T U E S D A Y DECEMBER 3, 2002
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 123
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
Number of early applications by minorities rises for Class of 2007 Rise goes against 3 percent drop in overall applications BY SARA PERKINS
Beth Farnstrom / Herald
Members of the Undergraduate Council of Students discussed the possibility of adding pluses and minuses to the grading system at their Monday night meeting.
UCS representatives tell Armstrong they oppose adding pluses, minuses BY JONATHAN ELLIS
Undergraduate Council of Students representatives showed they were markedly opposed to adding pluses and minuses to Brown’s grading system at the final UCS meeting of the semester Monday night. Dean of the College Paul Armstrong joined College Curriculum Council members Beth Goldman ’03.5 and Sean Yom ’03 in seeking feedback from the council about various grading issues. They said they hoped UCS would give CCC a feeling for overall student sentiment. Adding pluses and minuses “undermines what the framers (of the New Curriculum) had in mind,” said Representative Roophy Roy ’05. Such a system would increase competition
among students, a problem at many peer institutions, he said. “I think pluses and minuses or putting restrictions on the S/NC option would be a major move backwards in terms of what the New Curriculum was set up to do,” said Representative Charley Cummings ’06. The original New Curriculum proposal called for a complete abolishment of grades, he said. Representative Tarek Khanachet ’03 said the lack of a B-plus grade made him work harder to pull his grades up to As. He said students at Harvard and Yale universities can do little work and receive B-pluses, but he said that wasn’t possible at Brown. see UCS, page 4
With early applicants to the Class of 2007 awaiting notification by Dec. 15, admission office numbers show the early applicant pool declined 3 percent this year, but the number of applications from students of color increased. The changes may be a result of the admission office’s decision to restrict early applicants from also applying to early action schools, said Director of Admission Michael Goldberger. Last year Brown switched from an early action to an early decision policy. This year, Brown initiated a new policy of not allowing early applicants to apply to early action schools. Previously, a student could have applied to early action schools like Harvard and Georgetown universities, but they would have been obligated to withdraw those applications if they were admitted to Brown.
Goldberger said he has two theories about the cause of the slight overall decrease in applications. The reduction “might be a reaction to (the fact that) we didn’t travel internationally last year because of 9/11, and it could be a reaction to … our prohibition on only one application,” he said. The total number of early applications decreased by 55, from 1,918 last year to 1,863. Of those applications, 76 were from African American students, and 80 were from Latinos, an increase among both groups of 15 percent from last year. The number of Native American applicants more than doubled, and the number of Asian American applications stayed the same as last year. Asian Americans made up 12 percent of the applicant pool. Sherrod Skinner, a college counselor in Milton, Mass., said the new one-application policy was not a deterrent for any of his advisees. “It did not come up,” he said. “If people see APPS, page 4
A shift to right at NLRB could spell trouble for grad student unions BY BRIAN BASKIN
A newly confirmed Republican majority on the National Labor Relations Board could spell trouble for Brown’s graduate student unionization movement. On Nov. 14, the U.S. Senate confirmed all five of President George Bush’s nominees — three Republicans and two Democrats — to the NLRB. The confirmation marks the first time in 10 years that a full board will be majority Republican. It could also mean a reversal of a landmark 1999 decision allowing teaching assistants at New York University to unionize. Previously the NLRB only considered TAs at public institutions to be employees. The Brown Graduate Employee Organization/United Auto Workers used the precedent set by the NYU decision to form its own unionization movement. Following a December 2001 graduate stu-
dent unionization vote, Brown appealed to the NLRB, challenging both the regional NLRB ruling that allowed the Brown vote and the NYU precedent. The BGEO/UAW later appealed the vote as well, asking the board to include research assistants in any potential union. With Bush’s nominations stalled by a Democratic majority in the Senate, only three members sat on the NLRB for all of 2002. The board held off on hearing most major cases, including Brown’s, in part because any ruling would need to be agreed upon by all remaining members — two Republicans and one Democrat. The NYU decision could be reversed if the new Republicans agree with former Republican board member Robert Hurtgen’s dissention from a 1999 precesee NLRB, page 4
U. sees record number of mouse complaints in November BY MATTHEW SHOPSIN
The University had 25 reports of mice in campus buildings between Nov. 1 and Nov. 25, more than any other month in recent memory, said Director of the Brown News Service Mark Nickel. The tiny invaders have even nestled their way into administrative buildings. In Maddock Alumni Center, one secretary reported mouse footprints leading away from her coffee, Nickel said. The infestation is not localized to Brown but is part of a generalized trend in the Providence area, Nickel said. Brown’s pest control contractor also reported a much larger than normal volume of complaints related to mice. Nickel said more mice survived last year’s mild winter and are now moving indoors due to increasing colder weather. To combat the problem, Facilities Management is using poison bait in addition to conventional traps in non-resident
buildings. In residence halls, Facilities Management uses glue traps, snap traps and door brushes, which prevent mice from going under doors and inhibit their spread. Door brushes are rendered ineffective by the practice of propping doors open, Nickel said. The use of glue traps disturbs some students. “Glue traps are the most inhumane things, and most people are clearly against them,” said Karra Greenberg ’04. But Nickel defended the use of the traps. “The idea is to rid the University of rodents and pests with no potential harm to inhabitants. Pest control vendors have their own methods,” he said. Eric Snyder ’04 said he’s heard evidence of the mouse problem in Marcy Hall. “I would wake up and hear squeaking noises and rustling,” he said. Whatever
Supreme Court will revisit racebased college admissions
Facilities Management received 25 complaints about mice between Nov. 1 and Nov. 25. was causing the noise, he said, “only made noise in the early morning.” Snyder said he hasn’t seen or heard
see COURT, page 5 see MICE, page 5
I N S I D E T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 2 Former Mayor Vincent Cianci prepares to begin serving 64month term on Friday page 3
City will relax parking regulations downtown to ease strain on holiday shoppers page 3
Nick Noon ’05 says racism still exists undercover at the University column, page 7
(L.A. Times) WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will decide whether the United States’ colleges and universities can continue to use affirmative action in choosing new students, marking the first time the court has revisited the issue since the Bakke decision in 1978. The justices took up two appeals
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T After hot start, men’s hockey team runs its winless streak to four games sports, page 8
Women’s hockey falls to No. 2 Harvard, pulls out a win over Providence sports, page 8
light snow high 25 low 16