Wednesday, March 19, 2003

W E D N E S D A Y MARCH 19, 2003

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 39

An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891

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ResCouncil opposes new ResLife committee

BY CARLA BLUMENKRANZ

Residential Council vehemently opposed the creation of a new residential life committee charged with evaluating the current housing system by the Office of Campus Life in a resolution approved 8-1 Sunday night.

In the resolution, the sentiments of which have since been echoed by other student groups, ResCouncil rejected the committee as a “cumbersome and inefficient” attempt to “subvert the student governance process.” The Council’s objections to the committee, composed of both students and administrators, include its overlap with ResCouncil and its potential to delay changes to the housing system.

The new committee’s duties include appraising the status of coed and single-sex housing, the seniority system and guaranteed housing for all students. Its work would begin in April and culminate with the submission of a set of recommendations by November, according to ResCouncil’s resolution.

The Council currently refuses to participate in Campus Life’s committee, at least in its present form, said ResCouncil Chair Sanders Kleinfeld ’03. But the Council will continue to discuss its concerns with Dean for Campus Life Margaret Jablonski, who said she hopes to resolve the issue before Spring Break.

Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Janina Montero, who oversees the Office of Campus Life, directed questions about the committee to Jablonski.

Jablonski told The Herald she hopes ResCouncil representatives choose to join the committee, which she said she expects to fairly and efficiently address housing concerns, but did not comment further.

Six student representatives and three deans would comprise the new committee, as described by ResCouncil members. Committee members would include the deans of Residential and Student Life, the dean of international students, one community director, one former peer counselor, one representative of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance and representatives of ResCouncil, according to Jablonski. Kleinfeld said he currently understood three of the committee members would represent ResCouncil.

When Jablonski spoke to ResCouncil on Tuesday, Kleinfeld said she suggested Assistant Dean for Student Life Salvador Mena and a ResCouncil representative might cosee RESCOUNCIL, page 6

Lotem Almog / Herald

Shlomo Bar and Habrera Hativeet received several standing ovations at their Tuesday concert in Salomon.

Former administrators reflect on President Simmons’ initiatives

BY DANA GOLDSTEIN

A shoddy economy and a stock market that won’t recover from its slump are contributing factors to budget problems at Brown. Are monetary concerns putting faculty recruitment, non-academic improvement and spatial expansion at stake? Addressing these crucial questions are three former administrators: Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences and former Interim President Sheila Blumstein, former Director of Career Services Sheila Curran and Professor of Chemistry and former Dean of the Graduate School Peder Estrup.

Former Vice President for Finance and Administration Donald Reaves and former Vice President for Development Jim Husson declined to comment for this article.

Faculty and Administrative Reorganization President Ruth Simmons’ ambitious plans for improvement call for sweeping changes in the makeup of Brown’s faculty. In her Initiatives for Academic Enrichment, unveiled in December 2001, Simmons called for the hiring of 100 new senior faculty members over the next five to seven years.

But over the past year, an economic downturn has led to the question of whether the University can achieve this goal without neglecting other long-term plans, including the improvement of non-academic departments.

In

December, Simmons told The Herald that a tighter budget might cause delays in the implementation of many aspects of her initiatives, including faculty recruitment and wage increases.

Blumstein said, despite the effects of a poor economy, she continues to believe in Brown’s ability to attract the best new faculty.

“One aspect of Brown that I consider the finest feature of it is a sense of community and interaction between the faculty and students,” she said. “As long as that is preserved and not jeopardized, Brown is a very attractive place.”

Blumstein did caution that “maintaining the pace” of Simmons’ initiatives could prove to be a bigger challenge.

Blumstein also said, although budget woes were not a problem during her time as president, she understood the need to address the current economic situation.

“There are numbers of factors now contributing to budget issues, one being that we have been spending more,” Blumstein said.

A hiring freeze for non-academic positions, announced Dec. 23, is one way that the University is addressing budget woes while continuing to push towards Simmons’ aggressive long-term strategy for academic improvements.

Approximately 100 non-academic positions are currently vacant.

Throughout this semester, an eight-

Former Sen. Gary Hart supports war protesters, challenges Bush’s foreign policy page 5

President George W. Bush is not the messiah, says Brian Rainey ’04 opinions, page 11

BY LOTEM ALMOG

Bringing a message of peace — and armed with an artillery of instruments — Shlomo Bar and Habrera Hativeet, otherwise known as “The Natural Gathering,” played to a crowd in Salomon 101 on Tuesday night.

“This is one of my dreams come true,” Bar, the band’s vocalist, said, “to come together — stop the hate.”

Bar and Hativeet came from Israel for the concert sponsored by the Undergraduate Finance Board, Brown Hillel and a number of other student groups. Concert organizer Jordan ElpernWaxman ’04 said the group is one of his favorites and so he sent them an e-mail inviting them to play at Brown.

While the band sang in Hebrew and Arabic, its music was derived from Middle Eastern, Indian and North African influences. Combining guitar, violin, drums, santoor and vocals, the band sang original music and also added new flair to traditional favorites, which the audience greeted by clapping and dancing in the aisles.

“They’re just a really powerful mix of Middle Eastern and Indian music. I’ve never heard anything like it. It’s a huge honor for me to have them play here,” Elpern-Waxman said.

The band members came from as varied countries of the world as the instruments they played. “We come from four continents of cultures,” Bar said of the

see ADMIN, page 4

I N S I D E W E D N E S D AY, M A RC H 1 9 , 2 0 0 3 New research with fruit flies gives insight into Alzheimer’s disease academic watch,page 3

Israeli musicians bring message of peace to Salomon

see CONCERT, page 6

TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Nate Goralnik ’04 begs forgiveness for our upcoming atrocities in Iraq opinions, page 11

W. skiing places fourth in Nationals; captain named First Team AllAmerican skier sports, page 12

mostly sunny high 41 low 27

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THIS MORNING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 2 Pornucopia Eli Swiney

W E AT H E R TODAY

THURSDAY

High 41 Low 27 mostly sunny

FRIDAY

High 50 Low 37 pm showers

SATURDAY

High 52 Low 27 partly cloudy

High 55 Low 35 few showers

GRAPHICS BY TED WU

A Story Of Eddie Ahn

CALENDAR LECTURE — “The Role of Consumer Voice in Health Policy,” Mark Schlesinger, Yale University. Seminar room, Taubman Center, noon LECTURE — “The Search for Meaning in a Medical Life,” Abraham Verghese, M.D., Brown Medical School. Room 101, Salomon Center, 4 p.m.

DISCUSSION — “Women Entrepreneurs in Male-dominated Spheres,” Ellen Ashendorf, Egg Electric. Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, 7 p.m.

LECTURE — “Remote Memory in Humans and Rats: Consolidation and the Hippocampal Complex.,” Morris Moscovitch, University of Toronto, Department of Psychology. Room 206, Hunter Lab, 4 p.m.

Coup de Grace Grace Farris

SPORTS — Women’s Tennis vs. Boston University, Department of Athletics.

Erickson Athletic Complex, 2 p.m.

SPORTS — Women’s lacrosse vs. Harvard, Department of Athletics. Erickson Athletic Complex, 7 p.m.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Taj Mahal site 5 Land’s end?

10 Where Ensenada is, briefly 14 “Aquarius” musical 15 Red Sea country 16 Racetrack 17 “Back to business!”

20 Quilting session 21 Some bills 22 Kind of card 23 Decorator’s concern 24 Doesn’t just close 27 On edge 30 __ Wiedersehen 31 USN officer 34 Take it slow 35 Sword-wielding hero 37 Abnormally 38 “Back to business!”

42 Faulkner’s “__ Lay Dying” 43 Sidekick with a headband 44 Arbor Day honoree 45 Hatch in D.C., e.g.

46 Silly Putty holder 47 “Without Me” rapper 49 Dentist’s urging 51 Crosses (out) 52 Horrify 55 Simians 57 What Bugs called most people 60 “Back to business!”

64 Political slant 65 “The Art of Living” author 66 Zip 67 Deli counter cry 68 Passover meal 69 All-in-one meal

5 2000 Olympics city 6 Give over to 7 Not quite right 8 Slammer 9 High school subj.

