against the same team is almost unheard of.

The Bulldogs (7–7–1, 1–4–1 Ivy) will

STAT OF THE DAY 111

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The number of points the No. 3 coed sailing team earned at the Erwin Schell Trophy hosted by Brown University on the Providence River this weekend. The team clinched the title with a 31-point lead over Brown.