10 They serve cap’ns 11 Eager 12 Green stone 13 “Jeopardy!” name 18 Chits 19 Set one’s sights on 23 Angelic accoutrement 25 Key __ 26 Mystique 27 Arm bones 28 Ominous loop 29 Like leprechauns 31 Take __ for the worse 32 Charity, e.g.

33 Way to the Web 35 Criticizes sharply 36 Niagara Falls’ prov.

39 Opera with Desdemona

53 Toon skunk Le Pew 54 Grand __ 56 Journalist Ernie 57 Number for two 58 Shrek, for one 59 Eats 61 Delivery co. with brown trucks 62 Observe 63 Parts of lbs.

My Best Effort Andy Hull and Will Newman

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THE RATTY LUNCH—Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Split Pea & Ham Soup, Beef Enchiladas, Vegan Burritos, Beef Enchiladas, Vegan Refried Beans, Corn & Sweet Pepper Saute, Cannolis

V-DUB LUNCH —Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Split Pea & Ham Soup, Beef Enchiladas, Vegan Black Bean Tacos, Vegan Refried Beans,Corn & Sweet Pepper Saute, Cannolis

DINNER —Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Split Pea & Ham Soup, Lemon Broiled Chicken, Lemon Broiled Chicken, Fiery Beef, Vegan Stuffed Peppers,Spanish Rice, Broccoli Cuts, Polynesian Ratatouille, Ricotta Pepper Bread, Brazilian Chocolate Cake

DINNER —Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Split Pea & Ham Soup, Honey Dipped Chicken, Pizza Rustica, Red Potatoes with Fresh Dill, Broccoli Cuts, Polynesian Ratatouille, Ricotta Pepper Bread, Brazilian Chocolate Cake

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ACADEMIC WATCH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 3

U. research shows eyes are linked to language

Fruit flies missing “blue cheese” gene may hold the key for early Alzheimer’s detection

BY STEPHANIE HARRIS

BY STEPHANIE HARRIS

By tracking eye movements, researchers can gain insight into how human language processing works.

Using this method, new research by Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Julie Sedivy shows that humans begin processing what they hear long before the speaker is finished.

“Expectations arise from a subtle understanding between the speaker and the hearer,” Sedivy said.

“This is reflected in where people will look.”

Sedivy examined this idea by showing subjects a still life and giving them commands, mapping their eye movements as the commands are given. One example had participants looking at a pitcher and a glass of water. When subjects heard the command, “Pick up the tall glass,” for example, they would first look at the pitcher — the taller of the two items — and then switch to the glass as the last word in the sentence was heard.

Tracking eye movements is a useful way of gaining insight into language processing because eye movements are largely unconscious. People were often surprised to find out where they were looking, Sedivy said. “Perceptually, we have a feeling of noticing a scene in its entirety.” In reality, eyes make very rapid localized jumps, she said.

Studying eye movements “allows you to manipulate the visual context,” she said. “Then you look at impacts of those changes.

“We can look at the alignment of eye movements with the stream of speech and see how much they line up,” she said. see EYES, page 4

New Brown research with fruit flies may hold the key to early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Mutant flies missing a gene called “blue cheese” show symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s sufferers, leading researchers to believe that the analogous gene in humans may control some brain function. Examining the gene in humans could give insight into whether a person is more likely to develop the disease.

Mutations that deactivate the blue cheese gene cause seemingly normal adult fruit flies to lose brain mass and die early. Mutant flies also show a buildup of protein aggregates in the brain. These aggregates are analogous to human proteins forming the plaques that build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

“We realized this gene is keeping their brains from falling apart,” said Michael McKeown, professor of cellular biology and biochemistry. He said he is interested in figuring out whether the gene performs the same function in humans.

“Many of the genes critical for functions in humans are also critical for functions in flies,” McKeown said. The blue cheese gene has many of the hallmarks of neural genes in humans, McKeown said. In addition, 50 percent of the protein controlled by the blue cheese gene is the same between humans and flies.

The mutant flies, which seem perfectly normal at birth, “start dropping like flies” at about 20 days, or half their normal life span, McKeown said. They show a markedly increased rate of neural cell death compared to normal flies, and their brains are about 60 percent of the volume of a normal brain. In addition, mutated brains show an accumulation of proteins that have a similar configuration to amyloid protein, a substance found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

The symptoms shown by the mutant flies — short life span, extensive cell death in the brain, neural degeneration and a buildup of protein aggregates — are similar to those

shown by patients with Alzheimer’s.

Based on that evidence, McKeown said he believes the blue-cheese gene can be implicated in Alzheimer’s and possibly other diseases. “It might be a gene necessary to prevent neural degeneration,” he said.

The mutation in this gene can be seen long before any symptoms appear in the flies, leading researchers to hope similar precursors can be found in humans. Recent advances in DNA research have given scientists the ability to examine human genes. “We can look for a change in the structure of function of a protein in humans,” McKeown said. “We can see if it’s more or less likely for people to develop Alzheimer’s” by checking for mutations in the bluecheese gene, he said.

In humans the gene is expressed in tissues other than the brain. “It could have broader effects” than in flies, McKeown said. “But the fundamental activity of the protein is pretty much the same.”

Although the human nervous system is much more complex than that of insects, it is useful to study the fruit fly to get insight into human diseases because of their short life span. “You don’t have to wait 50 years for someone to come down” with a neurological disease; with life spans of about 40 days, symptoms show up in flies in as few as 10 days, McKeown said.

McKeown and his researchers stumbled onto this discovery accidentally, he said. “Blue cheese mutations were picked up when we were studying the gene next door,” he said. “We were making mutants that cause the gene to disappear.” He noticed the short life spans of the flies with a mutation that knocks out the blue-cheese gene and realized its possible importance in neural function.

Herald staff writer Stephanie Harris ’04 edits the academic watch section. She can be reached at sharris@browndailyherald.com.

PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003

Admin continued from page 1 member advisory group will be examining the current organization of the administration. The committee will interview critical administrators, and other administrators have been encouraged to volunteer for interviews.

Blumstein said she supported the current administration review. “In my 30 years at the University, every few years they’re reviewing academic departments,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with looking at non-academic departments and seeing where we might be more efficient and where we might expand, in fact. That’s an important and healthy exercise.”

Despite the hiring freeze, some departments, such as Career Services, may be receiving budget increases, Dean of the College Paul Armstrong said last month.

A possible budget increase for a non-academic department might have come as a surprise to former Director of Career Services Sheila Curran, who left Brown for Duke University last year after 20 years with the University. Last summer, Curran told The Herald she “got the impression that at Brown, in areas that are not part of the academic initiative, it will be status quo for many years to come.”

Last week, in an e-mail from Duke, where she is executive director of the Career Center, Curran wrote that, although “in the short term life is often more difficult for staff during a hiring freeze,” she understands how administrative reorganization could help Brown.

“If important decisions can be made about what isn’t going to be done anymore, and staff can be organized around what is really important for the University to thrive, a hiring freeze can have a long-term positive effect,” Curran wrote.

Curran urged students and staff to take an active role in the administrative reorganization by voicing “their views about services that are critical to them.

“The more staff can be involved in helping to plan for the future, the better,” she wrote.

“In my experience, change is always easier if you are a part of making the change. Many staff, particularly those who have been at Brown for a long time, have ideas about how to make things run more effectively.”

Curran and Blumstein both said a key way to encourage nonacademic morale during the reorganization and hiring freeze was to let non-academic departments know how much their work was appreciated by the University community. “(Non-academic staff) need to be recognized for their efforts — even in non-monetary ways — by their supervisors,” Curran wrote.

“They need to feel that they are making a difference.”

Blumstein advised the University to “give (non-academic staff) the proper praise they’re due, as well as financial support.

We are a whole community. It’s wonderful that the focus is on expanding faculty, but at the same token, we have a lot of talented administrators and staff and we don’t want them to leave either.”

Spatial Expansion In order to support a larger facul-

Curran urged students and staff to take an active role in the administration reorganization by voicing “their views about services that are critical to them.” ty, Simmons has outlined a physical expansion of the University.

“If we remain the same size we are, we die,” she said at a Feb. 4 faculty meeting.

Blumstein said she supported the expansion. “We have to increase the physical space and also the infrastructure to support that faculty,” she said.

But Blumstein also cautioned against letting “our aspirations get out of proportion with our means.”

Over the past six months, R.M. Kliment and Frances Halsband Architects has been researching ways for Brown to both expand and use its current space more efficiently. Expansion plans include obtaining new space through underground in-fills and the construction of a new life sciences building, a project that has attracted opposition from College Hill residents.

The need for spatial expansion has been an issue throughout Brown’s history. Once every five years, Brown submits a master plan to the city with an outline of new construction and renovations, often seeking extensive community input in the process. During Blumstein’s presidency, construction of the Watson Institute for International studies and projected work on the life sciences building increased town-gown tensions.

Simmons has said that the greatest obstacle to current construction projects is not the poor economy, but getting approval from the City of Providence.

Blumstein said one way the University might deal with the finite amount of space available on College Hill would be to move some non-academic departments into the downtown area.

“I’m not saying that individuals who aren’t involved directly with the teaching mission aren’t involved with the academic mission; they obviously are,” she said. “But they might be able to do their jobs off of College Hill.”

The Graduate School The Graduate School is another part of Brown targeted by Simmons as crucial to the University’s future. Professor of Chemistry and former Dean of the Graduate School Peder Estrup said, “As part of the initiatives, there was a major commitment to the Graduate School which I was very much working for and with which I was very pleased. As far as I know, those initiatives and those plans are very much a part of what the University is working towards now.”

Estrup, who resigned as Dean of the Graduate School last April, said he has not “been a participant in the discussions that have gone on since October,” and thus is unaware of how the Graduate School is being affected by current budget problems.

Following Estrup’s resignation, his position was split into dean of the Graduate School and vice president of research. Karen Newman and Adries van Dam filled those openings in October.

In November, Newman requested that ACUP grant the Graduate

School additional funds to cover the health care and insurance costs of its students. This year, Brown began covering full health care expenses for its graduate students and also experienced an increase in admission yield.

These changes, along with the poor economy, have added pressures to the Graduate School budget.

Simmons’ initiatives, however, continue to provide extra funds for the Graduate School.

Newman plans to use the $2 million received from the initiatives this year to increase first-year fellowships, increase summer support and provide additional teaching assistantships and dissertation completion fellowships to students.

Additionally, van Dam has said he hopes investments into research will eventually bring revenue to Brown. Newman and van Dam are also in the midst of reviewing the organization and budgets of the Graduate School.

“A strong Graduate School is an essential part of Brown University,” Estrup said. “What President Simmons has done as of a year ago were some of the best things we’ve seen for the Graduate School in a very long time.”

Herald staff writer Dana Goldstein ’06 can be reached at dgoldstein@browndailyherald.com.

Eyes continued from page 3 The generally accepted view of language processing has been that there is a shallower level that occurs first, followed by deeper processing. Sedivy said she does not believe this is the case.

“It’s a very subconscious cognitive processing mechanism influenced by subtle expectations,” she said.

Cognitive scientists often believe “we can’t be that sophisticated that quickly,” she said.

Tracking eye movements, in addition to giving a better understanding of language processing, can also have practical applications, Sedivy said. Applications range from human/computer interface systems to military applications to developing educational software to helping people with language problems.

There are also “deeper, broader reasons why studying how the mind works is important,” she said. “Understanding how we respond to our environment allows us to gain a perspective on us and on the world that’s critical and important,” she said.

Sedivy said she plans to discuss her results next week at a conference in Boston.

Herald staff writer Stephanie Harris ’04 edits the academic watch section. She can be reached at sharris@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 5

UG staff unhappy with new policies

BY LOTEM ALMOG

A small group of students gathered on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the future of the Underground.

After being shut down last fall for underage drinking violations, the administration has allowed the bar to serve alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights. Only patrons 21 and older are permitted to enter, The Herald reported earlier this month.

Moderated by Underground staff, including General Manager Ally Dickie ’03 and Chair of the Campus Life Committee for the Undergraduate Council of Students Justin Sanders ’04, the forum was billed as an opportunity for students to brainstorm ideas on how to maximize utility from the space occupied by the Underground.

Dickie said the new 21-and-over policy is unfair to students. “Student tuition money is paying for the Underground. Everyone should be allowed to come in,” she said.

In the two weekends since the Underground reopened, attendance has been well under capacity, according to Dickie, though attendance last weekend was slightly up from the opening weekend.

The decrease in customers has resulted in financial and logistical problems for Underground management.

“Right now, it’s nearly impossible to staff the Underground. People aren’t interested in coming and … listening to a band they’ve never heard of. Staff would be working for minimum wage and no tips,” Dickie said.

These concerns prompted the Underground staff to organize the student forums — another is scheduled see UNDERGROUND, page 6

Hart says U.S. is not prepared for possible retaliatory terror attacks

BY XIYUN YANG

By the time former Sen. Gary Hart arrived in Salomon 101 to speak, after a 40-minute flight delay, his audience was already filling the time by fiercely debating the war in Iraq.

Interrupting the fervent emotions being expressed over the microphone, Hart threw his support behind dissenters of the imminent war in Iraq and went on to challenge the Bush administration’s foreign policy.

In the annual John Hazen White lecture titled “Restoration of the Republic,” Hart, a two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination who recently announced his entrance into the 2004 presidential race, emphasized devotion to civic duty as the only way to change the present state of international and domestic affairs.

The recognition of the relationship between the fulfillment of civic duty, popular sovereignty and avoidance of political corruption is vital to the prosperity of the United States, he said. Defining corruption as the promotion of private interest before the public good, Hart said that “this republic is massively corrupt.”

After the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the 21st century is witnessing a transformation of the nature of war that the United States is not ready to handle, he said.

Hart co-chaired the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, which, in 1999, released various reports that predicted terrorist attacks on American soil with massive casualties. The commission, established by the Clinton administration, also submitted reports to the Bush administration on the necessity of a national homeland security agency seven months before Sept. 11. These reports were largely ignored by both the mass media and the government, Hart said.

Based on his research with the commission, Hart said that not only has the government wasted two years in building homeland security, but it has only accomplished the bare minimum in coordinating state and local responses to crisis.

The Bush administration is also responsible for the most sizeable crises the country has yet to face. “Retaliatory attacks from the war we Photo courtesy of Brown News Service Former senator Gary Hart are about to wage on the most volatile area of the world” are imminent, Hart said, citing the opinions of the directors of the FBI, CIA and other government intelligence agencies.

“We are not prepared for this,” he said.

Not only has the President failed to prove an “imminent and unavoidable” Iraqi threat, Hart said Bush has also failed to acknowledge his responsibility to the American people. Bush has dodged answers to the most fundamental questions concerning this war, Hart said.

Hart ended with a challenge to the voting public and an accusation of hypocrisy. A restoration of the republican ideal can only come from a devotion to civic duty, he said.

“Don’t just sit on the sidelines. Why are we preaching democracy (to the world) if only 40 percent of Americans see HART, page 6

PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003

Underground continued from page 5 for today at noon in the Underground.

“We want feedback so we know what to bring to the administration (and) so we know how much funding we need,” Sanders said.

The Underground is not currently making money from alcohol sales and is supported through its student activities funding. The financial losses incurred by the decrease in patrons could raise issues in the future, Dickie said.

The administration has already talked about making the Underground into a coffeehouse, but the costs of such a transformation would be very high — nearly $100,000, Sanders said.

No one at the forum reacted positively to the coffee house idea. “There are already coffeehouses and a million places to study,” said Anne Royan ’03.

“This is the only place on campus that’s like this.”

The Underground staff will meet with the administration

later this week to present its ideas for the bar’s future.

A few students came to request that the Underground incorporate more hip-hop music into its repertoire, indicating that hip-hop nights would attract students even if alcohol was not served. “You could use this space without alcohol — we don’t need alcohol,” said José Lora ’05, who is underage.

Members of the Underground staff said they were unsure hiphop alone will draw a crowd.

“We had hip-hop DJs last Saturday night and there were only 15 people here,” said Adam Katz ’04, who organizes enter-

Hart continued from page 5 voted in the last election?” he said.

“Hart must be one of the smartest people in American politics,” said Michael Hammerschlag, a freelance journalist. The audience consisted of a mix of city residents

tainment at the bar.

Lora also suggested the Underground be used as a space for poetry readings, citing successful readings at the Rites & Reason Theatre and in a Keeney lounge.

Such special events would require staffing that surpasses what the Underground can afford, Katz said. Staff would encourage student groups to organize these events. So far, no such initiative has been taken, Dickie said.

Herald staff writer Lotem Almog ’03 can be reached at lalmog@browndailyherald.com.

and Brown students.

“It’s very unfortunate that not more people came to this.

It seems that Brown students only care about the big names like the Janet Reno lecture,” said Ethan Ris ’05, president of the Brown Democrats and a Herald staff writer.

Herald staff writer Xiyun Yang ’06 can be reached at xyang@browndailyherald.com.

ResCouncil

The possibility of

continued from page 1

increased representa-

chair the committee. But Kleinfeld said the possibility of increased representation would not change ResCouncil’s stance on the committee.

“I feel like (Jablonski is) just trying to strong-arm us into joining the committee,” Kleinfeld said. As it is currently described, the committee will stand between ResCouncil and the administration, according to Kleinfeld, potentially filtering the Council’s recommendations and blocking its mandate from the Undergraduate Council of Students to represent students.

The timeline for the committee’s report could also slow changes to the housing system, ResCouncil members said. If the committee submits its report in December, its recommendations probably will not be evaluated until 2004, said Jesse Goodman ’04, Council policy chair. As a result, substantial changes to the residential system might not be enacted in time for next spring’s housing lottery.

This time frame is particularly significant in light of the muchdebated expansion of co-ed housing to most on-campus suites. According to Goodman, Campus Life’s proposal deliberately “buries the issue” of coed housing, at least for the coming year.

“It’s an attempt to conflate an issue that’s important to students with issues that are more arcane,” such as the mechanisms of the seniority system, he said.

Allison Rosendahl ’04, copresident of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance, said her organization also opposes the formation of the committee, despite the inclusion of an

tion would not change

Concert continued from page 1 band members, with ancestries in Morocco, Yemen, India and Europe.

Bar started the group 28 years ago. Though its members have changed over the years, the band’s style, Bar said, has not.

Many of the songs the band chose to perform carried a strong message of peace. “I want us to stop making war,” Bar told The Herald in Hebrew. The band performed the well-known Hebrew song “Song for Peace” that instructs listeners to sing for love, not for wars.

“There is no ownership of beauty in this world. Too bad the world hasn’t learned from the tragedies that have befallen the previous generations,” Bar added.

At one point during the concert, Bar spotted Myriem Seabron ’03 in the crowd wearing a traditional Muslim head-covering.

Though he did not know Seabron, he began speaking to her in Arabic and invited her to the stage where they exchanged some words privately during the concert.

According to Seabron, Bar asked her about the origins of her family. She replied that her family is from Rabat, Morocco — where Bar is from also. “I told him, ‘God bless you and you are very good,’ and he said, ‘I am

ResCouncil’s stance on the committee.

LGBTA representative. Although the committee’s report will address co-ed housing — an issue of great importance to the LGBTA — it will do so in a less timely and representative way than ResCouncil, she said.

Conversations with Jablonski about the committee have been “difficult,” Rosendahl said. “It doesn’t seem like we’re really able to make her understand our issues, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s being done about them.” Rather than appoint a representative to the proposed committee, the LGBTA would prefer to lobby for co-ed housing with the support of the UCSappointed ResCouncil, she said.

UCS has yet to take an official position on the committee, but will vote today on a resolution that opposes its formation, drafted by Representative Andy Golodny ’03. If Campus Life’s proposal diminishes ResCouncil’s authority, then UCS President Allen Feliz ’03 said he expects student representatives to stand with the Council.

“If this committee is really looking to replace the jurisdictional function of ResCouncil, that’s something we want to avoid,” Feliz said.

Herald staff writer Carla Blumenkranz ’05 can be reached at cblumenkranz@browndailyherald.com.

going to sing a song for you,’” Seabron said.

Reactions to the concert were overwhelmingly positive. The audience rose for several standing ovations throughout the show.

“I learned about Habrera Hativeet in Israel in grad school two summers ago. To come here and actually see them in concert is mind-blowing, especially with the message they’re trying to send,” said Boston resident Jeremy Adelman, who drove down for the show. “Given the situation, I don’t know whether to feel hopeful or cynical,” he added.

Bar told the crowd he hoped his music could make a difference in people. “We hope the music will open hearts and break the anger,” he said.

Other band members included Ilan Ben Ami on guitar, Yael Offenbach on the Dolkhi and Daira drums, Nitzan Chen Razel on violin, Menashe Sasson on Santoor and Yaacov Segal on bass guitar.

Some of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Friends of the Lijiang Orphanage — a group of Brown undergraduates working to build a dairy at an orphanage for ethnic children in China, said Yaniv Gelnik ’03, a project organizer.

Herald staff writer Lotem Almog ’03 can be reached at lalmog@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WORLD & NATION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 7

Hussein rejects ultimatum as war preparations intensify BAGHDAD (L.A.Times) — War ticked ever clos-

er Tuesday as Saddam Hussein appeared on television in a military uniform and rejected with contempt President George W. Bush’s ultimatum to relinquish power and flee Iraq by Wednesday night.

Instead, his foreign minister suggested that Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair resign.

The United States stepped up preparations to attack. More than 200,000 U.S., British and Australian troops were arrayed around Iraq, primed to fight. They readied thousands of aircraft, bombs, guns and tens of thousands of precision-guided munitions, as the White House warned that the conflict may not be a short one.

In Washington, Bush’s senior aides said the president met with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other top military advisers to go over “last-minute planning.”

A Pentagon official said the plans include sending special units of troops and intelligence operatives into Iraq soon after the fighting begins to fan out across the country and hunt for chemical and biological weapons.

The troops have been trained to handle such weapons, the official said, and the operatives are experts from the Defense Intelligence Agency equipped with sensors to detect nerve gas and other deadly agents.

They would try to find such weapons “sooner rather than later,” the official said, moving quickly to suspected weapons sites, even though information about those sites was incomplete. The official likened the mission to a high-stakes scavenger hunt.

Meanwhile, police in Denmark were investigating the disappearance of a top military defector from Iraq, former Gen. Nizar Khazraji, who has aspired to lead a role in toppling Saddam’s regime. The general’s son said he feared that Iraqi spies had abducted his father.

But a well-sourced expert at a think tank in London asserted that Khazraji had gone secretly to the Persian Gulf with the help of U.S. agents to participate in a propaganda campaign to urge Iraqi military defections during an invasion.

Amid preparations for war, the Pentagon confirmed that Rumsfeld met in Washington with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and discussed ways that Turkey might assist in an attack on Iraq. A Pentagon official said about 20 ships carrying equipment and supplies could unload in Turkey if an agreement is reached.

The supplies would be for the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, which was to be a major component of an invasion into northern Iraq until the Turkish parliament voted against allowing American forces to use Turkish bases.

In London, key ally Blair won a comfortable mandate from the House of Commons on Tuesday, persuading reluctant legislators to endorse a motion backing “all means necessary’’ to disarm Hussein.

Warning “this is not the time to falter,” Blair predicted that recoiling from military force at this point would only encourage other tyrants and weaken the international community. “Tell our allies that at the very moment of action, at the very moment they

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Cole / L.A.Times

In a final passionate show of support for President Saddam Hussein, women in the Baghdad neighborhood of Mansour join in a rally, raising their pistols. needed our determination, that Britain faltered?’’ he asked rhetorically. “I will not be party to such a course.”

About a quarter of the members of Parliament from Blair’s own Labor Party opposed the motion for war, an indication of the persistent unease in Britain over invading Iraq without U.N. approval.

In a tense Baghdad, Hussein presided over a joint meeting of the Revolutionary Command Council, Iraq’s highest executive body, and the leadership of the ruling Baath Party. “The pathetic Bush was hoping ... to achieve his evil targets without a fight ... which reflects a state of isolation

and defeat from which he and his pathetic allies are suffering,” the joint meeting declared in a statement, broadcast on al Shabab television, owned by Hussein’s son Uday.

Hussein went on television in uniform for the first time since the 1991 Persian Gulf War and told his military commanders that Bush’s ultimatum was “debased and baseless” and “a sick hope ... that he can win the war without having to fight.”

In a scathing, hourlong news conference, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri called Bush and Blair “warmongers,” “treacherous leaders” and “war criminals.”

PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003

Song continued from page 12 son and are certainly peaking at the right time. Despite losing a down-to-the-wire Big 12 Championship game to Oklahoma, they’re coming off wins over Oklahoma State and Kansas. Ricky Clemons and Rickey Paulding make up a solid backcourt while Arthur Johnson gives Mizzou a powerful frontcourt. Coach Quin Snyder has a team with a balanced attack from the inside and perimeter. The Tigers match up well against Southern Illinois, Marquette and Pittsburgh. It gives Mizzou a great chance at making a trip to the Elite Eight for the second straight year.

Connecticut (5 seed, South): Usually seeded one or two, UConn may feel out of place as a five seed. Nonetheless, this team is dangerous and has what it takes to get to the Final Four. Its guards are explosive athletes who can hit the three, averaging nearly 40 percent between four players. Center Emeka Okafor is not only the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, but he is also quietly becoming one of the most dominant low-post players in the nation. The team’s potential Sweet 16 match-up against Texas presents a great challenge, but, if the Huskies can contain TJ Ford and Okafor’s shots are falling, UConn will be playing basketball in April.

Mississippi State (5 seed, East): The Bulldogs are very solid defensively, forcing 15.7 turnovers a

game. Mario Austin gives them an inside game, Timmy Bowers can be lethal from beyond the arc and senior Derrick Zimmerman runs the show from the point guard position. With a roster full of juniors and seniors, Mississippi State has experience and leadership.

Don’t be surprised if it makes a run into the Elite Eight, knocking off Louisville and Oklahoma along the way.

Memphis (7 seed, West): Senior Chris Massie, arguably the strongest low-post player in the country, is surrounded by sharp shooters who love to hit the three ball. Massie’s dominating presence forces teams to doubleteam him, which leaves the perimeter open and makes the Tigers a very tough team to defend. If Massie can play his game and the guards hit their threes, Calipari and Memphis have a shot at upsetting Kansas and making a trip to the Sweet 16.

Four teams: Missouri, UConn, Mississippi State and Memphis.

Consistency will be key for these teams since good wins have gotten them into the dance, but bad losses have given them low seeds.

In any case, I have them going far in my bracket, but whether or not you do is completely up to you. In fact, all four of these teams can be eliminated in the first round, but that’s what March Madness is all about. Only in college basketball can the most ludicrous predictions be the correct ones and the most sensible predictions be wrong. The fact of the matter is that you have to take some big time risks and pick the unexpected upsets when it comes to filling out these brackets. These four teams are my so-called “bracket busters.” They all have the players and talent to disappoint some tournament favorites, their fans and broke college students who spent their last five dollars on a March Madness pool.

Herald sports columnist Chris Song ’05 does not condone gambling; in fact, he has promised to give all his earnings from March Madness pools to the Jim Herrick Legal Defense Fund.

AOTW continued from page 12 the team and help each other.”

The positive attitude the team built up this winter will hopefully carry over to the spring season. The Bears get their first taste of competition over spring break when they head to Florida to compete in the Florida Relays. Like the fall and winter, the spring season gears itself toward the Heptagonal Championships at Yale the first week in May. In looking toward the spring, Buechel believes that the season will be kind to the Bears.

“As a team we have a chance to contend for the title,” Buechel said.

“At indoors there are some events that aren’t contested that we do well in, like the javelin and more sprint events.”

Gregorek also cited the return of several athletes who compete in other sports in the winter as a booster for team scoring.

For Buechel, the spring holds the possibility of an NCAA Championship berth in the steeplechase. Though last year was his first running the steeplechase at intercollegiate competitions, he finished fourth in the event at the Heptagonal

W. skiing continued from page 12 The three first-year women, Swaffield, Stanton and Stephanie Breakstone ’06, finished the slalom in 15th, 33rd and 39th, respectively. Breakstone and Jones were named as honorable mentions to the Second Team Academic All-American team.

“The efforts given by Caitlin Stanton, Stephanie Breakstone and Hilary Swaffield are a tremendous starting point for the continued future successes of the women’s squad,” Finocchio said.

“Individually, each athlete adds a tremendous talent and work ethic to the team. As a group, I am truly excited to see these athletes vie for a National title for years to come.”

The Brown men’s squad was represented by a sole competitor at this year’s nationals. Jake Colognesi ’05 finished 8th in the giant slalom. Six of the seven skiers who finished in front of Colognesi were members of their respective country’s national squads — one from Austria, one from Norway, two from Canada, one from France and one from the United States.

“Jake Colognesi entered Brown’s ski team last January,” Finocchio said. “Since his first competition, the men’s team took on a new light. His performances throughout the season were a mere warm-up for his performances at Nationals. Jake proved that he can compete with the elite. His performances at Nationals have never been attained by a male skier at Brown.

He is a remarkable student-athlete and we are honored to have him as a part of the Brown program. He is within grasp of an individual national title.

“Despite being faced with many challenges outside their control, both the women’s squad and Jake stepped up to the best of their abilities,” Finocchio said.

“As their coach, I could not be happier with their performances.”

meet and holds the sixth best time in the steeplechase in Brown history.

Buechel’s greatest advantage in the steeplechase, and why a Heptagonal crown and NCAA berth are possible, is his background in both cross-country and the mile.

“Building on his cross-country experience and as fast as he is in the mile, he can shave twenty seconds of his steeplechase time,” Gregorek said. “The (steeplechase) requires the strength of a cross-country runner and the speed of a shorter distance runner, and he has improved in both of those areas this year.”

Gregorek also cited the importance of consistency in training for the steeplechase, something Buechel only achieved this past year and half.

“Last year was the first year he focused on the steeplechase,” Gregorek said. “Now he knows what to expect. He has consistently trained for this event in the past year, and it is huge to have that consistency. We both have high expectations.”

With his strong work ethnic and leadership, both Buechel and the Brown squad look forward to a successful spring season.

Herald sports editor Maggie Haskins ’04 can be reached at mhaskins@browndailyherald.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL/LETTERS WEDNESDAY, S T A F F

MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 10

E D I T O R I A L

Farewell efficiency In what can only be described as a misguided power play, the Office of Campus Life is trying to subvert the Residential Council’s authority by creating a new residential life committee. Although the new body would focus only on a few of ResCouncil’s issues, the committee — which ResCouncil and the LGBTA are publicly opposing — would siphon authority from student governance, setting up an unnecessary buffer between ResCouncil and the administration.

Campus Life’s proposal is particularly ill-conceived, considering that ResCouncil has proven itself as one of Brown’s most efficient and active student organizations. In “Welcome efficiency” (Feb. 27), The Herald commended ResCouncil for working with the Office of Residential Life to condense the number of lottery segments and for consistently bringing issues of importance to the table and resolving them in a timely manner. Unlike many other student-run organizations, where debate is eventually buried in committee, ResCouncil has been proactive in addressing significant concerns, such as expanding the number of co-ed suites on campus.

ResCouncil members claim it may be this efficiency itself that has led to

ANDY HULL

Campus Life’s proposal. Council Policy Chair Jesse Goodman ’04 told The

LETTERS

Herald the proposed committee is a way for Campus Life to bury the co-ed housing issue, or at least delay it. Goodman said, based on the committee’s timeline, recommendations may not be in place for the 2004 lottery. If this is true, the office’s actions are doubly offensive to students, both in ignoring an issue of campus-wide concern and in creating a system where the demands of student leaders can be neglected.

Furthermore, singling out the LGBTA — against that organization’s wishes — for a seat on the committee smacks of tokenism. The notion that including a minority of elected students (ResCouncil members) and one LGBTA representative will somehow adequately reflect the needs of the student body is ludicrous. In contrast, ResCouncil members are selected by the elected Undergraduate Council of Students to represent the entire student body — and they have performed admirably in that capacity.

Dean for Campus Life Margaret Jablonski claims the new committee will fairly and efficiently address housing concerns. But isn’t this ResCouncil’s job?

There is no reason for administrators to usurp this sector of student leadership. Of all the student-run organizations on campus, ResCouncil is one of the few that can actually handle issues thrown its way. To undercut its authority is senseless and will only serve to foster distrust between students and the administration.

Hill House fondly remembered by Brown alum To the Editor: I’m sad to see that Hill House, Ltd., the men’s store, is gone (“Long-empty Hill House put to use,” March 17). It made me over, as it did a lot of freshmen from across the country, and I have more or less dressed in the Ivy League manner since the store first got its teeth into me. Also, in those days (1950) socks and underwear were cheap and readily available when the dirty clothes piled up. I lived at 4 Manning Street, a block or so up Thayer Street, an address now gone forever, as is the street! So long, Hill House, “ever true to Brown.”

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD EDITORIAL Elena Lesley, Editor-in-Chief Brian Baskin, Executive Editor Zachary Frechette, Executive Editor Kerry Miller, Executive Editor Kavita Mishra, Senior Editor Stephanie Harris, Academic Watch Editor Carla Blumenkranz, Arts & Culture Editor Rachel Aviv, Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Julia Zuckerman, Campus Watch Editor Juliette Wallack, Metro Editor Adam Stella, Asst. Metro Editor

BUSINESS Jamie Wolosky, General Manager Joe Laganas, Executive Manager Lawrence Hester, Senior Accounts Manager Joshua Miller, Senior Accounts Manager Midori Asaka, National Accounts Manager David Zehngut, National Accounts Manager Bill Louis, University Accounts Manager Anastasia Ali, Local Accounts Manager Elias Roman, Local Accounts Manager Peter Schermerhorn, Local Accounts Manager Jack Carrere, Noncomm Accounts Manager Laurie-Ann Paliotti, Sr. Advertising Rep. Stephanie Lopes, Advertising Rep. Kate Sparaco, Office Manager

their jobs because they may not have been earned fairly? Of course not. Rather, it should make white people who are disproportionately powerful aware of this problem. Our unearned privilege creates an obligation. White people or any disproportionately powerful people should only feel guilt if they fail to use their power to rectify the inequality that gave it to them.

We all have significant racial biases; we ought to become aware of these biases and compensate for them. We have a great obligation as students at an elite university to be a force for good. If we betray that obligation, then we should have trouble sleeping at night or looking at ourselves in the mirror in the morning.

Zachary Teutsch ’05 March 17

Quentin McGown ’54 March 17

Whites should identify and correct racial injustices in society

LETTERS. THEY DO A BODY GOOD. letters@ browndailyherald.com

To the Editor:

Jonathan Skolnick, Opinions Editor Joshua Skolnick, Opinions Editor Omonike Akimkuowo, Editorial Intern

PRODUCTION Ilena Frangista, Listings Editor Marc Debush, Copy Desk Chief Grace Farris, Graphics Editor Andrew Sheets, Graphics Editor Kimberly Insel, Photography Editor Brett Cohen, Systems Manager

P O S T- M A G A Z I N E Alex Carnevale, Editor-in-Chief Dan Poulson, Executive Editor Morgan Clendaniel, Senior Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, Senior Editor Doug Fretty, Film Editor Colin Hartnett, Design Editor SPORTS Joshua Troy, Executive Sports Editor Nick Gourevitch, Senior Sports Editor Jonathan Meachin, Senior Sports Editor Jermaine Matheson, Sports Editor Maggie Haskins, Sports Editor Alicia Mullin, Sports Editor

Neko Case, Night Editor Amy Ruddle, Janis Sethness, Copy Editors Staff Writers Lotem Almog, Kathy Babcock, Zach Barter, Hannah Bascom, Carla Blumenkranz, Dylan Brown, Danielle Cerny, Philissa Cramer, Ian Cropp, Maria Di Mento, Bamboo Dong, Jonathan Ellis, Linda Evarts, Nicholas Foley, Dana Goldstein, Alan Gordon, Nick Gourevitch, Joanna Grossman, Stephanie Harris, Shara Hegde, Anna Henderson, Momoko Hirose, Akshay Krishnan, Hanyen Lee, Jamay Liu, Allison Lombardo, Lisa Mandle, Jermaine Matheson, Jonathan Meachin, Monique Meneses, Alicia Mullin, Crystal Z.Y. Ng, Joanne Park, Sara Perkins, Melissa Perlman, Eric Perlmutter, Samantha Plesser, Cassie Ramirez, Lily Rayman-Read, Zoe Ripple, Ethan Ris, Amy Ruddle, Emir Senturk, Jen Sopchockchai, Adam Stella, Adam Stern, Stefan Talman, Jonathan Thompson, Joshua Troy, Juliette Wallack, Jessica Weisberg, Ellen Wernecke, Ben Wiseman, Xiyun Yang, Brett Zarda, Julia Zuckerman Pagination Staff Joshua Gootzeit, Lisa Mandle, Alex Palmer, Nikki Reyes, Amy Ruddle Photo Staff Nick Mark, Alex Palmer, Cassie Ramirez, Jason White Copy Editors Mary Ann Bronson, Lanie Davis, Yafang Deng, Hanne Eisenfeld, George Haws, Amy Ruddle, Jane Porter, Janis Sethness, Nora Yoo

Laura Schonmuller ’05 is right that white people should not be ashamed about their race (“No one should be ashamed of being born ‘white,’” March 17).

She is wrong, though, in asserting that this is an implicit goal of the week dedicated to “Deconstructing Whiteness.” Rather, the week was about recognizing advantage and thinking about what to do in light of it. There is significant racism in our society. One example comes from a recent article from the Providence Journal reporting a study in which identical cover letters and resumes were sent to many employers. The only difference amongst the applications were the names of the applicants.

Traditionally white names returned vastly more responses than “identifiably” black names.

Clearly this doesn’t mean those white people were more qualified; the applications were identical. Does this revelation mean that all white people should quit COMMENTARY POLICY The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns and letters reflect the opinions of their authors only.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

OPINIONS WEDNESDAY,

Requiem for Iraq and the South Forgive us, for we know not what we do FORGIVE US, SOUTH TOWER, FOR OUR TERRORISM AND OUR cruise missiles and our napalm. When the second plane struck your walls, the smoke that billowed from the World Trade Center could hardly be distinguished from the smokestacks of Auschwitz, and what difference was there anyway?

Try to rest in peace, and know that the day you perished has made us all into murderers. Our tax dollars, wrapped up into bullets, will be fired into the children of Iraq, distributing among us the burden of the carnage — an orphan for you, a widow for me. But America will sleep soundly tonight. We’ll never have to bear witness to the orphans, amputees and corpses: They’ll lurk somewhere beneath the fireworks that will light up the Baghdad sky as the bombs tumble from overhead. Their screams will explode with the warheads and dissipate into the eerie glow of night-vision NATE GORALNIK ORDERS FROM goggles and the sights of video-guided THE BOSS missiles. All eyes on Baghdad, but no one will hear the cries of the children.

Their deaths will disappear behind the sterile imagery of military photography. Their devastated families and shattered dreams will be swept from the world and into the litter box of history, extinguished by the ruin and euphemism of war.

Rest in peace, South Tower: We’re celebrating the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 early this year. In the first 48 hours of our invasion, we will drop one bomb for every person killed on that fateful day in September. The fireworks will light up the Baghdad sky while we dance in the streets like the heartless masses that rejoiced in the carnage on Sept. 11. We will celebrate our institutions of death by downloading the images from the major news sources and watching them with fascination. We will support the murder of Iraqi children and imagine that it’s OK because every bullet was meant for Saddam Hussein. We will maim and slaughter Iraqi parents so that their orphans might enjoy the rule of a military regime. We will see their tears of sorrow flowing across the desert and mistake them for tears of joy.

We will call upon God to bless the murderers, but God will hide His eyes in shame.

Bush’s decision to go to war does not come on the anniversary of Sept. 11, but on the 35th anniversary of the My Lai massacre.

The America that burned imaginary witches at the stake systematically devastated an imaginary haven of Soviet communism in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese women were brutally raped with bayonets while other soldiers shoved pistols into the mouths of children and fired, but a country that condones the death penalty refused to punish the murderers. A country that supposedly learned from the homicidal delusions of the Vietnam War is now chasing imaginary terrorists and nuclear weapons and a defenseless, imaginary enemy. All of which justifies, of course, a war that will incur a destruction of human life on a scale unseen since Sept. 11.

Wait for a full assessment of Iraq’s weapons program? No, there’s not enough time. Our fangs are bared and we want to bite now rather than later. But we’ll never taste the blood on our jaws. The smoke rising over Baghdad will remind no one of the Twin Towers; the victims will have no voice. They will waste away under the hot Iraqi sun, and we will forget them. Forgive us, Iraq, for we know not what we do. It’s easy to forget that you’re people, too. You will scream — the voices that soothe you at night will be choked off and poisoned by smoke and fire — but we will not hear you.

Rest in peace, South Tower, while we betray your memory.

The first missile to crash into Iraq will trail across the sky like a comet carrying history on its wings, a savage, unprovoked attack that will leave thousands dead. And we will expect the dead victims of Sept. 11 to smile in their graves while their living counterparts are murdered in the streets of Baghdad. Rest in peace, South Tower. You and Iraq are one and the same, buried beneath the weight of the world’s fury, silenced by death and unable to scream: “Never again. Never again. Not here. Not anywhere.”

Nate Goralnik ’06 admires the work of Gabe Hudson.

MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 11

Bush embraces international law But only when he feels like it LAST WEEK, THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL Americans serving abroad or people with checkered Court swore in its first panel of judges from around histories such as Henry Kissinger.

Who will try the Iraqi war criminals Bush menthe world. It will probably take up its first case next year. If the president were the proponent of interna- tioned? Will it be a U.S. military tribunal or a special tional law he purported to be in his March 17 address ad-hoc U.N. tribunal, like those formed for the forto the world, we could have perhaps seen an mer Yugoslavia and Rwanda? Perhaps Bush will stay consistent and go it alone once again by American judge sworn in. But Bush’s taking Saddam’s loyalists to Camp X-Ray, endorsement of international law was which avoids inconveniences such as the hollow. The speech was filled with the Constitution and the Geneva Accords. same platitudes we are all familiar with by Kurds tuning into the speech must have now — the security of the world requires been disheartened. Lost in all the liberadisarming Saddam Hussein now, we have tion rhetoric are the concerns of the Kurds to attack before he attacks us, Iraqi — their autonomy, human rights and right democracy can be an example for the to self-determination. The Bush adminisMiddle East — but his purported concern tration, desperate to have Turkish help for international law was surprising and with the invasion, seems willing to let the particularly disingenuous.

JAIDEEP SINGH Turkish army have its way in northern He appealed to Iraq’s military: “All Iraqi J-DEEP THOUGHTS Iraq. Why does the zeal for justice always military and civilian personnel should lisdisappear when it comes to the beleaten carefully to this warning. In any conguered Kurds? Surely, unleashing the flict, your fate will depend on your action.

Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that Turkish military on the Kurdish enclave it northern belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any com- Iraq cannot be part of a truly “moral” foreign policy. mand to use weapons of mass destruction against As Bush says, “the power and appeal of human liberanyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will ty is felt in every life and every land.” Except, he be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And meant to say, by the Kurds in northern Iraq.

Whether or not President Bush really intends for it will be no defense to say, ‘I was just following Iraqi oil wealth to be used for the benefit of the peoorders.’”

Many watching the broadcast must have been ple remains to be seen. I can’t take Bush seriously baffled. Since when has President Bush been a friend when he talks about using Iraq’s oil revenue to beneof international law? He spent much of his first year fit its people. His administration has already consultin office tearing up treaties, first the Kyoto Protocol, ed with oil giants about contracts in Iraq, which only then the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Then he made it underscores the cynicism about Bush’s war aims.

Nevertheless, now we can only hope for the best clear that the United States would stay out of the ICC unless Americans were exempted from prosecution. possible outcome. We can only hope the hawks are The ICC is a permanent forum to prosecute the correct when they say that despite losing their world’s war criminals and represents a step toward friends and family, Iraqi civilians will welcome our holding despots and war criminals around the world soldiers with open arms, and that Israel will not be responsible for their crimes. But instead of helping drawn into the war.

In a related note, in last month’s speech at the the fledgling court, Bush has sapped its capacity by refusing to join despite strong checks against what American Enterprise Institute, President Bush said Bush fears — politically motivated prosecutions of he would not allow violence and hatred to prevail in “the affairs of men.” I hope, ultimately, that “men” was used as a figure of speech, and that he meant also to include women and children.

Jaideep Singh ‘03 wishes his friends in Kuwait well.

Bush’s messiah complex Dubya sees himself as the chosen one AN INTERESTING SAYING FROM JOHANAN BEN Daily News, George Bush has told friends that he has Zakkai, a student of the Rabbi Hillel, recently came to been “chosen by God” to lead this war. David Gergen, my attention. He writes, “If you are planting a tree and former White House advisor, writes that “(Bush) has you hear that the Messiah has come, finish planting made it clear he feels that Providence intervened to the tree, then go and inquire.” This saying promotes a change his life, and now he is somehow an instruhealthy skepticism about those claiming to be messi- ment of Providence.”

The media often suggests that this President is ahs. Ben Zakkai tells people to go about their daily “unique” in his use of religious language business because the professed mesand his belief that he is “chosen.” But Bush siah may turn out to be full of is not unique at all. malarkey. In the first century, because After America’s victory in the SpanishRoman oppression was so acute, mesAmerican war, the United States attained siahs were popping up all over the the former Spanish colony of the place and many of them turned out to Philippines. William McKinley, the presibe duds. And by the end of the first dent at the time, was faced with a decision. century, messiahs managed to lead He could either give the Filipinos indethe Jewish people into a suicidal revolt pendence, or he could colonize the archiagainst the Roman Empire. pelago. He claimed that he was so stumped The words of Ben Zakkai are particBRIAN RAINEY that he “walked the floor of the White House ularly striking when thinking of ‘TILL JUSTICE FLOWS night after night until midnight.” Finally, President Bush, who clearly has some DOWN LIKE WATER not knowing the answer, he “went down on kind of messiah complex. Everyone is (his) knees and prayed to Almighty God for aware of Bush’s religious talk and the light and guidance more than one night.” fact that he uses spiritual terms to support his policies. As Washington Post columnist And then, according to McKinley, God gave him the Dana Milbank put it, Bush “casts the full range of his answer! God told him that “there was nothing left for agenda — foreign, domestic and economic — in spir- us to do but to take them all, and to educate the itual terms.” There is nothing wrong with faith Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize informing politics (my faith certainly informs my pol- them...” So the Lord’s will happened to coincide with itics), but Bush has elevated himself to a level at colonialism and imperialism. How convenient.

There is something frighteningly similar about which he is positioned as God’s Chosen One. According to the New York Times and the New York McKinley’s “revelation” and Bush’s religious conviction. It shows that we should be wary of presidents who claim to be Chosen Ones. Meanwhile, as Bush perpetuates his messianic view of himself, I’m going Brian Rainey '04 is an ancient studies concentrator to finish planting. who hopes that God has a good sense of humor.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS WEDNESDAY MARCH 19, 2003 · PAGE 12

Four teams to watch in NCAAs THE BRACKETS AND SEEDINGS FOR THIS year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament were announced Sunday, and it is obvious the selection committee has made some mistakes. First of all, the two best teams in the nation, Kentucky and Arizona, are set to meet in the semifinals and not the N a t i o n a l CHRIS SONG SWAN SONG Championship game. In addition, the other two number-one seeds, Texas and Oklahoma, are on the same side of the bracket despite being from the same conference. A team like Auburn — 5-9 in its last 14 games with one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the nation — was given an at-large bid. On the other hand, the selection committee snubbed Boston College, winner of the Big East’s East Division, and Texas Tech, who beat Texas and Oklahoma State. Finally, the West region is unbelievably strong. Arizona, Kansas, Duke and Illinois are all potential Final Four teams. The South is notably weaker, leaving a nice path for Texas and an extremely challenging route for Arizona to get to the Superdome in New Orleans.

Despite poor seeding and placement and erroneous inclusions and exclusions of teams on the part of the selection committee, the tournament will retain what makes it so exciting and entertaining — the upsets.

Every year the tournament is full of surprises that either make or break your picks. Your only shot at winning a pool is picking the right upsets. Keep in mind — there has never been a Final Four with four number one seeds, and a number three seed has been eliminated in the first round seven times in the last eight years. There will be upsets. The hard part is picking them. After looking over the brackets, here are teams from each region that I think will make some news and go deep into the tournament.

Missouri (6 seed, Midwest): The Tigers are playing their best basketball of the seasee SONG, page 8

W. skiing fourth at nationals

BY DANIEL MURRAY

The Brown women’s ski team ended a historic season last week, finishing fourth in the National Championships at Lake Tahoe, Calif. The women were led by Captain Doria Dibona ’03, who completed her college ski career by placing fifth in the giant slalom and 21st in the slalom in addition to being named as a First Team All-American skier.

In the giant slalom the women placed fifth as a team with Hilary Swaffield ’06 following Dibona in 19th place. Swaffield placed as a Second Team All-American and First Team Academic All-American.

Another first-year, KiKi Stanton ’06, finished the giant slalom in 46th place, scoring the seventeenth fastest time in the second run.

In the slalom event, another Brown veteran completed a stellar skiing career.

Adrienne Jones ’03, a Second Team AllAmerican this season, placed 11th in the nation in the slalom.

“For the seniors, Doria Dibona and Adrienne Jones, their individual performances were long overdue,” said Head Coach Karen Finocchio. “It was great to see four years of effort rewarded with AllAmerican performances.“ see W. SKIING, page 8

Four years; one game; unlimited opportunity for men’s hoops in NIT

BY JOSHUA TROY

Yesterday, the seniors on the men’s basketball team (17-11, 12-2 Ivy League) began the first leg of the journey that is the result of four seasons of hard work and dedication. Tonight, win or lose, the team’s effort of the past few years will pay off in the form of a National Invitation Tournament match-up with the University of Virginia (15-15, 6-10 ACC).

“This means a lot for a culmination of reasons,” said Co-captain Earl Hunt ’03.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play in the postseason, and this just shows the great tradition that we have helped build at Brown.”

Though some would assume just making it to the NIT would be enough, the team, as it has been all season, is focused on winning. Despite being 12.5point underdogs to the Cavaliers, the Bears know that the game is about proving they can win on the national stage.

“The only measure of success is winning, period,” Hunt said. “It is not just about showing up or keeping the game close.”

“Winning is the only goal,” said starting point guard Jason Forte ’05.

“Anything less is a failure.”

As always, Bruno will be lead by the trio of Hunt, Forte and Alai Nuualiitia

’03, all of whom were named to the First Team All-Ivy League. Hunt led the Ivy League in scoring for the third straight season with 19.4 points per game and was named the Ivy League Most Valuable Player by collegeinsider.com. For Hunt, the game will also be a chance to showcase his talent for several professional scouts.

Fellow Co-captain Nuualiitia, who was sixth in the league in scoring, led the Ivies in both field goal percentage and blocks per game. It was the third straight year that he led the league in field goal percentage.

“All the hard work for four years has finally paid off,” Nuualiitia said. “We have been focused all week, just like when we faced Penn and Princeton, and now it is just a matter of running our offense and rebounding.”

For Forte — who finished fifth in the league in scoring, second in assists and averaged over 20 points in his last four games — the game has even more meaning. Forte will be playing on a court where he watched his brother, secondyear NBA player Joseph Forte, shine for the University of North Carolina.

“I went Joe’s freshman year, and this will be a lot different from sitting out in the stands,” Forte said. “When we step on the plane, everyone (on the team)

knows that this is about business.”

Leading the way for Virginia, which defeated four teams in the AP’s Top 25, will be Travis Watson, who averaged a double-double during the regular season with 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Helping carry the load will be Todd Billet and Devin Smith, both of whom averaged in double figures in scoring. Smith had 19 points in the team’s loss to Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

Hampering the team will be the loss of senior center Jason Rogers. After starting the team’s past two games and putting up a career-high 12 points in a win over defending National Champions the University of Maryland, Rogers will miss the game after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.

“There is no pressure for us,” Hunt said. “It is just another basketball game.

We were invited for a reason and now we just have to prove it.”

The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at Virginia’s University Hall. The winner of the match-up will advance to face the winner of the showdown between St. John’s and Boston University.

Executive sports editor Joshua Troy ’04 covers the men’s basketball team. He can be reached at jtroy@browndailyherald.com.

Athlete of the Week Buechel ’03 races to glory

BY MAGGIE HASKINS

Last year’s Indoor Heptagonal Championships were anything but uplifting for the men’s track and field team — the injury-plagued squad finished dead last.

Led by the seniors on the squad, this year’s meet proved far more successful, both for the team and for various individuals.

Senior Co-captain Chad Buechel ’03 won the mile in 4:07:14 — seconds ahead of his challenger. His performance at the championships and his leadership on the team earned him the title of Athlete of the Week.

Buechel’s performance in the mile throughout the indoor season was something of note — especially his performances leading up to Heps. A month prior he earned the top time at the Armory Collegiate Invitational, running it in 4:08:18, and he currently holds the fourth best mile mark (4:05:04) in Brown history, a record he set this year. At the USATF New England Championships on Feb. 24, Buechel finished second in the mile with a time of 4:05:51. Thus, the stage was set for Buechel’s outstanding performance on March 2.

In his qualifying heat, Buechel finished right behind Brian Hanley from Dartmouth but was unfazed.

“I knew that I could run with him,” Buechel said. “I had the lead the whole trial heat and I kind of let up at the end, and he passed. The trials are not really important.

You are running to make the finals, not to win the race.”

There would be no letting up during the final race. Both Buechel and Distance Coach John Gregorek were confident of Buechel’s ability to win.

“We were very confident he should be in the top three,” Gregorek said. “His time going into the meet was the third or fourth fastest in the league.”

Before the race, Gregorek and Buechel said they believed the run would probably turn into a “real kicker’s race,” so the two focused on starting Buechel’s kick early in the race, a strategy that proved extremely

successful.

“The final race went out fast, and an athlete from Princeton who had the best time going in was the favorite. (The Princeton runner) took the lead but Chad stayed really patient and finished with a good kick over the last 200 meters,” Gregorek said.

Buechel took over the lead heading into the final stretch but said the reality of completing such a tremendous goal only hit him after crossing the finish line. Buechel cited the tremendous support he received from his teammates during the race as a strong motivating factor.

“The attitude and the support of the people competing at the meet and the 20 or 30 non-competing teammates who drove up to Dartmouth was awesome,” Buechel said.

The positive aura of the day was a key factor in the success of Buechel and other Brown track athletes at Heps.

Gregorek cited strong performances by Co-captain Sean Thomas ’03, who won the triple jump and Brad Bowery ’03, who finished second in the pole vault. Because the Brown squad lacks the depth of other teams, it relied more heavily on individual performances. This placed a lot of importance on creating and maintaining a strong team morale. At Heps the squad accomplished just that.

“The team morale was fantastic,” Gregorek said. “The team will build off of it and improve greatly in the outdoor season.”

One of the reasons for the strong team morale is Buechel himself. In his second year as co-captain of the squad, he shouldered the burden of rallying the squad for meets. This can prove difficult in a sport that is largely individual.

While Gregorek and Buechel both cited the importance of being vocal in stirring team pride, both also placed great emphasis on leading by example — something Buechel does extremely well.

“Chad takes his running very seriously, trains very hard, takes care of himself,”

Photo courtesy of Dan Grossman

Chad Buechel ’03 (above) hopes to continue his success in the outdoor track season.

Gregorek said. “He set an example for the other runners by how he conducts himself.

He also took a real leadership role in speaking to the guys at the different team meetings we had in order to get them mentally prepared. His role as a leader is instrumental in the team.”

Buechel himself has made a concerted effort the past two years to lead by example.

“It is one of the best motivators,” Buechel said. “Track is a very individual sport and leading by example is a big thing.

It keeps attitudes high, and people stay positive. By performing well you support see AOTW, page 8